Category: Three Sentence Movie Reviews

Top Movies July 2020

(21 total movies watched.) (There was an at-home vacation.) (So more movies than normal.)

Bad Times at the El Royale

Seven strangers, five rooms.

A picture of the stars of the movie, a picture of star with text that says: Good. Text that says: 3SMReviews.com: Bad Times at the El Royale

Athlete A

Untold numbers of gymnasts

Picture from Athlete A. Star with text Recommended. Arch with text: 3SMReviews.com: Athlete A

The Assistant

One assistant, one awful job.

Photo from The Assistant. Star with text: Recommended. 3SMReviews.com: The Assistant

Little

Three incredible performances.

Picture of Marsai Martin and Issa Rae. Star with the text: Recommended. 3SMReviews.com: Little

Miss Juneteenth

One mother, one daughter, two different goals.

Picture from Miss Junteenth. A star with the text Recommended. 3SMReviews.com Miss Juneteenth

Apollo 13

Three astronauts and a bunch of nerds.

A picture of actors in Apollo 13. A star with text that reads: Recommended. 3SMReviews.com Apollo 13

Sleepless in Seattle

Two people, one continent between them.

A picture of Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle. A star with the text Recommended. Text: 3SMReviews.com Sleepless in Seattle

The Old Guard

Four mercenaries, one newcomer.

A picture of the five stars of The Old Guard, a star with the text Good. Text that reads: 3SMReviews.com The Old Guard

Hamilton

One musical, filmed for cinema.

A picture of Daveed Diggs, on stage as Thomas Jefferson in Hamilton. A star with the text Recommended. 3SMReviews.com Hamilton

Dunkirk

Three timelines, one movie.

A picture of Tom Hardy. A star with the text Recommended. Text: 3SMReviews.com Dunkirk

Palm Springs

Two wedding guests, one day.

Image: Cristin Milioti and Adam Sandburg in a pool drinking beer. A star with text: Recommended. 3SMReviews.com Palm Springs

How I Leave Now

One girl, two cousins.

A picture of Saoirse Ronan and Tom Holland. A star with text that reads Good. Text: 3SMReviews.com How I Live Now

We Are Freestyle Love Supreme

One band of incredibly talented people.

Chris Jackson and Lin-Manuel Miranda in 2005. A star with text that reads: Good. An arch with text that reads: 3SMReviews.com We Are Freestyle Love Supreme

Little Woods

One week left on probation, two sisters.

Picture of Lily James and Tessa Thompson. A star with text: Good. An arch with text: 3SMReviews.com Little Woods

Re-watched this month: Hamilton, Avengers Endgame

Little Woods: Poverty During Boom Times

Picture of Lily James and Tessa Thompson in the film Little Woods

Little Woods

Directed by Ni DaCosta
Written by Ni DaCosta

The review:

A quality dramatic film with about the life of a person facing economic challenges is always a win in my book, which makes this film a winner.* In this “modern Western**” Tessa Thompson and Lily James play sisters who are doing what they can to hold onto their family home and vanquish other complications. For both actors, it’s a chance to be not glamorous while flexing their serious drama skills so we can see their characters’ fight for survival,*** set in the North Dakota oil boom.****

The verdict: Good

Cost: $12.99 (monthly Disney+ and Hulu combo fee)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*They’re difficult to make. Poverty is grinding and it’s harder to wring dramatic tension out of a story about ends continually not meeting than one where, say, a meteor is going to hit earth, or a ship is sinking.
**The synopsis on IMDB calls it a modern Western. I’m not sure I agree with the term.
***In the grand tradition of always questioning poor people’s choices, I found myself wondering why they didn’t rent out some rooms in the house. I think maybe the mother had just died though, so perhaps that was hampering the process.
****I enjoyed seeing this particular slice of life, which I had only read about.

Questions:

  • What past events do you think have shaped the relationship between the two sisters?
  • Breaking the law? Necessary or avoidable in this instance?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The story was initially conceived as a modern retelling of Othello, which is where the names Deb and Ollie/Oleander come from.

Other reviews of Little Woods:

Text: Your choices are only as good as your options are. —Little Woods. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

We Are Freestyle Love Supreme Highlights Early Talent

Chris Jackson and Lin-Manuel Miranda in 2005
Is that, George Washington? But younger? And Alexander Hamilton, but younger and with shorter hair? Indeed! It’s Chris Jackson and Lin-Manuel Miranda in 2005. Which is only part of the charm of this documentary.

