March is full of Madness, but there is always time for movies (and more). All are rated on a scale of one to five cans of tuna fish (Bumble Bee only!) and the ones marked with an asterisk are ones I had not seen previously. Numbering picks up from the last month.
31. The Gilded Age* (2022, HBO) – This may not be Jullian Fellowes’ best work, but how could he top Downton Abbey? It is before the turn of the century in New York City, when you could still buy a parcel of land and build a magnificent mansion, beautifully decorated and staffed with uniformed footmen and a French chef – and STILL not be accepted into society. Instead of upstairs and downstairs, the conflict here is with the old moneyed society people who still look down on the nouveau rich, whose resources may be greater but their lineage inferior. Christine Baranski plays the haughty Mrs. Van Rhein, a doyenne of society whose home sits across the street from the new mansion built by railroad magnate Mr. Russell and his social-climbing wife, desperate to get into the upper crust of NYC society. The “action” takes place before the turn of the 20th century (one episode included a display by Thomas Edison, lighting up the streets of New York with his new light bulbs), with horse-drawn carriages providing transportation. This was a time when the term “coming out” referred not to declaring one’s sexual orientation but for a young woman to make her debut into society at a grand soiree. As I said, it isn’t Downtown Abbey, but with the witty repartee (Baranski is the Maggie Smith of the show), those exquisite sets and costumes, this franchise is bound to have a long run. One thing I know for sure – bustles do no one any favors. 4 cans.
32. I Want You Back* (2022, Prime Video) – Things get complicated when two couples break up. She (Jenny Slater) loves her boyfriend and isn’t taking the breakup well. He (Charlie Day) thought that his girlfriend was “the one” and resents that she has moved on with someone else. The whole thing gets more complicated through lies and it is really not worth waiting to see who winds up with whom. By the end, I was sure I never want any of these people back. 1½ cans.
33. Colin in Black & White* (2021, Netflix) – Long before he was excoriated as a traitor to the US for voicing his opinion of racial injustice by merely kneeling during the National Anthem, Collin Kaepernick was a talented young athlete proficient in football, baseball and basketball. He dreamed of a chance to play quarterback at the top college level and go on to the NFL. This story is told from a unique perspective, with Kaepernick himself watching the portrayal of himself and commenting on the situation. Adopted by a well-meaning white couple in California, Kaepernick, who is Black, experiences every microaggression you can imagine happen routinely to Black people. It must be exhausting. This limited series takes us up to Collin’s acceptance into the University of Nevada, setting up a second season or even more so we can see how he became an outspoken activist. Kudos to Ana DuVernay and the entire production for taking this perspective and showing the world how Black people are treated. 3½ cans.
34. Lucy & Desi* (2022, Prime Video) – Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz made history for their classic TV comedy, “I Love Lucy,” but this story is about more than that. Lucy was a tough woman, but she had a real soft spot for Desi, who drank too much, worked too much and chased too many women. One thing that was never in doubt: They loved each other until the very end, despite divorcing and enjoying long marriages to other partners. Their success includes not just their own show – which they created and developed – but their producing many other popular shows, such as “Star Trek” and “The Untouchables,” which they helmed at their Desilu Studios. Ultimately, Lucy became the head honcho, the first woman to head a Hollywood studio. But if not for Desi, none of us would be watching “I Love Lucy” 70 years after it first aired, because he was the one who insisted it be filmed so it could be preserved. Thanks for the reruns! This touching portrait of the Arnaz family was directed with love by comic actress Amy Poehler, and you can just tell she loved Lucy, too. As Desi says at the end, “I Love Lucy was never just a title.” Pass the hankies. 3½ cans.
35. The White Shadow (1978-80) – I happened to catch a marathon of episodes of one of my favorite TV shows when the drama series aired on the Decades channel. Ken Howard plays a former NBA player who takes over as basketball coach at an inner-city high school in Los Angeles. The players lack focus and have to deal with all kinds of outside influences, but this show is more about life lessons than basketball – without being preachy. The kids are good players with dreams and problems, not all of which are solved in an hour on screen. Several of the young stars went on to be very successful directors (Kevin Hooks, Thomas Carter and Timothy Van Pattern of “The Sopranos” among them), reflecting on the creativity and skill of this cast and production. The series had not been available on air for years, so I relished seeing many of the episodes after such a long break. Besides, it’s March Madness, when all things turn to basketball! 4 basketballs and a hoop.
36. Windfall* (2022, Netflix) – Jason Segal (no one in the cast has a name, so I’ll just refer to the actors who appeared) breaks into the stunning vacation home of a wealthy tech CEO, not knowing whose home it is, and is unexpectedly confronted by the man and his wife (Jesse Plemmons and Lily Collins). There is plenty of tension as the inept home invader more or less holds the homeowners hostage while he waits for the money promised him by the CEO to arrive. While the couple seems solid, there are underlying issues, and by the end of this slow-paced semi-thriller, you’re not sure who is the bad guy. 3½ cans.
