April 8th, 2024 Eclipse

Today around 3:15PM, local Toronto time and in Buffalo where the path of totality takes place, there will be a total eclipse of the sun, which is the first time since 1925 for our region. This is regarded as a once in a lifetime event for these parts. The next eclipse doesn’t happen until 2044, but is mostly in Alberta and western States. So if you are reading this in the morning, then you may want to be prepared to pause and see it first hand, although of course with proper eye protection. So enjoy this historic event.

BitConned: There is a new documentary that speaks to the BitCoin phenomenon from just a few years back. By a few years back we are talking about 2017 and the eventual explosion of BitCoin as an alternate currency and means of monetary exchange between people. Enter some young men with sketchy backgrounds who look upon the unregulated BitCoin world as an opportunity to make money out of thin air, while profiting from the hype and human desire to win the lottery.

Specifically these young men, native New Yorkers but living in Miami, are looking to find a way to address the problem of spending the value one has stored in the bitcoin that they have accumulated. One of the challenges of course is monetizing a volatile value as it fluctutates dramatically from day to day and hour to hour.

These three guys pictured here basically borrowed an idea they heard from an Asian company about creating a debit card that allows the card holder to use their bitcoin to purchase whatever they choose. Once purchased, the proper amount of bitcoin is deducted from their balance. The concept was intriguing as the value of bitcoin was increasing dramatically, and more everyday people began to hear about it, and look to invest in it. So what did these guys do? They started off by shedding a failed Miami Exotics car company, and then starting up Centra Card which according to their website was backed by VISA. Also Bancorp. Each of these three men pictured here had LinkedIn websites which showed them as coming from Harvard Business School, and they had a CEO as a silent investor with extensive banking experience. The story unfolds as the celebrity endoresements roll in from people like Floyd Merriweather. With another positive article written by a different source, the money through an ICO (Initial Coin Offering) started coming in. However much these three wanted to pursue a legitimate company, they seemed to get sidetracked with the money.

For me, what is shocking, really is the whole US (and North American) judicial process and when charges get laid through the SEC, and the trials begin the ultimate results. It was shocking to be sure, but it isn’t surprising. One wonders about sentencing and how an informer with a tattoo of the word “loyalty” on his body is then treated through the judicial system. As a lawyer, I am saddened with the results.

Three Body Problem: Apparently this is the most expensive Netflix series ever. This is Season 1. There are eight episodes, each approximately one hour each. It is from the book from Chinese author Chixin Liu. Overall, I enjoyed this series which was written by the Game of Thrones pairing of David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. You will see many Game of Thrones actors making appearances. This is a remake of a thirty episode Chinese series named Three-Body.

I went into watching this not knowing the background nor the story. The early episodes begin with a premise of well known scientists ending their lives under bizarre circumstances. One has writing on his premises wall much like the scribblings from A Beautiful Mind, or Knowing with Nicolas Cage. It is all very mysterious. There is one Saul Durand, a brilliant scientist who is perplexed by his scientific work no longer providing the same results as one would expect (contrary to all scientific theory with repeatable data). A manager and colleague later ends up taking her own life. Naturally there are police that are curious about these deaths and one in particular is looking to put the pieces together. Friends of scientist Durant gather and want to discuss the bizarre circumstances. In yet another parallel story to this there is a story about one of the scientists who shortly before her death was playing a video game. Such a game involves wearing a silver helmet-like device for those who are invited to play and involves a realistic world and technology that currently doesn’t exist in gaming. As the story moves on, this then takes on a new flavour with flashbacks of happenings in China in the 1960s which have had substantial and material impact on where the story goes. I was not expecting the direction in which it was taken. There are some parallels with Game of Thrones in that you don’t know where it will go, and what will happen to some of the characters, both good and bad. Obviously there are more books and more story to be told. This is still early days. I will continue to watch and see where this goes.

April 1st, 2024

Marley: The documentary from 2012 currently on Netflix is a really good companion piece to the recently released, and reviewed last week by me Bob Marley: One Love. I found this documentary much more satisfying and a more complete discussion about the man, the times and his music. How that music became a unifying force in his home country of Jamaica, but also around the world in become a symbol for peace and understanding. The One Love movie had Rita’s children, like Ziggy and others well involved. It shows in the end product. I sure as heck wouldn’t want an ex-wife or one-of-many relationships writing my story and filming it.

One of the things glossed over in the movie was that Bob had 11 children from 7 different women, including a former Miss World, Cindy Brakespeare. Rita was married to Bob at a very early age, but they spent significant time apart, even though she was also one of the backup singers in his band. She self-professes to be more of a manager for him for his groupies than his wife.

Bob Marley was well followed and there was plenty of film taken of him. His tours and performances were also well filmed, even including the critical Jamaica performance where he brought the two opposing political leaders on stage and joined hands with them. This was part of his power to bring together people, with his energy and his music. He was beloved in Jamaica and yet spent much of his adult time away from Jamaica. A poor boy from Trenchtown, with a musical talent and a desire to be heard. His music lives and speaks to people many years after his early death at age 36. How tragic that he never took doctors and physicals seriously, including addressing the big toe issue that he had and which he was never prepared to remedy to utlimately save his life. Soccer, it seems, was far too important for his own fun and recreation that losing that toe would have been too much for him.

Together the latest movie and this documentary provide a more balanced and full review of the life of this remarkable man. The power of music, time and again, shows how it can live forever and resonate with people for years and years to come. This is well worth watching.

