MOVIES
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.
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.
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