The Last Duel

— Well, this certainly isn’t your usual medieval epic film. It has the usual castles and peasants and snorting horses carrying armored knights hither and yon, but it’s not really peddling chivalry and honor. Instead, it’s looking at the realities of owning an estate, and the politics involved in daily life. It’s based on the true story about a knight, his one-time friend, a squire who’s received land and position at the expense of his old friend, and the lady who marries the knight. It’s not a romance and there aren’t tender moments. It’s a dirty, bloody world of gender and class inequities, of antagonism and revenge, and of getting and wielding power. It has interesting bones with Ridley Scott directing, with Adam Driver as the squire, and with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck acting and as writers, along with Nicole Holofcener. I’d recommend it, although with a caution that it’s not without its disturbing moments. (If you're uncertain about whether to watch it or not, Manohla Dargis, "The New York Times," said it "may be the big screen’s first medieval feminist revenge saga." Isn't that an enticing description!) [HBO Max streaming.]

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[2021. 152 min. Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Harriet Walter, and Ben Affleck.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-last-duel-movie-review-2021

Nobody

— It’s vaguely reminiscent of Liam Neeson’s “Taken” films. A dull and vaguely inept father and husband shows his true colors when his family’s threatened. Of course, he’s ex-CIA or something similar, and able to take on an army of bad guys. Blood and body parts fly, but his family’s safe and he regains a bit of dignity. That said, it’s a straightforward but well done film. Bob Odenkirk not flashy but really quite good as an action hero. Better than many action films released. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2021. 92 min. Directed by Ilya Naishuller. Starring Bob Odenkirk, Aleksey Serebryakov, Connie Nielsen, Christopher Lloyd, and RZA.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/nobody-movie-review-2021

Munich — The Edge of War

— I liked “Munich—The Edge of War,” but it’s changing focus was a little bit of a problem for me—from what seemed like a retelling of an historic summit, to generational divides and “lessons in political reality”, to a cold war thriller without enough thrill, to questioning what would have or could have been. That aside, it does offer a glimpse of the complexity of war and it’s always nice to see Jeremy Irons. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2021. 123 min. Directed by Christian Schwochnow. Starring George MacKay, Jannis Newöhner, and Jeremy Irons.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/munich-the-edge-of-war-movie-review-2022

Bathtubs Over Broadway

— A friend suggested this as a documentary I might like and I'm glad she did. If you missed it when it came out a few years ago, it’s worth checking out now. Steve Young, the longest surviving writer for “Late Show with David Letterman,” discovered a little-known musical genre—industrial musicals from the 1950s-1970s—when he was looking for funny albums in the 1990s for Letterman’s bit, “Dave’s Record Collection.” His discovery became a decades-long search for recorded examples and for the performers and writers, some of whom went on to become famous. It’s a journey filled with quirks, oddball humor, obsessive collecting, surprising discoveries, and tender stories. It all combines to give a glimpse into our American history during a time when workers and employers were family instead of adversaries, and the future still held promise. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2018. 87 min. Directed by David Whisenant. With David Letterman, Martin Short, Chita Rivera, Susan Stroman, Florence Henderson, and Sheldon Harnick.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bathtubs-over-broadway-2019

Brazen

— A thriller with most of the thrill missing. Based on Nora Roberts' novel, a romance novelist teams with a hunky cop to solve her sister's murder. It doesn’t take long to know you've seen most of it before. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2022. 94 min. Directed by Robin Monika Mitchell. Starring Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, and Malachi Weir.]
https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/brazen-review-alyssa-milano-1235152953/

Eric Clapton: Standing at the Crossroads

— An interesting and enjoyable documentary about a great guitarist whose career and skill boggle the mind but, mostly, there’s something in his soul, some bluesy spirit, that’s captivating. Includes interviews and contributions from Keith Richards, John Mayall, The Yardbirds, Sting, Jack Bruce and many more. If you don’t know who Eric Clapton is, this probably isn’t for you but for the rest of us, it’s worth watching. (Note that this documentary has a 2021 release date but appears to be all or mostly a 1999 documentary.) [Amazon Prime streaming.]

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[1999:2021. 92 min. Directed by Robin Bextor. With Eric Clapton, John Mayall, The Yardbirds, Jack Bruce, Keith Richards, Sting, John Lee Hooker, Tom Dowd...]

Mayor of Kingstown

— I was sucked into this gritty crime drama set in a town where a prison seems to be the overwhelming presence and big business and a mother and her two sons influence a lot of what goes on. Dianne Wiest and Jeremy Renner are both wonderful and over the course of 10 episodes it manages to touch on issues of systemic racism, corruption, and inequality. I liked it but it’s pretty bleak in many ways. [Paramount+ streaming.]

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[2020-2021. Ten episodes, 46-52 minutes each. Created by Hugh Dillon and Taylor Sheridan. Starring Jeremy Renner, Dianne Wiest, Hugh Dillon, and Tobi Bamtefa.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/mayor-of-kingstown-tv-review-2021

The Tender Bar

— This is a tender, coming-of-age film that may not shake new ground thematically, but is still a joy to watch. A mother who can’t seem to catch a break, returns to her father’s house for a new start, bringing with her her young son, JR, whose father left long ago. JR likes the move and he likes being around his uncle Charlie who also lives there. Charlie, played by Ben Affleck, becomes something of a surrogate father, helping JR in his journey over a period of maybe 15 years, overcoming hardships, accepting realities, and finding direction. It a warm and loving memoir, with the memories laid out for viewers to piece together to get a sense of JR’s world. I like low-key movies that don’t necessarily march toward a defining moment but evolve slowly and quietly—I liked this film. The only distraction was the excellent choice of music which, for someone my age, was impossible not to hum along with during the film. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2021. 106 minutes. Directed by George Clooney. Starring Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Lily Rabe, and Christopher Lloyd.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-tender-bar-movie-review-2021

The Eyes of Tammy Faye

— An interesting film focusing on televangelist Tammy Faye Baker. It puts a human face on the relationship between Jim Baker and his wife, Tammy Faye, and looks at the rise and fall of their empire. As importantly, it also looks at the rise of television evangelism and the courtship between politics and televangelism. If you only know Tammy Faye for her heavy use of make-up, you don’t know her story at all if the broad strokes of this script are fairly accurate. Whatever you think of the Bakers or of televangelism as a whole, the film's worth seeing to watch Jessica Chastain use her considerable talent to make an unusual character likeable. [HBO Max streaming.]

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[2021. 126 minutes. Directed by Michael Showalter. Starring Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, and Cherry Jones.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-eyes-of-tammy-faye-movie-review-2021