October 2021 Movies & More

October wasn't a great month for movies & more for me, but here are 11 things to watch and one to avoid at all costs. Numbering picks up from previous months and an asterisk indicates that I haven't seen the show previously. Everything is rated from 0-5 cans (for the first time), with 5 being the top. 

131.  The Many Saints of Newark* (2021, HBO Max) – So, this is how it all began. Teenaged Tony Soprano (admirably played by Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James Gandolfini who originated the role) is a lazy punk with a lousy life and an uncle, Dickie Moltasanti (Alessandro Nivola), whom he thinks is the greatest, coolest guy. This prequel to the classic HBO series “The Sopranos” focuses on Dickie, a Mob guy surrounded by characters we all recognize from the show (assuming you watched the series). But Dickie was only referred to in the original series, and the Moltisanti name is familiar because of Dickie’s son Christopher, who was close with Tony Soprano. The action here takes place beginning in the 1960s, with plenty of Mob gunplay and beatings and a depiction of the 1967 riots in Newark that drove people to the suburbs – including the Soprano family. I can’t get into much of the plot without spoiling it, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the new actors playing such familiar characters as Pauly Walnuts, Silvio, Big Pussy and the family, as well as with Tony’s miserable mother Livia (Vera Farmiga) and his Uncle Junior (Corey Stoll). This prequel establishes much of what we saw in the series and sets up nicely for a sequel to the prequel. Leslie Odom Jr. of “Hamilton” fame has an important role as a man who collects the numbers money from Dickie and wants to go out on his own. If you liked the series and Mob movies like “Goodfellas,” this movie is for you. And maybe if you have never seen “The Sopranos,” you’ll find that this movie stands on its own merit. 4 cans. I’m afraid to give fewer cans.
132.  The Starling* (2021, Netflix) – Quick plot summary: Woman in a dead-end job suffers tragedy, visits her husband in a mental hospital, tries to garden and is stalked by a deranged starling. Melissa McCarthy brings considerable pathos and a bit of humor to her part as the beleaguered wife of Chris O’Dowd, who is detached and miserable as he carries on his life in the face of tragedy while treated by cliched doctors. Melissa starts seeing a veterinarian (Kevin Kline) who is a former therapist, mostly for therapy but also for help with the starling who keeps attacking her in her garden. This movie tugs on your heartstrings even when it seems the bird will win. 3½ cans.
133.  Diana, the Musical* (2021, Netflix) – Take everything you already know about the late Princess Diana, throw in forgettable music and limited choreography and you have this underwhelming theatrical event, originally scheduled to open on Broadway last year but delayed by the pandemic until November, 2021. In the interim, the same geniuses who devised this travesty decided to record it in a theater so we could all see it at home – and thanks for letting us realize that we need to avoid the stage version. The performers are merely adequate, even though they haven't been given challenging material, and the stage in the theater looks as small as one in a high school auditorium. I won’t rehash the plot, but it doesn’t end well for the once sweet and innocent 19-year-old who thought she was marrying Prince Charming. The only part of this production worth mentioning is how they managed to change Diana’s wardrobe right on stage, in front of our eyes the audience without being able to figure out how it was done (and I even replayed parts!). For the most part, this is a cringeworthy and cruel violation of poor Diana, who cannot even rest in peace. If this lasts a week on Broadway, I’ll be shocked. I’ll give it a noteworthy 0 cans, a first among thousands of my reviews.
