SPECIAL NOTE….Don’t forget that when you’re not too sure of a plot or need any info on a movie, to go to Wikipedia. It lays out the straight/non-hype story, plus all the details you’ll need including which server (Netflix, Hulu, PBS) you can find it on.

MALCOLM AND MARIE. (NETFLIX SINGLE) Zendaya, the co-star of this movie, is from Oakland. She and John David Washington plus a few friends filmed this in a “glass house” in Carmel during the pandemic, and did a super job. The plot involves John, a filmmaker who has just received a great review of his new film in the LA Times, arguing throughout the entire film with Zendaya. Their fights are our fights, their issues are our issues and it’s an excellent movie. 

ADU. (NETFLIX SINGLE).Some poor directorial decisions mar the weaving of three almost totally unrelated stories into one heartwarming movie. Adu is a little boy who has to escape his warlike Africa hometown. Another story centers on the conflicting feelings of border guards. The most involved saga deals with illegal elephant ivory tusks, and a father/daughter entanglement. It’s a fine movie, but hard to follow. 

FIREFLY LANE (NETFLIX SERIES) a 48 on RT. Katherine Heigl and her BFF Sarah Chalke go through some show biz type plots, and make this a pretty ditzy movie. There are laughs and cute twists – but nothing, absolutely nothing here that you’ll remember while you’re looking for a new mask to wear later today.

BLISS. (AMAZON PRIME SINGLE) I’m giving up trying to figure out the plot of this one. Owen Wilson gets fired from his job and meets Salma Hayek and it goes into sci-fi and nonsense from there on. Local fans should watch for Joshua Leonard, son of Bob and Joann Leonard of Watsonville, who plays a character called Cameron. The movie switches from realities to fantasies and back again. You’ll probably give up long before it’s over… don’t worry about it.

LADY AND THE DALE. (HBO SERIES) This nearly unbelievable documentary has a 100 RT – the result of executive directing by the Duplass brothers, which makes any movie near great to begin with. Jerry Dean Michael was a con artist from birth. He later changed his name to Elizabeth Carmichael – a trans woman – and managed to convince a lot of the world that a motorcycle with two tires in front would change the world. See it as soon as possible, great fun betwixt the grimaces.

RADIOACTIVE. (AMAZON PRIME Single) The lovely and effervescent Rosamund Pike plays the Polish-born Marie Curie, the first woman to win the Noble Prize. This pointless drama covers both Curie’s secret love affair, and her belief in the occult. It lacks a driving force, in spite of showing us Curie’s fight against sexism, and ethnic prejudice, and being beautifully filmed. I’d give it a 5 out of 10 if I was giving anything. 

HACHE. (NETFLIX Series) You’ll remember that the lead woman’s name is HACHE, which begins with H as does Heroin. Set in Barcelona in 1960, it’s the story of Hache, a prostitute who eventually (about three episodes) figures out how to not just break into the controlling mob scene, but become a significant player. You’ll see lots of violence, much police illegal activity, plus brutality and sex. There are better things to do with your time.

PALMER. (APPLE TV+ Single)The big deal here is that it stars Justin Timberlake as Palmer, a football star in high school but then got sent to prison. He returns to his hometown and becomes a full time parent to a gay little 7 year old boy. Many sobs later, Palmer settles into his leading role and it’s fairly predictable. Watch it if you want to feel good about something.
 

BELOW ZERO (NETFLIX Single) A Spanish film about a trailer transporting prisoners between prisons. The trailer is stopped by spiked tires, and a long search ensues among the prisoners for one in particular. Which prisoner, and why him, is the plot. It’s tense, exciting, and nearly believable. Don’t miss it for sure! It was number one on Netflix a week ago!!!

THE VANISHED. (NETFLIX Single) I’ve always liked Anne Heche, but she wasted her time and talent in this mixed-up saga. A couple with their little daughter go to a trailer park. The daughter disappears, and it takes a long time to stage the reason why. Do not waste your time trying to outwit the movie…take a nap instead. 21 on RT.

THE DIG. (NETFLIX SINGLE) You can’t beat the pairing of Britain’s Carey Mulligan and Ralph (“Rafe”) Fiennes in this 1939 setting that centers on the excavation of an Anglo-Saxon burial ship named Sutton Hoo from the seventh century. British Museum’s battle over the rights to own and move the ship and Mulligan fights them. Brilliant, absorbing, great scenic splendor and never better acting. See this one as soon as possible. Checking upon this I read… The 27 meter long Anglo-Saxon ship from Sutton Hoo no longer exists. It was made of oak and after 1,300 years in the acidic soil, it rotted away leaving only its ‘ghost’ imprinted in the sand. The movie never deals with this fact making us believe that the wooden ship itself was three dimensional. 

 LOSING ALICE.(APPLE + Series) It’s filmed and set in contemporary Israel. A woman film director is facing getting older while raising three daughters and living with her husband who’s a famous movie star. Much sensitive game playing between them as they deal with a beautiful young screen writer who wedges her way between and amongst them. A first class movie, with fine directing, good camera work and a plot that will keep you completely involved. Don’t avoid it. It has a 71 on Rotten Tomatoes.

PENGUIN BLOOM. (NETFLIX Single) One of the most shallow, corny, cutesy movies in decades. Naomi Watts becomes wheel chair bound and a magpie named penguin is supposed to be some message to her to keep living. It’s a 100% Australian production, which adds some interest but it’s so treacley you’ll have a tough time staying with its predictable and weak plot.

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI. (APPLE + SINGLE)Try to imagine an intimate get together with Muhammed Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown from the NFL in 1964. Their shared and unshared reactions to the racial issues of their time is amazingly realistic and educational. It has a 98 on RT and deserves it. It’s an adaption of the play and shows the sensitive, delicate reactions to racial prejudice. Watch it and think about the genius behind Regina King’s first big time director achievements 

THE WHITE TIGER.(NETFLIX Single) A wonderful story and movie from a book about the class system in India. It takes place in Delhi and centers on Balram a young boy who grows from a very wise to near genius level in fighting India’s rigid social structure. Struggling upwards in the illegal government system Balram succeeds and ends up controlling a business of his own. A long war between servants, ruling classes, mobsters, and family ties, it’s brilliant, go for it by all means.

THE RIPPER.(NETFLIX Series) There was a mass murderer in London in the late 1970’s and early 80’s who patterned his killings after the famed Jack the Ripper the century before (1888) . This documentary is not only well done but it centers on the very poor and later exposed police investigations. A real change in online viewing… it’s perfectly assembled, logically developed and surprising in the exposing the lousy job the police and other authorities did in the decades they tried to catch The Ripper. The real Jack the Ripper (1888)  was never caught even though he’d sent letters to the police.

GIRI / HAJI. (NETFLIX Series) Giri Haji means Duty/Shame. Tricky, involved, many flashbacks, stabbings and only a fair series.  It’s set in London and Tokyo where a detective goes searching for his gang involved brother.  Yakusas (Mafia) battle each other and share very weak promises and loyalties to their gangs.  No standout acting or direction, it just seems to go in circles with no purpose. You can easily avoid this one, and no-one will know the difference. Trust me.  

BRIDGERTON. (NETFLIX Series) Set in 1813 London this is a poor copy of Downton Abbey (1912-1926). Even the music background sounds like Downton Abbey, but the acting is miserable, the casting lacks class and the sub plots are boring. One interesting thing is that the casting is multi-racial. That means there are blacks and Asians in roles that seem out of historical accuracy, but it is odd to think about what the real times were like. Julie Andrews does the entire voice over for the series, but it doesn’t help the overall phoniness. 

KILL BILL. (HBO MAX parts one and two). Quentin Tarantino created a masterpiece of movies with these dramas. Uma Thurman and David Carradine keep us totally absorbed in this saga of blood, sweat and brilliance. Sure you’ve seen it before (back in    ) but watch it again, there’s so many subtle touches we missed the first time.

PRETEND IT’S A CITY.(NETFLIX SERIES) 86 on rt. There are seven episodes in this diatribe about New York City by author and critic Fran Lebowitz. Martin Scorsese is both her producer and her interviewer and enabler as Fran takes apart the many sides of why people live in New York. If you like or even love New York City you’ll howl over the issues, problems and challenges she makes such good fun of hour after hour. High rents, street crimes, crowds, weather, she covers them all.

TIGER. (HBO) This is a two part documentary on HBO that tells us, or reminds us of all the troubles Tiger Woods has faced in his golfing career. His sex life, his injuries, his children, his completely domineering father; it’s all in this expose. Still we watch and admire Tiger for the way he’s survived. Completely riveting and revealing. Watch it quickly while HBO is still featuring it.

