Off to Manitoulin Island

I’m getting ready to join 6 long time lady friends for a weekend on Manitoulin Island. Located in Lake Huron, it is the largest freshwater island in the world with more than 100 inland lakes. Our Playgroup originated about 36 years ago when a group of neighbours decided to gather together weekly with our babies in each other’s homes. The oldest of those children are now in their 37th year and although we don’t often get our children together anymore, we still gather together for lunches, Christmas parties and occasional reunions at a cottage or vacation home. Sadly, the last time many of our children were together was for our dear friend Judy’s funeral in December.  We will be raising many a glass to her and toasting to wonderful memories we have of our friendships through the years.  I won’t be watching much TV this weekend, but I do have some recommendations for you for the week to come:

Amazon

Good Omens (6 episodes) A tale of the bungling of Armageddon features an angel, a demon, an eleven-year-old Antichrist and a doom-saying witch. Stars Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Frances McDormand.

Netflix

What/If (10 episodes)  So cheesy and soap opera-ish.  I can’t look away!  I am compelled to finish this revenge melodrama just to solve the mystery of Renee Zellweger’s fiendish plot.  That woman now has the sharpest shoulder bones of anyone I’ve seen.  The actress has lost a ton of weight and is scary thin.

Luther (Season 6, 4 episodes) Ooh, this one is so dark.  An old villain returns.

National Geographic/Showcase

The Hot Zone (6 h) I can’t believe I watched the whole thing! Outbreak overdose! Very suspenseful, but perhaps this tale could have been told in under 6 hours. Stars Julianna Margulies and Liam Cunningham.

Here’s what John Doyle had to say about this series in The Globe and Mail:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/article-the-hot-zone-outbreak-thriller-with-a-cold-set-of-scary-facts/

Bravo

Animal Kingdom (Season 4) The Cody family is back and these criminals are coming apart.

FX

Fosse/Vernon (8 episodes) Now available on demand. Such a sad tale of creativity and heartbreak. Great performances from Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams.

Global

Mary Kills People (Season 3, 6 episodes)  Mary is pregnant and being blackmailed by an angel of death nurse.  Very dark and intriguing.

HBO

Chernobyl (6 episodes) A tragic tale of a nuclear disaster compounded by bureaucratic folly in the former Soviet Union.

Deadwood (TV Movie) The original cast reconvenes for a movie to air this week.

Vida (Season 2, 8 episodes) The girls are still trying to sort out their inheritance and their future directions.

Warrior (12 episodes)  Kung fu fighting in 1870’s San Francisco.  Mayhem usually ensues!

Gentleman Jack (8 episodes)  LGBTQ hijinks in 19th century rural England.

Superchannel

Condor (13 episodes)  A great suspense tale, but surely this could have been told in less than 13 episodes.

Pure (Season 2, 6 episodes) We’re back in Ontario Mennonite country and now Anna must save her family from the drug cartel forcing her to work for them.

Here’s what John Doyle had to say about it in the Globe:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/article-pure-a-grim-good-cerebral-drama-we-dont-see-often-in-canada/

Crave/HBO

Billions (Season 4, 12 episodes) Axelrod and Rhodes combine forces to defeat their enemies.

AMC

Killing Eve (Season 2, 8 episodes)  Wowee! This season went very quickly and ended with another cliffhanger.

New Programs Alert

Here’s the Globe and Mail’s summary of new programs to watch for:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/article-the-summer-tv-schedule-mystery-politics-hot-trash-and-suspense/

Comic Relief

Colbert, Noah, Maher, Samantha Bee, John Oliver and many others on YouTube (Seth Meyers, James Corden, Randy Rainbow).  They bring levity to the news of the day.

Moment of Zen

Don’t forget to watch CBS Sunday Morning for its inspirational stories.

Closing Words

Looking forward to my ladies weekend and the week to come with a family gathering to watch Sunday’s Raptors game, fitness end of year party, golf, mahjong, etc.  It was actually warm enough in Thornbury to leave the house without a jacket this morning!  Summer is coming.  Enjoy this break in the weather, wherever you are.