The Exorcist: I was recently in Washington DC and Georgetown to see the cherry blossoms in bloom. I also managed to get over the Georgetown University area and made of point of seeing the location for filming of the famous horror movie. What I found was a house not far from the main entrance to the University where the house was used for outdoor shots of where Regan (played by Linda Blair) and her Mom, actress Chris MacNeil (played by Ellen Burstyn) lived while she was shooting a movie.

This above is the famous picture of Father Merrin, played by Max Von Sydow, entering the house.

What you note now from the house is that it is NOT the “L” shape that it was in the film. As a result, there is NO WAY that Father Karras could have leapt from Regan’s window down those stairs, since he would have to have jumped across the parking lot. They just aren’t that close. It is noted that production added a false wing to the house for filming. That way it would be more believable for the scene where Father Karras leaped out of Regan’s bedroom window and fell down the flight of stairs to his death.

Overall it was really cool to see this, as well as the scenes filmed the main campus of the University.

The Trust: A Game of Greed: I had heard through work colleagues about this Netflix series. It is really a train wreck, with people looking to take part of a $250,000 prize to start. Then through various tests, there are challenges to their own integrity as well as the groups, and they must decide themselves whether to vote out members of that trust. All it takes is for one person to vote out a member potentially to have them removed.

The personalities clash or look to work together all in the name of the game and creating drama. So far, it is scary to see people in what they decide to share and not share, and then what the results can be. Some are more willing to play for the team, while others are quick to try and cull the herd of those who are viewed as “unpredictable” or “wild cards”. Only if you like these kinds of shows should you be tuning in. Otherwise it is passable.

March 25, 2024

Bob Marley: One Love: This was released in theatres and stars the unknown to me Kingsley Ben-Adir who plays in the title role. I think that he does an excellent job in this role. This is not a comprehensive biography of the life of Bob Marley, with only glimpses into some of his early days. Rather, this story begins at the time when Jamaica was gaining its independence from the United Kingdom, and there was political violence in and around Jamaica.

Bob Marley and his Wailer band were getting more well known, but there was a great deal of violence, including an attempted assassination of Bob in a house, where before the home invasion his wife Rita (played by Lashna Lynch from the most recent James Bond and The Woman King fame) was shot in her car. It was political in nature because Bob was looking to have a free concert for all, to help join everyone together with music. Bob was a true believer in Rastafarian beliefs.

After the assassination attempt, Bob had suggested Rita and the children leave and seek refuge and safety in the US. Rita made a full recovery from her shooting, but was very lucky to have survived. She had a complicated relationship with Bob, on top of being a back up singer in the band. For me, I had limited knowledge of Rita, but nothing was very positive. She seemed intent on maximizing her own profit from her relationship with Bob.

The movie I found a bit slow, and I would have liked to see more of the creative process in Bob creating these iconic worldwide hits. Where was the inspiration for the songs? Some of which were shown but not in the detail I would like to see. Certainly when you visit Jamaica you hear this music at every resort and around the island. The ONLY place on the island that smoking pot is legal is at Bob’s house. But I digress. In summary, I like the music and the main performance. I think that there could have been more detail. I note that many of Bob’s children were involved in producing and the music in this production. They did well in choosing the actor for their Dad without a doubt.

Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich: This is a documentary on Netflix, which outlines the heiress Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of British media magnet, and disgraced business owner Robert Maxwell. He disappeared from his yacht, named after his daughter Ghislaine, and was found a day later. Later he was found to have taken millions in pensions from his employees. Ghislaine then moved to NYC, and managed to find herself another rich man Jeffrey Epstein. The main story is her involvement, and trial, for the sexual escapades of Jeffrey Epstein, her literal partner in crime, and herself.

Epstein is now infamous for being one of the world’s most notorious sexual predators of young girls in Florida, and around the world. Ghislaine, as she was accused, was the faciliator to bring in these young women for the sexual exploits. She recruited the girls directly initially, including stalking some retail workers from fancy stores in NYC, and then later became the trainer for other young girls to find other girls. Often this started as massages, either of Epstein’s feet or more full body. Each girl was well paid for their encounters but there were a few that resisted and turned on Ghislaine, Jeffrey and some of their famous clients like Prince Andrew. Ghislaine at one point had said that Epstein had a “medical condition” where he must orgasm mutiple times a day, and that she just couldn’t “keep up”. This documentary gives some background into Ghislaine’s life and then about the people accusing her in the trial. Epstein was arrested, imprisoned in NY and mysteriously was found dead in his cell of an apparent suicide. Ghislaine was left to be accused and tried. They authorities needed to find her first.

In the end, you see that justice (eventually) is served, but not after it took a beating with the plea deal that Epstein managed to secure in Florida for himself upon his first charges being laid. Sadly Epstein and Maxwell together had no regard for those who they viewed as targets for their own sexual gratification, and used money and power to coerce and threaten most to just play along. There was a fund to assist those who were abused by Epstein and Maxwell, and it’s a start for those who are looking to put their lives back together.

March 18, 2024

Oscars 2024: Post the Oscar awards from a week ago, I have a couple of thoughts about it. First and foremost I want to send out congratulations to my son Wade on his victory in the fun pool. He bested two-time defending champion, my older brother Scott. Well done to both of you in anticpating the whims of the Academy. Wade had 33 out of possible 40 points, correctly predicting every major category. Scott was 2 points back.

As to the awards itself, I was very pleased that Christopher Nolan finally got the recognition of his work from the Academy. He is one of the best directors presently with a considerable and impressive body of work. His work on the Best Picture Oppenheimer shows off his skills so well. I am a fan. I see his movies in IMAX which he insists on filming in. The film had 13 moninations and won seven awards: including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Cillian Murphy) and Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.).