134.  Ted Lasso, Season 2* (2021, Apple TV+) – Treat yourself to a trial or short-term subscription to Apple TV+ just to watch season 2 of last year’s big hit. Ted is still a fish out of water, an American, midwestern/Southern boy coaching foreign football (soccer to us) in England, but he has assimilated nicely and the formerly hapless team is winning. This season sees owner Rebecca (Waddington) in a larger role, while the others in the supporting cast do their best work. Ted proves human, as he misses his family, has a major panic attack and looks to new team sports psychologist Sharon to help. The dialog is crisp and chock full of clever cultural references. The progression of the story not only builds on season one but beautifully sets up season three. If only we wouldn’t have to wait so long to savor the new season, because this one is as sweet as Ted’s buttery biscuits. Kudos to Jason Sudeikis, the actor who also serves as a writer-producer on the show, and to writer-actor Brett Goldstein for his Emmy-winning role as irascible Roy Kent . 4 cans.
135.  Citizen Hearst* (2021, The American Experience, PBS) – The classic movie “Citizen Kane” may well have been the fictionalized story of William Randolph Hearst, though the real man loved showgirls much more than a sled named “Rosebud.” This two-party documentary is an exhaustive look at the man who took his father’s mining fortune and used it to build a publishing empire. He started with a single newspaper and expanded to papers around the US, adding magazines and broadcasting along the way. He was a blustery demagogue, always eager to use his purchased platform to promote his beliefs, which proved contradictory over time. He holed up in the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, pointedly showing off his wealth and power. This is a story of power and fortune that reinforces my belief that no one should have THAT much of either. I would have liked this documentary more if it were half as long.  3½ cans.
136.  News of the World* (2020, HBO) – Tom Hanks has been a pilot, an astronaut, an FBI guy, Forrest Gump and a castaway. Now he is convincing (isn’t he always?) in a Western as an aging Civil War veteran who goes town-to-town reading newspapers to the townfolk who want to know the almost latest news. And he gets paid 10 cents a head for doing it! In his travels he encounters a young girl who has lost her birth family and the Native Americans who took her as a child. He agrees to get her back to her family but to do so the duo must brave weather and nefarious characters on their journey. They bond despite her inability to speak English. This is a gritty tale and Hanks’ Captain Kidd is tough enough to endure the hardships without being a macho stereotype. There’s not much to enjoy in this movie but plenty to admire, including the performance of Helena Zengel as a tough but trusting young girl. And when was the last time I watched a Western? 3½ cans.
137.  The Ice Road* (2021, Netflix) – Did you know that trucks travel over frozen bodies of water in the coldest climates on what are called “ice roads?” Neither did I. But these roads become critical when there is a mine collapse in Manitoba and getting equipment to the site in time to save the trapped miners requires a truck convoy carrying cargo too heavy to airlift. Liam Neeson is one of the truckers racing against time and the distinct possibility of the ice cracking under the heavy vehicles to deliver the equipment to get the miners out. Little does he know that his mission has been sabotaged by the company that hired him and the others for reasons too convoluted to share. There is plenty, and I mean, plenty of action, with crashing bridges and bad guys hanging on to the truck doors trying to get inside, dynamite and other explosions. As action-adventure movies go, this fits into the genre and offers at least a new location for the action to take place, but it doesn’t do much to distinguish itself from other, similar films.  3 cans.
138.  The Guilty* (2021, Netflix) – This movie is Jake Gyllenhaal, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jake Gyllenhaal, so if you like Jake Gyllenhaal, this movie is for you. Here he is Joe, a police detective with something hanging over his head who has been assigned to duty as an emergency 911 operator. He catches a call from a woman who seems to have been abducted and scrambles to get information from her that he can relay to the highway patrol and figure out what has happened. It is a harrowing day for well-meaning but intense Joe, as he struggles to keep the caller on the phone and dispatch help for her and her children. The suspense is continuously amped up as Joe tries to untangle the story while dealing with family issues of his own. This movie kept me on the edge of my seat. 3½ cans.
