Three Sentence Movie Reviews – Page 16

Apollo 13: When You Need to See a Finest Hour

Apollo 13

Directed by Ron Howard
Written by William Broyles Jr. & Al Reinert

The review:

In a time when the U. S. of A. seems to be a little wobbly, I wanted to spend Independence Day being reminded of a time when things went wrong, people pitched in, and it all worked out.* Ron Howard films tend to sag, but this one remains taut throughout. Aside from space drama tension the acting is so very good by all the players, especially Kathleen Quinlan who makes the most of her worried-wife-stuck-on-earth role.

The verdict: Recommended**

Cost: $3.99 via Google Play
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Granted, a small group of people getting three men back from the moon is problem solving on a different scale than systemic racism and global pandemics, but you know, baby steps. Plus Matt had never seen this and also wasn’t sure who Gary Sinise was (even when I told him repeatedly: He’s Captain Dan in Forrest Gump!) so that took care of that, too.
**Random me fact: I watched this in 1995 when it was released, but I associate it with 9/11 as it was the Saturday Night Movie one of the big-three networks played when they returned to regular programming after days of covering the attacks. I watched it (with commercials) on Georges Island in the Boston Harbor with fellow park ranger Joel.

Questions:

Would you watch a drama that focused on the women who happen to be married to astronauts?
Who was your favorite of the Apollo 13 crew? (Matt’s favorite was Gary Sinise, because he did all the hard work back on Earth to get them home.)

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

When the real Jim Lovell saw the film, he found the CGI work so convincing that he firmly believed that the filmmakers had uncovered some hitherto unseen NASA footage.

Other reviews of Apollo 13:

Barbara Shulgasser, San Francisco Examiner
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Text: With all due respect, sir, I believe this is going to be our finest hour. —Apollo 13. Read the three sentence movie review at 3SMReviews.com

Little is Big Fun

Little

Directed by Tina Gordon
Written by Tracy Oliver, Tina Gordon

The review:

Holy cow, does the one-two-three punch of Regina Hall, Issa Rae,* and Marsai Martin charm the heck out of this movie. Marsai Martin is particularly good,** channeling a very grown, very mean Regina Hall with uncanny accuracy. Though it slumps a bit in the third act, this movie is fun, funny, and well worth your time.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $1.80 via Redbox
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*A bright spot of 2020 is that this is the year of me catching up with Issa Rae.
**She was entirely new to me, and I’m blown away by her performance. Fingers crossed for a smooth transition from adolescence to adulthood.
***Another thing I liked was that the rest of the cast looked like real people, not body-perfect actors trying to make it in Hollywood.

Questions:

What’s your favorite age-swap movie?
How would you fare if you were thrown back to your 13-year-old self?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Marsai Martin not only pitched the movie but was also one of the executive producers.

Other reviews of Little:

Candice Fredrick, TheWrap
Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly

Text says: So you ate her? Is that what happened? Cook her in your Easy Bake Oven? —Little. Read the three sentence movie review: 3SMReviews.com

The delivery of this line. I can’t even. Issa Rae is a comic genius.

Miss Juneteenth: A Slice of Former Beauty Queen Life

Miss Juneteenth

Directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples
Written by Channing Godfrey Peoples

The review:

Though this is the type of movie that would inspire comments by Redbox reviewers along the lines of, “Oh, my GOD soooooo boooooring!!!!”* I loved this slice of life feature, especially the push-pull of the mother/daughter relationship.** Channing Godfrey Peoples lets us come to our own conclusions about what has brought Turquoise Jones (Nicole Beharie) to this point, and gives us hints about what her future could be. For all its quiet observation, this movie has a ton to say about class, race, family systems, and ramifications of choices made.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $4.99 via Redbox OnDemand (I had a $2.00 off coupon)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*I read a Redbox user review like this for Manchester by the Sea, and thought, “Dude, did you go into this knowing nothing?”
**Mothers wanting things for their daughters that aren’t important to the daughters is a universal mother/daughter theme. Turquoise’s experience as Miss Juneteenth was a highlight of her life and keeps her from seeing that her daughter’s interests lie elsewhere.

