Tina's June 2026 Movies & More

It is really hot out there right now, so why not stay inside and watch a movie? Here is what I watched in June. All shows are rated from 1-5 cans of tuna, with 5 as the top. Movies not watched previously are marked with an asterisk and numbering picks up from previous months. Enjoy!

56. Off-Campus* (2026, Prime Video) – OK, NOW I get what all the fuss is about with this show, why women are losing their minds. Hockey is having a moment these days (see "Heated Rivalry"), as the hunky college “boys” on the hockey team in this strictly hetero show truly dominate the screen. Hannah Wells (Ella Bright, looking like a young Brooke Shields) is a music major who falls for strapping Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli), captain of the hockey team at Briar College. Focusing on a sports team means there are plenty of scenes in the shower, or with shirts off, sweating – but I digress. Not everyone is looking for a relationship in this 8-part series; sometimes casual sex is more the goal – or so they say. College kids were not like this when I was in college, or were they? Only start watching this addictive series when you have time; I was hooked and finished it in 24 hours. Juicy and delicious, even to a more “mature” woman like me. 4 cans.
57. The Trip to Bountiful (1985, Cable TV) – Elderly Carrie Watts (Geraldine Page), just wants to go home. Stuck living in a small apartment with an obnoxious daughter-in-law and her meek son, Carrie longs to go back to her tiny hometown of Bountiful, Texas. When she sneaks away from the house and boards a bus headed for that area, she feels triumphant. Along the way, she meets a young woman (Rebecca De Mornay) and tells her the story of her life in the quiet town. When she arrives, the town isn’t at all what she recalls, but just being there conjures up the memories of her youth, the people and the places that were once home. Page won an Oscar for her performance. 3½ cans.
58. Office Romance* (2026, Netflix) – Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent in "Ted Lasso") pair up for this rom-com that centers on the forbidden and secret romance between the hard charging CEO of an airline (Lopez) and her new staff attorney Daniel (Goldstein, who co-wrote the script). The company has a strict no-dating policy for employees that Lopez follows to the letter, until she and Daniel start working together. Then the consummate professional CEO turns to mush and has an island-based fling with her subordinate. I wish the material here was better, because Lopez could handle it. Instead, there is some crass comedy involving Daniel’s first reaction to being alone with the boss and the unlikely birth of a baby on an office desk (couldn’t SOMEONE have called 911, and did we really need to see what we saw?). The secondary players here are wonderful, especially Betty Gilpin, Bradley Whitford, Amy Sedaris and Tony Hale), so be sure to watch through the ending. But I wanted smarter, better material for Jennifer Lopez besides the fawning reaction to her written by Goldstein for his character to deliver. 3 cans.
59. The Crash* (2026, Netflix) – In this true-crime documentary, what looks like a regular crash that resulted in the death of two men in their 20s and the injured female driver isn’t quite what it seems. When investigators look into the horrendous accident, the find that the young woman was driving 100 miles an hour and, according to the tested instruments on board the car, she made no attempt to brake. But why? Was there an underlying medical issue or was the crash intentional? The three were best friends and two of them, high school student Mackenzie Shirilla (the driver of the car) and recent grad Dominic Russo, were a couple, living together in what certainly could be called a toxic relationship. Documentary footage shows Mackenzie trying to be a fashion and lifestyle influencer, and there is plenty of footage of her smoking weed with no hesitation or regret. The use of bodycam footage enhanced the story. I felt sorry for the kids who lost their lives because of her decision to crash the car and the families whose sons were killed by her arrogance and ego. 3 cans.
60. Tuner* (2025, Montgomery Cinema) – This film is fronted by Dustin Hoffman as Harry Horowitz, an elderly piano tuner with a myriad of medical issues. Tovah Feldshuh is his supportive wife. But the real star of the show is Leo Woodall as Niki, a quiet young man being trained by Harry to take over the business. Niki has a hearing issue that makes him hypersensitive to loud noises. He wears ear buds or a headset to tune out the distractions. But his hearing works exceptionally well to pick up the sounds of each piano key, a skill that also translates to the cracking of safes. When Harry goes into the hospital and into debt, Niki takes on some side work for a crooked security company that steals from its very wealthy customers. The jobs become larger and more dangerous, and Niki gets trapped into a criminal life. Very intense and well done. 3½ cans.
61. The Witness* (2026, Netflix) – This is not the old movie starring Harrison Ford as a cop masquerading as an Amish man to catch a killer. In this 3-part true crime drama, a toddler boy is in the park with his mother when a man we don’t see approaches and the camera cuts away. The next thing we know is that the woman has been brutally murdered and the only witness is her young son. The authorities do what they can to get information from the young boy, Alex, with his father, Andre, serving as his protector. The press is relentless, stalking the father at home and every time he leaves the house. The drama continues as the series depicts father and son over time with flashbacks to the investigation. The cops come off as inept and the British legal system as frustrating. I found the flashbacks somewhat challenging to follow, even as the poor father and son suffer disappointment and stress in their own relationship over the years. 3½ cans.
62. After Everything* (2018, Netflix) – Before his emergence as a star on “The Bear,” Jeremy Allen White starred as Eliot, a man in his 20s who starts a new relationship with Mia (Maika Monroe) just as he receives the devastating diagnosis that he has cancer. Although their relationship is brand-new, she supports him by doing research on his condition, accompanies him to his doctor appointments and helps him tell his parents. But the relationship is bittersweet. Do they really love each other or are they bonded by his illness? Well acted. 3½ cans.
63. Your Friends & Neighbors, Season 2* (2026, Apple TV) – Jon Hamm returns to star in the second season of this series about the affluent folks who live in a fictional Westchester, NY, village where cheating and scandals reign supreme. When last we left his character, Andrew (Coop) Cooper, Coop had survived a murder rap (he really didn’t do it) but it was only a matter of time before the fired hedge fund manager would return to stealing very expensive items from his oblivious friends and neighbors to support himself and his family in the style to which they were accustomed. This season, a new, even richer neighbor moves to town. James Marsden is the charismatic Ashe, a shipping magnate with unlimited funds that dazzle even the denizens of the already wealthy enclave. The interrelationships between the friends and neighbors grow more intricate this year. I’ll spare you the details but must say that this series remains intriguing and Hamm is as good here as he was in his classic “Mad Men.” I’m just glad these people are not my friends and neighbors! 4 cans.