139.  Aerial America* (2021, Smithsonian Channel) – I have never reviewed a series before seeing the entire thing (and there are over 50 episodes in this series), but since I know that many of you appreciate recommendations of what to watch, I am happy to include this series here after seeing just a handful of episodes. Whether the episode focuses on an entire state, a single city or a region, each hour is filled with fantastic aerial footage that shows roads and bridges and architecture and parks and the amazing sites of each place featured. Throw in an excellent narration and an informative history lesson (New England was a favorite episode for me) that covers how we got to this point in any place, and you have a program that would be great in an educational environment as well as compelling to watch from the couch. And yes, if you watch the New Jersey episode, you will understand why we really are called the Garden State. I truly stumbled on this series while looking for something quiet to watch that might make me fall asleep, and while this accomplished that goal, I have gone back to watch anything I might have missed. If you are looking for something informative and easy on the eyes, check this out! 4 cans.
140.  Breaking Point: Mardy Fish* (2021, Netflix) – Unless you are a real tennis fan, you have probably never heard of American tennis player Mardy Fish. Mardy started on the pro circuit just after the reign of Pete Sampras and Jim Courier ended and right before the trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic began dominating the sport. Fish and his good friend and training buddy Andy Roddick were newcomers at the same time, but Roddick was clearly the better player, more physically gifted and competitive than Fish. But while Fish was winning matches on the court, off the court he was succumbing to anxiety and mental health issues that he eventually had to address. Being told that you can never be weak and that you must always win would take a toll on almost anyone. Today the subject of mental health among athletes is much more common and accepted. But when Fish had his version of Simone Biles’ “twisties,” discussing mental health was just not done. This documentary provides a realistic look at the life of the elite athlete, what they have to sacrifice to get to the top and how the pressure makes it hard to sustain success. 3½ cans.
141. Good Night and Good Luck (2005, PBS) – The only thing worse than a bully is a bully with a pulpit. Welcome to the McCarthy Era, the period in the 1950s when Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy ruined the lives and reputations of many Americans by accusing them of having ties to the Communist Party. In hearings before the House Un-American Activities Committee, McCarthy didn’t hesitate to fling accusations about people called to testify without presenting evidence or giving them access to information on why they were being accused. The White Knights in this drama – cleverly directed in black & white by George Clooney, who also stars as CBS News chief Fred Friendly – were the broadcasters of CBS News, led by the venerable Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn in an excellent portrayal).  Their mission was to demonstrate the unfairness of McCarthy’s diatribes and methods. I probably should have revisited this movie last year, when the bully pulpit was put to extended use. Clooney expertly weaves real footage from the hearings into the movie, where the CBS execs are ensconced in smoke-filled rooms, fighting for truth, justice and the American way – or so it seemed. 4 cans.
142.  Joe Bell* (2021, Prime Video rental) – Joe Bell (a scruffy Marck Wahlberg) is a blue-collar guy with a wife and two sons. He truly loves them, but he is uncomfortable knowing that his elder son, a teenager, is being bullied at school because he is gay. When people start taunting his son, a cheerleader, at a football game, he doesn’t retaliate or respond. He simply leaves the game. When the boy is sexually assaulted and the school refuses to take action, there are dire consequences for the young man, prompting Joe to start a cross-country walk as his personal anti-bullying campaign. But even while doing that he doesn’t know how to deal with the adults who question him. You know he loves his son, but showing his love and support seems impossible for Joe. This is a morose movie but realistic in depicting one man who doesn’t know how to handle his own feelings. Based on a true story. 3 cans.

