Q-Tips Reviews

“The show must go on” on You Tube 12/4/2020

Peggy Sawyer, a talented young performer with stars in her eyes, gets her big break on Broadway.

Hope “The Shows Must go On” is back.   The sound of all the tap shoes is so satisfying.  A special mention for the Chorus Line, who really made the numbers work.

Teenager Zach Sobiech forms the music group A Firm Handshake and records the inspirational hit single “Clouds.”

Q-tips say: See it. As story of teenage singer-songwriter Zach Sobiech, who died aged 18 of cancer, shortly after scoring the viral folk-pop hit that lends the film its title. Mrs. Q found a few segments sad. But many moments of uplifting highlights of laughter of the social interactions between Zack and friends/family. Absolutely wait for the good ending.

A team of local archaeologists excavate never before explored passageways, shafts and tombs, piecing together the secrets of Egypt’s most significant find in almost 50 years.

Q-tips say: Yes, see it. Can be a tad slow at times but worth your time watching. Mrs. Q says: If you enjoyed seeing the Mummy Exhibit at the Chgo Field Museum which is now a sized down exhibit, you will enjoy this movie. I did enjoy this movie.

David Byrne’s American Utopia brings the Talking Heads frontman’s critically acclaimed Broadway show to HBO in a one-of-a-kind film directed by Oscar and Emmy-winner Spike Lee. Recorded during its late 2019 to early 2020 run at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre in New York City, Byrne is joined by an ensemble of 11 musicians, singers, and dancers from around the globe, inviting audiences into a joyous dreamworld where human connection, self-evolution, and social justice are paramount.

The special included performances of songs from Byrne’s 2018 solo album of the same name, in addition to popular Talking Heads favorites such as “Once in a Lifetime” and “Burning Down the House.” The musical numbers accompanied with brief monologues allows Byrne to address various sociopolitical topics from police brutality, immigration, climate change, to the critical upcoming election.

Q Tips say: We never heard of David Byrne but did enjoy this show.

A series: Exploring theories regarding supposed alien visitations involving ancient civilizations on the History Channel. A series so you don’t have to watch all at once.

Mrs. Q says: No matter what you think about ancient aliens in our backyard – is just so thoroughly detailed and so nuanced you have to appreciate and wonder at the sheer production value that goes into the episodes. Mrs. Q says: She liked this series. See it! Was Johna really swallowed by a whale??? See what one person thinks. Even tho they never actually verify some of the events they speak of, Mrs. Q still liked it.

1. The Evidence: The legacy of aliens and speculation that alien technology inspired modern inventions are explored. Included: ancient Indian texts describing flying machines; and Egyptian megaliths that show evidence of precision saws.

2. The Visitors: Examining early evidence of aliens and the influence of the supposed visitors. Included: Hopi and Zuni costumes; Chinese legends that could be about a spacecraft.

3. The Mission: The mission of aliens and evidence that may hold the clues are explored. Included: Sumerian tablets describing aliens who came to Earth to mine for gold; Egyptian hieroglyphs; and crop circles.

4. Closer Encounters: UFO sightings depicted in visual and written accounts are examined. Included: a 13th-century book describing a flying craft over Bristol, England; a log entry from Christopher Columbus’ voyage to America recalling strange lights in the sky; and medieval art showing disk-like objects floating in the sky.

5. The Return: Stories of alien encounters in the 20th century are examined, including speculation on future contact and the protocol regarding forms of communication. Included: the famous Roswell incident.

Notorious RBG – Ruth Bader Ginsberg – RIP

An intimate portrait of an unlikely rock star: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The film explores how her early legal battles changed the world for women.

Q-tips say: Yes, see it. The film tracks Ginsburg’s brilliant legal career, fighting for women’s workplace rights while shrewdly also taking on cases where men suffered discrimination.

Craig Foster doesn’t list the troubles that drove him from his beloved filmmaking to recharge on the South African coast of his childhood, but he describes himself as unfit to be near his son during this period. In this unbalanced state, he starts diving alone in the chilly waters of the kelp forest to relax and escape and soon spots the title’s My Octopus Teacher. The eight-armed, liquid creature is a plucky and resourceful predator, a master of disguise, and supremely self reliant. In his daily dives, Foster’s patience and doggedness with the octopus is rewarded. She seems to accept him as a benign sea farer and crawls up his hand cautiously. Eventually she sits on his chests and lets him pet her. Over the course of a year of daily diving, though he feels protective, he refrains from interfering in her and the other animals’ lives. This is especially difficult when the octopus is dramatically chased by a shark. She survives but loses an arm in the process. Weak and pale after, she eventually recovers fully, sporting a new appendage. Foster reports that as he obsesses over the octopus and her dramas, he feels himself caring more, not just for his new friend but for his son, who joins him on some dives, and for other people as well. The movie’s epigraph notes that the experience of sharing his life with the octopus inspired him to start a group of divers dedicated to preserving the kelp forest.

Parents need to know that My Octopus Teacher is a nature documentary about a man looking to regain his passion for life. Retreating from life’s problems, filmmaker Craig Foster tries to recharge by returning to the stormy South African shore of his youth, where he dives into the local kelp forest and meets a resourceful and friendly octopus. He spends nearly a year visiting her daily, and the relationship affects him deeply. For kids who love animals, the depiction of a relationship between a human.

Q-tips say: We did enjoy this movie. A nice change from what is going on in the world right now.

Mrs. Q says: Families can talk about the relationship between humans and animals. Does it surprise you that an octopus seems to take an interest in befriending a human? How could you learn more about your favorite animals? I am sure the “little ones” will have questions, but will enjoy the movie & the story of the Octopus.