Wildlife (2018)

Jeanette tries to put a brave face on things when her husband Jerry loses his job soon after they've located to a new town. One gets the feeling that the family has moved a lot and that the reason for the moves is Jerry's pride. Soon Jeanette and Joe (their 14-year-old son) have jobs while Jerry's stubbornly refusing to accept his old job back or work someplace menial like a supermarket. Eventually Jerry does find low-paying work on a crew that will take him away from town for several weeks, leaving his family to cope without him.

It's such a quiet film that refuses to spell things out. Maybe Jeanette's ability to massage Joe's ego and keep things going fairly smoothly enabled him? Maybe without her husband around to constantly manage, she realized that she didn't ever want to go back to it? Maybe Jerry is able to eventually step up as a father and provider once there's no one to indulge his ennui? I don't know for sure and you probably won't either, but I'd be surprised if you don't wind up rooting for Joe to be OK like I was.

B-

Adam's Rib (1949)

Lawyer Adam Bonner is tapped to prosecute a woman who shot at her husband while he was in the arms of another woman. His wife, Amanda Bonner (also a lawyer), decides to defend the wife as she believes a man in the same situation -- fighting for his family -- would be lauded rather than maligned. Though they've got a solid marriage full of mutual respect, a contest of lawyerly skills in the courtroom is a strain.

Though the courtroom scenes are a lot of fun, the datedness of the material makes it so much of a time capsule that it's difficult to take it at face value. Case in point: the primary reason given for the husband's infidelity is that his wife got fat. Judy Holliday (left in this on-set picture) plays his wife. Also, talk about the wife getting regularly knocked-around by her cheating husband isn't even treated as a point against him. Yeesh.

B-

The Godfather Part II (1974)

We watched this directly after The Godfather and I do not recommend following our lead. Not only is it a LOT of time in front of a screen, but it makes this feel like a letdown rather than the extremely good film that it is.

The most riveting portions of this movie are Vito's origin story. After he's marked for death as a young boy in his small Sicilian town, he's sent to the states on his own. He's a quick-thinker with a strong sense of justice who eventually becomes known as the guy who can help. As a juxtaposition to that rich storyline, Michael's rise (or descent?) in the "now" feels dirty rather than triumphant. I was rooting for Vito and mourning for Michael -- I basically wanted to stay in the flashbacks.

In short: it's a decent follow-up to a magnificent film.

A-

The Godfather (1972)

I believe I first saw this in my 20s and, though I gave it an "A+" rating, all I had retained were a dozen or so visual memories (e.g. Michael dropping the gun as though it had burned him,  Sonny trapped at the toll booth, Kay's defeated face as a door shuts her out of the room). I was fully expecting to drop the rating upon rewatch, but found that I was just blown away -- probably even more impressed this time around than I was the first. There's simply nothing to fault here.

One of the most surprising discoveries is that it feels as though it could've been made this year. The storytelling and cinematography is timeless rather than dated. And, even at nearly 3 hours, I was never waiting out the clock. I was engaged and impressed for its entirety.

A+

The Sapphires (2013)

Gail, Cynthia, Kay and Julie sing together as young girls in a tight-knit aboriginal community. Though light-skinned Kay is “stolen” to be raised as white, the other three continue to sing together and eventually compete in a local talent contest. They’re the only black act in a very white venue so they, of course, cannot win the competition, but they kind of win anyway since the messy, soul-loving (and, for some reason, Irish) emcee sees their potential. 

There are some BIG subjects here: ever-present racism, the continuing legacy of Australia's "Stolen Generation," and the horrors of war.  But, damn - they're stuck inside an inept script with amateur actors. My interest in the real story is strong, but I know this isn't it, mainly because I was compelled to do some reading after viewing. My main complaints are 1) the invention of Chris O'Dowd's character: why is a white savior necessary and why, exactly, must he be such a mess? 2) the romantic subplots, especially the one between Gail and David, which felt both gross and out-of-nowhere. Also, why did they write him as already married? Is this supposed to be feel-good or feel-sick?

Anyway. Despite my strong ick reaction to this movie, I think that -- in someone else's hands -- this could've been a fantastic family film if the romance had been excised. It felt cheap and distracted from the actual big topics.

C-

Black Death (2011)

The bubonic plague is claiming victims across England, but there are rumors of a remote town that been unaffected with further tales of their dead being brought back to life. After a group of soldiers fails to return from an investigative journey to the town, a second one is assigned the task and they recruit a young monk with motives of his own to accompany them as a guide.

It's an effective mystery with great atmosphere, but I feel like I've seen this type of thing done before. Add in the fact that it looks somehow cheap (perhaps it's the lighting?) and it tops out as "OK" or "serviceable."

C+

The Running Man (2025)

Though I'm not a fan of the original film, the plot made a lot more sense. In the earlier film, Ben Richards was wrongfully convicted of a heinous crime, breaks out of prison, and -- once caught -- is forced onto "The Running Man" game show to either die or win his freedom and mountains of cash. In this one, Ben Richards is a hothead who can't keep a job so is struggling to make ends meet for his family. He willingly auditions to be on a game show for cash. Though "The Running Man" is the one he was hoping not to land on, he still knew it was a possibility. There's no railroading here

I don't know if the part is written wrong or if Glen Powell just plays it wrong, but I am absolutely positive that this doesn't work. Why would I root for a guy whose pride is jeopardizing his family? He's just an entitled asshole who happens to be poor. Some of the action sequences are fun, but I kind of hated Ben Richards and that ruined any chance that I would care if he lives or dies.

Final note: it took me 3 full weeks to finish watching this.

D

The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart (2023)

Just as was the case between seasons when the show was airing, it took so long for this movie to come out that I've pretty much forgotten everything that was going on. But, just like in times past, it doesn't really matter -- it's still gonna be a good time.

My biggest complaint? Not enough Brock.

B-

Marty Supreme (2025)

Marty is extremely good at ping pong. He's also an entitled little shit. And all of the people we meet along the way are different varieties of terrible. There's no one to root for and no moral to this story unless it's "everyone sucks."

D+

The Secret Agent (2025)

Watching this, I felt like I was in Brazil in the '70s. I actually caught my breath a couple of times due to immersive scenes that felt less like I was watching them and more like they were enveloping me. That said, I wasn't ever exactly sure what was happening (history is an embarrassingly weak spot for me). I was fully engaged throughout and, as I have an aversion to films that blow way past the 2-hour mark, that's quite a feat. 

Unfortunately, I can't help but ding this for the fact that I'm not quite sure I got the point.

B