July 2023 Movies & More

There is plenty of variety in this month's Movies & More. All programs are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna, with 5 the highest. Asterisks mark movies I had not seen previously and numbering picks up from previous months. 

84. Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators* (2023, Netflix) – I’m pretty sure the TV show “American Gladiators” doesn’t deserve two documentaries tracing its rise and fall, yet here we are. I have watched them both. Unlike the ESPN series that I watched in May, this series focuses less on the creator and more on the “gladiators” themselves. Overly muscular men and women, some of whom enhanced their physiques with steroids, competed against “regular people” in made for TV events involving strength and brutality. And yet we watched each week to see Nitro knock someone off a pedestal or Ice joust with a padded stick. The show picked up once the producers created events that were exciting, and the gladiators gained fans. A huge national rock-star-like tour cemented their popularity. So why did it end after 7 seasons? The show took a toll on the combatants, physically and otherwise as they performed shows, sustained injuries and then piled on a bus to the next city to do it all again. Watch the series if you are actually interested. For me, it was a nice piece of Saturday nostalgia. Now, if someone wants to do a series on “Soul Train,” another Saturday morning staple, count me in. 3 cans.
85.  Shiny, Happy People* (2023, Prime Video) – I’ll admit up front that I watched a season or two of the original series about the Duggars, the Arkansas family with 17 kids (and now more). I was fascinated with the logistics of housing, feeding and clothing a family that large. I couldn’t help but wonder why they homeschooled their kids and why the older kids were responsible for much of the caretaking of the younger children and for taking care of the house. This 4-part documentary series fills in the blanks. The Duggars are Christian fundamentalists, following the teaching of the IBLP sect that requires women to be subservient and men to be obeyed at all times. I knew their kids couldn’t date – they could enter into a formal “courting” relationship that forbade kissing until marriage. But this show goes into depth about the IBLP manipulation of its devoted followers, with the ultimate intent to overpopulate and bring up children to go on to political positions so they can dominate the country. Seriously, I’m not kidding. The series covers the conviction of eldest son Josh Duggar on child pornography and discusses his “punishment” for molesting his sisters. There is nothing wholesome and good about this cult. Pictures of the conventions and training for older kids look like they are part of Hitler Youth. It is unsavory and frightening as a whole, to say nothing of what each homogenized child must have endured. Watch at your own risk. Once you start, you can’t look away. 1 can
86.  WHAM!* (2023, Netflix) – On a lighter note, we have this look at the British pop duo WHAM! that dominated the charts from 1982-86. Andrew Ridgely and George Michael were schoolmates who wanted to write songs. They did just that, producing such memorable hits as “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” and “Careless Whisper.” It became evident to them both that not only was George the better songwriter, he was also the better performer. The two toured everywhere and concluded when Michael decided to focus on his solo career, dreaming of being as successful as as Elton John. After 4 years together, WHAM split up, but the break was never acrimonious and the two remained friends as George Michael became a bona fide superstar. The chance to see the boys perform their classics while wearing short shorts was a pleasant trip down Memory Lane. 3½ Whams!
87.  Bull Durham (1988, HBO) – You can’t have a baseball season without at least one viewing of this classic movie. Kevin Costner plays Crash Davis, a career minor-league catcher whose highlight was a brief “cup of coffee” in the Major Leagues – or, as he calls it, “the show.”  Crash is signed by the Bulls mainly to tutor young pitching phenom Calvin Ebby “Nuke” Laloosh, a kid with plenty of potential who doesn’t understand or respect the game the way Crash does. His tutoring extends beyond the mound to Nuke’s budding relationship with baseball groupie Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon), who has reached home plate with many a ball player in her time. She finds Crash appealing, he finds her intriguing, but she has committed her summer of love to studly young Nuke.  This wonderful, funny movie captures minor league life, the platitudes of baseball, the camaraderie of the clubhouse, and the difference between a relationship with a boy and with a man. 4 cans and bonus points for the Edith Piaf songs.
88.  Coma (1978, Cable) – When a seemingly healthy young woman goes into surgery for a routine procedure and then lapses into a coma, her physician friend wants to know what happened, and it is something no one would have guessed. Dr. Susan (Genevieve Bujold) tackles her case more like a detective than a doctor, finding that her friend isn’t the only one who is in a comatose state. Soon she is climbing up into the hospital ventilation system, eluding security guards and narrowly escaping the creepy Jefferson Institute by climbing on top of an ambulance to get away – all while wearing a white skirt and lab coat that never seem to get dirty. I’m sure I liked this movie more the first time I saw it – nearly 50 years ago! But it has a young, handsome Michael Douglas as Susan’s doctor boyfriend, and I spotted Tom Sellick among the comatose patients (no lines, but the mustache stood out). Ironically, I fell asleep at one point in the movie and I felt like I lapsed into a little sleep coma of my own. 3 cans.
