All of the programs here are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with 5 as the top rating. Those marked with an asterisk are new to me. Numbering picks up from previous months.
16. Capturing the Killer Nurse* (2023, Netflix) – Most of the action in his intriguing documentary takes place in my hometown of Somerville, NJ, at the local hospital, then known as Somerset Medical Center. Charles Cullen was known by his colleagues to be an excellent nurse, but when people turned up dead on his watch, a few folks began to have suspicions about him. Nurse Amy, his most ardent defender, was sure he had nothing to do with the fatalities – until evidence of lethal injections was discovered. SMC was not the only place where these events had occurred, but management at the hospitals where Cullen previously worked did not feel they had enough evidence to accuse him. This is a fascinating story about a man who chose nursing as a way of helping people and then took it on himself to hasten their deaths. 3½ cans.
17. 80 for Brady* (2023, at the movies) – It is a pretty safe bet that the accomplished actresses headlining the cast of this comedy – Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field and Rita Moreno – will not be adding new awards to their trophy cases for this movie. But that’s OK, because if they wanted to have fun making a movie and working together, they probably accomplished that in this little charmer. The story is simple: Four golden girls who gather to watch football and worship Tom Brady each Sunday during the NFL season decide they want to go to the Super Bowl. Somehow they win a contest and tickets and off they go to Houston for the 2017 game. Hilarity and misadventures ensue. These ladies have won Oscars, Tonys, Grammys and Emmys, so let’s enjoy them as they enjoy doing work for fun for once. The whole thing is not completely made up since it is based on four women who did follow football and adored Brady, but regardless of the story and the outcome, it is an enjoyable day at the movies. 3½ cans.
18. Legend: Bill Russell* (2023, Netflix) – This aptly-named two-part documentary covers the towering achievements of Bill Russell, a man whose storied basketball career is just a part of his life. An 11-time champion as a coach and player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA, Russell was beloved – but couldn’t buy the house he wanted in Boston because he was Black. His career ended in 1969, so he played during a time of overt discrimination, when he and his Black teammates were not allowed in some cities to eat in the same restaurants as the white members of the team. Russell became a civil rights activist, while maintaining his elite basketball skills and success. His battles with Wilt Chamberlain were epic. The debate of who is the goat of basketball – Michael Jordan or new all-time scoring leader LeBron James – should not overlook an important pillar of the game, Bill Russell. 4 basketballs.
19. Tar* (2022, Peacock) – Lydia Tar is an accomplished orchestra conductor looking to elevate her already notable career with a series of shows, a forthcoming book, lectures and ways designed to celebrate her achievements. But her life is a mess, far from the ordered way she approaches music. She and her wife have a young daughter and work together at a symphony orchestra in Germany, but that doesn’t stop her from flirting with other women, something that will come back to haunt her. This is a troubling look at an artist who is never satisfied with her work, her life and the people in it as she exerts her considerable power over every aspect and person in her universe. It reminded me of much lighter fare, of Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada,” the story of an impervious, vicious boss of a fashion magazine. Here, without any of the latter film’s comedy, Cate Blanchett brings this fictional character to life in what could be an Oscar-winning performance. 4 cans.
20. Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence* (2023, Hulu) – Picture this: you’re a college student at a good school – or any school – and your dad comes to visit after being released from jail and decides to stay, moving into your dorm room and hanging out with all of your friends. I feel like this must have been a bad sitcom at one time, but it is actually a true story with no comedic overtones. Larry Ray is a manipulative, charismatic and deplorable man who gets these bright students to believe that bad things have happened to them in their past and only he can save them. For 10 years he ran every aspect of the lives of these young people, who willingly accepted him as their leader without realizing that they were in a cult. This 3-part documentary on Hulu is made even more credible because Larry taped EVERYTHING, so viewers can see and hear how he tormented these young people, alienating them from their families and breaking them down. I felt so bad for them, as they were convinced only he could save them. He’s in prison now for the next 60 years on a variety of charges, and I can’t help but wonder if his victims will ever truly get their lives back. Here’s just another example of truth being stranger than fiction. 4 cans.
21. The Whale* (2022, Montgomery Cinema) – There are some movies that are hard to watch, and this one falls into that category. Charlie (Brendan Fraser) is a morbidly obese recluse who is eating himself to death, saved only by female friend Liz (Hong Chau), a nurse who helps him make it through many incidents (he refuses to go to the hospital). He is an intelligent, well-read online college instructor who refuses to use his image online for his students to see. He has an ex-wife and 17-year-old daughter who hate him for abandoning the family (it’s way more complicated than that) and keeps getting visits from a young missionary determined to share literature from a religious organization to help people save themselves. But does Charlie want to be saved? Does Charlie want to live or is he literally eating himself to death? Can he be saved? What about his life is worth saving himself for? Only reading an essay on Moby Dick seems to bring him comfort while he grabs his chest in pain, waiting for the end to come (several times in the course of the movie). In his case, Charlie IS the whale, a massive man who appears beached on his couch, unable to get up or move around without assistive devices. The director (Darren Aronofsky) makes sure we draw that parallel by showing Charlie at his worst whenever possible. I kept thinking that this movie seemed like a play since the action is confined to Charlie’s dark, dismal apartment; later I read that it was written first as a play. This is a grim drama with little humor or poignancy, both of which are provided by Charlie himself. Don’t be surprised if Fraser takes home the Oscar. 4 cans, mostly for Fraser’s remarkable performance.
