TV: The Sopranos Season 3 (2001)*****

I'm pretty sure The Sopranos is myfavorite TV show. It is the TV show my brain craves to watch the most, and every episode I've seen (all of them) are valuable. The past week or so, I've been re-watching season 3 and dogonnit, if it isn't chock full of the best Soprano moments!

* To start the whole season off, there's the FBI's effort to bug the Soprano house. The coordinated effort is soundtracked with the Peter Gunn spy theme mashed with Sting and the Police Every Breath You Take.

* The funeral Tony's mother dreaded and hoped wouldn't happen. Click here to watch. 

* After Dr. Melfi's horrible rape, the moment she realizes she has the power to have her rapist taken care of, but she decides not to use it.

* After AJ and friends break in and vandalize their school pool house, the Newark Police's super detective work with pizza forensics. The camera and editing in this scene is pure and beautiful comedy. Click here to watch. 

* The Big Mouth Billy Bass gift and related dream sequences.

* Paulie and Christopher get lost in the wintery southern New Jersey woods. This is top quality acting people. Click here to watch. 

As I said, this is one of, if not my #1 favorite TV show, so it gets five stars*****. 

I re-watched The Sopranos Season 3 thanks to my Amazon Prime subscription. 

Rating System Check-In

I've been having some thoughts on my rating system and wondering if I need to add another level.

Right now this is how things get rated:

• One star* is just awful. I never want to watch it again. I probably couldn't even get through the whole thing and I'm sorry I wasted precious minutes of my life.
• Two stars** are movies/tv shows that I didn't like, but I was able to get through and I don't want to ever watch again and I probably won't recommend to anyone else.
• Three stars*** are good, but I'm not itching to watch again and again.
• Four stars**** are great. I want to watch them again. I will sing their praises from my front porch.
• Five stars***** are my favorites. Not always critically acclaimed, but movies/tv shows I can watch over and over and I actually get cravings for. These are the pieces of film that I feel have really contributed to my life and are the basis of my addiction.

Sometimes I get stuck in the three stars*** and I wonder if I should split them up. Some three stars*** I don't want to see again and some I do.

• So I'm thinking of using a zero star {  } to indicate the worst film pieces that I couldn't even finish.
• Then, one star* would be for the pieces that I was able to finish, but I just don't like.
• Two stars** can be pieces that I was able to finish, I thought were okay, but not something I want to watch again.
• Three stars*** are good and I wouldn't mind watching again.
• Four **** and Five stars***** are the same as above.

That works for now!

Movie: American Pastoral (2016)

Movie: American Pastoral (2016)

American Pastoral is a tragic drama about a family that was destined to be perfectly happy, but ended up being somewhat miserable.

A beauty queen and the best high school football player in the country marry and create a beautiful life in the countryside, but give birth and raise a flawed daughter. She does something that ruins everything for everyone and the majority of the movie follows the aftermath of that event. No one ends up happy.

This was weird. It should have been good with the cast and the nice cinematography, but it felt like the actors were reading from giant cards being held up behind the camera. It also felt like it should have been a play, not a movie. Some light IMDB digging and I find out this was inspired by a novel and originally written in 2006, but the cast and directors dropped out for one reason or another until Ewan MacGregor came on board to direct, his first ever movie.

I'm giving American Pastoral two stars**. I watched the entire movie, but I think it was really stiff and I don't ever want to see it again, and I can't think of a good reason to recommend it to anyone. So there.

I checked this movie out on DVD from the library.  

TV: The Durrells in Corfu (2016)

The Durrells in Corfu, a Masterpiece family comedy about The Durrells, a widow and her four children, who move from an industrialized city in England to a small island in Greece that has no electricity. It seems that their new found simple life brings out the best and worst in each family member, but they of course also learn how much they love and need each other despite annoying the hell out of each other.

I thought it was written and played very well and reminded me of romantic travel comedies such as Under a Tuscan Sun and All You Need Is Love, both beautifully shot and featuring people who've experienced pain or some kind of life distress and the opportunity of newfound love in a lovely new location. How nice is that?

Spoiler Alert! My only issue is the issue that comes up in the last episode: Mrs. Durrell finds out her fiancé is gay and calls off the wedding. I thought that the issue was dealt with in a rushed manner. I feel like they could have given it more than five minutes to develop, climax and close. Not saying anyone having to do with the show is homophobic or anything like that. It is just that that particular story vector went by in a oddly quick way.

