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+

Fall (2022)

In order to pull her best friend back from the deep grief she's been in since becoming a widow, Hunter convinces Becky to climb to the top of a 2000-ft television tower in the middle of the desert. They get stuck up there.

I had zero expectations of this film since I was only watching it in order to laugh along with this week's "How Did This Get Made," but it surprised me by being truly terrifying. This definitely had more to do with my extreme fear of heights than the script or acting, but the special effects were good enough that I felt that fear in my stomach. Not a good movie, but it's got some really decent trickery.

C

The Dink (2026)

Dustin, once a promising tennis player, has been disappointing his father since he broke his wrist in a loss to Andy Roddick as a teen. Now he's just stagnating as an instructor at his father's club, getting his kicks from banning people who annoy him. After a wrist injury, his doctor prescribes pickleball as rehabilitation and he can't help but enjoy himself because it's fun. The fact that the sport brings Candace into his orbit is also a benefit.

Though charming for a while, it's just so obvious where things are going that it can't help but peter out by the halfway mark. I think it would've benefited from being unafraid to just lean into the cringe or add a gross-out moment or two but, instead, it's far too mild to ever really pay off. Aaron Chen stands out just doing his Aaron Chen thing.

C+

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-