Saints Report #7 - October 31, 2021

Sean Payton loves us.  He loves us not.

His stellar game plan led to a 36 – 27 Saints victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But his clock management put a game in jeopardy, for the second time this year.  Fortunately, it was Halloween in New Orleans, so a repeat of the Giants debacle was not going to happen. 

The Bucs took a 27-26 lead with 5:44 minutes left.  Jameis Winston had exited the game in the first half with what appeared to be a serious knee injury.  The Saints were counting on backup Trevor Siemian for a game winning drive.  With two minutes remaining, the Bucs were down to one timeout and the Saints had a first down within the 10 yard line.  Good clock management would dictate 3 runs and kick a field goal, leaving Brady about 40 seconds and no timeouts.  So, of course, Payton, in a strategy reminiscent of the Saints playoff loss to the Rams a few years ago, called 3 pass plays that had no chance.  The Saints kicked the field goal to lead 29 – 27, and Brady would get the ball back with 1:41 plus a timeout.  It looked like a layup for the GOAT.

But Dennis Allen’s defense bailed Payton out.  PJ Williams intercepted Brady and ran it in to the end zone, and a shell-shocked Brady only had two sacks ahead of him.   Brady had a three turnover day.  I enjoy them when I’m hungry, but not great for a quarterback.

The Saints deserved to win.  They had dominated early, scoring 23 straight points to lead 23 – 7. Then Brady orchestrated his comeback, although the failure on a 2 point conversion was key.  Winston got hurt when he scrambled out of the pocket and was tackled by the shoulder pad in a tackle that illustrated why horse collar tackles are illegal.  At this point Winston had continued to surprise defenses with his running ability, having run for several first downs.  Unfortunately, the scrambling did him in.

The Saints stubbornly, and admirably, stuck to running the ball.  There wasn’t much yardage there, but their commitment to the run helped the unexpected passer – Siemian.  Here’s a scouting report – I always liked him when he was with the Broncos.  He doesn’t have a big arm, but he’s smart and accurate, and is close to Brees in tools.  Looks like he’s about to get another shot at an NFL starting job.

He ended this game 16-27 for 159 yards.

So the Saints beat the Bucs for the 6^th straight time in the regular season.  Of course an argument could be made, and Bruce Arians would probably make it, that the Bucs beat themselves with one crucial penalty after another, often extending Saints drives.  Sometimes they were even petty.  But, the Saints often play the bully roll, and pay for it.  In the end, the last Saints drive of the day gave the Saints a lead Brady couldn’t touch. 

So the surprising Saints are 5-2 and yet have only played two home games.  With 4 of the next 5 at home just imagine if the Saints flex that dome field advantage.  It could be like Halloween every night.  

Saints Report #6 - October 25, 2021

 

The Saints went into normally rainy Seattle and put the clamps on the Seahawks to the tune of 13-10 in a part time storm on Monday Night.  Another ugly win to move to 4-2.

The game resembled a fight scene in the rain in The Matrix, minus the grace and stylishness, unless you watched Alvin Kamara who put forth a fantasy dream night.  Suddenly the Saints have rediscovered his effectiveness when the ball is tossed to him, and without that it would have been a gloomy night, where we would have said “Why don’t we just get in the running car?”

The two teams pushed inefficiently against each other except for one touchdown drive a piece.  A lot could be made of the sluggish offenses, or the good defenses, but the truth of the matter is that this game was won by the kickers.  The Saints continuously flipped the field position behind the leg of punter Blake Gillikin, and they got two field goals from their 4^th placekicker of the year, Brian Johnson, while the Seattle kicker was going 1 for 3,  Where did Brian come from?  Sean Payton met him last Monday and his heart stood still, when it appeared Johnson could actually put the ball between the uprights.  This was to become even more important the next day, when kicker #1 Will Lutz was declared out for the season after a setback in his recovery.  Hang on Brian, Brian hang on.

