Winter Wonderland goes briefly on break…

Posted on by brunswil
After a couple of days of brutal cold, we are now having some very mild early winter weather.  It’s a perfect day to get my Christmas urns in order for our Thornbury house and a good friend/floral designer is coming over this morning to “help” me.  I will have coffee ready for her.  In the meantime, I have to admit I have been bingeing on lots of new TV offerings.  Here are some recommendations for your week:

On the Big Screen

The Toronto International Film Festival has come out with personal recommendations for audience members (based on a brief survey and their algorithms) and I received this personalized list this week.  I loved Green Book, If Beale Street Could Talk, The Kindergarten Teacher (now available on Netflix) and First Man.

Top 5 Recommendations:

  1. Green Book (39.8%)
  2. ROMA (36.3%)
  3. If Beale Street Could Talk (34.9%)
  4. The Kindergarten Teacher (29.1%)
  5. First Man (28.1%)

More than 75% of people asked for their recommendations to focus on “Overlooked Gems” so they could discover films that may not get the attention of Hollywood blockbusters. Here’s what they’ve discovered:

Top 5 Overlooked Gems:

  1. Float Like a Butterfly (43.9%)
  2. Let Me Fall (15.2%)
  3. The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia(15.2%)
  4. Rosie (11.8%)
  5. Before the Frost (10.4%)

Get your own Personal Top 5 and see if it compares: join.TIFF.net/2018/

We hope you’ll love this tool as much as we do. Please let us know what you think of your results by emailing us at loyalty@tiff.net.

TIFF

P.S. – We can’t leave out one of the biggest crowd-pleasers of the year, and one of the most talked-about films coming out of TIFF:

Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born (17.9%) was #6 in the overall recommendations, just shy of the Top 5. See if it’s on your list of recommendations.

Netflix

The Last Kingdom  (Season 3, 10 episodes)  Oh how I have missed this action packed Dark Ages story.  The year is 872, and many of the separate kingdoms of what we now know as England have fallen to the invading Danes, leaving the great kingdom of Wessex standing alone and defiant under the command of King Alred.  Against this turbulent backdrop lives our hero, Uhtred.  Born the son of a Saxon nobleman and a Danish mother, he treads a dangerous path between both sides if he is to play his part in the birth of a new nation and ultimately, recapture his ancestral lands.  Untred is played by the glorious Alexander Dreymon.  Sigh… I love this gorgeous French/Swiss Englishman.  If you like Vikings, you will love this series.
The Kominsky Method (8 episodes)  Starring Michael Douglas, Alan Arkin and Nancy Travis.  An aging actor, who long ago enjoyed a brush with fame, makes his living as an acting coach. Douglas and Arkin are wonderful together as longtime friends who have a love/hate relationship.  Great writing that ties together themes of loss, addiction, aging and relationships.  This is a truly adult series that manages to make you laugh and cry.  I loved it and binged on all 8 half/hour episodes in one evening.
Dogs (6 episodes) This wonderful documentary series focuses on our relationships with dogs.  From a therapy dog, to a dog left behind in Syria when his master leaves the country. to a Labrador retriever that faithfully accompanies his master on daily fishing trips, to an examination of the dog grooming industry and its superstars, to a dog rescue shelter in Costa Rica and a dog-adoption service that rescues dogs from Texas shelters and matches them with new owners in NYC. Get our your hankies.  Heartwarming and life affirming.  Here’s what the Globe had to say about it:
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2 h 13 min) An anthology film comprised of six stories, each dealing with a different aspect of life in the Old West from the Coen brothers.  Dark and quirky, this blackly comedic series could also have been called 100 Ways to Die in the West if that title weren’t already taken.  The great cast includes Tim Blake Nelson, Clancy Brown, James Franco, Stephen Root, Liam Neeson, Tom Waits, and Zoe Kazan.  Fascinating in its oddness.
Trevor Noah:  Son of Patricia (1 h 3 min)  Noah’s South African roots and upbringing merge into his recent American experience making for funny and human juxtapositions and observations.  Here’s what the Globe had to say:
The Kindergarten Teacher (1 h 36 min) Starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Gael Garcia Bernal.  A kindergarten teacher in NYC becomes obsessed with one of her students whom she believes is a child prodigy.  I saw this very dark film at TIFF and found it very intriguing.  Gyllenhaal is luminous in this and you fear for her as she spirals downward.  What starts out as a lovely film about a dedicated teacher becomes a real film noir.

