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

What I'm watching in June 2022:

06/29/22 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Disney+)

06/28/22 All American (Netflix, Seasons 2 & 3)

06/26/22 To All the Boys—P.S. I Still Love You (Netflix)

06/25/22 The Man from Toronto (Netflix)

06/25/22 To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Netflix)

06/24/22 My Fake Boyfriend (Amazon Prime)

06/24/22 Out of the Wild (Amazon Prime)

06/23/22 Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+ series)

06/21/22 All American (Netflix, Season 1)

06/18/22 Spiderhead (Netflix)

06/18/22 Jerry and Marge Go Large (Paramount+)

06/17/22 Father of the Bride (HBO Max)

06/13/22 Barry, Seasons 1, 2, & 3 (HBO Max)

06/11/22 No Time to Die (Amazon Prime)

06/09/22 Hustle (Netflix)

06/08/22 Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (HBO Max)

06/05/22 The Interceptor (Netflix)

06/05/22 The Flight Attendant (HBO Max Season 2)

06/04/22 Top Gun (1986. Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.)

The Man from Toronto

— A pretty lame action comedy. Kevin Hart plays his usual short, animated, clueless and amiable, buffoon. He ends up joining forces with notorious assassin, Woody Harrelson, playing his usual man of few words, a dark aura, and a wry smile. It’s predictable but there are certainly similar films that are much better. It’s humor usually doesn’t hit the mark. It’s probably not worth your while unless you’re a hardcore Hart or Harrelson fan. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2022. 110 min. Directed by Patrick Hughes. Starring Kevin Hart, Woody Harrelson, Jasmine Mathews, and Kaley Cuoco.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-man-from-toronto-movie-review-2022

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

— A charming journey that looks at lessons of love, friendship, and family. The lessons learned are the stuff of any decent, romantic, teen coming-of-age film, but the performances and chemistry make this one stand out. I like it’s pace, it’s script, and the way it handled the emotional insecurity that stays with us long past high school. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2018. 99 min. Directed by Susan Johnson. Starring Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, and Andrew Bachelor.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/to-all-the-boys-ive-loved-before-2018

Out of the Wild

— Sometimes its nice to watch a modern-day Western and this fill the need. There's nothing flashy about the story of a broken cowboy with a painful past whose last chance comes when takes a job training a troubled mustang at the dude ranch. He finds his way back by helping the ranch's owner, a widow with problems of her own. It's a little corny but the acting is decent, the scenery is soothing, and the road toward healing and aceptable is worth taking. [Amazon Prime streaming.]

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[2019. 98 min. Directed by Paul Krizan. Starring John Diehl, Jean Louisa Kelly, and Benjamin Ashbrook.]
https://thesubtimes.com/2021/10/19/out-of-the-wild-modern-day-western-film-review/