Irresistible

Jon Stewart's "Irresistible," isn't a great flick. In fact, it's barely any good.

But that's because it's a direct, honest look at the current goings-on in the U.S.: our short-attention span culture, deep political divide, our lust (for money, fame, and power as much or more as for sex), and our desperation. Stewart holds a mirror up to our faces and makes us take a look.

It's not pretty, and it's not entertaining. But it's truth.

Here's the best review I can offer (with a hat-tip to my friend Donutbuzz who reminds us often that everybody knows):


Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight is fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich 
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
                          ~ Leonard Cohen

The Way Back

Boston Celtic great Bill Russell: "Commitment separates those who live their dreams from those who live their lives regretting the opportunities they have squandered." 

UCLA legendary Coach John Wooden: "The more we become concerned over things we can't control, the less we will do with the things we can control."

There's something about team sports -- basketball in particular, I think -- that leads to social, emotional, and spiritual growth. To be successful, basketball players must rely on others. Michael Jordan, the greatest player of all time, could not have won college and NBA championships without trusting in, and relying on, teammates to fill their roles and enhance his. 

Basketball teaches lessons in small moments. No one learns a life lesson from the number of W's in their win and loss columns. Lessons are learned from the payoff of that extra effort you gave in practice, and from realizing that move the coach taught you to make in the paint really does work in the game. Basketball teaches that you can dribble and pass around almost all of the obstacles placed in the path of your life. 

And when you encounter those few life obstacles around which you can't maneuver? Basketball teaches you to take a time-out, gulp a little Gatorade, then create a new plan of attack.

The Way Back, directed by Gavin O'Connor and starring Ben Affleck, is a simple story about a former superstar athlete who allows life challenges to dictate his decisions and actions. Affleck's Jack Cunningham is an adult stuck in a cycle of tragedy, regret, and self-loathing. 

He's allowed the angst he feels from things he can't control to overwhelm him so completely that he squanders the opportunities he created for himself. 

The Way Back isn't a great movie. The pace is a bit slow, and the plot pretty thin. Affleck's performance, however, is believable and consistent. The audience roots for the guy even while jeering the decisions he makes through most of the movie. The Way Back isn't a feel-good flick -- the ending isn't pretty, but it's satisfying. 

Sorta like life. 

Fantasy Island

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Uncut Gems

UncutGemsstartedoffat60milesperhournandneverletit'sfootoffthegas!

For a short time in my life I made a weekly bet or two [ahem] during football season. Even though my wagers were small-ish, the fact money was involved changed how I experienced the game.

Each week I cared less about the on-field athleticism and more about how the spread was moving. I bet big on the single game Thursday night so I knew going into multi-game-day Sunday if I could go big or should stay small. A win by my favorite team became less important than if I beat the spread. 

So I stopped. Cold turkey. 

I felt those old feelings while watching Uncut Gems. The desperation -- not to win, but to continue the thrill -- was evident from the first scene you see a conscious Howard Ratner (the first time you see him he's not conscious). It was suffocating, and the feeling drained me emotionally.

My  hand to God: when the movie ended Mrs. Film Geek said: "Can we watch something happy now so I don't have to go to bed feeling this way?" 

Sandler's got legit drama-movie game. And Julia Fox -- in her debut role, even -- is excellent. Uncut Gems isn't for everyone due to emotional intensity. But simply as a story, this flick is excellent. 

The Gentlemen

"Whatcha wanna watch on Prime tonight,?" she asked.

"You choose." I didn't care. I've been cooped up due to the coronavirus for so long that I welcomed any entertainment short of watching a White House COVID-19 briefing.

She sorted through the Amazon options, paused to read the summary for a couple of horror flicks, then landed in the drama section.

"How about The Gentlemen?"

In my head I screamed: "Nooooooooooo!" But out loud I said "Sure, fine with me."

Damn it. Guy Ritchie again.

I tend to shy away from Ritchie flicks for several reasons: they tend to be stylized in a way that just looks too obvious to me, sorta like an understated Wes Anderson film. Ritchie film plots are often a little too fast moving for me. He's a terrific teller of stories, but he requires the audience to be in lock-step with his pace and I always feel a full step behind. Then there's the fact that I can never understand his dialogue.

Ever! I mean, have you tried watching Snatch without closed captioning?

There's still a lot of all that in The Gentlemen. But there's a lot I enjoyed, too. Most of what I enjoyed comes from the effort of Hugh Grant. It's through the eyes of Fletcher, his character, that we experience most of this story. And while I wouldn't hang out socially with Fletcher, he's a fun guy to observe from afar.

