My Very Own March Madness: Some Good Movies!

 [I review "It Ends With Us," "The Last Showgirl," "A Real Pain" and "Companion"]

It Ends With Us (2024)

The many faces of domestic abuse.

First of all, I need to address the elephant.  You know, that proverbial elephant in the room?  A pall seems to have fallen over this film because of the dispute between the stars, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (Baldoni also directed the film). Lively has sued Baldoni for sexual harassment and intimidation and Baldoni has countersued for defamation, civil extortion and invasion of privacy.  That all started back in December, and it is still ongoing with more and more accusations flying back and forth almost every day. And despite the fact we now know who Justin Baldoni is (I don't think very many people did before), it is too bad that this movie has been overshadowed by the real life sturm und drang between the two co-stars, because it is actually a really good movie with an important message about domestic violence and emotional abuse.  

So let me try to put the film back into the spotlight by giving it some props.

It's all about Lily Bloom (Lively).  She is living in Boston and is getting ready to open her first flower shop, to be called appropriately, Lily Blooms. One evening, when she is brooding atop a high rise, she meets a guy who is clearly having a bad day.  How do I know?  He is kicking furniture. Should be a sign that this guy has anger issues, but, you know, he's a handsome guy.  Let's give him a chance. Meet Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni), a handsome neurosurgeon, and the two have an immediate connection.  But it doesn't get very far before he is called away and Lily thinks, that's that. But then Lily meets Allysa (Jenny Slate) who is looking for a job.  Lily hires her to work with her in her flower shop and wouldn't you know...guess who Allysa's brother is!  Bingo!  It's Ryle.

Lily and Ryle begin a relationship, but things get complicated when Lily runs into her old high school boyfriend, Atlas Corrigan played by Brandon Sklenar  (Atlas, Lily Bloom, Ryle - don't you just love the names in this movie?  Right out of a romance novel!).  Atlas just happens to be the owner and head chef at a restaurant where she has taken Ryle to meet her mother.

Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Lily's father had been abusive to her mother and Atlas had run away from his home to escape his mother's abusive boyfriend.  The two teens bonded and fell in love.  However, when Lily's father discovered them in bed together, he beat Atlas so badly that he was hospitalized and he later joined the Marines and Lily and Atlas lost touch.

Now in the present day, Ryle and Lily marry but Ryle has some concerning anger issues that have followed him since childhood, and though he loves Lily, some manipulation and abusive incidents start to raise their ugly heads, and it doesn't help that Atlas is back in the picture. Then Lily discovers she is pregnant.

Will the cycle of abuse continue?

Based on the book by Colleen Hoover (adapted for the screen by Christy Hall) and directed by Baldoni, the film does a good job of showing the insidious way marital abuse begins.  We wonder, how could a woman get herself into an abusive relationship?  Well, it's not a black and white thing.  Relationships don't usually start with abuse, but if there is a history of abuse or anger issues, those can creep in and affect those we profess to love. 

And it's ironic that since the film, Justin and Blake are now locked in acrimonious lawsuits about those very issues which feels very strange watching the film, because Justin and Blake have real chemistry, so it is difficult to believe Blake could play this part while being sexually harassed on set but maybe she is just a really good actress.  

Rosy the Reviewer says...with all of the sensational news reports and accusations flying back and forth, it's difficult to know what really occurred between the two, but one thing I do know, this is a satisfying film experience. (Netflix)

The Last Showgirl (2024)

After 30 years as a showgirl, the show is closing.  What's a girl to do?

Shelly Gardner (Pamela Anderson) is a 57-year-old showgirl who has performed in Le Razzle Dazzle, a French-style revue at a Las Vegas casino for 30 years. Her younger co-stars, Mary-Anne (Brenda Song) and Jodie (Kiernan Shipka), view Shelly as a mother figure and Shelly's older friend, Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis), is a close friend and ex-showgirl, though she was ousted from the show and now works as a cocktail waitress. 

