Beyond Burger

Fake, or should I say plant-based, burgers and meat are all the rage these days. Several restaurants are heavily advertising these alternatives to beef. I've also read a few articles that compare plant-based to real. Most of them are quite complementary to the plants. Livestock of all types seems to be the newest enemy in our environmental battles for a variety of reasons including cow farts and burps. 

So I tried to be environmentally correct last tonight. I cooked one of those plant-based burgers. It was a Beyond Burger from the Beyond Meat Company. Spoiler alert, this did not turn out well. 

See that nice pink patty in the above picture. My patties were closer to grey. I cooked the patty in a skillet on the stovetop. I even followed the recommended cooking instructions which were four minutes per side over medium-high heat. This "meat" does not smell that great raw and was even worse during cooking. Not a rancid smell, but not pleasant. It also tended to burn a little, the second side worse than the first. There was almost no juice exuded during the cooking. On the bright side, there were no grease splatters to clean up.

Now for the taste test. The short story, after two bites I threw the patty out. The longer story, it was rather dry and the texture was strange. It even seemed to have some gristle. Do they add artificial gristle for more realism? There was no pink center. In fact, there was no color variation except for the burnt spots on the top and bottom. 

The package states "previously frozen". The ones I bought were not frozen and were in the regular meat case. They are supposed to be eaten within three days of thawing. I did eat it by the "use by" sticker on the package although I have no idea when the store actually thawed the package. These plant burgers are no bargain either. The two ¼ lb. patties, a ½ lb total, cost $5.99. That makes this "meat" about $12/lb. That would buy some mighty special ground beef, more expensive than Wagyu beef.

I did some research and it seems these plant burgers are really no healthier than real beef. It depends on what you are most sensitive to or need in your diet. 

4 oz Beyond Burger →

Calories: 250

Total fat: 18 g

Saturated fat: 6 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 390 mg

Carbohydrate: 3 g

Fiber: 2 g

Protein: 20 g

4 oz Grass-fed beef burger →

Calories: 224

Total fat: 14 g

Saturated fat: 6 g

Cholesterol: 70 mg

Sodium: 77 mg

Carbohydrate: 0 g

Fiber: 0 g

Protein: 22 g

Another issue for me is the ingredient list. Beyond Burgers are truly a man-made manufactured product. Real beef contains one ingredient: cow. A Beyond Burger, however, includes 18 ingredients: water, pea protein isolate, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, rice protein, natural flavors, cocoa butter, mung bean protein, methylcellulose, potato starch, apple extract, salt, potassium chloride, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, sunflower lecithin, pomegranate fruit powder, and beet juice extract (the beet juice gives the burger its meat-like “blood”). I did not detect any "blood". 

Beyond Burgers might be fine for some people, vegetarians or vegans for example. As for me, I'm going to wait for science to get a little better at imitating a cow. 

wjh

The Irishman

I watched The Irishman on Netflix. It was originally released in the theaters for a couple of weeks before being available on Netflix. I'm glad I waited to watch it at home. The movie is about 3½ hours long. A movie that long requires a pause button for kitchen and bathroom breaks, not to mention a stretch or two. 

No surprise that the cast was good. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel play guys in or involved with the mob. It is directed by Martin Scorsese. I think those guys have some experience with this genre.

The movie is the story of Frank Sheeran (De Niro), a WWII veteran who is a Teamster and generally shady character who does some low-level jobs for some Philadelphia mob guys. He comes to the attention of Russell Bufalino (Pesci), one of the mob bosses in Philly. Although Sheeran is Irish, he speaks Italian and they hit it off. Sheeran becomes a confidant, enforcer, and hitman for Bufalino who introduces him to Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino). Sheeran does some dirty work in Detroit for Hoffa and they become fast friends too. 

Sheeran continues to work for Bufalino and at the same time rises in the Teamster union ranks thanks to Hoffa. He becomes one of the main conduits between Hoffa and the mob. Sometimes working for Hoffa and the union and sometimes working for Bufalino and the mob. Eventually, those two factions get sideways with each other. What will Frank do?

