REVIEWS: Love Story and Project Hail Mary

Love Story

I was initially apprehensive about Love Story, the biopic series from producer Ryan Murphy about the romance of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. While alive, Kennedy and Bessette became tabloid fodder, only to become idealized in death, so I was wary of the show coming off cheesy or maudlin.

My interest in the show was admittedly partly driven by a measure of admiration for Kennedy. In addition to being close in age to Kennedy, and as a political and news junkie and history buff, I enjoyed and subscribed to Kennedy’s George magazine. (In fact, I still have every issue saved somewhere.)

Fortunately, the show successfully avoids most of the missteps I feared, offering a fairly grounded telling of the couple’s romance, wedding and marriage, focusing on what it was like to be inside the eye of a celebrity storm and, for Bessette, facing the twin challenges of becoming a mega-celebrity and a Kennedy. That said, I don’t doubt that much of the story has been fictionalized and structured for dramatic effect (see my mention of actress Daryl Hannah below), but I nevertheless thought the show approached the subject with intelligence and captured a measure of emotional truth that suited the characters, if not the real life players. I found it to be a surprisingly engaging production that faithfully captured the 1990s with attention to detail and featured some very perceptive writing and great scenes.

Ultimately, what elevates the production are the winning performances of the lead actors who portray John-John and Carolyn (Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon), as well as some very good writing. They make their counterparts relatable while also capturing their appeal and attractiveness (not an easy accomplishment!)

They’re ably supported by the other players as well, including Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy, Jessica Harper as Ethel Kennedy, and Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein. Special recognition needs to go to Dree Hemingway. She is both frighteningly and hilariously convincing as former Kennedy girlfriend Daryl Hannah, who is set up as a bete noire of sorts to Bessette—so much so that poor Hannah was compelled to release a statement that she’d never used cocaine, pressured anyone into marriage, desecrated a family heirloom, or crashed a wake (see the show if you want to know what the fuss is about!)

Anyway, we were pleasantly surprised and greatly enjoyed the series.

Project Hail Mary

Following the successful adaptation of Andy Weir’s book, The Martian, into film (a book I fortunately read well before the film even went into production), comes Project Hail Mary from directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and writer Drew Goddard, who also wrote adapted The Martian for the screen.

It’s a winning, uplifting space and science fiction film about cooperation and friendship between differing worlds and cultures, a welcome message in today’s fractured world. Anchoring the film is Ryan Gosling, as science teacher and reluctant astronaut Ryland Grace, in a role tailor made for the actor that takes advantage of both his acting and comedic chops.

Grace has been sent on a mission into the far reaches of space to find a way to battle a micro organism dubbed Astrophage that is threatening earth’s sun and, indeed, nearly every star in the known universe. He eventually joins forces with an alien being he meets when he arrives at a distant galaxy who, it turns out, is on a similar mission.

The two soon become a team and eventually develop a genuine bond. The depth of this bond and friendship is tested when circumstances arise when each must decide whether to put their lives and the mission itself on the line to come to the other’s aid. The film is the perfect message for our modern age, serving as a much needed counter to the division and tribalism that’s been sadly too prevalent in our world today.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life!

Capsule Reviews: Fremont, Rental Family and EPiC

In this era of big Marvel and DC superhero action films, it was nice to recently come across some films that were much smaller in scale and much quieter, yet nevertheless indelible in ways that only arthouse films can be.

Fremont (Prime)
From 2023, this quiet moving film about a young Afghan woman who has resettled in the Northern California city of Fremont (near San Francisco) after having served as a translator for the U.S. in Afghanistan. Though not many details of her previous life are offered, it’s clear she has suffered some trauma and feels isolated and adrift, as she tries to adjust to her new life. This is in spite the fact she lives in an Afghani community and holds a job at a fortune cookie factory. The one star in it was Jeremy Allen White. It’s in black and white. But there really isn’t much about Fremont itself lol, though that is where she lives. A very quiet film of small moments, but I liked it a lot.