Questions:

Where do you think Turquoise is steering herself in the right direction?
What struck you the most about this film.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

No trivia. Instead, enjoy this quote from a Deadline article:

I wanted to tell this story about a black woman with a dream deferred, and a black woman that knows that she just wants something for herself even though she may not be able to articulate at the moment. She has these hopes and dreams for her child and she also has these hopes for her child to have a better life. As a writer and as a filmmaker, I tend to write about family cycles and what we leave behind and what we decide to move forward with. Also in my work, I definitely write about black women who are taking a step forward in their lives, and I love writing about their journeys, and I come from that unique perspective as a black woman having grown up in this country, and especially in, what I call, black Texas. Actually, I took that from another writer who said this is black Texas, and I thought that was incredible. So I’ve taken that and now I say I understand that I was raised in black Texas.
Channing Godfrey Peoples

Other reviews of Miss Juneteenth:

Carla Renata, The Curvy Film Critic
Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture

Text: I just want something for myself. —Miss Juneteenth. Read the three sentence movie review at 3SMReviews.com

Athlete A Gets an A+

Athlete A

Directed by Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk

The review:

The rise of the tiny gymnast has run parallel to my time on earth, and I’ve kept tabs from on the Olympic branch of the sport since the 80s* including Larry Nassar’s arrest, trial, and the 100+ victim statements.** While we follow the reporters recounting their efforts to break the abuse story, directors Cohen and Shenk use gymnasts, parents,*** lawyers, and trainers to highlight the many things wrong with USA Gymnastics.**** The use and discarding of these girls is hard to watch, but it’s worth every minute of your time.

The verdict: Recommended

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

Further sentences:

*Béla Károli hugging Mary Lou Retton after her perfect vault is one of my earliest Olympic memories, though I gave up watching the Olympics after Atlanta when the commentary became unbearable. (“What a terrible tragedy! You can see how disappointing it is that she won bronze!”)
**That Nassar’s plea bargain allowed so many women to speak was perhaps the most powerful moment in a long history of women speaking up and being ignored. (Or worse.)
***Maggie Nichols’s parents are particularly good at simply stating the many outrageous things that were going on.
****I’d like to start talking about making sure Olympic athletes meet minimum age requirements, for one.

Questions:

How many other sports organizations do you think need the same level of scrutiny as USA Gymnastics got?
What was the most moving moment in the film for you? Or the most maddening.

Other reviews of Athlete A:

Kate Erbland, Indiewire
Leah Greenblat, Entertainment

Text: We love winners in this country. This is a competitive country. We consider ourselves the best in the world at everything, right? But this notion that we would sacrifice our young to win I think disgustes us a little. —Jennfier Say. —Athlete A. Read the three sentence movie review 3SMReviews.com

The Assistant’s Long Day

The Assistant

Directed by Kitty Green
Written by Kitty Green

The review:

On the one hand this is a like enduring a very long day of a job you long to quit; on the other the minute-by-minute chronicle allows plenty of time to contemplate things* as the banal a-lot-ain’t-right-here feelings continue. What Julia Garner is doing is a lot harder than it looks and she carries us through her mundane, creepy, and disgusting tasks.** Even more fun: the things other employees say as justification.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $1.80 via Redbox
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*”If movies are made by people like this, why am I even supporting the industry?” was one of my many thoughts.
**Kitty Green’s choice to never show the boss is what makes this movie so powerful.
***A close second: the lines Garners co-workers feed her so she can properly apologize to her terrible boss.

Questions:

What was the most surprising thing about the company?
Would you continue to work in this job?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The film was shot in eighteen days.

Other reviews of The Assistant:

Alissa Wilkinson, Vox
Sheila O’Malley, RogerEbert.com

Text reads: Don't worry. You're not his type. —The Assistant. Read the three sentence movie review: 3SMReviews.com

Bad Times at the El Royale Make for Good Movie

Bad Times at the El Royale

Directed by Drew Goddard
Written by Drew Goddard

The review:

I’m a sucker for stylish set design and once I saw the state line dividing the El Royale into California and Nevada sections I was all in.* Add more than one creepy mystery, a cast that owns the camera** and this was an excellent night at the movies.*** It was also just a tad too long, alas.

The verdict: Good

Cost: $2.00 via Redbox (They only had a Bluray copy so it cost more.)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Knives Out (This is the opposite film: a sunny and fun mystery. It might make a nice palate cleanser.)
Brick
Widows
Game Night (Also an opposite. Hilarious mystery.)

Further sentences:

*Have I stood with four limbs in four states at Four Corners? Why yes I have! Human-created lines of demarcation are fascinating.
**The film does a great job cycling through the motel guests’ stories. From the beginning, it seems like it’s going to be Jon Hamm’s movie, but that shifts as we see the stories of each guest.
***Don’t go in expecting a happy ending, though. Also, it would be interesting to represent in graph form Chris Hemsworth’s (Billy Lee) repelling and magnetic energy. And then segment out how much his naked torso is contributing to that magnetic energy.

