STREAMING/BINGING
and what’s left of Network Television
Rooster – 10
Forgive me for the lateness of this blog, but this is the time of year I get
involved in this magical thing called Jazz Fest, as well as obsess over a certain baseball team. A couple of hundred pitches a night cuts into your time...
HBO’s Rooster is what I call a gentle comedy, the kind I
love.The laughs are knowing chuckles
rather than belly laughs, and I’m enthralled with each character.Steve Carell starsas Greg, a successful author who takes a
writer residency at a New England college to be close to his daughter, Katie, a
teacher there.Played by Charley Clive
she has split with her husband, also a teacher.Archie is played by Phil Dunster, of Ted Lasso fame, and he has gotten
one of his students pregnant.There are
wonderful supporting characters, and I can see them all going on to be stars.
I recently saw one of those lists that populate the
internet.It was the top 100 situation
comedies of all time.The one that I
would pick as the best of all time, the Bob Newhart Show, didn’t even crack the
top 100.So, it was ridiculous, at least
to me.The Bob Newhart Show was just
such a gentle comedy, with great quirky characters, whom we fell in love with
over the run of the series.It was the
least acclaimed of the power line-up on CBS Saturday Night that I think
included, at least 1973-74, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, MASH, All in the Family,
and The Carol Burnett Show.Legendary,
to say the least.
Here’s a little
trivia. Jay Tarses (and half of the
comedy team Patchett and Tarses) was an executive producer of The Bob Newhart
Show, and his son Matt Tarses is a producer on Rooster. This makes me the only living person not
named Tarses who knows this. (And now you know.) Talk about
nerdy. I once met a guy with the last
name Tarses and regaled him my knowledge of his family and he looked like he
had been struck by lightning. I even have a reel to reel somewhere of a
Patchett and Tarses sketch, because I used to tape such things, rather than do things like, well, leave the house. They both
went on to be successful show creators.
I’m crazy about The Bob Newhart Show and I bet I’ve watched it all the
way through at least 3 times. If you
want to see how good TV can be, work your way through the series. Gently.
Check out Rooster for some low-key comedy. Like most stuff on the screen, you'll like it, or you won't. Blame me if you don't.
Michael Keaton plays the relentless visionary Ray Kroc, who developed McDonalds
into the preeminent franchise in the world.This tells most of the story, how Kroc convinced the McDonald brothers
to let him franchise their concepts from their successful San Bernadino walk-up
restaurant. Kroc was pretty ruthless as
he gradually took the reins from the brothers.It’s not a pleasant story but it’s a real one. Success in America isn't always pretty, even when the girl is.
Took another trip to the D-Box seats, because this seemed like the
right kind of movie to go and get all shook up.
There’s just no doubt that Ryan Gosling is a Bonafide movie star. The camera loves him and he picks his
projects with care. It’s obvious he put
his considerable resources into this story of the scientist drafted to save the
universe. Something is killing all the
stars, including our sun, and the nations of earth are dispatching an
expedition to figure out what’s going on.
There are a lot of good moments in the movie and it’s a solid
story, including a surprising take on friendship. When it’s hitting on 8 cylinders it’s one
helluva movie. The problem with the
movie is simple. Just like many movies
today, it’s just too long. It’s a 2-hour
story stretched out to 2 and a half. Don’t
know why they do that. Remember when 2
hours was the right length? Then along
came Christopher Nolan, Judd Apatow, and others who couldn’t tell time. From now on I’m going to call it “nolatowing”
Nevertheless, this is a fine achievement that could have used an editor. I volunteer.
Eden – 9
Director Ron Howard has made some uplifting and positive movies
(Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind).
Eden is not one of those movies.It is an interpretation of actual events and it’s heavy and thought-provoking.
As Germany began to turn to fascism in the 1930’s, a group of people (played by
Jude Law, Sydney Sweeny, Ana De Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Bruhl, all
brilliant) decide that civilization isn’t going their way and they arrive on one
of the Galapagos islands to build a new life.Well, that never goes the way it’s planned.Soon, they necessarily turn on each other,
leading to murder and the arrival of the police.This movie and its take on human nature was
way more interesting than I thought it would be.
Nobody 2 – 8
The Nobody franchise, such as it is, holds up its pulp standards
as a violent, bloody, messy odyssey of one Nobody, played by Bob Odenkirk, as
unlikely an action hero as one could imagine.He has a particular set of skills, mainly beating people up, that he
does not expect to have to utilize on vacation.But he didn’t know he had picked a spot that was rife with crime.Oh well, such is movie world.Sit back, suspend disbelief, and enjoy the
fisticuffs.
Safe House (2025)- 9
When it's Saturday night and you don’t know what to watch, you
search for something that looks interesting and comes in at 90 minutes. This surprisingly entertaining movie is
almost a “then there were none.” There
is an attack on the Vice Presidential detail in Los Angelos and 6 seemingly
good guys converge on a supposedly impenetrable safe house on Wilshire
Blvd. There they must withstand attack after
attack as they grow suspicious of each other.
