Sound of Metal

— I was certainly intrigued by “Sound of Metal” and liked it in more than one way, but I'm not sure it’ll jive with the sensibilities of the average moviegoer. It’s the story of Ruben, a rock drummer who loses his hearing. He’s unable to accept himself as part the deaf community and, rather than adapt, he concentrates on getting enough money for cochlear implants which he sees as a way to regain his normal life. It raises lots of issues concerning perceptions about the hearing impaired, about acceptance and adaptation, about family and community, and about one's purpose and sense of purpose. It’s well done but odd since much of the soundtrack is what Ruben hears, not what we would hear as observers, so it’s not uncommon for something to sound shrill, or for words to be faint or muffled, or to be unable to focus on a single conversation in a group, etc. Much of the film is from Ruben’s perspective, and it helps that Riz Ahmed is so talented, making the confusion and fear and loneliness he feels, ours to feel as well. I’ll admit the story and technique all result in a pretty slow, linear pace, and I would have liked to see it move a little faster in some parts, but its still a very interesting film and well worth seeing. [Amazon Prime streaming.]

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[2020. 101 min. Directed by Darius Marder. Starring Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, and Paul Raci.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sound-of-metal-movie-review-2020

Bridgerton

— Every time I venture into “Shondaland,” I can’t seem to get out, and “Bridgerton” is no exception. Heck, just hearing Julie Andrews as the gossipy narrator sucks you into this romantic comedy set in the early 1800s. It’s kind of a high-brow soap opera, centering on the 1813 debutant season in London, but with more sex that you’d expect in a period piece, and greater emphasis on the status of women in 19th Century British society than you’d expect from a soap opera. It comes with great costumes and sets too, and moves at a pace that makes it hard to resist “binge watching”. What can I say? I fell for it and enjoyed it, glad for the mindless entertainment while avoiding outside contact. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. Season 1: 8 episodes, each approx. 60 min. Starring Harriet Cains, Bessie Carter, Florence Hunt, Ben Miller, and Luke Thompson.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/bridgerton-is-a-scintillating-but-somewhat-shallow-regency-fantasy

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

— I was really taken by this film. Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman shine, and August Wilson's wonderful play is not diminished by a clumsy screenplay. In fact, there's no confusing this as anything but a play, something I appreciate in this case. It’s an emotional journey and the viewer sees what’s going on from the souls of the actors, not just as a sympathetic observer. It's an experience, a near first-hand glimpse of the hard realities of being Black in the 1920s but, mostly, it's just a good story and a good vantage point from which to see racism and its scars. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 94 min. Directed by George C. Wolfe. Starring Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo, and Glynn Turman.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ma-raineys-black-bottom-movie-review-2020

The Midnight Sky

— Sometimes George Clooney’s films are very good, and sometimes they’re a little disappointing, but I tend to like even those that are less liked. This may be one of those less liked films because it can’t help but be compared to a variety of recent, sci-fi films that were excellent (“Gravity,” “The Martian,” “Intersteller,” and “Moon”). It quietly juggles more than one storyline on earth and another in space, sidestepping time just a little to make room for memory. It considers man’s place in the larger universe and his responsibility to safeguard earth, the importance of family, communication, and love, all in the midst of a cataclysm. I think the film is affected greatly by timing and, although made before most of knew about COVID-19, it is impossible not to look at the film more seriously when an “event” on earth is its basis. It is nicely made with good actors and worth seeing. I enjoyed it. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 118 min. Directed by George Clooney. Starring George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Caoilinn Springall, and Kyle Chandler.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-midnight-sky-movie-review-2020

The 2nd

— Oh my, but this is pretty bad. Even Ryan Phillippe, who isn’t exactly a top tier actor, is wasted. The idea’s not exactly new, but still a good action thriller if given a decently written script and directed by halfway competent director. A man who is ex-military and now secret agent arrives to pick up his son from college, only to stumble into a plot to kidnap his son’s classmate, the daughter of a Supreme Court justice, in an effort to sway justice’s opinion on one of the court’s cases. With a mediocre script and halting direction, it ends up being one fight scene after another and predictable enough to make you wish you'd watched any number of better, similar films. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 93 min. Directed by Brian Skiba. Starring Ryan Phillippe, Casper Van Dien, Jack Griffo, and Lexi Simonsen.]
https://rogersmovienation.com/2020/12/02/netflixable-ryan-phillipe-takes-the-2nd-amendment-seriously/