Christopher Nolan with Producer/Wife/Partner Emma Thomas

If you follow the X/Twitter verse, there were plenty of people expecting that Lily Gladstone for Killers of the Flower Moon would win. I will admit, and have readily admitted here, that I am not a fan of Emma Stone. However, having seen her performance in Poor Things, I had to admit that this was the performance of the year. Emma Stone is choosing very good projects, and her acting has developped and grown over the past few years. She chooses challenging roles, which in no way are mainstream. Can you imagine Meryl Streep or Sally Field (multiple Oscar winners) doing the scenes in Poor Things? Maybe it’s part of the younger Hollywood, because already this year we have multiple winner Jennifer Lawrence doing similar in her film No Hard Feelings. But there seems to be a willingness to be more open certainly with nudity. The same situation occurred with Barry Keoghan in Saltlick, in case you were thinking that this is just a female trend. Can you see Tom Hanks or Daniel Day-Lewis performing all those scenes in that role? Viggo Mortensen yes, but not them. Anyway, it was a gutsy, physical performance as well showed a character who obviously is made up, but she brings it life. I was also very pleased to see that The Zone of Interest won for Best International Film. It is such a commentary on the ability for people to block out the every day things that, however horrendous, become the everyday. You see characters care more for plants in their garden than the multitudes of human beings who a slaughtered on a daily basis literally beside their house. Why does it matter? Because there is a commentary around the world of people willing to overlook events taking place nearby. Other people are regarded as unimportant and basically non-human allowing for them to be ignored and not worthy of empathy. So this year passes and we get back to what 2024 has for us and the 2025 Oscars next year.

Outlander: Many years ago, I was encouraged by a corworker at a bank to read the book Outlander by Diane Gabaldon, also a book that former sister-in-law read with earnest as soon as the latest book hit the shelves. There are currently eight volumes, with another being written, according to the Diana Gabaldon site. It is a book about a time-travelling wife/army nurse who on a trip to Scotland manages to transport herself back from the 1960s until the early 1700s Scotland, before the Jacobite uprising and battle in 1745. I found that the book was written by a woman for a mostly female audience, in similar fashion to Fifty Shades of Grey, with a lead male character capable of anything, rugged, handsome, and always at the ready sexually. Outlander is better written, without a doubt, and it has lead to the popular TV series. Still it seems a bit artifical, but fantasy is not a bad thing (male writers have been doing it for years!)

Starring the very good Catriona Balfe (as Claire Randall) and Sam Heughan (Jamie Fraser) there is obvious chemistry between the two main characters. There is a good supporting cast, including Tobias Menzies, who is the sympathetic first husband who has the supernatural impose itself on his life with his wife just as they are getitng started. He memorably played Prince Phillip for episodes in The Crown.

I began watching the first season soon after release in 2014. The series lost me in an intense and overly long, detailed rape scene that simply turned me off. Time passed. But then, having booked a trip to Scotland later this year, I have been told to watch the scenes if not for anything but some of the scenery in Scotland. So I chose to bypass the scenes in France from Season 2 and watched as Jamie and Claire prepared for the Battle of Culloden. However she knew the history, she and Jamie were still unable to impact the heavy hand of fate.

In any series/movie that deals with time travel, there are always challenges. I think that they do an admirable job here, even now when they are using mutliple time frames to explain what is happening with the characters in different centuries. I don’t know whether to think of Jamie as extremely lucky, he seems to avoid certain death time and again. However he also seems to be caught and tortured in various unbelieveable ways. So living may not always seem like a winning hand. Embarking into season 3 (there are now 6 seasons) there is still plenty of spicy adult content. Neither main character seems to have much concern about nudity. Naturally the reality of living in the 1700s gets lost in some ways with characters with impeccable grooming and teeth, even with a little dirt on the face and arms. As to the scenery, this series delivers well on the scenes of Scotland. The country and highlands are most definitely another character unto itself.

I will continue to watch.

March 11, 2024

Nobody: This 2021 short film running time a little over 1.5 hours stars Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) playing Hutch Mansell, and his wife, played by Connie Nielson, as an apparent ordinary man with an unknown past speaking about the aftermath of his actions to a couple police officers. In a flashback we see that he in his home had a home robbery, in front of his family, in which he is not able to do anything about it. What is not revealed at that time, which we learn about as an audience, is that he was an “auditor” and is highly skilled in making problems go away. He was well trained in the use of weapons and hand to hand combat. He was a war veteran, and doing his best, like many other similar characters to have a simple life. This was a normal that he craved. Like John Wick, Michael Corleone or any other of these career criminals they wish to escape “the life”. But it always seems to bring them back in.

I like Odenkirk as an actor. I doubt for me he will ever get away from being Saul. This is a good thing. It was a perfect character for him. I don’t picture him as the physical action figure, but more creative, intelligent guy living on the seams of society in that vague grey area between right and wrong. Still in the pivotal moment with these petty thieves, who are obviously not professionals, he makes a choice which he then later needs to correct using his own methods. This movie has a good pace. It comes to a resolution quickly, and is satisfying on that front. I can’t help but think that it has been done as a plot so many times before, and this one isn’t adding much to the genre. It is capable, and shows Odenkirk can do a role like this, and it was good to see Christopher Lloyd in a movie again, playing Hutch’s father. It’s a movie with a number of actors from top movies from back in the 1980s and 1990s who have all aged like the rest of us (like Michael Ironside). Apparently there is a Nobody 2 on the way. This was on Netflix, and filled some time, but was one of those movies that I was forgetting a day later what I had seen and what it was about. So I cannot recommend, but I won’t actively dissuade someone from watching either.

