"What to look for on: TV, Online, Radio, & Cinema"

Deep Cover

2025

Kat is an improv comedy teacher beginning to question if she’s missed her shot at success. When an undercover cop offers her the role of a lifetime, she recruits two of her students to infiltrate London’s gangland by impersonating dangerous criminals.

Hanover Street1979

Margaret is a nurse in England during WW2, and married to a secret agent. Things get complicated when she falls for David, an American pilot. - @SimCityAT

I remember this movie when it was first released.  It was the first non-Indiana Jones movie I'd seen with Harrison Ford in it.

Afternoon movie: Vera Cruz - Western in Technicolor from 1954, 1h 34m.  Filmed in Mexico.

Great cast of solid actors of the age - Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster - and excellent support from Ernest Borgnine and the ever present wonky eyed Jack Elam.

Also notable for Charles Bronson being there under his real name, Charles Buchinsky.

Ernest Borgnine was retired in New Mexico  somewhere near Albuquerque when we lived there.

So many retired movie stars move to NM.

Not sure why, the dry air?

There is still a feel of the old west over there. Not sure what it is, the high desert heat, dry air or more likely the lack of oxygen. The air is thin there and it takes awhile to get used to it? Makes you tired at first.

My husband never enjoyed the thin air so one reason we left.

The city is 5,000 feet above sea level.

Ernest Borgnine was retired in New Mexico somewhere near Albuquerque when we lived there.So many retired movie stars move to NM.Not sure why, the dry air?There is still a feel of the old west over there. Not sure what it is, the high desert heat, dry air or more likely the lack of oxygen. The air is thin there and it takes awhile to get used to it? Makes you tired at first.My husband never enjoyed the thin air so one reason we left.The city is 5,000 feet above sea level. - @Marilyn Tassy

Borgnine wasn't the kind of person who - visually - you'd think of not being a popular actor but he was really rather good and dedicated to his craft.  Solid person.  His wife had a cosmetics company she sold to QVC.   Successful in her own right.

I don't know anything about Albuquerque except it's where Walter White of Breaking Bad lived.   

Maybe people who live there adapt by growing extra lung bits to cope with the lack of oxygen.   

Borgnine used to be a heavy smoker and was probably told to live somewhere healthy, perhaps to improve his lung function.  Still, the guy died at 95 so he wasn't doing so bad in the end.

Afternoon movie:

Along the Great Divide, 1951, 1h 24m, B&W.   

Good stars in this workable Western - I'll have my afternoon movie with a dollop of (Virginia) Mayo.

New Netflix series - The Waterfront.   

Don't know what it's about yet except it involves aggravation in the seafood industry.   Might be drugs involved with the sushi as a DEA agent is listed as a character in the cast list.  How exciting (not)!   Not a fan of sushi - raw and cold fish. Yuck.

Drops 19 June 2025.

Plane

2023 ‧ Action/Thriller

Pilot Brodie Torrance saves passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island -- only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning. When dangerous rebels take most of the passengers hostage, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare, an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI.

I just started watching (again) Space 1999.  Only 2 seasons and about 40 episodes.  I remember watching it when I was a kid.  Downloadable if you know where to look for it.

I spent the evening watching this movie - The Housemaid - at the Korean Cultural Centre.  It's a Korean psychodrama.   Afterwards, we had a moderated discussion on the themes and issues of the movie.   It was quite interesting to hear analysis and interpretation.  It's downloadable - the writer and director financed the movie from his wife's dental surgery/business.  It's considered a classic turning point of Korean post-war cinema.

Trainwreck: Poop Cruise

2025

Documentary

An engine fire leaves 4,000 passengers stranded at sea without power and plumbing in this wild documentary about the infamous "poop cruise" of 2013.

Off the Grid

2025

Action / Drama

After a morally-bankrupt company tries to weaponize a brilliant scientist's revolutionary technology, he goes off the grid to safeguard humanity. When the company sends a strike force to find him, they make their biggest mistake of all – they weaponize the man they are trying to catch.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/c3WkhVLqKaI

Shark Whisperer

2025

Documentary

Marine conservationist and social media activist Ocean Ramsey fearlessly swims with sharks in this documentary about her risky mission to protect them.

Ice Road: Vengeance

Mike travels to Nepal to scatter his late brother's ashes on Mt. Everest. When Mike and his mountain guide encounter mercenaries on a tour bus, they are forced to fight to save themselves, the passengers, and the local villagers' homeland.

Shark Whisperer
2025
Documentary

Marine conservationist and social media activist Ocean Ramsey fearlessly swims with sharks in this documentary about her risky mission to protect them. - @SimCityAT

Ocean? Like that was her given name.

