Media Notes: Round up for September 2020

This is a somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during September 2020. This month I am going to start trying to rate movies, similar to how I do books, on a 5 stars rating, see how it works. Starting in September, I wanted to watch a bit more horror to get in the mood for fall season and Halloween. The highlight this month, if you can call it that, is that I did watch the full Wishmaster movie series.


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):

• Chicago Overcoat (2012. Crime. Action. Mobsters). Brief plot description: "The fates of an aging hitman and a washed up detective become entwined when one last job leads to one last chance to settle an old score." Frank Vincent stars as the aging hitman looking back at how the old days were and doing his best to make a living in the new days with new guys in charge. He is long retired from being the deadliest hit man in Chicago. However, when a mobster puts out a contract on some union officials to silence them, Lou, the hit man, is given the job, and he hopes he can use the money to finance a new start somewhere else. However, two detectives start getting close, and Lou has to prove he still has what it takes. This is a somewhat slow drama as it is revealed that the men Lou has to kill are all part of a larger conspiracy that even includes city officials and the police department. The movie is somewhat slow but the pace picks up at the end leading to a pretty explosive ending. I'd say not too bad, worth a look. It is interesting to see that it is the bad guy, the hit man, that we find ourselves rooting for. We also get some small roles with Stacy Keach, playing a retired cop friend of the cop trying to catch Lou, and Armand Assante playing the imprisoned mob boss who orders the hits. There is something to be said for experience. If I had to rate it, 3 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. 
• Gotti (2018. Crime. Drama. Biography). John Travolta takes a turn at portraying the Teflon Don John Gotti. The movie also looks at Gotti's relationship to his son, Gotti, Jr. Stacy Keach gets to portray Neil Dellacroce, the family underboss and mentor figure to John Gotti. The movie goes a bit back and forth between Gotti's rise and his eventual time in prison where he is suffering the cancer that eventually takes his life and his son comes to visit. This film emphasizes more the family side of Gotti, especially his relationship with his son Junior. It does have some gruesome moments, but overall, the film considers more the family, as in his personal family. Part of that is reflective of the fact the film is based on John A. Gotti's book Shadow of My Father. So the film does a lot to soften John Gotti, de-emphasize the horror that he truly was. Overall, the film was mostly OK. Travolta did well given what he was working with, adding just that bit of psycho he can add now and then in his work. The film uses news footage in parts to add detail and authenticity to the film, and it also uses music here and there to give a sense of time. I think I like the 1996 HBO film with Armand Assante in the title role (I watched this one back in March 2020), but this one was interesting. I may out of curiosity seek out the book. 2 out of 5 stars. Via DVD from Madison County Public Library. 
• Wolf Cop (2014. Horror. Comedy). Plot description: "The worst cop on the force in a small town wakes from a late shift crime scene to find a pentagram carved on his chest and a beastly transformation." Horror comedies are not necessarily a favorite of mine. I like my horror dark and serious, but once in a while I will take a chance on a horror comedy. I heard a bit about this movie from various folks on social media, so decided to take a chance. Sgt. Lou Garou (yea, I noticed the name too). is an alcoholic cop who pretty much does not give a shit that one wonders how the heck he made it to be a deputy sheriff in the small town of Woodhaven. After an incident call in the middle of the night in the woods, Lou wakes up at home with vague memories and a big pentagram cut on his chest. Eventually turns out he has been turned into a werewolf, and it seems there is a reason for it; the reason appears to be some shapeshifters need his werewolf blood to keep their power. The one thing being turned seems to accomplish is that Lou takes a bit more interest in police work, as well as trying to solve his own "case." The premise is decent enough. However, first part of the movie is fairly slow, and the humor is relatively minimal. The horror elements are somewhat toned down, since it is a comedy. The werewolf effects are decent. However, pace picks up about halfway through the movie when Lou transforms, and he decides to clean up crime in the town. . . as only a werewolf could. Catch is pretty much most of the town are shapeshifters, so is there anyone Lou can even trust? Overall, cheesy movie that makes decent late night fare, especially for Halloween season.Via TubiTv. There is a sequel turns out, Another Wolf Cop, which I will try to find. Rating? 2 1/2 out of 5 stars. I liked it but to be honest I do not see the big deal a lot of people make out of it.
  
