The Red/Champagne Carpet Is Rolled Up

If you missed The Oscars, here’s the condensed version: the champagne carpet got dirty and washed the stars out (they all looked a weird color); “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” and “All Quiet on the Western Front” won essentially everything; everyone agreed Tom Cruise saved the movie industry with “Top Gun: Maverick.” Almost all nominated films are streaming. Most are almost three hours long, so you may want to view in several sections.

The Lookout Mountain Club hosted such a fun Red Carpet and Oscar viewing party. My fearless “fact checker” Mary Evans and I had the best time. I’m crossing my fingers that LMC does that again next year, and I hope many of you will join Mary and me.

I loved the acceptance speech by Ke Huy Quan from “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.” Quan was a child actor who left the business and returned right before this movie. I also loved Jamie Lee Curtis’s speech because she thanked all the fans (me!) of horror movies who stayed with her films all those years.

I saw three films in theaters this month. “Champions” stars Woody Harrelson as a fired college coach who is assigned community service; he must coach a Special Olympics basketball team. (If you’ve never attended a Special Olympics event, you should). It’s a sweet, endearing story.

I’ve been a Rocky fan since the original film. My daddy took me to the one theater in Montgomery and he wept. I had never seen him cry. I was hooked. I’ve never missed a Rocky sequel, so of course I LOVED “Creed 3.” Like all Rocky movies, there is a great redemption and forgiveness storyline. Another franchise I’ve never missed a sequel from is the “Scream” series, but unless you’re a major fan of the series, just stream it later.

It is always interesting to me which streaming service has the best content. In March, I’d say it was a tie between Amazon Prime and Apple TV.

Amazon

• “Daisy Jones and The Six” This series is based on the Taylor Jenkins Reid novel that I read in one day. I loved both the book and this series so much I cannot find the adjectives to express my utter fandom. Yes, there is drug use, addiction, and some adult content, so you are warned. I had not cried after my mother’s death as I shed many tears four years ago, but the final episode of this series had me weeping. It was cathartic, and I was reminded I am not alone in parts of my story. Elvis’s granddaughter Riley Keough stars as Daisy, and Sam Claflin (made famous by “Hunger Games” series) stars as Billy Dunne. They are perfection.
• The next two shows I watched were a bit heavy, so I added a comedy show after each - a practice I highly recommend. I call it the “comedy chaser.”
• “Alice Darling” This film stars Anna Kendrick as a smart woman in an abusive relationship. Her friends read the red flags and encourage her to leave her boyfriend. This is such a good lesson in watching out for our loved ones and being willing to step in when necessary. My “comedy chaser” after this was my favorite comedian Nate Berghatze (a Tennessee man!) in his “Hello World” special. Not a single swear word!
• “Jared from Subway: Catching a Monster” This three-part docuseries covers the rise to fame of Jared Fogle, the man who famously lost 150 pounds while eating at Subway. He started a program to “educate kids on healthy eating” while he was actually a sexual predator.

Apple TV

• “Ted Lasso” Season three is up and running! How I wish I could convince the editors and writers to remove some of the language because it is the sweetest show.
• “Dear Edward” Based on the fabulous novel, this series follows the sole survivor of a plane crash. Eleven-year-old Eddie moves in with his aunt and uncle who he barely knows to start life over as Edward. The team behind “Friday Night Lights” (best TV show ever - I’ll never stop saying that) produced this one, and yes, Connie Britton is a lead, as is Taylor Schilling from “Orange is the New Black.” I love this series, which may have a season two.
• “Truth Be Told” Please watch this season of this spectacular show. It’s in season three now but you do not need to watch the first two seasons. This season podcast investigator Poppy (uber talented Octavia Spencer) tackles sex trafficking. Everyone has probably heard the statistic that the United States is the country with the most trafficking. Called “Romeo Trafficking,” young girls are lured in by someone who becomes their boyfriend and overwhelms them with gifts and attention and ultimately gets them to a party where they are passed around and taken away by someone else. This is an important season, and I would even recommend watching it with your older teens.

Netflix

• “The Best Beer Run Ever” Based on a true story starring Zac Efron and Russell Crowe, Chickie Donahue (Efron) decides to transport beer to all his friends who are fighting in Vietnam. I was scared this was going to be an anti-American story, but it is a story of love, sacrifice for country and finding your story.
• My next two loves only apply to my fellow thriller/horror fans. “The Glory” is the story of a horrifically bullied high schooler who plots revenge on her tormentors. The other thriller I liked was “The Strays.” This film has seriously the most surprising ending I have ever seen. It’s the story of a mother whose life begins to unravel as her past catches up to her.

Paramount

• “The Visitor” This is another thriller about a couple that moves into the wife’s childhood home and discovers her husband is mysteriously in paintings that are decades old.

Hulu

• “Alaska Daily” You can now stream the entire first season of this superb newspaper mystery solving show. The superb cast is led by Hilary Swank.
• “Accused” This series follows a different case each week. If you’re a courtroom drama fan, this is for you.
• “Ritual Killer” This thriller stars Morgan Freeman as a detective about to retire when he is handed a case of murders being committed using a black magic known as muti.
• “Lullaby” This is a straight up, old school horror movie by the “Annabelle” team. A set of new parents accidentally open an evil spirit in their home through an ancient lullaby.
• “Boston Strangler” This is an excellent film chronicling the women who would not stop investigating the Boston Strangler even though women were not allowed often in investigative reporting. Kiera Knightly and Carrie Coon are superb.

And because I had four surgeries in 10 months, each recovery gets a pass on a “pure trash but can’t look away” show. This last one was “Southern Charm Savannah.”
Until next month, pass the popcorn please …