Movies: Dark River (2017) and Wild Mountain Thyme (2020)

What these two movies share: Images of the beautiful English countryside, farms, farm animals, rain, two people who don't communicate well and don't know how to deal with their emotions in a healthy way. They are two very different movies though. Dark River being a sad drama and Wild Mountain Thyme a funny romance. 

Dark River, 2018 ***

A sad story about a woman who returns to her family farm after running away from the man then the memories of her father‘s abuse. She struggles with her brother for control of the farm, but no one wins. Starring Ruth Wilson who I recognize from so many things, especially Luther and Jayne Eyre, and Mark Stanley from many things, too, especially Game of Thrones and Sanditon, and only in flashback scenes as the abusive father, is Sean Bean, also of Game of Thrones fame. Trigger warnings: Sexual abuse and sheep shearing, which can be scary to some. Don't judge. I watched this on Amazon Prime. 

Wild Mountain Thyme (2020) **** kept popping up in different algorithms and lists because I clearly love  romance movies and British shows. Yes, I do know this movie is set in Ireland. So there. I finally watched it and was so anxious with the characters acting out in such a lovely way the stereotypical act of hiding emotions of human connection while overly expressing emotions that cause or maintain rifts that is soooo associated with British (and Irish) people. But this was as much heartwarming as it was heart-wrenching. I can watch Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan over and over in this movie. Surprisingly, Christopher Walken and John Hamm show up as an excellent and entertaining supporting cast. 

Reviewer Christie Lemire sums this movie up well:

"A slight from childhood, which we see in an early flashback, and the rights to a small piece of land connecting their families’ properties serve as insurmountable obstacles to the fact that they’re clearly meant for one another. Besides knowing everything about each other, sharing decades of history and enjoying a lively chemistry, they’re the only single, gorgeous people of their age around. And so we must wait 102 minutes for them to acknowledge they’ve secretly been in love with each other all this time."

Trigger warnings: Christopher Walken being himself while pretending to have an Irish accent. 

I watched this on Hoopla. 

Photo by TimHill

Movie: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

I’m not going to give you a synopsis. We all know this movie is about Wakanda, land of the Black Panther, but the king died. This movie is what happened next.  

First thing first: It is too long. The first half of the movie could have been tightened up. Why are there so many slow-motion sequences and why are they so long? And I think they could have put Julia Luis-Dreyfus to better use. That being said, I enjoyed the story. I like the introduction of Namor, and his story arc.

Speaking of the Talokan people, I have so many questions! Why is their city-society not more technologically advanced? They have vibranium, why are they not using it to move through the water easier? I see a bunch of underwater people and they’re still flapping their arms to get around. Why is Namor’s favorite hang-out in a dry, underwater cave where his people had to wear water masks to speak to him? Do his wings regenerate? Why does their traditional costume have feathers? Shouldn’t they have scales or shells instead? 

The costumes, make-up and all styling are beautifully done. I’ll take that purple track suit in a medium please? Thank you. 

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, but its just not something I need to see again. I give it three stars ***

Movie: Hotel Coppelia (2021) ***

Hotel Coppelia takes you back in time to a brothel set in the Dominican Republic, 1965, right before the government coup and civil war. The film opens by revealing the harsh realities of everyday brothel life at Hotel Coppelia owned and operated by Judith and a set of prostitutes. There is discontentment and dissatisfaction with how Judith is running things inside the brothel and there are hints and whispers of the civil unrest that’s building outside. Then all-out war begins. The brothel becomes the center of events as the rebel group commandeers Judith’s building for their military headquarters. Then later as the war progressed, the American military takes over the location. Judith and the remaining prostitutes make deals and provide services in exchange for their lives and the hope of a possible future in that building, but they might have gotten a better deal with the devil.

This film offers an interesting point of view about a civil war I hadn’t known about previously. But this is sad, sad, sad.

Three stars ***

I watched this on HBOMax

TV: Married At First Sight Seasons 1-12 (2014-2021)

I’m going to write about this as a bunch instead of each season.  

Let me start with the fact that I’m fascinated with arranged marriages. I’m open to the idea. Please send me biodata of eligible bachelors or the info of a professional-auntie who’d love to pair me. I haven’t blogged about it yet, but during the pandemic, I binged Indian Matchmaker, The Big Day, Indian and Orthodox Jewish wedding highlights video on YouTube and watched the films Arranged, Unorthodox, and of course, Monsoon Wedding (one of my favorite movies). I’m into it, y’all.  