The Saints continue to fly under the radar, rating rarely a mention in the national media.  No one believes in the Saints yet but the next week’s opponent, Tampa Bay will lead the Saints into the heart of their schedule, including Dallas and Buffalo.  I truly believe it takes a strong franchise quarterback to win the Super Bowl, and each season starts with about 10 – 12 of those.  I regret to say that this will probably not be the case for the Saints this year.  I’m not a Winston hater.  I think he’s doing fine, workmanlike stuff.  But he’s not going to carry this team, and the days of a dominant defensive team, which the Saints are, racing through the playoffs is over.  The rules favor the offenses, and there are too many stars out there.  Would love to be wrong, but instead, I’m going to appreciate this team for what it is – a hardnosed defense minded team, and I look forward to next Sunday’s showdown with Brady.  I think he’s in for a dogfight.

Meanwhile, some other comments about sports:  The Pelicans are back, minus Van Gundy, “airball” and “slowfoot,” my two least favorite players from last year.  I won’t say their names.  Unfortunately Zion is hurt and reportedly way overweight.  New Orleans teams don’t seem to “stay in touch.”  See Michael Thomas. 

I’m enjoying baseball.  I remember Lolich and Gibson, Koufax and Ford, and those great pitching duels.  It’s now a parade of relievers and the strongest bullpen wins.  I’m ok with that.

Here are some important lessons from sports of today:

• Replay has gotten out of hand.  I didn’t think it possible to make the last 2 minutes of an NBA game last longer, but I was wrong.  We beat everything to death.  
• Yelling at the top of your lungs is important at the end of every big play.  I plan on applying this to my life.  Wait until the next time I successfully parallel park.
• Someone should be designated to bring water to every celebration, especially at home plate, to douse the pile with.  It’s kind of funny to see. 

Saints at the Bye

This is the Saints bye week report.  Sorry, I did not write about the last 2 games until now, as I was on the disabled list getting a new knee.  Unfortunately, I was joining Michael Thomas, Wil Lutz, Erik McCoy, Terron Armstead, Deonte Harris, Taysom Hill, Tony Jones Jr, Marcus Davenport, Chase Hanson, Kwon Alexander, Ken Crawley, Nick Vannett, Tre’Quan Smith, and others on the sideline. 

Put them together with those from last year who aren’t here:  Drew Brees, Latavius Murray, Thomas Morestead, JT Gray, Trey Hendrickson, Sheldon Rankins, Malcolm Brown, Josh Hill, Jared Cook, Alex Anzalone, Emmanuel Sanders, Michael Burton, and Janoris Jenkins totals 26 absent.  All but Brees are contributing on other teams. 

And the Saints are 3-2 at the bye. 

Imagine if it was your company and you experienced that kind of turnover and absenteeism.You’d take 3-2 all day long.  And you’re just a bad quarter away from being 4-1.

Yes, the Saints last 2 games were experiments in what to do with 11-point fourth quarter leads. In the first, they just blew it to the Giants. 

If you’ve ever been a manager, you’ve had a bad day at the office.  You went against your instincts and hired the wrong person.  You chewed someone out for something that wasn’t their fault.  You made the wrong choice and it backfired.  You just made a stupid decision and it was costly.

Sean Payton simply had a bad day at the office against the Giants, something we’re not used to (except in the playoffs.)  Except for a three straight touchdown stretch in the second and third quarter, the Saints bungled decision after decision. They held a 21-10 lead with 8 minutes left, and then the Giants did to us what we are used to seeing the Saints do to teams over the last 15 years.

Squandered a time-out and a challenge with one of the most meaningless challenges of a spot I can ever remember seeing. 

Having a kicker that is obviously mediocre try a 58 yarder but not a 43 yarder.

Having only one running play that Taysom Hill can run.  His previous 2 spectacular runs were kind of a tip for the Giants to move the Titanic into that particular hole.

Having Taysom Hill throw a bomb which he didn’t have the arm for, thus an interception.

Not Throwing one pass to Alvin Kamara, who carried a career high 26 times.

