Media Notes: Roundup for August 2020

This is a somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during August 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):

• Class of 1999 II: The Substitute (1994. Action. Horror. Science Fiction). The sequel to the 1990 film (I commented on the previous film back in July of 2018). This film takes place two years after the original. The cyborg teachers were destroyed, or so we thought. One of them managed to survive, and he has gotten a new job in a new school. He is determined to clean up the school by any means necessary. We get some of the background story from an investigator of the Department of Educational Defense (that is how you know schools are effed up, which to be honest may not be that far off from today) who reminds us of the previous story, and he is hunting down the rogue cyborg. Like in the first one, the cyborg is supposed to be the bad guy, but the bad students are such assholes that you find yourself rooting for the cyborg to discipline them permanently. Aside from Mr. Holden (the cyborg) killing asshole rapist and bullying students, the movie is fairly slow. Holden decides to protect a female teacher, who is being constantly threatened and bullied while the local sheriff is useless, and her on and off love interest is fairly useless as well, or at least not terribly supportive which makes you wonder why she puts up with him, let alone have sex with him (yes, there is a sex scene, not that great either). The result is most of the movie is pretty slow and lacks the humor of the first one. The acting is fairly bad too. To be honest, the female teacher is none too bright when it comes to common sense; if Holden was not protecting her, she'd be dead. The twist at the end to be honest is kind of disappointing as well (although looking back, the movie hinted at it a bit in one of the classroom scenes). The original is a bit of a cult classic, but this is pretty much a poor substitute. You would not be missing much. The only positive is Sasha Mitchell as Bolen, at least in the early part of the film, so not really enough to save the movie. Thing is the idea had potential but sadly the opportunity is wasted.Via TubiTv.
• The Irish Pub (2013. Documentary. Travel). A look at traditional, many of them rural, Irish pubs where they go and speak to pub owners and customers to show this very traditional part of Ireland. The pubs are not just drinking establishments. Many have a grocery to go with it, and while not as profitable in early days the groceries often still do well. Then a few publicans do a few other interesting side jobs, such as undertaking (funeral services). These are establishments that have been around for centuries, and the challenge for the owners today is to keep them as they have always been even as time passes around them. The documentary has no narration. Basically they filmed in various locations, and they let the locals do the talking, tell the stories, and even do a little singing. It is a very gentle, relaxing documentary blending travel and history with some good film images. It may be a bit slow for some folks, but for me, it is a nice bit of film that takes me to another place, place I wish I could see and visit. Documentary offers a blend also of humor and bitter sweetness. Worth a look. Via TubiTv.
• Trouble in Poundland (2017. Documentary. British. Link to TVDB). Poundland is to Great Britain what dollar stores (actual dollar stores, a bit close to Dollar General in the sense they are single price, most things are a pound but some items are two or three pounds or a bit higher) are to the United States, only with better merchandise selection. When the British voted for Brexit, their economy took a dive and became uncertain, and even this bargain retail chain is facing troubles. One of the issues is they have had to raise some prices, so can you really call it "Poundland"? They used to be every item was a pound, but with Brexit they had to change strategy and have some slightly higher prices. Another issue is the value of the British Pound dropped too when Brexit was announced. Documentary looks at various aspects of the business including the retail operations and their buyers to see how they get their products. It was interesting, and I learned a thing or two. Via TubiTv. To learn a bit more, here is Poundland's Wikipedia entry.
• The Rift (1990. Action. Adventure. Horror). Brief plot description: "When an experimental submarine goes mysteriously goes missing, another is sent on a deep dive mission that proves treacherous for the rescue crew." The designer of the first sub is none too happy the Navy messed with his design, nor that he got roped in to go into the second mission. They find a signal for the first sub's black box, and as they go deeper to find it, strange things start happening. They find an underground cave; they get out to explore, finding evidence the first crew was there, only to find monsters, and soon all hell breaks loose.They also find evidence of a lab, apparently set up by the first crew, and to complicate things, there is a saboteur on board who knows more than he is showing as well. Overall, a pretty slow film. The horror element is fairly minimal; the special effects are OK. Characters are fairly superficial. R. Lee Ermey plays the by the book tight captain who in the end is a hero, a bit of a redeeming element in this fairly blah corporate conspiracy horror film. This is basically TV movie late night fare. It is alright for a low budget film, not terribly memorable.
