THE BIG LEBOWSKI – Apparently I am the only person on the planet who has not seen this film from 1998. Everyone keeps telling me to watch it, and as I was in a state of boredom the other night and in need of a laugh, I decided I would finally give it a peek! One of the reasons I resisted for so long is I’m not a big fan of Coen Bros. films. I have to admit I was surprised to find this movie funny. Laugh out loud funny. I thought John Goodman was hilarious. I thought Jeff Bridges was funny as his foil. I loved Steve Buscemi as the long suffering third wheel (which was quite a departure from his usual roles). Of course the storyline was ridiculous, and I didn’t understand some bits, but it didn’t matter. It was funny and I was laughing all the way through to the end. So in the words of John and Mike, watch this film for some mindless comedic entertainment! Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE – Since the entertainment industry is now in the throes of shooting a TV series based on the Time Traveler’s Wife, I thought I would finally watch the film from 2009. It is a poignant love story to be sure with a large dose of fantasy (hence time travel). One of my friends considers it to be among his top twenty movie picks, but he is an incurable romantic. It certainly is a film that speaks to incurable romance. Though it doesn’t make my top twenty list, I liked it. I liked the characters, the pace and yes, the idea that an epic love affair could endure through time and space and all the challenges that presents. Oops, guess I’m an incurable romantic too! Shh…it’s our secret. A toast to true love – cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends -1.

MOVIES THAT MADE US – I thoroughly enjoy this series, partly because it is a quasi documentary on popular films we love (and you guys know how much I like documentaries), but mostly because of the behind the scenes peek at the making of these films. As an actor, I relish hearing all the juicy details and antics that occurred that we, the audience, were never aware of! Sometimes these details made the difference in getting these films made at all, and sometimes random acts ensured their success. For instance, can anyone imagine Eric Stoltz in the role of Marty McFly? No? Me either. (I am a big believer in random acts and the magic of movie making). In addition to big reveals, the producers also sprinkle in funny sound effects and visual pop ups which only make the viewing that much more fun. The four films highlighted this season are Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, Pretty Woman and Forest Gump. If you are a fan of behind the scenes dramedy, you will find this series completely entertaining. Cheers!!!

SEXLIFE – If any of y’all out there are interested in soft porn, this NetFlix original new series is for you! Dana couldn’t get enough of it. Frannie watched through the first three episodes, but lost interest after that. I made it to the end, but by episode six some of the situations were utterly stupid, the sex appeal had waned completely and it was a grind to get through the remaining two installments. Even from the beginning, I was more curious than actually engaged in the storyline. I just wanted the resolution to be revealed from about episode five, but alas, no dice. The three leads are quite attractive (naturally), and the work is pretty good throughout, but falters a bit near the end. The premise is bored, exhausted housewife married to a stable, secure good guy fantasizes about her bad boy boyfriend from her glory days. A chance encounter between wife and boyfriend, plus some untoward snooping by the husband into wife’s diary, equals relationship disaster. Not much to see here. There’s plenty of soft porn sprinkled into most good shows these days. You can skip this one.

MY OCTOPUS TEACHER – this moving documentary of roughly one year in the life of an octopus warmed my heart. Filmmaker Craig Foster develops an unlikely bond with this mollusk in the South African kelp forest and takes us on an incredible journey into her world. I came away from this film having fallen in love with the octopus as much as Foster and rooting for her to overcome the many challenges of life under the sea. Both educational and touching (sometimes even poignant), this film is worth every second of the 90-minute viewing time. Unanimous cheers from the peeps! Girlfriends – 1 (the octopus of course).

STARDUST – Charming, enchanting and magical fairytale based on the book written by Neil Gaiman, who was also involved in producing this film. First released in 2007, and now streaming on NetFlix, this delightful movie boasts an all-star cast including Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert DeNiro, and Claire Danes. By the way, I was thoroughly impressed by Claire’s English accent. Well done. This fun romp has everything required in fairytales – heroes, villains, enchanted stones, fallen stars, love, a moral and of course…..a happy ending! There’s even quite a bit of comedy thrown in for good measure. It’s wonderful. Cheers! Boyfriends – 2 (which includes Neil); Girlfriends – 2.

VERSAILLES – Merveilleux! The peeps are in full agreement on this three season series about the volatile reign of King Louis XIV of France. It is exceptional. Riveting story, excellent work. Sandi has been raving about it for months and happily convinced me to watch. Linette and Pat both are big fans and Dana loved it. The only issue which was a problem for me (and it was a big one) was English actors playing these roles. In my view it detracted from the authenticity of the piece. Either the actors should have been speaking in French (using English subtitles) or speaking with French accents, particularly since documents shone on camera are completely written French. This bothered me in every episode and took me somewhat out of the story. Sandi said it didn’t bother her at all, and she’s an actor too. Still, I loved the series and was disappointed it wasn’t renewed for its fourth season as originally planned. Toasts all around with delicious French wine! À votre santé! Boyfriend/Girlfriend meter: Quite a few boyfriends, zero girlfriends.

DOLLY PARTON HERE I AM – Dolly fans will enjoy this delightful documentary as charming as the country music diva herself! Commentary from folks like Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin offer some little known insight into the true Dolly Parton – and there’s even some revelation about Carl (photos and everything), Dolly’s extremely private and falsely rumored to be non-existent husband of fifty years. The girl’s got it goin’ on and it’s a fun romp through her life and times. Cheers to another seventy, Dolly!

THINGS HEARD AND SEEN – a complete waste of time. The ending was never explained and I didn’t understand which ghosts were who or the point of the whole story (beyond the superficial and predictable in which this film excels). Kelly had the same reaction. She even googled the novel which the film is based on and she still didn’t understand the premise or the ending. Don’t bother. If you want a good scare, rewatch Hill House. Zero toasts, zero boyfriends, zero girlfriends.

THE PATRIOT – From the year 2000, this Revolutionary War film offers an interesting perspective on an important battle between the militia (aiding regular soldiers) and the Redcoats which apparently was a turning point in the war. It’s a decent film, especially now when Americans need reminding how important our Democracy is and how hard fought it was to achieve. Mike loved it, of course, because he loves American history (particularly anything to do with the Revolution). But the film is too long and too violent. It could have been reduced to a 2 hours and had a more powerful impact. The battle scenes in particular are tedious and go on forever. Much of the violence is unnecessary. Mel Gibson is the main star and he is believable in the role of a father reluctant to fight but forced into the battle after the loss of his sons. But it is the performance of my boyfriends – Heath Ledger, Jason Isaacs and Chris Cooper who make this film engaging for me. So…cheers from me and Mike. Boyfriends – 3; Girlfriends – 0.