I would most certainly watch this again because I think it was well made and fun, so I'm giving it three stars***.

I watched The entire season, which originally aired on PBS in The States, on Amazon.

Movie: Dear White People (2014)**

The TV show was WAAAAAAAAAAY better than Dear White People, the movie. The movie didn't allow for character or plot development so a lot of stuff didn't make sense. The movie's story and characters were somewhat different than the TV shows and less interesting, in my opinion.

The best thing about the movie on DVD was the featurettes in the special features... oops! With some basic Internet search skills, I found them on YouTube! No need of the DVD. Check out the Dear White People Channel on YouTube to see some funny and poignant PSAs. Click here to see my favorite.

I give this movie two stars** because I have no need to watch it again, but I highly recommend the TV show.

I checked this DVD out from the library.  

Movie: Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution (2016)*****

More twists and turns than the teacup ride at Disneyland, the British mystery, Witness for the Prosecution,  had me on the edge of my recliner couch!

A wealthy older woman is found murdered in her home, her younger, male lover is accused of the crime. A down-on-his-luck solicitor takes up his case. But did he do it? This movie is a whodunnit in its finest form and it makes me want to read the entire Agatha Christie bibliography. What have I been missing out on?!

This movie has the feel of a made-for-tv movie, but I'm not looking at that as a detractor. In fact, that doesn't bother me at all, as I watch a lot of made-for-tv British dramas and mysteries. The acting was superb, notably TobyJones as the solicitor. I don't even think its worthy of mentioning (Oops! I just did!) how great the production was because that's the standard on British productions. I can't think of anything bad about this movie. After some digging, I learned that this was originally produced as a mini-series with two episodes and there was a previous movie adaptation made in 1957.

I'm giving Witness for the Prosecution five stars*****, that's right. This is getting the highest possible rating. It is now ranked amongst my favorites. I want to watch it over and over. I want to recommend this to friends who want a good mystery to curl up with in book or film form.

I checked this DVD out from the library.

Movie: The Founder (2016)***

The Founder is a movie based on the story of McDonald's and the man, who, for a time, claimed to be the founder of McDonald's, Ray Kroc. If you are not a fan of McDonald's, this movie will probably make you hate that corporation. I certainly do. According to this movie, it is a company built on greed, taking advantage of decent people and lies.

I did some internet digging and I found out that many of the facts in The Founder are true. Although I was annoyed when reading a few online articles about fact vs fiction and they all keep saying that in the movie Ray Kroc introduced the idea of franchising to the McDonald brothers. DID ANYONE ACTUALLY WATCH THE MOVIE?! There's a scene with really good editing work that shows the McDonald brothers had already tried franchising by the time Kroc showed up on their doorstep. Kroc just did a better job at franchising.

I didn't think the acting was particularly notable, although the cast was good group of comedy mainstays: Michael Keaton, Laura Dern, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch and BJ Novak. The writing represented the truth really well, while managing to be engaging and entertaining. I thought the production design was top notch. It looks like they rebuilt actual McDonald's locations on sets, the time period was well represented in costume and set design. The scene showing the McDonald brothers' speedy system choreography was a pleasure to watch. This might have won for Best Look at The Chocket Awards this year had I seen it earlier.

Anyway, I'm giving The Founder three stars***. I think its a good movie overall, but I don't see much reason to watch it over and over. I also think it offers a valuable point of reflection on one's choices as a consumer. For instance, I feel like I cannot support the McDonald's Corporation because they're greasy and gross literally and figuratively, but guess who is one of the major contributors to much of my favorite radio programming? The Joan B. Kroc Foundation. That's Joan, wife of the grease man, Ray Kroc.

I checked this DVD out from the library. 

TV: The Doctor Blake Mysteries Seasons 1-3 (2013-2015)****

Doctor Blake the character falls into a category I usually don't like: Men who get away with breaking every rule and putting other people in physical and/or career danger, but who end up getting a pass because they solve the crime. I'm thinking of that TV show, The Mentalist, right now, which is a show I gave up on because I just couldn't believe this dude never had consequences for his risky and sociopathic behavior.

There are some similarities between The Mentalist and Doctor Blake. Both actors are Australian (In The Mentalist Simon Baker is playing an American character, though that's neither here nor there!). Both Thomas Jane (The Mentalist) and Dr. Blake are crime solvers who don't normally play by the rules. Both characters have sad nuclear family backstories. Both characters have a group of good back-up and sidekick crime fighters who suffer from their reckless methods, but also get to stand in the spotlight when they solve the crime.

