Back in Paradise…

We had a very smooth trip down to Naples this past week.  We spent a night in Beckley, WV and then another night in charming Jekyll Island, GA.  No huge accidents or construction or weather delays.  Naples is a little more debris strewn than we anticipated, but our own property damage (mostly to our pool lanai screens and to three trees on our property) is mostly cleaned up.  I didn’t get to watch much TV this past week, but I have been making up by binge watching 9 hours of Stranger Things 2 on Netflix, so here are some recommendations:

On the Big Screen at the Naples Film Festival

The Fabulous Allan Carr is a sweetly sad documentary about the Hollywood producer who had stars in his eyes and dreamed of being a megaproducer in Hollywood from his early days as kid in Chicago.  A fascinating and heartbreaking tale of behind the scenes showbiz.

The Divine Order is a touching film from Switzerland that tells the story of a young housewife who challenges the status quo by fighting for women’s suffrage in 1971 Switzerland.  A must see film for anyone who doesn’t value the right to vote and how hard this struggle has been to win.  It’s a very engaging film with wonderful performances from an ensemble cast.  There’s a hilarious consciousness raising scene where an entire room full of women have their first experiences gazing at their own vaginas for the first time.

Netflix

Stranger Things 2 is a mesmerizing, thrill ride into the joys and sorrows of early adolescence.  The whole crew is back with some new additions to the cast.  Notably Sean Astin as Bob (a beau for Joyce), and Max and Billy (our new human villain).  The kids are growing up and they are so perfectly cast in their roles that you can’t help falling in love with them. If you haven’t had a chance to watch Season 1 yet, you must see it before watching Season 2.  I love this series for its affectionate tributes to landmark films of the 70’s and 80’s.

Riverdale (also on the CW) is a delightfully dark adaptation of the Archie comics.
Dynasty (also on the CW) is a silly politically correct update of the classic 80’s series.

Streaming

Chance is an intriguing suspense series about a forensic psychiatrist starring Hugh Laurie.
Star Trek Discovery is a fabulous prequel to the original series.
Outlander (also available on Starz US and W Canada) is back for Season 3 and is as romantic as ever.
Good Behaviour (also available on TNT US and W Canada) is a fabulous vehicle for Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary from Downton Abbey) as a drug addicted con woman who has hooked up with an Argentinean hitman.  I love this series which is now in its second season.

CBC

Alias Grace is about to debut on US Netflix, so I am keen to continue watching it.

CTV

The Disappearance is a terrific Canadian miniseries that I haven’t found yet in the US.  I will be looking to stream it via the internet. It’s about the abduction of a 10-year-old boy.

The CW

Arrow is a sheer guilty pleasure show for me which features hunky Canadian actor Stephen Amell.

PBS

The Durrell’s in Corfu (Season 2) is a lovable series about an eccentric British family trying to live cheaply on the Greek island after WWII.  Delightful!
Poldark is an epic adventure series set in Cornwall in the 18th Century.
The Collection is a touch odd series about post WWII France and the fashion industry.  Strangely, most French characters speak with British accents.

NBC

Chicago Fire is another guilty pleasure show built around hunky firemen.
The Brave is another guilty pleasure show built around hunky special forces officers.
Saturday Night Live continues to find humour in current events.

FX

You’re the Worst is a very dark relationship comedy about LA misfits.

FXX

Better Things is a bittersweet comedy about an LA single mom.

Fox

Gotham is a dark and campy prequel to Batman.

HBO

Ray Donovan is a wonderfully dark tale of a Hollywood fixer.

ABC

10 Days in the Valley is a dark tale of the underside of Hollywood built around a child abduction.

Comic Relief

Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, Jim Jeffries, and The President Show all try to make us laugh at today’s events on a regular basis.

Audible.com

We listened to The Girl in the Red Coat (by Kate Hamer) during our drive down to Florida. Dark and harrowing, this tale of child abduction has two narrators: the mother and the child who is abducted.  The audiobook is marvellously narrated but I must confess the last chapters were endless.  I found it incredibly draining and wanted it to be over.  I feel overwhelmed by stories of child abductions lately:  The Disappearance, 10 Days in the Valley, The Five, etc. have all been televised recently.  Perhaps I just need a break from this type of story.  Read at your own risk, but I was exhausted by it.

