Unhinged

 Rated R

1 hour 30 minutes

Starring: Russell Crowe, Caren Pistorius, Gabriel Bateman

With everything going on in the world these days, I was looking for a movie to watch to just “escape” that didn’t mention the pandemic, elections, or anything too controversial.  There also haven’t been many movies released lately that I’ve even heard of or that have any actors I know.  That being said, this was not really a “stress-free,” or “fun” movie, but I still enjoyed it.  Russell Crowe stars as a man that is a little unstable and gets pushed over the edge by a small traffic incident – and it turns into road-rage to the max!  The woman he’s upset with doesn’t help the situation and is unwilling to apologize to him, but he ends up taking things WAY too far and over-the-top!  It was kind of unrealistic, but I could still see it happening, too, especially with how close to the edge so many people seem to be anymore.  It reminded me of the ‘90s movie Falling Down, but seemed a little more relatable and also out of control, so I’d say it was entertaining.  Not the greatest movie ever, but glad I watched it.

Library Link: Unhinged (DVD)

Yellowstone, Seasons 1-3

 Rated TV-MA

1 hour episodes

Starring: Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes 

I hadn’t planned on watching this series until Christy “made” me watch it because she “knew” I’d like it.  I hate to admit it, but she was right.  She was SO right!  I loved these shows.  Watching this series felt very familiar with the backdrops and scenery being in Montana and Wyoming.  Basically, the story is about John Dutton (played by Kevin Costner), who is running the largest ranch in the United States that has been passed down through seven generations, while trying to protect it from everyone wanting a piece of it.  It’s a full-time job for him and his family to keep back the land developers, battle with a Native American reservation, along with the government threatening to take it over, too.  While all of this is going on, he’s also trying to reconnect with his son and grandson.  The writing, the story lines, the scenery, and the music all add up to make a great show!  There is definitely a lot of language and violence in these shows, so if you’re sensitive to that, you might want to pass.  

Library Link: Yellowstone, Season 1 (DVD)

Library Link: Yellowstone, Season 2 (DVD)

 

Library Link: Yellowstone, Season 3 (DVD)

Yellowstone, Seasons 1, 2, & 3

Rated: TV-MA

Actors:  Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, Gil Birmingham, Wes Bently

Wow.  Yellowstone.  How do I describe it?  Yellowstone is an intense series with a taste of the old T.V. show “Dallas,” thrown in.  As Eric mentioned, Kevin Costner plays John Dutton, land owner of prime, coveted land.  But the show doesn’t revolve only around him.  John has 3 boys and 1 daughter and they are a very dysfunctional family!  They all have issues that revolve around their past. 

Secrets.  Lies. Betrayal. Murder.  You name it . . .they’ve done it. 

Beth, his daughter, is a “kick your butt, kick it again then take your name” kind of woman.  You don’t mess with her unless you want to come up on the losing end.

Kayce is the younger brother who has issues from being in the war.  That being said, he finds it hard to walk on the straight and narrow as there’s always something calling his name to the other side. 

Then there’s Jamie.  Wow.  He has daddy issues.  Never feeling like he’s part of the family.  Never feeling like he’s “enough” for his dad no matter what he does. 

There’s also a brother that only survives the first season. 

And I don’t want to forget about Rip.  Rip is the guy!  He’s the one you go to when you need something done and kept a secret.  He’s the one that you don’t want to tick off because he’ll take a beating and keep on hitting you back.  He also plays the love interest for Beth.  Hot! Hot! Hot! 

This series’ intensity hits high highs and very intense lows.  There’s a lot of revenge.  A lot of violence.  A lot of language.  On the flip side, the scenery is beautiful.  The ranch they live on is a real ranch in Montana.  The music is perfect.  This was the most watched series as the third season ended this summer – on an explosive twist that everyone was talking about!  It’s only a summer time series and waiting for season 4 will seem like forever.

Library Link: Yellowstone, Season 1 (DVD)

Library Link: Yellowstone, Season 2 (DVD)

Library Link: Yellowstone, Season 3 (DVD)