Made on a modest budget with only 2 actors I recognized, it’s the
perfect little thriller for a Saturday night.
STREAMING/BINGING
and what’s left of Network Television
The Pitt – 10
The first season of HBO’s The Pitt was phenomenal, winning a
boatload of Emmys. We dug in for the
second season, preparing for the inevitable drop off. Nope, the second season is even better.
The experts praise the authenticity of the emergency room
known as The Pitt.I have to be honest
and say that I’m not sure about that, as in my many trips to emergency rooms
I’ve never seen 3 doctors converge on an incoming patient.So, I quibble.But not with the incredible patient stories
and great doctor personalities.The many
characters that populate The Pitt and the actors that portray them, starting
with star Noah Wylie, are creating what will be looked back upon as a legendary
cast.I’d go so far as to put them in
conversation with other HBO shows like The Wire and The Sopranos.Stars are born.Don’t miss this series.
Paradise – 10
Sterling K Brown anchors another great cast, this one
dealing with the end of “life as we know it.”
Through the first two of the three planned seasons, there’s an awful lot
going on. I’m not going to give all the
plot away, but I will say that a high-tech bunker has been built, and certain
people have been moved there to eventually re-populate the countryside. That turns out to not be as simple as it
sounds, and there are a lot of twists afoot, but what is most surprising is
that the suspense is real, the villains are compelling, and this is just a
great series. Now we wait for the third
season.
DOCUMENTARIES
All the Empty Rooms – 10
This won the Oscar for best short documentary and thank goodness it’s short
because it is 30 heart wrenching minutes.
Cameras go into the bedrooms of children who have been the victims of
school shootings. Nothing has changed,
as if the parents still expect the kids to come home. This one will break your heart.
True Justice: Bryan
Stevenson’s Fight for Equality – 9
I stumbled upon a TED talk by Bryan Stevenson, an Alabama
lawyer who weaves a magical spell over his audience as he talks about the
inequities in the justice system. This
led me to this 2019 documentary chronicling some of his cases – ones that
burned him to his core as he pursued case after case of injustice. This is an infuriating documentary. We think we have a perfect system of justice. Not so fast.
STAND-UP
Nate Bargatze – 10
We went to New Orleans to see the hottest comedian going right
now. He’s famous for being clean and his
musings are generally hilarious. He was
exactly what we expected.
Now, the rest of the story.First, I
didn’t know a building that big could be kept that cold.The Smoothie King Center is due for some
renovations, but there’s nothing wrong with the air conditioning.There was a host, and 3 comedians doing 10
minutes each.The last guy was funny,
and you’ll hear why shortly.
So, although the tickets said 7 pm, it didn’t start til 7:30,
and Nate didn’t hit the stage for 45 more minutes.But when he got rolling about his parents who
are basically my age, it was pretty spot-on. I’m sure there will be a Netflix special of
this tour.They made the statement that
they are well on their way to being the highest grossing comedy tour in
history.Good for them.
Derrick Stroup: Nostalgic -8
A very good Netflix special by this guy from Alabama, with some Alabama stories
to tell.He was the last warmup act for
Nate, and we laughed enough to watch his special, which was as good as he was in
person.
CLASSICS
The Deer Hunter – 9
That’s correct.
Somehow, I had never watched this Best Picture Oscar-winner. I’d certainly seen the famous parts. The Russian roulette scene that takes place
in Vietnam after the friends from Pennsylvania are captured is iconic and
deservedly so. I had no idea how good
the whole sequence was.
The rest of the movie is built around that awful event.
So, how does the movie hold up?Well, I’ll
give you my impressions, as I have no intention of ever watching it again.The basic message is War is hell, and it’s
not just on the battlefield.It tears at
the fabric of families as loved ones go off to war, and if they are lucky
enough to return, return changed and broken.
Robert DeNiro carries the movie through its many chapters.Much of the movie would be improved if remade
today, but it still packs a punch.Christopher Walken won a well-deserved supporting actor Oscar for
playing a man who is forever changed by that incredible Russian roulette scene.Glad I watched it.I could do without war, but it seems it’s in
our nature.
Ventured out to see a movie in a theater. I have to admit what I liked the most was
seeing it in a D-Box theater. The seats
vibrate with the action, plus they are perfectly heated. So I went home to see if I could get them for
the house, and they are a tad expensive. But, if you win the lottery, keep me in mind.
Oh, the movie. Very good action thriller
with the stars Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and particularly Halle Berry
doing great work. Not quite on the level
of the great LA crime movies like Chinatown and LA Confidential, but I got the
impression that everyone took their time writing and filming it to make sure it
all fit together nicely. Better than the
typical “made for Netflix” stuff I’m getting a little tired of.
