Friday, July 1, 2022

What I watched in June.

 

Happy Canada Day!

155 yrs old but we are actually much older...just think Quebec.

I am just happy to have today off. My neighbours to the South will celebrate their land on Monday so happy July 4th!

On to what I watched this past month of June. I watch the news...disgusting about the shootings and Roe vs Wade being dismantled. I know some of my viewers are happy about this but this is why its such a hot topic. A lot of blame goes on the poor girl who gets knocked up but the man goes on his merry sperm way. Anyway, I am here to not get into horrible news or the fact that Trump is not in jail and never will be, I am here to talk about the flicks and TV shows I watched.

 I have not seen much since I am working and, often, get home later than expected because I have to get work done. My hubby has watched a ton but not moi. Here are the movies I have seen.

1. DIE, DIE, MY DARLING-1965

I rewatched this movie, known as Danatic in England, from the Hammer franchise and I liked it better this time around. You have a young Stephanie Powers, engaged to an English man, who decides to pay a visit to her former, now dead, fiancée's  mother. She drives out to the small village and meets his weird mom and her equally weird staff. You have the weird housekeeper, her weird, lecherous husband and a mentally challenged young man played by Donald Sutherland( he seemed to play a few of these early in his career). They cater to the old lady, played so well by Tallulah Bankhead, who worships her dead son and believes fanatically in her religion. Soon Powers realizes that the mother is one huge nut job and wants to leave but can't. It soon becomes a cat and mouse type game as Powers tries to escape. I found it hilarious that Bankhead played someone religious when she was one big horny- toed hedonist who loved a great party, drinks, drugs and dancing naked. In fact, when Bankhead had to go back in to redo  some lines, the "die, die, my darling" line, she had to repeat so many times because she was drunker than a seasoned sailor. A good movie if a bit campy...perfect!

2. THE COURT JESTER-1955

The nestle in the thistle...oh screw it...that hilarious scene with the tongue twister is quite famous because it's so hard to do, but Kaye is brilliant with these. Kaye does sing a few songs. One at the beginning when the titles are on, one at the start of the film making us think he is this noble Robin Hood type of man ( he is not) and a couple of tunes when he is entertaining the king. Kaye must keep a baby safe because that babe is the rightful king. A young lady who is part of this tribe helps Kaye(Glynnis Johns who is still alive..I think she is 96). Of course Kaye is a klutz and somehow they get separated and he ends up as this Jester for the king. The evil Basil Rathbone wants to keep the king in place until he can kill the king and claim the throne as his own. Angela Lansbury, also still alive and 96, plays the King's daughter who wants to marry for love and not the big oaf who has a big kingdom as well( nothing Freudian in that sentence is there?). Her lady in waiting is a witch who can make spells and poison hence this tongue twisting episode that made me laugh. It's fun, and silly and not that musical. You can forward through those parts and not lose anything( hi Shady). 

3. BRIDESMAIDS- 2011

I know that Joel hates this movie because it is rude and crude which is why I love it. I'm not a lumberman's daughter for nothing. The basic plot is about 2 best friends, one is getting married and the other..well, her life is going to pot. She had a bakery but that went under and her boyfriend said bye bye; she has awful sex with a jerk and lives with 2 creepy overweight siblings that look like albinos. When she meets her best friend's other bridesmaids, she feels threatened by the rich, beautiful gal who over dresses and over does everything but seems to be a perfect fit for her best friend's new life. There is one bad event after another culminating at the shower when the gal finally loses it. I find it so funny with the dress salon scene being my favourite.  " Look Away!  Look Away."  This catapulted Melissa McCarthy to movie fame.

TV...

1. NEW AMSTERDAM-2018- PRESENT

My hubby and I love watching this show about a hospital in need of a dreamer and shaker-upper to save the hospital. Along the way, he inspires and regales his fellow doctors to do their utmost. This Dr can be demanding and irritating especially to the people who like the bottom line which, this Dr, does not look at but somehow, he makes things work. You have other doctors who must all take care of their patients from the emergency room, to the psychiatric area. You get to know the doctors and their issues. It's pretty typical when you think about the doctor shows but it has a quirkiness about it as well as the lead, played so well by Ryan Eggold. I loved the character Anupam Kher plays as a Dr who uses unusual methods to find and cure his patients. Unfortunately, the actor's wife has cancer and, during Covid, it just became too difficult to be apart from her, so he left the show. How I wish every hospital and Dr were like the ones in this TV Show.

2. THE THING ABOUT PAM-2022

I still call these miniseries and this one starred Renee Zellweger as one very dangerous, murdering psychopath. It's based on the true story about this woman who befriends another woman who has terminal cancer. The woman, with cancer, is stabbed 57 times and is found by her husband who calls 911 hysterically, believing she killed herself. Despite the fact that he was at his friend's place playing games with his buddies, had a receipt  stamped with the time, from a fast food place and no blood was found on him, they arrested him. This husband ended up in prison for 3 yrs because of the injustice done to him by the prosecuting attorney who made sure all the facts that supported Pam as the potential killer, were swept under the rug. At least, Pam was found out and the real nutjob is in prison now. I know it got mixed reviews because it had some comical elements through it and it was just plain quirky and odd but that appealed to me. I am not a Zellweger fan but she did a great job as this icky woman who knew how to charm people and get hold of the inheritance money. 