Defense was no better

The annual Joe Montana create-a-star award goes to Daniel Jones who racked up over 400 yards passing and looked all world.  For one week.

Paulson Adebo, who appears to have the physical tools, got picked on all day, and the Saints lost in overtime 27-21.

Almost all those strategic errors got rectified the next week when the Saints when to DC and beat the nameless team 33-22.  As good as Ron Rivera appears to be as a coach, he rarely can handle Payton.  Blake Gillikin had the best game I’ve ever seen a punter have, as he seems to be on a mission to revive the coffin corner.  He deposited three punts of 53 yards or more inside the 5-yard line, completely changing the game.  Likewise, Marshon Lattimore seemed to take every ball in the air as a personal insult.

There are 3 things that I think are the most difficult in sports:  1) hit a round baseball moving very fast with a round bat, 2) hit a golf ball where you want it to go, and 3) cover a wide receiver.  I looked at the Saints secondary as their weakest link, but Lattimore may be the best in the game right now, Adebo has improved and looks like the steal of the draft, and if he’s not, linebacker Pete Werner is.

Being 3-2 at this point is a testament to organizational stability.  The first three draft choices are contributing.  Other than the place kicker, the Saints have been able to reload, restock, reboot, and stay competitive. 

Then there’s Jameis Winston, who has held his own.  While throwing to an all-new receiving corps, he has cut down his mistakes, but not eliminated them.  He’s thrown some good, bad, and ugly passes.  But, it ain’t a beauty contest and the reality of it is that the Saints are a middle tier team right now.  The question is, when some starters come back, can they make the jump?   

At the bye, all things considered, I’ll take 3-2. 

Saints Report #3 - September 26, 2021

The Saints finished their 2021 Adversity Tour with a 2 – 1 record by going into Foxboro and surprising the New England Patriots 28 – 13. 

It shouldn’t have been that close.  The Saints rode their solid ground game to a 14 – 3 halftime lead.  P J Williams picked off rookie QB Mac Jones as they easily won the first half, even while missing 2 field goals.  Then in the first 20 seconds of the second half, Malcolm Jenkins grabbed a bobbled room service pass and pick-sixed it.  Saints were up 21 – 3 and I was more surprised than Patriot faithful.

Time to relax, right? 

No, as the Saints stopped moving the ball.  With QB Jameis Winston bouncing around the pocket like a pinball, the Saints slowly but surely left the door open for the steady Pats.  A touchdown and a field goal brought it to 21-13 late in the fourth quarter  Suddenly, it was a one possession game.

The Saints needed one of those time consuming, soul crushing drives, and that’s exactly what they got with the help of Taysom Hill.   A steady, dominant drive consumed much of the fourth quarter and the Saints scored the final touchdown to put it away and left no time for the Patriots.  Jones threw his 3^rd interception of the game and the year, and now averages one a game.  Welcome to the NFL.

Let’s face it, if the Saints can score 4 or 5 touchdowns a game, no matter how ugly, that will win most of their games.  The defense, led by Demario Davis, looks strong, when healthy. 

It is a testament to the Saints organization that they are 2 – 1 considering they’ve been on the road since Ida.  When the Saints had to play all the games on the road after Katrina it was way uglier.

A couple of grades of interest after 3 games:

Winston – B-  Not yet suitable for shootouts.  We are used to Drew Brees hitting his back foot and the ball coming out.  Jameis isn’t there yet.  The entire receiving corp is new, so patience is called for.  Sean Payton has crafted conservative game plans to ease Winston into the year.  In 6 weeks or so we'll know.  

Defense – A-  Great defense when they are all on the field

Paulson Adebo – B   looks like a 3^rd round steal

Alan Trautman – D-  looking more and more like a bust.

Marquez Callaway – B   with a great catch in the end zone, finally showed what the buzz was about.

Saints Report # 2 - September 19, 2021

The 2021 Adversity Tour of the New Orleans Saints made its second stop in Charlotte. 

It was a disaster, as the Saints collapsed to the Carolina Panthers 23-7. 

