Tina's April 2026 Movies and More

April seemed to fly by, but I managed to find a baker's dozen movies to watch. Those marked with an asterisk were new to me, and everything is rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish. Numbering picks up from previous months.

32. Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN* (2026, ESPN) – Imagine a man whose vision exceeded the availability of technology, who could imagine broadcasting all kinds of sports, major and minor. Bill Rasmussen was that man, and his creation of ESPN, with the help of engineers, broadcasters and outside investment, exceeded even his own imagination. As a sports junkie, I loved this look back on how tiny Bristol, Connecticut, became the sports center of the universe. Not for everyone, but I loved it. 3½ cans.
33. The Madison* (2026, Paramount +) – Stacy and Preston Clyborne (Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell) are a happily married couple rich enough to live in affluence in New York and maintain a rugged property in Montana, where he goes with his brother to fish. When a devastating tragedy leads Stacy to travel to the cabin in Montana along with her spoiled adult daughters, it is more than a change of pace for the grieving family. Pfeiffer, still gorgeous at 67, and Russell don’t have scenes together in the present, but there is plenty about the past that helps her understand his fascination with the rural life. This is a six-part series and has been renewed for season two. The settings are as beautiful as the cast. 4 cans.
34. The Pitt, Season 2* (2026, HBO Max) – Season 2 was just as dramatic and compelling as season 1 of this series that takes place over the course of a single shift during a jam-packed day in the Emergency Department of a Pittsburgh hospital. The cast and department are headed by Noah Wyle as Robby Robinovich, who commandeers an eclectic group of established doctors, young doctors, medical students and one bad-ass nurse without whom the place would fall apart (Dana, played with gusto by Katherine LaNasa, an actress so good in her role that I was shocked I didn’t recognize her from previous work). Robby is supposed to be wrapping things up in the ED so he can start on a much-needed sabbatical, but throughout the day (July 4th) we have our doubts whether he will actually go – or come back in one piece or otherwise if he does. The filming here seems to be incredibly accurate, at least to a layman. There are interesting, complicated and crazy characters waiting to see the docs or die trying. I cannot sum up the entire series, so I highly encourage you to find it, watch it, and relish it. And if this review had sound, we’d throw in a “Baby Jane Doe” for you! 4½ cans.
35. The Logo: Jerry West* (2026, Prime Video) – Once upon a time there was a basketball prodigy from a tiny town in West Virginia who became an Olympian, a college star, an elite pro player, a coach and an executive, a man who affected the game so much that the NBA created its logo based on a picture of him. Starting in the 1960s, Jerry West was a phenomenal shooter, a prolific scorer and the executive responsible for “Showtime,” the story of the Los Angeles Lakers of Magic and Kobe and Shaq. As an executive with the Lakers, he spotted Kobe as a high school player and brought him to LA, where he became a superstar. This documentary traces West from his meager and sad roots to the top of his career, never neglecting to show how his competitive fire almost crushed him when the Lakers failed to defeat the champion Boston Celtics so many times in a row. There are excellent interviews here with his contemporaries and the teams he led. The man was a winner. 4 cans.
36. A Little Prayer* (2023, Prime Video) – This movie is a low key, almost laconic story of the fractures – large and small – in a family. Bill (David Strathairn) is the patriarch, living with his wife (Celia Weston), his adult son David (Will Pullen) and his wife Tammy (Jane Levy) in a modest little house. The son works with him in his company and Dad can’t help but notice his roving eye. Bill and his wife adore their quiet daughter-in-law Tammy and it hurts Bill to see David put his marriage in jeopardy. This is not an action movie, but a quiet look at the kinds of things that pull families apart. 3½ cans.
37. Crazy Stupid Love (2011, HBO) – I have seen this movie so many times, but it had been a while, so I decided to make my day better and brighter with yet another viewing. Start with the stunning Ryan Gosling who plays man about town Jacob, who dazzles the ladies with his looks and charm, his perfectly tailored clothes and his sculpted body. He takes pity on Cal (Steve Carell), a plain, middle-aged guy whose wife (Julianne Moore) has just dumped him. Cal has no game, wears clothes too big and generally looks like any suburban dad. Jacob makes Cal go shopping, ditching his New Balance sneakers and cheap haircut to make him over so he can get back in the game. I will refrain from providing any additional details but instead will urge you to see this movie if you haven’t already and to see it again if you have. 4½ cans. 
