Persepolis (2007)

Persepolis (2007)

starring Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve

written and directed by Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud

This is the story of Marjane Satrapi. She was living with her parents in Tehran when the Iranian Revolution began. She was very excited by it. She was very young at the time. She continued to live in Tehran with her parents. She was always outspoken. It got her into trouble.

Her parents sent her to Austria to study when she was a teenager. She had studied French in Iran at a French school so they sent her to a similar school in Vienna. Life in Vienna wasn't easy, for multiple reasons. She returned to Iran after burning more than one bridge in Vienna.

Babylon Berlin 1.01

Episode 1

May 29, 1929

The episode opens with a doctor using hypnosis to get Rath, a police inspector from Cologne, to remember something. 

Rath travels to Berlin and works with Bruno Wolter, of the Berlin Police Department, to track down something or someone. They break up a pornography studio. Krajewski, one of the men in the studio, runs. They catch up to him. He almost kills Rath. Wolter recognizes him. He's a former cop.

The two policemen let Krajewski go but they bring in König, the director of the film. Wolter interrogates him while Rath is busy with other things. Wolter wants to know how König knows Rath but König doesn't have anything to say.

Atlanta 4.09

Andrew Wyeth. Alfred's World.

Alfred spends some time, by himself, at the farm he bought. Animals have broken into his grow house. He gets some advice from the cashier at the local hardware store who thinks (based on Alfred description of the mess left behind) that it is a wild pig. Alfred laughs at the guy's story. He later finds out what it was that broke into his grow house.

Thoughts

Elements of this episode, the title and some of what Alfred experiences, reference a painting by Andrew Wyeth: Christina's World. I did not know of the painting. It was brought to my attention by the episode of The Ringer Prestige TV Podcast about this episode of Atlanta. 

UFO Robo Grendizer 2.26

The Exodus of the Army of Vega Daio

or La génération des monstres (The generation of monsters)

or The Massive Shift of The Vegan Army!

Vega is threatened when explosions occur in the Vegatron mines on Zeta 4. The people of Vega are forced to move underground because the atmosphere on the surface becomes radioactive and unbreathable. Vega Daio and Dantus, his defense minister, set a plan in motion to move to conquer Earth and move there.

Doctor Who (1963) 11.03.02

Death to the Daleks - Part Two

The Dalek weapons don't work. It turns out that they are there for the same reason as the humans, they need the cure for the disease that is ravaging the galaxy. The Daleks reluctantly agree to work with the humans until they can get their devices and their ship to work and get off the planet.

The Daleks, the humans, and the Doctor go to examine the spot where the humans have been gathering the precious cure to the disease. They are attacked by a large group of Exillons. Captain Railton and one of the Daleks are killed. Galloway takes charge but they have no choice but to surrender. They are taken to the Exxilons underground lair.

NewsRadio 5.16

Wino

Johnny Johnson returns to WNYX. He has been living on the streets. He's still in love with Lisa, who has trouble resisting him. Everyone is ready to kick Johnny out, except Lisa.

Thoughts

There is no b-plot in this episode.

I really enjoyed this episode. This was a lot of fun. I don't recall seeing it before but I might have. This is definitely a highlight from this season and in part makes up for the abrupt and unsatisfying end to the last episode in which Johnny appeared.

How to Murder Your Wife (1965)

How to Murder Your Wife (1965)

starring Jack Lemmon, Virna Lisi

directed by Richard Quine

118 minutes

watched on Kanopy

Stanley Ford (Jack Lemmon) wakes up the day after a friend's bachelor party and finds out that he got married the night before. He tries to get the marriage annulled but Harold, his lawyer, thinks he is better off married and refuses to help him out. Stanley resigns himself to the married life. He loses Charles (Terry Thomas), his butler, who refuses to work for a married couple.

Watchmen (2019) 1.07

An Almost Religious Awe

The episode opens with a montage of scenes from the early life of John Osterman.

Angela continues to recover in Lady Trieu's care. She remembers things from her childhood, in Vietnam. She recalls the day her parents were killed, along with many others, by a suicide bomber. She wakes up from that memory only to find that she has fallen out of bed. She still has tubes connected to her arm. Lady Trieu helps her get back into bed.

Cal tries getting in to see Angela but he is turned away at the gate.

Atlanta 4.08

The Goof Who Sat by the Door

This is a documentary style episode about Thomas Washington, an African American animator, who mistakenly was selected to be CEO of Disney. It is about his life. It tracks him from his childhood until his death. His big project, once he became CEO of Disney, was A Goofy Movie (1995).

