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.