Ava

— Netflix has figured out how to get good people for their original movies, sometimes ending up with a very good film and sometimes not. This tends to be one of the “not great” ones although the cast is certainly pleasing (Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Common, Geena Davis, and Colin Farrell). It’s the story of a black ops assassin who’s racked up over 40 hits but’s having some kind of crisis, perhaps of conscience. It has the look and initial feel of an action flick but shifts toward drama, probably trying to make some use of the acting talent, when our assassin returns to Boston with a hit on her own head, to reunite with her mother, sister, and former fiancé. The cast does its best, but there’s just not enough script, nuance, or direction to make it more than somewhat entertaining. Luckily, we’re all hunkered in our homes and there’s not much competition from the usual streaming options, so it's a tolerable way to spend 90 minutes. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 96 min. Directed by Tate Taylor. Starring Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Common, Geena Davis, and Colin Farrell.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ava-movie-review-2020

The Prom

— This is lots of fun if you like a somewhat campy musical, with a slew of good actors, evidently signed on to have a little fun or to support inclusion, with plenty of theater references, and tidied up with that Ryan Murphy varnish. It fits nicely into the growing library of mainstream LBGT-themed films that have appeared in the past 2-3 years (“Boys in the Band,” “Uncle Frank,” “Booksmart,” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “Rocketman,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Boy Erased,” “Papi Chulo”). The sections of the film that make fun of Broadway narcissism and insecurities, as well as life in the urban, East coast bubble are more appealing to me than the parts designed to encourage inclusion and acceptance in the Midwest, fly-over bubble. It is fun to see Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, and Andrew Rannells singing and dancing in both NYC and small-town Indiana, and the music is mostly good. When it ran over 2 hours, I wondered if something couldn’t have been cut, but part of its charm may be its excess. I enjoyed it but it really isn’t anything special. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 130 min. Directed by Ryan Murphy. Starring Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells, Kerry Washington, and Keegan-Michael Key.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-prom-movie-review-2020

Mank

— This film has a lot going for it, with Gary Oldman and David Fincher topping the list. It’s also an interesting script, written by Fincher’s father, telling the tale through a series of flashbacks, à la “Citizen Kane,” an appropriate nod since the story is held together in the “present” with Herman Mankiewicz (“Mank”), recovering from a serious auto accident, in a remote cabin working on a deadline to write the script for “Citizen Kane.” It’s a complicated back-and-forth in black-and-white and it manages to keep your attention, at least if you’re interested in 1930’s and 1940’s Hollywood. What seems to be a film about the experiences that gave Mank the inspiration for the script, ends up as a beast with two personalities, and is as much about the intersection of Tinsel Town power and politics with national and statewide politics then, and, by extension, now. Well, it’s all very interesting but a little disappointing too. It doesn’t rise to the level of Fincher’s “The Social Network,” perhaps because the story remains less personal to draw out the parallels, or maybe Oldman’s Mank just isn’t as artfully written and acted as Eisenberg’s Zuckerberg. No matter what, although historical fiction, Mank feels much more speculative than historical. It’s a beautiful and wonderful film some of the time, and that’s enough to make it worth watching. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 131 minutes. Directed by David Fincher. Starring Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, and Arliss Howard.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mank-movie-review-2020

Uncle Frank

— I was taken by “Uncle Frank” with its well-written script, nice acting, and wonderful Southern vibe. I suggested it to a friend and he liked it too, even mentioning the tone reminded him a bit of the Southern feel Harper Lee provided so well. Initially, it almost seems like another entry in the gay-and-not-out-in-the-1970s genre we seem to be seeing more frequently, but that’s something of a parallel and maybe even lesser story to what ends up being a coming of age tale tale. Beth, the niece of the man who’s made a life for himself in New York City and whose sexuality isn’t discussed by his family in South Carolina, ends up at NYU, and stumbles across Frank’s secret. They soon they forge an even stronger bond during a road trip back home for a funeral. Once they arrive home, the script is easier to guess and not completely believable, but a shift to tug at our heartstrings isn’t the worst thing that could happen. It’s hard not to find a tear running down your cheek by the end. I enjoyed the film. [Amazon Prime streaming.]

