Tina's June 2025 Movies and More

With plenty of time on my hands as I recovered from my knee replacement surgery, I got to watch a bunch of new and old movies and some excellent documentaries in June. Numbering picks up from previous months and those items marked with an asterisk were ones I had not seen previously. The rating scale goes from a low of 1 to a high of 5 cans of tuna. Enjoy! 

58. Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie* (2025, Max) – You may remember the story of the petite blonde married mother of two who went out for a run from her Northern California home and vanished. There was public anguish expressed by her grief-stricken husband and others about her abduction, but then, suddenly, 22 days later, she turns up on a Southern California highway, battered and bruised and back with her family. What happened? She insisted she was captured by two Hispanic women who held her hostage, but the truth was very different. She was accused of staging a hoax and spending time with a former boyfriend, whom she convinced to hurt her and brand her. She spent some time in prison for lying to the FBI, and now – with a new book due out – she has decided to flip the script and accuse her former ex-boyfriend of actually harming her. And she doesn’t spare her former husband, either, accusing him of being controlling and mean to her. Horrors! This is a woman who is not to be trusted or believed. And unless you are immersed in this case, skip this 4-part documentary because it is full of contradictions and claims that cannot be proven. 2 cans.
59. ER* (1994-2009, Hulu) – This entry should occupy far more than a single spot on my list. Over the past few months, I watched all 15 seasons, a total of 330 episodes of this medical drama that aired on NBC. With a stellar original cast of George Clooney, Anthony Edwards and Julianna Margulies, among many others, and with the grittiness of a Chicago Emergency room at a public hospital as the locale, this series was truly captivating. The stories were medical but also character-driven and it made for compelling TV. After about season 8, when the original cast left and new doctors, nurses and others joined, the stories started becoming a little tiresome. But I was committed to finishing what I started. I’m glad I watched it and equally glad I’m finally done. Before there was Grey’s Anatomy (now in its 20th season on ABC) and before House and the Pitt and other excellent medical dramas, ER ruled in this category. 4 cans.
60. Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders* (2025, Netflix) – This 3-part documentary recalls the events of 1982, when 7 people were killed in the Chicago area after taking TYLENOL Capsules that were poisoned with cyanide. Since I was working in the Communications Department of Johnson & Johnson at the time, I remember this horrifying incident well. I watched J&J voluntarily recall the product and reimburse the buyers for whatever they said they had spent. The goal was to take the product off the market and avoid additional deaths. This program primarily focuses on James Lewis, a man who was convicted of sending an extortion letter to J&J but who was never convicted of the actual murders. This series floats some possible theories, but there isn’t much new here. 3 cans.
61. Surviving Ohio State* (2025, HBO) – For athletes at Ohio State in the 1980s, especially for members of the championship wrestling team, there was no way to avoid contact with the team doctor and faculty member who watched over the health of the student-athletes. Dr. Richard Strauss ran the department for decades, and the young men in his charge did not know what to do when they were subjected to embarrassing examinations of their genitals during routine physicals, or even if they reported something as mundane as a pain in the shoulder. Strauss took care of countless male athletes, and only the female fencing coach of the men’s team raised a red flag about his practices. He routinely showered with the athletes but did so facing them instead of facing the shower. Most of the athletes felt they would lose their scholarships if they reported the odd behavior of Dr. Strauss, and they didn’t even know how to describe it, though in retrospect, they acknowledge it was sexual abuse – or worse. The show includes numerous interviews with athletes and even with a wrestling official who reported wrong-doing, but nothing was on paper, and the head coach and his assistant, now-Republican Congressman Jim Jordan, were aware of the issues and chose to ignore them. Years later, this became a court case, and only then did the number of victims come out. Strauss died long ago, but let’s hope that society has learned lessons to teach athletes and students when and how to report despicable people who use their positions to abuse them. 4 cans.
62. Jaws (1975, Peacock) – It was been 50 years since that ominous music and a mechanical shark drove us all out of the water. Steven Spielberg’s second movie looked like a sure failure, with the shark breaking down and the cost far exceeding its budget. In the movie, the local police chief (Roy Scheider) has to face down the local sheriff, who doesn’t want the shark attack to destroy the summer tourism season. So the chief teams with a shark expert (Richard Dreyfus) and a ship captain (Robert Shaw) who feel they can defeat the great white shark. We’re gonna need a bigger boat! Just seeing those kids frolicking in the water, their legs hanging down and enticing the killer beast to attack is enough to make you stay away from the beach. Credit John Williams for a score that conveys every bit of terror. 4 cans.