22. Sharper* (2023, Apple TV+) – I spent the first 30 minutes of this movie wondering when something was going to happen and the rest of the movie saying to myself, “what is happening here?” Who’s conning whom? This is a stylish and suspenseful mystery where there really aren’t “good guys” in the traditional sense, and by the last third of the movie, I wasn’t sure how this was going to end with all the twists and turns. It will keep you guessing. Julianne Moore is terrific and this is the first time I have seen Sebastian Stan, who was also excellent. If you’re paying for Apple TV and looking for something to make that subscription worthwhile, check this one out. Sharper is rarely dull. 4 cans.
23. Empire of Light* (2022, HBO) – The always reliable Olivia Colman plays theater employee Hilary, a lonely woman willing to do whatever is needed at the cinema in a coastal English town where she works. Doing anything includes having passionless sex with her married boss (Colin Firth). The theater is dying, as are Hilary’s hopes for a better life. Then along comes young Stephen (Micheal Ward), an eager employee whom Hilary takes under her wing – among other places. As a Black man, Micheal faces constant harassment from skinheads and others when he is out in public. Only his budding relationship with the much older Hilary and his developing love for the theater bring him comfort. Stephen is beaten up physically, but Hilary is beaten up mentally, coping with the demons that make it difficult for her to improve her status in life or get a new job. This movie is presented with tenderness but it is impossible to escape the loneliness prevalent throughout the film – and isn’t that the point? If you want a really outstanding movie about a theater, watch “Cinema Paradiso” instead. 3½ film reels.
24. Sometimes When We Touch* (2023, Paramount TV+) – OK, admit it – you have danced your way through Abba’s “Dancing Queen,” sung “Maneater” along with Hall & Oates, and sung “Hello” with Lionel Ritchie. Welcome to Soft Rock, a music genre that followed girl groups and pure rock in the 70s and was ignored and left for dead by the rise of the videos of MTV – where video almost DID kill the radio star. This three-part documentary tracks the rise, fall and resurrection of the genre, from the Captain & Tennille (who didn’t really like each other) to Air Supply to Ambrosia to Michael McDonald. Many of the artists in the soft rock genre have had long and very successful careers in music, outlasting punk rock and grunge while continuing to deliver sometime cheesy songs about love and loss. The Carpenters were an early success here with the incredible voice of Karen Carpenter and the musical genius of her brother Richard establishing the duo with hits like “We’ve Only Just Begun.” So take a trip down musical memory lane and enjoy some of the groups that even rappers and hip hop artists admit they loved (and sampled in their own music). 3½ cans.
25. Somebody I Used to Know* (2023, Prime Video) – Ally (Alison Brie, who co-wrote) returns to the town she left and the boyfriend she left behind when she headed to Hollywood to do a “reality” TV series. Now the series has been canceled and she’s headed home, wondering what her ex Sean (Jay Ellis) has been up to in the years since she chose her career over him. Sean’s been busy – now planning his imminent wedding to Cassidy (Kiersey Clemons), who reminds Ally of how carefree she used to be. Ally is friendly but passive aggressive, interfering with the wedding in order to win Sean back while pretending she likes Cassidy and is happy for Sean. The rom-com has slipped in stature with this annoying look at relationships. Will they get back together? Will Sean marry Cassidy? I’m not sure you really will care by the end of this movie. I didn’t. 2 cans.
26. The Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal* (2023, Netflix) – This three-part documentary delves into the events resulting in the death of a South Carolina teenager at the hands of one of her friends, Paul Murdaugh, who was inebriated to the point that he could not safely drive his boat, crashing into a bridge abutment. The Murdaugh Family, headed by his father Alec, ran a powerful law firm and instantly plotted a way to get Paul off from the charges against him. But that’s not all, and I won’t reveal more details in case you haven’t been tracking the other part of this case on the news. I felt sorry for Paul’s friends, who recognized that he was drunk but couldn’t wrest away control of the boat that he crashed. Most of them will be scarred psychologically for life – but there’s so much more to see. I’m sure that this series will turn out to have a sequel or at least more episodes to wrap up the rest of the story, which you would not believe if you didn’t know it was true. 4 cans.
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