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.

MH370 THE PLANE THAT DISAPPEARED – Three episode documentary pondering the mystery of Malaysia Flight MH370 which vanished over the South China Sea on March 8, 2014. While nothing new is revealed, a lot of debate was sparked among the peeps. I can’t even venture a guess as to the whereabouts of this plane or the scenario that put it there. Kelly thinks the flight secretly landed somewhere, Mike thinks it never existed in the first place (totally lame) and Scott says it will never be found. So far he’s right. MH370 is somewhere, and for the sake of the families still suffering, will hopefully be found. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

PAMELA, A LOVE STORY – Pamela Anderson’s endearing memoir of her wild, adventurous life and shared with us in her own words. She wasn’t what I expected. I admire her candor and her ability to embrace all aspects of her life, the painful and the pleasurable, with humor and love. We even get a peek at her two grown sons with Tommy Lee, handsome young men who look a lot like their dad who was handsome as well. I liked her and her documentary. So did Kelly. I envy her seemingly carefree spirit and welcoming approach to whatever comes her way. She made me think back on my own life and wish I had had the same outlook in my 20s and 30s. Well done, Pamela! You survived it all and came out the other end. Cheers! Boyfriends- 1; Girlfriends – 1.

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES – Kelly calls it snoresville. She’s not wrong. It’s not as interesting as the books and a few of the actors, including the lead, Teresa Palmer, are flat in their delivery. Most of the cast is quite good however. I like it, but I don’t know I’d be able to follow it if I hadn’t read the books. On the written page, it’s a sophisticated trilogy of vampires, witches, daemons, time travel, romance and magic. Unfortunately, much was omitted to accommodate the screen adaptation. Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 1.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS Fellowship of the Ring – Is there anyone who hasn’t seen the LOTR trilogy? Yes. Kelly and me, to name two. So when it dropped on NetFlix we watched it. Kelly and Van loved it. I liked it, but not enough to sit through two more 3-hour films to see the heroic finish. Michael has always loved the entire trilogy. And Ryan left the theatre halfway through the first picture bored to tears. Watching it so many years after its initial release, I discovered it launched many careers. It was fun to see some now well-known actors in their youth and all delivering solid performances. Cheers! Boyfriends – 2; Girlfriends – 0.

TÁR – And the Best Actress Oscar goes to Cate Blanchett for her masterful command of an extremely challenging role. She had to learn to speak German and French fluently, conduct an orchestra realistically, utter obscure symphony terminology and composers’ names in long pieces of dialogue…and she did it all with such proficiency I believed her from start to finish. The film itself, however, is another matter. First off, I thought Lydia Tár was a real person. She is not. Second, the film is long and gets bogged down in all the symphony terminology. That extra time could have been used to flush out the situations more. So much was glossed over I was left confused about their resolution. Some scenes made no sense and quick snippets could have been eliminated altogether. Third, I hated the ending. The last twenty minutes had me moaning “WTF?” I never got an answer. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.