64. Legally Blonde* (2026, stage musical at local The Villagers Theater) – This exuberant stage production of the Reese Witherspoon movie about a pink-loving woman who chases her former boyfriend to Harvard Law School has been turned into a musical. The cast, especially the woman who played the starring role as Elle, was filled with talented young people who were terrific. Given the confines of a rather small stage, they even pulled off a jump rope number with aplomb. As they say in the show, “Oh, my God.” Delightful. 4 cans.
65. Maternal Instinct* (2026, Netflix) – If you ever want proof that truth is stranger than fiction, try watching shows in the true crime genre. People try to get away with stuff you can’t believe. Here, a young woman tells her boyfriend she is pregnant, even though she had a hysterectomy years before she met him and cannot possibly have children. She somehow gets images of sonograms and even buys a fake belly to look like she is carrying a child. People around her start to get suspicious, and as her due date draws near, she has to come up with a baby or a plausible excuse for not having one. I won’t reveal what happens, but this story does not have a happy ending. 3½ cans.
66. Carlos Alcaraz – My Way* (2026, Netflix) – I’m a big fan of tennis champ Carlos Alcaraz, who at the tender age of 24, has already captured 7 major titles. He achieved his first success by winning the US Open in 2022 at the age of 19. He is the youngest man to achieve a career Grand Slam, winning all four major tournaments. But, in my opinion, he is still too young to merit a 3-part documentary. The program focuses on the struggle of Carlos and his team of coaches, managers, physical therapists, doctors, his parents and others to keep him in the best shape mentally and physically to manage the grind that pros must face, from tournaments to working out, practicing, doing obligatory photo shoots, representing sponsors and making appearances to promote himself and his brands. He is still a kid, eager to unwind and not sure whether he can keep up the grueling schedule or even wants to, despite his passion for the game and for winning. I would rather see the film makers wait a few years to let him achieve more success before they give us this story. There is so much more to come. Alcaraz is immensely talented, and if he stays healthy and focused, he could turn out to be the greatest of all time. Stay tuned. 3 cans.
67. The Bear, Season 5* (2026, Hulu) – The fifth and final season of this series begins with a deluge. It is pouring in Chicago, with flooding in the streets threatening the arrival of supplies and patrons to the nightly dining service at The Bear restaurant. Meanwhile, it is flooding in The Bear restaurant, with pipes bursting at random and repair people falling through the roof. When last we left Chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White, with his impossibly blue eyes) and his dedicated, loud crew, he has told his second-in-command, the extremely talented chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) that he wants out. The pressure of perfection has overwhelmed him and he cannot find a way to settle for less. This season, the word is out, and the staff, despite the weather conditions and the building falling apart, is determined to have what is possibly their last service with Carmy still around. The action takes place primarily over one stressful day (although all days on this show seem pressure-packed). The characters here are very intense; there’s a lot of yelling and swearing. This is a great, well-written show and this episode is a fitting end to its run. 4 cans and a sad farewell.
68. Chris and Martina: The Final Set* (2026, Netflix) – If you followed women’s tennis in the 1970s and ‘80s, you couldn’t miss Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, two completely opposite players who dominated the game. One or the other always seemed to be number one in the world, capturing the major titles at Wimbledon, the French Open, the US Open and the Australian Open. I remember being captivated by watching so many of their classic matches over the years. This moving documentary explores their successes, their intense rivalry and their friendship on and off the court, which was not always smooth sailing. Both women have fought cancer multiple times and survived, and that common factor has made their friendship even stronger. The day before this film was released, Evert announced that her ovarian cancer had returned for the third time, which makes this program even more poignant, as I kept thinking that this could, indeed, be the final set. 4 cans.
69. Voicemails for Isabelle* (2026, Netflix) – This rom-com was a nice change of pace after watching a few more intense programs this month. Jill, an aspiring chef, is very close to her younger sister Izzy, who has suffered from cystic fibrosis her whole life. When Izzy suddenly passes away, Jill (Zoey Deutch) continues to confide in her by leaving voicemail messages on her phone just to feel a semblance of normalcy. But when the phone number is reassigned without her knowledge, those voicemails are heard by the phone’s new owner, real estate man Wes (Nick Robinson), who is intrigued by the life of this young woman he hasn’t met. Similar to “You’ve Got Mail,” the movie brings the couple together, but he can’t bring himself to tell her about the voicemails he has heard. Cute, unpretentious and easy to watch. 3½ cans.
70. On Golden Pond (1981, Cable TV) – Norman Thayer, Jr. (Henry Fonda) is a cantankerous retired professor who spends summers with his wife Ethel (Katharine Hepburn) at their house on Golden Pond in New England. The aging couple have their routine, whether it is gathering firewood or sparring with each other. They know they are not as sharp and capable as they used to be but they are not ready to confront their reality. Their routine is thrown off when adult daughter Chelsea (Jane Fonda) comes to visit along with her new beau Bill (Dabney Coleman) and his teenaged son (Doug McKeon). Chelsea and her dad (Fonda’s real-life father) have never gotten along, despite her mother’s best attempts to encourage a bond. When Chelsea and Bill leave for a few weeks, the bored teenager feels dumped, and Norman doesn’t exactly exude charm. But they build a bond through fishing and mischief and the boy establishes the relationship with Norman that Chelsea never had. Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn won Oscars for their performances, made more poignant by the well-known estrangement between Henry and Jane and the reality that this film together would likely be his last. The music is beautiful, the views of the lake are stunning, and the cast is outstanding. I love this movie. 4½ cans.
 