38. Love With the Proper Stranger (1963, Prime Video) – A young Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen play two strangers who have a one-night stand that apparently will lead nowhere. A musician, McQueen’s Rocky has no allegiance to anyone, while Woods’ Angie is a proper Italian girl whose over-protective brothers constantly interfere in her life. They want her to settle down with a nice guy, like Anthony (Tom Bosley), but Angie yearns for the feeling of bells and banjoes, some kind of romantic magic. When she finds herself pregnant, she tracks down Rocky to help her through the predicament and the two stop sparring long enough to learn more about each other and think that just maybe they could end up together. Last scene is worth the whole movie. 4 cans.
39. Just Between Friends (1986, Prime Video) – I remember this made-for-TV movie when it first aired. The terrific cast (Mary Tyler Moore, Christine Lahti, Ted Danson and Sam Waterston) and a key plot twist elevate it above the more typical TV genre. Moore is Holly, married to Danson’s Chip, a seismologist who studies earthquakes. Lahti is Sandy, a single TV news reporter who strikes up a friendship with Holly in an exercise class. Holly and Chip have an idyllic life and a good marriage. A tragedy leads Holly to discover secrets about her husband and her new best friend that change everything. 3½ cans.
40. Murphy’s Romance (1986, Hulu) – The charming James Garner stars as a druggist in a small western town that becomes the new home of a much younger Sally Field. The spunky divorcee and mother of a young son is a down-on-her-luck would-be horse trainer, saddled with a deadbeat ex-husband who shows up in time to interrupt the growing May-December romance between Field & Garner. Garner can do everything from ride horses to make ice cream sodas to sew, and he spouts aphorisms that warm the heart of the plucky Field (who looks startlingly like Kristy MacNichol). Best line in the movie: “How do you like your eggs?” Directed by Martin Ritt, who guided Field to an Oscar in “Norma Rae,” playing an even pluckier and more prickly character. I like her, I really, really like her. 4 cans.
41. The Devil Wears Prada (2006, Hulu) – In light of the release of the sequel to this movie, I thought I’d take a refresher course to study the indomitable Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), her assistants Andy (Anne Hathaway) and Emily (Emily Blunt) and her general factotum, Stanley Tucci. Miranda is the haughty boss lady of the fashion magazine “Runway,” throwing out rapid-fire orders and demanding immediate response. Andy wants to be a journalist, but she needs a job, fits amazingly into the sample clothes that change her from frumpy to fashionable, and somehow begins to live the life she thought she would hate. Streep, as always, is terrific and Hathaway goes from beleaguered beginner to survivor. Definitely worth seeing again as a prerequisite for the new version, which I will report on next month. 4 cans.
42. Rabbit Hole* (2020, Prime Video) – This is an extremely sad movie about a couple (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Echhart) whose 4-year-old son died in a traffic accident. Counseling isn’t really helping them, nor are the good intentions of family and friends. He is unable to move forward, clinging to every family picture and stuffed animal, but she cannot bear the constant reminders of the lost child and wants to get rid of the toys and more. Their different coping mechanisms are putting a strain on their once-solid marriage and are not helped when she befriends the teenager (Miles Teller) who was driving the car that hit and killed the little boy. 3 cans.
43. #Skyking* (2026, Hulu) – This is not the Saturday morning TV show about a rancher with an airplane that I watched in the 1950s. It is a documentary about Beebo Russell, a ground service employee at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport who, in 2018, hijacked an empty plane and went for what may have started out as a joy ride and ends up as anything but. The story is told through the actual recordings of the conversations between the inexperienced pilot and the air traffic folks who try to save him from himself, patiently explaining what steps he can take to safely land the plane despite having no flying experience. Interviews with his family, friends and airport colleagues help to flesh out his character and why he would take such extreme measures to create a potentially disastrous situation. It held my interest. 3½ cans.