New and returning program alert…

It’s been a pretty busy week.  Appointments, Mahjong, golf, brunches, lunches and dinners with friends.  We tried out the new restaurant The Grey, which is conveniently located on our street in Thornbury, and although we were astonished at the noise level (lots of hard surfaces) we were pleasantly surprised by great food and service. We have said good-bye to some favourite programs that have ended, but this week, there are some new shows to enjoy! Here are some recommendations:

Streaming

Cobra Kai (Season 2, 10 episodes)I can’t believe I watched all 10 episodes of this weird, lame, sequel to the original Karate Kid film. Last year’s Season 1 wasn’t nearly as awful as I had assumed it was going to be. My expectations, therefore,  were high that I would be equally entertained by Season 2, but it was very disappointing. Some truly terrible acting on display here. Unbelievably juvenile, but great soundtrack full of 1980’s music.

Premiering this week:

HBO

Deadwood (TV movie, 2 h) The cast returns including Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, Robin Weight, Brad Dourif, Kim Dickens Molly Parker, Paula Malcomson, Anna Gunn, Keigh Carradine, John Hawkes, etc.  Expectations are high for this one.

Vida (Season 2, 6 episodes) This great series features mainly Latino performers.  Following the death of their mother Vida, her two estranged daughters come to terms with their identities and their inheritance.

Bravo

Animal Kingdom (Season 4, 10 episodes) The Southern California based Cody crime family continues their saga under the leadership of Ellen Barkin (Smurf).  Great suspense series.

CBS

Blood & Treasure (13 episodes) An antiquities expert teams up with an art thief to catch a terrorist who funds his attacks using stolen artifacts. Meant to be light entertainment that blends Indiana Jones-style adventure with caper flicks.

Netflix

What/If (10 episodes)  If you loved the campy suspense series, Revenge (2011-15), you will get a kick out of hate watching this “so bad it’s good” series.  Features an over the top performance from a shockingly thin Renee Zellweger as an amoral venture capitalist who gets the action started with an Indecent Proposal-type plot line. Enjoy if you like campy morality tales.

Here’s an article from the NY Times recommending some new programs:

OMNI TV

Eurovision 2019 (4 hours +) This one took place in Tel Aviv.  You have to see it to believe it. Over the top production numbers. Now available on demand. Warning:  Once it’s seen, it cannot be unseen!

Netflix

The Sense of an Ending (1 h 48 min) A man becomes haunted by his past and is presented with a mysterious legacy that causes him to re-think his current situation in life.  Great British cast includes Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling, Harriet Walter, Michelle Dockery, Matthew Goode. etc.  I watched this on a dreary, rainy afternoon, and found it so soothing that I managed to snooze through a good portion of this rather slow and understated film.

Dracula Untold (1 h 32 min) I’m sure I had seen this one before, but family consensus determined our choice. Tells the untold story of a kinder, gentler Vlad the Impaler who was only trying to save his kingdom from the Turks. Luke Evans and Dominic Cooper star.

White Gold (Season 2, 6 episodes) The travails of Cachet Windows continue as Vincent has now teamed up with a gangster to run the business.   Ed Westwick stars as the amoral Vincent.

AMC

Killing Eve (Season 2, 8 episodes) The cat and mouse game between intelligence officer and international assassin continues.

Crave

Billions (Season 4, 12 episodes) The cat and mouse have teamed up in this one to vanquish their enemies.

CITY TV

Catch 22 (6 episodes)  Long and torturous retelling of this anti-war tale. Great performance by Christopher Abbott in the lead role as Yossarian.  There are cameos from Kyle Chandler, George Clooney, and Hugh Laurie as the nefariously out of touch senior officers.

FX

Fosse/Verdon (8 episodes) Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams are fabulous as the two leads.

Global TV

Mary Kills People (Season 3, 6 episodes) Mary is pregnant now and still providing medically assisted suicides for terminal patients.  Now, she’s being blackmailed!

HBO

Warrior (12 episodes) Riotously violent tale of warring gangs in 1870’s San Francisco.  Features great Kung Fu fighting.

Gentleman Jack (16 episodes) Astonishing tale of a real life LGBTQ trailblazer in 1830’s Yorkshire.

Chernobyl (5 episodes) Tragic retelling of the 1986 disaster.  Stars Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard, Emily Watson.

Superchannel

Condor  (13 episodes) Great cast includes William Hurt, who turns into an American Bill Nighy in this one! Watch for the resemblance. I do think this series could have been a few episodes shorter.

Comic Relief

Keep watching James Corden (Prime Time Carpool Karaoke Special with Celine Dion should be available on demand), Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, Samantha Bee, Bill Maher, etc.  A bright light on You Tube is the series of brilliant political/musical parodies of Randy Rainbow.  If you haven’t discovered him yet, try this recent one done to the opening music of Beauty and the Beast:

https://youtu.be/etTXjK-S7RI

Moment of Zen

I have yet to watch this morning’s CBS Sunday Morning, but I look forward to watching its Memorial Day Weekend show which features a travel segment on road trips, Annette Bening on Broadway, conductor Teddy Abrams, historical statues of men,  Iraq war veteran, school bus drivers, etc.

