Paddington in Peru (2025)

Paddington's off to Peru with the entire Brown family (and Mrs. Bird) in tow when he's told that Aunt Lucy is really missing him. Once they get there, however, Lucy has disappeared so they're off to find her with only a bracelet and a cryptic map to help them.

Of course I was going to watch this. The first movie was charming and the second only improved upon the first. But, while this one sure does try to keep up, it just putters out despite the "bigger better" of the location and mystery. Ah well. No need to be greedy: two wonderful films are plenty for this franchise.

C+

The Truman Show (1998)

Great concept, especially for pre-reality TV times: a guy's life is broadcast as entertainment 24/7 without his knowledge. The town is like a 1950s idea of bliss as presented in an amusement park attraction. Everything's clean, everyone's content, there's no reason to change anything.

But a concept is not enough -- there has to be some depth. I never felt like I knew any of the characters, least of all Truman. For example, when he "escapes" from his room by fooling the cameras, we are in the position of the watchers rather than Truman -- we see his deception when everyone else does. Why? Aren't we supposed to identify with him? Why not let us escape with him, hoping to get away with it but feeling the "hurry up!!" nervousness that he will be discovered?

Also, it's certainly not easy to identify with a man who has literally never left his bubble. I get that he was manipulated his whole life, but he is aware of the outside world and has a great desire to be in it -- what man wouldn't try to get there? At least do it "The Village"-style and lie to him about what's "out there." Make it monsters. Make it nothing. It doesn't matter as long as I believe that, in his shoes, I'd stay put too. As written, it's ridiculous that he's never left. Also ridiculous? That we have no idea what happens to him once he leaves the bubble. What about money? A job? A place to stay? It seems he has no family and no experience that could help him out there. At least give us a "he's OK" montage over the credits. 

C

The Contestant (2024)

Nasubi was trying to make it as a comedian when he auditioned for a well-known television producer. He got the job and was immediately taken to a small apartment containing only with a low table, a single cushion, a rack full of magazines, a stack of postcards and a pen -- his clothes were even taken from him. His goal was to win 1 million worth of prizes by entering prize contests in the magazines. He would have nothing to sustain him except the prizes he could win. When he hits his goal...  he's moved and given a new goal. When he hits that goal, the producer changes the goal. All the while (about 15 months), his days are being recorded and broadcast as "Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes" and he's becoming famous without his consent or knowledge.

I mean... I don't even know how to talk about this. This is obviously torture. There's a reason that solitary confinement is restricted in United States prisons: it's detrimental both physically and mentally. And, even in prison, there's supposed to be some outdoor exercise time. Nasubi was not only alone (the cameramen were instructed not to engage): he was starved and humiliated. He is reduced to eating dog food when it is delivered as a prize. At one point he's moved to a "start over" apartment in Korea, which means he must LEARN KOREAN before he can even begin trying to win anything out of the Korean magazines.

There's nothing funny here. I admit that it's fascinating, but it is not entertaining. The worst thing is that the producer understands that he went too far... but he can't hide his pride over the show, which makes any contrition seem disingenuous. Nasubi may have always been "free to leave" but psychology is a tricky thing. The Stanford Prison Experiment shows that once you're designated a prisoner, it's very difficult to see yourself as having personal agency. 

One big thing we aren't told: where is the money?? Nasubi's diaries were published as best-sellers. The show was a huge hit. Did Nasubi see any of that? If not, shame on everyone involved in this. You know what? Even if he did get rich, everyone involved still deserves double portions of shame.

B-

Trial by Fire (2019)

Based on the true story of Todd Willingham, a young father with a checkered past found guilty and put on death row for the killing of his three children in a fire. Though he works hard in prison to learn what he can about the law and appeal his verdict, it's only once author Elizabeth takes an interest that any progress is made.

It's got a lot going for it: the case is interesting, the weaknesses of the justice system are on full display, and the two leads do a good enough job that I was rooting for success, but it all felt a bit too basic. I want to be angry about the cruelty of the justice system: lawyers who give less than their all, investigators using junk science, people who are willing to lie (plus the officials who solicit those lies), and the zookeeper-mentality of prison guards all deserve reform. But this felt more like a book report about the case than an exposé.

