Nomadland was good, occasionally bleak, with a well-painted and compelling portrait of the central character. My issues were twofold: not enough backstory or coloring of her motivation, and, forgiving that, too little aspiration for the heights.
And maybe threefold: within the restrictions stated above, I never felt like the McDormand character was really at the end of her rope. Still, I identify with the situation, and execution was sharp. The subject matter seems to fit our current zeitgeist, what with TikTok videos promoting the idea of life on the road while so many are forced there without any choice. 7/10
Forgive me; I streamed this movie last September but was unmoved at the time to post on it. I was generally unmoved to post a lot last year since the powers that be decided we couldn’t watch movies in theaters any more, at least not in California. But I’m going tonight to see the first movie in CA in over a year — the new Odenkirk movie — and there’s a real sense out there that the scourge of the COVID shutdown is finally coming to an end.
With that, I’m playing a little catchup with some housekeeping to bring up to the present.
So my memory of Slow West is a tad stale, but here are my notes taken at the time:
There were a couple unforced errors, nothing devastating, but why? The film was not without its charms, but neither are there any compelling reasons to recommend it. 5/10
* * *
My recollection has returned somewhat, and I think this is more like a 4/10 at best. But either way, not recommended. I do like Michael Fassbender though.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is a strong 6-episode true crime series detailing the crimes and pursuit of the Golden State Killer, and writer Michelle McNamara’s quest to document the crimes and the victims — and capture him.
I found it to be not as completely compelling as Making a Murderer, but then it’s apples and oranges. Making a Murderer is not a closed case, as far as I’m concerned, and more to the point there’s a great miscarriage or justice there.
I knew from the outset with I’ll Be Gone in the Dark that the case had been solved. So knowing the broad strokes of how the series would end dulled the knife’s-edge that might have otherwise been present with such a horrific series of unsolved crimes. Still, highly recommended and required viewing for true crime fans.
Compared with Nicolas Winding Refn’s previous picture Drive, there’s not much happening in Only God Forgives. But there was so much going on in Drive — all those irons in the fire — that the comparison is a little unfair. The better comparison is The Neon Demon.
So I understand the underwater rating aggregate, but I like simple stories. The point of Only God Forgives is not so much the story, but a terrific visual draw and great style. And it’s got a pulse. I’ll take this over Miller’s Crossing any time. 6/10
Viewing notes: in Thai and English. Somehow I watched for free on Amazon Prime, as the film was no longer available on iTunes. After watching, it said something about watch free with ads, and also that it’s linked to my IMDb (app). Not sure what happened there, but I’ll take the free viewing. There were no ads, and I discontinued Prime a few weeks earlier.
In the early going, Vivarium contains what might be seen as some minor logic issues, but the film leaves little time to dwell on it. Glenn Kenny of the Times:
…its commitment to the inexorable horrors of its story line is actually surprising. (The sci-fi angle of the story is suggested by its title.) There’s a consistent inventiveness — and grim humor — to this treatment of a seemingly well-worn theme.
Vivarium imagines the horror of being trapped inside your own home. What a concept! Though its atmosphere of delirious claustrophobia may now cut a little too close to the bone, the nightmares director Lorcan Finnegan wants to conjure are of an entirely different nature. There’s no pandemic here – only parenthood, suburbia, and the slow asphyxiation of heteronormative society.
I was happily surprised by Vivarium, a solid, compelling, taut sci-fi effort. Jesse Eisenberg is turning up in more and more intriguing indies, isn’t he? On the high end of 7/10
So, a confession. When I first stumbled upon My Brilliant Friend – a terrific scene in the third episode of Season 1, being re-aired this Spring, I thought, Wow!, what a captivating little Brazilian show, or at least, a show obviously in Portuguese. It wasn’t until the girls were being quizzed on Italian history that it began to dawn on me, is this Italian? Well, yes and no. Officially it’s in Italian and Neapolitan, but I believe everything I’ve seen so far is Neapolitan, a variant of Italian that still sounds more like Portuguese to me than Italian.
Example: when the girls say “Arrivederci,” they say it in a, to me, very Italian inflection and thrust, but with a “rounded” end, specifically as “Arrivederch” – that last syllable is not pronounced. The entire dialog, at least so far in Season 1, is spoken with that “rounded,” Portuguese-like pronunciation.
Another confession: yes, I’m still in Season 1. I’ve been very lazy watching this show (required reading of subtitles does not make it easier), despite the show being among the most compelling television I’ve ever seen. It’s nothing against My Brilliant Friend: I can’t focus on watching any drama show these days, nor any movie in the last month or so.