This is one of those time-shifting movies. It is Frank as an old man in a nursing home remembering his past. Scorsese chose to use CGI tricks to depict the players as younger men. This was done instead of hiring different actors to play the younger years. For the most part, the CGI young De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci were believable. There were a few scenes when one or more of the actors' makeup/CGI was a little off. I'm not sure if they used CGI or just makeup for the guys when they got old. Most of the main actors are already in their 70s so making them old is less of a stretch. 

The flashbacks were sometimes confusing as to exactly when they took place. It also made it harder to sort out all the relationships, especially for the peripheral characters. For those of us who were around in the '50s, '60s, and '70s it is fun to see the old cars and other signs of the time. Remember Stuckey's and Howard Johnson's? They did a good job recreating the times. There were also some good tunes in the soundtrack.  

This movie is far from the best work for any of the leads. Still, 75% to 80% of De Niro or Pacino is pretty good.

If you subscribe to Netflix, watching this movie is a no brainer. It's a theater-quality production. The 3½ length also makes home viewing the right choice. 

I'm going to rate this movie a B+. Everybody in it has done better work and it is a little disjointed at times. Definitely worth a look though. 

wjh

The Good Liar

We went to see The Good Liar the other night. It turned out to be a good choice. It stars Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen so we were pretty sure the acting would be good regardless of the script. Turned out the story was OK too. 

On the surface, this is the story of a grifter, Ian McKellen, who preys on older vulnerable women among his other scams. The vulnerable woman, in this case, is Helen Mirren. She is a widow with a substantial bank account. There are a few supporting characters like Helen's grandson and Ian's partner but this is primarily a dance between the two leads. They are more than up to the task.

No spoiler alerts, but all is not as it may first appear. You may figure out some of the plot twists but I'm guessing you won't figure it all out. That is unless you read the novel by the same name. 

This is a very satisfying movie. Those of us of a certain age may enjoy it more than the younger folks. Those watching with us were considerably older than those running around the cinema complex to see Frozen.

The movie is rated R for violence, language, and brief nudity. I found the violence and language to be very minor. The brief nudity was very brief and not part of a sexual nature. 

I rate this movie a B+. Maybe not the best movie of the year but certainly worth the time. 

wjh

Echoes of Laurel Canyon

Echoes of Laurel Canyon is a 2018 documentary about the musicians of the 1960s who congregated in the Laurel Canyon neighborhood of the Hollywood Hills. It is now streaming on Netflix. 

This was the time of The Byrds, The Mommas and the Poppas, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, CSN, and many others.

Jakob Dylan conducts interviews with several of the original musicians from that era and some contemporaries influenced by them. These are mixed with archival footage. There are also some redos of the old songs by Jakob and others mixed in. 

It comes through that there was a lot of cross-pollination and influences among the groups. The fact that many of these folks were neighbors facilitated that. Musicians also moved from one group to another.

One interesting factoid relayed by Brian Wilson is that Rubber Soul begat Pet Sounds. The Beatles say that Pet Sounds begat Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Each pushing the other.  This confirms what I had heard before and have always thought. Three pretty good albums.

This is far from a perfect documentary. Some early influencers and neighbors like Joni Mitchell are completely ignored. The revivals of the old songs by Jakob Dylan and company are not always very good. That opinion may be because I grew up with the originals and they are hard to improve on. I would have preferred more original music and in-depth interviews with those who inhabited Laurel Canyon back in the day. 

Still, if you are a fan of this music, it is a worthwhile look. You will probably learn something plus there is some good music. I rate this documentary a B. 

wjh

Seth Meyers - Lobby Baby

Seth Meyers is the host of the late-night talk show Late Night with Seth Meyers on NBC. He was formally the head writer and Weekend Update anchor for Saturday Night Live. He is a funny, smart, and articulate guy. I'm a fan and usually watch at least the monologue of his nightly show. 

