The Neighborhood

Wiki

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The Neighborhood

(On CBS)

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The Neighborhood takes two families, a white Midwestern family and an African-American family, and creates a pseudo-neighborhood relationship sitcom.

It is a great way at showing the differences in the way these two families experience and see the world WITHOUT the preaching.

The White Midwestern Family

• Dave Johnson: the perfect neighbor- so perfect, you want to kill him! A conflict mediator.
• Gemma: an elementary school principal at a progressive (virtually all-white) school
• Grover: the innocent- sometimes too-all-knowing son in elementary school

The African-American Family

• Calvin Butler (Cedric the Entertainer): owner of an auto repair shop
• Tina Butler: once dreamed of being a singer, now works in the auto repair shop with her husband
• Malcolm Butler: the oldest don, once a baseball star- but was injured. Now seeking a purpose.
• Marty Butler: the younger son. A computer space scientist. A nerd!

Funny… Sometimes a little off-color (just as life happens to be)… and often very thought provoking.

Worth a watch… or two!

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Written for Movie Critiques.

Jack Reacher & Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Jack Reacher & Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

The first of March was a great time for a weekend movie marathon.

Even if it was only two movies in this marathon, it was a welcomed great-away.

Amazon

Jack Reacher

Five people are shot from a parking garage in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Enough clues are collected at the crime scene that the shooter is easily identified and arrested. His only request: Get Jack Reacher.

Reacher is not his friend, as everyone involved in the investigation assumes. Reacher had arrested James Barr for crimes committed while serving in the military.

While in police custody, Barr is beaten and is hospitalized- a coma.

A local defense attorney (who happens to be the District Attorney’s daughter) is defending Barr from the death penalty. It is a foregone conclusion that Barr is guilty of the assassinations.

Soon, ‘the facts’ become muddled… not because they are not conclusive, but maybe they are too conclusive.

A great watch!

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Wikipedia

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Jack Reacher (a former Army Military Police officer) gives a call to meet an acquaintance at his former headquarters- Major Susan Turner.

Upon arrival, Reacher finds that Major Susan Turner has been arrested for espionage. She is being held as a military terrorist.

Contacting Turner’s attorney, Colonel Moorcroft, Reacher discovers facts that seem to clearly point more to a military cover-up than to Turner’s espionage. Two of Turner’s underlings, in Afghanistan, were murdered. Major Susan Turner was arrested immediately … without ever seeing the military follow-up paperwork she had initiated.

As like the former Reacher movie… Things get worse before they get better.

Another great watch!

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Written for Movie Critiques.

The Long Song (TV Series)

PBS

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The Long Song (TV Series)

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The Long Song is a three-part BBC television series based on the true story of Jude, a freed slave from the plantations in early-nineteenth-century colonial Jamaica.

If you want a firm foundation on British rule and sugar plantation life…. It is a great watch!

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Written for Movie Critiques.

Aquaman

Wikipedia

Aquaman

A DC Comics Movie

The ‘queen’ of Atlantis runs away from her underwater world seeking freedom.

She washes ashore near a lighthouse in Maine. Thomas Curry, the keeper of the lighthouse, rescues her.

Atlanna, the runaway queen, falls for the lighthouse keeper and they have a boy, Arthur.

Soon, because of mortal’s pollution travesties, the underwater beings seek to free themselves from their hidden existence and retake the world.

A ‘chick-flick’ with sea monsters?

A fun watch. Probably won’t watch it again.

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Written for Movie Critiques.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (My Two Favorite Characters)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (My Two Favorite Characters)

What better way to end and begin a New Year than relaxing and enjoying a StarWars marathon.

This time, as I watched these classics, I began noticing the wide array of character personalities that George Lucas created for his acclaimed series.

I thought you might enjoy a few of my StarWar-deian academic endeavors…

My two favorite characters from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker are Maz Kanata and Zorii Bliss.

Disney Wiki-Fandom

Facts about Maz Kanata You My (or May Not) Know.

1. Talk about being able to think about the good-old-days, Maz Kanata was born over one thousand years ago.
2. Even though she was very short in stature (a little over four-foot-tall), she is often thought of as huge personality- ‘the pirate queen’- for her ability to maneuver and be successful in the criminal world.
3. With her multi-century-aged orange-tinted face, Maz Kanata stood out in a crowd because of her laughter and vivacious smile. (Quite different from ‘fellow pirates’.)
4. She often handmade her own clothing. These garments usually enjoyed much color. Her short stature and colorful garments were offset by here large corrective goggles she had to wear for her vision.
5. Maz Kanata is very receptive to the Force. She could sense the power of the Force inside individuals and could even sense the Force’s presence when a new being arrived at here castles.
6. She was a collector of galactic treasures and antiques. She would store these treasures in alarmed vaults. Maz Kanata had so many treasured-vaults that she had to facilitate their whereabouts and maintenance by keeping a Smuggler’s Guide.
7. Maz Kanata was a painter, a poet, and a lover of music. She welcomed many artist/musicians into her fortified dwellings.
8. To become a ‘resident’ in Maz Kanata’s homes, every person had to obey her rules: All are welcome. No fighting. War and politics were off-limits in her sanctuary.
9. She often spoke of Chewbacca as ‘her boyfriend’.

FYI: Thanks you Wookieepedia for your assistance in honing my knowledge of the many beings from Star Wars.

