Category: Three Sentence Movie Reviews

Get Real Close to Together Together

Patti Harrison and Ed Helms in Together Together

Together Together

?Directed by Nikole Beckwith?
?Written by Nikole Beckwith?

The review:

Patti Harrison* and Ed Helms** anchor this low-key, sweet comedy about a middle-aged man starting a family and the surrogate he hires. What starts as a strictly-by-the-books relationship evolves into a friendship that reveals the hard and sticky parts of both characters lives. Recently, I remarked on the lack of grownup comedies;*** this is one and well worth your time.

The verdict: Recommended.

Cost: $15.90
Where watched: The Living Room Theater! I’m fully vaccinated! First movie outing since March 7, 2020!

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Who shall now be forever known by me as the Queen of the Straight-Faced Zingers.
**He’s really done some great stuff recently.
***I enjoy a lot of different comedies, but the ones where people are grounded in something like the real word and grounded in everyday humor are a rare treat.

Questions:

  • It’s five years later. Where are our characters?
  • What’s your favorite grownup comedy?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The film was shot in 17 days.
(also the only one)

Other reviews of Together Together:

Fully Vaccinated and I’m Headed to the Movies

I went to the Living Room Theaters to watch Together Together for my first official fully vaccinated outing. The movie theater hadn’t pieced together their premovie slideshow and there were no previews! It is still very early in the venturing out process.

There were two other couples in the theater with me.

The movie was exactly the right movie to break my estrangement from movie theaters. I’m looking forward to seeing more movies in the dark.

Catch up with News of the World

Tom Hanks and Helena Zengel in News of the World

News of the World

?Directed by Paul Greengrass?
?Written by Paul Greengrass and Luke Davies?

The review:

Tom Hanks does his Tom Hanks thing* as he plays a Civil War veteran eking out an existence as someone who travels from town to town to read the news. Helena Zengle meets his acting standard as the white girl raised by Indians who is supposed to be returned to her family.** This movie rolls along hitting all the tense and respite places and is a good way to spend a few hours.

The verdict: Good

Cost: $1.30 via Redbox (with discount)
Where watched: at mom’s house

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*It’s a good thing he has going.
**Most of her performance is nonverbal, which is impressive.

Questions:

  • At what point did you correctly guess the ending?
  • What was the best course of action for Johanna?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

This is the fifth time Tom Hanks has played a character with the rank of captain. News of the World (Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd), Greyhound (Capt. George Krause), Sully (Capt. Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger), Captain Phillips (Capt. Richard Phillips), Saving Private Ryan (Capt. John Miller).

Other reviews of News of the World:

Orange background with a white frame. See all those words printed in a line one after the other? Put 'em all together and you have a story. See all those words printed in a line one after the other? Put 'em all together and you have a story. —News of the World. Read the three sentence movie review: 3SMReviews.com

Mystery Date’s Plot Should Remain a Mystery

Brian McNamara, Ethan Hawke, Teri Polo, and BD Wong in Mystery Date

Mystery Date

?Directed by Jonathan Wacks?
?Written by Parker Bennett, Terry Runte?

The review:

The movie that provided the first starring roles for Ethan Hawke* and Teri Polo is not one for the history books,** though its crime is being incredibly middle of the road, not terrible. It’s one of those movies that reminds me how the 80s kept going for a bit into the 90s,*** and it fits into that action/comedy slot but sprinkles in a bit of romance. I found the plotting interesting and was wondering at some point how everything would manage to come together in the end.

The verdict: Skip

(Unless Teri Polo or Ethan Hawke completist.)

Cost: HBOMax monthly charge ($12.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*Hawke has some signature things he falls back on at this point in his career, like looking to the side as if in heavy thought, shaking his head, and regretfully saying something. If I follow through on my hazy plan to catch up with all of Hawke’s performances, it will be interesting to see when those tics disappear.
**It didn’t, for instance, come up when Ethan Hawke was discussing his iconic roles in this (highly recommended) video.
***Teri Polo’s hair! The hair of Ethan Hawke’s mother and friends! The boxy, flowy clothing on the men!

Hasn’t aged well:

Stalking and theft! Great ways to get the girl!
The main character uses his brother’s telescope to spy on the girl he’s too scared to talk to. He later uses information he gathers to ingratiate himself with her.
The main character steals a bag of trash from the house where the girl he likes is staying. Later, he and his brother go through the trash to learn more about her. This information is used (with a bit of fun gaslighting) to convince her to go on a date.

Questions:

  • What would have been the thing that finally had Geena Matthews saying, “Nope, this isn’t the guy for me”?
  • What did you think of the many Asian characters in this film?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The crazy metal band on stage at the night club is GWAR.

“Is that GWAR?” I said to myself during that very scene. This movie was interesting from a music perspective. All sorts of things one wouldn’t think would be thrown together in a movie. Songs by Sonic Youth, INXS, Seal, and Wilson Pickett. Plus GWAR. But like I said before, the 80s kept going into the 90s for a bit. There was a guitar/sax thing that was lodged deep somewhere in my psyche. Thanks to the internet, I now know that it was “Lily Was Here.” I don’t know if I ever knew the title.

