Tina's November 2022 Movies & More

Movies here are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish, 5 being the top rating. Those marked with * are movies I had not seen before. Numbering picks up from previous months.
151.  Buying Beverly Hills* (2022, Netflix) – Just like “Selling Sunset,” this “reality” (I use the term loosely) series focuses on the extraordinary real estate offerings in one of the swankiest locales in the US, Beverly Hills. The Agency – literally the name of the real estate company featured here – is run by Maurice Umansky, the biggest seller of $100 million homes, and staffed by young, attractive agents, some with track records and some just getting their feet wet in the business, which describes his two daughters who work there, Farrah and Alexia. Like the other real estate shows I have watched, there is plenty of music along with drone shots of properties jutting off cliffs or with views for days, women in short skirts and sky-high heels, and men with just the right amount of facial hair. This one has far less drama than “Selling Sunset,” because there is less bitchiness and rivalry (less, not none!). I’m not about to buy a home in Beverly Hills – I would need to win the Powerball lottery to afford a $140 million home! – but a girl can dream, can’t she? This 8-part series goes down smoothly. I was hooked, and I watched the entire series in 2 days. 4 cans, lots of bathrooms, and oh, those chandeliers!
152. The Automat* (2022, HBO Max) – Sit down for a heaping serving of nostalgia with this delicious documentary about Horn & Hardart’s Automats. I didn’t know that these semi-self-serve restaurants were in both Philadelphia and New York, a partnership between Philly-based Horn and NYC-based Hardart. These men grew their business while staying loyal to their employees and treating them and the customers well. Automats in NY were all over the city, with people dropping nickels into the slots to open a window and get a slice of pie or a sandwich or mac & cheese. They were renowned for their baked goods and even had retail stores to sell pies as well as dinners. Many famous people appreciated automats for their variety, their low prices (nickel cups of coffee!) and their camaraderie. You’ll hear Mel Brooks sing the praises – literally – of the automat. I still recall a delicious cup of hot chocolate I had there once, and the magic of those little windows opening so you could retrieve your chosen food! Stop by this movie for the memories of simpler days, simpler food and simpler times. 4 cans.
153.  Armageddon Time* (2022, in the movies) – This movie is a bit too ambitious in its take on race, culture, antisemitism, class differences and generation gaps. Although it takes place in 1980, it touches on themes still prevalent in the American culture and, to make its point, even blatantly hauls the Trump family (just Fred, the father, and daughter, Judge Maryanne) and Ronald Reagan into the story of a sixth-grader who doesn’t quite fit in anywhere. The young Jewish boy Paul doesn’t much like school and would rather draw pictures than pay attention. His best friend Johnny, who is Black, wants to join the NASA. The two dreamers have family issues; Johnny lives with his grandmother, a step away from being scooped up by Social Services, and Paul with his stern father (Jeremy Strong) and sad and harried mother (Anne Hathaway). The light of his life is his grandfather (Anthony Hopkins), who encourages his art and urges him to do the right thing if he sees people being unfairly treated. The story is based on the boyhood of its director, James Gray, whose recollections of his youth are more interesting to him than they were to me. 3 cans.
154.  The Booksellers* (2020, Prime Video) – I must admit that I watched this fascinating documentary with as much guilt as interest, since I have thoroughly embraced both Amazon and my Kindle as my way of buying and reading books due to my eyesight issues. The antiquarian booksellers here, however, can offer collectors something Amazon can’t: Centuries-old books and manuscripts so special that some are bound in human flesh. The booksellers featured here, for the most part, are like collectors, always on the hunt for that rare book, manuscript or collection to add to their stock and ultimately sell to customers. The business has changed over the years, although the women featured here attest to the notion that it is still a business of older, white males. To see some of the rare volumes and some of the unique artifacts was a real treat. If you want action, this movie is not for you. But if you love the feel of a book in your hand, appreciate the art on the jacket and the paper on which it was printed, check out this movie. 3½ books.
155.  California Typewriter* (2016, Prime Video) – Ah, that sound of the keys striking the paper on the platen; the rat-a-tat of striking the keys themselves; the whoosh of the carriage return being used to advance to the next line; the sound of the bell – each one slightly different and unique to the make and model of the typewriter. Typewriter collectors and users may not be as efficient in their work as the process of computer and word processing, but some, like author David McCullough, treasure the pages with the cross-outs and typeovers to reflect back on the creative process. This quirky film looks at these groups, along with an iconic typewriter repair shop in Berkeley, California, where every new old typewriter in for repair is greeted and treated like a friend. Tom Hanks insists on writing thank you notes on one of his many typewriters, while singer-songwriter John Mayer swears he became more creative when he started using one for his many songs. One man takes typewriters apart and uses their inner and outer workings to create original art. The collectors treasure their finds – as Hanks does – and no matter how many they have, they are thrilled to find more. Whatever happened to my blue, plastic Smith Corona Portable, used for papers in high school and college? I no longer have the typewriter, but I do have some of the papers I wrote, and to many in this movie, that’s the point. 4 cans.
