Children of Paradise (1946)

Four men: a gifted but unsuccessful mime, a minor actor whose star is on the rise, a conman, and a nobleman all fall for Garance. She's beautiful, enigmatic and warm. Eventually the mime's a star, the actor's a star, the conman is comfortable, and the nobleman has "won" Garance -- the lives have moved on, but the desire for Garance has not... and the movie stagnates.

It's 3 hours long and the best bits were the stage shows of the mime and the actor: the plays within the movie. The actual story just felt like one idea stretched to the fraying point. Tightened up, this could've been poetry.

C

Another Round (2020)

Four high school teachers, all kind of phoning it in, get to talking about a theory that humans are born with an insufficient blood alcohol level to perform at peak capacity. The one of them who is having a particularly hard time of it, both personally and at work, decides to see what happens if he's low-level drunk all day. Turns out he's inspired and engaging, so the other three join him in the experiment.

In the week since we watched this, I've said at least a half-dozen times something like "Another Round was so good." It's original, beautifully acted, thought-provoking, funny, and stars Mads. Pretty much everything you need right there.

A

I Think We're Alone Now (2018)

As the only person left in town, Del has managed to keep himself busy post-apocalypse. He is systematically cleaning up each home and burying the dead, while living in the library where he worked. Grace literally crashes into his life and doesn't want to leave.

I was loving the early scenes because Del was living pretty much the way I think I would be: trying to restore some normalcy to a world turned upside-down. But, when it comes right down to it, very few people are true recluses. Sure, we might prefer solitude in general -- but that's when there's a choice. When it's forced, that messes with your head (which is why solitary confinement is so brutal, I'm guessing). 

Anyway, the offbeat team of Del & Grace is torn apart when Grace's "parents" track her down, which is where the movie takes a turn from good-weird to ugh-weird. At first I was excited about there being more people, but what's going on with Dad and Mom is unnecessarily convoluted & took the whole story down a few notches.

C+

Kate (2021)

Kate's been raised as an assassin her whole life and it's "one last job then I'm out" time. Only someone slips her poison giving her just one more day to live. 

This is a by-the-numbers race against the clock with nothing new to recommend it.

D+

Being the Ricardos (2021)

What I loved most about this film were the times that Lucy (Kidman) would run through a scene in her mind -- it made me feel privy to the process of a comedy genius. But those are far from the only worthwhile scenes here: the whole movie is quick-witted and effective, resulting into some real insight into not only how the sausage is made, but also the constant juggling of image and real life that the famous must do.

Kidman should win the Oscar for this. Bardem and Simmons should also be in contention -- they're all brilliant.

B+

The Last Duel (2021)

Marguerite -- wife of knight Jean de Carrouges -- claims to have been raped by knight Le Gris, who serves as the right hand to the king's cousin, Pierre. Carrouges demands, and is granted, a trial by combat.

After a brief glimpse of the duel's start, we flash back to "Part 1," which covers the events leading up to the duel from the perspective of Carrouges. This is the most boring bit & the bit after which Gary bailed. We then see the same events from the perspective of Le Gris. Then again from the perspective of Marguerite before finally arriving at the duel again. And it is masterful. Though the accounts are different, they all work together and, ironically, could all be true. 

My main complaint is why start with a duel and then go back? I spent way too much energy trying to figure out how much time was represented by the jumps. At the very least, we should've been given relational timelines (e.g. 9 years before the duel or 5 years later) rather than simple dates. But, other than that, this is truly a magnificent piece of work that had me sympathizing with everyone. 

A-

Our Friend (2021)

Nicole has two young daughters, a very busy husband, and terminal cancer. She's also got really a good friend. Well, she had a lot of friends -- but only one who gave everything he could to get the family through the hardest time they're likely to experience. He was the only one who didn't fade away when things got really rough. He's almost too good to be true. In fact, I was sure this was fiction until the end told me otherwise. Being a friend like Dane seems really hard. There is nothing to which I aspire more.

Good movie. Great man.

B+

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

We first meet Tammy Faye when, as a child, she simply could not stay away from the church, despite being told that she would shame the family by going. Her encompassing belief and dedication to God is a throughline for her -- as is her love for every single person, regardless of lifestyle. It's just impossible not to like her because her arms were thrown wide.

Chastain is brilliant here. Though the facial prosthetics on both her and Garfield are less than seamless, the performances are top-notch. If the world were full of Tammy Fayes, the world would be -- quite simply -- full of love and acceptance.

B+

Guns Akimbo (2020)

Office drone Miles spends his evenings trolling comment sections. One night he stumbles into the Skizm forum and pisses off an administrator. Too bad for him that Skizm is a site that sets up "fight to the death" duels and now Miles is in one with handguns literally bolted to his knuckles.

It's fast and ridiculous and ultra-violent -- there was one section that I simply could not watch -- but ultimately fun. I think that's down to Radcliffe's inherent likability. Reminded me a bit of an R-for-violence Scott Pilgrim.

B-

Herself (2020)

Sandra has been thinking about leaving her abusive husband for a while. After a particularly brutal attack, she can no longer wait. Along with her daughters, she enters into temporary accommodations that both demoralize her and put an undue burden on her travel times to her two jobs. When she sees plans to build her own house online, she does her research and gets to work.

The story is both infuriating and full of hope. I loved that Sandra is no superhero -- she's just a mom who must do everything she can to keep her girls safe and happy. 

B

In for a Murder (2021)

Starts out super-fun -- reminded me a lot of "Only Murders in the Building." Magda is a bored housewife who comes across a dead body when walking her dog. Her interest is piqued, especially as a necklace she'd bought her best friend years back was seen on the dead woman in photos. There's gentle humor and a good-natured/non-dangerous veneer over everything.

