Movies are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna, with 5 being the top rating. Movies marked with an asterisk are ones I have not seen previously. Numbering picks up from the previous month.
140. I Dream of Dance* (2017, Netflix) – If you enjoy watching “So You Think You Can Dance,” you will appreciate this Netflix documentary about a dance company as its students compete in the Nationals. Denise Wall – major domo, mother figure, director, cheerleader of the studio aptly named Denise Wall’s Dance Energy – guides her talented teens through arduous routines, demanding schedules and even injuries to fulfill their dreams. Denise’s son Travis, an Emmy-Award winning choreographer, helps out by choreographing demanding and brilliant routines for the young dancers. The spirit of camaraderie is always present as the studio’s teams compete in lavish numbers, but it is as individuals that the dancers feel the most stress. The choreographed pieces here are beautiful, and the dancers seem to be fulfilled best when they can express themselves on the dance floor. My only quibble is the length of the film; we didn’t need to see the same routines multiple times. But these kids think they CAN dance, and they are absolutely right! 3½ cans.
141. Class Action Park* (2020, HBO Max) – If you were young, living in northern NJ or nearby New York and craved action in the 1980s, chances are you ventured to Action Park in Vernon, NJ. Once known for its Playboy Club, the Great Gorge Resort was owned by Gene Mulvihill, who built a water park known for its dangerous rides, most of which were not designed or tested by engineers but by the young park employees. There were water slides and rides with twists and turns, plenty of high drops for people hitting freezing cold water (which contained snakes), and lots of concrete to burn the toes of the patrons as they ran from one ride to another. The renegade owner of the didn’t mind skirting the law and kept coming up with new, more dangerous rides. The real threat of injury or death not only loomed large, it was realized more than once. I still remember the TV commercials, which didn’t make the action look quite so dangerous. A friend of mine called this film “the Citizen Kane of suicidal New Jersey attraction documentaries.” 3½ cans.
142. All Together Now* (2020, Netflix) – This movie is both heartwarming and corny. Auli’I Cravalho is Amber, a homeless high school student with a big personality, musical talent and a love of life. She lives primarily in an abandoned bus with her mother (Justina Machado) and precious dog. She goes to school and teaches English as a second language to pick up money. She also works in a nursing home/assisted living facility where she tries hard to make cranky resident Joan (Carol Burnett) laugh. She has good friends in high school, but she can’t get a break in life. I won’t tell you to drop what you are doing and turn on Netflix right now, but it was sweet enough to watch – once. 3 cans.
143. The Social Dilemma* (2020, Netflix) – A dilemma indeed, as we as a society finds ourselves addicted to our devices, spending countless hours checking our phones, responding to “tags” and “Likes” and not even realizing that we are being played. In this sobering documentary, tech company execs and former execs reveal the ways in which the companies use old-fashioned advertising techniques and new-fangled artificial intelligence to drive and keep you online, where you will see countless ads and news tailored for you based on what you have seen previously. But it is even more dangerous, as they lead you to information and try to win your heart and mind through psychology. You know that if you even research refinancing a loan or where to buy a bridal gown, you will see countless ads for that product or service. This is 1984 brought to life and on steroids. I almost hesitate to urge you to watch it, because then I will be complicit in keeping you in front of a screen. 4 cans.
144. Get Organized with The Home Edit* (2020 series, Netflix) – Two relentlessly cheery women will reorganize your pantry, kitchen, garage, etc., arrange your child’s books by color, edit your collection of memorabilia and generally get your stuff in order on this new series, which I binged in a day. Half the show is devoted to working for a celebrity; Reese Witherspoon is a producer, so they organized her movie memorabilia, including all of Elle Wood’s wardrobe from “Legally Blonde.” It inspired me enough to redo two kitchen cabinets and my linen closet. Now I wish they would come in here to handle my garage and show me how to organize my refrigerator. Much better than Marie Kodo’s show, I might add. 3½ cans.
145. Challenger: The Last Flight* (2020, Netflix) – Remember that bright sunny day in Florida in January of 1986? Remember the excitement of the launch of the space shuttle Challenger, with 7 crew members aboard, including teacher Christa McAuliffe? Remember the O-rings? It is hard to forget this tragedy, which, as seen in this 4-part series, might have been prevented had there not been pressure from NASA to launch that day. The temperature was cold, which engineers at subcontractor Morton-Thiokol thought might cause a problematic part of the solid-state booster rockets – the now infamous O-rings – to fail. But despite warnings from their own staff, the subcontractor felt obligated to approve the launch, which turned out to be a tragic decision. This documentary examines the space program, the selection of the astronauts, the ways that fatal decisions were made and the aftermath, as a panel got to the true cause of the explosion that cost the crew members their lives. 4 cans.
