Fleabag – a 9 out of 10 on the jaywo scale
I first heard of this show after seeing its star Phoebe
Waller-Bridge on Saturday Night Live as host. I thought it was one of the
best openings I had seen in years, and so I decided to watch this show. I have
had Amazon Prime but had never once watched its videos, mostly using it for
free shipping of books. First I have to say this show has very raunchy language
and talks explicitly about sex. If that does not turn you off, (or perhaps that
turns you on) this is a funny poignant quirky series. Phoebe’s character uses
the camera as a fourth wall very effectively. The show centers around the lives
of two sisters. It has had two seasons. Season two comes to a neat conclusion as
it is not guaranteed to return for a third season. The show deals with how the
sisters and their father deal with (or don’t) with the death of their mother
(wife). Also it deals with the death of
the lead characters friend. As I think about it, the lead character is never
addressed by name in the series. That in and of itself is quirky about the
show. I’ll have to think more about that. Clearly it was intentional. The show deals with how humans deal with
grief, love, loss, family relationships and our search for happiness. It shows
our human frailties, and our ability to recover and rebound. At times particularly
in season two, I found myself laughing out loud and cringing almost at the same
time. The show often focus on Phoebe’s character’s romantic relationships and
particularly in season 2 her attraction to and pursuit of a priest. . I highly recommend it. I binge watched all
of season two on vacation. It is really worth seeing.
“The Irishman” –A 6 out of 10
I just watched this on vacation. This movie has had a lot of brouhaha due to its limited theatrical
release (I guess to be eligible for the Oscars) and then almost direct to Netflix. It was
directed by Scorsese and it has a great cast of actors. Al Pacino overacts (as
usual) as Jimmy Hoffa, and that works for the role as Hoffa was a larger then
life character in real life. Robert Deniro underacts (as usual) as hitman for the
mob whose life this movie is based on. Joe Pesci as well plays a great understated
role as a mob boss. The story is told
from Deniro’s perspective, telling his life story in retrospect from some sort
of retirement home. First I will have to say the movie is long… Almost three and
1/2 hours long. It seemed like a greatest hits of gangster films. It told in a
very methodical fashion the rise and fall of this particular gangster and his
long standing relationship with Hoffa and the union. I guess my biggest complaint is that it was
too methodical and not dramatic enough. I never get a sense of why he was the
way he was or did the things he did. Its just the way he was, shaped by the
violence of being in combat in war. But many people went to war and did not end up living this kind
of life. It did not romanticize the life, pointing out the violent deaths of
many of the characters. In fact, there are no good characters here. I liked the cinematography and period pieces of the
film. Scorsese always is great at that. The
last half hour of the movie made up for more of its tedious moments. As he
looks back on his life, he is talking to a young nurse who did not even know
who Jimmy Hoffa was. It brought about a realization for the character (and thus
for me) about how fleeting life can be. Things we think are important in the
moment are trivialized and forgotten in history. Our motives and decisions
which we believe may be good, really lead to much harm. It also talks about who
we align ourselves with in life. Who we choose to protect and who we choose to
sacrifice. In the end he is alone and he has spent little time building
relationships with those who would love him. Perhaps that is the message. It is
not what we do, but how we love in the world that matters. (I'm not saying that is the message of the movie, but the message I choose to take from it) The movie gives answers to who killed Hoffa and
hints at who killed JFK (Both of these are long held belief by those who follow
these stories over the years) if you choose to believe it. It was worth seeing
just to see Pacino and Deniro together in a movie and in general I enjoy
gangster movies. But I do not think it is Oscar worthy.
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