Movies & More, July 2024

You're probably immersed in the Olympics (or is that just me?), but when you want a break and are looking for a movie, you might want to consider these. Everything is rated on a scale of 0-5 cans of tuna fish, with 5 the top mark. Movies not previously seen are marked with an asterisk, and numbering picks up from previous months.

85. Diane Von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge* (2024, Hulu) – It turns out than fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg is much more than the creator of the famous wrap dress than dominated fashion for so long. She became a princess and part of high society when she married Price Egon Von Furstenberg, which helped her gain connections in the fashion world and build an empire. She didn’t set out to build an empire, but she always wanted to be in charge. This Hulu documentary covers her background, business, family and relationships. What a fascinating woman! 3½ cans.
86. The Bear – Season 3* (2024, Hulu) – Welcome back to the world of fine dining, food perfection – and a torrent of swearing, tension and uncertainty. Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto is more dedicated than ever to making his restaurant, The Bear, stand out among Chicago’s notable establishments, pushing his staff to achieve his vision of perfection, which includes the best ingredients, a menu that changes daily and living with his seeming unattainable list of “non-negotiables” about the food, the ambience in the kitchen and the staff. The usual cast of characters is back with Carmy (Emmy-winner Jeremy Allen White), Syndey the head chef (Emmy winner Ayo Edibiri), Cousin Richie, sous chef Tina (played by Liza Colon-Zayas), who gets a full episode that reveals how she came to the restaurant after an office job, his sister Sugar (Abby Elliot) and mother Donna (slightly less crazy this season as played by Jamie Lee Curtis). The restaurant is going to be reviewed this year and the critics can make a difference in keeping it open since Uncle the backer is ready to pull the plug. This show is billed as a comedy-drama, and some of it is amusing, but more is just tense even in this more refined season. I’m still a fan but would probably rank Season 2 higher than Season 3. Still, 3½ plates of stunningly gorgeous food!
87 and 88. The Man with 1000 Kids* (2024, Netflix) and Sperm World* (2024, Hulu) – Both of these documentaries deal with men who willingly donate their sperm to impregnate women who want to have children but conventional circumstances prevent their success. In the first, three-part series, a blond-haired, blue-eyed man from the Netherlands, Jonathan, connects with women over the internet to make private arrangements to donate his sperm, telling the women that he has only fathered a few babies. But his burgeoning business includes donations not just in the Netherlands but all over Europe and in Africa, assuring that a long line of blond, blue-eyed children (none of the ones included in the series looked anything like their mothers) would populate the world, giving no thought and having no remorse for the possibility of these kids meeting and potentially marrying each other. The baby count for him is more than 1000 children, with accurate numbers hard to verify. In Sperm World, we meet more willing donors who want to give the women something they cannot otherwise achieve, a chance at having children. In both cases, there is no monetary reward for the donations, The men seem happy to help – conventionally or otherwise – and are proud of the too big broods. Most of the activity occurs outside official sperm banks, where records are kept but rules are flaunted. The whole concept here was outrageous to me, especially with the issue of control of women’s bodies under legislative fire. A woman can have, at most, one baby a year (with the exception of multiple births, like twins), and yet there is interest in legislating her rights to terminate a baby under many different circumstances. Men, on the other hand, can impregnate several women a day, or thousands over the course of years, and there’s not issue with that? You cannot make this stuff up! 3½ cans.
89. The Power of the Dream* (2024, Prime Video) – The 144 women of the WNBA have always had to fight hard for their existence: for better wages, maternity leave, charter jet travel. With Nneka Oqwumike as the president of the players union, the players fought to have a say in the league. As far back as 2016, they began focusing on social justice. The shootings of George Floyd and Breanna Taylor galvanized the players to support Black Lives Matter and the Say Her Name Movement, even as the 2020 pandemic led to a season played in “a bubble” in Florida. And for the Atlanta Dream, the fight hit close to home, as co-owner Kelly Lauffler, appointed to the US Senate in Georgia, criticized the team for supporting these movements. Would they get paid in 2020? If they retaliated against Lauffler, would there be repercussions against them? Would they have jobs and health insurance? The memorable movement is well-documented in this thoughtful documentary. The outstanding leadership of the players union and top stars had a profound effect on the players, keeping them focused, organized, inspired and deliberate in their actions. Today, the WNBA is stronger than ever, and I think some of that can be traced to their unity in 2020 and beyond. 4 cans.
90. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F* (2024, Netflix) – Eddie Murphy brings his classic cop comedy back for another go as his Detroit cop heads again for Beverly Hills to outwit the bad guys and bad cops he encounters. This time he has an estranged daughter to deal with, added to longtime cop buddies Rosewood and Taggert. Murphy still has that charm and the ability to get himself out of the biggest messes. I loved seeing the delightful Bronson Pinchot revive his Serge character. All told, this is an amusing movie with plenty of car/truck/meter maid vehicle chases. Murphy does his thing so well. 3½ cans.
91. The Devil’s Own* (1997, Netflix) – Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt star in this movie about a New York cop (Ford) who unknowingly takes in a member of the Irish Republican Army who is in America to purchase guns for the fight back home. Once Ford realizes what is going on and that his family is at risk, he faces the moral dilemma of how to deal with the young man he likes but who is the cause of violence in New York, where Ford and his family live, and back home in Ireland as part of the IRA. Good story and well done by the stars. 3½ cans.
92. Faye* (2024, HBO) – This documentary offers an in-depth look at actress Faye Dunaway and her stellar career. With multiple Oscar nominations and one win for her role as the ruthless executive in “Network,” Dunaway has played memorable leads in “Bonnie & Clyde,” “Chinatown” and “The Thomas Crown Affair” (oh, that game of chess with Steve McQueen!). However, Dunaway may be best remembered for her portrayal of actress Joan Crawford in “Mommie Dearest,” a serious but too campy tale about Crawford’s fractured relationship with her daughter. Overall, this movie reminded me of how good Dunaway has been and shared some stories I never knew. 3½ cans.
93. The Neon Highway* (2024, Netflix) – Wayne is an aspiring country singer who meets Claude (Beau Bridges), a former country star, and they team up to record Wayne’s song in hopes of setting Wayne on a path to success and Claude back into the spotlight. Old Claude once had connections in show biz, but his glory days are long gone. Convinced they have a bona fide hit on their hands, Claude gets it recorded and waits for their big break. I’m not a connoisseur of country music, but the Neon Highway song was nowhere near hit material to me! There’s not much to see here, so I recommend you bypass The Neon Highway. 2½ cans.
94. Skywalkers: A Love Story* (2024, Netflix) – This documentary is not for the faint of heart. But if your knees don’t get weak at the sensation of being at the top of a spire thousands of feet in the air on a skyscraper or church, this one’s for you. The action centers on Vanya and Angela, two young Russian daredevils who find ways to ascend to the top of a spire on buildings and churches and even on cranes, climbing without any safety harnesses – or authorization – and posing for drone pictures featuring elite gymnast moves. I almost turned this off because the heights were dizzying and the tricks death-defying, but I have to admit the images were spectacular!  3½ cans.
95. Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose* (2024, HBO) – Even if you are not a baseball fan, you have probably heard of Pete Rose. Rose is the all-time hits leader in Major League Baseball and owns multiple pages in the record book. Most of what you hear about him now is whether or not he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. More than 30 years ago, Rose was banned from baseball for illegal sports betting, although for decades he denied he ever bet on baseball. He spent time in prison for tax evasion, was accused on statutory rape and other offenses, but betting on his own sport – his own team – was considered his most egregious sin. Just when you think he may have a chance to redeem himself and qualify for the Hall of Fame, his boorish behavior comes shining through to remind people that Pete is just not a good man. This 4-part documentary examines the man, his gambling and his life. He played baseball with reckless abandon, but he never gave up the hustle. Only watch this show if you are a baseball fan interested in the history of the sport, because Rose is integral to that. 3½ cans.
96. The Fabulous Four* (2024, Manville Cinema) – The title of this movie is misleading. Yes, there are four people in it, but fabulous? Nothing remotely fabulous is in this wisp of a movie that takes four supposed best friends from college and reunites them when one (Bette Midler) announces that she is getting married. Susan Sarandon, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Megan Mulally are the friends, even though their ages don’t match up to having been in school together. The script is so thin it is transparent, and if you cannot figure out where the plot is going, you should never be allowed in a movie again. “80 for Brady” was superficial and improbable, but this (comparison made because the cast is again “older” women) movie lacks any of the fun that the Brady ladies had. What a waste of an award-winning cast! I think the Academies that hand out the Oscars and Tonys are probably demanding the return of their awards by all four leads. I’ll give it a mere ½ can – because it was Half-Price Tuesday and the movie was only $5 – which is akin to saying that the food was terrible and the portions were too small.