Back to The Doctor Blake Mysteries: I've watched three seasons and despite him being one of those reprehensible badboy-always-forgiven characters, I really enjoy this show. The situations are interesting, the supporting characters are strong and have lives of their own. In fact, although this is a procedural crime drama, there is a strong storyline that delves into the personal history and current issues that plague Dr. Blake, as well as the stories and concerns of the supporting characters.

Season 3 ends in a much anticipated surprise. Can't wait to see more!

I'm giving The Doctor Blake Mysteries four stars**** because I want to watch this again, I highly recommend it to both British drama fans and crime drama fans and its just plain darn good.

I started watching this on PBS, but would never be home in time to catch them. Then finally the library got the DVDs. Right around the same time, they loaded seasons 1-3 on Netflix, so I watched most of the episodes on Netflix.

TV: Dear White People (2017)****

A really interesting dramedy about a group of black students at a prestigious university who listen to and/or or interact with the host of Dear White People, a radio show on the university’s station.

I like the unique storytelling method of looking at the same situations from different characters perspectives while at the same time moving the storyline forward. This was a good looking movie. They did a great job on the production design and costuming. And politically speaking, I like how it shows that black activism comes in varying degrees and forms, and uses differing strategies. 

I had heard and seen the name Dear White People before this TV show and I somehow got it mixed up. Turns out there was a movie DWP (HA!) in 2014. I plan on checking that out from the library soon. There is also a book, which I may or may not read. I’m a terribly slow reader as the title of this blog might lead you to infer. 

I’m giving the TV show Dear White People four stars**** because I already want to watch it again and I thought it was done really well and in a unique way. I’m not ready to call it a favorite, but it is really good. 

This is a Netflix original series, and I watched it on Netflix.

Movie: The Accountant (2016)**

An autistic boy grows up under the thumb of an Army specialist father only to become accountant to the biggest criminals in the world and world-class killer. What happens when the criminal client turns on their bookkeeper? That's what this movie is all about along with a few less than surprising reveals.

This movie was weak. A good cast gave okay performances at best. The comedic elements (Were they even meant to be be comedic elements?) were awkward. The action happened. The last reveal I figured out halfway through the movie. Duh. The Accountant felt like it was trying to be superhero movie. It felt like it was trying to set up for a sequel. I don't see a need to ever watch it again and I hope there is no sequel. Why, Ben? Why? Why must you make these half-assed films.

I'll give this two stars ** because I watched the whole thing. I didn't really hate it, but there wasn't much to like.

I checked The Accountant out from the library.  

TV: Transparent Season 3 (2016)***

The first episode is just an exploration of how self-centered and entitled  Maura (Jeffrey Tambor) really is as she finds herself wandering up and down the aisles of the Slauson Swap Meet. I hate her and I was so happy to see her carted off to a County hospital on a 5150. I cheered and I kept watching.

I hate this entire family, but the way they bounce off of and crash into the other people in their lives is so enthralling. How can they be such horrible people and attract such interesting and loving human beings? Its the side characters that make this season and the flashbacks to the post-Berlin storyline. 

I’m giving  Transparent Season 3 three stars*** because I don’t see myself watching this over again on purpose, but I did find it to be entertaining and well done TV.

Transparent is an Amazon original so I watched it on Amazon

The Light Between Oceans (2016)***

Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave), Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl) and Rachel Weisz (The Mummy) star in a movie about a happily married lighthouse keeper and his wife who are unable to have children of their own. One day the ocean deposits a boat on their shore and inside they found a baby. How perfect is that? Blue Lagoon anybody? Happiness under mysterious circumstances doesn't last forever, so that's what this movie spends most of its time exploring.

This was drama light and would have made a great two-part made for TV Sunday matinee movie. The cast was great and the roles weren't terribly demanding. The locations were beautiful. The story was interesting. This movie just lacked umph. Something meaty to sink your mental teeth into.
The Light Between Oceans gets 3*** stars from me because I watched the whole thing, it was pretty engaging, but I don't want to watch it again. If you would not like to watch it, but pretty much get the gist of the movie, click here for a little featurette.

I watched this movie on a DVD checked out from the library.