Seth has a new comedy special on Netflix. Although he is very political and critical of Trump in his normal monologues, this special is primarily about his personal life as a husband and father of two young children. The title refers to the fact that his second child was actually born in the lobby of his apartment building. 

There is a rather short section of political jokes in the middle. The twist is that Netflix provides an on-screen button that allows you to skip the political joke segment. That way both Always Trumpers and Never Trumpers can watch and enjoy the program. 

The rest of the special primarily recounts the rather unusual circumstances surrounding the birth of Alexi and Seth's two children plus some other marital challenges. 

Seth usually presents his nightly monologue seated at a desk, Weekend Update style. I can remember when he first started hosting Late Night and did a standup monologue. He was pretty bad. Awkward, uncomfortable, and mostly lost. He has improved tremendously. He certainly doesn't command the stage like a Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, or Robin Williams (who does), but he is certainly adequate.

The material is pretty funny and self-deprecating. It is also mostly non-political. 

I rate this special a B+. Give it a look. Now streaming on Netflix. 

wjh

Goliath - Season 3

Goliath is an Amazon Prime TV series that stars Billy Bob Thornton as maverick and brilliant lawyer Billy McBride. A once big-time lawyer, he has forsaken all that and descended into an often drunken very small practice. Yet, he takes the down and out underdogs cases against the big corporate bad guys. He, of course, wins in the end against all odds. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two seasons. They are still available to watch on Amazon.  

In this third season, Billy is up against a family that controls all the water and commerce in a rural California agricultural area. Many farms, businesses, and residences have no water. The farms and businesses owned or in cahoots with the controlling family have all the water they want. 

Dennis Quad is the main bad guy for season 3. He plays Wade Blackwell, the top guy in Blackwell County. There are a few other big stars in the cast. 

The first few episodes of season three find Billy and several others in a hallucinogenic stupor fostered by Blackwell and his henchmen. These episodes were disjointed. Many characters came and went for no apparent reason. For a brilliant lawyer, Billy was extremely dumb and slow on the uptake. There was some bad, and over-acting by several of the characters. The whole script is filled with one dimensional, unbelievable, and over the top characters. 

Finally, midway through episode five, Billy figured out he was being drugged and actually began to act like a brilliant lawyer again. 

As usual, Billy won the case with some luck, investigative work, and legal maneuvering. The ending is also somewhat disjointed. It will be interesting to see if there is a fourth season and if so, how they put things back together. 

This was by far the worst of the three seasons. I can't really recommend this season, but it isn't terrible. The last three episodes are far better than the first four. 

I rate this a C overall for an uneven season.  The first two seasons are far better. 

wjh

Bedford BluesFest 2019

Another Labor Day Weekend and another Bedford Blues Festival. As usual, it did not disappoint. It was hot, but not unbearable. It is summertime in Texas. 

Saturday night we slummed it with general admission tickets. That meant watching from a blanket spread on the hill. We first checked out the craft vendors, nothing exceptional. Amazingly, no jewelry was purchased although it was checked out. We also checked out the food vendors. It is always heavily weighted to BBQ although there are some "fair food" choices too like corn dogs, funnel cakes, even fried Oreos. We stuck with Green's Texas BBQ, a local Euless food trailer and a spinoff of the famous North Main BBQ. I had a pulled pork sandwich that was fine. Nothing special with average sauce. My companion had a brisket plate with beans and potato salad. The brisket was tender, moist, and flavorful. The sides were not great. The potato salad was very bland and the beans were about like canned pork & beans. 

Then it was on to the music. We saw part of Charlie Musselwhite's set.  He is an old-time blues musician, in the Blues Hall of Fame, who sings and plays guitar and harmonica. It was a solid set by an old pro. Charlie has been at BluesFest before and hopefully, he'll come back again. 