June 2026 Message from Tina - June Gems

1.    Last weekend, I stayed in a hotel where my room and my sister’s room were on the same floor. But the numbering was so strange on the sign near the elevator that one day I went looking for her room, ended up back at my own room and knocked on the door, thinking I had found her. I should have used a GPS!
2.    My 70-something girlfriends are all hooked on “Off Campus,” a new series on Prime Video about a men’s college hockey team and the girls they date. My friends insisted I watch the 8-episode season, and I was hooked immediately. I saw the first 7 in one day and then finished up the next morning. I won’t go into detail here (look for my review at the end of the month) but I can just say that women like me, old enough to be the grandmothers of the main characters, are hooked. Lots of cute guys with their shirts off, lots of smoldering looks and more, and great music. Season 2 comes out NEXT YEAR. Damn, that’s too long to wait!
3.    My entire supply of rubber bands comes from bunches of broccoli or grapes in a plastic bag.
4.    With the growing use of GLP 1s for weight loss and health conditions such as diabetes, side effects of these drugs are affecting the users. There’s the usual nausea, diarrhea and constipation, but then there is hair loss. I foresee a future filled with balding, thin old folks like me!
5.    I appreciate the fact that Thomas’ English Muffins come pre-split. I worry that young people might just slice them with a knife and ruin the nooks and crannies.
6.    For someone with no known allergies, I sure sneeze and blow my nose a lot.
7.    There is always that one traffic light that I never get. It always turns red as I approach it. Without fail. I just assume I will have to stop there. If I ever made it through that light, I would plan a parade!
8.    If you are driving the car at the head of the line at the traffic light, you are responsible for moving ahead quickly when the light turns green. It is so frustrating to miss the light because the idiot ahead of you didn’t go as soon as the light changed. 
9.    Whenever I buy something packaged neatly in a box and open it to remove the contents, I’m always surprised how everything I took out fit in that package. Buy a set of sheets or a new phone and just try to get the packing material back into the original box. It’s like clowns getting out of a Volkswagen. How did they fit in there in the first place? You just hope you don’t have to repack the item to return it!
10.    I always have trouble with those plastic containers from the salad bar or from leftovers from a restaurant. I can’t get them to stay closed so the contents won’t spill out, and then I can’t get them to open when I’m ready to eat!
11.    I have bought more than my share of gadgets over the years from infomercials and online ads, and some of them have worked out great. I still have my V-slicer, which is a mandolin for use with vegetables. I could never get it clean enough to suit my standards, so actually I have replaced it twice. I also have my bread knife – appropriately called the “TV Knife,” which still works perfectly after many years. So not all impulse buys are duds after all.
12.    Since I am retired and don’t have to go to work Monday through Friday, there is no reason I can’t change my sheets on, say, a Tuesday or Thursday. But old habits die hard, and changing the sheets remains a weekend chore.
13.    I saw an ad online for Old Navy that boasted “50% off EVERYTHING.” Underneath, in small type, it read, “Exclusions apply.” OK, if it is 50% off everything, that would have to be WITHOUT exclusion. Which is it? There is no truth in advertising.
14.    Considering that my bachelor’s degree is in English, I would think I would do better on the online game Spelling Bee. Sometimes I can’t even get to the “Amazing” level, and I have only achieved “Genius” level twice. I’ve been so bad at it lately that I am worried someone is going to come to my house and take back my graduation diploma!  
15.    I park my car so badly that I am worried about someone showing up to confiscate my driver’s license, too!
16.    I think that once you have grandchildren who get married, you should be classified as old. I don’t have any grandchildren, so I’ll never get old!
17.    As I attempted to lick an envelope to seal it and then realized that there was an adhesive strip for that purpose, it occurred to me that young people today have no experience with having to lick envelopes and stamps to put things in the mail. Christmas cards could make you sick (which happened to George Costanza’s fiancée Susan, who died in a Seinfeld episode from licking the stamps on their wedding invitation). I doubt they use USPS much anyway. 
18.    The nice thing about ordering items online is that by the time they arrive, I have already forgotten what I ordered, so it’s like getting a surprise gift!
19.    When I found a T-shirt online that said, “Back and Body Hurts” in the familiar Bath and Body Works design, I just had to buy it! The folks at my physical therapy place loved it!
20.    There was a woman in the restroom at the gym the other day who was washing her hands so vigorously and for such a long time that I thought she was scrubbing up for surgery.
21.    And why do we call the ladies/men’s room a restroom anyway? Who is in there taking a rest?
22.    My Mercedes just turned a year old and a few of the features that came free with it have now expired, though I can renew them and pay. Most of these I didn’t know I had, and I’m pretty sure I can survive without geofencing, since I don’t know what it is. If the car is stolen, there is a service for that, although calling 911 might just come in handy, too. Apparently, I had a parked vehicle locator, a vehicle tracker and a remote vehicle finder, which sound to me like overlapping services. Maybe the remote starter would have come in handy had I known I had one, but most of the time my car is in the garage, so it is safe and warm. And I wonder what “car to X communications” means. Now I’ll never know, because I will pass on the opportunity to purchase these services I didn’t know I had in the first place!
 

