These days, we are all getting a good load of the entertainment offered by Netflix, Prime Video, or whatever your favorite streaming service. The “go-to” titles were exhausted in early summer, and most of us are open to suggestions at this point. What follows are eight titles watched in our house; some have favorable reviews, and some not so much…both opinions might prove useful. Take a look and see what you think. Make a note of titles we have missed and call our attention to them. We have no pride and little self-esteem when it comes to pirating ideas.
The Roosevelts
Directed by Ken Burns, originally aired on PBS
This gem is available on Prime Video now. It is excellent, and has brothers and sisters: “The National Parks,” “Baseball,” “The Civil War,” “Prohibition,” etc. Burns is a national treasure and never seems to run out of ideas. This is not my favorite entertainment form; I prefer a 90-120-minute movie to the 6-10-hour sequel format. Unfortunately, I have the time.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Directed by The Coen Brothers, available on Netflix
I am a big fan of the Coen Brothers, Tim Blake Nelson, Tom Waits, and many other oddballs that show up in this six movie composite. Like the new Nebraska tourism slogan, “it’s not for everyone.”
Brittany Runs a Marathon
Starring Jillian Bell, available on Prime Video
My wife Julie is a runner, and that was probably the deciding vote on this one….it was great. Rapid, zippy dialogue. Contemporary humor. Brittany Folger is a mess, and all ways out lead to hard work and self-discipline. This is a great watch.
A Call to Spy
Starring Sarah Megan Thomas, available on Prime Video
Probably the same quality as Brittany Runs a Marathon, but a WWII spy flick. Churchill orders his F1 group to expand their covert ops and to do so with women. This is a good movie and, for the most part, nonfiction. Very good.
Scientology and the Aftermath
Starring Leah Remini, available on Netflix and Prime Video
Save your time and money, boring…. very boring. (Kristin and Jon really liked this series; to each their own.)
The Queen’s Gambit
Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, available on Netflix
Not my favorite format but nonetheless a good story. It might just be the best chess movie I’ve seen. Actually, I haven’t finished it, but my wife has, and Trey and Shari liked it…lots of family votes. The Queen’s Gambit is one of the oldest known chess openings, dating from the late 1400s…consider it Chess 101. The game can generate a tremendous amount of stress, and the characters in this movie are wound tight as a tick. This would be good entertainment during a prolonged blizzard, quarantine, or incarceration. Good stuff.
The Unicorn
Starring Walton Goggins, Rob Corddry, Omar Miller, available on CBS TV
If this wasn’t so well cast and well written, I would have dumped it once finding out it was just ordinary TV. That being said, it could be the next, Friends, Seinfeld, or King of Queens. It seems to be free on Netflix but ala carte on Amazon. This is good stuff, watch a couple episodes, you will laugh.
Borat Subsequent Movie Film
Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, available on Prime Video
This is bathroom humor. If you liked Cheech and Chong, Wayne’s World, and Ernest Goes to Anywhere, this will bring you a chuckle. I surprised myself and finished it. Sacha Baron Cohen is a talent, but he hides it well, and this movie is no break with his past. For example, the film has “some” nudity, but the nudity is Sacha Baron Cohen. SBC is not going to go away, and at some point, he will make a movie with relevance…I’ll let you know.
So that’s enough for this post, but I am confident there will be more. I’ve read/listened to some good books, too: The Forgotten 500, Dark of the Moon, How to Lead, Make Russia Great Again, and Countdown 1945. Expect more on these in the future.
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