Tina's March 2021 Movies & More

It's March, so of course I had to reflect March Madness with my selection of several basketball-themed movies. Numbering picks up from previous months and programs marked with an asterisk are ones I had not seen before. Movies are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna; or, this month, paint cans, gold records and crowns. 

34.  The Vanished* (2020, Netflix) – Paul and Wendy (Thomas Jane and Anne Heche) drive their RV to a campground to have a family vacation with their 10-year-old daughter Taylor. As Paul prepares the fishing gear while Wendy is away from the camper, Taylor suddenly disappears. They look frantically around the grounds and call the local police. Sherriff Baker (Jason Patric, who directed but who seems to sleepwalk through his part) assures them he has never lost a child. But this campground is rife with suspects. The owner is far from friendly, the maintenance guy is a meth-smoking ne’er-do-well and the people in the adjacent campsite seem somehow involved. This is a creepy movie with lots of red herrings and a plot twist you could not anticipate. There was plenty of suspense and many times I wanted to tell the characters, “Don’t go in there!” 3 cans.
35.  Coming to America (1988) – Pampered Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) is living the good life in Zamunda, a small country in Africa, surrounded by servants and women who toss rose petals everywhere he walks. But when he is commanded to marry a beautiful woman chosen for him, he balks and decides to go to America to seek a bride who will love him for himself and not for his riches. He and best friend/servant Semmi (Arsenio Hall) land in Queens, New York, of course, where he eschews royal life and starts working in a McDowell’s hamburger joint owned by Mr. McDowell (John Amos). The Prince happily mops the floor and lives in a dump, and he soon develops an interest in the boss’s beautiful and unpretentious daughter (Shari Headley). Murphy and Hall play a bunch of characters who hang around a barbershop and take on all of their roles with great energy and enthusiasm. Will Akeem find the right woman to return home and be his princess bride, ready to one day become King and Queen? Murphy is extremely likeable and gives the movie its charm and innocence. And including a brief scene with Randolph and Mortimer Duke (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche) from my favorite Eddie Murphy movie, “Trading Places,” won me over! 3½ cans.
36.  The Real Founder* (2018, Prime Video) – If you watched the Michael Keaton movie “The Founder” about McDonald’s leader Ray Kroc a few years ago, you might want to check out this documentary about the REAL founders – the McDonald brothers. The movie bogs itself down a bit by talking more about itself than the founders, but when Dick McDonald recalls how many times he and his brother failed in other businesses before they finally made a success out of a modest hamburger stand, it makes the movie worth seeing. I’m not a fan of Big Macs, but my mouth was watering watching this one. 3 cans and a side of fries.
37.  Basketball County – In the Water* (2020, Showtime) – I always thought of NYC’s Rucker Park as the epicenter of amateur basketball, but I stand corrected. It is really Prince George County, Maryland, a stone’s throw (or a long pass) from DC and the home of such basketball luminaries as Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley, Quinn Cook, Nolan Smith, Marissa Coleman and many more. The prominence of the area included highly successful AAU teams and the DeMatha High team led by the legendary coach Morgan Wooten. Basketball kept the kids off the streets, playing dawn to dusk first at outdoor playgrounds and then in plenty of rec centers. Numerous NBA, WNBA and major college basketball players call this place home. The movie addresses the socio-economic issues and the dedication of the adults who rescued kids through the sport. 3½ cans.
38.  Perfect in ’76* (1917, Showtime) – After losing just one game in 1975, Indiana men’s basketball Coach Bobby Knight declared that his 1976 team would not only win the National Championship but also go undefeated. I hope I don’t spoil it by telling you that they did. I personally dislike Knight for his abuse of his players, his volatile temper and his overall nastiness, but the man could coach. Whether it was faith or fear he instilled in his players, he got the results he demanded. The documentary traces the season and has plenty of interviews with the players. It was one shining moment for the Hoosiers, a perfect season. 3½ cans.
39.  Allen v. Farrow* (2021, HBO) – I’m not saying you should believe Dylan Farrow, the adopted daughter of Woody Allen and his former leading lady on and off the screen, Mia Farrow, when Dylan says Allen sexually assaulted and abused her – even though her story today is consistent with the story she told as a 7-year-old. I believe her. I’m not saying you should never again watch one of his movies (I stopped several years ago when Dylan told her story as an adult). I’m not saying that Allen should not have had an affair with Farrow’s adopted daughter Soon-Yi, who was underage when the trysts began. This sad, disturbing, emotional and engrossing documentary shows once again the seedy side of money, power and influence (Allen told Farrow she’d never work again if she made these charges against him and he did everything he could to paint her as a vindictive, scorned woman). Please don’t presume his innocence because no charges were brought against him by a prosecutor who found them credible but declined to pursue the case out of concern for the further trauma it might inflict on the young child. Whatever conclusion you draw, this much is clear: Allen is a scumbag of the highest order. Once he knew no charges would be filed against him, he sued Farrow for custody – full custody – and ultimately was denied, but not until his outrageous charges against Farrow as an unfit mother ruined her career and credibility. I cannot separate the artist from this vile man, and because this is a case involving an adult whose own movies show him with plenty of sexual issues. I believe he was justly accused and used his clout and power to weasel out of charges against him. I find him repugnant. Not everyone could get through this 3-part series, but I just could not turn away. 4 cans.