63. Janice Ian: Breaking Silence* (2024, PBS American Masters) – This documentary about singer/songwriter Janice Ian was wonderful. I remember her song “Seventeen” about kids that just don’t fit in, and her iconoclastic “Society’s Child,” but I didn’t realize how young she was (15!) when she started writing and performing. She knew what she wanted to do and set clear boundaries for how she would do it. Her body of work holds up well against the folk singers and writers who were her contemporaries, many of whom are interviewed here. Her reflections on the mores of society, her life as a bi-sexual woman and the quality of her work make this program well worth seeing. 4 cans.
64. Sally Ride* (2025, PBS) – Ironically-named Sally Ride was the first American woman in space when she flew a successful mission for NASA aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1983. A Stanford graduate with a reputation as a bright engineer, Ride took a chance in applying for the space program when NASA announced they were looking for a few good women. Of course, the people in charge knew little about what women astronauts might need in flight, so they provided the astronauts with a make-up kit and hundreds of tampons. Ride had to face the press and their intrusive questions, queries that the men in the program never had to answer. One question that remained unanswered was her sexual orientation. Once married to a male fellow astronaut but never having had children, Ride kept her private life private, only allowing her long-time female partner to reveal their relationship in her obituary. Exposing their relationship previously might have had a negative impact on her career, so the first the public heard about it was after her death. Sally Ride was a role model for women pursuing science as a career and her foundation encouraged young women to consider the STEM field. Interesting story about a very accomplished woman. 3½ cans.
65. Goodfellas (1990, HBO) – Martin Scorsese’s brilliant film about the mob is full of entertaining tidbits and people with no qualms about going along with the violent traditions of organized crime. Told by the true-life character Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), who eventually ratted out his mob brothers, the story shows how Hill became intoxicated with the gangster lifestyle as a kid and moved up in the ranks as he got older. Of course, Robert DeNiro is in it, along with Joe Pesci, Paul Sorvino and others, all of whom are very convincing as the goodfellas. If not for “The Godfather,” this movie would be the best mob movie of all time. 4½ cans.
66. The Founder (Netflix) – Michael Keaton is very convincing as Ray Kroc, the man most people identify as the founder of McDonald’s. To be fair, he didn’t start the enterprise, which was the baby of the McDonald brothers. Ray was a failing milkshake machine salesman who talked a good game but didn’t have much success.  When the McDonalds in San Bernadino ordered a bunch of the machines, Kroc went to visit them to understand why, and he realized that the hamburger stand was a model of efficiency. He wanted in, proposed franchising and embarked on a tempestuous relationship with the brothers. It wasn’t until a colleague tipped him off that it would be better if he bought the real estate the stores would build on and lease it back to the franchisees that the big money started to roll in. The McDonald brothers settled with Kroc, who then began to bill himself as the founder. Rather, he was a hustler, interested in expanding the brand and taking chances that the brothers would never have agreed to take. You have to credit Kroc’s vision and ambition for driving the success of the brand and establishing a model franchise, but he did it in such as underhanded way. An American success story, or just the portrait of a man whose business practices hurt the real founders? 3½ cans.
67. In & Out (1997, cable TV) – The always delightful Kevin Kline is high school English teacher Howard Brackett, a man engaged to a woman from the faculty who is outted at the Oscars by his former student (Matt Dillon) after the latter wins Best Actor. The problem is that Howard is not gay, or so he says, despite his penchant for all things Barbra Streisand. Reporter Peter (Tom Selleck) is on hand to report the story, and although Howard denies it, all signs point to the fact that he certainly SEEMS gay. Kline fights it by listening to a tape pushing his virility until he can’t take it and succumbs to the joy of dancing to “I Will Survive.” Don’t overlook the work of Joan Cusak, Howard’s patient fiancée, who, finally facing the truth, utters the line of the movie when she confronts him over the timing of his admission at the altar (“You couldn’t have picked ANY OTHER TIME to tell me???”). From Bob Newhart to Debbie Renolds, this comedy is packed with terrific actors all in on the joke. Utterly charming and with a message to match. 4 cans.
68. Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything* (2025, Hulu) – There was a time that anyone who was anyone did tell newscaster Barbara Walters everything. Famous for her ability to get interviews with the most prominent, important and socially significant people of the day, Barbara’s “gets” included everyone from pols and diplomats like Menachim Begin and Ronald Reagan to Hollywood types known for their reluctance to be interviewed, like Clint Eastwood. And she was able to close the deal to get the infamous Monica Lewinsky in her first post-Clinton interview. Beyond that, Barbara was the first woman to co-host an evening news program, had a long career at “The Today Show,” and then closed her career with the creation of “The View,” a prominent talk show which she led. Like her or hate her, Walters was everywhere for a long time and quite literally paved the way for the success of other women on TV. And it wasn’t by being warm and fuzzy. But give her credit. She was who everyone watched on TV whenever there was a big story to tell. 3½ cans.