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[2020. 95 minutes. Written and directed by Alan Ball. Starring Paul Bettany, Sophia Lillis, and Peter Macdisi.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/uncle-frank-movie-review-2020

Hillbilly Elegy

— It’s always sad when a top notch director and first rate actors can’t carry a film I based on a pretty decent book, but that’s the case with “Hillbilly Elegy,” based on J.D. Vance’s book, directed by Ron Howard, and featuring Amy Adams and Glenn Close. It’s not bad, just disappointing—it iwould be fine as a movie of the week on a cable channel. It’s a look at three generators of dysfunction and one person who escapes the cycle. There’s a lot of screaming and a too many flashbacks, and too little focus on the rustbelt world so many people don’t understand, and it’s characteristic of being isolated and isolating. In the end, the film makes it clear the world from which we come makes us what we are, but our dreams and actions make us what we become. Unfortunately, this must seem like a hopeful misconception of the privileged to people living lives without hope. Some of the parts of this film are pretty good, but it doesn’t come together as well as I’d like. Sadly, I think this is one where too many of the original story’s nuances slipped away when the film was made. [Netflix streaming.]

Small Axe, Season 1: Mangrove

— I’ve seen three of Steve McQueen’s films (“Shame,” “12 Years a Slave,” “Widows”) and, different as they are, they’ve all been very good, so it’s no surprise that the first episode of his anthology for Amazon is very good too. It’s a look at harassment by London police of a Trinidadian immigrant’s restaurant in Notting Hill as the restaurant, the Mangrove, became an enclave for West Indian immigrants, intellectuals, and activists in the late 1960s, culminating in a protest/march in 1970. The result was a confrontation and subsequent courtroom drama vaguely reminiscent of the Chicago 7, but referred to as the Mangrove Nine and with a decidedly British twist. It is well done and worth seeing, but hard to watch without thinking about our country’s current struggles with racism and systemic racism. I also confess I knew nothing of the Mangrove Nine before watching this film and realize I received a dose of “history” through a single lens focused by McQueen to make a point, again speaking to how history is being written today as we receive our news through social media and “news” programs that cross the line between reporting and opinion. It also makes me think about unlikely heroes who may engage in personal acts of resistance, but then suddenly find themselves at the center of a larger, cultural change, and the courage they must find within themselves. Evidently this is the first of five episodes in the first season, all of which McQueen directed and all of which focus on the same community. I’m looking forward to the next one. [Amazon Prime streaming.]

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[2020. 126 minutes. Directed by Steve McQueen. Starring Shaun Parkes, Letitia Wright, and Malachi Kirby.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/small-axe-mangrove-movie-review-2020

Rebecca

— I’m not sure “Rebecca” needed a refresh or an update or anything else, but as long as Netflix come up with one, I watched it. Ends up it’s an attractive film with pretty places and pretty people, but it’s missing the unsettling nature infused in every paragraph of du Maurier’s novel and every scene of Hitchcock’s film version. Kirstin Scott Thomas does the best job of the bunch and she’s certainly chilling but anything falls flat bouncing off Lily James. It might be okay if you have no familiarity with the story but otherwise, it’s a disappointment. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 121 minutes. Directed by Ben Wheatley. Starring Lily James, Armie Hammer, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Ann Dowd.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/rebecca-movie-review-2020

The Trial of the Chicago 7

— I’m an unabashed Aaron Sorkin fan and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” didn’t dampen my enthusiasm for his writing skills and, now with two directing credits behind him, his directing potential. Those of us who are of a certain age know the story, but that leaves 85% of the U.S. population with no first-hand knowledge. Given current events, it makes sense to remind people. I personally thought the film was a little slow laying the groundwork but again, just trying to bring viewers up to speed so they have a sense of the era, the politics, and the groups (SDS, Yippies, Black Panthers…) is a tricky task, and one that Sorkin does well. By the time he'd rounded up the characters and gotten them to Chicago, I was hooked. The original trial was theatrical and left many people shaking their heads in disbelief, just as so many events do today. As our country refocuses on policing, elections, and the courts, it does seem like we haven’t travelled very far in 50 years. It's worth seeing. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 129 minutes. Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. Starring Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Frank Langella.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-trial-of-the-chicago-7-movie-review-2020

The Boys in the Band

— My familiarity with the “The Boys in the Band” has pretty much been limited to seeing it mentioned among gay theater/film milestones and vague memories of seeing the William Friedkin film version fifty years ago. This all-star version features the same actors who starred in a 2018 anniversary run on Broadway. The play has a gay character for everyone, from campy and flashy to closeted and just coming out of the closet, and everything in between. The plot is something of an all-gay version of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” where liquor flows a little too freely at a birthday party, laughter fades as barbs are exchanged and secrets told, a “game” sets everyone on edge, and eventually the party ends, leaving the audience to have witnessed love, self-pity, despair, and something between hopelessness and acceptance. In 1968 it was ground-breaking. Now it’s a period piece in the sense that LGBTQ characters have become more commonplace, but sometimes still seem like caricatures instead of fully formed individuals. Jim Parsons does an incredible job in the lead and most the rest of the cast does a fine job as well with the script they've been given. It’s hard not be exhausted at the end, and to find yourself thinking about what’s changed and what hasn’t in fifty years. I'm lukewarm on the film, but glad I saw it. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 121 minutes. Directed by Joe Mantello. Starring Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesus, Brian Hutchinson, Michael Benjamin Washington, and Tuc Watkins.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-boys-in-the-band-movie-review-2020