My sisters 4th husband was a martial artist , changed his name to Sabre. Oh well, to each their own;

Sharks, IDK, her next documentary might be about surviving  after a shark attack.

Surfers are not fans of sharks, poor Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm while surfing on Maui at age 13.

My husband used to surf at the same beach where her attack happened.

I personally would never try shark fin soup but I have a hard time feeling too sorry for the sharks that get their fins removed. Karma.

Ocean? Like that was her given name.My sisters 4th husband was a martial artist , changed his name to Sabre. Oh well, to each their own;Sharks, IDK, her next documentary might be about surviving after a shark attack.Surfers are not fans of sharks, poor Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm while surfing on Maui at age 13.My husband used to surf at the same beach where her attack happened.I personally would never try shark fin soup but I have a hard time feeling too sorry for the sharks that get their fins removed. Karma. - @Marilyn Tassy

I suppose if you are going to dance about with swords and want to be famous, you need a cutting edge name like Sabre or Blade.

See what I did there.

I was diving and I looked down and there was a shark way down, like maybe 30m below me in the gloom. I wasn't happy but it was surrounded by fish. It was swimming in a help yourself buffet so was unlikely to think of me as a snack. Like snakes I guess, everyone is naturally scared of them. Nature's garbage collectors. Like buzzards or vultures.

Discovery always does Shark Week. What a turn off! Netflix is getting in on the act. I'd rather it was Elephant Week or Bear Week or even Slug Week as more interesting.

If they just cut the fins off that's not much good. They should take the whole thing and use every bit of the animal. I've eaten shark and it wasn't anything special.  Like a fishy steak. Bit of bite to it.

Ice Road: VengeanceMike travels to Nepal to scatter his late brother's ashes on Mt. Everest. When Mike and his mountain guide encounter mercenaries on a tour bus, they are forced to fight to save themselves, the passengers, and the local villagers' homeland. - @SimCityAT

Looks like Taken up a mountain.

Neeson appears in other similar movies, namely Cold Pursuit which is a remake of another movie made in Norway. It was quite good. It was called In Order of Disappearance. I recommend the original. Low key, typically Scandinavian genre. Stars Stellan Skarsgård who is always good value.

The immortals return, 2nd July:

Heads of State:

I haven't seen it but it looks ludicrous.  I like Idris Elba.  He's one to follow.   

The others, meh, including the massively overrated and marginally talented Priyanka Chopra Jonas.

Probably financed by WWE Wrestling people. Says it all.

Singing in My Sleep

2024

Action / Drama / Music

A brilliant teenage songwriter is stuck living in the shadow of her deceased Dad's music legacy when the 20-year anniversary of his debut album forces her to face his abandonment.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/iO36OZhqBls

Singing in My Sleep2024Action / Drama / MusicA brilliant teenage songwriter is stuck living in the shadow of her deceased Dad's music legacy when the 20-year anniversary of his debut album forces her to face his abandonment.Trailer: https://youtu.be/iO36OZhqBls - @SimCityAT

Could be a decent watch, thanks for the link on U tube.

I am hooked once again, 3rd time around watching Magnificent Century.

Not bad, some people are on round 10!

Suleiman the Magnificent and his harem;

They are at odds with Hungary and set up their own puppet King of Hungary.

Once you start watching you can not stop, a Turkish tv series which is done more like a movie quality production;

Customs are perfect, drama and loads of backstabbing in the harem.

Man, those poor slaves, male and female.

One reason to rewatch this series is it is in English subtitles and with all the action I missed allot of the conversations the first times around.

Canary Black

2024

Action / Drama / Thriller

Top level CIA agent Avery Graves is blackmailed by terrorists into betraying her own country to save her kidnapped husband. Cut off from her team, she turns to her underworld contacts to survive and help locate the coveted intelligence that the kidnappers want.

Trainwreck: The Real Project X

2025

Documentary

A night of drunken chaos rocks a quiet Dutch town in this shocking documentary about a teen's birthday invite that accidentally went viral on Facebook.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/iNHZZNo3bBA

11 July 2025.

Foundation (Asimov) returns for Season 3. 

It's on Apple TV but might be found elsewhere if one looks hard enough.

For 17 July 2025:

Star Trek Strange New Worlds returns for Season 3.  Trailers look good (see YT for them).

Watched 1950s movie Shotgun on a plane - was actually quite good. DeCarlo goes against type playing a slightly low morals grifter and delivers a decent performance although she was looking a little old for the role.   

Sterling Hayden is a notable actor for one main reason  - he was actually a ships captain and WW2 secret agent.  The movies financed his nautical adventures.   He really seemed to have lived life to the full. And he made no bones about it - he was in it for the money.

