2017 * TV-MA * 1h 21m J.K. Simmons. What an actor. What an amazing performance! And the thing that's even more incredible, is that Mr. Simmons doesn't have a single line of dialogue in the entire movie. All his thoughts and feelings are displayed by his facial expressions and body language. If you don't believe me, than you need to check this powerful film out for yourself.
Mr. Simmons plays Steve, a bitter, sad, lonely drunk. He lives in a dreary pigsty of a place and we follow him through the course of an evening were he spends his time drinking and reminiscing about his life. His story is told through a series of flashbacks to his childhood, his college days, and his married life. The childhood Stevie is played by Iain Armitage, who does an excellent job of taking us through his difficult upbringing. The college age and married version is played by Sebastian Stan. Steve's father was a raging alcoholic and as it so often happens, he follows in his father's footsteps. It's not all dreary, and there are plenty of pleasant times with his wife and young child.
However, the overriding theme is how alcohol and truly wreck ones marriage and life. This is one of those movies that will make you want to quit drinking, that's for sure. It makes its point without lecturing. And the acting is absolutely superb. I don't know if Simmons won any awards for I'm Not Here, but he sure deserved one.
4 out of 5 stars
Currently streaming for free with your library card on Kanopy.
2007 * PG-13 * 1h 46m What an excellent little indie flick. It's one of those movies where anything's possible, is totally unpredictable, and you just sit back and enjoy the ride. The story focuses on Anabelle (Blake Lively), who's a teenage beauty queen. She's driven hard by her mother, played by Mary Steenburgen. Right after she's crowned, she passes out on stage and dies. She's brought to the funeral home and right before she's embalmed, she miraculously comes back to life.
Her story intersects with Elvis (Max Minghella), who has taken the funeral home over from his feeble father Charlie (Joe Mantegna). Charlie is a sweet character who's not quite all there, and he spends his days playing golf in the fields adjacent to the funeral home. Elvis is doing all the work even though he's never been professionally trained or certified.
Things get interesting when Anabelle runs away from home and hides out at the funeral home. At first she spends her time helping out around the place. However, she and Elvis decide to go on a road trip. To no ones surprise, they end up falling for each other. And the plot takes you in directions both predictable and unexpected. I thought both leads did an excellent job and you can definitely feel the chemistry between them. This is another film that for the life of me, I can't figure out why it isn't better known. If you're looking for something out of the ordinary, be sure to give this one a chance.
4 out of 5 stars
It's currently streaming for free with your library card on Hoopla and on Prime Video.
2016 * R * 1h 56m If you're up for an action-packed, fun-filled no-brainer of a movie, give this one a shot. It stars Russell Crowe as Jackson Healy and Ryan Gosling as Holland March, a couple of knuckle-headed Private Eyes working in 1970s Las Angeles. They meet while looking into the apparent suicide of a famous porn star Misty Mountains. Holland isn't the brightest tool in the shed, and Healy is a bit of a thug, complete with a set of brass knuckles. Together they team up to look for Amelia, a person of interest.
If I tried to explain the plot further, it would start to not make a whole lot of sense. In fact, this is one of those films where you really shouldn't overthink it and just sit back and enjoy the action, acting, and the humorous dialogue. I especially enjoyed the performance of Angourie Rice who plays Holly, Holland's precocious 13-year old daughter. She a real smart-ass and adds a bit of extra fun to the movie. Look for her to do some good things in the future!
I really don't know why this one flew under the radar--I'd never heard of it until it popped up as a rec on Netflix. Note to parents: The movie is rated R due to nudity and foul language. But I think it would be okay for a mature teenage kid.
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
Currently streaming on Netflix and to rent on Prime Video.
2014 * R * 1h 45m Hillary Swank isn't just another Hollywood pretty face. She's no stranger to challenging roles. And in this film she does a magnificent job of displaying her acting chops. Swank plays Kate, a famous classical pianist who's just been diagnosed with ALS. She's gone through a series of helpers when Bec (Emmy Rossum) appears at her doorstep for a job interview. Even though she has almost no experience as a caregiver, let alone one dealing with a client with a debilitating disease, she's offered the job.
Kat's husband Evan (Josh Duhamel), who's a bit of a control freak, objects to hiring Bec, but Kate decides to hire her anyway. The two women couldn't be further apart personality-wise. But they quickly form a bond. Kate is a somewhat uptight woman, while Bec is a happy-go-lucky would-be singer/songwriter who does quite of sleeping around. The two actresses just seem to click together. They bring out the best in each other. And when Kate's marriage is on the rocks, she becomes even more dependent. on the feisty Bec
I though Swank's acting was nothing short of incredible. She must have done an inordinate amount of homework to play someone with ALS this accurately. You really feel for her, especially when she struggles to speak. A true Oscar-worthy performance. If you're up for a very moving cinematic experience, I'd highly recommend this film. Warning, be sure to have some tissues handy. Even as jaded a movie buff as I am, I found myself puddling up a couple times.
4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
Currently streaming for free with your library card on Hoopla. and Tubi Also on Pluto TV and Prime TV.
**** 2013 * PG* 1h 45m Quirky. That’s my term for a film genre I find so refreshing. Sure, Hollywood makes some great films. But I find them so predictable at times. Especially when it looks like the only thing they have to offer is sequels of hit movies and a seemingly endless supply of superhero adaptations. So I really look forward to the films of Hollywood outsiders like David Lynch, Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, and in this case the director Jean-Pierre Juenet. He’s been called the French Terry Gilliam and I can see why. I’m not into films that are weird just to be weird (like The Lobster by Yorgos Lanthimos, for example), I just like to see something different once in a while.
