Tina's July 2025 Movies and More

This month was full of mystery and murder, comedy and sports, and a few of my all-time favorites, along with an outstanding two-part documentary on one of my favorite artists. Those items marked with an asterisk were new to me. Numbering picks up from previous months, and all entries are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with 5 as the top rating. If you leave a comment, feel free to include your name at the end so I'll know who you are. Or not.

71. Cast Away (Cable TV) – Poor Chuck Nolan (Tom Hanks), dedicated FedEx employee, tells his girlfriend (Helen Hunt) that he’ll be right back – and then his plane crashes in the South Pacific and he spends the next 4 years using his wits to survive on a deserted island. At first, he can’t figure out how to start a fire or feed himself, but he somehow manages to endure the brutal conditions and loneliness with no other people around. I have seen this movie many times and I always marvel how a movie with so little dialog (except for Chuck’s “conversations” with the volleyball he calls Wilson) can still be so captivating. I won’t ruin it for you, but Helen Hunt has a line at the end that ALWAYS makes me tear up. This is bravura filmmaking! 4½ cans.
72. Steel Magnolias (1988, Cable TV) – No actress can portray utter anguish and determination better than Sally Field, which is why we really, really like her (think “Norma Rae” and “Places in the Heart,” her two Oscar-winning performances). Here she is Southern mother MiLynn, and we meet her and her besties as everyone prepares for the wedding of her precious daughter Shelby (Julia Roberts). The bond between these women is unbreakable and the actresses who play them bring plenty of moxie and humor to the game (Shirley Maclaine, Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis and Darryl Hannah). The movie has plenty of memorable lines, lots of good-hearted humor and pathos. It’s a classic for women of a certain age (that would be me)! 4 cans.
73. Quarterback, Season 2* (2025, Netflix) – For someone who loves behind the scenes stuff AND sports, this 7-part series hits the sweet spot. This time around, the focus is on QBs Gerald Goff of the Detroit Lions, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons. These players are fierce competitors, pushing themselves on and off the field to excel physically and to lead their teams to victory. All are smart, gifted and handsome. Being a pro football player is not an easy job for the player or his family. Both Cousins and Goff have played in multiple cities, which means uprooting the family. Burrow has had to fight his way back from severe injuries. The documentary traces the 2024-2025 season, where, despite thrills and chills, none of these teams made it to the Super Bowl. Better luck next year! 3½ cans.
74. One Night in Idaho* (2025, Prime Video) – This 4-part documentary is the sobering tale of four fun-loving college students who were murdered in their small college town of Moscow, Idaho. Were these random murders or did the killer target these particular students? Why did two other people in the house escape unharmed? This series spends most of its time talking to friends and families of the victims, showing their profound loss of loved ones and the rippling effect of actions by both the law enforcement authorities and amateur sleuthing by people on social media who were fascinated with the case. The murderer was arrested in Pennsylvania, had a few ties to the campus as a grad student attending nearby Washington State University and a deep interest in criminal behavior. My heart broke for the families who lost their children and equally for the close-knit friends whose lives with never be the same as they all lost their innocence and ability to trust on that fateful November, 2022, night. 4 cans.
75. Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel* (2025, Netflix) – This Netflix series likes to capture the hot topics, which are so current in some cases that even people who pay attention to our society’s craziness have never heard of them. Sure, I remember the American Apparel stores, but they were geared to people a generation younger than me. Chain founder Dov Charney built the brand by brute force, intimidating his employees and forcing them to work long hours, hiring and promoting on a whim, and firing just as fast. He was also sexually exploiting them for his own pleasure under threats that they would lose their jobs. Great guy, huh? You know that anything that rises as fast and furiously as this company is inevitably headed for a fall, so when the AA world comes crashing down, no one should be surprised. 3½ cans.
76. Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit* (2025, Hulu) – Jodi Huisentruit was an attractive young woman working for a TV news station in small-market Mason City, Iowa, when she left for work very early one morning – and vanished. This 3-part documentary series rehashes the events from 30 years ago, as authorities checked out a few clues left behind, but to no avail. Was her abduction at the hands of a man who wanted a relationship with her? The husband of a woman in the area? This examination gets bogged down in the details (especially in the 3rd part), and, although the dedicated law enforcement people have relentlessly investigated this case for 30 years, there is still no answer to what happened. 3 cans
77. Sullivan’s Crossing* (2023-2025, CW and Netflix) – If you liked Virgin River, this is the series for you. Maggie (Morgan Kohan) is a neurosurgeon in Boston whose estranged father Sully runs a campground in bucolic Nova Scotia. When Maggie’s medical practice comes under fire, she returns to her home there to get away from everything and make peace with her crusty but kind-hearted father (Scott Patterson, who played Luke on Gilmour Girls). Brooding but handsome Cal (Chad Michael Murray) is around as the mystery man who becomes her love interest, even though she intends to go back to her fiancée in Boston. There are plenty of predictable plots here – natural disasters, money problems, medical emergencies – but you know that in the end, everyone will survive. Morgan Kohan plays Maggie, and the town around her includes former wives, friends, siblings – all kinds of people pop up as the story moves along. I can’t say I loved it, but I know Season 3 (which aired on the CW Network) will be streaming soon, and I’ll watch it to see if Sully survives the fire. My guess is yes! 3½ cans.
78.  Southpaw: The Life and Legacy of Jim Abbott* (2025, ESPN) – September 4, 1993, was a hot and humid day at Yankee Stadium as the Bronx Bombers faced the visiting Cleveland Indians with lefty Jim Abbott on the mound. I remember it well because I was there, unknowingly on hand to witness history. Until around the 7th inning, my friend Bill and I did not notice that Abbott was pitching a no-hitter. Finally, we caught on, held our breath and watched Abbott get that final out. The remarkable achievement that day was Abbott on the mound at all. Born without a right hand, Abbott became a successful pitcher at every level and that day he joined a small contingent of Yankee pitchers who had held the opposing team hitless. This E60 documentary traces Abbott’s life and career and how he inspired others to achieve their dreams – which might be as simple as tying their shoes with just one hand. This was a very moving film and for Yankee fans and others, a must-see. PS – I still have a picture I took of the scoreboard showing all those zeros and my ticket stub from the game. 4 cans.
78. Amy Bradley Is Missing* (2025, Netflix) – How can someone disappear from a cruise ship? In March of 1998, young college graduate Amy Bradley was on vacation, sharing a room with her parents and brother, and catching some fresh air on the balcony in the middle of the night when she simply vanished. Was she abducted? Was she out trying to score drugs or did she become trafficked? Did she slip and fall off that balcony? Did she commit suicide? Her family has searched, all kinds of people – official or true crime fans – have offered their opinions, but 27 years later, Amy is still missing. I wish we knew. 3½ cans.
79. Terms of Endearment (1983, cable TV) – 42 years after its release, this movie remains on my list of favorite movies of all time. The unbreakable bond between mother Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) and daughter Emma (Debra Winger) produces lots of laughter and tears. When Emma moves away with a husband Flap (Jeff Daniels), whom Aurora feels is beneath her, their bond is tested but endures through constant phone calls and occasional visits. Meanwhile, haughty Aurora takes up with her neighbor, astronaut Garrett (perfectly cast Jack Nicholson), whom she knows will disappoint her in the end. The tears start when Emma is stricken with an incurable case of cancer. This is the story of love, friendship, and strong bonds that bend but don’t break. 4½ cans.
80. Trainwreck: Bubble Boy* (2025, Netflix) – The next time you question whether truth really is stranger than fiction, just watch any of the documentaries in this “Trainwreck” series and you will understand that you CANNOT make this stuff up. When a quirky family in Colorado launches a homemade UFO, it appears that their young son sneaked on board before liftoff. There is no way to control the helium-filled balloon and no way to either communicate with the young boy or save him. But was he on board? And was this whole thing done as a publicity stunt to gain attention to the erstwhile inventor? It’s only an hour long, so check it out for yourself and then wonder why you just wasted an hour of your life, like I did. 3 cans.
81. Six by Sondheim* (2025) – Brilliant composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim discusses in detail some of his most meaningful songs in a series of interviews. If you love “Company” and “Follies” and “Sunday in the Park with George,” tune in and get the full backstory as well as the memorable performances of great songs. 3½ cans.
82. And So It Goes – Billy Joel* (2025, HBO) – This 2-part, 5-hour documentary takes a comprehensive look at Billy Joel, the songwriter, lyricist, singer, performer, husband, father and man whose music has been around for more than 50 years. I’ve always been a fan and have seen him live several times, but I never completely appreciated his extraordinary skills until this intense look at his background and the things that inspired his memorable music. He paints a picture through his work, and he touches on the moving and difficult things that have been or still are affecting his life. If you love Billy Joel, watch this documentary. If you don’t, watch it anyway. It’s that good. 5 cans, and I could really give it an entire case of tuna.
83. Trophy Wife* (Hulu, 2025) – Larry Rudolph is a dentist who amassed such a fortune (sometimes unethically, doing work that wasn’t needed), that he had big homes, showy cars, and indulged his habit for big-game hunting. And women. Although he purported to love his wife, he had a long-time girlfriend. When he would set off for a hunting expedition in Africa, his wife – herself an accomplished hunter – would sometimes accompany him. But the girlfriend grew tired of this arrangement and allegedly gave him the ultimatum to get rid of her. On a hunting trip, she was shot at close range. Accident or suicide? That’s what plays put in court. What a guy – even his friends have nothing good to say about Dr. Larry. 3½ cans.
84. Somebody Somewhere* (2025, HBO/Max) – This comedy-drama ran for 3 seasons but I had never heard of it until my sister enthusiastically recommended it. The people here are quirky to be sure, but they are also endearing. It is semi-autographical, inspired by its star, Bridget Everett, playing Sam, a woman who is dealing with family issues and looking for connections, which she finds in a family of friends. She also can sing, belting out classics or Janis Joplin. Her BFF is Joel, a conflicted gay man looking for love, though it is clear that Everett’s Sam is his real soulmate. Her sister is a drama queen, her mother has lost her mind, and the rest of the cast completes the eccentric picture. After binging all 21 episodes (30 mins each) of the three seasons, I was disappointed to learn that the show is not coming back – just as I had found a place in my heart for these people. I will miss my new friends. 4 cans.
85. Sunday Best* (2025, Netflix) – The Ed Sullivan Show was a fixture in American homes on Sunday nights, airing in the 50s until 1971. Ed came across as stiff and was easily mocked, but he had an eye for talent and personally selected the acts for his show, which highlighted Black artists such as Nina Simone, Pearl Bailey, Mahalia Jackson, Jackie Wilson, Stevie Wonder, James Brown and Sammy Davis Jr. Sullivan felt these gifted artists should receive exposure, despite the fact that some people in the South boycotted his show and advertisers to protest his inclusion of Black people. He also brought Elvis into our living rooms and introduced The Beatles to the American public. This show is a great reminder that talent knows no race or gender, and that Sullivan helped move American entertainment to a new level. 3½ cans.