Closing Words

Today we planted our garden, tomorrow George’s golf games begin, Tuesday is the beginning of my ladies’ day golfing, Mahjong will begin on Wednesdays,  Book Club meets again this Thursday, and our Fitness Centre classes will be up and running on Nov. 1 (the roof of the gym is currently being repaired post-Irma).  The weather has been mostly glorious (full disclosure, we actually had a very short-lived tropical storm linger over Naples yesterday) so there is much motivation to actually get outside and enjoy the sunshine. In the meantime, enjoy the fall weather wherever you are.  Safe travels to all our friends who are in various stages of preparing to visit the Sunbelt.

 

On the Road Again…

We are packed and ready for our road trip to Florida tomorrow morning.  We will stop overnight in Beckley, WV and Jekyll Island, Georgia.  We won’t be watching much TV while on the road, but here are a few recommendations in the meantime:

 

Netflix

Riverdale is a darkly irreverent update of the classic comic with lots of murder and sex thrown in.
Dynasty is a silly politically  correct update of the classic 80’s series.
The Five is a British mumble core interminably drawn out 10 part miniseries about a child disappearance.

Streaming

Berlin Station intrigues us with espionage.  Great cast features Richard Armitage, Richard Jenkins, Ashley Judd, Rhys Ifans, etc.

Chance is in Season 2 of this intriguing Hugh Laurie suspense series.
Star Trek Discovery is a fabulous prequel to the original series starring the wonderful Jason Isaac.

Transparent is a bittersweet series in its 4th season following the lives of the comically dysfunctional Pfefferman family and their transgendered patriarch.

ABC

Designated Survivor is a silly suspense series starring Kiefer Sutherland.  I don’t know why I can’t look away from this ludicrous show.

 

CBC

Alias Grace is darkly elegant and murky in this adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel.
Kim’s Convenience is delightful and affectionate in its portrait of a Korean family, their convenience store and the neighbourhood it serves.

 

CTV

The Disappearance is yet another dark and disturbing tale of a child disappearance.
Arrow is a delightful yet wacky superhero show starring hunky Canadian actor Stephen Amell.

PBS

Poldark is a rollicking epic about a headstrong adventure in 18th C. Cornwall.  Period costumes and British accents!  Heavenly.
The Collection is a bit odd in its evocation of post-war Paris.  Everyone seems to speak with a British accent!

 

NBC

Chicago Fire has an awfully hunky cast of firefighters. So simple minded, yet so comforting.
The Brave is one of several series that debuted this season featuring special operations forces rescuing people in jeopardy all around the world.
Saturday Night Live continues to entertain us after all these years.

FX

You’re the Worst is a very dark relationship comedy set in LA.

FXX

Better Things is a very dark family comedy set in LA.

Fox

Gotham is a darkly campy suspense series set in Gotham.

HBO

Ray Donovan is a dark drama about a Hollywood fixer.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver features delightful political satire.

Tracey Ullman’s Show is delightful sketch comedy with Ullman impersonating various celebrities and characters.

Bravo

10 Days in the Valley is a dark drama series about yet another child disappearance.

Comedy

Trevor Noah, Jim Jeffries, Samantha Bee, The President Show all abound on the Comedy Channel.  Catch them if you can.

Parting Words

Since virtually every show is available on demand or through internet streaming, I am leaving out the time slots for these shows. Catch them when you can!  Happy viewing.  Next time I write, it will be from Naples, Florida.  Have a wonderful week!

 

 

 

Jury Duty Blues…

I wrote this blog while sitting in the Court House on University Ave. waiting to be called for jury duty, so if I seem a bit blue in the writing of this, I was feeling incarcerated in a huge room of very unhappy people.  However, they released us about 2 pm, and I fled happily to the subway and scampered home feeling suddenly as free as a bird.