Love is Blind Season 6: The final 1.5 hour episode for this was released earlier this week with the remaining couples and the decision that they had about actually going to the alter. I will say that this has been a satisfying season with those involved. There of course is plenty of drama and flight attendant Chelsea doing her best to maintain her status as the most needy and dramatic of the group! Cliffhangers are provided at the end of epsiodes to keep one watching, but it’s about those couples remaining and whether you like them and cheer for them. On the docket is, as mentioned, the weddings at the altar.

There are some twists and turns to be sure. Choices are made for the sake of television, but more importantly for these people who are recognizing the weight of what they are looking to do. I will say that I was impressed by then parents in this show. They were able to love and support there children in what is a bizarre experiment before the whole world. They provided sage advice, since most of them were divorced and had the benefit of hindsight. I also feel that some of those involved were able to communicate very well in trying situations, notably Jimmy in his relationship with Chelsea. Many men can struggle with talking about their feelings and their reactions to the things that their partner does and says. I was impressed by the ability in their 20s to talk through things. As mind candy goes, this was a good season. It fills some time and can make an evening go by quickly. The success rate with all these relationship shows is extremely poor with marriages and children. But they will continue to make these so long as people want to watch and advertisers and subscribers want to pay.

Somebody Feed Phil: the new season for this Netflix series has been released, and I have enjoyed this in the past. As a foodie, I like to see the meals and the travel logs that Phil provides in his travels around the world to eat. The latest season I have watched actively Scotland, and also Washington DC episodes (DC a less useful effort than others he has done in my opinion with not enough focus on the food) but also Kyoto. I have really enjoyed these, and I have mirrored in the past his travel. Last year in Lisbon Phil provided great suggestions to add to the already amazing scenery in Lisbon and throughout Portugal. Each suggestion including and especially the Restaurante Ponto Final on a jetty on the water. Lovely and memorable!

I love too that he brings along his wife and kids as well. His wife Monica has such a joie de vive always smiling and adding to the laughs. His daughter, in the Scottish episode, reveals how she was a picky eater as a child but has grown and pushes herself to try new things. Phil does some touristy things along the way, some with more success than others. The rowing in Washington kind of went well, but the snorkelling in Iceland was not a success, which of course brings some laughs, which is the intention. Phil brings in local guides, and samples really amazing food in fun locations. When he eats, and he likes, his whole face and body light up! He obviously has a joy in eating and trying new things. I have reviewed episodes for places I have been to, but also watched for other unfamiliar locationss which can give me some travel ideas. I will continue to watch and encourage others to do so.

March 4, 2024

Last week I did not post since I was away with little access to the internet, and even less inclination to be writing when I could be outside. I was in Vegas, and also Lake Powell area in Arizona. I wanted to go to Antelope Canyon, where my daughter went last summer. Kudos to her as it did not disappoint.

So there is my explanation. But I have plenty to type about today, including the anxiously awaited Dune Part II!! But first there’s this…

The Bear: I had heard some positive things about this series from people at work, and then I was seeing the awards come in from Golden Globes and elsewhere. I knew nothing about the show, but then decided to binge this over the weekend.

I will say that I think the best way to see this is to binge it. The episodes are less than an hour and it comes along well. Season 1 for me, to borrow from the genre, is a really good appetizer. You are introduced to the main characters including Carmen Berzatto (“Bear”) played by the outstanding Jeremy Allen White, along with other friends, co-workers and family members. The premise is fairly simple, with Carmen’s older brother who has passed away, by suicide, and he left the “family” restaurant business to his younger brother Carmen. Carmen inherits a staff used to making the Chicago beef sandwiches for a known clientele. Sydney Adamu introduces herself as someone interested in working at the restaurant and Carmen is receptive. Tensions ensue. The rest of the season focuses on the characters involved and how they are influenced by Carmen. The business struggles and there was plenty of disorganization in the records, the paying of suppliers etc. The final episode is a turning point for all those characters involved in this business, just as it was starting to operate more effectively.

Season 2 delves more deeply into the background and backstory of the family members and friends. There are new characters introduced including some Oscar awarded performers with Jamie Lee Curtis (playing Carmen’s Mom tremendously) and also Olivia Colman. Also add in Better Call Saul‘s Bob Odenkirk, not disappointing. This season is the main course with deeper and more emotional connections. Other new characters are introduced and we see the pressures that exist on these various characters.

I like this because the characters are fully formed, and bring a complexity rather than just being caricatures. It would be so easy to dismiss Richard as a foil with little to offer, but there is a moment of commitment to him by those around him where he can grow, evolve and contribute. This season shows the source of some of the creativity in the cooking. It really shows the workings behind the scenes at preparing, serving, creating a menu for a restaurant in a business that is notoriously ruthless and fickle. There is really good dialogue. Notably, episode 6 with Christmas with Carmen’s family years before the present shows me a couple of things: (1) I can see the source of the inspiration to cook as well as (2) I realize like in a number of shows that this is a family Christmas dinner that I do not need to attend. The real moments with the looks on the faces of those attending as well as what they say and do at this meal as the chaos begins are very well done. The the finale episode, episode 10, we can see just how impacted Carmen has been with everything happening around him. But the growth of the other characters is fun to watch along with how they interact. This is an extremely stressful environment that I doubt most people fully recognize. I look forward to seeing Season 3, and I will confirm that I agree with the awards that this show has been given. This is really good TV.