Tina's May 2026 Movies and More

The dirty dozen is presented here for your viewing pleasure. All ratings are on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna and those entries marked by an asterisk are things I had not seen previously. Numbering picks up from previous months.

44. Out of Africa (1985, Cable TV) – Magnificent Meryl Streep and gorgeous Robert Redford co-star in this beautiful-looking Sydney Pollack movie about a Danish woman trying to create a new life and a coffee plantation in Kenya while living with her part-time husband (Klaus Maria Brandauer). But she is really in love with dashing Denys Finch-Hatton (Redford), who is not a man to be tied down. Everything in this movie is magnificent, from the vistas of Kenya to the sumptuous music, and especially to Redford. In a scene where he washes Meryl’s hair, you can’t help but swoon. I hadn’t seen this one in many years and thoroughly enjoyed it again. 4 cans.
45. An Unmarried Woman (1978, Cable TV) – The late Jill Clayburgh is Erica, a relatively happy housewife who works at an art gallery and still loves her husband (Michael Murphy) after many years of marriage. And then, out of the blue, he breaks down and tells her he has been having an affair and doesn’t love her anymore. She orders him out of the house and tries, with the help of her group of girlfriends and a therapist, to adjust to the fact that she is an unmarried woman who is starting over. Excellent acting and views of New York in the 1970s. 3½ cans.
46. The Devil Wears Prada 2* (2026, Manville Cinema) – Gird your loins, folks, because Miranda Priestly, the Emilys and ever-faithful Nigel are all back in this sequel to the 2006 movie. Meryl Streep’s Miranda is still the doyenne of fashion and still running “Runway,” a magazine that is now mostly an online publication. Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway) has spent 20 years in “real” journalism after her stint on the magazine. And Emily (Emily Blunt) has moved to a senior executive position at Dior, which is a sponsor of Runway. Andy is summoned back to the magazine to handle damage control for a major PR issue, so her role is very different from being a second assistant to the impervious and demanding Miranda. Will the owners dump the publication, or will they move Miranda up to be the creative head of the conglomerate that owns it? This was a satisfying sequel to the original, and I can’t believe 20 years have flown by since we first watched them run around in their Jimmy Cho shoes! 3½ cans. 
47. Norma Rae (1979, Cable TV) – Sally Field won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance as the gritty Norma Rae in this movie about an attempt to establish a union in a textile mill in an impoverished Southern town. Generations of employees have worked in the sooty, dusty plant, getting sick and dying. When a union rep (Ron Leibman) comes to town to organize the employees, he has to sell the idea of a union to them. He doesn’t have a lot of credibility with the townfolks, who mistrust the New Yorker in him. But Norma Rae gets it and starts working in her spare time to convince her friends and co-workers at the plant to vote for the union. When she stands on that table holding her hand-drawn “UNION” sign, I still get the chills. 4 cans.
48. Three Days of the Condor (1975, Cable TV) – Robert Redford is Joe Turner, a low-level CIA researcher who goes out to pick up lunch one day and returns to his office to find his entire unit murdered. Why? And is he next? He calls in the incident to his CIA boss (whom he has never met), but he has to communicate with people he doesn’t know and trust with his own safety. He randomly kidnaps a woman (Faye Dunaway) to force her to help him, and soon they are both in danger. This is a tense and intriguing plot, as Turner tries to figure out why his colleagues were killed and by whom. An oldie but a goodie. 3½ cans.
49. Remarkably Bright Creatures* (2026, Netflix) – This heartwarming movie stars Sally Field as Tova, a lonely widow who works as an aquarium cleaner. She has developed a friendship of sorts with Maurice, an octopus (voiced by Alfred Molina) who likes to escape from this tank. She shares her plight with Maurice, being torn between staying in the house she has owned for decades or moving to an assisted living facility. The house houses memories of her loss of her son, and she doesn’t understand what happened to cause his death. Then Cameron (Lewis Pullman) shows up, searching for his biological father, and gets hired at the aquarium to help the injured Tova. They butt heads – she sees him as doing a half-assed job and insists he do things right. The octopus pulls them together even as he faces his own impending demise. 3½ cans. 
50. Cash McCall* (1960, Prime Video) – If you ever wondered what the 60s were like in corporate America, watch this movie. Men are in charge, of course, decked out in their fine business suits and ties, with women only there to be accessories. You can’t forget the name of this movie, because the main character, Cash McCall, who is played by a debonair-looking James Garner, has his name mentioned practically every minute. He is a wheeler-dealer, buying and selling businesses while trying to impress Lory Austen (Natalie Wood), the daughter of a business associate/friend/foe. She wears period-appropriate hats and pointy bras and has met him socially, before he knew her lineage (or did he?). This is NOT a good movie and I won’t urge you to run out and rent it, but sometimes you go into this kind of movie knowing what it is and you enjoy it anyway. Besides, who can resist the charms of James Garner? 3 cans.