69. My Mom Jayne* (2025, HBO) – This moving documentary is a poignant look at the life of actress Jayne Mansfield produced by her actress daughter, Marishka Hargitay, the daughter who hardly knew her. Marishka was just 3 years old when her mother was killed in a car accident that left the toddler and her siblings injured. Her father, body builder Mickey Hargitay, raised the children despite the fact that he and Mansfield had actually divorced. In her day, Jayne Mansfield was like her counterpart, Marilyn Monroe, two breathy blond bombshells better known for their figures than their acting abilities. They were characterized as “dumb blondes’’ when they were neither dumb nor blond. Marishka decides to get to know her mother, visiting the long-secured family storage unit and talking to people who knew her mother back in the day. Some of what she learns is a revelation, with footage of her mother expertly playing the violin and a piano, while other information was kept as family secrets. This is a loving tribute to a woman who was much more than a sex symbol by a daughter who grew up not knowing her. 3½ cans.
70. The Bear, Season 4* (2025, Hulu) – Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and his crazy family are back for another go-around, this time with even more at stake as the chef is working on a deadline to have his restaurant turn a profit. Also back is Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), his most trusted chef, along with cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), sister Nat (Abby Elliott) and crazy mom Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis). The crew awaits its fate as they sweat out a review from a food critic and Carmy decides that the perfect menu he tried to achieve last year isn’t making business better. There is so much tension again this year that I can’t understand why this show is considered a comedy-drama. And trying to figure out who is who, who is getting married and who the hell are the Faks anyway (there’s the comic-relief), forced me to resort to finding reviews just so I could understand the plot and players. But the acting here is SO good that I can overlook some of the extra work I was forced to do. There are 10 episodes, all available for streaming on Hulu. And who knows if the show will be back next year, so enjoy it while you can! 4 cans.

Disjointed

 TMI about My TKR

I like to plan ahead. When it comes to medical stuff, I want as much information as I can get, so I will be prepared with facts on hand to deal with whatever the issue may be.

For my May 13 total knee replacement, I had no lack of sources, including the experiences of three close friends who had their knees replaced since March – and one, the day before mine. I found that checking in with people who have gone through the experience was extremely helpful. So, I’m sharing my experience with you so you can be ready when it is your turn.

1.    I shopped, cooked, and got a haircut and my toenails done in advance. I found all the shorts I owned and put them in a bin I could easily reach. And I had the house assessed for grab bars and had several installed -- in the bathroom and by the garage steps. The shower one enabled me to take a shower the first day I came home from the hospital, sitting on the shower chair I borrowed from my alumnae friend Kathi Love. My walker and high toilet seat were provided by my Canal Walk friend Angela Horan, and my cane was provided by my sister Nancy and belonged to her late husband, as did the “rollator” walker, a souped-up version of the original walker. I have gone through two sets of tennis balls on the walker legs in four weeks.
2.    I assumed my knee would be stiff and in pain, but I didn’t realize how stiff my leg would be or the level of pain I would face. I have progressed from feeling like someone is hammering a spike into my knee to advanced leg fatigue and achiness, which makes it tough to do my exercises, walk around the house or sleep. I’m a bad sleeper to begin with, but constant pain takes its toll. In trying (that is the word) to sleep initially, I was told to keep my leg straight. Don’t prop it up on a pillow and whatever you do, don’t be comfortable! If my foot would rotate 5 degrees either way, that meant it wasn’t straight. I slept in the family room on the recliner for about a week. Now I am mostly in bed, but my bed is so high that I need a step stool to climb in. I know how to step on the stool with my good, right leg, and propel myself into the bed. Any movement after that is a challenge. I have mostly mastered the skill of “scooting” into position. My in-home physical therapist from Community Visiting Nurse Association in Somerville, Jennifer, was here for about 2 weeks and she showed me all the tricks of getting into bed and getting into my sister’s SUV. I served on the Board of CVNA for about 30 years and I knew what a great resource they are to the community, and my first-hand experience with them just made me admire them more.
3.    The doctor and my outpatient physical therapist, a nice, knowledgeable and patient man named John, no longer care how I sleep. They just want me to sleep. We are in agreement on this subject.
4.    The PT says they want my leg to get completely straight AND that I need to bend it to a certain degree (which he has declined to share). I told him to make up his mind – I can bend or straighten, but not both. He says that your progress after 12 weeks of PT is probably where you will end up. He has a little plastic tool that looks like something we used in high school geometry class that measures the bend. I’m not expecting to crouch behind the plate like the catcher for the New York Yankees. My goal in this rehab is to be able to walk down the steps to get from the concourse at Jersey Mike’s Arena to my third-row seat for Rutgers Women’s Basketball games that begin in November. I could only go one, slow step at a time prior to the surgery, holding on to the handrail for dear life, so I’m sure improvement will take place as I go to physical therapy several times a week and do exercises at home. First they work on range of motion and then move more to strength. I’m not auditioning for the ballet, but I need to be able to walk a distance.
