It's Been Hot , So I've Been Watching a Lot!
With the WGA and SAG/AFTRA strikes, soon there will be lack of new TV and movies to watch (unless written and acted by strikebreakers and AI), so Sujata Said is your source!
TV: The Split (Hulu): I love me some British TV, and The Split is no exception - it’s a good , sometimes soapy, sometimes serious drama. It’s only 3 seasons and stars the luminous and talented Nicola Walker, who I will watch in anything (River, Collateral, and Unforgotten with great co-star Sanjeev Bhaskar.) This show is about family of divorce lawyers and their lives. I love so much of the cast especially Stephan Mangan who plays Walker’s husband. - he was in Green Wing and in Episodes (still the best acting ever from Matt LeBlanc.)
TV: Crowded Room (Apple TV): I didn’t know what to expect of this series with Amanda Seyfried and Tom Holland, and I won’t spoil it for you, but it’s a psychological crime drama that takes place in the 70’s with excellent performances all around. I have a couple of issues with a few of their choices towards the end, but I really like watching it. There are a few episodes left to “air.”
Documentary: Shiny Happy People (Amazon) and The Family (Netflix): These two I put together because they are engaging and enraging documentaries that reveal how right wing religious sects/cults, in this case Christian, have infiltrated the highest levels of government and leadership….and TLC. With Shiny Happy People, the fact that the Duggars were a “fun” pop culture phenomenon that made a lot of money for the Discovery Network, and it was a full on cult of very problematic religious practices…well, it’s messed up for them and for the media and society that allowed it. The Family (based on a book) is more disturbing when you think about the National Prayer Breakfast (which all Presidents go to) and the many members of Congress that belonged to this and made laws. Sigh.
TV: Drops of God (Apple TV): This show was marketed as wine experts fighting for an inheritance, not my genre. But I was attracted by its international cast, English, Japanese and French language throughout, and the mystery framework of it all. It’s based on a Manga graphic series of the same name - also not my genre, and I did wonder/worry what kind of changes the French production team might make in translating this to screen. The French have some strong opinions about wine and who can/should be an expert, and I was curious, and worried, about how they may portray and/or diminish Japanese experts. I still think wine tasters can be pretentious but this framework of mystery was cool and I enjoyed this on the whole.
TV: Full Monty (Hulu): This is a new TV series based on the very popular and very enjoyable 1997 movie Full Monty, which I saw maybe three times in the theatre. As a stand alone series about a former industrial town in deep economic crisis, dealing with the austerity measures of the current UK government, it was good and layered. As a series with the same characters from the movie which was also about economic hardship, it’s not that great a fit. There is no stripping, there is no Full Monty - nor should there be, but I do wonder if this show would have just been better as a stand alone show without the same name? If you haven’t seen the original movie, definitely do. The soundtrack alone is great and the banter, as always, gold!
On July 12th, I noticed the google doodle looked like one of my favorite snacks, Pani Puri (gol gappa) and when I clicked on it, it was an addictive Pani Puri game along with some history of the snack. I want Pani Puri all the time but especially on hot days! Pani Puri is one of many excellent “chaat” snacks that are easy to eat with fingers and often cooling in the hot weather! Pani means water and Puri are the bread cups we eat the snack in. One time, I found a restaurant in Atlanta that delivered it all disassembled so nothing got soggy and it was amazing! But mainly it’s good fresh when you make it with your friends at home or on the street corner or at the restaurant and you eat them one by one as they are made. Go find some and eat it!
When I was young, I watched a lot of TCM (Turner Classic Movies) and AMC (American Movie Classics) and TBS (Turner Broadcasting Service), and because of that got sucked into a lot of “classic” Hollywood movies and TV. I would then go down the rabbit hole of performers or genres I liked, and tried to find all their stuff (which was hard back in the day, but thanks to Blockbuster, I was pretty successful.) These are three recentg documentaries about a few of my favorites.
Documentary: Call Me Kate (Netflix): Katherine Hepburn. Nothing more to say. She stars in some of my all time favorite movies: The Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby, Holiday, Woman of the Year, Adam’s Rib. This documentary based on her autobiography and recordings was good. Side Note: I could write full newsletters on Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart her frequent costars.
Documentary: Rock Hudson-All That Heaven Allowed (Max): I loved Rock Hudson’s technicolor movie classics with Doris Day - Pillow Talk, Send Me No Flowers, and Lover Come Back. And in the 1980’s when the AIDS epidemic began, he was the most “famous” face of AIDS. For many it was shocking that this all American man was gay. It’s also an amazing, sad, and very American story of masculinity and hiding who you are and who you love to survive, to fit in and live your dreams. Apparently it was an open secret in Hollywood that he was gay but other stars were outed (Tab Hunter) to protect him.
Documentary: Being Mary Tyler Moore (Max): I saw the Dick Van Dyke show before I ever saw the Mary Tyler Moore show in reruns back in the day, and she was so talented in both! And certainly a huge part of history with her role as a single working woman in Mary Tyler Moore show.