Sing Street – 9
Nice little movie about a bullied teenager who thinks he has only one chance to
get the girl, by forming a band.The
young man, who is played by Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, (who would later go on to be
“the guy” in Best Picture winner CODA) is perfectly credible I found this 2016 movie because it was made by the same director of Once, John Carney, and the girl is played by Lucy Boynton of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Blue Moon – 7
Ethan Hawke is up for an Oscar for playing lyricist Lorenz Hart, the closeted,
alcoholic partner of Richard Rodgers, later to be replaced by Oscar
Hammerstein. He is extremely irritating to watch throughout. All the action takes place
in Sardi’s after the Broadway premier of Oklahoma! Other than surprising work by Margaret
Qualley in a supporting role, the movie was a slight disappointment to me. We learned some things about Hart, but little
about his music, some of which is phenomenal.
As a friend of mine pointed out, the setting is so static, this would have been a good play. We learned that Hart hated the title tune,
which he was famous for. That makes two
of us.
STREAMING/BINGING
and what’s left of Network Television
Under The Banner of Heaven – 10
This is an FX murder mystery from a few years ago.It’s set in a Utah town heavily populated by Mormons,
including the lead detective Jeb, played with great conviction by Andrew
Garfield. If you know me, you know I don’t think much of religion, and this is
one scary little cultish story as Jeb must take the lead in keeping the
community calm after the ritualistic killing of a mother and her 15 month old child.That’s gruesome enough but her
in-laws are the suspects, and it could be because she wasn’t devout
enough. Simply horrifying.
Untamed – 8
Decent mystery set in Yosemite National Park that made me want to go there.I can always tell who the bad guy is very
early in these things.I call it Rick’s
Law, and I’ll be happy to share it with you if you ask me, and I saw it in a
couple of shows recently.Eric Bana
plays the investigator, one of those guys who is out of favor with his
superiors, because of course he’s the only kind of lawman who can actually
solve crimes.So, there’s a lot of chalk
here, but the scenery makes it worth the 6 episodes, which occupied us on a
Sunday.
DOCUMENTARIES
Miracle:The Boys of
’80 – 10
Netflix did us all a great favor by gathering the surviving members of the 1980
Gold Medal winning USA hockey team together in Lake Placid, the location of the
greatest upset in sports history.If you
don’t know about this, because you’re too young, I invite you to dive in on how
Herb Brooks coached this team to such an improbable victory.I remember a TV movie on the subject, then a
great feature movie, “Miracle,”available on Disney+.This one
brings it all home, as the participants tell their story.It’s simply one of the most unforgettable events of my lifetime, which is important as I remember things less and
less.But I haven’t forgotten Mark
Johnson, Mike Eruzione, and most of all the coach, Herb Brooks
Beatles Anthology – 10
The Disney channel has the 10 episode Beatles Anthology. There are the 9 original 1 hour episodes and
then a 10th episode covering the 3 remaining Beatles coming together
to add their talents to an old John Lennon recording so they could release one
more single. For a household that is
almost all-Beatles, all the time (or so I am accused) this is a 10 hour fever
dream, as the narrators go album by album.
To me, it was just riveting.
Paul McCartney Man on the Run – 8
Documentarian Morgan Nevil has put together a 2 hour
documentary that covers the period of the Beatles break-up mostly from Paul’s
perspective. As Paul goes through a
period of producing records with only a few good songs on each, his production
is not comparing favorably to the other former Beatles and he is blamed for the
breakup. He struggles with his new
group, Wings, as they face the daunting task of being compared to the Beatles. The documentary goes through about 1980 when
John Lennon was assassinated.
I didn’t find that Neville tried to turn Paul into an angel
as Paul went through a variety of struggles.
Linda McCartney is criticized for her singing, and as the
documentary ends, she is complaining about how tired she is. Is this the beginning of the end for
her? We never really find out, as the documentary
ends hinting that Paul is getting his
mojo back. His modest catalog of the
last 50 years is nonetheless impressive, and he happily plays his Beatle songs
in concert now. No, he never produced an
equivalent to “Imagine,” but he’s done fine.
Immediate Family – 9
Wonderful follow-up to the famous documentary The Wrecking Crew, which pulled
back the curtain on the studio musicians who actually recorded so many of the
hits we listened to.This documentary
kind of runs out of steam after about an hour, but it puts faces to the music
of our youth.
CLASSICS
Lonesome Dove – 10
The recent demise of Robert Duvall suggested that we watch a
few of his films, so we started with the 6 hours of immaculate storytelling by
Larry McMurtry. I never had watched this
and back in 1989 I was not watching much TV, so forgive me, but since I’m the
only one who missed it then, I won’t tell you about it, other than it’s as epic as its reputation, and the relationship
between former Texas Rangers played by Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones is as real a
story of friendship as you’ll probably ever see on a screen. Every bit as great as I’d always heard.