But now, the show is closing. Eddie (Dave Bautista), the producer of the show, breaks the news that the show will close in two weeks due to lack of ticket sales.  No one seems to care about showgirls anymore, and Le Razzle Dazzle is going to give way to a more contemporary circus show. Shelly is devastated by the news. Not only does she feel proud of the glamorous history of Las Vegas showgirls but she is not in favor of what is replacing it.  But she is also fearful about her future. With no means for retirement and few resources, what is she going to do?

Shelly reaches out to her daughter, Hannah (Billie Lourd, Carrie Fisher's daughter), who is a student in Arizona.  The two have a strained relationship because Hannah had lived with family friends for most of her adolescence and harbors resentment because she feels that Shelly chose he career over her.  And in all fairness to Hannah, Shelly is a bit of a dingbat, forgetting her daughter's age and not showing she knows much about her own daughter.

Written by Kate Gersten and directed by Gia Coppola - yes, that Coppola family.  She is Francis Ford Coppola's granddaughter - the film explores Shelly's attempts to find a place for herself in Las Vegas, highlighting many poignant moments as she auditions unsuccessfully for another show, struggles to save her relationship with her daughter and keep a big secret about Hannah's parentage. This movie has a very low budget indie feel, but it beautifully captures a Las Vegas world that is no more. I had no idea that the classic showgirl disappeared from Las Vegas years ago. That's how much I know about Las Vegas these days  

This is a wonderful showcase for Pamela Anderson. Famous for her spreads in Playboy, her "Baywatch" bathing suit and her sometimes volatile marriage to Tommy Lee, she has rarely been given props for her acting but she did receive a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Shelly, though snubbed by the Academy. She has also gone through a major life change over the years, moving back to British Columbia, where she grew up,  starting a cooking show and eschewing make-up.  Though I get that last bit - yes, she wants to divorce herself from that world where beauty and make-up are everything and she is judged on her looks, but, sorry, I question going so far in the other direction.  Without any eye make-up, her coloring is such that her eyes disappear and she looks older than she is.  I get that she wants to get rid of that pin-up girl part of her life, but why make yourself look older? I know, I digress. 

And I reluctantly have to give a shout out to Jamie Lee Curtis. For some reason, I am not a fan.  I find her insufferably smug on talk shows and her little stints on reality TV, but I will say, she has been giving her recent acting roles her all. I admire how she is not afraid to go for it.  She magnificently chewed the scenery in "The Bear" and here has some small scenes where she makes you feel the pain of an aging woman in a world where youth and beauty is everything.  She was rewarded with a Best Supporting Actress Bafta nomination. So kudos to her.

And props to Dave Bautista who gets to show his dramatic acting chops.  He usually plays villains, odd sci/fi characters and lunkheads.

Rosy the Reviewer says...the film does a good job of capturing a world where youth and beauty are major commodities and what it would be like for a woman aging in that world. Pamela Anderson poignantly takes us there and you will want to be there with her. (for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime and Apple+)

A Real Pain (2024)

Two polar opposite cousins take a trip to Poland to learn more about their family and honor their grandmother but there is some "pain" there.

Benji Kaplan (Kieran Culkin) is, shall I say? - an outspoken free spirit (more like a smart ass).  His cousin David (Jesse Eisenberg) is one of those closed up, reserved guys. Let's just say they don't get each other and had not been in touch for awhile. Using funds left by their late grandmother, they are embarking on a Jewish Heritage Tour through Poland and to also see their grandmother's home and reconnect with their family history. Same goal, two different personalities.  You know what they say about traveling.  It's a make or break when it comes to marriages and friendships. So expect some conflict.

In Warsaw, David and Benji meet their tour group members: Mark (Daniel Oreskes) and Diane (Liza Sadovy), a retired married couple from Shaker Heights, Ohio; Marcia (Jennifer Grey, who I never seem to recognize now since her nose job), a recent divorcee from California; and Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan), a survivor of the Rwandan genocide who converted to Judaism. The tour is led by James (Will Sharpe), a mild-mannered, knowledgeable Englishman. On the first day, the tour visits the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, Grzybów Square, and the Warsaw Uprising Monument, and Benji indulges in some shenanigans that embarrass David. 

