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BE ENTERTAINED

Two bits of news before I traipse into entertainment.  First, the House January 6 Committee at 1PM today announced that it will, after all, convene tomorrow, Tuesday, at 1PM EDT for their 6th hearing.   Remember last week they said that the next one would occur in July after the July 4th recess? In the midst of this Rowe v. Wade brouhaha, they must have something crucial to share.  Why?

  • No hint.
  • Documentary filmmaker Alex Holder has something blockbuster to show?
  • The FBI uncovered something incriminating in the stuff they found in Jeffrey Clark's home?  He is the person Trump wanted to install as the attorney general?
  • Ginni Thomas, wife of Clarence?
  • The modern day equivalent of the Butterfield Tapes in Watergate?
  • Should be interesting.
The second bit has to do with sports.  I predicted that the Tampa Bay Lightning would win the Stanley Cup.  I was wrong.  They lost to the Colorado Avalanche.  While I'm at this, Wimbledon starts today.  


  • Tennis matches wend on to July 10.
  • The total prize fund this year is $50 million, with singles' winners (note, no gender bias) each getting $2.5 million.  This is more than the French Open, but less than the Australian and U.S. Open.
  • There are no favored American men.  Novak Djokovic (right) is at 5/6, or 55% chance of winning.  Matteo Berrettini (who???) is #2 at 11/2 (15%).
  • Iga Swiatek (right) is at 13/8 (38%), Ons Jabeur (who???) at 9/1 (10%) and Coco Gauff (an actual American) at 12/1 (8%).  
  • Iga is 21, Ons is 26 and Coco is only 18.  Matteo is 27 and Novak is 37 years old.
As I haven't featured films and series for some time, today, a little bit of everything.  In this interim I've seen a whole lot of episodes of half a dozen series and a bunch of movies, some new and some not.  I will start with Netflix, from a MovieWeb list of best movies coming in July.  

As an aside, though, this has been a dismal year for Netflix, having lost 200,000 subscribers, with a reported 2 million to follow when they next announce another subscription increase.  Their stock was valued at 600 at the beginning of the year, and has dropped below 200, where it was five years ago.  The 12-month price forecasts have a median of 280, with a high of 635 and low of 150.  But about those coming movies:

  • On July 1 the 1995 Natural Born Killers by Oliver Stone, written by Quentin Tarantino.  Rotten Tomatoes reviewers did not like it, giving a score of 48%.  However, audiences said 81%.
  • Also on July 1 the 2009 Up in the Air, with George Clooney and Vera Farmiga.  RT:  90/79.  Clooney was 48 years old.  Today?  61.
  • On July 15, straight from production to Netflix, Persuasion, based on the Jane Austen novel of the same name, starring Dakota Johnson, with Cosco Jarvis and Henry Golding.  Too new for RT.
  • Also on July 15, still in some neighborhood theaters, Uncharted, starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas.  Recovery of a fortune worth $5 billion lost by Ferdinand Magellan 500 years ago.  RT:  40%/90%.  This is one of those films that critics hate, but audiences love.  I almost always side with moviegoers.
  • On July 17, The Father, starring Anthony Hopkins with dementia, who refuses the help of daughter played by Olivia Colman.  RT:  98/92!!
  • On July 22, The Gray Man, featuring Ryan Gosling in a global manhunt.  A Netflix produced film still too new for Rotten Tomatoes.
  • July 2:  House of Gucci (2021), a Ridley Scott film with Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Jared Leto. RT:  63/83.
Movie Web also announced these new Prime series in July, and they're all free.
  • The Boys (final episodes), the darker side of the superhero industry.  This third series will get a fourth next year.  RT:  93/85.
  • July 1:  The Terminal List, about Navy SEAL James Reece, starring Chris Pratt.  Eight episodes to come, with a second series planned.  Too early for Rotten Tomatoes.
  • July15:  James May, Our Man in Italy (Season 2).  Does odd touring, like in Season 1 he was in Japan and visited the Kanamara Matsuri Penis Festival. No RT scores.
  • July 29:  Paper Girls.  Based on the comic book series of the same name, four young girls, while delivering newspapers, get caught up between time-travelers.  No RT scores.
Rotten Tomatoes has a new documentary, Chernobyl:  The Lost Tapes, featuring new uncovered footage of that nuclear cataclysm in Ukraine 36 years ago.  Focus on attempts by the Soviet Union to coverup the incident.  I mention this show because Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 100% rating.  Now on HBO Max.

Some of the better films I've recently scene on Netflix/Prime, with Rotten Tomatoes ratings:

Marry Me (Prime)  61/92:  One of those fantasy stories of a rock star (Jennifer Lopez), randomly picking an innocent (Owen Wilson) in the audience to "Marry Me," and they went on to live happily ever after.

Hustle (Netflix)  92/93:  Adam Sandler again incorporates the NBA into a film where he does some serious acting, and well.  He was also quite good in the 2019 Uncut Gems (RT:  92/52).

The Andromeda Strain, RT 67/72:  A 1971 mystery thriller from the book by Michael Crichton of a pandemic featuring an invading microbe from outer space.  Not well reviewed, but shows something about how society reacts to an outbreak.  Crichton also wrote Jurassic Park.
Radio Days, RT 90/84:  This 1987 Woody Allen film has him as an older man looking back to his  youth during the Golden Age of Radio. 

The best parts are the appearances of future stars in his movies:  Mia Farrow, Dianne Wiest, Wallace Shawn, Dany Aiello, Jeff Daniels, Tony Roberts, Kitty Carlisle, Kenneth Mars, Julie Kavner, Larry David and Diane Keaton.  The soundtrack was especially wonderful.

Then, there are the films I would see if not for this pandemic, as I still fear movie theaters, like the latest Top Gun, which I reviewed earlier this month.

  • Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, RT 95/86.  Two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson shines as a retired religious education teacher and widow seeking romance and excitement after a boring marriage, never having experienced an orgasm.  She hires online a good-looking young sex worker called Leo Grande.  Has a happy ending.

  • The Black Phone, RT 84/90:  Frightening and entertaining, a supernatural horror film starring Ethan Hawke as the kidnapper.  Why did he take on this despicable role?  At his age, he thought villains might be his future.  The Black Phone allows the kidnappie to talk to previous victims.  Alas, there is a happy ending.
  • Elvis    , RT 79/94.  The life of Elvis Presley, played by Austin Butler, through the prism of his manager, Colonel Parker, played by Tom Hanks.  Director Baz Luhrmann is known for over the top stylish films.  Last night on Prime I watched essentially the same production in documentary form, Elvis Presley:  From the Beginning to the End.  Released in 2004, shows rare footage and photos from the 42 years of his life.  No Rotten Tomatoes ratings.  He kept coming back to Hawaii for his greatest triumphs.  
As I did insert some sports into this posting today, thought I'd close with something from Madrid.  Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas might be our best, costing $1.9 billion. See this.  Scheduled to open in September, this updated facility cost only about half of Allegiance.
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