Springtime in Somerset, April 2026

1.    I wonder if TS Elliot knew about federal income tax when he opined, “April is the cruelest month.”

2.    Last month ShopRite had Devil Dogs on sale, and to add insult to injury for me, they had a display right at the entrance so I couldn’t miss them. I think they are the work of the Devil himself, and if I indulged in eating them, it would put me on the road to ruin. And, let’s face it, they aren’t even GOOD chocolate. (We can discuss the superiority of Yodels and Ring Rings among the Drake’s Cakes lineup.) As Dionne Warwick sings, “Walk on By.” And I did.

3.    I’m going to a formal event this weekend and I am planning to wear pantyhose. Who wears pantyhose anymore, you ask? ME. I don’t want anyone to see these pale legs sticking out of a fancy dress without hose. Not that pantyhose is easy to find. Those ubiquitous “Eggs” used to be in the supermarket, the drug store, and plenty of mass merchandise retailers, but now the supply is limited – a case of supply and demand, where they don’t stock them because we aren’t wearing them (except for me). If you are short, it is impossible to find a pair that doesn’t pool around your ankles. The wider the pantyhose, the longer they are. Leave out the control top type, please. My top can be out of control if that means that I can get them up over my hips without them hanging around the crotch. TMI?

4.    I hope whoever invented the blood pressure meter was adequately compensated for this old-time invention that is still found in most doctors’ offices. You know, the one with the cuff and the bulb that gets squeezed until you think your arm will explode. Some of my doctors have gone to electronic machines, but most still use the same device that Dr. Marcus Welby used on his patients. And it still works!

5.    Jeopardy has gotten so boring lately that I can barely watch it anymore. It’s not just that current champ Jamie, from New Jersey, is devoid of personality, but he is so far ahead of his competitors that by the time Final Jeopardy rolls around, the other folks are practically waving the white flag. He certainly knows a tremendous amount about a wide range of topics but watching him win every day without any real competition is just plain boring!

6.    I broke my cardinal rule the other day – I ate ice cream before Memorial Day. I was out for lunch with some bad-influencer friends on a beautiful day and we decided to stop for ice cream. I had a single scoop of delicious grasshopper pie ice cream and enjoyed every bite, even though for me, it is not ice cream season. I have heard from many of you who insist that there is no such thing as ice cream season, arguing that ice cream is fine to eat at any time of year. But I am always cold and the idea of eating ice cream with a blanket on my lap isn’t very appealing. I think I can hold off for another month. I wish I had this level of discipline in all areas of my life, instead of merely refraining from ice cream for much of the year.

7.    On a similar subject, why does an egg cream contain neither eggs nor cream? Just a little milk, some chocolate fudge sauce like U-Bet, and some seltzer make a delightful concoction. I have to change this subject!

8.    My branch of Chase Bank finally went back to using tellers again. For the past few years, all of my interactions have been with the ATM machine. I had to go into the bank and use the ATM in the vestibule as you enter. I could never use the drive-through because my arms are too short to reach the machine. There was no way to ask for $10 bills or change of $100. I have no idea why they got rid of the tellers, but it is nice to have them back, to engage in a conversation again, to watch them count the money on a machine and to thank me for my business. It truly is the little things.

9.    The King of England has people who iron his shoelaces. Why? Do they get wrinkled? It just goes to show that the rich are different. If I hit the Powerball, I’d hire a chef, a driver and someone to clean my glasses every day, not just when the fingerprints on them make it impossible to see.

10. I went to the dentist for my usual check-up and was told that everything looks great and that I have excellent oral care. I like going to the dentist because you don’t need to get weighed, but to be told I have excellent oral hygiene? I’ll take it!

11. Sometimes having Alexa in the house is like having my mother around. Alexa will alert me to the fact that it MIGHT rain, starting at midnight and going until 2 am, with an expected accumulation of 0.07 inches. Do I really need to know that? A hurricane warning I would appreciate but a minor rain? My mother definitely would have told me about that, too.

12. I wonder who decided that bananas tasted great and somehow knew NOT to eat the peel.

13. The trees here have flowered at last. I had thought they might have snow-laden branches until Memorial Day!

14. I’m not the only person who cleans the house before the cleaning service comes, right?

15. Gas prices for premium hit $5 a gallon last week. Only a few weeks ago, I was paying $3.49. Tell me again what this president is doing to address the economy.

16. Spring cleaning! I had the yard cleaned up, the bushes trimmed, the dryer vent emptied, the gutters cleaned and the sprinklers serviced. I’m happy to cross those things off the list without having to do that work myself!

17. My aqua aerobics class used the classic Don McLean song “American Pie” recently, but it was a sped-up version that moved very quickly from the Chevy to the levee. I doubt Don McLean had this tempo in mind when he wrote it back in the early 70s.