89.  Quarterback* (2023, Netflix) – This 8-part docuseries goes behind the scenes with three NFL quarterbacks – Marcus Mariota of the Atlanta Falcons, Kirk Cousins of the Vikings and the magnificent Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. Playing the QB position takes a toll on the mind and body, as we see all three athletes training, strategizing and playing their hearts out on the field, then trying to be regular guys, husbands and fathers at home. Mahomes is the star of the show, an unstoppable force who refuses to let a serious ankle injury knock him out of a game. Perfect drama for this show, which ends with a Kansas City Super Bowl Championship. Only for those folks who like football and the behind-the-scenes stuff. 3 ½ cans.
90.  A Trip to Bountiful (1985, Cable) – An oldie but goodie, this gentle tale revolves around an older woman (beautifully played by Geraldine Page) and her desire to return to her treasured hometown of Bountiful, Texas, one time before she dies. She lives with her son (John Heard) and his harpy wife, and anything would suit her better than that, so she slips out of the house and finds a bus to get her close to Bountiful. Along the way she meets people with their own stories and shares her memories of small-town living. This movie has no explosions, no animation, not even a fist fight. It is just a meandering trip to restore the soul. 3½ cans.
91. Race to the Moon: Failure is Not an Option* (Cable TV, Story Network) – I have seen so many documentaries on this subject that I’m not even sure if this one is new to me. The film traces the beginning of the space program – dominated by the Soviets – through President John F. Kennedy’s challenge to land a man on the moon before the end of the 60s, through the first manned flights and culminating in the successful landing on the moon of astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin 50 years ago. The coda to the story is the coverage of doomed Apollo 13, which miraculously made it back safely from its unfinished flight after a catastrophic explosion nearly wiped out the spacecraft and crew. The ingenuity and determination of the flight control team is remarkable. I especially enjoyed the interviews with Gene Krantz, mission controller, and others at the Houston space center whose brilliance saved the day. Ron Howard’s “Apollo 13” still gives me chills, and so did this factual retelling of the entire space program. 4 cans.
92. The Noel Diary* (2022, Netflix) – I don’t normally watch Christmas movies, but I didn’t realize initially that this one qualifies. Jake Turner (Justin Hartley) is a successful novelist, a bachelor who is perfectly content by himself, just spending time with his dog. He learns about the death of his mother and returns to his childhood home to clean it out. When a young woman (Barrett Doss) comes to the door looking for information on her own mother, if you cannot figure out the story and the ending here, well, you just don’t see enough movies. Hartley was good and really the only reason I watched this at all. Don’t let my opinion sway yours. If you like Hallmark-type movies and love stories, you might like this one. 2½ cans.
93.  Barbie* (2023, Manville Cinema) – My initially low expectations for this feminist manifesto featuring the iconic Barbie doll herself were immediately surpassed in this colorful, rich pastiche of pink and girl power. This is a movie with a message, a female empowerment movie that overcomes the patriarchy that celebrates men and devalues women. All this from a living doll, you say? Barbie starts off as “stereotypical Barbie,” but she grows way beyond her colorful existence thanks to a smart script chockful of double entendres, cultural references and the wisdom of Gloria (America Ferrara), a Mattell employee in the movie. Her speech is so good that I am including it at the end of this review. Margot Robbie is perfection as the cheery but vacuous Barbie, a character so devoid of self-awareness that she can’t question her own existence. Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, defines his existence by virtue of being part of Barbie’s life, until he has a reawakening and tries to change the balance of men vs. women in his favor. Clearly, Gosling is in on the joke, as he relishes any chance to showcase his six-pack and his banality (he looked like one of the characters who faced Daniel in “The Karate Kid”).  I laughed out loud repeatedly and cheered as the men vs. women drama played out like an episode of a game show. Mattel, the creators of the Barbie doll, is portrayed as a bunch of power-hungry corporate executives, led by Will Farrell as the CEO. Credit to Robbie as a producer but the power here lies with director and cowriter Greta Gerwig, whose clever approach blasts through much more than dueling dolls. They even skewer the Barbie “family” with the inclusion of “Allan” and other characters who didn’t quite succeed. One thing I’ll say is that there never have to be movies showing male empowerment since it is inherent in our society. It is movies like this one and “Wonder Woman,” led by a female creative team, which remind you of the power in each of us. 4 pink cans.

