[I review "Cocaine Quarterback: Signal Caller for the Cartel," "John Candy: I Like Me" and "Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip To Remember"]
Cocaine Quarterback: Signal Caller for the Cartel (2025)
The true, almost unbelievable, story of convicted drug trafficker Owen Hanson's rise from USC football player to smuggling drugs for one of the world's most dangerous cartels.
What do you do when you get a sports scholarship to USC to play volleyball and you are faced with losing your position if you don't get stronger? Why, you go down to Mexico and get some steroids. And what do you do when you bulk up and get drafted as a walk-on to play USC football? Why, you play football. And what do you do when your football career doesn't take off? Why, you start smuggling drugs. Those were the decisions that Owen Hanson made, and this is his story.
Growing up in Redondo Beach, California, Owen lived a modest lifestyle. He was a star high school volleyball player, so was thrilled to be awarded a scholarship to play volleyball for USC. But when that didn't work out as planned, he was able to join the USC football program as a walk-on in 2004. But while at college, he subsidized his lifestyle as a campus drug dealer feeling he needed the money to "fit in with those USC kids." Who knew that small side hustle would turn into a major illegal enterprise?
After college when his teammates were getting drafted for the NFL, Hanson was at loose ends so he turned to real estate, but then the 2008 recession hit and he was once again wondering what to do with this life. Hey, what about that drug thing he used to do? Sounds like a plan.
Hanson was able to align himself with a Mexican drug lord (not sure how one does that) and soon was hobnobbing with celebrities, athletes and other high rollers. He trafficked cocaine, meth, ecstasy and heroin in the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Australia as well as running an offshore sports betting website. He claimed he made $1 million a day at one point. And according to the Attorney General's Southern California office, Hanson was also the leader of a violent racketeering enterprise called "ODOG," which used intimidation and force to keep customers in line.
But then, enter gambler R.J. Cipriani, AKA Robin Hood 702, who supposedly gave his gambling winnings to people in need. Hanson aligned with him in an elaborate scheme to launder his drug money and that worked for a time, but when Cipriani lost $2.5 million of Hanson's money playing blackjack, Hanson was in big trouble with the cartel. Hanson then sent Cipriani death threats, poured fake blood on his Cipriani's parents' graves and sent videos of executions to his family members to try to get his money back. Well, don't mess with Robin Hood 702, especially his parents. Now the FBI was involved and they were on to Hanson.
And that's only part of the story. There is much more.
Directed by Jody McVeigh-Schultz (And Mark Wahlberg is one of the executive producers), much of Hanson's story is told by him from prison along with many of his cohorts. Believe it or not, we watched this series because our son said one of the kids he knew from high school baseball was in the series! And there he was!
Is Hanson still serving time? Does Hanson have any new side hustles? Well, you will have to watch and find out. Easily bingeable as each of the three episodes has a run time of about 40 minutes.
Rosy the Reviewer says...a compelling three-part true-crime series about ego, power, and poor judgment. (Amazon Prime)
John Candy: I Like Me (2025)
An affectionate profile of actor John Candy directed by Colin Hanks.
John Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian who was probably best known for his work in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" and "Uncle Buck," though he starred in over 35 films before his untimely death from a heart attack at the age of 43.
Hanks (son of Tom Hanks) relies on rare and never-before-seen archival footage, outtakes, private home videos, audio commentary, movie clips and interviews with family and his famous friends to tell John Candy's story.
Born in 1950, John grew up in Toronto, Ontario, in a working class Catholic family. Sadly his father died at the age of 35 from heart disease when John was 5 - on his 5th birthday! John was interested in theatre and found himself as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City in the 1970's and its SCTV sketch series alongside Eugene Levy, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Joe Flaherty, Catherine O'Hara and Rick Moranis, all of whom gained fame of their own. And then Hollywood came calling.
This is a positive profile, and that is fitting, since no one seemed to have a bad word to say about him. He was a sort of "every man," a good guy. However, underneath the comedy was a guy who suffered from a sometimes crippling anxiety and the fear that he would die young, like his Dad. He felt he was on borrowed time and sadly he was.
Rosy the Reviewer says...a wonderful tribute to a wonderful actor. It's fun hanging out with him again. (Amazon Prime)
Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember (2025)
Actor Chris Hemsworth embarks on a motorcycle road trip with his dad, Craig, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
After consulting with clinical psychologist Dr. Suraj Samtani and learning about Reminiscence Therapy, Chris Hemsworth goes on a road trip to Melbourne and the Australian Outback with his father, Craig, 71, to not only spend time together but to help his dad remember.
Revisiting past experiences is a great way to help cognition. Memories from the past help the brain. This is part of Reminiscence Therapy and Chris is hoping it will help his Dad, who has the early signs of Alzheimer's. Since his dad used to race motorcycles, they embark on a motorcycle road trip, starting in Melbourne where Chris spent his teen years. They return to the house they lived in during the 1990's that Chris has completely redone to look like it did when they lived there (thanks to the cooperation of the current owners). His mother, Leonie, Craig's wife of over 40 years, joins them and they watch some home movies and look at family photos.
And then it's off to Bulman, in the Northern Territory, where Chris and his brothers spent their very young years. The town is primarily an Aboriginal community four and a half hours from the nearest town. Craig had found a job there rustling buffalo and cattle, and Chris was able to find many of the men who had worked with Craig 35 years ago. Seeing old friends also helps the brain, because it requires us to think back to how we knew our old friends and what we did together. And interacting with community slows the rate of cognitive decline.
With family photos and archival footage, we see the life that Chris led There is a photo that Chris has of his dad and him in a spot in Bulman and they are able to find it in the present day in a very poignant moment. But for all of the bonding that Chris and his dad do, Chris is reluctant to ask his dad how he feels about the diagnosis and his memory loss. He admits on camera that part of the reason he doesn't ask is because he doesn't want to face the answer. But on their last night together, the two camp out and he finally asks his dad how he feels about the diagnosis and Craig shares what he is going through.
It is interesting to see Craig's transformation as the film goes on. He is at first forgetful and quiet, but as the two take their journey of remembering, Craig is seen to open up more.
Chris' mother and Craig's wife of over 40 years weighs in as well as Dr. Samtani. And then, if I might digress for a moment, there is Chris sharing his feelings in some juicy closeups as he recounts his childhood. He is one handsome guy.
Directed by Tom Barbor-Might, this is a bittersweet journey. On the sweet side, Chris bonds with his Dad and the trip seems to be helping Craig, but on the bitter side, Hemsworth knows that he is losing the man his father once was. He also reveals that he has inherited two copies of the APOE4 gene, one from his mother and one from his father, which makes it eight to ten times more likely that he will eventually develop Alzheimer's. And sadly, every year there are over 10 million new cases of dementia. This film sheds light on that as well as what we can all do to ward it off. And it reminds us to not take our parents for granted.
Rosy the Reviewer says...a revealing look at the issue of dementia but even if you are not interested in that, this is a very heartwarming and important story of father/son love (it brought tears to my eyes). But it's also a cool road trip and it shows the very kind, human side of a superstar. There is something here for everyone. (Hulu)
See You Next Time!
And Happy Holidays!
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