#179 Crossing The Streams Confesses (Bonus Ep36) – Great TV binge watching suggestions!

CTS Announcer 0:01

Looking for your next TV show or movie to binge? Well buckle up, grab the remote and settle into your couch for this special edition of crossing the streams. We're here to help you tune in and get the most out of those 50 monthly streaming channels you're currently paying for. So without any further ado, here's your host of crossing the streams. Jeff Dwoskin

Jeff Dwoskin 0:29

Hey, oh, it is Jeff Dwoskin host of classic conversations and crossing the streams bringing you this amazing bonus episode. Why we don't say yes, you do deserve a bonus episode. These are special episodes they pull from segments of our live show crossing the streams which is me and a bunch of my pals and gas and we talk about TV shows that you should be binge watching. So basically crossing the streams answers universal question what should I be watching? And we're here as guides to your binge watching experience. So this episode has segments from Episode 3789 and 27. All of our episodes a full hour long episodes are on our YouTube channel. They're always streaming you can go check them out anytime you want. Get the full live experience. These are just the segments for you to enjoy. Recovering confess, flach Ozark and Lennox Lewis The Untold Story In this episode, we're gonna kick it off with Lennox Lewis Bob Phillips our boxing guru our boxing SME subject matter expert will be on hand to take us through find it fascinating every time he does one of his boxing deep dives. Lennox Lewis The Untold Story, take it away, Bob. You know, I feel like I feel like a little Lennox yawn. So strap

Bob Phillips 1:55

in. Well, this guy loves I've got some plot twists in this there is a reason I chose this. Oh, hey, there's actually there's several reasons

Jeff Dwoskin 2:04

other than it being boxing.

Bob Phillips 2:06

Yeah, I it's it's timely in a number of ways. And you will find out as I unwind this story, I'm just going to say Lennox Lewis is one of the best heavyweight champs of all time. And one of the most underrated maybe the most underrated when you think about what he did. I mean, he won the gold medal in the super heavyweight division in the 1988 Olympics. He won that for Canada. He was a guy who was born in London in the poor part of London moved to Toronto when he was 12. fought for Canada. He is of Jamaican descent, very erudite, very well spoken. Just a really good guy to write now, Lennox Lewis had the misfortune. Let me let me backtrack a second he is that Lennox Lewis is to Mike Tyson. What Larry Holmes was to Muhammad Ali, which is to say they had the misfortune of coming right after two of the most fantastic and colorful athletes of all time. They started their careers, you know, at the time that the other guys were blazing hot, right. So the other guys retired, and they were left being their excellent selves, but nobody was willing to accept them as being as good as their predecessors, but they were every bit as good. In fact, I think if Larry Holmes had fought and he felt he'd beat Muhammad Ali, but that was, you know, Muhammad Ali was on the downturn, I would have given Holmes a great chance to beat Ali even in his prime, he was that good, but he was such a he was just such a sullen, kind of a jerk of a guy that he never He was always upset that he thought the press was against them. And it he just was not a you know, a really fun guy to be around. But he was an excellent fighter, Lennox Lewis on the other hand, jovial, really great guy, everybody loved him, had a you know, his backstory wasn't really interesting or wasn't interesting, compared to like Muhammad Ali's, but he came out in the shadow of Tyson. Nobody wanted to think that this guy from the UK was any good, but he was astoundingly Good. From the moment he won the Olympic gold medal. He went through the heavyweight ranks. Here's a couple of things that you may not know about him. He is He was a two time linear champ, which is very hard to be he is a three time heavyweight champ he really won the heavyweight title three times. That's That's amazing in boxing, not just the heavyweight division, you lose the title. It's very rare you get it back. You might get a shot. You lost it for a reason. He won it three times. And

Sal Demilio 4:31

he went when he wanted Bob Sorry to cut you off there but when he wanted those three times, who were the other big fighters in the in the game at that time? Did he win it maybe when things were in between Tyson and Holyfield and those other guys? No,

