stormy724

The only reason I didn't turn this off half-way through the first episode is that I was working on a painting, my hands had wet paint on them, and I didn't want to get paint on my iPad. (Watched on Peacock.)

I stuck it out through 2 episodes, but when the 3rd episode started, I washed my hands specifically so I could turn it off.

I loved the Big Band theory. And I love to see actors who had a successful run on a popular show, turn up on new shows.

However, this just doesn't seem like the right venue for Melissa Rauch. I found her acting stiff. The other actors were not any better and the slap-stick comedy lacking.

Maybe its too difficult to portray (or even create) a believable character who is supposed to be tough on crime, humorous, and compassionate at the same time.

Or maybe writers and producers need to come up with new ideas instead of rehashing old shows years after their time has come and gone.

I read Dona Flor before I saw the film. It is both my favorite Brazilian novel and my favorite Brazilian film.

Others have written about the plot and the story, but here I want to attest to the film's spot-on reflection of the culture of the time & place the story occurs.

I lived in a small town in Brazil in the late 1960s. The small town where I lived had a similar ambiance to 1940s' Salvador where this film is set, including the costumes, hairstyles, and makeup. Men often dressed in drag during Carnaval. The mourning scenes were typical of the time. The actions of the characters also seem appropriate to the time and place. Most Brazilians were Roman Catholic but many also believed in orixas, minor gods from African religions brought to Brazil by slaves and the supernatural happenings practitioners believed were caused by them. I once stayed in a small inn that was so similar to the one where Flor & Teodoro honeymooned, that it could have been the exact room i stayed in.

Some details are subtle and those unfamiliar with Brazil wouldn't catch them. For example, if I stopped by someone's home --no matter how long I stayed --when I chose to leave, my host would protest with, "It's early." In the film, I laughed out loud when I heard that exact line in the film.

Also the movie follows the Jorge Amado novel well. Amado's books are wordy (but beautifully so) so are much longer & would cover far too many hours for a film, so, of course, some scenes and details are missing.

Most of Amado's protagonists are women. Many of his characters are from the seedy side of life. And many of his books contain recipes. Dona Flor includes all of these typical Amado characteristics. I had read most of his books in English (the original Portuguese uses so many regional colloquialisms and slang that even native Brazilians have a hard time understanding some of them.)

The film isn't perfect, but for me who grew to love the country, the culture, and especially Brazilians, it was a joy to watch.

_____ Warning, there are some explicit sex scenes, if that bothers you.

I remember these shows fondly from when I was kid and Saturday mornings were filled with cowboy shows until the Sealtest Big Top Circus aired at noon.

When I found The Cisco Kid online, I watched every episode, then started over. Many of the secondary characters are played by the same actors. In one episode an actor is a sheriff, in others a minister, victim, or outlaw.

In my childhood, I'm sure I missed a lot of the humor. Pancho, played by Leo Carillo who was a very intelligent man, was always mixing up a metaphor, simile, or adage, or using a wrong word for comic effect. I started to write them down. There are more of these in every episode:

When Cisco asks, How can you get so mixed up? Pancho responds: Well, it takes lots of practice.

Pancho: I'm so cold, I'm freezing. I'm gonna get ammonia.

Pancho: This fellow here will steal the pants right off your back.

Pancho: Never count your chickens before they cross the bridge.

Pancho: That's the best plan I never think of.

Pancho: What happened to those bandits? Jimmy: What bandits? Pancho: The ones who kidsnapped you.

Pancho: I will keep my eye on him like a peeping Tomcat.

Pancho: I didn't do nothing. I swear on a stack of tortillas.

Pancho: Don't sit there like a log on a bump.

Pancho: Maybe you got that sleeping sickness they call magnesia.