If we had been allowed to take pictures, I would have inserted a picture of our 300 strong jury pool. That is, 300 of the most bored, irritated people I have ever seen. And we were only on the first day of 5 days of mandatory attendance. They were processing the poor souls who  requested exemptions for the first three hours we were there. As this is my third summons this year (I was successful in obtaining 2 previous deferrals over the last year) I buckled down to serve my time here thereby earning an exemption for the next three years. We can now leave for Florida in one week as planned! No trials of the century for me, thank goodness.

Now, as for some viewing recommendations:

On the Big Screen

Viceroy’s House stars Hugh Bonneville and Gillian Anderson (The Fall, X Files) as Lord and Lady Mountbatten presiding over the partition and granting of independence to India. Superb! Period costumes and British accents. I was in heaven!

Netflix

Mindhunter is an 11 part miniseries that debuted this past weekend. Starring Jonathan Groff (Jesse from Glee), as a founding member of the Behavioural Science Unit of the FBI, this totally engaging series charts the rise of criminal profiling in a fascinating way. We watched the whole thing in one wknd. Fabulous!

Dynasty is back and now available on Netflix. Somehow less fabulous (I guess I do miss those shoulder pads), and updated for our times, Stephen Carrington is now totally out of the closet, Sammy Jo (formerly played by Heather Locklear) is now a gay man, Cristal is now Latina, etc. First episode has already featured a cat fight, yet somehow, I doubt I will stay with this one.

Riverdale is also now available on both the CW and Netflix. I love this dark take on Archie Andrews and his high school crew. More sex and murder than there was in the very wholesome comics. This is a savage social satire with witty writing and the aforesaid sex and murders.

Jack Whitehall: Travels with my father is a delightful miniseries about a stand up comedian travelling with his stuffy father around Southeast Asia for 5 weeks.

 

Streaming

This is Us continues to unravel this tale of family. I still find it maudlin, but I will watch season 2 until I find out what all the fuss is about.

Berlin Station has returned for Season 2 on Epix and can also be seen on Superchannel in Canada. Still brooding and murky!

Streaming/CBS All Access

Star Trek: Discovery has been rebooted as a prequel and I love watching Jason Isaacs as the latest captain. Great ensemble cast featuring Sonequa Martin-Green from The Walking Dead.

HBO

Ray Donovan wound up its most recent season last night. This was a challenging season as it dealt with Abby’s death and the impact on the family. Even darker than the preceding seasons.

Last Week tonight with John Oliver aired a new show last night. His major target was Equifax and I did find it tedious.

ABC

Designated Survivor (Wednesdays at 10) is incredibly silly and inane, but I can’t look away. It’s one of the few series that paints its leading character as a truly good man played by Kiefer Sutherland.

NBC

Saturday Night Live (Saturday nights at 11:30) with host Kumail Nanjani was terrific this past weekend. Nanjani was great in every sketch and his monologue on racism was very funny. Alec Baldwin opened the show as Trump. I don’t think he’s nearly as funny as The President Show‘s Anthony Atamaniuk.

The Brave is a new show that has been airing on NBC on Monday nights at 10.  It’s one of the many shows this year that is unabashedly patriotic and features special forces operatives executing different missions each week.  Full disclosure:  it features Mike Vogel who previously starred in the ludicrous Under the Dome and he’s awfully easy on the eyes!  I have enjoyed the first 3 episodes of this show, so we shall see if it continues to hold my attention.

CBS

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert starts repeats this week.

Comedy Channel

The President Show has shifted its time slot on the schedule and now airs at 10 pm on Wed.

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee should have a new show on Wednesday night at 10:30.

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah has new shows Mon – Thurs at 11.

Jim Jeffries has new show Tuesday at 10:30.

People of Earth is a very funny show about survivors of Alien Abductions who join a support group on Tues at 10.

PBS

Poldark continues its romantic epic saga of 18th Century Cornwall on Sunday nights at 9 pm.

Closing Words

The news is full of Harvey Weinstein sexual assault charges. Apparently, someone is trying to revive sexual assault charges against Mr. Trump. Should be an interesting week. The trees are glorious and the forecast this week is for increasingly warm weather, so enjoy this lovely autumn wherever you are.