We Are Freestyle Love Supreme

Directed by Andrew Fried
Written by Brian Anton, Peter Curtis

The review:

The main draw to this documentary is to see Lin-Manuel Miranda in 2005, back before he was Lin-Manuel Miranda,* but what ended up hooking me was this story of an improv group doing full shows in hip-hop freestyle rhyme.** It’s fun to see shows from both 2005 and 2019 and to hear the participants talk about how important the group was to their lives. With this many people the narrative spreads thin and it felt like a lot of things got skipped, but overall, this was fascinating to watch.***

The verdict: Good

Cost: Hulu monthly fee ($12.99 in combo with Disney+)
Where watched: at home

Further sentences:

*I recognized Miranda, but then the name Thomas Kail sounded familiar. “Wasn’t that the director of Hamilton?” I asked myself. It was. Then someone else looked familiar. “Is that the George Washington guy from Hamilton?” Yes it was Chris Jackson. Matt wandered in and said, “I recognize that Utkarsh guy.” He was the boyfriend in Brittany Runs a Marathon.
**I’m always up for the creativity of improv, this added a new level. Also, as a person who’s knowledge stops with Yo! MTV Raps, I have no idea if “hip-hop freestyle rhyme” was the best way to describe what they do. Am I saying the same thing three times?
***It was good insight into where the torrent of words from Hamilton came from. Stephen Merchant was my stand-in, asking questions of the troupe as to how they manage to think of the rhymes off the top of their head.

Questions:

  • What was your favorite word that was used for freestyle improv?
  • Aside from Lin-Manuel Miranda, who do you think has had the most success in the group?

Other reviews of We are Freestyle Love Extreme:

Orange background with text: I think we decided to get back together because it's probably the purest expression of joy that any of us have ever felt in doing a show. —We Are Freestyle Love Supreme

The Kissing Booth 2: Teenage Girls Deserve More

Picture of Jacob Elordi holding a sign saying, "I missed you more" in the Kissing Booth 2

The Kissing Booth 2

Directed by Vince Marcello
Written by Vince Marcello, Jay S. Arnold

The review:

Good gravy, don’t teenage girls deserve story logic like teenage boys do?* Nothing in this film makes sense, especially the time line** but also people’s motivations are cued at the need of the plot. Regardless, did I watch the whole thing with a smile on my face?***

The verdict: Skip

Also Good, if you are in the right mood and willing to overlook many, many flaws.

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

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*Yes, they do!
**The time line in this film operates at speed of plot. Sending in college applications in September? Finding out if you got into schools in June? Homecoming carnival happening after Thanksgiving? Still unanswered from the first movie: Dance Club? Who are the other members? What does the club do?
***Yes.

Questions:

  • How does this movie manage to be pleasurable and maddening at the same time?
  • What was the single most unrealistic moment in this film?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The movie is set in Los Angeles but mostly filmed in Cape Town, South Africa.

Other reviews of The Kissing Booth 2:

All movies watched on Netflix January–Present

Recommended

  • Miss Americana
  • Homecoming A Film by Beyonce
  • 20 Feet From Stardom
  • The Half of It
  • The Lovebirds
  • Becoming
  • 13th
  • A picture from the movie Athlete A
  • A picture of Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle

Good

  • To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You
  • Extraction
  • Inception
  • 18 Presents
  • See You Yesterday
  • Da 5 Bloods
  • Photo of the cast of Can't Hardly Wait
  • A picture of the five stars of The Old Guard

Skip

  • The Lobster
  • All the Bright Places
  • Kicking and Screaming

Love Simple is a Simple Movie

A picture of Francisco Solorzano and Patrizia Hernandez with a sketch of NYC brownstones behind them

Love Simple

Directed by Mark von Sternberg
Written by Mark von Sternberg

The review:

When you have two characters who are both lying to make themselves look better to the person they like it doesn’t make for the best narrative.* While this is a solid example of a middle-to-low quality indie film, it’s not the best way to spend your time. While you are waiting for the couple to find each other out, you can wonder if you’ve seen anyone anywhere else,** contemplate if naming a female character “Keith” is more distracting than endearing, and take in some 2009 fashions.***

The verdict: Skip

Cost: Free via Kanopy Streaming Service
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*They will either discover their lies and break up, or discover their lies and find a way to forgive each other. Those are the two endings. Watching them pile up their lies until the point when they have to come clean does not make for an interesting movie.
**Mostly the answer is no.
***Men’s jeans were still really baggy then. I had forgotten.

Questions:

  • Who was telling the biggest lie?
  • Were you rooting for or against the couple by the end of the film?

How I Live Now Showcases Young Actors

Picture of Saoirse Ronan and Tom Holland in How I Live Now

How I Live Now

Directed by Kevin Macdonald
Written by Jeremy Brock, Penelope Skinner, Tony Grisoni

The review:

While I could see what this movie was trying to do* it didn’t quite pull through, but I did appreciate it for showing war from a civilian perspective. All three leads have gone on to many good things** and it’s great to see these early performances. For anyone who ever wondering, “how would I adapt if my city was invaded during a war?” this provides some good insights.