Tina's March 2026 Movies and More

I came up a little short this month due to March Madness basketball, but there were some movies I really enjoyed on the March list. Everything is rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with 5 being the top rating. Movies not previously seen are marked with an asterisk and numbering picks up from previous months.

23. Back to School (1996, Cable TV) – I have seen this movie too many times to count, but it always makes me laugh. Comic Rodney Dangerfield is Thornton Wilder, an enormously successful purveyor of big and tall men’s clothes, who decides after his marriage fails to go “back to school” to accompany his son Jason at college. Of course, he knows more than the business professor because he has paid off the unions when needed. He redesigns the dorm room to resemble a luxury hotel, and his meals are catered.  It is Dangerfield’s twitches and quick-fire responses with memorable lines that brings this story to life. This is not high-brow entertainment, but I love it! 3½ cans.
24. Longing* (2024, Prime Video) – Imagine finding out that you fathered a son 19 years ago only to learn that he just died in a car accident in Canada. Richard Gere is wealthy Daniel, whose ex-wife tells him that she was pregnant when they parted 20 years ago and never let him know he fathered a son, Alan. Gere travels to pay his respects and to find out everything he can about the son he never knew. Some of what he learns is routine, but Alan had plenty of secrets and layers that Daniel is determined to peel back to get to know his late son. This movie is billed as a comedy/drama, but I saw nothing comic. Instead, it explores grief and fatherhood when the latter is too late. 3 cans.
25. Working Girl (1988, Cable TV) – Melanie Griffiths really captures the plight of the working girl in the 1980s. No matter how smart or competent she is, she is considered an appendage to “the boss.” Here, she is a working-class woman with aspirations, and her boss Katherine (Sigourney Weaver) barely considers her ideas or desire for a promotion. Instead, she steals the idea. But when Katherine is laid up after a ski accident, the assistant, Tess McGill, carries the project forward, reaching out to another firm and its hotshot wheeler-dealer, Jack (Harrison Ford). Things go swimmingly with him until Katherine blows back into town. I love the Carly Simon anthem, the small but memorable part played by Joan Cusack, the smarmy boyfriend (Alec Baldwin) and everything this movie says and does. If you weren’t there to see this time, you might never believe that this is exactly how things were then. 4 cans.
26. Train Dreams* (2025, Netflix) – This is the kind of movie that is hardly ever made anymore. A stoic man (Joel Edgerton) works as a logger, cutting down trees to make the way for the new railroad in the Pacific Northwest. He is a man of few words, just a loyal, dedicated worker, tolerating long absences from his wife and baby to make the money they need to survive. His life started out in tragedy and he continues to suffer, even as the world around him advances. This is a melancholy and beautiful view of a man, a country, loneliness, tragedy and grief. Edgerton shines. 4 cans.
27. Virgin River, Season 7* (2026, Netflix) – The 7th season of the popular family series returns with lead characters Jack and Mel married and trying to have – or adopt – a baby; threats to Doc’s solo medical practice from a larger medical organization; Charmaine (who I forget was in the show) missing; Preacher thinking of opening his own restaurant (the bar is kind of like his own place since Jack, the owner is rarely there anymore); someone named Marley is having a baby that Jack and Mel might adopt; etc. There has to be something for everyone to do, and I can’t help thinking there may just be too many characters to try to feature. Will modern medicine invade the town? Will Mayor Hope EVER take that look of disgust off her face? This is not by any means a good show, but I am hooked, so I am still watching. I could see the conclusion of episode 10 coming from a mile away, just to set up for next season – next year. And I’ll probably keep watching. 3 cans.