Dune Part II: I had circled on my calendar March 1 for the release of this movie from French Canadian Director Denis Villeneuve. I really liked the first part, but having read the Frank Herbert novel I realized that this was also an intoduction to the scenes and characters. Heck, we hadn’t even met the Emperor who put all these things in motion between the Atreides family and the Harkonnens for the oversight in spice production on the planet Arrakis, which has a native Fremen population which no one seems to know just widespread that they are.

I saw this in IMAX on Saturday afternoon in a full theatre. It is definitely a movie that should be seen in the larger screen and sound. It is simply visually stunning and builds upon the impressive world that Villeneuve had already introduced the audience to.

Go see it. It stays very close to the plot within the book and introduces a number of new characters with more Who’s Who in young Hollywood right now. They add Florence Pugh, as the Emperor’s daughter, Austin Butler (yes Elvis minus the Memphis drawl looking almost unrecognizable!), and Bond’s Lea Seydoux.

For the story, the conflict is just beginning as Paul has joined the Fremen, with the support of Stilgar, played by Javier Bardem. There is a prophesy about a saviour for the Fremen. The Harkonnens have taken the spice production by force, and killed most of all Atreides and supporters and they believe that they have killed Paul and his mother Jessica. If you know the book, then the happenings are all pretty much as you might expect. For those who haven’t then you can see some of the twists and turns that can take you by surprise. The use of Fremen language is good, as well as the focus of the manmade technology versus the power of nature. The scenes with the worms are impactful and exhilarating. Tension is created as these beasts are used by the Fremen in practical ways.

I certainly found that the Northern versus Southern Fremen views of the teachings of a Mesiah/One is a new take. I don’t recall it in the book. It adds a new layer. Much in the same way as The Matrix, where some people believed in The One and Neo or didn’t. How can we expect Fremen from across an entire planet to be the same with the same belief systems? Paul has some choices to make, while Mom Jessica takes her place among the Fremen. The new actors provide greater depth to the story and they contribute positively to the overall story. This is a worthy addition to the sci-fi genre for one of the more influencial sci-fi books ever written.

February 19th, 2024

Lover Stalker Killer: This is a true crime documentary on Netflix now, which speaks to one of the more bizarre love triangles which took place in Nebraska in 2012. It begins with an auto mechanic (Dave Kroupa) going on the Plenty of Fish app, and matching with a woman Liz Golyar and after a brief time together, he ended it. Golyar was not pleased but he moved on, and later matched with and met Cari Farver. They seemed to hit it off. Then all of a sudden Cari broke things off and basically disappeared, only communicating through text and email. Meanwhile, Dave was still dealing with the aftermath of Golyar.

This is a sobering tale as it unfolds, and shows just how diabolical people can be, going to extreme lengths to be exacting their revenge. Thank goodness that there was this team of police officers who were able to do some serious digging into the details of the online texts and emails that had been exchanged. Without the technology it likely would have remained a mystery. I won’t go into the details because it is very interesting to see what happens and the end result. Typically it is not a woman who is a killer, but there are those Alex Forest characters (from Fatal Attraction) that seem to take rejection never negatively and become unhinged. This was an interesting watch.

True Detective: North Country: I finished this series last night. I am hard pressed to remember whether I watched the original series with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, but having re-watched some of the earlier episodes in the first season, I clearly had. Funny that the resolution didn’t stick with me. But McConaughey being the very smart, reclusive ex-cop speaking about the work he did on the case was something I hadn’t forgotten. This latest series with Jodie Foster and Kali Rice there are some bizarre killings that have taken place, and these two police officers are looking to solve the mystery. It takes plenty of time to set the scene with a high tech lab on the outskirts of a small Alaskan town has a very strange occurence involving the scientists there. The locals who tolerate the lab as a source of income, generally do not like the impact it is having on the locals. People are sick, there are more than usual still births etc.

In this final epsiode, it all comes together, and I won’t delve into the details. There is much made about getting access to these caves, in and around the area, which finally is explained. Is it satisfying? Was it worth the time commitment? I am not sure. This overall was a Meh for me. The relationship between the two police officers is complex, and has its own history, along with their relationship with the town, the people and their relations (sisters, family, daughters etc). There is a spritual aspect of the story that Navarro (Rice’s character) accepts but is rejected completely by Foster. The scenes are cold, with plenty of wind and storms that make you feel the cold and how remote these places really are. I have no interest being here in the days when there is no sun. The first season of this series is very well reviewed and thought of even ten years later. This may prompt me to watch the other serasons, because each of them has very good Grade A actors in them.

Love is Blind Season 6: The first six epsiodes of the latest Love is Blind has been released on Netflix. Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, they put together young men and women in this experiment where they don’t ever get to see the other person until after one has proposed and the other has accepted. They speak to each other in opaque pods, with couches and snacks where they can have “dates” with each other. Only after a proposal do they see one another and see if their emotional connection will translate into a physical and overall connection that can lead to marriage. Marriage remains the goal. These types of shows are mind candy for me. They are innocent and mindless shows to watch for their shock value. I always find the dynamics of a couple and relationships to be fun people watching. These are young people who know what they are getting into when they sign on. They want to be married, or they want their 15 mins of fame on TV (you can spot those pretty clearly) but they are willing to put themselves on full display for the world (flaws and all) in the context of this experiment.