5.    The new knee went into the left leg, which makes it easier to drive since that leg is just along for the ride and isn’t needed for the pedals. But swinging the leg into the car is not easy. My brand-new car, picked up the day before the surgery, allows me to put the driver’s seat way back to get in (never lean on the car door, they told me in occupational therapy), but then I have to adjust the seat all the way up or I can’t reach the pedals to step on the brake to start the engine. Being short might help in swinging my leg in, but it doesn’t help much with much else. 
6.    I soon realized that sitting with my legs down for more than 10 minutes is very painful. So, if this essay seems disjointed (pun), it is because I had to write it in fits and starts of 10 minutes or less so I would be able to walk at the end of the allotted time.
7.    I was walking with a walker the day of the surgery and the day after, which amazed me. The nerve block is still in effect, so the pain hadn't quite hit home at that point. Immediately after getting home (I spent one night in the hospital before discharge), I had to keep my leg extended when I sat down – in a chair, on the toilet, etc. It got easier to sit more normally after a few weeks so it doesn’t look like I’m trying to trip anyone, but it remains painful to keep my leg at a 90-degree angle while sitting – and I have a lot more degrees to go before we hit whatever normal may be.
8.    Ice, ice, baby. Ice is your friend. The hospital provided a two-compartment gel pack that I can wrap around my leg for relief. I also borrowed an ice machine from my basketball friend Nancy Young, who has had both knees replaced. You fill a reservoir in what looks like a cooler with ice (or frozen bottles of water), add water and a pump gets the water to flow through a tube to a large pad strapped to your knee. No more running to the freezer for more ice – but running anywhere with the tube strapped to your leg is not possible. I have more ice packs than food in my freezer these days.
9.    Besides the icing, I was given three levels of pain relievers to take, depending on the severity of the pain. When it felt just regular pain, Extra Strength Tylenol was the best choice, but when it felt like someone hammering a spike into my knee, my options were to take prescription drugs Tramadol or, even more potent, Oxycodone. Here’s where you say to yourself, “Billy, don’t be a hero,” and take the drugs. Relief isn’t complete or immediate, but it helps to calm things down. Like all of these kinds of drugs, the side effects are real – drowsiness is OK, even welcomed, but constipation can be a real pain in the ass! 
10.    My incision was initially covered with a waterproof bandage that was removed after a week. The surgeon used glue, not staples, to keep it together (the stitches were done internally), and I still have globs of glue all over my knee, along with some scabs. There were times when I felt like everything inside was bursting at the seams as I moved my leg or exercised, but I have been reassured that it is all neatly closed up and not in danger of opening. If you say so.
11.    The doctor said I could go back to my aqua class after two weeks, but there was no way I would consider getting into a pool with other people’s bacteria floating around, at least until the scabs healed. Besides, how am I supposed to get out of a wet bathing suit in the locker room – on a wet floor, no less – without fear of falling? I’m also not sure how to master the ladder to climb in or out of the pool with one leg that isn’t ready for bending quite yet.
12.    When I went for my one-month post-op visit, the surgeon did little more than admire his handiwork. He grabbed my leg and straightened it, pronouncing it a success, and then bent it to more than 90 degrees (barely more) and said I was doing fine. I told him part of my knee is still numb, and he said that might continue. We both decided it didn't matter. At PT, where the therapist massages the knee and coaxes it beyond 90 degrees, I’m doing more exercises, using the recumbent bike, which is more like a sitting elliptical machine that doesn’t require my knee to use the circular motion of a regular exercise bike. And now I am pushing and bending on the leg press machine. John said we would start to use weights on my ankles soon and I asked him to let me know when so I can be accidentally absent that day.
13.    I’m certainly making progress in my recovery. Initially, I couldn’t put on my socks and getting my shorts on was a challenge. I never realized I was right-legged, which makes sense since I am right-handed. I always want to put my pants on right leg first, but you learn quickly to do the surgical leg first. I had no idea how mentally tiring this whole thing would be. I kept hearing the lyrics “every step you take,” because you have to think about each step to make sure you are moving safely, especially in the bathroom and shower. That really wore me out (yet I still couldn’t sleep). 
14.    One final piece of advice if you are thinking of having major surgery like this is to get someone to stay with you for a while, at least initially. My sister stayed with me at my house for nearly 3 weeks and was a huge help. Not only did she help me with every step, she drove me to my doctor’s appointments and PT, did all of the shopping and prepared the food, did the laundry, checked the mail, brought out the garbage and was my lifeline. She was down on her hands and knees strapping me into the ice machine – which I’ll never be able to do for her since I doubt that kneeling will be in my future. And I hope she knows we are not out of the woods yet. I have arthritis in my “good” knee, too, and someday I’ll probably need to have that one replaced. I don’t know what I would have done without her! And no, she is not available for hire.