Then the group travels to Lublin by train on the second day. Benji doesn't like traveling first class on a Holocaust Tour - I mean, their ancestors were shuttled onto cattle cars and then killed, right?.  Okay, he has a point but then Benji gets on James' case for his focus on facts and statistics and lack of emotion at the Old Jewish Cemetery furthering David's embarrassment. Benji continues to misbehave and make uncomfortable comments during a group dinner later that evening but you can't help but think that Benji is saying what others may be thinking. When Benji leaves the table, David opens up to the group about the complex nature of their relationship and his confusing feelings about his cousin.  

On the last day of the tour, the group visits Majdanek, a Nazi concentration and extermination camp where incredible pain was inflicted on other humans. Back at the hotel, David and Benji smoke a joint together on a hotel rooftop and Benji confronts David about his changed personality and asks why he never visits him. Truths and personal pain are shared.

As a personal aside, on one of our trips to Europe we visited Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Upper Austria and witnessing something like that is a painful moment to be sure.  When we walked by the ovens, our daughter was overcome and had to leave.

Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg (his screenplay was nominated for an Oscar), this is an original buddy picture with a lot of heart. Rumor has it that Jesse was going to play Benji, but after Kieran has picked up numerous awards for this role (Golden Globe, Oscar, etc.), it's difficult to imagine anyone else playing the part, though Jesse certainly could have done it. Jesse plays straight man to Kieran's out there character, and I have to say, before seeing the film, but after seeing countless acceptance speeches and interviews from Kieran, I thought he was just playing himself or his "Succession" character - both out there personas - and though my thoughts on that were mostly valid, he actually went much deeper into this role than I have seen him in the past. Kieran has gotten all of the praise for his performance but I have to say that Jesse's screenplay was wonderful and his direction sensitive and powerful at the same time.

Rosy the Reviewer says...part historical travelogue and part buddy picture, the film examines different kinds of pain, all with Chopin's beautifully painful music playing in the background. Highly recommended. (Hulu)

Companion (2025)

What if you could just put in an order your next love interest and program it?

The film begins with a young woman, Iris (Sophie Thatcher), strolling through a supermarket remembering meeting her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid) for the first time. 

Flashback to Iris and Josh traveling to a remote lake house to meet friends Kat (Megan Suri), couple Eli (Harvey Guillen, who I just loved in "What We Do in the Shadows") and Patrick (Lukas Gage), and Sergey (Rupert Friend), Kat's boyfriend who owns the house.  I should have known it was going to turn into a weekend from hell. Whenever people travel to a remote lake house, that is often an ominous clue that some bad stuff is going to go down.  And it does. When Iris is assaulted by Sergey and retaliates, when she attempts to explain what happened, Josh tells her, "Iris, go to sleep," shutting her down.

What!!??

You see, Iris is a companion robot Josh is renting from the Empathix company.  Her emotions and intelligence are controlled by an app on Josh's phone.  News to her.  When she wakes up and Josh gives her this information, this is a shock to her.  And it also turns out that Josh wasn't just in this for a love/sex interest.  He has planned to use her in a nefarious plot.

But our Iris may be a robot but she's not a dummy.  She does a runner and all hell breaks loose as Josh and the others go looking for Iris to shut her down.  Josh is a very, very bad man. Will he get what's coming to him? There are lots and lots of enjoyable twists and turns to find out.

Sophie Thatcher is wonderful in this.  She made her mark in the Showtime series "Yellowjackets" and more recently starred in "Heretic," which I reviewed positively.  Jack Quaid is the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan and should have a successful career as a leading man, but the entire ensemble were first rate, though Bill Murray playing a Russian came to mind listening to Sergey. 

Written and directed by Drew Hancock, this is a stylish sci/fi horror comedy reminiscent of the 2013 film "Her." It asks a lot of "what if" questions such as what if all of this online dating and love affairs with our phones lead us to have relationships with robots instead of humans? What if you could have a girlfriend you could program? What if the programmed girlfriend goes rogue?  

But this is also a cautionary tale about white male misogyny and supremacy.  You know, those guys who feel entitled but who feel overshadowed by the needs of others and live in their mother's basement talking to their computers?  Maybe those "what if" questions are no longer "what ifs."  What if we are already there. Scary.

