What I watched in February 2022:

02/27/22 The King's Man (HBO Max)

02/27/22 1883 (Paramount Plus series)

02/26/22 The French Dispatch (HBO Max)

02/24/22 Free Guy (Disney+ and HBO Max)

02/20/22 Space Force (Netflix, season two)

02/19/22 Operation Finale (Netflix)

02/14/22 The Book of Love (Amazon Prime)

02/12/22 Can You Keep a Secret? (Netflix)

02/11/22 I Want You Back (Amazon Prime)

02/10/22 KIMI (HBO Max)

02/09/22 The Book of Bobo Fett (Disney+ series)

02/07/22 Reacher (Amazon Prime series)

02/06/22 In from the Cold (Netflix series)

02/06/22 And Just Like That (HBO Max series)

KIMI 

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[Netflix streaming.]

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[2022. 89 min. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Starring India de Beaufort, Derek DelGaudio, Sarai Koo, and Jaime Camil.] 

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/kimi-movie-review-2022

Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened

— A Facebook friend suggested this documentary and it proved to be a good tip. It focuses on the creation of Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 flop, “Merrily We Roll Along,” with more than a bit of admiration toward Sondheim and producer Hal Prince, and with bittersweet reverence toward the experience. About half the documentary looks at the the time leading up to the actual Broadway production, as Sondheim and Prince worked on the material and a group of young actors (all ages 16-25) had the thrill of being cast by the legendary songwriter and producer, at the family they cast and the devastation they felt when the play closed after only 16 performances. The rest of the film focuses mostly on the paths cast members lives have taken since the experience, and their reactions to the experience with 35 years distance from it. What emerges is a look at a comradery forged during a pivotal moment in their youth and a joyous memory that lingered on. I’ll be truthful, viewers who aren’t Sondheim fans and those who are only casual Broadway musical fans may think this could have been edited a little more, but in the end it's really the story of the first time you realize even heroes fail, that sometimes life is disappointing and dreams need to change, that few people know what path their lives will ultimately take, and that it’s okay to look back as long as you’re living in the present. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2016. 95 min. Directed by Lonny Price.]
https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/best-worst-thing-that-ever-happened-review-stephen-sondheim-1201921997/

Home Team

— Pretty predicable film based on the true story of Sean Payton’s suspension as head coach of the New Orleans Saints, during which he coached his son’s underdog team, healing old wounds, bonding with his son, and learning humility and compassion. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2022. 95 min. Directed by Charles Kinnane and Daniel Kinnane. Starring Kevin James, Taylor Lautner, Rob Schneider, and Jackie Sandler.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/home-team-movie-review-2022

Nightmare Alley

— An incredible cast under the direction of an incredible director make for a pretty interesting remake of a film-noir drama. You know you’re in something different when, even before the titles roll, two visually-stunning scenes evoke masterpieces (Gustave Caillebotte’s “Floor Planers” and Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World”). From there we plummet into a grimy world of carnivals, magicians, freaks and geeks, violence, and even psychoanalysis. Along the way, we start to think everyone’s pasts and secrets have similarities and are a layer of human nature. The storyline may not be completely original, but the telling is just the right mix of visual elements, sleezy characters, fantasy, and crime. It may be a little “art housey” to have done well at the box office, but it’s nice to see it streaming. [HBO Max and Hulu streaming.]

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[2021. 150 min. Directed by Guillermo del Toro. Starring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, and Mary Steenburgen.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/nightmare-alley-movie-review-2021

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