ARNOLD – Schwarzenegger’s life is a testament to the power of visualization and determination. Excellent documentary. Straight talk from Arnold. Great video of his mini horse and donkey which the peeps know are dear to my heart. Unanimous toasts. Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 2 (the mini horse and donkey).

STILL – Lovable Michael J. Fox takes us on the journey that has been his life, both charmed and challenging. Remarkably, his sense of humor and positive energy continue to shine despite his struggle to deal with the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Kelly and I were in awe of his courage, his ability to make us laugh and laugh at himself, his honesty and the immense contribution he has made to finding a cure through his foundation. He credits the support of his family, particularly his wife of 35 years, actress Tracy Pollan, for his ability to push on from day to day. His younger self is portrayed by interspersing scenes from his well known characters into his bio. It’s fun and refreshing. And the apt title, “Still,” refers to more than the obvious. Well done, Mike! Cheers!!! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 1.

FUBAR – Hoping to replicate the success of True Lies, and based on the same premise, this NetFlix series has failed miserably. It had potential, but it has none of the charm and clever wit of the movie, nor the sizzle between Arnold and Jamie Lee. There is zero chemistry among the cast. The dialogue is contrived and tired. The whole thing feels as if it is forcing the audience’s reaction – this is where you laugh, this is our nod to the film, this is our cute catch phrase “that’s it and that’s all,” which by the way, is more grating than cute. They even bring in Tom Arnold reprising his role as a CIA agent in one brief scene. The actors playing Emma, Tina, Aldon and Boro are quite good. The rest of the cast…not so much. The mother is totally miscast and the actor playing Roo is terrible. Even Arnold is subpar. His delivery is flat throughout. I didn’t believe him as the character. A dud all around. “That’s it and that’s all.” You said it Arnold. Skip it. Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 0.

BEING MARY TYLER MOORE – Another mediocre documentary producing a timeline of events in Mary’s life while completely omitting the interesting stuff – like how she assisted the suicide of her terminally ill brother and her struggles with diabetes which made her life hell much of the time. As with Katharine Hepburn, I was aware of these things because I read her autobiography years ago. Her son’s untimely death was addressed, but not much was said about how Mary coped with her loss. I was especially hoping details of her last year of life would be discussed because I only know what I’ve heard – that she was suffering with dementia and hallucinations brought on by the late stages of diabetes. Unfortunately, nothing at all about her health in those final months was revealed. We do these women (and ourselves) a disservice when we don’t get into the nitty gritty of who they really were, why they made certain life choices, the consequences of those choices, and how they pressed on through it all. If you’ve never heard of these women and want a basic bio, watch. Otherwise, skip it! Cheers. Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

THE SANDMAN – Neil Gaiman scores again in this small screen adaption of his graphic novel. The peeps are unanimous. Kelly and I toast the casting, especially of Dream and his sister Death. We found their relationship, and Dream’s relationship with the man he allows to live for hundreds of years, endearing. It was our favorite episode. Mackenzie and Mike toast the story in general. We are all excited for season two on NetFlix. Cheers Neil! You pulled another winner out of your hat. Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 1.

CALL ME KATE – Mediocre documentary about the life of my favorite actress, Katharine Hepburn. I read her memoir many years ago and this bio on NetFlix merely scratches the surface, glossing over well known relationships and events while completely ignoring others. A deep dive into the details of her life are required to do justice to this intelligent, talented, complicated woman. Skip it. Cheers! Boyfriends – 0; Girlfriends – 0.

QUEEN CHARLOTTE – Third installment of the Bridgerton series on NetFlix which is just as engaging as the first two. Queen Charlotte has been one of my favorites since season one. The casting of several actors as the younger version of their characters is spot on, both in looks and talent, in the telling of the queen’s back story. The work is marvelous, as usual. Fans of the series will thoroughly enjoy season three, as did I. Cheers! Boyfriends – 0; Girlfriends – 2.

THE LAST MOVIE STARS – Unorthodox documentary about the private life and careers of married iconic actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. It’s unique on many levels. Taken from Paul Newman’s personal transcripts of his journals, Ethan Hawke has hired a group of his celebrity friends to voice the words of Paul, Joanne and some of their well-known industry acquaintances and extended family. Intermingled within this narrative is commentary from their children and excerpts from their films, interviews and private home movies. It’s an honest, raw reveal of two flawed (albeit generous and compassionate) human beings behind the mask of fame. Shot primarily during the pandemic, much of the footage is zoom conversations between all parties due to necessity. It’s quite an unusual presentation and won’t appeal to everyone. Dana and I liked it, Francine most definitely did not. The six-episode documentary held particular interest for me over and above the stars themselves. As an actor, I learn valuable skills to employ myself whenever good actors talk about the work. And I am always interested in stories about my home town, Los Angeles, or here in Westport, CT, where Paul and Joanne lived for many years until Paul’s death in 2008. Joanne, who was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2007, resides here still. Cheers to lives well lived! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.