40.  Last Chance U – Basketball* (2021, Netflix) – The Last Chance U franchise switches from 4 seasons covering juco football to featuring basketball this time around, and I found this version superior to the other installments. These community or junior colleges field teams that provide the promise of a possible scholarship to 4-year colleges where the athletes can play ball – if their teams do well. Here, Coach John Mosely is a dedicated man of faith, pushing his athletes hard. Some can’t make it academically while others have family problems and have had their high hopes shattered. The whole series is both hopeful and hopeless, as the players keep their eyes on the prize but don’t always help themselves. It is also an indictment of a society where young men only see the option of becoming a professional athlete, a reality that will escape the vast majority of them, instead of preparing themselves for broader opportunities that graduation from a two-year college might provide for them. This is an 8-part series, so if you can take the time, see for yourself. 4 basketballs.
41.  Kobe Bryant: Muse* (2015, Showtime) – Watching this documentary by and about Kobe Bryant was bittersweet. The film is his life story, from living in Europe with his parents, including his professional basketball player Joe, to returning home, graduating from high school and going straight to the NBA. The film mercifully ends five years prior to the fatal helicopter crash that took the life of Bryant, his daughter and seven others. And despite what seemed like a charmed life for the rich, good-looking and supremely gifted Kobe, the film deals tangentially with problems in his marriage and the tribulations of growing up. If you are a basketball fan, you will want to relive the highlights and sympathize with the injuries and comebacks. 3½ cans.
42. Audrey* (2020, Netflix) – Audrey Hepburn is synonymous with elegance, grace and style. Movie directors wanted to work with her. Top designers wanted to dress her. The camera loved her. But her life was not always a good one, starting with the father’s desertion of the family when Audrey was a child. She and her mother lived in the Netherlands while under Nazi rule. She was educated in Europe, discovered by author Collette, and enjoyed a career in such memorable movies as “Funny Face,” “Roman Holiday,” “Sabrina,” the iconic “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “My Fair Lady.” This documentary includes plenty of interviews with people who knew her and reflected on her life, her work and her marriages. Audrey had a fascinating life full of both love and disappointments, and she left behind a catalog of work that even today distinguishes her from other actresses of her time. 4 cans.
43.  Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal* (2020, Netflix) – Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably have heard the story told in this docudrama about wealthy parents paying a so-called admissions coach, Rick Singer, to get their kids into college. Using real taped conversations but delivered by actors, the story unfolds as the brazen Singer steers high school students (and their parents; mostly their parents) to colleges as athletes or with other credentials they clearly don’t have. Wealthy parents, eager to get their kids certain schools, made sizable donations to his foundation, which funneled the money to the schools as part of their athletics departments. It didn’t matter that the kids didn’t play the sports they listed on their applications; doctored photos of them in volleyball or water polo uniforms made it look realistic. Some athletic departments, coaches and administrations were happy to take the money. When the parents questioned Singer’s tactics – having an adult take tests for their child, as an example – they were assured that this step would ensure admission. The whole thing came crashing down, along with some famous Hollywood names ended up with very brief prison sentences. In most cases, the kids did not know the strings their parents were pulling behind the scenes to gain them admission, and how humiliated they might be by parents who lacked trust in their ability to be get into the likes of Harvard, Stanford and USC on their own merits. 3 cans and no diplomas.
44.  The Last Blockbuster* (2020, Netflix) – You will have to go to Bend, Oregon, to find it, but the last remaining Blockbuster video rental store is still there. Contrary to popular view, it was not solely the rise of streaming services like Netflix that proved the undoing of the once ubiquitous chain. This documentary explains the business reasons behind the eventual failure, but it is the cultural reminiscence that provides the charm here. The store in Bend is managed by the warm Sandy Harding, and she treats the employees and customers like her extended family. Remember going into Blockbuster to pick out a movie for the night? The experience of searching multiple screens on Netflix is just not the same. 3½ cans.
