Category: Three Sentence Movie Reviews

I wanted to see this not only because it was written and directed by a woman, but also because it’s so rare to see May-December relationships with the woman the December* part of the equation. I happen to enjoy watching movies about wealthy people with no money woes and the cast was quite engaging.** This is one of those gentle movies, which I will struggle to remember five years from now, but greatly enjoyed watching.***

Cost: $1.25 from Letterboxd (this was the movie I added on for “just 50 cents more!)
Where watched: at home

*Though in this case, I’d say it’s more of a May-October relationship.
**Lake Bell! Candice Bergen!  And the delightful trio of Nat Wolff, Jon Rudnitsky and Pico Alexander.
***And when I do eventually figure out which movie it was, I would probably enjoy watching it all over again.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2017/home_again.html

Of late, Mr. Linklater’s movies have me wondering just how much longer than 120 minutes the film is; this was no exception. The performances were solid, but the story dragged on past my point of interest. There were memorable scenes, but they did not weave together into a cohesive whole.

Cost: $1.25 from Letterboxd
Where watched: at home

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2017/last_flag_flying.html

Having enjoyed Nick Robinson so much in every single movie I’ve seen him in* I decided to catch up with some other performances.** And he was, well, okay in this.  It was one of those moments where the movie isn’t super strong and left me feeling like Nick Robinson has his Nick Robinson thing and there might not be much more than that.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home

*Kings of Summer, Everything Everything, Love Simon
**People seem to know him from Jurassic World, but I did not see that particular picture show.

poster from: https://www.amazon.com/Being-Charlie-Blu-ray-Nick-Robinson/dp/B01KOSRHTY

This is one of those movies where there is a very clear episodic setup and then the movie marches through that setup. In this case, it works well, giving all major players their turn in the spotlight. I particularly enjoyed Lana Turner’s story and found her shrieking breakdown to be mesmerizing, though not super realistic.

Cost: $2.99 through Google Play, part of Filmspotting’s Minnelli marathon.
Where watched: at home

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

Another film in my project to catch up with Alden Ehrenreich before Solo: A Star Wars Story is released.* Both Ehrenreich and Collins were good in their roles, and it’s always nice to see Annette Bening, but overall this movie was not very good. This movie could not decide if it was film about two people who work for Howard Hughes, or a film about Howard Hughes.**

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home

*He seems to have an inherent stiffness–which I find delightful–that seems to be directly in contrast to Harrison Ford’s laid back Han Solo. I’m very interested to see what happens with the movie.
**Probably because Mr. Ego was both directing and playing Howard Hughes.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2016/rules_dont_apply.html

This movie offers another great performance by Nick Robinson and a delightful supporting cast, including Alexandra Shipp as Abby and Katherine Langford as Simon’s best friend Leah.  While the movie was a tad bit slow, overall, it contained a great rollercoaster of feelings.  Even when things are good and life is easy, coming out can be hard.

Cost: $5.35 (but free due to gift cards)
Where watched: Regal City Center Stadium 12 with S. North

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

The rotating triangles may make this my favorite dishcloth so far.

There are so many delightful moments in this movie, especially if you skip the super bizarre Halloween scene.* I especially appreciated the sets and costumes, which Technicolor showed off perfectly. The family interactions are what buoys this movie, and the songs are delightful.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home, as part of Filmspotting’s Minnelli Marathon.

*What the heck is going on there? Aside from all the children making huge fires and hazing other children, was it considered a good thing to get flour thrown in your face by a small child?  If not, why even answer the door?

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/1944/meet_me_in_st_louis.html

My re-read of the book last year was fairly “meh” so I didn’t have a lot of high hopes for the movie. And while it was visually stunning and populated with good acting, I found that overall the movie was lacking in things that were super engaging. The boyfriend summed it up best: “It’s a movie about watching children experience wonder, and that makes for a boring movie.”

Cost: $6.00
Where watched: McMenamins St. Johns Theater with Matt.

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