My Usual Obsessions

Outlander (Crave TV, Season 4, 13 episodes)  Starring Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan.  Oh how I love this story of a romance for the ages.  If you haven’t watched it yet or read any of the novels it’s based on, you can jump in to Season 4.  It’s 1767 and new immigrants Claire and Jamie are now in N. Carolina.  Claire knows her American history and keeps giving Jamie spoilers on the American Revolution, slavery, women’s lib, etc.  It’s a terrific new start for the story of the star-crossed lovers.  Enjoy!
Ray Donovan (HBO, Season 6, 12 episodes)  Starring Live Schreiber, Eddie Marsan, Jon Voight, Susan Sarandon.  It’s a new start for this series as we have moved from corruption in LA to corruption in NYC.  Fixer Ray Donovan is starting all over again in a new urban landscape.  Great noir series.
The Romanoffs (Amazon Prime, 8 episodes) A contemporary anthology series set around the globe featuring eight separate stories about people who believe themselves to be descendants of the Russian royal family.  Dark and quirky this series may cause people to scratch their heads over these very different stories of Romanoff descendants.  Great cast includes Diane Lane, JJ Field, John Slattery, Aaron Eckhart, Kathryn Hahn, Christina Hendricks, Amanda Peet, Corey Stoll, Jack Huston, Marthe Keller, Andrew Rannels, Jon Tenney, etc.  I enjoyed these stories, but I sense they may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
The Little Drummer Girl (AMC, 6 episodes) A bomb, delivered in a suitcase, goes off inside the house of an Israeli attache in West Germany.  A team of Israelis seek to put an end to the increasing number of bombings, all of which are masterfully thought out by an elusive Palestinian.  The Israelis identify an eccentric English actress and manage to turn her into one of their agents, with whose help she brilliantly wins the confidence of the Palestinian network until she is accepted as one of their own.  Stars Alexander Skarsgard, Michael Shannon and Florence Pugh.  Full disclosure:  I would watch Alexander Skarsgard read the phone book.  This series is typical John LeCarre fare:  spy craft, double agents, elegiacally paced, cryptic characters who are subtly revealed in layers…  Perhaps way too slow for those of us weaned on James Bond.  Bond, this is not, unlike The Night Manager (also based on a LeCarre novel and from the same production team).  This is a period peace set in the 1980’s when people used public telephones and weird transistor radios to eavesdrop on their enemies.
Broken (PBS, 6 episodes) Starring Sean Bean, Adrian Dunbar, Paula Malcomson, Anna Friel, etc.  Father Michael, a Catholic priest presiding over a Northern urban parish who is modern, maverick and reassuringly flawed and finds that he must be confidante, counsellor and confessor to a congregation struggling to reconcile its beliefs with the challenges of daily life.  Heartbreaking in its depiction of Father Michael’s lonely journey to bring peace and compassion to his community.  Sean Bean is wonderfully touching in this.
I am going to try and keep up with my usual shows:
The Good Doctor (ABC, Season 2, 10 episodes)
The Resident (Fox, 36 episodes)
New Amsterdam (NBC, 9 episodes)  I only watch this for Ryan Eggold’s charming performance.  The story lines are so ludicrous!!!
9-1-1 (Fox, 28 episodes) Despite being produced by Ryan Murphy, this is pretty routine fare.
Chicago Fire (NBC, 148 episodes)  Aah… Jesse Spencer and Taylor Kinney both star as the hunky heroes of the piece.
Mayans MC (FX, 11 episodes) Great spin off from Sons of Anarchy
The Gifted (Fox, 28 episodes)  Stephen Moyer (True Blood) alert.
Arrow (The CW, Space, 161 episodes) Obviously Canadian star Stephen Amell has his fans as this series has lasted through 7 seasons
Patriot (Amazon, 2 seasons) A blackly humourous tale of espionage
American Horror Story: Apocalypse (FX, Season 8, 10 episodes) Over the top batshit crazy, from Ryan Murphy.
FBI (CBS, 10 episodes) By the numbers police procedural for those who like their cop shows neat and predictable
Riverdale (The CW, 57 episodes) Just like the Archie Comix but with tons of sex, nudity and violence!
and these new shows that I haven’t managed to watch yet:
My Brilliant Friend (HBO), Sally4Ever (HBO), Escape at Dannemora (Crave TV), Narcos (Netflix), Warriors (Netflix), etc.
So much to watch, so little time!