October Offerings

Let’s face it, nobody wants to pay for shipping.

The post office has declared that the price of postage will be going up and the service will be slowing down. That’s like saying, “the food is terrible and the portions are so small.”

Remember when we used to have to lick stamps? What a pleasure it was when they became self-stick! Now that we are in the throes of a pandemic, wouldn’t it be a good idea if greeting cards came with self-stick envelopes? My bill paying envelopes are self-stick, but do I really want to put my tongue on a greeting card envelope? Luckily, the Post Office is so slow these days that any germs I put on the envelope will have died a slow and torturous death by the time the card reaches its recipient, but still…

The Dollar Store announced that it will start selling things for more than a dollar. I was always amazed at how much stuff they sold for just a dollar – things like ceramic bowls, glass vases, decent quality plastic containers – and now we will have to see whether the store will begin carrying higher-priced merchandise like clothing or will simply raise their prices on existing merchandise. And will they change their name to something like “Used to Be the Dollar Store?”

It seems to me that if you use the word “nowadays” or the phrase “back in the day,” you have thrown in the towel and acknowledged that you are OLD.

I guess you have to be “of a certain age” to remember when hair salons were called “beauty parlors” and the hair stylists were “beauticians.” Personally, I always felt those terms overpromised the results.

Speaking of being old, I hit the 70-year-old milestone last October, and I was just getting adjusted to it when it occurred to me that in two weeks I will be 71. I’m not sure I’m quite ready for that!

My mind might not be the steel trap it once was (and when was that, you ask?), but I really don’t think I require two emails, two text messages and a voice mail to remind me to show up for my teeth cleaning! And then please don’t send me a survey about my visit that arrives by the time I get home!

Fall officially starts when I wash the sweatshirts. I have already done four loads.

The only positive thing about the Yankees’ failure to advance in post-season play is that I won’t have to stay up until all hours to watch the games. If the Yankees aren’t in it, I’m out!

I can’t take the pressure of walking into the nail salon and trying to pick a color. It can’t be too dark, too light, too pink or too orange and it can’t have any kind of sparkle. It can’t be blue, green or yellow and I don’t want a French manicure (I wonder if all manicures in France are considered French manicures). That leaves 812 shades of red and 682 of beige. Last time I picked a color that looked great. By the time I got home I was sure it was too dark!

Your fingers are like your tongue in that when you try to relax either because you are instructed to do so by the nail technician or the dentist, you can’t. I never think about how tense my fingers are or where my tongue is until someone tells me to do – or to not do – something with either.

If there is ever any kind of “World Championship of Slouching,” look for me among the contestants. I’ll be on top of the leaderboard, contending for the title.

There are droves of people in my “active adult” community who are really active. You find them playing pickleball or walking all around the complex day and night. What cracks me up is that many of the women carry cross-body handbags (a contradiction in terms for sure). Are they carrying wallets and credit cards? Because there’s no place to shop in this community. Trust me, if there were, I would be shopping!

Seriously, it is easier to select a new Pope than a permanent host of “Jeopardy.” I’m waiting for those white puffs of smoke to rise from the Alex Trebek stage where the show is filmed. I guess Alex really did have all of the answers. I was beginning to believe that contestant Matt Amodio would outlast all of the guest hosts and the semi-permanent ones, but his reign as champion ended after 39 days. He won more than a million and a half dollars and surpassed James Holzhauer to become the second winningest player of all time, trailing only Ken Jennings in the total number of games won. Maybe HE can be the next host!

I miss the original five flavor rolls of LifeSavers. The cherry, lemon, lime, orange and pineapple of my youth were relaunched in 2003 with my two favorite flavors – lime and lemon – replaced by watermelon and raspberry. When I see green, I think lime, not watermelon. I would even let other people take the cherry if I could have the lime. They should have left this venerable candy alone!

My friend who works for Staples reports that a person called the store to ask whether Staples sold pens. I guess the customer thought Staples could build an entire business around the sale of staples. Considering that I buy staples about every dozen years or so, they sure couldn’t stay in business because of me. The same friend recounts that she was perched on the top of one of those gigantic ladders when a customer asked her (in all seriousness): “Do you work here?” She wanted to say, “No, I just like climbing up ladders,” but she refrained.

Heard at aqua aerobics: “Where is so-and-so today?” Answer: “She had a funeral.” Comment: “Oh, did someone die?” Cue the Staples customers.

I don’t get the concept of bittersweet. Shouldn’t it be one or the other?

Have you noticed that those bags of salad we buy because we are too lazy to cut up all of the lettuce and veggies are getting smaller? What used to be enough to feed a family is now barely enough for three decent salads.

I went to bed before 10 the other night but woke up at 3 AM and could not get back to sleep. I had Alexa play me spa music, meditation music (I might have been better off with MEDICATION music) – nothing worked. So, I finally succumbed to the lure of the TV, tuning into the Smithsonian Channel in hopes of finding something very low-key and boring that would lull me back to sleep. Instead, I now know enough tell you the complete story of how milk is processed and how KitKats are made in England.