51. FDR* (2026, PBS - Netflix) – This 3-part documentary is a comprehensive look at the life and times of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Born into wealth and privilege and a cousin of President Theodore Roosevelt, FDR seemed destined to pursue politics, and he followed in the elder Roosevelt’s footsteps in the positions he held. FDR married distant cousin Eleanor, who bore him six children before he was stricken with infantile paralysis and lost his ability to walk (which apparently did not diminish his taste for other women, as Eleanor found out). His disability was largely shielded from the public and he made appearances standing and walking with crutches, a cane or with his son by his side to bear his weight. He was elected President during the Great Depression in 1932 and had to lead the nation into sustainable recovery. The bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese drew the US into World War II. FDR’s dealings with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill are covered here with plenty of actual footage as well as some dramatizations where actors play the characters.  There is nothing new here, but I thought the documentary put to good use appearances by historians and authors like Doris Kearns Goodwin, Michael Beschloss and others we are accustomed to seeing on PBS. 3½ cans.
52. Hacks, Season 5* (2026, HBO Max) – This wonderful show comes to an end as veteran comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) move to a solid and beautiful friendship after plenty of sparring and mistreating each other for the past 5 years. Deborah, despite being banned from performing, has just pulled off a coup against her former employer and is enjoying the aftermath of an outdoor showstopper of a concert, her way of sticking it to the man. Young writer Ava, who has served as Deborah’s writing partner/muse/opponent/ since the series began, is now her confidant and someone Debroah has grown to trust and love. I don’t want to reveal the plot, so I will just say thank you to the creative team and actors, led by the formidable Jean Smart, for creating indelible characters. And I am eager to see where Hannah takes this experience in her next role. It has been a blast. 4½ cans.
53. Miss You, Love You* (2026, HBO) – This movie that should have been a play stars Allison Janey as Diane, an embittered woman planning a funeral for her second husband. She could trip over the chip on her shoulder that she carries for her son, who rarely keeps in touch and doesn’t seem likely to attend the funeral. Instead, he sends his assistant, Jamie (Andrew Rannels), to help his mother with the preparations. Although Jamie tries hard to be helpful, Diane knows it is her son who should be here and not some efficient assistant, but mother-son have been estranged since he was 9 (as you find out). This dance of words and accusations between the grieving widow with a sharp tongue and the assistant who is in love with his gay boss peel back the layers of the story. The dialog is delivered like shotgun blasts between the mother who feels she has tried her best and the substitute “son.” There are a few other characters in the show, mostly for comic relief (including my beloved Bonnie Hunt), but Diane resents them, too. The mood is dark, and so are the sets, despite the New Mexico locale. But even though I found this movie a little hard to take (lots of arguing), I love Allison Janney in any role, and Andrew Rannells holds his own against a tough cookie. 3½ cans.
54. Rafa* (2026, Netflix) – If you have watched any tennis in the past 25 years, you probably saw Rafael Nadal’s rise to prominence. This 4-part series examines his career, the challenges he had to overcome – physical and mental – to perform at the top of his game for decades. The one stat that stands out for me is Nadal’s record at the French Open, where he captured the title 14 times! Nadal was in it to win it, fighting off foot injuries and pressure that he mostly put on himself. Just when you think someone has a limit to how well they can perform, along comes Rafa to reach a new level. He is retired now, having spent time as the number 1 player in the world many times in his 3-decade-ling playing career. I miss his tenacity on the court. 3½ cans.
55. Marty, Life Is Short* (2026, Netflix) – Comic actor Martin Short possesses a rare gift – JOY. Whether he is creating it with his comic antics and performances on TV, stage or movies, or whether he is experiencing it with family and friends, this man emanates joy and happiness, despite a life filled with tragedies. This documentary ode to joy is filled with his home videos of his beloved family and famous friends, from Tom Hanks to Steven Spielberg and many more. Beware of excessive smiling. 3 cans.
 