With a plethora of starters missing and eight coaches marooned in a hotel somewhere with Covid, the Saints had the most tepid offensive output of the Sean Payton era – 129 Yards.  They couldn’t run and they couldn’t pass.  Jameis Winston looked like the Quarterback the Saints befuddled all those years when he was in Tampa, throwing two interceptions.  But this wasn’t all his fault.  The Panthers completely controlled the line of scrimmage, beating the Saints supposedly great offensive line with blitzes all day.  There was no where for Winston to turn, so he turned into sacks.  There is simply no recipe for winning a game when you are constantly 2^nd and 18, 3^rd and 21.  For awhile it looked like the Saints would have negative yardage for the game. 

The defensive effort was a little better, but not by much.  The Panthers moved the ball consistently and had a good pass/mix run. 

But, here’s the real bad news that came out of this game.  The Panthers look to be patsies no more. 

Coach Matt Ruhl has completely rebuilt the roster with competent players.  The hardest pill to swallow was watching Joe Brady, late of LSU, and the Saints calling plays in the booth.  The Panthers were getting rich off of insider trading as he put together a perfect plan.

Best advice – hope this was an aberration and move on.  It’s back to Dallas to practice, then off to New England, where Bill Belichick is sure to notice what happened today.  That should bring an end to the adversity tour brought on by Hurricane Ida.  And Covid. And Pass Rushers.

You know that you are in trouble when the most entertaining part of the game is the Fox graphics package nod to Ted Lasso, highlighting the Saints being down to 4 offensive coaches. 

Saints Report #1 - September 12, 2021

The Saints opened their season with a football nation-stunning 38-3 victory over the highly regarded Green Bay Packers.  Leave it to the Saints to provide a shot of adrenaline to the hurricane-beleagured who-dat nation.

Who could have seen this coming?  Well I did, because when your supremely talented but aging MVP Quarterback spends the offseason trying to beat out Blossom to host a game show, while courting his latest movie star girlfriend and complaining about his rapport with his bosses, that’s a recipe called “too much on your plate that doesn’t included training.”  As amazing as Aaron Rodgers is, he’s 37, and he looked it today, mostly because of the Saints smothering defense.

Dennis Allen is in his 7^th year as defensive coordinator and is it is a luxury to have someone this good for so long.  Usually they get hired away, but the maturity, schemes, and disguises he employs allows him to overcome the occasional shortage of personnel.  Saints fans have been worried all year about the cornerback position, but 3^rd round pick Paulson Adebo picked off Aaron Rodgers In his first NFL start.  Someday he’ll be telling his grandchildren about that play as a career highlight, or the first of many interceptions.  Next week the Saints will be joined by another top flight cornerback they just traded for, Bradley Roby.  Don’t look now, but the Saints looked like the best defense in the NFL on opening weekend.

On offense, they were just as good.  Hopefully all year, the Saints will execute the run-first, time chewing, ball control offense they used this day.  Limited possessions, keeping high powered offensive superstars watching from the bench with growing impatience, as they methodically worked the ball down the field.  It’s a great formula.  Early in the game when Jameis Winston was unexpectedly running for first downs, and the Saints running back tandem was grinding away, I knew Sean Payton had landed on one of his formidable game plans.  He did it each time Brees was sidelined the last 2 years.  He did it to Tampa Bay twice last year.  The Coach can flat out put a game plan together.

So, how will you know if things are going the Saints’ way?  If the Quarterback is perfectly set up for success the way Jameis Winston was today.  Five Touchdown passes with only 148 yards passing is simply unheard of.  The statistical edge the Saints had in all areas was amazing today, and I could recite them, but will just let them speak for themselves.  The Saints theme for the year should be "no shootouts."  It will put every opponent in Jeopardy.

When a Hurricane like Ida just ravages its way through the land you love, leaving varying degrees of devastation in its wake it is a helpless feeling, like there’s nothing you can do up against a superior force. 

The Green Bay Packers just got a taste of that feeling.

