Media Captures - March 2024

 MOVIES

 Blackberry – 9

This chronicling of the development, deployment, and eventual demise of the Blackberry phone is a blast.

This was before the internet revealed EVERYTHING that was going on, so this story is all new to me. It points out that no matter how creative you are, and how innovative your product is, it’s never enough.  Someone is going to catch up, and you better keep innovating.

In this case, and it’s in Canada, the co-CEO makes so much money so fast, he quickly gets distracted by his efforts to buy an National Hockey League team.  Talk about taking your eye off the puck.  Fun movie, with great portrayals by Glen Howerton, Jay Burchel, and Matthew Johnson as the three very different dudes shoving the Blackberry into the market.

The Man From Earth – 9
The Man From Earth:  Halocene – 7

These movies have budgets so low, they practically never leave one room.  But, the story is interesting.  A college professor has resigned, much to the dismay of his contemporaries, but the reason is rather unusual.  He thinks they are going to notice that he doesn’t age.  In fact, he was once a caveman, and he’s had more than a few brushes with famous people.  Thus, it’s time for him to move on, a constant in his life.  He makes a decision he will probably regret when he chooses to spill the beans to this particular group of friends.  The questions begin, and it was pretty cool to me. 

In the sequel, a group of students at his next university become suspicious at his depth of historical knowledge and begin to figure out who he is.  The sequel isn’t as good, but they never are.

Nefarious – 8

Here’s a 2023 Amazon Prime movie that may give you the creeps.  On the day of his scheduled execution, a serial killer torments the psychiatrist sent to evaluate him and sign off on his sanity.  Hard to do when you’re dealing with a man who claims to be a demon and plays Jekyll and Hyde minute to minute.  Sean Patrick Flannery is properly over the top as the killer and his manipulation of the psychiatrist, played by Jordan Belfi is fun to watch. 

Dream Scenario – 8

I’ve never been a big fan of Nicholas Cage, even in his famous roles, but he seems suddenly perfectly for this one.  He plays Paul Matthews, a college professor who suddenly starts appearing in the dreams of people he has never met.  Now that’s an original idea.  It’s all kind of fun, until the dreams take on, shall we say permutations.  Haven’t seen this story or anything like it before, and while it’s not perfect, it’s fun to watch movies like this. 

Road House – 8

If you are looking for realism, this ain’t the place.  It's a great place to see Abs though.  Don’t know whose idea it was to remake one of those cable “over and over” movies, but Director Doug Lymon, who has done some good movies, said “why not?”

It’s exactly what you would expect in 2024.  Jake Gyllenhall cuts loose with some semi-cute one-liners, a lot of punches, and Conner McGregor, of UFC fame plays his tormentor with such wide eyed gusto he practically steals the movie.  The original Road House is far from a masterpiece, but (spoiler alert) there is a level of depth added when the legendary Wade Garrett (played by heartthrob Sam Elliott) is a victim of the bad guys.  In 2024 you can’t kill off heroes, so none of that here, and I think this should have been called Road House Florida, thereby opening the can for about 48 more movies.  Take a moment to think about what they could do in your state.  And check it out if you want some diversionary mano a mano.

Wishmaster - 8

t’s rare that I get caught up in a B movie, and the reason I watched this was only because I saw a Reels clip that was striking.  It was what I expected and pretty decent for the genre.

STREAMING/BINGING and what’s left of Network Television

Good Behavior:  Season 1 – 10

I was alerted to this series and got into it pretty slowly, as the characters certainly have their challenges. Its 10 episode first season was a TNT production that flew under the radar until it was licensed to MAX where it has gained some traction.  There is a lot of this cross licensing going on.  I wonder when The Wire will come to Disney plus.

This is the story of a con woman/thief named Letty (Michelle Dockery) out on parole, trying to maintain her good behavior.  Soon she meets an assassin-for-hire named Javier (a charismatic Juan Diego Botto) and they meander through the first six episodes, doing mostly bad things.  Interesting, but nothing special so far.  Then, boom!  Nothing prepares you for the bombshell 7th episode, The Ballad of Santini.  It centers on the Javier's reluctant Argentinean family reunion. It's about as good as TV gets and the final 3 episodes pack quite a wallop.  We'll be checking out season 2 soon, but for now I'm just going to savor this sleeper.  Don't miss it, and don't give up too soon.     

DOCUMENTARIES

Turning Point:  The Bomb and the Cold War – 10

This is a devastatingly complete history of the Cold War and the constant threat of Nuclear Armageddon.  It marches us through the leadership of the Soviet Union, the United States, and all the other pertinent nations since World War II.  I firmly believe this will be used in teaching history, and should be a must-see as it explains Putin, his objective of putting the Union back together, and how we got to this point.  If you have any interest in history, like you were prepped to get under your desk during the Cuban Missile Crisis, don’t miss this.

The Dynasty:  New England Patriots – 10

This Apple+ Series covers the 20 years of the Belichick/Brady era.  It’s pretty controversial as many Pats fans and even former players consider it a hit piece on Bill, and a Robert Kraft crafting of what happened.    I didn’t see it that way at all.  I thought it was a microcosm of how hard it is to manage people.  Yes, Belichick’s inflexibility has finally caught up with him, but his defensive teams of those years were stellar, up until the point where he benched Malcolm Butler for a Super Bowl, just 2 years after Butler saved the Super Bowl vs the Seahawks.  That was probably the turning point for Tom Brady’s loyalty to the Coach.

Here’s what I saw.  First Brady’s secret weapon was his passion. I had seen some of the footage before, but there was a lot I hadn’t seen.  You don’t play until that age without an incredible self-motivation, and it’s on showcase here.

Secondly, if this was a Kraft production, he doesn’t do a very good job.  He comes off as whiney to me, especially when the Patriots keep getting caught in their litany of transgressions.

Lastly, there’s Bill.  To me he didn’t progress with the times.  Young people of today are different and Bill didn’t change much.  But, in fairness I don’t think the accusation that he lost the locker room is accurate either.  How can you lose a room where the average player has a 4 year career?  He lost his quarterback.  Then he lost his job.  In the NFL you can’t win without a Quarterback and in some warped thinking Bill kept wanting to move on from the greatest player in NFL history.  My only quibble is that they left some things out that would’ve provided even more context.

I found it all to be fascinating.  Building a winner and keeping it going is an incredible story.

Steve! (martin) a documentary in 2 Pieces – 9

This Apple+ documentary by famed Documentarian Morgan Neville is, in the first half, a gentle recap of Steve Martin’s career.  It brought back memories of the two wildly funny concerts he did at Southern Miss that I attended.  It may have been the hardest I ever laughed.  I couldn’t catch my breath.  Steve went on to what I considered a legendary career making comedy classics like The Jerk, Roxanne, All of Me.  He has been recognized as a one of the great comedians of our time.  

The second half is less of a history lesson.  It’s more about the man and how he has mellowed, and how he remains dedicated in his late 70’s to being funny and to entertaining anyone he can, while enjoying a late marriage, and a late child, which made me hope he lives forever. 

Joan Baez:  I Am a Noise – 6

This is a rather lifeless documentary about the legendary folk singer.  She is an important musical figure to my generation, but this one had me nodding off.  Still love her and fondly remember her overpowering concert.  

STAND-UP

Steve Trevino:  Simple Man – 9

I love it when a guy I’m a fan of moves up to what must be the ultimate prize, the Neflix special.  He continues to grow and the story of he and his wife’s adventures range from amusing to hilarious.

 
PlAYS

Ain’t Too Proud to Beg – 9

This is the Broadway musical road show that I saw at the Sanger in New Orleans.  It’s the story of The Temptations and their many members.  Great music, great performances, although not quite the punch of Jersey Boys, it’s in the same vein, and for those of us who sang Motown like crazy, kind of a thrill.

