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.