Mid-Summer Ramblings

1.    Today is the 15th of July, which means summer is essentially over. Bathing suits will be immediately replaced by winter coats, and any day now Costco will be selling Christmas trees. If you didn’t get your shorts and t-shirts by now, you are probably out of luck!
2.    This morning I got up early to clean the house – so the cleaning lady could come. You know you do it, too. She doesn’t need to sort the mail or straighten the magazines. I need her to clean the floor and get rid of the cobwebs. So I got up early to properly prep so she could do the real cleaning.
3.    It is beach season, and these days getting in and out of a beach chair would be a real challenge for me. The lower they are to the sand, the more I’m going to need an ejector seat! And forget any kind of Adirondack chairs! I would need the jaws of life to get me up from one of those!
4.    Which reminds me – I am so accustomed to the higher toilet seats in my house that when I have to use a public restroom, I feel like I am squatting over a hole in the floor. All toilets should be high, and every stall should have grab bars. Spoken like a true (almost) 75-year-old!
5.    I am having trouble discerning the marketing tags put on toilet paper packages these days. How does a “mega” roll compare to an “ultra” or “super” roll? All I know is that they all seem to run out too soon.
6.    I now belong to the “We Do Not Care Club,” started online by Melani, a woman who realized how many women going through menopause, perimenopause or even post-menopause are operating with sleep deficits and brain fog that make us just not care. She proclaims that we don’t care if we wear the same clothes all week since they fit us and are comfortable, or we don’t care if we are going to a social gathering late, because we didn’t really want to go in the first place. You can find her on Facebook or Instagram, and she is popping up on newscasts, too, as her common sense humorous declarations have surged in popularity. Check her out. She is hilarious – and correct!
7.    To me, four of the scariest words in the English language are “Push down while turning” on a bottle of pills. Sometimes I think I might have to drive back to CVS to get someone there to open the damn bottle for me. 
8.    I picked up Victoria, my new car, in May, one day before my knee surgery, so the car sat alone in the garage for a few weeks while I recovered enough to get in and drive her. She must have wondered why she was pulled off the showroom floor at the local Mercedes dealership, where she had been surrounded by lots of other beautiful cars all getting plenty of attention, only to sit alone, ignored and untouched for weeks. Now we are getting to know each other better. I have found the button to air cool the seats and I have set up my favorites on the radio. I can even ask Victoria to park the car for me if I can refrain from touching the wheel or hitting the brakes. I’m not sure we have reached that level of trust yet, but some day…Meanwhile, she tries to butter me up by greeting me personally every time I get into the car. “Good morning, Tina Gordon,” or “Welcome back, Tina,” or even “Nice to see you again, Tina Gordon” are her way of building rapport.
9.    There is a new show debuting in the fall on CBS TV that is all about the goings-on at the DMV (Division of Motor Vehicles). NOBODY likes going there. There are always lines, always people in bad moods (clients AND workers), and everything takes longer than it should. Who wants to watch a comedy about that? When I first retired (at the beginning of 2007!), I went to the DMV office to renew my driver’s license. I brought enough identification cover everyone in the place (birth certificate, passport, license, PSE&G bill, etc.), and a book to read. I had all day to wait if necessary since I didn’t have to get back to work. I guarantee that I was the only relaxed and happy person there that day! 
10.    I live in a 55+ community where I’d guess the average age is at least 10 years higher than that 55 minimum. The other day I was telling someone about a woman I saw in the pool, and I described her as “an older woman with white hair.” No kidding, Tina! That describes virtually every woman here!
11.    My sister recently admitted to me that she has never eaten a Big Mac or a Whopper. I know she has been to McDonalds and Burger King with her son (both were excellent bribes for attending Hebrew school back in the day) and she has sampled the fries, but she has no desire to order a burger of any kind. I’m not a big proponent of fast food myself, but I’ll indulge myself from time to time (much less frequently these days) in a flame-broiled Whopper from Burger King. I do this so rarely that several years ago I pulled up to the drive-through at McDonalds’s and ordered a Whopper, which is made by Burger King. My knowledge of these places should continue to decline for health reasons!
12.    I have been enjoying a delightful TV food show with Eva Longoria called “Searching for Spain.” The actress, whose ancestors came from Spain, goes to various regions of the country and highlights the food traditions in each. Needless to say, everything looks scrumptious. The problem is that the show airs on CNN and every time there is breaking news, it gets pre-empted. I tried recording the repeated episodes in the middle of the night, but even they have been bumped off air by more important programming. I have been to several of the areas of Spain featured on the show. I guess I’ll have to visit the others in person if I ever want to get the whole picture!
13.    Next month my sister and I are going to Chicago to see her son and his wife, who bought a townhouse there. They had been living in a 4-story walk up apartment that reminded me of the show “Barefoot in the Park,” which goes WAY back. You had to walk up four flights of stairs just to get to their front door, which was tough for me and my knee. Their new townhouse requires just one flight to get to the front door, but the kitchen, main living area, bedrooms and rooftop deck are all on separate floors, so we still have 4 flights to climb to see the whole thing. I’d buy him a ranch house if he would let me!
14.    At the end of June I completed 20 years on the Board of the Associate Alumnae of Douglass College, including two terms as president. I also served as head of communications several times and, most recently, as Board secretary. This work was (mostly) a labor of love, as I got to take on new responsibilities and make countless new friends among alumnae whom I did not know during my time as a student. This organization was created by alumnae, is driven by alumnae and supported by alumnae. Any graduate of Douglass is automatically considered a member. If you are looking for a great way to spend your time, attend one of our events, volunteer, or make a donation to ensure that the next 100+ years will be as dynamic as the first century. As for me, I’m on a break, but I’ll probably see you at future events.
15.    I reported the following milestone on Facebook earlier this month but am repeating it here as a public service for those of you who avoid social media.
Those of you who don’t know me well may not be aware that on July 11, 2000, I underwent successful surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York to remove a cancerous tumor in my colon. The only way this growth could have been identified is through a colonoscopy, which I had to fight to have since I was just under the recommended age for the procedure at that time. Having seen newscaster Katie Couric go through a colonoscopy on TV, I knew it was what I needed and I understood the risks and what might happen. Friends, I tell you this not just to celebrate my 25-year survival, but to urge you to have a colonoscopy. Sure, the prep is brutal, but it is only a temporary inconvenience compared to discovering too late that you have colon cancer. I was one of the lucky ones; my cancer was discovered very early and did not require radiation or chemotherapy. I have had many colonoscopies, CAT scans, and other imaging as follow-ups, but now I am on a five-year schedule (though I usually go after 4 years just to be safe). Don’t put it off. A colonoscopy can save your life. It saved mine!

Tina's June 2025 Movies and More

With plenty of time on my hands as I recovered from my knee replacement surgery, I got to watch a bunch of new and old movies and some excellent documentaries in June. Numbering picks up from previous months and those items marked with an asterisk were ones I had not seen previously. The rating scale goes from a low of 1 to a high of 5 cans of tuna. Enjoy! 

58. Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie* (2025, Max) – You may remember the story of the petite blonde married mother of two who went out for a run from her Northern California home and vanished. There was public anguish expressed by her grief-stricken husband and others about her abduction, but then, suddenly, 22 days later, she turns up on a Southern California highway, battered and bruised and back with her family. What happened? She insisted she was captured by two Hispanic women who held her hostage, but the truth was very different. She was accused of staging a hoax and spending time with a former boyfriend, whom she convinced to hurt her and brand her. She spent some time in prison for lying to the FBI, and now – with a new book due out – she has decided to flip the script and accuse her former ex-boyfriend of actually harming her. And she doesn’t spare her former husband, either, accusing him of being controlling and mean to her. Horrors! This is a woman who is not to be trusted or believed. And unless you are immersed in this case, skip this 4-part documentary because it is full of contradictions and claims that cannot be proven. 2 cans.
59. ER* (1994-2009, Hulu) – This entry should occupy far more than a single spot on my list. Over the past few months, I watched all 15 seasons, a total of 330 episodes of this medical drama that aired on NBC. With a stellar original cast of George Clooney, Anthony Edwards and Julianna Margulies, among many others, and with the grittiness of a Chicago Emergency room at a public hospital as the locale, this series was truly captivating. The stories were medical but also character-driven and it made for compelling TV. After about season 8, when the original cast left and new doctors, nurses and others joined, the stories started becoming a little tiresome. But I was committed to finishing what I started. I’m glad I watched it and equally glad I’m finally done. Before there was Grey’s Anatomy (now in its 20th season on ABC) and before House and the Pitt and other excellent medical dramas, ER ruled in this category. 4 cans.
60. Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders* (2025, Netflix) – This 3-part documentary recalls the events of 1982, when 7 people were killed in the Chicago area after taking TYLENOL Capsules that were poisoned with cyanide. Since I was working in the Communications Department of Johnson & Johnson at the time, I remember this horrifying incident well. I watched J&J voluntarily recall the product and reimburse the buyers for whatever they said they had spent. The goal was to take the product off the market and avoid additional deaths. This program primarily focuses on James Lewis, a man who was convicted of sending an extortion letter to J&J but who was never convicted of the actual murders. This series floats some possible theories, but there isn’t much new here. 3 cans.
61. Surviving Ohio State* (2025, HBO) – For athletes at Ohio State in the 1980s, especially for members of the championship wrestling team, there was no way to avoid contact with the team doctor and faculty member who watched over the health of the student-athletes. Dr. Richard Strauss ran the department for decades, and the young men in his charge did not know what to do when they were subjected to embarrassing examinations of their genitals during routine physicals, or even if they reported something as mundane as a pain in the shoulder. Strauss took care of countless male athletes, and only the female fencing coach of the men’s team raised a red flag about his practices. He routinely showered with the athletes but did so facing them instead of facing the shower. Most of the athletes felt they would lose their scholarships if they reported the odd behavior of Dr. Strauss, and they didn’t even know how to describe it, though in retrospect, they acknowledge it was sexual abuse – or worse. The show includes numerous interviews with athletes and even with a wrestling official who reported wrong-doing, but nothing was on paper, and the head coach and his assistant, now-Republican Congressman Jim Jordan, were aware of the issues and chose to ignore them. Years later, this became a court case, and only then did the number of victims come out. Strauss died long ago, but let’s hope that society has learned lessons to teach athletes and students when and how to report despicable people who use their positions to abuse them. 4 cans.
62. Jaws (1975, Peacock) – It was been 50 years since that ominous music and a mechanical shark drove us all out of the water. Steven Spielberg’s second movie looked like a sure failure, with the shark breaking down and the cost far exceeding its budget. In the movie, the local police chief (Roy Scheider) has to face down the local sheriff, who doesn’t want the shark attack to destroy the summer tourism season. So the chief teams with a shark expert (Richard Dreyfus) and a ship captain (Robert Shaw) who feel they can defeat the great white shark. We’re gonna need a bigger boat! Just seeing those kids frolicking in the water, their legs hanging down and enticing the killer beast to attack is enough to make you stay away from the beach. Credit John Williams for a score that conveys every bit of terror. 4 cans.
63. Janice Ian: Breaking Silence* (2024, PBS American Masters) – This documentary about singer/songwriter Janice Ian was wonderful. I remember her song “Seventeen” about kids that just don’t fit in, and her iconoclastic “Society’s Child,” but I didn’t realize how young she was (15!) when she started writing and performing. She knew what she wanted to do and set clear boundaries for how she would do it. Her body of work holds up well against the folk singers and writers who were her contemporaries, many of whom are interviewed here. Her reflections on the mores of society, her life as a bi-sexual woman and the quality of her work make this program well worth seeing. 4 cans.
64. Sally Ride* (2025, PBS) – Ironically-named Sally Ride was the first American woman in space when she flew a successful mission for NASA aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1983. A Stanford graduate with a reputation as a bright engineer, Ride took a chance in applying for the space program when NASA announced they were looking for a few good women. Of course, the people in charge knew little about what women astronauts might need in flight, so they provided the astronauts with a make-up kit and hundreds of tampons. Ride had to face the press and their intrusive questions, queries that the men in the program never had to answer. One question that remained unanswered was her sexual orientation. Once married to a male fellow astronaut but never having had children, Ride kept her private life private, only allowing her long-time female partner to reveal their relationship in her obituary. Exposing their relationship previously might have had a negative impact on her career, so the first the public heard about it was after her death. Sally Ride was a role model for women pursuing science as a career and her foundation encouraged young women to consider the STEM field. Interesting story about a very accomplished woman. 3½ cans.
65. Goodfellas (1990, HBO) – Martin Scorsese’s brilliant film about the mob is full of entertaining tidbits and people with no qualms about going along with the violent traditions of organized crime. Told by the true-life character Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), who eventually ratted out his mob brothers, the story shows how Hill became intoxicated with the gangster lifestyle as a kid and moved up in the ranks as he got older. Of course, Robert DeNiro is in it, along with Joe Pesci, Paul Sorvino and others, all of whom are very convincing as the goodfellas. If not for “The Godfather,” this movie would be the best mob movie of all time. 4½ cans.
66. The Founder (Netflix) – Michael Keaton is very convincing as Ray Kroc, the man most people identify as the founder of McDonald’s. To be fair, he didn’t start the enterprise, which was the baby of the McDonald brothers. Ray was a failing milkshake machine salesman who talked a good game but didn’t have much success.  When the McDonalds in San Bernadino ordered a bunch of the machines, Kroc went to visit them to understand why, and he realized that the hamburger stand was a model of efficiency. He wanted in, proposed franchising and embarked on a tempestuous relationship with the brothers. It wasn’t until a colleague tipped him off that it would be better if he bought the real estate the stores would build on and lease it back to the franchisees that the big money started to roll in. The McDonald brothers settled with Kroc, who then began to bill himself as the founder. Rather, he was a hustler, interested in expanding the brand and taking chances that the brothers would never have agreed to take. You have to credit Kroc’s vision and ambition for driving the success of the brand and establishing a model franchise, but he did it in such as underhanded way. An American success story, or just the portrait of a man whose business practices hurt the real founders? 3½ cans.
67. In & Out (1997, cable TV) – The always delightful Kevin Kline is high school English teacher Howard Brackett, a man engaged to a woman from the faculty who is outted at the Oscars by his former student (Matt Dillon) after the latter wins Best Actor. The problem is that Howard is not gay, or so he says, despite his penchant for all things Barbra Streisand. Reporter Peter (Tom Selleck) is on hand to report the story, and although Howard denies it, all signs point to the fact that he certainly SEEMS gay. Kline fights it by listening to a tape pushing his virility until he can’t take it and succumbs to the joy of dancing to “I Will Survive.” Don’t overlook the work of Joan Cusak, Howard’s patient fiancée, who, finally facing the truth, utters the line of the movie when she confronts him over the timing of his admission at the altar (“You couldn’t have picked ANY OTHER TIME to tell me???”). From Bob Newhart to Debbie Renolds, this comedy is packed with terrific actors all in on the joke. Utterly charming and with a message to match. 4 cans.
68. Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything* (2025, Hulu) – There was a time that anyone who was anyone did tell newscaster Barbara Walters everything. Famous for her ability to get interviews with the most prominent, important and socially significant people of the day, Barbara’s “gets” included everyone from pols and diplomats like Menachim Begin and Ronald Reagan to Hollywood types known for their reluctance to be interviewed, like Clint Eastwood. And she was able to close the deal to get the infamous Monica Lewinsky in her first post-Clinton interview. Beyond that, Barbara was the first woman to co-host an evening news program, had a long career at “The Today Show,” and then closed her career with the creation of “The View,” a prominent talk show which she led. Like her or hate her, Walters was everywhere for a long time and quite literally paved the way for the success of other women on TV. And it wasn’t by being warm and fuzzy. But give her credit. She was who everyone watched on TV whenever there was a big story to tell. 3½ cans.
69. My Mom Jayne* (2025, HBO) – This moving documentary is a poignant look at the life of actress Jayne Mansfield produced by her actress daughter, Marishka Hargitay, the daughter who hardly knew her. Marishka was just 3 years old when her mother was killed in a car accident that left the toddler and her siblings injured. Her father, body builder Mickey Hargitay, raised the children despite the fact that he and Mansfield had actually divorced. In her day, Jayne Mansfield was like her counterpart, Marilyn Monroe, two breathy blond bombshells better known for their figures than their acting abilities. They were characterized as “dumb blondes’’ when they were neither dumb nor blond. Marishka decides to get to know her mother, visiting the long-secured family storage unit and talking to people who knew her mother back in the day. Some of what she learns is a revelation, with footage of her mother expertly playing the violin and a piano, while other information was kept as family secrets. This is a loving tribute to a woman who was much more than a sex symbol by a daughter who grew up not knowing her. 3½ cans.
70. The Bear, Season 4* (2025, Hulu) – Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and his crazy family are back for another go-around, this time with even more at stake as the chef is working on a deadline to have his restaurant turn a profit. Also back is Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), his most trusted chef, along with cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), sister Nat (Abby Elliott) and crazy mom Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis). The crew awaits its fate as they sweat out a review from a food critic and Carmy decides that the perfect menu he tried to achieve last year isn’t making business better. There is so much tension again this year that I can’t understand why this show is considered a comedy-drama. And trying to figure out who is who, who is getting married and who the hell are the Faks anyway (there’s the comic-relief), forced me to resort to finding reviews just so I could understand the plot and players. But the acting here is SO good that I can overlook some of the extra work I was forced to do. There are 10 episodes, all available for streaming on Hulu. And who knows if the show will be back next year, so enjoy it while you can! 4 cans.