45.  The Day Sports Stood Still* (2021, HBO) – Actually, this documentary is not restricted to a 24-hour period, as it only begins with the time last March when the NBA shut down its season, the NCAA Tournament was canceled and every other sport this side of cornhole was affected. Here we get to see players like respected basketball veteran Chris Paul as they navigate the health and safety issues at the beginning of the pandemic and the fallout from the George Floyd and Brianna Taylor deaths that helped spur athletes to speak up about racial injustice. But they are also shown as humans, as the NBA players agree to go into a “bubble” in Florida to resume the NBA season, giving up the ability to see their families for months and using that opportunity to address social justice issues that are acutely felt in leagues where the vast majority of players are Black. This documentary does a great job of addressing the events of the time and the players’ reactions as professionals and human beings who worry about their health and the well-being of their families. 3½ cans.
46.  Coming 2 America* (2021, Prime Video) – Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall return to Zamunda (and Queens, NY) as Murphy’s Prince Akeem ascends to the throne following the death of his father, the king. Murphy and the wife he went to America to find in the original have three lovely daughters but no sons – and thus, no heir to the throne. But his sidekick Semmi confesses that while they were in Queens 30 years ago, Akeem had a drunken tryst with a woman who fathered his only son, so they go back to America to claim Lavelle and bring him to Zamunda to claim his rightful place as a prince. The plot is immaterial in this self-indulgent romp. More important to Murphy & Co is cramming in star cameos and as many characters as they themselves can portray. The result is a sometimes funny but more often sloppy mess of a movie, enriched less by genuine humor and more by the portrayal of life in Zamunda, the rich costumes and the uproarious Leslie Jones as Akeem’s baby mama from Queens. She steals the show. If the gang comes back to America next time, I’ll watch Murphy’s much superior “Trading Places” instead. 3 cans.
47.  TINA* (2021, HBO) – The last name isn’t necessary to tell the story of the whirling dervish that is Tina Turner on stage. By now, most people know her story – singing in the church, singing with Ike Turner, becoming a huge star only to lose everything but her name when she fought back and abandoned her abusive husband after years of domestic abuse and violence. This is a courageous woman who did what she felt she had to do to survive, who resurrected her career with the help of the loyal Roger Davies and became a huge star. But no matter how high her star ascended, someone was always there to ask her about Ike – were they still married, what happened between them, is the love still there? There was no escape from her past. Here she tells her story on her own terms, and probably for the last time, as she prepares to live out her life with a husband who adores her in the peace and tranquility of her Swiss home. So, watch this movie to know more about her career, to enjoy her performances, to stand in awe of her explosive talent and to appreciate her strength and resilience. Tina is simply the best! 4½ cans.
48.  Genius: Aretha* (2021, National Geographic Channel) – How fitting to watch the story of Aretha Franklin right after seeing the HBO documentary on Tina Turner, two musical legends of epic proportions. The Aretha story is an eight-part drama starring Cynthia Errivo, who has plenty of presence and power to not be totally overtaken by Aretha. The story traces Aretha as a child who loses her mother early and is, with her sisters, dominated by her preacher father, a philanderer who wants to control Aretha’s career from the time she is a child singing on the Gospel Circuit to her award-winning career. Her desire to control her own destiny, select her own songs and get credit as a producer on her albums is at least in part because of her father’s selfish need to control her. It seems to me that all Aretha really wanted was R E S P E C T. And she deserved it. 4 gold records. PS – I’m still trying to figure out what this show was doing on the National Geographic Channel!
49.  Made You Look* (2020, Netflix) – The subtitle of this documentary is, “The true story about fake art,” and that sums it up perfectly. You don’t have to know anything about the world of art buying, selling, authenticating works and collecting them to be fascinated by this documentary. But despite being uneducated about the commercial aspects of art, I think I would have questioned the veracity of a woman unknown in the art world who showed up in a prestigious gallery with the promise of a bunch of paintings by well-known modern artists such as Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollack. She offered to sell them to Ann Freedman, a dealer with a great reputation and directo of the Knoedler Gallery in New York.  Authenticating the work of known artists seems to be a hit-or-miss proposition, and Freedman claimed to follow all the protocols. But were these real works of art? Or did a former math professor in Queens, NY, reproduce them, thus rendering them worthless phonies? Following this case are lawyers, journalists and countless others in the art world, and the people who paid millions for works eventually considered fakes were not amused. If you are talented enough as a painter to mimic the works of others, why not just create your own? The art here might be fake, but the movie is very real. 4 cans of paint.
50.  Elizabeth & Margaret – Love and Loyalty* (2021, Netflix) – I never got around to finishing “The Crown,” so this will have to be my royal flush for the month. I know it is hard to take pity on members of the royal family, and Elizabeth and Margaret led privileged but sheltered lives.  When their father suddenly died, Elizabeth became the Queen. She was torn between her loyalty to the Crown and her love for her free-wheeling (by royal standards) sister, who was ready to marry a married man before she turned 25. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, as the Queen had to dissuade her sister from continuing the romance. It appears that Margaret had a lot more fun than her elder sibling, but the two overcame their different lives and stayed close. If you are really into the royals, this one’s for you. 3 crowns.
 