Post the First Meet, then the couples are whisked away in a pre-marriage beach vacation where they can mingle with other contestants (they had never seen the opposite sex contestants) and then see what transpires. Of course there is drama! One of the many artifical realities of the show is when one contestant can have two people vying for their affections and proposing to them with hours of each other! How often does that occur in real life!? Even more strange is that the two people vying for the one are aware of the situation and have no animosity for the other suitor whatsoever. That is at least mature, but one wonders whether if it was truly the “real match” by definition there wouldn’t be any second suitor. The parties can of course get all emotional, and profess undying love for a soul mate that they have never laid eyes on. It’s all in fun, until the tears start flowing, and for some they are flowing all the time. Others try hard to manufacture tears but they just don’t come (you’ll spot those too quite easily) as they have never found a camera that they didn’t love! The second half of this drops later this week, when of course those who were closely rejected in the first round (missing the tropical trip) get re-introduced to the group to provide more challenges for the young couples. Watch at your own discretion (and peril!!).

February 12th, 2024

American Fiction: This is the last of the 10 Oscar nominated Best Pictures for me. It stars the always good Jeffrey Wright who typically in a supporting role (like as Felix in recent James Bond films and in The Batman), but he is good, like in his role in HBO’s Westworld. Here he plays a writer-professor, Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, who is asked to spend some more time with his family from his university, which he doesn’t regard as a way to have him relax and calm down. He lives in LA for a reason while they live in Boston. He has a brother and sister, and a Mom. As a writer, and a writer of colour, he has written some quality books, but not commercially successful books. He sees a new writer promoting her latest bell selling book, with plenty of media buzz and he shakes his head. As a protest, he sits down and writes a tongue-in-cheek satirical story under a pseudonym being as outrageous as he can be. He and his editor (pictured here John Ortiz) discuss it, and it is brought forward to publishers. Things happen after that which provide some insight to Monk.

The question posed is how does an artist be thought of as just a writer, without pandering to stereotypes being propagated in the society, and the white readers in the US who seem to only want to read certain stories from the black writers? How far as a writer do you sell your soul to grab at the money being thrown at you, both in book sales, TV appearances and a possible movie deal for your story? Wright is stickhandling through these issues, all the while dealing with complexities in his family. His Mom’s health is struggling and will require a substantial investment. His sister is tired of being the local person responsibile for the daily health of Mom, while having her own professional life. Meanwhile brother has his own home challenges living in Arizona. Monk has also met a female criminal lawyer at his Mom’s cottage property. So there are plenty of balls in the air. Together they are all addressing his relationship with his deceased father, the siblings, Mom and the locals. It is a good story, well told and acted. The fourth act brings forth some ideas that weren’t introduced early, but you can see them coming if you’re paying attention. Some of the alternatives posed by Monk are creative but at the same time predictable. This movie reflects some prickly realties which caucasian writers/artists just don’t have to address. Perhaps if they are selling their books in a foreign country, they could be lumped in total with all other English authors but that’s the comparison. The brother character is a bit of a caricature, but the others are more real, despite the lawyer seemingly never doing any legal work. I am glad to have seen this, with the other 5 people in the theatre.

The Beekeeper: Newly released and in theatres, this is another in the retired super-spy operative genre who through circumstance is brought back into the life. Think John Wick who was looking to get out of the assassin-for-hire business in a super-secret society, but is forced back into it. I mean, who can blame him with his pooch getting plugged by a Russian brat?! Instead of Theon Greyjoy, actor Alfie Allen for Wick we have annoying little man Josh Hutcherson from The Hunger Games, who is trying to take The Most Punchable Face in Hollywood Award away from Jesse Eisenberg. It’s REALLY close! So in place of Keanu Reeves we have Brit Jason Statham who definitely know the type of movies that his audience want to see from him. He is a local beekeeper, which we learn later is a metaphor for his elite US taskforce, no one bothers to explain how a Brit is part of this group.

So what brings Mr Clay back into the “game”? Not a dead puppy dog. But almost as heinous, a group of asshole entitled hackers who steal from little old ladies and pensioners. And not just ANY pensioners, but Claire Huxtable!! This group of jerks wipes her out, and her charity, and she just happens to be one of few people who have treated Mr Clay with any kindness. Mrs Huxtable has a daughter who works for the FBI and she gets involved. As things progress, the number of body bags rises. I am more than a little surprised at the carnage initiated by Mr Clay. I am not at all surprised at the lack of injuries sustained by Mr Clay as he undertakes his quest of destruction. All the while there is the explanation of his actions from the FBI daughter. I won’t disclose further because why spoil just how far up this goes up. Jeremy Irons has a role acting as a well paid protector of the spoiled brat human punching bag, which you sense he would rather flip the brat over his knee and give him a proper spanking. There is so much senseless killing, and for military and police personnel. The underlying message being that sometimes this is necessary because a queen bee with poor offspring may need replacing. Take from that metaphor what you will. This is brain candy, meant to be entertaining without requiring too much thinking on the part of the audience. To that end, it is successful. I dislike who I am supposed to, and cheer for those that are positioned to provide some satisfying justice. I am pleased in the fact that I didn’t pay to see this in the theatre. If you like Jason Statham, he keeps his shirt on, but he delivers a typical performance for him. No Oscar nominations forthcoming on this.

Ted Lasso Season 3: After a free use of Apple + with the puchase of a theatre ticket I finally finished Ted Lasso. I have to admit that I was underwhelmed with the final season. It was predictable in many ways, and surprising in other ways, like where Nate ends up. Other surprises come with other characters like Jamie Tartt, Keeley Jones and Roy Kent. Ted’s Mom shows up. All the while the other characters are dealing with the fallout of the cliff hanger from Season 2. Of course it is all quite predictable.

