A 3 Month Supply just for you.
I have returned to my voluminous consumption of media, as I am 9 months into this debilitating back adventure, and tv is options 1,2, and 3.
However, you will also see that no Pulitzer
Prize is forthcoming as I am relegated to short stints at my desk, bringing forth mere snapshots. In fact I’m polishing this on my iPad so patience is being tested. I’m just hoping to provide some guidance for you as you wade through the streaming
wars. Another reason for my return to
watching is that I had my apparently quite thick cataracts removed.
Thus, my TV picture sparkles with clarity and
a high volume of streaming 4K content that I’ve been missing.
Amazing. Let’s begin.
SPORTS
Don’t usually talk about sports outside the Saints cluster, but I watch a lot, much to
the Queen’s dismay as it interferes with her SVU binge, so I thought I would
comment.
NBA – I must brag that last year with about a month left in the season I placed a very rare sports bet on the Warriors to win it all, and they did. This year I watched even more NBA and was totally convinced that the Celtics would be champs, but fortunately was unable to get to the window. They sputtered in the conference finals against the 8th seeded Miami Heat, who got the memo on the intensity needed in the playoffs.
MLB – Got the package, and again, the picture is
incredible. Where do these leagues get
their cameras? Someone alerted me to the Apple+ Friday night game and there was a camera on the ump. Amazing
As for the rule changes, love the pitch clock and the end of the shift. Not crazy about the pickoff limits because it
reeks of all those NFL rule changes to aid the offense, and starting extra innings with an unearned runner on second is ridiculous for the purist, but perfect for the nation that is poised in wait for the triple-stuffed Oreo, and an insatiable desire for variations of a 60 year old game show.
GAMLBING - Pete Rose, Alex Karrass. Paul Hornung must all be rolling over in their bed/graves as every sport has fully embraced and partnered with the likes of, well, every casino that can afford an app developer. If there’s a slippery slope, we are already in rapid descent. I think gambling addiction destroys families and sometimes careers of players who can’t resist the temptation to use their knowledge or influence. I’m not against gambling, I occasionally indulge. I’m scared of the societal effect. The NBA, NFL, and MLB just couldn’t sit on the sidelines anymore and leave that money on the table. Greed is quite the instigator. I wonder where we will be in 20 years. My guess is, with a lot of ugly credit bureaus, and that’s the least concern. Now, back to our programming.
MOVIES
Reality - 10
Director Tina Satter took an FBI transcript of the arrest of a government whistleblower named Reality Winner (I’m serious) and shot a movie word for word from the transcript.
It’s riveting. This is what FBI agents really look like. Reality is played by Sidney Sweeney and there wasn’t a moment when I didn’t think I was watching Reality. Sweeney is magical The movie is short, essentially a 1 act play. Terrific, and unlike any movie I’ve ever seen.
Till – 9
A difficult film to watch, particularly for a Mississippi resident like
myself. I’ve seen racial prejudices
passed down from generation to generation, lessening only a little bit at a time.
Similarly this is a slow methodical movie, made the way they used to make movies – a concentration on the story and the lives of the characters. No punches pulled, this is excellent.
Air - 9
It is no secret that I’m a fan of Director Ben Affleck. I consider Gone Baby Gone a masterpiece and Best Picture Oscared Argo nothing to sneeze at. The Town was overblown, but Air possesses the proper inflation. It’s the story of how Nike signed Michael Jordan to his first shoe contract. Jordan never appears in the movie, but Matt Damon as Nike rep Sonny Vaccaro, and Viola Davis as Jordan’s Mom pick up the slack to make it some first class pop entertainment. Witty and wonderful.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes on – 9
Speaking of Shoes. This is one of those movies that could never have been made without the internet.
An internet start
that was just enough of a sensation to merit a full movie, it became an
unlikely hit behind the efforts of the creators. Their magic touch continues with this gem of
a movie.
A Man Called Otto – 8
Tom Hanks plays grumpy and it’s pretty good.
Reminded me of the recent Clint Eastwood “feel goods” but let’s hope Tom
is ready to take over that throne.
Respect – 8
Liked this more than I thought I would, mostly because of Jennifer Hudson, who is probably the only person alive who could carry the weight of playing Aretha Franklin.
Did you know Aretha was pregnant at 12, then again at 14? Her family and friends kept referring to her demons, but geez, who wouldn’t have issues with what she went through. It’s an amazing story. If you like music, I’d recommend.
Empire of Light - 7
An acting extravaganza for Olivia Coleman. Most of the action takes place in a British
movie theater around the time Chariots of Fire was released, so a good time is
being had by all until a racial incident outside the theater that shows the
British weren’t much different from the Americans in that era. It’s an interesting movie, but engagement was low.
I Wanna Dance with Somebody – 8
The punches aren’t pulled as much as they just graze on Whitney Houston’s apparently bisexual love life intertangled with her drug addictions in this biography of the great singer. If you were a fan, like I was and still am, you’ll like the way the music is handled in this film. Whitney’s vocals are dubbed in, and Naomi Ackie has some of the moves down, but I got the impression that no one really knows much of the truth of her life. Or they’re not talking. But, I know this: Sure do miss her music, and we could use it about now. It would be nice to dance.
One More Time – 7
This is a dubbed Swedish comedy that had a few good moments, but because the people looked like Americans, I’m just going to admit I felt like I was watching something that was out of sync.
