TV programs, Movies, and Books that Exceeded my Expectations this Year

This has certainly been a year for the unexpected. Let me repeat that. This has certainly been a year for the UNEXPECTED.

Without mentioning the obvious, I would like to share with you a few things that exceeded my expectations (which was unexpected – there’s the tie-in).

Back in January my husband and I were listening to NPR one morning and heard an interview with actor Patrick Stewart, who is definitely my favorite captain of the “Star Trek” franchise. He was discussing his new series that was soon to be released on CBS All Access (the subscription channel). We later saw him talking about it again on one of our favorite British talk shows, “Graham Norton.” My husband warned I might not like the series because it was probably going to be rather “dark.” Still, I was willing to give it a chance. We decided to wait and subscribe for a one month trial in April after we returned from our holiday in Australia.

I have to admit the first few episodes started out a little slow, as we were warned by the critics, but if you stick with it, it gets better, and they were right. One by one a few well-known faces from the past popped up (incl my favorite starship therapist, Deanna Troi from STNG). You’ll reel me in each time with that gimmick. By the time the last episode aired I was raring for more, but will have to wait, and I eagerly anticipate its return (maybe in 2021?).

Then this summer I decided to read, after much encouragement from my uncle and sister who had read it first, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. What finally drew me in was the description that this book was about a man who was also living in a lock-down situation and about his interactions with the staff of the hotel where he resided.

In a way it reminded me a little of the childrens’ book series about little Madeleine who lives in a hotel in Paris I believe. It’s definitely not Doctor Zhivago. Although the Count did indeed reside at the hotel and the staff kept tabs on him. He could still move about the hotel freely, so it’s not like he was being held prisoner in his room. It was his many interactions with fellow (child) resident Nina (and later her daughter who he raised) that were so fascinating as he shared his many insights about the world with her, "By broadening your horizons,” he ventured, “what I meant is that education will give you a sense of the world’s scope, of its wonders, of its many and varied ways of life.”

Nina disagreed and thought that travel would still achieve the same end.

It’s a long novel divided into five books that each chronicle a different period of his life, each chapter as interesting and insightful as the previous, and there’s a nice little twist at the end, so I enjoyed that as well.

My mom kept asking me if I was done with it yet. As I am only a casual reader that usually just savors a chapter or two at bedtime, it took me at least a month to read it, but I enjoyed every page. In fact, since I praised the book so highly, my husband decided to read it too, and also thought it was an excellent recommendation (he was most amused by the antics of the Count’s adopted teenage daughter as she occasionally got into a bit of mischief at the hotel).

My sister recommended the movie “La La Land,” but what put me off was the trailer and movie posters showing Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling dancing under the stars in a sort of homage to the golden days of Hollywood musicals. I wasn’t sure I really fancied a fru-fru musical of that sort, but it turned out to be nothing of the sort, and the musical choices were nothing short of inspired (might even buy the soundtrack). I also loved the set design (colorful, interesting and also a bit retro). However, the story is the best part and incredibly realistic in how relationships often turn out. The montage at the end was my sister’s favorite part, and I have to agree. If that’s not enough to lure you, maybe you’re a fan of John Legend who has more than ample screen time. Also, if you’re a fan of Jazz, you’ll get a nice little fix of that too.

The other movie that surprised me by the lasting effect it had on me was George Lucas’ “American Graffiti.” This is like a little slice of “Happy Days” mixed with “Grease.” This is the movie that gave a lot of Hollywood actors their start as it’s a Who’s Who of actors that rose up among the ranks – Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Mackenzie Phillips, and Wolfman Jack to name a few.

It’s the night before some of these high school graduates set off to go their separate ways in the world – some to college, some to the military, or some to stay in town and work at their family’s business. It’s a Friday night, they’re young, they have sexy sports cars/hot rods, and all night to drive around town cramming in one last night of fun.

I especially liked the scenes with Mackenzie Phillips (Carol) as Paul Le Mat’s (John) 12 year old companion for the evening after he asked a car full of pretty teenage girls if any of them wanted to ride around with him that evening. They ended up pushing out their young tag-along, Carol who manages to convince John to let her ride around with him all night.

Then there were scenes with Ron Howard and Cindy Williams discussing their future and Ron Howard’s character deciding that maybe they should see other people when they go away to college. Of course this pair later goes on to become Richie Cunningham and Lori Beth, his future wife on “Happy Days.”

Harrison Ford also had a bright future ahead of him as Hans Solo in all the “Star Wars” films.

Part of the reason this movie resonated with me so much was simply the nostalgia factor of putting yourself in their shoes if this was your last night in town and you wanted to spend it having fun with your friends driving around all night. I am envious that I never had an evening like that (ah, but the 80s were different times).

I also enjoyed spotting so many familiar, much younger faces, though I felt a little sad about a few members of the cast who are no longer among us, but overall the movie was a joyous experience with a terrific retro soundtrack.

I can’t wait to see what else in pop culture surprises me this year.