 

NFL Preview 2021

The Thurman Thomas Helmet curse of Buffalo will end the night of February 13, 2022 with a city-wide party/riot that is only dampened by the blizzard conditions and sub-zero temperatures.  Fortunately, it will be hard to turn cars over in 4 feet of snow.  When your fifth Super Bowl trip finally results in a 35-30 victory led by NFL MVP Josh Allen, you are entitled to a celebration.  It was Allen's 28 yard touchdown strike to Stefon Diggs with 1:01 remaining in the 4^th quarter that effectively ended the Brady era.  Brady had apparently stiffened up during the hour-long halftime show "the greats of hip-hop." Buffalo’s notoriously big four straight Super Bowl losses are a distant memory, after they beat Nashville in the AFC Championship to get back to the Super Bowl.

That it was Buffalo that emerges as the champion after a season marred by injuries and disease is pretty amazing, as the revolutionary play of young quarterbacks with over 5000 yards passing dazzled America.

The NFL continues its March towards a March Super Bowl with a money-grabbing 17 game schedule.  By 2050 expect the Super Bowl nickname to go from “The Big Game” to “The Spring Game.”

I know this prediction is counter to my previous instinct that Patrick Mahomes would survive the State Farm curse to go to 10 straight Super Bowls.  I think Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, and Ryan Tannehill are in his rear-view mirror gaining at Dominic Toretto speed, and anything can happen, especially if Mike Vrabel can keep new acquisition Julio Jones healthy with a little prudent game rationing.  Would you like to tackle Derick Henry and cover Julio Jones in the same game?  I think there will be a lot of noise in Nashville, and it won’t just be Country Music. 

In the NFC, all eyes will be on Matthew Stafford, who will suddenly be the senior citizen of the circuit surrounded by more talent than he is accustomed to.  It will be interesting because, once the season starts, the media has to cover teams other than the Dallas Cowboys, and Colin Cowherd has to talk about quarterbacks other than Russell Wilson.  We will find out that Sam Darnold is no better than Josh Rosen, Justin Fields may be the football Michael Jordan Chicago has been waiting for, and Aaron Rodgers has his suitcase packed.  Buyer beware.  Many would like to be Aaron Rodgers.  He wants to be Alex Trebeck. 

So how will the Saints do?  Probably better than you ‘d expect.  My prediction is that the Saints finish 11-6.  How do I figure?  Well, with their lack of depth, particularly in the defensive backfield, I would peg them as a .500 team – let’s say 6-6, and Sean Payton is worth 5 games.  Remember the Saints are 7-1 in games started by Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill over the last two seasons when Brees was hurt.  Now that Brees has retired, Payton has the much more talented, but less decisive Jameis Winston at the controls.  I would be pegging Winston for a 5000-yard season if Michael Thomas were starting the season.  If Marquez Callaway a) stays healthy, and b) is as good as he looked in the preseason, the Saints just need one more receiver to step up, maybe Lil’Jordan Humphrey, or the even littler Deonte Harris. 

What am I worried about?  I’m worried that the Saints extended quarterback battle will actually cost us the productivity of Taysom Hill, who has prepared all season to be a quarterback, not a multi-use player. I’m also a little worried about the length of schedule as it pertains to the aging roster.  Do you give Cameron Jordan, for example, a game off to keep fresh?

Everybody has penciled in the Brady Bucs for the Super Bowl, but at some point, Brady has to slow down with age, doesn’t he?  I ask this as someone who has recently had “old age” take a bat to my knees and back.  How long can he go?  Could the Bucs really go undefeated?  Well, I’ll say this – if healthy, their defense is good enough.

Am I writing the Saints off from a 5^th straight division title?  Not really.  The Saints made Brady look human for 2 and a half games last year, until a certain tight end, whom we will never mention again, fumbled the ball and momentum over to the Bucs.  It was a shame, because it is obvious that Payton is a great one-game coach, until the playoffs arrive.  Deep down, I think that will be the case again this year. 

The breaks have gone against the Saints in the playoffs, and while we are not as haunted as Buffalo, It’s almost as if we live in a football cone of uncertainty, never quite out of danger while that clock is still running.

