Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Romancing the Stone (1984)

starring Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas
directed by Robert Zemeckis

Joan Wilder (Turner), romance novelist, travels to Columbia to find her sister who has been kidnapped by American thugs (and cousins) Ralph (Danny DeVito) and Ira (Zack Norman). Ira holds Joan's sister hostage while Ralph pursues Joan. She is also pursued by Colonel Zolo, a Colombian soldier. Zolo and Ralph are both interested in the treasure map that Joan's sister sent her and that she has brought with her in the hopes of exchanging it for her sister.

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Tuned In (1992)

Starring John Ritter, Paw Dawber, Jeffery Jones
Directed by Peter Hyams

Roy and Helen Knable (Ritter and Dawson) are having marital problems, mostly because Roy is addicted to watching TV. She is fed up with him and getting ready to leave when he makes a deal for a big new television which comes with a satellite dish. They get zapped into the television and go from program to program. All of the programs are parodies of real ones and they all seem to be set up to kill the Knables. Spike (Jones) the salesman who sold Roy the television watches in anticipation of the moment when Roy and Helen will get killed. Spike eventually enters the world of TV shows and does his best to try and kill them.

Saturday, June 27, 2020

Better Call Saul 1.05

Alpine Shepherd Boy

Jimmy visits some potential clients. Not all of them seem like viable clients. One wants to secede his land from the United States. He's ready to pay Jimmy $1 million to help him out but it is money that he minted himself with him own picture on it. Another potential client has developed a toilet that makes sexually suggestive comments when people use it. The client wants to market the toilet to children. Jimmy finally seems to find his niche when he visits a woman who wants him to prepare her will.

Friday, June 26, 2020

Dear White People 2.06

Chapter VI

Lionel wants to restart the school newspaper. He puts a little effort into turning his room into the new headquarters for the paper. He invites Silvio to show him what he did but Silvio is dismissive of his ideas for a headline article. Lionel ends working with Brooke on one of his story ideas, finding out who is behind the @AltIvyW twitter account.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Knights of Sidonia 1.07

Resolve

The episode opens with a flashback to the battle that was alluded to but not shown in 1.06. Thirty-six gardes were sent out to take on the Gauna pod. There were 27 individual Gauna within the pod. The Kunato squad was tasked with destroying the tail of the pod. while other squads attacked other parts of it.

The Kunato squad planted explosive charges. It was vital that they all detonate them at the same time. Kunato sabotaged the mission but made it look like Nagate was to blame. He opened a private com channel to Nagate and told him to detonate his charges. Nagate followed orders thinking that they had all been ordered to do so.

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Angie Tribeca 1.07

Tribeca's Day Off

Tribeca is forced to take a day off by Lieutenant Atkins. She is at a loss for what to do with her time off. She meets a guy at a grocery store and after getting some pressure from Lt. Atkins she invites him over for dinner.

Saturday, June 20, 2020

Better Call Saul 1.04

Hero

1992 - Jimmy runs a scam with the help of an associate who pretends to be a victim.

2002 - Jimmy talks the Kettlemans into giving themselves up. They want him to take a bribe but he insists that he can't. He takes the money, in the end, but it isn't clear under what terms he took it. He starts figuring out how to account for the money once he gets back to his office.

Friday, June 19, 2020

Dear White People 2.05

Chapter V

Joelle's life feels off. She is Sam's sidekick. She's sneaking around helping Gabe with his documentary. Things start to look up when she meets Trevor, a guy in one of her classes, who doesn't live in Armstrong-Parker. He takes her to the food lab. She shows him the underground railroad station beneath A-P. She has a hard time talking him into seeing what she loves about A-P. She finally convinces him to come and watch TV in the common room at A-P but very quickly she starts to see through him. 

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Knights of Sidonia 1.06

Salutations

Nagate and Shizuka return to Sidonia. Everyone seems to be happy to see them but Kunato is bothered. He doesn't like it when the news announcer rhetorically asks if Tanikaze is the second coming of the Knight of Sidonia. 

Nagate finds his locker filled with bags of rice. Izana catches up to him as he is staring at the bags of rice. They go to see the memorial to the squad who were killed in 1.03. They pass Yuhata on their way out. Nagate can't hear it but Yuhata mumbles words of thanks to him as they pass one another. Her brother was part of the squad.

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Angie Tribeca 1.06

Ferret Royale

Tribeca and Geils catch a guy who is trying to smuggle ferrets. They examine the ferret with some help from Dr. Scholls and Dr. Edelweiss. What they find leads them to the man behind the ferret smuggling, Helmut FrontBut (Keegan-Michael Key). This leads to them entering a poker tournament sponsored by FrontBut.

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Justice League 2.01

Twilight

Part 1

The forces of Apokolips, led by General Steppenwolf, are attacked by the forces of New Genesis as they were breaking the treaty between the two worlds. General Steppenwolf's fleet is destroyed and sent back to Apokolips in flames. Highfather warns Darkseid that he and Apokolips will be destroyed if he tries breaking the treaty again. 