PIECES OF A WOMAN. (NETFLIX SINGLE) This movie is just a bit corny and cute but it’ll grab you in many different ways. A young couple has a baby with the help of a midwife. The baby dies and the plot thickens around the midwife and mom’s mother. The mother is well played by Ellen Burstyn. You could guess the ending but I’m not going to help you. If you need to shed a tear or two during these sad times go for it. I liked it a lot.

LUPIN. (NETFLIX SERIES). A neatly twisted robbery plot of Marie Antoinette’s necklace from the Louvre. There’s revenge, politics (French politics) and many, many Louvre scenes. The plot is complex enough to keep you glued to your viewing device for all seven episodes. What is outstanding is that the acting is excellent and believable. Reader Judi Grunstra writes…” In your blurb about the Netflix show “Lupin,” you say there are 7 episodes.  There are only 5 (more to come in a 2nd season)”.

THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND.(HBO MAX SINGLE) Staten Island like New Jersey has a nutty and not too good a reputation around the New York City area. Marisa Tomei does a great job as mother to a bunch of teen agers trying to grow up on the island. Steve Buscemi has a bit part too. The boys hopes, dreams, smoking weed, and trying to face their predictable future make this a near tear jerker, I recommend it.

NOTES FOR MY SON (NETFLIX SINGLE). An 80 on R.T. this is a nearly true to life sad saga of a well known Argentine woman is dying of ovarian cancer. She’s got a 4 year old son and an engrossing husband who combine to make this a vastly superior movie. It deals with assisted suicide, euthanasia, sedated death in a completely realistic way. Be prepared to be overwhelmed by the emotions, and it’s a fine movie.

THE MIRE (NETFLIX SERIES). A Polish murder mystery taking place in the early 80’s . An important community leader and a prostitute are found dead and some competing journalists/ writer’s  search for the guilty guy or woman will keep you centered. Well done, nicely acted, and another season is coming soon.

LOSING ALICE. (Series) Filmed and set in contemporary Israel, a female film director is facing getting older while raising three daughters, and living with her husband who’s a famous movie star. Much sensitive game are played between them, as they deal with a beautiful young screenwriter who wedges her way between and amongst them. A first class movie, with fine directing, good camera work and a plot that will keep you completely involved. Don’t avoid it. It has a 71 on Rotten Tomatoes.

THE DIG. You can’t beat the pairing of Britain’s Carey Mulligan and Ralph (“Rafe”) Fiennes in this movie set in 1939, centering on the excavation of an Anglo-Saxon burial ship named Sutton Hoo from the seventh century. The British Museum claims the rights to own and move the ship, and Mulligan fights them. Brilliant, absorbing, great scenic splendor and never better acting. See this one as soon as possible. Checking upon this I read… “The 27 meter long Anglo-Saxon ship from Sutton Hoo no longer exists. It was made of oak and after 1,300 years in the acidic soil, it rotted away leaving only its ‘ghost’ imprinted in the sand. The movie never deals with this fact, making us believe that the wooden ship itself was three dimensional”. 

PENGUIN BLOOM. (Single) One of the most shallow, corny, cutesy movies in decades. Naomi Watts becomes wheelchair bound, and a magpie named penguin is supposed to be some message to her to keep living. It’s a 100% Australian production, which adds some interest, but it’s so treacly you’ll have a tough time staying with its predictable and weak plot.

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI. Try to imagine an intimate get-together with Muhammed Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown from the NFL in 1964. Their shared and unshared reactions to the racial issues of their time is amazingly realistic and educational. It has a 98 on RT, and deserves it. It’s an adaption of the play and shows the sensitive, delicate reactions to racial prejudice. Watch it and think about the genius behind Regina King’s first bigtime director achievements.

WHITE TIGER.(Single) A wonderful story and movie from a book about the class system in India. It takes place in Delhi and centers on Balram a young boy who grows from a very wise to near genius level in fighting India’s rigid social structure. Struggling upwards in the illegal government system Balram succeeds and ends up controlling a business of his own. A long war between servants, ruling classes, mobsters, and family ties, it’s brilliant, go for it by all means.

THE RIPPER.(Series) There was a mass murderer in London in the late 1970’s and early 80’s who patterned his killings after the famed Jack the Ripper the century before (1888) . This documentary is not only well done but it centers on the very poor and later exposed police investigations. A real change in online viewing… it’s perfectly assembled, logically developed and surprising in the exposing the lousy job the police and other authorities did in the decades they tried to catch The Ripper. The real Jack the Ripper (1888)  was never caught even though he’d sent letters to the police.

GIRI / HAJI. (Series) Giri Haji means Duty/Shame. Tricky, involved, many flashbacks, stabbings and only a fair series.  It’s set in London and Tokyo where a detective goes searching for his gang involved brother.  Yakusas (Mafia) battle each other and share very weak promises and loyalties to their gangs.  No standout acting or direction, it just seems to go in circles with no purpose. You can easily avoid this one, and no-one will know the difference. Trust me.  

BRIDGERTON. (Series) Set in 1813 London this is a poor copy of Downton Abbey (1912-1926). Even the music background sounds like Downton Abbey, but the acting is miserable, the casting lacks class and the sub plots are boring. One interesting thing is that the casting is multi-racial. That means there are blacks and Asians in roles that seem out of historical accuracy, but it is odd to think about what the real times were like. Julie Andrews does the entire voice over for the series, but it doesn’t help the overall phoniness. 

KILL BILL, parts one and two. Quentin Tarantino created a masterpiece of movies with these dramas. Uma Thurman and David Carradine keep us totally absorbed in this saga of blood, sweat and brilliance. Sure you’ve seen it before (back in    ) but watch it again, there’s so many subtle touches we missed the first time.

PRETEND IT’S A CITY.(SERIES) 86 on rt. There are seven episodes in this diatribe about New York City by author and critic Fran Lebowitz. Martin Scorsese is both her producer and her interviewer and enabler as Fran takes apart the many sides of why people live in New York. If you like or even love New York City you’ll howl over the issues, problems and challenges she makes such good fun of hour after hour. High rents, street crimes, crowds, weather, she covers them all.

TIGER. This is a two part documentary on HBO that tells us, or reminds us of all the troubles Tiger Woods has faced in his golfing career. His sex life, his injuries, his children, his completely domineering father; it’s all in this expose. Still we watch and admire Tiger for the way he’s survived. Completely riveting and revealing. Watch it quickly while HBO is still featuring it.

PIECES OF A WOMAN. (SINGLE) This movie is just a bit corny and cute but it’ll grab you in many different ways. A young couple has a baby with the help of a midwife. The baby dies and the plot thickens around the midwife and mom’s mother. The mother is well played by Ellen Burstyn. You could guess the ending but I’m not going to help you. If you need to shed a tear or two during these sad times go for it. I liked it a lot.

SURVIVING DEATH. (SERIES)There are 6 episodes, near-death experience, mediums (2 parts) signs from the dead, seeing dead people and reincarnation. The first one on near death experience reports on hundreds of folks who have died and experienced some startling sites. The two parts on mediums seems too hokey. If you’ve ever wondered about seeing ghosts watch the last two parts. It’s well done and even informative…no matter what/how you believe. 

LUPIN. (SERIES). A neatly twisted robbery plot of Marie Antoinette’s necklace from the Louvre. There’s revenge, politics (French politics) and many, many Louvre scenes. The plot is complex enough to keep you glued to your viewing device for all seven episodes. What is outstanding is that the acting is excellent and believable. Reader Judi Grunstra writes…” In your blurb about the Netflix show “Lupin,” you say there are 7 episodes.  There are only 5 (more to come in a 2nd season)”.

THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND.(SINGLE) Staten Island like New Jersey has a nutty and not too good a reputation around the New York City area. Marisa Tomei does a great job as mother to a bunch of teen agers trying to grow up on the island. Steve Buscemi has a bit part too. The boys hopes, dreams, smoking weed, and trying to face their predictable future make this a near tear jerker, I recommend it.

NOTES FOR MY SON (SINGLE). An 80 on R.T. this is a nearly true to life sad saga of a well known Argentine woman is dying of ovarian cancer. She’s got a 4 year old son and an engrossing husband who combine to make this a vastly superior movie. It deals with assisted suicide, euthanasia, sedated death in a completely realistic way. Be prepared to be overwhelmed by the emotions, and it’s a fine movie.

THE MIRE (SERIES). A Polish murder mystery taking place in the early 80’s . An important community leader and a prostitute are found dead and some competing journalists/ writer’s  search for the guilty guy or woman will keep you centered. Well done, nicely acted, and another season is coming soon.