• We Still Kill The Old Way (2014. Action. Crime. British). Plot description: "When retired East End villain [i.e. mobster] Charlie Archer is murdered by a feral street gang, his brother Ritchie returns to London from Spain to investigate." Not sure why IMDB labels this as "comedy" because it is not a comedy at all. Start of the film is extremely slow, and the gang members are serious assholes that honestly you cannot wait for Richie to come from Spain and kill them all already. The initial scenes with the gang leader and his not quite girlfriend are mostly annoying, and you find yourself annoyed the girl sees anything in him despite how much of an asshole he is to her (and by the way, the power of movie coincidences, she is daughter of the female detective inspector assigned to the case, another example of how clueless she is as cop and as parent turns out). The local cops are fairly ineffectual, but then again they did not even know who the Archer Brothers were. Once Richie gets to London, a London that has changed over the decades, he starts investigating, and the score will be settled. He may be old school, not up on the latest technology like the young kids of these days, but he does have what it takes still, plus he still has friends willing to help. Once the plot gets going, the film is pretty. You just take pleasure watching Richie and his friends take the gang down one at a time old school style. Movie does leave an open end setting up for a sequel. I liked how this one ended. There is still something to be said for old school. The film has a certain tradition charm to it. Via TubiTv. By the way, there is a sequel, We Still Steal The Old Way, and Tubi also has it, so I will be watching it soon.
• Evil Under the Sun (1982. Mystery. Crime. Drama. Literary adaptation). This is Guy Hamilton's adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel of the same title. Brief plot description: "Trying to find how a millionaire wound up with a phony diamond brings Hercule Poirot (Sir Peter Ustinov) to an exclusive island resort frequented by the rich and famous. When a murder is committed, everyone has an alibi." I can say upfront the film has a pretty good soundtrack and nice music. The film is interesting, entertaining. It does have a small bit of what I can describe as a bit cartoonish quality, which is reinforced by some of the musical choices. I think the film feels meant to be lighter in tone despite being a murder mystery. On a side note, I have an interest in the film due to Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot which my mom enjoyed. Ustinov's portrayal was a favorite of hers, and she was a big Agatha Christie fan and reader; I am a bit more a David Suchet fan for Poirot. Ustinov does portray Poirot as the brilliant but very fussy detective; he does play up the fussiness a bit, maybe a bit much. Still, it is interesting watching Poirot put the clues together. It did not help him, or maybe did, that the resort owner has theories of her own how it was done. Others as well add theories that obfuscate a bit, but Poirot figures it out. In watching Poirot cases, I do find fascinating how small details he notices are often the things that make the difference. Overall, the film had a lightness to it and even a bit of light humor here and there. It was not great but it was enjoyable. I think worth a look, especially to get a different portrayal of the Belgian detective. Cast also includes Roddy McDowall, Maggie Smith (some folks may recognize her recently from the Harry Potter films; she is one of the professors), and Diana Rigg among others. The movie's cast put in very good performances; for example,  the women who may smile at each other while passive aggressively spitting venom at each other. Via DVD from Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library. DVD does feature some extras such as cast bios and the theatrical trailer of the film. I understand Ustinov portrayed Poirot in six different films. I recall watching his Death on the Nile, likely with mom, many years ago. I may try to find that version soon and have another look.
• Murder on the Orient Express (2017. Mystery. Crime. Drama. Literary Adaptation). Kenneth Branagh takes a turn portraying Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in a film he also directs. As much as I like Kenneth Branagh, I admit I was very skeptical about this film, but I was curious enough that I decided to give it a chance. I have already seen this story in film with Poirot portrayed by Albert Finney (I saw it back in April of 2019), and as I mentioned, I had seen the Peter Ustinov film many years ago. So comparison is a given here for this very popular Christie story. This movie starts with Poirot fussing about some eggs for his breakfast when he is called upon to solve a case in Jerusalem where three clerics stand accused of stealing a relic. We see Poirot brilliant, fussy as he can be (he is going for a bit of obsessive compulsive more than just fussy per se I think), but at least initially he also has a certain boyish charm (his interaction with the young boy at the beginning is a bit playful in a good way). The film does take some liberties, as these film adaptations often do. In this one, Arbuthnot is an army colonel in the novel (and in other adaptations), and here is the doctor (replacing Dr. Constantine from the novel; however, Arbuthnot reveals he was a military sniper before he went to medical school). Also, the character was a white man; here it is a Black man portrayed by a Black actor (Leslie Odom, Jr, which many may know from the musical Hamilton). Reason this detail caught my eye is the racial tension, which granted was existent in the 1930s, due to the racist Mr Hardman (Willem Dafoe). Interesting to see other characters do not really approve of Hardman's overt racism (or at least find it distasteful). However, we find out Hardman's racism is a bit of an act (his cover; he is a Pinkerton detective turns out who happens to be on the train, but like the others with a past). Overall, this film has a bit more action than other adaptations, but it is still a good mystery story. Not great as a cozy mystery, but it works overall. I've seen reviews being very harsh with the film. I would not go that far. The performances are good overall, and it does have some very good cinematography; the movie does look good. I'd say this is a film made for more modern audiences; despite being a period piece, it does have a bit of more modern sensibility. At the very end, they make a reference to the murder on the Nile, which makes me wonder if Branagh will attempt a sequel of sorts and do that story too. I'd be interested if it happens, even if out of curiosity. By the way, as for the mustache, well, in the Poirot stories, Christie does refer to his fancy mustache quite a bit, so I am willing to give Branagh credit for the epicness of that mustache. Holy cow that mustache has presence. Anyhow, as I said, not great but it works, and I found it entertaining. I'd say if you are curious like me, or you like Branagh's other works, worth a look. Via DVD from Berea branch of Madison County (KY) Public Library.
