The Winslow Boy (1950)

A young teen attending the Naval Academy is expelled for stealing, though he insists he's innocent. His father is determined to clear his name and eventually is forced to hire one of the best defense attorneys in the country. The reputation and fortune of the family dwindle as the case goes on for a couple of years, but they stand firm.

In my opinion, the ambiguity of the 1999 remake is more interesting, but this isn't bad.

B-

Passport to Pimlico (1949)

The small British town of Pimlico discovers a cache of treasure from Burgundy, proving that their area is actually a French region. Chaos ensues due to taxes and laws and the ownership of the treasure. It's silly, short and ultimately just fine.

B-

Old People (2022)

A mother and her two children travel to their dying hometown for her sister's wedding. Also attending will be her estranged father, who has been in a severely understaffed nursing home. And man those residents  are pissed at being forgotten.

It's basically a zombie movie but old people are the zombies. Borders on silly while begging the question: if they're this able, why the hell haven't they just been taking care of themselves rather than withering away in filthy neglect?

D

Safe House (2012)

An unproven CIA agent (Ryan Reynolds) has been posted at a Cape Town safe house with no activity for about a year. When a "guest" (Denzel Washington) finally comes, so does a whole lot of trouble. Soon the agent is on his own dealing with the guest and trying to figure out who he can trust.

The breathers are pretty short here: it's mostly run, chase, fight, shoot in various locations. A really terrific action film that never had me rolling my eyes. The characters behave in believable ways and show intelligence but without superhuman smarts or abilities.

B

Cyrano (2021)

This just doesn't work, and I think both the script and the casting of Dinklage are to blame. Cyrano doesn't feel like a cunning wit so much as a presumptuous jerk when he's bullying a popular (but mediocre) actor off the stage. I also didn't buy his ability to dispatch 10 soldiers and, apparently, neither did the director since some of that battle takes place off-screen. But, worst of all, I didn't feel the passion he was supposed to hold for Roxanne. Rather than hiding his longing with brittle humor, he just seemed perpetually mopey.

And then there are the songs: the too-infrequent and extremely forgettable songs. Roxanne and Christian have lovely voices, but the lyrics let them down. That said, one song -- having nothing to do with Cyrano, Roxanne, or Christian -- yanked this movie up an entire letter grade just by its existence. I was a blubbery snotty mess within the first minute of the song below, "Wherever I Fall, Pt 1."

 

C

Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)

This time half of the clan goes to France to check into a villa that has been willed to the dowager countess, much to the irritation of the benefactor's wife. Meanwhile, the rest of the group stays behind where an American film crew has hired the Abbey for filming a silent film.

It's all very predictable -- especially as the "dawn of talkies" storyline is lifted straight from Singing in the Rain -- but it's also undeniably better than the last film (not a very high a bar to clear). It felt like a fine wrap-up to the series, setting each character up with a proper ever after.

C+

Jerry and Marge Go Large (2022)

Many people dream of the day that their 9-5 is finally in the past, but Jerry is floundering in retirement. He's never been very social and has no hobbies; the thing he understands and excels at is numbers. So when he idly reads through the rules of a new lottery game, he's surprised to discover that the odds can tip toward the player when the volume of tickets is high enough.

I really enjoyed this movie. Though a bit formulaic and a tad low-key, both of those elements worked in its favor. It's hopeful and nice and has the added benefit of being based on a true story to prevent the temptation of rolling one's eyes and saying "no way."

B

Britt-Marie Was Here (2019)

Britt-Marie is in her 60s and has never held a job, instead focusing on housewifing for the last 40 years. She walks away from her marriage the minute she finds out her husband is unfaithful and secures a job as a youth soccer coach hours away. Though she knows nothing about kids or the game, she buckles down and gets to work and well, you get it.

This movie is ripe for an American adaptation. There were so many gaps in the storytelling and the children (with the exception of one) weren't given any distinct personalities. Britt-Marie herself is so buttoned-up that I wasn't even sure what, exactly, she was feeling. I think this is supposed to be a female "A Man Called Ove" -- it's by the same author -- but we never really got to the heart of Britt-Marie, and that's a real problem.

C

We the Animals (2018)

Mom and Dad work hard to provide for their three boys, but there's not much to spare. Still, they're generally happy. Jonah, the youngest, keeps a secret journal, which he crawls under the bed at night to fill with art and thoughts. 

