TITAN THE OCEANGATE SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER – Blinded by hubris, arrogance and ego, Oceangate owner Stockton Rush became Oceangate murderer Stockton Rush. Ignoring the sub’s failure of all endurance testing, firing employees who raised safety concerns, overlooking the exit of many others who departed the company due to the same safety concerns, refusing to allow the sub to be inspected and certified for deep sea diving per industry standards, justifying his use of carbon fiber when he was repeatedly warned of its weaknesses. Still he continued to dive even though tragedy was only a matter of time, or as one of his employees stated…”it was a mathematical certainty the sub would fail.” It doesn’t get any plainer than that. Just seeing the graphs and hearing the popping sounds of fibers breaking during this documentary gave me goosebumps. I can’t imagine being locked inside this death capsule. Sadly it ended up being just that when four unsuspecting people, plus Stockton, imploded along with the sub on June 18, 2023, after only ten dives. Mesmerizing documentary. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – everyone who spoke up to avoid disaster.

ONE TO ONE JOHN & YOKO – The year is 1971. John & Yoko have fled London and begun life in New York City in their small Greenwich Village apartment which they will inhabit until moving to the Dakota in 1973. Produced by their son, Sean Ono Lennon, and Brad Pitt, it is an interesting snapshot of the US at that time. Political unrest is raging over the Vietnam war. Young people are rising up in defiance of the establishment. Nixon is president, and John & Yoko have become huge outspoken activists for peace. Snippets of current events in 1971 are peppered among commercials and tv shows popular at the time revealing a huge disconnect between the lives of everyday Americans and the violent chaos in the country and the world. Live footage from the Lennons’ One to One concert to raise funds for the retarded children of Willowbrook State School is included. For me, the most interesting segments were phone recordings of John & Yoko speaking to various folks involved with their peace movement. Quite the history lesson for those of us who lived through it and those of us born too late to experience it….although it is a vivid reminder that we are repeating much of the same behavior in our country now. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

RETURN OF THE KING THE FALL AND RISE OF ELVIS PRESLEY – New documentary covering Elvis’s life up to the comeback concert in 1968. Not a lot new here, but comments from Priscilla Presley, old acquaintances and Elvis himself, plus snippets from the ’68 concert, make this an interesting piece. And let’s face it, Elvis rocked that black leather outfit! I remember it well. Cheers!! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE – Fascinating look in real time at a nuclear attack on America. In this film we have no idea who launched the missile against us, all efforts to intercept it fail and the president has only 18 minutes to make his choice…retaliate or not. Either way, the city of Chicago is toast and the surrounding areas are radiation drenched and life as we know it is over. Three aspects of the crisis play out simultaneously while the clock ticks down the 18 minutes. We get an unnerving glimpse of how vulnerable we are should something like this actually occur. The performances are great and the storyline and filming sequence is unique. I didn’t come away terrified or disturbed as much of the audience did. It definitely is thought provoking however. And Trump deciding to test nuclear weapons a week after this film’s debut is also worrisome. I don’t know if there is any correlation or not, but this picture has everyone thinking “what if?” Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – o.

JUDY – Renee Zellweger takes a stab at portraying iconic Judy Garland in this film of Judy’s last year alive. A few things bothered me watching this piece. One – Renee never really captured Judy’s essence for me. And she doesn’t look much like her either, even with hair, makeup and wardrobe to match the role. Two – the movie focuses only on the five weeks Judy was performing in London, with occasional flashbacks to her early years at MGM where her tender psyche was abused and molded into the vulnerable, tragic person she became. Lastly, I’m not sure how much of this film is factually accurate. I’m a Judy fan, but not of this movie. Skip it! Cheers!

NOVOCAINE – I didn’t like it. I was expecting a comedy, but except for one particular scene which was very funny, I don’t think it was. I don’t know what it was. There’s a lot of cringe worthy graphics and violence that bothered me. I had to look away from some scenarios. John, on the other hand, thought it was clever and unique. Usually he hates violence, but didn’t seem to mind it in this film. He said he enjoyed the quirky storyline. So split decision from two peeps! Cheers!! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

BILLY JOEL: AND SO IT GOES – Five hours spread over 2 episodes of this documentary paint a vivid, detailed and thorough picture of Billy Joel the man. I was always a fan of his music, but never knew anything really about his personal life aside from the Christie Brinkley marriage and occasional motorcycle crash. I never found him particularly attractive. By the end of the documentary I was in love with him. He tells us most of his story himself while seated at the piano in his home. He’s engaging, funny, brash, candid…and brutally honest about his journey. You know, a typical New Yorker and I couldn’t resist his charm. In person it must be impossible! All of his wives, current and ex, speak frankly of their relationship with him. So does his daughter Alexa. Band members weigh in, too, as do various family members and friends. Throughout there is an abundance of performance footage and he gives us the lowdown behind the songs. It’s marvelous! Besides coming away from this piece with a new-found admiration for Joel, I also had endless tunes playing in my head for days. John (who loved the documentary by the way) and I danced to some of our favorites during the viewing. Not to be missed. Rock on Billy!! Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 1.

BABYGIRL – Soft porn for sure. And Nicole looks awful. (She used to be one of John’s fictional girlfriends. Not anymore). There’s zero chemistry between she and the young intern. Antonio Banderas is good as the husband, but I didn’t believe any of the storyline when I could understand it. The scenes are disjointed, there is a lot of confusion and we are left wondering what the hell is happening and why. The ending was complete fantasy as is most of the film. You guessed it folks…skip it! Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

F1 – Packed with car racing action and starting out with a bang, this Brad Pitt film about Formula One competition is loud and exciting….almost like being there. Two and a half hours flew by…much like the cars themselves and unlike most movies of that length. It’s a great vehicle for Brad, too….no pun intended. I thoroughly enjoyed it. So did John whose dad was a race car driver back in the 50s. Buckle up and hang on for the ride! Cheers! Boyfriends -1; Girlfriends – 1.

LUCY & DESI – The best documentary of the lives and relationship of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz I’ve ever seen….and I’ve seen a lot of them. What makes this one a diamond among rhinestones is Lucy and Desi tell their story and their personal histories in their own voices thanks to tapes they made during their lives and excerpts from media content. Outside narrative is limited with the exception of some personal info provided by their daughter, Lucie Arnaz. Never before seen home movie footage is also included and I loved seeing Lucy and Desi in their private moments just being a regular couple who were obviously madly in love. I loved the backstage peek at I Love Lucy as well. If you’re a fan, this one is not to be missed. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.