Other reviews of Mystery Date:

  • Rita Kemply, Washington Post
  • (Great quote from this review: Hawke has a pleasant lackadaisicality about him, a way of sidling up to a punch line…)
  • Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Orange background with a white frame. Well, fine. Well then I'll just go over there and say, "Hi, I'm Tom and you don't know me, but I've been spying on you for a couple of months now and I am finding you very attractive in a very real, very hormonal way." And then she'll slap me silly.—Mystery Date. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Keeping the Faith: The Elusive Grownup Comedy

Edward Norton, Jenna Elfman, Ben Stiller in Keeping the Faith

Keeping the Faith

?Directed by Edward Norton?
?Written by Stuart Blumberg?

The review:

I watched this in the theater on its release and remembered it being a little slow.* Still, I find it to be eminently likable just from the young-religious-men shaking up the structures aspect** plus I find Jenna Elfman delightful. There were bits of not-great acting*** scattered about, but it’s a pretty even-kneeled Ben Stiller,**** Edward Norton playing the opposite of his Fight Club character and makes for a great Sunday Afternoon Movie.*****

The verdict: Good

Cost: Monthly HBOMax subscription ($12.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Still true!
**Advantage casting your movie with a rabbi and priest: it’s a pretty clean movie, language-wise.
***By all three leads.
****He can sometimes get to manic in portraying neurosis. He did have a bit of physical comedy that had me wishing we got more physical comedy out of him. But divorced from the whole Meet the Parents thing.
*****Sunday Afternoon Movie—one that provides you with one last gasp of trouble-free weekend before the windup to the work week begins. Plus, Milos Forman has a bit part and a good speech. Also, it’s set in New York City and was released a year before 9/11.

Hasn’t aged well:

Ken Leung has a small part in this film, appearing as a salesman at the store where Norton and Stiller go to buy a Karaoke System. He does a high-energy version of “Jessie’s Girl” sung in broken English. It all rang very Long Duck Dong, and doesn’t really work.

Questions:

  • Who is your favorite (now dead) actor in this film?
  • Why didn’t we get more of Jenna Elfman?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The first movie starring Edward Norton to not be rated R.

Other reviews of Keeping the Faith:

Orange background with a white frame. May those who love us, love us. And those who don't love us - may God turn their hearts. And if He cannot turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles, so that we may know them by their limping. May those who love us, love us. And those who don't love us - may God turn their hearts. And if He cannot turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles, so that we may know them by their limping.—Keeping the Faith. Read the three sentence movie review 3SMReviews.com

New Category: Hasn’t Aged Well

My teenage years were full of many warm comments about Breakfast at Tiffany’s. (This was before Deep Blue Something’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s song .)

“Such a good film!”

“That dress! And Audrey Hepburn is so beautiful!”

“’Moon River’ is a great song!”

“It’s iconic!”

George Peppard, Audrey Hepburn, and Patricia Neal in Breakfast at Tiffany's

When I sat down to watch the film on VHS, I was ready to be dazzled. And I liked it just fine. That is, until Mickey Rooney made an appearance.

In the film, Rooney plays Hepburn’s landlord, who is constantly scolding her for something I forget. Maybe she’s late on the rent? Haranguing landlords fit in fine with the narrative, but the character’s name was Mr. Yunioshi, and Rooney portrayed a man with a heavy Japanese accent and exaggerated “Japanese” mannerisms.

I was horrified. And this was probably around 1992 or so? Anti-Japanese feelings were still running high. “They’re stealing our jobs” was a pretty common refrain and my family only drove cars made by U.S. manufactures. I’d grown up with racist cartoons, the whole bit. But Rooney’s antics were worse than I’d seen.

Mickey Rooney in a racist depiction of a Japanese man.

It ruined the film for me. I couldn’t believe that amid all that gushing about the classic film, not one person had added, “Oh yeah, and brace yourself for a very racist portrayal of a Japanese man.”

Those scenes still would have been bad, but at least I would have known they were coming. Why hadn’t anyone remarked on them?

While Rooney’s characterization was reflective of the early 60s, (though it’s never okay to make fun of a group of people, no matter the decade) it wasn’t reflective of the early 90s. There were still things to like about the film. Hepburn did look fabulous and “Moon River” is a great song (though a little short on lyrics, Mancini!) If only someone had given me the heads up about Rooney, Breakfast at Tiffany’s would occupy a different place in my heart.

It is because of this that I introduce a new category in my reviews: Hasn’t Aged Well.

It won’t appear all the time, because new movies haven’t yet aged. But when I watch a film and a thing or things just aren’t hitting right, I’ll alert you to them with that category. There are probably a lot of good things about the rest of the film, and you might be better able to enjoy them if you know you might be cringing in places.

I like to think of this category as the Mr. Yunioshi Memorial Category.

What’s your most memorable Hasn’t Aged Well moment?

Top Movies April 2021

?5 movies watched?

?April. Where one movie made its own category.?

A pie chart showing 3/5th Good, 1/5 Recommended and 1/5 Rocky

Click on any title to read the full review.

