MANIFEST – A commercial airliner flies into an unprecedented severe storm and flies out five years later. The twist – for the passengers of Flight 828, it’s only been a matter of minutes. And they emerge from the ordeal with clairvoyant abilities and spiritual callings as they try to reconnect with family and friends who have moved on during the plane’s 5-year absence. Thus begins this tale produced by Robert Zemeckis. It’s a bit melodramatic at times as the passengers try to understand exactly what happened to them and why, but I like it. The work is good and I’m always interested to see what new twist will pop up next (there are many). All episodes are titled with aviation terms like “Hard Landing,” “Final Approach” and “Black Box” which cleverly piques the viewer’s interest in the events about to unfold. Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 1.

ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN – I’ve always wanted to watch this film, but somehow never got around to it. Now I have. I was particularly interested in viewing it at this point in time as many comparisons have been made over the last several years between the political corruption in the 70s and the political corruption today. The similarities truly are uncanny. The film is worthy of all the accolades it has received. Most of us are well aware of the Watergate scandal which was exposed in the Washington Post by dogged investigative reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. Still, the stellar portrayal of their characters by Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford is riveting and breathes life into a tired piece of political history we’d all prefer to forget. We need to remember the lesson. Moreover, we are reminded of the important role of a free press in our Democracy and the debt we owe honest journalists who work tirelessly, often at great personal risk, to bring us the truth. A grateful toast to them all! Cheers!! Boyfriends – 2; Girlfriends – 0.

DAVE CHAPPELLE: WHAT’S IN A NAME – I have never been a fan of Dave Chappelle’s comedy, but Kelly insisted the peeps watch this so we did. It’s about 40 minutes of Dave addressing students, faculty and alumni at his high school alma mater, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in New York. Kelly found the talk surprisingly moving and inspirational. She saw an uncharacteristic side of Dave. Mike was impressed. I thought Dave was arrogant and pompous making constant references to his achievements, salary and status in the comedy world. Unless you’re a Chappelle fan – skip it!

NO TIME TO DIE – Back in the day, I was a fan of James Bond books and films. Nowadays, not so much, especially the films. The non-stop action and gun violence gives me anxiety and a headache. However, I was recently on a flight where viewing options were limited and this film stood out as the best choice. Plus I had never seen Daniel Craig portraying Bond, and as this is his swan song in the role, I figured I might as well check it out. It’s typical James Bond fare. Daniel Craig isn’t my favorite Bond, but he does a good job. It’s also very long – almost 2.5 hours. That’s a lot of action and gun violence. But what I liked about it was the relationship between Bond and his lady love. This wasn’t typical of the sex kitten women and one-time flings most associated with 007. The little French girl who plays their 6-year-old daughter is darling and quite good. I was also surprised (and surprisingly sad) at the ending. Definitely not typical, but perhaps fitting. The family dynamic adds a new dimension to Bond who has always been such a one-dimensional character. This story of real love, sacrifice and redemption made the film worth seeing. But don’t despair diehard Bond fans. There’s plenty of action and violence. As for the peeps, Dana and Kelly liked it. Francine wasn’t impressed. Cheers! Boyfriends – 0; Girlfriends – 1.

THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE – I started watching this series because of Rose Leslie and continued watching due to Theo James. I never read the 2003 book and the 2009 movie was a bore, so I had zero interest until I became aware Rose was playing the lead character. She was great as Ygritte in Game of Thrones, but as I said, it wasn’t her performance that captured my attention. The series has been updated for 2022 which is one of its pluses. She and Theo (both Brits) deliver spot-on American accents and excel at the rapid-pace dialogue. Some of that dialogue is corny among all the characters, but Theo’s dialogue as Henry is usually engaging. Henry is sardonic, funny and kind (older Henry that is, younger Henry is sardonic, funny and hot). And that is another big change in the story. Since Henry randomly time travels anywhere at any age, we often see two Henrys together. These are my favorite scenes. And it doesn’t hurt that Theo is extremely attractive. The rest of the cast, including the kids, turn in good performances. There are a lot of flaws, however, which is probably why this show didn’t resonate with more viewers. Sandi was done after the first episode. Kelly liked it, but found it a mind bend, and she and I agree the premise alone is a bit questionable – an adult man repeatedly traveling back in time to visit his wife as she grows from age 6 to 18 (even though he behaves honorably). There are other problems too. The story line of Clare (Rose’s character) being assaulted and Henry willing to literally kill the assailant is ridiculous. The actor cast as the best friend, Gomez, is completely wrong for the part. The two “references” running throughout – that Henry is an asshole (overused) and is able to have sex with himself due to time travel (stupid and overused) fall flat. I also felt Clare’s character often came across mean and uncaring, probably a fault of the writing. All that said, I loved watching Theo’s work and enjoyed several clever wedding twists in the final episode. I was hoping for a season two, but alas I suspect there were too many negatives to overcome. Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 1.

ELIZABETH: A PORTRAIT IN PART(S) – A fun documentary on Queen Elizabeth presented in a whimsical fashion. Historic events are interspersed with vintage movie and TV clips of celebrities detailing the Queen’s life in a lighthearted, sometimes outright comical, presentation amid some somber moments in time. Quite a clever take on Her Majesty! I enjoyed it. Cheers!! Boyfriends – 0; Girlfriends – 1 (The Queen, of course)

VIKINGS: VALHALLA – Dana watched the original Vikings series and liked it a lot. I didn’t see it (although it was always on my list), but since there is very little of interest on NetFlix these days, I decided to watch this sequel. It’s historical fiction, which we all know is right up my alley, and apparently most of the characters are based on real folks with Leif Eriksson standing out as a name most of us remember from history books. Of course there are supernatural elements involved (reminiscent of Game of Thrones) which I always enjoy. The cast is attractive (naturally) and mostly decent actors. The season is only eight episodes and worth viewing if you are a fan of the genre. Believe it or not – nobody rates on the boyfriend/girlfriend meter, but they do come close. Cheers!

THE MUSTANG – Robert Redford produced this film which screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Starring one of my favorites, Matthias Schoenaerts, and featuring Bruce Dern, the film is a fictional story based on a real inmate rehabilitation program available at certain prisons in the west. Wild mustangs are captured, tamed by prisoners and sold at auction to the US Border Patrol. As horses and humans both learn to live within prison walls, bonding with these animals teaches inmates patience, kindness and understanding which they will one day take with them to the outside world. Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 0.

TOP GUN:MAVERICK – This is a ride!! And there’s no need to have seen the original movie to enjoy this one thanks to its almost identical format and storyline. The inclusion of photos and snippets from the first film helps, too, and is one of the things Kelly and I enjoyed the most. The movie is a bit long with dogfights going on forever. Some of the plot twists are predictable and the fighter jets’ trajectory through a long narrow corridor to reach their target seemed a throwback to the X-Wings in the first Star Wars film as they traveled through a similar maze on their mission to destroy the Death Star. That said, it is a fun adventure to experience in a theatre as we emerge from covid’s grip. I loved feeling the rumble of the seats and hearing the roar of the engines surround me – not to mention some spectacular flying (these pilots are a breed unto themselves) and no use of CGI. Cruise, at 59, is still gettin’ it done. The cocktail peeps break down this way – Sam was bored, Alex and Francine liked it, Kelly and I liked it a lot, Steve loved it. Cheers! Boyfriends – 0; Girlfriends – 0.

KNIVES OUT – Typical murder mystery with lots of familiar names like Daniel Craig (who does a great southern drawl), Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson and Christopher Plummer to name a few. Personally, I was intrigued by the chair made of knives reminiscent of the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones. Agatha Christie fans will enjoy the similarities and homage to her novels. Cheers! Boyfriends – 0; Girlfriends – 0.