• Wishmaster (1997.  Fantasy. Horror). Plot description: "A demonic djinn attempts to grant its owner three wishes, which will allow him to summon his brethren to Earth." I remember watching this back in the day, so when I saw Tubi had it available, I decided to see if it holds up. Wes Craven was executive producer, and the film has a pretty good cast of  actors in smaller roles including Robert Englund, Verne Troyer, Tony Todd, and Ted Raimi among others. Part of the fun in a movie like this is spotting them in the film. Andrew Divoff portrays the djinn. Story begins in Persia, 1127 B.C. where the djinn is granting wishes to the sultan. Lucky for him, a sorcerer manages to imprison the djinn in a precious red stone and save the kingdom. From there, we go into the modern era, where an accident unleashes the djinn once more in the U.S. The stone makes its way to an auction house, where Alexandra accidentally wakes the djinn. The djinn now has to get her to make her three wishes, and in the meantime, unleashes various horrors, using the fear of the victims he grants wishes to in order feed himself and get stronger. This is a pretty well made horror film that builds up nicely, scary but also fun. It is not a comedy; it is the kind of twisted humor a good horror movie has. Here we see a lot of the humor in how the djinn twists the wishes of their victims. The Houdini reference was a good twist for example. Also Divoff really does a great job portraying the djinn with charm as well as malevolence. The special effects are pretty good too. Overall, it is still a pretty good horror movie combining horror, suspense, and a bit of twisted humor. If you have not seen it, I'd say consider taking a chance. If I am rating it, 4 out of 5 as I really like it. 
• Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999. Fantasy. Horror.) Plot description: "Evil has been summoned once again when, during a botched art heist, the Djinn is freed from his gem prism by a burglar named Morgana. Fearing for the fate of humanity, Morgana seeks the aid of her former lover, who is now a priest, to combat the Djinn." Holly Fields plays Morgana, and Andrew Divoff is back to play the djinn. After the robbery, Morgana manages to escape. The djinn, awakened, needs to collect souls as well as get Morgana to make her wishes. Baffling the police, he allows himself to be captured, charged with the robbery, and put in prison. But this is just part of his plan to get those souls. Prison is full of guys who would love to have a wish or two granted. This time, the djinn needs a 1001 souls, so prison gives him a head start. Meanwhile, Morgana tries to get her former lover, an orthodox priest, to help her. He is reluctant, but he goes along. Once he runs out of souls in prison, he manages to get out, gets involved with a Russian mobster, and then gets into a casino, what better place to find souls wanting wishes, right? This direct to video sequel just is not as good as the original. Divoff still plays the djinn well, but he just does not have much to work with here. The wishes he grants are just not as humorous nor gruesome. The most gruesome is the casino scene at the end, and by then, well, too little too late, and even that was not that big a deal. It just lacks the entertainment of the original, which is a pity. The premise in this one had potential, but they just did a pretty poor job executing it. The first one is enjoyable. This was pretty blah. 1 1/2 out of 5 stars is being generous. 
• Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell (2001. Horror. Fantasy). Plot description: "The evil Djinn is back at again, this time wreaking havoc on the students of Illinois' Baxter University." Since TubiTv had the whole series, I am continuing to watch these. Setting as mentioned is a university, and to be honest, for starters the college students are mostly the typical vapid bimbo girls and manly boys also fairly vapid that in a regular slasher movie you can't wait to see them die off. In others, there is no substance. The blonde protagonist girl, who wakes the djinn, has some trauma from her childhood, which we know will be part of things when the djinn arrives i.e. something the djinn may use to tempt her. A new actor portrays the djinn (the human form); in the djinn form, he does look a bit different than before, so I honestly wonder if this is a different djinn (if that is intentional or not). Also note the stone is found in a location not connected to the previous two films, so I could see this as a different djinn. A small detail to wonder over in an otherwise very boring and poorly scripted film. The acting is seriously bad and painful as well to watch. In addition, there is no buildup, no suspense, the woman pretty much tunes into knowing the djinn's plan, researching, so on. Not that it matters given the overall ineptitude of the whole plot, and to add to it, this djinn is just seriously underwhelming, plus pretty much breaks the rules established in the original. I will give it one thing: the way the djinn explains the Trojan War was an interesting story. In the end, this was bad, and anyone involved in making it should be shunned.  A 1/2 star out of five is being generous with this tripe. Skip it.  
• Wishmaster 4: the Prophecy Fulfilled (2002. Horror. Fantasy). Plot description: "This time, the Djinn unleashes his undying love for a beautiful woman in his final attempt to unleash his brethren from Hell." Well, made it to the fourth and final (I hope) installment of the series. I managed to watch it so you don't have to. John Novak, who played the djinn in the third film, returns for one more run (though a different actor plays his human form), so I am keeping the expectations low. Film starts with young couple who just bought a house, fixer upper from looks of it. Again, your typical young people that in the slasher movie you can't wait for them to get killed The scene then moves on and the film takes us to three years later from the opening. Apparently the couple is having a rough time; the man had an accident, and the couple is suing. The lawyer she is working with hands her a small gift, a box that turns out to contain the jewel with the djinn, and we go from there. Not exactly an impressive introduction. The special effects have also gotten cheaper over the time of the films; they look pretty cheap, especially the djinn. The djinn remains much like in the previous movie, more thug not seductive and subtle as in the first film; they pretty much forgot any of the rules they set up in the first film, and this is no exception to that.. However, the wishes executed look a bit better than the third film. Looks like they put in a bit of effort this time. The pace moves quicker as the djinn, in the form of the handsome lawyer, gets Lisa to make two of her three wishes with ease; she has no idea who he is. She makes her third wish, very casually, but it is not as simple as it may seem, and it puts the djinn in a bit of a spot. Her third wish? She wishes she could love him as he really is (she is feeling lonely, her boyfriend has been bitter all this time, you get the idea). Djinn seems to have gotten a soft spot for her, so he delays granting the wish, but his djinn brethren demand he fulfill it so they can be free. The idea is a bit farfetched; actually seriously farfetched, a djinn having feelings for a human. To complicate things, a hunter also awakes upon the third wish to try to find the Waker (the girl) and kill her before the djinns are freed. The plot is a bit ridiculous, but it is a better effort than the third film, though that is not saying much. Even with some added nudity, there is no saving this film, and its ending was pretty much fairly lame and unsatisfying. So, a bit better than the third film, but that is not much. I'd say watch the first one and stop there. If I have to give it something, 1 1/2 out of 5 stars.
  
