MOVIES
Longest I’ve ever gone without an update, so
The Outfit – 10
I Love being guided to a little unknown movie that packs a punch and delivers way more than expected. Such is the case with this simple little 2022 gem set in Chicago. Mark Rylance once won a Supporting Actor Oscar, and he gets his chance in a lead role here as the English tailor, Leonard Burling, to various mob figures. They come and go in his little shop where he custom makes beautiful suits for them, while also offering up a drop point.
Leonard was trained on Savile Row, but he’s got to use all his wits to avoid disaster when two mobsters, Ritchie and Francis come to his shop after a shootout that suspiciously looks like a setup. It is one of those one-night thrillers, that is nearly perfect in its plotting and execution. Hope you’ll check it out and discover its brilliance.
One Battle After Another – 10
The heavy favorite to win the Best Picture Oscar is a sprawling epic directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, who will likely also pick up his first Best Director award for pulling together this all-star cast, of which my favorite was Teyanna Taylor as a terrorist. Apparently, Teyanna is a singer, of the breathie-chantie type, who sets the movie off and running, before she gets captured and forced into a difficult legal choice.
Leonardo DiCaprio takes up the narrative from there as Bob Ferguson, a drugged-up conspirator on the run for 16 years with a daughter he’s trying to protect
from his past. He’s not too good at
that, nor remembering the old passwords.
It’s all rambling, with great supporting performances from Sean Pean as
the lawman in pursuit, and Benecio del Toro as a sympathizer.
All the word of mouth over its apparent left vs right immigrant views makes me clueless as to what the long-term view of this movie will be, but if you can set aside your political views for just 3 hours, it sure is entertaining.
Weapons – 9
One of the biggest hits of the year is a old fashioned horror movie. Julia Garner plays a third-grade teacher who
comes to school one day to find that 17 of her 18 students didn’t come to
school. No, not a protest. All at the same time in the middle of the
night, the 17 got up and walked out into the night, and disappeared. Josh Brolin as one of the more aggressive
parents, wants to know just what the teacher was teaching. It
actually gets pretty scary when Amy Madigan checks in as one of the more
frightening characters you’ll see, and I’m hoping she gets some award
recognition. Good movie, not my usual
genre.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere – 8
This is a movie about a very simple album, Nebraska, cut in 1982 by Bruce
Springsteen. It was famously recorded on
a recorder in Bruce’s bedroom. The record
company reluctantly released it, with no p/r, and no tour support, and yet it
became a best-seller and eventually legendary.
This is a nice effective story of an artist at a mental health
crossroads as he struggles with the beginnings of his fame. It’s dark, and far from the crowd-pleaser it
would have needed to be to make money.
Despite the hype, especially around Jeremy Allen White’s performance and
Bruce’s active participation, I couldn’t help but think this would have made a
good “Behind the Music” episode, but can’t imagine why it was made with any
expectation of the box office needed to break even.
28 Years Later – 8
Director Danny Boyle’s third film in the series is all over the place as he continues
the story of a rage pandemic which turns people into zombies. The emphasis seems to be on the zombie
makeup, and if you’re a fan of the series, you’ll like this. In Great Britain the ending of the movie was controversial
because it apparently portrayed a real-life celebrity who fell into disfavor
after his death, but us Americans probably won’t know that. What we will see is the immensely talented
Jodie Comer and that was the highlight for me.
Sovereign – 7
The great Nick Offerman plays one of those guys who doesn’t believe that any law is constitutional and as a part of an anti-government group is trying to indoctrinate his son in his ways, as they are on the verge of losing their house in a foreclosure he refuses to acknowledge. The pair go on the road preaching their conspiracy theories and things begin to go awry when they are pulled over by a cop.
Predictable but fun, in a conspiratorial kind of way.
Naked Gun – 7
Liam Neeson steps into the franchise as the son of Frank Drebin, and he brings
the comedic chops if not the soul of Leslie Nielson. Liam plays it straight and that’s the correct
approach, but this film will fade into oblivion and be forgotten quickly,
except for the set being where Liam and Pamela Anderson fell in love.
House of Dynamite – 1
I give it a one for the presence of Rebecca Ferguson. Everything else is horribly wrong about this
made for Netflix movie directed by Kathryn Bigelow, whom I normally love. I thought the movie was offensive in that it
portrayed every single U.S. military character, except one, as incompetent and
unable to do what was needed when under attack.
A nuclear missile of unknown origin is hurtling toward the U.S. In case you don’t get that, they tell the story 3 times from different perspectives. It is phony tension and terribly redundant. What a disappointment.
All of You – 7
The breakout star of Apple’s hit series Ted Lasso, Brett Goldstein gets his first chance to write and star in a rom-com and teams with Imogene Poots. She’s one of my favorites, and if you have seen Roadies you’ll know why, and if you haven’t seen it, seek it out. It’s a real sleeper.
Unfortunately, she seems flat here, and Brett never seems the
least bit suited for this role. There
are some nice moments, but one where they have any real chemistry is not among
them. This Apple+ movie had promise, but it didn't materialize and I hope it doesn't sink the stars.