28. Breaking the Glass: The Pat Summitt Story* (2026, Hulu) – If you know anything about women’s basketball, you must know about Pat Summitt. The Coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols reigned over the unprecedented growth of the sport for 38 seasons, accumulating 1098 wins and 8 NCAA Championships (including a defeat of my beloved Scarlet Knights in 2007). Starting with nothing, she helped nurture the sport, developing players and making sure each one got her degree from the University. This film from newscaster Robin Roberts traces Pat’s career from the early days of women’s hoops thought her diagnosis – at age 59 – of early onset dementia. To see her decline after witnessing her triumphs was hard on everyone who knew her. Like Billie Jean King, she was more than a coach – she was an icon. I can’t speak for everyone, but I loved seeing her in action in this movie and seeing her players who went on to be Olympians (as Pat herself had done, in addition to coaching the 1984 US Olympic team) and professionals in basketball, coaching and other professionals. Well done. 4 cans.
29. Project Hail Mary* (2026, Manville Cinema) – This combination “ET,” “The Martian,” “Castaway” sci-fi/fantasy movie is an odd choice for me to see except for one thing – Ryan Gosling is the star. And somehow he pulls off the feat of being the hero scientist/elementary school teacher/creature’s best friend with humor and charm. He proved he was game for anything when he played Ken in “Barbie,” and here, he rises again to the occasion, trying to save planet Earth even if it means he won’t be able to go home. He is selected for this mission against his will, and having lost his space squad along the way, he makes friends with a creature that looks like a crab sculpted of stone that serves as his personal “Wilson” from Castaway. There are long periods where there is little dialog, but Gosling communicates with glances, subtlety and determination. The film poses the question of how to combat loneliness, what is friendship, and is there really someone how has no one in their life? I thought this movie would be better if a good 30 minutes were trimmed, but overall, it is interesting, different, and, did I mention, Ryan Gosling is the star? 4 cans.
30. American Masters (PBS): Bella Abzug, A Woman’s Place is in the House* – Bella Abzug, a brassy woman with a mission and a hat, was best known as an outspoken advocate of women’s rights, civil rights and human rights, both as a member of the US House of Representatives and as a strident citizen in the 60s. Politicians feared her, and she backed down from no one. Even after leaving elective office, she made her presence known and her causes celebrated. It disturbs me that 50 years after her activism shook the system, we are still fighting for more and better recognition for women, Blacks and human beings in general. Bella Abzug was one-of-a-kind, and we could sure use a few more like her. 3½ cans.
31. Audrey* (2020, Netflix) – I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary about the lovely Audrey Hepburn. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “My Fair Lady,” “Roman Holiday” and “Sabrina” were just some of the movies that made her an international star, fashion icon and Hollywood legend. No one could tell from her elegance and classy demeanor that, despite being born to aristocratic parents who supported the Nazis, she grew up in the occupied Netherlands, deprived of food and basic necessities. She wanted to be a ballerina, but by the time she could take lessons, it was too late. She moved quickly into films, where she worked with top directors and fashion designers. Despite her success, there were tough times, too, and this film covers it all. She was, indeed, my fair lady. 4 cans. 



