While I was at work on Sunday November 27, 2022, I was informed while having a conversation with my wife on the phone, that my in-laws had tested positive for Covid.  When  I came home from work I took one of those Covid home tests from CVS and it came out positive. I took it twice just to make sure. It was positive twice. That meant a mandatory vacation from my work.

This meant an opportunity to pray, read, and write more. But being too tired from my slight symptoms I ended up trying to sleep but not being successful, eating a bit including actually getting takeout for a change. I also ended up just watching a lot of movies and TV shows. And so I will share what I watched in no particular order.

Note that the above comments about sharing what I watched during my Covid vacation was not scrupulously accurate.  A  few shows have been left out and some I watched slightly before or after lockdown. Give or take several days. But you get the general gist and time line of what I’m writing about.

WARNING: If you click on a video to see more, SPOILERS

1899

CONTENT WARNING: Some Language and Sexulity

A boat bound for America from Europe in the year 1899 (didn’t see that one coming did you) showcases characters with mysterious pasts, experiencing strange mysterious things in the middle of the ocean, in sometimes incredibly horrifyingly mysterious ways.  It was made by the same German filmmakers who brought us the trippy time traveling Dark. You won’t find out the real secret of mystery till close to the last episode. Unlike the show La Brea (a frequent show I watch) it is not predictable and you won’t see what is coming.

Wednesday

CONTENT WARNING: Violence, Some Language and Spiritually questionable activity

Wednesday stars the very talented Jenna Ortega as the comedic character Wednesday Addams in a series revolving on this particular character from The Addams Family franchise. She carries the show with her very accurate portrayal of the emotionless, talented, creepy, kooky and goth girl sent to the boarding school her parents went to called Nevermore Academy. The show is very Harry Potter esc. complete with mysteries, secret passages, monsters, misdirection, teen angst, romance, comedy and an ending you won’t necessary figure out till all the clues come together at the end.

Gomez, Morticia, Lurch, and Pugsley all make an appearance. There is also an episode where Uncle Fester plays a prominent role and the disembodied hand called Thing is the co-star in this YA supernatural mystery. The only real complaint is that Luis Guzmán as Gomez doesn’t really work as the character. Otherwise the old familiar characters and the new ones are worth solving a mystery with.

After watching the show I watched the Original Addams Family movie from 1991 which I had never seen before. It wasn’t nearly half as interesting as this new series. The macabre dark humor just didn’t work for me, although it was fun watching Christopher Lloyd in the role of Fester. Interestingly Christina Ricci who played Wednesday in that movie plays a pivotal role in this new series.  Forgotten colorful fantasy director Tim Burton directs half the episodes.

Willow: Movie , Episodes 1 & 2

Willow the movie and its follow up TV series are standard fantasy films. You have a small hero, wacky sidekicks, an entourage of folks on a quest, an evil villain, secret identities, a big reveal and a prophecy. Willow was not as lavish and good looking as Rings of Power, but it was less boring and overall more interesting. Seeing Warwick Davis again doing his thing as the great nobody turned somewhat of a wizard is still amusing. Only real complaint is why can’t two woman princesses just be friends. Looking forward to seeing the wacky brownies again in an upcoming episode, if I choose to keep watching. Val Kilmer is sadly missing from the sequal.

 Elvis

‘That’s Tom Hanks!!!’, my wife said as I pointed out to her who the very overweight man named Col. Tom Parker was, as we watched the Elvis bio movie. This is another film showcasing the very grand acting talent of Tom Hanks. Elvis grabs you by the shoulders from the time the logo pops up till the final credits start to role. The editing, cinematography and acting really brings you into the tragic life of a man thrust into the spotlight and and who was  taken advantage of for the purposes of greed. Elvis demonstrates with crystal clear clarity the price of fame has on a soul. Elvis Presley still had gospel in his soul but it was choked by the price of fame and glory.

The film also showcases the reality of racism in the south. I learned that Elvis’s songs were so influenced by black music that some authorities thought that segregation laws were being broken just by being played on the radio where white folks could hear it. Interestingly Elvis grew up around black folks as he lived in an all black neighborhood. He had no racism in him at all and was an example and role model of how not to judge and mistreat others because someone is looks and is culturally different then you are.

 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

CONTENT WARNING: Non-Graphic Sexulaity and some Language.