• The Story of Tea: the History of Tea and How to Make the Perfect Cup (2007. Documentary). Description: "Take a journey into the history of one of the most refreshing, alluring, and ancient of drinks, tea!" This was a nice and very basic documentary that goes over the history of tea, types of tea, and how to make your own cup of tea. For advanced connoisseurs, this may be too basic. But if you know little of tea, or you just want to learn a little bit at leisurely pace, this is a good documentary. I liked it. I'd say 3 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv.  
• 1917 (War. Drama.). Plot description: "April 6th, 1917. As a regiment assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap." The two men get to cross no man's land and then through German lines to get to the objective, and hope the colonel in charge will actually obey the orders, for, as one soldier tells one of our heroes, "some men just want a fight." This is a slow building drama. Don't go in expecting lots of explosions and action. It is not that kind of movie. But it is a well made drama that captures the essence of trench warfare and its destructiveness during World War I. A strength of the movie is in the attention to the small details and the sense of desolation and dread the environment created. It does have some moments that make you go "oh please" or "really?" As I said, it is a bit slow with some of those "oh really?" moments of convenience, but it is worth watching. Technically, it is well made. I liked it. If I had to rate it, 3 1/2 stars out of 5. Via DVD from 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 5 onward. Via TubiTv.  
• "Ring Out Your Dead" (Season 5, Episode 2). Plot description: "In the village of Midsomer Wellow, someone is killing off the bell ringers of the parish church, in the week before a big bell-ringing competition. One young woman on the team is even shot dead in the churchyard on her wedding day." As we start, we get a lot of small town gossipy stuff: an adulterer husband caught by the wife, a village old man who seems to be in everybody's business, and a guy who apparently owes someone a lot of money and is trying to hide it, and all that the morning after someone is killed in the church and tossed into a well. By the way, not everyone is thrilled with the bells' noise. Then the adulterer is killed, but not before we get a glimpse of him banging some bored rich woman, which apparently is somewhat of a common theme in this series and other British mysteries: rich old ladies (and some not so rich) bored and finding some young stud to take the boredom away. It's a cliche by now. And before anyone gripes, well, it does take two to tango. In this case, the rich woman trying to seduce, or at least flirt with, Sgt. Troy right after stud muffin was murdered looks tasteless and pathetic to be perfectly honest (hey, I am fine with whatever two consenting adults do, but this as I said, looks just sad). Meanwhile, the bell ringer leader is an obnoxious perfectionist obsessed with the competition even as others are dying around him. Fuck them, there are bells to be rung, competitions to win. To be honest, he is the guy I was waiting to get shot.  By the way, who knew "competitive" bell ringing could be so cutthroat? And because it is Midsomer Murders, the police, Troy in this case, break into someone's home at least once without a warrant, which is by now standard procedure. In the end, here is the thing, ridiculous as the whole bell ringing thing is the motive is some good old across the generations revenge. Still the episode was a bit on the ridiculous.
  
