Streaming into the New Year was a bit different than I thought it would be. I made a few changes to my Hulu account that added Disney+ and ESPN2 and I discovered a new free movie service called PLEX. In December I retreated into the comfort of Christmas movies that I would have watched with my son. At the start of January, I was still watching Christmas movies, but I moved to the familiarity and comfort of the Disney/Pixar/Marvel universe.

Raising three boys, I watched a lot of sports and sports movies. Being a hockey family, we embraced The Mighty Ducks movie franchise. It was fun – even with all its gimmicky flying V formation and the knuckle puck. I was curious to see what Disney would do with a series this many years after the popularity of the films. I’m a big Lauren Graham fan, so I couldn’t resist watching Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. The chemistry between Graham and Emilio Estevez is terrific, and Estevez resurrects his Gordon Bombay character to perfection. The kids are great actors and there are fewer gimmicks. They were able to get several of the original actors from the franchise to come back for an episode, but COVID restrictions made it difficult for them to travel to Canada, quarantine, and spend a month in Canada for one episode. For Joshua Jackson who had a newborn at home, it wasn’t possible. I enjoyed the inaugural season and can’t wait for Season 2 to begin. On a sad note, Estevez will not be back for Season 2. I’m hoping that may change, but for now, he will not be in the next season.

For my next sports series, I selected Big Shot which stars John Stamos (another favorite TV actor of mine) as a disgraced college basketball coach trying to work his way back into the good graces of the NCAA by coaching at an all-girl private academy in California. Stamos’ character, Marvyn Korn, is a divorced dad who gets temporary custody of his teenage daughter when his ex-wife takes an overseas promotion. Korn who has a reputation for being a tough but extremely talented coach must learn how to deal with his female teenaged players and his daughter while trying to have a winning season and discovering there’s more to life than basketball and winning. It’s a solid show and the acting is exceptionally good. Stamos thankfully isn’t being forced to utter corny catchphrases as he did in Full House. His character is a work in progress and the progress he makes is encouraging for Season 2

I watched Soul, the animated Pixar film starring Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner a middle-school band teacher and musician whose life is cut short just when he’s about to get his first big break. Joe is trapped in the space between life and death trying desperately to get a second chance at living his best life. It’s funny and sad and Foxx shines as his character learns lessons about finding purpose in life and making the most of the time he has on Earth.

Encanto is an animated Disney film with a Hispanic cast set in Colombia. The Madrigal family is a family blessed with magical powers. They live hidden in the mountains in a place called Encanto surrounded by a peaceful village protected by their magic. Mirabel is the only member of the Madrigal family who hasn’t received her magical powers, but when the family’s magic begins to fade, she realizes being ordinary might be her superpower and the only way to save Encanto and the village. The colors and music are amazing, and the story is sweet and full of hope.

On PLEXI, the free movie channel, I am watching the Jesse Stone series (nine films) based on the books written by Robert B. Parker. Tom Selleck stars as Jesse Stone a former Los Angeles police detective who was fired for drinking on the job after his wife files for divorce and begins dating someone else. Desperate to put his life back together and salvage what’s left of his career, Stone accepts a job as the police chief in Paradise, a small seaside community in Massachusetts. Stone battles the bottle, letting go of his former life, and Carter Hansen, a town council member determined to replace Stone with Hansen’s son-in-law. It’s a great role for Selleck who gets the opportunity to play a darker character embracing middle age and coming to terms with his drinking and being alone. A strong supporting cast in the series includes Viola Davis, Kathy Baker, and William Devane. These made-for-TV movies were filmed from 2005 through 2015. The movies do not run in the same order as the book series, so it’s okay to watch them out of order. The films include:

Stone Cold 2005

Night Passage 2006

Death in Paradise 2006

Sea Change 2007

Thin Ice 2009

No Remorse 2010

Innocents Lost 2011

Benefit of the Doubt 2012

Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise 2015