3. ARCHER-2009- PRESENT

This is animated but it is so funny and downright brilliant as a parody of the many spy movies and shows that are out there, mainly James Bond. I could never replicate the jokes and hilarious plots and banter of the main characters. It is not for everyone, since it is not politically correct which is what I love. The main character is narcissistic who gets into horrible situations but is still skilled with killing the enemy and getting out of a tight spot. The vavoom fellow spy and former girlfriend always helps him get out of a tight jam. His mother leads the agency and can be ruthless plus her mothering skills are just not that great. You have other team players who work behind the scenes and are so funny. I am watching the 3rd season now which my brother got for me for Christmas. Loving this show..again, rude and so politically incorrect, which is right up my alley.

Which show or movie have you seen? Which book have you read that you want to share? Let me know.

22 comments:

  1. Feliz dia de Canada. Gracias por las reseñas. Te mando un beso. Enamorada de las letras

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  2. Hi, Birgit!

    So far, I have been pleasantly surprised by the early career performances of Stephanie Powers, both comedic and dramatic. I remember seeing the posters and ads for Die, Die My Darling in 1965 when it was released. Somehow I missed watching it all these years. Now I wanna.

    I laughed out loud through that Danny Kaye "pellet with the poison" scene. Shirley it's one of the funniest sketches in movie history, funnier than Abbott & Costello's "Who's On First." I never saw The Court Jester, but it is obviously a hoot. I imagine it was just as challenging for Danny to learn the screw-up lines of the routine as it was for him to rattle-off the tongue-twisters correctly. Everyone involved in the scene was brilliant. I remember watching Glynis Johns' 1963 sitcom Glynis. Glynis will actually turn age 99 in a few months!

    Me likey rude and crude, but I have not yet watched Bridesmaids, even though it features many of my favorite people including SNL's Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne from the TV series Damages that I liked a lot, Melissa McCarthy who was awesome in the miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers that I highly recommend, Ellie Kemper from The Office, Wendi McLendon-Covey who plays the Jewish smother-mother on the long running sitcom The Goldbergs, Jon Hamm of Mad Men, Franklyn Ajaye, an edgy black stand-up comedian who was hot there for a while, and Jill Clayburgh in her last film appearance. Jill died at age 66 a few months before the film was released.

    Mrs. Shady and I are regular viewers of New Amsterdam. For a while, I got tired of him pining away for his wife who kept appearing as a ghost character, a device I found tiresome, but the longer I keep watching, the more hooked I am on the characters. I'm enjoying the series. Mrs. Shady loves Dr. Bloom and her lesbian lover, and I'm rooting for them, too. Before she took the female lead role as Helen, actress Freema Agyeman was in the main cast of Sense8, the series I keep promoting on my blog.

    We also watched and loved That Thing About Pam. Shirley it is Renee Zellweger's finest career performance. She is absolutely revolting and chilling as the ruthless Pam. I get chills just thinking about her treachery.

    I usually don't watch animated series (except Family Guy), but if Archer is a parody of the spy genre, then I know I'd enjoy it.

    My recommendations begin with Ozark, hands down the #1 TV series I have ever watched. We are also watching Seth MacFarlane's series The Orville which is a parody of Star Trek. It's a hoot. I also recommend English actress Nicola Walker's BBC drama series The Split, and Michelle Dockery's thriller drama series Anatomy of a Scandal.

    Enjoy your weekend, dear friend BB!

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    1. Love that you want to see these shows. I'm surprised that you have not seen Bridesmaids yet. It's so funny but you can see how ill Jill Clayburgh is. You will love Archer. I never heard of it until my brother got me the first season. I had not laughed so hard in a long time.

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  3. I know the Bridesmaid movie wasn't a popular choice among my circle, but I truly felt that this movie was hilarious. The timing is just too good! :D

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    1. Yes, you have yo like that comedy or you will hate it.

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  4. My mother and sister like that film. I thought it was a bit depressing but still a fun film. If Joel can't handle that kind of humor. His loss.

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    1. Yes, poor Joel..lol. I bet he thinks it's our loss for liking it:)). Can you imagine all of us getting together and talking about film? It would be fun. It is somewhat sad because she is a real person who lost so much including her best friend.

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  5. Happy Canada Day, Birgit! 🍁 I remember the Stephanie Powers film and thought it was good. Bridesmaids had some funny bits and Melissa McCarthy was hilarious. Renee Zellweger did a great job as the murderous Pam! True stories are often stranger than fiction, aren't they? ☺ We went to see the Elvis movie recently and loved it! The actors were so good, but what a heartbreaking story! (Even more than we already knew.) Have you seen the new Star Trek show? It's about Captain Pike, Kirk's predecessor, and has a similar style to the original series.

