RED ROSE – British teenagers are lured into a sinister app with deadly results. Heavy English accents and supernatural overtones. Surprisingly, I liked it! Cheers! Boyfriends – 0; Girlfriends – 0.
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 FLIGHT ATTENDANT – Hot mess air hostess, Cassie, works more than her flights when she unwittingly becomes the prime suspect in a murder. Comedy/Drama with interesting “asides” when Cassie is in her head. A bit frantic, but worth a look. Cheers! Boyfriends – 2; Girlfriends – 0.
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.
STRANGER AT THE GATE – Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala produced this Oscar nominated short documentary film about the extraordinary power of kindness. One man’s truly remarkable journey from hate to redemption. 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.
THE FABELMANS – Written, directed, produced by Steven Spielberg, and about Steven Spielberg (loosely), how could this film be anything but great, right? Right!! Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.
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.