• Son of Batman (2014. Action. Comics. Animation.). Brief description: "Batman learns he has a violent, unruly pre-teen son, secretly raised by the terrorist group the League of Assassins." This is loosely based off the comic series Batman and Son. Starts a bit slow but soon picks up the pace. It is not as good as the source material, but it is a pretty good animated movie. If nothing else, it is better than a lot of what DC is putting out for live action films. I'd rather watch this than their live action output. This is like watching an extended episode of one of the Batman animated series. The animation art was pretty good. I liked it overall. Via DVD from Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library.
  

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:

• Midsomer Murders (1997 to present, still going. Mystery. Crime. Detective. British series). I commented on this series in the July 2020 roundup.  I continue this month from Season 4 onward. Via TubiTv.
• "Who killed cock robin?" (Season 4, Episode 4). Brief plot description: "Returning home one night, in a drunken state, the local doctor of Newton Magna calls in the police after he had accidentally hit a man, yet when Barnaby and Troy arrive, the injured man is nowhere to be found." A lot of the mystery is just finding out where the injured man went, an Irishman with a criminal record it seems with some connection to the village. The other common element is a good bit of adultery going on, and one of the adulterers getting found in an old well. The local village squire is an ex-con that Barnaby busted years ago, and the guy basically got off with only 18 months, mainly due to police incompetence. Anyhow, the guy, supposedly reformed, basically owns Newton Magna, and that comes with a set of questions. In the end, it looks complex but it was basically a case of hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. A bit of a slow episode this one, and you kept expecting the squire to get arrested but not in the end (though he is not totally scot free). As I said, this one was a bit slow and monotonous. 
• "Dark Autumn" (Season 4, Episode 5). Plot description: "Dave Cutler, Goodman's Land's amorous postman, is found almost decapitated near the common early one morning. Newspaper girl Holly Reid (Kate Maberly) tells Barnaby that she heard music playing faintly nearby. Barnaby and Troy are aided in their investigations by local WPC Jay Nash (Gillian Kearney)." It seems the married women of Goodman's Land were seriously cheating, which made every pissed off husband in town a suspect. The only clue initially is the sound of soft music a young girl heard around the time of the murder. Then, things pick up as other victims start getting murdered too, including at least one woman also carrying on with the postman. At one point, Barnaby comments it seems everyone in the village was somehow getting it on (getting laid). Soon we learn though, aside from all the loose morals and adultery, that the plot is a bit more than just someone pissed off at the asshole mailman, and the music does play a role in what turns out to be a tale of obsession. The plot takes a while to get there, but once it does, we get the murderer. 
• "Tainted Fruit" (Season 5, Episode 1). Plot description: "Melissa Townsend, a thoroughly disliked young woman in Midsomer Malham, is murdered with an injection of barbiturates stolen from a local veterinarian. Both Barnaby and Troy learn that she had recently received death threats after being blamed for the death of a local tenant, but soon discover she was attempting to blackmail someone over a scene they witnessed. When a local man that Melissa was friends with is also murdered, the pair discover the victims were killed by someone concealing a secret, and question if it was connected to the charging of a local district nurse for drink driving." Melissa Townsend is one of those spoiled rich girls who has the bad fortune of having a dad who wants her to "learn the value of money" so while he gives her an adequate allowance, he also has her work as a landlady, a job she is lousy at. Add to it she is the kind of rich bimbo any decent person hates, and you count the time til she gets murdered. Thing is she did make enemies in a small village where everybody knows every one else's business. It falls to Barnaby and Troy to untangle the mess and find the murderer in a case of blackmail where even so-called friends are ready to toss another friend under the bus. Suddenly I am glad not to be a member of high society: those people will toss you to the wolves to keep their image.