STREAMING/BINGING and what’s left of Network Television
Task – 10
Ever wonder what happens when a crime spree merits the formation of a task force? Well, HBO gives you a chance to find out in spectacular fashion with this crime drama from the folks that gave us the terrific Mare of Eastown. Here it’s Mark Ruffalo in the Kate Winslett-type role of angst-ridden crime solver. His wife was killed by his foster son, who may get set free soon, and Mark’s character Tom is just not sure how to feel about that, and his two daughters are equally unsettled. He’s been out doing recruiting for the FBI when he asked to head up a task force to find perps who are robbing Eastern Pennsylvania drug houses.
Over the course of 6 episodes we learn there is an informer on the task force, and the thieves are faily sympathetic. It’s a great story as Tom closes in on the bad guys, and it may be the best thing on tv lately, with 3 dimensional characters you care about.
Slow Horses (season 5) – 10
Fortunately, Apple TV maintains the high quality of this London based spy drama centered around MI5 outcast Jackson Lamb played with all the acerbic wit that Gary Oldham can bring to the role. I would be hard pressed to decide which of the 5 seasons so far that I’ve enjoyed the most. The misfits of Slough House continue to outshine their MI-5 counterparts in crime solving, and this season’s mystery about some Libyan terrorists working their way through London is no exception.
The Diplomat (season 3) – 9
While it was hard to maintain the momentum of the stunning ending of season 2, there’s just enough intrigue in this 3rd season to set up a 4th season of this top notch Netflix political drama. Anything I could give you would be a major spoiler, so let me just say that the Diplomat and her estranged husband end up on different sides of the pond trying to protect a President they don't really like.
One of those offbeat Australian series about a cold case. Fifteen years after the death of 3 friends drove Kieran Elliott away from his Tasmania hometown, he returns with his own young family only to have a murder dredge up all the grief and mystery of the past. Rarely do mysteries offer this much surprise and if you're looking for a new mini-series, this is a good one.
DOCUMENTARIES
ONE SHOT with Ed Sheeran -10
I’m not sure that this is a documentary, but I’m sticking it in that category,
even though it deserves a category all its own.
It is one of the most amazing
things I’ve ever seen. It’s like a
concert film in motion. Ed Sheeran walks
and rides around New York City singing up a storm, and it is filmed in one
shot, one take. I was not a fan of
Sheeran’s but I knew of him. That phase
ended 60 minutes later. If you like
music at all, stop what you’re doing and tune in. This is a thrill.
Mr. Scorsese – 10
Any movie fan is going to love this 5-part Apple series, that marches through the life of times of one of greatest directors in movie history. His success rate is phenomenal, and this captures the high wire act that Scorsese has lived and experienced in each movie. My personal favorite is episode 2 which covers the making of Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and Taxi Driver, two of my top 5 favorite movies. But each episode is worthwhile, and to me it’s only recently with The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon that I felt a drop-off in Scorsese’s magic. Nevertheless, I think he’s probably my favorite director, and my ranking of his best movies would bear no resemblance to anyone else’s.
John Candy: I Like Me – 9
I was an early John Candy fan due to SCTV which I was watching religiously when
most were watching Saturday Night Live.
I always thought he was great, and it was gratifying to watch him rise
to stardom. His death was heartbreaking,
and his demise is chronicled here. It’s sad, but well worth watching.
America’s Team: The
Gambler and His Cowboys – 7
Did we really have to have this sometimes-interesting story of Jerry Jones, how
he bought the Cowboys and he’s tried to build on his early success with one bad
personnel decision after another? As over-hyped as the Yankees and Notre Dame, the Cowboys monopolize the news, and that's a shame.
STAND-UP
Sebastian Maniscalco:
It Ain’t Right - 9
Maniscalco’s latest, parked on Hulu, is funniest when he’s coming face to face
with the stiffness of old age. Come on
man, you’re 20 years younger than me.
Just you wait.
CLASSICS
Heat – 10
Decided to revisit this classic, because if I’d seen it before, I didn’t
remember it. Its reputation continues to
grow, so I thought I’d take another look.
Pacino and DeNiro face off with Val Kilmer in support and with that kind
of fire power, it’s hard to ignore.
Director Michael Mann began to build his career on this movie and the
pinnacle of it is a street shoot out, as good as it gets.
Chuck – 7
Well, this wasn’t a classic, but I’d never heard of it, and it’s the second “Chuck” movie I’ve seen this year. This stars Liev Schreiber as Chuck Wepner, a fighter who went 15 rounds with Muhammed Ali, as a great white hope. In our house we followed every Ali fight like it was the event of the year, and I remember this fight well. Allegedly, the movie “Rocky” was based on Wepner, who later sued for compensation.
Scheiber is unrecognizable as Wepner, also known as the Bayonne Bleeder. I love sports movie, but this one is an afterthought, notable for some supporting performers like Elizabeth Moss and Naomi Watts.