What I'm Watching Now: April 18, 2017

I'm in between a lot of shows and I have a small stack of DVDs waiting to be watched.
Live on TV, Call the Midwife and Home Fires started two weeks ago and they're replaying Forsyth Saga and Wolf Hall for any Damien Lewis fanatics.
On Netflix, I'm stuck in season 3 of Peaky Blinders. The beginning of 3 felt very rushed, and it felt like the quality was slacking so I stepped away for a few weeks, but I'm going to try and finish at least season 3 soon.
A friend of mine discovered they loaded the complete series up tho this point of The Doctor Blake Mysteries, which is so awesome! I watched season 1 and part of season 2 on DVDs from the library, but now I'm continuing on Netflix.
I went for a weekend in Portland recently and the hotel had basic cable so I was able to watch some House Hunters and Fixer Upper (I love Chip and Joanna Gaines!)

I'm trying to stay abreast of the news, but the impending war makes me avoid it. Its almost unconscious.
That's it for now.

Dogtooth (2009)***

I saw The Lobster, which was different and I liked it,  so I looked up what other films that director Yorgos Lanthimos has done and I found Dogtooth available at the library, so I checked it out!

Dogtooth is a strange little subtitled Greek movie about a strange little very controlled family. I didn’t think I was going to be able to get past the first 20 minutes, but I soon became intrigued: What were these strange kids going to do and how can their strange parents maintain this lifestyle?

I don’t think I’ve experienced this before, but this was the first time I watched a movie’s deleted scenes and it made me appreciate the film even more. It was apparent why those scenes should have been cut and the value their cuts added to the movie.

Lanthimos' movies have strange stories and he uses unusual techniques to tell them. I find his style refreshing, especially after watching a lot of BBC produced stuff and the syndicated procedurals I lean on for entertainment during the week.  His style is a little avant garde or artsy, so if you can’t take that, then this film is so not for you. But if you’re ready to try something different, subtitled, disturbing at times with some small spurts of violence then this give this one a go.  

I liked Dogtooth. I’m giving it three stars*** because I liked it, but its not something I see myself watching again and again, although there are certain scenes I might try to find and re-watch on YouTube. 

I checked out Dogtooth on DVD from the library. 

What I'm Watching Now: March 20, 2017

Peaky Blinders: I'm already on season 2 of this Netflix series. I love it. I love Cilian Murphy. Tom Hardy's character is abhorrent. I'm trying to watch it slower so that it can be in my life longer.

The Doctor Blake Mysteries: I just received season 2 of this series from the library. It is an Australian series about a sad doctor who solves crimes.

Six Feet Under: I needed to revisit another show from HBO's golden days, so I started Six Feet Under and immediately fell in, again (Get it?!). There aren't many timely references that remind you of the aughts, so, so far it stands the test of time, but I'm only in the middle of the first season.

I watched Birth of a Nation last week and will write a review sooner or later.

There's also the usual marathons on Ion: Criminal Minds and Blue Bloods, mostly. And whatever Masterpiece crumbs PBS throws out: Wuthering Heights (Tom Hardy version), Call the Midwife and Home Fires.

TV: Victoria (2016)****

Let me just start with the fact that I thought the last episode of this season was fantastic. It felt like a totally different director than the rest of the episodes, but it turns out the same director handled episodes 6, 7 and 8.

So, honestly, I'm a sucker for good love stories and the story of Victoria and Albert is pretty darn good. There was a movie, Young Victoria, starring Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend and the chemistry between Blunt and Friend can't hold a candle to Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes, who are real-life lovers.

Not only did they have great on-screen chemistry, but I enjoyed their portrayals of the characters. But don't you go to the bathroom during the other characters' screen time! I also enjoyed the side stories of Mr. Francatelli and Ms. Skerret; The push and pull between the butler Mr. Penge and Baroness Lehzen and British Government as a character.

Victoria opens on the princess, confined to Kensington Palace, discovering that she is now the Queen of England. A teenage girl now has to learn how to be queen, decide who she can trust, and most importantly, marry and produce an heir to the throne. That's a lot of pressure when all you want to do is enjoy your new freedom. She is pressured to give her cousin Albert a try and it turns out he's the one. They get married and together they navigate the political and social sharks.

Awesome acting moment: In the last episode, during Victoria's confinement aka labor,Victoria (Jenna Coleman) looks to her left and right, trying to gather strength from the eyes of the people who are closest to her, and in her face you can see the fear of childbirth, but the resolve that there is nothing else to do, but to push.