Tina's May 2025 Movies & More

Another group of diverse movies marks May. The rating scale is 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with being the highest. Numbering picks up from previous months and shows marked with an asterisk are ones I had not seen previously.

47. The Four Seasons* (2025, Netflix) – This 8-part series is derived from the 1981 comedy movie by Alan Alda, with a cast this time of Tina Fey, Will Forte, Steve Carell and Colman Domingo in the roles of 3 couples who are best friends and spend vacations together, one in each season. The friends all go through things that friends and couples experience in the course of relationships, some clever and amusing and others sad and potentially fatal to the group dynamic. This show reminds us that relationships are not easy and should not be taken for granted, whether they are between friends, lovers, spouses, exes, etc. 3 cans.
48. The Four Seasons (1981, Netflix) – This is where it all began, with a clever comedy written, directed by and starring Alan Alda.  Alda is well matched by screen wife Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Jack Weston, Len Cariou, Sandy Dennis and Beth Armstrong. The plot is essentially the same as the new series, but I preferred the original movie, which I think had better characters and actors. The scenery here and the Vivaldi music bring class and dignity to the movie. 4 cans.
49. Secrets of the Penguins* (2025) – If you loved “The March of the Penguins,” you will enjoy this further exploration into their world. The first part of three is very similar to “March,” showing how the penguins mate, deliver babies and then the mothers go off to gather food while the fathers are given the daunting task of keeping their progeny alive through extreme conditions. The other parts of the series show penguins in the Galapagos, who do not have to contend with the bracing cold and lack of food; they attack pelicans, whose mouths are chock full of fish. I don’t often watch movies about the joys of nature, but this series was well worth my time. 3½ cans.
50. Nonnas* (2025, Netflix) – Who wouldn’t love a movie about Italian grandmas who cook? Here, Vince Vaughn plays a man trying to open an old-fashioned restaurant on Staten Island where the kitchen is staffed by some of the neighborhood women who have cooked for their families for years. There are the usual complications of opening any business, plus trying to get food critics and people outside of family and friends to sample the earthy and delicious food prepared by the “nonnas.” Vaughn is accompanied here by Brenda Vaccaro, Talia Shire, Susan Sarandon and Lorraine Bracco, who don’t always get along but whose friction is there to amuse us. This movie is based on a true story. See it, but don’t watch it hungry or you’ll really want to eat! 3½ cans.
51. The Quilters* (2025, Netflix) – This short (34-minute) documentary takes viewers behind the bars of an all-male penitentiary where certain inmates are allowed to participate in a program to make quilts for autistic children. Any infractions could kick them out of the program and back into the general population. The men here take their mission seriously, sketching and sewing and displaying their beautiful work. I loved the movie, but I wanted more: How did the program start? Did any of these men know how to sew? How many people are in the program and how did they get started? Regardless of the lack of information, this was an inspiring, charming little movie that reminds us that most people are not entirely good or bad. 4 cans.
52. Fountain of Youth* (2025, Apple TV) – I know it is me. I just cannot suspend my sense of reality and enjoy an adventure-caper-type movie without thinking the plot is absurd and the hero would never survive. People pop up in just the places they need to be to either save or attack the main characters, the amount of expertise needed to solve whatever the plot dictates is unreasonable, etc. That said, this action movie starring John Krasinski and Natalie Portman as a brother and sister is a slick flick that many people will likely rate higher than me. But I can’t go higher than 3 cans.
53. The Love Punch* (2013, Prime Video) – I have to use the same standard here as in the above movie. Emma Thompson and Pierce Brosnan are exes who team up to steal a diamond that they plan to use to recoup their financial holdings after he loses his job in a corporate takeover that costs all of his fellow employees their life savings. This comedy-romance is very appealing because of the chemistry between the charming leads, but the absurdity of the plot was hard to take for me. 3 cans.
54. Your Friends & Neighbors* (2025, Apple TV) – Except for being divorced from his first wife, Andy Cooper (Jon Hamm) is living the good life is suburban New York. She has their former house and the kids, but everyone is friendly with the wife’s lover, with whom she cheated while married to Coop. Then, suddenly, Coop loses his high-paid hedge-fund job after having an affair with a co-worker, he cannot work elsewhere because of his contract, and he decides to take things into his own hands by robbing his wealthy friends and neighbors of a few baubles and other things they won’t even know are missing before he can fence them. And just when his life of crime seems to be paying off, he is accused of murder. Coop is always on the verge of being caught but for much of the mini-series, he escapes. Until he can’t. A very sharp, smart and clever comedy with an outstanding performance by Jon Hamm, this is a great take on how rich people live. I will definitely watch Season 2 if there is one. 4 cans.