Media Captures - February 2024

MOVIES

The Whale – 10

At first you will be grossed out by this movie, but as it wears on, you realize that director Darren Aronofsky and Brendan Frasier, who took home a best-acting Oscar for this, have crafted a compelling and heartbreaking portrait of a man who is essentially eating himself to death over the trauma of an ended relationship.  I saw someone say Frasier gives the greatest performance in the history of movies, and while I wouldn’t go that far, or even close to that far, I will say that he total commits to a role that is built on an emotional roller coaster.  I feel like I’m spouting off cliches here, but I don’t know how else to express my admiration. 

It’s a complete movie.  It’s hard to watch.  It’s tough to absorb.  You may not like it.  But, it will be a while before you forget it.

The Fabelmans – 9

Steven Spielberg’s thinly veiled story of his childhood is a nice little story with some interesting scenes that would rate about a 6 without the phenomenal performance of Michelle Williams as the mother.  Her complexity, and her pain as she breaks her family apart elevates this movie to rarified air.  I’m going to confess that I’ve never made it through last year’s Best Picture Oscar Winner and its accompanying Best Actress Michelle Yeoh, but now I’m pissed.  For Michelle Williams to get passed over is criminal.  This is a stunning performance, and she picks up the whole movie and carries it on her shoulders.  This is a master class in acting.

Plus One – 9

After watching a lot of disappointing romcoms this year, this one caught me by surprise.

Attending weddings with those boring speeches, watching the evening deteriorate, the predictable dance play list, it’s all here, and you just want to yell at the screen, “Yes, yes.”  So, what was the main reason I watched?  Well, it’s the lead Maya Erskine, who I saw in the pretty bad new Mr. & Mrs. Smith series.  She holds up her end of the bargain in both, and I’m not going to say we have a new rom-com Meg Ryan, but she’s expressive and winning and I like her.  You either have the gift of comedy timing or you don’t, and it looks like she’s got it.

Most importantly, I laughed a lot.  It swung towards a more serious side, but it never let go of its heart.

Time Trap – 8

Production values couldn’t be any lower, as 90% of the movie takes place in a cave in this 2017 Sci-fi.  There’s a time tunnel and it’s kind of cool the way the calendar jumps around as they go up and down in the cave.  I like time travel movies just enough to like this one.  If you like the hypotheticals of time travel, check this one out.  It’s no “Time After Time” but still a fun trip.

The Abyss – 7

First, let me say that this is one of the great trailers ever.  They cherry picked the best sequence in the movie, which is great as a preview, but not great when you’re watching the movie.  This is one of those hybrid Netflix movies that seems to have been filmed with everyone speaking their native language and the non-English speakers dubbed in.  This is very distracting to me, and I’m not sure why.  This is based in Sweden, and a town build on a mine.  Or maybe they mined under the town.  Either way, it's collapsing in a spectacular fashion.

There is a lot of family drama which telegraphs who is going to survive and who isn’t.  Other than the other pretty compelling action sequences, not much here we haven’t seen before, although I like the fact that the actors are unknown, which makes it seem real.  But in the end, it was just a nice try.
 

Maggie Moore(s) - 6

This is the story of a murder for hire that gives itself away pretty early.  There is some chemistry among the stars, Tina Fey, Jon Hamm, and Nick Mohammed (of Ted Lasso fame), as they try to figure our why two people with the same name would be murdered within a week of each other, but the movie is flat and uninteresting, and the script was so lacking of punch, I couldn’t help but wonder why, if you’ve cast Tina Fey, why wouldn’t you use her to punch up the script.  To me, Tina Fey is an American Icon, and I have no idea why she is in this movie.  Any of a million actresses could have played this role.  I watch movies for entertainment, and I was not entertained.  Not close.  I’m a big fan of Tina and this is a puzzling misstep.

You Hurt My Feelings – 5

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is the other icon that underdelivers in a flat performance in a flat movie.  She plays a female writer who overhears her husband say that he didn’t much care for her last book.  That sends her spiraling toward a divorce.  In my estimation, her husband is so uninspiring, I’m surprised it took her this long.  But fear not, the plot goes exactly where you think it’s going, and nobody was harmed in the making of this movie.  Only in the watching.

Knock at the Cabin – 7

M. Night Shyamalan is down to recapturing the magic about every 5^th movie, and I’ll have to admit he got close here, but no cigar.  This is one of those “cabin” movies where people rent a cabin and things go awry.  Here the awry is a bunch of loonies who break in with the claim that only the 3 renters can prevent the Apocalypse, by executing each other.  I don’t think I’d buy this, but maybe you would, if presented with the evidence the loonies carry, as well as their commitment to the cause. 

I’d rather stay out of cabins.  Give me Motel 6, with the light left on. 

 

STREAMING/BINGING and what’s left of Network Television

Criminal Record – 10

This is one of those British mysteries, purchase by Apple+ that are unusually complex and well done, with a logical and believable payoff.  Sure, we have a lot of hours to fill, and the story drags from time to time. but when the dominos start to fall, they do so with a clatter.  Cush Jumbo (The Good Wife/Fight) is DS June Lenker who thinks she has discovered a wrongful conviction based on a bogus confession.  The officer who pulled this off is DCI Daniel Hegarty played by Peter Capaldi, a capable and believable actor.  They punch and counter punch for 8 episodes as June pushes toward the truth.  Nicely done.

Resident Alien – 10 (so far)

The great Alan Tudyk, who is a no guts, no glory type of performer, anchors this rich and funny take on the “alien crashes on earth” theme.  After his forced landing he assumes the identity of a retired doctor, who is soon called out of retirement.  If you’re not a Tudyk fan since Firefly/Serentiy like I am, you can google his top ten performances.  It will reveal a bunch of his really good performances.  But, it’s what is not listed that is indicative of his fearlessness.  Nobody wants to talk about his cringeworthy epitaphs as a manager opposite Jackie Robinson in "42."  On any list of thankless roles this would be number one, but I can’t see many going for it like Tudyk does. 

That “let it all hang out” is evident here, but what you won’t expect is the heart.  It’s the chemistry of the whole cast as the residents of Patience, Colorado that I love here.  A bunch of the characters, especially 5 or 6 young ladies, grew up in the town.  They love and care for each other, while having a good time, and navigating their lives.  It reminds me of some of my friends from my high school class, who started 1^st grade together and still hanging around together into their 70’s.  You can’t buy that, but somehow this cast captures it.  Perfectly.  I’m only half way through the second season, but it’s the camaraderie that’s got me.  Come for the alien, stay for the affection.

Deadloch – 9 (so far)

Way better than True Detective, and in a wacky Australia kind of way, this is a murder mystery in an absurd town in Tasmania.  Most of the women are lesbian and they bounce around like pinballs as the mystery unfolds.  Believe me, it’s better than I made it sound.

My only beef with this one is that the episodes are so long, and we aren’t even halfway yet, but it’s unfolding like a classic mystery and I hope we will work our way to the end.  My score may go up or down later, but so far, I’m very impressed.

 

The Tourist – 8

After you get past one of the most ridiculous opening scenes in history, you just have to buy that the main character, played by Jamie Dornan, has lost his memory.  Was he a good guy or a bad guy?  Why are people chasing him?  This was an Australian original that Netflix bought, then ordered a second season, which I understand opens today.  Which means it was good enough for Netflix and if its good enough for them, its good enough for me.  This was the precursor to a series I loved last year from down under called Black Snow.  I’m not jumping up and down, but I’ll probably watch the 2^nd season.

True Detective – 4

Nothing has been able to top that first season of True Detective 10 years ago, and this one doesn’t come close.  Again.

There are so many problems and things I disliked about this series, which never found any connective tissue.  It was like slogging through the mud. Or the snow.  It takes place in Alaska during the long night, but nobody ever looks particularly cold, until the last episode.  I don’t get the point of a whodunit where you can’t even guess whodunit because the culprits (spoiler alert) never appear until the last show. 