Closing Words

The weather seems to be warming up a little, and the rain has stopped temporarily.  Great time to stay in and watch videos, when the rain starts again.  I keep trying to view the numerous submissions I am screening for the Naples International Film Festival.  So far I have watched films from Israel, Iran, Turkey, Hungary, Britain, and more.  It’s been a combination of features and shorts.  On the whole, they are challenging films on difficult themes.  Enjoy this season, indoors or out! Have a wonderful week wherever you are.

Happy Birthday Queen Victoria!!

It has been a very busy week. I hosted our gourmet group’s monthly dinner ( 9 of us have been gathering in each other’s homes for over 30 years to eat and socialize). I spent a lovely couple of days with our Scottish friends, Doug and Catherine (our fitness group gathered for a wonderful coffee get-together to welcome Catherine back to Canada after an absence of 4 years). The four of us spent a beautiful morning golfing together and went out to our local French and Indian restaurants for two great dinners. I just golfed in our Friday morning casual golf group in Thornbury. It’s our Victoria Day holiday weekend and we are grateful to have both our sons (plus Bruce the Wonder Dog) in Thornbury to watch the very last episode of Game of Thrones together. In between golf and my other usual activities I am watching entries to the Naples International Film Festival as a member of the selection committee. Here’s what I’ve been watching this past week:

City TV Now

Catch 22 (6 episodes) Remake of the 1970 film.  This adaptation tells the story of a man trying desperately to be certified insane during WWII so he can stop flying missions. It took 6 long hours to tell this endlessly repetitive tale.  Great performance from Christopher Abbot in the lead role.  Several over the top caricatures from George Clooney, Kyle Chandler, Hugh Laurie as hopelessly out of touch officers.

Streaming

Cold Pursuit (1 h 59 min) A grieving snowplow driver seeks out revenge against the drug dealers who killed his son.  Based on the 2014 Norwegian film In Order of Disappearance. Liam Neeson is no Stellan Skarsgard who stars in the original.  Same director as the original, but sadly, this one just meanders through the killings.  Watch the original!!

You Tube

Anthropocene: The Human Epoch (1 h 27 minutes) We had seen the exhibition at our Art Gallery and were very struck by the photos.  Filmmakers travelled to six continents and 20 countries to document the impact humans have made on the planet.  Gorgeous and haunting cinematic images of a planet being devastated by humanity.

Amazon

Fleabag (Season 2, 6 episodes) Angry, pervy, outrageous and hilarious Fleabag arrives with a bang as she spins through the city grasping at anyone and anything that might keep her head above water.  This season she tries to cope with her father’s marriage to her godmother, and she feels an irresistible attraction to her godmother’s priest.  Starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Olivia Colman, Andrew Scott, Bill Paterson. Hypnotic and addictive!

Crave

Condor (11 episodes)  Too long by far, but a great remake of the 1970’s Robert Redford film.

HBO

Chernobyl (5 episodes) A tragic tale of nuclear catastrophe.  Stars Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgard.

Gentleman Jack (Season 1, 8 episodes) A dramatization of the life of LGBTQ and trailblazer Anne Lister, who returns to Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1832 determined to transform the fate of her faded ancestral home Shibden Hall.

Barry (Season 2, 8 episodes) Bill Hader stars as a disillusioned hit man who wants to start a new life after following his quarry to an acting class.  Hader is amazingly convincing as the conflicted hit man.

Game of Thrones (8 seasons, final episode tonight!) This fantasy tale of 9 noble families fighting for control of the mythical lands of Westeros comes to an epic end tonight.

Warrior (Season 1, 12 episodes)  Who doesn’t like Kung Fu fighting? Addicted to this batshit crazy series about San Francisco in 1878.

Netflix

The 100 (Season 6, 13 episodes) 100 impossibly attractive young people seek out a way to survive in a hostile universe after Earth’s destruction.  I love this kooky show, that like the Walking Dead series, shows our central characters facing one enemy after another as they try to survive a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Riverdale (Season 3, 22 episodes) This once quirky and delightful show has morphed into a nonsensical tale of Griffins and Gargoyles. Gothic and ridiculous.  You might want to sit out this past season and just enjoy Season 1 which introduced us to a darker, sexier Archie than the comics ever intended.