Enola Holmes

— It’s a solid story centered around Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister, as quick-witted and willful as either of them, trying to find her mother and herself while evading adversaries out to do everything from killing her to, perhaps worse, breaking her spirit and turning her into a "proper" lady. Along the way she meets the young Viscount Tewskbury who is being chased by some of the same people looking for her. Once their paths have crossed, the story shifts toward solving a mystery and changing the world. It’s enjoyable to watch, in no small part due to a fine job by Millie Bobby Brown (of “Stranger Things”) in the lead role. I also need to mention Henry Cavill, someone I’ve mostly disparaged for his two-dimensional acting in the past, but who does a decent job as Sherlock. There are a couple of missteps, one of which is an occasional comment directed to the audience, as though Enola feels compelled to drag the audience closer. It can be irritating when the fourth wall is broken and there doesn’t seem to have been a need for anyone to feel they are more a part of the action. It also uses an increasingly popular convention where narrators feel obligated to tell viewers the key concepts to take away from the story. Such moralizing shouldn’t be necessary if the tale is told well, unless we’ve come to a point where a decline in humanities courses in schools coupled with the convenience of social media helping everyone know what to think, leaves us unable to understand a message unless we're hit over the head with it. Luckily, these two elements didn’t keep me from enjoying the film as entertainment—it’s a nice way to spend a couple of a hours. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 123 minutes. Directed by Harry Bradbeer. Starring Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter, and Louis Partridge.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/enola-holmes-movie-review-2020

The Social Dilemma

— A timely documentary on the impact of social media on society, carefully taking viewers down the rabbit hole from happier times when we interacted with people of various viewpoints and major corporations peddled physical products. Fast forward to today, when there’s a new business plan where profitable companies like Google and Facetime are selling their customers’ minds and actions instead of a physical product, carefully shaping what each of us sees to keep us involved with our screens and feeding us messages that subtlety shift our views. Along the way, we stop listening to people who think differently than we do, and we start believing a personal truth instead of a truth shared by society. The film argues that it’s essential we take back truth if we’re ever to mend society, and that we insist tech companies’ business plans be adjusted for the survival of society. The film is interesting in that it tackles the discussion in two ways. People who held prominent positions in various tech companies and believed in what they were doing speak out in a series of interviews, now questioning the direction in which companies have moved and seeing an ethical and social dilemma. Interspersed with these interviews is a storyline about a family affected by social media “addiction,” bringing the problem to a more personal level. The family drama is a little hokey but possibly effective. The interviews are fascinating. The problem seems to be that the film wants to increase our awareness, but the solutions are still in the haze. I’d recommend it, particularly for people who seem themselves as living on the right side in a polarized world. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 94 minutes. Directed by Jeff Orlowski. With Tristan Harris, Skyler Gisondo, Kara Hayward, Joe Toscano, Justin Rosenstein, Tim Kendall, and Vincent Kartheiser.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-social-dilemma-movie-review-2020

The Devil All the Time

— . [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 138 minutes. Directed by Antonio Campos. Starring Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgard, Haley Bennett, and Riley Keough.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-devil-all-the-time-movie-review-2020

The Old Guard

— This sounds like it may just be another weak attempt to grab an audience of groupies of graphic novels and immortals. Ends up, it’s better than that. Maybe not Anne Rice good, but a cut above those relying on sex and special effects instead of character development and storyline. The beauty of “The Old Guard” is that it does have a motley, not really likeable, group of immortals, whose leader is suffering a kind of job burnout and thinking the human race may no longer be salvageable. The budget is obviously lower than if Disney had contracted with Jon Favreau, Ryan Coogler, or the Russo Brothers, but that may work to “The Old Guard’s” advantage, allowing for more complex characters and time for tenderness. In one scene, there’s a declaration of love that is unlike anything you’d expect and puts importance in self-discovery and tenderness in addition to safeguarding the world. In the Marvel universe, superheroes seem to have one defining moment they keep churning over and over. In this film, the cast members have more complex characters and we get a better sense not just of their defining moment, but what led up to it and how they’ve handled things since. The film suffers about two thirds of the way into it when you begin to sense they’re leaving their options open for sequels, a series, and/or contract negotiations with Charlize Theron. I suspect those who want to compare film versions to graphic novel versions could take issue with some adjustments but, let’s face it, when the medium changes, it isn’t fair to expect the story not to change too. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 125 minutes. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. Starring Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-old-guard-movie-review-2020

