My Old School (2022)

Brandon Lee was immediately marked out as odd when he enrolled in school as a 16-year-old. He dressed oddly, could explain advanced concepts that his classmates hadn't grasped, and just looked older than everyone else. These differences were explained away by his upbringing: traveling the world with his mother the opera singer meant his education was a more worldly one. Or it could be that this was just his second time at bat.

It's definitely different from anything I've ever seen before: it's a documentary involving the actual classmates and teachers, a good portion is animated, and the main subject delivers his tale in his own words, but with actor Alan Cumming lip syncing them because "Brandon" doesn't want to show his own face. Although I give it props for its offbeat telling, I found the story just weird rather than captivating -- like listening to gossip about people I don't know. I honestly got a little bored.

C+

A Private Life (2025)

Though obviously a successful psychiatrist, Lillian seems to be annoyed with humanity in general and is living a solitary life. Her son (a new father) only gets her attention when she needs something from him, which is also the experience of her ex-husband. After a patient dies from suicide, she learns that the patient's husband holds Lillian responsible and soon becomes convinced that it wasn't suicide.

This plays very much like a thriller, but that's obviously because we're seeing everything through Lillian's eyes. She feels threatened -- paranoid -- and very stuck in the life she's curated for herself. As she investigates the death of this patient, she can't help but re-engage with the world outside of her work and home. When all is said and done, she's still herself, but she's also an upgraded version of that person, no longer stuck. I thought it was brilliant.

A-

The Commitments (1991)

Jimmy Rabbitte has ambition -- he's so sure he's going to hit it big, he often practices being interviewed about his success. And when he hears Deco drunkenly singing at a wedding, he knows he's found the lead singer for a working class soul band. To almost everyone's surprise, the band turns out to be pretty dang good, thanks in no small part to Jimmy "The Lips" Fagan, who claims to have traveled the states, playing with most of the big acts (including Elvis).

Gary and I saw this in the theater back in 1991 and we bought the CD soundtrack soon after, it's that good. As we lost Glen Hansard this week and this was his first role, we decided to rewatch. We were both happy to find that it holds up as a joyful tribute to the power of music as escape and inspiration.

B+

American Graffiti (1973)

Curt and Steve are scheduled to leave for college tomorrow, but tonight is all about cruising and hanging out one last time. We follow four storylines:

1. Steve and girlfriend Laurie, the very much in-love "it" couple, as they contemplate breaking up to avoid the whole long-distance thing
2. Curt, the promising young man who isn't sure he's ready to leave, despite the fact that he's got a scholarship
3. Terry, the awkward friend who's entrusted with Steve's car, making it actually possible he could score tonight
4. John, the cool guy with the fastest car in town, tricked into driving around all night with someone's kid sister

Mostly, this is all feel-good vibes tied together by a great soundtrack and Wolfman Jack's distinctive voice that can be heard from everyone's car radio.

B

The Apartment (1960)

Though just a cog at his company, C.C. Baxter has stumbled onto a shortcut to the top: allowing executives to use his nearby apartment for extramarital entertaining. The problem is that it's become less of an "allow" situation and more of a "can't refuse" one, making it very difficult for him to get a full night's sleep. The arrangement gets even more inconvenient when Baxter finds one of the women passed out on his bed.

Despite the tawdry set-up, there's a real hopefulness to this. TCM's Mank had a quote from Lemmon saying that Billy Wilder grew a rose in a garbage pail with this one. I couldn't have said it better myself.

A-

The Hunt for Red October (1990)

When Gary and I first got married, we bought of those huge "sit on the floor" console TVs for like $10 at a garage sale. One of the tubes was bad, so everything we watched had a pinkish hue and that's how I originally saw this film. All of the underwater missile scenes were impossible to decipher because it came over as just an unbroken wash of mauve. This viewing was much more interesting!

Great tension in this story about a handful of men in a Russian submarine executing their plan to defect to the United States. They have to hope that the Americans are smart enough to realize this while the Russians (including the bulk of the men on board their own craft) are kept in the dark. They're also having to deal with an on-board saboteur! Luckily, Jack Ryan's figured it all out. Now, will the American brass listen?