March 2021 Message from Tina - Annus Horriblis

March to March - Annus Horribilis

In 1992, Queen Elizabeth, after a devastating fire at Windsor Castle and after seeing the marriages of her children come to an end, referred to the year as “annus horribilis.

Your Majesty: Hold my beer. 1992 has nothing on 2020.

One year ago, March 11, was when we first heard the word pandemic used to describe the spread of coronavirus, the dreaded COVID-19. 

I was just back from the BIG 10 Basketball Tournament in Indianapolis, where my fellow Rutgers Women’s Basketball fans and I went to games and mingled with the thousands of people also in attendance. We chatted with strangers wearing their team colors, used handrails, public restrooms, concession stands and we ate inside restaurants.

We brought disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer and swabbed down the seats and the tray tables on the plane on our way back on March 8, understanding that this Coronavirus had nothing to do with the beer of the same name, but without having any real understanding of what it would become.

Two weeks, they told us. Just stay home and don’t do anything for two weeks. Who knew that two weeks would turn into 52 weeks – and more – of a lockdown?

Suddenly, the world stopped. Schools were canceled – for two weeks. College students on spring break were told not to come back. Some foolhardy ones decided not to compromise their spring break plans and partied anyway. Some came down with the virus.

The first thing that gave me pause and perspective was the story of a New Jersey family who had gathered for a family event and at least seven people came down with COVID. The grandmother died without even knowing a daughter and son had already passed away. That made the story relatable to me.

Meanwhile, two weeks stretched on. Teachers were suddenly expected to be experts at remote education. Employees had to figure out how to work from home and provide care for their home-bound children while doing so. I kept waiting for the internet to crash!

I canceled doctor appointments and stretched out trips to the supermarket to every other week, stocking my freezer, preparing food as if Armageddon was near. And it was. People were up at midnight, vying for precious slots to have their groceries delivered. And through it all, the employees at the supermarket worked. They are heroes, too.

A year ago, people panicked about toilet paper. Hoarders would scoop up packages that were on the shelves. People got into fights over greed. And the shelves became bare. I never ran out, but I have been counting squares ever since. I wonder if I will ever stop.

No more traveling, gatherings, trips to restaurants, Broadway shows, and movies. Grandparents couldn’t see their grandchildren, even the brand-new ones.

No more hugs, no more kisses. No hanging out with friends. No visiting sick people in the hospital. Just isolation and Zoom calls for church services, cocktail parties and book club meetings.

Thank God for Zoom, right? We have spent a year looking at people on that Brady Bunch screen. The phrase of the year had to be “You’re on mute.”

Businesses closed, people lost their jobs and health care workers became heroes as they provided care – sometimes in a patient’s dying moments – as the hospitals became overwhelmed. Bless their souls for what they did and continue to do. In cities and suburbs, people went to their windows and banged pots and pans in their honor.

Restaurants closed or morphed into take-out places. Pizza joints, with plenty of take-out experience, thrived. Fine dining languished as officials closed down indoor dining and gatherings of any size.

Reaching the unemployment office to file a claim became an obsession as systems failed and people could not file their claims for money they needed and were entitled to get.

Weddings were postponed, funerals did not take place, and loved ones could not spend time with their relatives as they lay dying in the hospital.

There were no class reunions, no proms, no senior class trips, no live graduations, mostly replaced by our new favorite word, VIRTUAL, ceremonies.

I didn’t get a haircut for four months and finally took matters and scissors into my own hands. If you didn’t look at the back of my head, you’d say it didn’t look bad. Even my hair stylist was impressed.

Everyone – from regular folks like me to health officials – scrambled to figure out the best way to NOT get this scourge, while politicians either told us it was no big deal and would go away in the spring when the weather got warmer or they began presenting the grim statistics of the daily death toll. It was hard to figure out whom to believe. The so-called experts had never dealt with anything like this and they were making up the game plan as they went along.

I happened to have masks in the house from a previous respiratory illness and I began wearing one on the rare occasions I left the house even though there was no immediate directive recommending or mandating that we do so.

People started making their own masks. Kind friends made me some and sent them to me unsolicited. And I bought masks, too. Who knew they would become a fashion statement? By the beginning of 2021, I was double masking, using a KN-95 with another mask over it for my runs to ShopRite. And I keep a mask on a hook by the front door in case a delivery comes and I have to interact with the driver.

Meanwhile, once masks wearing became mandated, some people claimed they had medical conditions and should be exempt from wearing masks or that it was their freedom to refuse to wear them - other people be damned. There was an incredible display of selfishness and stupidity. Some people suddenly thought of themselves as epidemiologists, claiming they knew masks didn't work. These are probably the same people who failed science class in high school.

