Category: Three Sentence Movie Reviews

Not ready to face the fact that I had to get up the very next morning, July 5, and do two more days at the office, Matt and I escaped to the movie theater for some heist-movie fun. In the spirit of the other Ocean’s movies everything worked well: acting, plot machinations, fun things to look at, humor. Bullock’s tirade in German was particularly fun.

Cost: some ungodly amount due to Regal’s evening prices; however, I had gift cards, so it was actually free.
Where watched: Regal Lloyd Center, which has closed off its ample parking lot in preparation for mixed-use redevelopment. We had to park across the street at the mall proper.

Goes well with: The Sting, The Italian Job both 1969 and 2003.

While this is a great documentary to watch at any time, I highly recommend seeing this in the theater so you can hear everyone else around you also crying. I’m not really sure what makes it such a sob fest* I just know that it was, but in a good way. If you are going to see one documentary this decade, this is the one.**

Cost: free for me; friend paid me back for helping her move
Where watched: Hollywood Theater with, Kelly

Goes well with: probably 20 Feet From Stardom, but I haven’t seen that yet. (I know!)

*Mr. Rodger’s calm voice? The fact that our lives are nothing like the world he so carefully built for children? His philosophy of radical love?
**It also has some quite funny moments.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2018/wont_you_be_my_neighbor.html

There’s a lot of very realistic country life* in this movie and also a lot of fairly graphic sexual encounters. While the main character was unlikeable (and fairly lucky to encounter a hot Romanian guy with sheep skills) his plight was interesting. General theme: farm life is hard, but there are some gorgeous landscapes.

Cost: Netflix monthly rental charge
Where watched: at home

*Dead animals: it’s a farm life thing.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/intl/uk/2017/gods_own_country.html

This is less of a romantic comedy and more of a comedy with some romance.* However, how the three women’s shenanigans are hilarious** and more than make up for the fact that there isn’t much romance. I also very much appreciated the ending; there’s a trend in romantic comedies lately where they are really sticking the endings.

Cost: Monthly Netflix Subscription Charge ($7.99)
Where watched: at home

*I mean seriously, there’s probably about 10 romantic minutes total of screen time; instead the romantic potential is what fuels the plot.
**It’s a raunchy humor, so it’s not for everyone.

This sets up and knocks down all the standard romantic comedy tropes, but in a way that is fresh and fun, not old and tired. Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell continue charming their way through movies and Taye Diggs and Lucy Lu are delightfully difficult. Overall, this was a perfect 10 of the romantic comedy genre.

Cost: Netflix monthly subscription
Where watched: at home

There are few reasons to watch this film* and I recommend people stay far away from this version of the story. Unlike the other films, which made me care about an alcoholic man on the downslide and the woman who loved him, Streisand and Kristofferson did nothing to make me hope that somehow they would find a way. I think the shift from the acting world to the music world was to the film’s detriment** and my hopes are not very high for the upcoming 2018 version which is also set in the music world.***

Cost: free from the library
Where watched: at home, sighing throughout.

*Insight on 70s-era concert attire; Kris Kristofferson’s ability to spay paint backward; Gary Busey before he fixed his teeth
**Somehow, alcoholism getting in the way of filming a movie is much less egregious than alcoholism getting in the way of a concert performance. Those people paid good money to hear you play your songs, not to sit in the sun for four hours waiting for you to get around to going onstage.
***My hopes are higher for the music of the 2018 version. The 1976 music was Not Very Good.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/1976/star_is_born.html

The gamers are going to be annoyed by the fact that the board games played for this movie’s game night are very basic, entry-level games and they are correct.* Setting that aside, this movie ranges between low-level chuckle and hilarious not only in its execution, but also in the number of games it manages to incorporate into its plot.  Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams have great chemistry as highly competitive gamer couple.

Cost: $1.50 via Redbox
Where watched: at home with Matt

*While the entire movie was unbelievable, but in a fun way, this detail was unbelievable in an annoying way. People who host regular game nights move on quickly from the games you can buy at your standard retail establishments because there are just so many better quality games out there.**

**Disclosure: we regularly host game nights.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2018/game_night_ver3.html