January 2024 Movies & More

Another year, another list of movies, TV shows and other entertainment options. Asterisks indicate programs I had not seen previously. Everything is rated on a scale from 1-5 cans of tuna fish (don't ask), with 5 the top score.
1. On Golden Pond (1981, Cable TV) – Henry Fonda plays octogenarian Norman Thayer Jr. in this classic about a fractured relationship between a father and daughter, starring with his real-life daughter, Jane Fonda, playing Chelsea. And if that isn’t enough acting firepower, Katharine Hepburn is Ethel, his devoted and loving wife who is always trying to broker peace between the two people she loves most. Chelsea brings her dentist boyfriend to the family’s summer place on Golden Pond, where Norman likes to fish and Ethel listens to the loons. When Chelsea and her boyfriend Bill leave for vacation, his 13-year-old smart-ass son Billy (Doug McKeon) is left for a month with the old folks. Miraculously, he and Normal develop the kind of relationship the old poop should have had with his daughter for these many years. I love this movie, and when Fonda hugs Fonda in the end, there isn’t a dry eye in my house. 4½ cans.
2. The Boys In the Boat* (2023, Manville Cinema) – The rowing team from the University of Washington was a novice group with good training and plenty of heart, and with enough skill and perseverance to win qualifying races and go to the 1936 Olympics in Germany.  You would think this could not happen, except that the movie is based on a true story.  A little slow in the beginning as it builds to the climax. 3½ cans.
3. The Color Purple* (2023, Manville Cinema) – I may have just watched the Best Movie of the Year, and it is only January 2! This new version of the stage musical based on Alice Walker’s novel packs a punch – in more ways than one – with exceptional performances by Fantasia Barino as the main character, Celie, and the supporting cast of Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, H.E.R., Hallie Berry and Ciara, all bringing Walker’s characters to brilliant life. I had seen the 1985 Steven Spielberg version of this story, starring Whoopie Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, but, after 40 years, I did not recall all of the plot, so seeing this and hearing the music was almost an entirely new experience for me. I haven’t shed that many tears at the movies in a long time. 5 cans.
4. The Curious Case of Natalia Grace* (2023, ID Network or MAX) – This 2-season, 12-episode docuseries traces the life of Ukrainian orphan Natalia Grace, who was adopted by an American family at around age six. Or was she? This series casts doubt – rightfully so – on her age, her adoptive family’s treatment of her, her alleged threats to their safety and other stuff that you absolutely cannot make up. She is a little person who deals with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, a rare bone disorder, making it difficult for her to walk. Did she really stand at the foot of her parents’ bed holding a knife? Why did the family “re-age” her and place her in an apartment alone? This is one of the most bizarre real stories I have ever seen, but it did inspire me to change my own age. For the record, I’m now 59 again! 4 cans of absolute shock and strangeness!
5. Good Grief* (2023, Netflix) – Daniel Levy has arrived. After amusing us for six years in the Shitt’s Creek ensemble, here he takes the reins as the writer, director and star of the sad and warm story of Marc, a man whose husband dies in a traffic accident, leaving him to process the grief and try to get on with his life. Surrounded by close friends who each have their own messy lives to contend with, he slowly comes to terms with secrets he did not know about his marriage. Through it all, he changes from the idealization of his marriage to the realities of choices made and yet to be made. I admired Levy’s performance and the bond his character has with his friends, who are his chosen family. You can see his pain as new revelations hit him and change his perspective. Good Grief is GOOD. 3½ cans.
6. American Nightmare* (2024, Netflix) – Imagine being kidnapped, tossed in the trunk of a car, held captive, raped – and the police don’t believe a word of your story. In 2015, that’s what happened to Denise Huskins. This three-part documentary series shows the actual police footage of her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, being interrogated by the police, who immediately doubt his story. They don’t know where Denise was taken and the incident, which seemed so similar to the new movie “Gone Girl,” is breathlessly reported by the media. The young couple are treated as liars by the police in Vallejo, California and are excoriated by the police, who say they are guilty of perpetrating an elaborate hoax. This series grabbed my attention from the beginning and I couldn’t go to bed until I finished it. 4 cans.
7. From the Terrace (1960, Cable TV) – Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward star in this melodramatic adaptation of the John O’Hara novel about a wealthy but unhappily married couple. He is the scion of a modestly wealthy family whose father much preferred the brother who died as a child.  She is from a much richer family and is spoiled and content to run with the society crowd. He loves his work at an investment bank on Wall Street, a job he “fell into” by rescuing the partner’s grandson. They become fabulously wealthy and yet are miserable together. He is always tied up with work, desperate to gain independent wealth. She lusts after him (seriously, who wouldn’t?) but settles for her willing old boyfriend instead.  He doesn’t even understand how unhappy he is until he meets and falls for a much less complicated, pretty woman (Ina Balin) and her life. Will he give up everything for the chance of finally achieving happiness? This movie and “The Young Philadelphians” are two of my favorite Newman movies. 4 cans.