Love, Guaranteed

— This is a comfortable “romcom” that soothes the soul and makes you feel alright even if you're watching it alone while eating Cheetos on the sofa. It features two likeable characters and, in the best Hallmark tradition, two minutes into it you know there’s a spark that can only lead to a kiss after a series of denials, complications, misunderstandings, clever quips, and oddball situations, but that’s okay. No surprises and a few laughs make this film do just what it set out to do. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 90 minutes. Directed by Marek Steven Johnson. Starring Damon Wayans Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook.]
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sheenascott/2020/09/05/love-guaranteed-review-rachel-leigh-cook-in-a-new-rom-com-on-netflix/#193dd0d46ece

Away

— I intended to watch the first episode of “Away,” Netflix’s series about a manned mission to Mars, to get a feel for it. Before I knew it, I’d watched three episodes and three more the next time I sat down. It’s a good story, less concerned with awe-inspiring imagery of space than with the very human stories of the crew and their lives. That’s not to say the effects aren’t nicely executed, just that there’s less focus on the vastness of universe than, say, in Cuarón's “Gravity.” It’s always a joy to see Hilary Swank in action and she’s wonderful, but all the characters are nicely acted. I also appreciate each episode at least coming to some kind of resolution so every hour there’s an opportunity to get on with your life if you need to. That said, this is a very human look at things and, although I still have a few episodes to watch, I’m enjoying it. It may be a little too “movie of the week” in that many of the crises seem familiar, and Swank, for all her talent, has a character not quite sharply enough written, but these are faults for a critic to fret about—I’m enjoying it as a viewer! [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. One Season, 10 Episodes, 47-51 min./episode. Created by Andrew Hinderaker. Starring Hilary Swank, Vivian Wu, Mark Ivanir, Ato Essandoh, Ray Panthaki, Josh Charles, and Talitha Eliana Bateman.]
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-reviews/away-netflix-hilary-swank-review-1051740/

Instant Family

— . [Netflix streaming.]

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[2018. 118 min. Directed by Sean Anders. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Bustavo Escobar, Isabela Merced, and Julianna Gamiz.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/instant-family-2018

Teenage Bounty Hunters

— When reviewers started praising “Teenage Bounty Hunters” and calling it “woke,” I knew I had to check it out. I can’t speak to anything’s relative “wokeness,” but I admit it’s unexpectedly fun and irreverent enough that anyone who takes things too seriously is bound to be offended one way or another. It follows two, privileged sisters as they maneuver rivalry and deceit at their Christian high school; the proclivities of their wealthy, Christian parents; their teenage hormones; and a lucky accident that lands them in the world of bounty hunting. I’d say it’s sort of a cross between “Clueless” and “The Politician” under a Christian umbrella. It’s not for everyone, but you’ll know after the first episode if it’s your kind of dark, edgy, kitschy, coming-of-age series or not. [Netflix streaming.]

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[Season 1: 2020, 10 Episodes, 48-58 minutes/episode. Created by Kathleen Jordan. Starring Maddie Phillips, Angelica Bette Fellini, and Kadeem Hardison.]
https://www.sfgate.com/tv/article/netflix-teenage-bounty-hunters-white-privilege-15506226.php

Power Project

— It sounds like a good idea. A $500 pill available from your local pusher that’ll turn you into a superhero for 5 minutes, but every reaction’s slightly different and death is always a possibility. Think of the scripting potential—one-on-one revenge, political leverage, adjusting the gene pool, toppling a government… Add Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levit to the mix and it ought to be a hit. Maybe it is, at least on Netflix, but there’s something a little off as if someone didn’t fully understand the genre. I can’t put my finger on it because there are the obligatory plot twists, emotive acting, lifting of ideas from other films, and more than enough explosions, flashes, and quick cuts, but it just seems like it should have been more. Still decent entertainment and better than many of the 2nd tier films Netflix acquires to pad their catalog. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 113 min. Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. Starring Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levit, Dominique Fishback, and Rodrigo Santoro.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/project-power-movie-review-2020