You couldn't cross state lines. Individual states set up their own rules for who could get into the state. If you spent the winter in Florida from NJ, good luck getting back. There was mandated quarantining with no way to enforce the rules.

And there were deaths. And more deaths. And COVID cases began piercing my inner circle. People I knew got sick. Some died. And we still don’t know the long-term effects. When a healthy 30-year old I know who liked to climb mountains posted that she was several weeks into her recovery from COVID and could barely breathe or walk, I was shocked.

No more than 50-60,000 were expected to die, the president said. One day, it would all just go away, he claimed.

Today, we have seen in this country alone more than 500,000 deaths. To give this number context, think about the capacity of the Rose Bowl and imagine that everyone there was killed. And then imagine that happening five times – that’s the staggering number of people lost.

Everyone should get tested, some said. But there is too much testing, said the president, insisting that the more tests there are, the more cases we will find. But don’t we WANT to know who is infected so they can be quarantined? Denying the numbers is like me refusing to get on the scale so I don’t see that I have gained weight. But then, where to go to get tested?

In my active senior community, our clubhouses were shut down and the residents took to the streets, walking, running, biking – anything to keep them active since all the amenities that we moved here to use were no longer available.

Isolating in my comfortable house was not like being imprisoned. I could take a walk, watch movies, read books, talk to my friends – but I had so much trouble concentrating. I was scared and worried about the health and well-being of everyone, including myself. And I know so many other people who felt the same way, unable to read a book or think about anything but this ubiquitous disease. I couldn’t engage my mind on anything else. I doomed-scrolled social media, watched the evening news like never before and felt untethered and overwhelmed.

And even as COVID stuck around and got worse, a new epidemic of racial injustices knocked it off the front page when George Floyd was murdered by a police officer whose knee was on Floyd’s neck long enough to kill him. That horrific act, seen on TV everywhere, touched off riots and the discussion about how 400 years of racial injustice was much more than could or should be tolerated. As a white person, I felt guilty and ashamed of my own white privilege. I understood that all lives can’t matter unless Black Lives Matter. 

The injustices against Black people and people of color demanded better education and understanding from all of us. We cannot tolerate being a society where ALL people don't have equal opportunities to work, to advance, to vote, to excel, to contribute to society. I didn’t even know what Juneteenth was then, but I do now. I took the opportunity to get involved in discussions on race and health inequities. All of this was eye-opening and long overdue.

Sports was largely gone from the scene. I found myself watching a cornhole tournament one day. The Rutgers Men’s basketball team, on the cusp of being selected to play in the NCAA Basketball Tournament for the first time in 30 years, was instead removed from the court with just minutes to go before they were to play their first BIG 10 Tournament game. Both Tournaments were cancelled, along with the remainder of the NBA season. In the summer, all of the teams in the WNBA played in Florida in a controlled environment they called the “Wubble.” I watched more WNBA games than ever before, hungry for basketball.

I quarantined my mail, leaving it in the garage for at least 24 hours before bringing it into the house. I did my grocery shopping and immediately came home, showered and washed my clothes. Hand washing became a ritual.

Meal planning, prep, cooking and clean-up became a constant, interrupted only by occasional take-out meals. I spent so much time on inventory management of food that I could now get a job in a warehouse. I can't wait until I can sit in a restaurant and have someone explain the meals and take my order, then serve it and take away the dishes. Between the hand-washing and the dish-washing, my hands have aged considerably.

I tried to keep myself sane throughout the pandemic. For 100 consecutive days I posted on Facebook relevant, funny or heartwarming songs about being alone, missing friends and fun, trying to entertain myself and others. Then I switched to songs more reflective of the turbulent times.

To stay connected with my alumnae friends through our Associate Alumnae of Douglass College, I created a series called “Tea with Tina” and hosted Douglass alumnae for a several virtual gatherings that were attended by people from Florida to Colorado to California, and not just by the usual NJ crowd. I started a written series called “Sharing Our Stories” where alumnae could submit articles explaining how they pivoted in their personal and professional lives because of the pandemic. Among the authors was a woman who unexpectedly lost her sister to COVID, and there were pieces from educators, a doctor, a mediator, a new bride, an EMT, a social worker and many more who graciously shared their stories. Fittingly, our last entry was from our Executive Director, who hosts a grief counseling group for her church.

I attended webinars so I could visit Barcelona or museums or learn about the history of Grand Central Station and know more about Anne Frank. I participated in a trivia contest led by a beautiful drag queen. I expanded my horizons and my mind. 

Sweatpants became the standard uniform. I worried that my earrings would no longer fit because the holes in my ears might close up. And let’s not even talk about the real COVID 19!

