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!
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.
PEAKY BLINDERS THE IMMORTAL MAN – Disappointing movie sequel to the beloved series. Doesn’t pack the same punch without the original cast and storyline. Cillian’s work and sex appeal are still top notch though! Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 0.
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.
THE PITT – Phenomenal show!! Exceptional work! Deserving of all the accolades it has received! Need I say more? Glasses high folks. Cheers!! Boyfriends – 3; Girlfriends – 2.
SINNERS – Mike and Anna loved it. John hated it. He said it’s a remake of From Dusk to Dawn, which he also hated. I thought it had some appeal for awhile until a vampire extravaganza turned into a zombie brigade and then it lost me. I’m not a fan of zombie stories, but I do love vampires…though even as vampires these folks don’t make it. John and I both were perplexed at a final scene where a character has apparently died because he can see his dead wife and child, but he’s alive enough to shoot a bad guy before really dying. There are some humorous lines, and I did like the final bit where Buddy Guy is playing an older version of a main character. I also liked the party scene depicting black music being played under perfect magical conditions, which allows it to pierce the veil between the living and the dead, thereby allowing musicians from the past, present and future to jam together during the speakeasy gala. This film is getting all kinds of hype and nominated for a number of awards (it’s already won two Golden Globes), and Michael B. Jordan is quite good playing twin brothers, so it may be worth a view before the Oscars come to town. Plus he looked quite dapper in 1930s wardrobe. Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 0.
THE NAKED GUN – Disappointing 2 out of 4 stars for this remake of the original film starring Leslie Nielsen. We were excited to watch this new version starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, and we weren’t expecting it to be as good as the first…and it wasn’t. In fact it was just plain bad. A few funny bits peppered amidst stupid running gags, unfunny attempts at humor and gross situations meant to make us laugh that instead were a huge yuck factor. John liked it slightly more than me, giving it 2.5 stars, but pretty much concurred with my opinion. We were both glad we didn’t pay money to see it in the theatre as we originally intended. Ram didn’t think it was any good at all. Skip it! Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.
WAKE UP DEAD MAN – The third release in the Knives Out Mystery Movie series starring Daniel Craig, who by the way, is super hot in this one with his long blond hair and stubbly beard. Josh Brolin is also hot with his long silvery hair and stubbly beard, cast as a priest gone rogue. The film is two and a half hours long and doesn’t really get interesting until about halfway through. John and I were both bored and paused viewing so we could stretch it over two nights instead of one to keep from falling asleep. He figured out who-dunnit early on, which is never a good thing in a murder mystery, complaining this series always follows the same Agatha Christie format with few surprises. True enough. He did like the main storyline of a young priest seeking redemption and absolution. In addition to Craig and Brolin, the film stars lots of the usual suspects, I mean celebs….Kerry Washington, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner and Glenn Close (who looked very attractive despite her age and role). Overall, the movie is just ok. Probably only worth watching if you’re a fan of the series. Cheers! Boyfriends – 2; Girlfriends – 1.
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