Media Captures - March 2026

MOVIES

Project Hail Mary – 9

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. 

Media Captures February 2026

MOVIES

Crime 101 – 9

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 10^th 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 15^th, 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.

Media Captures: January 2026

MOVIES

Hamnet – 10

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.

Media Captures - December 2025 and the YE Review

MOVIES

Train Dreams – 10

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 21^st 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/

Media Captures Sept - Oct - Nov 2025

MOVIES

Longest I’ve ever gone without an update, so

The Outfit – 10

I Love being guided to a little unknown movie that packs a punch and delivers way more than expected.  Such is the case with this simple little 2022 gem set in Chicago.  Mark Rylance once won a Supporting Actor Oscar, and he gets his chance in a lead role here as the English tailor, Leonard Burling, to various mob figures.  They come and go in his little shop where he custom makes beautiful suits for them, while also offering up a drop point.

Leonard was trained on Savile Row, but he’s got to use all his wits to avoid disaster when two mobsters, Ritchie and Francis come to his shop after a shootout that suspiciously looks like a setup.  It is one of those one-night thrillers, that is nearly perfect in its plotting and execution.  Hope you’ll check it out and discover its brilliance. 

One Battle After Another – 10

The heavy favorite to win the Best Picture Oscar is a sprawling epic directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, who will likely also pick up his first Best Director award for pulling together this all-star cast, of which my favorite was Teyanna Taylor as a terrorist.  Apparently, Teyanna is a singer, of the breathie-chantie type, who sets the movie off and running, before she gets captured and forced into a difficult legal choice. 

Leonardo DiCaprio takes up the narrative from there as Bob Ferguson, a drugged-up conspirator on the run for 16 years with a daughter he’s trying to protect from his past.  He’s not too good at that, nor remembering the old passwords.  It’s all rambling, with great supporting performances from Sean Pean as the lawman in pursuit, and Benecio del Toro as a sympathizer. 

All the word of mouth over its apparent left vs right immigrant views makes me clueless as to what the long-term view of this movie will be, but if you can set aside your political views for just 3 hours, it sure is entertaining. 

Weapons – 9

One of the biggest hits of the year is a old fashioned horror movie.  Julia Garner plays a third-grade teacher who comes to school one day to find that 17 of her 18 students didn’t come to school.  No, not a protest.  All at the same time in the middle of the night, the 17 got up and walked out into the night, and disappeared.  Josh Brolin as one of the more aggressive parents, wants to know just what the teacher was teaching.   It actually gets pretty scary when Amy Madigan checks in as one of the more frightening characters you’ll see, and I’m hoping she gets some award recognition.  Good movie, not my usual genre.

Springsteen:  Deliver Me From Nowhere – 8

This is a movie about a very simple album, Nebraska, cut in 1982 by Bruce Springsteen.  It was famously recorded on a recorder in Bruce’s bedroom.  The record company reluctantly released it, with no p/r, and no tour support, and yet it became a best-seller and eventually legendary.  This is a nice effective story of an artist at a mental health crossroads as he struggles with the beginnings of his fame.  It’s dark, and far from the crowd-pleaser it would have needed to be to make money.  Despite the hype, especially around Jeremy Allen White’s performance and Bruce’s active participation, I couldn’t help but think this would have made a good “Behind the Music” episode, but can’t imagine why it was made with any expectation of the box office needed to break even.

28 Years Later – 8

Director Danny Boyle’s third film in the series is all over the place as he continues the story of a rage pandemic which turns people into zombies.  The emphasis seems to be on the zombie makeup, and if you’re a fan of the series, you’ll like this.  In Great Britain the ending of the movie was controversial because it apparently portrayed a real-life celebrity who fell into disfavor after his death, but us Americans probably won’t know that.  What we will see is the immensely talented Jodie Comer and that was the highlight for me.

Sovereign – 7

The great Nick Offerman plays one of those guys who doesn’t believe that any law is constitutional and as a part of an anti-government group is trying to indoctrinate his son in his ways, as they are on the verge of losing their house in a foreclosure he refuses to acknowledge.  The pair go on the road preaching their conspiracy theories and things begin to go awry when they are pulled over by a cop.

Predictable but fun, in a conspiratorial kind of way. 

Naked Gun – 7

Liam Neeson steps into the franchise as the son of Frank Drebin, and he brings the comedic chops if not the soul of Leslie Nielson.  Liam plays it straight and that’s the correct approach, but this film will fade into oblivion and be forgotten quickly, except for the set being where Liam and Pamela Anderson fell in love.

House of Dynamite – 1

I give it a one for the presence of Rebecca Ferguson.  Everything else is horribly wrong about this made for Netflix movie directed by Kathryn Bigelow, whom I normally love.   I thought the movie was offensive in that it portrayed every single U.S. military character, except one, as incompetent and unable to do what was needed when under attack.

A nuclear missile of unknown origin is hurtling toward the U.S. In case you don’t get that, they tell the story 3 times from different perspectives.  It is phony tension and terribly redundant.  What a disappointment.

All of You – 7

The breakout star of Apple’s hit series Ted Lasso, Brett Goldstein gets his first chance to write and star in a rom-com and teams with Imogene Poots.  She’s one of my favorites, and if you have seen Roadies you’ll know why, and if you haven’t seen it, seek it out.  It’s a real sleeper. 