 

 

The Ides of March - March 15, 2026

1.    As March marches on, we seem to be caught in a strange weather pattern: One day there is light snow (thank God it is light) and the next day there are temperatures in the 70s-80s. If we are voting, I cast my vote for the latter.
2.    Those clever Girl Scouts! I saw online that the young ladies trouped down to the town marijuana dispensary to sell their Girl Scout cookies. Smart cookies! Yesterday I found them hawking their addictive wares outside of ShopRite and I confess – I succumbed. It’s all for a good cause, right? I even told them to keep the change.
3.    I don’t trust white chocolate. I know there is an explanation for why it is white, but I don’t care. Don’t trust it. Never will.
4.    I keep seeing ads online for some kind of “smart” ring that celebrities are wearing to improve their health, sleep, etc. Should I be swayed to track my sleep and fitness by a piece of jewelry because Jennifer Anniston wears this kind of ring? Granted, she looks damn good, but that’s not going to happen to me! Look at the money I just saved!
5.    Confession: I have never tried a PopTart nor eaten at Taco Bell. My sister has never had a Big Mac or a Whopper. Today, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I made my first corned beef. Also my last. It is messy, full of fat and there is enough salt to fill the Dead Sea. Next time I have a craving, I’ll go to Harold’s New York Deli for a sandwich.
6.    I have decided that at my age if I don’t want to do something or go somewhere, I simply won’t. No equivocating, no feeling guilty for not going. Life is easier and less stressful this way.
7.    If CBS correspondent Steve Hartman had a daily show highlighting the kind and thoughtful people whose stories he brings us, I’d probably watch it. After all, there is already a recounting of the day’s worst deeds, many of which are so bad they don’t seem credible. It’s called The Nightly News.
8.    This week at the doctor’s office I encountered a nurse who was a “low talker” (see Seinfeld for the first documented use of that term). As she was reviewing my symptoms and meds, I could barely hear her. And when I had to ask her to repeat her question, she spoke in a voice barely over a whisper. She was very sweet and nice, but suppose I had a hearing problem (which I thought might be the case since I didn’t know most of what she was saying)? I think we ended up on the same page, but for a while, I had no idea how to respond to questions I couldn’t hear.
9.    While I was at the doctor’s office, of course I had to be weighed and measured. I’m OK with the weight part since I have dropped a lot of poundage, but I do worry about my height. Somehow, I ended up at 5 feet and one-half inch again this year. I told the nurse that I refused to have her put the number 4 in that box!
10.    My car Victoria was at the spa (body shop) getting some cosmetic work done, so I had to drive a rental to get me around. The Mitsubishi mini-SUV was actually shorter than my Mercedes 350 E and it fit into the garage better. But “Mitzi” didn’t have the ability to talk to me like Victoria does, warning me about potholes and greeting me when I enter the car, so it was almost unbearably quiet as I drove. I couldn’t tell Mitzi to navigate for me or ask her the time. To shift the car into gear required using the gearshift on the floor, whereas Victoria’s shift is on the column. I kept trying to back up by turning on the windshield wipers! But when I needed the wipers, I could only get them to go on briefly, except for the rear wiper, which was happy to clear the back window, even when it wasn’t raining. Welcome home, Victoria.
11.    Just so you know, if I come to your house and your toilet paper is hung so it goes under, I WILL change it to the RIGHT way, which is over. The patent design shows it over, so I know I am correct.
12.    The internet offers us so much information online that it can be overwhelming. Used properly, we can learn more about the features of a car we might want to buy or better understand the medical information our doctors give us, and so much more. But I find that people are lazy. Instead of asking questions through a site like Google, they throw a question out into the universe and expect an accurate answer. This winter I have seen people ask how much they should expect to pay for having their driveway plowed. Who can estimate that without knowing how big the driveway is? And in my neighborhood, where residents were giving high praise to a local dentist, someone wanted to know how much he charges. Isn’t that a question for the dentist and not for the folks next door? The most annoying thing, to me, is when people can’t be bothered looking for information and just ask ME. Is my last name GOOGLE? I would have to look it up myself. Isn’t that your job? Technology works better when used correctly. Rant over. 
13.    I used to introduce myself by saying, “I’m Tina, like Tina Turner.” But now I realize that the young people I know DON’T know who Tina Turner was. My heart be still. She remains one of my heroes! 
14.    Here is the usual process for ordering something online. You place the order and almost immediately you get an email saying they got your order and giving you the order number. Then you get a message thanking you for the order. That is followed by countless messages offering you additional products or touting the virtues of the product you already ordered. Then you get messages telling you it will be shipped soon or it has been shipped and explaining how to track the order. In between you get more marketing messages pleading with you to buy more of the product you haven’t yet received. Then there is a message saying the product is coming soon. Just ship me the product already! I’m not buying more when I haven’t even gotten the first one yet!
15.    I went to Urgent Care recently, where they know me well and have my credit card on file. So why did I just get a bill for 49 cents? There were two separate emails: The first said my card was on file and the 49 cents would go on the card. The second email said I had to pay the 49-cent charge. So, which is it? I am not going out of my way to investigate a 49-cent charge and its handling. My time is worth more than that.
16.    March Madness is about to take over the lives of sports fans everywhere, and I will be watching. By the end of the first week, I don’t know whether the Duke women beat the UConn men or what I have watched. One year I was stuck in the hospital and got to watch 11 hours straight from my hospital bed. What I won’t be watching is my beloved Rutgers Women’s Basketball team. Their 9-20 season record and abysmal 1-17 results in the Big 10 Conference eliminated them from even participating in the BIG 10 Tournament, which takes only the top 15 finishers. No trip to Indianapolis, no Cagers Club dinners in Indy, no watch parties for those who stay home and watch on TV. I can only take solace in the fact that the first Rutgers team I followed, in 2002, went 9-20 and then turned things around the following season. I would sign up for that!  And there is hope in the form of a new coach coming on board. It is a male coach, and that will take some getting used to, but a change was needed and this guy sounds like the right choice. Just no 9-20 next year, OK? I don’t ask for much.

 

Tina's February 2026 Movies and More

February was a short month and so this list is also short. Programs new to me are indicated by an *. Everything is rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna, with 5 as the highest rating. Numbering picks up from the previous month. 