Disjointed

 TMI about My TKR

I like to plan ahead. When it comes to medical stuff, I want as much information as I can get, so I will be prepared with facts on hand to deal with whatever the issue may be.

For my May 13 total knee replacement, I had no lack of sources, including the experiences of three close friends who had their knees replaced since March – and one, the day before mine. I found that checking in with people who have gone through the experience was extremely helpful. So, I’m sharing my experience with you so you can be ready when it is your turn.

1.    I shopped, cooked, and got a haircut and my toenails done in advance. I found all the shorts I owned and put them in a bin I could easily reach. And I had the house assessed for grab bars and had several installed -- in the bathroom and by the garage steps. The shower one enabled me to take a shower the first day I came home from the hospital, sitting on the shower chair I borrowed from my alumnae friend Kathi Love. My walker and high toilet seat were provided by my Canal Walk friend Angela Horan, and my cane was provided by my sister Nancy and belonged to her late husband, as did the “rollator” walker, a souped-up version of the original walker. I have gone through two sets of tennis balls on the walker legs in four weeks.
2.    I assumed my knee would be stiff and in pain, but I didn’t realize how stiff my leg would be or the level of pain I would face. I have progressed from feeling like someone is hammering a spike into my knee to advanced leg fatigue and achiness, which makes it tough to do my exercises, walk around the house or sleep. I’m a bad sleeper to begin with, but constant pain takes its toll. In trying (that is the word) to sleep initially, I was told to keep my leg straight. Don’t prop it up on a pillow and whatever you do, don’t be comfortable! If my foot would rotate 5 degrees either way, that meant it wasn’t straight. I slept in the family room on the recliner for about a week. Now I am mostly in bed, but my bed is so high that I need a step stool to climb in. I know how to step on the stool with my good, right leg, and propel myself into the bed. Any movement after that is a challenge. I have mostly mastered the skill of “scooting” into position. My in-home physical therapist from Community Visiting Nurse Association in Somerville, Jennifer, was here for about 2 weeks and she showed me all the tricks of getting into bed and getting into my sister’s SUV. I served on the Board of CVNA for about 30 years and I knew what a great resource they are to the community, and my first-hand experience with them just made me admire them more.
3.    The doctor and my outpatient physical therapist, a nice, knowledgeable and patient man named John, no longer care how I sleep. They just want me to sleep. We are in agreement on this subject.
4.    The PT says they want my leg to get completely straight AND that I need to bend it to a certain degree (which he has declined to share). I told him to make up his mind – I can bend or straighten, but not both. He says that your progress after 12 weeks of PT is probably where you will end up. He has a little plastic tool that looks like something we used in high school geometry class that measures the bend. I’m not expecting to crouch behind the plate like the catcher for the New York Yankees. My goal in this rehab is to be able to walk down the steps to get from the concourse at Jersey Mike’s Arena to my third-row seat for Rutgers Women’s Basketball games that begin in November. I could only go one, slow step at a time prior to the surgery, holding on to the handrail for dear life, so I’m sure improvement will take place as I go to physical therapy several times a week and do exercises at home. First they work on range of motion and then move more to strength. I’m not auditioning for the ballet, but I need to be able to walk a distance.
5.    The new knee went into the left leg, which makes it easier to drive since that leg is just along for the ride and isn’t needed for the pedals. But swinging the leg into the car is not easy. My brand-new car, picked up the day before the surgery, allows me to put the driver’s seat way back to get in (never lean on the car door, they told me in occupational therapy), but then I have to adjust the seat all the way up or I can’t reach the pedals to step on the brake to start the engine. Being short might help in swinging my leg in, but it doesn’t help much with much else. 
6.    I soon realized that sitting with my legs down for more than 10 minutes is very painful. So, if this essay seems disjointed (pun), it is because I had to write it in fits and starts of 10 minutes or less so I would be able to walk at the end of the allotted time.
7.    I was walking with a walker the day of the surgery and the day after, which amazed me. The nerve block is still in effect, so the pain hadn't quite hit home at that point. Immediately after getting home (I spent one night in the hospital before discharge), I had to keep my leg extended when I sat down – in a chair, on the toilet, etc. It got easier to sit more normally after a few weeks so it doesn’t look like I’m trying to trip anyone, but it remains painful to keep my leg at a 90-degree angle while sitting – and I have a lot more degrees to go before we hit whatever normal may be.
8.    Ice, ice, baby. Ice is your friend. The hospital provided a two-compartment gel pack that I can wrap around my leg for relief. I also borrowed an ice machine from my basketball friend Nancy Young, who has had both knees replaced. You fill a reservoir in what looks like a cooler with ice (or frozen bottles of water), add water and a pump gets the water to flow through a tube to a large pad strapped to your knee. No more running to the freezer for more ice – but running anywhere with the tube strapped to your leg is not possible. I have more ice packs than food in my freezer these days.
9.    Besides the icing, I was given three levels of pain relievers to take, depending on the severity of the pain. When it felt just regular pain, Extra Strength Tylenol was the best choice, but when it felt like someone hammering a spike into my knee, my options were to take prescription drugs Tramadol or, even more potent, Oxycodone. Here’s where you say to yourself, “Billy, don’t be a hero,” and take the drugs. Relief isn’t complete or immediate, but it helps to calm things down. Like all of these kinds of drugs, the side effects are real – drowsiness is OK, even welcomed, but constipation can be a real pain in the ass! 
10.    My incision was initially covered with a waterproof bandage that was removed after a week. The surgeon used glue, not staples, to keep it together (the stitches were done internally), and I still have globs of glue all over my knee, along with some scabs. There were times when I felt like everything inside was bursting at the seams as I moved my leg or exercised, but I have been reassured that it is all neatly closed up and not in danger of opening. If you say so.
11.    The doctor said I could go back to my aqua class after two weeks, but there was no way I would consider getting into a pool with other people’s bacteria floating around, at least until the scabs healed. Besides, how am I supposed to get out of a wet bathing suit in the locker room – on a wet floor, no less – without fear of falling? I’m also not sure how to master the ladder to climb in or out of the pool with one leg that isn’t ready for bending quite yet.
12.    When I went for my one-month post-op visit, the surgeon did little more than admire his handiwork. He grabbed my leg and straightened it, pronouncing it a success, and then bent it to more than 90 degrees (barely more) and said I was doing fine. I told him part of my knee is still numb, and he said that might continue. We both decided it didn't matter. At PT, where the therapist massages the knee and coaxes it beyond 90 degrees, I’m doing more exercises, using the recumbent bike, which is more like a sitting elliptical machine that doesn’t require my knee to use the circular motion of a regular exercise bike. And now I am pushing and bending on the leg press machine. John said we would start to use weights on my ankles soon and I asked him to let me know when so I can be accidentally absent that day.
13.    I’m certainly making progress in my recovery. Initially, I couldn’t put on my socks and getting my shorts on was a challenge. I never realized I was right-legged, which makes sense since I am right-handed. I always want to put my pants on right leg first, but you learn quickly to do the surgical leg first. I had no idea how mentally tiring this whole thing would be. I kept hearing the lyrics “every step you take,” because you have to think about each step to make sure you are moving safely, especially in the bathroom and shower. That really wore me out (yet I still couldn’t sleep). 
14.    One final piece of advice if you are thinking of having major surgery like this is to get someone to stay with you for a while, at least initially. My sister stayed with me at my house for nearly 3 weeks and was a huge help. Not only did she help me with every step, she drove me to my doctor’s appointments and PT, did all of the shopping and prepared the food, did the laundry, checked the mail, brought out the garbage and was my lifeline. She was down on her hands and knees strapping me into the ice machine – which I’ll never be able to do for her since I doubt that kneeling will be in my future. And I hope she knows we are not out of the woods yet. I have arthritis in my “good” knee, too, and someday I’ll probably need to have that one replaced. I don’t know what I would have done without her! And no, she is not available for hire.

Tina's May 2025 Movies & More

Another group of diverse movies marks May. The rating scale is 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with being the highest. Numbering picks up from previous months and shows marked with an asterisk are ones I had not seen previously.