Gloria’s speech: "It is literally impossible to be a woman," Gloria tells Barbie. "You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.

"You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman, but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining.

"You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.

"I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us," Gloria concludes. "And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know."
94.  Oppenheimer* (2023, Manville Cinema) – I can summarize this movie in 4 words: Long, loud, confusing and cold (the theatre was really chilly that day). Director Christopher Nolan tackles the subject of the development of the atomic bomb and its “father” – J. Robert Oppenheimer – in a 3-hour epic. Oppy himself (Cillian Murphy) is a brilliant scientist put in charge of a special unit in Los Alamos established to develop the bomb. Nolan takes us down lots of tricky alleys – security clearances, potential spies – in presenting a complicated subject. I’m not revealing anything because you all know that the atomic bomb was used to annihilate Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan to hasten the end of World War II, but this movie portrays its protagonist as a man with a moral dilemma: Is it right to use such force to kill thousands of people under the theory that thousands more lives – Americans – will be saved if the war ends? Oppenheimer knows he is developing such a weapon, but how will he feel after it is deployed? When it comes to such a power of destruction, does anyone win? Was Oppenheimer a Communist, working for whatever the other side was at that time? This movie sets up those questions and more. Be prepared for lots of explosions (the seats rattled in my theater) and no bathroom breaks, which is a tough one to face with a 3-hour movie. But you don’t want to miss a minute! 4 cans.
95. Underrated* (2023, Apple TV+) – It is hard to imagine a 4-time NBA champion, perennial All-Star and Finals MVP described as “underrated,” but it is an apt description of Stephen Curry. With his skinny frame not yet topping six feet tall and his baby face, Curry was not heavily recruited out of high school and went to play for tiny Davidson College in his home state of North Carolina, where his father was an NBA legend. Remember those long shorts and loose-fitting uniforms BB players wore back in the day? Curry looked like a little boy wearing them. But don’t be fooled. The guy could shoot, and he had that special something-something. His college career put Davidson on the map, and when he entered the NBA, he still had plenty to prove. Years later, he continues to play that way. Underrated? OK. One of the best shooting guards EVER? For sure. 3½ cans.
96. Virgin River, Seasons 1-4* (Netflix) – I finally started watching this highly recommended romantic series and it sucked me in completely. Don’t get me wrong – it was still just a notch or two above a Hallmark movie – but the stories kept expanding and life kept getting complicated. The story centers around Nurse Practitioner Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge), who comes to lovely Virgin River to escape her former life and immediately meets Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), local bar owner and all-around good guy. Next, she meets her new boss, grumpy Doc Mullin (Tim Matheson) and his eccentric wife Hope (Annette O’Toole). Along the way we get a glimpse of the close-knit town, where they don’t need Twitter to spread the word. With 42 episodes of about 45 minutes each, I devoted about 31 hours of viewing time to see all four seasons in just a couple of days. When season 5 debuts in September, I’ll be back to see what happens. 4 cans.