Rosy the Reviewer says...an enjoyable sci/fi horror comedy but brace yourself for a very gross ending...but it's so gross it's funny. (for rent on Amazon Prime).

See You Next Time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

"A Complete Unknown" and Other Movies I Watched in February (2025): My Picks and Pans

[I review the movies "A Complete Unknown," "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, "Babygirl," and "Kinda Pregnant"]

A Complete Unknown (2024)

A biopic about the young Bob Dylan on the road to fame.

It's 1961 and a 19-year-old Bob Dylan, nee Robert Allen Zimmerman (Timothee Chalamet), has moved to New York City from Minnesota to seek fame and fortune.  But he has also gone there to meet his idol, folk singer, Woody Guthrie.  Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) is in the hospital suffering from Huntington's Disease.  While there Bob meets another folk icon, Woody's friend, Pete Seeger (played by Edward Norton). Bob performs a song he just wrote, appropriately called "Song to Woody," and impresses the musicians so much that Pete invites Bob to stay with his family.  Pete also introduces Bob to others in the NYC folk scene.  Along the way, he meets Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), the two begin a relationship and he moves in with her. (Note: Sylvie is a fictional character based on Bob's real-life girlfriend and muse, Suze Rotolo.  Bob requested that director James Mangold change her name for the movie).

While at an open mic night, Bob meets manager Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler) and Bob so impresses Grossman that he takes Bob on as a client on the spot and Bob records his first album, mostly folk covers. Though album sales were disappointing for that first album, Bob's career is on its way, especially when he finally starts performing his own songs, songs that reflect the political and social unrest of the day.  He also meets Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro, nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role) and the two embark on an on again, off again relationship, both sexually and artistically. 

Despite achieving stardom, Bob is not happy.  He does not want to be restricted to the demands of the folk community and begins to experiment with the electric guitar, heresy to folkies, but as he is recording his new album "Highway 61 Revisited," his new direction is clear and at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival he blows caution to the wind (ha-ha) and plays a rocking version of "Maggie's Farm" that blows the lid off of the festival and ends with him being booed off the stage.

The rest is musical history...and I was kind of a witness to that musical history.

I was in 8th grade when I discovered Bob Dylan.  My girlfriends and I were crazy about him and felt very grown up that our favorite song was "Baby Let Me Follow You Down." We knew that was his girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, with him on the cover of the "Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" album. In 1965, my junior year in high school and just a few months after Bob went electric at the Newport Folk Festival and blew the berets off the folkies, my girlfriends and I traveled down from our town in Western Michigan to Chicago by bus to see him play.  He came out on stage and said "Hi, I'm Bob Dylan" and proceeded to play an acoustic set.  But after the intermission, he came out with his backup band, the Hawks (later to morph into The Band) and played the rest of the concert electric.  Naturally, everyone booed him.  But not us.  We were those sophisticated young ladies who had loved him since 1962 and we smugly knew that "our Bob" needed to move on.  By then, though, I was a huge Beatles fan and my love of Bob and folk music in general took a back seat, but I have always been proud that I was an early fan (so early, that when our local radio DJ introduced his music on air he called him Bobby Die-lyn - I guess he had never heard of Dylan Thomas).

But I have to say, in later years, Bob disappointed me.  

I believe his eccentricities got the better of him.  I attended a concert in Seattle where he played the entire concert with his back to the audience and when he sang "It Ain't Me, Babe," I didn't even recognize it because he had changed up the melody so much.  But there is no doubt that he had a huge impact on, not just me, but an entire generation and generations to come.  He was a defining character and talent of the 1960's and his music continued to inspire change. So I forgive him his eccentricities.  Heavy is the head...

This movie does a wonderful job of showing Dylan's talent and why he had such impact.  I had worried that it would be a puff piece considering that Bob is still alive and had read the screenplay beforehand, supposedly going over it line by line with director Mangold and making notes. He even supposedly acted some of it out before signing off on it, but all-in-all, characterizations were believable and Bob wasn't whitewashed. 