Anyway, I don’t remember where in my arranged marriage craze I began to watch Married at First Sight, but I think I found it on Hoopla first. I started with season 9. Hooked. Loved the concept, the couples (the good ones) and was somewhat into the trash and trainwrecks. I think I found season 10 on Pluto (Ugh, commercials!). Then after Hulu was introduced into my world, I binged seasons 1-8 and 11. Finally, last month, March 2022, season 12 was released on Hulu and I ate it up.   

From what I hear, seasons 13 and beyond are just too trashy-trainwrecky and that’s not what I like about MAFS. I like to see the couples work and work issues out. I also really enjoy the reunion and Couples Cam episodes.  

Over 12 seasons, I got good at knowing when to fast forward and what to fast forward through. After season 2, I realized I could fast forward until I saw the stick figures hold hands, which is usually about three minutes of recap and a preview.  After watching five seasons, I started skipping the matchmaking episodes: I only want to get to know who actually got matched. I skipped a couple of the wedding prep episodes because they were uninteresting, but I started watching those again in seasons 11 and 12. Season 12 had the best wedding dress: Hayley’s gown was gorgeous.  I usually did housework during the honeymoon episodes because its so drawn out, especially season 12. I was disturbed by the production decision to continue following the couples who had clearly broken up way before the season ended. Leave them alone! I fast forwarded through any of their segments, or the segments of couples I don’t like.  

Three Stars ***

TV: Dexter New Blood Mini Series (2021)

 This started out wrong but ended well. Everything that made Dexter (the regular series) difficult for me to watch happened in the first few episodes. He was still getting away with it. Will no one be able to catch this man, already?! Thank goodness that changed.  

Dexter is living under an assumed identity in a small town in upstate New York. At the point of entry for us viewers, things seem to be going well for him, until his past comes back. Harrison (his son with Rita) shows up out of nowhere and his dark passenger decides to briefly take the wheel. His girlfriend, who is also the town’s sheriff starts putting the pieces together. Why would you date the sheriff, you supposedly retired serial killer you? Teenagers will almost always be annoying, and teenage Harrison does that job well. Then we discover there’s another serial killer in this town. What?!  

I’m happy I watched it through to the end, and although I wanted the storyline with Harrison to go differently, I was pleased by the final ending.  

Highlight: The creepy song from the Dexter series end credits, was the regular theme song for Dexter New Blood.

Three Stars***

Movie: Hearts Down Under (2020) ***

 This movie is also called Romance on the Menu. 

A fancy NYC restaurateur, Caroline, inherits a café in Australia. She visits Down Under and decides to sell the café because she doesn't think she can maintain both restaurants. The staff decide to mount a campaign to get her to maintain ownership, and the cafe's cook, is a handsome fellow. You know what happens. At the climactic point in the movie, her ex from NYC, Nathaniel, shows up in Australia and professes his love. Nathaniel wasn't trying to be controlling or overstep, he just thought he was being romantic, but instead of treating him like a misunderstood man, Caroline treated him like he was an asshole, literally kicking him to the curb in another country. 

The writers let this trope play out like normal, but it would have been a breath of fresh air if Caroline would have turned to Cook and explained the misunderstanding before she took Nathaniel aside to explain to him her feelings. This actually goes back to the beginning: Caroline should have just explained how she felt abandoned and wasn't interested in him anymore instead of avoiding and putting off Nathaniel. But yeah... I know that feeling of wanting to avoid hard conversations, so that's relatable. 

Anyway, this was an enjoyable film. I like actress Cindy Busby (Heartland, Christmas In Royal Fashion). I like travel stories. I like women discovering and pursuing their happiness. 

TV: The Sinner, Seasons 1-3 (2017-2020) ***

As much as I get fed up with brooding male law enforcement/detective characters, I end up getting hooked on their shows. The latest of which, is The Sinner, regularly on USA Network, but I’ve watched seasons 1-3 on Netflix.
Season 1 was fantastic. It opens with a woman, Cora, played by Jessica Biel, with her family in a crowded summer beach scene, when she experiences a mental break, then attacks and kills a man, seemingly unprovoked. The lead investigator is Ambrose, played by Bill Pullman. The rest of the season tells a twisted tale that explores what lead Cora to the point of violent attack. The value of a woman and the definition of womanhood is a looming theme throughout.

