Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

Novelist Richard and Ellen get together almost immediately after meeting on a train. Her family seems to characterize her more reckless decisions as normal for her -- a sign of free-spirited fearlessness -- and Ellen's mother even tells Richard that Ellen loves too hard. But they marry and Ellen throws herself into domestication. It's only when Ellen's family comes to visit that Richard seems to notice Ellen's mask slipping a bit, while mother and sister recognize her impatience and rudeness as Ellen being Ellen.

Long story short: things go very badly and I think undiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder is to blame. Gene Tierney is both gorgeous and chilling as the calculating Ellen.

B

Indiscreet (1958)

Stage actress Anna meets suave banker Philip and they are drawn to each other immediately. He discloses up front that that he's married and cannot divorce, but both are willing to move forward with the relationship anyway. Soon they're either with each other daily or on the phone when they can't be. 

I'm not sure why this left me so cold. It's based on a stage play and kind of feels that way: lots of talk and many, many scenes in Anna's living room. I had trouble feeling any sparks between the pair -- perhaps it was that they were a tad too old for me to believe either would allow themselves to fall head over heels when there's no future. Also, the comedy here is more of the "polite chuckle" variety (though I don't think I ever even cracked a smile).

It's not terrible, but there are just so many films that do romance, comedy and chemistry better, there's just no reason to bother with this one.

C

Mean Girls (2024)

First: Jenna Fisher and Angourie Rice truly look like mother and daughter -- just A+ casting there. Second: the "Stupid with Love" number (watch it below) is so charming and singable that I can't stop listening to it. 

This is a really solid remake and probably would be rated higher if the first movie didn't exist at all. But, since it does, comparisons are inevitable and the big detriments for me are the non-Regina "Plastics" (they barely register as individuals) and Cady's transformation to mean girl, which was about as convincing as Sandy's transformation in Grease.

B

Much Ado About Nothing (2012)

You can't fault the dialogue. It's clever and it has worked for literally hundreds of years. But putting the words into the mouths of pretty people in the settings and hairstyles and clothing of the 2000s is wrongheaded, to say the least. And if that were the only problem with this, I might have been able to see past it -- but that's far from the only issue. I mean, the very first scene completely negates both the entire culture of chastity as well as the premise of mutual annoyance of the central couple for each other. What was that about?

Maybe it could've worked in a modern-day setting that deliberately refuses to evolve, perhaps a fundamentalist Mormon compound or in an Amish community, but a woman being put to death for an accusation of promiscuity is not traditional suburban behavior. The overall effect is complete affectation, including the choice to present in black and white. 🙄

D

Bull Durham (1988)

Crash (Kevin Costner) is a veteran catcher in the minor leagues, brought on to mentor the Bulls' new pitcher (Tim Robbins) who's got a million-dollar arm and a five-cent head. Local Annie (Susan Sarandon) chooses one player each season with whom to hook up and guide and with a 100% success rate in improving that guy's game, she's earned some club respect. Crash takes himself out of the running, leaving her with the pitcher who adopts the nickname "Nuke" at Annie's insistence. But neither Annie nor Crash is comfortable with the arrangement.

What a fun story. Though Costner's line readings aren't as loose as they should be, it almost doesn't matter because the other points of this triangle are absolutely wonderful (probably didn't hurt that they were falling in love offscreen at the time). "Nuke" is dumb as a bag of rocks, but he grasps -- after much trial and error -- that Annie and Crash know their stuff and he's better when he follows their instructions. Meanwhile, Annie and Crash are committed to improving the kid but can't help what their hearts want.

On top of all of the relationship stuff, there's the baseball stuff. I admit that the first time I saw this way back when (I had this poster up in my dorm room senior year of college) it was all about the relationship and those "long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days." But this time I also appreciated hearing the internal monologues of the players as they walked up to the plate or wound up for the pitch. Yes, it's about romance, but it's also about ball. They're only together because they love this glorious game played on cool spring evenings and hot summer afternoons that only really works live, not through a screen. Magic.

B+

A Room with a View (1986)

Lucy and her chaperone are vacationing in Florence when Mr. Emerson and son George offer to trade rooms with them so that the women can enjoy the view. Unlike the other British travelers staying in the same hotel, the Emersons lead with joy and passion for all the world offers. Lucy, like the rest, isn't sure how to navigate such unexpected behavior, but can't help but get briefly swept up by George. Once back home, Lucy goes back to coloring within the lines again and gets engaged to the snobbish Cecil.

I started this at the end of the night, planning to just watch 30 minutes or so before turning in. But then, there I was, watching the credits and crying lovely happy tears.

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 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-

Song Sung Blue (2025)

Mike and Claire meet as struggling musicians taking what jobs they can to scrape by doing what they love: singing. Together the two divorceés form "Lightning and Thunder," a Neil Diamond tribute act. Though it's slow going, eventually the band gains a following and rises to the point of opening for Pearl Jam. And that's when tragedy strikes.

It's a pretty crazy story and it could've been a wild a ride, but it's just so -- I don't even know -- basic? Despite the surprises, I somehow never really felt anything. There was always the question mark of "how popular could they have been really?" I mean, it was a Neil Diamond tribute band in Milwaukee. If it weren't for Claire's accident, no one would remember them.

C+

Hamnet (2025)

Gary bailed on this halfway through, which is too bad since it really turns into something beautiful and affecting in the latter third or so. But, that's the whole problem with this: it's such a slow burn for the first hour or so that it takes real determination to keep going. All of the characters felt as though they were deliberately being kept at a distance -- even the extremely powerful scene depicting the birth of Agnes's first child felt like I was witnessing it from the nosebleeds. Why?