The Saturday headliner was JJ Grey & Mofro. This band is from my hometown of

Jacksonville, FL. Their origins go back to the '90s with their first recordings in the early 2000s. JJ is the lead singer and songwriter. He also plays guitar and harmonica. They play a mixture of music, some blues, some southern rock, some soul. The band includes brass which is a change of pace at a blues festival. Many of their songs are about places I am familiar with. One song is about Lochloosa, a small town, and a lake between Ocala and Gainsville. Another was about the St. Johns River which flows right through Jacksonville. JJ has a very powerful voice and the volume was turned up to "11". Probably too loud. He also has a tendency to talk a lot between songs. Cut the volume and cut the talking and the set will be better. They were good, but not outstanding. 

Sunday we got there early because some friends we were meeting were taking part in the BBQ sample/vote event. We passed on that. BTW, Green's won the event. After some food, we migrated to our preferred seats. We were in the first five rows in front of the stage. We watched Nikki Hill's set. She was good, if not exactly the blues. She is a good singer backed by a good band. It was an energetic performance. 

The Sunday and festival headliner was Boz Scaggs. Boz grew up in Plano and attended school in Dallas where he met Steve Miller when he was around 15 years old. Boz was in good voice even hitting the falsetto notes. Of course, he had a good, tight band. He played all the hits except Look What You've Done To Me. What's with that omission? Boz did rely on some prerecorded help on the background orchestration like the horns and the backup singers on some songs. He definitely wasn't lipsyncing. He did about a five-minute version of his big hit Lowdown.  It was a very good performance. Boz still has it after all these years. 

I have been going to this festival for years and have never been disappointed. There is always plenty of good food, cold beverages, and often great music. The price is right too. 16-ounce beers are $5 or $6, food is reasonable. General admission has been $10 for the past few years. That includes eight to ten acts per day on two stages. They always manage to get a name headliner. If you missed the 2019 version, make plans for Labor Day weekend 2020. You won't be disappointed. See you there. 

wjh

The Kitchen

We went to see The Kitchen this week. It was a middle of the week matinee. We had the entire auditorium to ourselves. Apparently, this movie is no longer a hot ticket, if it ever was.

The movie stars Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elizabeth Moss as the wives of three members of the Irish mob in Hell's Kitchen. Common plays an FBI agent. The movie takes place in the '70s before much of that area got cleaned up and gentrified. The husbands get busted for an armed robbery and are sent to prison. This leaves the women without any income. The head of the Irish mob promises to take care of them, but his stipend comes up woefully short. Of course, their only solution is to go into competition with the mob.

This movie has three well-known and capable actresses heading the cast. Unfortunately, it had a below-average script. Most of the characters are pretty one dimensional. The women have a way too easy time going into business skimming clients from the Irish mob. Almost instantly, they are taking in thousands of dollars. The mob guys are slow to respond and then with mild threats. 

Before long, the women hook up with an Italian mob boss from Brooklyn. From here, the conflict with the Irish mob escalates. It becomes violent and deadly. There are several gruesome killings and lots of funerals. Despite all the killings, not once are the police around. Apparently, gunfire was a normal sound in Hell's Kitchen apartment buildings. 

My problems with the movie are the unrealistic ease which with the women become successful mobsters and the 180° personality changes of the women. They start as subservient wives and wind up as violent, tough, hardened, murdering mob bosses. This personality change is particularly noticeable in the McCarthy character. She appears to be a loving wife and mother at the start.  

There are a couple of minor surprises in the movie that I won't give away. The end of the movie gives the impression that they all live happily ever after in their new mob life. 

The movie is rated R for violence and language. I rate it a C-. It's OK as a mostly mindless girl-power shoot em up providing you don't have high expectations. 

wjh

Chromebooks

I've been a professional computer guy since the late '60s. Obviously, I have seen a ton of changes. What used to cost millions of dollars and take up thousands of square feet of air-conditioned space now fits in your pocket. I've worked or played with most iterations of these technical advances. Even though I'm now retired from the IT industry, I still play around with technology. I have a couple of laptops, a couple of tablets, numerous smartphones and smart home stuff. 