But there's nothing new here. The mystery is exactly what we expect and the wrap-up is like an afterthought. Disappointing.

C

The Tall Target (1951)

A NY detective is convinced there's a plot to assassinate president-elect Lincoln during an upcoming pre-inaugural speech in Baltimore. In order to get the word to Lincoln and do what he can to stop it, he has to turn in his badge and board a train. He soon sees evidence of foul play and suspects conspirators are on the train as well.

It's a good, fast-moving story with lots of intrigue. I found it especially interesting to hear the passenger conversations and realize that our current divided nation is nothing new. But there's also a Dragnet-style perfunctoriness to the storytelling. The lead is especially impassive.

B-

Fully Realized Humans (2021)

A couple just one month away from the birth of their first child become obsessed with becoming "fully realized" as parent prep. This involves facing fears and taking risks -- but mild ones that won't hurt the baby. So, some examples are: strap-on sex, getting punched in/delivering a punch to the face (him), and confronting their own parents.

There are a few decent moments -- the hummus fight, in particular, rang so true -- but it's mostly hanging out with an immature/self-obsessed couple trying for big breakthroughs. Also, the ad-libs were fairly good for an improv night, but should've been tightened up for an actual movie.

C-

All Summers End (2017)

A trio of teen boys are hanging out and messing around during the summer in their nothing-to-do small town. One of the three finds himself a girlfriend and attempts to prove he's still one of the gang with a prank on her family that goes tragically awry. The family's grief, his guilt, the dissolution of his group of friends, and the confusion of first love combine in both exciting and terrible ways.

This movie just didn't let up. The sense of dread and angst were overwhelming and I was so glad when the movie was finally over.

C

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021)

I had never heard of Louis Wain, but I was charmed within the first minutes of meeting him. His talent and lack of concern for others' expectations were both interesting and disarming. His chaotic family life was similarly absorbing -- I wished to experience that kind of happy mess for myself. About 30 minutes in, I told Gary that he would absolutely love this film.

But then things change. First in his life: marriage and a shunning by society, then in his mind. The difference between the two parts of the film were stark enough that they felt like two completely different stories. Maybe that's just life... but it felt more like a storytelling/direction issue to me.

C

They Won't Believe Me (1947)

A man accused of murdering his wife tells his tale on the stand, which we watch unfold in flashback. He's a cheater with a rich wife, but he didn't do it, see? Decent enough, but I'm sure I'll forget it in days.

B

My Happy Family (2017)

Manana is a high school teacher who lives with her parents, along with her husband and two grown children. She decides to find a little place of her own, which seems less about divorce and more about finding peace. After spending some time with her family in their crowded house, I completely understood this -- the constant chatter and crowding was stifling. The reactions to her decision were both over-the-top and recognizable: it was the type of reaction you'd expect from a hyper-religious family getting the news that a macho son was gay.

While the story was well-done and believable, I could barely stand any of the people in the family. Yes, I was on Manana's side, but I was also annoyed with her as she seemed to have allowed her news to come out of left field. In short, I didn't enjoy my time with these people.

B-

Seventeen (2019)

Seventeen-year-old Hector, constantly in trouble with the law for minor infractions, is sent to juvie for a couple of years. Hector clearly has socialization issues, but he's also quite smart -- able to memorize the Criminal Code when the judge suggests he should. His life at the detention center is lonely and he's often bullied by the other kids, but he finds purpose when dogs from a local shelter are brought in as therapy. When "his" dog gets adopted due to his good work, he decides to escape in order to claim the dog as his own.

Hector, his big brother and their dying grandmother all hit the road to find the dog -- picking up a 3-legged pooch on the way to "trade" for his. It's funny and poignant and honest. It's also a wonderful reminder that broken relationships can be mended if we listen to each other. What a beautifully-told story. 

A

Pickpockets (2018)

A group of young thieves work the streets of Bogota, taking a small cut of what they earn. When a cop manning closed circuit cameras sees their potential, he decides to take a couple of them under his wing and teach them how to steal non-violently. He, of course, has an agenda for creating his own crew of pickpockets.

While I was interested in the situation and the kids themselves, the story got unnecessarily convoluted. I admit that I still don't understand the final score, which involved cockfights, a fire, a bag of winnings, and a pile of fake cash. But the "good guys" seemed to come out on top!

C+ 

The Half of It (2020)

It's a teen take on Cyrano, with a boy wooing a girl with the help of another girl's words. And wow. I did not expect there to be such depths in what I assumed was a teen rom-com.

The "pretty girl" being pursued at one point said something like "when you're pretty... people want to make you like them. Not like you as in 'I like you,' but like them as in 'I am like you.'" How profound and true that was. The same character, in response to being told that another doesn't believe in God, said, "that must be so nice," which is also so very real and true.

Anyway, this is a film I would happily recommend to adults and teens alike. It's smart and sweet and deep and doesn't falsely wrap things up all nice and neat.

A-

Annette (2021)

This is a through-sung story about romance, murder, and magic. It's like A Star Is Born crossed with Grease crossed with The Talented Mr. Ripley crossed with Pinocchio. In other words: what in the hell did I just watch?

Adam Driver is, as ever, just magnetic. I'd wager thousands that his "I killed my wife" stage bit will become the go-to one-person piece for acting classes -- it was incredible. I was also blown away by both of Simon Helberg's solo numbers (see below). But, overall, I'd call this a fascinating failure.

C+