PATSY & LORETTA – Back in 1981 Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for her outstanding portrayal of Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter. That film revealed the close friendship between Loretta and Patsy Cline. This film from 2019 is a deep dive into that relationship. The dichotomy and attraction between these two iconic country music divas is very much on display and played convincingly by both actors who also do their own singing. Jessie Mueller nails Loretta’s accent to a T. Not a lot of new info in this film, but as a fan of Patsy and Loretta (the real folks), I thoroughly enjoyed it. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

ARCHIVE 81 – this new series on NetFlix is supposed to be a supernatural thriller involving a cult and their mission to release a god/demon from another world. I wasn’t so thrilled. It’s eight monotonous episodes and a bit of a mind bend because we’re never clear on how an event happened or why. It’s long on humming, videos whirring, boring evil music, dark labyrinth corridors, and short on variation in the episodes or interesting writing. Kelly, on the other hand, liked it. She said she enjoyed the twists, especially the one at the end. (I didn’t really notice any). But she felt the actor playing the lead character, Dan, was flat and she won’t watch a second season, if there is one. On that we agree. One halfway toast. Zero boyfriends/girlfriends.

THE GILDED AGE – Think Downton Abbey meets obscenely rich late-1800s Manhattanites and you have a complete picture of this new Julian Fellowes drama on HBO. In fact, there’s no need to watch it. It’s a rehash of Downton Abbey set in a new location with a slight variation of snobbery, class and scandal. I was less than impressed. Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon turn in good performances. The rest of the cast is somewhat wooden and the dialogue and situations are predictable and dull. The women’s wardrobe is gorgeous and I found myself paying more attention to that than the storyline. If you’re a Downton Abbey fan like me, stick to rewatching the original on DVD and skip this knock off! No toasts, no boyfriends, no girlfriends.

THE FATHER – Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for his heartbreaking portrayal of an elderly man sinking into the dark abyss of dementia. His performance is brilliant. Olivia Colman is equally superb as his daughter. I had to be in the right frame of mind to finally watch this film because I knew it was going to be a depressing trip into the void we all fear. It did not disappoint. This piece is a brutally honest, gut wrenching depiction of a world where we no longer know ourselves or our surroundings and the folks in it. If you are up for the ride, it is well worth your time. Cheers! No boyfriends or girlfriends.

RED JOAN – Judi Dench stars in this film based on the book which is loosely based on the story of Melitta Norwood. Norwood became known as the granny spy when she was arrested in her English garden at the age of 87 for smuggling information to the Russians forty years earlier during World War II. It’s an interesting tale and I rather liked it, although the story telling is a bit choppy alternating between present day and flashbacks. Dench is always top notch and the rest of the cast delivers as well. I don’t know how much I believe about Norwood’s explanation for treason, and I have a hard time justifying it in any case, but it does provoke some thought on the subject. Neutral on the toasts. Zero boyfriends and girlfriends.

AMERICAN NIGHT – Violent film (think Quentin Tarantino) starring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Emile Hirsch and Paz Vega. It’s not my kind of film, but I am a Jonathan fan, so when the screener arrived, I watched it. Jonathan delivers his usual intense, stellar performance. The rest of the cast is also quite good. But, alas, not a fan of the movie. For starters, it’s poorly lit. True, 95% of it takes place at night, but I often couldn’t see the actors’ faces, the action or even the sets very well. Sometimes the audio was also sub-par and I would have to rewind to catch the dialogue. The plot was convoluted so I’m still unclear exactly what was happening. I didn’t even get that Jeremy Piven’s character is a stuntman afraid of heights until I heard him say so in an interview. That made his bit funny which was totally lost on me at the time. As for the women, they all looked so much alike (exotic, long dark hair) that with the inadequate lighting, I couldn’t tell them apart. And they spoke with accents which didn’t help me distinguish who was who. Lastly, as I already mentioned, way too much violence for me. But I’m guessing Tarantino fans will love it. No toasts. Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 0.

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING – Geena Davis produced this documentary revealing the long-standing gender bias in Hollywood. It’s probably only of interest to those of us in the entertainment industry, but it was quite informative. I was surprised at the meager number of women, especially women of color, studios employ both in front of and behind the camera. With specific focus on women directors and women role models, even women who produced a successful film (profit in studio lingo) often never worked again. Some even won coveted awards. Some have created their own production companies where they can control content and hiring. What progress has been made is due to years of arduous commitment among a select group of daring women who weren’t going to take it anymore and culminated with the #MeToo movement. Despite these positive steps forward, it seems there is still a long way to go. I found one comment especially true, and I’m paraphrasing…..”in order for there to be real change in Hollywood, it will require men to step up and support hiring women.” Indeed. Cheers to our heroines and the men who will answer the call! Girlfriends – lots; boyfriends – maybe.

A LITTLE CHAOS – A piece of historical fiction from 2014 directed by Alan Rickman (who also plays King Louis) and starring Kate Winslet and a dreamy leading man, Matthias Schoenaerts. It also features Helen McCrory, one of my favorites as most of you know. Stanley Tucci sparkles in a delightful turn as the king’s brother, Philippe. Set in Versailles during the reign of Louis XIV, Kate’s character, Sabine, is tasked with building a garden for the king…a bit improbable for 1600s France, but whatever. The only real flaw is my pet peeve – the actors are not speaking in French or using French accents. This removes a vital element of authenticity for me (particularly in period pieces). It never bothers Sandi though. Regardless, we both thoroughly enjoyed the film and will be on the lookout for more Matthias in the future. Wine glasses high! Santé! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 1.

A GHOST STORY – aptly named and misleading at the same time, this piece is not what the title suggests. It’s not a ghost story, it’s a ghost’s story. One which poignantly asks us to consider the meaning of life and death. At times achingly slow, and yet somehow appropriately paced, I was often thinking, “I get it, let’s get on with it,” especially in the beginning scenes that seemed to be dealing honestly with issues in real time. I was tempted to turn it off, but resisted because I wanted to understand the message of the film. The longer I watched it, the more I wanted the meaning revealed and the more it eluded me. That is until the group scene where many of the questions we all have about life and death where pondered. I began to see the bigger picture (and actually agree with much of it) as the story delved into the heartbreaking emotions of grief and loneliness. I still don’t completely understand some of what transpired, including the ending, although I have a general idea. But the film has stuck with me for several days now as I’ve mulled it over. That in itself speaks volumes. I’ve also learned in the time since that it won critical acclaim in 2017 and an award at Sundance. That doesn’t necessarily count for anything, but I think in this case it might. I’m glad I watched it, even if I’m left confused about some details within it. A toast! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

DEATH TO 2021 – Some funny bits in this parody of the past year in the same format as its predecessor, Death to 2020. Actual footage of news events and actors portraying journalists or interviewees are woven together in an entertaining retrospective of the year we just endured….and don’t want to endure again. Of course, that’s what we said about 2020, but I digress. I thoroughly enjoyed Stockard Channing, Tracy Ullman and Hugh Grant ruthlessly spoofing journalists and commentators we all recognize. So did Perry, and he enjoyed the whack job interviewees, whom you’ll also recognize. All the actors play their roles with glee and for an hour we are happily distracted from the misery of the old year and look forward with hope to the new one! Cheers to 2022!!