There are some preachy aspects to it. There is especially annoying episode (number 8) where each character who has made a decision seems to be whining and carrying on like they didn’t do that fateful decision to begin with. For a team in early seasons couldn’t seem to “win the big one” this team despite the addition of a certified “superstar” make some strides but then give them back. After all is said and done, it ends predictably and with a whimper. There are tears, there are hugs and the parties move on. I finish the series not thinking “why didn’t they win Golden Globes?” but rather “why were they considered to begin with”? There are more impactful series out there, which in my view will be longer lasting. I don’t see this being considered in the same breath as The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, Mad Men or Breaking Bad? Perhaps being a comedy, well a comedy with some dramatic turns, may put it at a disadvantage but really it is the main character of Ted that holds it back. His gosh-gee-whilakers outlook is charming earlier, but then the panic attacks and his uncertainty with his life becomes a little tireseome over time. I didn’t watch the TV series Coach with Craig T Nelson but I see some similarities with it. No one regards Coach as great TV. It seems Season 3 meant that there was more money to spend and they had more roadtrips, notably Amsterdam which was a terrific travel log, but didn’t add much. So this has ended, and with the appropriate number of Golden Globe awards. I quickly moved over to the latest from the producers of WWII Band of Brothers and The Pacific, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, with Masters of the Air. It has been really good, and I look forward to watching more.

February 5th, 2024

I managed to get out to the theatre to catch two of the Best Picture nominees which takes me down to a single movie left of the 10 Best Picture nominees that I need to see (American Fiction). Both of these films had unique, almost distracting soundtracks, but added to the overall experience. They are very different, but equally compelling.

The Zone of Interest: set in the mid 40s, in Poland, this film focuses on a family with five children, and husband and wife. They live in a pleasant a spacious house with a garden and pool in the backyard. Father heads off to work, and ordinary tasks take place with the children heading to school while the mother does laundry, tends to the garden and entertains friends and her own mother after a time. What’s different in this household, is that the father is Rudolf Hoess, and the location is next door to the infamous Auschwitz prison camp where milliomns were killed over the course of the war. Hoess was the longest standing commander at Auschwitz, having worked his way up starting in Dachau and other camps. The family goes about very ordinary business, including picnics by the lake, and swimming at the pool. There are more unusual activities like when articles of clothing appear and they are shared with the friends. The wife herself, played by Sandra Hueller (also in Anatomy of a Fall) tries on a very nice mink coat, with a lipstick inside. It’s all too normal. When showing her Mother around, who is so very proud of her daughter and the steps to success that she has made, they speak of growing vines to hide the walls of the Camp. No mention is made of anything that goes on behind the walls among the family members, but there is periodic gunshots heard and the ever-present chimneys of the camp that are burning the bodies of the gassed prisoners.

Often I have wondered just how much the German people knew about the exterminations happening just doors away from them. In a series like Band of Brothers where the first of the concentration camps was found, the local townspeople denied any knowledge of what was happening there. The allied soldiers didn’t believe them, and they put them to work at the camp. I think that the underlying message here is a powerful one, which is that this family who lived right next to the camp were able to forget what was occuring steps from where they played, and ate. The mother and father care more about the flowers that they grow, in the garden and on the property, rather than the human lives that are being taken by the thousands each day. Near the end, the underlying message is again reaffirmed as you see the camp as it stands today, with display cases of shoes, suitcases, and medical assist devices stacked high in display cases that are cleaned daily. The message is clear that each of these belonged to people who came through that camp, with children, families, dreams and wishes that didn’t need to be needlessly ended by a maniac with a “Final Solution”, the extermination of the Jews and others who weren’t worthy of the Reich. You don’t learn the details about Hoess and what becomes of him, but he was tried and then hanged. He was hanged at Auschwitz and is the last public hanging in the country. Although this movie is slowly paced, and seems all to ordinary, that is the point. In 2024, we should still and always remember all the lives that were lost and not become complacent, treating it like the everyday event. It was true to the movie that the operation to execute 400,000 Jews in Hungary was called Operation Hoess.

Incidentally, there is a documentary on Netflix about the Adolph Eichmann trial, the leader of the efforts to execute the Final Solution. Eichmann like Hoess show that they weren’t monsters, but calculating human beings who did what they were told. Hoess carried out orders in a job that had promotions, responsibilities and benefits like a nice house next to his workplace.

Poor Things: I had no real idea about what this film was about when I was about to see it. In many ways it is a fable, a Frankensteinian fable, where a “mad scientist” has taken medical science beyond areas that we have today. Set what appears to be in the 1800s, there are elements in the world outside London that shows a far more advanced technology, like the trams in Lisbon and cruise ships. The good doctor, played by Willem Dafoe is scarred badly and teaches at the local university. You learn that he was treated terribly by his doctor/scientist father. At the university he seeks to find a young student to take detailed notes/observations of one of his experiments. Her name is Bella, and we learn that she is a gorwn woman suicide victim who took her life while pregnant. The doctor was called when the body was found and decided to put the baby’s brain into the woman’s body. The rest of the story I will leave to the viewer to watch.

The movie is set is various locations all showing the ongoing development for Bella. At first Bella with the under-developed baby’s brain carries on as a child. But with different experiences and over time, she develops and grows. The movie speaks to how we as adults gain our sense of ethics, and right and wrong, and how we learn over time what is acceptable behaviour in a civilized society.

Those who have read my posts know that I am not an Emma Stone fan. But what I can say is that this is a remarkable acting performance. I say this because there is a physical aspect to the role, in addition to the acting itself. Yes, she has some nude scenes that is completely within character, along with showing a greater sense of herself. She embraces the entire role, with the naivete of a child but also the desire to please and pleasure herself first. She meets up with various people who have an impact on her. If she needs something, then she does what she needs to do. Mark Ruffalo plays one of the men that she meets, and he is transformed by her. The story continues to its conclusion which is satisfying. There is also a religious aspect of the film in which the doctor is referred to by Bella as “God”. As a doctor, and with his skills, this doctor certainly has the power to give life. In some ways there are parallels to David in Prometheus seeking to find his God.