Thoughts

This is the longest episode of the season. It is 38 minutes long. The regular cast of Atlanta are not in this episode.

I'm not sure what to make of this episode. I'm not big into Disney. I've never seen A Goofy Movie or Goof Troop, the TV show that it is a follow up to. I had to check after I watched this episode to see if A Goofy Movie was even a real thing.

UFO Robo Grendizer 2.25

The Enormous Proximity

or L'étoile noire (The dark star)

or It's Coming!! The Demon's Star

Dark star Vega X3 Threatens to destroy Vega. The Emperor of Vega (Vega Daio) responds by using beams to push it away from Vega and toward Earth. Great storms arise at the dead star approaches Earth. Professor Umon analyzes the dead star and determines that they have to act fast to save Earth. He plans to send a nuclear missile to blow up the dark star before it reaches Earth.

Doctor Who (1963) 11.03.01

Death to the Daleks - Part One

The Doctor and Sarah are headed for a vacation when the TARDIS crash lands on a planet that is later revealed to be Exxilon. The TARDIS has lost power. They head outside where it is dark and foggy. Sarah goes back inside to put on something warmer. She was dressed for the beach. The Doctor promises not to wander off but does so anyway.

Sarah goes outside to look for the Doctor but can't find him. She returns to the TARDIS only to discover that one of the locals is inside. She hits him and then takes off running. She keeps moving until she comes across what looks like an abandoned city.

Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story (1987) 1.02

Let's Face the Music and Dance

This episode is focused entirely on the team of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

The people who were interviewed for this episode include

• Fred Astaire
• Ginger Rogers
• Hermes Pan, choreographer
• Pandro S. Berman, producer
• Hal Borne, Astaire/Rogers Accompanist
• Allan Scott, writer
• Erik Rhodes, actor
• Maurice Zuberano, set designer
• Joseph Birox, Camera Operator

The Phil Silvers Show 2.34

The Colonel Breaks Par

Bilko planned all sort of festivities while Colonel Hall is away on his annual vacation. Bilko's plans almost have to be abandoned when Colonel Hall announces that he isn't going on vacation. Bilko comes up with a new plan to convince Colonel Hall that he should enter the Army's golf tournament, despite not being a very good golfer. Bilko fools Colonel Hall (with some help from professional golfer Sam Snead) into thinking that he is a better golfer than he actually is.

Everything seems back on track but then Bilko starts to have second thoughts about what he did.

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

starring Eddie Murphy, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Wesley Snipes

directed by Craig Brewer

116 minutes

Watched on Netflix

This is the story of comedian and entertainer Rudy Ray Moore's rise to fame and the making of his first movie, Dolemite. Moore was working in a record store at the time the movie opens, in the early 1970s. He was doing a little bit of standup comedy but didn't gain a following until he started to take material from guys living on the street. He reworked the stories he heard and palmed them off as his own.

The Memphis Belle: The Story of a Flying Fortress (1944)

The Memphis Belle: The Story of a Flying Fortress (1944)

directed by William Wyler

45 minutes

Watched on Tubi

Filmed in color, this documentary follows Allied bombers during World War II on what proved to be the 25th and final mission for the crew of the Memphis Belle, a B-17. There is some voice over but it seems like most of the movie was filmed without sound. The narration was added after the fact.

William Wyler, the director, over the course of his career, was nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards twelve times. He won three times. He had been nominated five times and won once at the time this documentary was made. He was not known for making documentaries.

The purpose of this movie was to make Americans feel positive about the way the war was going and the sacrifices that the crews of bombers like the Memphis Belle were making.

History of the World, Part I (1981)

History of the World, Part I (1981)

starring Mel Brooks, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman

directed by Mel Brooks

93 minutes

watched on Hulu

This movie is a compilation of skits set in different time periods. Some of the moments don't last very long and are little more than a series of gags. The movie as a whole doesn't hold together very well.

The time periods in which the movie is set are 

• The Stone Age
• The Old Testament
• The Roman Empire
• The Spanish Inquisition
• The French Revolution

Watchmen (2019) 1.06

This Extraordinary Being

The episode opens with a scene from American Hero Story, the TV show about the Minutemen. Two FBI agents have Hooded Justice cornered. They convince him to take off his mask but then he beats them up.

Angela experiences her grandfather's memories thanks to the load of Nostalgia pills she took. She lives the memories as if they were her own. Will Reeves became a police officer in New York City in 1938. He was one of the few African Americans on the force. Butler, another African American officer, warns him to look out for the cyclops.

