Theater Camp - Theatrical | Was convinced to see this during my Bro Weekend with Gardner because Barbie was full, Mission Impossible wasn’t showing at a convenient time, and I wasn’t going to see the next film on this list again. It was cute, starring Ben Platt and a lot of other actors you’ve seen in something before. But it’s a streaming movie, no need to see it on a 30’ screen with surround sound. 
Oppenheimer - Theatrical | Really, really wanted this to live up the hype, but in the end, I was not blown away. (Get it?) Thought Iron Man did some solid acting and I sort of got into it when it had more of a sports movie feel as they raced to build the test bomb in time for the Potsdam conference. But the final hour or more with the kangaroo court ruining his reputation? It just didn’t hold my attention.
Extraction 2 - Netflix | Hemsworth keeps his shirt on again in the sequel, but this time, it’s personal, as he extracts his ex-wife’s sister from prison. The body count is insane, like Lincoln’s beloved first-person shooter video games come to life. It’s not much of a leap to see why gun violence is so accepted in this country.
Jumanji - Netflix | The closer Greta gets to college, the more she regresses a bit in her entertainment choices. I watched the last 15 minutes of Julie & Julia with her one weekend, and then this Robin Williams classic from 1995. The older I get, the more it’s true: They just don’t make ‘em like they used to!
No Hard Feelings - Theatrical | Donated $30 to Regal so Greta and I could have a Daddy-Daughter date. It’s one of those movies where all the funny scenes are in the trailer, but the Hollywood gadflies are correct — there is full frontal Jennifer Lawrence nudity for a couple minutes.
Attack the Block - Hulu | Before he did his part to save the galaxy as Finn in the third Star Wars trilogy, John Boyega played a London teen whose gang is all that stands in the way of an invasion by black Fozzie-bear looking aliens with glowing teeth! This 2011 British indie didn’t recoup its already low budget, but it had some pretty funny moments.
Jury Duty - Amazon Prime | Watched this as a family on Phyllis’ recommendation. Our first family show since “Brooklyn 99.” Premise is Candid Camera on steroids. An entire cast of actors are hired to play judge, jury and courtroom staff, with one man thinking that he’s part of a real jury hearing a case that is being filmed for a documentary on the legal process. Dramatic irony is at work from the start, as we the viewers know what’s happening but hapless Ronald does not. It was really funny for a few episodes, but got a little strange toward the end, when it just looked and felt so much like a reality TV show that it was hard to believe he didn’t call their bluff.
Shrinking, S1 - Apple TV | Harrison Ford: Hans Solo, Indiana Jones, or comic relief? Maybe he’s always had it in him, but it’s nice to see the 80-year-old relax into a part that doesn’t require him to dash off witticisms before killing bad guys. “How I Met Your Mother” star Jason Segel does good work, too, as a psychologist in Ford’s office trying to get over the tragic death of his wife by helping others work through their own traumas. Very funny and moving. Lot of f-bombs and sex talk though.
Platonic, S1 - Apple TV | Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen are unlikely best friends in this comedy, which can’t quite make up its mind whether it wants to play for laughs or say something deeper about relationships. As they reconnect a dozen or so years after college and begin spending more time together than with their significant others, all the predictable problems ensue.
Ted Lasso, S3, Eps 11-12 - Apple TV | Turns out I didn’t watch the final two episodes of this one! Started hearing things about the touching series ending on various podcasts and discovered I had stopped at ep 10! Highly satisfying conclusion, hokey ’til the end.
The Last Thing He Told Me, S1 - Apple TV | Got our $6.99 worth from the team in Cupertino this month! This Jennifer Garner seven-episode drama was based on a popular book. Maybe the pages turned faster than the scenes. It didn’t get halfway decent until episode six, when characters had to start rapid-fire explaining to dummies like me what was happening.
The Righteous Gemstones, S3 - Max | Continues to be a laugh-out-loud comedy about a wacky televangelist family led by John Goodman and his squabbling kids, dominated by Danny McBride’s character, who is probably the funniest actor working in TV comedy today (“Eastbound & Down,” “Vice Principals”). Vulgar and profane and just delicious.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro | Bought this last Christmas for Greta, who’s been too busy to read it. Given all the AI in the news of late, I found it very thought-provoking. Basic plot is that in the future the haves are gene edited to increase their chance of success, while the have-nots are, well, not. The haves can also afford “AFs” — or Artificial Friends — to help them navigate adolescence. The titular Klara is an AF for a young girl with a terminal disease, or so everyone but Klara seems to think. Enter the sun. And I won’t spoil it more than that.
Shoot the Moon by Isa Arsén | Took a chance on this debut novel that was on the AP review list. It comes out in October. Suffered a little from first-time novelist problems, but it tackles some compelling themes, the biggest of which is l-o-v-e. Set mostly in the 60s as America races for the moon, the protagonist works at NASA when she discovers an “anomaly” that sends and returns objects back about two decades into her past, when she was growing up in New Mexico and her Dad was helping build the atomic bomb. My AP review.
I felt the same way about Oppenheimer, glad to see someone else had a similar experience. And I've been saying the same thing recently about movies ("they don't make 'em like they used to")! I haven't read Klara and the Sun but if you liked that you might like another one by Ishiguro titled Never Let Me Go - that one also deals with artificial life. Keep going to theaters!
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