December 2019

December was a fun month. I took two vacations. First, I took a four-night solo cruise to Mexico on the Carnival Inspiration (my fourth time on that ship). Then I flew to Fort Lauderdale to spend time with friends. I had a lovely Chinese-food dinner with Irene, and housesat for Cindy’s lovable dog, Mochi. TV: I finished binge-watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (on the ship), as well as Fleabag, and am currently working my way though Modern Love. (The episode “Take Me as I Am, Whoever I Am,” starring Anne Hathaway, was the best thing I saw on TV all year.) BOOKS: With the holidays and the cold weather as distractions, I am still working my way through The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell. However, I did listen to many more stories by Roald Dahl, and bought a ton of gag-cartoon books via eBay and Amazon. MUSIC: I listened to many of the hits of 2019, as well as music by Billie Eilish’s brother, Finneas. Here are the movies I saw in December:

BOMBSHELL (2019)—Engrossing account of the Roger Ailes / Fox News / #MeToo scandal, with great acting from John Lithgow (as Ailes), as well as Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron as the blonde anchor bimbos. However, Robbie’s character is a “composite,” which leaves a bad taste in the mouth for those of us who put stock in accuracy. Worth seeing for Lithgow. (8)

THE AERONAUTS (2019)—In which Stephen Hawking and Ruth Bader Ginsburg—or, rather, the actors who portrayed those historical figures on the big screen in recent times—go up in a hot air balloon to do science stuff. Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne play the balloon’s pilot and the scientist who set out on an adventure in the mid 1800s to prove that the weather can be accurately predicted, and naturally face numerous life-threatening mishaps. Although the characters are composites—no attempt at historical accuracy has been made here—this is still a marvelous thrill ride above the clouds. (9)

UNCUT GEMS (2019)—Harrowing, anxiety-inducing crime thriller features a mesmerizing performance by Adam Sandler as a jeweler who’s having a big problem with some loan sharks—and a basketball player who has borrowed a seemingly priceless gemstone. The experimental soundtrack is sometimes an assault on the ears, but it does help to raise the tension. (9)

LITTLE WOMEN (2019)—Extremely entertaining and often moving adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott novel isn’t the first adaptation I have seen of it, but it’s definitely the best. Director-screenwriter Greta Gerwig has created a non-linear version of the story, which seems to work fairly well. The entire cast is exceptional. One of the best films of the year, if not the best. (10)