I like to think of good storytelling as onion peeling. Have you ever cut into an onion and found that other baby onions were inside that one? That’s what The Sinner is like. Each episode peels back the onion, but then you find a whole other story that needs to be peeled…. And there are multiples of those.
At a certain point, season 1 started to go down a True Detective vector, but then it totally distinguished itself. The casting and acting are statue-winning caliber. Biel, Pullman and the actor who plays her husband, Christopher Abbot, are phenomenal.
In season 2, Ambrose assists a friend’s daughter, who is a budding local police department detective, with the investigation of a child who murdered the two people who kidnapped him from the cult-commune where he lived with his mother. That was a hard sentence to write! See all the potential baby onions? Motherhood and what constitutes nurturing a child seems to be the overall theme in this season.
One baby onion is Ambrose’s personal story: Can’t have a brooding detective without a troubled past or current life. Ambrose’s personal stories, in my opinion, parallel the stories of who he is investigating. In season 1, he has a S&M relationship with a prostitute and at the same time, his relationship with his wife is crumbling as she becomes fed up with his increasing emotional distance.
In season 2, the majority of the investigation takes place in the town where he grew up and experienced a traumatic early life and the death of his mother.

Movie: All the Saints of Newark (2021) ***

 “It’s the wanting.” – Uncle Sally

Let me start by saying The Sopranos is my favorite television show. I love the writing, the acting, the atmosphere, the magically authentic way a family drama blends with the dark comedy of mafia life. 

When I heard they were making a Sopranos movie, I sent up prayers to the gods of television and big screen that they wouldn’t ruin the show in any way. I can say that my prayers were answered. I enjoyed The Many Saints of Newark, but it took a little bit of work to get there.

First of all, I had to separate the fact from fiction: I saw some of the junket surrounding the movie. People were describing it as the making of Tony Soprano, the man, through his childhood and teenage formative years. The first time I watched the movie, I was disappointed because that is not what the movie is about. After I finished the movie for the second time, I decided that this wasn’t about the making of Tony, The Saints was about Dickie and Harold. Tony took backseat to those storylines. 

 

The good: 

They filled in the backstory of Uncle Junior and why he was so bitter, jealous and single. 

Vera Farmiga played the hell out of Livia Soprano. 

The actor who played Janice, Alexandra Intrator, was also fantastic and really captured her mannerisms.

The bad:

I wanted more out of the voiceover narrative by Chrissie. He could have explained Pussy’s name. He could have provided a verbal bridge between Dickie’s behavior and Tony’s adult behavior. 

 

Who’s the boss of Newark? I don’t know who ran the show. 

 

Will someone please explain the blind baseball team? Was that a wishful thinking sequence? That was a perfect opportunity for a Chrissie narrative to do some ‘splaining. 

 

Although I liked how it looked, why did the beach scene all of a sudden turn into an arthouse short? The only thing that came to mind was that they were trying to link it to Tony’s boardwalk dreams. 

Movie: Jumping the Broom (2011) ***

Jumping the broom is about a couple that meet, quickly fall in love and decide to get married. They're families don't meet until they all arrive for the wedding. Family secrets are revealed, dramatic, romantic and comedic antics ensue. 

This was a cheesy, but very cute wedding movie with all of the typical tropes: two families that are very different and don’t get along, the bride breaks it off at the 11th hour and the groom has to talk to her through the door, the horn dog relative goes after a someone from the other family, a drunken relative gives a memorable performance. But there’s also some fun, new and sweet elements to this movie, too. Despite the fact that this is a TD Jakes production, You aren’t beaten over the head with Christianity. There’s a handful of good black actors in this movie, notably Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and clutch-my-pearls-still-looking-good-as-hell Gary Dourdan also made an appearance.
I watched this on Netflix

Movie: Silk Road (2021) ***

Do you remember hearing about the dark web and the Silk Road website in the news for bit in the early 2010s? What a strange question, that would only make sense to someone who's been on this earth a little while. Well, this movie is about the creation of that website, its eventual downfall and the people involved. It was slow to start, but took off about halfway through with a strong heist-caper energy to it.

Silk Road is one of those based-on-a-true-story movies along the lines of Wolf of Wall Street and Spotlight, but it wasn't as exciting as WOWS and certainly not as dull as Spotlight. Unfortunately, these are the types of films I watch once and have no desire to watch them again. They aren't great acting, writing or production venues. They just inform you in an engaging way about the contents of one core sample of a larger history. There have been several documentaries made on this subject and that's where I'll go next if I need another fix of Silk Road information.

I'm giving this three stars *** but I don't see any reason to watch it again. I do recommend it if you're interested in the subject. 