Here and Now (1 h 31 min; aka Blue Night on IMDb) A singer in NYC gets a grim diagnosis that puts her life and dreams into perspective.  Sarah Jessica Parker stars but watch for cameos from Renee Zellweger, Jacqueline Bisset, Simon Baker, Common and Taylor Kinney.  Sadly meandering film that, in the end, leaves you glad that it is finally over.

AMC

Killing Eve (Season 2, 8 episodes) Cat and mouse game between spy and assassin continues.  The great cast includes Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer and Fiona Shaw.  Enjoy its very black humour.

Showtime

Billions (Season 4, 12 episodes) Now the cat and mouse are allies. Old enemies are faced together.

CBS All Access

The Good Fight (Season 3, 10 episodes) What a weird season this has been, as this series attempts to incorporate a very political anti-Trump stance in its stories.  Lots of animation and music has been inserted to give it a bizarro-world sense of unreality.  Ridiculous over-the-top performance this season from Michael Sheen as a Roy Cohn wannabe who tries to infiltrate and then destroy the law firm.

Global

Mary Kills People (Season 3, 6 episodes) Mary is a physician who provides assisted deaths to those who don’t qualify as terminal patients.  The cops are still after her!

FX

Better Things (Season 3, 12 episodes) Sam struggles to balance her life as a single mom of 3 girls with her life as an actress in L.A.

Fosse/Verdon (8 episodes) E#xploring the singular romantic and creative partnership between choreographer/director Bob Fosse and dancer Gwen Verdon.  Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams are fabulous as the two leads.

Comic Relief

Colbert, Noah, Bill Maher, Samantha Bee, Jim Jeffries, John Oliver, SNL, (and Seth Meyers and James Corden on You Tube), all continue to distract from the political reality we face on a daily basis.

Moment of Zen

If you haven’t been to Italy, you should try and watch today’s episode of CBS Sunday Morning which features segments on life in Tuscany sharing stories on all things Italian – from street art, culture, fashion, food and music, to history, traditions and human interest.

 

Closing Words

It’s been a pretty chilly spring so far, but we are headed out shortly to play golf with some dear friends.  The week ahead features more golf, dinners with friends, mahjong, and, of course, some screen time.  Tonight we are looking forward to watching the season finale of Game of Thrones with our two boys.  Enjoy this spring weather wherever you are!

 

Happy Mother’s Day…

It’s been a pretty hectic week as I caught up with appointments, get togethers with longtime friends, celebrated our son’s birthday and had a family gathering yesterday to celebrate my mother’s life.  Much champagne was consumed!  I made it out to dinner and a movie with a friend and have just finished setting the table for my gourmet group who is dining here tomorrow.  We have some friends from Scotland coming to visit this week, so there will be golfing! Today is Mother’s Day and the men in the family are gathering to do some TV reconnaissance involving a trip to Costco and a TV exchange as we adopt one son’s 65″ screen which, for some reason, doesn’t work in his very sunny space. My plan for today, is to stay in my pyjamas as long as possible before our family gathers this evening to watch Game of Thrones on our new to us TV. As you can imagine, I didn’t have quite as much screen time as usual this past week, but here are some recommendations:

On the big screen

Gloria Bell (1 h 42 min) A free-spirited woman in her 50’s seeks out love at L.A. dance clubs.  Stars Julianne Moore and John Turturro.  An American remake of a Chilean film.  I somehow was more moved by the 2013 original (same director), but maybe that was because of the originality of this very gentle story. Not really necessary to remake it, but I know many viewers are not comfortable with subtitles. I watched this film because of the sentiment attached to the original theme song, Gloria by Laura Branigan in the 1980’s.  A permanent reminder of my beloved sister, it has been used in countless films and TV scores, including The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Flashdance, The Wolf of Wall Street, I, Tonya, Glee, South Park, Scorpion, Family Guy, Chips, etc.

For Esquire’s list of the best films so far in 2019, here’s a link:

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/g24561951/best-movies-of-2019/?source=nl&utm_source=nl_esq&utm_medium=email&date=051119&src=nl&utm_campaign=16853667

Netflix

The Little Stranger (1 h 51 min) After a doctor is called to visit a crumbling manor, strange things begin to occur. Great cast includes Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter Ruth Wilson, Charlotte Rampling. This little film appears to be a ghost story on the surface but is really more a study of the British class system as a doctor longs for a life he cannot have. Very slow moving and subtle.