Comic Relief

Hasan Minhaj (new on Netflix), Bill Maher, John Oliver, Samantha Bee, Jim Jeffries, Stephen Colbert, and Trevor Noah all try to bring a little levity to our current events.

Moment of Zen

Don’t forget to tune in to CBS Sunday Morning and watch it all the way to the end where you will be rewarded by a nature moment that is truly inspiring!

Closing Words

Thanks so much to all of you who have kindly enquired about George’s recovery from his recent (thoroughly routine) surgery.  He gets better every day! As you may guess, I have had a bingewatching buddy!  The poor man was hostage to my fiendish preference for new series on Netflix when he would have been divinely happy to watch any number of sporting events on TV.  Special hugs to my distressingly large number of friends and family who are dealing with medical issues.  Enjoy this week of mild winter weather, wherever you are!!

Back in the Great White North…

Posted on by brunswil
We have returned to winter in Toronto. George’s completely routine surgery went well and we now have a chance to gently slide into the festive season. It’s a return to book groups, fitness classes and tons of medical and dental appointments. In between connecting with family and friends, here are some TV recommendations:

Streaming

Three Identical Strangers (feature documentary, 1 h 36 min) I had the great pleasure of hosting 20 neighbours for our new Treviso Bay Movie Club.  As always, truth is stranger than fiction in this riveting tale of Long Island triplets separated at birth. Very thought provoking tale with themes of nature vs nurture, and the ethics of separating twins at birth and using them for research purposes. The group really enjoyed the film and it was very conducive to a discussion afterward.

New Series Alert

Dogs (Netflix, 8 episodes) Get out your hankies to watch this incredibly moving series about dogs and their bond with the humans who love them. So heartwarming. It will make you admire our best friends more than ever.
Narcos Mexico (Netflix, 10 episodes, Season 3) The rise of the Guadalajara Cartel as an American DEA agent learns the danger of targeting narcos in Mexico. Stars Michael Pena and Diego Luna.
The Kominsky Method (Netflix, 8 episodes) An aging actor, who long ago enjoyed a brush with fame, makes his living as an acting coach. Stars Michael Douglas, Alan Arkin, Nancy Travis. Here’s what John Doyle had to say about it:
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Netflix, 2 h 12 minutes) An anthology film comprised of six stories, each dealing with a different aspect of life in the Old West.
Warrior (Netflix, 6 episodes, Danish) A war veteran plagued by guilt over his final mission teams up with his best friend’s widow to infiltrate a dangerous Copenhagen biker gang.  Ooh…  Sons of Anarchy Scandinavian style!! I miss Jax.
My Brilliant Friend Ferrante novel # 1 (HBO, 8 episodes) Based on the Elena Ferrante novel, enjoyed by book clubs far and wide.  A woman recounts the lifelong friendship and conflicts with a girl she met at primary school in Naples during the early 1950s. Here’s what the NYTimes had to say:
Escape at Dannemora (Showtime, Crave TV, 7 episodes) An employee at a prison in upstate NY becomes romantically involved with a pair of inmates and helps them escape.  Stars Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Arquette, Paul Dano.  I love soulful Paul Dano.  He has the saddest, sweetest face in showbiz. Here’s what John Doyle had to say about it:
The Little Drummer Girl (AMC, 6 episodes) A bomb, delivered in a suitcase, goes off inside the house of an Israeli attache in W. Germany.  A team of Israelis seek to put an end to the increasing number of bombings, all of which are masterfully thought out by an elusive Palestinian.  The Israelis identify an eccentric English actress and manage to turn her into one of their agents, with whose help she brilliantly wins the confidence of the Palestinian network until she is accepted as one of their own.  Stars Alexander Skarsgard (swoon) and Michael Shannon (shiver).
The Price of Everything (HBO, Feature documentary, 90 min) With unprecedented access to pivotal artists and the white-hot market surrounding them, this film dives deep into the contemporary art world, holding a fun-house mirror up to our values and our times — where everything can be bought and sold.  I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary and feel much more knowledgeable about the art world as a result.  By sheer coincidence, I happen to be reading the British comic novel The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschilde.  Lots of familiar references from the documentary turn up in this novel set in the London art world.

