The movie first, because it is on Netflix and will only be shown for one more day, ending Saturday, March 13. It’s called East Side Sushi, a feel good movie about a Latina woman who aspires to be a sushi chef, working in a Japanese restaurant. Appropriate for the whole family, but not childish.

The documentary is being shown on Prime; it’s called The Medicine Game and it focuses on an Onondaga family in upstate New York and the game of lacrosse. The game of lacrosse originated as far back as 1100 AD among the tribes that became the Iroquois Confederacy. The Onondagas are one of the five nations of the Confederacy. The film focuses on two brothers and their quest to play lacrosse for Syracuse University, a national powerhouse in lacrosse, and very close to the Onondaga reservation. Worth watching.

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This worked out so well I guess I’ll try another.

Sound of Metal on Prime. A heavy-metal drummer loses his hearing...and so much more

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Sound of Metal on Prime. A heavy-metal drummer loses his hearing...and so much more

I watched that several weeks ago and initially wasn't expecting much. By the end, I was fairly impressed. It raised several interesting questions and while I didn't necessarily understand some of the choices made with regard to those questions, I gained some insight into the thinking of those forced to make those choices. It's hard to elaborate any further without getting into serious spoiler territory.

I caught East Side Sushi and thought it was pleasant enough, though a bit on the "woke" side. The idea that someone with only a year or so of learning the art and science of sushi would be a finalist in a competition against hundreds of experts is more than a bit "hard to swallow."

for a good food movie, I'd recommend "Tampopo" Japanese truck driver helps woman perfect her noodle soup and save her restaurant. Mixed in with multiple plot lines around eating.

Shane with food. A ramen eastern, as opposed to spaghetti western.

East Side Sushi we found enjoyable and not an unusual story of overcoming hardships while juggling family responsibilities. It had that one 'woke' moment, I can see the writer/director injecting those few lines in, rather than having her argue that she had skills and talent that would be valuable to the restaurant. Being an indie film, they didn't squeeze any one topic to death, the 'date' was kinda odd, the film makers didn't overdue it though.

Tampopo is a legendary movie amongst foodie circles, especially Asian foodies. Similar to where Tortilla Soup sits with Mexican foodies.

Here’s another documentary that I recommend whole heartedly, Muscle Shoals on Prime. This tells the story of Rick Hall and Fame Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. It tells the story of the group of studio musicians who became known as “The Swampers.” Those musicians were a bunch of rural Alabama white boys. The singers that recorded there and made Muscle Shoals a legendary place to record were, in the 60s, black R&B artists: Clarence Carter, Jimmy Hughes, Percy Sledge (first #1 recording out of Muscle Shoals), Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Etta James. The best R&B recordings of an entire era were backed by a bunch of Alabama white boys. There were black musicians that became part of the Swampers, but race wasn’t an issue at Fame Recording in Muscle Shoals. Great movie

I’ll add. The story of Aretha Franklin alone is worth the price of admission. Briefly, she was under contract for 5 years to Columbia Records and they didn’t know how to produce her. Jerry Wexler, Atlantic Records signed her. He and Rick Hall had built a relationship through other artists, and he sent her to Muscle Shoals...

Wife and I enjoyed East Side Sushi for sure!

Just finished another very worthwhile documentary, Bravo! Common Men, Uncommon Valor on Prime. It tells the story of the Siege of Khe Sanh through the memories of 14 Marines and a Navy Corpsman who served there with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines. Incredibly powerful. Emotional.