Category: Three Sentence Movie Reviews

To All the Boys: Always and Forever Wraps Things Up

Lana Condor in To All the Boys: Always and Forever

To All the Boys: Always and Forever

?Directed by Michael Fimoganari?
?Written by Katie Lovejoy?

The review:

I mean, it’s exactly as good as the previous two films and Lana Condor and Noah Centineo are made for each other, at least in this film. All the things you’ve enjoyed before are back, and they manage to have a few will-they-or-won’t-they moments, even after two other movies with such moments. This was a solid ending to the trilogy.*

The verdict: Good

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*I’m assuming its a trilogy. There are only three books.

Questions:

  • What’s the best solution for a high school couple in love after graduation?
  • What would you pick for Laura Jean and Peter’s song?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The author of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy Jenny Han made a small cameo as Principal Cho in a flashback of the day Peter first saw Lara Jean.

Other reviews of To All the Boys: Always and Forever:

Orange background with a white frame. In movies, love is always about the big moments. Grand speeches made in front of everyone, "marry me" written on the Jumbotron. But maybe love is actually about the moments when you think no one is watching. —To All the Boys: Always & Forever. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

McDormand and Van Life: Nomadland

Frances McDormand and David Strathairn in Nomadland

Nomadland

?Directed by Chloé Zhao?
?Written by Chloé Zhao?

The review:

There are few well-known actors I can think of who could play Fern so convincingly,* and I’m thankful Nomadland’s Fern was Frances McDormand. If you haven’t seen any of Zhao’s films before, you might not think that an ambling narrative about people who live in their vans would be interesting, but you would be wrong.** If you’re looking for a moving story of a woman determined to be on her own, take yourself to wherever this film is playing.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: I paid Matt $6.00, he’s paying the monthly Disney+/Hulu subscription fee
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Being a woman and an actor in the USA generally means avoiding aging. McDormand has aged along with the rest of us, which makes her very relateable.
**If you’ve seen Zhao’s other films (The Rider or Songs My Brothers Taught Me) you would know she’s a pro at mesmerizing viewers using landscape and the real people’s lives she’s woven a narrative from.
***I remain intensely curious about what Zhao’s Marvel movie will be like.

Questions:

  • Who was your favorite van dweller?
  • Which of Fern’s jobs would have been the hardest for you?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Frances McDormand nicknamed the van used in the film “Vanguard,” which she decorated with her own personal items and slept in during the shoot. Eventually she stopped doing so because “it’s much better for me to pretend to be exhausted than to actually be exhausted,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.

Other reviews of Nomadland:

Special Film Noir Delivery: The Letter

Bette Davis in the Letter.

The Letter

?Directed by William Wyler?
?Written by Howard Koch?

The review:

From the first dramatic scene to the last, this movie is plenty of fun.* Bette Davis is both flip and overwhelmed as a woman who had to kill her neighbor when he tried to assault her.** But once a letter floats to the surface, we see the difficult choices her lawyer must make.***

The verdict: Good

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

Further sentences:

*Death comes in both of those scenes, so we’re not talking barrel of laughs fun, but there’s something about how overwrought everything is that is so incredibly enjoyable.
**So she says.
***All leading to a very dramatic ending.
Note: This was filmed in the 1940s and is set on a rubber plantation. In terms of racist portrayals it’s not great. I’ve seen much, much worse though.

Questions:

  • What was your turning point?
  • What did you think of Victor Sen Yung’s portrayal of Ong Chi Seng?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The first scene that William Wyler shot was the famous opening shot in which we see Leslie shoot Geoffrey Hammond. The opening shot, which lasted two minutes on screen, took an entire day to film, and that was before even a single word of dialogue was spoken. The studio expected him to shoot at a rate of 3-4 script pages a day, but the opening shot reflected a mere paragraph on page one.

Other reviews of The Letter:

Orange background with a white frame. I don't think it's right, but I think it's expedient. Juries can sometimes be very stupid, and it's just as well not to worry them with more evidence than they can conveniently deal with.--The Letter. Read the three sentence movie review: 3SMReviews.com: The Letter

Judas and the Black Messiah: FBI and the Black Panthers

Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield in Judas and the Black Messiah

Judas and the Black Messiah

?Directed by Shaka King?
?Written by Will Berson & Shaka King?