47. The Four Seasons* (2025, Netflix) – This 8-part series is derived from the 1981 comedy movie by Alan Alda, with a cast this time of Tina Fey, Will Forte, Steve Carell and Colman Domingo in the roles of 3 couples who are best friends and spend vacations together, one in each season. The friends all go through things that friends and couples experience in the course of relationships, some clever and amusing and others sad and potentially fatal to the group dynamic. This show reminds us that relationships are not easy and should not be taken for granted, whether they are between friends, lovers, spouses, exes, etc. 3 cans.
48. The Four Seasons (1981, Netflix) – This is where it all began, with a clever comedy written, directed by and starring Alan Alda.  Alda is well matched by screen wife Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Jack Weston, Len Cariou, Sandy Dennis and Beth Armstrong. The plot is essentially the same as the new series, but I preferred the original movie, which I think had better characters and actors. The scenery here and the Vivaldi music bring class and dignity to the movie. 4 cans.
49. Secrets of the Penguins* (2025) – If you loved “The March of the Penguins,” you will enjoy this further exploration into their world. The first part of three is very similar to “March,” showing how the penguins mate, deliver babies and then the mothers go off to gather food while the fathers are given the daunting task of keeping their progeny alive through extreme conditions. The other parts of the series show penguins in the Galapagos, who do not have to contend with the bracing cold and lack of food; they attack pelicans, whose mouths are chock full of fish. I don’t often watch movies about the joys of nature, but this series was well worth my time. 3½ cans.
50. Nonnas* (2025, Netflix) – Who wouldn’t love a movie about Italian grandmas who cook? Here, Vince Vaughn plays a man trying to open an old-fashioned restaurant on Staten Island where the kitchen is staffed by some of the neighborhood women who have cooked for their families for years. There are the usual complications of opening any business, plus trying to get food critics and people outside of family and friends to sample the earthy and delicious food prepared by the “nonnas.” Vaughn is accompanied here by Brenda Vaccaro, Talia Shire, Susan Sarandon and Lorraine Bracco, who don’t always get along but whose friction is there to amuse us. This movie is based on a true story. See it, but don’t watch it hungry or you’ll really want to eat! 3½ cans.
51. The Quilters* (2025, Netflix) – This short (34-minute) documentary takes viewers behind the bars of an all-male penitentiary where certain inmates are allowed to participate in a program to make quilts for autistic children. Any infractions could kick them out of the program and back into the general population. The men here take their mission seriously, sketching and sewing and displaying their beautiful work. I loved the movie, but I wanted more: How did the program start? Did any of these men know how to sew? How many people are in the program and how did they get started? Regardless of the lack of information, this was an inspiring, charming little movie that reminds us that most people are not entirely good or bad. 4 cans.
52. Fountain of Youth* (2025, Apple TV) – I know it is me. I just cannot suspend my sense of reality and enjoy an adventure-caper-type movie without thinking the plot is absurd and the hero would never survive. People pop up in just the places they need to be to either save or attack the main characters, the amount of expertise needed to solve whatever the plot dictates is unreasonable, etc. That said, this action movie starring John Krasinski and Natalie Portman as a brother and sister is a slick flick that many people will likely rate higher than me. But I can’t go higher than 3 cans.
53. The Love Punch* (2013, Prime Video) – I have to use the same standard here as in the above movie. Emma Thompson and Pierce Brosnan are exes who team up to steal a diamond that they plan to use to recoup their financial holdings after he loses his job in a corporate takeover that costs all of his fellow employees their life savings. This comedy-romance is very appealing because of the chemistry between the charming leads, but the absurdity of the plot was hard to take for me. 3 cans.
54. Your Friends & Neighbors* (2025, Apple TV) – Except for being divorced from his first wife, Andy Cooper (Jon Hamm) is living the good life is suburban New York. She has their former house and the kids, but everyone is friendly with the wife’s lover, with whom she cheated while married to Coop. Then, suddenly, Coop loses his high-paid hedge-fund job after having an affair with a co-worker, he cannot work elsewhere because of his contract, and he decides to take things into his own hands by robbing his wealthy friends and neighbors of a few baubles and other things they won’t even know are missing before he can fence them. And just when his life of crime seems to be paying off, he is accused of murder. Coop is always on the verge of being caught but for much of the mini-series, he escapes. Until he can’t. A very sharp, smart and clever comedy with an outstanding performance by Jon Hamm, this is a great take on how rich people live. I will definitely watch Season 2 if there is one. 4 cans.
55. Hacks, Season 4* (2025, Max) – Veteran comedienne Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) has finally reached her dream of hosting her own night-night talk show, although she got there through some nefarious means. And so did her head writer, Ava (Hannah Einbeinder), who cons her way into the job by holding some key information over Deborah’s head. The first few episodes of this season were too dramatic and nasty, but around halfway through, things resolve themselves neatly and the two women really start to bond. Still, succeeding in late night TV isn’t a sure thing, even when you are on top. The twists and unexpected outcomes that mark the end of the season will be fun to follow as Hacks continues to Season 5. 4 cans.
56. And Then She Found Me* (2007, Prime Video) – Helen Hunt plays April, a 39-year- old woman newly married to Ben (Matthew Broderick), a fellow teacher, who desperately wants to have a baby. Ben, however, decides he doesn’t want to be married after all. And just as her adoptive mother passes away, suddenly her birth mother (Bette Midler) comes barging into her life, trying to make up for the years she has lost with her daughter. And, if life isn’t complicated enough, April falls for Frank (Colin Firth), father of one of her students, whose wife dumped him. One thing that never changes is April’s determination to have a baby. But will she find the right man, fix her relationship with her mother and her husband or end up with the new man? Stay tuned. 3½ cans.
57. The Last Showgirl* (2024, Hulu) – Pamela Anderson puts on quite a show in his look at Shelly, a woman who has spent decades performing in a fading Vegas review that is about to close. She is a showgirl, a dying breed in Las Vegas, and she considers her role in the “Razzle Dazzle” show to be legitimate show business. Anderson is terrific in the part of the beauty whose esteem depends on putting on the costumes and layers of make-up to portray the star of the dwindling troupe. She is the leader of the show and the pack of women who perform it. She is also the estranged mother of Hannah (Bille Lourd), whom she gave up in order to let the young woman lead a more normal life with stepparents. Jamie Lee Curtis gives the film more pathos with her portrayal of a former showgirl who now is a cocktail waitress who still longs for her performing days. This is a well-crafted movie by Gia Coppola that makes you feel sadness and empathy for these women who cannot face an era that is ending. 4 cans.

Getting a Leg Up

 1.    I’m sending this month’s blog post a day late since I just underwent knee replacement surgery and was in the hospital. But here are the usual random topics to cover as well as an update on my surgery:
2.    Once again, I did not make the list of People Magazine’s Most Beautiful People. This is an outrage! I’m only keeping my subscription to see if I make it next year!
3.    The HVAC guy was here to tune up the system for the spring/summer season. I’m in my favorite season, the few weeks of the year when I don’t need either heat or AC and I can calm down my PSEG bills!
4.    I have been spending a lot of time in doctors’ offices lately, catching up on exams and prepping for my knee replacement surgery. Have you noticed that magazines have made a return to the waiting room? During Covid and for a while afterwards, they disappeared from the racks to prevent exposure by touching them. Now they are back, but I still ignore them. You can’t be too careful.
5.    There is no greater equalizer than putting on that flimsy paper gown at the doctor’s office. It doesn’t matter if you are a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn or a king, you feel cold and exposed no matter who you are.
6.    Is it really necessary for the doctor’s office to text me, email me and call me to remind me about my upcoming doctor’s appointment? I think more time is spent generating these reminders than the doctor spends examining me. They are so anxious to see me, yet they make me wait for half an hour in the waiting room and another extended period of time in the exam room.
7.    Overheard in the waiting room at the doctor’s office: A woman was talking on the phone and urging someone to act quickly on cryptocurrency. Jump on it, she pleaded to whomever was on the other end. Then she said, “You’re talking about the stock market. I don’t know anything about that.” I couldn’t help thinking that this is the profile of a person who is going to lose everything or make a killing out of dumb luck.
8.    There has to be a better way to collect a urine sample than handing a woman a tiny container and asking her to capture what the lab needs. You never know if it is going in the cup, whether you have filled it enough, or, God forbid, you might accidently drop or spill it, and there’s no going back. Men have it much easier.
9.    Prior to my knee replacement, I was required to go to Joint Replacement Class. I was with a bunch of knee and hip patients, all of whom heard about the importance of pumping our ankles, preparing the house and having a “coach” on hand to help in the recovery (my sister went with me). They even provided a pair of hideous, bright blue shorts to wear as I recover. Mine might have been worn by LeBron James, that’s how long they were on me! I’m not sure you will even see my new knee in these!
10.    This surgery is no fun, but the essential thing is to get up and walk around – even on the day of the surgery. I had a nerve block and an epidural, plus a little “happy juice,” as one of the anesthesia people described it, so I was gone to the wind before I even entered the OR. My scar is still covered, so I just have to assume they did the surgery. I couldn’t attest to the experience in a court of law. I had physical and occupational therapy the next day, so I now know how to put on my pants, walk up steps and conduct the activities of daily living. It hurts, but I managed to get into the shower today and I felt like a new woman – all clean and shiny. Thank God for my sister, who is staying with me, serving meals, helping me with my meds, and coming down from the upstairs guest room when I need to go to the bathroom.
11.    In advance of the surgery, I tried to be as prepared as I could possibly be. I got a haircut and a pedicure, downloaded more books on my Kindle, made food to freeze, had grab bars installed in the shower and garage, did my pre-surgery exercises, booked my physical therapy appointments post-surgery through June, put aside plenty of shorts to wear (summer is a better time for surgery than winter, when you have to wear long pants and watch your steps on the ice), and bought a new car.
12.    That last thing was unrelated, but my car was on life support and was put out of her misery. Too bad I won’t be able to drive the new car for a while! My goal is eventually to be able to walk down to my seat at Jersey Mike’s Arena and back up the stairs when Rutgers Women’s basketball gets underway in the fall. Last season my knee really hurt, and to keep it from getting stiff, I had to keep getting up from my seat. Every time anyone hit a basket or the other team committed a foul, or there was a timeout, I would stand up and cheer – more for my leg than for the action. I hope next season I have plenty to cheer about – including being able to conquer the steps! Just don’t challenge me to a foot race!

