As I had the free time to do one of these (nothing is ever done on the 4th of July... which is not a complaint as it's easier to relax at home & view fireworks on the TV rather than going out among the masses & trying to see some when the weather may not cooperate anyhow.), this was part of my afternoon entertainment. Aside from a haircut that was in fact much-needed, the only thing I've done of note was viewing some films.
The first one I'll mention is the Netflix special I experienced last night. For YEARS there were rumors of a Beverly Hills Cop 4, to the point I never thought there would ever be one. The first two are cool, while the third, rather bad. Finally, it happened, and... while not as terrible as 3, I otherwise wasn't a fan. The story was just lame & obvious, the presence of too much modern humor was a turn-off, Axel Foley wasn't the legacy character done the dirtiest by Axel F, and the character of Axel's daughter I could just never warm up to. When even the action wasn't shot in a thrilling way—disappointing. Still, many others like it more than me so your mileage may vary.
Last week I saw an independent movie theatrically called Thelma. It starred June Squibb, an actress in her 90's who has voiced some Pixar characters and I know her best for the 2014 independent movie Nebraska, starring Bruce Dern. Whether on stage or on screen, this was her first starring role, which is amazing. It's about a senior citizen who is ripped off in a phone scam & she wants her money back. It's a charming movie about the perils of aging which does not become condescending and it is great she teams up with Richard Roundtree-this was his last role before he died last fall.
Finally, several days ago I viewed Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1. I don't love everything he's ever done and have never seen his former show Yellowstone but I do respect how he used millions of dollars of his own money to bring an ambitious passion project to the screen—of course, this decision literally ruined his marriage and the box office performance was as mediocre as I figured for a movie that skewed towards audiences even older than me, but alas... a 12 hour epic saga Western in four different chapters in a theatrical setting is a tough sell. Me, I appreciated how it did NOT feel like a modern movie and instead I greatly enjoyed this 3 hour film (flaws & all) which juggled many different characters in several distinct settings; presumably everyone from all the settings will meet up in Chapter 4 but regardless, I saw enough where I am on board to see Chapter 2 and where they take the film. Thankfully, Chapter 2 is in early August although the rest won't be until next year.
When I return later in July, there will be more to discuss. Hopefully everyone has a nice 4th.
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