Timothee Chalamet channeled Dylan magically, showing his good and bad sides and musically he was right on. The full performances of Dylan's songs were highlight of the movie. Chalamet had heard of Dylan (his father had a black and white portrait of Dylan in his apartment), but he didn't know much about him or his music beyond the most famous ones, "Blowin' in the Wind," and "The Times They Are A-Changin."  But he had five years to study him as the film was put on hold because of Covid.  Both he and Edward Norton also had time to learn to play the guitar and banjo, respectively, amazing feats considering how well they played in the movie. 

As for Edward Norton.  What can't that guy do?  He can play anything and anyone, and here he transforms himself into the kind, go-with-the-flow, peace and love, Pete Seeger.  Both he and Chalamet deserved their Oscar nods. The other members of the cast were also first rate, especially Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro.

And props to Oscar-nominated director Mangold, the Oscar-nominated screenplay by Mangold and Jay Cocks (based on the book "Dylan Goes Electric" by Elijah Wald), the music that was so expertly woven into the story and the film's production values which all worked together to capture that special time in the 1960's. Watching the film, I was transported back to high school and those changin' times. The film very much deserved it's Best Picture Oscar nomination.

Rosy the Reviewer says...But is it the best picture of the year?  No, but it's an enjoyable film experience and that's enough. (in theatres and for purchase on various streaming platforms)

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)

In this fourth addition to the franchise, Bridget is now a widow and single mother but manages to navigate her new reality and even attract a much younger lover.

Did we really need another Bridget Jones movie?  You know how much this female curmudgeon hates sequels and keeping a film franchise going well past it's expiration date.  This is the fourth installment so you would think that I am going to rant about all of that...but I'm not.  I actually enjoyed it.

Renee Zellweger with her cute little British accent manages to bring Bridget to life once again, this time as a middle-aged, widowed single mother with two school-aged children, Billy (Casper Knopf) and Mabel (Mila Jankovic). Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth, who makes a brief appearance as a ghost and in flashback) was killed four years earlier while on a humanitarian mission in the Sudan. She now faces the challenges of parenthood, work and dating on her own. Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) is still in the mix (it wouldn't be Bridget Jones without Hugh), but now he is just an old friend and even babysits the kids so a romance between those two is off the table.  However, as soon as Bridget throws her hat in the dating ring, she is pursued by Roxster (Leo Woodall), a much younger man while also forming a connection with her son's science teacher, Scott Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor). 

So many ups and downs in her relationship with Roxster and she is still grieving for Mark but will she end with up with Scott?

Directed by Michael Morris with a screenplay by Helen Fielding, Abi Morgan and Dan Mazer, this one isn't quite up there with the first two, but there is still some of that Bridget Jones charm we loved. There is something about Zellweger's face that just pulls at the heartstrings.  And that's what the Bridget Jones movies are so good at - those small moments when Bridget is bumbling and embarrassing herself in a cute way. This time around I also enjoyed the family side stories of Daniel reconnecting with his son and Billy and Mabel not wanting to forget their Dad. Mark would sing "I Would Do Anything"  to put Billy to sleep at night so when Billy sang that song at the school talent show, I lost it. 

The ending of the movie seemed to put a happy end to the Bridget Jones story, but who knows?  There might be a fifth one.  I wouldn't mind.

Rosy the Reviewer says...so I'm not such a grouch after all, right?  I liked a sequel.  I think I will always like Bridget Jones no matter what she does. (Peacock)

Babygirl (2024) 

A powerful CEO starts a torrid affair with her much younger intern.

Nicole Kidman not being nominated for an Oscar this year for this performance was considered a snub by the Academy.  And her performance was good (she has rather made a name for herself in the older woman-younger man genre).  However, I think what wrecked her chances for an Oscar nod was the movie itself.  It wasn't good. 

Romy Mathis (Kidman) is the CEO of an automation company in New York City.  She is a high-powered women who is dissatisfied with her sex life with her husband, Jacob (Antonio Banderas), a theater director. But then she meets Samuel (Harris Dickinson), who turns out to be an intern at her company and wouldn't you know, he chooses her to be his mentor through the company's mentorship program. And it's not long before the two embark on a sexual affair.  Romy expresses her fear that she is taking advantage of him because of the power difference but Samuel has moxie.  He says he is actually the one with the power because he could ruin her career with "one phone call."