HBO

Chernobyl (5 episodes) In April 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union becomes one of the world’s worst man-made catastrophes. Terribly grim and a nasty wake-up call regarding how close to total cataclysm this story really was. If you want to worry about the impending doom that nuclear proliferation in Russia may still bring, watch the documentary Command and Control , which details how close we have come to apocalypse through nuclear accidents (2016 1 h 32 min;  directed by Robert Kenner).

Crave

Shrill (7 episodes in Season 1) A woman seeks out ways to change her life without changing her body. Stars Aidy Bryant and Luka Jones.  I loved this brutally honest series and watched the whole thing this week.

Amazon

Sneaky Pete (Season 3 10, episodes) Marius is involved in new con games as he continues his relationship with the Bernhardt family.  I’m not as engaged with this season as I would like to be.  Maybe a sense of deja vu?  Stars Giovanni Ribisi and Margo Martindale.

PBS

Les Miserables (6 episodes) So long and so sad.  Only one reason to watch:  Dominic West, whom I adore.

Call the Midwife (Season 8, 8 episodes) So poignant.  I love this series, which always makes me reach for my handkerchief.

Superchannel

Condor (11 episodes) I don’t know why they need 11 hours to tell this story which was adapted from the 2 hour 1975 Robert Redford film.

Swedish Dicks (Season 1, 10 episodes) supremely goofy Swedish/American series about two struggling detectives in L.A. Stars Peter Stormare and Keanu Reeves (as a ghost).

The Spanish Princess (8 episodes) The beautiful Spanish princess, Catherine of Aragon navigates the royal lineage of England with an eye on the throne.  From a Philippa Gregory novel.  So stilted and strange. I really don’t know about this one, a I am not sufficiently entertained to tolerate the weirdness and dullness of it.

Shows you should be watching

HBO

Game of Thrones (if you aren’t watching this, then you must not be interested in pop culture, although fantasy isn’t for everyone). I am loving this very last season.

Barry (Season 2, 8 episodes) Hit man tries to go straight as an acting student in L.A. Bill Hader is amazing as the lead character. If you watch only 1 episode, let it be Season 2, Episode 5, ronny/lily. Pure action, mesmerizing, hilarious.

Gentleman Jack (8 episodes) So weird and original. A very boyish woman works hard to revive her family fortunes.

Veep (Season 7, 7 episodes) Selina continues her fight to be President.  Superb cast of supporting players surrounds Julia Louis-Dreyfus in this raucous satire of American political culture.

AMC

Killing Eve (Season 2, 8 episodes) Eve and Villanelle continue their cat and mouse game.  Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer are terrific in this delightful series.

Crave

Now Apocalypse (10 episodes) While on quests to pursue love, sex, and fame with his friends in L.A. Ulysses’ premonitory dreams make him question the3 possible presence of a dark and monstrous conspiracy.  So weird and sexy!!!

FX

What We Do In the Shadows (11 episodes) Supremely silly satire based on the live of three vampires who’ve lived together for over 100 years, in Staten Island.

Better Things (Season 3 12 episodes) Pamela Adlon stars as a struggling single working mom of 3 girls in L.A. Touching and wryly funny.

All the comedians

Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jim Jeffries, Samantha Bee, Bill Maher, and SNL.

Zen Moment

CBS Sunday Morning for its inspiration and information.

Closing words

So looking forward to the week ahead as we visit with friends and I settle back into my golf and fitness routines in Toronto. Fingers crossed for some beautiful spring weather. Enjoy the week wherever you are!!

A little catching up to do…

We had a terrific time driving home from Naples with mostly good weather.  Two days with dear friends in Cape Cod and then another two days with dear friends just outside Boston.  It was smooth sailing except for that tense time in the car driving in the dark and the rain in search of a hotel for the night in Norwalk, Connecticut. Never use the telephone reservation system while driving in horrible weather. English was not a first language for the reservations clerk and we fortunately ended up in a lovely inn with very nice staff. Except for George leaving his favourite jacket in the room when we left and it disappearing without a trace according to the front desk. A suitable replacement was found in the Big and Tall Shop in Hyannis, much to our hosts’ amusement as they had never been in that particular store before. Anyhow, not much viewing of any kind took place during our road trip, so here are a few recommendations from our time home this past week:

Streaming

The Act (8 episodes; originally produced for Hulu and can be viewed on STARZ in Canada) This startling stranger-than-fiction true crime story has already been made into an HBO documentary, but this version stars Patricia Arquette as an overprotective and abusive mother who raises her daughter as a Munchhausen by proxy victim.  Very, very dark and perhaps could have been told in less than 8 painful hours.

