P.S. A Column On Things

TV: If I Hadn’t Met You

Netflix is offering a time-travel series that seems innovative. I’m not a sci-fi expert; I don’t even play one on television. But the rules for this time traveler seem to be a change of pace from the ones I am used to. It was made in the Catalonia region of Spain, so it is slow-paced and obscure, since Europeans eschew American storytelling style. Still, interesting and worth a watch.

TV: Rousing Endorsement of Ted Lasso / Murder in the Building

Daniel Dern’s taste has proven impeccable over the decades of our friendship.  Here’s his endorsement of the show:

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If you aren't already watching Ted Lasso on Apple+ and (if) I haven't already recommended it to you, I'm doing so now.

The premise: Lasso is a Midwestern US football coach who takes a job in England as a soccer coach (a game he knows nothing about).

What's surprising, refreshing and gratifying about this comedy is that it goes against traditional expectations of comedic targets, and has a lot of heart... and has some of the best gratuitous -- as in, not essential to the plot or character -- one liners and bits and other wordplay.

Some from the most recent episode or two made this real clear to me. (I'd have to rewatch to catch 'em.

And while yes, it's about a soccer team and soccer, and some soccer is played, you don't have to know or care about soccer (or sports in general) to appreciate and enjoy this show. (As was the case with Sports Night and Friday Night Lights.)

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So, I watched it, and he was right in every regard. Yes, lots of heart. Also, as Prof. Gurney once told a class: “Good vs. Evil is a comic book. Good vs. good is drama.” The evil people on this show have occasional moments of decency, which makes them better than the usual comic-book villains of sitcoms.

Also: Murder in the Building

With a nudge from my daughter Rae, I started watching this Steve Martin/Martin Short production on Hulu. Only Murders In The Building, like all of Martin’s scripted work, is droll, trenchant, closely observed, up-to-the-minute and witty. If true-crime podcasts drive you up a wall, this is your comedy. A restrained Martin Short performance―well, OK, restrained is a relative term in his case.

Movie: Respect

I knew almost nothing of Aretha Franklin before seeing this biopic, so it was all news to me, and I can’t vouch for its accuracy. Jennifer Hudson is brilliant in her portrayal of the Queen of Soul as an adult. The film was too long at 2 ½ hours, but it wasn’t a watch-checker, so it was moving right along. Why yes, it could have used a little judicious editing.

My Film Reviews

I think it’s time to admit that my lifetime dream of being discovered and offered a job as a professional film reviewer has reached its sell-by date. In college I reviewed more than 250 films for The Tech as Paul Schindler, P.E. Schindler, Jr., Gene Paul and Reginald A. Stuart-Smythe. As recently as 1980 I saw more than 100 films a year. Since I revived PSACOT in 1998, I have done 30 reviews a year. Time eventually wears down even a movie buff as intense as me.

From now on, I won’t even attempt the semi-pro style of mentioning all the major actors, the director and the screenwriters. I’ll tell you about movies I see the way I’d do it if we were talking: briefly and impressionistically. I wager none of you will miss the old style.

Movie Review: Free Guy *****

I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a film so much (of course I can barely remember the last time I saw a film in a theater). It was breathtaking. Laugh-out-loud funny, thought-provoking, intelligent and romantic. Ryan Reynolds… well, is Ryan Reynolds. Acting, directing,screenwriting, CGI: all amazing. The trailer represents the real film. At 1:55, it is 20 minutes too long, but other than that I have no quibbles. Not really a spoiler: pay close attention to Blue Shirt Guy’s final speech. If it doesn’t make you mist up, you haven’t got a heart. A RomCom that makes a point. Who knew?

Movie: Last Letter From Your Lover

I don’t know if it’s something that changed in the pandemic or what, but I just don’t feel the urge to do detailed movie reviews as I used to. Perhaps the relative lack of effort makes it seem less important. And, as I learned from Diana Ben-Aaron, there is a big difference between the glance of watching a work at home (normal lighting, distractions) and the gaze of watching it in a movie theater (dark, no distractions). I suspect Barry Diller is right, that the number of US movie theaters will drop 90% in the next few years; that saddens me. I prefer the gaze to the glance.

In case, Last Letter From You Lover  on Netflix is an occasionally confusing but always entertaining film―a romcom that’s light on the com―which hits all the buttons you’d expect and hope for, and a few that may surprise you. Trope-o-rama! As Phil Proctor says, recycling familiar plotlines means “expressing our admiration for our cultural influences.”

As a participant in three lengthy epistolary courtships (the last of which resulted in my 41-years marriage), I think they are very much worth the time, and worth saving.

Micro-Review: Tenet

It is early in the year to award the coveted SciFi Handwavium trophy, but Tenet wins it hands down for the word inversion. The film is entertaining at some times but confusing most of the time, with timelines running forward and backwards at all times. Christopher Nolan reportedly took 20 years to write the script. Chris, no matter how long it takes to write something, we can all use a good editor, something you obviously didn’t have. Lots of confusing bang-bang, some interesting/amusing philosophizing, and a number of good actors working below themselves.

Galaxy Quest: Humor is the Best Medicine

Those of you who share my vintage may remember the story of Norman Cousins of the New Republic, who treated his illness with Marx Brothers films in 1974, at a time when you had to use a movie projector and borrow films from a film exchange.

Laughter is still the best medicine, I rediscovered with a recovering friend last week. Without question, the film Galaxy Quest, a gentle spoof of Trekkies, is the funniest laugh-out-loud movie I have ever seen. I laughed so loud my wife came out of her home office to say she could hear me while tele-treating her clients. I stifled my guffaws. Groundhog Day is still my favorite film, and The Paper is still the best journalism film, but Galaxy Quest is now, officially, the funniest film ever made.

Groundhog Day… Again

Daniel Dern checks in with a couple of notes:

• He reminds me of Netflix's Russian Doll series. Definitely Time Loop, but I didn’t really like it for some reason.
• The Here I Go Again episode of DC's Legends of Tomorrow on the CW. Dern says, “It's an OK enough episode, notable mostly for the looped character, who got told in one loop to, come next loop, say "Groundhog Day" to a crewmate to quickly explain.” Which means, as many of you know, it checks one of my tick boxes for Time Loop greatness. It also name checks a Star Trek Next Generation Time Loop episode. This is a clever twist on the trope, neatly written, funny, moving and touching.
• Daniel also pointed me at one of a number of lists of Time Loop movies.

Groundhog Day Redux

In the better late than never department, my long-time musical associate George March added some new instances of GHD-type plots:

• "Defending your Life" (1991), and "Heaven Can Wait" (1978).
• James P Hogan's book "Thrice Upon a Time"
• The 2006 made for TV movie "12:01"
• a more recent film: "Source Code"
• the various TV shows that have done episodes with that theme.

Yes, I know Boss Level started Friday on Hulu; see next item.