Rental Family (Hulu)

Another quiet moving film about an American expatriate (Brendan Fraser), a struggling actor living in Japan who finds work at a family rental agency. I’m not sure how accurate the film is in terms of the kind of work these workers actually do (though I had vaguely heard about people paid to attend funerals), but it explores the sticky ethics of such work (especially when it involves deception), and whether it’s possible for the workers to keep their work and personal feelings and lives separate. Full of warmth and humor, Brendan Fraser anchors the film, joined by a dominantly Japanese cast.

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert

When I heard about this film, I opted to see it in a theater to enjoy a full theatrical and sound experience. Part documentary and part concert film, it mostly strips away Elvis’s bigger-than-life image to focus on his music chops and performance, particularly his early in residence Vegas years. (Though you do see a bit of weight fluctuation in some of the footage, there’s little of the later “Fat Elvis” years—in fact, in the earlier footage, The King looks downright terrific and slim. Kind of a mini-version of the Beatles’ Get Back documentary, the film provides a brief bio of his early musical and movie career, then focuses on both studio rehearsals and concert performances. It was a treat to see Elvis in concert, he was truly electric, giving 110% in every performance. And to go back to the Get Back comparison, it was a blast seeing him perform three Beatles tunes: Yesterday, Something, and, live in concert, a terrific mashup of Little Sister with Get Back!

Entertainment Roundup for 2025

2025 was another memorable year in entertainment for me. It's the most films I've seen in a theater since prior to the COVID pandemic. In addition, it was a banner year for theater-going, advanced in large part by our trip to New York City in April, where we saw four plays, three of which were terrific. Another highlight was the new year's concert bashes of the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band.

And now without further ado...

Films

Marty Supreme – Culver Theatres (12/28/25)
Hamnet – Grove (12/14/25)
Fackham Hall - Cinelux Morgan Hill (12/5/25)
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t - Cinelux Monterey12/3/25)
Blue Moon – Landmark Theatre (11/10/25)*
Nouvelle Vague – Landmark Theatre (11/2/25)
One Battle After Another – Vista Theatre (10/16/25)
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale — Gilroy Cinelux (9/23/25)
Linda Linda Linda – Alamo Drafthouse (9/19/25)* – rewatch
Spinal Tap II – Culver Theater (9/13/25)
Honey Don’t! – Culver Theater (8/31/25)
Shin Godzilla – Howard Hughes Cinemark (8/26/25)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – Culver Theater (7/12/25) – rewatch
Fantastic Four: First Steps – Howard Hughes Cinemark (8/2/25)
The Naked Gun – Paramount Studios (7/14/25)*
Superman –  Culver Theater (7/12/25)*
F1: The Movie – Howard HughesCinemarkCtr (6/29/25)
The Phoenician Scheme  – Culver Theater (6/8/25)*
Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning  – Culver Theater (5/26/25)*
Thunderbolts*  – Culver Theater (5/3/25)*
Monty Python’s Life of Brian – Culver Theater (4/21/25)
Top Secret – Culver Theater (4/14/25)
Captain America: Brave New World – Howard Hughes Cinemark (2/15/25)
A Complete Unknown – Howard Hughes Cinemark (1/9/25)*

Streaming Films/DVD/BluRay

All the President’s Men - DVD (12/30/25) - rewatch
The Man Who Invented Christmas – Max (12/26/25) – rewatch
Wake Up Dead Man – Netflix (12/22/25)*
A Christmas Carol (1939 version) –Max (12/25/25)
Die Hard – Prime (12/25/25) – rewatch

