I feel, and know, I watched more than what I post but I already talked about it or I came across it and didn’t see the whole thing, so I don’t talk about those missteps. I also watch animal shows and the news and, sometimes, I find the animals are more humane than what I see on the news. So let’s get going and I am going to try to limit how much I gab…
MOVIES
1. GLORY-1989
Excellent and true film about a young Col. Shaw, played by Matthew Broderick, who commands the first African-American regiment with expert performances by Denzel Washington(he won the Oscar for this role), Morgan Freeman and Andre Braugher( equally excellent) as some of the soldiers. Cary Elwes plays 2nd in command and Shaw’s best friend. Stirring, sad, excellent. The one time I can say Broderick deserved to be nominated for his role.
2. EVEN MONEY-2006
A sad sack of people who gamble and lose more than just their money. Kim Bassinger, the wife of nice guy Ray Liotta, gambles instead of writing her novel. Danny DeVito is a hasbeen magician and Kelsey Grammar is a rough PI trying to figure out a murder. A good movie but not one I'll see for a while.
3. ANTMAN AND THE WASP- 2018
Stupid, but I didn't expect much so it was fun and parts were funny. Take it with a grain of salt. Oh, the Ghost gal was just plain irritating.
4. TAR - 2022
It's a film that takes place in the world of classical music with references to Gustav Mahler. I enjoyed it but people may find it a shlog. I liked the film and Cate rules every scene as a neurotic, caustic, brilliant conductor of the Berlin symphony. It's...a bit batshit crazy to be honest but it was worth watching.
5. THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US- 2017
Kate Winslet and Idris Alba are on a small plane when the pilot has a heart attack and crashes the plane up in the mountains. They survive with the pilot's dog. Should they stay or should they go? They go and feel each other up on the way down. It's ok with more of a romance than I expected.
TV
1. WHO'S LINE IS IT ANYWAY- 1998-PRESENT
I may have spoken about this before but it's so funny and the guys are hilarious!
2. THE SALVAGE KINGS- 2019- PRESENT
Ted Finch leads his team to derelict places ready to be torn down where he grabs whatever he can from great wood beams to some neat finds that he can sell in his shop. I love that he saves as much as he can and sees more than the average Joe.
3. STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS- 2022
This series predates Capt. Kirk...well, kind of, since he appears in a later episode but it's about Capt. Pike and his crew which includes Spock, Uhura and #1. I enjoyed watching this series with some compelling episodes. We have to dedicate an episode to Pike's hair.
What did you watch?
I tried to watch Tar but it wasn't for me. My son and I binge-watched the first five episodes of The Last of Us. Enjoyed it. Now we have to binge-watch the rest.
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
ReplyDeleteI forgot that you run this feature at the start of the month, explaining why I am late today. I hope you are well and in good spirits, dear friend!
Mrs. Shady is a Civil War buff and is also crazy about Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman. Glory is one of the first films she and I watched as a couple. We both enjoyed, but I don't think we have watched it more than that one time.
I like Carla Gugino and the late tough guy Ray Liotta, and you must see the multiple episode story arc of the TV series ER in which Forest Whitaker stalks and terrorizes Luca and Abby. It unfolded in the fall, 2006 season, the same year Even Money was released.
Mrs. Shady and I watched The Shield and liked Walton Goggins in it. I very much like Judy Greer, an actress who has quietly racked-up an enormous list of film and TV credits. Recently, Judy was a Scream Queens presenter at Shady's Place in the role of Maggie, the woman who buys a cute little pup that rips the throats out of anyone who threatens his owner in the TV movie episode Into The Dark: Good Boy. We also recently saw Judy in The Thing About Pam. I like most superhero TV series but, oddly, don't like to sit through feature films and their sequels nearly as much. However, Ant-Man and the Wasp looks like a hoot.
I very much like the psycho thriller genre and, as I told you, recently become a big fan of Cate Blanchett, another prolific actress, through her appearances in Mrs. America and Don't Look Up. Therefore, Tar is a good bet for me.
Plane crash survival stories are nothing new, but I enjoy watching films on the subject that are well done, especially when based on a true story. However, if romance is the primary focus, I would probably take a hard pass on The Mountain Between Us.
Thank you for a week's worth of fun and entertainment, dear friend BB. Please be good to smooch monster Harley and have a nice weekend!
Who's Line is it Anyway! Awesome show. I've seen every episode of all three versions.
ReplyDeleteHi Birgit,
ReplyDeleteI went into Glory not quite sure what to expect. It turned out to be an excellent and compelling if bittersweet drama. Ant-Man & the Wasp is just what you said, actiony and flyaway. I was somewhat disappointed in The Mountain Between Us. The leads were strong as expected but after a decent start I thought it lost its way and ended flat.
Haven’t seen Tar though I will eventually and Even Money is one I don’t know but with that director and cast it’s something I’ll put on my too see list and hope for the best.
As far as your TV viewing I haven’t seen your second two but “Who’s Line Is It Anyway” is often hilarious.
I didn’t see a lot of great stuff last month but a few interesting things.
I did just catch up with Babylon (though on March 1st) and thought it was worth seeing but not fantastic. It was tonally all over the place and much too long. Brad Pitt and Jean Smart came off best.
Actually, the two best shows I caught this month were both vintage television dramas from the days of live broadcast the first was “A Town Turned to Dust” starring Rod Steiger, William Shatner and Fay Spain and directed by John Frankenheimer that was shown on Playhouse 90. The other was a wonderful original broadcast from Kraft Theatre of “Patterns” with Ed Begley, Everett Sloane and a just starting out Elizabeth Montgomery in a small role that inspired the 50’s movie of the same name. Great acting in both shows.
The other film I saw worth mentioning was Rock Island Trail. A colorful 1950 drama about the railroad’s expansion into the Midwest in the 19th century and the problems involved starring Forrest Tucker and Adele Mara. Lots of action, decent acting and an interesting story.
I want to get around to Strange New Worlds. Eventually. I saw Glory ages ago, and of course Whose Line Is It Anyway? on occasion, but not the others. Wait, I did see Ant Man at some point.
ReplyDeleteI finally got to see Babylon and Everything Everywhere All At Once. They were both a bit much, but I'm glad I got to see them. I saw them with my dad. He was not terribly enthused.
Even Money looks like a good one.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember the TV show Homicide: Life On The Streets? That was the first time I saw Andre Braugher, playing a cop who hd gone to a Jesuit high school... I connected right away with his character...
Agreed, animals are much more humane than many people.
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend.
Sandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Not only have I not seen any of these, I haven't even heard of any of them. Thanks for introducing me to some films I was not aware of.
ReplyDeleteOf your movie picks the only one that I've seen is The Mountain Between Us. Like you, I felt it was an okay film. The idea of surviving a plane crash in a snowy mountain wilderness is what pulled us in. I figured along the way sparks would fly between the two leading characters. :)
ReplyDelete