Vice

The point of view for the film Vice succeeds in telling the story of Dick Cheney from a satirical view. His story is one of perseverance, deceit and the strength of a wife who pushes at all of the right times. This film portrays how ugly politics are with a wry sense of humor. The performances are outstanding. The characters despicable. Good film.

Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

I have always enjoyed he Spider-Man movies, but Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse is a level up. The story involves versions of Spider-man from alternate universes. Each is explained well and they band together to fight the bad guys. The characters are cool and heartfelt. The animation is almost a character itself. Vibrant and colorful, the characters almost swing out of the screen with no 3D effects. There are some scenes that look very much like old fashioned comic books. I enjoyed this movie a lot and look forward to more adventures with Miles Morales.

Mandy

As revenge films go Mandy is a doozie. Scenes awash in blood and sweat, punctuated with screams was not my cup of tea. I suppose I admire the dedication to the story, but this one was pretty boring to me.

The Favourite

I did not expect The Favourite to be as sexy as it is. When Queen Ann has two women vying for her attention, she takes advantage of their sexual prowess to her advantage. Ann has issues, both emotional and physical. She requires constant care. The women plot against each other to be the only one in the favor of the queen. The performances are delicious and the maneuvering becomes downright diabolical. This movie is so well done.

Mary Poppins Returns

As I watched the beginning of Mary Poppins Returns I realized that she's pretty darn pushy. I tried to watch this Mary Poppins movie without comparing it to the 1964 version. That was a struggle. First of all I will say, I loved Mary Poppins Returns.There are many references to the 1964 film, but I think this film stands alone just fine. Mary Poppins appears to help an adult Michael Banks keep his home. Interestingly, he is never looking for a nanny, Mary Poppins just shows up. The music is great, the set design is lovely and the performances really shine. I want to see it again and build a familiarity with the music. Well done.

Network (1976)

I had not seen the movie Network in many years. I saw it in the theater when it came out, and I feel like we must have rented it back in the days of VCRs. After hearing several people on podcasts refer to the film I decided it was time for another look. Boy does this movie hold up. The portrayal of corporate networks and reality TV in the interest of profits is still relevant. The writing and performances are outstanding. Great rental.

American Animals

As a heist story American Animals is fascinating. Teenage boys discover valuable books right under their noses and decide this is their easy road to wealth. They are mistaken. Things do not go according to plan and the bumbling buys them a world of trouble. This is a true story and it is well done. This is a pretty good rental.

If Beale Street Could Talk

My Christmas Eve film this year was If Beale Street Could Talk. I had the opportunity to go to The Angelika Film Center in NYC to experience this lovely film. The story of Tish and Fonny is sweet and tender, yet fraught. The depiction of the 70s is nostalgic, especially in the costumes. Beautifully shot, sincerely performed, the words of Baldwin are done proud. This film deserves more than one viewing.

The Christmas Chronicles

In The Christmas Chronicles Kurt Russell gives us a version of Santa Claus that is confident, funny, creative, macho and funky.The story of a sister and brother who stow away on Santa's sleigh is a fun take on what could happen on Christmas Eve. I liked this little slice of holiday fantasy. Well done.

The Spy Who Dumped Me

The story in The Spy Who Dumped Me is nothing special. Bad guys chasing innocents for a flash drive with spy information on it. The reason to see this film are Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon's performances. Talented and funny, these two light up every lame situation. They give it their all. Though it is so poorly written, I enjoyed watching these two work. This is an OK rental.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

In The Miseducation of Cameron Post we meet a young girl with same-sex attractions. Her guardian decides that this will not do and sends her to a conversion therapy facility. The more depictions I see of this practice, the more disturbing I find it. The young actors in this film give very genuine performances. Some events are jarring, but I liked the way it ended. Hopeful. Good film.

Katie Holmes

Katie Holmes

Small Foot

The story of yetis thinking that humans don't exist is a cute twist in the animated film Small Foot. The yeti Migo sets out to prove it to his tribe. The story is clever, the animation is solid and I really liked the music. Pretty funny too. A good time family film. Solid rental.

Itzhak

In the documentary Itzhak we experience the music and the joy that personifies Itzhak Pearlman. From his young start, to his education, to his marriage and family, to his performances, to his education camps, to his travels, we see the diverse life of a man grounded in music. The enthusiasm, energy and humor in his life is inspiring. I enjoyed a segment of the film where he is driving through Tel Aviv talking about Jewish history and Pearlman says, "Jewgle could explain Jewish history." And then there are his performances. Inspired and gorgeous, the man and his violin become one as soon as his bow hits the strings. A lovely film, a lovely life.

Colette

Colette was a breakout artist in Paris at the turn of the century. The film Colette celebrates her life and career on that rise. As an author and actress, she was productive, creative and sensual. She was bold, and spoke up for her rights as well as the rights of others. She was passionate in her sexuality and did not adhere to the norm. Her story is as relevant today as it was in her day. The dialog in this film is sharp. Near the beginning of the film she says to her husband, "I can read you like the top line of an optics chart." This film is so well done.

Private Life

Conception should not feel like work. In the film Private Life we follow a couple who is having to work to conceive. It is a story many people can relate to. In this film it is told with heart, honesty and compassion. I liked this film.

Green Book

The point of view for the film Green Book is a bit off. The story of a successful black musician hiring a bodyguard /driver for a concert tour in the south in the US in the 60s should be told from the point of view of the musician. This film dips its toe in that POV ever so slightly, but does not commit. For me, this made it feel like we are not getting the whole story. The scenes are almost treated like stand-alone anecdotes with little resolution. It plays a bit like a buddy road movie, but misses that mark as well. Disappointing, as this is a good story that could have made some important points.

Bohemian Rhapsody

The rise and fall and rise of the rock band queen is told in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody From the formation of the band, to their negotiations with record executives, to Freddy Mercury's departure from the band, to their triumphant performance at Live Aid, this film covers a lot of ground. Some details are glossed over in an effort to touch on everything. The music is fun to relive and the performances are sincere. I liked this movie more than I expected to.

Revenge

A romantic rendezvous gone awry makes Revenge an intense thriller. There is blood, there is rape, there are guns. This movie is shot great, the action is intense and the performances are strong. This film borders on horror. Good job by all.

Judd Apatow

Judd Apatow

The Happytime Murders

The raunchy comedy The Happytime Murders is a disappointment. The story of crime in the land of puppets and humans had so much potential, but so much of the story and dialog fell flat. Such a shame.

The Conjuring 2

I liked The Conjuring quite a bit, so I thought I would like The Conjuring 2 as well. The story of the investigators traveling abroad to investigate a demon was OK, but I did not get the same feeling of suspense that I got in the first film. It was almost melodramatic and was shot too brightly. An OK horror film.

The Ballad of Buster Skruggs

In The Ballad of Buster Scruggs we are told 6 stories set in the old west. Joel and Ethan Cohen put their dark twist on each of the stories. I parceled them out over a couple of days. I liked the first one, with Buster Scruggs the best. An interesting anthology.