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What are you watching? Readers recommend 'The Mule,' 'On the Road with Charles Kuralt'

Monitor TV and movie fans share what they've been watching lately.

  • By Staff

We recently enjoyed the film The Mule. This is Clint Eastwood at the top of his game. The story was touching and exciting, and when we left the theater, we said, “What a great movie!”

– Roger and Sue Melton, Dallas

My husband found a DVD at the library of On the Road with Charles Kuralt. If you want to experience how a professional, kind reporter acted and what 1960s news looked like, check it out. In the 1960s, Charles Kuralt traveled the United States, interviewing the real working people of this country. One interview was with a country school teacher who was retiring. The teacher taught love of country and God. 

At the end of every show, Kuralt would sit in his motor coach, traveling to the next destination, and a theme song would play: “Up ahead, the road is bending, wonder what’s around the bend.” This brings back wonderful memories.

– Diana Gomez, Indio, Calif.

Two of my favorite comedy films are A Fish Called Wanda and Young Frankenstein. “Young Frankenstein” was so different when it came out. I was a senior in high school, and black-and-white movies were even then a thing of the past. The vaudeville humor kept me interested, and the genius of Mel Brooks unleashed was/is a marvel. There was no bad language, no one was killed, and the sex was mild – and hysterically funny! 

The juxtaposition of casting Gene Hackman (who I only knew of through the film “The French Connection”) as the blind man was brilliant. When this movie is on, I watch it enchanted by its creativity.

“A Fish Called Wanda” had me laughing from start to finish. The characters are often more complex than they appear – even those who are, let’s say, not the brightest bulbs – and the double-crossing, scheming bunch of misfits pulls off the heist. The cast is superb, with no performance overshadowing the others.

– Jan Moller, Rockford, Ill.

I went to see the film Yao, which is available in English and French. It was a delight to see human affection throughout the film, often expressed through details, and to see part of Africa (Senegal) and the joy of the people. The main actors are Omar Sy and Lionel Louis Basse, who is from Senegal.

– Beatrice Labarthe, Geneva

What are you watching? Write and tell us at whatareyouwatching@csmonitor.com.

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