It isn't long before Reeves finds out about the cyclops. He tries arresting a man who firebombed a Jewish deli. He takes the man to the police station but soon thereafter the man is let go. Some White officers perform a mock execution and beat up Reeves. They threaten to hang him for real if he sticks his nose in the affairs of white folk again.

Crash Landing on You 1.03

Episode 3

Ri Jeong-hyuk shows up just in time to save Yoon Se-ri from Jo Cheol-gang, his boss, who has been conducting a suprise inspection of the town. Jeong-hyuk tells his boss that Se-ri is his fiancée. Jeong-hyuk can't tell them anything more than that because, as he explains it, she works for Division 11, which means that she is a North Korean spy.

Atlanta 4.07

Snipe Hunt

Earn, Van, and Lottie go camping for Lottie's birthday. Earn is still planning to move to Los Angeles. He wants Van and Lottie to come with him. He tries bringing up the subject more than once. 

The snipe hunt is Van's idea. She shows Lottie how it works. It doesn't turn out exactly as Van thought it would.

Thoughts

Early in this episode I wondered if this was going to be a weird horror inflected episode of Atlanta. It is not but the way it was shot made it feel that way. The further I go into the episode the more I forgot about the possibility of something going wrong.

UFO Robo Grendizer 2.24

Eliminate Kouji Kabuto

or L'aigle à quatre têtes (The four headed eagle)

or Murder!! Eliminate Koji Kabuto!

The episode opens with Kouji and Maria racing on motorcycles. She gets angry when he compliments her. She wants to race and doesn't want him to take it easy on her. She taunts him for not trying harder. He responds by trying harder and he just barely wins the race back to the Space Science Center.

Doctor Who (1963) 15.03.X

After Image (2008)

26 minutes

This documentary feature looks back at the making of Image of the Fendahl with some of the cast and crew.

The people interviewed for this feature were 

• Anthony Read, script editor
• Colin Mapson, visual effects designer
• Louise Jameson - Leela
• Edward Arthur - Adam
• Wanda Ventham - Thea

The Damned Don't Cry (1950)

The Damned Don't Cry (1950)

starring Joan Crawford, David Brian, Kent Smith, Steve Cochran

directed by Vincent Sherman

103 minutes

Ethel Whitehead (Joan Crawford) leaves her husband after their son is struck and killed by a car while riding his bicycle. She moves to New York City and claws her way up. She starts by working at a newsstand. She spends some time modeling dresses but soon leaves that gig after she meets Martin Blackford (Kent Smith), a CPA. She helps him get a better paying job which eventually leads to her meeting George Castleman (David Brian), a big time gangster.

Watchmen (2019) 1.05

Little Fear of Lightning

Wade Tillman (Looking Glass) goes to Hoboken, NJ (in 1985) with a group of other boys and a minister. They are there to proselytize but things don't work out as planned. The squid falls on Manhattan. Wade survives but everyone else near him is killed.

Agent Blake has a chat with Looking Glass. She wants to know about the pills that Sister Night was asking him about. She found out about the pills from an eavesdropping device she put on his desk. He doesn't want to talk.

Wade goes home and tries to relax but his home alarm system keeps going off. He calls the company and complains, after ripping the machine off the wall. The company promises to overnight ship him a new one. 

The Orville 1.12

Mad Idolatry

The Orville finds a planet that appears out of nowehere. Commander Grayson leads a team down to the planet's surface. She has a look around, by herself, and accidentally leaves an impression on the planet. The away team returns to the Orville. The planet disappears. It reappears 11 days later but hundreds of years have passed on the planet's surface and the people there remember Kelly as a god-like being.

Ed and Kelly, before they discover what her interference has created, try rekindling their relationship. They have a few drinks together the night before the planet appears for the first time. They have a date before the planet reappears, for the first time. Everything seem to be going great but Kelly has trouble dealing with what people on the planet's surface are doing in her name. That ultimately leads her to reconsider giving her romantic relationship with Ed another try.

Atlanta 4.06

Crank Dat Killer

Alfred gets nervous when he finds out that there is someone going around killing people who put out a Crank Dat video, because years ago he made one. He tries to play it cool but he can't. He goes to the mall but more than one person spots him. One of them comes after him, with a gun. He gets saved in the end by someone he doesn't want to deal with.

Earn and Darius go to meet with a man who has Nike Miracles, which are really hard to find. When they ask how much he wants he says he wants to see them kiss. Earn is ready to walk but Darius really wants the shoes and tries to talk Earn into doing it, for the shoes.

UFO Robo Grendizer 2.23

I Saw My Brother in the Red Sunset

or La dernière survivante (The last survivor)

or I Saw My Big Brother In The Crimson Sunset!