Violent Night – Peacock (12/21/25)*
Happiest Season – Hulu (12/20/25)
Towering Inferno – Prime (11/9/25)
AKA Charlie Sheen Pt 1 – Netflix (11/17/25)
Three Kings – DVD (11/15/25) – rewatch
Bullets Over Broadway – Prime (11/15/2025) – rewatc
Being Eddie Murphy – Netflix (11/12/25)*
Shattered Glass – Prime (11/9/25) – rewatch
Spotlight – Prime (11/9/25) – rewatch
Six Scenes in a Crisis Eps 1–6 – Prime (11/8/25)
Small Time Crooks – Prime (11/7/25) – rewatch
The Fall of Lehman Brothers – Prime (11/4/2025)
Manhattan – YouTubeTV (10/27/25) – rewatch
Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in 2 Pieces (Part II) – YouTube (10/25/25)*
Black Hawk Down Behind the Scenes – YouTube (10/25/25)*
Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in 2 Pieces – YouTube (10/24/25)*
Black Hawk Down Extended Edition – YouTube (10/24/25)*
Downey Wrote That – Peacock (10/19/25)
The Boston Strangler – Hulu (10/16/25)
John Candy: I Like Me – Prime (10/12/25)
Force 10 From Navarone  – YouTube (10/8/25) – rewatch
Where Eagles Dare – YouTube (10/8/25) – rewatch
1941 – DVD (Gilroy) (9/24/25) – rewatch
Nonnas – Netflix (9/17/25)*
Teacher’s Pet – YouTube (9/13/25) – rewatch
Friendship – Max (9/12/25)
That Thing You Do (plus extras) – DVD (9/9/25) – rewatch
Cradle WIll Rock – Prime Purchased (9/4/25) – rewatch
Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Max (8/27/25) – rewatch
Fly Me To the Moon – Apple+ (8/23/25) – rewatch
The Producers – YouTube (8/21/25) - rewatch
Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi – Disney+ (8/20/25) - rewatch
Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back – Disney+ (8/19/25) - rewatch
Star Wars IV: A New Hope – Disney+ (8/20/25) - rewatch
Some Like It Hot – Prime (8/15/25) - rewatch
The Pickup – Prime (8/10/25)
Clueless – Netflix (8/1/25)
Sunday Best – Netflix (8/8/25)*
Operation Mincemeat – Netflix (8/8/25)
Burn Without Reading – Netflix (7/20/25) – rewatch
Hitchcock – Netflix (7/20/25) – rewatch
Rear WIndow – Netflix (7/19/25) – rewatch
Bullet Train Explosion – Netflix (7/10/25)
My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay – Max (7/6/25)
The Ballad of Wallis Island – Peacock (6/30/25)
Dept. Q Eps 1–9 finale – Netflix (6/27/25)*
Deep Cover – Prime (6/24/25)
Titan: The Oceangate Submersable Disaster – Netflix (6/23/25)
Jaws – Peacock (6/20/25)
Pee-wee As Himself – Max (6/19/25)
Pride and Prejudice – Max (6/10/25) – rewatch
The Imposters – Prime (5/30/25) – rewatch
The Lord of the Rings: DVD Extras (5/15/25)  – rewatch
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Extended Version – Max (5/10/25)  – rewatch
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Version – Max (5/8/25)  – rewatch
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Extended Version – Max (5/6/25)  – rewatch
Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain – Peacock (5/5/25)
Flight of the Conchords Live in London – Max (5/2/25)*
Story of Pixar – Disney+ (4/30/25)
Shanghai Calling – YouTube (4/29/25) – rewatch
Corner Gas: The Movie – YouTube (4/24/25)
Saturday Night – Prime (4/13/25)
A Real Pain – Hulu (4/6/25)*
The Guard – Roku (2/28/25)*
For Your Consideration – Prime (2/17/25)
Choke – Prime (2/12/25)
The ExTerminators – Prime (2/12/25)
Noises Off – Prime (2/10/25) - rewatch
Drive Away Dolls – Prime (2/10/25)
To Be Or Not To Be – YouTubeTV (2/8/25) – rewatch
Next Goal Wins – Hulu (2/4/25)
Sabotage – TCM (2/2/25)
SIlk Stockings – TCM (2/2/25)
Cry Wolf – TCM (2/1/25)
Nazi Agent – TCM (2/1/25)
Young Woman and the Sea – DIsney+ (1/31/25)
I Am Woman – Netflix (1/29/25)
Stalag Luft – Prime (1/28/25)
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry – Netflix (1/27/25)
Stranger Than Fiction – Roku (1/12/25)
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – Netflix (1/11/25)