WHITE TIGER. (Single) A wonderful story and movie from a book about the class system in India. It takes place in Delhi, and centers on Balram, a young boy who grows from a very wise to near genius level in fighting India’s rigid social structure. Struggling upwards in the illegal government system, Balram ends up controlling a business of his own. A long war between servants, ruling classes, mobsters, and family ties, it’s brilliant. Go for it by all means.

PRETEND IT’S A CITY. (SERIES) 86 on rt. There are seven episodes in this diatribe about New York City, by author and critic Fran Lebowitz. Martin Scorsese is producer, interviewer and enabler ,as Fran takes apart the many sides of why people live in New York. If you like or even love New York City, you’ll howl over the issues, problems and challenges she makes such good fun of hour after hour. High rents, street crimes, crowds, weather, she covers them all.

THE RIPPER. (Series) There was a mass murderer in London in the late 1970’s and early 80’s who patterned his killings after the famed Jack the Ripper the century before (1888). This documentary is not only well done, but it centers on the very poor police investigations. A real change in online viewing… it’s perfectly assembled, logically developed and surprising in the exposing the lousy job the police and other authorities did in the decades during which they tried to catch The Ripper. The real Jack the Ripper (1888) was never caught, even though he’d sent letters to the police.

GIRI/HAJI. (Series) Giri Haji means Duty/Shame. Tricky, involved, many flashbacks, stabbings and only a fair series. It’s set in London and Tokyo, where a detective goes searching for his gang involved brother. Yakusas (Mafia) battle each other and share very weak promises and loyalties to their gangs. No standout acting or direction, it just seems to go in circles with no purpose. You can easily avoid this one, and no-one will know the difference. Trust me.  

BRIDGERTON. (Series) Set in 1813 London, this is a poor copy of Downton Abbey (1912-1926). Even the music background sounds the same, but the acting is miserable, the casting lacks class and the sub-plots are boring. One interesting thing is that the casting is multi-racial. That means there are blacks and Asians in roles that seem out of historical accuracy, but it is odd to think about what the real times were like. Julie Andrews does the entire voiceover for the series, but it doesn’t help the overall phoniness. 

KILL BILL, parts one and two. Quentin Tarantino created a masterpiece of movies with these dramas. Uma Thurman and David Carradine keep us totally absorbed in this saga of blood, sweat and brilliance. Sure you’ve seen it before (back in    ) but watch it again, there’s so many subtle touches we missed the first time.

TIGER. This is a two part documentary on HBO that tells us, or reminds us of all the troubles Tiger Woods has faced in his golfing career. His sex life, his injuries, his children, his completely domineering father; it’s all in this expose. Still we watch and admire Tiger for the way he’s survived. Completely riveting and revealing. Watch it quickly while HBO is still featuring it.

PIECES OF A WOMAN. (SINGLE) This movie is just a bit corny and cute but it’ll grab you in many different ways. A young couple has a baby with the help of a midwife. The baby dies and the plot thickens around the midwife and mom’s mother. The mother is well played by Ellen Burstyn. You could guess the ending but I’m not going to help you. If you need to shed a tear or two during these sad times go for it. I liked it a lot.

SURVIVING DEATH. (SERIES)There are 6 episodes, near-death experience, mediums (2 parts) signs from the dead, seeing dead people and reincarnation. The first one on near death experience reports on hundreds of folks who have died and experienced some startling sites. The two parts on mediums seems too hokey. If you’ve ever wondered about seeing ghosts watch the last two parts. It’s well done and even informative…no matter what/how you believe. 

LUPIN. (SERIES). A neatly twisted robbery plot of Marie Antoinette’s necklace from the Louvre. There’s revenge, politics (French politics) and many, many Louvre scenes. The plot is complex enough to keep you glued to your viewing device for all seven episodes. What is outstanding is that the acting is excellent and believable.

THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND.(SINGLE) Staten Island like New Jersey has a nutty and not too good a reputation around the New York City area. Marisa Tomei does a great job as mother to a bunch of teen agers trying to grow up on the island. Steve Buscemi has a bit part too. The boys hopes, dreams, smoking weed, and trying to face their predictable future make this a near tear jerker, I recommend it.

NOTES FOR MY SON (SINGLE). An 80 on R.T. this is a nearly true to life sad saga of a well known Argentine woman is dying of ovarian cancer. She’s got a 4 year old son and an engrossing husband who combine to make this a vastly superior movie. It deals with assisted suicide, euthanasia, sedated death in a completely realistic way. Be prepared to be overwhelmed by the emotions, and it’s a fine movie.

THE MIRE (SERIES). A Polish murder mystery taking place in the early 80’s . An important community leader and a prostitute are found dead and some competing journalists/ writer’s  search for the guilty guy or woman will keep you centered. Well done, nicely acted, and another season is coming soon.

HISTORY OF SWEAR WORDS. (SERIES) Nicolas Cage hosts this six episode child like-idiotic documentary on our now way over used swear words. The six are fuck, shit, bitch, dick, pussy and damn. These words are so common and so often used on the internet and TV and the movies you’ll wonder why they bothered. The origin of “fuck” is interesting but not a shit to watch. And you’ll learn that Samuel L. Jackson is not the actor who has sworn the most on camera!!!

I really wish I could bring you positive or even late-breaking inside industry news about the future of physical movie theatres, but no one on earth is predicting anything as to whether or not movie theatres will ever “come back”. And they just aren’t making or releasing movies like they used to.

KILL BILL, parts one and two. Quentin Tarantino created a masterpiece of movies with these dramas. Uma Thurman and David Carradine keep us totally absorbed in this saga of blood, sweat and brilliance. Sure you’ve seen it before, but watch it again, there’s so many subtle touches we missed the first time.

TIGER. A two -art documentary on HBO that tells us, or reminds us of all the troubles Tiger Woods faced in his golfing career. His sex life, his injuries, his children, his completely domineering father; it’s all in this expose. Still we watch and admire Tiger for the way he’s survived. Completely riveting and revealing. Watch it quickly while HBO is still featuring it.

PIECES OF A WOMAN. (SINGLE) This movie is a bit corny and cute but it’ll grab you in many different ways. A young couple has a baby with the help of a midwife. The baby dies and the plot thickens around the midwife and mom’s mother. The mother is well played by Ellen Burstyn. You could guess the ending, but I’m not going to help you. If you need to shed a tear or two during these sad times go for it. I liked it a lot.

SURVIVING DEATH. (SERIES) Six episodes about near-death experience, signs from the dead, seeing dead people, and reincarnation – including reports on hundreds of folks who have died and experienced some startling sights. The two parts on mediums seem too hokey. If you’ve ever wondered about seeing ghosts, watch the last two parts. It’s well done, and even informative…no matter what/how you believe. 

LUPIN. (SERIES). A neatly twisted robbery plot of Marie Antoinette’s necklace from the Louvre. There’s revenge, politics (French politics) and many, many Louvre scenes. The plot is complex enough to keep you glued to your viewing device for all seven episodes. The acting is excellent and believable.

THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND. (SINGLE) Staten Island, like New Jersey, has a nutty and not-great reputation around the New York City area. Marisa Tomei does an excellent job as mother to a bunch of teen agers trying to grow up there. Steve Buscemi has a bit part, too. The boys’ hopes, dreams, smoking weed, and trying to face their predictable future make this a near tear jerker. I recommend it.

NOTES FOR MY SON (SINGLE). An 80 on R.T., this is a nearly true to life sad saga of a well-known Argentine woman dying of ovarian cancer. She’s got a 4 year old son and an engrossing husband ,who combine to make this a vastly superior movie. It deals with assisted suicide, euthanasia, sand edated death in a completely realistic way. Be prepared to be overwhelmed by the emotions. It’s a fine movie.

THE MIRE (SERIES). A Polish murder mystery taking place in the early 80’s. An important community leader and a prostitute are found dead, and some competing journalists/writer’s  search for the guilty guy (or woman) will keep you centered. Well done, nicely acted, and another season is coming soon.

HISTORY OF SWEAR WORDS. (SERIES) Nicolas Cage hosts this six episode childlike-idiotic documentary on our now (way over-used) swear words. The six are fuck, shit, bitch, dick, pussy and damn. These words are so common, and so often used on the internet and TV and the movies, you’ll wonder why they bothered. The origin of “fuck” is interesting, but not a shit to watch. But you’ll learn that Samuel L. Jackson is not the actor who has sworn the most on camera!!!

Aside from CNN, MSNBC, PBS and a few sneak peeks at FOX news this past week, here are some of the movies worth considering. 

