October 27th, 2025

Love Is Blind Season 9: This was a trainwreck. From the beginning to the end. This was a waste of time. From strange men, who find new ways to be deceptive, to the women who seem to be focused on things like their botox injections it just didn’t get any better. The wedding episode was dropped this past week with predictable results. For me, I have to admit that I just fast forwarded through talking to cut to the chase. Yawn. Not worth your time. I am hopeful that producers find a way to screen better “contestants”.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey: I saw the trailers for this starring Margot Robbie (playing Sarah) and Colin Farrell (playing David) in the romantic comedy with some fantasy undertones. By fantasy undertones I am meaning that a mythical car rental agency (manned by Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridge – go figure!) and they are looking to help out Colin Farrell. They rent David a 1994 Saturn, and they insist on him taking their version of GPS guidance, and he proceeds to head towards a wedding. At the wedding he sees across the aisle in the church Sarah. They have a first conversation later outside the church. Romantic comedies live and die with your connection to the couple and how much that you cheer for them. For me, my initial reservation about this couple was the age discrepancy (he is 49yo and she is 35yo). Yes, it’s a movie, but it was a first impression. She early on says to him “I am afraid of hurting you. No matter how this plays out, I’ll end up hurting you”. They part but not before she asks “do you want to marry me?” That was very weird. Especially after what she had just said to him.

The initial premise seemed to work as the GPS within the car seems to know a lot more about David than you would expect. He later is asked about whether he is interested in a “big bold beautiful journey” to which he hesitantly responds “yes” is a maybe voice. Then he is taken to a Burger King and meets Sarah one more time, and then her 1994 Saturn won’t start. It seems that Sarah ended up at the same car rental agency. They start to travel together and have stops along the way that have random doors, like pictured above which takes them to various places in time and place. Over the visits we learn about some of the life issues that these people have experienced. They, like everyone, are flawed and we learn about both David’s idealism and Sarah’s issues. One stop is with David in high school, with him performing in the school play as the lead. David reveals there one of the early romantic relationships that he had and how it has impacted his life going forward. The rest of the scene for me was just too contrived. The story continues.

In the final act, they decide to take this in an unusual direction involving parents which is as far as I will describe it. One involves going to a place with an unusual view as seen above. Where exactly are they – clearly it appears to be from space – but is this necessary and does it make sense? The scenes with the parents don’t really work for me, save for the one conversation where a parent suggests to an adult child (who they THINK is MUCH younger) that they need to be “content”. I think that is sage advice where consideration should be made towards how you yourself feels with a potential partner. So you need contentment with you, how you feel in your life, in order to be able to bring someone else into your world. I will make a further comment that I am not so sure how one can fully embody another person without a full knowledge of that person’s life experience. But in the end, despite things concluding as you would expect, it still falls flat for me.

The Diplomat Season 3: I finished this latest season on Sunday. I think that this is one of the most well written series out there currently. The actors are universally good, and notably Rufus Sewell as Hal, Allison Janney, Ato Essandoh (as Stuart) and Ali Ahn (as Eldra Park) in addition to star Keri Russell.

The level of drama between the US and Britain grows in each episode. In culminates with the cliff hanger. I will note that there is time that passes between some early episodes of half a year. This will explain the new romantic relationship for Kate as the US Ambassador to UK. One of the things that troubles me is how Kate as the Ambassador is put in a position and meetings where she becomes a rogue element. More senior people than her voice concerns and make decisions and then she does her level best to look to influence those decisions in other ways. As a senior leader herself, she should know the value of people who work for her doing what she asks them to do. An actor who is actively working to countermand your decisions, would ensure that you are not viewed as reliable nor a team player. There is a point in this season when a comment is made to Kate that “if you are trying to do two jobs at the same time, you can only do them poorly”. I also feel as though Kate in her position should not be viewed, nor the implication made that she has gotten into her position by “sleeping her way to the top.” There are many women in power in this show which I embrace, but I do think that Kate has shown her affections along with men who provide her with status or inside information. It’s not necessary but keeps the story moving. But I still regard this as an excellent season and some of the best TV out there. Worth your time to watch, and certainly worth the time to catch up if this isn’t a series that you have watched before, and catching up for two seasons is not an inordinate amount of time to spend. I had slowed down my watching of Season 3 since I didn’t want it to end. Enjoy.

October 20th, 2025

John Candy: I Like Me: Canadian comedic icon John Candy passed away back in March 1994 while working on the movie Wagon’s East at the age of 43 years old. It is surprising to me that it has taken 31 years to bring this documentary forward. Ryan Reynolds is one of the producers and it is directed by Tom Hanks’ son, Colin. The movie brings together outstanding comedy performers like Bill Murray, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Mel Brooks, and Conan O’Brian among others. It also shows John’s two children, Jennifer and Chris and his wife.

