Media Notes: Roundup for May 2020

This is a somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during May 2020.


Movies and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available):

• Death Wish 2 (1982. Action. Crime. Drama). Just when you think Paul Kersey could catch a damn break, crime comes after him again. After the events of the first film, Paul moves his daughter to L.A. hoping for a fresh start. He is dating a reporter, things seem OK. However, a new gang break into his home, rape his maid, and kill his daughter. So Paul now becomes the vigilante once more to exact his revenge in a city where, much like New York City, the police are next to useless.  Frank Gardenia reprises his role of NYPD detective Ochoa, who goes to L.A. to advise the local police. In the "before they got really famous" category, Laurence Fishburne plays one of the punks. This time Paul has his skills down pat, unlike the first film where he was still learning and a bit hesitant. Meanwhile, Ochoa gets sent to L.A. because the NYPD does not want others to know they let Paul go the last time (for, you know, reasons; being the shady cop he is, Ochoa keeps breaking illegally into houses--this time the reporter's home). How the heck that cop ever made a case is beyond me given he basically has no regard for the Fourth Amendment or people's rights.  Honestly, given the situation, one really roots for the vigilante here. If you liked the first film, you will likely like this one. It is a pretty good sequel. I liked it, and also as always I find fascinating these older films with the small details like rotary phones, no caller ID, how did we ever get along without such things? Anyhow, still pretty good film overall. A Bronson classic. Via TubiTv. 
• Stealth (2005. Action. Science Fiction. Adventure). Plot in brief: "Three of the world’s best pilots are partnered with a high-tech pilotless warplane, but soon it becomes clear that the machine has a mind of its own." Overall, this is a pretty good action science fiction film, well, more action thriller than science fiction but pretty good overall. A decent blend of action, suspense, and just enough U.S. government corruption added in to complicate things. It is a popcorn kind of movie. Worth a look. Via TubiTv.  
• Kill the Irishman (2011. Biopic. Crime. Drama. Mobsters). Movie on the life of Cleveland Irish mobster Danny Greene, who dared to defy the local Italian Mafia.The film is actually pretty good. Keep in mind, it is "based on a true story," but it is a pretty good mob film. Ray Stevenson portrays Danny Greene, and the rest of the cast is pretty good too including Vincent D'Onofrio, Val Kilmer, and even Christopher Walken. Oh, and Robert Davi also appears a bit later in the film (he also appeared in Maniac Cop 2, which I viewed back in April). To add a little authenticity, they use real news footage of various events, which I found a nice detail. Overall, it is a very well made film. The events happened mainly in the 1970s, and the film does capture the times pretty well also. If you have not seen it, and you like mob films, this one is worth watching. Danny Greene was quite the character in real life, and this movie shows a good bit of him. Via TubiTv. The movie is based on the book Kill the Irishman by Rick Porello.
• Gangster Land (2017. Crime. Mobsters. Drama). The rise and story of "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn, from amateur boxer to Al Capone's first lieutenant (at least according to the film). The movie looks good, as these time period pieces often do, but that is about it. It is a fairly slow film, and it does seem to gloss over a lot of McGurn's life. To be honest, if you do not know the story, which I did look up later, some parts of the film may not make sense. There are two detective characters but to be honest they really do not do that much either. The actor portraying McGurn just was not that threatening, unlike the real life McGurn. Overall, this is a pretty forgettable film, and it is one you can safely skip. There are much better mobster films. Via TubiTv.

Television and other series (basic show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube, which, as noted before, I keep finding all sorts of other old shows in it, often full episodes:

• Gangland (2007-2010. Crime. Documentary series). This series aired on the History Channel that " explored the history of some of America's more notorious gangs." Some episodes are more interesting than others. I found a run of episodes on YouTube. Some highlights for me include:
• Season 1 Episode 7: the Black P. Stone Nation out of Chicago. This was a new bit of history for me. The gang portrayed itself as a civil rights organization, even got a grant from the federal government for a youth program, but they were ruthless in their criminal endeavors.
• Season 1, Episode 11: "Basic Training." This goes over how gangs have infiltrated the U.S. military services, often serving as training grounds for gang members. It is something the military does not really wish to discuss but the problem is there, and it has been documented in other places. The episode mentions a 2007 intelligence assessment on increasing gang presence in the US armed services (PDF document).
• Season 2, Episode 12: "From Girl to Gangster." If you think women cannot be gang bangers, think again. They can be, and they can be just as vicious if not more than the men.  
• Mafia Killers, with Colin McLaren (2018. Documentary. Crime.Mob). A six part documentary series that was originally broadcast on the Reelz channel; it is now available free on TubiTv. McLaren made a career of writing books after his police career, including one on JFK's assassination, and making documentaries as well as being presenter on documentaries like this series. Overall the series is interesting, the common mix of dramatic recreation, interviews with experts and other parties involved, and his presentation where he also tells bits of his life undercover. Episodes in this series are: 
• John Gotti
• Sammy Gravano
• Carmine Persico
• Anthony Casso
• Henry Hill
• Vincent Gigante
• Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (2004-2007. Reality. Cooking). This is the British version of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant rescue show that ran before the U.S. version. TubiTv brought in the full run, so I am taking my time watching it from the beginning. This is what I binged watched pretty much from the middle to the end of May. Part of the interest for me is the places he visits in Great Britain, as well as some locations in Europe; it makes me want to travel just to see some of those places.