This post is about my latest technology purchase, a Chromebook. For the average home user who wants a real keyboard and a decent size screen, this is the way to go. A Chromebook looks like a standard laptop. For the most part, Chromebooks are cheaper, often faster, and simpler than a Windows or Mac PC. Software and security updates are automatic, seamless, and current. They typically have better battery life. The one I bought (on sale) was $199, has a 10-hour battery and weighs about 2¹⁄₂ lbs. Yes, a Chromebook is a niche device but all technology fits a niche. There are no devices that fit every need or everyone. The Chromebook's niche is pretty big. 

The simple explanation of a Chromebook is a laptop that only runs the Chrome browser. That was never completely accurate and it becomes less accurate as time goes by.  Chromebooks run ChromeOS instead of Windows or macOS or Linux. Because ChromeOS is a lightweight operating system, a Chromebook can provide good performance on less powerful, cheaper hardware than Microsoft or Apple. Because most of the computing happens on the web or cloud, there is also no need for a big local disk or SSD on the devices. 

Here is the bottom line question. If you fire up your PC or Mac then immediately open a browser like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or some other, then stay in that browser almost all day or session, a Chromebook may be for you. Even if you leave your internet browser on occasion to run a native Windows or Mac program, a Chromebook may still be for you. Many of those native PC or Mac programs have a web or Android app versions or equivalents. If not that, maybe a Linux program. ChromeOS can run all of those. The Linux stuff is slightly more complicated but not too daunting especially if you have a techie friend or family member to set it up. 

There are some industry-specific or niche software products that only run on Windows, macOS, or Linux but most home users don't need them.  

While I've only been using my Chromebook for a couple of weeks, I have found zero times I needed to fire up my Windows laptop to perform a task. Like most of you, I stay in the Chrome browser most of the day. I'm typing this in the Blogger web application. I have installed a couple of Android apps which ChromeOS uses by default in place of the web version. I have also turned on Linux and downloaded one app so far. That app is GIMP, mostly to test Linux and also because I have used GIMP to edit photos in the past. I suspect 95% of ChromeOS home users will never need to mess with the Linux option. 

While I can do most of my daily tasks on a phone or tablet, I also need a real keyboard. Partly because I do a fair amount of writing, like this blog, and partly because I grew up with real keyboards. First with typewriters (kids, ask your grandparents what a typewriter is), then on keypunch machines and computer consoles, then on computer terminals, later on, PCs and laptops, and finally on my new Chromebook. There are also times when a bigger screen is preferable. 

If you are in the market for a new PC, you owe it to yourself to check out Chromebooks. You may be able to get a cheaper, faster, lighter device that meets your needs. Do a little research, check with friends, run by a Best Buy and test drive one. 

wjh

After Life

After Life is the latest Ricky Gervais series available on Netflix. It is about a man who has lost his wife and not coping well with the loss. He is suicidal, stuck in a job he hates, has a father with dementia in a nursing home, and has no real friends. 

Because of his don't give a damn attitude, he has abandoned most polite behavior. He is rude to almost everyone. He has almost no filter on his mouth. He is purposely mean to those around him.

This is a very dark and downer series with an occasional funny line or situation. I found it unrealistic the amount of crap those around him put up with. His behavior would have warranted a punch in the mouth or complete avoidance. For the first four and a half episodes, Ricky is a complete ass. Then in the last episode, he does a 180° turnaround and becomes a caring and kind person with a will to live. Again, pretty unrealistic and sappy. 

None of the supporting cast really stood out although they were all competent. 

If you are expecting a hilarious Ricky Gervais comedy you will be disappointed. This is at best a black comedy with more black than comedy. 

The whole season is only six half-hour episodes so it is not a huge investment of time. Netflix has renewed the series for a second season sometime in 2020. Based on the way the first season ended, the next one should be brighter and hopefully funnier. 

I give this show a C+ rating. Not great, but not terrible either. 

wjh

Bosch - Season 5

Bosch is an Amazon Prime Video original series. Season five, 10 episodes, was released on April 19th. I have already watched all 10 episodes. It's good. 

