Worth Watching & Worth Reading

 

This year has been better than others in terms of quality shows to watch at home and at the movie theaters. I was starting to lose hope in this medium of the arts.  If you read one of my other posts, I told you that we went to see the movie Boys in the Boat directed by George Clooney, and in watching an interview with him on the making of the movie he is quoted saying that it is difficult to get money and making for certain types of movies when the studios believe that the movies won't be blockbusters. I find this sad because then many categories of movies will not be made leaving behind great storytelling.  I honestly have no interest in seeing Marvel Movies or many of the high-speed chase movies where half a dozen people get shot up in the matter of 30 seconds of the movie beginning.  Here are a few of my favorites and not-so-favorites of the last few months.  The Crown season 6 covered the time in history from the time of Diana and Charles's divorce and ended with the death of Queen Elizabeth.  Season 6 disappointed me, and I am not sure why?  Maybe because it was the time I was most familiar with and thus everything that was being covered I pretty much knew, and the other seasons were less familiar, so I felt like I learned something new, though I do know not all information is factual and required further research to figure out what was what. I am also not a fan of Camilla and the season did not make her out to be a villain. Charles was also given a lot of Grace. I am glad that they ended with the death of the Queen and didn't drag the series into the years of the birth of Kate and Williams's children, nor did it cover Harry and his family.  I hear that now that this series is finished, a series about JFK will take its place. I guess we will have to wait and see. Genie is a cute holiday film about an overworked dad who forgets his family during the holiday season and his efforts to make things right.  I give it a 3.5 stars.  It was cute and entertaining.  Trolls 3 for Children obviously was not a very well-written movie.  It was not nearly as good as 1 and 2, which begs the question of when one retires a series of movies. I am glad we watched this one at home and didn't pay the full ticket price. Love Again was a really cute romance movie.  I streamed this one but would have been just as happy to see it in the theater.  I wish they would bring back the Rom-Con movies as the movie lineup has been weak for this type of movie.  You also can't go wrong when the movie has Sam Heughan in it.  He is a well-known TV Outlander. All Creatures Great and Small, found on PBS, is in its 5th season.  I love it!  It takes place during the early 1940's.  It is about a small-town United Kingdom.  I would say England, but it could be Scotland where the show occurs. Also, don't quote me on this, but I think the show is based on a popular book series. The storyline is about a small-town vet practice and the community. The Gilded Age, in its second year, is exactly about what the title says: The Gilded Age and takes place in New York.  It is written by the same writer who wrote the Downton Abbey series.  Also, very good! Lessons on Chemistry, which I do not think will have additional seasons, is based on a popular book with the same title.  It is about a woman who wanted to be a chemistry professor in the 1950s but did not make it due to the time.  This one I wish would have additional seasons, but I read some interviews on the show and it says it is unlikely as the author has not written any sequels to this book.  The show does a good job of wrapping up the episodes so one can feel content that it left the watcher hanging.  The last in the movie reviews was My Fat Greek Wedding 3; in my opinion, this movie had a weak script, and to be honest, the time frame from movie one to movie 3 was too long.  I had a hard time recalling what happened in movie 2. I wanted to like this movie because I loved movie 1. I can now see why this only lasted one week in the theaters, and I am glad I didn't spend full price to watch it.  Now for the book review.  This book was a total surprise to me as it was suggested by my husband.  He read the book, loved it, and wanted me to read it, so he purchased the book (he reads only on his Kindle, and I love actual books).  The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War 1 by Douglas Brunt.  This book is such a good read.  It reads as if it is fiction, yet it is the true story of Rudolf Diesel, his life, discovery, and subsequent mysterious death. I won't say much more, but I had difficulty putting this book down. Well, it is late!  Happy New Year!