HIS HOUSE. (SINGLE). A young couple from the Sudan migrates to a town in England and is assigned to a haunted, beaten up government apartment. They fight the ghosts of their young daughter who drowned, even stranger neighbors, and a genuinely scary night witch. In addition to these problems, the couple has to deal with racism. Go for it.

EQUINOX. (SERIES). 26 years ago, this Danish girl’s classmates (21 of them) suddenly disappeared. She decides to investigate this mystery which has most of the town and her relatives completely mystified. Half truths are revealed and the real truth seems too impossible to believe, but you’ll appreciate it when you watch the entire series, I did.

TINY PRETTY THINGS. (SERIES). Not much to watch here, as a young black girl (16-18) from Compton goes to dance school in Chicago. She has many, many problems with the other male and female students and faculty. The acting is terrible; the plot is relenting, trite, and boring. Do not watch. 

DNA (SINGLE). The French title is actually ADN. This is a French film about the Alzheimer’s death of an old man, and the infinite decisions and interplay of emotions it brings to the surface. The strained relationships and brutal battles this Algerian family are forced to face, are so realistic that it’s painful – but well done. 

30 COINS. (SERIES). You guessed it…the 30 coins are the ones that Judas received for betraying Jesus. There’s this priest in Spain who has a very shady past, and also does exorcisms. 

More than that, a cow gives birth to a human baby – and there’s enough plots to keep you focused at least through the first two episodes

The movies below are not ranked in any particular order. I’ve eliminated some of the most boring, time wasting flops…enjoy what’s left!!  

DOCTOR SLEEP. Stanley Kubricks’ The Shining, taken from Stephen Kings’ book, and starring Jack Nicholson, remains a classic. Doctor Sleep stars Ewan McGregor and claims to be – and tries hard to be – a sequel taking place 40 years after The Shining. There’s a Jack Nicholson lookalike, a few scenes near the end of that classic hotel, views of the twin girls standing in the hallway, but it’s a lame attempt. There’s also the repeating phrase “Pain purifies steam”, which is as mystifying as it is confusing. Do not go to any trouble or expense if you expect to be treated to a deserving sequel.  

BORDERTOWN. Be sure to link on to the Finnish Bordertown, there are many Bordertowns online. A conflicted chief investigator leads his team through clues and false leads to solve some complex murders. Like Sherlock Holmes, the investigator has his flaws and a mysterious past. Watch this one it’ll take your mind off reality.

THE MIDNIGHT SKY. George Clooney plays a terminally ill, very alone guy stationed on a doomed earth in 2049. He tries to communicate with astronauts including Felicity Jones, warning them to not return to earth after an EVENT that destroyed everything. It’s mystical, dull, pointless, and a poor addition to Clooney’s career.

NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS. 99 on Rotten Tomatoes, and yet it’s hard to find. Try HBO, or Prime video. It’s the story of a teenage girl and her girlfriend traveling to New York City from Pennsylvania and having to go through very realistic, inhuman, authentic issues and problems to end her pregnancy. It’s cruel, truthful, and will leave you with new energy to change the abortion laws and practices…don’t miss it. 

THE MESS YOU LEAVE BEHIND. An engrossing series. A young new teacher in Spain replaces one who either committed suicide or was murdered. The Students are hiding something, and they share or lie about their connections. Many time frames, from past to present. It’s based on a book and is well worth watching. 71 on Rotten Tomatoes.

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM. (Single) This near musical is adapted from the play by the same name. It’s also acted as a play more than as a movie or straight drama. It all takes place in 1927 when Ma tries to record the first of her more than 100 songs. The late Chadwick Boseman is Ma’s choice for first trumpet, and Ma’s played by Viola Davis in case you don’t recognize her.

MY OCTOPUS TEACHER. (Single) A documentary by a filmmaker who for some personal reason decides to relate to an octopus in the ocean near the tip of Africa. The octopus is about 1 1/2 feet across and has a very threatened life from sharks and nature. The octopus befriends the filmmaker and the movie is surprising and revealing in the ways it details the complexity of all our lives. Highly recommended. 100 Rotten Tomatoes

ROSE ISLAND (Single) Based on a true and fascinating, engrossing story of an Italian  guy back in 1968 who actually built a platform off the Rimini coast and tried to establish it as his own country. It actually went to the United Nations and later they moved international territory boundaries from 6 to 12 miles offshore. Watch it and dream. 78 Rotten T’s. 

THE CALL.(Single) Korean movies have a certain something that set them way apart. It’s mostly intelligence, clever plots and not quite spelling everything out for the audience. 100 on Rotten Tomatoes!!! An old cell phone rings and communicates between 20 years of haunting calls. Daughters talk to dead grandmothers and all in the same house. Time switches, serial killers separated by time. Fine acting. You’ll be puzzled and completely engaged watching this one.

THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN. (Single) Try very hard to imagine Mel Gibson and Sean Penn together in a true story about the creating of the first Oxford English Dictionary. This movie was made three years ago and it’s so bad Mel Gibson tried suing the production company to get out of it. He lost. Sean Penn is supposed to be a lunatic murderer who is also a language fanatic. Gibson who’s from Australia fakes a Scottish accent and takes charge of the Oxford dictionary through the letter T. Sean Penn becomes bald with a ten inch beard and adds a significant amount of words to the project. To realize our Oxford Dictionary has this history is mind boggling. The movie is dull but unusually fascinating…if you like words. 43 on RT

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA.  (Single) Will Ferrell is too old now to be playing these loony goofballs. There really is a Eurovision Song Contest and apparently it’s almost as odd as this movie makes it out to be. Rachel McAdams who is now 42 plays her dimple cheeked cute role as best she’s allowed to do. It’s Farrell  (aged 53) who has outgrown the kind of humor he worked so hard at 15 to 20 years ago. 64 on RT. Oops I forgot to relate that Pierce Brosnan is in it too, most likely just for the money.

PROM. (Single) This is a big new musical in every sense of the word. It stars Meryl Streep singing, dancing and mugging her way through this simple copy of a Stephen Sondheim type show. Even though the “plot” centers on our serious and contemporary prejudice against gay men and lesbians Streep, Nicole Kidman and James Corden make it all cute flashy, obvious, and not quite memorable. 

WHAT WE WANTED. (Single) An Austrian relationship challenge. A couple can’t have children, whose fault is it? His or hers? We watch and relate to their problems. They take a vacation in Sardinia. The couple next door add huge problems to our main characters. If you’ve had issues in your relationships this may or may not be your best choice…but you will relate to this saga I guarantee.

MANK. (single) Mank is short for Mankiewicz as in Herman Mankiewicz who was the screenwriter of  Orson Welles “Citizen Kane”. C. Kane for non movie goers has been generally regarded as the best movie ever made. It’s on several worldwide “best of” lists and you owe it yourselves to see it at least once. But Mank the movie is mostly made for movie nuts. Amanda Seyfried plays Marion Davies, Charles Dance is William Randolph Hearst, and Tom Burke is Orson Welles. Mank was a professional screenwriter who drank more than anybody and somehow managed to finish the script for Citizen Kane just in time. Gary Oldman is way over the top when he plays Mank, but with the flash of this very Hollywood script he fits in perfectly. You’ll love it.

THE MITFORDS. (single) A fine documentary movie about the wild, wooly, and brilliant  six Mitford sisters. Plus there’s info here for all Santa Cruzans who remember when Jessica Mitford visited and lectured at UCSC. It should be called A Tale of Two Sisters. Jessica who we called Decca was an ardent left wing proponent. She married Oakland Civil Rights Attorney Robert Truehaft and they both attended my wedding in San Francisco back in 1967. Decca’s sister Diana was actually in love with Adolf Hitler and remained that far fascist right all of her life.  Watch this documentary it’s a family like no other.

A RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK. (single) This is Woody Allen’s newest movie and although it bears a lot of resemblance to his earlier movies it’s only a poor copy at best.  It has a 45 on Rotten Tomatoes and that’s generous. Elle Fanning plays a poor copy of Diane Keaton in Annie Hall doing her flighty-nutty best to be like other humans. Jude Law is in it too but we’ll never figure out why, he does nothing to further anything. Timothee Chalamat is the usual Woody Allen type character in the movie and he has little reason to be there either.  It lacks the charm, sharp humor, social commentary and the class of what used to be Woody’s signature on cinema.