The fallen icon here is Jodie Foster, whom I’ve loved since her scene stealing appearances in 1975’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and 1976’s Taxi Driver, both early Martin Scorcese works.   Now there’s two classics you should watch!  Here her spin as a promiscuous, heterosexual, police deputy is just out of the bounds of believability for me..  At least she was much better in Nyad for which she got an Oscar Nomination this year.  I just never really bought her character in this one.

For 6 long episodes, Liz Danvers (Foster) and her hesitant again-partner Evangeline Navaro (Kali Reis,) with who she has a complicated history, wander about stabbing at a couple of mysteries, the biggest one being why did a bunch of scientists walk out into the tundra and stay until they froze.  The two aren’t so much looking for clues as they are just bouncing off scenery, other characters, and themselves.  With 5 minutes to go in the next to last episode, there is a gun battle, to which I shouted, “finally, something happened.”  Up to that point I felt I was stuck in a snowmobile that wouldn’t move.  I’m a simple viewer.  Not crazy about symbolism or symbols, nor faint call backs to the first phenomenal season.  The final episode is good, not great, and they try to pay off some of the babble, but it’s too much for me.  Maybe when Fleetwood Mac sang “Over My Head” they were singing about me. 

Mr & Mrs Smith – 2 (so far, and this as far as I’m going)

It’s not the fault of Donald Glover and Maya Erskine who play the title roles, that this is such a dismal call-back to a pretty dismal movie.  The original, which appears to be when Brad Pitt and Angelina fell in love during the filming, is almost all chemistry.  They light up the screen, which was a good thing, as there wasn’t much else to like.  In real life their chemistry went south, and here, it’s just no help.  Maybe the series gets better, but I watched 2 or 3 and I’m not going to pursue the Smith’s.  If you choose to, let me know what you think.  Maybe all the good spy stories have already been written. 

The 100 – no score yet

One of those series that may or may not gain traction after being lifted from the CW to Netflix.  The premise is interesting.  It’s about 100 kids who are airlifted back to a dead earth many years after earth was ravaged.  Will they survive?  Not sure.  Will they dwindle in number?  Very Likely.  I’ve watched 4 and been impressed, but it could take me months to get through 7 years of episodes.  I’ll let you know, but so far the production values are the pleasant surprise.

DOCUMENTARIES

When Cary Grant Introduced Timothy Leary to LSD – 7

This is the strangest of creatures, about a 20 minute docudrama based on the rumor that Grant was an avid experimenter with LSD and he was sought out by Timothy Leary, who tried it, loved it, and told us to turn on, tune in, etc…  Mildly interesting, and not very credible, but what do I know?

STAND-UP

Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & the Pool – 8

Mike Birbiglia is so low key as a stand up comedian that I couldn’t help but think, “I could do this.”  Except of course, I’m not funny.  Mike is, as a gentle story teller in one of those well crafted Netflix comedy specials, that brings you around to where it started. 

CLASSICS

The Terminal – 8

I didn’t think it was possible for a Steven Speilberg effort to fly under my radar, but this 2004 one did, and it stars Tom Hanks no less.  What was I doing?  Oh yea, the restaurant years.  My only entertainment those years was 6 am episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  But, I digress, and I have to admit Speilberg and Hanks (and Catherine Zeta-Jones) won me over, by conveying that compassion that they’ve made their hallmark. 

Hanks plays Viktor Navorsky, from a fictional Russianesque country that goes into a civil war, and when he flies into a US airport, the US won’t let him in, so he takes up residence at JFK.  It’s based, mildly, on the true story of an Iranian refugee who lived 18 years in an airport.  Speilberg is sharp enough to truncate the story, wise enough to cast Hanks, and smart enough to let Hanks’ accent diminish rather quickly.  Nice movie.

From Dusk to Dawn – 8

I’d never seen this Robert Rodriguez cult classic starring George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino, who also wrote it.  For example, I never knew Q acted this much.  As frenetically as he directs I might add.  The two leads play brother bank robbers on the run who end up in a famous truck stop/strip club which is also a haven for, Vampires.  It’s rather entertaining, but not enough for me to go to the television series that was later made from it.  It apparently starred Eliza Gonzales, who is a knockout and appears in the opening scene of Mr & Mrs. Smith, I guess as the Angelina Jolie character.  Charisma alert for the month, if nothing else.

Klute – 9

Jane Fonda won her first Oscar in 1971 right about the time she was the least popular person in America for going over to Viet Nam and saying something stupid.   She won her second Oscar in 1978 for “Coming Home” along with Jon Voight (the father of Angelina Jolie – I swear I’m not doing this on purpose,) about, you guessed it, the Viet Nam war.  If I had one wish it would be to put Fonda and Voight in a room together today, let’s say on Bill Maher, and hear them go at it.  Or maybe do the Jane Fonda Workout.  All this is beside the point.  Klute is an excellent, but dated movie and Fonda shows those Fonda acting chops as the hooker who knows somebody, or something like that.  It’s great to see Donald Southerland, who is excellent, investigating and falling in love with Jane.  Glad I finally ticked this one off.

In the Mood for Love – 5

Been reading about this “classic” for 20 years and it put me in the mood for sleep.  It’s about two neighbors who finally figure out their spouses are having an affair and are kind of smitten with each other, and trying to figure out what to do with that attraction.  Today, that wouldn’t be an issue, but I guess in 2001 it was different.  This is a Chinese and French effort, dubbed and while the color pallet is interesting, not much else is.  Sometimes the word “classic” is bandied about a little too loosely.  They should consult me first.

Blow Up - 7

Michaelangelo Antonini’s first English speaking film was this 1966 thriller about a London photographer who may or may not have filmed a murder.  At least this one held my attention even though it seems to take forever to get to whatever its point is.  This is one I’d encourage you to watch, as the artistry and story are at least interesting.  It might catch your fancy, even if it missed mine. 

Media Captures - January 2024

MOVIES

Barbie – 8

It’s crazy that Greta Gerwig was not nominated for Best Director for this big hit, because if there was ever a director’s movie, this is it.  Her stamp is all over it, and that stamp is pink.  The first half is inventive and fun.  Margot Robbie is perfect as Barbie.  The second half bogs down as Barbie leaves Dreamland and ventures into the real world, but I’ll forgive that, as I have no idea how they came up with the script they did.  This movie is strictly a matter of taste, and it was a very nice cream puff to me.  Not too deep, with just a dusting of powdered sugar. 

Killers of the Flower Moon – 8

As I sat through Martin Scorcese’s almost 4 hour (with bathroom breaks) story of the Osage Indians I couldn’t help but feel he was trying to make his Gone with the Wind.  It’s an epic, and I’m going to state the obvious.  It’s way too long, and it seems like a twice stuffed potato, just not nearly as tasty. 

The Osage Indians discovered oil on their Oklahoma land in the 1920’s and for a time were the wealthiest people on earth, per capita.  Unsurprisingly, 100 years later that is no longer true.  This movie shows how, slowly, and with no subtlety at all the evil white men (led by Robert DeNiro, who has now officially been everywhere) started doing whatever was necessary to pilfer it away.  Leonardo DiCaprio, in the thankless role of Ernest Burkhart, who is complicit in several murders, just doesn’t click in this part.  His wife played by Oscar nominee and favorite (although not mine) Lily Gladstone seems to have a little more zest, at least for a while, until it’s time for her to go.

I kind of enjoyed the storytelling, and I did make it through in one night, but for most this is an endurance test of little value.  Well, maybe that’s not true.  It’s gotten critical acclaim from those who give it, and those who are predisposed to sit through it give it high marks.  I think it is destined to finish second to Oppenheimer at the Oscars in awards.  Neither are my favorite.  Give me a sprint, not a marathon. Give me Poor Things.