To Have and Have Not – 9
The original Bogart and Bacall movie, where she told him to whistle and he fell
in love with a 19 year old. Their charisma is evident as they trot through a pedestrian Casablanca-like
plot. Nice movie.
Manhattan Melodrama – 10
One of my all-time favorites and the one movie that I don’t
understand why there hasn’t been an update made.
Midnight in Paris – 10
The current favorite for Valentine’s Day movie despite Woody
Allen falling further and further down the Epstein rabbit hole, with no
apparent regret. Here I am wishing I had all 50 or so of his movies on Blu Ray, even the really bad ones.
The Last Waltz - 10
The Scorcese documentary about The Band’s last concert is
generally considered the best concert film of all time. It holds up pretty well
YOU
TUBE
Hold the Mayo – 9
A new category, since we spend a lot of time on You
Tube. First an acknowledgement of 300
episodes of Red Beans & Rice eating.
If you don’t live in the New Orleans area, here’s an explanation. In this area, it is a tradition (albeit one
that I don’t participate in, yet find fascinating) to eat Red Beans & Rice
every Monday. This guy went out 300
Mondays in a row before he shut it down, hilariously and profanely (you’ve been
warned) sampling RB&R at restaurants in the area. More than a few times we sped on over to a
reviewed spot to see what they were cooking.
Hats off to a great effort. Here's the channel: (1879) Hold The Mayo - YouTube
Track Star – 10
Three years ago a guy in New York City would stop strangers and give away money
to them if they could “name the artist” on a musical track.Now,
celebrities travel to him to try their luck.Of course, it’s now expanded into a podcast, but the host’s musical
knowledge of every genre is mind-blowing as he mixes it up with his
guests. It's addictive. Suggested episodes:Maya Rudolph and Jon Batiste to start
with.Favorite Podcast:Ken Burns Here's the address: (1879) Track Star* - YouTube
Isaac Brown – 9
Imagine a music producer who has never listened to The
Beatles (among others). Then watch him
listen to each Beatles album from start to finish. His reaction is genuine and informative. Don’t always agree with him, but I don’t
agree with myself on things I wrote a year ago.
There are many of these channels where some current artist or critic
listens to “our” music for the first time, and they are always shocked, I guess
because today’s music is so lame. Check him out here: (1879) Isaac Brown - YouTube
THE
OSCARS
Here’s my take on the Academy awards to be awarded on March
15th, and I’ll be watching, even if you won’t be. Two weeks away which means there will be a lot of "shut up and act" rhetoric afterwards. Should be fun.
Best Picture:
Will Win:One Battle
After Another
All year long it’s been a forgone conclusion that “One Battle After Another”
was going to triumph, but I see Hamnet gaining “Green Book” like late momentum,
with its overwhelming emotional advantage. I smell a possible upset, but the
odds are long.
Best Director
Will Win:Paul Thomas Anderson (It’s his
year, for OBAA) Should Win: Chloe
Zhan for Hamnet, but that’s just me
Best Actor Will Win: Timothee Chalamet Should Win: Michael
B. Jordan As much as I like Tim, I couldn’t stand his movie, while I loved “Sinners.” And Timothee got robbed last year as Bob Dylan,
so it will be a make-up Oscar.
Best Actress Will win: Jesse
Buckley Should win: Jesse
Buckley The industry is talking about this as one of the greatest performances of all
time, and I agree. It’s incredible and
as a long-time fan, I couldn’t be happier.
Look for it to be the highlight of the night.
Best Supporting Actor Will Win: Sean Penn Should Win: Sean Penn
Best Supporting Actress Will Win: Amy Madigan Should Win: Amy
Madigan Possibly the most competitive category of the night with the
award going to Amy for a lifetime of achievement over the astounding work of Teyana
Taylor in OBAA.
There’s a thrill in exiting a theater having been astounded by a movie. I remember going to movies in the incredible
1970’s when it was one movie after another.
The last time I experienced that was with " A Complete Unknown.”
Hamnet delivered that feeling for me.This is the story of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes who have 3
children but lose their son to a plague.Will is laboring far away at the Globe theater when the son, Hamnet, dies and that creates a gulf between the
parents.Jessie Buckley, whom I have
always been a fan of, brings her grief to life so vividly that she is the
odds-on favorite to win an Oscar for her performance. I’ll be rooting for her.
Although this movie won the Golden Globe for best drama, not all the critics
have been kind to it.It moves at a slow
pace, but the ending packs a wallop that I won’t discuss here.I’m just going to say that I may have broken
my personal tears record previously held by Rudy.Take that for what it’s worth.
Abang Adik – 9
I’m going to have to quote from Wikipedia here: “Abang Adik is a neo-noir crime drama film
written and directed by Jin Ong. It
tells the story of a pair of undocumented orphans in Malaysia.”
Abang is the deaf-mute older brother of Adik. They live in numbing poverty.Graphically realistic and
heartbreaking in its circumstances, this is a tough one to watch, but should
you venture down that road, you’ll be rewarded with a great story.