Though the special effects look a bit silly now, everything else still works pretty well. I did, however, get a little tired of the repetitive scenes that boiled down to Jack arguing that his gut is telling him they're defecting only to be slapped down by his superiors with the "too risky" argument. 

And wow -- Alec Baldwin was such a pretty young man.

B-

Asteroid City (2023)

A playwright is working on a story about a small town in the desert hosting a kind of nationwide science fair that turns into a quarantine. We get scenes about the writing, the backstage happenings, and the play itself. I was disoriented for quite some time, but then I finally stopped trying to understand what was what and the frustration melted away.

It's your basic Wes Anderson nonsense: visually impressive with prevailing twee.

C+

The Candidate (1972)

Bill McKay, though son of a former governor, has no political ambitions but is hand-picked by a strategist to run for senate. Rather than winning, the goal is to simply shake up the race, giving McKay freedom to be bold. Welp, boldness works a lot better than expected.

The acting is strong and the pseudo-documentary style works, but it's too dated to be anything other than a time capsule at this point. What was probably groundbreaking and audacious when it came out simply cannot retain that now that we're so used to unqualified, unpolished everymen running for office and winning.

C+

Merrily We Roll Along (2025)

A three-way friendship told in reverse: we see the sad end, then the growing apart, eventually working ourselves back to the joyful dependence on each other only to end on the first time the three were ever together. And I simply did not think it worked. I couldn't be devastated by the breakup of a friendship between bitter, angry people I've never met. 

Maybe it could've been saved by some catchy songs, but -- alas -- this has none, which really surprised me since it's Sondheim. I mean, sure, I'll probably always remember the oft-repeated time jump title tune (Nineteen Seventy-Twooooooooo!), but I don't really want to.

C

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

Though it's full of over-the-top personalities -- a hypochondriac television writer, an ex-addict flitting from job to job, a happy husband who nonetheless cheats with his wife's sister, boozy, elderly ex-showbiz parents who can't stop recounting their glory days -- it's also grounded in realism. None of these people seem like fictions, just unsatisfied and unsure.

Even though I was frustrated at the messiness of these lives and annoyed with their dissatisfaction, it's still a hopeful film. Yes, it's worth it to pursue happiness because, every once in a while, we catch it.

A-

Thrashin' (1986)

Corey is a meathead who has two things going for him: his physique and his skateboard skillz. His friends -- aka the "Ramp Locals" -- run afoul of the L.A. group "The Daggers" when they come to town to participate in a pool competition and the gnarliest downhill board race THE L.A. MASSACRE. The Daggers take an instant dislike to Corey because he's a threat competition-wise and he's got eyes for Chrissy, who turns out to be the sister of Tommy Hook, leader of The Daggers.

The skating sequences makes this almost watchable. Almost.

D-

Against All Odds (1984)

Jeff Bridges plays a footballer who's upset at being released from his contract, but his skeevy buddy has a job for him: track down the girlfriend who left him. Bridges is pretty and when he finds the girlfriend, she's pretty too so they get pretty naked together.

There's some big conspiracy with the team owners and the team lawyers and bookies and shaving points and everyone's involved (including the girlfriend) and people die... just why did it need to be so complicated? We could've stuck with underworld asshole tasks his friend with finding his girlfriend and they fall in love. Instead, it gets all convoluted and lost me completely.

D+

Project Hail Mary (2026)

The storytelling structure is brilliant: the lone survivor of a deep space mission awakes without memories, so we're learning along with him what needs to be done and how he got there. The earth scenes are full of information and tension, but also a lot of collaborative fun. Seeing all of these people from different nations working on a common goal while understanding the gravity and urgency of their task -- that's the stuff.

Less successful, for me, were the actual space scenes. Everything up there felt borderline cartoony and dumbed-down. Sure, I laughed at "fist my bump" and I understand that a cute animated sidekick opens it up to family viewing, but we spent too much time in silly-mode.

C+

The Drama (2026)

Emma and Charlie are about a week out from their wedding when they're swapping "what's the worst thing you've ever done" stories with their friends. Emma's answer sends her maid of honor into a rage and Charlie into a tailspin. 

This really worked for me, mostly because it felt so original. Where do we draw the line? Why do we struggle so much with extending second chances in real life while giving it freely in the abstract to ex-convicts, etc.? But, if nothing else, this works as a screed against big weddings -- so many moving parts and so much expense means that postponing or calling it off becomes nearly impossible.