8. One All the Way* (2021, PBS) – This short documentary (about 20 minutes) follows three older men in search of the perfect hot Texas Weiner in and around their hometown, Paterson, NJ. Once a thriving small city, Paterson’s industry has left town and so have many of its residents as the town falls into disrepair. It pains the friends here who remember its glory days and the places they frequented, including the place where one of them proposed to his wife. Some of their favorite hotdog joints are gone, too, but that doesn’t stop them from their quest to eat three with everything each time they go on one of their hotdogs crawls. I only wish my late brother-in-law, who once ran a hotdog truck, could have seen this movie or hung out with the guys. They would have become fast friends. Take 20 minutes and watch this little gem. 3½ cans.
9. Beef* (2023, Netflix) – This 10-part series starts out with a road rage incident between Amy and Danny (Ali Wong and Steven Juen), who race through their California streets looking for revenge against each other. So how does this incident become a series, I asked myself. Each episode provides another layer of their increasingly intertwined lives. His brother, her husband, his sketchy cousin just out of prison, her mother-in-law, his involvement with the church, her high-income job and boss. The series reminded me of a traffic accident that everyone has to stop and see. Once you get started with this series, you’re hooked. It is bizarre, violent, creepy, and amoral. It won a boatload of Emmys, including Best Actor and Actress for Juen and Wong, who were outstanding. Now that it’s over, I hope there is no Season 2. 3½ cans.
10. The Secret Life of the Hospital* (2018, Prime Video) – This documentary gives viewers an in-depth view of operating a hospital in England, from the people who wheel the patients to get their CAT scans done to the people who repair the equipment to be sure it works. So much of what goes on in the hospital takes place behind the scenes, checking blood samples, ordering scans and making sure the chemotherapy drugs are perfect. I was so impressed with the staff, their exacting standards and the dignity with which patients were treated. I found it fascinating. 4 cans.
11. Queer Eye, Season 8* (2024, Netflix) – The Fab Five are back in town – New Orleans this time around – to transform people’s lives. Antoni, Karamo, Tan, Jonathan and Bobby (in his last season) this time out work with a man who is content to cook and eat raccoons, a former nun interested in dating, and a deaf football coach who is taking on more responsibilities at the school for the deaf where he works. In small and seemingly subtle ways, these men change a wardrobe, a house, and a life with love, kindness, caring, and wonderful listening skills. The only bad part of this series is that I binged all 8 episodes in one day and now I have to wait a year for the next season. But it is worth waiting for! 4 cans.
12. 999: Critical Condition* (2018, Prime Video) – If you don’t mind real life blood and guts, surgeons sawing through bones and exposing the brain, then this 4-part documentary series is for you. Like “The Secret Life of the Hospital,” above, it shows what really happens, in this case, in the ER of a British hospital. The care and measures taken by the entire medical team are truly remarkable, as they fight to save the lives of accident victims, people with tumors, stroke victims and more. You only hope that if you have to go to the hospital, that you will be treated with such care and concern. 4 cans.
13. The Greatest Night in Pop* (2024, Netflix) – On a January night in 1985, nearly every important singer and pop star gathered in a Hollywood recording studio to create the magic that was “We Are the World.” It started with Harry Belafonte, renowned musician, actor and activist, who wanted to do something for the starving people in Africa, following a UK effort that produced “Band Aid.” He teamed with Quincy Jones, who brought on Lionel Ritchie, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder to craft a song that would inspire and move people to action. And if they had proceeded just with that quartet, it probably would have been a smash hit. But no, as this engaging documentary reveals, one after another star was asked and agreed. From Bruce Springsteen to Diana Ross, Billy Joel to Dionne Warwick, from Bob Dylan (who looks a little out of place and uncomfortable) to a nervous Huey Lewis, about 70 people converged in the studio after the American Music Awards and worked all night long until they turned out a memorable record that has raised $63 million – more that $130 million in today’s dollars to aid Africa. This movie is a warm look at who showed up, who didn’t (Prince), who came and went (Waylon Jennings) and it shows how the individual styles and talents of these singers were melded together. It was like watching a good family reunion. My only question was: Why was Dan Ackroyd there? 4 cans.