Bob Phillips 4:44

no, he fought holy feel he won he beat Holyfield for the title he Riddick Bowe he beat TwitchCon koletzko Yeah, in fact, the names are just I mean, he beat everybody in his heyday and he had a couple of weird losses just knockout losses. came out of nowhere, but he came back and won and regained the title each time. He was, you know, he was fighting in the shadow of Tyson Tyson was, this is 9293 94 Tyson was not who he was 86 through 90 and then getting beaten by Buster Douglas, but in 1992 they fought and this was the richest heavyweight fight, you know, up until that time, and Lennox Lewis destroyed Tyson just just dismantled him, toyed with him. And the reason he did that is because Emanuel Steward a local guy, the manager of Tommy Hearns, of the fame crop Jim said to him in after he lost his title to a guy named has seen rock mine, it was just a fluke. Knockout said, Look, you need me I need to I need to show you you are six foot five you weighed 230 pounds. Why are you toying with these people, blow them away, knock them through the ropes. I'm going to show you how. And after he after Emanuel got a hold of him. He was a whole different guy. He enjoyed beating Tyson he carried him. I mean, from the very first round, he was just pop up. He just cut him up. Tyson was completely out of his league. I mean, people forget, I mean, Lennox Lewis is six foot five Tyson was five, eight, I don't care what they say in the height chart. He's five. He wasn't even 510. Now that's, that's not short, but it's very short for heavyweight. so props to Tyson for being such a brutal guy. And, you know, such an awesome champion. at that height. He overcame all those things. This personality deficit that people like to talk about. They didn't have the, you know, the brutal upbringing. And he didn't have the, you know, the colorful thing he was he was a Brett, and he was like, you know, he was just polite, and everybody liked being around him. I had I met him one time down at Joe Louis Arena. It was when he was still he was he was champ at the time. And Tommy Hearns was fighting and it was one of the it was one of Tommy's last fights and he shouldn't have fought and Lennox Lewis was ringside. And I had sweet tickets. And I went down and I met him and he was exactly like, I thought he was going to be funny. I mean, just like, hey, what's your name? A you know, and somebody told me you were a boxer. Yeah. What was your record? You know, where do you find I'm like, What are you asking me this? I mean, let me talk to you. And I shook his hand and his hand went halfway up my, you know, it's freakish how big these men are. It's not it's not just that they're big, everything is outsized. It's you when you shake their hand, you immediately know why they are heavyweight champ, you know, it's unmistakable. So he went through his career, just piling on the belts piling on the accolades. And he did it. I mean, he's probably he's the quietest heavyweight champ, you know, maybe of all time, but he did it all in a classy way. And I chose this documentary because I wanted to, you know, sort of mix it with current events. All right, his final fight was in 2002. And he defended his title one title, or excuse me, he defended his title on a seventh round stoppage of a man who is now mayor of keep the tally stopped him on cuts Vitaly it took 60 stitches to put him back together. I mean, he has he was like a scarecrow. And I mean both of those guys but both of the clutch goes Lennox Lewis just champions just just just man just dudes fan and they and then he never and Lennox Lewis said, I'm out of here. I'm done. I'm won enough money. I've got my health I you know, I got my wife my kids and they never fought again. Well, people people kept trying to get him back in the ring said no, I told you I'm done man. He gave his belts up and said sign are so classy guy and who who started classy and Andy classy Lennox Lewis.