  
•  Gordon Ramsay's F-Word (2005-2010. Reality. Cooking. Food magazine. British series). I commented on this in the July 2020 roundup. Doing the second of five seasons now.  
• In the second season, Ramsay is raising pigs with the children, which will be served at the holidays meal. This time, the kitchen is run by an amateur brigade he supervises; each episode a different group of amateurs. The restaurant is also a different location/setting. Customers this time are paying customers, and if they dislike a dish can choose not to pay. The dessert challenge is now a cooking challenge. The theme this time is cooking lunch (first season was getting women back in the kitchen). The idea remains that what he cooks in the restaurant can be done at home. As before TubiTv is missing an episode or two from season, but at least they do have the last episode (so you can see when they eat the piggies). 
• Season 2, Episode 3: The starter dish was a scrambled egg dish, which for some reason the ladies (it was a full female brigade this week) had a real hard time making. I was sitting, thinking I am not a renowned chef, but I can make basic scrambled eggs without burning them. The women thought they could cook, but in reality two of them did cook at home, but one of them admitted she knew about food because she ate out a lot. Now, don't get me wrong. Some of the men that participated in the amateur brigades overestimated their skills in cooking too. That is part of the drama, seeing who Gordon has to work with and if he can bring them through. On a side note, Gordon explains at one point that scrambled eggs should be a bit runny, soft; firm scrambled eggs to him are an omelette (nothing wrong with that, but I guess that makes me an omelette guy. I can eat softer scrambled eggs fine, but I like more the firm texture). At any rate, something I like in shows like this is when they explain small details like that. The Sunday lunch this episode was a poached lobster with Jeremy Clarkson and his family. The main course, the one he also demonstrates, was a sea bream dish. On another side note, I notice if they mess up a dish, or part of a dish, they had to redo it from scratch, so there is a lot of waste (not just in this show; that is good restaurants in general). That is a detail that caught my eye (I was raised on the "there are children starving in Africa" don't waste food mantra, so food waste bothers me a little). 
• Season 2, Episode 4: In contrast to the ladies before, this brigade is a bunch of meathead type guys who think they know it all and no one can tell them what to do. I am guessing they needed to ramp up drama for Ramsey. Meanwhile, for the pigs, which he has been feeding well, he decides to add beer to one of the pig's diet to see if it improves flavor later on. In the episode, he mentions it is something some Japanese do. 
• Season 2, Episode 5: This episode was a bit more relaxed and lighter in humor. His brigade were four female medical doctors who work emergency rooms. They were certainly more professional than the previous guys, had some fun with it, and while not perfect (they are amateurs cooks after all), pretty good. Meanwhile, we also learn about the growing interest in crocodile meat in Great Britain. Plus Gordon enters the pigs he is raising into a big livestock and agricultural show. In the end, the doctors got a good number of people to pay for the food they made, a lot better than the previous guys (and best up to that point in the season).
  
• George Carlin: Personal Favorites (1997. Stand up comedy. Humor). "This special highlights the very best of the legendary comedian’s live performances from 1977 - 1998, including: 'Hello-Goodbye,' and 'Earrings.'” Carlin starts with a short presentation where he explains a bit the selection process for the routines and does some quick fire jokes while trying out hats. It's amusing, made me smile, nice warm up for the rest of the show. Among the favorites is a version of his "Stuff" routine, one of my favorites as well, and his routine on "Baseball and Football" differences. It also features his reflection on America (US) and its double standards, a pretty good routine I think is very relevant today.  The routines selected are not presented chronologically, so the special bounces back and forth between the 70s, 80s, and the 90s. Interesting to see him in different time periods. Overall an enjoyable special. Via TubiTv. 
• Cards on the Table (2006. Mystery. Crime. Adaptation. British. Link from IMDB). This episode 2 of the 10th season of the Agatha Christie: Poirot series with David Suchet portraying Hercule Poirot. Brief plot description: "The enigmatic, sinister Mr. Shaitana, one of London's richest men, invites 8 guests, 4 of them possible murderers and 4 'detectives' to his opulent apartment." Alexander Siddig, who many may know from portraying the Doctor Bashear in Deep Space Nine, portrays Mr. Shaitana here. Shaitana is murdered while the guests play cards after dinner. Shaitana declines to play Bridge with the others, so he paces a bit here or there are they play. Question of course is which of the guests did it. Like in other mysteries, everyone seems to have a motive, but the crime Poirot discovers hinges on whether it was planned or out of impulse. Soon other murders from the past come to light as well, and Poirot gradually puts the pieces together. This was one that I had to concentrate a bit to follow, but it was well worth it. Via DVD from Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library.