Friends with Benefits

A testament to charisma.

Justin Timberlake and Milia Kunis in Friends with Benefits. A star with text: Good. An arch with text: 3SMReviews.com: Friends with Benefits

Detour

If you only watch one 40s-era movie this year, this should be it.

Ann Savage and Tom Neal in Detour. A star with text Recommended. An arch with text: 3SMReviews.com: Detour

Rocky

Not good enough to be good, but with a certain je ne sais quoi this movie forced itself into its own category

Sylvester Stallone and Talia Shire in Rocky. A star with text: Not great. An arch with text: 3SMReviews.com: Rocky

Pieces of a Woman

It’s a shame how sad plots keep people from excellent performances.

Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBeouf in Pieces of a Woman. A star with text: Good. An arch with text: 3SMReviews.com Pieces of a Woman

Lady from Shanghai

The sun-and-fun noir.

Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth in The Lady from Shanghai. A star with text Good. An arch with text The Lady from Shanghai

Rita Hayworth is the Lady from Shanghai

Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth in The Lady from Shanghai

The Lady from Shanghai

?Directed by Orson Welles?
?Written by Sherwood King, Orson Welles?

The review:

Orson Welles does an Irish accent and takes the noir film to a bunch of sunny locals for an interesting night at the cinema.* Everyone really dug into their characters, none more so than Glenn Anders, who played his part with a sweaty dedication. There were also twists a plenty, and some dramatic visuals as befits the dude who made Citizen Kane.**

The verdict: Good

Cost: Free via TV Time app on Roku TV (But get ready to see the same commercials repeated.)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching all of the Filmspotting 40’s Noir Marathon movies:

Further sentences:

*So much sun and fun! (But that underbelly of darkness followed them, don’t worry) I loved that we seemed to be getting location shots, rather than sound stage shots.
**”This movie is awesome!” I cackled aloud near the end.

Questions:

  • What did you think of the treatment of all the people of color who wandered through this film?
  • What are your favorite Rita Heyworth and Orson Welles movies?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Columbia Pictures boss Harry Cohn told Orson Welles he would never again hire one man to produce, direct and act because he could never fire him.

Also this:

In the aquarium scene, the tanks were shot separately, enlarged, and matted in to make the sea creatures appear more monstrous and loom closer to the actors.

Other reviews of The Lady from Shanghai:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: Personally, I don't like a girlfriend to have a husband. If she'll fool a husband, I figure she'll fool me.—The Lady From Shanghai. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Pick Up Pieces of a Woman

Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBeouf in Pieces of a Woman

Pieces of a Woman

?Directed by Kornél Mundruczó?
?Written by Kata Wéber?

The review:

“Young mother’s home birth ends in tragedy” is a phrase that will probably have most of the potential audience saying, “Nope!” but for those of you who like sad dramas that depend more on acting than dialog, this film is for you!* The film does a great job establishing a loving relationship between the two leads so we can then watch things crumble. Vanessa Kirby is new to me** and her Best Actress Oscar Nomination is well deserved.***

The verdict: Good

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*That’s me! If it’s you, don’t miss this!
*I apparently saw her in Hobbs & Shaw?
***Though I honestly felt the filmmakers were trying to position Ellyn Burstyn for a best supporting nomination.****
****She was good in this, but there was a weird age gap. She’s 88 (Which: !) and Vanessa Kirby is 31, which means if they are playing their ages, Burstyn would have been 57 when she gave birth to Kirby. I think an actor in her 60s would have been a better fit age-wise.

Questions:

  • Is it just me? Does getting the ages of the actors wrong also bug you?
  • How long after the main events of the movie do you think the ending takes place?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The title doesn’t appear until 30 minutes into the movie.

(This was a thing I noticed.)

Other reviews of Pieces of a Woman:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: And you know what I did, Martha? I lifted my head. That's what I'm asking you to do now.—Pieces of a Woman. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Don’t Avoid Edgar G. Ulmer’s Detour

Ann Savage and Tom Neal in Detour.

Detour

?Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer?
?Written by Martin Goldsmith?

The review:

There are three reasons to watch this film and the least of the reasons is that it’s 68 minutes, so it won’t take much of your time. The other two have to do with the road trip conundrum* and the incredible performance by Ann Savage.** I can’t say I know a ton about noir, but I can say that this film is a great place to start, if you are among the noir curious.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: free from the Multnomah County Library (I even got the Criterion Collection version.)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Though “back in the day” is often portrayed as a time when hitchhiking was a thing that everyone did, Tom Neal’s character mentions how hard it’s been for him to get a ride.
**She doesn’t appear until the movie is nearly halfway over, but man, does she make this film work.
***And like I said, 68 minutes!

Questions:

  • What was Al Roberts first misstep?
  • How you would have navigated this particular jam?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The budget PRC gave director Edgar G. Ulmer for this film was so small that the 1941 Lincoln Continental V-12 convertible driven by Charles Haskell was actually Ulmer’s personal car.

Other reviews of Detour:

Orange background with a white frame. Shut up, yer makin' noises like a husband. —Detour. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com