July 2018

Highlights of July included a visit from Fiona from Guangzhou and from Mark and Janet from New Jersey (in SoCal to see their son Brian get married). Mark, Janet and I went to Disneyland, where I lasted for exactly three rides. Meanwhile, Joan and I saw some movies and ate a bagel, and I spilled soda on my keyboard, ruining the second keyboard in as many months. By the end of the month, MoviePass was already on the verge of bankruptcy. This was also the month of crippling heat waves resulting in numerous power outages that actually led to my sleeping in my car with the air conditioner on. BOOKS: I read and thoroughly enjoyed the British suspense thrillers Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough and Come a Little Closer by Rachel Abbott. TV: I binge-watched the four-season show Inside No. 9, a very clever anthology series from the UK. MUSIC: I “drilled” great new albums by Astral Drive, fashioned as a great, lost Todd Rundgren album from the 1970s, and The Beatnix, a band that covers songs that Lennon & McCartney gave away, in the style of the Beatles.

Here are the movies I saw in July:

THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS (2018)—Fascinating documentary about three brothers, separated at birth, who accidentally connected as adults. (9)

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (2018)—One of the best and funniest Marvel superhero movies, very imaginative, exciting and funny. (10)

SHOCK AND AWE (2018)—Earnest but largely ho-hum story featuring Rob Reiner (the movie’s director) about how the Knight Ridder news organization refused to cowtow to the Bush Administration’s myth that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. This is what I call a “textbook movie”—more educational than entertaining. Good cast includes Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones and Richard Schiff. (7)

EIGHTH GRADE (2018)—Standup comedian Bo Burnham’s comedy about an eighth-grade student (played by Elsie Fisher) “coming of age” in a world full of horny boys, self-obsessed girls, her loving dad and social media. A triumph; one of the best movies of the year. (10)

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT (2018)—Sixth film in the MI series is the best one yet, with nonstop action and great characters. (10)

MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN (2018)—I saw this one during one of our power outages, because it happened to be playing at the ideal time. Pretty ridiculous; redeemed mostly by the two pretty leads (Amanda Seyfried and Lily James) and Cher. Some good ABBA music, but the best parts belong to the story. (7)