At the Cinema - August 2021

CODA - 10 

I don’t know how to define “heart” in a movie, but I know it when I see it.  My favorite movie of the year so far is this Apple TV exercise in joy.  Just as Apple TV+ has a hit with Ted Lasso, now in its second season, they hit it out of the park with this movie directed by Sian Heder.

If you see only one movie this year, see this one.

Emilia Jones plays Ruby Rossi, the title character, a Child of Deaf Adults.  Her schedule consists of getting up at 3 am to go fishing with her family, then attend high school.  When she signs up for choir, her gifts as a singer are revealed, and she adds private singing lessons to her already packed schedule.  Unfortunately, her parents and older brother have no way to assess or witness this talent, because they can’t hear. Her family inhabits a world of financial desperation in the New England fishing industry, and she is their voice and ears as they try to navigate it.  It is often heart-breaking, and as the details of her harried existence unfold, you will get a depth of understanding of the deaf community.  Like last year’s Sound of Metal, and A Quiet Place, it’s only a partial glimpse, but it is insightful.

There isn’t a false note as Ruby juggles her responsibilities, adding in a romance with another singer, and they both aspire to go to the Berklee school of music in Boston.  While the plot is predictable, its execution is not.  The acting is tremendous, particularly by the deaf cast headed by Troy Kotsur as Ruby’s father.  I don’t want to give too much away, but have a box of Kleenex handy.  If this doesn’t move you, check your pulse.

 

Leave No Trace – 10

Why in the world did I watch this 2018 drama about a daughter and father living off the grid in the Oregon wild?  Because, believe it or not, it now sits atop the Rotten Tomatoes scoreboard as the most positively reviewed film ever.  My reviews don’t count in that talley.

There’s a lot going on in this movie, and it’s almost all psychological.  Ben Foster plays Will, a veteran with PTSD that has withdrawn from society completely and taken his teenage daughter Tom (played perfectly by Thomasina McKinzie) with him.  They are a formidable team in that they have developed a set of rules for living in the woods, so that they can remain undiscovered.  When you have some spare time, Google the “Leave no trace” rules for more info.  This is interesting environmental information, and I have no idea if it precedes, or has any relation to this movie.  But the movie is inspired by a true story of a father and daughter who lived in a Portland nature preserve for many years until they were removed.

When Tom breaks a rule, they are discovered and arrested.  Deemed homeless, they are subsequently placed in a workplace to which they both react differently.  They must decide their future, and this is definitely one of those “what would you do?” movies that I love so much.  Director Deborah Granik’s last feature was 2010’s Winter Bone in which she gifted us with Jennifer Lawrence.  Here she gives us McKinzie.  And yet, it is Ben Foster whose anguish inhabits this movie.  Strong and compelling, I understand why it has never had a negative movie review.

 

Shiva Baby – 10 (HBO)

Now this is how you make a comedy.  In just an hour and 17 minutes, short and sweet, Director Emma Seligman takes us on an exercise in anxiety.  Rachell Sennott plays Danielle, a young Jewish girl under pressure from her family to make something of herself.  What she has chosen is to become a sugar daddy to Max, a wall street hot shot. 

When Danielle has to attend a funeral of a family friend she barely knew, her experience begins with the usual family bickering and pressure about her future prospects, but soon escalates with the arrival of (surprise) her old girlfriend, then (surprise) her sugar daddy and (surprise) the wife and baby Danielle didn’t know about.  The wife, played by Dianna Agron (of Glee fame) doesn’t take long to catch the wind, and as Danielle moves from room to room in the cramped house where the post-service visitation is taking place, there is always a new navigation, with a hilarious result.

The night we watched this my main criteria was to find something short to watch.  Little did I know I would stumble upon a compact classic – no fluff, no stuff, just brilliance in brevity.