The Mother – 7
If you are behind on your action cliches, here’s JLo to walk you through
them. She’s an operative that has made
the bad guys so mad, she must give up her new born baby to protect the child from their wrath. It takes the same bad guys 14 years to find the little whipper snapper and they are still serious about punishing JLo, so she comes out of
retirement in Alaska and guess what? She
hasn’t lost her deadly skills. Which always amazes me. She gets the
opportunity to teach the skills to her daughter and set the booby traps and
wait for the bad guys.
The first half of
this movie is just awful, but it actually perks up a little after the mother and child reunion. This movie has been crucified
by reviewers and the public, so proceed with caution.
Ticket to Paradise - 6
This movie struck me as a weak drink, not that I would know. It’s a comedy heavily reliant on the charisma and talent of George Clooney and Julia Roberts who play two ex’s who just can’t let it go so the insults fly. Predictably, the ice starts to melt, and eventually you just give up any thought of suspense.
They travel to Bali to keep their daughter, played by the over-talented Kaitlyn Deven, from an impulsive marriage to a local. Predictable and if this is the movie that “revived the rom-com” they were deader then I thought.
Women Talking – 7
This movie was surprisingly nominated for Best Picture, and stars the great Julie Buckley, so I figured I’d check it out.
The women are talking about leaving a small
Mennonite sect over the abuse the men heap on the women, and it’s pretty
lurid. Endure it and stay, or hit the
road en masse – that’s the question.
It’s a talkie alright, and not really my cup of venom.
Causeway – 7
Jennifer Lawrence plays Lynsey, a soldier recovering from a brain injury in New Orleans. She stays with her mother, a poor role model, and she wants to redeploy to Afghanistan She forms a friendship with a man who is also recovering, played by an Oscar Nominated Brian Henry. Thus, two of the most low-key, gifted actors try to navigate their way. Well done, but in the end the glacial pace did me in.
The Raid 2 - 4
Want crazy action, and nothing else? This is your movie.
Stormy Monday - 6
Sting and Tommy Lee Jones in the same movie! In 1988! It’s about a power play over a London Jazz Club, and I’d never heard of it, but you may have noticed the internet is mostly comprised of lists and this was on one about great jazz movies. It shouldn’t have been, but it’s mildly entertaining.
Ghosted - 6
Anna de Arnis may be the most charismatic actress working this side of Margot Robbie, and fresh off an Oscar Nomination and an Ozzie win, you’d think she’d have a great manager reviewing scripts and putting her in great movies.
You’d be wrong. Here she plays one of those Super Secret Agents who has a fun time with one of the Chrises, then ghosts him. But he is persistent, and fortunately a wrestler, which will come in handy. Right.
Still:
They are pumping out celebrity documentaries these days, and this is easily the
best.
Being Mary Tyler Moore – 9
No young person can understand the role played by Laura Petrie and Mary Richards, characters played by Mary Tyler Moore in the prime days of American TV comedies. We grew up with her, but we didn’t know her. You will now. Mary had some personal demons, and they are revealed here. Talented and fascinating.
Love to Love you:
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a documentary stun me before the title even hits the screen. I had heard Donna Summer sing her “sexy” songs a million times, but had never seen her perform them. Wow. The rest of the doc is none to shabby. I loved her music, and probably spent more time dancing to her than any other artist.
I loved it, but they left out some great
songs.
Call Me Kate – 9
Katherine Hepburn bounced from great movie to bomb and from Howard Hughes to Spencer Tracy so to say she led an interesting life would be an understatement. It’s all recounted in another fascinating documentary.
Pretty Baby Brooke Shields – 8
I know, I watch too many celebrity documentaries.
I find them interesting mostly because of the
luck involved. There are boatloads of
talented people, but how some get their big break is usually a matter of right
place, right time. In Brook’s case it was right, or wrong, depending on your viewpoint, stage mother. This difference here is it takes two parts to tell this roller coaster story
Fats Domino – The Big Beat: Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock N Roll – 9
I love movies like this. Show me inside the production of some hits and the evolution of a star like Fats and I’m a happy viewer.
The Brothers Warner – 8
This is a simple little documentary about the four Warner Brothers, but particularly Jack, who kinda fleeced his remaining brothers out of the company. I watched it on TCM, but there’s a similar and glossier version of the same story on MAX as it’s got their catalog
Chernobyl - 10
Forgive me. I waited way too long to check out one of HBO’s best series ever. This is a masterpiece about the aftermath of the Russian Nuclear accident, how they tried to hide it, and what actually happened. Nothing else in this blog is in this league.
The Night Agent -10
An excellent twisty 10 part binge that accomplished the most difficult task - it held my interest for all 10 episodes. A thriller about an FBI agent on special assignment in the basement of the White House. He answers the phone, and it’s a distress call that will shake the political world. First class, well written and well acted.
Daisy Jones & the Six - 7
Elvis’s granddaughter Riley Keough becomes a star right in front of us in the Stevie Nicks modeled role of Daisy Jones. The story is erratic and difficult and ends like How I met Your Mother. I liked some scenes but as a whole I just never bought it. Maybe you will.
CLASSICS
One Way Passage - 7
It’s late night and there’s a William Powell movie on TCM. Count me in. Not as good as The Thin Man, or Manhattan Melodrama but what is?
Leave Her to Heaven - 8
I think I’ve worked my way through every neo noir classic. This one stars Cornel Wilde, Gene Tierney, and Jeanne Crain and it’s a little different because it’s in color and a costar is a young, unrecognizable Vincent Price. Hint, Gene is jealous.
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