January Gems

Some things take 2 years and 10 minutes to do. You don’t get around to doing it for 2 years and when you finally do, it takes 10 minutes to get it done.

My sister was having problems with her Alexa, so I suggested she unplug it, wait a few minutes and then plug it in again. I also told her that if I were on life support, she should not try that technique to resuscitate me.

Is it just me or does anyone else see the irony of the star of the movie “Ferrari” being Adam Driver?

It took all the restraint I could muster NOT to lift the lid on the crockpot while my pot roast was cooking (for 8 hours). But I stayed strong and it was worth the wait!

I find it amusing that the word "crockpot" autocorrects to "crackpot."

For the life of me, I don’t understand why the soap I buy comes in a carton that has a closure on the end flap so you can reuse it. Does the manufacturer expect someone to reinsert the soap and store it in the box as it is being used? Make that make sense. What am I missing?

I started the year off right by changing the water filter in the Brita (which I have resolved to use more often to cut down on bottled water), reorganizing the kitchen utensil caddy so the spatulas can be together, cleaning, polishing and sealing the granite countertops in my kitchen, cleaning the washing machine and the refrigerator. Next up is setting up the compact seated elliptical exercise device I bought to get exercise while I watch TV. The first step is opening the very heavy box, which I made the UPS guy move into the house. Now let’s hope it doesn’t end up sitting idly next to the super-duper exercise bike in my bedroom. Ah, those New Year’s Resolutions!

Speaking of New Year’s resolutions, the parking at the health club where I go is jam-packed lately. Once those New Year’s resolutions start to be broken, I should be able to get a much better parking spot. Of course, I AM going there to get exercise, so a little extra walking is for my own good!

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are, when your song starts playing, you will whip out your air guitar and start lip synching down the aisle at ShopRite, in an elevator or driving your car. And if it is a song by the Temptations, you will be doing the choreography, too.

I don’t think I have ever entered a sauna without saying, “Wow, it is really hot in here!” But isn’t that the point?

Every now and then I hear a commercial/promo for the Structural Steel and Bridge Painters Union on the car radio. It touts the virtues and importance of the organization responsible for maintaining many New York landmarks. I’m just not sure what I am supposed to do with this information. I’m not in the market for a bridge painter and they aren’t asking me for money. What is the target audience and the desired impression/result of this campaign? 

We need some kind of consistency in the use of expiration dates on food. You can find them stamped on the label of this food or the bottle cap of that drink or the bottom of that can. And sometimes they appear in a secret code – or not at all. I’m going to stop buying anything that doesn’t clearly show its expiration or “best used by” date so I won’t need to inspect the item before using. 