I watched an online screener of this film. Thanks, Lionsgate!

Movie: The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) ***

In the Peanut Butter Falcon, Tyler and Zack are two very different guys who runaway from their lives for two very different reasons: One misdirected his anger and pissed off a very violent man, the other wants to get out of the nursing home he's been dumped in and learn how to wrestle. They manage to find each other and form a bond. A third party, Eleanor, who was searching for Zack in order to return him to the nursing home is cajoled into joining them and their bond grows stronger. It is a heartfelt friendship story that dives just deep enough into each player's history to reveal skeletons, but to not bog you down with cobwebs.
Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson act alongside first time actor, Zack Gottsagen, with appearances by Bruce Dern, John Hawkes, and Thomas Haden Church. Nothing fancy here, just good movie stuff.
I would recommend it and re-watch it, so I'll give it three stars ***.
I checked the DVD out from the library and have kept it hostage during the closure of March 2020. I watched the movie back then, but I just watched it again so I can write my review.

Movie: In the Aisles (2018)***

In the Aisles is a German film I watched with English subtitles.
A young man, Christian, who has a rough past gets a job at a warehouse store. He forms relationships with his shift mates, especially his supervisor in Beverages, Bruno. And he falls in love with Marion who works in Sweet Goods, who is unhappily married.
This arthouse film was a respite from the very saccarine-Hallmark-type and studio-typical stories I've been watching lately. This story is refreshingly different, It takes some dark turns, but isn't a sad story, it isn't a love story, and it isn't a story of redemption. It's just an artsy snapshot of Christian's life and the two new people who come into it through his work.
The production is authentic. The music supervisor had a good ol' time: She soundtracks the beginning of the worker's shifts with the waltz, The Blue Danube. There's a random rap instrumental inserted in a longer forklift driving scene that was fun. And I don't know how a Son House song got inserted into this film, but there it was and it somehow fit.

The idea of the ocean and beach was a running theme throughout the story that was unobtrusively woven through so that you had to try to notice.
I enjoyed this film, I could very easily watch this again, and although I find subtitles hard to recommend to other people, I would recommend this to a few adventurous movie watchers. It was on the fun side of the Nitpix scale and I give it three stars***.
I'm glad I took a chance on this DVD I checked out from the library.

TV: Yellowstone Season 2 (2019)***

John Dutton: If you find anything call the sheriff. We want everything by the book.
Kayce: I don’t know the book.
John Dutton: That’s why you call the sheriffs. It’s their book.

Despite this hilarious exchange, Yellowstone season 2 is not a comedy. At some points this show is as cheesy as I imagine a Hallmark-style drama would be, but especially, in this season, Yellowstone showed its good bones with good storytelling.
In season 2, the enemies that formed in season 1 have to come together to defeat a common foe. Plotting, assault, murder, militias, an armed posse, masked mercenaries and kidnapping abound.
Kevin Costner plays, John Dutton, the patriarch of the Dutton family, who at times struggles with being a good parent and ruthlessly keeping control of the ranch and land his family has owned in Montana for many years.
Cole Hauser plays Rip, the Dutton's ranch manager, and his scenes are the best. I've seen him on TV and in movies here and there, but in my mind his most memorable role is in Dazed and Confused, that is until Yellowstone. Hauser is impressive in this role as he has to go from cutthroat right-hand man in ranch-related matters to an orphan-born-of-a-violent-past longing for a father, then to a man standing by the woman he loves despite not being able to love her openly. Hauser carries this season.
Jaime Dutton, the sniveling and brooding son of John Dutton, is played by Wes Bentley. His scenes are the cheesiest and his storyline is almost detracting from the rest of the story. He is trying to be serious, but in TV reality, he's just a hot mess with several big secrets that are haunting him.
I finished watching Yellowstone season 2 and I was pleased. Season 1 was okay, but I'm invested and excited to see what happens next. I give it three stars*** because I want to continue watching and I wouldn't mind rewatching episodes of season 2. Read my review of season 1 here.
I checked DVDs of Yellowstone season 2 out from the library.

Movie: Wild Rose (2018)***

Wild Rose is a film about a woman, who just released from prison returns to her wild ways, including her reckless pursuit to be a country singer in Nashville, until she finds herself at the mental crossroads of being a good parent and pursuing her dreams.