TV/Streaming Series

A Man on the Inside S2 Eps 5–8 – (12/21/25)*
Bored to Death S1 Eps 1–4 (12/19/25)
A Man on the Inside S2 Eps 1–4 (12/14/25)*
New Yorker at 100 – Netflix (12/11/25)*
Ken Burns: The American Revolution Eps 3–6 – PBS (12/10/25)*
Beatles Anthology (re-mastered) Eps 1–4 – Disney+ (12/9/25)*
Down Cemetery Road S1 Eps 1–4 – AppleTV+ (11/21/25)
Ken Burns: The American Revolution Eps 1–2 – PBS (11/20/25)*
Bodkin Eps 1–3 – Netflix (11/17/25)
Murdaugh: Death in the Family Ep 8 finale – Hulu (11/19/25)
Bodkin Eps 1–3 – Netflix (11/17/25)
Hogan’s Heroes S1 Eps 4–12 – Max (11/11/25)
Death by Lightning – Netflix (11/6/25)
The Good Wife S1 Eps 1–5 – Paramount+ (11/5/25)
I Love L.A. – Prime (11/4/25)
Normal People – Hulu S1 (11/3/25)*
The Diplomat S3 Eps 4-8 – Netflix (10/31/25)
Murdaugh: Death in the Family – Hulu (10/30/25)
Ghosts S3 E1 – CBS (10/23/25)
The Diplomat S3 Eps 1–2 – Netflix (10/22/25)
The Diplomat S3 Eps 1–2 – Netflix (10/22/25)
Law & Order – S26 Eps 1-3 – NBC (10/18/25)
Elspeth – S2 Eps 1-2 – CBS (10/18/25)
Teenage Bounty Hunters S1 Eps 1–10 – Netflix (10/15/25)*
Only Murders in the Building S5 Eps 1–7 – Hulu (10/15/25)
Boots Eps 1–8 – Netflix (10/9/25)*
Dickensian Eps 8–10 – Peacock (10/6/25)*
Wednesday S2 – Netflix (10/5/25)*
Dickensian Eps 5–7 – Peacock (10/5/25)*
Dickensian Eps 1–4 – Peacock (10/2/25)*
The Four Seasons S1 E1–10 – Netflix (9/30/25)*
Drops of God S1E2-8 – AppleTV+ (9/29/25)*
Drops of God S1E1 – AppleTV+ (9/20/25)*
Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse (American Masters) – YouTube – rewatch
The Paper S1E1–3 – Peacock (9/4/25)
The Diplomat S2 – Netflix (8/26/25)*
American Murder: Gabby Petito – Netflix (8/25/25)
The Movies That Made Us S3 E4 – Netflix (8/24/25)
Bosom Buddies S1–Eps 1–3 – DVD (8/16/25)
Good Cop Bad Cop S1 – Prime (8/7/25)*
Good Cop Bad Cop S1 Eps 1 – Prime (8/5/25)*
The Fabulous Allan Carr – Prime (8/4/25)*
Billy Joel: And So It Goes Ep 2 – HBOMax (7/29/25)*
Billy Joel: And So It Goes Ep 1 – HBOMax (7/22/25)*
Murderbot S Eps 9-10 finale – Apple+ (7/12/25)*
Thin Blue Line S2 – Prime (7/9/25)
Sherlock and Daughter Eps Finale – Max (7/8/25)
Thin Blue Line S1 – Prime (7/5/25)
Sherlock and Daughter Eps 1–4 – Max (7/1/25)
Murderbot S Eps 5-7 – Apple+ (5/23/25)*
Doctor Who S2 Finale Episodes – Disney+ (6/1/25)*
Doctor Who S2 Xmas Episode – Disney+ (6/1/25)*
Murderbot S Eps 1–4 – Apple+ (5/30/25)*
The Studio S1 Eps 7–10 – Apple+ (5/22/25)*
Doctor Who S2 Eps 1–6 – Disney+ (5/25/25)*
Doctor Who S1 Eps 7–8 – Disney+ (5/19/25)*
Flight of the Conchords S2 – Max (5/2/25) – rewatch
Flight of the Conchords S1 – Max (4/29/25) – rewatch
The Residence Finale – Netflix (4/26/25)*
The Residence Eps 4-5 – Netflix (4/23/25)*
Corner Gas S6 Finale – FreeVee (4/23/25)
The Residence Eps 1–2 – Netflix (4/21/25)*
Icons Unearthed: Lord of the Rings – Prime (4/22/25)
Ghosts – CBS (4/19/25)*
The Studio S1 Eps 3–6 – Apple+ (4/18/25)
The Studio S1 Eps 1–2 – Apple+ (4/10/25)*
MythicQuest S4 Eps 1–8 – Apple+ (3/25/25)*
Reacher S4 Eps 5-7  – Prime (3/24/25)
Elspeth S2 – YouTUb
Corner Gas S3 Eps 1–7 – FreeVee (3/23/25)
Reacher S3 Eps 1–4  – Prime (3/1/25)
Corner Gas S1–S2 Eps 1–7 – FreeVee (3/1/25)
SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night (Auditions) – Peacock (2/17/25)*
Con Man finale – Prime (2/17/25)
Con Man – Prime (2/12/25)
Corner Gas S1 Eps 1–8 – FreeVee (2/11/25)
Vietnam: The War the Changed America S1 Eps 4–6 – Apple+ (2/10/25)
Vietnam: The War the Changed America S1 Eps 1-3 – Apple+ (2/9/25)
MythicQuest S1-2 Eps 1–3 – Apple+ (2/6/25) – rewatch
MythicQuest S1 Eps 1–8 – Apple+ (2/4/25) – rewatch
MythicQuest S1 Eps 1–8 – Apple+ (2/4/25) – rewatch
Grammys (3/3/25)
Superstore S5 Eps 10-16 – Hulu (1/31/25)
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music – YouTubeTV (1/30/25)*
Icons Unearthed: James Bond Eps 1–6 – Prime (1/24/25)
Law and Order S22 Ep 9 (1/24/25)
Elspeth Eps 8–9 (1/24/25)
Disappearance of Shere Hite – Hulu (1/18/25)
Outlaws S3 – Prime (1/16/25)
Outlaws S3 E1 – Prime (1/13/25)
Abbott Elementary S1E8 (Always Sunny Crossover) – Hulu (1/9/25)
Brooklyn 99 S3 – Netflix (1/3/25)

