Three Sentence Movie Reviews – Page 12

The Uncomfortable Film I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Picture of Jesse Plemons and Jessie Buckley in the film I'm Thinking of Ending Things

I’m Thinking of Ending Tings

Directed by Charlie Kaufman
Written by Charlie Kaufman (based on Iain Reid’s book)

The review:

It’s a Charlie Kaufman film, so settle in and wait for the weird.* In this case, two Jesses** take us on a very long, very uncomfortable meet-the-parents journey.*** I have a debate going about whose story this really is,**** and while I don’t think this is Kaufman’s best, it provided a lot of Kaufman things, plus two productions numbers from a famous musical.*****

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Synecdoche, New York
Anomalisa
Being John Malkovich
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Further sentences:

*Charlie Kaufman films = long, weird, uncomfortable, nonsensical, mesmerizing. If you’re tired of the same old same old, a Kaufman film is always a great palate cleanser.
**Jessie Buckley, so good in Wild Rose, and Jesse Plemons who imprinted on me in Friday Night Lights. Both seem to be carving out roles that let them show off their range.
***It’s possible, that with the quarantine, you’ve been missing uncomfortable family dynamics. This provides a perfect remedy!
****If it’s Jessie Buckley’s story, Kaufman made a film for the #metoo era.
*****I’ve got a short list of movies with musical production numbers. This and Bernie. What can you think of?

Questions:

What do you think is Kaufman’s best?
Who’s story is it?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The first car scene lasts roughly seventeen minutes and fifteen seconds (not including the brief interludes of seeing the Janitor). The second car scene lasts twenty-two minutes and thirty-seven seconds (not including the Tulsey Town detour)

Other reviews of I’m Thinking of Ending Things:

Allie, Often Off Topic
Karen Gordon, Original Cin

Orange background with a white frame. Text: It's tragic how few people possess their souls before they die. —I'm Thinking of Ending Things. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

All Movies Rented from Redbox May–Present

Good

Daisies is Art-House Fun

Daisies

Directed by Vera Chytilová
Written by Vera Chytilová

The review:

I’m not really your art-film gal,* but this was part of the Filmspotting Overlooked Auteurs Marathon, so watched it, I did. It was weird, but charming** and managed to stay charming even as the young women become more and more puckish.*** I’m never going to watch this again, and probably a lot of it went over my head, but unlike some films,**** I don’t regret my time spent.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Free, via YouTube (Another bonus. It was free and easy to find.)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

None of these are surreal or art-house-y, but they are long and without a lot of dialog
Virgin Suicides
Gerry
American Honey
Only Lovers Left Alive

Further sentences:

*I can indie drama with the best of them, and I like foreign films, but once surrealism and other arty things enter, I get impatient and wonder how much time is left. This was 75 minutes, so I knew I would make it through.
**One of the first scenes (pictured above) shows Jitka Cerhová and Ivana Karbanová talking about how bored they are. Each arm or head movement is accompanied by a squeak, as if their limbs need oiling. This was fun to watch. I recommend watching for just this scene.
***And I mean that in the rabble rousing, not-so-charming way, rather than the mildly irritating, yet amusing way.
****I’m looking at you, Once Upon a Time in America.

Questions:

What’s the first thing you do after you watch a film that you don’t understand?
In five years, which scene from this film do you think will stick with you?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Banned by Czech authorities upon its release for “depicting the wanton”.

(There is some not-subtle snipping of cylindrical objects that I’m sure had the censors crossing their legs. That was probably enough for the “wanton” designation.)

Other reviews of Daisies:

Christina Newland, Little White Lies (This review provides a lot of context and I recommend you read it either before or after you watch)
Richard S. He, Birth Movies, Death (also good for context)

Orange background with text: That's what I don't understand. Why does one say "I love you"? Do you understand? Why can't one say, for example, "egg"? —Daisies. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Top Movies August 2020

(17 movies watched)

A pie chart showing most movies watched in August were Good, a few were Recommended and even fewer were designated Skip.

Overall, most of my month had me watching movies that I enjoyed. Good job August!

Fast Color

Super powers, yet not super heroes.

Catfish

A new friendship, yet not one that is clear.

High School Musical

A bunch of kids singing and dancing, yet not memorable songs.