Harry Bosch, the title character, is an LA police detective assigned to the Hollywood homicide division. He is a decorated and controversial detective and a special forces veteran who served in Afghanistan. As is expected of TV detectives, he does not always go by the book or follow all the rules. Each season concentrates on one primary crime investigation although there are other storylines, personal and criminal, going on at the same time. I love that a serious and complicated crime is not solved in the 43 actual minutes of a network TV show. The main season five crime is the murder of a corrupt pharmacist by a drug gang. A prominent side story is the attempt to overturn a 20-year-old murder conviction and simultaneously frame Bosch for planting evidence. No spoilers here. 

This series has enjoyed stellar performances by the main actors. Titus Welliver shines as Bosch, recurring characters Jamie Hector as Detective II Jerry Edgar, Harry's partner, Amy Aquino as Lieutenant II Grace Billets, Harry's immediate superior, and Lance Reddick as Chief of Police Irvin Irving, all are excellent. There are many other lesser characters, some who have been on all five seasons and several who have been in just one season. All competent and believable. Obviously, many of the bad guys don't survive for a second season or are sent to prison. 

Besides the acting, the writing is very good. This is the kind of show that you need to pay attention too. The clues are often very subtle and everything does not turn out as expected. It can be very intense.  

I have watched and enjoyed every episode. One warning, it's addictive and the writers are very skilled at ending each episode with a bit of a cliffhanger which tempts you to watch the next episode. For season five, the main storyline was mostly wrapped up in episode nine. Episode 10 opened several new storylines that can be expanded for a season six. In fact, Amazon has already confirmed that there will be a season six. Unfortunately, it probably won't be aired until April 2020. 

I highly recommend Bosch. Although each season can stand on its own, I would also recommend that you start with season one. It is helpful in understanding the relationships and history of the recurring characters. It's a complex web. The good news is that all five seasons are currently available on Amazon Prime Video and you can watch on your schedule. 

I rate season five and the entire series a solid A. Give it a try.

wjh

Goodbye AT&T

I am in the middle of changing my TV/Internet providers. I have decided to ditch AT&T U-verse for those services. I have been an AT&T customer for various services since the days of rotary phones. Over the past year, I have ditched AT&T mobile and reduced my bill by ½ to ⅔. The service and signal strength are better too. Now it's time to do the same for internet/TV. 

Out with the old

I have chosen YouTube TV streaming to replace U-verse TV. I picked Spectrum internet to replace the internet part of U-verse. My new combination will be less than ½ the cost. This is not an apples to apples comparison, some things better, some things worse. It may take a while to figure out if this was a good decision or not. I can always switch back or find another alternative. 

In with the new

YouTube TV is one of many new streaming services. It is delivered over the internet, not a dedicated cable, satellite or DSL connection. There is no special receiver and remote. While I don't get nearly as many channels, I get most of what I want. There are no infomercial or shopping channels, no dozens of fringe channels I never watched. No 75 music channels, that's what Pandora and Spotify are for. I do get my local stations, the major cable news networks, the major sports providers including Fox Sports Southwest for the Rangers games, and a few general entertainment and movie channels like TBS & TCM. 

There are a few sacrifices. None of the streaming services offer PBS, although limited PBS shows are available online. I will no longer get AXS which had great music shows/concerts. I won't be able to watch the oldies stations like TVLand, MyTV, H&I. No more Gunsmoke or 77 Sunset Strip or Mannix, or Wagon Train... That's OK, I have probably seen every episode of those shows and 100 other old series. Also, I can probably find some of this stuff on the internet, it will just be a little more difficult than switching to channel 1136. 

Some of these like PBS and MyTV are available over the air. Unfortunately, I live on the first floor of a brick three-story apartment building which is right next to another three-story building. I have yet to find an indoor digital antenna that works consistently for most of the local over the air channels. 

On the internet side, I have increased my speed by a factor of over 10 and for less money. I am also hoping that the reliability of broadband and wi-fi improves. Hopefully, the equipment is also a little more robust. I have replaced my AT&T modem/router at least three times. I have also replaced the TV receiver/DVR. Of course, each time was a battle to finally convince AT&T that the equipment was faulty. 