The only thing that's likely to stick in my memory from this is the beautiful and astonishing work of Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet. I haven't been this enthralled by a child actor since Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense. I hope Jupe continues to land work like this. I'll be watching.

C+

Train Dreams (2025)

This felt more like having a book read aloud by a gifted reader, with the images my own brain might have conjured as the words' accompaniment. A lovely celebration of a small life as full of tragedy and beauty as any "big" life could possibly be.

A-

Murphy's Romance (1985)

Emma and her son are going it alone after her divorce, working hard to turn their ramshackle farm in a new town into a horse boarding/training business. Murphy (popular widower and owner of the local drugstore) takes an interest and his no-nonsense advice and support turn out to be just what she needs. After buying a horse, he starts spending a lot of time with Emma, her son, and her freeloading ex, who has blown into town and is making himself at home.

It's pretty dang charming. Usually an age gap of this size would annoy me, but it's undeniable that these two good people deserve happiness and they're well-suited. Who am I to say otherwise?

A-

Romancing the Stone (1984)

Successful romance novelist Joan lives a solitary life -- her idea of a celebration is opening a bottle of wine and chatting with her cat. When she has to be out in public, she's ill-at-ease and uninterested in the men who are obviously interested in her. But, when her sister needs her urgent help down in Colombia, Joan doesn't hesitate even though she is ill-equipped for the adventure. Good thing the dashing Jack Colton shows up to take things in hand.

It's a fun, lightweight adventure -- I mean, Danny DeVito's one of the bad guys, so we're never truly worried that anything bad will happen. It's just silly fun with Douglas and Turner at their sexiest.

B

Pat and Mike (1952)

Pat, a natural athlete, has some success once she starts working with a manager -- but she's still getting the yips when her fiancee is around. Though there are some fun bits with mobsters and a jealous boxer working under the same manager, it's rather thin and very dated. Not one of the better Tracy & Hepburn outings.

C+

Remember the Night (1939)

I've seen this a few times but had never before watched it with Gary and, somehow, seeing it with him deepened the story for me. Though Stanwyck's character is a shoplifter, it's clear that she made the same mistake that MacMurray's character did in his youth: stealing from mom. The difference is that his mother used it as a teachable moment, instilling in him honesty and justice, while hers publicly shamed and rejected her, teaching her nothing other than "better not get caught." When she's able to spend a week with his family, their welcoming spirit of kindness goes to work on her and makes her want to be better.

I was wrong in my original review when I said that there's only one surprise in this movie -- it zigs when we expect zags. It both fills the heart and makes me want to extend forgiveness rather than to dispense judgment.

A-

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

I'm gonna sound like an awful grump here, but I really don't get the hype. Sure, there are a few songs in here that everyone (including me) knows and loves -- The Trolley Song, Meet Me in St. Louis, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas -- but the movie that introduced them to the world is an empty (but pretty) affair.

The two elder Smith daughters are hormonal and looking for romance, the youngest is a tomboy, and the other one is just kind of around. There's also a brother and a grandpa. Mom is longsuffering and Dad is a sourpuss that the rest of the household has to tiptoe around to get what they want. But they live in St. Louis! And the World's Fair is coming to St. Louis! Yay!

Basically, I think this movie was wildly popular in 1944 because a colorful bit of escapism was welcome during World War II and it's been coasting on nostalgia ever since.

C+ 

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (2025)

Though I don't care about their music at all and tend toward dislike for Joe Jonas (based on internet gossip), I was almost immediately on board with this silly and self-aware romp. The songs are truly fun and the script was full of both magic and nonsense -- perfect for the whole family.

In other words: oh, what fun!

B+

Never Let Me Go (2010)

The first time I watched this, I suspected it suffered from the fact that I'd so recently read the novel. Seeing it 14+ years later, I can confirm this was, indeed, the case. Now that the story's particulars have faded from memory, I was free to experience this without comparison it to the source material. What I saw was incredibly haunting and beautiful.

Generally, when a film has an oppressive mood that refuses to lift, I can get a little antsy and feel like screaming "LIGHTEN UP FOR JUST A MINUTE COULDJA??" but I never felt that here. Maybe because the melancholy felt honest rather than like a device -- like that's just how these isolated children would feel. It's gorgeously quiet, desperately sad and every single actor knocks it out of the park.

A-

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)

Bridget Jones is, once again, single. This time, however, it's due to the death of her beloved Mark, leaving her to raise children Billy and Mabel alone. Though her family is doing alright, it's definitely time for her to get back into the world: both professionally and romantically. The first is easy enough as her former employer is eager to have her back producing television segments. The second is also surprisingly easy when sparks fly between her and a much younger man.

It's a sweet wrap-up to the franchise, even if Bridget's childishness seems rather long-in-the-tooth now -- she may have even regressed a bit since the last installment.

C+

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

A couple of years after a a very public divorce, socialite Tracy is set to marry the "up from nothing" George. Her ex Dexter now works for Spy magazine and, in order to quash a story about Tracy's father's philandering, he has convinced his editor to send a reporter and photographer to cover the wedding instead.

With Cary Grant as Dexter (still beloved by the family), Jimmy Stewart as Mike the reporter (and frustrated "serious" author with little regard for the useless rich), and Katharine Hepburn as Tracy (trying to move on if her emotions would only let her), there's never a dull moment. I mean, what a trio. It's witty, silly, passionate, lovely and deeper than I understood when I first saw this in my teens.

B+