You get up, shower well, get dressed and go to the doctor’s office where they make you wait to get in and then make you strip down and put on that flimsy paper gown that barely covers up your most private areas and rips when you hop up on the examination table, where you wait some more. That’s the definition of humiliation.

I got my third Covid vaccination a week ago, so that means I have just one more week to go before I am completely, totally vaccinated. Does this mean that I will go to lots of indoor parties and shed my mask? Start singing in a choir (you all had better hope not)? Hardly, but I like my odds of survival more now than a year ago. It means I can go to basketball games – for the first time in two years – and feel safer. Since Moderna hasn’t been approved as a booster, I guess what I received was a third dose, or a half-dose, but I am glad to get whatever they gave me. My doctor said that my most recent blood worked showed that I still had antibodies from my first two shots, so I figure that we just topped off the tank! I had a slightly sore arm but no other reaction, unlike the chills and body aches I had with the second shot. So, mission accomplished – for now. If the protocol calls for a shot every year, sign me up! And if you haven't yet gotten your vaccination, I hope you will do it soon. I like your odds better with the shot!

Tina's September 2021 Movies & More

This month's list features many "& more" programs amid a bunch of movies that I had not seen before. Numbering picks up from previous months and new programs are indicated by an asterisk. The rating scale is 1-5 cans of tuna, with 5 being the top rating.