Juenet is best known for films like Amelie, City of the Lost Children, and Micmacs. He’s taken his innate creativity and imagination and adapted the best-selling novel by Reif Larsen, “The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet” for the big screen. The result is an absolutely delightful, and yes, quirky little film. This is a movie I think kids of all ages will enjoy.
The story is about a child-genius T.S. Spivet (Kyle Catlett), who lives with his offbeat family on a ranch in “The Big Sky Country” of Montana. Catlett does a brilliant job playing the precocious and nerdy young inventor. His dad (Callum Keith Rennie) is a good old-fashioned cowboy. His mom (Helena Bonham Carter) is an entomologist, and spends her time researching and documenting the bugs of the region. T.S. also has an older sister Gracie (Niamh Wilson) and a twin brother Layton (Jacob Davies), who died in a freak accident involving a firearm. The family doesn’t talk about his demise, and that’s an underlying theme in the movie.
One day, T.S. receives a phone call from the Smithsonian Institute. He’s informed that his invention, a perpetual motion machine, has won the prestigious Baird Award and the organization would like him to come to Washington D.C. to receive the prize in person. Little do they know the inventor is merely 10-years old! So, as preposterous as it may sound, T.S. embarks on a solo cross-country adventure. He packs his bags and hops freight trains to reach his destination.
The sets throughout this movie are just magical and border on the surreal. They’re brightly colored and look like something right out of a pop-up book. Interestingly, the pop-up book serves as a transitional device between chapters in the film. Adding to the charm of the visuals are diagrams, arrows, and charts when T.S. is explaining various concepts to us, the viewers. Of course, the boy genius runs into several interesting characters on his journey. Notably is an old salt, Two Clouds (Dominique Pinon), who loves to spin yarns. They all make for a memorable cross-country romp.
When he finally gets to D.C., he’s taken under the wing of the Smithsonian’s director Ms. Jibsen (Judy Davis), who’s at first shocked that the inventor is actually a child. When she recovers from this unexpected surprise, she’s all about marketing the young lad, and arranges a series of talk show engagements, and promotional events. It’s at this point in the story when T.S. reveals more about his brothers death, and the entire family comes to terms with their loss.
When doing a bit of research on Mr. Juenet, I noticed he has a new Netflix movie called Big Bug. I’ve only seen the previews, but it looks like an absolute riot. I look forward to seeing it! If you’re interested in some other offbeat directors, I suggest you check out the films of the Coen brothers, Jim Jarmusch, Taika Waititi, and Spike Jonze.
Currently streaming for free with your library card on Hoopla and Kanopy. Also free on Freevee and to rent on Prime Video.
2006 * PG-13 * 1h 36m The moving true story about Graeme Obree, the Scottish cycling champ who broke the one hour world record in 1993. Graeme (Jonny Lee Miller) was an unemployed cycling enthusiast who fashioned a revolutionary new bike out of scrap metal and washing machine parts.
The film begins with a cyclist out in the woods (who we later learn is in fact Graeme). He throws a rope over the branch of a tree with the intention of killing himself. We then cut to Graeme several years before, and follow him on his quest to build his bike and race to break the world record. What an inspiring story. You know going into the movie that he'll succeed, but it's the journey there that makes such a compelling film. Miller does a great job portraying Obree, as does Laura Fraser who plays his loyal and supportive wife Anne. I also enjoyed seeing Brian Cox, who plays a minister who's also in Obree's corner. It's always a delight to see him act.
The Flying Scotsman isn't all Chariot's of Fire success however. The film deals with Obree's chronic depression, which is partly due to his rough childhood. Overall, the film is full of hope and redemption. I must warn you though, the Scottish accents are a bit difficult at times. I may go back and watch this with the subtitles on. But if you're a fan of british films, you should be okay with the dialect.
4 out of 5 stars.
Streaming for free on Hoopla (with your library card) and Tubi.
2020 * Not Rated * 1h 40m Road trip movies are among my favorite genres. I'm also a big fan of Australian films. Combine the two and I'm all in. This quirky little film is about a young girl Monday (Ashlen Louden-Gamble) who has terminal illness. She's being raised by her father (Aaron Jeffery) in Sydney, in 1999. One day, she runs into Tyler (George Pullar) at a train station. He's just committed a robbery and is on the lam. The two of them end up joining forces and head out on the road together.
The scenery is absolutely phenomenal, and we encounter plenty of it when the couple travel across the country. He's a well-meaning kid who's had some bad breaks. Monday is in search of the fabled "Moon Rock" which she believes can cure her of her illness. He just wants to escape the law and start over. Like most good road trip movies, they encounter plenty of oddballs in their adventures. And the two have a great chemistry together. I thought the two leads were phenomenal. Monday seemed to be always in a good mood and was up for anything. Tyler, while he was dealt a lousy hand in life, is smart, resourceful, and is very protective of his young partner in crime.
This film won a number of international awards. However, since it's Australian, no one in this country seems to have heard of it. And that's a real shame. I just loved this film and hope you do as well.
4 1/2 out of 5 stars
Streaming for free with your library card on Hoopla. Also on Prime Video.