The review:

I first learned about Fred Hampton in Ava DuVerney’s 13th and so I knew how this film was going to end.* But it was interesting to watch Daniel Kaluuya’s evolution of Hampton as he gained skills as well as the dance between LaKeith Stanfield and Jessie Plemons as FBI informant and agent.** I would have liked Dominique Fishback to have a bigger role, but she was great with what she was given in this movie that’s gonna kick you in the stomach right before the credits roll.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: I paid Matt $6.00. He’s the one paying the HBOMax fee ($12.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Not well for Fred Hampton.
**It’s interesting how we forgive the FBI for their many sins, but so often the Black Panthers are portrayed as the lawless party.
***If there’s an award for best after-movie text on screen, this film will sweep that category.

Questions:

  • Should they have bothered with the makeup for Martin Sheen?
  • Fred Hampton was 21 and William O’Neal was 17 during this film. Should they have cast younger actors?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

With both LaKeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya receiving Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor, Judas and the Black Messiah becomes the first film to have multiple black performers nominated in this category for the same film.

Other reviews of Judas and the Black Messiah:

American Utopia Will Get You in the End

David Byrne and cast members of American Utopia.

David Byrne’s American Utopia

?Directed by Spike Lee?
?Written by David Byrne?

The review:

It’s not yet been a year since I watched Jonathan Demme’s movie of the Talking Heads’ concert Stop Making Sense* and I was looking forward to this David Byrne/Spike Lee collaboration for which there was much gushing about among the critics. For three-quarters of the film I found it very striking visually and musically, and I wondered what all the gushing was about, but then there was his cover of “Hell You Talmbout” and I, too, could be counted among the converted.** I found that Spike Lee and I sometimes disagreed about what I wanted to be looking at on stage*** but since I couldn’t be there in person, I thank him for letting me see his vision.****

The verdict: Good

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*And was more than dazzled.
**It was one of this, “Oh, holy crap, this is incredible” movie moments.
***Demme knew better what I wanted to see.
****At times, this felt a little like watching a very talented marching band, in all the best ways.

Questions:

  • Who was your favorite performer?
  • What was your favorite song?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

If you look carefully, you will notice small spheres on the shoulders of all of the suits. These are tiny BlackTrax infrared transmitters which enable the lights to automatically track performers as they move around the stage. When they leave the stage to march through the theater, you will notice some of these trackers glowing slightly.

Other reviews of American Utopia:

Top Movies: January 2021

6 movies watched, 6 rewatched

Rewatched:

January. Where I was dazzled by half my choices!

A pie chart. Text: January 2021 Movies. Recommended takes 1/2 of the pie chart. On the other half, Good is twice as big as Skip.

Click on any linked title to read the full review.

Mad Max Fury Road

Dusty and thirsty.

Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy in Mad Max Fury Road. A star with text: Recommended. An arch with text 3SMReviews.com: Mad Max Fury Road

Soul

Sad and longing.

Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey in the Pixar film Soul. A star with text Good. An arch with text 3SMReviews.com: Soul.

The forty-year-old version

Tired and striving.

Radha Blank in the Forty-Year-Old Version. A start with text: Recommended. An arch with text: The Forty-Year-Old Version.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Young and in danger.

Sidney Flanigan in Never Rarely Sometimes Always. A star with text: Recommended. An arch with text: 3SMReviews.com: Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Locked Down

Far apart and depressed.

Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor in Locked Down. A star with text: Good. An arch with text: 3SMReviews.com: Locked Down

Locked Down: Observing a Pandemic from within a Pandemic

Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor in Locked Down

Locked Down

★Directed by Doug Liman★
★Written by Steven Knight★

The review:

This is a light affair* that might be handy to have on tap in ten to fifteen years when kids who were very young or were born after 2021 start asking questions.** It’s all there for you to point to*** and covered with a veneer of a story about a couple on their last legs as a couple. Ejiofor and Hathaway are fun to watch and there are a bunch of cameos.****

The verdict: Good

Cost: HBOMax monthly fee ($8.99) (Still living off the WW84 month)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*So light that despite the fact that I’m still living in quarantine-type restrictions I could watch this without feeling traumatized and did not have feelings of “too soon!”
**This, of course, assumes that there won’t be any global pandemics in the next ten to fifteen years. Which is not an assumption I’m willing to bet on at this point and time.
***The general end-of-the-world feelings, the day drinking, the odd sense of time, the awkward Zoom calls, the abrupt job changes, the sliding into familiar bad habits, kids being stuck at home with their parents, the reevaluating of life choices.
****However, if you’ve seen this, I wish to chat about the ending. Do look me up.