Jeff Dwoskin 8:46

All right, who doesn't love the one two punch from Bob Phillips, Lennox Lewis The Untold Story. And now I'm gonna take us through confess, Fletch, take it away me. Confess, latch. Now this movie is in theatrical release, but how it is in limited theatrical release. And it is also on Prime Video on Demand. And it is going to be on Showtime on October 28. So if you're going to go see it, which I enjoyed this movie very much. I would go to theater unless there's a bunch of you because it's like a $20 rental at this point. So I don't recommend spending $20 If you're gonna watch it yourself, but you know, wait it out. You can wait. Hold out a month and watch it. Let me talk about Fletcher saying so Fletch, let me go back to 1985 1985 brought us Fletch. These are based on Gregory McDonald's novels. And so flights 1985 starred Chevy Chase, and there was a sequel 1989 called Fletch lips. Now Flash 1985 The original one, I will say is probably one of my favorite movies of all time. I don't think me If there's like a comedy, Rushmore, to me that that movie is on there and Chevy Chase as I am, Fletcher is one of the funniest things. I mean, it just, it's I think one of the reasons it would be so hard or took so long to reboot the series as Chevy Chase was so identified with this character. Now punch lives was not nearly as good as flach. They didn't really go with the books and stuff like that. But Chevy That was classic Chevy Chase, those of you who only know a Chevy, from community and after where he just, you know, everyone thought he was just a big jerk, whatever. But there was a point where no one was funnier than Chevy Chase. Chevy Chase was just the greatest and Fletch is part of that in 1985. And I've even rewatched it recently. I can laugh every time I watch that show. It's just so, so funny. And it's just great. It's just a great movie. Fletch all around all around. So they've tried to reboot this numerous times. Kevin Smith tried to reboot it with Jason Lee. I mean of Kevin Smith. Can't get can get clerks the remade but not flach what kind of world do we live in? Bill Lawrence tried to reboot it with Zach Braff. Jason Sudeikis was part of it. I don't think Zach Braff or Jason Sudeikis would have been as good as I think I could see adjacently being good. It's you almost need a subtlety to the to the humor, and Zach and Jason are to naturally already funny. I think we're, I know, it's weird to say with Chevy Chase, but Chevy Chase wasn't. I don't know. You just have to understand. So they tried to revive this franchise a lot. And it just I think Kevin Smith even tried to revive it at one point with Chevy Chase. I think the quote I remember him saying was the studio's that we don't make Chevy Chase movies anymore. We're not, we're not in that business. And so here we are 2022. And they have created the new movie confess flach, which is based on the book also called confess flash by Gregory McDonald's. It's a series of novels from the 70s on I am Fletcher Irwin. Watch is his nickname Fletcher. So and he's an investigative reporter. And these are his exploits. Now, this movie now Jon Hamm, as taken over, as Irwin Fletcher and let me say Jon Hamm, who most people would know, originally from Mad Men were I am. But Jon Hamm is a hilarious guy, you know, like on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and you know, there who was in weddings, it saved me. He's just, he's proven himself to be one of those subtly funny people. And, and so him as Erwin Fletcher is just perfect. It's just absolutely perfect. He's so funny. When he it's dry humor, it's quick humor, it's smart humor, and it comes at you. And sometimes you might even not realize, Oh, that was a joke, and then kind of release laugh afterwards. It is thoroughly enjoyable. I will say that this movie. At one point, I was watching with my wife and she's like, I can't even follow what's going on. It's all over the place. And I was talking to Howard Rosner, I felt he kind of made a similar I turned to her and said, This is based on a book, just trust it.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:13

Just Just put your faith in it. And sure enough, at the end, it all kind of ties together and you see, you know, it does a good job of kind of leading in these directions and ends up being these things and stuff like that. Interestingly enough, there's a couple elements in confess flach that were part of are in flach 1985 flach, one line right out of the 1985. Now I'm not saying the 1985 Fletch didn't borrow it from this book. I didn't read confess flash so that's possible. They borrowed some elements from the series in general, but there's two it doesn't I'm not gonna say what they are because one gives away a plot but it's more just like oh, that's kind of cool. It comes off more like a callback. But Marcia Gay Harden is in this she plays the Countess she is hilarious. Roy Wood Jr. Plays inspector detective Monroe, Roy Wood Jr. is on a daily show actually worked with him once for a weekend at the Comedy castle. He's amazing at this Aidan. My era plays Grizz she's great. Kyle McLaughlin is great. He's classic Kyle and this and they just cast is really good. I enjoyed it. But this is the type of movie I really enjoy. It's just, it's funny. You watch it, you have to watch it. It's one of those things where you can't stop watching and walk away. You know, I mean, like these days, you know, you can walk 45 minutes into a drama episode of a TV show and you're fine. Yeah. Like this, you really got to kind of watch it and enjoy it. It's well written the day it's a very dialogue heavy movie. And I mean, that is a good thing, but I enjoy that as well. I enjoy that as well as it's about a missing art collection and and Fletch is the subject of a murder. There's a murder and they think Fletch did it and of course he has solve the case to prove himself, in a sense, and the end of the movie sort of ends is a tee up to the next book in the series. So it's sort of like a way to do that. And then also, John Slattery that I get his name right. Yeah. John Slattery is in this he plays Frank Chafee, who was Fletcher's boss, but also they were both in Mad Men together. So it's fun to see the scenes with the two of them kind of acting together in a different way, in a hilarious way. So I recommend it. I mean, I wouldn't pay $20 to rent it unless there's a group of via throne he learned and five, but it will be available, I think, in a month's time on Showtime. And so you can watch it for free. Or, you know, if you love like a David Mamet where it's like a heavy humorous thing, it's not the over the top slapstick of like the 1985 flach. Right. It's funny, but it's not. It's not over the top like that. It's much more subtle. What's with

Bob Phillips 15:59

the the throwback graphics for the poster? Is it set in present day?