Star Trek continues to produce exciting new offshoots of the decades old franchise. SNW continues the ST tradition of giving us old and familiar, fresh and interesting characters in new and familiar ST style adventures. I enjoyed seeing Captain Christopher Pike in action along side new renditions of Spock and Uhura.  It revised some old ST lore and villains and did a little time traveling to an original past ST  episode in which we get to experience the joy of seeing James T. Kirk alive on screen again. But in my opinion  the guy they got to play Kirk was so far removed from William Shatner it was just cringe worthy to watch him. They could have deaged Shatner  or got Chris Pine to redo it. The new guy really didn’t feel like Kirk to me. Other then that ill casting choice it was a fun series to watch.

Star Trek: Picard Season 1

CONTENT WARNING: Vigilante Violence, Off-Screen Sexulaity and some Language.

I’ve seen some rather negative reviews about this ST update with the great legendary Captain Jean-Luc Picard but I wanted to watch it anyway.  Like ST: SNW, ST Picard did not disappoint. Patrick Stewart puts on the role of one of ST’s greatest captains with familiar  ease . We also get to see some familiar faces such as Troy, Riker, Data and most interestingly 7 of 9 as well as some recovering borg and pesky Romulans.  Unlike other Trek series there are not one off episodes but one continuous storyline about Picard trying to save the universe. Their are great new characters including non-living persons including a ship full of Emergency Holograms. It’s a fun engaging series.

R.I.P.D 1 & 2

CONTENT WARNING: Language and some comic book violence

R.I.P.D has no deeper meaning  in it’s cinematic theology then to provide a story that gives Ryan Reynolds a chance to interact with Jeff Bridges in hilarious situations. They both play lawman who have died and are sent to earth to collect the souls of those who have escaped Judgement called Deados. We they are sent to earth looking different then their original forms. RR as a old chinese man and JB as a hot looking blonde. It provides a constant running gag throughout the film. The other great selling point of the first film is that the main villain is the legendary Kevin Bacon.

The prequal sequel follows Jeff Bridges character played by some other guy in the time he first died in the old west back  in the 1800’s.  In this all right movie, Roicephus “Roy” Pulsipher teams up with Joan of Arc to stop the damned from destroying the earth. Joan’s special weapon includes the tears of Christ. Again the movies are amusing and entertaining but offer nothing more then some laughs. For a deeper thoughtful exploration of philosophical themes and afterlife humor seek out The Good Life.

Smile

CONTENT WARNING: Language and Violence

Smile is a Ring inspired horror movie in which a person witnesses a person committing suicide while smiling. They then experience visions of a smiling demon in the form of friends and family doing weird things that slowly drives them mad. If you like intense horror movies that will leave you smiling, this is that movie.

Barbarian

CONTENT WARNING: Language and Violence

This is a horror movie that if you walk into without knowing what the heck is going on, you will not figure out what the heck is going on. At the end of the first act when it transitions from dark and dreary to bright and sunny, you will wonder if your watching the same movie. Not sure how I feel about he ending but the movie features a likable protagonist and an unlikable one. One character dies in a way that if I described it, you would think the movie was a comedy and it is isn’t. Barbarian is an example of very unpredictable film making.

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

CONTENT WARNING: Some language.

If watching R.I.P.D didn’t give you enough Kevin Bacon, this one-off Marvel special will . Not only does it give us  more of   Chris Pratt and the Guardians it gives us  another new  Christmas special to add to your list of all ready holiday favorites. The main story involves Drax and Mantis going to earth to get Peter Quill the perfect Christmas present. Which involves kidnapping Kevin Bacon and bringing him to a galaxy far way.  Kevin Bacon is not just a idea or concept of the show, he is a main character in it. This under an hour special showcases why Kevin Bacon is the actor of our time.

A Christmas Story Story

This sequel featuring the original kid from the original movie is a bland movie in which the only appeal is the nostalgia in seeing the characters from the original all grown up. It’s not bad or terrible per say accept that nothing happens in this film that is memorable or worth talking about once the credits role. A very big disappointment.

Spirited

CONTENT WARNING: Some Language, offscreen sex and Unchristian Spirituality catered to the plot.

Just when you thought you couldn’t put another spin on Dickens classic along comes this musical comedic adaptation of A Christmas Carol with Will Ferrell (Elf) and Ryan Reynolds (R.I.P.D.) in a fun unpredictable new Christmas movie. Only thing that was hard to believe is Will Ferrell’s romance with Octavia Spencer. I didn’t see the two of them having any real chemistry. Otherwise a fun movie that had touches of the film ‘Chasing Christmas’.

That’s what I watched while I was home with Covid.

Good Afternoon.