The Mandalorian

— I’d put off watching “The Mandalorian,” thinking there has to be point at which enough “Star Wars” is enough and, besides, how could it compete with the pizzazz of the original franchise. Well, it does. I was sucked in quickly and it was easy to keep on watching one “chapter” after another. It feels like a comfortable shoe the second you slip it on, albeit a racing shoe. The special effects are everywhere, but not as in your face as sometimes, and that’s a good thing in my opinion. Its story line is interesting and in the sci-fi western tradition, and it has enough human emotion to lure you in, something of a feat since the hero is faceless. Best of all, it really doesn’t require much knowledge of previous installments so it’s okay to watch even if you not Star Wars obsessed. For those who like this sort of thing, I think you’ll be happy with it. I was. [Disney+ streaming.]

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[2019. 8 Chapters, each 29-38 min. Created by Jon Favreau. Starring Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, Rio Hackford, Gina Carano, Werner Herzog, Nick Nolte, and Taika Waititi.]
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/arts/television/review-mandalorian-disney-plus.html

Imposters

— If you missed “Imposters,” I’d recommend it for possible binging. It’s a great idea—three people discover they all were bilked by a beautiful con artist who marries susceptible people then takes their money and disappears. The three unite and a game of cat and mouse begins with varying amounts of love, revenge, fear, and danger. Unlikely friendships develop. The high road blurs and questions arise as to who’s using whom and what’s real and not. Things are constantly being juggled and someone’s always one step ahead. There’s no question you’re watching a clever, dramatic comedy, and a pretty dark comedy at that. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2017-18. 2 Seasons, 10 episodes/season, 40-45 minutes/episode. Created by Paul Adelstein and Adam Brooks. Starring Inbar Lavi, Rob Heaps, Parker Young, and Marianne Rendon.]
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/imposters-review-972998

The Umbrella Academy

— I ended up loving Season 1 and looked forward to Season 2 of this dark, time-travelling, apocalyptic, comedy featuring a truly dysfunctional family with a fun assortment of superpowers. Providing much of the storyline would ruin the experience. It all sounds preposterous anyway, and it is, but if you let yourself accept the variables, it’s great fun. A little of the fun comes from some offbeat music and quick editing, but its quirky nature is what makes the difference. If your sense of humor is slightly off-center and you don't expect your superheros to be gods, give it a try. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2019, 2020. 10 episodes each season, each episode 45-60 min. Created by Steve Blackman and Jeremy Slater. Starring Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Casteneda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Justin H. Mim, and Colm Feore.]
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/14/693519408/the-umbrella-academy-offers-an-intriguing-curriculum-hurt-by-overcrowding

Murder Made Easy

— I always worry a bit when one person, either credited or uncredited, is the director as well as a producer, writer, editor, and art director. It’s often the sign of a very low-budget film, or of a film that no one wanted to make in the first place. “Murder Made Easy” is written as though it’s a filmed stage play so everything takes place in a couple of rooms in a single house on a single evening, dialogue is a little stilted, and everyone has a single costume. At first the acting is bothersome and you can’t figure out if it’s because the script isn’t well written or the actors are acting for a stage play instead of a film. Whatever the initial discordance may be, it settles into a groove with a setup that's Agatha Christie-esque all the way as a new person dies over each course of a dinner menu. There’s some cleverness, a bit of black humor, and enough intrigue to keep you watching. It’s not among the great who-done-its, but certainly decent viewing fare during a pandemic. [Amazon Prime streaming.]

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[2017. 76 min. Directed by David Palamaro. Starring Jessica Graham, Chrisopher Soren Kelly, and Daniel Ahearn.]
https://dailyfilmfix.com/?p=7382

Doctor Foster

— . [Netflix streaming.]

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[2015-2107. 2 seasons, 5 episodes/season. 55-59 min./episode. Starring Suranne Jones, Bertie Carvel, and Tom Taylor.]
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/sep/06/doctor-foster-review-suranne-jones-brian-cox-the-21st-century-face-for-space/

Hamilton

— It took me a while to get Disney+ to stream on my vintage (2013) Samsung “Smart” TV, but “Hamilton” persuaded me it was worth the effort—and it was. I confess, I haven’t seen the play itself, so the filmed performance was a treat and it’s about as good a filmed performance as you can imagine. Long shots when you need to see the entire stage, but plenty of close-ups to add intimacy to the experience. Alexa had played the original cast recording for me many times so I was familiar with the score and lyrics, but I still found subtitles helpful, particularly for songs more grounded in hip-hop or rap than jazz, rhythm and blues, or traditional Broadway. It’s still innovative and it still feels different and exciting. It still managed and manages to bring Broadway to a larger audience. It still features a multiracial cast whose performances transcend race. And, with the current political backdrop, it’s a good springboard for discussion about our country’s origins and founding fathers, complicity, history and who writes it, and the fluidity of history where some fiction is infused in every telling. I understand how some might want the story to more fully reflect the values we now believe our founding fathers had, but I tend to side with director Ava DuVerney who says “I don’t look to art for my history. I study history." Having been unable to see films in theaters for four months, it was a joy to see something I really liked. [Disney+ streaming.]