PROFESSOR T. (Series) Egged on by daughter Jennifer I too really liked the Belgian crime series Professor T. It’s not easily available so try going to PBS Passport series, it’s well worth your searching time. The Professor teaches at the Antwerp University and is a habitual germophobe. He advises the local police and detectives and manages to bring in humor which makes this 3 series very enjoyable. Beware of the German version and the Czech copy, 

THE LIFE AHEAD.(Single) To see Sophia Loren at age 86, and see her looking like she’s 86 is a treat. She plays a holocaust survivor who acts as mother to some children of prostitutes.  Her interaction with a Senegalese 14 year old boy is a neat piece of cinema and it’s directed by her son Edourdo Ponti. 

I am forced to admit that I haven’t seen a movie especially in the recent year that would come close to Marcel Carne’s  “Children of Paradise” or “Les Enfants du Paradis”. It was filmed in 1945. I watched it for the umpteenth time again last week. It’s the perfect movie. None of the following even come close.

DOCTOR SLEEP. Stanley Kubricks’ The Shining, taken from Stephen Kings’ book, and starring Jack Nicolson, remains classic. Doctor Sleep stars Ewan McGregor and claims to be – and tries hard to be – a sequel taking place 40 years after The Shining. There’s a Jack Nicolson lookalike, a few scenes near the end of that classic hotel, views of the twin girls standing in the hallway, but it’s a lame attempt. There’s also the repeating phrase “Pain purifies steam”, which is as mystifying as it is confusing. Do not go to any trouble or expense if you expect to be treated to a deserving sequel.  

BORDERTOWN. Be sure to link on to the Finnish Bordertown, there are many Bordertowns online. A conflicted chief investigator leads his team through clues and false leads to solve some complex murders. Like Sherlock Holmes, the investigator has his flaws and a mysterious past. Watch this one it’ll take your mind off reality.

THE MIDNIGHT SKY. George Clooney plays a terminally ill, very alone guy stationed on a doomed earth in 2049. He tries to communicate with astronauts including Felicity Jones, warning them to not return to earth after an EVENT that destroyed everything. It’s mystical, dull, pointless, and a poor addition to Clooney’s career.

NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS. 99 on Rotten Tomatoes, and yet it’s hard to find. Try HBO, or Prime video. It’s the story of a teenage girl and her girlfriend traveling to New York City from Pennsylvania and having to go through very realistic, inhuman, authentic issues and problems to end her pregnancy. It’s cruel, truthful, and will leave you with new energy to change the abortion laws and practices…don’t miss it. 

THE MESS YOU LEAVE BEHIND. An engrossing series. A young new teacher in Spain replaces one who either committed suicide or was murdered. The Students are hiding something, and they share or lie about their connections. Many time frames, from past to present. It’s based on a book and is well worth watching. 71 on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movies below are not ranked in any particular order. I’ve eliminated some of the most boring, time wasting flops…enjoy what’s left!! 

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM. (Single) This near musical is adapted from the play by the same name. It’s also acted as a play more than as a movie or straight drama. It all takes place in 1927 when Ma tries to record the first of her more than 100 songs. The late Chadwick Boseman is Ma’s choice for first trumpet, and Ma’s played by Viola Davis in case you don’t recognize her.

MY OCTOPUS TEACHER. (Single) A documentary by a filmmaker who for some personal reason decides to relate to an octopus in the ocean near the tip of Africa. The octopus is about 1 1/2 feet across and has a very threatened life from sharks and nature. The octopus befriends the filmmaker and the movie is surprising and revealing in the ways it details the complexity of all our lives. Highly recommended. 100 Rotten Tomatoes

ROSE ISLAND (Single) Based on a true and fascinating, engrossing story of an Italian  guy back in 1968 who actually built a platform off the Rimini coast and tried to establish it as his own country. It actually went to the United Nations and later they moved international territory boundaries from 6 to 12 miles offshore. Watch it and dream. 78 Rotten T’s. 

AVA. (Single)Watch John Malkovich, Colin Farrell and mostly Jessica Chastain try to save this boring, poor copy of a spy movie. 15 on RT. Geena Davis was brought back from somewhere to play a ridiculous role and she too fails miserably. It’s war within war as international spy teams distrust each other. Don’t bother.

THE CALL.(Single) Korean movies have a certain something that set them way apart. It’s mostly intelligence, clever plots and not quite spelling everything out for the audience. 100 on Rotten Tomatoes!!! An old cell phone rings and communicates between 20 years of haunting calls. Daughters talk to dead grandmothers and all in the same house. Time switches, serial killers separated by time. Fine acting. You’ll be puzzled and completely engaged watching this one.

THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN. (Single) Try very hard to imagine Mel Gibson and Sean Penn together in a true story about the creating of the first Oxford English Dictionary. This movie was made three years ago and it’s so bad Mel Gibson tried suing the production company to get out of it. He lost. Sean Penn is supposed to be a lunatic murderer who is also a language fanatic. Gibson who’s from Australia fakes a Scottish accent and takes charge of the Oxford dictionary through the letter T. Sean Penn becomes bald with a ten inch beard and adds a significant amount of words to the project. To realize our Oxford Dictionary has this history is mind boggling. The movie is dull but unusually fascinating…if you like words. 43 on RT

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA.  (Single) Will Ferrell is too old now to be playing these loony goofballs. There really is a Eurovision Song Contest and apparently it’s almost as odd as this movie makes it out to be. Rachel McAdams who is now 42 plays her dimple cheeked cute role as best she’s allowed to do. It’s Farrell  (aged 53) who has outgrown the kind of humor he worked so hard at 15 to 20 years ago. 64 on RT. Oops I forgot to relate that Pierce Brosnan is in it too, most likely just for the money.

PROM. (Single) This is a big new musical in every sense of the word. It stars Meryl Streep singing, dancing and mugging her way through this simple copy of a Stephen Sondheim type show. Even though the “plot” centers on our serious and contemporary prejudice against gay men and lesbians Streep, Nicole Kidman and James Corden make it all cute flashy, obvious, and not quite memorable. 

WHAT WE WANTED. (Single) An Austrian relationship challenge. A couple can’t have children, whose fault is it? His or hers? We watch and relate to their problems. They take a vacation in Sardinia. The couple next door add huge problems to our main characters. If you’ve had issues in your relationships this may or may not be your best choice…but you will relate to this saga I guarantee.

MANK. (single) Mank is short for Mankiewicz as in Herman Mankiewicz who was the screenwriter of  Orson Welles “Citizen Kane”. C. Kane for non movie goers has been generally regarded as the best movie ever made. It’s on several worldwide “best of” lists and you owe it yourselves to see it at least once. But Mank the movie is mostly made for movie nuts. Amanda Seyfried plays Marion Davies, Charles Dance is William Randolph Hearst, and Tom Burke is Orson Welles. Mank was a professional screenwriter who drank more than anybody and somehow managed to finish the script for Citizen Kane just in time. Gary Oldman is way over the top when he plays Mank, but with the flash of this very Hollywood script he fits in perfectly. You’ll love it.

THE MITFORDS. (single) A fine documentary movie about the wild, wooly, and brilliant  six Mitford sisters. Plus there’s info here for all Santa Cruzans who remember when Jessica Mitford visited and lectured at UCSC. It should be called A Tale of Two Sisters. Jessica who we called Decca was an ardent left wing proponent. She married Oakland Civil Rights Attorney Robert Truehaft and they both attended my wedding in San Francisco back in 1967. Decca’s sister Diana was actually in love with Adolf Hitler and remained that far fascist right all of her life.  Watch this documentary it’s a family like no other.

A RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK. (single) This is Woody Allen’s newest movie and although it bears a lot of resemblance to his earlier movies it’s only a poor copy at best.  It has a 45 on Rotten Tomatoes and that’s generous. Elle Fanning plays a poor copy of Diane Keaton in Annie Hall doing her flighty-nutty best to be like other humans. Jude Law is in it too but we’ll never figure out why, he does nothing to further anything. Timothee Chalamat is the usual Woody Allen type character in the movie and he has little reason to be there either.  It lacks the charm, sharp humor, social commentary and the class of what used to be Woody’s signature on cinema.

PROFESSOR T. (Series) Egged on by daughter Jennifer I too really liked the Belgian crime series Professor T. It’s not easily available so try going to PBS Passport series, it’s well worth your searching time. The Professor teaches at the Antwerp University and is a habitual germophobe. He advises the local police and detectives and manages to bring in humor which makes this 3 series very enjoyable. Beware of the German version and the Czech copy, 

THE LIFE AHEAD.(Single) To see Sophia Loren at age 86, and see her looking like she’s 86 is a treat. She plays a holocaust survivor who acts as mother to some children of prostitutes.  Her interaction with a Senegalese 14 year old boy is a neat piece of cinema and it’s directed by her son Edourdo Ponti. 