Saucer Beast Deg Deg goes crazy after it is affected by radiation from Vegatron Bombs. It heads to Earth and starts wrecking havoc in Japan. One of the houses that gets badly damaged belongs to an elderly man. He tries shooting at it with a gun but he gets injured. Maria, his niece, returns home when she sees what happened to his house.

Doctor Who (1963) 15.03.04

Image of the Fendahl - Part Four

The Doctor shoots the Fendahleen, the others are frozen in fear. the creature, with Jack's shotgun, which is loaded with two shell that are full of rock salt. The creature is killed by the shotgun blast. 

They discover that there is more going on in the basement. Thea has been transformed and now has gold skin and seems to be in charge. She transforms Ted Moss into a Fendahleen. The Doctor and Leela rescue Adam but it is too late for Max. He has already looked into her eyes.

The Doctor explains that they need as much salt as they can get their hands on. He sends Mrs. Tyler, Jack's gran, to get it. He posts Jack and Leela as guards against any more creatures. The Doctor and Adam shut down the machinery. The Doctor tells him about the history of the Fendahl and the Fendahleen.

NewsRadio 5.15

Assistant

Lisa hires an assistant, Foxy Jackson. Joe and Dave are smitten with Lisa's new assistant. Foxy reciprocates their interest but she creates a problem when she doesn't express a preference between them.

Max wants a couch for the men's room. Beth objects but when she sees how Mr. James decorates the Men's room she changes her tune and instead wants in to the men's room club.

Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story (1987) 1.01

Birth of a Titan

narrated by Ed Asner

RKO was formed by David Sarnoff and Joe Kennedy, the father of JFK, just as the sound of era of film was beginning. It was unsuccessful in its early years despite lots of attempts to innovate. Most of the people interviewed for this episode worked behind the camera. Some of them talked about the technical innovations, most of which had to do with visual effects or the ways that sound was recorded.

Watchmen (2019) 1.04

If You Don't Like My Story, Write Your Own

Lady Trieu visits the Clarks, a couple, and offers them a child, they are without children, and $5 million if they will give her their home. The child is biologically their own.

Angela cleans the kitchen where she kept Will. She destroys or attempts to destroy all traces that he was there. She heads over to the Greenwood Cultural Center after she is done in her bakery. She breaks in and learns more about her family history. Her moment of discovery is interrupted by a crashing noise.

Sister Night rushes outside and finds Laurie Blake laughing and the remains of her car. Angela calls to get her car towed. Will's bottle of pills is in the glove compartment. She takes them and goes home to get some sleep. The next day she goes to see Glass. She shows him Chief Crawford's clan robes and asks him to get his ex to figure out what the pills are.

Croupier (1998)

Croupier (1998)

starring Clive Owen, Alex Kingston

directed by Mike Hodges

94 minutes

Jack (Clive Owen) gets a job as a croupier at a casino. He wants to be a writer. He starts to write a book. Jack isn't supposed to socialize with women who work at the casino or customers of the casino but he breaks both of those rules. He has a girlfriend, Marion, but he gets involved with one of his coworkers, Bella, and one of the casino's customers, Jani (Alex Kingston). Marion used to be a cop. She wants him to write but she doesn't like what he produces. She doesn't like the affect his job has on him. Bella complicates his life somewhat. Jani complicates it even more.

The Orville 1.11

New Dimensions

Commander Grayson recommends that Lieutenant LaMarr be considered for promotion when the Engineering Chief gets transferred off of the Orville. Yaphit is next in line for that job which creates some friction between himself and LaMarr. 

Captain Mercer finds out that Commander Grayson was partly responsible for him getting command of the Orville. He doesn't take it well and is resentful of what she did for him.

The Orville encounters an anomaly in space that leads to two-dimensional space. They retreat to the 2-D space when they detect that a Krill ship is approaching. The 2-D space would crush them but Lt. LaMarr comes up with a scheme to protect them.

The episode ends with Lieutenant LaMarr getting promoted to Lieutenant Commander and becoming Chief Engineer.

Atlanta 4.05

Work Ethic!

Van takes Lottie, her daughter, with her to Choclateland, Kirkwood Chocolate's production studio. Van is there to act in a TV show. Everything goes smoothly until Lottie speaks up in the middle of shooting. The reclusive Mr. Chocolate takes a shine to Lottie and puts her in one of his productions. Van loses track of Lottie and spends a good part of the day trying to find her and get her back. 

Thoughts

Earn, Alfred, and Darius are not in this episode.