The Rip – 8
Gotta give it to Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. They are the buddy heir apparent to Clooney and Pitt who have lost their
luster recently. This straight to
Netflix film probably would’ve done ok at the box office given the star
power. The close friends play Miami
narcotic cops caught in a murder mystery and the temptation to abscond with a
$20 million “rip” found in a narcotics stash house. Someone in their crew may be the traitor who
was an accomplice to their boss’s murder which begins the movie. Loyalties will be tested. This one actually hits its marks a
little better than expected, although it will disappear into the backlog ether
that is the Netflix catalog
People We Meet on Vacation – 8
Nothing new with this movie.
Poppy (Emily Bader) is a travel writer who is tired of traveling alone and
finds a guy from her Ohio hometown that will travel with her. Alex (Tom Blyth) is not nearly as adventurous
but as the years go by begins to develop some feelings for his sometimes travel
companion. There’s a nice sequence in
New Orleans, and nice sequences in other locations, but there’s only one thing
that carries this movie. It’s Emily
Bader, whose charisma is by far the most interesting aspect of the movie. There’s little chemistry between them, but
she makes it believable.
Song Sung Blue – 7
Remember that feeling I was talking about leaving a great movie?Well, it didn’t happen here.
Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson play a real couple named Mike and
Claire Sardina who have a brief career as a Neil Diamond cover act.They’re known as Lightening and Thunder, but that’s
overselling it a tad.It’s kind of sad
to me that of all the great (and some not so great) music Neil Diamond produced
it’s Sweet Caroline that has become omnipresent, like a bad drinking song.Oh well.I’m sure it’s just me.
Meanwhile, it’s Kate Hudson that carries this movie as Claire.Her singing is terrific and she does the
heavy lifting in the tragedy department, and what happens to her is truly
tragic. Hudson got a surprise Oscar
nomination for the part and it’s well deserved.Meanwhile slip Love on the Rocks, September Morn, and Kentucky Woman into
your playlist.And I still think his
duet with Barbra Streisand on You Don’t Bring Me Flowers is the best thing I’ve
seen on the Grammys.Don’t believe me?
Here:
STREAMING/BINGING
and what’s left of Network Television
Landman (season 3) – 9
I doubt there’s anything streaming now just as outright entertaining as this
series from Taylor Sheridan.
His writing, although it’s occasionally over the top, is
brought to life by the incomparable Billy Bob Thornton.He spits out his lines like he’s creating
them on the spot and that’s his special gift.Plot?Yes, there’s a plot.It’s about oil exploration and risk taking
and crazy family, and the seasons are coming in rapid succession, so just
buckle in your lazy chair and enjoy.It
ain’t perfect, but you don’t want to miss a minute.
Bad Monkey – 8
Vince Vaughn is hilarious in this overly long, but entertaining adventure
series from Apple TV, set in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas.Vince plays a frequently suspended detective
who can’t help but do good things when he suspects bad things.This may not be for you, and there are a lot
of subplots colliding, but for some reason Vaughn’s one liners just tickled my
funny bone about every 5 minutes.This
was a fun watch.
Gone Girls: The Long
Island Serial Killer – 9
Netflix has a whopper of a documentary here, especially if
you like the story of catching serial killers.
In three concise episodes it pieces together how a 2010
discovery of a body on Gilko Beach led to numerous other bodies in the swamp
and the hunt for missing women.It’s a
pretty amazing story of investigators intermittently dropping the ball, then
persevering, including through some unexpected corruption and
incompetence.Enthralling series.
DOCUMENTARIES
Mel Brooks: 99 Year
Old Man – 10
Wow, have we been lucky!
Mel Brooks is an American treasure, and here he gets the extended Judd
Apatow two part treatment.
Judd has never made a movie that he couldn’t lengthen into a bladder
tester. But, here the subject is worth
every minute. Mel is still working at
99, and his classics like Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, both released
in 1974 (I may have mentioned how great the 70’s were) were landmarks. Has anyone ever duplicated a one-year feat
like that? None comes to mind.
When I was growing up I heard about the legendary “Your Show
of Shows” with Sid Caesar, but this is the first time I’ve seen actual
footage. And so it goes, a backstory
extravaganza of movie after movie, star after star, show after show. Hilarious, and heartwarming in so many ways,
let’s hope Mel goes on for several more years.
Cover Up – 10
This is a profile of legendary investigative journalist
Seymour Hersh. His amazing reporting
uncovered the My Lai massacre, and Abu Ghraib prisoner torture. His persistence and methodology are great
examples of what journalism can and should be.
I hear a lot of shots taken at the main stream media, but this is an
education on the processes that ethically must be followed to break a story. A lot to learn here as nowadays it’s hard to
know if it’s entertainment or journalism.
This is a great starting point. Hersh has often been in trouble, and
that’s a good way to win a Pulitzer prize.