THE MAN WITHOUT GRAVITY. (Single) Another Italian near fable about a baby born and floating to the ceiling attached to his umbilical cord. What he does with his life, and his decisions about letting the world know he floats make a near masterpiece. Not too near Italian Classics like “Life Is Beautiful” or “Amarcord” it’s still fun to think about.

CALL MY AGENT. Daughter Hillary found this one and she’s right, it’s a good one. There might be a problem in finding this one under that title on Netflix, if so try “Dix Pour Cent”. Billed as a comedy it centers on the lives of the talent agents and stars who work at a famous show biz agency in Paris. Tempers, jokes, love affairs, and much talent all get very mixed and still it’s almost riveting.

THE VOW. 82 ON Rotten Tomatoes is just about what I’d give this documentary. NXIVM is the name of a self awareness, mindfulness group. It has masters and slaves and even branding women members in private places. It’s a documentary but not your average documentary. If you’ve ever belonged to or have thought about joining one like maybe Scientology don’t miss this partial opening of their secret doors. Just a few weeks ago (Nov.2) Keith Raniere, the real life NXIVM leader was sentenced to 120 years in prison.

Scrolling around the tech universe to find something/anything worthwhile to watch can take patience, time, and disappointment. To aid your search I’ve added “Single” to the movies that are complete in one screening and “Series” to those with episodes.

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM. (Single) This near-musical is adapted from the play of the same name. It’s also acted as a play, more than as a movie or straight drama. It all takes place in 1927, when Ma tries to record the first of her more than 100 songs. The late Chadwick Boseman is Ma’s choice for first trumpet, and Ma’s played by Viola Davis ,in case you don’t recognize her.

MY OCTOPUS TEACHER. (Single) A documentary by a filmmaker who for some personal reason decides to relate to an octopus in the ocean near the tip of Africa. The octopus is about 1 ½ feet across and has a very threatened life from sharks and nature. The octopus befriends the filmmaker and the movie is surprising and revealing in the ways it details the complexity of all our lives. Highly recommended.  `100 Rotten Tomatoes

ROSE ISLAND (Single) Based on a true, fascinating, engrossing story of an Italian guy back in 1968, who built a platform off the Rimini coast and tried to establish it as his own country. It actually went to the United Nations, and later they moved international territory boundaries from 6 to 12 miles offshore. Watch it and dream. 78 Rotten T’s. 

AVA. (Single)Watch John Malkovich, Colin Farrell and mostly Jessica Chastain try to save this boring, poor copy of a spy movie. 15 on RT. Geena Davis was brought back from somewhere to play a ridiculous role, and she too fails miserably. It’s war within war, as international spy teams distrust each other. Don’t bother.

THE CALL. (Single) Korean movies have a certain something that set them way apart. It’s mostly intelligence, clever plots and not quite spelling everything out for the audience. 100 on Rotten Tomatoes!!! An old cell phone rings and communicates between 20 years of haunting calls. Daughters talk to dead grandmothers and all in the same house. Time switches, serial killers separated by time. Fine acting. You’ll be puzzled and completely engaged watching this one.

THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN. (Single) Try very hard to imagine Mel Gibson and Sean Penn together in a true story about the creating of the first Oxford English Dictionary. This movie was made three years ago, and it’s so bad  thatMel Gibson tried suing the production company to get out of it. He lost. Sean Penn is supposed to be a lunatic murderer who is also a language fanatic. Gibson, who’s from Australia, fakes a Scottish accent, and takes charge of the Oxford dictionary through the letter T. Sean Penn becomes bald with a ten inch beard and adds a significant amount of words to the project. To realize our Oxford Dictionary has this history is mind-boggling. The movie is dull but unusually fascinating…if you like words. 43 on RT

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA. (Single) Will Ferrell is too old now to be playing these loony goofballs. There really is a Eurovision Song Contest, and apparently it’s almost as odd as this movie makes out. Rachel McAdams, who is now 42, plays her dimple-cheeked cute role as best she’s allowed to do. It’s Farrell (aged 53) who has outgrown the kind of humor he worked so hard at 15 to 20 years ago. 64 on RT. Oops, I forgot to relate that Pierce Brosnan is in it too, most likely just for the money.

The movies below are not ranked in any particular order. I’ve eliminated some of the most boring, time wasting flops…enjoy what’s left!! 

PROM.(Single) This is a big new musical in every sense of the word. It stars Meryl Streep singing, dancing and mugging her way through this simple copy of a Stephen Sondheim type show. Even though the “plot” centers on our serious and contemporary prejudice against gay men and lesbians Streep, Nicole Kidman and James Corden make it all cute flashy, obvious, and not quite memorable. 

UNDERWATER.(Single). A truly unbelievable copy of every deep sea monster movie we’ve ever seen. Kristin Stewart and Vincent Cassel are in charge of a six mile deep oil drilling station in the Marianna Straits or maybe Los Angeles!! If you stay awake or interested long enough you can see T.J. Miller the geeky neighbor from the old Silicon Valley series doing very little to keep this poorly plotted saga from sinking deeper. 47 RT

THE GODFATHER. (Series). Now that Francis Ford Coppola has re-hashed and edited Godfather III into the newly released The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone I wanted to see just how memorable the series was/is. Watching Marlon Brando with stuffed cheeks, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, James Caan, Robert Duvall and good old and evil Sterling Hayden brings back many memories of the 1972 original thriller. Watch it again.

WHAT WE WANTED.(Single) An Austrian relationship challenge. A couple can’t have children, whose fault is it? His or hers? We watch and relate to their problems. They take a vacation in Sardinia. The couple next door add huge problems to our main characters. If you’ve had issues in your relationships this may or may not be your brest choice…but you will relate to this saga I guarantee.

MANK. (single) Mank is short for Mankiewicz as in Herman Mankiewicz who was the screenwriter of  Orson Welles “Citizen Kane”. C. Kane for non movie goers has been generally regarded as the best movie ever made. It’s on several worldwide “best of” lists and you owe it yourselves to see it at least once. But Mank the movie is mostly made for movie nuts. Amanda Seyfried plays Marion Davies, Charles Dance is William Randolph Hearst, and Tom Burke is Orson Welles. Mank was a professional screenwriter who drank more than anybody and somehow managed to finish the script for Citizen Kane just in time. Gary Oldman is way over the top when he plays Mank, but with the flash of this very Hollywood script he fits in perfectly. You’ll love it.

THE MITFORDS. (single) A fine documentary movie about the wild, wooly, and brilliant  six Mitford sisters. Plus there’s info here for all Santa Cruzans who remember when Jessica Mitford visited and lectured at UCSC. It should be called A Tale of Two Sisters. Jessica who we called Decca was an ardent left wing proponent. She married Oakland Civil Rights Attorney Robert Truehaft and they both attended my wedding in San Francisco back in 1967. Decca’s sister Diana was actually in love with Adolf Hitler and remained that far fascist right all of her life.  Watch this documentary it’s a family like no other.

A RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK. (single) This is Woody Allen’s newest movie and although it bears a lot of resemblance to his earlier movies it’s only a poor copy at best.  It has a 45 on Rotten Tomatoes and that’s generous. Elle Fanning plays a poor copy of Diane Keaton in Annie Hall doing her flighty-nutty best to be like other humans. Jude Law is in it too but we’ll never figure out why, he does nothing to further anything. Timothee Chalamat is the usual Woody Allen type character in the movie and he has little reason to be there either.  It lacks the charm, sharp humor, social commentary and the class of what used to be Woody’s signature on cinema.

PROFESSOR T.(Series) Egged on by daughter Jennifer I too really liked the Belgian crime series Professor T. It’s not easily available so try going to PBS Passport series, it’s well worth your searching time. The Professor teaches at the Antwerp University and is a habitual germophobe. He advises the local police and detectives and manages to bring in humor which makes this 3 series very enjoyable. Beware of the German version and the Czech copy, 

THE LIFE AHEAD.(Single) To see Sophia Loren at age 86, and see her looking like she’s 86 is a treat. She plays a holocaust survivor who acts as mother to some children of prostitutes.  Her interaction with a Senegalese 14 year old boy is a neat piece of cinema and it’s directed by her son Edourdo Ponti. 

THE MAN WITHOUT GRAVITY. (Single) Another Italian near fable about a baby born and floating to the ceiling attached to his umbilical cord. What he does with his life, and his decisions about letting the world know he floats make a near masterpiece. Not too near Italian Classics like “Life Is Beautiful” or “Amarcord” it’s still fun to think about.