Unfortunately, she seems flat here, and Brett never seems the least bit suited for this role.  There are some nice moments, but one where they have any real chemistry is not among them.  This Apple+ movie had promise, but it didn't materialize and I hope it doesn't sink the stars. 

STREAMING/BINGING and what’s left of Network Television

Task – 10

Ever wonder what happens when a crime spree merits the formation of a task force?  Well, HBO gives you a chance to find out in spectacular fashion with this crime drama from the folks that gave us the terrific Mare of Eastown.  Here it’s Mark Ruffalo in the Kate Winslett-type role of angst-ridden crime solver.  His wife was killed by his foster son, who may get set free soon, and Mark’s character Tom is just not sure how to feel about that, and his two daughters are equally unsettled.   He’s been out doing recruiting for the FBI when he asked to head up a task force to find perps who are robbing Eastern Pennsylvania drug houses. 

Over the course of 6 episodes we learn there is an informer on the task force, and the thieves are faily sympathetic.  It’s a great story as Tom closes in on the bad guys, and it may be the best thing on tv lately, with 3 dimensional characters you care about.

Slow Horses (season 5) – 10

Fortunately, Apple TV maintains the high quality of this London based spy drama centered around MI5 outcast Jackson Lamb played with all the acerbic wit that Gary Oldham can bring to the role.  I would be hard pressed to decide which of the 5 seasons so far that I’ve enjoyed the most.  The misfits of Slough House continue to outshine their MI-5 counterparts in crime solving, and this season’s mystery about some Libyan terrorists working their way through London is no exception.

The Diplomat (season 3) – 9

While it was hard to maintain the momentum of the stunning ending of season 2, there’s just enough intrigue in this 3^rd season to set up a 4^th season of this top notch Netflix political drama.  Anything I could give you would be a major spoiler, so let me just say that the Diplomat and her estranged husband end up on different sides of the pond trying to protect a President they don't really like.  

 
The Survivors – 9

One of those offbeat Australian series about a cold case.  Fifteen years after the death of 3 friends drove Kieran Elliott away from his Tasmania hometown, he returns with his own young family only to have a murder dredge up all the grief and mystery of the past.  Rarely do mysteries offer this much surprise and if you're looking for a new mini-series, this is a good one.  

DOCUMENTARIES

ONE SHOT with Ed Sheeran -10

I’m not sure that this is a documentary, but I’m sticking it in that category, even though it deserves a category all its own.    It is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen.  It’s like a concert film in motion.  Ed Sheeran walks and rides around New York City singing up a storm, and it is filmed in one shot, one take.  I was not a fan of Sheeran’s but I knew of him.  That phase ended 60 minutes later.  If you like music at all, stop what you’re doing and tune in.  This is a thrill.

Mr. Scorsese – 10

Any movie fan is going to love this 5-part Apple series, that marches through the life of times of one of greatest directors in movie history.  His success rate is phenomenal, and this captures the high wire act that Scorsese has lived and experienced in each movie.  My personal favorite is episode 2 which covers the making of Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and Taxi Driver, two of my top 5 favorite movies.  But each episode is worthwhile, and to me it’s only recently with The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon that I felt a drop-off in Scorsese’s magic.  Nevertheless, I think he’s probably my favorite director, and my ranking of his best movies would bear no resemblance to anyone else’s. 

John Candy:  I Like Me – 9

I was an early John Candy fan due to SCTV which I was watching religiously when most were watching Saturday Night Live.  I always thought he was great, and it was gratifying to watch him rise to stardom.  His death was heartbreaking, and his demise is chronicled here.  It’s sad, but well worth watching.

America’s Team:  The Gambler and His Cowboys – 7

Did we really have to have this sometimes-interesting story of Jerry Jones, how he bought the Cowboys and he’s tried to build on his early success with one bad personnel decision after another?  As over-hyped as the Yankees and Notre Dame, the Cowboys monopolize the news, and that's a shame.  

STAND-UP

Sebastian Maniscalco:  It Ain’t Right - 9

Maniscalco’s latest, parked on Hulu, is funniest when he’s coming face to face with the stiffness of old age.  Come on man, you’re 20 years younger than me.  Just you wait.

CLASSICS

Heat – 10

Decided to revisit this classic, because if I’d seen it before, I didn’t remember it.  Its reputation continues to grow, so I thought I’d take another look.  Pacino and DeNiro face off with Val Kilmer in support and with that kind of fire power, it’s hard to ignore.  Director Michael Mann began to build his career on this movie and the pinnacle of it is a street shoot out, as good as it gets.

Chuck – 7

Well, this wasn’t a classic, but I’d never heard of it, and it’s the second “Chuck” movie I’ve seen this year.  This stars Liev Schreiber as Chuck Wepner, a fighter who went 15 rounds with Muhammed Ali, as a great white hope.  In our house we followed every Ali fight like it was the event of the year, and I remember this fight well.  Allegedly, the movie “Rocky” was based on Wepner, who later sued for compensation. 

Scheiber is unrecognizable as Wepner, also known as the Bayonne Bleeder.  I love sports movie, but this one is an afterthought, notable for some supporting performers like Elizabeth Moss and Naomi Watts.