Questions:

How did you feel about the ending? Did it all work out okay for you?
Which character intrigued you the most?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The El Royale was built from scratch on a sound stage with much of the furniture and decor being custom made (including branded matchboxes and coasters for the bar). The color scheme was meticulously set out so that the California side was mostly yellows and oranges, while the Nevada side was purples and blues. Red was reserved for the borderline, jukebox, and chandelier, while green is almost entirely absent until the end.

Also this:

There was no pre-recorded soundtrack, so all of Cynthia Erivo’s singing in the film is for real. For the lengthy tracking shot scene behind the hotel mirrors, Erivo had to perform “Try a Little Tenderness” 27 times.

Cynthia Erivo can SING!

Other reviews of Bad Times at the El Royale:

Jessica Kiang, The Playlist
Katie Rife, AV Club

Orange background. Text says: This is not a place for a priest, Father. You shouldn't be here. —Bad Times at the El Royale. Read the three sentence movie review 3SMReviews.com

Top Movies June 2020

(11 Movies Watched Total)

See You Yesterday

Teen Time Travel

13th

Amendment Abuse

Da 5 Bloods

Vietnam Vets

Wild Rose

Country out of Country

The Watermlon Woman

Winning Woman

Jaws

Scary Shark

Interstellar

Space Separation

Blindspotting

Felony Fear

Do the Right Thing

Boiling Block

Can’t Hardly Wait

Teen Torment

Rewatched: Lady Bird (Still great!)

Have you been waiting for Can’t Hardly Wait?

Can’t Hardly Wait

Directed by Harry Elfont & Deborah Kaplan
Written by Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont

The review:

Wowee, does this standard multi-character teenage comedy capture a time.* While it’s great to reacquaint yourself with people who once were around a lot and have faded,** I’m not sure this is the greatest use of your movie-watching time.*** But if you, like me, can never resist a teen comedy and you haven’t yet seen this, well, you’ve got some homework.

The verdict: Good

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*My teen years encompassed 1987–1994 and aside from Say Anything in 1989 not one teen comedy was released while I was actually a teenager. This, in my memory, is the first after the drought.
**Jennifer Love Hewitt, Seth Green, Sean Patrick Thomas, Jenna Elfman. (Ethan Embry I just saw in a minor role in Blindspotting. He was great in that. A little so-so in this.)
***Though it’s a teen comedy before cell phones plus the 1990s clothing is so fun to remind you that you are glad you aren’t wearing it any longer.

Questions:

What did you think of the wrapup text that tells you where everyone is?
If you had to dress like one of the characters, which would it be?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

At one point, there’s a distant shot showing someone doing flips in the party’s yard. That’s actually Ethan Embry. In addition to acting, he was an award-winning gymnast from a very young age.

Other reviews of Can’t Hardly Wait:

Mick La Salle, San Francisco Chronicle
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Text says: Nobody drink the beer. The beer has gone bad! --Can's Hardly Wait. Read the three-sentence movie review 3SMReviews.com

Do the Right Thing: Getting to Know a Block

Do the Right Thing

Directed by Spike Lee
Written by Spike Lee

The review:

Spike Lee spends a lot of time letting us get to know the residents of a neighborhood block* which, by the time the big thing happens at the 90-minute mark your feeling are stronger than they would have been if the big thing happened fifteen minutes in. Aside from the tactics of the police** much of this movie felt very familiar 31 years later. The main players all turn in great performances*** and despite the fact I watched this on a not-hot day, that increasing tension of heat and city was aptly recreated.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Possibly free through one of the services? I cannot recall.
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*This feature was what sunk the film for me when I first attempted to watch it in the late 90s. It’s a very slow film. It was so slow that I gave up and watched something else, or perhaps took a nap.
**Then: going in swinging with their billy clubs. Now: drawing a gun and shooting.
***You know who isn’t good at acting though? Joie Lee. Rosie Perez is also a little raw. (Though she’s great in the dance sequence that opens the film!)

Questions:

Mookie’s big action after the terrible action. What do you think?
Tell me your favorite character or characters. (Mine were the three guys (Robin Harris, Paul Benjamin, Frankie Faison) sitting in front of the red wall, though the Mayor was great too.)

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The opening sequence, which featured the song “Fight The Power”, was written especially for the movie. Rosie Perez dancing to the song took eight hours to film.