CALL MY AGENT. Daughter Hillary found this one and she’s right, it’s a good one. There might be a problem in finding this one under that title on Netflix, if so try “Dix Pour Cent”. Billed as a comedy it centers on the lives of the talent agents and stars who work at a famous show biz agency in Paris. Tempers, jokes, love affairs, and much talent all get very mixed and still it’s almost riveting.

THE GLORIAS.(Single) This bio-pic of Gloria Steinem is a good one. Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander and two more women/girls play her in this near dream like history of the women’s movement and her part in it. Julie Taymor directed it and does portray Gloria as her real mini-skirt, long nails gorgeous self. Timothy Hutton is in it too nut he shouldn’t have been. It has much fantasy, dreams, animation and oddly placed moves that obscure the important view of women’s equality fights that Steinman was an integral part of. Bette Midler plays Bella Abzug. Watch it, and don’t snicker at the odd ball parts. 

THE VOW. 82 ON Rotten Tomatoes is just about what I’d give this documentary. NXIVM is the name of a self awareness, mindfulness group. It has masters and slaves and even branding women members in private places. It’s a documentary but not your average documentary. If you’ve ever belonged to or have thought about joining one like maybe Scientology don’t miss this partial opening of their secret doors. Just a few weeks ago (Nov.2) Keith Raniere, the real life NXIVM leader was sentenced to 120 years in prison.

Scrolling around the tech universe to find something/anything worthwhile to watch can take patience, time, and disappointment. To aid your search I’ve added “Single” to the movies that are complete in one screening and “Series” to those with episodes.

PROM. [single] This is a big new musical, in every sense of the word. It stars Meryl Streep singing, dancing and mugging her way through this simple copy of a Stephen Sondheim-type show. Even though the “plot” centers on our serious and contemporary prejudice against gay men and lesbians, Streep, Nicole Kidman and James Corden make it all cute, flashy, obvious, and not quite memorable. 

UNDERWATER. [single] A truly unbelievable copy of every deep sea monster movie we’ve ever seen. Kristin Stewart and Vincent Cassel are in charge of a six mile deep oil drilling station in the Marianna Straits, or maybe Los Angeles! If you stay awake or interested long enough, you can see T.J. Miller – the geeky neighbor from the old Silicon Valley series – doing very little to keep this poorly-plotted saga from sinking deeper. 47 RT

THE GODFATHER. [series]. Now that Francis Ford Coppola has re-hashed and edited Godfather III into the newly released The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, I wanted to see just how memorable the series was/is. Watching Marlon Brando with stuffed cheeks, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, James Caan, Robert Duvall and good old and evil Sterling Hayden brings back many memories of the 1972 original thriller. Watch it again.

WHAT WE WANTED. [single] An Austrian relationship challenge. A couple can’t have children – whose fault is it? His or hers? We watch and relate to their struggle. They take a vacation in Sardinia. The couple next door add huge problems to our main characters. If you’ve had issues in your relationships, this may or may not be your best choice…but you will relate to this saga, I guarantee.

RAGNAROK. [series] A Norwegian environmental adventure. An interesting mix of Norse legends, Wagner, Thor and his hammer and all that jazz – except no Valkyries!!! A little Norway town called Edda is controlled by a PG& E type monster organization. Only Magne, the young hero – who looks like Chris Krohn – can save them. Good fun IF you like Norse/Viking/rune type history. 67 on RTomatoes. 

Still new Idea. The movies below are not ranked in any particular order. I’ve eliminated some of the most boring, time wasting flops…enjoy what’s left!!

MANK. [single] Mank is short for Mankiewicz as in Herman Mankiewicz who was the screenwriter of  Orson Welles “Citizen Kane”. C. Kane for non movie goers has been generally regarded as the best movie ever made. It’s on several worldwide “best of” lists and you owe it yourselves to see it at least once. But Mank the movie is mostly made for movie nuts. Amanda Seyfried plays Marion Davies, Charles Dance is William Randolph Hearst, and Tom Burke is Orson Welles. Mank was a professional screenwriter who drank more than anybody and somehow managed to finish the script for Citizen Kane just in time. Gary Oldman is way over the top when he plays Mank, but with the flash of this very Hollywood script he fits in perfectly. You’ll love it.

THE MITFORDS. [single] A fine documentary movie about the wild, wooly, and brilliant  six Mitford sisters. Plus there’s info here for all Santa Cruzans who remember when Jessica Mitford visited and lectured at UCSC. It should be called A Tale of Two Sisters. Jessica who we called Decca was an ardent left wing proponent. She married Oakland Civil Rights Attorney Robert Truehaft and they both attended my wedding in San Francisco back in 1967. Decca’s sister Diana was actually in love with Adolf Hitler and remained that far fascist right all of her life.  Watch this documentary it’s a family like no other.

A RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK. [single] This is Woody Allen’s newest movie and although it bears a lot of resemblance to his earlier movies it’s only a poor copy at best.  It has a 45 on Rotten Tomatoes and that’s generous. Elle Fanning plays a poor copy of Diane Keaton in Annie Hall doing her flighty-nutty best to be like other humans. Jude Law is in it too but we’ll never figure out why, he does nothing to further anything. Timothee Chalamat is the usual Woody Allen type character in the movie and he has little reason to be there either.  It lacks the charm, sharp humor, social commentary and the class of what used to be Woody’s signature on cinema.

GHOSTS OF WAR. This World War II movie has a handful of  American troops occupying  a house that once belonged to a family that was tortured by the Nazis. The troops have visions both of the past and of the future including war scenes in Afghanistan. It’s about PTSD in the extreme. Maybe there are ghosts, maybe not. The makeup is poorly done, the acting is amateur at best. 

HILLBILLY ELEGY. A startling and impressive cast including Glen Close and Amy Adams in this movie directed by Ron Howard makes it worth watching. It’s a depressing story taken from the biography of J.D.Vance the author. He had a horrific, cruel childhood with a drug addict from law school. Heroic but depressing and it’s probably even worse than your childhood. Watch it but stay happy anyways.

PROFESSOR T. [series] Egged on by daughter Jennifer I too really liked the Belgian crime series Professor T. It’s not easily available so try going to PBS Passport series, its well worth your searching time. The Professor teaches at the Antwerp University and is a habitual germophobe. He advises the local police and detectives and manages to bring in humor which makes this 3 series very enjoyable. Beware of the German version and the Czech copy, 

LOVE AND ANARCHY. [series] It’s a Swedish half comedy with a fine plot. A beautiful babe who is mother to two children gets a job in a publishing company. There’s a lot of film buff material like Ingmar Bergman references, and that’s fun. But then the babe Sofie starts flirting and gets flirting back from a much younger techie at the company. How she and he handle it and their lives makes it fascinating and we get to watch the rise and fall of their relationship and the publishing house.

CARMEL or WHO KILLED MARIA MARTA. This documentary takes place not in Our Carmel but in Carmel, Buenos Aires. Thought to be an accident Marias body was found drowned in her bathtub. After much politics and news reporters telling of the story bullets were discovered  in her skull. Well paced, excellently timed, perfectly photographed, this is one to enjoy as the unsuspected truth is unraveled.

EYE FOR AN EYE. This is a Spanish drama and one you won’t forget. A wealthy, feared drug lord wants to get out of the “business” and goes to a rest home to retire. As luck has it he gets assigned to a male nurse who has suffered greatly from his unwanted connections with drug use. He has to decide in many ways whether or not to revenge the wrongs that were done to him. How he treats the drug king is so touching and revealing…and well done.

THE LIFE AHEAD. To see Sophia Loren at age 86, and see her looking like she’s 86 is a treat. She plays a holocaust survivor who acts as mother to some children of prostitutes.  Her interaction with a Senegalese 14 year old boy is a neat piece of cinema and it’s directed by her son Edourdo Ponti. 

THE MAN WITHOUT GRAVITY. Another Italian near fable about a baby born and floating to the ceiling attached to his umbilical cord. What he does with his life, and his decisions about letting the world know he floats make a near masterpiece. Not too near Italian Classics like “Life Is Beautiful” or “Amarcord” it’s still fun to think about.

THE 12TH MAN. The 12th Man is one of 12 Norwegian resistance soldiers who plan to blow up the Nazi invaders of their land. The Nazis kill 11 and the extra brave survivor becomes the target of a Nazi general. The very most loyal locals help hide the man who suffers terribly from ice, rain, and bullets survive and he makes it finally and safely back to Sweden. Fine film (or movie) and it’s based on a true story.  

CROWN. [series] I binged watched almost all of the new fourth season of Crown last Sunday, and loved it. Margaret Thatcher, The Falkland Islands, and of course Princess Diana make for exciting and involving viewing. Super acting and gorgeous photography make it even better. It’s odd and curious how Americans remain so hooked on and fascinated by England’s hierarchy. Not one in a thousand of us could tell you who runs Canada or Mexico but Britain’s Elizabeth’s and Diana’s secrets just never stop hooking us in. By all means view this Netflix series.   

