Napoleon (2024.32, Stunning , But Bad)
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Napoleon is visually stunning but fails to tell an emotionally engaging and understandable story. (1.5*)
Drama
The Creator (2024.31, Pale , Not Good )
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The Creator is a disappointing science fiction movie that could have had a great story but instead gets lost in the special effects. (2.5*)
Godzilla Minus One (2024.29, Lots-of-fun Smash )
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Godzilla Minus One is a monster movie but it is also a surprisingly good personal drama that tells us much about Japanese national character. (4*)
The Boy and the Heron (2024.28, Interesting , Spirit )
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The Boy and the Heron is beautifully crafted, but the musings of a man contemplating the end of his life and what it means to him. Not for everybody. (3.5*)
Robot Dreams (2024.27, Simple , Just OK )
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Robot Dreams is an animated film with no humans and no dialog that conveys feelings of emotional connection but is mostly concerned with cute and fun imagery. (3.5*)
May December (2024.26, Uncomfortable , Emotionally Rich )
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May December will leave you very uncomfortable, but that is precisely why you should see it. (4*)
Rustin (2024.25, Ordinary , Pale )
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Bayard Rustin almost single-handedly organized the 1963 March on Washington is, however, a very ordinary biopic. Watch it for Domingo’s performance, or don’t watch it at all (3*)
The Color Purple (2024.24, Disappointing , Rookie )
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The Color Purple might work as a TV mini series, but the shifts in tone means that it works OK as a musical but not as a drama. (3*)
The Teachers’ Lounge (2024.18, Uneven , Edge -y)
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The Teachers’ Lounge is an uneven film about a German middle school teacher caught in a web of increasing misunderstandings and uncertainty. (3*)
Io Capitano (2024.17, Not Good , Lost )
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Io Capitano is a harrowing tale of two teenage boys, attempting to immigrate to Italy from Senegal. While the story had promise, the movie lacks purpose and fails to define a consistent tone. (2*)
Perfect Days (2024.16, Graceful , Simple )
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Perfect Days will appeal to older generations who look for simpler, easier times and marvel in the way light filters through tree tops (komorebi) (4*)
Society of the Snow (2024.15, Uncomfortable , Value )
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Society of the Snow is a very difficult film to watch, but it is probably an essential one. It effectively makes you ask what you would do when faced with these choices. (4.5*)
Nimona (2024.13, Good , Little-Known )
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Nimona may not be the best in animation, but it tells an important message about gender identity. (3.5*)
Oppenheimer (2024.11, Astonishing , Full )
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Oppenheimer is an epic film that rewards the hard work required of the viewer. A full exploration of a man, physics, politics, and movie making. (5*)
Poor Things (2024.10, Beautiful , Sex )
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Poor Things, the story of a baby’s mind in an adult woman’s body, is probably the most bizarre movie I’ve ever seen. It is also one of the best. (5*)
The Zone of Interest (2024.9, Disturbing , Truth )
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The Zone of Interest is more than just a story of evil. But the film’s best characteristics are damaged by extraneous scenes. (3.5*)
The Holdovers (2024.8, Fine , Funny)
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In The Holdovers, three people, rife with their own problems, spend Christmas break, 1970, with each other. It is funny and emotional. And it’s a Christmas Movie. (3.5*)
Past Lives (2024.7, Simple, Love)
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Past LIves tells the story of three characters in a whirlwind of fond memories, painful regrets, and doubts of self-worth. A simple and tightly emotional story, but not one you will long remember (3.5*)
American Fiction (2024.6, Engaging , Savvy )
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American Fiction is about racial stereotyping cast as a delicious comedy and moving drama. It is also, I think, a story about its own creation. (4*)
Anatomy of a Fall (2024.5, Puzzling , Murder ?)
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An accident? A suicide? Or was it murder? Anatomy of a Fall will keep you oscillating between the possibilities even past the end. (4*)
Nyad (2024.3, Disappointing , Tank )
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Despite great acting by Bening and Foster, Nyad fails to develop sympathetic characters and an interesting story. (3*)
Maestro (2024.2, Powerful , Solid )
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Maestro is a well told story of a romance between two individuals over decades and how it developed in the shadow of fame. (4.5*)
2023 Oscar Drama Films
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An overview of all of 2023’s Oscar-nominated movies, focusing on drama films. This is the last review essay of the 2023 Oscar year
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris – Marked Down (3*)
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Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is, ultimately, a Hallmark Christmas movie with the bonus of wonderful costumes and terrific acting from Lesley Manville. (3*)
Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths: Not for Everyone (3.5*)
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Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is long, complex, statement of a man in multiple transitions. The film will reward viewers who have the time and patience to watch it more than once. (3.5*)
Empire of Light – Frugal and Pale (2.5*)
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Empire of Light is a visual and sonic delight but leaves you empty. It portrays a May – November romance, set in a 1980s coastal movie theater. Needs much more chemistry between the characters and with the audience.
Tell It Like a Woman – Seven Strong Shorts (3.5*)
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Tell It Like a Woman is a compendium of seven shorts, all written and directed by women and featuring women as the main characters. It is not a typical “movie” but has important messages. (3.5*)
Aftersun – Critics Cheer, Viewers Marked Down (2.5*)
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Aftersun is, for most viewers, a rather boring but sensitive story of a young father and his 11-year-old daughter on vacation at a beach resort in Turkey. surreptitiously woven into this story is another, more tragic tale – but good luck to the casual viewer trying to find it.
Causeway – Acting Bonus with Frugal Script and Directing (2.5*)
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Causeway has some terrific acting but the script and direction just don’t cut it. (2.5*)
RRR – Fun-Loving Indian Super-Humans (4*)
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RRR is an over-the-top action movie in the Bollywood tradition. With CGI, action, humor, song, dance, and history, it is just three hours of fun. (4*)
To Leslie – Woozy / Boozy / Mediocre (3*)
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To Leslie showcases a terrific performance by Andrea Riseborough. Unfortunately, its treatment of addiction and substance abuse does not rise to her performance level. (3*)
Blonde – Long Sexy with Hidden Truths (3.5*)
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Blonde is not a biography of Marilyn Monroe, although she is the central character. This is, instead, an unusually forceful exploration of how difficult it is for women to fuse their public and private personas. It is also an indictment of Hollywood, and of men generally. (3.5*)
Glass Onion – Packed with Great Humor and Murder (4*)
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Glass Onion is a terrific sequel to Knives Out. Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) still solves the mystery, but a fun-loving cast helmed by Janelle Monae keeps you thinking. (4*)