In typical documentary fashion we go through a chronological history of the man, beginning at the end at his funeral, but then going back to his earlier times. He was born on Halloween in 1950. He has an older brother and his parents. A lifechanging moment for him was when his father passed away from a massive heart attack at 35yo when John was just 5 years old. That shaped his life going forward as those around him never really talked about it, as that generation of people was known for doing. John loved football but an injury ended those dreams. Then he stumbled into theatre in high school and was later encouraged to try out for the newly opened Second City in Toronto. The original Second City comedy store in Chicago was expanding. From there his talent blossomed to the point where Stephen Spielberg came to Toronto to speak to John about a part in his movie 1941. The movie continues with his career highlights, including his many roles working with director John Hughes which coincided with his connection with Hughes offscreen.

What sticks out about John is how he was so genuine, and authentic with those around him. He was heavy set in stature which stood out upon first glance but his depth of character and caring about people became more memorable for those who knew him. Bill Murray hopes jokingly early on in the interviews that someone “will come up with some dirt on John” because he couldn’t. He did struggle with his weight to be sure, but the discussion turns more on John’s belief that dying early was hereditary in his family and he felt that he was on borrowed time. His older brother had a heart attack working as a member of a film crew John had arranged for him. Despite this, he didn’t like going to doctors and never seemed to stop his love of smoking, drinking and eating well. The comedic genuis and timing remained throughout. Sharpening his skills on Second City and later SCTV he created so many memorable characters. From the Schemgie brothers, to Dr Tongue 3-D horror films to Johnny LaRue and the Fishin Musician he could work on many levels. Movies came calling and he preferred them. There is a touching scene at the end of the movie which I won’t spoil. But suffice it to say that the Canadian from Newmarket made his mark on the world in a most profound way even if he was taken from us far too early. I enjoyed this movie and I would encourage you to see it. It can be found on Prime now.

Splitsville: This new release starring Dakota Johnson and three others that I am not familiar with, seems to be a pet project for these actors. Playing two separate couples, both married we see a change in their relationship over the course of the movie. Johnson is married to Paul, played by Michael Angelo Covino who also directed the movie. We learn that their marriage is an open one, but that the husband isn’t really as receptive to its openness when his wife talks about her recent relation. The other couple is Kyle Marvin playing Carey and his wife Ashley played by Adria Arjona, have been married 14 months and we see them at the beginning singing in the car on a trip to visit the other couple. Carey and Paul are best friends. There is a bizarre incident on the drive, and then Ashley confesses that she no longer wishes to be married anymore. Carey is caught fully blindsided. He up and runs away leaving the car and his wife behind.

There are a couple of funny moments early, but it quickly goes into the strange and stupid downhill really quickly after that. There is a rather bizarre fight sequence and we quickly learn that two of the people in these marriages are pretty repulsive people. The details are unimportant but the crucial fact for the audience is that they aren’t really likeable people and you are cheering for them and hoping for them to get themselves sorted. Rather, we things happen later on one feels incredulous that this is a course correction that one felt was necessary or even believable. Pity the young child who seems to have a way of taking things that don’t belong to him, all the while he gets conflicting and dyametrically opposed advice from the adults around him. All in all, this was a movie where I had seen a preview and thought “this might be worth checking out” especially since the other romantic movie with Dakota Johnson Materialists was quite enjoyable and thought provoking. This is NOT that movie. So this is a hard pass, and you can thank me later for giving you back 1:40 of your life! You’re welcome!

The Diplomat – Season 3: The latest season of this excellent series has been released on Netflix. I have watched the first three episodes and they pick up exactly at the moment of the end of Season 2. There was a surprising ending to last season and this continues on with the excitement and the intrigue. The series stars Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, who was the current US Ambassador to the UK, but had ideas of being in a higher level position within the Administration. She is married to Hal, played by Rufus Sewell, and they have a complex relationship. During this season we learn more of the backstory on just how complicated it is. Both are in the civil service. He is very experienced and was once the Ambassador to Lebanon. He has a way of speaking when he shouldn’t and pissing off all the wrong people. The relationship is more professional than romantic, and Russell is the partner with the higher profile job as the season begins. Hal, it seems, can’t help inserting himself and creating trouble along the way. This causes tremendous stress for Russell and those around her.