Back from hiatus…

It was a whirlwind two weeks in Scotland and Iceland.  I spent time with my charming host and hostess in their beautiful home in the village of Burntisland, on the north shore of the Firth of Forth overlooking Edinburgh, Scotland.  We travelled around the Kingdom of Fife and toured the Eastern Coastal route of Scotland (including Anstruther and St. Andrews) passing through historic towns and the picturesque fishing villages of the East Neuk; we stayed in a holiday cottage on the North Atlantic coast of Scotland in the village of Findhorn in Moray on the south side of the Moray Firth. From Findhorn, we took day trips to Cawdor Castle, Brodie Castle, Scone Palace, etc.  It was like living in a fairy tale! We then spent 5 days touring Iceland from our hotel in Reykjavik.  We saw the Northern Lights, went on a day trip that included hiking around geysers and waterfalls and then a 1 hour snowmobile journey around a glacier.  The last day was spent relaxing at the Blue Lagoon, a hot springs resort which has become a bit Vegas-like as it is completely besieged by young Americans having bachelor and bachelorette parties.  Hilarious!

As for TV and movies, I did watch some shows on Netflix and caught a few things on the plane’s in flight entertainment series, and I have been furiously catching up on some of the shows I have missed over the past few weeks, so here are several recommendations:

On the Big Screen

Blade Runner 2049 is a sequel to the original 1982 film.  Elegiacally slow (164 minutes long), pretentious, and tedious, yet filled with incredible images of a dystopian future.  If you can keep your eyes open (full disclosure, I did sleep through much of Villeneuve’s previous sci-fi film Arrival), you may marvel at this tale of replicants, their creators and their hunters. Ryan Gosling is a little robotic, Harrison Ford is awfully old, but the young actresses who play the various replicants are wondrous (Mackenzie Davis as Marietta, Sylvia Hoeks as Luv, Ana de Armas as Joi). Sean Young makes a few appearances in flashbacks as Rachel, Robin Wright is fierce as Gosling’s police boss, Lennie James plays his usual unhinged self as Mister Cotton.

 

Streaming

LaLaLand is now available through streaming and on-demand, and as my Scottish friend Catherine had missed it, I had the great pleasure of re-watching it with her.  Lush and romantic, it was hilarious to see Ryan Gosling open up the premiere of SNL with a very self-deprecating series of LaLaLand references.

Star Trek Discovery is available through CBS all access and through streaming.  This is a wonderfully energetic prequel to the original series.  Jason Isaacs is the new commander and as I adore him, I couldn’t be happier.  Great ensemble cast including Sonequa Martin-Green from The Walking Dead.

 

 

Netflix

 

Dr. Foster If you haven’t watched this BBC thriller yet, go and catch up with Season 1, as Season 2 is now available.  A tale of obsession and revenge, once you start watching, clear your calendar, as this is highly addictive and binge worthy.

GAGA: Five foot two is an original documentary about Lady Gaga made for Netflix. Very revealing.

Love in a Cold Climate is a wonderful 2001 British adaptation of two Nancy Mitford novels.  I caught up with this on British Netflix.  Delightful!
The Wee Man is a 2013 British crime film about the life of Glasgow criminal Paul Ferris.  I needed this for background research on my Scottish trip and caught up with it on British Netflix.

Here’s a great list of suggestions for movies you may have missed on the big screen that are now available on Netflix:

https://www.nytimes.com/watching/lists/best-movies-on-netflix-indie?mwrsm=Email

 

Iceland Air In flight entertainment system

Planet Earth: Season 2 I have now watched the whole season and am amazed at how good this nature series is.  Incredible photography of scenes from nature that enthral with their intimate views of all forms of wildlife including both flora and fauna.

Midnight Sun This Scandinavian Noir series is a Swedish/French co-production for Canal Plus TV. I loved the first 5 episodes of this 8 episode miniseries. From the team that created The Bridge, this thriller is set in a small mining village in Northern Sweden and tells the story of a series of savage murders that are investigated by a team of Swedish and French investigators.  Fabulous!  Sadly, if I hadn’t gotten hooked on Planet Earth, I might have been able to finish all 8 episodes. Still trying to track them down.