On Demand

Instant Family (1 h 58 min) A couple find themselves in over their heads when they foster three children.  Starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne.  If you are in a quandary trying to find a film no one else has seen and that must be lighter than air so as not to cause everyone to fall asleep, this may be the family comedy you are looking for. Very sweet and wholesome.

Superchannel

Condor (11 episodes) Remake of the Robert Redford film.  A young CIA analyst, Joe Turner, whose idealism is tested when he joins the CIA hoping to reform it from within,  stumbles onto a terrible but brilliant plan that threatens the lives of millions.  Starring Max Irons, William Hurt, Mira Sorvino, Brendan Fraser, and many more.  Suspenseful, yet I couldn’t help wishing it could have been told in less than 11 hours.

Damned (12 episodes) Darkly funny British comedy series about an office full of social workers.  Hilarious office comedy that pokes fun at all levels of British society.

Netflix

The Last Resort (1 h 10 min; documentary) An uncannily revealing portrait of American photographers Andy Sweet and Gary Monroe and the vibrant community of Jewish retirees they obsessively focused their cameras’ lenses on in the sunburned paradise of 1970’s Miami Beach. If you are interested in Miami’s bygone era, before South Beach became unbelievable hip, you may like this.

Knock Down the House  (1 h 26 min) A look at the people involved with various political campaigns during the 2018 U.S. congressional election.  This is really a documentation of why Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has run away with the hearts and minds of her constituents and has really shaken up the Democratic party. You see her emerge from obscurity into superstardom here. Here’s what John Doyle had to say in the Globe and Mail:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/article-knock-down-the-house-on-netflix-watching-a-us-political-revolution/

A Fortunate Man (2 h 42 min; in Danish with subtitles) In the late 19th century, Peter Sidenius is an ambitious young man from a devout Chrisian family in Western Denark, who travels to the Danish capital of Copenhagen to study engineering, rebelling against his clergyman father.  He comes into contact with the intellectual circles of a wealthy Jewish family and seduces the elder daughter, Jakobe.  Per, as he now calls himself, conceives a large-scale engineering project including the construction of a series of canals in his native Jutland, but his pride stands in the way. A picture of a very driven genius. Totally fascinating, but a little long.

Dead to Me (10 episodes) A series about a powerful friendship that blossoms between a tightly wound widow (Applegate) and a free spirit (Linda Cardellini) with a shocking secret.  I can’t believe I watched the whole thing!  A very dark comedy/mystery. Here’s what John Doyle had to say in the Globe and Mail:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/article-dead-to-me-is-a-black-comedy-alive-with-wit-mystery-and-melancholy-on/

HBO

Game of Thrones (8 seasons and only 3 episodes left to go before the very end).  What more can be said about this fantastical show.  Either you like fantasy (swords, sorcerers, dragons, witches, dire wolves, ice zombies, etc.) or this is not for you. Needless to say, our family is hooked and we are watching these last episodes with great enjoyment.

Barry (17 episodes) Starring and directed by Bill Hader as a hit man from the Midwest who moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city’s theatre arts scene.  I love this crazy show and last week’s episode featured a battle scene that could rival anything in Game of Thrones.

Veep (65 episodes) Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as an indefatigable political animal who will not give up on her dream to be President of the U.S.  She is aided and abetted in her endless campaigns by a team of accomplices who are all gifted comic actors including Tony Hale, Anna Chlumsky, Reid Scott, Matt Walsh, Gary Cole, Kevin Dunn and many others. Very dark satire on US political life.

Gentleman Jack (8 episodes) Anne Lister returns to Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1832, determined to transform the fate of her faded ancestral home, Shibden Hall.  This is not your ordinary British period piece as the lady is quite the character and seems to live quite openly as a lesbian.  Suranne Jones will take your breath away as this audacious, larger-than-life character. A true story, based on Lister’s journals. Here’s what John Doyle had to say in the Globe and Mail:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/article-special-and-gentleman-jack-two-superb-and-disruptive-series/

Closing Words

Ooh, it’s been a little chilly up in Thornbury, but thank goodness we have been spared the torrential flooding affecting many in our cottage country and in other parts of Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes.  Tomorrow is opening day for the ladies at our local golf club, so I am writing this today so that I can play with a clear conscience tomorrow. I will play my usual extremely terrible golf, but at least I will be outside in the fresh air with a bunch of very nice (and hopefully, patient and tolerant) lady golfers.  Stay warm and dry wherever you are!