W. - The Killer of Flanders Fields (2014)

Apparently "Witse" was a long-running prime time detective show in Belgium. I've never heard of it, but this movie -- set a couple of years after his retirement from the police -- looked like it'd be my jam. I was thinking "The Break" or "Wallander": dark crime balanced with an interesting and decent group of crime fighters.

But Witse doesn't bother with making sure there's light to provide respite from the evil. It just gets on with the solving of the crime and we the audience need to deal with it. It's a pretty decent thriller, but I wound up exhausted with the griminess.

Maybe if this hadn't been my introduction to Witse I would've been able to overlook it, either because I knew what to expect or -- if this isn't the "norm" -- because I was already on board with the hero. Obviously, I'm just guessing since this was my first (and last) sit-down with the guy.

C+

My Man Godfrey (1936)

High-society family hires a "forgotten man" straight from his digs at the city dump as their butler. He's surprisingly good at the job, navigating their demands and calming their nerves with ease. One of the daughters is in love with him while the other is scheming to rid the household of him.

It's a confection with a message: there's a pretty thin line between the haves and have-nots and no one should feel superior about their position. William Powell is fantastic in the lead role, but the "screwball" elements feel a bit hollow.

B

Criss Cross (1949)

Steve returns home to L.A. after spending a couple of years trying unsuccessfully to forget his ex-wife. Though she's now unhappily entangled with the local mob boss, Steve's got a plan. From the first bit of rushed and desperate dialogue, it's clear that we're being dropped right in the middle of things and that's just fine. The script doesn't bother holding our hand to make sure we're up to speed, it just trusts that we'll catch up.

This runs fewer than 90 minutes, but it's stuffed to bursting with story and simply gorgeous shots. I was wowed at least a dozen times by the pure art on screen. 

B+

The Mustang (2019)

Roman is a violent offender who has been in prison for a dozen years and who doesn't do well with people. Coming into a new prison system, he's assigned outdoor work and, eventually, is accepted into the horse training program. In working with a high-spirited wild animal, Roman is humbled and gains pride in his abilities. This opens him up to growth in other ways.

Though there are obvious flaws -- I doubt seriously that the program was accurately depicted (at least I hope it wasn't) -- I was genuinely moved by this film. I was also encouraged to read the end notes in which we are told that prisoners involved in this program are much less likely to re-offend. That makes perfect sense to me and gives me hope that prison as true rehabilitation rather than simply as punishment might actually be possible in America.

B

The Gift (2015)

Simon and Robyn are just getting set up in their new home when they run into an old classmate of Simon's. Before they know it, Gordo is showing up to their house uninvited and with gifts in hand. They feel somewhat forced into a friendship with him, even though he makes them uneasy. When Simon finally decides to break off the relationship, odd things begin happening around the house. Is it retaliation or just coincidence?

This is a solid thriller with a somewhat predictable twist. Worth the watch if you're in the mood for mild scares and enjoy a good dose of comeuppance.

C+

In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)

When there was about 30m left, I said aloud (spoiler) "the killer is his own granddaughter and we've never seen the son-in-law because he's black and that could give it away." So, while this starts off strong and the good type of "what the heck is happening??!!!" was running through my mind, it goes on just long enough to turn the big reveal into a big "well, duh."

C+

Paper Heart (2009)

Charlyne Yi plays herself making a documentary about a subject she doesn't understand: love. She and her crew travel around the country asking people for their takes on love. Early into the filming, Charlyne meets Michael Cera, who expresses interest in getting to know her better.

For the first portion of my watch, I thought this was an actual documentary that happened to have a director who looks remarkably like Jake Johnson. When I finally caved and checked on IMDb halfway through, I found that it was Jake playing the actual director (Nick), so I was still pretty confused as to whether or not this was a real thing. That was pretty annoying to me because, if it was real, I could be fine with all of Yi's quirks -- I mean, what can you do if that's really who she is? But, since I now know that it's not real, I'm just wondering what the purpose of the obfuscation was.

C-

Remember (2016)

Dementia sufferer and recent widower Zev has made a promise to himself and his friend to find and kill the Nazi who murdered their families at Auschwitz. Because he's so forgetful, his friend has made all the arrangements and written him a detailed letter to keep him on track. They've narrowed the possibilities to four men, which Zev will visit in turn until he locates the correct one.

Christopher Plummer is absolutely wonderful as Zev. I was worried about him and rooting for him to get the job done and find some peace. Although I was initially a bit let down by the ending, after some thought, I'm a fan. Things didn't go the way I exoected them to go, but they went the right way.

A-

Il Generale Della Rovere (1961)

During World War II, an Italian con man going by the name Grimaldi exploits the families of those arrested by assuring them he can help, if they'll give him money to bribe the German officers. Eventually, one of his victims turns him in.

Meanwhile, an important figure in the Italian resistance has been killed though the intent was to capture and use him as a bargaining chip. Grimaldi is promised release if he will pose as this man (General della Rovere) while in detention,  in order to expose his conspirators and their plans. Neither he nor the German Colonel who devised the scheme thought his conscience or sense of duty would be a factor in carrying out this assignment.

Though slightly overlong, this story really works. The growth is extremely believable and I was moved.

B+

Lavender (2017)

Young wife and mother is obsessed with photographing old houses and one, in particular, has gotten under her skin. When she experiences short-term amnesia after a car crash, she also begins to remember long-buried secrets from her childhood.

Though it's fairly well-done with a minimum of jump scenes, it's still not worth the time. We've seen this all before.

