Category: Three Sentence Movie Reviews

Round out your 90s Paul Thomas Anderson Film Fest with Hard Eight

The review:

Paul Thomas Anderson’s first film holds its reveal for much too long, but is worth watching for the performances.* It’s always a good sign when I’m curious about what’s going on, but also don’t really need to know because the acting is keeping me entertained.** This is clearly early PT Anderson, but early PTA is still a better movie than a lot of mid-career directors.

The verdict: Good

Cost: free via Kanopy
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Watching 90s John C. Reilly in 2019, I marvel at how even when he was young he looked middle aged. He was 21 when this was released! Aside from looking reliably middle-aged for decades, he always turns in a winning performance.
**There’s also a bit part with Philip Seymour Hoffman. He’s such a gem. I still miss him.

Questions:

  • Do you think the casino rate card trick would work today?
  • What’s your dream team of PT Anderson regulars?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

When Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson) and Sydney (Philip Baker Hall) have their confrontation, Jimmy mentions that he knows Sydney’s friends Floyd Gondolli and Jimmy Gator. In Paul Thomas Anderson’s next movie, Boogie Nights (1997), Philip Baker Hall plays Floyd Gondolli. In Anderson’s followup to Boogie Nights, Magnolia (1999), Philip Baker Hall plays Jimmy Gator.

Let it Snow Is Pleasant, Unchallenging

The review:

Luke Snellin directs a gentle Christmas movie adaptation of a YA Novel* with some utterly delightful moments.** A cornucopia of young people*** plus Joan Cusack (in a coat and hat festooned with tinfoil) wander through the snow-covered landscape of generic middle America. The multiple stories are well balanced, everyone finds what they are looking for, and it made for a solid Sunday Afternoon Movie.

The verdict: Good

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*The book is also named Let it Snow and it consists of three short stories written by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle. Many things have changed from the book to the movie.
**My favorites: Shameik Moore charming Isabela Merced’s grandfather with his love of the Rolling Stones, Kiernan Shipka and Mitchell Hope’s duet of “The Whole of the Moon”
***Isabela Merced (the teenager in Instant Family), Shameik Moore (Miles Morales aka Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, also the main character in Dope) Odeya Rush (the rich, vapid kinda-friend in Lady Bird and the best friend in Dumplin‘); Liv Hewson (Before I Fall); Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper in Mad Men); Jacob Balaton (the “guy in the chair” in Spider-Man: Far from Home, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and one of the many actors who portrayed A in Every Day); Miles Robbins (the guy who was the drug connoisseur in Blockers)

Questions:

  • What’s your favorite movie set in winter/in the snow?
  • Which of the actors in this movie do you think you will still be watching in fifteen years?

Favorite IMDB trivia:

Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Light Rail Vehicle 4201 is the trolley used in the Beechview Scene.
(The IMDB trivia page is a bit light right now)

Other reviews:

Jojo Rabbit is the Funniest WWII Movie in Decades (And Also Sad)

The review:

Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit continues his streak of really great movies focused on children.* This movie is both funny and heavy** and does a great job of showcasing all the talents of its stars.*** Sure, you may have been living your life thinking there would never be a movie with Adolf Hitler as an imaginary friend, but now that there is, you must see it.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: Free for me (we used my birthday dinner money)
Where watched: at the Baghdad, where there was robust clapping as the film ended.

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Or as Waititi puts it: boys with dad issues.
**There are so many dark World War II dramas; this was a breath of fresh air.
***Roman Griffin Davis carried the film, despite being eleven, Thomasin McKenzie got the nuances of a young woman in hiding, Rebel Wilson and Sam Rockwell did their thing as the comic relief, Waititi made an excellent imaginary friend/Adolf Hitler and Scarlett Johansson vacillated between a solid mother figure and one unhinged by war (though I think the choice to do the German accent was a mistake) (People who are annoyed by accent choices may have some problems with this film).

Questions:

  • What’s your favorite film with a child star?
  • What’s your favorite WWII film set in Germany?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Taika Waititi discovered in his research that WWII Germany was very vibrant and fashionable, and was interested in shying away from traditional war films showing it as dreary and dark, instead presenting the town as a seemingly celebratory place and dressing characters as stylishly as possible. He liked the idea that everything seems happy, but just underneath the surface “the third Reich is crumbling, and, you know, the dream is over.”
(This was true. Aside from great costumes, I also thought the house Jojo lived in was gorgeous.)

The King is Overly Long, but not Interminable

The review:

David Michôd crafts an overly long* tale of Henry V** with some good performances.*** As someone who has only vague knowledge of English history, I wasn’t troubled by potential historical inaccuracies.**** Overall, this movie wasn’t a stunner, but a sedately paced royal-succession-and-battle-type movie that left me feeling like I hadn’t wasted my movie-watching time.