The pace of the movie is good.

Saw this (Alien:Romulus) and thought it was OK, if extremely similar to the very first Alien movie.  For those that don't know the franchise, it'll be a reasonable standalone introduction.

Spoiler: it gets a bit silly at the end but the special effects are good.

Trainwreck: Balloon Boy

2025

Documentary

A homemade flying saucer lifts off, and a 6-year-old boy might be inside. National panic ensues — but what truly happened? This documentary investigates.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/FFzy3qlkIAM

Oh dear!

Mr Burton

2025

Biography / Drama

In the Welsh town of Port Talbot, 1942, Richard Jenkins lives as a wayward schoolboy, caught between the pressures of his struggling family, a devastating war and his own ambitions. However, a new opportunity arises when Richard’s natural talent for drama catches the attention of his teacher, Philip Burton.

https://youtu.be/h6Trx84-gy4

Mr Burton2025Biography / DramaIn the Welsh town of Port Talbot, 1942, Richard Jenkins lives as a wayward schoolboy, caught between the pressures of his struggling family, a devastating war and his own ambitions. However, a new opportunity arises when Richard’s natural talent for drama catches the attention of his teacher, Philip Burton.https://youtu.be/h6Trx84-gy4 - @SimCityAT

Toby Jones is a top actor, writer and director. He doesn't look like a star at all but he's in loads of shows and movies.

Richard Burton was always one of my fave actors. He always did a great job despite being half cut most of the time.

Possibly my all time fave Richard Burton film would be Where Eagles Dare - who can forget "Broadsword calling Danny Boy" or possibly Taming of the Shrew.   It was a kind of model of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's marriage falling to pieces but unrequited passion.   Only time I've been truly impressed with any Shakespeare adaption.  As for the rest (of Shakespeare's stuff), it's a bit meh.  Ok, not all, I really liked "10 Things I Hate About You" from 1999  (also Taming of the Shrew).  But it didn't have Shakespeare baggage.

Oh and while I'm here, and a "Knight's Tale" (the dance scene is particularly good but not much to do with Shakespeare but David Bowie).

Potential afternoon movie if nothing else to do (unlikely):

Tokapi (aka Cannoball Gate)

Trivia: Interesting diversion on this is a Kapu in Hungarian is a gate and in Turkish, it's Kapi.   Shows Turkish influence in Hungary during the Ottoman times.   This movie spawned many offshoots including - surprisingly - Mission Impossible.

Ballard - spin off from fabulous Bosch TV show - all about detectiving murders and mayhem in LA.   All 10 episodes available.   Bosch was a great series.  Luckily Bosch turns up sometimes in this series too.

Return of Gen V (spin off from excellent "The Boys"), Sept 17, 2025:

10 episodes on Amazon Prime or other places

Saw this last night - Brick - on Netflix.  Was just about OK. 

Obviously filmed mega cheap.   I saw it in original spoken German with English subtitles.  All I can say is while my German is moderate, even I could see the subtitling was way off kilter. I wondered if it was done by AI because it lost all semblance of the kind of verbal interactions human beings actually have.  Really!

A: Ernstig? (translated by Netflix as "Are you serious?" - it's not what A actually said)

B: Ja (yes)

Now I would have said, just translated A's line as "Seriously?" and forget the sentence as it's unnecessary. 

Kind of loses the pace.   There are many examples of it in this movie.

Saw this:  Unholy Trinity

Cast was good with famous faces and the story is reasonable.   Gritty, unsanitised and cold looking Montana but very obviously lower budget than one might expect for the stars involved.  It got a low rating on some web sites but I thought it was OK.

Find it on the Internet.

American Trash

2024

Drama

A midst a social crisis in the decaying world of Los Angeles, the city free falls into environmental ruin, chaos and a complete drug epidemic, creating a state of apathy and hate. Milles Carpis (Robert LaSardo) leans on the support of some new age hippie friends as they guide him away from violence when the woman he loves is murdered and Milles must face his greatest enemy.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9jFsJO2zYk

Saw this: Unholy Trinity
Cast was good with famous faces and the story is reasonable. Gritty, unsanitised and cold looking Montana but very obviously lower budget than one might expect for the stars involved. It got a low rating on some web sites but I thought it was OK.

Find it on the Internet.

- @fluffy2560

I watched this the other week and forgot to post. I enjoyed it.

Happy Gilmore 2

2025

Comedy / Sport

Happy Gilmore isn't done with golf — not by a long shot. Since his retirement after his first Tour Championship win, Gilmore returns to finance his daughter's ballet classes.

On Netflix