Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie

— [DVD] If you liked the television series, then this is really just a longer episode but I have to admit, funny as it was, it was also a little boring by the time it ended. The plot was pretty thin and, good as Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley are, at some point it’s just the same joke again and again.

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[2016. 91 min. Directed by Mandie Fletcher. Starring Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, and Jane Horrocks.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/absolutely-fabulous-the-movie-2016

Anomalisa

— [Stream] This is a very odd film with puppet animation (sounds horrible but is really effective), looking at a depressed guy dealing with his life…or maybe not. He’s a motivational author in Cleveland for a speaking engagement. He meets up with an old girlfriend but that doesn’t go well; he picks up an adoring fan, probably to escape the feelings he’s been having. The next day he returns home to his wife and son. All of the actions are off-putting, and there’s kind of a dreamlike feeling throughout, and maybe a doubt as to whether the main character’s real, or others are real, or any of us are real. In the end, I’m not sure what really happened but it was very interesting and triggered plenty of odd feelings. The guy who wrote and directed it also did the screenplays for “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “Being John Malkovich”, two other head-scratching films I liked in spite of my confusion about them.

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[2015. 90 min. Directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman. With David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Tom Noonan.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/anomalisa-2015

Life

— “Life” is way too familiar for those of us who’ve been seeing films for 40 years or more because it goes well past paying homage to “Alien” to outright stealing much of its storyline. I suppose the bright side is that they’ve stolen parts of an excellent sci-fi thriller and managed to do a pretty good job of things. I was on board with the first half of the film and not only was the story written and paced well, it was visually exciting too. I thought it was less effective in the second half, when things were too formulaic. The actors all deserve credit, for believable but not over-the-top deliveries, unlike the music which was irritatingly insistent. The film’s a cut above mediocre but can’t shake remaining in the shadow of “Alien”.

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[2017. 103 min. Directed by Daniel Espinosa. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/life-2017

The Last Word

— Obsessive, compulsive, perfectionist Shirley MacLaine doesn’t appear to have much of a life but she does have plenty of money. Unwilling to leave anything to chance, she strong arms the newspaper editor to have their obituary writer write her obituary so she can make sure it does her justice. The only problem is that no one has a kind word to say so she embarks on a four-prong attack to rewrite her life so people will admire her, her family will love her, she’s made a difference in at least one life, and she has some unexpected trait or talent that adds distinction to her life. The only problem is that the fun of her tart, blunt, unfiltered remarks at the beginning of the film slowly disappears as she moves from mean-spirited to quirky, even lovable. It’s a role we’ve seen Shirley MacLaine play before and her talent is really why this film doesn’t fail. Her timing is still impeccable and there’s still a twinkle in her eye. I’ve always liked her and it’s just a shame there aren't better roles for someone of her age and talent.

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[2017. 108 min. Directed by Mark Pellington. Starring Shirley MacLaine, Amanda Seyfried, and AnnJewel Lee Dixon.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-last-word-2017

Dirty Grandpa

— This is easily the worst film I’ve seen in the past few years. It’s awkwardly overt and offensive but not with enough cleverness to be campy. Kind of sad to see De Niro’s talent squandered so completely.

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[2016. 102 min. Directed by John Phillips. Starring Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, and Zoey Deutch.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dirty-grandpa-2016

The Sense of an Ending

— There’s a sense of introspection throughout this film and that’s appropriate. The main character seems to have been a little self-absorbed most of his life and only now that he’s retired is he starting to realize his past isn’t necessarily what he remembers. What seemed tidy is starting to fray and he has to come to terms with it. Jim Broadbent is a superior actor, but he a little soft in this film or maybe the script doesn’t give his character the edge that's needed. As a result, you almost come away from the film thinking the point is that he should have been nicer as a student and then should have focused more on his family, but that he still has time to become a better person. Well, that may be true, but it doesn’t require a moment of thought from the viewer. Instead, the focus should clearly be on how we distort our histories over time, beefing up our own narratives and then, of course, ask whether it’s better to live with an altered past, or to ferret out the truth, and what the price is to have these selective memories. Although Broadbent’s character lacks pizzazz, Charlotte Rampling is exquisite as Broadbent’s first love who hasn’t glossed over the past—I wish she'd had more screen time.

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[2017. 108 min. Directed by Ritesh Batra. Starring Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling, Harriet Walter, and Michelle Dockery.]
http://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/the-sense-of-an-ending-review-1201953824/ https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/apr/01/julian-barnes-i-told-the-film-makers-to-throw-my-book-against-a-wall-

Elle

— Well, this one took me by surprise. I had some vague notion of what it would be based on the previews and the rave reviews Isabelle Huppert was getting for her performance. What I got was a complicated thriller that only Paul Verhoeven could put together making full use of Huppert’s subtle talent. It isn’t at all fair to describe it as about a woman who’s raped, isn’t sure what she thinks about the rape, finds out who the rapist is, and then takes her time figuring out her own feelings and what, if anything, she should do about them. There’s a lot more going on with plenty of unspoken looks and uncomfortable feelings, eventually coexisting with an undertone of awkward perversities and power struggles. It’s mostly a very dark comedy in a world of self-absorbed, privileged, neurotics with complicated relationships and fantasies. If you missed it when it was in theaters, see it now that it’s on DVD.

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[2016, 130 min. Directed by Paul Verhoeven. Starring Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny, Charles Berling, and Virginie Efira.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/elle-2016

The Founder

— Michael Keaton does a good job in this biopic about Ray Kroc, the salesman from Illinois who saw the franchise possibilities of Mac and Dick McDonald’s burger joint in San Bernardino, and then wrestled the business away from them. It’s an American story and the maneuverings associated with Kroc’s rise to fame are certainly interesting and darkly humorous, perhaps even more so in an age of alternate truths, rewritten history, and instant gratification. I enjoyed Keaton's abilities as well the story itself, which placed Kroc as the protagonist who manages to take someone else’s idea and turn it into a 8 billion dollar company. Now that's the American dream!

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[2016. 115 min. Directed by John Lee Hancok. Starring Michael Keaton, Nik Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, and Linda Carrdellini.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-founder-2017