•  Gordon Ramsay's F-Word (2005-2010. Reality. Cooking. Food magazine. British series). I commented on this in the July 2020 roundup. Continue on with the second of five seasons.  
• Season 2, Episode 7. This time his amateur brigade are three brothers and one of their friends from Birmingham; compared to the lady doctors these guys are not good at all. The pigs he is raising with his children have one more week before they are sent to the slaughterhouse. In the issue highlight, Gordon looks at how a U.S. signal crayfish has become an invasive species in Britain, so fight the invasion he is advocating for eating more of them. Meanwhile, Giles the posh food critic looks at pimping snacks (and yes, the website for it still exists as of this post). Janet the journalist and foodie looks at sustainable cod farming. Overall, pretty interesting topics in this episode.
  
• Season 2, Episode 8. The big highlight is it is time for Gordon to send the pigs to slaughter, and he does get a little emotional since they've been raising them all season. A warning note: they do show the slaughter process; it is relatively humane (Gordon took the pigs to a small local abattoir), but still if you are sensitive this may be a part to skip. They do the pig's scene at the end of the episode, so if you wish you can watch everything else, the stop at the end of the restaurant cooking. Gordon reveals something interesting and that is that up to this point he himself had never been to an abattoir (British word for slaughterhouse by the way) up to that point, despite that he has cooked so many different things. So it was a learning lesson for him as well. The scene was handled well, serious, straightforward. It is a lesson for us as well to see where the food we eat comes from. The amateur brigade are all ladies this time, farmers' daughters; they did better than the guys in the previous episode. Janet looks at sustainable British veal. Gordon's cooking lesson is with snails this time.
• Season 2, Episode 9. This is the last episode of Season 2. The main dish at the restaurant is pork, the pork Gordon and his kids raised during the season. The lady doctors return as they got the best score during the season to cook with him one more time. On an observation, overall seemed the female teams did better than the males overall. Part of it I think it is that men often came with attitudes and macho posturing, one or two wanting to argue even and Gordon would not put up with. The ladies usually came in, listened, took direction, and often paid attention to detail. Moving along, for the highlight, Gordon takes the pigs to a local butcher to help prepare them for the meal, and from leftover parts, he makes sausage at home with the kids. Gordon then serves the sausages in a barbecue at his home with family and some guests.This episode packs a lot as he cooks a lunch with a British comedian, and later on he has a segment where he goes spear fishing for sea bass. He does cook what he catches right there on the beach. There is also one more segment where Gordon looks at butchers, including visiting a college where they teach a butcher's course. For the challenge, Janet and Hugh are challenging Gordon in making a dessert. Oh, and then there is Gordon's chef cookbook amnesty, where he encouraged people to send him cookbooks they considered crappy. Some he shredded, others he turned into toilet paper, so on. and we find out who are the top three authors. It was a bit of good humor. Overall, a very good ending to the second season. 
• Season 3, Episode 1. New season, new challenge. This time, the amateur brigades are competing for a chance to cook at the end of the season in Gordon's Claridges restaurant. The brigade in this episode are four Eton guys who as Gordon points out likely have not worked a day in their life; they are basically rich kids who are somewhat insufferable. Since TubiTv is missing episodes from the series, I had to find this one elsewhere. YouTube worked this time. Gordon's theme this time is about fast food, as in just because it is fast food does not mean it has to be eating out or pre-made, so he is teaching people how to make quick meals. In one of the segments in this episode, he goes up north to dive for king crabs, all the way to Norway. As for his home, this time he is breeding lamb, so he went to a farm, picked out some sheep to breed and then the lamb produced he will raise in his home. In this episode, the brigade guys were quite bratty to be honest, but the rest of the show was pretty good.
  