C-

Angel on My Shoulder (1946)

Gangster Eddie Kagle is plugged by his right-hand man and ends up in hell. An opportunistic Satan notices that the newly arrived Kagle is a dead ringer for a do-gooder judge that he'd like to get out of his way, so he offers Eddie the chance to get revenge on his killer in exchange for damaging the judge's rep. Kagle, however, finds that living the judge's life and being with the judge's fiance makes him want to be a better person which, coincidentally, means the devil cannot control him.

Clever and charming, but with a little less depth than it needs.

B

Freeheld (2015)

Laurel Hester, a New Jersey detective, is a lesbian in a domestic partnership with Stacie. She keeps her work and home life separate to the point that not even her partner on the force knows she's gay. When she's diagnosed with stage-four cancer, she petitions to have her pension assigned to Stacie. Others soon see the value in joining the fight.

The story's affecting and sticks to what's important, rather than getting too bogged down in sentimentality. I appreciated the clean approach: no big epiphanies, just sticking it out -- doing the work -- can sometimes result in huge victories. People given the chance to change their minds sometimes do. That's a reason to hope.

B+

Mary Shelley (2018)

Young Mary Godwin doesn't get along with her stepmother, so she is sent from her London home to Scotland, where she meets the poet Percy Shelley. They fall for each other and, despite eventually discovering that he already has a wife and child, Mary and her sister Claire move in with him.

Percy is annoyed that Mary's not open-minded about sexual dalliances -- which he seems to be enjoying with Claire. He's also in debt up to his eyes, which winds up contributing to the death of their infant daughter. It's basically a misery-fest, but one that leads Mary to author "Frankenstein," a story about a being who is awoken only to be abandoned.

This was in desperate need of some lightness.

C+

Mid90s (2018)

Stevie's a pretty typical lower middle-class '90s kid. He's got an antagonistic brother at least 5 years older and a somewhat lost single mom. He happens into a group of skater kids and starts hanging around until he's finally absorbed into the group.

There's a beautifully naturalistic feel to the story: less like a movie and more of a snapshot of a time gone by. This was when kids were allowed to just be out all day long doing Lord knows what, danger be damned. Stevie is the perfect guide to the scene -- he's stumbling his way through this unfamiliar world, but his sweet and eager nature is kind of a superpower. What a find this kid is.

B

Extraction (2020)

A mercenary still grappling with the death of his own son is sent to Bangladesh to recover the kidnapped son of a drug lord.

The action is incredible. A lot of hand-to-hand scenes and I could actually see all of it/follow what was happening with the stunts. And that's really all there is. Fight, run, fight. Sometimes that's enough.

B-

Unfriended: Dark Web (2018)

I liked the first one pretty well. Since this is basically the same thing, I still liked it well enough even though the novelty is gone. The cast is unknown but still believable and it's not overlong.

There is a major tweak: we're no longer in the realm of the supernatural, but in the very real world of terrible people doing terrible things for entertainment. That changes the vibe from "fun scary movie about something that could never actually happen" to "scary movie that could really heighten my general fear as I move through life." For that, I knock it down a notch.

B-

Mister Rogers & Me (2010)

The filmmaker's mother lived on Nantucket and was an actual neighbor of Mr. Rogers, who had a summer home on the island. Benjamin Wagner uses this barely-there relationship as a springboard for this look at who the late Rogers was in his everyday life. Spoiler: he was the same guy we see on TV.

It's not a good documentary. But it is about a very good and kind person, so one can't help but be inspired and happy. But, still, it's not a well-done effort -- it felt like a high-school presentation on "my childhood hero."

C-

Everybody Knows (2019)

Laura, her teenage daughter and her young son travel home to Spain for a wedding. Also at the wedding is her former boyfriend and his wife. When there's an abduction with a ransom demand, the entire family begins to unravel.

I like that we're kept in the dark until near the end -- that we're working hard to figure out what has happened along with the family. It's tense and sad and all of the emotions we see are earned and believable. It's a good story performed excellently. Cruz is amazing but Bardem is the star here.

A-

Self/less (2015)

Dying rich guy decides to have his brain downloaded into a new body. Turns out the body is only new-to-him.

This could've gone really wrong, but it turned out to be a good story that doesn't insult the watcher. After the introductory scenes and the body transfer, things really take off. And I really appreciated the main character's motivations and responses. At every point, I thought he made perfect sense.

B 

Hampstead (2019)

Diane Keaton is a widow floundering both financially and socially since her husband's death. Brendan Gleeson is a man who's become problem for a local developer by living off the land right where new luxury apartments are slated to be built. The two meet by chance and develop a quick friendship, which leads to romance and a legal battle for rights to the land.

It's perfectly nice. It's also completely weightless.

C+

Where the Money Is (2000)

A talented bank robber who only got caught due to a surprise black-out is being transferred to a nursing home after a massive stroke has left him completely incapacitated. A young nurse at the home suspects that he's not as helpless as he pretends... Once he cops to the ruse, they team up -- along with her husband -- to pull an armored car heist.

Fun idea, but the execution is dullsville.

C-

2012 (2009)

The world is about to come to an end. Though world leaders have been given enough of a heads-up to build "arks" in which to ride out the worst of it and restart civilization, most of the population is unaware... until they're falling into huge cracks in the earth, that is.

I'm fairly sure that the intent here was to make a big old-fashioned disaster movie following several storylines, in the vein of Earthquake and Airport in the '70s. But this just wound up bloated and silly. Even the "cool" bits -- like the Washington Monument crashing to the ground or hundreds of people clinging to suddenly exposed skyscraper floors -- felt cartoonish rather than thrilling.

D+

Little (2019)

Bullied girl grows up to be a bullying businesswoman who gets magically turned back into a little girl. It's a reverse "Big" but with lessons, y'all.

Marsai Martin is amazing playing an adult in a child's body. Everything else is underbaked -- relying on broad comedy that just felt lazy and not fresh.

C+