C+

Annie Hall (1977)

Though I really loved this the first time I saw it 30ish years ago, it has not aged well. I'm not even talking about the "child molesters" comment early on and the later mention of a sexual encounter with 16-year-old twins (though they do land with heavy thuds now that we know what we know). I mean that I've seen better versions of this story in the near 50 years since its release with better direction and better performances.

I don't begrudge this groundbreaking film its place in history. This must've felt so fresh in the way it broke the fourth wall with regularity and refused to adhere to a linear timeline. Alvy himself is a romantic lead that hadn't been seen: he's built like a 13-year-old waiting for his growth spurt with a personality that could be described as "perpetual gripe," but it told the truth that women can see past quite a bit in pursuit of a compatible mate.

That said, this has become nothing more than a curious time capsule I'm unlikely to visit again.

C+

His Three Daughters (2024)

As their father nears the end of his life, his three adult daughters are together in the family apartment for the first time in ages. Katie sucks the energy from the room by finding fault everywhere she looks, Christina is a peacemaking yoga-performing type, and Rachel is a sports betting stoner who never made it out of the family home.

Though it took a while to get beyond the personalities (the first half felt like overlong set-up), eventually the depth of the story is revealed. I wound up actually appreciating the early scenes as pretty accurate: we do stall with petty annoyances to avoid the hard stuff. The last couple of scenes were so moving that it redeemed the uncomfortable beginning and middle for me.

B-

The Accountant 2 (2025)

Gary and I had a good time with the first installment, so we decided to give this one a whirl and it simply doesn't work in the same way. Affleck's character is the same and that's the one thing that does go well, but they otherwise tweaked a winning formula in all the wrong ways. 

Beefing up the role of his brother would've been alright if his brother weren't also an atypical personality but, since he's both needy and chaotic, it just feels like adding another main dish that isn't quite as tasty as the first. Another issue is that our "avatar" --  a Treasury Department investigator named Marybeth -- is a naysaying skeptic that is more horrified than energized by what Christian can do. We are watching this movie for fun and having someone shit all over the fun at every turn kind of ruins that. And then there's the mystery itself. In the first film it was about corporate greed, but this time around it's about human trafficking and slaughtering inconvenient children, which is just way too heavy for a popcorn flick.

If the movies had come out in reverse order, I'd have never bothered watching another.

C-

Strange Darling (2024)

From the outset, we're told that the story will be told in six chapters... then we start right in with "Chapter 3" and a bloodied woman running for her life. It's this transparently jumbled telling that makes this really work. I knew I'd find out the whole story eventually, which allowed me to just enjoy the ride rather than getting frustrated or feeling manipulated.

A very violent fun time.

B+

The Wrath of Becky (2023)

Orphaned teen flees her foster family and finds a home with a widow who doesn't ask many questions. She's obsessed with survival and setting traps due to the violent way in which she lost her father. After taking a petty revenge on an asshole customer at the diner where she works, the customer tracks her down and ruins her relatively settled life. Since he kidnaps her dog, she has no choice but to come after him.

It's quick and bloody and I sure wish I'd known this was a sequel. I doubt that knowledge would've changed my opinion, but I still would've like to have known.

C+

Tombstone (1993)

Wyatt Earp retires and convinces his brothers and their wives to move with him to Tombstone. By coincidence, their old friend Doc Holliday breezes into the same town, resulting in a happy reunion for them all. Though Earp is determined to stay retired, that goal is difficult to achieve as "The Cowboys" gang of outlaws have set their sights on Tombstone. 

I saw this in the mid-90s and rated it a "C," but knowing of its high audience rating and the fact that it's one of Kilmer's most-loved roles made me want to revisit it. There have been several times that I've radically changed my opinion on a movie -- sometimes just because of the mood I was in or circumstances of viewing -- but the discrepancy can usually be explained by my age/experience-level: I just didn't have enough under my belt to relate. That's not the case here, though. The script is especially lacking in depth with regards to the relationships and that hurts the entire endeavor.

C