May Meditations

1.    Have you ever paid full-price for anything at Kohl’s? If so, why? There are always sales and they give out Kohl’s cash every time you buy something to entice you to come back (trust me, it works). I can sense that Kohl’s cash burning a hole in my pocket! And then there are the coupons, which, for me, always seem to be 30% off. Maybe the constant discounts will eventually drive Kohl’s out of business, but right now, their philosophy works for me. It seems that the amount they tell me I saved on the receipt is more than the cost of the entire purchase. It’s Kohl’s math!
2.    I don’t know whether the bags under my eyes are getting better or whether I am just getting used to them.
3.    My surgically-repaired (2019) right shoulder is acting up again, probably from too much exercise (who would have thought that could happen to me?)! Today I put a pain patch on it and I think the way that works is that that you are so distracted by the strong scent of wintergreen/menthol soothing ingredient that eventually you forget the pain.
4.    Everyone I know seems to have joint pain – a knee, a shoulder, a wrist. I haven’t heard this much discussion about joints since the 1970s!
5.    If you are looking for a new car and want to see various models without going to a dealer, just peruse the parking lot at my health and fitness club. Every kind of car you can imagine is there. There is even one of those hideous Tesla trucks that seem to have no windows, as if the driver is crossing a field of plutonium. 
6.    I have one very annoying habit (actually, I have many but I’m not going to bore you with a complete list): I open a cabinet, remove what I am looking for and then leave the cabinet open. Why? Am I going to grab more than one Tupperwear container? Another plate? And since I live alone, there’s no one to blame but me! That’s OK, I’ll give myself a good talking-to.
7.    Don’t you hate it when you bite the inside of your cheek and your tongue keeps going there?
8.    Does anyone around my age sleep through the night? Sure, I can sleep soundly on the couch after lunch, but going to bed, falling asleep and staying asleep? Everyone I know says they are up at 4 or 5 or 6 am. It’s at least partially related to having to use the bathroom, but no one can sleep. When I worked, I couldn’t get up in the morning. Now I don’t work and I can’t sleep. Life seems unfair sometimes.
9.    A friend of mine and I were discussing having to take certain medications for the rest of our lives. That would have been more of a big deal if I were 30 years old than it seems now that I am 75 and the rest of my life will be considerably shorter than the first part.
10.    I get bills from my doctors now in the mail, as an email attachment, on their apps and in text messages. I had better keep good records or I’ll be paying that bill multiple times!
11.    To be a good fitness instructor, you have to be enthusiastic and have bright, uplifting energy even at very early times in the morning. You also have to be in great shape and know how to count backwards: “That’s 8, 7, 6…” I don’t qualify for even one requirement, but I do my best to follow along in the water at my aqua exercise classes.
12.    Road etiquette: If you need to merge, I will let you in, but don’t keep inching your way right next to me looking for a one-more-car advantage. Take the opening I gave you and GO! And when you do go, give me a nod or a wave to acknowledge my good deed. Don’t leave me hanging and questioning my politeness!
13.    My real estate tax bill came in and I paid it, forgetting that I had set up automatic payments with the money being withdrawn from my bank and going directly to the local tax office. Oops! I went to the office to request a refund and was informed that it would take months to get the funds back, so I might as well wait until the next quarterly taxes were due and have the amount credited for that payment. Funny how they can take the money SO FAST, but giving it back is nearly impossible.
14.    With stores closing left and right, we sometimes have no choice but to order things online. When the blankets I ordered (buy one, get one free) came in and they were not big enough (despite being advertised as queen-sized), I contacted the company about returning them. Although they were shipped from the US, they told me that all returns have to go to their facility in GERMANY. Really? That’s going to cost most of my refund. So, they offered to let me keep the blankets and, for my inconvenience, they will ship me a new one in a larger size for free. So now I will have 3 blankets – and no refund. This is my reminder to read the small print on the return policy when ordering anything, just in case.
15.    I read that my beloved Bed, Bath and Beyond soon will be reopening retail stores, mostly through a partnership with the Container Store. And guess who kept most of her BBB coupons? Somehow, I knew they would come in handy one day!
16.    My superpower is guessing numbers. This skill works for guessing the time on the clock in the middle of the night, on the timer when I am grilling steaks and on things like the word count on documents. It does not work on the Lottery or in a casino at roulette, unfortunately.
17.    Italian food is my favorite, and I love the traditions and culture of Italy. Many of my best friends are Italian, and Italians have much in common with Jewish people. But I know I will never be accepted as an Italian because I break my spaghetti before I cook it and I use a spoon to twirl it. So, I have no chance of being mistaken for a real Italian.
18.    If you ever have the opportunity to make a sandwich for me, please make sure you cut it on the diagonal. I can’t eat sandwiches cut straight. 
19.    Speaking of sandwiches, my mother probably made me a million tuna fish sandwiches since that was my choice of sandwich growing up. They had to be Bumble Bee Tuna, solid white fancy, packed in oil - later, water, when that option became available. No mayo, no celery, just plain tuna on white bread – preferably Duggan’s or Wonder. If there was no tuna in the house, my mother would go door-to-door in the neighborhood seeking Bumble Bee. If she was desperate enough, she would borrow a can of Chicken of the Sea. One bite and I would know it wasn’t Bumble Bee; I would check the garbage can to verify my suspicions. When I went to college, the cashier at the supermarket questioned my mother about the lack of tuna in her shopping cart and she would have to explain that I was not home. When I moved into my own apartment, I bought my own tuna and made my own sandwiches, but they lacked that special touch of Mom’s. When I would go to Mom’s, I would come into the house singing the Carly Simon song, “Nobody Does It Better,” to charm her into making me another Bumble Bee tuna sandwich, because nobody COULD do it better. I wish I had just one more sandwich made by the late, great Sylvia Gordon. 

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.
 

 

February 2026 -- This & That

With such cold winter weather, I have had plenty of time in the house to ponder of late. Here's what I have been thinking:

1.    We have been hit hard with snow to start the new year here in the Mid-Atlantic region, and that always makes me wonder – how do the snowplow drivers get to the plows with the roads covered with snow? Do they sleep at the location of the plows? And even beyond how they get there, how does the first plow find the road to plow? How do you get to the Garden State Parkway or NJ Turnpike when they are covered with snow? It’s not like they have any tracks to follow. I’d watch a documentary on snow removal – as long as my driveway has been cleared! I saw video of NYC snowplows transporting tons of heavy snow to waiting “hot tubs” strategically stationed around NYC to melt and eliminate the snow. Would someone like to pick up my snow? There is a pile in my front yard right now that I could burrow into and make an igloo. I think it might still be here on Memorial Day!
2.    Along the same vein, I can’t recall in recent years a period when the temperature stayed under 32 – and, for that matter, when it has spent days hovering around zero -- for such a long time. When the thermometer reads 20 degrees, it seems almost balmy. I did all the required things you do in a cold snap, like opening the cabinets under the sink and letting the faucet drip to prevent the pipes from freezing – but it is just TOO COLD. My face hurts when I go outside. No comments on that, please.
3.    I don’t understand why every day, right after lunch, I just know I am going to fall asleep. I can sense a nap coming on, and no matter how loud the TV is or how much light streams into the family room, before long, I’m out for a nice stretch. Contrast that with the bedtime ritual, where I seldom feel like I am about to fall sleep, despite a comfy room and bed and all the right conditions. And if I do get to bed and fall asleep at a reasonable time, that just means I’ll be up by 1 AM for that first trip to the bathroom. I know it isn’t just me, is it? But that afternoon nap is sweet!
4.    What’s with these British family feuds, and why are we forced to hear about them? Whether it is Harry and Meghan feuding with the King and the Prince or Brooklyn Beckham denouncing his parents (who gave him a fairly nice life, let’s face it) over his wedding and wife, the actions of these people are not newsworthy and instead of required reading should be avoided reading.
5.    It is frustrating when things work and then suddenly they stop working. Take my scanner, for instance. Last year I used it for all my tax materials. This year it doesn’t show up on my computer as part of my HP printer. Yesterday, my car inexplicably lost access to the navigation system, the radio and the phone. I didn’t think the car could run without the radio on! Then I had to stop the car for an errand, and, when I restarted it, everything was back except the phone, which I assume had somehow lost its Bluetooth connection. So, the problem has been solved, but who knows what happened in the first place? Some kind of update, I assume.
6.    We can’t be too careful with our personal information, such as passwords. I put mine in an organized document and saved it with a password on my desktop to protect it. I did a great job, because even I can’t get into the document! What was that password?
7.    The other day I found tissue remnants all over the washing machine, meaning that someone left a tissue in her pocket. I’m not naming names, but we all know I live alone. Many people to whom I told this story commiserated with me, because we have all done this at one time or another. It looks like somebody had a party and used tissues for confetti. This should be my biggest problem.
8.    My friends and I were talking about the inimitable and indomitable Cher recently with awe. She is 78 years old and has scored hits in 7 decades of music. She looks much younger than her age, dates a 39-year-old man, and can still kick ass on the stage, wearing outfits that defy her years. If only we could ALL turn back the hands of time like Cher does.
9.    Does anyone still pay extra for fancy checks? Why? Will PSE&G think better of you if you pay your bill with a check full of puppies? I never understood why someone would feel that paying their electric bill on a check featuring birds or seashore scenes was worth the expense. For that matter, does anyone still use checks to pay their bills?
10.    Did you watch the Superbowl Halftime show with Bad Bunny? I don’t know his music, but the show was so imaginatively staged and so full of joy, that I cannot understand why anyone would object – unless it is out of sheer racism. Puerto Rico is part of the US, and Bad Bunny was born there, which makes him as much of a citizen as any of the rest of you. All I know is that the music had a good beat and you could dance to it, and that’s the standard we have used since Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. As for the other music, just play the Whitney Houston version of the Star-Spangled Banner. It was magnificent, and no one will ever perform it as well as Whitney!
11.    Since 2016, I have done my best to avoid watching the news. But the tragic story about Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother has me tuning in again. My heart breaks for the family as the authorities examine every possible lead that will resolve the case one way or another. Savannah is accustomed to reporting on these stories; being the center of one must be unbearable. I expect to be watching this on Dateline at some point in the future.
12.    I have watched entirely too much curling in this year’s Olympics, but that’s what has been on during the daytime, and I got hooked. Besides, participating in curling seems attainable for an average person, as opposed to hurtling down a mountain on a snowboard or skis. Or having some strong and graceful man throw me through the air across the ice. And I don’t see the joy in the luge, where you lie on your back on your sled and race down an ice-covered track. What’s your view there? The sky? I can relate better to the summer Olympics, where people run and jump and play tennis and soccer. Not that I could actually do those things, but they SEEM like something I could do. And I wouldn’t be cold doing them!
13.    With the world in such a contentious and bleak state, I find myself upset, mad and depressed. I think the only thing that is getting me through this terrible period is watching the uplifting stories provided by Steve Hartman in his “On the Road” series. Whether the story is about a school that was named after its janitor, or a little girl bonding with a lonely, elderly man at the supermarket, or a group of high school kids who show up every week for breakfast at the home of a grandmother whose grandson was killed in a car accident, or a policeman who pulled over a young woman and told her he wouldn’t give her a ticket if she continued her education (she is now a nurse), or any number of acts of kindness provided by friends and strangers, these stories lift my spirits and give me some degree of solace. That, and the fact that pitchers and catchers have reported to training camp. There is still hope!
 

 

Tina's January 2026 Movies & More

The new year started out with some new programming and old favorites. Asterisks indicate shows that I had not seen previously. Ratings are based on one to five cans of tuna, with five being the top rating. 