I guess this can be considered "cord cutting" but of course that is not completely accurate. Yes, I am ditching a traditional cable TV package for an internet streaming service. Still, we can not completely cut the cord. We need a physical connection to the internet. Maybe someday wireless internet like the coming 5G networks (or Trump's 6G) will be able to replace a physical phone line, coax, or fiber to your residence but not yet. 

YouTube TV has unlimited DVR storage in their cloud and the shows are kept for nine months. Unlimited, that means you won't fill up the physical DVR sitting by your TV. The one downside, to me, is that once you pick a show to record, it records every episode including reruns. That makes the recorded library a little unwieldy but I'll fight through it. The problem of too much rather than too little. 

There are other minor changes that mostly will just take getting used to There are no more channel numbers, just names on a scrollable list. No immediately jumping from CBS to ESPN to TCM by number on a numeric pad on the remote. Sometimes the channels take a few seconds to start, there is the ubiquitous spinning buffering icon. I'm not usually in a rush.

I still get to stream my TV channels on my phone, tablets, and PCs. Important for when I'm away from home or when I am at home and want to watch two or more sporting events at the same time. 

It's a new day with new technology and new providers. For the first time in forever, I will not be writing a monthly check or two to AT&T. Like many companies, they have taken me for granted for years. Never offering the best or even a better deal to established customers. Rarely offering good customer service. When I called to cancel my AT&T U-verse service they, of course, tried to talk me out of it. He said I had two offers on my account that I hadn't taken advantage of. They totaled about $70/month. I didn't ask what the length or terms went with these offers. The reason I hadn't taken advantage of these offers is that I had never been told about them. Typical AT&T taking established customers for granted. The only offers I ever saw were for phone upgrades and I have never bought a phone from them. 

I'll let you know if this was a mistake. For right now, everything is fine. 

wjh

The Kominsky Method

The Kominsky Method is a comedy/drama on Netflix. It stars Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin as two longtime friends who are going through life in their golden years. These two have a very loving relationship but are constantly needling each other. The difference between you and me and our best friends is these guys have some very funny writers coming up with their put-downs. 

Sandy Kominsky (Michael Douglas) is a somewhat famous acting coach. He runs an acting school with his daughter. Norman Newlander (Alan Arkin) is a very successful agent who owns his own agency. He has represented Sandy for years although he has been semi-retired for a few years. 

The other regulars are Mindy (Sarah Baker), Sandy's daughter and Lisa (Nancy Travis), a student at Sandy's acting school and his new love interest. 

There are several recurring roles including the students in the acting class. Some of the more famous recurring character actors are Danny DeVito as the guys' urologist, Ann-Margaret as a friend of Norman with ulterior motives, Lisa Edelstein as Norman's drug-addicted daughter, and Susan Sullivan as Norman's dead wife who still appears to him. All are good in their roles. 

There are also several well-known guest stars, many who play themselves. These include Patti LaBelle, Jay Leno, Elliot Gould, Corbin Bernsen, and Eddie Money. 

Sandy has had three failed marriages and Norman's wife of 40+ years dies at the end of the first episode. The second episode funeral is great. So now the two old friends need each other more than ever. Let the hijinx begin. Michael and Alan have a very good rapport as do Michael and Judy Travis. All seasoned actors who know what they are doing. The funny lines seem natural, not forced. Another bonus is that there is no laugh track. You get to decide which lines are funny. I hate laugh tracks, especially the overactive ones. 

The circumstances depicted seem mostly real too. Maybe that is because I am about the age of the principal characters. The fact that a urologist is a recurring character will give you a hint. 

I'm not sure if young folks will find the show as funny as I did, but since most of my friends are of a certain age, I have no hesitation in enthusiastically recommending The Kaminsky Method. It is funny and at times poignant. The episodes are 30 minutes so you can fit them in easily. There are eight episodes in the first season so it's only a four-hour investment. The good news is that the series has been renewed for a second season.