INDUSTRY. [series] A young black female student from NYC goes to London to handle a job with a huge financial institution. She competes, challenges, loses, and wins against her fellow young employees. Well written, great acting, extra fast moving with little script padding. It’s on HBO and got a 78 on Rotten Tomatoes for its’ first episode. 

FIREBALL: VISITORS FROM DARKER WORLDS. If you are a fan or follower of Werner Hertzog ( Fitzcarraldo, Heart of Glass, Lessons of Darkness) you won’t be surprised to know this new “documentary” of his involves visitors from outer space. Herzog and crew travel the earth finding bits and pieces of meteorites millimeters across to craters measuring miles across that have some traces of outer space creation. This movie makes a strong case for extraterrestrial life, and for the idea that we have been ignoring messages from way out there. Good to watch.   

THE QUEENS GAMBIT. [series]This earned a 100 on Rotten Tomatoes and deserved it. It’s from a novel about an orphan who learns chess from the janitor. She takes pills to cause phantom chess games, drinks , and in spite of all her weaknesses she manages to take on and beat almost every world champion. You don’t need to know chess to enjoy it.

SECRETS OF THE SAQQARA TOMB. [single] A straight documentary about how archeology works. It digs around a pharaoh’s tomb and will teach you much more about archeology than you thought you knew. It’s a change from what we “normally” watch.

THE UNDOING. [series] (HBO) Nicole Kidman and a older looking and very serious Hugh Grant take the leads as a gorgeous psychiatrist who’s married to a kind and empathetic doctor. They have a son who has a beautiful girlfriend. Everything’s fine until a murder happens. Being HBO this takes weeks to watch and the first three episodes look good so far. The finale is terrible and makes us wish we never watched any of this series. 

 DOLLY PARTON: HERE I AM. We’ll never see an off-screen minute of Dolly Parton. She’s always on and always surprising. She’s written over 3000 songs, she’s 74 years old, been married 30 years and this documentary is wonderful whether you are a fan or not.  Jane Fonda and Lilly Tomlin love her and talk about their friendship when they made “9 to 5”. Click on it.  

BORAT: SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM. [single] Supposedly a follow up to Sasha Baron Cohen’s earlier Borat movie. I copied some adjectives from other critics that I agree with…repugnant, filthy, incestuous, shocking, crude, cringing, appalling, harsh, repellent, menstrual and more. It also has a very strange actual scene with Rudy Giuliani and another with Tom Hanks that I’ll never figure out. Do not watch this mess.

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7. [single]This new movie written and directed by Aaron Sorkin is a fascinating movie , a good movie BUT it simply isn’t an honest look at what happened at the trial of the Chicago 7. Characters are added, romances are hinted at and Eddie Redmayne’s role as Tom Hayden is simply off base. Senator Bill Monning sent me a critique of the movie by Rennie Davis who is/was part of the 7. Former Santa Cruz Mayor Chris Krohn sent me another political reaction from the Berkeley Barb. They agree that this movie really adds lightness and Hollywood touches to a very important civil rights stepping stone. Watch it but be very aware. I’m also proud to tell you that on October 30, 2008 our then State Assemblyman Bill Monning (now our retired Calif. Senator) brought Tom Hayden to my KZSC radio program Universal Grapevine. We didn’t talk about his marriage to Jane Fonda and the movie doesn’t touch it either.   

BORGEN. [series]I started watching this series months ago, it’s one of the finest series I’ve seen. Now the world’s critics and audiences are catching up on it. Here’s what I wrote back on Feb. 5…

Borgen translates as “the castle” in Danish, and I must tell you that I’ve been totally immersed in this three season iTunes saga since my daughter Hillary found and recommended it. It’s the story of a woman who becomes the first female Prime Minister of Denmark. If you like politics and wonder what a politician’s life is like, forget any American versions and watch this instead. The show started in 2010, and from what I hear it won’t go past the third series. Forget “Veep”, “House of Cards”, “The West Wing” and the rest… Borgen is far superior. I’d give you your money back IF and etc….but it would be too much trouble, and you’ll love it too. Now there’s talk of a fourth episode to be released in 2021 with the original cast and on Netflix.

CALL MY AGENT. Daughter Hillary found this one and she’s right, it’s a good one. There might be a problem in finding this one under that title on Netflix, if so try “Dix Pour Cent”. Billed as a comedy it centers on the lives of the talent agents and stars who work at a famous show biz agency in Paris. Tempers, jokes, love affairs, and much talent all get very mixed and still it’s almost riveting.

THE GLORIAS. [single] This bio-pic of Gloria Steinem is a good one. Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander and two more women/girls play her in this near dream like history of the womens’ movement and her part in it. Julie Taymor directed it and does portray Gloria as her real mini-skirt, long nails gorgeous self. Timothy Hutton is in it too nut he shouldn’t have been. It has much fantasy, dreams, animation and oddly placed moves that obscure the important view of women’s equality fights that Steinman was an integral part of. Bette Midler plays Bella Abzug. Watch it, and don’t snicker at the odd ball parts. 

EMILY IN PARIS. [series] Lily Collins is Emily. Emily is from Chicago and is sent to Paris as a company rep. The Paris group doesn’t like her and Emily has a rough time adjusting to France. Cute, clever, time consuming, charming, and I imagine the series will be the same.

TEHRAN. It has a 93 on Rotten Tomatoes!! An international spy killer-thrill series. It mixes Iran, Tehran, Jordan, Israel’s internal wars with a young woman’s attempt to steal government high tech secrets. Complex, well acted, and if you can keep up with identities, you can continue forgetting about movie theatres.

CRIMINAL. [series] This is an unusual series that consists of four different story lines on four different websites. There’s Criminal: United Kingdom, Criminal: Germany, Criminal: Spain and Criminal: France. All episodes were filmed in Spain and center on criminals each being questioned and interviewed in exactly the same interrogating room with a very important two-way mirror separating them from the cops and legal team. I’ve watched almost all of the four series, they are clever, well acted, puzzling in a good way and well worth your time.

THE VOW. 82 ON Rotten Tomatoes is just about what I’d give this documentary. NXIVM is the name of a self awareness, mindfulness group. It has masters and slaves and even branding women members in private places. It’s a documentary but not your average documentary. If you’ve ever belonged to or have thought about joining one like maybe Scientology don’t miss this partial opening of their secret doors. Just a few weeks ago (Nov.2) Keith Raniere, the real life NXIVM leader was sentenced to 120 years in prison.

RATCHED. Named and promoted as a back story to the famed Nurse Ratched played by Louise Fletcher in Jack Nicolson’s and Ken Kesey’s  “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” book.For some reason the hospital is changed from a military rehab center in Menlo Park, where Kesey did time, to a spacious retreat in Lucia, which is near Big Sur. Judy Davis, Sarah Paulson, Cynthia Nixon and believe it or not, Sharon Stone are in it. It’s a gruesome movie with such scenes as a doctor hammering an ice pick into a patient’s eye or being given a severed head as a present. The lesbian sub plot is very insensitive, so is the sodomy story…don’t bother.

THE SOCIAL DILEMMA. [single] This one hour and 20 minute documentary a Netflix original is so important, good, and timely. It focuses on the control the internet has over us now and the inevitable growth it will take as time goes by. The control goes much deeper than your searching for a toaster on Amazon and seeing toasters pop up on the next 20 screens you open. It’s about how Facebook, Twitter, Google, You Tube and many more. Are controlling how long we watch and how often we click on any site, then selling the data from our views to advertisers. They work hard to change our groups of friends to bring people with similar views together politically, religiously and change our lives in the process. My notes while watching say things like…the future and Utopia or oblivion,  causing a civil war, ruining a global economy, prioritizing what keeps us on our screen, election advertising, existential threat, can’t agree on what is truth, assault on democracy and on and on. Do see this documentary and think about it and us and yourself. … 

RAKE. [series] I’m still enthralled with watching RAKE. It’s one of the most consistent brilliant funny, curious, serious, series I’ve ever seen. It’s a Netflix feature from Australia back in 2010. This week Netflix introduced Charlie Kaufmann’s newest movie “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”. You need warnings about Kaufmann’s films. Remember “Being John Malkovich”, “Synecdoche, New York” and especially “Eternal Sunshine of the Eternal Mind”. “I’m Thinking” is one of his impressionistic, dreamlike. Psychological adventure voyages. It’ll stay with you for days after.