Regular Fare

The Romanoffs (Amazon, 8 episodes)
Homecoming (Amazon, 10 episodes)
Poldark (PBS, Season 4, 8 episodes
The Durrells in Corfu (PBS, Season 3, 8 episodes)
The Woman in White (PBS, 5 episodes)  Warning:  I specifically PVR this show to induce afternoon napping. So slow and stilted as it comes from one of the first mystery novels ever.  Gothic boredom!!
The Good Doctor (ABC, Season 2, 10 episodes)
The Resident (Fox, 36 episodes)
New Amsterdam (NBC, 9 episodes)  I only watch this for Ryan Eggold’s charming performance.  The story lines are so ludicrous!!!
9-1-1 (Fox, 28 episodes) Despite being produced by Ryan Murphy, this is pretty routine fare.
Chicago Fire (NBC, 148 episodes)  Aah… Jesse Spencer and Taylor Kinney both star as the hunky heroes of the piece.
Mayans MC (FX, 11 episodes) Great spin off from Sons of Anarchy
The Gifted (Fox, 28 episodes)  Stephen Moyer (True Blood) alert.
Arrow (The CW, Space, 161 episodes) Obviously Canadian star Stephen Amell has his fans as this series has lasted through 7 seasons
Patriot (Amazon, 2 seasons) A blackly humourous tale of espionage
American Horror Story: Apocalypse (FX, Season 8, 10 episodes) Over the top batshit crazy, from Ryan Murphy.
FBI (CBS, 10 episodes) By the numbers police procedural for those who like their cop shows neat and predictable
Riverdale (The CW, 57 episodes) Just like the Archie Comix but with tons of sex, nudity and violence!
For those who are looking for a tidy summary of what to watch on TV this week, here’s an article from AARP:

Literary Side Note

I just slogged my way through Plutocrats by Chrystia Freeland as it is my Toronto book group’s next book; this was tough going for me as Freeland is a brilliant business writer and this 2012 book dissects income inequality and everything else that was going on in the economy in 2012.  It begs for an update in the Trump era.  I came away from reading this with huge admiration for Freeland, Canada’s current Minister of Foreign Affairs.  She previously worked in a variety of editorial positions at the Financial Times, The Globe and Mail and Thomson Reuters.  Her first cabinet appointment was as Minister of Intenational Trade in 2015.  Among her many academic honours, she is a Harvard Grad in Russian history and literature and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford.  Brilliant beyond belief.  I hope she becomes our Prime Minister at some point.  Oh, did I mention that she has three children and is fluent in Ukrainian, Italian and Russian and conversant in French.  I worship her. Incredibly accomplished!

Comic Relief

Hasan Minhaj (new on Netflix), Bill Maher, John Oliver, Samantha Bee, Jim Jeffries, Stephen Colbert, and Trevor Noah all try to bring a little levity to our current events.

Moment of Zen

Don’t forget to tune in to CBS Sunday Morning and watch it all the way to the end where you will be rewarded by a nature moment.

Closing Words

Enjoy the seasonal weather wherever you are!  (I’m trying very hard to love winter at the moment, after all, it’s a chance to wear my winter clothes!) Have a great week!  Hugs to all my friends and family experiencing medical struggles.

Just a few days left in Paradise…

Posted on by brunswil
We are savouring our last few days in Naples as we return to TO on Thursday for George’s completely routine surgery. It has been a glorious couple of weeks here reconnecting with friends and neighbours, golf, fitness classes, mahjong games and lots of great dining. Great white north, here we come.  In the meantime, here are some recommendations:

New Show Alert

Sally4Ever (HBO, 7 episodes)  This sitcom debuts tonight.  British from the BBC.  I love British comedies.  For 10 years, Sally has lived a dull suburban life with David.  But on the night he asks her to marry him, Sally has a crisis and embarks on a wild affair with Emma, a seductive, charismatic, boho access, singer, musician, poet and author.
Escape at Dannemora (Showtime, 7 episodes) An employee at a prison in upstate NY becomes romantically involved with a pair of inmates and helps them escape.  Stars Benicio del Toro, Patricia Arquette, and Paul Dano.  True story!  Looks intriguing.