I rate this a solid A. Give it a try. 

wjh

Ben Is Back

This is not a comedy. The very serious, emotional Ben Is Back is about the 24-hour visit Ben (Lucas Hedges) makes back home for Christmas. Home consists of mom (Julia Roberts), sister, stepfather, and two young half-siblings. Ben is a drug addict currently in a rehab center. Let the fun begin. 

Ben is welcomed with open arms by Holly, his mom, and young half sister and half brother. Not so much by his sister and stepfather, who don't believe Ben has kicked the addiction or the bad behavior associated with it. More details of Ben's past life are revealed during the movie. It's not pretty. Mom is just happy to have her son and first born home for the holiday. His sister has lived through his addiction and lies. The little kids haven't seen Ben as an addict and his relapses. His stepfather doesn't trust Ben and is tired of the drama and probably the rehab expenses.

The family members come to an agreement that Ben can stay for Christmas but then must go back to the rehab center. The rule is he can not be out of his mother's sight for the duration. 

As you may guess, there are complications. Mostly minor at first but it spirals into more and more serious circumstances. It winds up with Ben and Holly on a dangerous chase to find the family's kidnapped dog. The kidnapping a result of Ben's past life.

By the end of the movie, I think Holly is just as sick as Ben. His past addicted life has taken just as big a toll on her as it has on him. Crazy behavior on both parts. 

The story did not play out as I first expected. It ends with no real resolution. Not an uplifting film.

This is definitely a two person movie. Julia and Lucas dominate the story and the screen time. They both do an outstanding job. The rest of the cast is barely needed although they do a fine job. 

This was not my favorite movie. If you are a Julia Roberts fan, you will get to see a lot of her doing a very intense part. Lucas again plays a troubled youth as he did in Manchester by the Sea.

I'm going to rate this a B-. Good acting, Not an enjoyable story. 

wjh

Star in the Dust

I watched another old movie on Encore Westerns the other night. Seems that they have added a new bunch of old movies recently. They have added some Hopalong Cassidy classics. Those are pretty bad movies but still fun to watch. This movie, Star in the Dust, from 1956 caught my eye because it starred Richard Boone and a young Mamie Van Doren.  

The story was a gunman hired by the cattlemen had been convicted of killing a farmer. The cattlemen wanted to bust him out of jail and the farmers wanted to lynch him. The old sodbusters vs the cattlemen story. The local sheriff was hellbent on carrying out the sentence exactly according to the law. Not a minute early.

Richard Boone was the bad guy which was pretty much his movie career. He spent almost all of the movie in a jail cell and still managed to overact. John Agar was the moral law abiding sheriff. Mamie was the sheriff's love interest but her father was the rich banker on the side of the cattle interests. That caused conflicts and mistrust in the relationship. 

It's not much of a movie and to be honest, I didn't pay very close attention to the plot twists and the character relationships. 

There were no outstanding acting performances and the plot was one that was recycled many times. They even had a town minstrel who told the story with a song, a pretty bad song. Coleen Gray did the heavy lifting for the female part. Mamie wasn't called on to do much acting, she was there for her other assets. John Agar, who played the sheriff, was adequate as the star. He is more famous for being married to Shirley Temple. 

What I did notice is that several future TV stars were in the movie. Of course, Richard Boone was a big star for several seasons when he played Paladin on Have Gun Will Travel. Mamie's father/banker was played by Leif Erickson who went on to star in High Chaparral. Harry Morgan was a leader of the cattlemen. He achieved TV fame as Col. Sherman Potter in M*A*S*H. Paul Fix played one of the deputies. He later became Marshal Micah Torrance on The Rifleman.  

As usual with these movies, good triumphed over evil. The real bad guys, Boone and Erickson, wound up dead. The good farmers got justice over the evil cattlemen. The good sheriff, Agar, got the girl, Van Doren. The minstrel closed the movie with the ending verse to his song. 

Most old western movies are pretty corny and predictable but still fun to watch. You get to see many future stars when they were young and not necessarily very good. 

wjh