Secret Mall Apartment – Inc
It’s very rare that I don’t see something through to the
end, especially when it’s a Music Box production from Bill Simmons and
company.But after you get past the
initial story that 8 people set up an apartment to meet at in a nook in a mall,
it lost my interest in the extreme.Oops
STAND-UP
Ricky Gervais:
Mortality – 5
I’m a big Ricky Gervais fan, and this special won the Golden Globe for best
stand-up, but that’s not nearly warranted.He rips off a few good lines, but that’s about it.I’d like to have my time back.
CLASSICS
Friday Night Lights – 8
Lately, prompted by Landman, we’ve gone back over a few of
Billy Bob Thornton’s movies, and somehow I had never seen this one. He was making a lot of talk show appearances
telling stories about his old movies, so we decided to go down his rabbit hole. This one is a tad formulaic and Billy Bob’s Head Coach character
is a little too cliched for me, but it’s still entertaining. Every single tackle is a bone-crushing, flip
over in the air job, so realism isn’t the name of the game here. But I can see why it was adapted into a TV
series, which I’m sure would have been an improvement. Just seems better suited for the intimacy of
the small screen.
This Netflix entry is a melancholy contemplation of one man’s life as a traveling
physical laborer. He often dreams in
reflection of memorable events, good and bad, and this takes you slowly through
his life. Joel Edgerton, who I usually think is terrific, plays Robert, a tortured and simple soul who toils in the
Pacific Northwest, mostly in lumber. He
has simple aspirations that center on his family and the cabin he and his wife
build on a stream.
The greatness of this movie is in its pacing. It reminds us of both the speed with which
life goes, and the parts that seem to go on forever. Edgerton is joined by Felicity Jones, Kerry
Condon, and William H Macy in a wonderful cast that plays it low and slow.
My only quibble, and it’s not really with the
movie, is that we often watch films with closed captioning turned on so we don’t
miss an important word or sentence. I
don’t know why it’s necessary to document every breath at the bottom of the
screen. I found it terribly distracting
and overdone on this movie.
I highly recommend you take this movie in, and if at all possible, leave
the close captioning off. It's better that way.
Black Bag – 9
I’ve never been a big fan of director Stephen Soderberg, so I
struggle through his movies.They are
sparse, static, with a cheap soundtrack and simplistic photography, in my
opinion. Such was again the case with this highly acclaimed movie.Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett star as
married British Intelligence agents who are suspected, separately, of being
traitors.They set out to clear their
names.There are 5 suspects.Fassbender’s character, George Woodhouse is tasked
with ferreting out, and eliminating the traitor, which may even be his wife.
Fortunately, about two thirds of the way through, there’s a lie
detector scene followed by a “big reveal” dinner party that is downright enthralling,
substantially elevating this to one of the best endings of the year.
From the World of John Wick:
Ballerina – 8
With the most ridiculous title of the year I guess they are trying
to communicate that there’s a lot of over-the-top gun play, sword play, and
hand to hand combat, but the fact that it’s Ana De Armas kicking derriere
across several countries in search of a dark secret about her past, but of
course, makes this a pretty good action film.
Technically, Ana De Armas can’t be the next James Bond because she’s
already been a character in the last 007, but I think she’d be a great
successor. “Give her a double 0 and turn
her loose,” I say.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues – 8
I will never forget the night we watched the 41 year later sequel
to the great Spinal Tap, Rob Reiner’s groundbreaking Mockumentary and his first
movie. About half-way through the movie,
my wife turned to me and said that bodies had been found in Rob Reiner’s
house. Later we would learn it was Rob
and his wife. It was a heartbreaking period as the news developed.
I was thoroughly enjoying the somehow realistic update to a
fictional band. It is just as
entertaining as you would expect. Not a
classic, but a worthy follow-up, considering that once you’ve seen Stonehenge,
how do you ever top that?
Relay – 8
The answer to the question “whatever happened to Riz Ahmed,” is
that he makes good movies where sound is important. First it was the great “Sound of Metal.” Now it’s a most interesting story that pivots
on the fact that there is a “relay service” where avengers for hire communicate
with their client. There’s a little bit
of a twist which unfortunately I had scented out pretty quickly, but that doesn’t
take away from the fact that the story, about a corporate whistleblower, is
something that I hadn’t seen before.
Marty Supreme – 7
A frenetic vehicle for the talented Timothee Chalamet, director Josh Safdie
repeats his formula from “Uncut Gems,” a movie I did not like one bit.In that obnoxious piece the protagonist is
played by Adam Sandler, and the acting in this movie is a significant upgrade,
if the story is not.
Chalamet is all-in on his performance as Marty Mauser, a fictional
US ping pong champion in the 50’s.
He’s extremely confident,
gets his married (and equally obnoxious) girlfriend pregnant, improbably beds an older movie star (Gwyneth Paltrow), and moves through a series of
outlandish but entertaining scenes. It's non-stop and he's impressive, but much like an action movie, there's not a believable moment.