119.  911/One Day in America* (2021, National Geographic Channel, Hulu) – This 6-part documentary is a sobering recount of the events of that fateful day, now 20 years in our past. There are moments of futility, wrenching sadness and times that uplift the human spirit. This is not the kind of program you can enjoy, but it is one that we all should see to remember what happened that day and to appreciate the heroics of the firefighters, police, rescue personnel, medical staff and ordinary citizens who risked or lost their lives trying to save others. 4 cans.
120.  9/11 (2015, CNN) – Two French brothers who were shooting a documentary about a young firefighter had their cameras rolling when the first plane hit the World Trade Center and kept rolling through the second plane strike, the collapse of both of the Twin Towers and even into the following day, as the heroic firefighters dug through rubble looking for survivors. The engine company battalion chief here lost his brother, but most of the firefighters in the film made it out alive. Much of the footage is used in the movie listed above. 4 cans and a giant lump in the throat.
121.  Click Bait* (2021, Netflix) – Don’t even start this 8-part series unless you have time to sit down and watch the whole thing, because you will be hooked immediately. The story centers on Nick Brewer (Adrian Grenier), a man who is kidnapped and recorded by his captors holding up signs claiming he abused and killed women. The video goes viral, with the warning that once it gets 5,000 views he will be killed. Now it is a race against time to try to track him down, with police and amateur sleuths who are experts in social media getting involved. There are plenty of suspects, red herrings and skeletons in the closets of many people on the case. The action rarely lets up. Good cast full of actors new to me, with Zoe Kazan as Nick’s sister Pia the best of the bunch. 4 cans.
122.  Titletown High School* (2021, Netflix) – Welcome to “Friday Night Lights” in the real town of Valdosta, Georgia, where the legendary high school state champs have seen their program slide. Controversial Coach Rush Probst has been brought in to turn around the once mighty program, and he is used to doing things his way. Too much of this 8-part series focuses on teenage relationship drama (is cute Morgan too much of a distraction for young quarterback Amari? Does anyone really care whether seldom used defender Grayson wants to be with Zoey or Lenley?) and there is much less actual coaching and more general exhortations to the team about their abilities. Six parts would have been better at limiting the less important stuff. High school football, whether it is in Alabama (see Probst’s last series, “Two-A-Days” from his time at Alabama’s Hoover High) or Georgia or Texas (home of FNL) is depicted as being the most important thing in the lives of all concerned, with little regard for the future of the players (the series rarely mentions college opportunities for the players until the very end). The coaching practices, the raising of money, recruiting players, the ever-present boosters, all seem unseemly – because they are – even though it is reality. If you watched “Last Chance U” or “QB1,” this series is for you. 3½ cans.
123.  Boatlift* (YouTube) – On the morning of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, I was glued to the TV, watching live coverage and listening to the reading of the names of the nearly 3,000 people who died in this horrific tragedy. But this very short (12 minutes) film gave me an actual lift. It is the account of how boats in the New Yok area came to the rescue of the people who made their way to lower Manhattan to get out of the city when the buildings fell. There were party boats, ferryboats and just about anything that floated that converged to rescue the people trapped on the Island. These were people who did their part in the tragedy to help strangers and whose role in rescuing a half a million people was a story I hadn’t known, and one worth seeing. 4 cans.
124.  Once Upon a Time in Queens* (2021, ESPN) – This four-part documentary about the 1986 World Champion New York Mets is part of the ESPN “30 for 30” franchise. The lovable losers who captured the hearts of New York with their improbable 1969 World Series win had fallen on hard times in the years between then and the mid-1980s, until General Manager Frank Cashen brought in his old Orioles manager, Davey Johnson, to take the reins of a club that was suddenly flush with talent. Homegrown players Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden were baseball phenoms and key trades brought professional hitters and leaders like Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter and Ray Knight to the clubhouse. No doubt this crew was ready to excel – as long as some nasty habits didn’t get in the way. According to this series, most of the team partied as hard as they played, drinking and using drugs on airplanes, frequenting nightclubs and chasing women. Davey Johnson as the manager was inclined to leave them along as long they showed up at the ballpark and played hard. But the early success, riches and pressures faced by young Gooden and Strawberry proved too much for them, and they both developed major league drug problems that shortened and interrupted what might have been Hall of Fame careers. The movie doesn’t shy away from these serious issues, but it also celebrates the team’s growth and success as they put it all together in 1986, dumping Houston and thwarting the Boston Red Sox to capture the World Series. It was fun taking a stroll down memory lane as the Mets captured the crown and the heart and soul of New York (minus the Yankee fans, of course). 4 cans.
125.  Guilt* (2021, Masterpiece Theater, PBS) – Two brothers are returning from a party when their car strikes an old man in the road, killing him. Do they call the police? Do they try to get help? No, they carry him inside his house, put him in a chair and, once they discover that he was dying of cancer, they hit the road. Sure enough, his dead body is found and the cause of death is attributed to his cancer. But then someone notices paint chips on his pants and wounds on his legs, and his American niece turns up and the nosy neighbor tries to blackmail people and there is footage from a neighbor’s security camera and the brothers keep getting sucked into the quicksand that is this case. There is black humor amid the death, beatings, infidelities, betrayals and romance. This 4-part series leaves the door open for a possible sequel, and I’ll probably watch that one, too, because Guilt is a trip. 3½ cans.
