Dark Was the Night

So here's the big problem with this movie. It's set in a northern town that sits at the southern end of a great big huge forest. Nearly everyone in this town has livestock, is a hunter, or knows a lot about woods and the creatures in them. So when something large and predatory starts hunting the hunters in the town, you would think these knowledgeable people would make certain very very basic assumptions about what is after them, with one really basic assumption being the key thing. And when I say basic, I mean a really BASIC thing any child would know about animals. The entire end of the movie banks on the fact that no one in the town ever thought about this REALLY BASIC thing. The "twist" of this film requires both the viewer and all the characters in this movie to be idiots and never think of this extraordinarily basic thing which I figured out about half way through. I swear I got hoarse yelling at the TV about what idiots everyone in this movie was. This is a shame because this movie has some great acting and beautiful cinematography, but, I'm sorry, that gaping plot hole was just a bit much for me. 3/5

Dark Was the Night on Netflix

Woodshock

This first film from Kate and  Laura Mulleavy is one of the most ambitious directorial debuts I've even seen. These women held nothing back and created a unique and visually stunning film that was utterly gorgeous. I've seen seasoned directors fail miserably trying to create half the atmosphere and photographic excellence that this film had. As far as the visuals go, I can't say a single thing against it. It's in the script where this film falls down. Much like "A Ghost Story", another recent visually stunning release, this film tries to accomplish much without dialogue or direct pieces of information upon which the viewer can understand the world. However, where "A Ghost Story" succeeded brilliantly, this film falters by leaving far too much unsaid. Without any kind of grasp as to the nature and gravity of the actions taken in this film, I couldn't relate to or connect with the characters. The denouement of this film was shocking, but I suspect, had I really understood the gravity of previous actions, I would have been completely devastated by it. I feel strongly that with a more fleshed out script this could have been an amazing film on every level, and I will be very interested to see what that Mulleavy women do next. 3.5/5

Woodshock on Netflix

The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear

First thing - this is NOT a movie for children. It's very very dark for the most part with a lot of death in it. However, it's also incredibly lovely and tender with a lot of love in it. The questions this film asks are very profound, and I'm not sure there is a right or wrong response to any of them. The animation is just gorgeous, like constantly flowing watercolors. I loved everything about this. 5/5

The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear on Netflix

Shrek 2

I saw the first "Shrek" a couple of months ago but didn't write it up at the time due to a massive migraine. I had liked it, found it rather clever, and rated it a solid 4 stars. I was hoping the sequel would live up to its predecessor, and it almost did.... almost. I thought it was a clever story, and the animation was gorgeous of course, but it lacked the heart the first had. The characters became much more stereotypical than in the first film, and Fiona's agency was severely reduced. I get what the script was going for, I do, but I never felt it hit the mark. I hope the third regains more of the magic of the first. 3/5

Shrek 2 on Netflix

Mouchette

I have heard it said about the films of Robert Bresson that you'll either love them or hate them. I'd didn't hate this, but I really didn't like it much either. The lack of professional actors was a big problem for me. I really wish directors didn't attempt this so often - looking at you, Werner Herzog - as it so rarely works out. The script was just confusing to me - it wasn't clear why anyone was acting so horribly, and by the end I was starting to get angry about it. I did love the picturesque direction, and some of the shots were really gorgeous. On the whole, though, this really didn't work for me, but I will give Bresson another chance or two. 2.5/5

Mouchette on Netflix

The Poughkeepsie Tapes

I don't know how I've never seen or heard of this film before. I'm frankly not even sure how it got on my queue, but boy, was this a revelation. Super low budget horror, more often than not, goes horridly wrong, because it become hard to suspend disbelief when the acting or the filming is done poorly. However, the Dowdle brothers took a micro budget and made an utterly real and completely believable world that was convincing enough I had to check Google to find out if what I was seeing was real or fiction. It was such a masterful film is every way - I was on the edge of my seat the whole movie trying to guess what was coming. Given the budget and time constraints of filming, it's amazing to me how great this was. I loved it, truly. 5/5

The Poughkeepsie Tapes on Netflix

The Glass Castle

I remember reading this memoir when it came out and being incredibly moved by it. When I saw they were making it into a film I was leery, but, when I saw the casting, I knew it would be a thing of beauty, and it was. Brie Larson and Woody Harrelson should both get nominations this year for their work in this film. In fact, the entire cast, including the youngest children, were all amazing and excelled in bringing the emotion of the story to life. Cretton's screenplay and direction was very intimate and moving. He had such a handle on the small nuances of the story, and it was really beautiful how it all came together. I was really affected by this, and I hope they remember this film during award season. 4.5/5

The Glass Castle on Netflix

Beatriz at Dinner

I'm not sure what to make of this film. I have to say at the outset that Salma Hayek was just phenomenal in this, and the rest of the cast turned in gold star performances as well. The direction was quite lovely with some truly beautiful photography. I'm just really stuck on the script. As the film develops, I found it harder and harder to understand what motives were driving the characters, and the ending left me truly baffled. I do freely admit that the point of this script is to force the viewer to question our beliefs about people and their behaviors, but I just felt I needed a bit more to go on to understand and appreciate the ending. I feel like there was some footage left on the cutting room floor that would have gone a long way to making this a more complete vision. As it is, I enjoyed it but felt it could be better. 3/5

Beatriz at Dinner on Netflix