The Cheese Stands Alone

Su 3/31/19 Up 645am; sunny and cold; temps barely to 40. Watched 'HEAT' (Netflix- streaming ends tomorrow)  Three hours of Heist-Cop Thriller perfection; dir. Michael Mann/ Robert De Niro/ Al Pacino/ Val Kilmer/ John Sizemore/ Ashley Judd/ and Kevin Gage as 'Waingro'/ even small parts for Henry Rollins and Danny Trejo. Then 'THE ADDICTION' (Xfinity) Christopher Walken/ Lili Taylor.    Abel Ferrara directs a film which offers a weird blend of blood addiction, classical philosophy, and vampirism as existential angst. Lili Taylor plays a NYC graduate philosophy student who is bitten by a vampire. She employs her philosophy training and knowledge to justify the horrifying changes to her new life as a member of the 'undead'. Christopher Walken appears as the baddest and most refined vampire of them all, and blows the doors off the film. This short (82"), black and white film is a slightly less than serious, yet intensely macabre examination of the ...

Sa 3/30/19 Up 7am; rain and clouds most of the day; temps to low 40's. Watched Netflix disc, 'THE WIFE' Glenn Close/ Jonathan Pryce     If a woman stays with a narcissist and cad for forty years and benefits greatly from the relationship, how much pity is justified? I loved the film and Jonathan Pryce was every bit her equal. The younger Joan Castleman was played by Glenn Close's real daughter, Annie Starke. Close has been nominated for 102 Academy Awards and has won 62. I Changed the cat box and cleaned the area. I think ditching the top to the litter box has solved the problem....I hope. Then watched 'OPERATOR' (Netflix) Another fantastic surprise that kind of continued the theme of 'THE WIFE'. A software programmer is involved in a project to devise a call center 'voice'. He decides that because his wife has such a perfect phone demeanor, she should be the model for the app. Set in Chicago with a couple of the cast of 'GOOD GIRLS...

Fr 3/29/19 Up 730am; gray with periods of rain in the forecast through tomorrow- chilly 50's. Watched 'SWEET VIRGINIA' (Xfinity- Showtime)  Another pleasant surprise- This was a 'B-Plus' neo-noir thriller that even featured a song by Roky Erickson and The Butthole Surfers. Set in a small Alaskan town (although two of the main characters are from Virginia) a woman has contracted a psychotic hitman to take out her philandering husband, and this unleashes a wave of murder and mayhem; written by The China Brothers. Then the last part of 'DEAD ON ARRIVAL'....again from last night. The ending is unclear, did the vaccine salesman's wife have something to do with his murder? A nice location (Louisiana) and lots of quirky characters do not necessarily make a good movie. Then an hour documentary called 'FORGOTTEN IN CALIFORNIA' (Amazon Prime)    Merely a collection of interviews with homeless people and people who are at a demonstration for the hom...

Th 3/28/19 Up 740am; blasted after the movie last night. Awoke on the couch in the living room. Partly cloudy and very warm- temps almost to 70, yet rain on the way for the next couple of days. Watched Netflix disc, 'STAN & OLLIE' (Steve Coogan/ John C. Reilly/ Shirley Henderson/ Nina Arianda)      Comedic superstars a generation ago, Laurel and Hardy take one last tour of Great Britain, and the party's just about over; a heartwarming film and Googan and Reilly were superb. Then the last half hour of 'ROB THE MOB' As if I had never seen the ending last night...probably didn't. But, I did remember that Michael Pitt and Nina Arianda were phenomenal. And, what synchronicity that Nina Arianda was in this morning's film playing Stan Laurel's wife. Then watched a documentary on Amazon Prime called, 'WASTED TALENT'. Lillo Brancato was the young actor who was picked to co-star in the 1993 film, 'A BRONX TALE'. This film was Robert De ...

We 3/27/19- Book Club at Six Up 7am; sunny, bright- temps to low fifties. Watched 'DRIVE' (Xfinity- Sony Crackle) Ryan Gosling/ Bryan Cranston/ Carey Mulligan/ Ron Perlman/ and Albert Brooks; Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn ('PUSHER' Series)       Icy cool, taciturn, and violently menacing, Ryan Gosling is a professional stunt driver who falls in love with a married neighbor, and this leads to an involvement in a mob ripoff that turns deadly. Slow pacing, great Los Angeles locations, a moody soundtrack, and a tightly written script make this a Noir Thriller of the highest order. I'd seen this one before when it first came out, and it's even better the second time around. 1045am; prepping 'THE SILENT COMPANIONS'; Lawn guy due at 1145am. Mitch texted that he was running late and I said I'd be here.  He showed up at 1215pm and we took the tour and he said three hundred- this includes blowing out the gutters (He thought I wanted him to remove the scree...

Tu 3/26/19 Up 710am; bright and sunny- to 50. Wrote a 'Movie Wrap' and emailed it off. The neighbors across the street are having their windows replaced by an outfit from Peoria. Checked the Internet and it looks like a real high price outfit. Watched Netflix disc, 'MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS'  Fantastic film about the relationship between Elizabeth I, Queen of England, and Mary, Queen of Scotland. Not historically accurate, but even if the meeting between these two important historical characters never really happened, this gives a very plausible illustration of how it might have been. Absolutely beautiful set design, costumes, and locations- it's a real feast for the eyes. While waiting for the lawn guy: Then, 'ZIPPER' (Netflix)  A states attorney aspires for higher public office, but is caught up in an addiction to sexual escorts- hence the title; with Patrick Wilson/ Lena Headey/ Ray Winstone. Not bad- filmed in Baton Rouge, LA. Mitch texted that ...

Mo 3/25/19 Up 710am; overcast early to partly cloudy- 40's. Wrote up some notes for 'THE SILENT COMPANIONS'. Watched 'ALOHA' (Xfinity- Sony Crackle) A kind of uneven mix of dopey romanticism and clever dialogue, yet still a very pleasant romantic comedy set in Hawaii; with Bradley Cooper/ Emma Stone/ Rachel McAdams/ Danny McBride/ and Bill Murray. Bill Murray plays a billionaire who tries to 'capture the skies', and Bradley Cooper is a private contractor who regains his soul. Then, 'THE SENTENCE' (Xfinity- HBO)  A mind blowing expose on the 'mandatory sentencing laws'. Because Cindy Shank was the girlfriend of a drug dealer and knew of his illegal activities, she was tried and sentenced under conspiracy statutes. She wasn't arrested for conspiracy until six years after the initial arrest, and she got a fifteen year sentence. She received  clemency from the Obama administration after nine years. "Prison is the place for peop...