‘Mother God’, ‘Lady Bird’ diverge
A stab at divinity, a theology cobbled together from the internet, a claim to take on the pain of the world and a mummified body are just some of the small, weird aspects of the three-part documentary series “Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God” (9 p.m., HBO).
Born in 1975, Kansan Amy Carlson was a single mother and McDonald’s manager when she began to assert her links to the celestial. Over the course of this series, she attracts an online community of disciples, many of them current or former addicts seeking clarity and stability in their lives.
It doesn’t take long for her religious cult “Love Has Won” to begin profiting from her following and selling merchandise in a fashion that would not be out of place on QVC. She also attracted the attention of some darker individuals, who plunged the organization into violence and chaos.
Streaming on Hulu, “The Lady Bird Diaries” presents a documentary look at the presidency of Lyndon Johnson narrated by audiotaped reflections made by his first lady. The film reveals a woman completely unprepared to assume the role of first lady, who had the job thrust upon her under the most tragic circumstance, the murder of President John F. Kennedy, some 60 Novembers ago.
Her husband was keenly aware of how the press and political quarters that all but worshiped his slain predecessor found him to be rather rough around the edges and even crude. But try following Jackie Kennedy.
Lady Bird Johnson was often underestimated in her time but has come to be seen as one of the more consequential first ladies.
› AMC will present the 2023 period comedy drama “BlackBerry” (10 p.m., AMC and streaming on AMC+, TV-14) as a three-part limited series. It will also include 16 minutes of additional material.
Matt Johnson and Jay Baruchel star as the visionary inventors Douglas Fregin and Mike Lazaridis, who cobbled together a handheld device combining a phone and an emailenabled keyboard.
Glenn Howerton stars as investor Jim Balsillie, who becomes the straight man to their goofy duo routine. This production can be enjoyed for its history of technology and business or simply appreciated for awkward hairdos and period details.
Given a limited film festival and Canadian market release, “Blackberry” received praise from film critics who appreciated its blend of humor and history in recalling a short-lived device that was seen as a “crack-berry” to its avid user base.
Its nostalgic appeal is enhanced by the fact the Blackberry came and went quite quickly. It ruled for and defined a brief moment, until it was vanquished by Steve Jobs’ iPhone.
As a TV critic and as a casual viewer, you can almost carbon-date films and series from a particular era by the presence of a Blackberry. All the business hotshots and politico honchos were thumb-typing away — until they weren’t.