1. I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not* (2026, Netflix) – In 1975 Saturday Night Live burst on the late-night scene with its irreverent “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” that included a tall, good looking, young Chevy Chase. Hired as a writer, he persuaded producer Lorne Michaels to let him be part of the cast, and soon, with his clever “Weekend Update” and numerous pratfalls, he became SNL’s breakout star. One season was enough for Chevy, who quickly went on to star in movies. This documentary traces his career, his talent and triumphs, along with his problems with drugs and alcohol and sometimes nasty behavior. You get the impression that he thought he had the most talent and didn’t mind letting everyone know. 3½ cans.
2. Cover-Up* (2025, Netflix) – Journalist Seymour Hersch is best known for his detailed and extensive coverage of some of the biggest stories of the past 50 years. From the My Lai Massacre to the Watergate scandal, the Pulitzer Prize winner worked hard to track down insiders who could tell the real stories and not just accept the words of the military or government. Hersch is the print version of Mike Wallace – no one in charge ever wanted to see him show up to cover a story. Here his memories and extensive notebooks tell the tales of some of the most important stories in our lifetime. 4 cans.
3. Flight Risk* (2025, Netflix) – Downtown Abbey’s Michelle Dockery sheds her Lady Mary Crawley character (and English accent) to portray a US Marshal assigned to escort a reluctant witness (Topher Grace) from Alaska to New York to testify against a mobster. He is cuffed and chained to their small plane and unable to communicate with the marshal or pilot, both of whom are wearing headphones. The plane ride is bumpy and the radio isn’t always operational. The pilot of the small plane (Mark Wahlberg) has other ideas, and before long, he and Dockery are trading punches in the tiny aircraft. Any time a movie is shot in a confined space, the tension in the scenes is heightened. Not the best movie, but interesting to see Lady Mary as a badass. 3½ cans.
4. The Martian (2015, Hulu) – What if you made it to Mars but couldn’t get back? That seems to be the fate of astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) when a storm prevents him from joining his crewmates as they head home from the red planet. Left alone with minimal supplies, Watley figures out how to plant and harvest food, get water and stay safe until NASA can figure out a way to rescue him. He eventually rigs up a way to communicate with NASA and works hard to just stay alive until they can get him. Damon hits all the right notes as a clever, resourceful guy who uses his smarts to survive. 3½ cans.
5. The Housemaid* (2025, Montgomery Cinema) – As always, the book is better than the movie, but I can attest to the suspense level on this one being very high. Sydney Sweeney plays Millie, out of jail on parole and hired as a housekeeper for a wealthy couple. SHE (Amanda Seyfried) is nuts, a real psycho who almost immediately after hiring Millie begins to plot against her. HE (played by a very handsome actor named Brandon Skelnar) is gorgeous, devoted, understanding and kind. This movie is filled with tension (and ominous music) and with twists you don’t see coming. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop – and it did. No spoilers. 3½ cans.
6. Marty Supreme* (2026, Manville Cinema) – If you go to this movie expecting to see a sweet sports story about a gifted table tennis player, you will be very surprised. Timothee Chalamet stars as Marty, a man with one goal – to be the world champion table tennis player. But he needs money to travel to England and Japan to compete, and he comes up way short financially. He is a hustler on the order of a pool shark, taking on all comers for modest winnings to finance his trips. His desperation leads to lies, cons, wildly fabricated stories where he imposes on everyone in his orbit for places to stay and to get the cash he needs. He is not exactly an upstanding individual, but you have to admire his moxie. This is one intense movie, and Chalamet is sensational in the title role. It is much less about table tennis than the action surrounding Marty’s goal, although the table tennis is incredible to watch (you can’t help but wonder – how did they do that?). The director, Josh Safdie, also directed “Uncut Gems”, and this movie has the same frenetic pacing and obstacles for the “hero” to overcome. Only after seeing the movie did I learn that it is based on a real person. Be aware that it is not only intense and somewhat violent, but it is also long at two-and-a-half hours. 4 cans.
7. Hamnet* (2025, Montgomery Cinema) – As an English major, I thought I knew a lot about Shakespeare, but I sure didn’t know anything about this story. A young man falls completely in love with a woman whose name I couldn’t even understand. They keep having babies and he keeps going on trips to London to pursue his writing, leaving his wife and children to be cared for by their supportive community. When there is a terrible tragedy, the man, who turns out to be William Shakespeare, is inspired to write his classic play, Hamlet. Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal play the star-crossed lovers. A little too dramatic and tragic for me. 3½ cans.
8. Queer Eye, Season 10* (2026) – I love this Netflix franchise, which offers its final season of improving the lives of ordinary people with the aid of the “Fab Five” group of gay men with expertise in home design, food, clothing, personal care and counseling. Most of the people they help, who have been nominated for improvement by friends and family, are grateful for the assistance, but this year there was at least one woman who was very resistant. Even so, these fabulous gays worked their magic. However, I felt shortchanged when episode 5 ended and so did the series. I was counting on double that amount because I was not ready to say goodbye. I will miss all of their good ideas and quirky personalities. Thanks for the ride, guys. It was fabulous! 4 cans.
9. Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man* (2026, HBO) – If you love clever, funny, sometimes sophomoric comedies, you have to love Mel Brooks. The 99-year-old is responsible for “Blazing Saddles,” “The Producers” (on stage and in the movies as a musical and also a movie without music, all of which Brooks wrote), “Young Frankenstein,” Spaceballs,” and many more. Melvin Kaminsky was just always funny, and humor saved him from the rough times of serving in the Army during WWII, getting divorced and not working. But after he married Anne Bancroft, I think he did his best work. Anyone who can make me laugh about Hitler really has a demented and hysterical approach to humor. This 2-parter could have been a little shorter, but it was entertaining. 3½ cans.
10. Julie & Julia (2009, Hulu) – The incomparable Meryl Streep – looking incredibly tall – plays beloved chef Julia Child, and Amy Adams plays Child’s superfan Julie Powell – a young woman living in Queens with her husband – in this combination of their respective stories. Julia Child’s story is of her years in France with her beloved husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) as she decides to attend the Cordon Bleu culinary institute and become a chef and, ultimately, a cookbook author. When she begins to write the definitive book on French cooking for an American audience, she faces plenty of challenges. Julie, on the other hand, challenges herself by vowing to go through Child’s entire book, making 571 recipes in 365 days, a daunting cooking task but great subject matter for a blog. The stories are told in parallel fashion. Child, full of enthusiasm and with a one-of-a kind, patrician, strange voice, is completely charming, adoring her husband, enthusiastically adapting to life in Paris and transforming herself into a master chef. How they ever got her to appear that tall is an amazing movie feat. Julie tackles her challenge with relish and feels a growing kinship with the woman she grows to love. This movie made me hungry! 3½ cans and a hearty serving of beef bourguignon.  
11. Miracle: The Boys of 1980* (2025, Netflix) – Just in time for the Winter Olympics, this documentary retells the story of one of the greatest achievements in sports, the 1980 upset of the Russian Olympic Hockey team by a bunch of college kids brought together as the US Olympic Hockey team by Coach Herb Brooks. Here, the surviving members of the team recount their path to glory. I remember the upset and the subsequent US win over Finland that brought the Gold Medal to the US at the Lake Placid Olympics. I remember those cute guys – now aged senior citizens! – as they upstaged the Russians and went on to Olympic fame and glory. Do you believe in miracles, intoned sportscaster Al Michaels. Yes, we do! 3½ cans.
12. Melania* (2026) – Are you kidding?  I wouldn’t watch this piece of vapid fluff propaganda if you tied me up and dragged me to a theater. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos funded it and should be ashamed of himself, pandering to…never mind. Enough. Never. No way.