Jeff Dwoskin 16:05

Yeah, I'd said in present day, I think the throwback to it, I think is just more probably a nod to the, you know, it's a 1976 novel. So it's probably just done in that style. It's Jon Hamm

Unknown Speaker 16:17

just intersects the classic act or like a Cary Grant and modern acting better than anybody that is doing it. I mean, that guy can do more with like, a shrug and an eye roll than most people couldn't do with a soliloquy.

Jeff Dwoskin 16:35

Yeah, he's great. I just, I just watched which No, five is gonna walk out on this comment. But I just watched Maverick and I loved Maverick. Yeah. And Jon Hamm was great and Maverick and he's, you know, he can play many different kinds of roles and temperaments and he's so good, but I mean, his I think people discovered how funny he really could be, which is a talent in itself. Not everyone can be that funny with that kind of timing. I agree with you, Scott. He's He's multifaceted. He's great.

Bob Phillips 17:07

I've only seen him in bridesmaids. And he was great in that as the asshole boyfriend to Kristen way.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:15

Yeah, it's funny in that too. Yeah, he's, he plays like a, an Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He plays the people that kidnapped all the women and kept them in a bunker. And I know that doesn't sound funny, but

Unknown Speaker 17:29

that was a good show. I want to clarify

Bob Phillips 17:31

my stance on Maverick I don't have a stance I only watched 15 minutes and I know

Jeff Dwoskin 17:36

you walked out Why did you walk out all right, that was confess flash from Episode 89 By the time you're hearing this, it should be available digitally so definitely check that out. I loved it now we're gonna go back to Episode 27 of crossing the streams. Ron live is going to take us through Ozark at that time. There are only three seasons release so we're referring to a fourth season that will be coming as we all know because you're hearing this now the fourth season has come and gone so we all know how it ends spoiler I that's looking toes are taken away Ron. All right. Speaking of not bad, we're going to talk about the follow up to Arrested Development. Ozark

Ron Lippitt 18:23

is the reason I want to talk about it was our first time we've never done it before and that actually surprised me having gone now what are we 2627 episodes now 27 episodes 27 episodes which is amazing by the way so the fact that we haven't brought up Ozark is surprising to me because it is most watched shows on Netflix right I want to talk about it because they have signed for their fourth and final episode which has been announced as 14 episodes to be divided into two seasons basically they're doing the whole kind of Game of Thrones final season is really two season thing and they haven't announced a date yet for one we can watch it but production has already begun. So that's exciting. And so with that kind of in the news and Jason Bateman just absolutely crushing it with his with this series on Netflix i i thought it's worth talking about it. And Jeff, I totally agree with what you just said that first episode if you can't get on board with the first episode like if it's not your vibe, then you probably shouldn't watch the show because I would describe this show is nothing short of exhausting. It is an exhausting show every episode. Every episode you feel spent you feel like you have no more emotional charge to give these characters and there's no possible way they're going to survive into the next episode based on the way the landscape was was laid out. I will say this and I've talked about this before Jason Sudeikis and Justin, Justin Bateman, Justin Bateman and I got Jason Bateman. They're my two favorite comedy actors in American cinema and Film TV. And so that the the idea of seeing Jason Bateman in such a powerful dramatic show just goes to show you his range. And I think his talent and the fact that he's executive producer Certain it's kind of thought up the entire storyline the arc and I think how it's gonna finish is really just a tribute to how just absolutely amazing is one of the things I definitely want to talk about with that first episode I consider this is my opinion, this is only for me but I consider the pilot episode of Ozark the absolute best pilot episode for any show I can I can possibly remember I happen to think that esigned mirallas as the character del gives one of the most powerful performances in season one of Ozark and it's particularly frightening in the in the pilot, absolutely menacing. And I will tell you that this is not giving away anything and that hopefully record anything but he doesn't stick around for the rest of the series. And I think that was the one big mistake that Jason Bateman made in the show was they, they his character did not continue on to some of the greater stories, you know, further into the series because for me, he was worth the price of Netflix and and that series as far as I was concerned,

Bob Phillips 21:01

they kind of brought I don't wanna say they brought him back but they had there's another guy that steps up and takes his place who is not quite as menacing. That's right, horrifying, but maybe he realized his mistake.