In October, I turned 70 with little fanfare. My besties came over, stayed mostly masked (except while we were eating) and we had a few laughs and nobody came down with COVID – a major victory! My sister picked up take-out tacos – my favorite smoked brisket – for a two-person celebration seated far apart. She and I have barely seen each other for the past year, and always at a distance for only short periods.

In November, my beloved Rutgers Women’s basketball team started its new season without fans permitted in the stands. I warned my neighbors to expect loud cheering coming from my family room. And even after missing most of January and some of February because of COVID issues, the team gave me something to cheer about, reeling off nine straight wins in their return to the court. The Rutgers Men’s team also showed signs of life and is again hoping to go to the NCAA Tournament. It was great having something happy to celebrate.

In the fall, I fretted about the election, and I cried happy tears when my team won. In January, I asked a college classmate in Washington to share her story and pictures of three Wednesdays in January to give us an insider’s look at the January 6 assault on the Capitol and its aftermath. I cried – sobbed, really – through much of Inauguration Day.

Once vaccines were approved and became available, I joined the throngs of people spending inordinate amounts of time online, vying for appointments. By February, most of us who were eligible were scrambling, with vaccines in short supply and inadequate processes set up to schedule appointments. Every conversation included a reference to getting an appointment, getting a shot, which vaccine you received and its side effects. I still know many people who can’t set up appointments for themselves or their elderly parents. The system needs major improvements, and we all need to be patient. Your number WILL come up.

So now I have been fully vaccinated for a few weeks. But I’m still double-masking, limiting my trips anywhere (I put gas in my car in March for the first time since December), refusing to eat in a restaurant or go to a movie (I adjusted to that surprisingly well) and avoiding contact with people. The BIG 10 Basketball Tournament is happening this week in Indianapolis again, and somehow they are carrying on without me. A very limited number of fans will be there to watch the games in person, but I’ll be safely ensconced in my family room this year. At least there are no lines for the concession stands or bathroom here!

I will continue to be cautious, but I am looking forward to actually seeing my fully-vaccinated best friend in the spring and giving her a long and awkward hug – the first hug I will have had since last March 8th. She and I have been friends for 53 years and although we have always lived 200 miles apart, we have never gone this long without spending time together. I’m sure we will pick up again as though no time has passed.

I know that so many people had it much worse than I did in the past year, with losses of loved ones and cases of COVID. I know I am one of the lucky ones, but this disease, the quarantine, the unrelenting fear have all affected me in ways I never could have imagined. I don’t want to forget last year, the lessons learned, the losses, and the things that made me grateful to be alive. I never got COVID, which is the biggest blessing of all. 

And I know that I never again want to have an annus horribilis like 2020. It was unforgettable in every way.

Tina's February 2021 Movies & More

Here we go with my reviews of movies and more for February, 2021. Numbering picks up from the previous month and asterisks indicate things I had not seen previously. Everything is rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with 5 being the best of the bunch.