Allison Janney plays Grace Penn who is the Vice President in Season 2. There was intrigue on whether she would continue in that job at the end of the season. Janney is excellent. The rest of the cast playing both US and British personnel are all very good. From those supporting Russell in the Ambassador’s office to the British PM, and his supporting staff they all contribute to make this an engaging, exciting, very watchable series. The writing is excellent with clever storylines and good banter. The viewer is kept wondering where this will go next, and it remains a surprise often because we get the sense that the characters themselves don’t know which way they are leaning. Jobs are at stake for people who are ambitious and smart and work incredibly hard. Mistakes too are made and they must be dealt with effectively. Overall this Emmy nominated series takes its place alongside other political thrillers and holds its own, with Russell leading the way showing the challenges of the jobs she undertakes, but also the chess match of doing them effectively while also a woman in those roles. It isn’t lost on me that she has always needed to be smarter and more cagey then the men that are around her, most notably her husband. Janney explained to her in Season 2 about being a woman in powerful positions and how they are judged differently than their male counterparts. It’s true. All of it. I will continue to watch, but I am mindful of watching too quickly and then being over this season so quickly. I like the pace, the dialog, the performances and interplay among the cast. This is currently one of the best shows on TV in my opinion.

November 11, 2024 (Remembrance Day)

As we have this Monday fall on Remembrance Day here in Canada, I want to ensure that I post my respects, and undying commitment to always remember the fallen. I had family members who faught in WWII, and I have been to the Normandy beaches and seen the museums. I have walked the beaches, visited Pont du Hoc and seen the US, Canadian, British and German cemetaries in Normandy. It is a moving experience, especially seeing the dates on the headstones and realizing just how young these soldiers were. Many were late teens (17, 18, 19) and fell to protect those freedoms that we hold most dear.

Know that I will wear a poppy proudly. Know that I will pause at 11:11 this morning and stop to think and thank our veterans and those who didn’t make it back home. I will never forget.

Shaun of the Dead: Those who know me, know that I am not a zombie guy. There are some exceptions, even recently with the series The Last of Us, which was less zombie and far more a human story. But generally I steer clear. I will admit, however that I do like Simon Pegg. So this horror/comedy was overlooked by me back in 2004 when it was released.

Pegg plays Shaun and he is having trouble with his life and virtually all aspects of it. He has trouble with his job, his friends and his girlfriend. Life isn’t going as expected and he pretty much keeps to a same routine, one day flowing into the next. Pegg’s gift is that he can play the everyman, and the guy who can be oblivious to strange things happening around him. Shaun is viewed as a guy who isn’t very “take charge” and it is only after realizing what is happening that he chooses to step up. For me there were a couple of chuckles, for example the scene with Shaun and his (generally) useless buddy, who confront a zombie in the backyard. There ensues an interesting conversation as the zombie meets a terrible end. All ends as you likely would expect, with a couple tweaks. For those who like Simon Pegg, this is likely mandatory viewing. For those not enamoured with the genre or the actor then it likely can be passed over.

The Diplomat (Seasons 1 and 2): Back in 2023 Netflix released this series from the writer who had previously worked The West Wing, Debora Cahn. Starring Keri Russell, it has an impressive cast, including Rufus Sewell (as her husband), David Gyasi (previously in Interstellar), Michael McKean (from Better Call Saul) and Rory Kinnear (previously in The Imitation Game as the cop investigating).

The story is complex, and begins fairly simply with Russell who has had some previous postings in various US government hot spots (Afghanistan and others), she along with her husband Hal with whom she has a strained relationship. It seems Hal has been released from his political duties and Russell is being quickly reassigned to be the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom. She has a staff, who we get to learn about, and there is a pressing situation unfolding when a British aircraft carrier is damaged by a third party with lives being lost on board. The intrigue runs high and deep. Let the layering begin. The Ambassador makes some quick friends, but also runs afoul of others, as is likely to happen. With any espionnage story there is much that isn’t known and the layers don’t always reveal themselves easily or quickly. It is a chess game, but with a board from an Ambassador which misses pieces and some overall context. The ending of season 1 was intriguing and well done. The tension just builds and builds. The continuation of this story from the moment that ended season 1, and the further unveiling in season 2 is really well done. A master stroke in casting was the introduction of Allison Janney as the Vice President of the United States. Janney is excellent. The writing is crisp with authentic interplay between the characters. All the characters. Things that you expected to happen don’t always unfold, and there is much to be learned. It is interesting to have the women, generally, have it together, while the men in their lives, and those that surround them are a mess. Not entirely a mess, I should add, but men capable of causing tremendous stress to the women and further mixing the circumstances around. Russell’s interactions with the British Foreign Secretary are particularly fun to watch. This was worth the binge watching, and I managed the six episodes in season 2 easily over the weekend. There will be a season 3 it would seem, and I will look forward when it does.