After a particularly violent fight which results in Dad leaving and Mom taking to bed for a week or two (first to heal from injuries, then due to depression), the boys have to fend for themselves. During this time, they're conflicted about where their loyalties lie. Even after Dad returns, the relationships continue to be strained by the ever-present lack of enough -- either of money or stability. 

It's an honest portrait of a struggling family with Jonah, the sensitive soul, just trying to make his way through it.

B

Dave Made a Maze (2017)

Annie comes home from a trip to find a cardboard fort in her living room and her boyfriend Dave claiming he cannot find his way out. Now that's an interesting premise: an artist who's depressed at his lack of direction and success literally feeling trapped by his own art. Too bad that's not what was going on here.

Annie, some friends, a camera crew and some randos all decide to pile into the fort only to become trapped themselves. Then some die (maybe? It's hard to tell since the weapons are cardboard and the "blood" is made of construction paper). Also, it's one of those movies that feels never-ending despite it taking up very little actual time.

D+

The Wailing (2016)

In a small Korean town, a few incidents of formerly mild people becoming violent killers occur and Jong-Goo is one of the police officers sent to investigate. The cops soon focus in on a new-to-town Japanese man who has an occult-type set-up in his home. When Jong-Goo's own daughter becomes sick, he hires a shaman to cure her but knows that may not be enough.

Maybe this was good and it was my white inability to quickly distinguish the players that was at fault here. I mean, I know that was an issue (when they spoke of the Japanese man, I didn't know which one that was for quite a while), but I am pretty sure it wasn't the only issue. Basically, I was confused at times but, mostly, I was just bored.

C-

The Trip to Spain (2017)

Coogan and Brydon hit the road again. They're taking in the sights, enjoying the food, and doing never-ending bits to amuse each other.

I enjoyed this outing quite a bit. Having just re-read my review of "The Trip," I'm surprised at how crabby my review was. I can't imagine the two films are that different from each other. Maybe I'm just less uptight than I was? Or perhaps actually is a better film.

B

Mayhem (2017)

A virus that causes people to lose all inhibition and act on their impulses infects a law firm. Fortunately, there's a protocol for the virus: quarantine for several hours while the vaccine is administered through the ventilation system. Unfortunately, everyone in quarantine is in full-on crazy mode.

It's incredibly violent and extremely short on story, but it's also pretty entertaining.

C+

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

A father and son mortuary team take in a body after hours and are asked to find the cause of death by morning. She was found half-buried in the basement of a home where the middle-aged owners and a contractor had been killed. Oddly, she has no outer signs of trauma.

This started out promising... or maybe I was just fooled by the presence of Brian Cox. There are some cool discoveries as they work the autopsy, but it eventually gets to the standard horror stuff. Thunderstorm, jump scares, dead bodies going walkabout, etc. Disappointing.

C-

The Killer Inside Me (2010)

Lou, a deputy in an oil town, has had vengeance on his mind for a while. When he falls in with a prostitute with a connection to the family he wants to teach a lesson, the crimes (and bodies) start to pile up quickly. And that's really about it. 

If Lou had any depth to him, this might've been something. But, since he's a blank, this never had a prayer of generating any real interest. Lou's only talents seem to be 1) feeling nothing 2) punching and punching and punching some more 3) getting females into bed. I mean, the women all seem to exist exclusively to stroke both his ego and his manhood. 

It's just all kinds of yucky. It's also super boring. And that's a fatal combination.

D

A Dark Song (2017)

Sophia has prepared her body, rented a house, and hired an expert in order to perform a ritual. Joseph, the expert, is skeptical about her motives which makes him concerned about the ritual's success. Their wary relationship and the subterfuge that each of them employ with each other makes this a one-of-a-kind story.

This kept me off-balance and caused me to keep revising my predictions about what was going to happen. It's scary, dirty, cruel, and sad. While it's not without issues, the acting and mood are flawless.

B+

Cropsey (2010)

In '70s and '80s Staten Island, "Cropsey" is synonymous with bogeyman. The legend grew from a spate of missing children, most of whom had some kind of mental disability. This documentary covers the panic and the efforts to find the children and the culprit.

While the film is compelling due to the real-life footage of the disgusting conditions in the Willowbrook Institution (courtesy of Geraldo Rivera), there are no real answers here. The filmmakers insert themselves too much into the narrative and uncover no new information. Not worth the time -- better to just find information on the internet if you're truly interested in the story.

C-