Superchannel

Berlin Station has returned for its second season.  Wonderful espionage series, which almost takes the place of Homeland, if you are feeling the lack of a good series about spy craft. Great cast which includes Ashley Judd, Richard Jenkins, Rhys Ifans, Richard Armitage and the great German actor Thomas Kretschmann.

Get Shorty is a wonderfully wry noir comedy about criminals who decide to make films in LA.  Great performances from an ensemble cast that is led by Chris O’Dowd and Ray Romano.

Amazon Prime

Tin Star is an 11 hour miniseries currently airing in the UK, but made for Amazon Prime in the US.  Don’t bother!  Totally ludicrous as Tim Roth stars as a lawman brought to be the new sheriff in a mountain town in Alberta, Canada from the UK.  Outlandishly stereotypical characters and ridiculous plot.  Be afraid, very afraid of wasting your time with this one.

BBC

A Child in Time I was able to catch this very touching miniseries starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the father of a disappeared toddler.  Very sad.

 

HBO

Ray Donovan continues its current season with its out of chronology plotting.  The whole Donovan family is on display with all its complications and flaws.

Episodes is a delightfully clever sitcom which concludes its 5 season run this year.  A husband and wife sitcom writing team leave the UK for greener pastures in LA.  Great performances from an ensemble cast that includes Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig as the two leads, backed by Matt LeBlanc, John Pankow and many others.  Enjoy!

Jack Whitehall: Travels with my father is a delightful 6 episode miniseries about the 5-week tour of South East Asia that Whitehall (a 28-year-old British comedian) takes with his impossibly stuffy father.  Very sweet!

 

CBC

Alias Grace is the second Margaret Atwood adaptation to come to TV this year. Alas, as it is filled with British accents and costumes, I have found myself snoozing through it, despite my will to watch it.

 

ABC

Designated Survivor is a somewhat flawed attempt to create a political thriller for Kiefer Sutherland to follow-up his role of a lifetime in 24.  Inept, inane, but insanely watchable in its awfulness.

Modern Family had a hilarious season debut with a family boat trip gone comically awry.  I had given up watching this one because of a surfeit of other shows filling my PVR, but I was very amused by this season opener.  Those kids are getting awfully grown-up!

NBC

This is Us is an NBC series I had resisted watching last year (even though everyone I know loved it), but I succumbed to societal pressure and have caught up with the first two episodes of season 2.  Hmmm… awfully sentimental and maudlin, but I have to see what the fuss is all about.

 

Comic Relief

South Park continues to be incredibly timely and savagely funny.  The episode about DNA ancestry profiling and the controversy around the proposed abolition of Columbus Day was pretty hilarious.

Saturday Night Live is NBC’s mainstay comedy show.  Ryan Gosling hosted the first show of the season, Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) hosted the second show. Very funny in fits and starts.
Real Time with Bill Maher is HBO’s Friday night entry in the political comedy arena. Good political discussions with interview guests and a panel.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is on Sunday nights on HBO. Devilishly clever political commentary from a British perspective.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is CBS’s nightly political chat show. Colbert has been consistently hammering the Trump administration with his jokes.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! is ABC’s late night chat show.  Kimmel has received kudos for his outspoken commentary on Health Care and Gun Control.
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee is on Wednesday evenings on Comedy. She is savage in her political commentary.
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah is on Mon-Thurs evenings on Comedy. Noah (who is South African) brings a truly international perspective to his insights regarding current events.
Jim Jeffries the Aussie comic is on Tuesday evenings on Comedy. Outrageous!

 

PBS

I have missed the first two episodes of Season 3 of Poldark but have recorded them in Thornbury and long to watch them.  Lush and romantic!!

W (in Canada, STARZ in US)

Outlander has aired the first 5 episodes of Season 3.  Ahhh… so lush and romantic as Jamie and Claire struggle to reunite.

 

Parting Words

We were amazed at the beautiful sunny weather we had in Iceland and Scotland, but we couldn’t believe the gorgeous weather we came back to in Ontario.  Summer in October! We have now unpacked from our trip and are starting to plan for our drive down to Florida later this month. We are making arrangements to have the Hurricane Irma damage repaired and are anxious to see our place and do whatever cleanup is still required.  Until we head down on our very long drive, we will enjoy every minute of this beautiful Fall weather.