THE MAGICIANS – I happened upon this show on a whim. I discovered a delightful fantasy adventure which immediately engaged me. Based upon the book series by Lev Grossman (who I’d never heard of), it’s sort of a Harry Potter goes to college aimed at a millennial demographic. For me it has everything. Magic, fantasy, beautiful & talented ensemble cast, good vs. evil storyline, and the power of loyalty, friendship and teamwork. There are lots of references to iconic films/tv/music and the stars thereof (which I always enjoy), but you have to listen closely because the dialogue is often fast-paced. The cast also sing a contemporary song together in various episodes which sounds weird but is actually interesting. Plus they have excellent voices and the song choices compliment the emotion in the scene. The character of Margo is my favorite. She is brash, bawdy, beautiful and funny. I laugh out loud at many of her lines. She also reminds me of one of my colleagues so that may be an additional point in her favor. On the boyfriend meter, I have two on this show, and one girlfriend (Margo of course). The chemistry between Margo and Elliot is undeniable. I love watching them together and always look forward to their scenes. There is a shocking twist at the end of the most recent season (4) which broke my heart. There is a season 5 airing soon, but I think (sadly) the dynamic may now be dramatically altered from the original appeal. I recently overheard two 70-something men talking about the show. It made me smile because they seemed an unlikely audience for this story and its format. Instead, they were incredibly enthusiastic about it and enjoy it very much. And so, cocktail peep or no, they made it into the blog.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD – I liked this film. I always enjoy love letters to my home town (LA) and show business which I’ve worked in for 35 years. Performances were strong, story was interesting, Brad looked great when he took off his shirt, Brandy the dog stole the show. It was an honest portrayal of what actors and crew endure behind the scenes on sets. There was also a lot of humor included which made me laugh out loud. I also enjoyed all the references to 1960s TV shows/music I grew up with. My chief complaint was it was too long. Scenes could have been shortened or eliminated to reduce the time and still packed the same punch. Particularly the Sharon Tate scenes in the movie theatre watching her films. My son, Mike, loved this. He feels Tarantino is portraying a day in the life for every character and this was Sharon’s. Of course, he’s a Tarantino fan so he may be a bit biased. He does agree it was slow moving. He loved the film overall and agrees the casting was excellent. My friend Francine didn’t like it all. But honestly, I think it was too much wine that put her to sleep.

Cocktail Commentary

Howdy All! I’m Lisa. My girlfriends and I, and sometimes my kids, will be offering our take on movies and tv shows we have recently viewed. This may or may not be interesting, as we will be imbibing and may be quite merry while commenting. Still, it’s fun being cocktail critics and we often come up with legitimate reviews. So it’s off to the sofa, the wine and the remote. My fictional boyfriends (and girlfriends) are waiting. Slainte!