After 15 years, a name-change for my monthly capsules on my viewing. It's way more than just "Cinema" these days.
Red Notice – 9
Netflix has a hit adventure movie on its hands with this tale of 3 thieves playing like Cary Grant across Europe. Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot pretty much play their standard every-movie character, so this ain’t Shakespeare, but it ain’t trying to be, and that’s what makes it so much fun. Yes, it’s predictable, and yes, it’s ridiculous, but sometimes we just need a nice diversion from the variant of the day.
The Sparks Brothers – 10
The thing I probably enjoy the most about the accessibility we now have with streaming is the music documentaries. They come one after another. Some are on artists I grew up with. Some are about ones I never heard of. I knew nothing of the Sparks Brothers, nor their 50 year career.
Edgar Wright is the director and he’s most famous for the movie “Baby Driver” and his love of music comes across in that movie, and he turns his attention to an influential but little know pair of brothers, Ron and Russell Maei (The Sparks). I felt the same way I felt when I watched Searching for Sugarman a few years back. How could I have not known? The movie is more fun that almost any documentary. If you like music, don’t miss it.
Mr. A & Mr. M – 10
I’ve only seen the first of the two episodes of this little doc series on A&M Records, but does it hit home for me. Herb Alpert (Mr. A) puts together a record called The Lonely Bull, follows it up with Whipped Cream and Other Delights, and he and Jerry Moss (Mr. M) open a record company with their windfall. They sign artists like Sergio Mendes, Joe Cocker, The Carpenters, The Police, Cat Stevens, Peter Frampton, and Carole King. Their love of the music and the freedom they give the artist make them unique. Great stories and the love the artists confess for the company is unique.
And that's Herb's wife Lani Hall in this promo shot. You've probably never heard of her, but she's in my top 3 favorite female vocalists. Been listening to her since high school.
Lani on the left, with a little ear candy
Every Little Step – 9
Another documentary about music, this one is a 2008 film you can catch on
Netflix and it covers the auditions for a revival of the Broadway Musical “A
Chorus Line.” I’ve never doubted the
craftsmanship and commitment it takes to put on a Broadway Musical, but this
brings it to full, vibrant life. This
was the first Broadway Musical I ever saw and now I want to see it again.
Hacks – 9
The year of Jean Smart which started with her pivotal role in Mare of Easttown, concludes with her winning a best comedy actress Emmy in Hacks. First, let me mention a specific scene in Easttown that was amazingly well executed. She plays Mare’s mother, and there’s a scene where she falls, as old people do from time to time. It is so real and heart-wrenching that anyone who has ever seen or done that will be moved. It was a bravo moment for Jean portraying the embarrassment of that movement.
Now, for Hacks. She plays Deborah Vance, a declining Las Vegas comic who is seeing her venues get smaller and dates fewer. She’s not ready to go quietly, so she hires Ava, a 25 year old writer with no resume to speak of. You know what happens, at first they don’t trust each other, then over 10 episodes they make progress. Deborah is just a classic character, and Jean Smart treats it like the role of her lifetime, which it is. 10 quick episodes on HBO.
And finally, two fascinating Musical TV moments:
First, here’s a clip from some kind of upcoming show with
Jimmy Fallon, featuring some stunning voals:
Secondly, if you haven’t seen Taylor Swift’s performance on SNL, keep in mind it could be worse. You could’ve dated her. Nevertheless, I found this pretty impressive..
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