Inventing David Geffen – 10

Much like the David Foster documentary now available on Netflix, this biography of an entertainment mogul will amaze you.  It is now on Netflix, but first appeared on PBS in 2012 as part of the American Masters series. David Geffen wanted to be an agent/producer and he started at the bottom in the mail room of William Morris.  He misrepresented himself on his resume, and went to extraordinary lengths to keep the deception alive.  He started as an agent for Jesse Colin Young and the Youngbloods, a group that had a hit song called "Get Together" but I consider legendary because of their song “Sunlight.”  He then discovered Laura Nyro and launched her on her trajectory.  I was always a big fan of Nyro, so you could say this movie had me at hello.

Geffen is on a trajectory of his own, as a music, then movie hitmaker, as well as a political sponsor.  His contributions to the world of entertainment are varied and fascinating.  You think you know, but you don’t.  If you love music and movies, don’t miss this portrait of a guy who, live Foster and Clive Davis, has had a magic touch with acts like Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Cher, Jackson Browne, the Eagles, and many more, as well as a string of Oscar winning pictures. I’ve often spotted entertainment and thought they were going to be huge, and I was wrong.  Geffen was usually right.  PBS Stuff usually has a short run on Netflix, so catch it now.

Stop Making Sense – 10

I didn’t know much about David Byrne and/or The Talking Heads.  I knew that this movie is generally considered up there with The Last Waltz as the best documentary concert films of all time.  I saw the terrific David Byrne Broadway musical brought to HBO earlier in the year, and thought it was time to go back and catch the bookend to that experience.  It didn’t let me down.  It’s innovative approach to staging and filming a concert has held up. 

6 Underground – 1 (Netflix)

This is a Netflix “action” movie that embodies everything I hate about the current state of movies.  It is all nonsensical and disjointed action for action’s sake.  With splashy colors and ridiculous and graphic violence in one set piece after another that mean little, it is tied together by Ryan Reynolds’ half-hearted charisma.  You know you are in trouble in the first scene.  It is a car chase through Florence that lasts forever. Blood is spurting all over 4 of the 6 person team because one woman is trying to extract a bullet from the other woman’s leg.  High speed surgery, while chase cars keep coming out of nowhere to be exploded, shot, wrecked and otherwise exterminated.  This is more than violence porn.  It is graphic nonsense.  If you are one of those who believe the Afghanistan war was the biggest waste of money ever, you haven’t seen this garbage, directed of course by Michael Bay at a destruction cost of $150 Million just for Netflix.  No creativity here, sound and fury.  I can’t believe I watched the whole thing. 

Binge Report

Lie to Me – 10

I am revisiting, via Hulu, this 48-episode Fox show that aired from 2009 to 2011.  I liked it then.  It is even better than I remembered it.  The primary cast of Tim Roth, Kelli Williams, Monica Raymund, Brendan Hines, and Hayley McFarland ooze amazing chemistry and the plots are aggressive and compelling.  This show is unique and I haven’t re-watched all the episodes yet, but it is in the pantheon of my favorite drama series of all time. 

Roth plays Cal Lightman, a character based on the work of Paul Ekman, a specialist on facial expression.  Ekman was a consultant on the show, so there's an air of authenticity.  The Lightman Group takes on cases where they are called on to ferret out deception and tell who is lying.  Of course, all of this is done within the constraints of episodic television in which the mystery, plus a usual secondary plot, has to be resolved within an hour-long time frame, then the world is saved for another week. In the world of tv today, it would be done much differently, and in my imagination, it could be even better.  Great series.  If you are looking for something to binge, check this one out.  Terrific cast, terrific premise, with Tim Roth's quirkiness center stage.

 

Here are my favorite TV Drama’s of all-time, in only approximate order:

Hill Street Blues
The Good Wife
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The Rockford Files
House
Firefly
Rectify
The Newsroom
The Wire
Star Trek
Breaking Bad
Lie to Me
Homeland
The OA
Billions
Six Feet Under
The Practice

And select seasons of The Sinner, True Detective, and Fargo.

I still have many I want to watch, with some surgery downtime ahead of me.  What’s your favorite TV Drama?