146. Netflix vs. the World* (2020, Amazon Prime Video) – The world of entertainment has changed dramatically since the founders of Netflix started putting videocassettes in envelopes in the mail and shipping them to our homes. They progressed to new-fangled DVDs, fought off the emerging Blockbuster video superstores, developed the subscriber strategy and then morphed into online, streaming delivery. Credit founder Reed Hastings for having great instincts and innovative people who built the business from concept to colossus. Now Blockbuster is extinct and Netflix not only distributes programming, it originates it. There’s a bit too much detail here, but the essence of the story is a great case study. 3½ cans.
147. Chasing Liberty* (2004, DVD) – This pleasant, lightweight rom-com is reminiscent of “Sabrina.” Anna Foster (Mandy Moore) is the President’s frustrated 18-year old daughter. She would love to be a normal young woman, but she is tailed by Secret Service agents and that seriously crimps her dating and partying. She accompanies her father (Mark Harmon) on a trip to Prague, where he has promised to reduce her Secret Service detail to just two agents and she manages to give them the slip, determined to get the most out of her freedom. She almost immediately bumps into a handsome British man, Ben (Matthew Goode, who is very good at being a handsome British man), who comes to her rescue. They embark on an adventure that includes a visit to Venice, bungee jumping and falling in love (let’s just say I wasn’t shocked) – all without her knowing that Ben is actually a Secret Service man assigned to protect her. The scenery and the actors are very eye appealing and the story is thin but full of chemistry between the leads. 3½ cans.
148. A Good Year* (2004, HBO) – Russell Crowe is a successful, smug finance guy who inherits a broken-down French vineyard from his late uncle. He doesn’t want it, but his pleasant memories of spending summers there as a boy draw him back to see the old place, and he falls in love – with the place and with a local woman (Marion Cottilard). This is a predictable story with some slapstick humor and beautiful scenery, reminiscent for me of “Under the Tuscan Sun.” Will he remain there, or will a claim on the property by a long-lost cousin result in the grapes of wrath? 3 cans.
149. Hand of Death (1962, FX cable) – Picture it: Somerville, 1962. I was 12, and Susie Losaw and I plunked down our 50 cents at the Cort Theater to see “State Fair” with dreamy Pat Boone (remember, I was 12) and Ann-Margret. But that movie was the second one in the double-feature (yes, when you would see two movies for the price of one), and first was “Hand of Death,” the movie that was the first and last horror film I have seen. Alex, a scientist, is working on a deadly nerve gas to be used in chemical warfare. He is inadvertently exposed to it, and anyone he touches is instantly turned into what looks like a charcoal briquette and then immediately dies. I was terrified! Susie may still have scars on her arm from my digging my nails into it while I trembled in fear. Alex then turns into a giant lump of charcoal himself, finds where his girlfriend is hiding out to avoid him after the authorities (policemen in suits and fedoras) tip her off. He drags his giant lump of charcoal body to lurch along the California beach to do God knows what. At 12, I didn’t understand “campy,” but I do now, so watching this again after 58 years – yes, 58 YEARS! – it did not have the same horrifying effect on me. Now it seems about as scary as “Sharknado!” I couldn’t sleep after seeing this movie the first time, and my mother warned me not to see another scary movie. I listened to her advice – until now. I have faced my fears, but I’ll continue to avoid scary movies. This one is so bad that I can’t believe it scarred me for a lifetime. 2 cans!
150. Torn* (2013, Prime Video) – A tragedy strikes in this drama when a bomb goes off in the food court of the local mall and many young people are killed or injured. Two mothers are highlighted as they seek answers, and as the authorities question them about the activities of their respective teenaged boys. The Pakistani boy was seen going to meetings at a mosque, while the white boy was being bullied by classmates whom he threatened to kill. Could either of them have been behind the tragic event? And aside from the painful loss of their sons, how are these women and their families affected by the rumors about the possible involvement of their children? This is an intriguing story and worth sticking around for the ending. 3 cans.