Into the Forest

The power goes out, yet not a depiction of complete chaos.

Half the Picture

Fifty percent of film school graduates are women, yet not 50% of film directors.

Colorful pictures of eyes with movie reels in them. Text: The women behind the camera. The stories behind the women. A star with text : Good. An arch. Text: 3SMReviews.com. Half the Picture — Read the review

Yes, God, Yes

Church teachings are clear, yet not always applicable in real life.

Viral

Quarantine, yet not recovery.

Project Power

Super powers, yet not for long.

Night Comes On

Two sisters, yet not shared goals.

The Hitch-hiker

A vacation, yet not a fun one.

I Used to Go Here

A novel published, yet not sucessfully.

Bumblebee

A VW Beetle, yet not only.

First Cow

A business partnership, yet not entirely on the up and up.

Sword of Trust

An heirloom passed down, yet not well received.

Afternoon Delight

A period of transition, yet not in the usual way.

A picture of a couple sitting on opposite ends of a couch. The woman is drinking a soda and the man working at his computer. The picture is made with neon lights. A star with text: Recommended. An arch with text: 3SMReviews.com. Afternoon Delight — Read the review

This month also included a re-watch of Blindspotting, which is still Recommended.

Afternoon Delight Turns Up the Tension

Afternoon Delight

Directed by Joey Soloway
Written by Joey Soloway

The review:

This film tricks you into thinking it’s a kind of rich-people problem, white-woman-depression film, but Soloway is so good at ratcheting up the tension that at the critical juncture I had trouble breathing as I waited for the hammer to drop.* The camera keeps its eye on Kathryn Hahn, which is a treat for the audience because Hahn’s dramatic roles are as good as her comedic ones.** Her relationship with the stripper McKenna*** drives this forward while also catching markers of wealthy moms-with-school-age-kids life.****

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: free via Hoopla, Multnomah County Library’s lesser streaming service.
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*It also began with a car wash scene that captured the magic I feel whenever I travel through that magical washing machine.
**Check out Private Life for drama and Bad Moms for comedy.
***I watched this movie that prominently features a stripper the same day I wrote a newsletter about how few men have to consider stripper roles when looking for work. There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to stripping as a profession, which I won’t do here, but please know that Juno Temple was the complete package when it came to her character.
****I saw aspects of this life when I worked at a charter school. It strikes me as yet another oppressive part of being a mother that no one talks about. Props also to Annie Mumolo as “Kosher Amanda” who I’ve just realized is “Barb” in Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar, thus ensuring I will prioritize this film when it appears. She also has a story credit for Joy and co-wrote Bridesmaids.

Questions:

What do you think was Rachel’s motivation for bringing McKenna into the household?
What do you do to shake up your life when you get stuck?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

(Also the only IMDB trivia item)
One of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite movies from 2013, according to Variety.

Other reviews of Afternoon Delight:

Leslie Felperin, Guardian
Leba Hertz, San Francisco Chronicle

Orange background. Text: How did the stripper get in the maid's room? —Afternoon Delight. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Welcome to Me Was Not a Winner for Me

Welcome to Me

Directed by Shira Piven
Written by Eliot Laurence

The review:

I wasn’t having a great mental health day when I watched this film that attempts to find humor in a mental health crisis,* which made it hard to appreciate this story. Though it was packed with actors I’m always happy to see** and Kristen Wiig’s deadpan performance was exactly what the character needed, I think this movie is best left on the shelf. I suppose you could watch this for the set design, if you were into that.

The verdict: Skip

Cost: free via Kanopy, the Library’s streaming service.
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Interestingly, the National Alliance on Mental Illness lists Welcome to Me as a movie about mental illness that gets it right. Their other recommendations are:

A Beautiful Mind
Matchstick Men
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Silver Linings Playbook
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Skeleton Twins (I love this film!)
Infinity Polar Bear
Inside Out (I also love this film!)

Further sentences:

*It also had a layer of people taking advantage of a person experiencing a mental health crisis, so I suspect I wouldn’t have liked this even on my best mental health days. I’m not a fan of stories where a person’s weaknesses are exploited for someone else’s material gain.
**Kristen Wiig! Wes Bentley! Linda Cardellini! Joan Cusack! Loretta Devine! Jennifer Jason Leigh! I’m even happy to see James Marsden! Plus both Tim Robbins and Alan Tudyk were in this.

