THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR – is indeed wonderful! This short film written and directed by Wes Anderson, based on a Roald Dahl story and starring A-list actors is truly a work of art. Told in what I call video book, the actors are actually reading you the story while portraying the characters. The whole concept is unique (I’ve never seen anything like it). The cinematography is refreshingly clever and bursting with color and creativity. The characters are endearing, delivering fast-paced story telling that immediately engages us and keeps us enthralled until the very end. Well-deserved Oscar nomination. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

PRISCILLA – Priscilla Presley’s memoir about her life with Elvis brought to the screen by Sophia Coppola. A sad tale of a naive young girl trapped in a dysfunctional relationship with the King of Rock ‘n Roll. It’s perplexing why her parents, stationed in Germany, would allow their underage daughter, who was still in high school, to move in with Elvis at Graceland in Tennessee. Beyond that, most of this story has been told in many books and films over the years. Nothing new to see here. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON – Well that was four hours we can’t get back! Linette and I agree the scenes were dreadfully long and repetitious making this film woefully tedious to watch. Very few dates were provided so we had no idea exactly when these monstrous events occurred or how much time passed between events. I started to check out around hour three and left to feed the cat. I didn’t miss anything except a few minutes of sleep. In the final scene, Scorsese uses an old-time radio show to wrap up all the loose ends. (I guess he figured four hours wasn’t enough). It’s completely out of place with the film and doesn’t work at all. Linette and I just looked at each other, dumbfounded. The performances were good, but not enough to save this picture. Skip it…or bring a pillow! Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.

THE POWER OF FILM – Six episode documentary on Turner Classic Movies exploring character and relationship dynamics in popular films and how we relate to them in our own lives. For those of us in the entertainment industry, this deep-dive exploration by Howard Suber, Professor of Theatre and Film at UCLA, is informative and useful. Other folks may find it dull and boring, but worth a peek. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0. 

HACKS – Jean Smart is a terrific actress so I tuned in to see what the fuss was about (it’s been awarded Emmys in the past). After two episodes, I can’t get into it. Both characters are too unlikeable and I don’t care about them. Skip it. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0. 

GOLDA – Helen Mirren’s Oscar worthy performance as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir is impeccable, as usual. Liev Schreiber is also quite good as Henry Kissinger. The film depicts the 20-day Yom Kippur War in 1973. The story gets bogged down in war room scenes and the cinematography is weird. I liked the snippets of the real Golda and Kissinger that we see briefly from a distance. The makeup to transform Helen was incredible. And the film, thankfully, is under two hours. Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 0.

SALTBURN – Psychotic university student, Oliver, insinuates himself into the family of a rich classmate. The dysfunctional, entitled family never see him coming as creeper Oliver stealthily unleashes hell into their lives. Completely unsettling. A real downer. Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 0. 

DR. DEATH – Docudrama profiling one specific murdering doctor each season. I haven’t watched Season One, but Season Two is horrifying. Kelly said I wouldn’t like it, and she was right! The doctor’s cruelty as he destroys patients’ lives, and gets away with it over and over again, is astounding. Beware. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.