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.