Tina's April 2025 Movies & More

April was not a good month for movies, either for quality or quantity. I managed to hit double-digits, but just barely. Numbering picks up from previous months, and all entries are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with 5 the top rating. Nothing ranked that high in April. If you want to leave a comment, please include your name at the end. Thanks.
36. King James* (2025, George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick) – George Street Playhouse is a great place to see a show. There’s not a bad seat in the house, the sets are perfect for the action and they are very good at bringing in shows you probably won’t see elsewhere. That said, this production was interesting but I feel would have limited appeal. It is a two-person play that runs 2 hours (with an intermission) and has continuous, fast-paced dialog between the characters that requires the audience to listen carefully. The demands on the actors are intense. The show is about Shaun and Matt, two men who meet and bond over their love for basketball player LeBron James, who, as the show starts, is beginning his rookie year with their local Cleveland Cavaliers, a perennially losing NBA team. They share their opinions about LeBron – especially when he announced he would be taking “his talents to Miami” and abandoning Cleveland. And they also share their lives, with Shaun becoming close to Matt’s family and pursuing a career in television writing. When Shaun announces his plans to study in New York and later to venture to Hollywood, Matt feels as abandoned as he did when LeBron left Cleveland. Their friendship suffers a few hits, but they have too much history to give it up. 3 cans.
37. American Masters – LIZA (2025, PBS) – Liza Minelli was born into show business. The daughter of legendary star Judy Garland and her director husband, Vincent Minnelli, Liza’s path to becoming an entertainer was inevitable. Her role in Cabaret won her an Oscar and opened the doors to other special projects, including her acclaimed special, “Liza with a Z.” As an actress, singer, dancer and a dynamic performer in all media, Liza shined brightly, but her life was never easy. She is definitely NOT like other performers, and she always seems to leave all of her energy on that stage. This is a fair and insightful look at a show biz life. 3½ cans.
38. The Pitt* (2025, Max) – Medical dramas have had a long life on TV, but this one is a little different. Each episode covers an hour in the Emergency Department at a hospital in Pittsburgh, taking viewers along during an intense shift by the medical staff. The star of the ED and the show is the former Dr. John Carter of “ER” fame, Noah Wylie, here playing grizzled doc Michael “Robby” Rabinovich. Robby is the seasoned vet of the department, while several newbies are on board on their first day. The acting is first rate, thought I had some trouble distinguishing among the female doctors since many were brunettes and looked similar to me. The other thing that made this show challenging to me is that earlier this year I started watching the entire run of “ER” (I’m on season 13 of 15; 330 episodes in all), and Noah Wylie’s young Dr. John Carter was one of my favorite characters. The juxtaposition of Wylie playing an earnest young doctor in “ER” vs the doctor who has seen it all in “The Pitt” required an adjustment on my part. Both shows are excellent, and the good news is that “The Pitt” has already been granted a second season. 4 cans.
39. The Life List* (2025, Netflix) – Think back to when you were young and had a long list of things you wanted to accomplish in life. In this somewhat predictable romantic comedy, Alex has just that list, and she has a good reason for setting out to check every item off of it. Luckily for her, things fall into place quite easily, and a few items on that list especially work out in her favor. 3 cans.
40. Ghostlight* (2024, Hulu) – This is a sad and sobering film about a married father who is grieving a loss (viewers learn more about that as the story unfolds) and unable to express his sadness and frustration. Dan (Keith Kupferer) works in construction and is harassed about the noise he makes by a little woman who lives in the area where he is working. She somehow gets him to observe the adult community theater group she is in as they prepare for a performance of “Romeo and Juliet” (with characters much older than in the original Shakesperean play). Poor Dan has a wife who is also mourning the loss and a feisty daughter who is constantly in trouble, also grieving and acting out. It doesn’t appear that anything will bring relief and comfort to this sad family, but sometimes when you least expect it, something of meaning and joy comes along. 3½ cans.
41. A Real Pain* (2024, Hulu) – The title of this film conveys two separate truths. When cousins Dave (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Oscar-winning Kieran Culkin) decide to do a Jewish Heritage tour in Poland to honor their late grandmother, Dave quickly realizes that Benji is a quixotic pain the butt, behaving inappropriately by being loud and lecturing the other travelers. The other pain is from visiting the various Polish locales where their grandmother lived and somehow managed to survive the Holocaust. As the group tours Poland, the reality of what happened to the Jews living there prior to and during WWII is overwhelming. Both leads handle their parts with enough skill to keep me watching, though I was tempted to bail when Benji’s antics really started to annoy me. 3½ cans.
42. My Penguin Friend* (2024, Hulu) – I don’t usually go for movies where the main characters are animals, but this one caught my eye when I saw a preview in the movies months ago. Joao is a fisherman living in Brazil. He is grieving a loss from long ago, living a quiet life with his wife and just barely scraping by financially and emotionally. But one day he rescues an oil-covered penguin who has somehow gotten separated from his flock. Joao cleans him up and feeds him, and the little guy is so cute and clever that it is hard on Joao when he knows it is time to release him back in the ocean to find the penguins he left behind. Joa’s granddaughter names the lucky penguin Dindim. Somehow, Dindim manages to return to Joao, but eventually a group of biologists tag him and scoop him up for a study of marine life. Without giving away the plot – which is based on a true story – this is NOT the last we will see of Dindim. Every now and then a touching movie comes along and warms the heart. This one surely did. 4 cans.
43. Con Mum* (2025, Netflix) – For Graham, a chef in London, never knowing his biological mother was something he regretted. Then, out of the blue, she tracked him down and contacted him, asking to get together. Skeptical, he and his partner asked Dionne a series of questions that only his mother would know, such as, “What is my middle name?” She knew he didn’t have one. So they got together and she filled him in on her incredible life story and her extraordinary wealth. She was dying, she explained, so she wanted to establish a relationship with Graham before it was too late. If something seems too good to be true, it generally is not to be believed. But poor Graham believed her stories and when her wealth was “tied up,” he took care of the bills for her extravagant lifestyle. You know what’s coming, but I couldn’t turn away. People who con others have the ability to lie so creatively and to entice others into supporting them. This Netflix documentary was just one part, but the story unfolded completely. If you like these kinds of stories, this is one that you probably haven’t seen before. 4 cans.
44. Heart of Champions* (2021, Netflix) – This cliché-driven sports movie telegraphs every move. Will the tough coach of the rowing team (Michael Shannon) whip them into shape so they can beat Harvard? When will the inevitable tragedy take place? And could you possibly end this movie without the team triumph? I can’t recommend this one, despite competent performances and a bit of drama. 2 cans.
45. G20* (2025, Prime Video) – I really can imagine Viola Davis as the President of the United States. She is a tough, intelligent woman with charisma. But in this horror movie – oops, I mean HORRIBLE movie – the filmmakers are determined to show her as a kickass woman who can physically fight off the terrorists at the G20 Summit of world leaders. To me, the most preposterous scene took place in an elevator – not a freight elevator – with guns drawn and fisticuffs everywhere. Can the President, a military veteran, use her background and smarts to outwit and overcome the killers? Her family is along for the ride, and her daughter somehow manages to find the right frequency to communicate with Prez Mom throughout the ordeal. I’m a big Viola Davis fan, but she’s not winning any Oscars, Tonys, Emmys or Grammys here. 1 can, mostly for Davis’ ability to enter combat in a long red dress.
46. Love Again* (2023, Hulu) – I was working those subscriptions today and found this rom-but-not-so-much-com on Hulu. Mia (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) suffers a horrible loss when the man she is about to become engaged to is killed by a drunk driver as she looks on. Two years later, she is still wearing his old shirts and sending romantic texts to his old phone, which makes her feel the relationship is still alive. But the number now belongs to music critic Rob (Sam Heughan), who cannot find love of his own. He eagerly reads Mia’s texts and eventually meets her (come on, you knew this was coming). But he doesn’t know how to tell her that he has read her deepest thoughts through her inadvertent texts. This is a sweet and gentle movie, with a cast that is easy on the eyes and a good way to kill some time. And Celine Dion is a key plot point and graces the movie with her fabulous voice. 3 cans.
 