55. Hacks, Season 4* (2025, Max) – Veteran comedienne Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) has finally reached her dream of hosting her own night-night talk show, although she got there through some nefarious means. And so did her head writer, Ava (Hannah Einbeinder), who cons her way into the job by holding some key information over Deborah’s head. The first few episodes of this season were too dramatic and nasty, but around halfway through, things resolve themselves neatly and the two women really start to bond. Still, succeeding in late night TV isn’t a sure thing, even when you are on top. The twists and unexpected outcomes that mark the end of the season will be fun to follow as Hacks continues to Season 5. 4 cans.
56. And Then She Found Me* (2007, Prime Video) – Helen Hunt plays April, a 39-year- old woman newly married to Ben (Matthew Broderick), a fellow teacher, who desperately wants to have a baby. Ben, however, decides he doesn’t want to be married after all. And just as her adoptive mother passes away, suddenly her birth mother (Bette Midler) comes barging into her life, trying to make up for the years she has lost with her daughter. And, if life isn’t complicated enough, April falls for Frank (Colin Firth), father of one of her students, whose wife dumped him. One thing that never changes is April’s determination to have a baby. But will she find the right man, fix her relationship with her mother and her husband or end up with the new man? Stay tuned. 3½ cans.
57. The Last Showgirl* (2024, Hulu) – Pamela Anderson puts on quite a show in his look at Shelly, a woman who has spent decades performing in a fading Vegas review that is about to close. She is a showgirl, a dying breed in Las Vegas, and she considers her role in the “Razzle Dazzle” show to be legitimate show business. Anderson is terrific in the part of the beauty whose esteem depends on putting on the costumes and layers of make-up to portray the star of the dwindling troupe. She is the leader of the show and the pack of women who perform it. She is also the estranged mother of Hannah (Bille Lourd), whom she gave up in order to let the young woman lead a more normal life with stepparents. Jamie Lee Curtis gives the film more pathos with her portrayal of a former showgirl who now is a cocktail waitress who still longs for her performing days. This is a well-crafted movie by Gia Coppola that makes you feel sadness and empathy for these women who cannot face an era that is ending. 4 cans.

Getting a Leg Up

 1.    I’m sending this month’s blog post a day late since I just underwent knee replacement surgery and was in the hospital. But here are the usual random topics to cover as well as an update on my surgery:
2.    Once again, I did not make the list of People Magazine’s Most Beautiful People. This is an outrage! I’m only keeping my subscription to see if I make it next year!
3.    The HVAC guy was here to tune up the system for the spring/summer season. I’m in my favorite season, the few weeks of the year when I don’t need either heat or AC and I can calm down my PSEG bills!
4.    I have been spending a lot of time in doctors’ offices lately, catching up on exams and prepping for my knee replacement surgery. Have you noticed that magazines have made a return to the waiting room? During Covid and for a while afterwards, they disappeared from the racks to prevent exposure by touching them. Now they are back, but I still ignore them. You can’t be too careful.
5.    There is no greater equalizer than putting on that flimsy paper gown at the doctor’s office. It doesn’t matter if you are a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn or a king, you feel cold and exposed no matter who you are.
6.    Is it really necessary for the doctor’s office to text me, email me and call me to remind me about my upcoming doctor’s appointment? I think more time is spent generating these reminders than the doctor spends examining me. They are so anxious to see me, yet they make me wait for half an hour in the waiting room and another extended period of time in the exam room.
7.    Overheard in the waiting room at the doctor’s office: A woman was talking on the phone and urging someone to act quickly on cryptocurrency. Jump on it, she pleaded to whomever was on the other end. Then she said, “You’re talking about the stock market. I don’t know anything about that.” I couldn’t help thinking that this is the profile of a person who is going to lose everything or make a killing out of dumb luck.
8.    There has to be a better way to collect a urine sample than handing a woman a tiny container and asking her to capture what the lab needs. You never know if it is going in the cup, whether you have filled it enough, or, God forbid, you might accidently drop or spill it, and there’s no going back. Men have it much easier.
9.    Prior to my knee replacement, I was required to go to Joint Replacement Class. I was with a bunch of knee and hip patients, all of whom heard about the importance of pumping our ankles, preparing the house and having a “coach” on hand to help in the recovery (my sister went with me). They even provided a pair of hideous, bright blue shorts to wear as I recover. Mine might have been worn by LeBron James, that’s how long they were on me! I’m not sure you will even see my new knee in these!
10.    This surgery is no fun, but the essential thing is to get up and walk around – even on the day of the surgery. I had a nerve block and an epidural, plus a little “happy juice,” as one of the anesthesia people described it, so I was gone to the wind before I even entered the OR. My scar is still covered, so I just have to assume they did the surgery. I couldn’t attest to the experience in a court of law. I had physical and occupational therapy the next day, so I now know how to put on my pants, walk up steps and conduct the activities of daily living. It hurts, but I managed to get into the shower today and I felt like a new woman – all clean and shiny. Thank God for my sister, who is staying with me, serving meals, helping me with my meds, and coming down from the upstairs guest room when I need to go to the bathroom.