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    1. Im Glad you saw some of these including the Pam one. I thought she did well as that nut bar. Amazing how so many people thought she was nice. We have not seen the Elvis movie yet but have seen Downton Abbey. That was a let down...too many small plots. Oh yes, I am watching this Star Trek and it's great

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  6. Happy belated Canada Day. I thought of you yesterday. I've never seen any of these, but I laughed at Danny Kaye. Angela Lansbury looked SO young there.

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    1. That movie made me laugh out loud. Yeah, Angela was so young looking there

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  7. Well, I tried to watch the pam series but gave up and read about it online. I found it nauseating even though I am a true crime junkie. Haven't seen any of your others.
    I did watch Downton Abbey A New Era and enjoyed it except that - ooops spoiler alert- someone died. And I watched Endangered - a documentary about attacks on the media - the real media, not the fake media like YouTube and Facebook. I cannot believe that folks believe something just because they saw it online.

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    1. Oh..bummer about Pam but Renee was good as the nauseating Pam. I read about the case also.
      We watched Downton Abbey but were a bit disappointed..roo many little subplots. At least the staff could play dress up which was jice to see them in classy frocks. People have a knack for wanting to read a snippet rather than actually reading a whole article. People hate to read...I can't fathom that.

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  8. Happy (belated) Canada Day! I must have seen the Danny Kaye one at some point, and I confess I once started Bridesmaids and didn’t get very far, but other than that I don’t recognise anything.

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    1. Thank you..it was nice to gave 3 days off. The Court Jester is great

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  9. Hi Birgit - Happy belated Canada Day ... films - I haven't seen any of these ... but I alway enjoyed Stephanie Powers' acting ... and Danny Kaye - so might well enjoy these. Cheers Hilary

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    1. I could see you really enjoying The Court Jester. I hope you can see it

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  10. Hi Birgit,

    Happy Canada Day!

    Yes, these are dark times for my country especially now with that group of morally bankrupt conscious free oath betrayers sitting on our highest court!

    I ADORE The Court Jester!!! Such a breezy, expertly put together joyride with perfect casting in every role. Love Glynis (she’s 98…99 in October!), Angela (whose 97th birthday will fall very close to Glynis’s also in October) and Mildred Natwick (who steals every one of her scenes). The film however is a real spotlight for Danny Kaye and he makes the most of it.

    Die, Die, My Darling is a mess of a movie but a delicious kind of mess with Tallulah both really trying at points and chewing the scenery in turns.

    Your right I loathe and detest Bridesmaids utterly and completely!

    Haven’t seen any of the TV shows though the first is intriguing. That Zellweger creature is in the second so an automatic no for me and the third which I have heard of is animated and I really don’t bother with those.

    I didn’t see anything that completely blew me away this month but there were a few films I liked quite a bit.

    The first was the French film The Shiny Shrimps (2019) about a swimming champion who utters a gay slur on television and is forced to coach a gay swim team as reparation. As he does both he and the men on the team gain a new understanding. Not earthshaking but sweet.

    The next was Stage Mother (2020). It was a bit cliché and ragged but starred Jackie Weaver who made it better than it should have been.

    I saw the terrific short, The Memory of You (2015) wherein two former lovers cross paths by accident one night and in about 12 minutes live out an entire drama of loss, recrimination, resignation and resolve.

    And just the other day I ran across the frantic 1942 puff piece-Brooklyn Orchid featuring a very copacetic pairing of William Bendix and Joe Sawyer as partners in a taxi company who find themselves in a fine kettle of fish when they rescue a young lady from the sea and have many complications ensue. It all amounts to nothing but zips right along in a fun fashion.

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    1. Yes, your country is a mess with many not seeing it still thinking uts the best. I'm not surprised about Roe vs Wade but deeply disappointed and disgusted it's like you xan live in the land of the free...as long as you do it our way. I don't get the worship of guns either. They always bring up the constitutional right even though they just changed it 2 weeks ago to suit them if you want the right to bare arms, then you get a musket since this was written 300 yrs ago beFore Ben, Tom etc could even fathom what type of guns could be invented.
      I love the Court Jester and laughed out loud at the scenes. I knew I was wrong with their ages but I just didn't feel like looking it up at such a late hour.
      I knew you hate Bridesmaids. If ever someone wanted to torture you, they woul make you watch this and animated shows.
      I have not even heard of your choices but would love to see that short film as well as the one about the swim team. It dies sound sweet.

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    2. Hi Birgit, here's the short, it's only 11:15 so a REAL short! :-) Oh by the way it's in French but there is a caption option.

      https://vimeo.com/111971099

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  11. I haven't watched any of these, but I have heard of them. Various reasons why I missed them. I am looking for something to watch now that I just finished two seasons of a show I started on HBO. Sigh. So many possibilities. I think that makes it harder.

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    1. Yes, can make it very gard. What show did you watch on HBO?

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