Let the dominance/submission stuff begin.  So lots of humiliating sex.  In fact, the first hour and 15 minutes is nothing but Romy getting sexually satisfied.  I kept waiting for something to happen besides sex. It didn't.

Romy takes more and more risks as other staff members get wind of what is happening and Romy eventually confesses to Jacob that she is having an affair but not who or what.  She implies it was a one-night thing but strangely in confessing, there is now the possibility of their rekindling their sex life, if Jacob can figure out how to please Romy. Is this thing going to have a happy ending?

But you know what?  After awhile, I just didn't care.

Written and directed by Halina Reijn, the film's title only gets mentioned once when Samuel calls Romy "babygirl" in the heat of the moment.  I guess it's a metaphor for powerful people who like to be dominated but again I just didn't care.  The ick factor had kicked in. 

Nicole is always a believable actress but I am starting to think she wants to take over the "older woman/younger man" genre. This is her fourth movie with that plotline (others - "A Family Affair," "The Paperboy," and "To Die For.")

Rosy the Reviewer says...cringey. (for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime and Apple+)

Kinda Pregnant (2025)

When Lainy's plans to get married and settle down fall apart and her best friend gets pregnant, she fakes her own pregnancy.

Lainyhad always wanted to be a mom.  Even as a kid playing with her best friend, Kate, she would play the mom giving birth. They had a childhood pact to have their babies together.  But now the two are adults and teachers at the same school.  Kate (Jillian Bell) is married and pregnant.  Lainy (Amy Schumer), on the other hand, has a boyfriend who asks her to participate in a threesome. Not good. Looks like Lainy won't be fulfilling her part of the pact anytime soon.  And the final straw is when another teacher at the school announces her pregnancy, so when Lainy and Kate go to a maternity shop, Lainy discovers a pregnancy belly and for a lark decides to wear it to see what happens. And of course she gets the respect and special treatment often afforded to pregnant women so she decides to continue the ruse.  Then she meets Josh (Will Forte), who drives the Zamboni at the skating rink.  Meeting when she is wearing the fake pregnancy belly, now Lainy has to keep up the lie.

The usual crazy and very crude Amy Schumer stuff ensues.

Directed by Tyler Spindel and written by Schumer and Julie Paiva, this is one of those one-note plot device movies.  Will and when will the lie come to light and what will happen?  Some of the gags work, most don't. I have always mostly enjoyed Schumer's humor - something about that baby face saying those shocking things - but for some, her humor might fall flat.

Rosy the Reviewer says... if you are a big Amy fan, you might enjoy this.  If not, you probably won't.(Netflix)

See You Next Time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

If You Like Documentaries...Here Are Some Interesting Ones You Might Not Know About!

[I review the documentaries "Inside the Mind of a Dog," "The Disappearance of Shere Hite," "An Update on our Family," "Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara," and "Scamanda"]

Inside the Mind of a Dog (2024)

Do you ever wonder what your dog is thinking?  Well, wonder no more!

Directed by Andy Mitchell and narrated by Rob Lowe, this documentary explores the strong bond that exists between people and their dogs as well as sharing new research into the dog mind. 

Did you know that dogs use their barks and tail wags and 16 facial expressions to show us how they feel?  Did you know that dogs can also show signs of ADHD? It's all here and more.

But it's not all science. The film also explores the history of dog and human companionship and how they evolved from wolves to our pampered pets. There is also a strong emphasis on how service dogs are trained as well as practical tips for dog owners.

Though very informative, this is also a heartwarming adventure into the minds of our furry friends.  It might even make you cry a little.

Rosy the Reviewer says...one of the "most liked" films on Netflix, if you are a dog lover, you will also give it a thumbs...er...paws up, too! (Netflix)

 

The Disappearance of Shere Hite (2023)

Shere Hite's bestselling book about female sexuality rocked the American establishment.  It also eventually rocked her world, but not in a good way.