Matthew McConaeghey is good as the protagonist, and Charlie Hunnam is excellent as Raymond. The plot is complicated, but it's told in a way that unfolds for the audience and is easy to understand.

I left the closed captioning on, though. Just in case.

Fast & Furious Present: Hobbs & Shaw

It's impossible to watch the plot of this flick unfold and not think: Why hasn't President Donald J. Trump called in Hobbs and Shaw to solve the COVID-19 pandemic?

Because, I'm pretty sure they could.

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

The COVID-19 pandemic has me scrambling for entertainment to ease distress and anxiety. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! made home isolation bearable this week for nearly 90 minutes.

Released in 1988, The Naked Gun is dense with sight gag and slapstick humor. But it's how Leslie Nielsen's delivers the goods that makes me laugh the hardest. Lines like:

Frank [as he cleans out his file cabinet drawer]: "Hey! Look at that. The missing evidence in the Kelner case. My god! He was innocent!"
Ed: "He went to the electric chair two years ago, Frank."
Frank: "Well, what's the use ?"

And:

Jane [as the couple end their day together in front of her home]: "Nightcap?"
Frank: "No, I don't wear one."

But most important, the iconic:

Frank: "Nice beaver!"

TFG's 5 Flicks To Reduce Stress During COVID-19 Isolation

Social distancing to avoid the Novel Coronavirus?

Keeping a 6-feet-plus distance from others while out can be hard, so I've been been staying mostly inside during the pandemic. I'm really good at being an introvert, so I don't miss being around people too much. But, I get bored easily, and my to-do list is complete.

1. Stock the fridge - check
2. Spring cleaning the house - check (somewhat. . .  mostly. . .  better than it was)
3. Organize my comic collection by title - check
4. Mow the lawn - check
5. Re-organize my comic collection by character - check

All the important stuff is done! Now what?

Movies, baby.

Here are TFG's picks for the 5 Flicks To Reduce Stress During COVID-19 Isolation:

1988's The Naked Gun is comedy-dense, so you're gonna find new funny every time you watch it. Leslie Nielsen's  Frank Drebin is one of the best comedy characters of all time.

Period.

Watch this one with your kids (and don't be a downer and tell them the OJ story).

X  

Sorry, not recommended. Not sure how that got there.

Skip this.

Move on.

Sure, you think Will Ferrell is hit or miss. And he has been. But 2008's Stepbrothers is comedy gold, Ferrell's best. And John C. Reilly is even better in this film than Ferrell.

Get lost in the hijinks.

We can't do the time warp and go back to months-ago Wuhan, China to stop this pandemic.

Do the next best thing and re-watch 1975's The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Throw rice and toast, and dance with your kids. But, take extra time to explain to them the character of Eddie, and that  Meatloaf was once a legit rock star.

I betcha a lot of things going on in Riley's mind are currently going on in yours.

You know them all -- Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger. You've cycled through them each time you've seen an empty shelf where the toilet paper used to be at Wal-Mart.

Re-watch 2015's Inside Out for  tips on how to recognize and control those emotions! And laugh while you watch.

Tom Hanks announced a few weeks ago he and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for COVID-19.

What better way to honor Hanks, and also distract yourself from all the stress, than to re-watch 1988's Big?

You've seen him eat the tiny corn 50 times, I know. You'll still laugh at the 51st.

Just Mercy

Simply stated, some human beings are better than others. It's true. Compare real-life attorney Bryan Stevenson to the average American.

To me, for example.

• Harvard-educated attorney Stevenson chose a career defending citizens vulnerable to a biased legal system. 

• I spend most Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons reading comic books. 

• Over a 25 year period, Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative saved more than 116 men from the death penalty. 

• During that same quarter century, I've laughed at five different hosts of America's Funniest Home Videos. 

• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, authored by Stevenson, won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.

• My blogpost, "Whatever Happened to Bowzer from Sha Na Na," has been read nearly 5,000 times. 

See?

Just Mercy is a good movie, I suppose. Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Fox are fine, although two dimensional, as Stevenson and his client, "Johnny D" McMillian.  Brie Larson is forgettable as Eva Ansley. Tim Blake Nelson -- as is often the case -- steals the film in a supporting role as angst-ridden inmate Ralph Myers. 

Nelson should have been on all the "best supporting actor nominee" lists for this role. 

Although it's an OK movie, Just Mercy can't fully illustrate all the good Bryan Stevenson has delivered in his career. It's my hope the movie inspires people to read more about him.

He's an American hero.

Luce

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