156.  Say Hey, Willie Mays* (2022, HBO Max) – I have been a Yankee fan since 1959, so I never remember Willie Mays playing for the New York Giants. He spent the prime of his career with the San Francisco Giants, whose games were not broadcast on the East Coast. But I saw enough of him to recognize his transcendent talent, his ability to power a ball over the fence, his trademark “basket catch,” his skill at stealing bases and throwing runners out. This loving documentary tells more of the story of the man himself, how important he was to the game of baseball and his absolute love of the game. This show hit a home run! 3½ cans.
157.  The Cost of Winning* (2022, HBO Max) – The hopes and dreams of the football players at St. Patrick’s High School in Baltimore rest in their success on the field. The team is so good that other schools in Maryland won’t play them, forcing the cash-strapped school to take on a national (and costly) schedule of highly ranked teams all over the country. This four-part documentary takes on the issues of minority students trying to keep up their grades, dealing with violence in their city, and forming a winning football team, all in hopes of getting out of Baltimore and pursuing their education and football opportunities at the collegiate level. Their success rests at being able to win their games and gain a national reputation so they can be recruited and signed by notable colleges. The kids work hard and try their best, and their devoted coaching staff really seems to care about them as people. This four-part series doesn't come close to the excitement of such similar series as “Last Chance U” or “QB1,” but it was an interesting and realistic look at the challenges faced by schools and their student athletes. 3 cans.
158.  She Said* (2022, at the movies) – In the pantheon of heroic reporter movies that, to me, starts with “All the President’s Men” and continues through “Spotlight,” this true story about The New York Times reporters who brought down sexual abuser and Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein ranks third – but that’s not to denigrate their work or the quality of this film. Meghan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) have to take their time to try to win the trust of the women who were sexually assaulted, threatened or abused by Weinstein, most of whom were forced to sign “Non-disclosure” agreements that forbade them from talking. Weinstein’s vile treatment of women was a well-known secret in Hollywood and included staffers and not just actresses. What they had in common was their fear about speaking out and jeopardizing their careers. Weinstein is the perfect example of the abuse of power and the humiliation which women suffer while just trying to do their jobs. This story is the perfect example of the power of the press – and TRUTH. 4 cans.
159.  Stillwater* (2021, Showtime) – Matt Damon is Bill Baker, a tough construction guy from Oklahoma whose daughter is in a French jail for killing her girlfriend in Marseille. Despite not understanding the French language or the legal system, Baker is not about to give up establishing this daughter’s innocence and moves to France to fight her case. Damon fits the role perfectly, working every angle he can and getting help and support from a woman and her young daughter whom he meets at his hotel. Given the obstacles, can he work successfully to free her (Abigail Breslin) without getting himself into trouble? This movie was a little long, but it held my interest. 4 cans.
160.  McEnroe* (2022, Showtime) – John McEnroe stormed onto the tennis scene in the late 1980s and quickly earned a reputation for great shot-making and hot-headed behavior. He could hit a winner as often as he could berate the refs. This portrait of the explosive McEnroe tackles his psychological issues and doesn’t steer clear of his questionable actions off the court. I felt like I was listening to a session with his therapist at times. But the tennis – particularly his rivalry with the great and sanguine Bjorn Borg – reminds us of his immense talent and the beauty of top-level competition. 3½ cans.
161.  A Christmas Story Christmas* – (2022, HBO Max) – Ralphie is back in the old homestead on Cleveland Street in this sequel to the classic 1983 film “A Christmas Story.” Here Ralphie (with both eyes intact) is an aspiring author, married and the father of two when he gets a call from his mother that his father has passed away. He takes the family to spend the holidays with Mom and try to revive the joy of the season. Hail, Hail, the old gang is all there – Flick, Schwartz and Randy and the yellow-eyed Scut, now a police officer.  Ralphie’s schemes are no more successful in the 1970s than they were in the 40s or 50s, when the original took place, but the story remains heart-warming holiday nostalgia. At least no one is foolish enough to put his tongue on a frozen steel pole this time! Having seen the sequel, maybe I will take a hiatus from watching the original this year. 3 cans.