11.    In advance of the surgery, I tried to be as prepared as I could possibly be. I got a haircut and a pedicure, downloaded more books on my Kindle, made food to freeze, had grab bars installed in the shower and garage, did my pre-surgery exercises, booked my physical therapy appointments post-surgery through June, put aside plenty of shorts to wear (summer is a better time for surgery than winter, when you have to wear long pants and watch your steps on the ice), and bought a new car.
12.    That last thing was unrelated, but my car was on life support and was put out of her misery. Too bad I won’t be able to drive the new car for a while! My goal is eventually to be able to walk down to my seat at Jersey Mike’s Arena and back up the stairs when Rutgers Women’s basketball gets underway in the fall. Last season my knee really hurt, and to keep it from getting stiff, I had to keep getting up from my seat. Every time anyone hit a basket or the other team committed a foul, or there was a timeout, I would stand up and cheer – more for my leg than for the action. I hope next season I have plenty to cheer about – including being able to conquer the steps! Just don’t challenge me to a foot race!

Tina's April 2025 Movies & More

April was not a good month for movies, either for quality or quantity. I managed to hit double-digits, but just barely. Numbering picks up from previous months, and all entries are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with 5 the top rating. Nothing ranked that high in April. If you want to leave a comment, please include your name at the end. Thanks.
36. King James* (2025, George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick) – George Street Playhouse is a great place to see a show. There’s not a bad seat in the house, the sets are perfect for the action and they are very good at bringing in shows you probably won’t see elsewhere. That said, this production was interesting but I feel would have limited appeal. It is a two-person play that runs 2 hours (with an intermission) and has continuous, fast-paced dialog between the characters that requires the audience to listen carefully. The demands on the actors are intense. The show is about Shaun and Matt, two men who meet and bond over their love for basketball player LeBron James, who, as the show starts, is beginning his rookie year with their local Cleveland Cavaliers, a perennially losing NBA team. They share their opinions about LeBron – especially when he announced he would be taking “his talents to Miami” and abandoning Cleveland. And they also share their lives, with Shaun becoming close to Matt’s family and pursuing a career in television writing. When Shaun announces his plans to study in New York and later to venture to Hollywood, Matt feels as abandoned as he did when LeBron left Cleveland. Their friendship suffers a few hits, but they have too much history to give it up. 3 cans.
37. American Masters – LIZA (2025, PBS) – Liza Minelli was born into show business. The daughter of legendary star Judy Garland and her director husband, Vincent Minnelli, Liza’s path to becoming an entertainer was inevitable. Her role in Cabaret won her an Oscar and opened the doors to other special projects, including her acclaimed special, “Liza with a Z.” As an actress, singer, dancer and a dynamic performer in all media, Liza shined brightly, but her life was never easy. She is definitely NOT like other performers, and she always seems to leave all of her energy on that stage. This is a fair and insightful look at a show biz life. 3½ cans.
38. The Pitt* (2025, Max) – Medical dramas have had a long life on TV, but this one is a little different. Each episode covers an hour in the Emergency Department at a hospital in Pittsburgh, taking viewers along during an intense shift by the medical staff. The star of the ED and the show is the former Dr. John Carter of “ER” fame, Noah Wylie, here playing grizzled doc Michael “Robby” Rabinovich. Robby is the seasoned vet of the department, while several newbies are on board on their first day. The acting is first rate, thought I had some trouble distinguishing among the female doctors since many were brunettes and looked similar to me. The other thing that made this show challenging to me is that earlier this year I started watching the entire run of “ER” (I’m on season 13 of 15; 330 episodes in all), and Noah Wylie’s young Dr. John Carter was one of my favorite characters. The juxtaposition of Wylie playing an earnest young doctor in “ER” vs the doctor who has seen it all in “The Pitt” required an adjustment on my part. Both shows are excellent, and the good news is that “The Pitt” has already been granted a second season. 4 cans.
39. The Life List* (2025, Netflix) – Think back to when you were young and had a long list of things you wanted to accomplish in life. In this somewhat predictable romantic comedy, Alex has just that list, and she has a good reason for setting out to check every item off of it. Luckily for her, things fall into place quite easily, and a few items on that list especially work out in her favor. 3 cans.