126.  The Courier* (2020, Prime Video) – Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a not-so-smart businessman who gets drafted to aid the MIG and CIA in delivering documents from the Soviet Union to the British and Americans in advance of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. This spy movie is based on a true story, where the Brit and his Russian contact Alex (Merab Ninidze) become friends as Wynne makes his frequent trips to the USSR to gather documents and information. He is actually a businessman, and not a very good one, and he knows nothing about what he is conveying. If you’re looking for a suspense movie about spies, I’d recommend “Bridge of Spies” with Tom Hanks over this one, which dragged a bit. 3 cans.
127.  Muhammad Ali* (2021, PBS) – Documentarian Ken Burns does a deep dive (eight hours) into the life of boxer Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay. Ali transcended his sport, becoming the most famous person of the century before dying in 2016 at the age of 74. Burns offers a detailed portrait that examines the youthful, brash Ali, how he got into boxing, his triumphs and his falls. And much of the story focuses on Ali’s embracing Islam as his religion, his infidelities and his preparation (or lack of at times) for his fights. Ali was a character that no one had ever seen – colorful, braggadocios and self-confident. As in many stories of athletes, there is a rise, success, and then a fall, as Ali recaptures the heavyweight championship after being banned from the sport because of his refusal to serve in the military on religious grounds. His three bouts with Joe Frazier, his fights with George Foreman (the “rope-a-dope” fight), Ken Norton and former sparring partner Larry Holmes are covered and show his deterioration as a fighter as well as his failing health. It is poignant and cruel to watch him endure tremendous punishment as he got older. His eventual diagnosis with Parkinsons, his shuffling gait and his limited speech are sad to witness from the man who could “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” He was bigger than life and his decline so sad to witness. He truly was “The Greatest.” 4 cans.
128.  The Eyes of Tammy Faye* (2021, Movie theater) – Let’s start with the fact that the heavily made-up eyes of Tammy Faye (an unrecognizable Jessica Chastain) don’t blink. Ever. Maybe she was afraid that those false eyelashes and the ton of mascara would weigh down her lids to the point where she couldn’t open them again. And then there’s that white stripe under the permanent, tattooed brows, which looked like it was applied with White Out. By the end of this movie, Tammy’s features were so exaggerated and distorted that for a minute I thought I was watching Dustin Hoffman in “Tootsie.” However, none of that make-up or the wigs or the outfits can take away from the story of Tammy Faye and her holier-than-thou husband Jim Baker (Andrew Garfield), TV evangelists whose preaching and pleading for good Christians to send money to their ministry kept them on the air and living in opulence for years. They were doing the work of God, who they proclaimed loved them – and you, too, as long as you sent in money. But it didn’t start that way. Both Jim and Tammy Faye were true believers who got caught up in money and power and all that it corrupts, including infidelity and really sketchy financial records that resulted in Jim’s going to jail. Chastain plays Tammy as a petite and perky woman trying desperately to please her flock and her husband. I was reminded by Chastain’s dead-on Tammy of Renee Zellweger’s transformation into Judy Garland. Expect her name to be called when they read off the list of nominees for this year’s Best Actress Oscar. Garfield also deserves kudos for his portrayal of the smarmy con man preacher, full of wide-eyed innocence and greed. You truly can’t make this stuff up. I have never watched their PTL show, but I’m glad I saw the movie. 4 cans.
129.  Promising Young Woman* (2020, HBO) – Whoa! I can promise you that if you see this suspenseful revenge drama, you will be blown away by Carey Mulligan as lead character Cassie. Cassie is out to avenge the death of her friend Nina when both were promising young med students, before a traumatizing event resulted in both of them dropping out. I can’t say too much about the plot without spoiling the movie, so I’ll just say that Mulligan plays the character to the hilt. This is a timely story, full of suspense and a reflection on the times we live in now.  4 cans.
130.  LuLaRich* (2021, Amazon Prime Video) – Before I started this 4-part Amazon docuseries, the only things I knew about the women’s clothing company LuLaRoe were hearing news stories on major issues with product quality of their big selling leggings. That was just the beginning. The company, started by DeAnne and her husband Mark Stidham, began when she started selling a line of colorful maxi skirts. Sales soared, so she decided to expand the business by bringing in new people to sell. Thus was born a multi-level marketing business, where each person gets rewarded not only for selling products but for bringing in more people to do the same thing. If you’re thinking “pyramid scheme,” so was I. The enthusiastic founders touted the company as a way for women to be successful while still caring for their families and supporting their spouses. What started as a business grew exponentially and began taking on cult-like aspects. The company promised 100% refunds for defective merchandise and then reneged. They paid out handsome bonuses to the higher level “mentors” and then changed the process. The documentary features the founders in depositions for a lawsuit in Washington where DeAnne sounds as if she knew little about the operations of the company she founded. There are plenty of promises made and broken here. If you like a juicy business story, like “The Smartest Guys in The Room” (the story of Enron), you’ll appreciate this in-depth look at the business of pushing leggings. 3½ pairs.