Land Ho – 9

A movie for seniors, about seniors, from 2014.  A buddy movie about two guys on the edge of geezerdom.  It wouldn’t have been my choice to scamper across Iceland on my last road trip, but there are some great scenes, great humor here.  A very worthwhile trip. On a screen.

Trapped – 7

This is an old movie that disappeared quickly back in 2002 when Charlize Theron and Kevin Bacon were young and Courtney Love was acting.  Charlize’s child gets kidnapped by Kevin’s gang and the two of them will be hanging out til the ransom is delivered.  Formulaic and predictable but fun in a Netflix “let’s kill a couple of hours” kind of way.

Maestro – 2

It’s pretty rare I dislike a Best Picture nominee this much, but while there is some artistry here, it’s so unappealing that there was nothing, and I mean nothing that I enjoyed.  This is the story of Leonard Bernstein as seen through the eyes of director and star Bradley Cooper.  The main problem here is that Bernstein was a heavy smoker, and we’ve forgotten how prevalent and overbearing a habit it can be.  Carey Mulligan plays his wife and she died at 56 of lung cancer, still smoking, and all of this makes this the longest anti-smoking advertisement in history.  Sorry, I despise tobacco.  It has taken too many friends too early.  So, yes, my prejudices weighed this movie down for me.  Maybe talk to someone else about this one. 

FYI:  Ranking the Oscar Nominees

Poor Things (the rest aren't close IMO)
Anatomy of A Fall
Past Lives
The Holdovers
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
American Fiction (haven't seen)
The Zone of Interest (haven't seen)
Maestro 

STREAMING/BINGING and what’s left of Network Television

Collateral – 8

Oscar Nominee Carey Mulligan, and 4 one-hour episodes are the draw here, and it’s a complex but worthwhile trip.  Carey plays a stubborn female detective (see below) named Kip Glaspie with a one-of-a-kind backstory of having been a famous pole-vaulter, which turns out to have nothing to do with the story.  She investigates what appears to be a mundane murder of a pizza delivery person, but is actually a very complicated conspiracy, that only she can unravel.  Fortunately.  You can binge this in one evening in about the time it takes to watch Killers of the Flower Moon.  You choose.

Fool Me Once – 6

This lit up Netflix for a few weeks, then the ending sank it like a stone.  It’s a pot boiler written by an author named Harlan Coben who is apparently famous for this kind of stuff.  When I refer to the ending its because I felt it was dishonest and wouldn’t hold water if I rewatched it, which I have no intention of doing.  I’ll pass on future Coben books-to-series as well, as I’m told there are a slew of them coming.  No thanks, although I did like the star of this, Michelle Keegan, who has charisma while playing a stubborn female detective (although a private citizen.)  But, I won’t get fooled again. Binging has to be worth the investment of time, not piss you off.

True Detective: Night Country – (Incomplete)

I’m going to keep watching this because of the legacy and Jodi Foster (as a stubborn female detective), but it ain’t easy.  It’s set in a fictional Alaska town with what appears to be some supernatural slayings going on.  The sun has gone down for months and presumably won't rise until the last episode.  It was filmed in freeze-a-vision which means it comes through the screen and makes you shiver 

Criminal Record – (Incomplete)

So far so good on this Apple import from England.  Cush Jumbo plays stubborn female detective June Lenker who smells a rat in an old conviction.  Peter Capaldi (apparently a big star across the pond) is terrific as the maybe bad guy cop who is standing by his old collar,and beginning to make it difficult for June.  They spar, they spy, they undermine.  If it ends as well as it has begun, I’ll let you know next month.

DOCUMENTARIES

The Greatest Night in Pop – 10

When “We are the World” exploded in 1985, I have to confess I was less than enthralled.  My life changing event in that year was going to be marriage.  I found WATW as Good, yes, great no.  But it has certainly stood the test of time and this documentary of how it was created and recorded is right up my alley.  I love stuff that takes place in a recording studio and there is some real intrigue here, like Quincy Jones trying to keep order, Waylon Jennings walking out, Prince not showing, etc.  Now, I'm enthralled.

Yogi Berra – It Ain’t Over Til it’s Over – 10

What starts as a wonderful baseball story ends as a love story about Yogi and his wife, Carmen, and it’s way more moving than most fiction.  I’ve watched it twice, and both times I was taken with the story of true love.  If you like baseball, don’t miss this.  If you don’t like baseball, don’t miss it.

CLASSICS 

Harlan County USA – 10

Finally got around to watching this 1976 Oscar winning documentary.  How did I miss this?  Well, I don’t think I was watching too many documentaries back then.  This has earned it’s place as a classic and ranks 5^th on this list:  

66 Best Documentaries

Finally, n case you've forgotten:

The Best of 2023

2023 was the Year I rarely wrote a blog.  But I did see a lot of stuff, so I’m ranking it here.
My top two movies were ones I thought were totally unique. 

I am sadly saying goodbye after 29 years to the monthly Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.  He’s retiring, and I can’t believe HBO (and its new owners) are going to just let that franchise die.  It was always terrific.  Brit Marling came back to TV, but unfortunately it wasn’t with The OA, which joins Firefly as the most prematurely cancelled shows of all time. 

Here's my ranking of everything I saw:

MOVIES

1. Reality – 10
2. Poor Things - 10
3. Theater Camp - !0
4. She Said – 10
5. Anatomy of a Fall - 10
6. Asteroid City – 9
7. Marcel the Shell with Shoes on - 9
8. Past Lives – 9
9. Sharper – 9
10. Reptile - 9

Rustin – 9
Leave the World Behind - 9
The Caine Mutiny Court Martial - 9
The Holdovers – 9
Till – 9
Air – 9
Mixed by Erry - 9
Showing Up – 8
The Silencing – 8
New Order – 8
Full Time - 8
A Man Called Otto - 8
Respect - 8
Pain Hustlers – 8
You People – 8
Creed III – 8
The Trip – 8
The Trip to Italy - 8
Nyad - 8
I See You - 8
No One Can Save You – 8
I Wanna Dance with Somebody – 8
The Mauritanian - 8
Memory – 8
Extraction 2 - 8
Palmer – 7
Empire of Light – 7
Women Talking – 7
Causeway – 7
The Burial - 7
Oppenheimer – 7
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 - 7
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - 7
Old Dads – 7
One More Time - 7
House of Gucci – 7
The Mother – 7
To Leslie - 7
Ticket to Paradise – 6
Ghosted - 6
Ambulance – 6
The Road 2 - 4
Heart of Stone - 4
The Killer – 2 

STREAMING/BINGING and What’s left of Network TV

1. Black Snow – 10
2. Chernobyl – 10
3. Fargo – 10 (so far)
4. Cunk on Earth – 10
5. Late Night with Seth Meyers – 10
6. Bad Sisters – 10
7. The Night Agent – 10
8. Suits 10 (so far)
9. Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel – 10
10. Reacher – 10 (so far)

The Last of Us - 9
Hijack – 9
Murder at the End of the World - 9
The Landscapers - 9
Real Time with Bill Maher - 9
Bodies – 9
The Diplomat – 8
The English - 8
Luther:  The Fallen Sun – 8
Pieces of Her - 8
Daisy jones & the Six - 7
Who is Erin Carter? – 7 

STAND UP

Nate Bargatze – 10 (it was his year)
Ray Romano – 7
Ali Wong - 7
Ricky Gervais - 2

