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!
A TOXIC LOVE STORY – the title says it all! Hideous true story of hideous people. Unless you’re into this stuff, skip it! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.
SECRETS OF THE BEES – Extraordinary National Geographic documentary on these fascinating garden friends. The footage is amazing as we go up close and personal, almost becoming part of the hive. I always wonder how photographers are able to capture video like this. I learned a lot. Did you know there are 20,000 different species of bees? This and so much more information will astound you during this two episode Hulu documentary. Don’t miss it! Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – Thousands.
PROJECT HAIL MARY – We all liked it. I didn’t expect to because I’m generally not a fan of science fiction, but I liked The Martian film and both movies were based on books written by the same author. It could have become a heavy drama, but the story was lightened by lots of humor throughout. Ryan Gosling does an excellent job carrying this film. His character is endearing and we root for him the whole two hours and forty-one minutes of this movie. There was a lot of technical stuff I didn’t understand as well as fast-paced action on the ship that I couldn’t follow. Plus it seemed impossible the alien would learn to communicate so quickly using numbers, sign language and voice activators. Mike said that didn’t bother him because he had read the book where much of this is explained in depth. John said “that’s Hollywood.” We all enjoyed the ride! Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends -0.
LIFE, LARRY AND THE PURSUIT OF UNHAPPINESS (An Almost History of America) – Mike and I are in complete agreement: Larry David’s latest comedy show on HBOMax is typical and annoying….just like Larry. But it’s not funny. He does get good guest stars though…especially Rob Reiner in his final role. Skip it! Cheers! Boyfriends – 1 in episode 3; Girlfriends – 0.
SHIPWRECKED NIGHTMARE AT SEA – Harrowing account from actual survivors of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that sank after striking a huge boulder and running aground off the coast of Giglio Island in Italy. It’s an intense documentary with actual footage and worth viewing. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.
THE BLACK PHONE 2 – Repeat of The Black Phone 1, but better. Acting is decent. A few scares! (John was terrified, but he scares easy). I liked the final phone call…very emotional. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.
FACKHAM HALL – Silly, campy British murder mystery comedy along the lines of Naked Gun and Airplane. It was delightful to watch Damian Lewis in a departure from his usual intense dramatic roles. The film is great fun. I laughed a lot! Cheers!! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 0.
BABY REINDEER – Exceedingly disturbing true story of abuse and stalking suffered by one man, Richard Gadd, who wrote and stars in this piece as himself! And even more gut wrenching than the behavior of the abuser and stalker (two separate people), is Gadd’s reaction to it (which sometimes is no reaction at all). His attempts to be a professional comedian are also excruciating when he fails miserably on stage. I had no desire to see this series until I heard Gadd on an NPR interview last week. As I listened to him candidly recount the events, I was fascinated by his brutal honesty about what transpired and his own culpability in the situations. I decided to watch right then and there. It was tough to stick with it, but turns out he’s a good actor as is everyone in the cast. Not for the faint of heart, but mesmerizing. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.
MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE: LIFE’S STILL UNFAIR – I was a fan of the original Malcolm back in the day. I wasn’t expecting a repeat of the quality before, but I certainly wasn’t expecting a waste of time which it is now. Stupid and disappointing. Not worth viewing for an occasional laugh. Skip it! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.
DARK SHADOWS AND BEYOND – THE JONATHAN FRID STORY – I readily admit it! I was one of those kids who rushed home from school to watch Dark Shadows at 4 p.m. every weekday in the late 60s. So was my sister and most of my friends! I adored the show. The supernatural stories, the beautiful evil witch Angelique who could never get her man (Barnabas), Dr. Hoffman who protected Barnabas at all costs while secretly in love with him. And of course, the iconic reluctant vampire himself, Barnabas Collins, who brought old-world elegance to the role as well as a loathing of the monster he was (long before Louie in Anne Rice’s novel was born). I have a Barnabas Barbie doll and the entire series on dvd. Even today, I will tune in to old episodes from time to time now that the show has dropped on AmazonPrime. Which brings me to this interesting documentary about the actor portraying Barnabas, Jonathan Frid. Frid was very private and I knew little about him so I was delighted to hear his life story, both personal and professional. Of course, Dark Shadows was a big part of his legacy, so behind-the-scenes info about the show features prominently in this piece….which made me enjoy it even more! Dark Shadows fans will find it “bloody” satisfying. See what I did there? Cheers!! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.
ChicksFlicks&Cocktails 