The verdict: Good

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*At 2 hours and 20 minutes I fell asleep for about 15 minutes and am pretty sure I didn’t miss much.
**Or Hal, if you are one of his drinking buddies.
***Joel Egerton’s Falstaff was a restrained drunkard (It took me about 30 minutes to wonder aloud, “Is that Joel Egerton?” though I was dealing with a beard and that weird haircut.), Timothée Chalamet’s Hal/Henry hit both the wild and the serious; and Thomasin McKenzie’s small role as Phillippa was a nice treat. (I’d like to see more of her. She was so great in Leave No Trace)
****Was Henry V really such a peacenik or was that something inserted for the purpose of plot?

Questions:

  • What’s your favorite English Royal movie?
  • Does the extreme bowl haircut make it harder to identify the actors? Do you think it’s due for a comeback?
  • Do you know about the history of Henry V? If so, how accurate was this?
  • How did you feel the accent work in this movie was?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The scar seen on Henry’s cheek is historically accurate, as the real Henry V was struck by an arrow at the battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, when he was just sixteen years old. This is the same battle where Henry fights Percy Hotspur in the movie. The arrow was removed from Henry’s face, but left a permanent scar.

Also, in this article, it seems that the real Henry V didn’t have Mr. Chalamet’s chiseled good looks.

Top Movies October 2019

(6 movies watched)

Chutney Popcorn

Not great acting, yet enjoyable film

Miss Stevens

It’s a teacher movie, but different

Cedar Rapids

Gentle Midwestern humor

On the Waterfront

Classic for a reason!

Judy

Top-notch performance by R. Zellweger

Questions:

  • What was your favorite movie this October?
  • What’s your favorite classic for a reason?
  • Which movies with showgirls are your favorites?

Chutney Popcorn Overcomes; Is a Good Movie

Sorry it’s not a better image. Surprisingly, 90s indie films about lesbians don’t have a ton of media presence on the internet.

The review:

Nisha Ganatra directs a film chock full of terrible acting,* and yet still manages to create a very enjoyable movie-watching experience. The plot has an interesting conundrum (offering to be a surrogate for your married, infertile sister) and the movie itself is a delightful time capsule of late-90s New York City lesbian culture. This is a great example of how serious flaws sometimes aren’t enough to bring down the movie.**

The verdict: Good

(with some caveats)

Cost: free via Hoopla, the library’s steaming service that isn’t Kanopy
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Apparently, there’s a good reason that the main character’s acting isn’t great. See the trivia section. Jill Hennessy is in this and isn’t bad, but she isn’t great, either.
**Ganatra also directed one of my favorite films of this year: Late Night

Questions:

  • What’s a movie that isn’t great (for whatever reason) but you still love it.
  • Iconic lesbian films. Go!
  • Have you seen Late Night yet? Why or why not?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Director and co-writer Nisha Ganatra stepped into the lead role of Reena after the actress originally cast in the role quit the production shortly before filming began.

All movies watched on Netflix April 2019–Present

It’s a new feature!

Every week, I will have an updated list of movies recently watched on Netflix, or Kanopy, and rented from Redbox. You can click on the links to read the reviews and decide if you want to watch any of these movies.

If you do, leave a comment and tell me what you thought.

Recommended

Good

Skip

Miss Stevens Captures a Non-classroom Aspect of Being a Teacher

The review:

Julia Hart directs and Lily Rabe inhabits Miss Stevens and together they create a story about the parts of teaching that don’t have to do with standing in the front of a classroom. Lily Rabe is a complex Miss Stevens* and watching her students watch her make the choices she does is only part of the fun. At times, the movie balances the teacher/student relationships on a knife’s edge and the tension is in seeing how Miss Stevens will react; in addition, Timothée Chalemet pushes the envelope the most in an excellent performance.**

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: free via Kanopy
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*I was captivated by her performance. She has a really interesting face: lots of emotion and she looks different from every angle.
**That at one point tips over to “too big” but otherwise is exemplary.

Questions:

  • I had trouble making recommendations of other movies.What’s your favorite quiet-mentor movie?
  • What was one point where Miss Stevens made a choice that was right for the moment?
  • What makes a good teacher?

Favorite IMDB Trivia Item:

The headrests on the front seats of Miss Stevens’ car are incorrectly positioned, causing a safety issue where a crash could potentially lead to the decapitation of the driver and front passenger.

(Oh internet comments. Sometimes I love you so much.)