I have the world’s most insecure printer. When I send a document to be printed, I get a message that says, “Your printer needs your attention.” Why? Is it feeling left out? Underappreciated? Just do your job and stop whining.

I recently went to a real, brick-and-mortar bookstore. Wow, I forgot the wonder of the place, filled with the smell of new books, the shelves boasting all kinds of notebooks and writing implements, the feeling that I was surrounded by opportunities to learn. I love my Kindle and shopping online at Amazon, but I hope we still have bookstores to experience books live and in person.

I miss the old Lifesavers, the roll with cherry, orange, lemon, lime and pineapple. I was a lime person, so while everyone else vied for the cherry, I was content to go for the green and the lemon. You can still find the rolls at concessions stands at the airport, but the green is now watermelon (why?), and grape stands where lemon used to be. Bring back the originals!

I also miss Nabisco’s Social Tea Biscuits. Not too sweet, not overly buttery, they were a great compromise cookie when eating Milanos made me feel guilty (like every time). From my research, it appears that they are no longer being made. There are other brands that advertise themselves as “tea biscuits,” but I’m not buying it.

There have been a number of storms lately that have caused major flooding in my area and the surrounding communities. I am signed up to receive alerts about closed roads, etc., but that means I can find 50 messages waiting for me when I check my email. By the time I have read one saying a certain road is closed, there’s already an updated message saying that road is open again. I want to get the alerts, but I’m feeling flooded with messages. Pun intended.

The storms also mean that people flock to the supermarket to strip the shelves bare of bread, milk, water and toilet paper, as if we will be housebound without necessities until spring. 

If you ever hear or see me using the word “awesome,” that is a clue that I have been kidnapped, held in captivity and forced to read words not of my own choosing.

Slicing through cardboard boxes for recycling is so much better with a sharp utility knife. It is worth tossing the old one and starting with a new one if you don’t have a lethally sharp blade. 

Late last year, despite having a maintenance contract on my heating and cooling systems, my heat stopped working, luckily not during a major chill or snowstorm, but it was cold enough for me to pack up and head to my sister’s house for a couple of nights. I ended up needing a new thermostat, gas valve and control board, all for the bargain price of about $1500. Happy Hanukah to me!  At least I was able to spend a few nights with my sister until things were repaired.

Is it just me or does everyone else have problems signing into Apple TV+? I don’t use it that often, but when I do a QR code appears on my TV and I’m asked to scan it. That doesn’t work, so I have to go online to sign in. Then I can’t remember my password, so I have to go to my office and check it. All this to find something to watch!

Why is it that to pay my retina bill online, I have to go to the website, sign in, wait for a code, enter the code, confirm that I am NOT a robot and whatever else before they accept my payment? Are there a lot of people out there trying to pay my bill for me? I know, privacy, data security, blah, blah, blah, but I swear it is just ME trying to pay my own bill. Don’t make this so hard!

In the history of “Chopped,” the Food Network cooking competition, has anyone ever successfully made risotto – or at least to the satisfaction of judge Scott Connant? People, give it up. It’s not going to happen. Ever. Potatoes are hard enough but better than the risotto, which, to make correctly, requires constant stirring. You DON’T have the time for that!

Have you noticed the increasing use of nouns as verbs? I just Venmoed money to a friend for lunch. I’m Zooming today at 3 and I’m Googling the definition of verbs and nouns. I can get home by Ubering a ride. My English teachers from Somerville High School are rolling over in their graves.

It’s not easy being me. If the font is changed on a street sign, I notice. The spacing between words on a sign was inconsistent enough to bug me (instead of merely not looking at it). If I see a typo – God forbid – or I hear a sportscaster say he “done” something I start to twitch. I want to tell the designers of People magazine that their font is too small and there are plenty of pages where the type is too light to read properly. I know I am not perfect and I don’t know why I bristle over mistakes that no one else would notice, but this stuff drives me crazy.