Lady Bird (2017)

This was another excellent, simple film.
First of all, it was very realistic, with a house that looks like it could belong to my neighbor's.
Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson (Saiorse Ronan) is a colorful character. She goes to a Catholic school as her brother (Jordan Rodrigues) saw someone get stabbed at the public one. She is sassy and smart-mouthed and fights constantly with her mother, Marion (the great Laurie Metcalf). Her grades are only mediocre and she doesn't really have any extracurricular activities though she does join the theater, more or less because of a boy, Danny O'Neill (Lucas Hedges). Her friend, Julie (Beanie Feldstein) also joins. She dates two boys throughout the year and neither completes her. Danny turns out to be gay, which explains why he didn't touch her boobs, as all boys want to touch breasts and don't let them fool you. Kyle (Timothee Chalamet) is a liar and anti-government. He lies to her about being a virgin, which is a total dick move and one that has been done to me. They do it to trick you to get the information they want. And when the jerk picks her up for prom, he doesn't even meet her at the door, and she deserves better. But both are interesting characters.
Lady Bird wants to go college in New York but she shops at a thrift store, something that you don't see too often. Her family is middle class, a forgotten economic class in films. This is without a doubt, a film I could watch over and over again and its funny but also painfully sad and realistic.
The acting is excellent and the scenery visceral. Greta Gerwig might be a good actress but she's a better screenwriter and director. Grade: A-

Wonder (2017)

This was a good film for the whole family.
Auggie (Jacob Tremblay) is a little boy with a big heart but an unnamed genetic disease. He's had twenty-seven surgeries in his short life and it has still left him with a facial deformity. The film revolves around his first year in actual school. Before that, his devoted mother (Julia Roberts) home-schooled him.
Needless to say, it is not the easiest transition. Sure, Auggie is smart but the other kids range from curious to shallow to insensitive. But they are children, who are only as good as they can be. The scene, toward to the end of the film with young Julian's (Bryce Gheisar) parents is a true eye opener. For the record, money isn't everything.
But the film is about more than Auggie, it's also about his somewhat neglected older sister Via (Izabela Vidovic). She's also very smart and talented, but her needs are second by a large amount to whatever Auggie needs. Still, she loves him so much but wishes that she would get more attention from her parents and who can blame her.
Yes, Auggie makes it through the school year, making both friends and enemies along the way, and grows stronger because of it. Via also branches out in different ways.
The performances are very strong especially since most of them are from children. Each child is well-developed and has a distinct personality, and the parents are also great. Roberts and Owen Wilson are believable and touching as the parents. Daveed Diggs is memorable as the main teacher who won't let Auggie out of his classroom photo. Jacob Tremblay truly is a wonder.
I like happy, memorable endings and this ends with a great quote: Be kind as you have no idea what everyone goes through each day. Being kind to all is never bad advice especially in a world as troubled as ours. Grade: A-

The Middle: Eyes Wide Open

You would think that loading a dishwasher would be common sense, but you haven't met Axl (Charlie McDermott). He is clueless when it comes to that sort of thing, and Mike (Neil Flynn) isn't much better. Frankie (Patricia Heaton) is sick of this. For every sock he leaves lying around, she's going to leave a bra.
Sick of dealing with his parents, Axl drives all the up to Chicago to visit Hutch (Alphonso McAuley) who actually has a real job and is making a good living as his apartment is nicer than mine. He also completely an adult, using coasters and vacuuming up the crumbs Axl leaves behind instantly. Axl can't stand that, but tries to lie his way through the apartment mixer saying that he is a former professional diver but didn't win any medals. However, he realizes that he is sick of lying to everyone so he reveals the truth about himself and at least Hutch gives him props, but won't admit that he's not Beyonce's cousin.
Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is too busy reading to realize that the bus has left, but on the bright side, he runs into a new girl named Lila (Brenna D'Amico) and is thrilled as she hasn't met anyone else yet. So he goes through great lengths to win her over including writing out a script, which fails because Frankie forgets her line the moment she answers the door.
But she's great and they get along fine. And when she starts school, Brick sticks to her like glue as he doesn't want her to meet anyone else, even lies to her and says that are no clubs and that is just weird. However, she does receive two notes, that are threatening. Brick isn't upset as they are from Cindy and that means Cindy still wants him. Even though Lila is wonderful and normal, she's also too much work. With Cindy, things just clicked. He realizes that he should have never let her go, which is the truth. That being said, I do think we'll see Lila again.
As for Sue (Eden Sher), she looks pretty good without sleep. Excited about having a weekend alone, she catches up on some classic films, including Silence of the Lambs, which causes her to have nightmares and Brad (J. Brock Ciarlelli) is no help, as they soon burst into a sing-a-long. It isn't until Mike drives all the way up and swaddles her like she's a baby and tells her about the monotony of his day at the quarry. But it works. And Sue will eventually be able to function by herself, I have complete faith in her.
And then Axl returns home and finally decides to be a grown up. He's cut his golden locks and finally looks cute again. He is also finally going to really start looking for a grown-up job. It's about darn time.
Side Notes:
-Sue is apparently with Aidan. I hope she's happy.
-Brad is going to Spencer's to buy wigs with his mom and Xanadu is his second favorite Olivia Newton-John movie.
-Rio is where the Olympics were held, Axl. It's not just a movie.
-Brick wants a girl to become completely dependent on him. Until he realizes that his words sound really bad.
-I wonder what it will be like when Axl can finally get his own place.
-Ants are not good pets.
-I love how when Sue tries to find ways to sleep better and the first one on the list is turn off all electronics so she turns off her phone without reading the rest.