DOCUMENTARIES

All that Breathes – 10
The Luckiest Guy in the World - 10
Still:  A Michael J Fox Story – 10
Beckham – 10
Man on Wire – 10
The Insurrectionist Next Door - 10
Stephen Curry:  Underrated - 9
Fats Domino – The Big Beat - 9
Alfred Brooks:  Defending My Life – 9
Call Me Kate – 9
Bob and Don:  A Love Story - 9
Michael Jackson:  Thriller 40 - 9
Music Box – Jason Isbell:  Running with our Eyes Closed - 9
Being Mary Tyler Moore – 9
Quarterback - 9
Pretty Baby:  Brook Shields – 8
The Brothers Warner - 8
Love to Love You:  Donna Summer – 8
Dionne Warwick:  Don’t Make Me Over - 8
Arnold – 8
Wham - 8
If You Are Not in the Obits, Eat Breakfast – 7

CLASSICS

Bone Tomahawk - 10
The Drop – 9
Jeanne Dielman – 9
Elevator to the Gallows – 9
Beau Travail - 8
The Man Who Wasn’t There – 8
Night Train to Munich – 8
Storm Warning - 8
Leave Her to Heaven - 8
One Way Passage - 7
Detour – 7
Storm Fear - 7
Nights of Cabiria – 7
Following - 7
Stormy Monday - 6 

Finally the 2023 Awards

 

The Ozzies

Best Picture:  Reality
Best Actor:  Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Best Actress:  Emma Stone in Poor Things
Best Director:  Wes Anderson for Asteroid City
Best Supporting Actor:  Charles Melton, May/December
Best Supporting Actress: Jodie Foster, Nyad
Best Screenplay:  Asteroid City

The Lizzies:
Best Series:  Black Snow
Best Actor:  Travis Fimmel, Black Snow
Best Actress:  Juno Temple, Fargo
Best Supporting Actor:  Jon Hamm, Fargo
Best Supporting Actress:  Jennifer Jason Leigh, Fargo

Saints Report #1 September 10, 2023

The Saints started their season with a nail-biting 16-15 barn burner that taught us a few things:

• The Defense is good.  Very Good. Marshawn Lattimore is probably the best cornerback we've ever had, and Demario Davis just seems to get better and better.  The defense is solid, and when they held the Titans to a field goal after a fumble of the opening kick-off, (an event that prompted me to utter the immortal words of a friend, "Wait til next year,") I felt we were going to win.  Imagine if Drew had had this defense for about 5 years.  There aren’t any more Derrick Henry’s on the schedule, right?
• The Saints kept the right kicker. We had our doubts, didn’t we?  While Blake Groupe was hammering the ball through poles, Wil Lutz was missing a field goal, an extra point, and flubbing an onside kick in Denver’s 1 point loss, undoubtedly irritating Sean Payton, who may have kept the wrong kicker. 
• Derek Carr looked good.  He’s a good Quarterback.  No one has ever called him a great one, but we don’t need great with this defense.  He has talented wide receivers to work with and he should be fine, if we find a running game to help him out.
• The offensive line was not good enough, but we have to remember that the Titans have a pretty good defense.  Fortunately, the Titans Quarterback looks like a journeyman, which is what he will probably be pretty soon.
• The Saints couldn’t run the ball, which is a must, but they came up with one big run at the end of the game to seal the win in the fourth quarter when first downs that keep the clock running are just as important as kicking field goals.
• Finally, the officials haven’t changed.  They missed an obvious interference call, and a disputed touchdown catch could’ve gone either way.  Those potential 14 points would’ve broken the game open.  As I left the Caesar’s Superdome and walked down the “over/under” ramp and out onto “longshot” road I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe the NFL likes to keep the games close.  

I didn't get a chance to write my annual NFL prediction column this year, so here it is:

Patrick Mahomes (unless he gets hurt).

An off-schedule Post

Happy Anniversary to me.
It was 1 year ago today that I had my back surgery.
It was supposed to be a simple lumbar fusion, like the one I had 25 years ago.
It turned out to be anything but simple.

I try to remember the pain I was in going into surgery, as I try to answer some simple questions.

Would I do it again?  Probably not, if I had known what the complications were going to be, but after addressing the staff infection, my new doctor thinks the bones are now going to fuse.

I don’t.  We’ll see.

After the hospitalization and 8 weeks of antibiotic infusion, I had about 3 weeks of very minor discomfort.  I was feeling good!  Then, about 8/12, right before we were leaving to go to help David and his family move into a new house, I twisted my back, putting me to bed with leg and nerve pain that exceeded any previous pain I’ve had.  It has slowly calmed down, but I’m on pins and needles about the future nerve pain.  Hint – today was a rough day.

Would I advise people to have back surgery?  Simple – avoid until you just can’t take it.  Surgery should be a last resort.

Things I learned in the last year.

1. Facebook is a game changer.  We complain about it, but so many are wired in.  Because my pain was front and center, and I was writing about it like a whiney baby, I heard from hundreds of people – people that 20 years ago would have had no idea what was going on.  I communicated often with people I haven’t seen in 40 years.  It was a joy and a delight and a needed distraction. 
2. Speaking of Facebook…you can’t get rid of adds or see all your friends by copying and pasting anything, especially if it starts off with the words “It worked!”  What is that?  A premonition?  To see your friends – interact with them, hit a “like” on their page and watch what happens.  You’ll see more.  You’ll also see other friends less.  Let the logarithms work.   And as for ads – you are going to see them.  That’s how META makes money.  But, if you don’t like the ads you’re seeing, just hit those three little dots in the upper right-hand corner of the ad and go to work.  It will knock out what you don’t want.  For example, every time I opened Facebook I would get a DirecTV ad first thing.  Same ad, so I finally went in and told them to stop giving me DirectTv ads.  So they did.  They replaced it with something else just as aggravating. 
3. Speaking of DirecTV, did you notice India landed on the moon yesterday?  That call center money must be big.  DirecTV, Caremark pharmacy, and several others I deal with use an Indian call center and I just can’t understand what they’re saying, and I don’t care how well they’ve been trained they usually can’t help me.  I immediately ask for someone in America.  I felt bad about it, but when you’re delirious and someone sounds like they are blowing your name through a pipe, I just can’t. 
4. But the Call Centers aren’t the only ones I can’t make out.  Is everybody using Closed Captioning as much as me? There were many days when I just gave up on the sound, even British programs, well especially British programs, and turned the sound down and just read it.  I don’t like to do this, because I think it lessens the impact and sometimes the print precedes the words.  To make matters worse, my bedroom TV sometimes goes out of sync by 5 seconds or so.  So, just imagine me in bed, in pain, on painkillers, watching this, trying to read the words on a scene that has already ended.    
5. Medically for just a minute, I sure learned a lot about modern medicine.  Modern Medicine is mostly what I call “conveyer belt” service.  You think you are getting personal care, but you usually aren’t.  Some are great, but some are just trying to move you along.  I’m just going to say this:  I must have researched and read 100 articles and easily watched 500 videos over the last year.  YOU MUST TAKE CHARGE AND HAVE THE RIGHT QUESTIONS.  You know how so many commercials start with “ask your doctor about?”  Well, you better.  They don’t seem to mind anymore when you refer to the internet and start a sentence, with “I googled it, and it said grapefruit would help.”  As for asking questions, like “How long before I can go cartwheeling,” don’t think they are going to tell you without asking.  My number one complaint is not what they tell you, but what they don’t.
6. It’s really hard when you go through a year like this, because you miss so much.  This was certainly not the “retirement plan.”  I certainly didn’t want to miss a jazz fest.  There were people that I would’ve normally helped but couldn’t, and some tiny little people that needed my attention.  I did it because I thought it would pay off in the future.  I sure hope so.   If you know me you probably thought “well, he’ll just watch movies,” and I did, but not nearly as many as you would’ve thought.  It’s not that much fun to be drugged and drowsy and it’s hard to concentrate, especially with that hearing problem I was talking about. 
7. Lastly, it’s really hard to go through something like this without someone who has vowed “in sickness and in health.”  I don’t like to need attention, but my wife never blinked, never left her post.  She stood on that wall because I needed her on that wall.  I couldn’t have survived this without her.  Through 3 emergency room visits, and at least 40 doctor appointments.  If you don’t have a spouse like Liz, get one.  Hard to find, but well worth it.

