Sr.

— “Sr.” is a pretty offbeat and free-flowing look at Robert Downey Sr. and Robert Downey Jr. relating to each other while making a documentary about their relationship, with Sr. loosely gathering footage at the same time and making his own film. Conversations, clips from other films, and reminiscences manage to come together, painting a look at life, generations, art, death, and acceptance. If you’re looking for an odd documentary, this may be one to sample. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2022. 89 min. Directed by Chris Smith. With Robert Dopwney Sr., Robert Downey Jr., Paul Thomas Anderson, Sean Hayes, Norman Lear, and Alan Arkin.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sr-movie-review-2022

What I'm watching in November 2022:

11/26/22 The Noel Diary (Netflix)

11/18/22 The Wonder (Netflix)

11/17/22 The English⭐ (Amazon Prime)

11/17/22 Dead to Me⭐ (Netflix, Season 3 in progress)

11/16/22 Tulsa King (Paramount+, in progress)

11/14/22 Falling for Christmas (Netflix)

11/12/22 The Crown⭐ (Netflix, Season 5)

11/10/22 The Good Fight⭐ (Paramount+, 6th & Final Season)

11/08/22 Don't Worry Darling (HBO Max)

11/05/22 My Policeman (Amazon Prime)

11/02/22 The Good Nurse⭐ (Netflix)

11/02/22 Blacklight (Amazon Prime)

11/01/22 The White Lotus (Season 2) (HBO Max series, in progress)

What I'm watching in October 2022:

10/26/22 I Used To Be Famous (Netflix)

10/25/22 The Patient (Neflix series)

10/23/22 Last Seen Alive (Netflix)

10/17/22 The Watcher (Netflix series)

10/16/22 Memory (Amazon Prime)

10/13/22 The Outfit⭐ (Amazon Prime)

10/08/22 Luckiest Girl Alive (Netflix)

10/03/22 Downton Abbey: A New Era

10/02/22 DC League of Super-Pets (HBO Max)

10/01/22 Interview with the Vampire (AMC+ series, in progress)

10/01/22 The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (Season 2) (Disney+ series, in progress)

10/01/22 Travelin' Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall (Neflix)

What I'm watching in September 2022:

09/29/22 Thor: Love and Thunder (Disney+)

09/28/22 The Duke

09/27/22 Dog (Amazon Prime)

09/25/22 Lou (Neflix)

09/25/22 Do Revenge (Neflix)

09/24/22 Wanted (Neflix)

09/23/22 Father Stu (Neflix)

09/21/22 Dopesick⭐ (Hulu)

09/15/22 The Good Fight (Paramount+, final season in progress)

09/14/22 The Patient (Neflix, Season 1 in progress)

09/09/22 Only Murders in the Building⭐ (Hulu, Seasons 1 & 2)

09/09/22 Moonfall (HBO Max)

09/06/22 Abbott Elementary⭐ (HBO Max, Season 1)

09/03/22 Partner Track (Netflix, Season 1)

09/02/22 Elvis⭐ (HBO Max)

What I'm watching in August 2022:

08/28/22 The Old Man (Hulu)

08/27/22 Me Time (Netflix)

08/26/22 Samaritan (Amazon Prime)

08/19/22 Orphan First Kill (Paramount+)

08/19/22 Candy Jar (Netflix)

08/18/22 Look Both Ways (Netflix)

08/16/22 Belfast⭐ (HBO Max)

08/14/22 Day Shift (Netflix)

08/13/22 Secret Headquarters (Paramount+)

08/12/22 Licorice Pizza⭐ (Amazon Prime)

08/11/22 My Life As a Rolling Stone, Episode 1⭐ (Amazon Prime)

08/09/22 All Together Now (Netflix)

08/08/22 Uncharted (Netflix)

08/07/22 Thirteen Lives (Amazon Prime)

08/06/22 Honor Society (Paramount+)

08/05/22 Wedding Season (Netflix)

08/03/22 Purple Hearts (Netflix)

08/02/22 Virgin River⭐ (Netflix, Season 4)

08/02/22 Uncoupled (Netflix, Season 1)

What I'm watching in July 2022:

07/26/22 Along for the Ride (Netflix)

07/19/22 Persuasion (Netflix)

07/17/22 Love Accidentally (Amazon Prime)

07/16/22 SkyMed (Paramount+, Season 1)

07/15/22 Deep Water (Hulu)

07/15/22 The 355 (Amazon Prime)

07/14/22 All American (Netflix, Season 4)

07/11/22 Marry Me (Amazon Prime)

07/08/22 The Terminal List (Amazon Prime series)

07/07/22 The Boys (Amazon Prime, Season 3)

07/05/22 House of Gucci (Amazon Prime)

07/04/22 Stranger Things (Netflix, Season 4)

House of Gucci

— I missed “House of Gucci” when it was released in late 2021, but it’s now on Amazon Prime and worth seeing with all its flaws. Ridley Scott's an able director and the cast is certainly a good one. It roughly follows the story we think is true, but you can’t help but wonder if it’s more dramatic or less dramatic than the real thing; trashier or not as trashy; a result of the times, or money, or of the natural disposition of some men and women. It walks a line so you sometimes wonder if you’re watching a realistic portrayal or a campy parody. It’s a little long and the emotional transitions come too quickly and are jolting, but let’s face it, it’s Lady Gaga and Adam Driver and Al Pacino and more—how could you not see the story through? [Amazon Prime streaming.]

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[2021. 158 min. Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, and Jared Leto.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/house-of-gucci-movie-review-2021

Stranger Things (Season 4)

— Less than a week after Season 4 became available, "Stranger Things" crossed the 1 billion hours viewed mark. That’s less of a surprise if you watched the final two episodes since they’re a staggering 3 hours and 44 combined minutes. Remember when episodes were 48-52 minutes to fit network programming? Episodes in season 1 of “Stranger Things” averaged 49 minutes and in season 2 they averaged 50 minutes. They edged up slightly in season 3 to 55 minutes, but in season 4 the average running time jumped to 79 minutes and it took almost 13 hours to view the 9 episodes. This is a case of unnecessary bloat made even worse since I think the word count per episode probably didn’t change much, only the moments of dark brooding, bloodletting, frightening sounds, and excessive use of special effects. Granted, it’s a complicated story line, with a battle taking place in an alternate dimension, but with groups at two different locations in our dimension, with different plans and different obstacles to overcome. Adding to the complexity, with each season, the cast of characters grows. Really, when you have a monster Vecna and the Demobats already in the script, couldn’t they kill off a few more characters and their related plotlines to spare us a final episode in the 5th and final season that runs 3-4 hours! In spite of everything, I watch each new season and find myself sucked into Hawkins, Indiana, with its penchant for invading monsters. I enjoy seeing Millie Bobby Brown and Winona Ryder, and I enjoyed season 4, even if there were times when I wished some of the special effects budget had gone toward hiring an editor willing to cut some of the effects and some of the “atmosphere.”) [Netflix streaming.]

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[2016-2022 . 4 seasons, 35 episodes, 41-139 minutes/episode. Created by Matt and Ross Duffer. Starring Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, and Joe Keery.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/stranger-things-4-tv-review