Ron Lippitt 21:16

There's there you saw Morales, you know, and for those of you don't know you signed Morales he got his fame in the movie Lubanga, as the brother to Lou Diamond Phillips and he was he's been in just countless other shows as the as the side pot Mexican, which is a terrible actually is Puerto Rican. But you know, and he talks a lot about that and interviews that he's reached the day and age, you know, here in the 2000 2000 10s that he can you know, let Latinos and Latinas have really arrived today and that's that's something he Garner's a lot of pride about. But I will just say the idea that that he could be so menacing and so charging was was really what kind of got me excited about the show. I hadn't really given much to how powerful some of the other characters are Laura Linney. I think it does an amazing job as Jason Bateman's wife on the show, the kids who have never heard of before are fantastic. I think there's a number of side characters that kind of peppered this show that I think are very memorable very exciting every time they come on. But again for me sigh Morales there's a certain elegance to him and seasons and season one and two that it's kind of like you guys remember Raul Julia? Yeah, this is what I think he's kind of emerged into that genre. There's an elegance about him, but also just an absolute terror to the way he can portray that. So enough about isa Morales. What's interesting also about Ozark is that this did not the show did not kick off. Well, it did not have immediate role right from the start. In fact, Rotten Tomatoes kind of killed it the first season it built into a steady build into a 90 Plus, I don't know how big you guys are in Rotten Tomatoes. But Rotten Tomatoes is in my mind, kind of the barometer and it really built into a steady following and is now considered to be one of the prime watch shows on on Netflix. So you know, I just want to bring this up because I'm super excited about season four coming up. I think this is a really great show that it's kind of found its stride. I think Jason Bateman did a great job, as I already said, and I for one wanted to bring it up so we could talk about it and get excited about what's to come and I believe in 2022 for the conclusion of Ozark So that's my review from Zack

Zack Wiseman 23:22

Jason Bateman like directing the first two episodes of season one. And then the final two episodes also did such a great job of setting the tone and making that just that deep, ominous, like thrill throughout. And yeah, it's a beautiful show. That is Yeah, exhausting is such a cool way of putting it because you can only watch like one to two at a time. It's like, Alright, I gotta put on something else like something

Jeff Dwoskin 23:44

that can last. So just as a Yeah. It's interesting. Jerry just mentioned, he described it as Breaking Bad. And I think that's how it's described. If you like Breaking Bad, it's the same as breaking bad to me is exactly how you just said which is emotionally spent. There are episodes there's an episode of Breaking Bad, where they're trying to get rid of the body in the bathtub and sit in a ghost the room with a floor. And I remember seeing it or watch having a TV on that show came on again. That episode came on again. And I had to turn it because not because it's not like one of the greatest episodes, I just emotionally couldn't deal with it again. And again. That's how I felt like a lot of breaking bad was it was definitely a roller coaster of emotion. And so maybe like when I now that I'm thinking back the timing of that with watching that first episode of Ozark, which was pretty gosh, dang intense, you know, putting them in a drum. And so thinking myself, maybe I'm just not ready to get into a show that like that again, you know what I mean? So it's been years though, so I mean, maybe

Ron Lippitt 24:46

it is hard, you know, and I forgot to mention one final thing that the actress Julia Garner, who plays the character Ruth Lange more on Ozark one of the most talented actresses I've seen in a long time and I think she does an absolutely stellar Our job in this role is replaying more so.

Jeff Dwoskin 25:06

All right, Ron, thanks for taking us through Ozark that episode inspired me to watch all of Ozark. So I've seen seasons one through four, which is now out I highly recommend it. It's one of the best shows ever. So go check out Ozark go check out confess flach check out Lennox Lewis The Untold Story, you got so much to do. I don't want to keep you any longer. Grab that perfect spot on the couch, grab the remote, cross your own streams, and we'll see you next time.

CTS Announcer 25:41

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