April Amusements

 1.    Have you ever wondered whatever happened to that cake left out in the rain at MacArthur Park? Is that sweet, green icing still flowing down? And why did someone go to the park to get rid of it since it took so long to make it?
2.    That lovely new fragrance that I am wearing these days is the Eau de Lidocaine that I am spraying on my aching knee.
3.    Does anyone ever use those coupons that come in the ValPak envelope? You know, the ones that offer services by roofers, installation of gutter guards and even ordering Bradford Exchange decorative checks. And does anyone in 2025 actually order and use decorative checks? Why? Who sees your checks? Most of my bills are paid online, most automatically. I can’t imagine paying for checks that are pretty when the bank sends me blank ones for free (and I go through a book only every few years)!
4.    My dry skin really needed some attention, so I decided to switch to the soap of my childhood, Ivory, which boasts that it is “99 and 44/100 percent pure.” My luck, I’ll be in that .56% impure part.
5.    I never feel more stupid than when I check the Spelling Bee results from yesterday and see all of the easy words I should have found!
6.    I just came across the plastic wheel that I used for cropping pictures way back when. I have no use for this item – I’m not cropping any pictures these days – yet I just can’t throw it away. I’ll just keep it stashed along with a slide rule I still own. I am really OLD!
7.    If I don’t put the garbage out before 10 am, the garbage truck will come early that day. If the garbage is at the curb by 9 am, the truck won’t show up until after 2. I know this to be true.
8.    There is something to be said in favor of not washing all of the pots and pans immediately after dinner. My parents were big on letting things soak to loosen up the crud and I have come around to that thinking. My rule was always that I had to finish doing the dishes before I went to the family room to watch TV, but, hey, I’m not totally inflexible. Sometimes.
9.    There should be a law prohibiting cars from having black bodies and white tops. I always think a police car is after me when I see one!
10.    How do the daffodils know to come up at the same time every year? I must have missed the 9th grade science class where all this nature stuff was explained. Every spring, when I see them bloom in the yards of my neighbors, I think, where were these all winter and why haven’t I planted any?
11.    My dentist retired, so after about 30 years, I switched to someone new. But you know how traumatic it is to switch any kind of service or medical provider. The new one does things the old one didn’t, which could be good or bad. In this case, it was good! I got a comprehensive exam, saw pictures of every tooth in my mouth (way more than I needed to see) and even had my open mouth measured horizontally and vertically. It turns out that the vertical measurement is about the size of an 8-year-old’s mouth. I can’t figure out how I have managed to stuff that much food in such a small cavity (get it?). The dentist said he could fix it by doing a whole bunch of stuff that would result in more capacity. I declined, figuring that this mouth and these teeth have done a good job for 74 years (minus the time when I had no teeth), so if it ain’t broke, why fix it?
12.    Don’t sneeze when you have a mouthful of toothpaste. Trust me, I’ve done it!
13.    Every time I buy “healthy” bread that is made from “ancient grains,” I can’t help but wonder – is this fresh? It sounds OLD! I feel the same way about heirloom tomatoes.
14.    Whenever I get a manicure, the nail tech always tells me to relax my hands. Sorry, but that’s not even possible. There’s no part of my body that is relaxed. Ask my gynecologist!
15.    Brave is bringing a bottle of water to aqua aerobics class and drinking it during a break in the session. Stupid is swallowing any of the pool water, just in case…
16.    It occurs to me that although I see the people in my aqua aerobics class three times a week, I wouldn’t recognize them if I ran into them outside of the gym. This is because they are not dressed in the pool. The women have their hair pulled back, and many people are taller than they appear in the water (I can barely hold my head up since the water is so deep to me!). So, if you’re in my class and I ignore you when I see you outside of the pool, please understand why!
17.    Several of the vitamins and other meds I take come in the form of gummies, which almost makes them seem like a dessert. The problem I am finding is that they stick together in the bottle and I have lots of trouble getting them out. Any suggestions? I don’t keep them in the bathroom or near any heat source.
18.    Nobody I know sleeps through the night anymore. I try the tricks – listening to nature sounds (a babbling brook only makes me need to use the bathroom), meditating (my mind wanders), playing soothing music. Sometimes I have Alexa read my current book on Kindle, but then I either get caught up in the plot or miss a chunk of the story. So I put on the TV and it is on all night. My current favorite show to sleep through is “Mighty Cruise Ships,” a series of programs about all kinds of cruise ships on all kinds of routes. I especially love the scenes where the provisions come in – when they tell viewers how many dozens of eggs, gallons of beer and tons of produce are needed for a week at sea. And then, somewhere between the scenes of the cooks preparing thousands of meals each day and the captain trying to dock a ship the equivalent length of a skyscraper, I manage to fall asleep. At least I’m not watching the murder and mayhem of “Dateline,” which I had been using for this purpose. (It’s always the spouse, by the way.) I would put on an episode, someone would be killed, and I would wake up at the end of the next “Dateline” with an entirely new case – and it was still the spouse. Or I tried “Air Disasters,” reenactments of actual plane crashes, as the authorities attempted to figure out what went wrong. There is something strange about someone who finds this kind of show relaxing and sleep-inducing (raising my hand).
19.    College basketball season is over, at long last. Now instead of following the scores, fans have to follow the transfer portal to see who has left their team for supposedly greener pastures. More than 1200 of the women playing college ball have decided their current program no longer meets their needs and they are up for the highest bidder. They issue earnest statements thanking their coaches, teammates and the fans for their support, talk about their growth on and off the court and say what a tough decision it was. So why leave, if you were so happy, loved and supported? It’s all about the money – though some of the players transferring will find out they are worth much less than they estimated!  It’s very hard to be a loyal fan with so many players changing teams each year. Now, on to baseball and my Yankees with their new “torpedo” bats!

March 2025 Movies and More

Here is what I watched in March, rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with 5 being the highest rating. Numbering picks up from previous months and anything marked with an asterisk I had seen previously. If you leave a comment, please include your name so I know who is writing.

25. Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy* (2025, Peacock) – The cast of TV comedy classic “Friends” featured six actors whose charms and foibles seemed to align perfectly with the characters they played. Their on-screen friendships blossomed into off-screen friendships and provided them each with fame and fortune beyond their wildest dreams. With a smirk on his face and his insecurities front and center, Matthew Perry played the smart aleck friend Chandler Bing. But endless resources didn’t bring him endless joy, just easier ways to get booze and drugs to try to find that elusive happiness. This documentary traces Perry’s life and death, indicting the doctors and assistants who provided him with an excessive supply of ketamine that led to his death. It’s hard to accept his untimely demise and good to see that those responsible for his death are being held accountable for their role in it. 3½ cans.
26. In the Arena* (2024, ESPN+) – As a youngster growing up in Compton, California, Serena Williams learned to play tennis with her sister Venus under the tutelage of her father and coach, Richard Williams. Venus was expected to be the superior player, but when Serena won the US Open as a teenager in 1999, she began a journey that would see her win 23 Grand Slam titles and countless other championships on her way to being considered the G.O.A.T. – The Greatest of All Time. This fascinating 8-part series features detailed accounts of her victories and failures, down to individual points, and what she was thinking at the time. If you love tennis, don’t miss this masterful series. 4 cans.
27. I’ll Be Right There* (2023, Peacock) – Edie Falco has traded in her Sopranos family for one with different problems in this movie. She plays Wanda, part-time bookkeeper and full-time Mom to grown children who will never not need her help, calling constantly with the latest of their problems. Wanda takes all calls and responds with “I’ll be right there,” whether it is her children or her ailing and eccentric Mom (played expertly by Jeannie Berlin). Here’s just a sample of the issues with which she has to contend: her very pregnant daughter wants a big and expensive wedding that neither she nor her ex-husband (with a new family of young children) can afford. Her son has or had a drug problem, can’t hold a job, lies about what he is doing and takes no responsibility for anything. Her mother is certain she has lung cancer and is relieved to find out it is “just” leukemia. Familial ties run strong here, and poor Wanda – who is dating not one, but two people – never has time for herself. The movie seems to be an accurate account of someone who can control the books professionally but is overwhelmed by all her actual life. Worth seeing. 3½ cans.
28. Devil in the Family* (2025, Netflix) – I paid little attention to news stories about Ruby Franke, a woman who seemed like the perfect mother but who eventually was convicted of child abuse. But this 3-part documentary got such a good review in The New York Times that I decided to watch it. Why do people think that everyone is interested in every detail of their lives? That was certainly the case with Mormon Mom Ruby Franke, a bubbly blonde with 6 kids who began broadcasting her life on social media. As the cute idea became lucrative through sponsors, it also became more intrusive, especially to her older children, who no longer cared to share the spotlight. As Ruby became more demanding, she also became more cult-like and devoted to a religion that defined her kids and husband as menacing and satanic. Watch the series to see what happened. 3½ cans.
29. Between the Temples* (2024, Netflix) – Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) is a cantor in the temple who has a crisis of faith after the death of his wife: He loses his ability to sing. He runs into Carla Kessler (Carol Kane), the music teacher he had in grade school, and the two develop an awkward but sweet friendship as she decides to become a Bat Mitzvah student. Poor Ben is sad and lonely despite the matchmaking efforts of his two moms, and he grows closer to the much older Carla. Good performances in this comedy-drama, but it was a little too quirky for my taste. 3 cans.
30. Sing Sing* (2024, MAX) – This drama is based on the real story of a theater program run in Sing Sing prison by the inmates. Colman Domingo gives a powerful performance as the leader of the ensemble, a group of inmates who use the program to free their souls. Clarence Maclin is Divine Eye, a rough and tumble inmate who wants to join the company and comes to appreciate the way the program makes each man restore elements of his life that had been locked away. It might seem improbable that these men would become a theater troupe, but they do, and in so doing, they also gain respect for each other. I kept waiting for typical prison violence to occur, but I was gladly mistaken. Off-off Broadway indeed! 3½ cans.
31. Adolescence* (2024, Netflix) – This 4-part Netflix series tells the story of a 13-year-old boy, Jamie (amazingly performed by Owen Cooper), who is accused of murdering a female classmate.The British police storm his house, seeking the boy and any evidence of the crime. But the innocent-looking teenager insists he had nothing to do with it. The story proceeds with the arrest and processing of the accused, who is accompanied by his confused and supportive parents (Stephen Graham is exceptional as the anguished father) and sister. The evidence begins to mount, but no one can understand why the boy would stab the girl in the first place. Or did he? Jamie may be under duress, but the fallout of his arrest is just as difficult for his family, which feels the anger of the community that assumes Jamie is guilty. This intense series focuses on one aspect of the case at a time, building to a crescendo that is shocking. 4 cans.
32. Sly Lives*! (2025, Hulu) – Sylvester Stone was hardly what you would call “Everyday People.” Sly started writing songs before he was 21 and went on to establish his groundbreaking band, Sly & the Family Stone, a few years later. He tapped the best musicians he could find and wrote, produced and performed his unique brand of soul, rock and funk music with great success. The film asserts that “without Sly & the Family Stone, there would be no Prince,” and you can feel the connection. The music told a story and showed an evolution as Sly became the hallmark of success, a burden not always easy to carry. As talented as he was, and as closeknit as his band became, Sly’s use of drugs took on an increasing toll on the group. Sly & the Family Stone gave us such memorable songs as “Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself,” “Family Affair,” “Hot Fun in the Summer Time” and many more hits that built the legacy of this unique artist. 3½ cans
33. Breach* (2007, Prime Video) – In the wake of the current crisis in security, I thought I’d revisit this excellent movie about an FBI agent who was the top person from the US dealing with the Russians. And deal he did. Young and eager FBI staffer Eric (Ryan Philippe) is given the task of spying on his boss Robert Hanssen, (Chris Cooper) whom FBI management suspects is a double agent. Eric is working with and against Robert and he must be extremely careful not to tip off the boss to the internal investigation. This is a taut and suspenseful movie, and both Cooper and Philippe deliver solid performances. It also gave me a chuckle when much was made about information stored on Robert’s Palm Pilot – remember them? This movie is based on a true story and really held my attention. 4 cans.
34. Mid-Century Modern* (2025, Hulu) – This 10-part limited series is almost like a remake of “The Golden Girls” – except the main characters are gay men who live together in Palm Springs California, and, because it is on cable, the language and situations are more salty. Nathan Lane is Bunny Schneiderman, the leader of the pack, who invites his long-time friends Arthur (Nathan Lee Graham) and Jerry (Matt Bomer, who is a doppelganger for Jeff Probst of “Survivor” fame) to move in. Also on hand is the perfectly cast Linda Lavin, Bunny’s disapproving and difficult but hilarious mother, Sybil Schneiderman. Sadly, Lavin passed away after filming most of her role; the show deals with the loss in a touching but funny way. The series is a bright, clever and comedy about middle-aged gay men, stressing the gay. Nathan Lane is hilarious and over-the-top as beleaguered Bunny. There were many lines here that made me laugh out loud. I don’t know how they will replace Linda Lavin, who practically stole the show, but I’ll be back next season to see for myself. 4 cans.
35. A Complete Unknown* (2024, Hulu) – To me, Bob Dylan WAS practically a complete unknown. I wasn’t a fan of his music and didn’t know much about his life. Here, Timothee Chalamet portrays the talented songwriter and singer as someone who crossed genres, starting as an admirer of folk heroes like Pete Seeger and Woodie Gutherie but who moved from acoustic to electric guitar to create more of a rock vibe. He is singularly devoted to his music, eschewing the advice from industry people and his own mentors. At a time when folk singers were seen as activist protestors, Dylan was an iconoclast, transfixed on doing his music, his way. Chalamet learned to play guitar for the movie and did his own singing, and he is absolutely credible on both fronts. In the movie, Dylan starts out as penniless and modest, but as his career and fame explode, he becomes less than gracious to those with more experience in the music business. He never smiles – which might be the truth, but which reduces his charm to stubbornness.  Considering that I am not a Dylan fan, this movie won me over because of Chalamet’s performance and the interesting take on the story. I won’t be listening to “Blowing in the Wind” anytime soon, but I enjoyed the movie. 4 cans.

The Ides of Blogs

1.    My get-up-and-go got up and went and there is no indication that it will return any time soon.

2.    Yesterday was Pi Day. Somehow I resisted the temptation to do some math or eat some pie. It’s the pie that was the hard part. I would never be tempted to do math.

3.    I much prefer seeing spring flowers in front of ShopRite instead of ice melt.

4.    I’m fairly certain that I was the only one NOT buying corned beef and cabbage on my most recent trip to ShopRite. Believe it or not, I have never made a corned beef – but I sure wouldn’t mind a nice, thick corned beef sandwich from Harold’s New York Deli to celebrate the day!

5.    I have transformed into full-blown Felix Unger. I wake up in the morning and make lots of noise trying to clear my throat (sometimes I feel like all I need is one GOOD cough to do the trick, but that never works). That is followed by some coughing, sneezing and nose blowing. Then I have to use nasal spray to keep my nose clear. At least I don’t have to contend with a disapproving roommate like Oscar Madison!

6.    The truck ahead of me had a big sign on the back but I couldn’t read it, so I moved closer, only to realize that the sign said, “Stay back 100 feet.” First of all, I had to get within that distance just to read it, and second, who really knows what 100 feet is on the road?

7.    Pet Peeve: When you go from the waiting room to the doctor’s office, the first thing you have to do is get weighed (that’s NOT the pet peeve). Yet there is no place to put your coat, purse, shoes and sweatshirt (I refuse to get weighed wearing or holding any of this stuff). Then you go to the examination room and, again, there is no logical place to dump your stuff. And why do they think that I know the dosage of every medication I take? Most of the time I have a written list with me, which I seem to have to update at least weekly!

8.    Pet Peeve: People who leave you messages (I’m talking about you, medical practices!) and say their name or number so fast that even if you have paper and pen ready, you still have to listen to the message several times to get the information or the number correct. Whenever I leave a message, I make sure to enunciate my name and number to the person on the other end won’t have that issue.

9.    I’ll watch pretty much any sports competition, but even I have to draw the line at the ESPN telecast of Professional Pillow Fighting. For cash prizes, no less!

10. I always feel really stupid when I learn the REAL lyrics to songs I have sung incorrectly for years. You know, like the infamous “There’s a Bathroom on the Right,” instead of “There’s a Bad Moon on the Rise.”

11. My aqua aerobics instructor on Friday has been ending the class by playing my all-time favorite song, “Be My Baby,” by the Ronettes. She has no idea how much that makes me smile inside.

12. The other day I almost walked out of the house wearing two different shoes. They were both black, but one had ties and the other was a slip-on. And one had a black soul and the other had a white soul. Thank goodness I looked down before I left the house!

13. It seems like I spend half my time or more contending with water. I’m in the indoor pool at the health club for water aerobics three times a week. When I am home, I’m either filling the Brita water pitcher, using that water to refill my Yeti water bottle so I can carry it around the house and drink it (thought I know I fall short of the recommended consumption), or I’m breaking the ice cubes and refilling the tray (my ice maker died years ago). Water, water everywhere and so many drops to drink!

14. I stepped on the scale this morning and it read 2 digits instead of 3. Apparently, it was jostled during the cleaning process yesterday and was recording kilograms instead of pounds. I might just leave it that way.

15. As I walked out of the health club the other day, a woman was entering with her young child. The girl was merrily reciting the alphabet. “A B C D E F U,” she chanted. Interesting take.

16. Why do people come to the pool with their cell phones? They almost knock me over as they move around the building without looking up. I see people sitting in the hot tub checking their phones. And one day I saw a man in the lap pool walking in the lanes with his cell phone in a plastic bag so he could read it while he walked. I’m a multi-tasker, too, but not this bad. When I’m in the pool, I’m exercising. The cell phone can wait.

17. You know what is annoying? Biting the inside of your cheek. Then you can’t get your tongue to stop exploring the wound.

18. Remember when billboards were giant posters on the side of the highway? Now they are digital and change as you drive by. No wonder we are so easily distracted. You can never do just one thing at a time.

19. I don’t even know how much a stamp costs these days. I bought a bunch of stamps online, enough to last me a lifetime, and there was a discount for buying them in bulk. Still, I have no idea how much they cost.

20. Don’t even try to connect with me for a couple of weeks. It’s March Madness and I’ll be watching men’s and women’s basketball until the champs are crowned. On the weekends, there are so many games to watch that by Sunday night I can’t tell you whether the Duke women beat the Purdue men! One year I was in the hospital and I watched 11 hours worth of games in one day! I was thrilled to have something to do while lying there. For a sports fan like me, March Madness is the best time of the year!

    By the way, I always appreciate comments left here. But if you do comment, please include your name so I can thank you for taking time to read this blog and comment on it. Thanks.