19.  Broadcast News (1987) – This gem from director James L. Brooks is filled with crackling dialog (mostly between stars Holly Hunter and Albert Brooks) and plenty of humor (when Brooks’ character anchors the news and has an epic episode of flop sweat), even as it excoriates network news for promoting looks over competence. William Hurt plays a newsman clearly in over his head, and he knows it. I loved this movie when I first saw it in the movies and I still enjoy revisiting it now. 4 cans.
20.  Palmer* (2021, Apple TV+) – Singer Justin Timberlake can legitimately be referred to as “Actor” with this top-notch performance. He plays Eddie Palmer, fresh out of prison and on parole, determined to get his once promising life back on track. Staying with his grandmother (June Squibb), he meets the folks in the trailer next door to her house, where a feuding young couple pays little attention to the woman’s little boy, Sam. The neighbors are both strung out on drugs and oblivious to Sam. When the mother ups and leaves, Grandma has the elementary school boy come stay with her and Palmer, and soon they bond in unexpected ways. This is a story of redemption, of acceptance, and of learning to do the right thing. 4 cans.
21.  Burgers, Fries and Family Ties* (2019, Prime Video) – Sometimes you just need a little comfort, and this family-owned restaurant – Richwine’s Burgerville – provides more than comfort food in this charming documentary. After 58 years of making burgers and shakes, this place remains a destination for the people of Polson, Montana, and its grand opening each spring draws lines of cars. Marcia, daughter of the original owners, knows everything about running the restaurant, and she happily and thoroughly spends weeks before the seasonal opening training her young staff on everything from how to write up a guest check (no computer terminals here!) to how to make a proper shake to making the all-important burger patties. The customers know Marcia and she knows them, from the woman who stops by each morning for a chocolate Coke to how people take their burgers. Running a burger joint requires much more work than you can imagine, and it takes a toll, especially on a demanding but fair Marcia. Her young employees love her for treating them with respect and teaching them how to interview and much more. This woman really needs to do a Ted Talk on how to run a restaurant. Yes, it made me want a burger (just not the 10 patties ordered by one robust young man), but it also warmed my heart and made me respect the work done with the emphasis always on the customer. This is a yummy movie! I wonder if Marcia does mail order. 3½ cans.
22.  Uncle Frank* (2020, Prime Video) – Frank (Paul Bethany) is gay, and his family either doesn’t know or doesn’t want to know or is too oblivious to understand. His obstinate and unaccepting father hates him without admitting why. His niece Beth (Sophia Lillis) adores him, and when she leaves their Southern home to attend NYU, where he is a professor, she learns that he has a long-time partner, Walid (Peter Macdissi). All roads collide when Frank’s father dies and he and Beth hit the road to attend the funeral and uninvited Walid tags along. Frank finally comes to terms with his life and his relationship with his family. This movie is plagued by stereotypes of gays and Southerners, but it does illustrate the pressures of living a double life and the repercussions of not fully accepting yourself or being accepted by others. 3 cans.    
23.  Breakfast at Ina’s* (2018, Prime Video) – Ina Pinkney is an institution in Chicago, where for years she served breakfast and love to her loyal patrons at the renowned Ina’s breakfast and lunch-only restaurant. This documentary covers the last few weeks before she closed her famed restaurant permanently. Ina had polio as a child, and as she aged, the long-term effects of coping with the disease wore her down. She is a strong and determined woman who fully understands that the time has come, but the last few weeks are all about mingling with the customers and giving everyone memories to last a lifetime. Ina now writes about other restaurants for The Chicago Tribune, and I would bet she could offer a few suggestions and a couple of recipes to make them even better – on a par with Ina’s itself. 3½ cans.
24.  Starman (1984, EPIX TV) – What can you say about a young widow who falls in love with an alien who morphs himself into an exact replica of her dearly departed late husband? Jeff Bridges shows up in rural Wisconsin, turns into Jenny’s (Karen Allen) late husband Scott, and they set off for Arizona so he can hitch a ride on the mothership and return to a galaxy far, far away, all while dodging the feds and the alien-hunter determined to capture him. I’m not a science fiction aficionado at all, but this sweet movie captured my heart. At first, “Scott” does a lot of observing as Jenny speaks, learning idioms and meanings of words. He speaks haltingly and moves awkwardly as he grows into his new body. Bridges is charming as the alien, and this movie compares – on a much smaller scale – to ET in its appeal to my emotions. This is an oldie but a goodie, and I welcomed our reunion.  3½ cans.
25.  Marshall* (2017) – Chadwick Bozeman plays esteemed attorney and former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall is this biopic that focuses on a single case in his storied career. A lawyer with the NAACP, Marshall has a case in Connecticut involving a Black man (Sterling K. Brown) accused of raping a white socialite (Kate Hudson), but he insists he didn’t do it. The case is complicated by the fact that Marshall can’t practice in Connecticut, so the courtroom parts are left to a lawyer who has only civil court experience (Josh Gad). The case has some nifty twists and turns, and Marshall has to ferret out the information to represent the client without speaking in the courtroom. Marshall went on to a distinguished career, arguing many cases before the U.S. Supreme Court before becoming its first Black Justice in 1967. Bozeman brings his usual intensity and elan to the role, reminding us again of his tragic loss. 3½ cans.
26.  Shadowlands* (1993, HITZ TV) – Real-life author C. S. Lewis was an avowed bachelor, a bit of a loner who was content living with his brother in a comfy home in Oxford, where he wrote books and held a position as a respected professor. But then along comes a somewhat brash American, Joy Gresham, an aspiring author who is determined to meet him. They strike up a friendship, but will this detached man be able to take on something more? The great Anthony Hopkins stars as “Jack” Lewis, bringing some of the character of Mr. Stevens, his role in “The Remains of the Day,” as a man unaccustomed to human connection who responds awkwardly to interactions beyond his small circle of friends and students. Debra Winger is Joy, echoing at the end some of her scenes from “Terms of Endearment.” I kept thinking of the quote from Alfred Lord Tennyson, “’tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” This is a lovely movie, quietly tugging on your emotions as it introduces the concept of love to a man who finds it brings him Joy. 4 cans.