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[2020. 160 min. Directed by Thomas Kail. Starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phillipa Soo, Leslie Odam Jr., Renee Elise Goldsberry, Chris Jackson, Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Groff, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Okieriete Onaodowan, and Anthony Ramos.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hamilton-movie-review-2020

My Spy

— Nothing new here. A cute and clever little girl easily outsmarts the buff but inept adult lawman, in this case a CIA agent. There’s a bit of intrigue, the threat of some bad guys, a possible love interest, and enough cuteness and chemistry to do justice to the genre. Watching it you’d swear you’ve seen it before, but you’re probably thinking of one of the similar films you remember with Vin Diesel, or John Cena, or Dwayne Johnson, or Arnold Schwarzenegger or some other inept, overly muscular guy teamed up with an adorable and precocious child. [Amazon Prime streaming.]

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[2020. 99 min. Directed by Peter Segl. Starring Dave Bautista, Chloe Coleman, and Parisa Fitz-Henley.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/my-spy-movie-review-2020

The Healer

— “The Healer” popped up on Netflix a few weeks ago, three years after its theatrical release. I don’t imagine many people saw it three years ago but, during a time when so many of us are staying at home, I bet I'm not the only one who fell for it sometime in the past month. It’s the story of an electronics repairman whose gambling debt had caught up with him when an unknown uncle enters his life and offers to pay off the debt if he’ll move from England to Nova Scotia. There he discovers every other generation in his family produces someone who can heal the sick, and he's that person for his generation. The film is as enjoyable as many made-for-TV films, except for an occasional, uncomfortable, faith-based feeling to it. At the end of the film, the scales tip too heavily toward declaring God’s hand in healing, not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case about as subtle as product placement, not a good vehicle for God's message in my opinion. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2016. 113 min. Written and directed by Paco Arango. Starring Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Jonathan Pryce, and Camilla Luddington.]
https://hope1032.com.au/stories/culture/movie-reviews/2020/the-healer-makes-us-wonder-how-wed-handle-jesus-gifts-movie-review/

The Politician (Season 2)

— I know, I know, critics didn’t like season 1 of “The Politician.” I kept quiet it about at the time, but I kind of enjoyed it. When season 2 hit a few weeks ago, I “binged” it, enjoying a guilty pleasure and embracing my inner teen spirit. Yes, it is over the top and if you’re looking for “Glee” redux, you’ll be disappointed, but if campy and funny and darkly satirical are enough, you may like it. I did. Besides, with Ben Platt, Judith Light, Bette Midler, and Gwyneth Paltrow, it has a talented cast. Season one followed Payton Hobart (Platt) as he ran for high school senior class president. Season 2 takes place a few years later with Payton trying to topple an incumbent for a New York State Senate seat. In both seasons the campaign shenanigans and ruthless maneuvering take center stage while everyone has an opportunity to learn a little more about themselves, their moral compass, and the kind of politician they really are. I got a kick out of it, but I wasn’t looking for anything other than some entertainment. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2019-2020. Season 1: 9 episodes, 429 min. Season 2: 7 episodes, 279 min. Created by Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuck, and Ryan Murphy. Starring Ben Platt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Lange, Judith Light, Bette Midler, Lucy Boynton, Zoey Deutch, Julia Schlaepfer, Laura Dreyfuss, and Theo Germaine.]
https://www.vulture.com/2020/06/the-politician-season-2-cant-rise-above-its-own-cynicism.html

365 Days

— It’s embarrassing that this film is so popular. It cries out to be described with adjectives like gratuitous, graphic, violent, perverse, abusive, and explicit. I’d add “icky” to the list. This is as close to soft porn as Netflix has gotten, and its popularity has to be the result of sex seen with the kind of fascination we have when driving past an accident. Almost every moment is objectionable. If you’ve avoided it so far, continue doing whatever you’ve been doing to avoid it! [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 114 min. Directed by Barbara Bialowas and Tomasz Mandes. Starring Michele Morrone and Anna Maria Sieklucka.]
https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/365-days-review-365-dni-1234629333/

