This film and Dune: Part 2 were the only Oscar-nominated films for Best Picture that I watched all the way through. I never felt either was Best Picture material, though both were fine films. It goes without saying that the subject matter is very timely. The cast was excellent (excellent excellencies?). I would watch almost anything where Ralph Fiennes plays a lead role. I might remind readers that a Dan Brown novel had the Vatican as it’s setting where Evan McGregor played the camerlingo (which Fiennes plays in Conclave). It’s called Angels & Demons. I was impressed (as with Angels & Demons) at the “behind the scenes” peek into the Catholic Church with regard to the factions that arise between cardinals–and which are structures

Streaming TV Shows 1923– I watched the Yellowstone prequel 1923 starring Dame Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford. It was very compelling as a world-spanning saga and these two both did very well with their characters. Former James Bond actor Timothy Dalton plays (well) a supremely evil person (similar to situation below in Mobland). Keep an eye out for Brandon Sklanor—he plays an almost impeccable “hero” type of that era as well as Julia Schlaepfer who plays his equally bold and brave love interest.     Tracker has come through with another entertaining season of “finding missing people” where little has changed: I enjoy the theme and the episodes stand alone in different settings across the US. Even though I am forced to suspend my disbelief

THERE ARE MILLIONS who can’t understand why the stock and bond markets swooned and remain down for the year. After all, they keep hearing that everything is good and that the country’s imminent return to greatness is assured. I would only have a few words for members 0f such a group: The markets do not lie.  The stock and bond markets–usually through indexes comprised of the larger public companies in the US–are handy in that they give us current values of the  vehicles that people around the world use for savings and investment. More accurately, though, these financial assets (i.e. stocks and bonds) are actually forecasts of  economic conditions for corporate earnings in the near future–usually one or two years out. So the current market

[Author’s Note: Mom went to her rest on Dec. 14th 2022 at 90 years of age. I composed a tribute to her shortly after that; here’s the link: https://www.moviesmarketsandmore.com/paean-for-a-country-girl-or-faith-family-community-learning-and-little-baseball/ This piece, Mercy, is a reader favorite as well as one of my own. A couple of days ago, I returned to cemetery, planted and watered some flowers….and remembered to pray.] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IN MY MOTHER’S kitchen, and taped to the door of a cabinet where cups and plates are kept, is a laminated Catholic Diocese card. The card is divided into two distinct sections. The top part is titled The Corporal Works of Mercy. The “works” are ministrations to be made and observations to be kept in caring for –to name some of them–the poor, the

  SOME FRIENDS TOLD ME it was great and gave me the book that provides the basis for the show. It was great.  So imagine my delight when I saw Ewan McGregor, a favored actor of mine, cast as Count Alexander Rostov, who survived the purges of the aristos by the Bolsheviks only to be confined for life within the walls of a fine Moscow hotel–and not in his formerly capacious suite, rather in a dusty space just below the roof. This show–and the other series I  review this month, Sugar–sustain me with a total of 90 minutes of viewing ecstasy each week. I am no longer surprised at how the British can play Russian elites without adopting a Slavic accent. After Sean Connery as

  I HAVE ALWAYS enjoyed watching Colin Farrell act. Favorite movies of his come to mind such as In Bruges, Minority Report, and Banshees of Inisherin. Apple created an original  noir detective series called “Sugar,” after the main character: John Sugar, private investigator and played by Farrell. It is set in present-day LA and after four episodes, I am dazzled. There are other mysteries beyond the driving theme: the missing granddaughter to an ultra-famous movie producer.  He’s part of a larger service, but it’s not clear how that works (at least not to me, yet). He’s also got some personal psychological/physical symptoms that are starting to get more attention as the series progresses; all which build the tension and make it more compelling. The style,

[Note:  This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Investment decisions should be made with the help of a professional.] In my most recent “Markets” post (https://www.moviesmarketsandmore.com/the-boy-who-called-wolf-was-right-just-when-everyone-stopped-listening), I offered two different charts and trendlines as  key support levels. The second level (5-yr chart) held, and the resultant bounce from the 4100 level sparked the market’s greatest November rise in decades, driving indexes near to the old highs of a year ago (see 6-month chart below). There are at least three reasons for the “upward crash”: Many sophisticated market players had bet on the market to go down and sold short (“buy low, sell high” but first borrow stock then sell it. They then buy later—-and preferably lower–to return the borrowed shares and pocket the

CHRISTMAS REALLY DOES come early at times: I am already into the fifth season and the third season respectively of two of the best recent series I can think of: Fargo and Slow Horses.  Fargo has gone retro and evoked the original film. At first, the Minnesota-speak was a little heavy, though as with some seasonings, you have to err in the direction of a tad too much rather than too little.  In the second episode on FX, I got a glimpse of Jon Hamm’s character and enjoyed the transformation he underwent: Fargo characters are always very nuanced and must be 99.9% original with respect to non-Cohen Brothers characters.  I might mention that Jennifer Jason Leigh creates a compelling new character in this. I reviewed Slow

I WENT TO A THEATER to see the latest Ridley Scott “masterpiece,” Napoleon, on the big screen. I am a very big fan of Scott’s because he did Bladerunner and so many other great films. And as an enormous fan of Joaquin Phoenix who played the lead, it was hard not to have the greatest expectations going in. After two hours, I only stayed because I wanted to “see” the history and the ending. I still didn’t make it all the way. Even great directors meet their Waterloo as Napoleon did. Scott made an epic film that transported viewers more than two centuries back in time. The quality of the backdrop was excellent as expected. There were two major flaws, however, that spoiled it for

  AS A WES ANDERSON devotee, I was going to watch this film with no regard for reviews or hubbub about it aforehand. As with The French Dispatch, his most recent full feature, this movie will require another viewing; there’s too much detail to consume and it goes by too quickly.  The cast is replete with stars and familiar faces for Anderson’s film.  Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johannson, Liev Schreiber, and Bryan Cranston are all new (I think). Jason Schwartzman and Edward Norton are among the veterans. My initial reaction was that Anderson had become too stylized and too cute. He felt the need to frame the film as a movie about a play. For me, his movies will always survive a viewing because they are