40. Ghostlight* (2024, Hulu) – This is a sad and sobering film about a married father who is grieving a loss (viewers learn more about that as the story unfolds) and unable to express his sadness and frustration. Dan (Keith Kupferer) works in construction and is harassed about the noise he makes by a little woman who lives in the area where he is working. She somehow gets him to observe the adult community theater group she is in as they prepare for a performance of “Romeo and Juliet” (with characters much older than in the original Shakesperean play). Poor Dan has a wife who is also mourning the loss and a feisty daughter who is constantly in trouble, also grieving and acting out. It doesn’t appear that anything will bring relief and comfort to this sad family, but sometimes when you least expect it, something of meaning and joy comes along. 3½ cans.
41. A Real Pain* (2024, Hulu) – The title of this film conveys two separate truths. When cousins Dave (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Oscar-winning Kieran Culkin) decide to do a Jewish Heritage tour in Poland to honor their late grandmother, Dave quickly realizes that Benji is a quixotic pain the butt, behaving inappropriately by being loud and lecturing the other travelers. The other pain is from visiting the various Polish locales where their grandmother lived and somehow managed to survive the Holocaust. As the group tours Poland, the reality of what happened to the Jews living there prior to and during WWII is overwhelming. Both leads handle their parts with enough skill to keep me watching, though I was tempted to bail when Benji’s antics really started to annoy me. 3½ cans.
42. My Penguin Friend* (2024, Hulu) – I don’t usually go for movies where the main characters are animals, but this one caught my eye when I saw a preview in the movies months ago. Joao is a fisherman living in Brazil. He is grieving a loss from long ago, living a quiet life with his wife and just barely scraping by financially and emotionally. But one day he rescues an oil-covered penguin who has somehow gotten separated from his flock. Joao cleans him up and feeds him, and the little guy is so cute and clever that it is hard on Joao when he knows it is time to release him back in the ocean to find the penguins he left behind. Joa’s granddaughter names the lucky penguin Dindim. Somehow, Dindim manages to return to Joao, but eventually a group of biologists tag him and scoop him up for a study of marine life. Without giving away the plot – which is based on a true story – this is NOT the last we will see of Dindim. Every now and then a touching movie comes along and warms the heart. This one surely did. 4 cans.
43. Con Mum* (2025, Netflix) – For Graham, a chef in London, never knowing his biological mother was something he regretted. Then, out of the blue, she tracked him down and contacted him, asking to get together. Skeptical, he and his partner asked Dionne a series of questions that only his mother would know, such as, “What is my middle name?” She knew he didn’t have one. So they got together and she filled him in on her incredible life story and her extraordinary wealth. She was dying, she explained, so she wanted to establish a relationship with Graham before it was too late. If something seems too good to be true, it generally is not to be believed. But poor Graham believed her stories and when her wealth was “tied up,” he took care of the bills for her extravagant lifestyle. You know what’s coming, but I couldn’t turn away. People who con others have the ability to lie so creatively and to entice others into supporting them. This Netflix documentary was just one part, but the story unfolded completely. If you like these kinds of stories, this is one that you probably haven’t seen before. 4 cans.
44. Heart of Champions* (2021, Netflix) – This cliché-driven sports movie telegraphs every move. Will the tough coach of the rowing team (Michael Shannon) whip them into shape so they can beat Harvard? When will the inevitable tragedy take place? And could you possibly end this movie without the team triumph? I can’t recommend this one, despite competent performances and a bit of drama. 2 cans.
45. G20* (2025, Prime Video) – I really can imagine Viola Davis as the President of the United States. She is a tough, intelligent woman with charisma. But in this horror movie – oops, I mean HORRIBLE movie – the filmmakers are determined to show her as a kickass woman who can physically fight off the terrorists at the G20 Summit of world leaders. To me, the most preposterous scene took place in an elevator – not a freight elevator – with guns drawn and fisticuffs everywhere. Can the President, a military veteran, use her background and smarts to outwit and overcome the killers? Her family is along for the ride, and her daughter somehow manages to find the right frequency to communicate with Prez Mom throughout the ordeal. I’m a big Viola Davis fan, but she’s not winning any Oscars, Tonys, Emmys or Grammys here. 1 can, mostly for Davis’ ability to enter combat in a long red dress.
46. Love Again* (2023, Hulu) – I was working those subscriptions today and found this rom-but-not-so-much-com on Hulu. Mia (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) suffers a horrible loss when the man she is about to become engaged to is killed by a drunk driver as she looks on. Two years later, she is still wearing his old shirts and sending romantic texts to his old phone, which makes her feel the relationship is still alive. But the number now belongs to music critic Rob (Sam Heughan), who cannot find love of his own. He eagerly reads Mia’s texts and eventually meets her (come on, you knew this was coming). But he doesn’t know how to tell her that he has read her deepest thoughts through her inadvertent texts. This is a sweet and gentle movie, with a cast that is easy on the eyes and a good way to kill some time. And Celine Dion is a key plot point and graces the movie with her fabulous voice. 3 cans.