B+

The Drowning Pool (1975)

This is the follow-up to Harper (a movie I really liked), with Paul Newman reprising the titular P.I. Though there are flashes of wit early on, the movie settles into a series of scenes featuring Harper chasing down (or being dragged to) yet another lowlife with another bit of information that may or may not be useful.

Meandering, confusing, and ugly. Also, Melanie Griffith as a nymphet ups the "yuck" factor.

C-

Boy A (2008)

"Jack" has served his time for a violent crime committed when he was a child and, with the help of his case worker, he's got a place to live and a job lined up. Though he's eager to start his new life, his inexperience with the outside world and concern that he could be recognized result in an attitude of shy nervousness. He luckily gets paired at work with Chris, who surprises with his familiar yet empathetic nature. 

Meanwhile, we're getting flashbacks of Jack's lonely childhood. When he finally makes a friend, we understand how much of a lifeline that would've been for him -- how one other kid can become your whole world because they're the only one who knows you at all. In the company of friends, walking away from an obviously bad situation can feel like abandonment.

Andrew Garfield was quite good as Jack, but it's Peter Mullan as the case-worker and Shaun Evans as Chris who really make the story. They are the ones who allow us to have sky-high hopes for Jack because they support him, which is really what each of us needs to flourish.

B

Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

In my opinion, this is one of Woody Allen's best screenplays, with only The Purple Rose of Cairo topping it. We follow several different romantic relationships in various states: a marriage that has devolved into more of a roommate situation, a mistress fed-up with being strung along by her successful married lover, and a blossoming romance between kindred spirits. 

For the most part, the script is insightful and warm, but with an undercurrent of tension and some healthy introspection. Landau is the standout here, forcing us to experience his anguish and fears along with him. Allen's character is the only one that doesn't come off as 100% authentic, but his professional self-sabotage still makes for a very funny storyline.

A

A Little Prayer (2023)

My uncle married Marta when I was 7 or so, but they'd broken up before I was in high school. I remember feeling really weird about the fact that she used to be part of the family -- sleeping on our foldout bed on Christmas Eve -- but my uncle decided for all of us that she was out. I never saw her again. This story brought that to my mind, but in a much more poignant and adult way.

Young couple David and Tammy live in a small home on his parents' property. Every morning, Tammy gets up early to pack lunches for her in-laws and share a coffee. They clearly adore her quiet presence, which becomes even more clear when their own daughter blows into their lives like a tornado after impetuously leaving her drug addict husband (again). David works with his father Bill at the family business and it's there that Bill becomes aware of David's infidelity. 

David Strathairn plays Bill just right: he's kind and quiet but can confront when he must. His concern for his son, his business (the woman is an employee), Tammy, and even the woman herself feels genuine. Despite the discomfort of butting in, he does it because his love for his family demands it. But he must also accept that the outcome might be painful. I loved the relationship between Bill and Tammy. Jane Levy's minimal approach was surprising and effective.

A-

The Shooting (1966)

Suspicious Willett and gullible Coley agree to guide a woman who's light on the details to a nearby town. When the woman insists on taking a detour to follow a barely discernible trail, the circumstances get dangerous as they're running out of water, food and horses. They're joined by another of her cohorts, the dangerous Billy Spear, who only ratchets up the tension.

The unease develops so naturally that I could feel my muscles tightening. It's a shame that the payoff is both too sudden and too small.

C

Steve (2025)

A (very busy) day in the life of Steve, the headmaster of an alternative school for troubled boys. A "normal" day is probably eventful enough, but today they've also got a documentary team in to do a story on the school as well as a scheduled visit from a local official. 

The style of the film is chaos -- which is fitting as it captures the vibe of these very unsettled and often angry kids -- but it's also exhausting. Perhaps that was the point. The small staff here is dedicated but running on steam as they're often the target of tantrums and, in the case of the pretty new staffer, inappropriate attention. The point is well-made that tossing kids like these into prison-like situations will never teach them to manage their impulses and contribute to society, but it simultaneously illustrates just how much time and effort is necessary to help them. It's sobering, to say the least.

Cillian Murphy is brilliant here, but the film depends too much on vibes and doesn't give us enough of a story.

C+