151. No Contract, No Cookies (2011, HBO) – The cookies bakers, packers, forklift truck operators, electricians and all of the 138 employees of the Stella D’Oro plant in the Bronx went on an 11-month long strike when the new owners of the long-time bakery, Brynwood, took over and cut their wages and benefits. These people had worked at Stella D’Oro for decades, had formed bonds with each other (one even donated a kidney to a co-worker) and supported each other throughout the strike. Hailing from the US, Eritrea, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Greece and other countries, they were a family. They were justifiably proud of their work and loved the company and their chance to achieve the American Dream. But when they won their court case and the company was forced to take them back, the joy of victory was short-lived. The company immediately announced it was closing the plant and moving operations to a non-union factory in Ohio, putting all of the 138 employees out of work, many with medical conditions, most with mortgages and rent to pay. This is a sad and moving documentary and I could not help but sympathize with these hard-working, good-hearted people. I first saw this movie a few years after it came out. I have neither bought nor eaten a Stella D’Oro cookie since. 3½ cookies.
152. RBG (2018, CNN/Hulu)
153. 42 (2013, Paramount TV)
154. Brian’s Song (1971, PBS) – These movies comprised my “Saturday Superhero Trilogy.” But they have nothing in common, you say? No, I say, look again. RBG is about the pintsized powerhouse Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a towering judicial giant whose work as a lawyer and then as a member of the Supreme Court paved the way for women to at least get some of the rights that make them equal. 42 is about Jackie Robinson, a gifted athlete who became the first Black man to play in the Major Leagues. The late Chadwick Bozeman infuses his portrait of #42 with strength and flair. And finally, Brian Piccolo was a Chicago Bears running back who just happened to be paired with another RB, Gayle Sayers. Sayers was magical on the gridiron, and he and Piccolo were the first Black and White pair of teammates to room together. When Sayers blew out his knee, Piccolo was there to urge him on in his recovery, and when Piccolo was diagnosed with cancer, Sayers stayed by his side. Sayers died last week. To me, he will always be the best running back I have ever seen play football. And the depiction of him as a man in this movie (originally made for TV) will always bring a tear to my eye. Let’s just give all three of these 5 cans each and go off and have a good cry.
155. Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo* (2017, Netflix) – “Houston, we have a problem.” Those were the fateful words uttered by Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell as his space craft almost exploded. That incident became the finest hour of NASA’s Mission Control staff, as they methodically set out their options to return the astronauts safely to earth. This documentary is about those men behind the console – and yes, they were all men, though we now know there were many brilliant women behind the scenes who were the “Hidden Figures” of spaceflight. This story begins with Sputnik and President Kennedy’s brash promise to safely land a man on the moon before the end of the ‘60s. These men had to conceive and build Mission Control to coordinate every aspect of space flight. There was no blueprint – everything they did was being done for the first time. The movie features plenty of interviews with the men whose pioneering work bolstered the US Space program. It is a satisfying behind-the-scenes look at professionalism at its best. 4 cans.
156. John Lewis: Good Trouble* (2020, CNN) – Speaking of heroes…The late Congressman and activist John Lewis spent his life fighting the good fight, dedicating his efforts to voter registration and equal rights for Black people. A disciple and close colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King, Lewis was a proponent of peaceful protests, often at his own expense, as he was badly beaten and arrested for participating in historic marches in the South. What struck me watching this movie, aside from his courage and dignity in ensuring that Black people and minorities secured the right to vote, is that we are still fighting these same battles today – 60 years later – so that all people can register. Today, our government is too busy disenfranchising people who have a legitimate right to vote by closing down voting places and making it harder for the poor and young to vote. I wish I had Congressman Lewis’ optimism. It seems to me that if our society put the same amount of time and effort in working together to make things better as they do in tearing things apart, we would have a more equal, productive and beloved community. This movie made me cry. 4 cans.
157. Hot Coffee (2011, Amazon Prime Video) – You probably think you know the story behind this documentary, but you’re probably wrong. It recounts the real-life court case of a woman who sued McDonald’s after spilling hot coffee on her lap and experiencing life-threatening third-degree burns that required multiple hospitalizations and skin grafts. Unlike the tale that was propagated by the media, she was not “drinking and driving.” She was actually a passenger and burned herself while the car was parked merely by trying to remove the lid on coffee that was about 200 degrees. Her family approached McDonald’s hoping to have her medical bills covered, but when they were offered a mere $800, they sued. The case was derided as frivolous, and an example of our litigious society, but it was more than that. McDonald’s knew about more than 900 hot coffee incidents, so this case was not new for them. The story then goes heavily into the call for tort reform and the effort of big businesses like McDonald’s to limit the cap on punitive damages awarded to victims. The film is an indictment of these efforts and shows legitimate cases where non-medical expenses were crucial to the care of children and young people who suffered life-altering damages due to negligence by companies and doctors. If you think a movie about tort reform can’t be interesting, think again. McDonald’s no longer serves 200-degree coffee, by the way. 3½ cans.
