RITA MORENO – JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT – You guys know how much I enjoy documentaries, and this one doesn’t disappoint. Rita Moreno narrates her own story with candor, enthusiasm and joy. Even as a woman looking at 90, she remains a pistol with the pluck of a chick in her twenties. She shares stories of incredible heartbreak: a tumultuous love affair with Marlon Brandon, an abortion of his child and a suicide attempt. This in addition to the racism she battled in Hollywood as a young Latina actress. Yet she rises from the depths like a Phoenix every time and soars higher than before. Cast as Anita in the original West Side Story film, she comes full circle when Steven Spielberg again casts her in his soon-to-be-released remake, this time in the role of Valentina. I came away from Rita’s story fully inspired to meet the challenges in my own life (which seem to pale by comparison), both as an actor and a human being. If Rita can overcome, so can the rest of us! Thank you, Rita. Cheers!!

HOLIDATE – dumb, moronic new holiday film released on NetFlix. Crass, unfunny attempt at humor that bored me to tears and frankly offended me (which the peeps will tell you is almost impossible to accomplish). Boyfriends -1; Girlfriends – 1. Meter rating is not enough to save this film. Skip it!

THE IRREGULARS – this new NetFlix show is, well….irregular. The story unfolds in Victorian London with an irregular take on Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, an irregular band of street urchins (one with supernatural powers), and an irregular prince escaping his royal prison. It has quite the irregular storyline as well. I don’t know quite what to make of it. The whole thing is a jumble of irregularity, so it is indeed properly named. I also found all the irregularity an interesting departure from traditional casting and characters. Everything about it is unorthodox from the diverse cast to the portrayal of well-known characters such as Holmes & Watson to the plot. The story is a bit confusing, but for me, this unique presentation of the whole lot was a draw. Plus two actors definitely made my boyfriend meter. Girlfriends – none. Cheers!

DEXTER: NEW BLOOD – I was a fan of the original Dexter series. That is, until the final episode which was lame and subpar for a quality show. It also left the door wide open for a sequel, which I couldn’t imagine being any good, given the ridiculous ending. So naturally, I expected this second go-round to be a waste of time and was planning to hate on it from the outset. I was pleasantly surprised to find I actually like it and enjoyed the first episode very much. Of course, Dexter’s son is older now and comes to find his father (expected story line which should be interesting). Dexter’s father, who was his constant not-really-there companion and conscience, has been replaced by his sister, Deb. Jennifer Carpenter returns in this role. The iconic music is the same, Dexter’s droll commentary is still funny, and Michael C. Hall looks like he hasn’t aged a day. He continues to gleefully play Dexter as if no time has passed at all…and he’s still one of my boyfriends! Cheers! Unanimous toasts. Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 0.

lovehard – a Christmas romantic comedy along the lines of Hallmark Christmas movies, but is, in fact, a NetFlix original film. It’s an okay piece. If you like this type of schmaltzy movie, this one’s for you. Mindless entertainment, predictable romantic outcome with a bit of holiday cheer thrown into the mix. I admit I only watched it because it stars Nina Dobrev. I enjoyed her performance in Vampire Diaries, and I haven’t seen her in anything since, so I wanted to catch a glimpse of her portraying a different character. She does a good job. Is it enough to make this film worth viewing? Probably not. If you’re into this genre, stick with Hallmark or Lifetime. Nina got a girlfriend rating in Vampire Diaries. In this one, not so much. Merry Christmas – cheers to the holiday, not the film. Boyfriends – 0; Girlfriends – 0.

HYPNOTIC – Sinister, unnerving and well done. This piece on Netflix is a psychological thriller – literally. A therapist, using hypnosis to invade the minds of his patients, plants false memories and turns deep, subliminal fears into realities with the mere utterance of a trigger word. The patients have no recollection their minds have been penetrated in such a manner and are thereby defenseless to the psychotic suggestions of a maniacal doctor with a gruesome agenda of his own. Quite scary. No boyfriends or girlfriends, but unanimous toasts to great work all around. Cheers!

AMERICAN RUST – Depressing, slow and somewhat disturbing. I like Jeff Daniels’ work, I never warm to Maura Tierney for some reason (I always find her annoying), but irrespective of these two leads I cannot get into this much-hyped series on Showtime. The story is awful. None of my peeps care for it, but I have met folks outside of our clan who rave about it. Our take – Zero boyfriends/girlfriends; zero toasts. Skip it.

POST MORTEM – I found this Norwegian supernatural tale delightful! Dubbed in English, it captured my attention from the beginning. Only six episodes, and only one season so far (I’m rooting for more), the work is great! It’s not the typical horror scenario. The pacing is character driven and the exact type of paranormal disorder the protagonist is afflicted with hasn’t yet been revealed. We only know it’s hereditary. And there are edge-of-your seat thrilling situations in each episode from which our gal (a natural ginger beauty) must escape. All of the characters were endearing and there’s plenty of humor in the mix. I looked forward to every episode! Bummed it’s over. Girlfriends – 1; Boyfriends – 1. Cheers!!

MIDNIGHT MASS – the peeps are unanimous. This thing is dull, monotonous and LONG. Mike said it’s a slow burn that never ignites. Kelly and I agree, except we disagree it was ever burning at all. Excruciatingly excessive dialogue. Blah, blah, blah, BORING!! And if I hear one more hymn or Bible quote my head will explode! That said, we find some of the casting exceptional. The actor playing the priest is ideal for the role, the actor playing Riley is great. Kate Siegel, who plays Erin Green, is always top notch and always cast in Mike Flanagan’s productions. It’s a perk of being married to the boss, but she’s got the chops to warrant the work. There is one boyfriend and one girlfriend in this for Kelly and me, but they are not worth viewing this series – skip it. Zero toasts.