Space Force

— . [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 10 episodes. 27-36 min./episode. Created by Steve Carell and Greg Daniels. Starring Steve Carell, John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, and Jimmy O. Yang.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/netflixs-easy-satire-space-force-is-simply-silly-and-sweet

The Cakemaker

— I’m not sure how I missed Ofir Raul Graizer’s first feature film, when it was released a few years ago, but I’m glad I watched it this week. At its simplest, it’s the story of Thomas, a German baker whose affair with Oren, a married, Israeli transportation engineer who frequently travels from Jerusalem to Berlin for work, is cut short when Oren dies in an accident. When Thomas hears nothing from Oren and can’t reach him on his phone, he travels to Jerusalem and takes a job in a small Kosher restaurant owned by Oren’s wife, Sarah. The focus becomes one of shared grief and shared love, as Thomas learns about Oren’s family and, unbeknownst to Sarah, she learns about Oren’s lover. An intimacy develops. Issues of religion and cultural differences filter through the story, adding another layer. It’s a beautiful, intimate film. It is also meticulously slow-paced with the story unfolding in an almost passive way, probably because it relies so much on viewer interpretation of a facial expression or some other nuance. It is sensitive and intimate and, at times, a little melancholic, but oh so satisfying as long as you don’t mind ambiguous endings. If I had any criticism, it is that, at times, the images or music almost become too conspicuous, drawing focus away from the story instead of letting all the wonderful elements coexist. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2017. 113 min. Written and directed by Ofir Raul Graizer. Starring Tim Kalkhof, Sara Adler, Roy Miller. And Zohar Shtrauss.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-cakemaker-2018

Happiness Continues

— I liked "Chasing Happiness," so I checked out “Happiness Continues,” a documentary/concert film of the Jonas Brothers’ ”Happiness Begins” tour. The first film was a fascinating look into their rise, split, and regrouping six years later, that felt almost like a Jomas Brothers’ therapy session. If you’re a fan of their music, then you should like “Happiness Continues.” For me, it was a little heavy on concert footage and light on interviews and conversation, but still worth seeing. [Amazon Prime streaming.]

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[2020. 104 min. Directed by Anthony Mandler. Featuring Joe Jonas, Kevin Jonas, and Nick Jonas.]

Becoming

— Fans of Michelle Obama will enjoy this documentary, focusing on the book tour associated with her memoir of the same name. It’s impossible not to realize the film has been carefully edited under a watchful eye so the story that emerges is the story meant to emerge. There’s an emphasis on being uplifting and joyous, but it really shines when there are glimpses of behind-the-scenes activities or snippets of on-stage interviews during the tour. She knows how to tell a story, how to come across as personal, but with a little sass and lot of smarts. I enjoyed it. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 89 min. Directed by Nadia Hallgren. With Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, and Phoebe Robinson.]

https://www.npr.org/2020/05/06/850798007/becoming-offers-a-revealing-but-selective-view-of-michelle-obama

Hollywood

— I had high hopes for this since I find alternate history tales are usually fascinating. I wasn’t disappointed by the cast, including actors like Patti LuPone, Dylan McDermott, Joe Mantello, Jim Parsons, and Holland Taylor, and the production value was excellent. The idea’s not bad: a rewrite of 1940’s Hollywood, making it an era with more inclusion, dressing it up with gay, black, Jewish, Asian, and gender issues to make you think you're watching something a cut above the typical tawdry Hollywood tale. Well you are and you aren’t. The problem is that it just wanders all over the place in search of a kumbaya moment, seemingly lacking focus and also focused just a little too much on the gay angle. I’ll admit I watched all seven episodes, so it succeeds as entertainment but was still a little disappointing when it comes to substance. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 347 min., 7 episodes. Created by Ian Brennan and Ryan Murphy. Starring David Corenswet, Darren Criss, Laura Harrier, Joe Mantello, Dylan McDermott, Jake Picking, Jeremy Pope, Holland Taylor, Jim Parsons, and Patti LuPone.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hollywood-2020

A Dog’s Journey

— Young kids and cute canines. What more needs to be said about this follow-up to “A Dog’s Purpose”? It does what it does well, expertly manipulating viewers hearts and emotions for just a little longer than necessary. It’s fluff but I doubt anyone watching it is looking for more. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2010. 109 min. Directed by Gail Mancuso. Starring Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, Kathryn Prescott, and Marg Helgenberger.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-dogs-journey-2019