Questions:

  • What will you remember most about this time?
  • Was this the exact right temperature for a movie about a quarantine released during that same quarantine?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The movie was shot in only 18 days in London during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the hectic pace of filming, stars didn’t have the time to properly prepare and for some scenes Hathaway’s and Ejiofor’s lines had to be taped to their eyeline.

Other reviews of Locked Down:

Orange background with a white frame. Being locked up is making it worse.—Locked Down. Read the three sentence movie review: 3SMReviews.com

Like Ike Barinholtz’s Chris, Swear off The Oath.

Ike Barinholtz and Tiffany Haddish in The Oath.

The Oath

★Directed by Ike Barinholtz★
★Written by Ike Barinholtz★

The review:

I forgot to write a review for this movie and now it’s more than three months later and things are hazy, but I can tell you that there are some funny parts of this, but also that tonally it’s off.* It may that it’s a Too Soon! movie** or that Barinholtz just wants to push buttons that I wasn’t in the mood to have pushed, but I could see people putting in their best effort, but it just didn’t come together. It was interesting to see Haddish play the straight man, so there was that.

The verdict: Skip

Cost: Monthly Disney+/Hulu charge ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*Like it’s a dark comedy, but I think a little too dark?
**We did watch it three days after the storming of the capital by domestic terrorists.

Questions:

  • What’s your favorite kind of movie for Tiffany Haddish to star in?
  • Would you take the oath?

Other reviews of The Oath:

Orange background with a white frame. If it wasn't for people like me, people like you would be slaves to people like me.—The Oath. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Never Rarely Sometimes Always: Dangers Abound

Sidney Flanigan in Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Directed by Eliza Hittman
Written by Eliza Hittman

The review:

Eliza Hittman takes us on a journey worthy of an epic poem* so a young woman can get a procedure that should be available to her in her own small town. On the way, we see how rules to “protect”** women actually end up putting them in more danger, the things women sacrifice for other women, and a quiet, perfect performance by Sidney Flanigan. By the time you get to the scene where the phrase “never, rarely, sometimes, always” is used, you will never forget the order of the words in this very wordy title.

The verdict: Recommended.

Cost: HBOMax monthly fee of ($12.99) (Still living off the WW84 purchase)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*It’s interesting to see how little of Flanigan’s life we learn about before the journey begins in earnest and how the sparse details we do find paint a vivid picture.
**But we know why those rules are passed and it has nothing to do with protection and everything to do with control.

Questions:

  • What moment of this film will be seared on your heart forever?
  • How many ways (big and small) were Autumn & Skyler violated in this film?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Prior to this film, Sidney Flanigan worked as a janitor.

Other reviews of Never Rarely Sometimes Always:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: Don't you ever just wish you were a dude?—Never Rarely Sometimes Always. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Radha Blank is a Star in the Forty-Year-Old Version

Radha Blank in the Forty-Year-Old Version

The Forty-Year-Old Version

Directed by Radha Blank
Written by Radha Blank

The review:

Despite decades of “girl power” and versions of “leaning in” there are still a lot of spaces that aren’t available to women.* Radha Blank explores a couple of them** in this film that is both humorous*** and can really kick you in the solar plexus. Having Radha Blank on screen would probably be enough of a win,**** but she delivers a story that a lot of people would be better off having taken the time to watch.

The verdict: Recommended

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*There are the obvious ones, like pro baseball and pro football, and the less obvious ones like film criticism and, hey, the music industry, where talented women have to trade on something other than just their talent to achieve fame (and even then the gatekeeping is fierce.) I’m thinking of 20 Feet From Stardom, where there already was an Aretha, so there was no need to promote other talented Black female singers. I’m thinking of all the women singers who had the voice, but their looks were deemed to be not good enough by the men who control the recording companies. How many Taylor Swifts do we not hear from because they aren’t as attractive as she is?
**Hip hop music, where she reinvents herself as RadhaMUSPRime, and theater, where her play is finally being produced by a major (read: white) theater.
***Some of her rhymes are giggle inducing.
****She does not fall into gatekeepers’ standards of beauty.

Questions:

  • What do you make of Radha and D’s relationship?
  • Do you think the film’s title (so similar to a famous Judd Apatow film) helps or hurts?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Cinematographer Eric Branco explained that he actually showed up to the interview with a bag full of street photography books (Bruce Davidson, Matt Weber, Saul Leiter, Gordon Parks, Henri Cartier-Bresson) for the director. From the beginning, Radha wanted the footage to be shot on black and white 35mm film.

Other reviews of The Forty-Year-Old Version:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: The good news is, I still need a writer for my Harriet Tubman musical. —The Forty-Year-Old Version. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com