Still recovering in Mississippi, 

Rick

 

 

 

Media Captures - June and July

Oppenheimer – 7

Recently there was a poll on Facebook asking for the best lines in Movie History.  There were hundreds of great lines but here’s a sampling:  “You want me on that wall, you need me on that wall,” “You want the truth…you can’t handle the truth,”

Yes, there were several from one movie, one movie where it was great actors cutting loose.  I watched it again just to be sure, but guess what isn’t in that wonderful courtroom scene – a thunderous soundtrack.

It’s a simple, great scene, with some background music that only starts as Jack Nicholson is lead away.

Let’s give that movie the Christopher Nolan treatment.  The courtroom scene would be 3 hours long, with flashback scenes interspersed telling the story with black and white, ghostly effects, a sex scene in the courtroom, maybe even the actual code red acted out.  It would be emphasized with a thunderous soundtrack, a sonic boom after each Cruise line, and maybe violins screeching over Nicholson’s speech.

Make no mistake, times have changed.  The theater experience will never be the same.  What could have been a straight-line story (God Forbid) collides with what I guess is the hyped-up expectations of today’s audience.  Oppenheimer is a marvelized super hero movie, just without Batman.  There’s a great movie here, certainly a great story, trying to get out.  The effects and mostly the horrible soundtrack that dominate this movie are an assault on the senses.  It’s a Nolan movie so it jumps around through time like a bumblebee looking for whatever it is they look for.  There are some great scenes in the movie.  I loved the story.  I saw no reason for the show-off special effects, as entertaining as they might be.  For  example, the wonderful Emily Blunt has a big scene at the end of the movie where she’s being interrogated.  There’s great byplay between her and the questioner, played by Jason Clarke (also great as the bad guy.)  But, Nolan can’t just let it go and trust his actors.  He has to juice it up with totally unnecessary rapid cuts.  In fact, all the acting is great in the movie, but other than Robert Downey, Jr, Nolan just doesn’t trust them, particularly Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer who gets the brunt of the soundtrack where his pensive thoughts are accompanied by thundering herds, or those screeching violins. It’s like a fourth Batman, except you can’t tell the villain by his cigarettes.  Everyone kind of looks alike and it’s hard to get a grasp on the many scientists.  Nolan should have gone all the way, and played an individual theme song for each, like relievers coming out of the bullpen.

I fully understand that Oppenheimer has been a critical and commercial success, with many awards ahead for those who participated.  Sorry, for me it was a 3-hour hearing test.

 

Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning part 1 – 7

There is no bigger fan of this franchise and Tom Cruise than me.  He loves movies and is dedicated to giving the audience all he’s got.  The last episodeof MI, “Fallout” is for me the greatest action picture I’ve ever seen.  But I now realize that at the end of Fallout, Director Christopher McQuarrie uses a gimmick that he falls in love with – dueling action scenes.  Thus, almost every action scene in this movie has one wild scene after another spliced together in a two-for-the-price of one adventure.  It’s not enough to be on a zip line.  There has to be crocodiles underneath with a helicopter about to crash into the zip line while the two operators of the line are slashing each other with butter knives.  In the middle of the movie we are treated to two great fight scenes:  Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt in a tight alley with Pom Klementieff (she’s terrific, and we’d love to see more of her – but we won’t) and a very important and heartbreaking fight to the death on a bridge.  The scenes are both critical to the story and I’d love to see them in their entirety, but no.  Cutting back and forth, two fights at once. I just wanted to yell at the editor, “Stop.”  The truth is, the alley scene had a lot of blurry motion that may have been telling us that those wonderfully choregraphed Cruise fights of the past are just too much for Cruise in his 60’s.  Cruise says he wants to shoot these into his 80’s.  He’s gonna need a stuntman.  Ask Indy.

This goes on throughout the movie, and it’s just too much.

What else is over the top?  Well, it’s time to retire the face-making briefcase.  How does it make hair anyway?

It wouldn’t be a Tom Cruise Movie without him running.  But his lungs must be phenomenal, because once again he’s running for miles at a full sprint, and not out of breath when he reaches his destination.

In his 60’s.  Geez, my standards aren’t that high, I just want a little believability, and there is no “stunt” he does like the running, heavily edited.  Here’s an idea.  Mission Impossible:  The Training Movie.  This I gotta see. 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - 7

What does it say about a movie that features an 80 year old actor doing such far-fetched action scenes that when the movie turns into a time travel saga, that’s the most believable part?  Let’s just say I spent the first two thirds of this movie laughing at the ridiculous things Indy can still do.  Or should I say, his stunt man does, and it’s pretty obvious.  Here I am at 70 and if someone told me to “Run!” I’d look at them like they’d lost their mind.  Having said that, in the last half hour there’s a time travel wrinkle that I really liked.  The destination was a wonderous piece, and it only made me long for what could have been.  Next up, Indiana Jones and the Wheelchair of Doom.

Asteroid City – 9

And the movie I expected to like the least was the one I liked the most.  Wes Anderson has never been one of my favorite directors, but I love what he’s doing here.  The first half is hilarious as you are introduced to a city like no other, where aliens seem to have dropped their asteroid.  It takes place in the fifties, so a family is on vacation and their car breaks down in this magical town.  Because back in the day, the annual road trip with a breakdown, and a search for a mechanic, accompanied by the exasperation of my father, was par for the course. 

Luther:  The Fallen Sun – 8

Idris Elba returns to his role as Luther, the London DCI, super “copper” who starts the movie by going to jail.  Luther had made a promise to a mother to find her son and he had failed.   So the killer is not only going free,but working quite nicely as a serial killer.  So, what would you do?  Well Luther breaks out of jail to continue to hunt, while being hunted himself.  So, there.  All the Luther touches are there. 

What is almost funny as Indiana Jones, is that Luther is always in this big heavy overcoat, fighting, even swimming and you want to yell “take that coat off!” 

Pretty much up to the standards of the series, while cashing in on its binge popularity.

Memory – 8 

Wouldn’t it be nice if we all found our mission late in life like Liam Neeson has done?  Here’s another one of his churn-outs, but the surprise is, it’s better than most.  He’s a hit man who is trying to face down memory loss, and it’s actually pretty good.

The Mauritanian – 8

A true story about lawyers played by Jodie Foster and Benedict Cumberbatch getting ready to duke it out over Guantanamo detainees after 9/11 when they begin to realize some pretty nasty things have gone on.  Wait for it.  The closing credits where they tell you the stats.  Unbelievable.

Extraction 2 – 8

This extraction is better than the last one.  Surprisingly. 
 

Creed III - 8

Creed has retired to a life of luxury when he gets challenged by a boyhood chum who’s been locked away in a prison, hitting a heavy bag with a lot of anger.  No surprises here, as Michael B Jordan shows some promise as a director.  Just as good as the first two, but let’s not beat a dead horse.  It should be over.

 
The Trip - 8
The Trip to Italy - 8

Pretty funny.  Two guys travel and write about England, and Italy, eating the local cuisine and while I wish they would talk more about what they are eating instead of Michael Caine so much, I really enjoyed these.  The British sense of humor is on full display.

 

BINGING

The Blacklist – 10

I’m not going to jump up and down over the final episodes of this series, which just wound up season 10, other than to acknowledge the amazing storytelling and execution for 10 years and over 200 episodes.  It held my interest until the end, and perhaps as people discover it streaming, like I did, it will become an American Classic, and James Spader’s portrayal of Red Reddington, whoever he was, will go down in TV history as one of the greats.  I hope so.