I'm giving Victoria four stars ****. I can very easily watch this over and over, it is another beautiful Masterpiece production, the acting befits the amount they spent on the production and I want an opportunity to group hug with Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes. Waiting patiently for my chance.

This series aired on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre in 2017.

Movie: Manchester By the Sea (2016)****

I went to New York City and spent the majority of the time on a couch in a timeshare. I finally got up one night, a Monday, you know, when the majority of a the theaters are dark, and the only show I was able to catch was Blackbird, a single-set drama starting Michelle Williams and Jeff Bridges. At the time I disliked it, but seeing Manchester By the Sea, gave me a different point of view, and I wish I would have seen the movie before the play. After seeing the film, I look back at the play and can appreciate the intensity of the situation, the set, and most definitely the acting. I see it all in a different light, so to speak: From the harsh tungsten of the office break room to the natural, partly cloudy skies of Massachusetts.

That being said, I enjoyed more than Michelle Williams' acting in Manchester By the Seas. It was a movie with an authentic feel that was well acted and with dialogue that one might confuse with being unscripted.

In it, Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck), a sad case who banished himself to Boston after his own tragedy, learns of his brother's sudden death and returns to his hometown. Not long after. Lee discovers that his brother had willed him to be the legal guardian of his nephew and property, a responsibility he doesn't feel strong enough to take on.

Manchester by the Sea hardly has any music in it. Most of the scenes survived on silence, dialogue and the play between the actors.

Best scene: When Patrick, the nephew, Patrick, finally breaks down and Lee does his best to help him.

This won the 2017 Chocket Award for Best Talkie and I'm giving it Four Stars**** because it is really good and I do want to watch it more than once, but I'm not sure if this is one I'll want to watch over and over again. We'll see how I feel in a year.

TV: Mercy Street Season 2****

Mercy Street is a homegrown PBS series: A period drama set in occupied Alexandria, Virginia, in an Union hospital during the Civil War. In season 2, Mansion House Hospital, once a Confederate hotel, continues to be the venue of much medical work, mischief, sadness, and untimely affection. The Green family, Virginians and former owners of the hotel, who are now the reluctant hosts of Union Army officers, find themselves further engaged in espionage and sabotage. Dr. Foster and Nurse Phinney might finally admit their affection for each other, but then, she gets Typhoid. Smallpox, believed to be a “Negro” disease, is becoming and epidemic. Charlotte Jenkins, an anti-slavery activist and former slave, shows up in Alexandria and leads the effort to treat the infected contraband and teach any Black person within reach how to read.

It doesn't happen very often, but the second season was an improvement on the first. The second time around, the acting was more believable, the storylines dug way deeper, and the look and feel of the production continued to be beautifully designed and shot. It's only March, but this would give any other movie/TV show a run for its money in the “Best Look” category of the Chocket Awards.

Movie: Lyle (2014)**

I'm looking at the DVD cover now and I see a critic's quote: "...Rosemary's Baby for the 21st Century." Rosemary's baby my ass. This is Rosemary's Baby if it was shoved by a school-yard bully into the future and forced to wear a mu-mu.

I was very disappointed by this movie. This is another random indie film I found on the library's New DVDs list that turned out to be a dud. I saw Gaby Hoffmann's (Transparent) name and I decided to give it a chance.

I'm going to talk about my issues with this movie, which will have some reveals in it, so as the kids say: "Spoiler Alert!"
Other than the choppy editing and the Blair-Witch-handheld-camera-following-the-main-character feel, the primary problem I had with this movie is that Leah (Gaby Hoffman) could have left her predicament at any time. I know, you're saying "Well, Rosemary could have left, too!" But, in the late 60s, there were less options for pregnant mothers and it was frowned upon by society to walk out on your husband. Any person or organization that Rosemary would have turned to at that time, would have most likely steered her right back onto that apartment's doorstep.
Leah, on the other hand, is in modern day Brooklyn. She could have called family, friends, she could have gone to an emergency room social worker, shelter, etc. She could have gotten out of there and not only are there options, but it is totally acceptable if anyone was paying attention to what others thought at all.

Then the big reveal sucked. You mean babies died for what?! You've got to be kidding me. Somebody needs a slappin'.

I'm giving this movie 2 stars** because it wasn't bad enough to turn off before the end, but I hope to never be forced to watch it, again.

Watched the DVD. Checked out from the library.