Here are the movies and programs I watched in April. The rating system goes from 1-5, the top score, and titles noted with an asterisk were not seen previously. Numbering picks up from previous months.
38. The Nest* (2020, Netflix) – This movie is listed as a drama/horror movie, a genre I avoid, but it isn’t scary, just bizarre in some ways. Jude Law is Rory, a successful and rich British businessman living in the US with his wife Allison (Carrie Coon) and two kids. He gets an offer from his old boss in London and uproots the family, buying an enormous house that is old and kind of spooky and way too large for a family of four. Will his American wife and kids get used to their new home and adjust to living in England? Why is Rory so desperate to make business deals that seem only to benefit himself? What happened to the horse? If you watch, you will ask yourself these questions and more, but don’t feel compelled to view this movie. 3 cans.
39. Serendipity (2001, HBO) – Jonathan (John Cusack) and Sara (Kate Beckinsale) meet in Bloomingdales when each is trying to buy the same pair of cashmere gloves. From their banter and immediate ease with each other, you can tell he’s smitten, but she is not one to jump into a relationship. He doesn’t get her number and barely gets her first name, but the encounter at the counter stays with them for the next 10 years as he keeps trying to find her and she waits for destiny to play its hand. Cusack is determined and adorable, assisted by his buddy Dean (Jeremy Piven) in trying to make the magic happen again. Romantic comedies have fallen out of favor in the 2020s, but this one from the early part of the 21st century reminded me of how good they were. 4 cans.
40. The Greatest Hits* (2024, Hulu) – I kept hearing Cher singing “If I Could Turn Back Time” throughout this time travel-fantasy movie. Harriet (Lucy Boynton) and Max (David Corenswet) are a young couple driving along and arguing when suddenly there is an accident. He doesn’t survive, and Harriet, a music producer, is transported back to moments in their lives every time she hears certain songs playing from those moments. Despite therapy and group counseling, she is so paralyzed by the songs that she wears a headset practically everywhere she goes to avoid hearing them. How can Harriet move forward in life with these memories dragging her back? This situation becomes worse when she starts to build a relationship with someone in the group, because how can he possibly understand. This movie was a bit convoluted but different enough to pique my interest. 3½ cans.
41. What Jennifer Did* (2024, Netflix) – Considering that this is a true crime documentary with a provocative title, it isn’t hard to figure out that Jennifer did something that wasn’t good. Through police interviews and exhaustive detective work, the authorities pieced together a story that you wouldn’t believe possible – except that it was true. I won’t give away the story, but I have to question one key component here that relates to a 911 call made by Jennifer herself. You really cannot underestimate how evil people can be. 4 cans.
42. Megan Leavey* (2024, Netflix) – This is a movie based on a real-life story, and although there are explosive war scenes, it is still less chilling than the movie above. Megan (Kate Mara) is a woman in her 20s, a little lost in life, stuck living at home with her mother and stepfather (Edie Falco and Will Patton) and going nowhere. On a whim, she enlists in the Marines, somehow makes it though basic training, and winds up working with the canine unit under the direction of a tough boss (Common). She and her highly trained dog become a very effective unit, saving countless lives by finding explosive devices in the desert. But all good things, they say…It amazed me how well trained the animals were in this movie, portraying dogs who sniff out explosives but also being dog actors. Megan’s Rex is scary but loyal and the story is a little predictable but a nice change from others I have seen this month. 3½ cans.
43. Norma Rae (1979, Cable TV) – Oscar winner Sally Field reminds us why we like her, we really, really like her in this outstanding film about a Southern textile factory and the fight to bring in a union to represent the workers. Her title character works on the plant floor. She’s poor, uneducated but has plenty of moxie and street smarts, which is why Ruben (Ron Liebman, equally outstanding here as a New York-based paid union organizer) recruits her to win over her co-workers. This is the South, and many of these people have worked in that dusty, unhealthy plant for decades, following their parents and grandparents, and while conditions are terrible, they feel an allegiance to the company and are grateful for a job. When Norma Rae stands up on that table holding aloft her handmade sign that says UNION, I always get chills. 4½ cans.
44. All Hands On Deck* (2019, Prime Video) – Irish hotelier and TV host Francis Brennan takes us behind the scenes on an enormous cruise ship as he takes over duties in each department. He makes pizza (not so well), works in the laundry, conducts land-tours during stops, and handles pouring champagne on a 650-glass pyramid in this lighthearted, 4-part documentary. I’m a sucker for most anything behind the scenes (I recently watched a show about how chocolate is made – and why not?), so this show was right up my alley. The army of people it takes to keep a luxury cruise ship in ship-shape is enormous, and Francis brought his charm and considerable experience as a hotelier along as he aimed to please the 4500 or so cruisers. 3½ cans.
45. Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight* (2024, CNN) – It was just over 20 years ago that the space shuttle Columbia exploded on its way back to earth after a successful flight. This 4-part documentary examines the history of Columbia’s development as a “reusable” plane that was supposed to explore space and return safely to be used again. But as we know from the earlier Challenger tragedy, plans don’t always work out. In this case, the seven astronauts were unaware that a small piece of foam insulation became loose early in the flight and eventually made the shuttle disintegrate as it reentered the earth’s atmosphere, killing all members of the flight crew. There are droves of people working on these projects, and some of them were very concerned about what they saw protruding from part of the vehicle. The film spares no detail in blasting the NASA protocols that did not allow questioning and examining a possible danger on board. 3½ cans.
46. Scoop* (2024, Prime Video) – This is a painful dramatization of the BBC’s coverage of Prince Andrew’s friendship with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. When Epstein was arrested in New York, only to commit suicide (maybe) in prison days later, a link is established between the two via photographs taken years earlier of the two men in New York. Did the Prince partake in sex with young or underage girls? How friendly was he with Epstein? Why would he agree to appear on the BBC news program in an exclusive interview that ultimately proves to be his undoing? Andrew comes across as a real dolt here, as do his communications people. Shortly after the interview aired, Prince Andrew was relieved of his royal duties and stripped of his title, largely because the interview revealed too much. Scandalous and salacious and self-serving to the importance of the media – which, in this case, was accurate. 3 cans.
47. The Real Story of Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office* (2024, PBS Documentaries) – In England, there is a postal system that includes thousands of local subpostmasters, each responsible for his or her village or town. The system worked exceedingly well until a new automated system was installed and discrepancies started to appear. Money seemed to be disappearing, and despite the outcry from the subpostmasters to the central office about the new computer system and its possible flaws, each person was told this issue was not happening anywhere else. The subpostmasters were harassed, accused of fraud, prosecuted and some actually jailed because of the financial discrepancies. Some tried to pay off the shortfalls with their own money even though they had not caused them. This documentary comes down hard on the system that failed in every sense: The software, the people in charge who refused to assign blame to the computer program, the programmers who created and maintained it, and especially the head postal authority. Lives were ruined, marriages crumbled and people served jail time. This is a fascinating look at the system, its failures, and the lack of care exhibited by those in charge. 3½ cans.
48. Thank You, Good Night* (2024, Hulu) – This four-part documentary is an exhaustive look at the history of the rock band Bon Jovi. Jon Bon Jovi and his teenaged Jersey pals started out playing Asbury Park bars, getting home at 6 AM and going directly to high school at 7 AM. Jon was not just the front man, he was the lead singer and the force behind the band, especially when they stopped performing covers and he started writing their songs early in their career. And with his good looks and big hair, he got plenty of attention from the girls in the crowd. There is great footage here of the early days (hello, Bruce Springsteen), the days as an opening act and the days of filling huge arenas. There are plenty of ups and downs, people (Richie Sambora) leaving the band, managers and producers being replaced, and Jon himself suffering from serious vocal problems. You could do a documentary on Bon Jovi’s hair alone! In their 40 years of rocking, they have built an impressive catalog of songs, from anthem rockers to more quiet, contemplative tunes. I just don’t know how you go out on the road, sing your lungs out for 3 hours, turn around, hop on a place and do it several more times a week for months at a time. I always appreciate seeing the success achieved by someone with a dream and the willingness to always give it a 100% effort. 4 cans.
49. Unlocked: A Jail Experiment* (2024, Netflix) – This 8-part documentary series about a prison in Arkansas is an intriguing social experiment. The inmates in Block H are on 23-hour lockdown, with just one hour a day where they can get out of their cells to exercise and interact with each other. Their very regimented routines are blown up when the Sheriff decides to unlock the cell doors, giving the inmates the chance to run their own show – as long as things stay safe for prisoners and the staff. He realizes that a new social order will develop and he’s right. At first one of the “old heads,” Randy, begins organizing meal service and other activities, but he’s met with resistance by the younger, brash inmates who resent his show of authority. As the sheriff introduces even more freedoms, such as free phone calls, the group has to come together to make sure everyone is treated fairly. After six weeks, if the experiment doesn’t work, the Sheriff will pull the plug and everyone will be back to 23-1 lockdown. Every time someone does something stupid, it jeopardizes the freedom of the entire group. This series was fascinating and intense. 4 cans.
50. Anyone But You* (2023, Netflix) – After two intense series, I needed something light and fluffy. But don’t subject yourself to this drivel. Very handsome Ben (Glen Powell) and law student Bea (Sydney Sweeney) meet and get along, then don’t get along, and then go to Australia for her sister’s wedding where the friends and family assume they are a couple or try to make them a couple. Apparently, all movie weddings now must be held in gorgeous resorts and no one ever has money issues about going, spending days in activities and bathing suits before the ceremony takes place. There’s a sequence on a yacht and an incident with a cake, and if you can’t figure out what will happen, you have never seen a rom-com before. That goes for the ending, too. Trust me when I say they don’t make them like they used to. 2 cans and no wedding gift.
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