37. Rescued by Ruby* (2022, Netflix) – Rudy the rescue dog and Dan the cop have plenty in common. They are both lovable but a little goofy, underachievers but with good hearts and intentions. He wants to be on the K9 Squad, but Ruby is more interested in running through the house and ripping up pillows. A bunch of families have already returned Ruby to the animal shelter, but just when the end is near, Dan the Man shows up and takes her home so he can train her for the K9 squad. It turns out that he needs Ruby as much as Ruby needs him. This movie is a little more saccharine than most that I watch, but it is also sweet and earnest – and based on a true story. The plot is very easy to follow and guess, but sometimes I need a light movie that doesn’t challenge my mind. Easy entertainment. 3 cans.
38. Deep Water* (2022, Hulu) – She likes to take on new lovers in spite of the fact that she’s married. He doesn’t seem to mind, but when they turn up dead, maybe he did mind after all? Ben Affleck is a very wealthy man with a hot wife. He wants to keep the family together despite her (Ana De Armas) peccadillos for the sake of the daughter they seem to largely ignore. When a friend (Tracy Letts) becomes suspicious of the coincidental deaths of “friends” of the wife, he starts on a dangerous mission. There is plenty of tension, sexual and otherwise, in getting to the bottom of this story. 4 cans.
39. Four Good Days* (2020, Hulu) – Those four days are not so good for desperate drug addict Molly (Mila Kunis), who has been through rehab 13 times. But to get through her latest program, she cannot use drugs for four more days, after which time she will get an injection that will keep her from getting that high for a month. Her exasperated mother Deb (Glenn Close) has thrown her out of the house – repeatedly – but once again comes to her rescue to keep her clean for four good days, until she can get that shot. This is a harrowing picture, extremely well played by Kunis in particular, that dramatically illustrates the way addicts live their lives. Not exactly a charmer, but a good story. 3½ cans.
40. Long Story Short* (2021, Netflix) – You have heard of someone having a short memory? Well, for Teddy (Rafe Spall), time is flying by and he has no memory of events from one year to the next. He wakes up the day after his wedding day and finds his wife planning to celebrate their first anniversary. He also finds that she is visibly pregnant, much to his surprise. Each day he wakes up and another huge block of time has gone by, and along with it, major changes in his life have taken place. He loves his wife and family and wants to slow things down and experience life with them. This movie is part time-travel, part fantasy and part feel-good – something like the opposite of “Groundhog Day” where every day is the same. Don’t be a procrastinator like Teddy: Go out there and enjoy every moment. 3 cans.
41. The Great Debaters* (2007, Prime Video) – Tiny Wiley College was a predominantly Black college in Texas back in 1935 with an accomplished debate team, led by Professor Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington, who also directed the film). The professor chose the best of the best to be on his debate team and imposed his rule on each of the students. This story has the predictable challenges, the rise, fall and rise of the team that follows other movies about competition – sports or otherwise – but this one has another major component that complicates life for the debaters. Texas was riddled with racism, not by people wearing white hoods, but by the everyday citizens who opposed and abused Black people in every possible way, including lynchings. Tolson was working behind the scenes to organize the local sharecroppers into a union, something to which the local townsfolk and law enforcement objected vehemently. To see the debaters rise above the competition is thrilling, and the lessons learned here are important ones. If you rent it, stick around for the credits to see what happened to the team members after they graduated from college. 3½ cans.
42. The Weekend Away* (2022, Netflix) – There’s nothing like a girls weekend with your best buds. Here Beth (Leighton Meister) and Kate (Christina Wolfe) finally reunite for some much-needed time together in Croatia. Kate, divorcing her husband, just wants to have fun, while new mother Beth isn’t interested in doing anything wild. It’s all fun and games until somebody ends up dead. Beth is left to figure out what happened in a strange country where the only familiar faces are those of the landlord in the place Kate rented for them and the taxi driver who drove her there from the airport and later to a bar with Kate. This is an intriguing mystery that led down some unexpected paths. There are times you want to question some of the plot, but I overlooked the parts that were hard to accept in favor of just letting the story be told. 3½ cans.
43. The Outfit* (2022, in the movie theater) – This suspense story would make a great stage play. It is tightly constructed and the action takes place in one location. Mark Rylance is Englishman Leonard, a cutter (not a tailor, he insists), a craftsman who makes bespoke suits for gentlemen in his tiny Chicago shop. He is exacting and precise in his movements as he creates beautiful clothing and minds his own business, despite some unsavory looking men who come into the shop and drop off envelopes in a box that Leonard ignores. Rylance is quietly mesmerizing as he does his work without comment or interference in whatever this gang of well-dressed criminals is doing. But when things go wrong and two of the members of “The Outfit” end up in his shop on a desperate mission, he is forced to use guile and guts to survive, along with his receptionist (Zoey Deutch). This thriller is the opposite of the murder mystery “Death on the Nile,” with no gorgeous locations, dazzling sets or stunning clothes (though the suits bespoke for themselves, so to speak). The plot is mysterious, and each action, like each stitch in the making of a suit, is carefully made and delivered. Well crafted. 4 cans.
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