This movie is a woman finding herself story. One of the things that makes this story different is that it is set in Glasgow, when most woman finding herself stories are about Americans. Of course, I do watch mostly American movies. Another thing that sets this one apart, is that Rose makes a ton of mistakes, which is kind of annoying, but the story is written so well, that she gets out of those situations or they resolve in logical ways so I can't get mad about it. What makes Wild Rose like other typical woman-finding-herself stories is that it all works out in the end. She really was a hot mess who saw no fault in her own and didn't apologize for much throughout most of the movie, but she somehow found herself surrounded by good, supportive people. Lucky Rose.

I really enjoy how this movie was styled. The camera captured rich coloring and high contrasts in most of the scenes, which gives the film a sense of depth. Personal styling looked authentic. Even Rose in her white cowboy boots, which must have been comfortable because she was always running. There is one really beautiful and simply styled scene when she comes back from London and is standing in the kitchen with her daughter. Lovely.

I thought, but didn't realize until I read about the movie later that Jessie Buckley, the actress who plays Rose, is fully and totally singing the songs. She manages to be an amazing singer and an impressive actress. Julie Walters plays her mother and you have seen her a hundred times in a hundred other films. She was perfect in this one. I will probably download this soundtrack as soon as I'm done posting this.

This was a good movie. I will watch it again, and would recommend it as a double feature with Gloria or Brittney Runs a Marathon. Three Stars***
I watched this movie on a DVD I checked out from the library. 

Movie: Knives Out (2019)***

Knives Out is a classic whodunit story (A mansion house, a gaggle of devious characters/suspects, an unsolved murder, plot twists and a detective who puts it all together). What makes this this film stand out is:

a) It is set in modern day. Go ahead and throw out your period costumes. We have on-screen texting, cell phones and laptops. 

b) There is a main character in this ensemble cast and it is not the detective.

Overall, I love a whodunit. It brought back all those Mystery! episodes (Before it became Masterpiece Mystery) with Poirot and Ms. Marple that I used to watch on Saturday or Sunday afternoons. The soundtrack really hit the mark with mystery and twisting plots and sounds great on its own as well. 

The overacting that is specific to whodunit mysteries is well done with an excellent cast, except for one bit: Benoit LeBlanc was miscast. I don’t think Daniel Craig properly carried the character of the detective. As written, LeBlanc seemed to be a cross between the Southern-charming, but perceptive Matlock and the confidence and tenacity of  Poirot. Unfortunately, Craig couldn’t smooth out the icing that brought the layers of the LeBlanc cake together. In certain scenes, I feel like he pulls you out of the moment, but thank goodness the rest of the production is so good, you get pulled right back in. Even if the writers hadn’t even consciously thought of it, LeBlanc was written for Kevin Spacey.

I give this movie three stars***. I hope to watch it again, it was fun and a great movie to look at, but I am disappointed with the detective. 

Movie: Ford v Ferrari (2019)***

This was a movie movie. I don't have a term for it right now, but its the kind of movie that reminds me the movies in the 80s and 90s. They were all-around good, with good acting, production and writing. You're drawn into the movie and lose the actors in their characters. Ford vs Ferrari was one of those.

Apparently in the 60s Ford cars were doing terrible, so they decided to try to include race cars in their image. They employed Damon's character to help usher in the vroom vroom. He hires Bale's character as a race driver to compete in the Le Mans 24-hour race. Ford's new second-in-charge throws money wrenches in along the way.

Damon and Bale were fantastic. The action sequences were enthralling. The story left me with a good feeling.

This gets three stars***. Its a good and quality film, but its not a favorite and I'm not sure how often I'll have the urge to watch it, again.

I watched this movie in theater.

Movie: Ad Astra (2019)***

Totally illogical story: If this is the future and humans have been in space for a while, why were so many things fraught with human technical error?

• Why would you try to pass through a war zone in an unarmored vehicle?
• Why was the captain of the Mars ship so panicky? Was that his first official flight?
• Why did they continue to go deeper into the distress-call ship if no one was responding?
• Can anyone explain the baboons?
• Why did they send Brad Pitt's character all the way to Mars to essentially send out voicemails to his father?
• Why did they send a son to contact the father he hadn't seen for over 30 years and expect the son not to have an emotional reaction?
• Why did the nuclear warhead crew freak out and try to fight Brad Pitt's character and essentially kill themselves?
• Why did Brad Pitt's character not predict his dad was going to try to get away?
• Why were the tablets and personal devices made of clear glass? So easy to lose!