A dance scene in Ep. 4, “Dissolving Boundaries,” is full of tension and magnificently compelling. It’s that feeling you often have in Better Call Saul, or for that matter the Twin Peaks reboot, that anything could possibly happen at any point. The scene could end benignly enough, but it probably won’t. There could be an explosion, small or large, such as the ones that pop off at the end of that episode.
Oh and the music too. Oh yes. My only ding: I’m a big fan of narrative, but not of narration. The narration in My Brilliant Friend hurts more than it helps, but overall this is a small quibble. I believe there are 3 seasons so far, and a fourth and final on the way; I intend to watch all of it. Based on what I’ve seen so far: highly recommended.
C’mon, folks. You’ve got to do more than that. Have a story.
Lush, green, oaky atmosphere (who knew that New Jersey has a corner in Appalachia?), strong performances and a whiff of a plot provide some saving graces, but not nearly enough. 4/10
The next zuhause movie I choose really needs some more oomph. Or any oomph.
Comparison Notes: River’s Edge, Stand by Me, Gus Van Sant films
Tramps, recommended in the Times Netflix under 90 post, is borderline non-movie. Or maybe it’s just bad. I hated the way it starts, and made me wish I was watching an early Jarmusch film, e.g. Stranger than Paradise. And the premise is lame as hell. But the premise is only to get the central couple together, and on that level it half-works. The chemistry / interaction between the two works, but, again, you still need to make a movie.
Put another way, Tramps is not without its charms, but also not with much of an idea. The Times list lauded the film as “giddily entertaining.” In no universe is it giddily entertaining. Really, save that kind of praise for something at least half worthy. Catch Me If You Can gets that kind of praise. So the Times list has been severely compromised. 5/10
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A note on the three movies I’ve watched so far zuhause (at home): this hasn’t been a stellar start for my dive back into at-home streaming. But there is SO much promise — that enormous queue in my iTunes Wish List. So many exciting films out there, I must believe many of value.
Comparison Notes: Buffalo ′66, with similar themes, and an infinitely better movie; Blue Valentine, Uncut Gems, Before Sunrise, Good Time, Quiet City (2007; couple meet in the subway)
Light from Light was recommended, if I recollect, by Apple as a “New & Noteworthy” film; intrigued, I added it to my ever-more-monstrously-large Wish List. It’s short, 82 minutes, and has a 93% Tomatometer score, so I gave it whirl.
Those who follow my blog know that I’m not supposed to give a hoot about Tomatometer scores, but, I admit, 93% holds a little sway for a small film like this that I know nothing about. The Tomatometer didn’t exactly break on this one, but I was hardly as gaga as the few critics who recommended it (only seven “top critics”).
I found Light from Light a quiet little film, lovely — to a degree, but hardly earth-shattering. I reckon it fit my mood, even if the story was a bit wanting. Something was kinda sweet about it, even though, in a sense, almost nothing happens. Look at it another way and plenty happens. The little romantic elements in it combine with a sphere of details to form a complete picture, and ultimately a satisfying one.
Back to the Tomatometer — I disagree with the critic who said “it is a gem likely to stay with anyone smart enough to seek it out.” Gem is a strong word here, and I can’t see thinking about this movie in as little as a year from now. Recommended, though, with the standard caveat-pack. 6/10
Credit goes to Jeannette Catsoulis and The New York Times, which I’ve been reading a lot lately, for bringing be finally back into the fold of watching movies at home. Or one movie, at least.
Ms. Catsoulis’ review is titled “‘Butt Boy’ Review: Compulsion as Comic Noir,” with the tagline: “A search for missing children leads to a man with a strange impulse in this wildly polarizing film.”
I’m not sure how wildly polarizing it is, but she starts out:
To endorse a movie titled “Butt Boy” is to commit to its lunacy — and, dare I say, cheek — as fully as its makers. And maybe it’s the hell we’re all living through right now, but Tyler Cornack’s orificial fantasy struck me as a hilariously bawdy, intermittently inspired act of vivacious vulgarity.
As typical with so many critics, that’s overstating it. But I admire her enthusiasm, and her alliteration.
My take: I like it when stuff happens in a movie, and it does in Butt Boy, in a mix of somber and corny, or more aptly Cornholio-y, and of both professionally and amateurishly executed filmmaking. This movie doesn’t wait around like so many A24 dramas.
There are a couple minor logic issues, larger story problems, and significant production weaknesses stemming from a lack of visual / cinematic prowess. A moment here or there where so-so TV drama quality is on display doesn’t help.
But to the Times’ take, this movie has an idea. It’s a fun story that mostly compels with dramatic buildup. Like those diversions listed in Comparison Notes below, you’re not likely to forget this one soon.
movies remark 