Questions:

What parts of Alice’s life rang true to you?
What do you think is the best film that depicts an aspect of mental illness.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The actress playing Kristen Wiig’s mother is actually director Shira Piven’s mother.

Other reviews of Welcome to Me:

Susan Wloszczyna, RogerEbert.com
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times

Orange background with text: Come with me. Into another time that happened to me. —Welcome to Me. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

First Cow Shows off Reichardt’s Skills

A picture of Orion Lee and Toby Jones in the film First Cow

The review:

There’s a sense of peace that comes over me when I watch any Kelly Reichardt film.* Watching Cookie and King-Lu form a friendship and a business in the time of early 19th-century Oregon was a quiet meditation on friendship and dreams of the future. As always, the dialog is sparse, the actors telegraph much,** and the landscape is almost another character.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $3.99 via Redbox On Demand
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*It’s the equivalent to those people who find it calming to hear people whisper.
**Watching the actors in a Reichardt film is always a treat, and this pair (John Magaro and Orion Lee) reminded me a lot of Daniel London and Will Oldham in Old Joy. So much unsaid but still said!

Questions:

Did you feel the opening of the film unduly influenced your viewing of the film?
Why do you think Cookie and King-Lu connected?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

First Cow (2019) is the first Kelly Reichardt film to receive a PG-13 rating.

(I can’t think why. Language?
Common Sense Media says language, drinking, and smoking.)

Other reviews of First Cow:

Allison Shoemaker, RogerEbert.com
Karen Han, Polygon

Orange background with text: Some people can’t imagine being stolen from. —First Cow. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Sword of Trust Pokes Fun, Shows Relationships

Sword of Trust

Directed by Lynn Shelton
Written by Lynn Shelton & Michael Patrick O’Brien

The review:

Low-key humor is my favorite thing about Lynn Shelton movies* and Sword of Trust provides a full scabbard. The other thing she does well is to showcase relationships; in this film we get to see a long-term relationship between Cynthia and Mary,** plus how they interact with two pawn shop employees*** when they go to sell the inherited sword that purports to show the South won the Civil War. The film takes a few gentle pokes at internet conspiracies and had more than a couple great scenes with Marc Maron**** that elevate an already solid movie.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $5.99, because Matt and I split a month of ad-free Hulu plus some shenanigans with a free trial of Hulu+Showtime because Hulu lied to me and said this movie was available on Hulu.
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Though she died in May, I’m not up to writing about her in the past tense.
**Jillian Bell and Michaela Watkins who also starred in the excellent Brittany Runs a Marathon
***Jon Bass’ commitment to his slack jaw was impressive.
****Maron talking about how he came to own the pawnshop plus his interaction with two men harassing the group.

Questions:

What’s your favorite part of a Lynn Shelton film?
What was the best nickname in this film?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Marc Maron scored the film. The blues guitar solos heard throughout were played by him.

Other reviews of Sword of Trust:

Lorry Kikta, Film Threat
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Orange background with text: Is this Antiques Roadshow for racists? —Sword of Trust. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

All movies watched on Netflix February–Present

Good

Skip

Bumblebee: Transformers for the Whole Family

Bumblebee

Directed by Travis Knight
Written by Christina Hodson

The review:

God bless Travis Knight and Christina Hodson for creating a gem that manages to combine robot cars,* a coming of age story, lots of humor, and 80s pop cultural markers to make a delightful cross-generational film. Hailee Steinfeld is excellent as the mechanically minded Charlie, still grieving her dad’s death. But the digital artists who created Bumblebee also deserve many kudos for creating such a nuanced character.**

The verdict: Good

Cost: $1.80 via Redbox
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*This is my first Transformers movie, and it was a good first-of-series choice.
**Bumblebee inside the house is one of the most amusing scenes of this summer’s movie watching.

Questions:

Why could some transformers turn into vehicles that fly, but some could not?
What’s your favorite scene with Bumblebee?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Bumblebee’s model is a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle with bumpers, available only for export. The yellow color was also only available for the export version Volkswagens as the color in Germany was used by the then-state-owned German Postal Service (Deutsche Bundespost).

Other reviews of Bumblebee:

Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly
Liz Shannon Miller, Indiewire

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