If you were a young person or adult in 1976, you have probably heard of "The Hite Report," a book that revealed the results of a survey of thousands of women about their sexuality. Her book was as talked about as the findings by Kinsey and Masters and Johnson, but today, ask a young woman about this book.  She has probably never heard of it. My local library doesn't even have the book today, and yet, it was (and still is) the 30th best-selling book of all time.  While you are at it, you might also ask that young woman if she is a feminist.  She might wrinkle her nose.

But in the 70's, feminism was in full bloom and this book reflected the frustrations of women and blew the lid off the patriarchy. Likewise, Shere Hite was not afraid to go on talk shows and talk about her books, and it made people, well, men, very uncomfortable. She revealed that few women felt satisfied sexually by their partners, and in a later book, revealed the rampant infidelity that existed amongst married couples.  And it didn't help that Hite didn't take any crap from anyone.  She was a beautiful woman who belied her looks by speaking of sex and the needs of women in a very matter of fact way.  She could also be feisty and even angry.  And you know how men react to angry women. She faced tremendous backlash and misogyny.

Through archival footage and talking head interviews, we learn about Hite's life and work from those who knew her.  There is also narration from those her work helped which makes the backlash she endured and her fall into obscurity all the more troubling. 

This documentary reminded me of my own journey to feminism and how that word has become a dirty word, even to other women.  So the title of this documentary is literal - Hite was basically canceled and run out of the country. Her books were controversial and she herself was so controversial, she eventually couldn't get an American publisher so she moved to Europe and eventually renounced her U.S. citizenship in 1995. But the film's title is also a metaphor for what appears to be the disappearance of feminism as well.

Directed by Nicole Newnham with Dakota Johnson providing the "voice" of Shere Hite (Johnson is also one of the producers), this is a very timely documentary and an indictment of repression as so many are losing their reproductive rights and the LGBTQ+ community is under attack. We have gone back in time...and not in a good way.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a fascinating portrait of a trailblazing woman brought to life for a new generation. (Netflix)

An Update on Our Family (2024)

The dark side of sharing everything about your life on YouTube.

This three-part docuseries tells the story of Myka and James Stauffer, family vloggers who shared everything about their lives on their YouTube channel.  They shared their personal lives, their kids, everything.

The Stauffers were a beautiful family. All went well for them as they gained a significant following, especially during the pandemic.  At one point, they had over a million subscribers. They posted constantly, show their happy day-to-day lives. They were adept at branding and turning their everyday lives into compelling content. Then they adopted a little boy from China and named him Huxley, again documenting every step of the adoption. They became even more popular, attracting a wide range of sponsors (AKA making money).  But when Huxley was diagnosed with autism and ADHD, the "beautiful family" persona fell apart as Myka and James struggled to deal with Huxley's special needs. 

One day Huxley just didn't exist on the vlog anymore. Huxley went missing and online speculation was rampant. And when the Stauffer's fans discovered that Huxley had been "rehoused," their fans turned on them, accusing them of opportunism and neglect. 

This docuseries is more than an expose of this family and their vlog.  It raises some bigger questions: why do people tune in to watch other people's lives and get so caught up in them and then get so upset when they don't live up to their expectations?  What are the ramifications of international adoption?  Are people who document their families online exploiting their children?

Rosy the Reviewer says...directed by Rachel Mason, this is a fascinating look at "mommy vlogging," the risks of "putting it all out there" and the ethical concerns surrounding digital family content (HBO and Max).

 

Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara (2024)

The dark side of fandom.

For you who are part of the "Older Set," you may not know who Tegan and Sara are.   I certainly didn't. They are a Canadian queer indie pop duo formed in 1998, and Tegan and Sara Quin are identical twins born in 1980.  They are both songwriters and musicians.  They have released 10 albums and won a Grammy in 2012 for their video album "Get Along." 

So since I am one of those in the "Older set" and didn't know who Tegan and Sara were, why was I interested in this docuseries?

Well, it had me at "catfishing."  I am totally obsessed with the concept.  It all started with "Catfish," the 2010 documentary where Nev Schulman confessed his experience being "catfished (he actually coined the term)" and he subsequently got an MTV series out of it where he now helps other people figure out whether or not they are being "catfished." The rest is "catfish" history.