27.  Let Him Go* (2020, Prime Video) – Kevin Costner and Diane Lane are well-matched as the parents of a grown son who lives with them and his young wife and infant child. When the son dies in a tragic accident (not a spoiler; this happens in the first 10 minutes), they stay in close touch with his widow Lorna and their beloved grandson. But when Lorna marries a bad guy who hits her and the child, Mom Margaret is determined to get the boy back. She and her husband, a former sheriff, set out to find him and retrieve him from a family of nasty, dangerous outlaws. I had to rent this one, but it was money well spent. 4 cans.
28.  The Next Three Days* (2010, Netflix) – Everyone who has a fight with his/her boss might say they want to kill that person, but generally that is in the figurative sense. But when Lara Brennan (Elizabeth Banks) is convicted of killing her boss, she is locked up in the county jail and loses every appeal. Her husband John (Russell Crowe), raising their young son alone, is determined to help her – or spring her – and takes matters into his own hands in this action thriller. Yes, there were parts that stretched credulity, but this was a fast-paced, intricate story that was captivating (pardon the pun) to watch. 4 cans.
29. Nomadland* (2021, Hulu) – Francis McDormand is the perfect choice to play Fern, a woman who has lost her husband and the factory where she worked has closed down, so she hits to road in her beat-up van. She has customized it – tricked out would be a vast overstatement – making it livable for her nomadic existence. She travels around, getting season work at Amazon, occasionally working at a burger joint or shoveling potatoes at a processing plant, and she meets up with plenty of people living the same kind of life, just a step or a damaged tire away from danger. The nomads she comes to consider friends are played by real nomads, so the story is at least partially true. It is a moving tale, devoid or real action or immediate tragedy, and Fern seems to appreciate the time she spends by herself. She doesn’t need a home or a lot of possessions and prefers to avoid any drama in her life. There’s not a lot of action here, just powerful images of a lonely but somehow fulfilling life. This film is not for everyone, but I enjoyed its portrayal of a segment of society I did not know existed. 4 cans.
30.  Spare Parts* (2015, EPIX) – This formulaic film gives us the typical rag-tag group of misfits who band together for the big game – only this time, it isn’t sports, it is robotics. Substitute teacher Dr. Cameron (George Lopez), a former engineer, is persuaded to help a few of the students at a regional high school consisting mostly of undocumented students when one of them wants to form a robotics club and enter a competition that could bring them money and scholarships. But this group doesn’t have the money to buy the supplies they need, so they have to substitute with spare parts and innovation to build an underwater robot and compete with college teams from places like Cornell and MIT. Of course, you root for these resourceful kids, and of course there are setbacks along the way, and of course the end is predictable, but when you get there, you find that it was mostly worth the trip. 3 cans.
31.  I Care A Lot* (2021, Netflix) – Rosamund Pike is really good at playing bad people. Her Marla Grayson has a great gambit: She works with a cooperative doctor to identify elderly people who have just enough dementia to be considered incapable of handling their affairs and plenty of money they can bilk from the patient. Marla, her girlfriend/partner Fran and the doctor get a court order from a friendly judge who appoints Marla to be the legal guardian of the patient, which gives her license to drain these people dry, emptying their accounts and selling their homes and possessions before they know what hit them. If they don’t cooperate, Marla gets the head of the nursing home where they have been assigned to medicate them so they really are incompetent. Marla is equal parts cunning and brazen, but when she comes up against Jennifer Peterson (Diane Weist), she has a battle on her hands because this little old lady has some shady connections of her own. Some of this is hard to accept, but Marla has no fear and no boundaries to get what she wants. I’d like to think that if I suddenly disappeared, my aqua aerobics friends would call the police and track me down before I was fleeced, but Jane can’t count on that. There is plenty of suspense and a good deal of “Oh, no, she didn’t” in the script, but this one definitely held my interest. 4 cans.
32.  Hitsville: The Making of Motown* (2019, Prime Video) – If you grew up in the 1960s, chances are that Motown is the soundtrack of your life. The songs, the performers, the smooth moves – all were the brainchild of founder Berry Gordy, whose Hitsville house in Detroit was the center of the music universe. This documentary traces Gordy’s magic touch in finding the writers, performers and music that stays with us even today. When you have the right ear and people like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Michael Jackson and Gordy’s right-hand magician, Smokey Robinson, you change music forever and create legends. 4 cans, because I can’t resist Motown!
33.  Belushi* (2020, Showtime) – I remember seeing the very first episode of "Saturday Light Live" with its Not Ready for Prime-Time Players. Some were droll, some were ironic, some were silly, and there was John Belushi, who stood out in the crowd for his bad boy humor and take no prisoners approach to comedy. Whether he was a bee, a Samurai swordsman or Joe Cocker, Belushi commanded attention. You know the tragic ending of his story, when he was found dead in a hotel in California from a drug overdose. This documentary doesn’t spare the sordid details of Belushi’s rise and fall, and though you know his star will flame out, you can’t help but appreciate a guy who brought such big humor to our lives. His role in “Animal House” remains iconic decades later, and that movie is, to me, one of the top five funniest movies of all-time. Belushi did a lot in his too-brief 33 years, and his light will never be diminished. 4 cans.