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Cocktail Commentary

Howdy All! I’m Lisa. My girlfriends and I, and sometimes my kids, will be offering our take on movies and tv shows we have recently viewed. This may or may not be interesting, as we will be imbibing and may be quite merry while commenting. Still, it’s fun being cocktail critics and we often come up with legitimate reviews. So it’s off to the sofa, the wine and the remote. My fictional boyfriends (and girlfriends) are waiting. Slainte!

BABY REINDEER – Exceedingly disturbing true story of abuse and stalking suffered by one man, Richard Gadd, who wrote and stars in this piece as himself! And even more gut wrenching than the behavior of the abuser and stalker (two separate people), is Gadd’s reaction to it (which sometimes is no reaction at all). His attempts to be a professional comedian are also excruciating when he fails miserably on stage. I had no desire to see this series until I heard Gadd on an NPR interview last week. As I listened to him candidly recount the events, I was fascinated by his brutal honesty about what transpired and his own culpability in the situations. I decided to watch right then and there. It was tough to stick with it, but turns out he’s a good actor as is everyone in the cast. Not for the faint of heart, but mesmerizing. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

DARK SHADOWS AND BEYOND – THE JONATHAN FRID STORY – I readily admit it! I was one of those kids who rushed home from school to watch Dark Shadows at 4 p.m. every weekday in the late 60s. So was my sister and most of my friends! I adored the show. The supernatural stories, the beautiful evil witch Angelique who could never get her man (Barnabas), Dr. Hoffman who protected Barnabas at all costs while secretly in love with him. And of course, the iconic reluctant vampire himself, Barnabas Collins, who brought old-world elegance to the role as well as a loathing of the monster he was (long before Louie in Anne Rice’s novel was born). I have a Barnabas Barbie doll and the entire series on dvd. Even today, I will tune in to old episodes from time to time now that the show has dropped on AmazonPrime. Which brings me to this interesting documentary about the actor portraying Barnabas, Jonathan Frid. Frid was very private and I knew little about him so I was delighted to hear his life story, both personal and professional. Of course, Dark Shadows was a big part of his legacy, so behind-the-scenes info about the show features prominently in this piece….which made me enjoy it even more! Dark Shadows fans will find it “bloody” satisfying. See what I did there? Cheers!! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

LOVE STORY: JOHN F. KENNEDY JR. & CAROLYN BESSETTE – I quite enjoyed watching this piece about the relationship and tragic deaths of John & Carolyn Kennedy. I don’t know how many of the details are factual. The Kennedy clan debunks most of the story as pure fiction. That may be. There is a disclaimer posted at the beginning of each episode stating some elements have been fictionalized or created for storytelling purposes. That’s typical in Hollywood. Still, I suspect enough truth emerges to give us an honest peek at this couple’s short reign as America’s royalty. Engaging and sad even twenty-years later. Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 1.

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER – It was a battle to sit through this film. John bailed halfway into it, never to be seen again. Darren, Mary and I made it to the end, but none of us understood what was happening or why. Plus I’m not a fan of modern revolutionary material. That said all the actors turned in good performances. Sean Penn was exceptional and will probably win an Oscar for his supporting role. Francine was the lone exception to the peep verdict. She loved the film. Go figure. And the movie was an excruciating 2 hours and 42 minutes long. Skip it! Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

MAN ON THE RUN – An ok documentary about Paul McCartney and Wings, but I was disappointed. I’m an avid Beatles fan. Wings….not so much. I wanted a deep dive into Paul’s struggles after the Beatles’ breakup and his relationship with Linda. Alas these things were only superficially addressed. As Mike said, it was supposed to be about Wings (although even he wasn’t impressed). But as I said, I wanted more. Guess I’ll have to “Let it Be.” Pun intended. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfiends – 0.

HEATED RIVALRY – Christine, Anna and Mackenzie are among the throngs of straight women who make up the huge audience that cannot look away from this steamy gay romance. Based on the book by Rachel Reid which is part of her Game Changer series, the buzz on this HBOMax show is through the roof…which is why I tuned in. That, and the recommendation of my three aforementioned peeps. It’s not my thing, but it is well done. It’s a beautiful love story between two pro hockey players…one who is Russian and already scorned by his family. If his sexual persuasion were revealed he would face criminal prosecution in his homeland. The other is Canadian and completely unaware of his homosexuality until he falls in love. Being high profile skaters in the NHL is another complication in their endeavor to keep things secret. It is these aspects of the story which I found interesting and kept me engaged for all six episodes. I also liked the way the season ended. (No pun intended). Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends -0.

SIRENS – Not what I expected and not very good. I was looking forward to a supernatural fantasy story. After all, sirens were mythical beauties who would sing with enchanted voices to lure sailors to their deaths. Instead this was a corny, soap opera thing with no plot, no intelligent dialogue and no fantasy. I can’t fathom why it was named sirens. Kevin Bacon was the only standout in a limited role. His talents were wasted in this thing. Skip it! Cheers!! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 0.