Easy does it in this absorbing Netflix series

I'm not in the habit of binge-watching Netflix series. In fact I can only remember one I've done before, Catastrophe (see Sept. 22 2023 post), which apparently was only available in the UK, where I was travelling at the time. Last week I found an equally engrossing one, Easy.  Created and directed by Joe Swanberg, the three season series tells the stories of a myriad cast of characters, pretty much all of a certain age (Millennials) and proclivities (creative). Some were based on Swanberg's friends and circles he no doubt runs in.  Some are recurring between episodes or show up in others' stories or obliquely in entirely different plots or episodes. All are bright, articulate, introspective, liberal, open-minded and in many ways self-obsessed. Does the word narcissism come to mind? Many are couples. Seemingly every episode pivots around conflict, either within themselves or others related to love, friendship, lifestyle or career. The scenarios can be dramatic or humorous or both. Some specific storylines revolve around sexuality, passively-aggressively interacting with one another, insensitively undermining someone's psyche. Even more pedestrian storylines but ones deliciously told such as a teenager giving her church-going parents a lesson in humility, or neighbors trying to chase down a porch pirate.  Storylines can border on the wild and transgressive, such as when a techie at a closed circuit camera shop plays PI and finds himself in a BDSM party. Some of the more prominent recurring characters are Andi (Elizabeth Reaser) and Kyle (Michael Chernus), who experiment with an open marriage with varying results. Or Jacob (Marc Maron), an intense older graphic novelist who exploits personal relationships for his art. I found every one of these 25 episodes absorbing. The stories take place in Chicago, with hip restaurants, bars and coffee houses serving as backdrops. These actors, none of whom were familiar to me, are stunningly good, the scenes and writing flawless. I did look up one of the most memorable characters, Jane Adams as Annabelle Jones. Turns out she played Dr. Mel Karnofsky on Frasier; age and lifestyle have much changed her.  

Oscars - no; three great movies - yes

As per not my want I didn't watch the Academy Awards. I never do, nor do I even look forward to them and this year read nothing about the nominations. I was so turned off or bored with most of what was on offer I  had no interest. And when I saw Anora winning as predicted - it's hard to miss a headline - I almost felt physically sick. (See my Dec. 30 post). Instead I spent the evening watching old, and well, classic films, that showcased good stories and good acting. The first was It's My Turn (Claudia Weill, 1980) with Jill Clayburgh and Michael Douglas. Clayburgh, in her prime, stars as Kate, a college mathematician at odds with the man in her life, Homer, played by the irascible Charles Grodin, and meets ex-pro ball player Ben (Michael

Douglas). It was refreshing to see Clayburgh again. What struck me is her charisma of cuteness undercut by the seriousness of the "nobody's fool" variety. Douglas, dark black hair and beard, looked very young.....The next film was Frankie and Johnny (Garry Marshall 1991) with Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino, based on the Terrance McNally play. Wow, can these two act!  Pfeiffer and Pacino are effortless in this push-pull romance with Frankie's (Pfeiffer) simmering and outright doubt to Johnny's engrossing honesty. I kept thinking: Pacino, an actor's actor, the Method School, etc. And Pfeiffer ain't so bad herself......The third film (part of Criterion Channel's New York

Love Stories) was Carol (Todd Haynes 2015). I forgot I'd never seen this when it came out and Cate Blanchett as the title character is currently my fave actress. Based on a Patricia Highsmith novel - so you know there's something to it - the film is about an illicit and smoldering attraction in the early 1950s. Blanchett plays opposite Rooney Mara as Therese. This slow-paced and nuanced drama is just right, underlined by Carter Burwell's melancholy score.