Once you get past the illogical errors in story and set-up, you can see a beautifully shot movie that was well acted. Brad Pitt carried the story so much that those illogicalities were bits of dust on an otherwise clean floor. His character is known for being able to control his reactions so that he remains calm, and able to make clear decisions even in the many high-stress situations that come up during the film. Tommy Lee Jones plays the mentally-fraught-and-obsessive-to the-point-of-murder father, and is impressive even in the few on-screen minutes we get to see him. I would argue that the soundtrack was also amazing in getting across the emotions and emotional control of Brad Pitt's character as well as setting up those high-stress and anxiety situations. Well done.

I give this movie three stars*** on the masterpiece end of the scale. Its good in many ways, but I was lost and all-too focused on the illogicalities. It was fun, but I don't have to watch it again.

I streamed this movie from Amazon.

Movie: A Royal Winter (2017)***

A Recent law school graduate goes on vacation to the fictional country of Calpurnia.  After an accidental meeting she starts getting to know a native Calpurnian guy, whom she later finds out is the soon-to-be king of Calpurnia. They both have to decide to continue going along with the life their families have planned for them or forge their own path made somewhat easier with white and class privilege. This was a cute, simple romantic tale with a small very surmountable conflict.

Romance Movie Checklist

• Cheesy or sentimental: Definitely cheesy with its predictable and simplistic story. 
• Production value: Mid-level on the Hallmark production spectrum. Costumes and personal styling was good. the sound on the disc was subpar; editing was amateur, and the indoor and outdoor locations were lovely.
• Suspension of belief: High. Royalty running around in this day and age without security?! Yeah right. 
• Trope: Secret-Royal turns Invisible Barrier of prescribed obligations 
• Diversity: A bit. The best friend who invites her along to Calpurnia is black. 
• Paranormal/ sci-fi: none
• Clownish character: none

Rating Scale: Fun; Three stars***
I checked this DVD out from the library.

Movie: Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)

Brittany Runs a Marathon was basically an after school special about a late-twenty-something who is too fat and behind on her adulting game. She decides to get her stuff together, and ultimately run a marathon. Along the way she exposes herself and her lifestyle to the garish light of day. Her one friend is terribly unsupportive and Brittany herself did not take things seriously making for some painful to watch scenes. Then she starts to meet some better people, when those good people start to get close she effectively pushes them away. Things really turn around only after she has a turn-your-life-around-on-a-dime pep talk by a wise and insightful black person.

I'll give costuming and styling a round of applause. They made her skin looked terrible and I can’t tell if actress, Jillian Bell was padded or not so she looked genuine and I mean that in a non-insulty way. After about 15 minutes, I wanted to stop it and watch something else. I didn't like it, but something about miserable people is engaging so I trudged on. Certain aspects of Brittany's life hit home with me and I was so entertained by the scenes that included Utkarsh Ambudkar. Damn movie got me in the end. I got caught up in the motivational build-up and shed a tear or two when she falters during the marathon.

Mini rant: I'm upset and should start a hunger strike at the lack of notoriety allowed for Utkarsh Ambudkar. I remember how awesome and cute he was in Pitch Perfect and that his brief, but spectacular appearance in Blindspotting made for a great flashback sequence. I was sad when after watching Brittany Runs a Marathon on Amazon, I looked at the information page to learn more about the cast, and neither his name nor picture showed up. Same thing on the Pitch Perfect Amazon information page. How disappointing. Enjoy this Brief But Spectacular video of him being him. 

I'll give Brittany Runs a Marathon three stars*** on the fun end of the scale. It was okay. I don't necessarily need or want to watch it again, but it wasn't all bad. 

Movie: Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)***

Can You Every Forgive Me? is an enjoyable movie with Melissa McCarthy playing a very believable and funny-by-happenstance woman who finds herself forging letters by famous authors.

All the levels are set at good: Good acting, good production, good writing, etc. Melissa McCarthy and her co-star, Richard E. Grant were both nominated for best actress and supporting actor respectively at the Oscars, Golden Globes and SAG Awards. After finally watching CYEFM?, I am surprised they were nominated because there wasn’t anything great or inspiring about this film. My suspicion is that voting committees were impressed by McCarthy’s non-comedy performance, which was good, but not award worthy.  

I would watch this again and would recommend it, but I don’t think it offers anything spectacular to the cinematic world so I’m giving it three stars***.

Mini rant: Vice, Green Book, I, Tonya, Get Out, Lady Bird, Birdman, Her, American Hustle were all nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Can You Ever Forgive Me?  gets nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama. What the hell is that about? 

I checked the DVD out from my local library.