The Middle: Thanksgiving IX

I always love Thanksgiving episodes for the Heck family and this one was no exception.
Here, we have Frankie (Patricia Heaton) actually cooking in the oven, pulling the far too burnt quilt out of the oven to bake her double marshmallow baked sweet potatoes.
Mike calls up the credit card company over a five dollar charge which turns out to be legit as she wanted some fancy coffee.
In the meantime, Edwin (Jimmy Bellinger) is back and can't decide who to fire as all three Hecks are now working there and one of them must go. Which leads to an awkward road trip. Typical arguments ensue and Mike (Neil Flynn) decides that Brick (Atticus Shaffer) should be the one to go, even Axl (Charlie McDermott) doesn't store the sour cream properly. And Mike decides to be nice and pay the ridiculously low toll for the car behind them and that car doesn't even acknowledge that gesture.
Then they run out of gas and the card isn't working, and no one has any cash. So Sue (Eden Sher), Brick and Axl walk down to the wall and beg the Spudsys guy to spot them some money which doesn't happen. Somehow Axl gets the trivia question right of revealing the ingredients of the secret sauce and they get the some amount in the tip jar and then stole from the mall fountain. Which means that they are back on the road, moving forward. They again pass the car whose toll they paid but are flicked off.
And then they run into a traffic jam. By this time, they are pissed off at humanity and Frankie calls it. They are never going to make it to her sister's in time so she whips out the sweet potato casserole and then others join her with their offerings.
Even the mom from the other car offers cranberry sauce and Frankie learns the real reason they were rude. Turns out they thought the Hecks were shady following them around and turns out, the toll booth clerk pocketed the extra money so the other car paid their own toll. They were just like the Hecks and had given up their faith in humanity. Fortunately, it is all restored as they have a tailgate Thanksgiving.
Given how bad the highway can get backed up after an accident, this tailgate doesn't surprise me. The only time I was backed up on an interstate, people do come out of their vehicles and talk to each other, offer others what food they have in their vehicles. Frankie said it best, there is a lot wrong with society but also a lot right with it.
By the way, Brick wins the wishbone contest but lets Sue keep the job as it means to her than to him and he licks the potatoes, which is beyond disgusting.
Again, this was a solid episode, though not my favorite Thanksgiving episode, this one was still solid and drove home a great message. This show will surely be missed. Solid performances and great plot lines and twists. When Frankie got out of the car, I thought she was going to tell off the other family but instead she dives into the casserole. I love when the unexpected happens. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Frankie needs the warm quilt from the oven to help her neck, from sleeping on a thirty year old pillow. Mike retorts with a fifty-year-old neck and Frankie tells him to slow down as they have a long way to go.
-Edwin apparently does a great impression of the mall janitor.
-Brick would be able to see over the counter if Axl stopped moving the step stool.
-Brick has a horrible lead foot so much so that Mike sees his life flash before his eyes.
-Brick has no shame in taking thirty bucks from his dad's wallet just to pay Cindy (Casey Burke) to get back together with him.
-Axl is a child when he's with his parents and this child wants chips and a cold beer.