Hijack – 9

Speaking of Idris Elba, here he is as a negotiator stuck on a hijacked flight and having to lead the passengers in a quest to stay alive. This is a 7-episode Apple series told in real time, which makes it interesting to me.  It started off as good, and really accelerated at the end.  Apple TV is going to challenge the other streamers for quality offerings.

Suits - 10 so far

How did I miss this?  Why didn't anybody tell me?  I'm only into season two but this one has the potential to join the pantheon of great law shows like from The Good Wife to Perry Mason.  Really Enjoying it, every night.  

 

DOCUMENTARIES 

The Luckiest Guy in the World - 10
Stephen Curry:  Underrated – 9
Quarterback – 9
Arnold - 8

The Luckiest Guy in the World is Bill Walton, or so he says over and over in the 30 for 30 ESPN 4 parter on his career and life.  This is a terrific remembrance for me as I watched those dominant UCLA teams win title after title.  Injuries derailed Walton’s career, but I remember his championship year with the Portland Trailblazers because I had never seen a center pass like he did as his team hit layup after layup.

Bill Walton was different, and this documentary got me listening to The Grateful Dead channel on Sirius.

The Steph Curry piece is mostly about his doubters.  The Walton and Curry docs have one thing in common.  Feet.  Their early NBA careers were derailed by injuries to the lower extremities, which is good to know for Pelican fans “Waiting for Zion” which would be a great book title.  What I love about both of these is the brief glimpses we get into their workouts and what they had to do to overcome.

Quarterback is a Netflix coverage of 3 NFL quarterbacks throughout the 2022 season.  The season ends dramatically different for each of the three, but unfortunately, you already know that.  Again, the most interesting part is in the preparation.  

And then there’s Arnold Schwarzenegger.  His life story is pretty amazing as he came to America solely on the basis of the work habits that transformed his body.  He then parlayed his success at bodybuilding into the movies, and then, in the most amazing of flukes, was elected Governor of California. 

Obviously, I enjoy sports-related documentaries, and all 4 of these were more enjoyable than my movie theater sojourns.

 

 

Wham – 8
Music Box – Jason Isbell:  Running with Our Eyes Closed – 9

And as we all know I’m also a sucker for music documentaries, and here’s two artists that I wouldn’t have on my cassettes (call back) but they still have fascinating stories of perseverance, talent, and dedication.

CLASSICS

Jeanne Dielman -9

What, you never heard of this movie?  Neither had I until it jumped to the top of the Sound and Sight critics’ poll as the number one, best movie of all time.  It’s basically a three-hour long examination of a woman moving around her apartment.  Oh, and she’s receiving male friends if you know what I mean and I think you do.  And she’s tired of what she’s doing for a living and seems to have had enough.  But it’s pretty subtle, until a surprising ending.  It’s a good movie, and it did hold my attention for 3 hours


Night Train to Munich – 8
There was a lot of cloak and dagger going on in the 40’s, and here’s a pretty good movie about the lead up to WWII.    Starring Rex Harrison with a lot of plot twists, it’s as good as any of these you could catch.


Nights of Cabiria – 7

Fellini’s 1957 film about a young prostitute named Cabiria (Giulietta Masina, played by his wife) is an interesting character study.  Masina won a Best Actress award at Cannes for this, and I didn’t even know they give out such awards.  She’s a bright face in what was for me a sluggish movie.   

Elevator to the Gallows – 9

As I try to work my way through many of the neo-noir classics as TCM is insisting, I found this one to be better than most.  A guy commits a crime of passion and is then stuck in an elevator for hours while he gets implicated in another murder.  Can he get away with murder?  Will the police figure this out?  Great story that would make a worthwhile remake.

Storm Warning – 8

A young Doris Day and an aging Ginger Rogers play sisters, great casting, and they are up against the KKK in a small southern town.  Decent, and predictable.

 

Beau Travail – 8

This is a 1999 French film based on the novel Billy Budd that I had never heard of until it kept coming up on lists as the movie with the greatest ending of all time.  I don’t know about all that, as I’ll stick with The Sixth Sense, but it is also ranked #7 on the Sight and Sound Poll of the all-time best.  Don’t know about that either.  It’s about the French Foreign Legion as they prepare to go to war.  Maybe I just didn’t get it.    

Here's the latest Sight and Sound poll by critics:  https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/greatest-films-all-time

Here's the critics' poll:  https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/directors-100-greatest-films-all-time

Finally, if you've read this far, you deserve a special gift.  Check it out because I promise you will never see anything like this again:

Media Captures - March, April, May

 A 3 Month Supply just for you. 

I have returned to my voluminous consumption of media, as I am 9 months into this debilitating back adventure, and tv is options 1,2, and 3. 

However, you will also see that no Pulitzer Prize is forthcoming as I am relegated to short stints at my desk, bringing forth mere snapshots.  In fact I’m polishing this on my iPad so patience is being tested.   I’m just hoping to provide some guidance for you as you wade through the streaming wars.  Another reason for my return to watching is that I had my apparently quite thick cataracts removed.
Thus, my TV picture sparkles with clarity and a high volume of streaming 4K content that I’ve been missing.
Amazing.  Let’s begin. 

SPORTS

Don’t usually talk about sports outside the Saints cluster, but I watch a lot, much to the Queen’s dismay as it interferes with her SVU binge, so I thought I would comment.

NBA – I must brag that last year with about a month left in the season I placed a very rare sports bet on the Warriors to win it all, and they did.  This year I watched even more NBA and was totally convinced that the Celtics would be champs, but fortunately was unable to get to the window.  They sputtered in the conference finals against the 8th seeded Miami Heat, who got the memo on the intensity needed in the playoffs.

MLB – Got the package, and again, the picture is incredible.  Where do these leagues get their cameras?  Someone alerted me to the Apple+ Friday night game and there was a camera on the ump. Amazing
As for the rule changes, love the pitch clock and the end of the shift.  Not crazy about the pickoff limits because it reeks of all those NFL rule changes to aid the offense, and starting extra innings with an unearned runner on second is ridiculous for the purist, but perfect for the nation that is poised in wait for the triple-stuffed Oreo, and an insatiable desire for variations of a 60 year old game show. 

GAMLBING - Pete Rose, Alex Karrass. Paul Hornung must all be rolling over in their bed/graves as every sport has fully embraced and partnered with the likes of, well, every casino that can afford an app developer.  If there’s a slippery slope, we are already in rapid descent.  I think gambling addiction destroys families and sometimes careers of players who can’t resist the temptation to use their knowledge or influence.  I’m not against gambling, I occasionally indulge.  I’m scared of the societal effect. The NBA, NFL, and MLB just couldn’t sit on the sidelines anymore and leave that money on the table. Greed is quite the instigator. I wonder where we will be in 20 years.  My guess is, with a lot of ugly credit bureaus, and that’s the least concern.  Now, back to our programming.

 

MOVIES

Reality - 10

Director Tina Satter took an FBI transcript of the arrest of a government whistleblower named Reality Winner (I’m serious) and shot a movie word for word from the transcript. 

It’s riveting. This is what FBI agents really look like. Reality is played by Sidney Sweeney and there wasn’t a moment when I didn’t think I was watching Reality.  Sweeney is magical  The movie is short, essentially a 1 act play.  Terrific, and unlike any movie I’ve ever seen. 

Till – 9

A difficult film to watch, particularly for a Mississippi resident like myself.  I’ve seen racial prejudices passed down from generation to generation, lessening only a little bit at a time. 

Similarly this is a slow methodical movie, made the way they used to make movies – a concentration on the story and the lives of the characters.  No punches pulled, this is excellent.

Air - 9

It is no secret that I’m a fan of Director Ben Affleck. I consider Gone Baby Gone a masterpiece and Best Picture Oscared Argo nothing to sneeze at. The Town was overblown, but Air possesses the proper inflation. It’s the story of how Nike signed Michael Jordan to his first shoe contract. Jordan never appears in the movie, but Matt Damon as Nike rep Sonny Vaccaro, and Viola Davis as Jordan’s Mom pick up the slack to make it some first class pop entertainment. Witty and wonderful. 