So anyway, in the mid-2000s, fans of Tegan and Sara began receiving messages and emails from the Tegan half of the twin duo. Now most people these days would dismiss an email from a celebrity (the whole current Brad Pitt thing notwithstanding), but here we are talking about the 2000's when there were still novice Internet users out there and catfishing was not yet a huge thing.  And Tegan and Sara were very much online, posting often on Facebook, message boards and on their official website. So at that time, maybe it didn't seem beyond the realm of possibility that Tegan would respond to what was said and form friendships with fans. But it turns out, the messages were not from Tegan.  Instead, it was someone pretending to be her who exploited Tegan and Sara's fans for 16 years.  That person became known as Fake Tegan or Fegan.

This documentary follows fans who had been victims and who share their stories. 

Julie was one fan who began listening to the band in college.  She had recently realized she was gay and was struggling with it.  Tegan and Sara's music was a lifeline.  When another fan sent her a link  to a Facebook profile that appeared to be Tegan, Julie sent her a message and was shocked, but happy, that Tegan replied.  Soon they had a friendship.  Three years later, Julie discovered she had been catfished. Another fan actually had a real relationship with the real Tegan but was pulled into the fake Tegan's world, ruining the relationship. 

When the hoax was discovered, the reach of Fake Tegan became clear. He or she had access to much of Tegan and Sara's personal lives. Tegan and Sara started to wonder if the hacker was someone close to them.  They became suspicious of everyone.

Tegan kept Fake Tegan under wraps for 16 years because she was embarrassed and didn't want to come forward but eventually did.  Directed by Erin Lee Carr, this is a compelling examination of fan obsession and celebrities having to deal with Stans - a term coined to describe stalker-fans.  

But this series is not just about celebrity scams. This documentary is a warning to us all. This is a cautionary tale about the scams, frauds and fakes lurking on the Internet, the "keyboard kourage" that allows anonymous people to pretend to be someone they are not while scamming their victims out of money, or at the very least, their dignity. It's a reminder that no one is immune from scammers so be careful out there.

Rosy the Reviewer says...even if you don't know this band, if, like me, you are fascinated by the world of catfishing, you will enjoy this.  (Hulu)

Scamanda (2025)

Catfishing is not the only scam rampant on the Internet.   There is also "Munchausen by Internet."  Don't know about that?  Then, read on.

There was this girl.  She started out as a babysitter for a married couple with a little girl but then the married couple divorced and the babysitter married the husband.  She not only married the husband but got full custody of the little girl. She joined a megachurch and was beloved by all.  And then she got cancer.

Meet Amanda C. Riley.

Amanda C. Riley was a devout Christian, an active church member, and a mother of two healthy children living in San Jose, California.  In 2012 she shared her cancer diagnosis with her church and started a blog depicting her journey called "Lymphoma Can Suck It." Her looks and personality were such that her blog and Internet presence attracted supporters, sponsors and fundraisers from all over the world who wanted to help this pretty young woman who was so positive and inspirational as she fought cancer.

But over time, some things didn't add up.

Friends wondered how she could go swimming right after brain surgery. How was it that her pregnancies seemed to be unaffected by her cancer?

Meet Nancy Moscatiello, an investigative producer.  She received an anonymous tip about Amanda which put Nancy on a five-year-long investigation which led to a podcast by Charlie Webster about what was believed to be Amanda's "Factitious disorder" aka "Munchausen. And when it is played out on the Internet it's called "Munchausen by Internet."

Through reenactments, photos, screenshots and interviews from former friends of Amanda's ("former" because they were also scammed), this four-part ABC series now streaming on Hulu reveals Amanda's scam and offers insight from a neuropsychologist into the mind of a scammer and the psychology behind choosing a cancer diagnosis as a narrative. 

But questions still remain after watching this series.  Why? What was her background and what led Amanda to do this and even when caught, to continue the fraud?  We may never know.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a sad commentary on how easily in our society we can be manipulated and feel immediately sympathetic when the manipulator is an attractive, vivacious and privileged young woman. (Hulu) 

See You Next Time!

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