The verdict: Good

Cost: $2.99 via Google Play
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Show how the average girls’ internal monologue is something akin to a mean girl whispering all the time and show how none of that matters when times get tough.
**I watched this because it was a Saoirse Ronan performance I hadn’t seen, but I was most intrigued to see Tom Holland. He’s tiny! Ironically, his real age when filming this movie from 2013 is two years older than the age his Spider-Man character is in Spider-Man Homecoming (2017). George MacKay was also the oldest boy in Captain Fantastic and one of the two soldiers carrying out the mission in 1917.

Questions:

  • How do you feel about the ending?
  • What act took the most bravery?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Director Kevin Macdonald chose to film the first half of this movie with a hand-held camera to give the paradise like–countryside home a sense of humanity, as though the camera was alive and breathing. The second half of this movie was shot in a more steady and smoother style to make the war-torn countryside more sharp and unforgiving, as though the camera was mechanical.

Other reviews of How I Live Now:

Text: Before the war I used my willpower for stupid stuff, like not eating chocolate. I think I thought if I could control myself, then maybe the world around me would start to make sense. —How I Live Now. Read the three sentence movie review at 3SMReviews.com

All Movies Watched on Kanopy January–Present

Kanopy. Quality films for free.

Recommended

  • I Am Not Your Negro
  • Memento

Good

  • Margot at the Wedding
  • Heartburn
  • Girlhood
  • The Watermelon Woman

Skip

  • The Lobster
  • Lady Macbeth
  • The Beat Beneath My Feet

Once Upon a Time in America is Very Long

Pictures of Scott Tiler, Robert De Niro, Jennifer Connelly, Elizabeth McGovern, Rusty Jacobs, and James Woods

Once Upon a Time in America

Directed by Sergio Leone
Written by Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Barnardi, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcalli, Franco Ferrini, Sergio Leone. (And this, my friends, is where the trouble starts.)

The review:

Well, I’m two for two with finding movies beginning with “Once Upon a Time” incredibly boring.* I also loathed this film on so many levels: terrible acting,** its treatment of women,*** the fact that it tips its hand too much early on and solves the mystery.**** This film is all of these synonyms: clumsy, slow, lumbering, cumbersome, graceless, maladroit, ponderous, plus misogynist to boot.*****

The verdict: Skip

Cost: Free from the Multnomah County Library
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*This one was so much so that I fast forwarded through the last 10 minutes. I’d already invested nearly four hours, so I had given it my due diligence.
**The younger kids were the biggest bunch of terrible actors I’ve seen gathered together in some time.
***Not one, but two rape scenes, the one with Elizabeth McGovern being brutal. Plus some gun-on-nipple action.
****In the restored scene at the cemetery I figured out what had happened. And there was still so much movie.
*****That said, I did think the salt/balloon idea was brilliant. That three minutes of movie was great.

Questions:

  • Why, oh why do people like this movie? Whhhhhyyyyyy??????
  • Was there any character who made this worth watching?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

When filming was completed, the footage ran to a total of eight to ten hours. Director Sergio Leone and editor Nino Baragli trimmed the footage to around six hours, with the plan of releasing the film as two three-hour movies. The producers refused this idea, and Leone had to further cut the film down to three hours and forty-nine minutes.

(Yet it seemed more like six hours when watching.)

Other reviews of Once Upon a Time in America:

Age can wither me, Noodles. We're both getting old. All that we have left now are our memories. —Once Upon a Time in America. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Palm Springs is Cool and Refreshing

Image: Cristin Milioti and Adam Sandburg in a pool drinking beer.

Palm Springs

Directed by Max Barbakow
Written by Andy Siara

The review:

While it’s Andy Samberg* who gets this movie started, it’s the delightful performance of Cristin Milioti** that pushes this comedy into a fully rounded film that is something more than a funny romp through a wedding. The relationship between the two leads is the joy of the film, with a little J.K. Simmons as a disgruntled wedding guest sprinkled in for bonus fun. I went in knowing nothing, pulled the boyfriend in to watch it at J.K. Simmons’ first appearance, and greatly enjoyed myself.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: Hulu subscription (with Disney+ $12.99/month)
Where watched: at home, with Matt who also enjoyed it.

Consider also watching:

  • Run Lola Run (Drama, not comedy)
  • The Truman Show
  • Groundhog Day
  • Source Code (Drama, not comedy)

Further sentences:

*I am mostly familiar with him through his comedy pieces like Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping
**I enjoyed her in It Had to Be You, and am hoping I get to see more than her. So far she seems to have shown up on TV series.
**That said, this isn’t a cinematic masterpiece. It’s a solid film. Don’t go in with your expectations set too high.

Questions:

  • How would you have spent that day?
  • Shall we discuss the dinosaurs?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Palm Springs broke the record for most-viewed Hulu release in its first weekend on the streaming service.

Other reviews of Palm Springs:

Text: That was a grammatical nightmare. —Palm Springs. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com