Sunday, June 14, 2020

Be Water (2020)

directed by Bao Nguyen

This is a documentary about the life of Bruce Lee. It is part of season 4 (according to Amazon) of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. It is told primarily through old footage and photographs that are supplemented with interviews and readings from letters that he wrote. The interviewees aren't shown on screen until the end of the movie. 

Saturday, June 13, 2020

Better Call Saul 1.03

Nacho

The episode opens with a moment from 1992. Jimmy has been arrested. Chuck has come to see him, to help him out. Chuck almost leaves Jimmy there but Jimmy pleads with him. He agrees to change and to follow Chuck's lead. Chuck stays. The rest of the episode takes place in 2002, the present.

Jimmy calls Kim, one of the attorneys from his brother's law firm. He tries to get information from her about the Kettlemans. He suggests that they might be in danger. Jimmy goes to a pay phone after talking to Kim. He calls the Kettleman home a few times, until someone picks up. He warns them that they are in danger and then hangs up.

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Dear White People 2.04

Chapter IV

Coco is having fun doing her thing but when she feels that James, one of the other members of CORE, is trying to take over she decides that it is time to make her move. Her only problem is that she has another problem: she's pregnant. Kelsey, her roommate since things got crowded in Armstong-Parker, figures it out and then tries to console her. She urges Coco to tell Troy.

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Knights of Sidonia 1.05

Adrift

Tanikaze defies orders and goes looking for Hoshijiro. He runs out of fuel just as he reaches her. They are stranded, adrift. They open the garde's sails which will enable the garde to recharge but they have a limited amount of supplies. They have enough oxygen for 60 days but only 12 days worth of water and even less food. 

Tanikaze and Hoshijiro are adrift for almost two weeks when the food runs out. Hoshijiro has been able to forgo eating as much as Tanikaze because unlike him she has the ability to photosynthesize. She has to strip down in order to do it. She tries to do it while he is sleeping but he wakes up early and they are both embarrassed by the situation.

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Angie Tribeca 1.05

Commissioner Bigfish

Tribeca and Geils go undercover in a cabaret to try and break up a prostitution ring. They are pulled off the case by Lieutenant Atkins, just as they are making some progress. They confront the lieutenant about it but he refuses to tell them why. They do a little snooping around and find Police Commissioner Bigfish coming out of a hotel that sex workers are known to use.

Monday, June 8, 2020

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

starring Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem
directed by Woody Allen

Vicky (Hall) and Cristina (Johansson) spend the summer in Barcelona. They meet Juan Antonio (Bardem), an artist, who is interested in taking both of them to bed. Vicky is engaged and acts uninterested. Cristina is interested but somehow he has sex with Vicky first. Juan Antonio redeemed himself in Vicky's eyes and she fell for him. She feels guilty afterwards and when her fiance proposes that they get married earlier than originally planned she agrees to it.

Cristina moves in with Juan Antonio. Things get tense after Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz), his ex-wife who tried to kill him once, shows up. The three of them wind up in a relationship. It doesn't last. Cristina wakes up one day and realizes that this isn't what she wants.

Friday, June 5, 2020

Better Call Saul 1.02

Mijo

Tuco hasn't killed the brothers. He knocks them out, ties them up, and is trying to decide what to do with them when Jimmy shows up. Jimmy tries to play it smooth but the brothers accuse him of being the mastermind, which is true. Tuco gets some of his buddies and they take Jimmy and the twins out to the desert.

Jimmy talks his way out of death and mutilation but Tuco still wants to kill the brothers for insulting his grandmother. Jimmy pleads with him. Tuco is very resistant but Jimmy convinces him that breaking their legs would be better than killing them.

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Dear White People 2.03

Chapter III

Lionel goes to some parties with Silvio on Pride Night. Lionel hopes for more than he gets from Silvio. He feels awkward and out of place at the parties. He tries to make conversation but gets brushed off at most of the parties. Lionel decides after the third party that he's had enough of Silvio, who has spent the night looking for a set of keys that he left somewhere, and takes off.

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Young Justice 2.15

War

The episode opens on April 2 on the planet Rimbor where the Justice League (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter) are on trial. They insist that Vandal Savage is the one responsible for their actions. He brainwashed them and forced them to do evil things. What they don't know is that Vandal Savage is in the audience.

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Angie Tribeca 1.04

The Thumb Affair

Tribeca and Geils look for the thief who stole a painting of a thumb. Their detective work leads them to suspect that either Dr. Zaius, an art gallery owner,  or his brother Randy stole the painting. 

Monday, June 1, 2020

Atypical 3.10

Searching for Brown Sugar Man

Sam gets help searching for Zahid so that he can prevent him from marrying Gretchen and missing his nursing mid-term. Abby is the first to offer to help out. Once they figure out where the wedding is going to take place they turn to Casey for help getting there. She doesn't have wheels but when she hears what they are trying to do she insists on joining them. Paige winds up being their ride to the casino where the wedding is going to take place.