Alright then, I have caught up on all the seasons of Homeland that are available.
Back to movies, I hope.
Last night I watched one I have been looking for, for a LONG time, finally had to buy it from the Amazon, "Rum Diary". OK, I am a fan of Hunter S. Thompson who wrote the book.
Amber Heard is in this, as is Giovanni Ripisi, but this is one of Depp's poorest acting jobs IMHO.
Generally I would say the acting was not as good as it should have been, the editor should have trimmed more, it drug out. Literally. ha ha and rummed out!!!
Some funny bits. But should have been more funny.
PQ and SQ were fine but nothing special.
Did I mention that Amber Heard is in this one???????
Not really recommended unless you are bored or want a movie that is not all CGI.
God Bless,
Wayne

A better movie tonight, "Devil". This story by M. Night Shyamalan is very well done.
The PQ is fine, nothing special, SQ is 5.1 spot on for the job, but not reference or outstanding in any way.
The acting is pretty well done, but the story is wonderful, IMHO.
Surprised me.
This is the kind of movie that keeps me coming back for more!!!
Good, old-fashioned movie making.
RECOMMENDED!!!!!
God Bless,
Wayne

Dear Peeps,
Last night I watched an old favorite that had gone bad, became unplayable, so I had to order it again from Amazon.
"The Quiet American" is based on a book by Graham Green, one of my favorite writers ever.
It is about the first steps of America's initial involvement into Viet Nam, it is about Viet Nam, it is about love and innocence or lack thereof.
Nothing reference about this movie, only the story and acting with Michael Caine and Brandon Fraser, his best role and Caine was nominated for an Ac. Award for his part. "Phuong" the love interest is stunning as well. It is only on dvd, not BR.
I have been to Saigon, there are many parallels to life and the seduction of the far east in Thailand, especially for us old farts. Or young guys too.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all the good old movie/story reasons.
God Bless,
Wayne

Back to made for TV.
I hardly ever watch a series on TV as it is just impossible to catch every episode, watch them on the times they are played. And I don't have a TIVO or some other time-shifter. I refuse to let family needs suffer just to watch "my show", so a long time ago I gave up on watching series, and just buy the dvd set when they are available, to watch at my leisure.
That is the way I like to roll, BUT the down side is, like now, I am watching "EXTANT", bought both seasons from Amazon, and it turns out to just not be very well done, at least so far. Not impressed (and this is a Speilberg exec. prod). Maybe it will get better.
Certainly NOT up there with 24 or Homeland, not even up to Walking Dead standards, ha ha.
YMMV.
God Bless,
Wayne

Dang, I just lost 15 minutes worth of typing by accidentally clicking a link

I haven't updated this thread in a month so here goes.

1) The Road - Interesting film (based on a book) that was well acted. If you like post apocalyptic dramas go ahead here. If you are easily depressed, I'd avoid this one. Its pretty bleak. I appreciated it and it held my interest but I couldn't rewatch it.

2) The Nice Guys - This is a fun drama / comedy P.I. film set in the 70s. Crowe and Gosling were a great pair in this and I really enjoyed it. The cars, sets, and costumes were fun and this was really good but enough off the beaten path to be missed by some. It has a pretty high Rotten Tomatoes score if you trust that as a source. I'd go 4 out of 5 stars.

3) Somm - This is a 2013 documentary about four friends all studying for the master sommelier exam. If you have any affinity for wine culture you really need to see this one (and Bottle Shock by the way). It was really interesting. Red wine is my drink of choice and Napa is one of my Meccas. These guys are crazy. They have to be able to identify the variety, region, sub-region, and vintage of a wine by look and taste as well as memorize all kinds of history, geography, and grape agriculture. Mad respect for their level of dedication. It borders on insanity.

4) Whiplash - Loved this movie. I had a film buff friend who put me off this one when it came out so I delayed seeing it. He called it cliche in less kind words. I couldn't disagree more. It definitely struck a chord with me (lol) and it is one of the best films I've seen in years. I played tenor sax in a respectable jazz band in high school so this one probably spoke to me a bit more. Its on my short list for a rewatch. 5 stars!

5) Moonlight - It was OK but perhaps the hype got to me too much. I was slightly underwhelmed and further embittered that it won best picture. (I said La La Land might be the best movie of the last decade and felt the Oscar going to Moonlight was political / racial). I feel like the acting, directing, cinematography, and even the music were truly great. Every scene is artful. My issue is how it all works as a whole and where I felt it didn't. Then I read more reviews and somehow feel deficient that I didn't like the film more... I may owe this one another watch but with nearly 300 movies in my queue I'm not sure when that will happen. I'd love to have someone who's seen this offer a counter point. I totally get that a rural white middle class, now suburban upper class guy is not going to relate to this film as easily as other demographics, but I truly tried. I end up with sort of a mixed 3.5/5 star rating and wanting to have liked it more than I did.

Thanks CJ to chime back in here with your reviews.
I can totally relate to losing 15 mins worth of typing (course in my case that is only 3 lines!!!).
Looking for several of your recommendations, NOT Moonlight.
Agreed on Whiplash!!! Though I don't think I will watch it again, painful.
Keep em coming,
God Bless,
Wayne