The word is that Chalamet will certainly be nominated for an
Oscar, and is the favorite to win, but to me it will be a make-up Oscar for the
far superior “A Complete Unknown.” They should
just let me decide these things.
F1 – 7
Brad Pitt’s latest starring vehicle is an extravagant salute to Formula One racing. The first part, where Pitt’s character Sonny
Hayes is one leg of a Daytona 500 team is like a music video and it’s pretty
thrilling and I cranked up the Led Zeppelin volume and watched it a couple of
times. Unfortunately, the rest of the
movie stalls in the pits.
Let me summarize: The racing action is terrific. The racing strategy is fascinating. The acting is good. The plot is formulaic. The dialogue is laughable. Pitt, who produced this should know
better. He won an Oscar with some snappy
dialogue. Aren’t there script
specialists who come in and punch up the dialogue? Oh well, it’s a worldwide financial hit, so I’m happy
for him and his Plan B productions, who consistently churn out the hits.
Jay Kelly – 4
When it comes to bad dialogue, nothing will take a back seat to
Adam Sandler as a manager calling not one, but two clients “Puppy.” It’s so bad, it’s offensive. I have no idea what George Clooney and his
team are doing at this point in his career.
This movie has gotten good reviews, and I’m truly bafflied.
Except for a few moments, this movie is so tedious I would rather
watch grass grow.
STREAMING/BINGING
and what’s left of Network Television
Pluribus – 8
My mother used to buy various artifacts and place them around the house, calling
them “conversation pieces,” although I don’t recall anything like that ever
happening.Apple TV’s series, because it
is helmed by Vince Gilligan, the mastermind behind “Breaking Bad” and “Better
Call Saul,” is certainly a conversation piece.There’s a lot to talk about.
Fortunately, he tapped the luminous Rhea Seahorn to play Carol,
an alcoholic author and one of only 11 worldwide survivors of a viral takeover
of the human race. Reminiscent of the
great thrice filmed “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” the “possessed” have
become a mind melded cult-like force, with some strange characteristics. Carol doesn’t like it, and maybe wants to
beat the alien virus. She’s not going to
get much help. Yes, there’s a lot to
talk about in a series that is rather slow moving and deliberate. There’s a second season coming and we’ll have
plenty of time to discuss.
Godless (2017)– 9
Jeff Daniels plays the evil-personified Frank Griffin in this acclaimed Netflix
western.I’d always wanted to see this,
so one day I watched the 7 episodes straight through.Daniels won a supporting Emmy, and he gives
one unique take on evil.He leads a band
of about 30 marauders laying waste to everything in their path as they search
for a former member who rebelled against their brutality and wounded Griffin,
costing him an arm.He carries the arm
with him.Yuck.There’s a great supporting cast as the story
moves to a mining town where all the males met their fate in a mining accident,
leaving a largely female population which will eventually and inevitably deal
with the Griffin gang.Excellent series
anchored by the irresistible force of evil.
CLASSICS
Nashville – 10
Fifty Years after being astounded by this creative masterpiece, we
held a re-watch party of one of the few Criterion classic DVD’s I own. Robert Altman crafted this around a
meandering narrative of musical performances and an obscure Presidential campaign. A year later, Martin Scorcese would do the
same thing in “Taxi Driver.” Thus, Hal
Phillip Walker begets Charles Palantine and two of my top ten movies of all
time were seared into my memory.
Five of my ten favorite movies were released in those fertile 70’s and it was
a decade that I don’t think has ever been matched.
If you haven’t seen Nashville, check it out.I can’t think of any movie that resembles it, and it features at least
two of the greatest musical scenes in the history of movies, and they aren’t “Singing
in the Rain.”I could go on forever
about my love for this movie and it was great to re-watch, re-live, and re-appreciate. Most importantly, like most of those great movies from the 70's - It holds up.
Die Hard – 10
Did a Christmas rewatch of what many consider still the best action movie of
all time.That’s amazing because this is
a movie that was released in 1988, and I’ve seen it like this in its entirety several
times since, not to mention the clips. What was really impressive is the masterful editing. The story is pieced together to perfection. You’ve seen it.You know.
The Greatest Showmen – 8
Hugh Jackman stars as PT Barnum in what I would call a clickety-click
musical.There is an emphasis on the rat
a tat tat of the music and it’s a little gimmicky at the beginning, but the
movie settles in and although I had never seen this before, I quickly realized
most of the music is pretty good.“Never
Enough” sung by the character Jenny Lynd, the Swedish Nightengale, is now
considered a classic, but for me, there is an amazing number that I hadn’t
heard about - one featuring Zendaya, who I confess I didn’t really get until I
saw her singing and swinging on a trapeze with Zac Efron. A great scene in an otherwise predictable, but
very well-done musical.You don’t see
many of them these days, mostly because there’s only so much Hugh Jackman to go
around.