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Wookiepedia

Facts about Zorii Bliss You My (or May Not) Know.

1. Zorii Bliss was a human.
2. Her native planet was Kijimi, an extremely cold planet.
3. Zorii Bliss was the leader of the Spice Runner of Kijimi. This group of thieves was often neutral in the galactic wars. They barters with all sides in battles.
4. Zorii Bliss weapons of choice were a pair of E-851 blaster pistols.
5. Zorii Bliss and Poe Dameron were often at odds on their views of one’s responsibilities to the galaxy.
6. I saw Zorii Bliss as knowing right-from-wrong, but being guided by a very what’s-in-it-for-me conscience and cynical, but realistic, world view.

FYI: Thanks you Wookieepedia for your assistance in honing my knowledge of the many beings from Star Wars.

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Written for Movie Critiques.

Venom

Wikipedia

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Venom

A Marvel Comics Movie

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Brock, a city journalist, gains superpowers because he becomes ‘bonded’ to a cannibalistic space alien (Venom).

The movie script is somewhat aligned with the Marvel Comics villain.

I enjoyed this movie FAR MORE than I thought I would.

I highly recommend it!!!

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Written for Movie Critiques.

SILK

PBS

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SILK

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SILK is a BBC series about the life of barristers- both their personal crises and their life in the courtrooms.

Martha Costello, probably the central character, has ambitions to become Queen’s Counsel. A copartner in her law firm, Clive Reader shares this goal.

The senior clerk of their chambers (law firm) is Billy Lamb. He is the collector and arbitrator of law cases for the chambers. Billy is a go-and-get-them person. He will do whatever it takes to make his lawyers successful- even if that means shadowing the legal boundaries.

I found this to be a fun and entertaining series. It provided much insight into the courts of England.

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Written for Movie Critiques.

McLintock

The Chestertown Spy

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McLintock

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McLintock is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time!!!!

Be warned… it is not 21^st century politically correct, but the fun of old school was awesome!

Cattle barn, timber enthusiast, and mining entrepreneur George Washington McLintock (John Wayne) lives on a huge ranch.

G.W. has been separated from his socialite wife, Katherine, for over two years.

Their daughter Rebecca (whom G.W. calls “Becky”) is completing her college degree.

McLintock hires an attractive widow woman, Louise Warren, as his cook and housekeeper. Dev, Mrs. Warren’s son, is also employed on the ranch.

This is a knee-slappin’ gut-buster fun movie.

If you haven’t seen it. You need to,

If you have seen it before, it’s time to see it again!

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Written for Movie Critiques.

Hondo

Amazon

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Hondo

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Angie Lowe and her six-year-old son Johnny live of a small farm in the wilderness lands of Arizona.

Lane Hondo (John Wayne) shows up on their doorstep having lost his horse during an Indian fight.

Lane assists the homestead by doing numerous farm chores for his upkeep. He deduces that the husband has been away from the farm for quite a while because of the neglect the farm shows.

Angie and Johnny have always been friends with the local Indians, but Lane thinks that the temperature of the wilderness is about to change because uprisings.

Lane leaves the small farm to complete his mission for the US Calvary.

Life on the farm soon becomes very complicated. The Apaches do show up- wanting war. They find the husband missing, but the Apache chief is very impressed with the bravery of the young boy. He decides that the boy needs a father and the woman needs a husband. Angie has until the new sowing season begins to ‘find’ her husband, or Chief Vittoro will provide her and her son both protection and a new Apache family.

A fun western watch!

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Written for Movie Critiques.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (My Two Favorite Characters)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (My Two Favorite Characters)

What better way to end and begin a New Year than relaxing and enjoying a StarWars marathon.

This time, as I watched these classics, I began noticing the wide array of character personalities that George Lucas created for his acclaimed series.

I thought you might enjoy a few of my StarWar-deian academic endeavors…

My two favorite characters from Star Wars: The Last Jedi are the Caretakers and the Porgs.

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StarWars.com

Facts about the Caretakers You My (or May Not) Know.

1. The Caretakers were the custodians of the first Jedi Temple on Ahch-To.
2. They regularly wore white robes and headdresses.
3. The Caretakers maintained the structures on the planet and also cared for any who visited the Jedi Temple and grounds.

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Redditt

Facts about Porgs You My (or May Not) Know.

1. The sea-dwelling bird, the Porg, were native birds to the planet Ahch-To.
2. They were not ‘thinking’ beings.
3. Porgs had short wings and stocky bodies covered in white feathers on their faces and body, but gray/brown feathers on their wings and back. This wes a bird species that had no beak.
4. They could fly short distances on the island of the Jedi Temple, but not far enough to leave the island.
5. For creatures with such short legs, they were quite quickly and could maneuver into hiding holes easily.
6. Like many birds, Porgs found shiny objects fascinating.
7. They deep-sea dove from the cliffs of their island to seek fish for food. They also enjoy eating crustaceans.
8. Porgs built their nests (using fibers and grasses) on the sides of the cliffs and from them provided shelter for their young. Porglets were usually born in pairs. The young were tended by both the mother and the father.
9. They loved playing the nearby waters. On the shore, their camouflaging assisted them from any predators.
10. Porgs were found both as domesticated and wild.
11. Porgs loved to be petted. They especially liked to have behind their ears scratched.

FYI: Thanks you Wookieepedia for your assistance in honing my knowledge of the many beings from Star Wars.

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Written for Movie Critiques.