THINGS TO WATCH WHILE AWAITING THE PERSIMMON-PAINTED PUTZ
While I’ve been paying as much attention as possible to the coming shitshow of the persimmon-painted putz (h/t to a poster on Dan Rather’s Substack for that one), to see his weaknesses and incompetencies revealed, there comes a point every day where one just has to get away from that and drop into something that will completely distract you.
Here are some shows worth watching I have found that will give strength to face the next dawn and get you through the feelings of dread over the next two weeks:
In no particular order:
“Bette Midler” (available at TCM On Demand at Max): the 1980 Hollywood Bowl concert documentary done by Michael Ritchie. I had the pleasure of seeing The Divine Miss M’s show live twice. This documentary shows her at her most lively, right after the release of “The Rose” (which is highly recommended if you want a good cry, as she plays A Blues Singer Not Named Janis Joplin, with a performance so good she won the Best Actress Oscar that year; dynamite music - one of the best rock’n’roll movies ever. Live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse.)
“Tommy” (available at TCM On Demand at Max) the Who’s Rock Opera, directed by the insane Ken Russell. When it first came out, I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but now 50 years later, you have to admit it’s a masterpiece. It will definitely take you to another reality.
“The Wild Bunch - Director’s Cut” (available at TCM On Demand at Max) You have to pay for this, but it’s worth every penny, and you can keep it forever to watch again. And again. (I think I have watched it at least 10 times, probably more). The Best Western Ever so far as I am concerned. The Good Guys are the bad guys; the Bad Guys are the good guys. The first 20 minutes will blow your mind in several different directions with the bravura of the entire thing. Warning: this was the first ultra-violent movie; the difference between it and those that followed was the violence here is all in service of the story, not just ladled on. It invented the slow-motion-death-by-gunfire shot. (You can always pretend the people getting shot are Trumpers.) But be sure to get the Director’s Cut, not the studio-butchered release.
“Singin’ In The Rain” (available at TCM on Demand at Max): The greatest Hollywood Musical Ever, so far as I am concerned. I’ve watched it 20 times at least (and can’t wait to do it again tonight); there isn’t a false note anywhere. I got to interview Donald O’Connor and Cyd Charisse about it for a screening at the Alex Film Society 30+ years ago. The cast is perfect. I wish I could have worked in that Hollywood. It took three days for Gene Kelly to film the “Singin’ In The Rain” scene and he nearly slipped in the water and clobbered himself more than once; Donald O’Connor broke a rib going through the wall at the end of “Be A Clown” and did the rest of the film taped up; Cyd Charisse was scared when she got to the set her first day - until Kelly walked up and said “Hi.”
“Band of Brothers” (available on HBO Max). Yes, I watched the series a second time a week after the first and it was even better. A reminder for all of us who we are and who we came from; we need to keep that in mind the next four years.
“John Adams” (available on HBO Max): adapted from David McCullough’s excellent biography. A love story between two people - John and Abigail Adams - who started all their letters to each other with, “My dearest friend;” they might have had the most egalitarian relationship it was possible to have in the 18th Century. A story of just how damned hard it was to create the United States. Another reminder of who we are and who we came from.
“From the Earth to the Moon” (available on HBO Max): The completely-unboring story (as opposed to NASA’s “The perfect astronauts are doing everything perfectly”) of the Apollo Program. Those people were “hanging it all out” over the edge - they landed on the moon with a computer using a 15kb punchcard-programmed memory that would be incapable of reading the average email today. Another reminder of who we are and where we came from.
(I think there’s no coincidence to the fact all three of the above are “a reminder of who we are and who we came from,” and all three were produced by Tom Hanks.)
These should occupy and strengthen you for the next 14 days. Oh, and “Mayfair Witches” returns tonight.
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Another suggestion - on a different level from some of these, granted is Hidden Figures - of course, it is yet one more reminder of the treatment of most women but especially Black women back in the great old days!!! At least in this one, these gals came out ahead.
If president-elect Felon Muck uses the Alien and Sedition Acts, as his treasonous orange dementia patient of a lackey threatens, we might see John Adams looking a little less admirable. But there's still so much to admire. I always quote the "remember the ladies" letter that Abigail sent him in 1776 and how he said they weren't going to give up the last bastion they had of control, and I insist that his response was really a teasing love note.