My
2025 Movie Rankings
Sinners – 10 Flow – 10 The Outfit (2022)– 10 One Battle After Another – 10 Train Dreams - 10 September 5 - 9 The Fall Guy – 9 Anora – 9 Weapons – 9 A Quiet Place:Day One – 9
Life of Chuck - 9 Black Bag – 9 Emilia Perez - 9 Rogue Agent - 8 Juror #2 - 8 Spinal Tap II – 8 Springsteen:Deliver Me From Nowhere - 8 Relay – 8 Gladiator II - 8 The Gorge – 8 Working Man – 8 28 Years Later – 8 Accountant 2 – 8 The Order – 8 99 Homes - 8 Sovereign - 7 Marty Supreme – 7 Naked Gun - 7 A Real Pain - 7 F1 – 7 Dune 2 - 7 All of You - 7 Wolfman – 7 The Exterritorial - 7 Havoc - 6 Night Bitch – 6 Back in Action – 6 Old Guard 2 - 4 Saturday Night - 4 Jay Kelly – 4 House of Dynamite - 1 Superman – 1
The Ozzies: Best Picture:Sinners Best Actor: Michael B Jordan Best Actress:Jesse Buckley in Hamnet (even though I haven’t
seen it yet.I’m allowed because she’s
been a favorite of mine for years, AND no one else jumped out at me.) Best Director:Ryan Coogler
My 2025 Rankings of Streaming
Series:
Task – 10 Adolescence – 10 Slow Horses (5) - 10 Apple Cider Vinegar – 10 Resident Alien – 10 Hacks - 10 Reacher - 10 Landman – 9 The Diplomat (3) – 9 1923 – 9 Prime Target – 9 The Survivors - 9 Ozark - 9 Godless – 9 The Pitt – 9 Bosch - 9 Running Point - 9 Silo (2) - 8 Pluribus – 8 Fubar - 8 Zero Day – 8 The White Lotus (2) - 6 The Night Agent (2) – 5 The White Lotus (1) – 5
The Lizzies
Best Series – Task Best Actor – Billy Bob Thornton
in Landman Best Actress – Alexandra Dutton
in 1923
My 2025 Rankings of Documentaries: One Shot with Ed Sheeran – 10 Celtic City – 10 Billy Joel (And so it goes) –
10 Mr. Scorsese – 10 Carville:Winning is Everything, Stupid - 10 Buy Now:The Shopping Conspiracy – 10 Score:A Film Music Documentary - 09 Dear Zachary – 9 Crisis:Behind a Presidential Commitment – JFK - 9 John Candy: I Like Me - 9 Sunday Best: Ed Sullivan - 9 Pee Wee Herman as Himself – 9 The Hollies – Look Through
Any Window 1963-1969 - 8 The Search for Instagram’s
Worst Con Artist - 8 Let It Be – 8 America’s Team:The Gambler and His Cowboys - 7
My 2025 Rankings of
Some Classics I Watched:
Nashville (1975) - 10 Amour (2012) – 10 Heat (1995) - 10 Die Hard - 10 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
- 9 Adaptation (2002) – 9 The Greatest Showman - 8 Chuck – 7
The Quarter Century
Mark
And here’s my last
treat.25 Years into the 21st
Century and here are some opinions on the greatest movies so far at the Quarter
Century Mark.Contrarian that I am, mine
are way different from the consensus.
I asked my knowledgeable
movie friend David Jones for his top 25, not sure if they are in order:
Mine
David
Jones
Time
Magazine
Gone Baby Gone
Almost Famous
Parasite
Mad Max:Fury Road
Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive
Mission Impossible:Fallout
City of God
There Will Be Blood
Minority Report
Lost in Translation
In The Mood for Love
Serenity
Children of Men
Moonlight
There Will Be Blood
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
No Country for Old Men
Kill Bill Saga
There Will Be Blood
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
A Complete Unknown
No Country for Old Men
Get Out
Star Trek
Michael Clayton
Spirited Away
Pan’s Labyrinth
The Diving Bell and the
Butterfly
The Social Network
The Wolf of Wall Street
Wall-E
Mad Max:Fury Road
Arrival
The Social Network
The Zone of Interest
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Moneyball
Children of Men
Zero Dark Thirty
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inglorious Bastards
Memento
Mad Max:Fury Road
City of God
The Secret in Their Eyes
Manchester by the Sea
Crouching Tiger
The Social Network
Get Out
Brokeback Mountain
Blinded by the Light
Roma
Y tu mama tambien
Spotlight
Parasite
Zodiac
I, Tonya
Once Upon a Time.in Hollywood
The Wolf of Wall Street
The Imitation Game
The Worst Person in the World
The Royal Tenenbaums
Inception
Poor Things
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Whiplash
Flow
Boyhood
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
A Complete Unknown
Her
Here's a link to all 100: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls599610113/