Netflix

Outlaw King (2 h 1 min) A true David v Goliath story of how the great 14th C. Scottish Outlaw King Robert The Bruce used cunning and bravery to defeat and repel the much larger and better equipped occupying English army.  This film opened the Toronto International Film Festival, signifying Netflix’s status as a major producer of feature films.  I found it slow and overly long and I also found the final battle scene horrifically violent with many scenes of horses apparently being stabbed to death.  Not for the faint of heart.  It does star Chris Pine who has very dreamy blue eyes and a not bad Scottish accent.  A real departure for him.
Here’s what the Globe and Mail had to say about the film:
House of Cards (6th and final season, 8 episodes) The producers decided to tie up the loose ends of this long running series after Kevin Spacey was fired for disgraceful conduct.  As the first woman to hold the title of President of the US, Claire Underwood faces increased scrutiny and threats.  Sibling power couple Annette and Bill Shepherd attempt to influence policy.  Ludicrous beyond belief! I think I would have preferred to savour my memories of this show when it was intriguing and ground breaking.  It really outstayed its welcome.
Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (32 episodes, new every Sunday) In this weekly show, Hasan Minaj brings his unique comedic voice and storytelling skill to explore the larger trends shaping our fragmented world.  A very funny take on a Ted Talk.

Amazon

Homecoming (11 episodes)  Now I know how frustrating my blog is for all my friends who don’t subscribe to any specialty channels.  Although we are paid up Amazon Prime members, and can watch any other show offered on Amazon Video except this one!  So sad, I am looking forward to actually being able to watch this some day.
The Romanoffs (8 episodes) A contemporary anthology series set around the globe featuring eight separate stories about people who believe themselves to be descendants of the Russian royal family.  Very quirky and offbeat.  Definitely not for everybody.
Patriot (2 seasons)  I am still catching up with Season 1 of this very offbeat series. It follows the complicated life of intelligence officer John Tavner, whose late assignment – to prevent Iran from going nuclear – requires him to forgo all safety nets and assume a perilous non-official cover.  I am loving this very unusual and original take on an espionage show.

STARZ

Outlander (Season 4, 13 episodes)  We are now in North Carolina in 1767.  Claire and Jamie cross paths with Stephen Bonnet, a pirate and smuggler who enlists their help.  Claire illuminates Jamie on some of America’s history, leading him to wonder if it’s possible for them to lay down roots.  I have watched the first two episodes and can recommend the show to people who haven’t been watching all along.  It’s a whole new ballgame now that we are in the New World.  It’s fascinating to watch Claire and Jamie deal with all the issues of the day as Claire is always aware of being on the right side of history.  Dealing with slavery is a major issue for them this season.  I adored the first two episodes of this season and still feel that this is the most romantic series on TV.

Regular Fare

Poldark (PBS)
The Durrell’s in Corfu (PBS)
The Woman in White (PBS)
Ray Donovan (Showtime)
The Resident (Fox)
The Good Doctor (ABC)
9-1-1 (Fox)
American Horror Story: Apocalypse (FX)
Chicago Fire (NBC)
New Amsterdam (NBC)
The Rookie (ABC)
Kidding (Showtime)
The Walking Dead (AMC)

Comic Relief

Colbert, Noah, Jim Jeffries, Samantha Bee, John Oliver, James Corden and Seth Meyers highlights on YouTube.  Shout out to SNL which had a very touching apology to Congressman Elect Dan Crenshaw  after Pete Davidson’s very thoughtless and offhand comments about army veteran Crenshaw last week. Crenshaw very amusingly pokes fun at Davidson for his appearance and failed romance with Ariana Grande.

Zen Moment

CBS Sunday Morning Oh how I love this long running newsmagazine show.  Soothing and illuminating.

Closing Words

We are looking forward to sharing a few more lunches and dinners with friends before we head home. A Facebook picture of our in-laws’ place in Uxbridge, Ontario shows that there is a winter wonderland already just east of Toronto. Brrrh! Hugs to all our friends and family dealing with medical issues. See you soon! Enjoy the week wherever you are.

Back in Paradise…

Posted on by brunswil

House of Cards (Netflix, Season 6, 8 episodes) As the first woman to hold the title of President of the US, Claire Underwood faces increased scrutiny and threats.  Sibling power couple Annette and Bill Shepherd attempt to influence policy.  Very disappointing plot lines (especially poor old Doug Stamper’s nonsensical story arc) but it’s a great cast with Diane Lane and Greg Kenner as the terrifying power siblings.

Comic Relief

Apparently James Corden has a carpool karaoke segment with Barbra Streisand that I must catch up with on YouTube.  Streisand was Bill Maher’s guest this past Friday on Real Time; catching up with Colbert, Noah, Jeffries, Bee, Tracey Ullman, and John Oliver.

Closing Words

I’m not sure that I can bear to stay glued to the election results this Tuesday.  Too suspenseful for me!  I will be bingeing on one of my new catch up shows instead.  Have a wonderful week wherever you are and special thoughts go to my friends with medical challenges.  Hugs to all.