12. Becoming (2020, Netflix) – If you want to see a documentary about a gracious woman who occupied the White House as First Lady with empathy, intelligence, flair and charm, this is the movie to watch. Michelle Obama was on a book tour to promote her autobiography, “Becoming,” as this movie was filmed. In the interviews that took place on the tour, she reveals much about her childhood in Chicago, her education, her career, marrying Barack Obama, raising daughters in the White House and showing how a real lady conducts herself. 4 cans.
13. Heated Rivalry* (2025, HBO Max) – It didn’t take long for me to see that this series about hockey was much less about the sport than about two macho players who fall in love. It is a secret affair, because their images might be ruined if anyone found out they are queer and because they are archrivals in the sport. There is a lot of almost full nudity and passionate scenes, if you can take that. He shoots, he scores! 3 cans.
14. Same Time, Next Year (1978) – This is a love story about a long-term relationship between a man and a woman who meet innocently at a small hotel in California. Both are married to other people, but they are instantly smitten and they meet once a year at a small resort for their private trysts. The film catches up with them every 5 years, when their lives intersect. Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn are perfect as the loving couple in this clever and sweet comedy. I especially enjoyed seeing the black and white scenes depicting time passing before each time we revisit the couple. They clearly love their spouses and their lives, but they also relish the time they spend together. I know it’s morally wrong, but I find this film irresistible. 4½ cans.
15. Ella McCay* (2025, Netflix) – James L. Brooks, the man behind “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Broadcast News” and other bright and sharp movies and TV shows, has slipped more than a bit with this movie. Ella (Emma Mackey) accidentally becomes governor when the current governor (Albert Brooks in a dreadful wig) gets a Cabinet post, but she cannot manage her own life, no less the responsibilities of holding office. She has a caring aunt who can be overbearing (Jamie Lee Curtis), a son with a whole host of social problems, a father who is a philanderer (Woody Harrelson, also in a bad wig), and a husband who has been loyal and loving, but who now is looking to advance himself. The movie is billed as a comedy, but I found no joy or humor in it. It is unfocused, with characters you cannot grow to love. My one bright light was seeing Julie Kavner (best known on screen as Brenda Morgenstern from "Rhoda" but also known as the voice of Marge Simpson) play Ella’s assistant, weathered and worn but loyal. Brooks has done much better than this mess. 2 cans.
16. Song Sung Blue* (2025, Peacock) – Let me start by admitting that I am not now, nor have I ever been, a fan of Neil Diamond. His ubiquitous songs generally leave me with the sense that he is trying TOO hard. But this movie is not about Neil Diamond himself. Hugh Jackman is a musician desperate to elevate above his contemporaries who are Elvis impersonators and not original artists. Somehow he feels like becoming a tribute band leader of the music of Neil Diamond will do the trick. He calls himself Lightning and is an “interpreter” of Diamond’s music, and he has very specific ideas about what songs to feature and how to structure of the show. Then he meets Claire (Kate Hudson), another experienced but not hugely successful singer, and they team up on the Diamond gig, calling themselves “Lightning and Thunder.” Both of these actors can sing, so their presentation of the music rings true. They quickly marry and go on to success, but you know nothing works out this smoothly, and it doesn’t here, either. There are tragedies to come, and resiliency on display. I thought Hudson did a great job as Claire, and she scored an Oscar nomination for her performance. This movie has its moments – good and bad. 3½ cans.
17. Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History* (2026, PBS Documentaries) – Historian Henry Louis Gates did an exceptional job in documenting the relationship between Blacks and Jews in the US. The two groups have much in common – starting with each being expelled from their native lands and persecuted for their race or religion. As both grew in America, their plight was difficult to overcome, and they often leaned on each other for help and support. Jewish liberals supported Civil Rights and voter registration; some college students who went to the deep South were taunted, arrested and killed for their efforts. But there have been major disagreements between the two groups, too, over issues like support of Palestine. This 4-part series explains the commonalities and the differences between the two groups in presenting some of the most notable events while also including plenty of interviews and leaders of both groups. I found this series fascinating, and it helps me understand the history and significance of Blacks and Jews in America. 4 cans.