I will be shocked if Emma Stone doesn’t win the Best Actress Oscar. This performance binds the entire story and without it, the movie would fail miserably. This is a movie worth checking out. I am pleased to have seen it.

January 29th, 2024

I was delayed in posting this since I was in the air myself yesterday. I am reviewing a number of series that are actively showing on a weekly basis, and therefore I have not seen the conclusion, and they are not bingeable (if that’s a word!). This cannot be said for Ted Lasso, since it has three seasons completed and I am only finishing up Season 2. I managed through buying tickets to an event (Amadeus film performed with a live orchestra) to have a complimentary Apple TV subscription for 30 days. I am making the most of it!

Masters of the Air: This was recently released this month, and is from the same producers (Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg) who had previously brought the excellent Band of Brothers (2001), and the less compelling The Pacific (2010). I have previously reviewed Band of Brothers, and I have read the Ambrose book on which it is based that I highly recommend. The producers in each instance have excellent production, with real life stories then depicted on the screen. They are looking to replicate the real stories of those who were involved. Ambrose naturally takes it from an American perspective, which summed up is that “the Americans won the war”. It is to be conceded that the American involvement in WWII post Pearl Harbour was a tremendous help to the Allied forces, in manpower and equipment but it is safe to say that the British, Canadian and other Allied powers made the American participation possible. Without the Battle of Britain, Dunkirk, and various other battles, including the British and Canadian participation on D-Day itself the outcome could have been very different. In Masters of the Air, the first couple of episodes follow a new group of recruits in the Army Air Corps flying B-17 bombers. It stars Austin Butler (yes Elvis actor) along with Caleb Turner and Barry Keoghan (from Saltburn) this time with a thick New Yorker accent. They are pilots, and after training are being put into bombing sorties from England. Like the predecessor series, you follow a group of young men (mostly) and their stories, as pilots, crew, bombers, navigators both officers on the ground and in the air. Some of the scenes are extraordinary. It is well shot and well crafted on screen.

Only two episodes in I could quibble about Austin Butler’s hair being too long, but I am far more focused on the overall quality of the production and the stories told. You care about these young men, and realize that many are in their late teens and twenties. They put themselves in harm’s way and many pay the ultimate price. I remark that these young men were brave beyond measure, doing what everyone felt had to be done. They care about their buddy, and their crew. They see unspeakable things, all the while trying to make a positive contribution to the war effort. Butler and Turner both play majors, and are leaders in this group. Like Captain Winter in Band of Brothers, you see their leadership style and how they handle these stressful situations. It is compelling. It is exciting and one wonders how it will all shake down for these men as the war goes on. Definitely worth viewing, especially for those who have any interest in WWII.

Ted Lasso Season 2: I liked season 1 of this Jason Sudekis vehicle series where he plays a positive talkative Amercian football coach in the UK, brought in to help bury a soccer team. He has a squad of players, an owner who obtained the club in a divorce settlement with her billionaire jerk ex-husband and some assorted other local characters. I have spoken about the premise before.

This season continues on with the stories of the characters involved. We also too get to see more vulnerabilities about the Ted character himself. For all of his “gosh-gee-willakers” outlook on life and being authentic to a fault with all those that he meets, he is also flawed as everyone is with layers of complexity to his personality. He suffers in his own way, and it impacts his job and those around him. No one in this series escapes issues, which is to its credit. Some issues are more obvious than others, like owner Rebecca’s own insecurities of being left by her husband and owning this team. The Ex enters her life from time to time just to torment her. In a funny line, and this show is quite funny, after Ted and coaching staff meets Rebecca’s Mom he says:

“…I love meeting people’s Moms. It’s like reading an instruction manual as to why they are nuts!!!” So very true.

And we are all flawed and nuts in our own way. I really enjoyed the Christmas episode. I think like other quality sitcoms, this program works because it can make you laugh, but then shortly afterwards can make you tear up. Like M*A*S*H, or Cheers or even Ricky Gervais’ After Life. I will continue to watch this and note that sadly this show was always seemingly the bridesmaid and never the bride in award season. It is good. It is worth watching.

True Detective: North Country: Full disclosure, I have not seen the prior seasons of this series, even the well reviewed initial season with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. I am reminded that I need to do that. Interestingly there aree some tie ins to that season with this new season starring Jodie Foster in the lead role. Set in Alaska, but filmed in Iceland, this series follows a detective trying to uncover some mysterious deaths. Here at a mine in a remote part of Alaska, a group of scientists disappear without explanation, and then locals are trying to figure out what is happening and what has happened.

Foster is, like others in the community, dealing with her own issues as they head into the dark season up there, with the sun not making an appearance. It is difficult to disclose much more without giving some of the surprises away. It is well written, and the people acting interact with the skepticism of those who have known each other a very long time. They have history. it comes back to haunt them. There is certainly an element of supernatural going on, as they trudge around with sets that feel like The Thing has been resurrected. One underlying message for me is that people are people. Each has their own needs, many with that well studied hierarchy of needs. As an audience you can feel the cold, and I wonder about the pierced cheeks and whether that metal stud makes it feel that much colder out. Without any prior knowledge of the prior seasons, this one for me must stand on its own. I will continue to watch and see where it lands. It is all very odd for the moment as we are four episodes into it. More to come, but worth a watch.