Marcel the Shell with Shoes on – 9

Speaking of Shoes.  This is one of those movies that could never have been made without the internet.

An internet start that was just enough of a sensation to merit a full movie, it became an unlikely hit behind the efforts of the creators.  Their magic touch continues with this gem of a movie.  If you get a chance, just sit back and enjoy the creativity, especially the wonderful ending.

 

 

A Man Called Otto – 8
Tom Hanks plays grumpy and it’s pretty good.  Reminded me of the recent Clint Eastwood “feel goods” but let’s hope Tom is ready to take over that throne.

Respect – 8

Liked this more than I thought I would, mostly because of Jennifer Hudson, who is probably the only person alive who could carry the weight of playing Aretha Franklin.

Did you know Aretha was pregnant at 12, then again at 14?  Her family and friends kept referring to her demons, but geez, who wouldn’t have issues with what she went through.  It’s an amazing story.  If you like music, I’d recommend.

 

Empire of Light - 7

An acting extravaganza for Olivia Coleman.  Most of the action takes place in a British movie theater around the time Chariots of Fire was released, so a good time is being had by all until a racial incident outside the theater that shows the British weren’t much different from the Americans in that era.  It’s an interesting movie, but engagement was low. 

I Wanna Dance with Somebody – 8

The punches aren’t pulled as much as they just graze on Whitney Houston’s apparently bisexual love life intertangled with her drug addictions in this biography of the great singer.  If you were a fan, like I was and still am, you’ll like the way the music is handled in this film.  Whitney’s vocals are dubbed in, and Naomi Ackie has some of the moves down, but I got the impression that no one really knows much of the truth of her life.  Or they’re not talking.  But, I know this:  Sure do miss her music, and we could use it about now.  It would be nice to dance.

One More Time – 7

This is a dubbed Swedish comedy that had a few good moments, but because the people looked like Americans, I’m just going to admit I felt like I was watching something that was out of sync.

 

The Mother – 7

If you are behind on your action cliches, here’s JLo to walk you through them.  She’s an operative that has made the bad guys so mad, she must give up her new born baby to protect the child from their wrath.    It takes the same bad guys 14 years to find the little whipper snapper and they are still serious about punishing JLo, so she comes out of retirement in Alaska and guess what?  She hasn’t lost her deadly skills.  Which always amazes me.  She gets the opportunity to teach the skills to her daughter and set the booby traps and wait for the bad guys.
The first half of this movie is just awful, but it actually perks up a little after the mother and child  reunion.  This movie has been crucified by reviewers and the public, so proceed with caution.

 

Ticket to Paradise - 6

This movie struck me as a weak drink, not that I would know. It’s a comedy heavily reliant on the charisma and talent of George Clooney and Julia Roberts who play two ex’s who just can’t let it go so the insults fly.  Predictably, the ice starts to melt, and eventually you just give up any thought of suspense. 

They travel to Bali to keep their daughter, played by the over-talented Kaitlyn Deven, from an impulsive marriage to a local.  Predictable and if this is the movie that “revived the rom-com” they were deader then I thought. 

 

Women Talking – 7

This movie was surprisingly nominated for Best Picture, and stars the great Julie Buckley, so I figured I’d check it out.

The women are talking about leaving a small Mennonite sect over the abuse the men heap on the women, and it’s pretty lurid.  Endure it and stay, or hit the road en masse – that’s the question.

It’s a talkie alright, and not really my cup of venom. 

 

Causeway – 7

Jennifer Lawrence plays Lynsey, a soldier recovering from a brain injury in New Orleans.  She stays with her mother, a poor role model, and she wants to redeploy to Afghanistan  She forms a friendship with a man who is also recovering, played by an Oscar Nominated Brian Henry. Thus, two of the most low-key, gifted actors try to navigate their way. Well done, but in the end the glacial pace did me in. 

The Raid 2 - 4

Want crazy action, and nothing else?  This is your movie.  

Stormy Monday - 6

Sting and Tommy Lee Jones in the same movie!  In 1988!  It’s about a power play over a London Jazz Club, and I’d never heard of it, but you may have noticed the internet is mostly comprised of lists and this was on one about great jazz movies.  It shouldn’t have been, but it’s mildly entertaining. 

Ghosted - 6

Anna de Arnis may be the most charismatic actress working this side of Margot Robbie, and fresh off an Oscar Nomination and an Ozzie win, you’d think she’d have a great manager reviewing scripts and putting her in great movies. 

You’d be wrong. Here she plays one of those Super Secret Agents who has a fun time with one of the Chrises, then ghosts him. But he is persistent, and fortunately a wrestler, which will come in handy. Right. 

 

Still:  A Michael J. Fox Movie – 10

They are pumping out celebrity documentaries these days, and this is easily the best. It shook me. Don’t miss it.

Being Mary Tyler Moore – 9 

No young person can understand the role played by Laura Petrie and Mary Richards, characters played by Mary Tyler Moore in the prime days of American TV comedies.  We grew up with her, but we didn’t know her. You will now. Mary had some personal demons, and they are revealed here.  Talented and fascinating. 
 

Love to Love you:  Donna Summer – 8

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a documentary stun me before the title even hits the screen.  I had heard Donna Summer sing her “sexy” songs a million times, but had never seen her perform them.  Wow. The rest of the doc is none to shabby. I loved her music, and probably spent more time dancing to her than any other artist. 

I loved it, but they left out some great songs.

Call Me Kate – 9

Katherine Hepburn bounced from great movie to bomb and from Howard Hughes to Spencer Tracy so to say she led an interesting life would be an understatement. It’s all recounted in another fascinating documentary. 

Pretty Baby Brooke Shields – 8

I know, I watch too many celebrity documentaries.

I find them interesting mostly because of the luck involved.  There are boatloads of talented people, but how some get their big break is usually a matter of right place, right time. In Brook’s case it was right, or wrong, depending on your viewpoint, stage mother.  This difference here is it takes two parts to tell this roller coaster story 

Fats Domino – The Big Beat: Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock N Roll – 9 

I love movies like this. Show me inside the production of some hits and the evolution of a star like Fats and I’m a happy viewer. 

The Brothers Warner – 8

This is a simple little documentary about the four Warner Brothers, but particularly Jack, who kinda fleeced his remaining brothers out of the company.  I watched it on TCM, but there’s a similar and glossier version of the same story on MAX as it’s got their catalog 

 
BINGES

Chernobyl - 10

Forgive me. I waited way too long to check out one of HBO’s best series ever. This is a masterpiece about the aftermath of the Russian Nuclear accident, how they tried to hide it, and what actually happened. Nothing else in this blog is in this league. 

The Night Agent -10

An excellent twisty 10 part binge that accomplished the most difficult task - it held my interest for all 10 episodes. A thriller about an FBI agent on special assignment in the basement of the White House. He answers the phone, and it’s a distress call that will shake the political world. First class, well written and well acted.

Daisy Jones & the Six - 7

Elvis’s granddaughter Riley Keough becomes a star right in front of us in the Stevie Nicks modeled role of Daisy Jones. The story is erratic and difficult and ends like How I met Your Mother. I liked some scenes but as a whole I just never bought it. Maybe you will. 

 

CLASSICS

One Way Passage - 7

It’s late night and there’s a William Powell movie on TCM. Count me in. Not as good as The Thin Man, or Manhattan Melodrama but what is?

Leave Her to Heaven - 8

I think I’ve worked my way through every neo noir classic. This one stars Cornel Wilde, Gene Tierney,  and Jeanne Crain and it’s a little different because it’s in color and a costar is a young, unrecognizable Vincent Price.  Hint, Gene is jealous.