Theatre/Live Performance

No Kings Day – Culver City and DTLA (10/18/25)
Venice Beach (10/12/25)
Oedipus the King Mama! (Troubadour Theater Company) – Getty Villa (9/11/25)
Roswell That Ends Well – Actors’ Gang (8/24/25)
Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity Exhibition – Skirball Cultural Center (8/14/25)
Some Like It Hot – Pantages Theatre (8/13/25)
Jesus Christ: Superstar – Hollywood Bowl (Syd) (8/2/25)
Something Rotten – Rose Center Theater, Westminster (7/19/25)
No Kings Day - DTLA (6/14/25)
Bright Half Life (6/6/25) – UCLA MacGowan Hall
NYC:
Maybe Happy Ending – Belasco Theatre (4/2/25)*
Glengarry Glen Ross – The Palace (4/3/25)*
Good Night and Good Luck – Winter Garden Theatre (4/4/25)*
Boop – Broadhurst Theatre (4/5/25)
Staten Island Ferry; 9/11 Memorial; Wall St.; Society of Illustrators; Strawberry Fields;
    Central Park (4/2/25)
Penn Station; Empire State
Radio City Music Hall (4/4/25)
Metropolitan Museum of Art (4/4/25)
The Ripped Bodice (4/5/25)
Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 – Freud Playhouse (3/8/25)*
Huntington Library (2/23/25)
Noises Off – Geffen Playhouse (2/5/25)
Middle Aged Dad Jam Band – The LodgeRoom (12/31/24 – 1/1/25)*

YouTube (of note)
The Beast Within - Making of Alien (1979) (10/11/25)
How one artist invented modern pop culture (Moebius documentary) – matttt - comic & manga history (9/13/25)
Immersive Battle of the Bulge Reenactment POV: War and Wisdom (5/2/25)
Fly on the Wall Podcast (Dana Carvey and David Spade): Jimmy Kimmel (4/14/25)
Fly on the Wall Podcast (Dana Carvey and David Spade): Lorne Michaels (2/25/25)
Fly on the Wall Podcast (Dana Carvey and David Spade): Dennis Miller (2/22/25)
Rutles: The Making Of [Fan-made Documentary] – @reign256 (1/3/25)