• Season 3, Episode 2. The amateurs are firemen this time. Their starter dish is foie gras, not an easy thing to cook (well, easy if you know what you are doing) with arugula and rhubarb. Firemen are known for being able to cook for their peers at the firehouse, however, as we see here, that does not necessarily translate into success in the fast paced kitchen of F-Word. The main course was a ribeye with artichokes, which did look quite good (and I do not even like artichokes). Janet looks at eating horse meat, which they do in France but not so much in Britain. At the time, there were panics over bird flu and mad cow disease, so the segment is looking at meat alternatives. She visits a French horse farm where the horses are raised free range; these are really big horses by the way. She picks out a horse for slaughter and preparation. On a note, while eating horse meat is legal in Britain, due to their sentimentality over horses, it is hard to get the meat and usually it has to be ordered from abroad, which she did (they sent her the meat via post from the horse she chose). With the help of a restaurateur who cooks it, Janet makes a meal with the horse meat. Overall, this was interesting, but I can see where some viewers may be sensitive about the topic. The deal is the horse meat contains much less fat than beef and good in Omega-3, so nutritious, which makes an argument for it.She decides then to get other people to try it, except of all places she goes to a horse track to offer samples. Yea, you read that right, a horse track. Even the police had to come out in case anything happened. Still, she did manage to get plenty of people to try it. As for the lambs, they are six weeks old now and can leave the farm to go with Gordon to London. Oh, and Gordon even helps one of the firemen propose from the kitchen. Overall pretty good episode, definitely better than the previous one with the Eton boys. 
• Season 3, Episode 3. By the way, a small new detail in the third season is he walks in with the main ingredient for the main meal, for example, he brings in a giant halibut fish at the beginning of the episode, which will be used later on.The brigade this time women from Lancashire; three of them sisters; the fourth sells septic tanks. They are very confident, hard working, but not always very attentive (one of them keeps burning the toast that goes with the starter at first). The episode also features James May of Top Gear, who will do the recipe challenge, and Gordon gets to fly in a jet with pilots of the RAF, and then he cooks for them in the segment of good fast food. He also goes hunting with a bird of prey, a golden eagle, to hunt for hare. Hares are quite big, so a falcon is a bit too small to hunt them. He then makes a hare fricassee with a chocolate sauce. This was quite interesting to me both how they caught the hare and him later cooking it for his children. As for the lambs he is raising, they are doing great but they are quickly devouring the lawn, so  new grass needs to be found. Overall, the episode was pretty good with some good humor from the brigade, who did very well.  
• Season 3, Episode 4. The amateur brigade are Eastenders, three women and a man. The women are sisters. Janet this time looks at how foie gras is made comparing French traditional foie gras with ethically made foie gras, which is made in Spain with free range geese and no tubes shoved down their throats. David Gest is a guest. In another segment, Ramsay goes hunting for deer. Alex James challenges in the recipe challenge.It was a nice episode; the brigade was not as good this time; teamwork was an issue for them.
• Season 3, Episode 5. Four real estate agents are his amateur brigade this time. They are quite clumsy, even for amateurs.They can cook at home, but in the restaurant it's like they got two left feet. The sheep move to a new pasture (they do eat a lot and need to be moved now and then). One of the ingredients on the menu is "black pudding" (which is what I would call a sausage, so throws me a off a little when they say pudding and I expect, well, what we call here pudding. I am learning). The black pudding does look pretty good. In one of the segments, he takes his son hunting for rooks (a bird). In part so he can make rook pie, a very old British recipe not really done these days. The birds are pretty much considered a pest because there are so many (probably not many people eating them as they once did). The guest challenge with Chris Moyles was fun. Mr. Moyles eats out a lot; orders a lot of curry for delivery. So Gordon places a delivery order to the same place, and while it arrives, he will cook the same thing within 20 minutes, to show Moyles he can cook at home more. The segments in this one were interesting, but the amateur brigade were quite bad to be honest. Still overall enjoying the show.
  
• George Carlin: Carlin on Campus (1984. Comedy. Stand up). His 1984 performance at UCLA. This show "includes The Prayer, Consumer Hints, Cars and Driving #1, A Place for My Stuff, Newscast #4, Embarrassments and several award-winning animated segments." It is a special from the 1980s, so much of the humor is related to the time period, including humor around AIDS, which was blowing up in the 80s, and the Tylenol scare. The special features some classics, such as his stuff routine, which is a favorite of mine. This one also has some nice and amusing animations too. Overall, the special combines some humor based on the time and some humor that remains pretty universal. His pacing is a bit slower initially, not so much that rapid fire he often does, but once he gets warmed up he is very good. Overall this is an entertaining special and a good look at Carlin's early work. Via TubiTv. 
• George Carlin. . . It's Bad for Ya (2008. Comedy. Stand up). Description: ". . .Carlin's Emmy-nominated 14th and final HBO special from March of 2008 features Carlin's noted irreverent and unapologetic observations on topics ranging from death, religion, bureaucracy, patriotism, overprotected children and big business to the pungent examinations of modern language and the decrepit state of the American culture." He starts the routine with advantages of aging (he had turned 70 by this point), and to be honest, he makes it sound pretty good. Then moves on to the death humor. He does have a great sense of timing as well as transitioning from one topic to another. By now, he has the routine well polished. The humor is good, and his observations on point. By the way, his points about the illusion of rights is spot on, even more so in these Hard Times. There is a reason he was the thinking person's comedian. A good special overall. Via TubiTv.