18. Rental Family (2025, Hulu) – Brendan Fraser has perfected the lonely man (see his Oscar-winning performance in “The Whale”). Here plays Philip, a mostly unsuccessful American actor who has been living in Japan for 7 years. He doesn’t have a lot going for him; he gets small parts here and there, but he is hardly a star. When he gets offered a role by an agency that rents out actors to serve as erstwhile family members and friends, he signs up. He befriends an aging Japanese actor, is cast as the father to a young girl and takes on other assignments offered by this unusual agency. For a man who doesn’t really have connections in a strange country, he grows into the roles and finds that reality and these roles become blurred lines as he develops relationships with the people he is supposed to be helping. What is friendship and reality anyway? Can he find a better life by pretending to be someone else? The movie is described as a “comedy-drama,” but I didn’t really note any comedy, just sadness and loneliness. 3 cans.
19. Becoming Katherine Graham* (2025, Prime Video) – Seeing this personal account of the life of the former publisher of The Washington Post, Katharine Graham, only made my respect for her deeper. I had read her Pulitzer-Prize-winning autobiography, but seeing her story and hearing from people who were on hand to see her in action made it even more inspiring. Mrs. Graham took on the challenge of working at the Post from her father, the owner, and became very loyal to the paper. Her husband, Philip Graham, then ran the paper for years. Mrs. Graham took it over after his death by suicide. Often the only woman in the room, dealing with men who didn’t want to report to a woman, she nonetheless guided the Post through extremely challenging times – the publishing of the Pentagon Papers, the reporting on Watergate and its aftermath, and surviving a devastating union strike by the pressmen. The most interesting part, to me, was the use of the Watergate tapes, where conversations between President Nixon and his minions excoriated her and threatened to destroy the Post – to say nothing of the crass references to Graham herself. Under current owner, Amazon creator Jeff Bezos, and in light of the recent decimation of the editorial and sports staffs, it is hard to imagine any media organization who can survive and profit during a time of such belligerence from the White House. 4 cans.
20. How to Make a Killing* (2026, Manville Cinema) – Glen Powell brings his considerable charm to this role as Beckett, whose mother was ostracized from her immensely rich family because of giving birth to him out of wedlock. That, and the fact that seven other family members stand ahead of him on the family tree, means that he will never inherit the billions in the family coffers. Unless, that is, some unfortunate fate ends the lives of those in line ahead of him. This is a clever dark comedy and Powell sets just the right tone of seeming innocence and bravura. The story reminded me of the old classic “Kind Hearts and Coronets,” a 1949 comedy-drama with Sir Alec Guinness playing eight of the doomed relatives. Check that one out, too. 3½ cans.
21. Paul McCartney – Man on the Run*(2026, Prime Video) – One of the most popular bands of all-time, The Beatles, broke up in 1970. Paul says it wasn’t his idea. But 27-year-old McCartney wasn’t ready to abandon his storied musical career just yet. Instead, he and beloved wife Linda took up residence on his rural farm among the sheep and other animals, had kids and started another group, Wings. This documentary focuses on his work, his creativity and his life after the Beatles, as Wings soared over America, sometimes to great success – but not always. But let’s face it – once you’re a Beatle, anything else would have to come up short. To me, this movie reinforces my own opinion about Wings not being a worthy successor to The Beatles. But I doubt Sir Paul cares about that kind of comparison. 3 cans.
22. Love Affair (1994, PBS) – You probably recognize this story from having seen either the Cary Grant-Deborah Kerr version or perhaps “Sleepless in Seattle,” where the characters are fixated on that movie. Here, real-life husband and wife Warren Beatty and Annette Bening star as strangers who meet on a plane and fall for each other despite being engaged to others. He is Mike, a former NFL quarterback turned sportscaster (thanks to his influential and wealthy/fiancée, Kate Capshaw), and she is Terry McKay, musician/designer who has worked with a very rich man on several of his estates and become engaged to him (Pierce Brosnan). When their plane is disabled, they end up on a Russian cruise ship, which allows them to spend time together. Along the way home, they stop at his aunt’s house in Tahiti, where an aged but wise Katherine Hepburn subtly helps Terry understand the best qualities in Mike, convincing her that it is time to dump the fiancée and choose Mike. The couple resolve to meet in May at the top of the Empire State Building if they still feel the same way about each other. You probably know the rest. It was nice to revisit this classic story, although the handsome Beatty could never outshine the classy and elegant Grant, whose charms certainly won me over in the earlier version. 3½ cans.