The Middle: The Set-Up

Pat Spence (Marsha Mason), Frankie's (Patricia Heaton's) mother didn't have a stroke but is still under the weather. So she's staying with the Hecks. And Frankie is  trying to make things alright for her. But Pat can certainly be annoying, over explaining everything. She prefers damp paper towels over washcloths. It also has to be her preferred brand. And she assures Frankie that she would never slip on the floors in the Heck house because they're too sticky. Frankie yells but nothing matters. Pat cries that she is such a burden but Frankie assures that it is a privilege, which is what Pat said back when she was taking care of baby Sue twenty years ago. They've reached full circle.
Back at college, Sue (Eden Sher) and Sean (Beau Wirick) are having pizza together as friends, and Sue blows it, incorrectly finishing his sentence, so now they are setting each other up on dates. Which goes oddly. Sue's pick is someone from her econ class who checks off all of Sean's boxes, but he just isn't feeling it. Sean decides to take a chance, (Brad would be proud) and decides that he will be Sue's date, but instead, Sue answers the door stands the food delivery guy. He (Jackson White) was supposed to bring food to Lexie (Daniela Bobadilla) so they go on a picnic and it goes pretty well, surprisingly. To me, he's nothing special (I don't care that he's in a band), but Sue's happy, confused but happy. She feels bad for Sean's friend though and hopes he isn't disappointed. Sean sighs and states that he's used to it.
Now, I'm certainly alone here, but I don't ship Sue and Sean. I was team Sue and Darrin (John Gammon) for three years and that failed badly and we haven't seen Darrin since. Sue has already dated one of Axl's (Charlie McDermott's) friends so I'm over it. She needs to find someone else. However, Sean also needs to find someone great. And he shouldn't be used to disappointment; he's in medical school and his mom is Nancy Donahue (Jen Ray). But I know that they will end up together and no, I won't be terribly upset, I'm just not particularily rooting for them to get together.
Now, Axl and Brick's (Atticus Shaffer's) plot is a toss away. They can't stand Mike's snoring (he's staying in Sue's room because of Pat) so they discuss what the heck he does all day at the quarry and oversleep in the Winnebago. And he's responsible for children.
So he drives the kids to school in his house and gets fired. Which makes sense. Hopefully he'll finally put his college degree to use.
While this wasn't a great episode, it was still completely solid and featured some great guest performances, which is always welcome. We'll see what happens with Sue and Sean. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Sean is polite even to cadavers.
-Pat saw Hamilton in Fort Wayne and didn't catch a single word.
-Lucy's apparently a genius now, as she made a rocket fly twenty feet.
-Brad (J. Brock Ciarlelli) loves Mamma Mia.
-Pat's generation keeps their appointments.
-Sean is so cute his patient could sit there all day, and she (Eve Brenner) has a wallet full of granddaughters.
-Frankie needs the brand name soap as she hasn't showered for four days.
-What happened to the rest of Aidan's deliveries?
-Mike is reading so many of the signs on Sue's wall. They really are seeping into him.

The Middle: Role of a Lifetime

This was another good episode. Sure, there were no guest stars but the characters and acting are so good so it doesn't matter.
Each family has their own role in the family and Sue's (Eden Sher's) had enough. She's sick of being the person everyone goes to when they need stuff done, such as Mike (Neil Flynn) needing someone to plan his and Frankie's (Patricia Heaton's) twenty-fifth anniversary sale. Her brothers are no help whatsoever. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is on the prowl for a new woman and boy is it awkward, passing out his resume to potential dates and waiting outside the bathroom for someone to come out. Axl (Charlie McDermott) is convinced that mixing beer and wine together is a good idea but it must taste disgusting, at least the looks on his parents' face say so.
And then when Sue calls a family meeting, life for the Hecks goes haywire. With everyone deciding to stop playing their roles, arguing commences. Brick joins the orchestra, Mike unplugs everyone and Axl quits being the family entertainer.
And then, the show takes a sudden turn. Grandma (the unseen Marsha Mason) is in the hospital. The family joins together in this difficult time. Axl obtains green jello for the family and Sue sacrifices her sweater for her cold mother and Mike plugs in Frankie's cell phone to charge and calls her dad with the news. Life is more or less back to normal and we wouldn't have it any other way.
I'm glad that Sue stood up for herself because she is not given the credit she deserves in that family even if it was short-lived. Each member needs to give everyone else more credit. Too bad that will probably never happen. And I'm okay with that.
All-in-all, this was another solid episode, with their continued pitch-performances, and the family chemistry is great, with each actor playing their roles effortlessly. I will without a doubt, miss the Hecks. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Cindy is now apparently going around hatless.
-According to Sue, this could be one of her parents' last wedding anniversary.
-Brick thought the next family meeting would be to decide on whether to pull the plug on the parents. Mike says that he can pull it right now.
-Axl's idea of helping Sue clean her room consisted of him throwing her books out the window.
-Brick is wearing dirty laundry and has worn the same outfit for the last three weeks.
-Brick, you really shouldn't have broken up with Cindy.
-Nancy would know best how long the Hecks have been married.