THE GLOAMING – Dana and I are huge fans of this Starz show! Filmed in Australia with an Australian cast, it had me spellbound from episode one. It is an edgy murder mystery incorporating witchcraft and dark magic into the plot. (The witch bit alone is enough to keep Dana and me interested). Add in the excellent work of all the cast, a sophisticated storyline and two mesmerizing, gorgeous leads and voila…..television magic at its finest. Alas, season one dropped right before Covid hit. So filming of season two was delayed and new episodes will not be released until 2022 (curse you pandemic). With only eight episodes in season one, I’m already impatient for the next round. Any fans of this genre will find Gloaming topnotch entertainment! Unanimous toasts. Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 1. Cheers!

OUR SOULS AT NIGHT – This film is a lovely, poignant story of companionship and romance between two older lonely folks. Excellently portrayed by Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, it is an honest look at the dynamics within all relationships and how those relationships affect each other. It’s also a story of redemption, forgiveness and truth. It is a timely piece which addresses issues many of us are currently enduring or may endure in the future. Surprisingly 1 boyfriend and 1 girlfriend in this film – Fonda and Redford are still the bomb, separately and together! A toast to them both! Cheers!

THIS IS A ROBBERY – This four-episode season one documentary details the story of the biggest art heist in the world from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Occurring in 1990, I found the crime intriguing and wondered why I again had never heard of such a newsworthy event at the time it happened. Authorities believe the heist was organized by one or more crime families (both Irish and Italian) for the purpose of leverage in busting their members out of the slammer. There is also ample evidence the theft could not have been pulled off without help from employees inside the museum. Unfortunately, many of the suspects have long since died (most by murder) and the location of the stolen art along with them. I kept getting the feeling I was watching a James Bond film rather than a real-life saga. It kept me interested, and I was hoping for the mystery to be solved by the final episode. Alas, apparently there is such a thing as a perfect crime…at least until the paintings reveal themselves and give up their secrets.

THE LAST PIRATE KINGDOM – Okay, so y’all know I’m a big fan of documentaries. You may not know I was also a fan of Black Sails on Starz which I thought was a purely fictional account of pirate lore featuring Long John Silver’s rise to his elevated rank in Treasure Island. Imagine my surprise when I watched Last Pirate Kingdom this week and learned that most of the characters in Black Sails were real pirates and much of their story depicted in it was true. Of course, there were some far-fetched deviations from actual facts, but I was thrilled to discover it was historical fiction which is one of my favorite genres in literature and cinema. Fast forward to Last Pirate Kingdom, which is indeed completely fact based, and I was intrigued to learn more about these pirates I was already familiar with and have their tales confirmed. I don’t know what it is about pirates, but there is something alluring about their lives that draws us in. They have been romanticized, to be sure, but I continue to find them fascinating. That it how I describe this documentary. It was fascinating. The actors portraying the pirates in reenactments were all believable. The experts giving us the facts were credible. And I thoroughly enjoyed comparing these pirates with their counterparts in Black Sails. There were even one or two boyfriends and a girlfriend in this piece! I toast them! Well done. Cheers!

ELIZABETH & MARGARET: LOVE & LOYALTY – I enjoyed this documentary revealing a more honest look at the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret. After watching The Crown (which I loved, but probably presented a more fictional take on the sisters) and various other “Hollywood” versions of their life together, this one is told through Margaret’s biographer/confidant and other reputable sources making it appear factual. It also features lots of actual footage of the girls from birth until Margaret’s death in 2002. I always enjoy a peek into true Royal life and the revelation that it is often more of a curse than a privilege. Cheers and a toast. No boyfriends or girlfriends.

TINA – Raw, gritty and as brutally honest as Tina Turner herself, this documentary is excellent. I have always admired Tina for both her talent and her courage to overcome gut-wrenching circumstances. She is a consummate professional and more importantly, an exceptional human being. I was mesmerized by every bit of this film whether I was watching performance footage or listening to Tina’s own explicit telling of her life story, laid bare for all of us to see. Dana loved it too. A bottle of toasts to a phenomenal woman and a film which truly honors her journey and inspires the rest of us to carry on! Cheers!!

AUDREY – Fans of Audrey Hepburn will enjoy this documentary of her life. I always thought she was so beautiful and stylish. I knew from previous press releases she was a caring, generous person. I also knew from the same sources her private life was no fairytale, beginning with her childhood. I never knew the full details of her journey until I watched this film. She was a remarkable woman who led a remarkable life. Most of the commentary is in Audrey’s own words or the words of family and close friends. Michael enjoyed it very much as well. Of course, Audrey’s been one of his girlfriends for years. Mine too. Two toasts. One girlfriend, zero boyfriends.

DEAD TO ME – I resisted watching this show for a long time because the synopsis didn’t seem too interesting. I decided to give it a go, and I’m glad I did. It’s a girl buddy show featuring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini as the buddies. These two unlikely partners in crime become joined at the hip for all the wrong reasons, inadvertently creating an iron-clad bond of true friendship. It’s cleverly written and I never expected several of the twists. It’s a drama to be sure, but there’s plenty of comic relief and its lifeblood is irony. I don’t recommend bingeing as it tends to get a bit bogged down in emotion. Viewing one episode at a time works great. I also cringed at a teenage character using the F-word when speaking to his mother – regularly. That put me off quite a lot. But I smiled at the casting of Katey Sagal as Linda Cardellini’s mother in season two. Many of us remember her playing Christina’s mother on Married With Children for years. Everyone’s at the top of their game and I’m eager for season three! Cheers! Boyfriends and girlfriends – 0.

I CARE A LOT – the work in this film is acceptable. And it was a real education to discover there are fraudulent guardian companies who can swoop into our lives, insert themselves into our financial affairs, have us declared incompetent and we are helpless to prevent any of it. It’s for this very reason, however, I disliked the film. Kelly agrees. Dana liked it. So one toast. Zero boyfriends and girlfriends (although Peter Dinklage is always fun to watch).