Jackie

Honestly, this was barely a 3-star movie. The plot was very scattered, the characters lacked depth, the direction felt canned and stale. In my mind, it was the acting that pushed it barely over to 3 stars. Portman was quite compelling - she looked and sounded as I remember Jackie Kennedy, albeit a bit colder. Billy Crudup and Peter Sarsgaard were both quite good as well. I just never felt pulled into the story or feeling deeply for the characters, which is why this fell flat for me. 3/5

Jackie on Netflix

20th Century Women

I wasn't sure how I would feel about this film coming in, as I feared it might get preachy and forced. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was more of a celebration of life, coming of age, and what it means to be alive and free. The acting was very strong across the board, and the script was witty and clever whilst still being deep and meaningful. I found myself very drawn into the story and I loved the way it ended. Very moving, I recommend it. 4/5

20th Century Women on Netflix

Rudderless

Long time readers of this blog will know well that, for the last several years, I've been singing the praises of Anton Yelchin and have repeatedly stated he was one of the brightest young stars I've seen lately. When he died so tragically recently I was gutted, as we'd never get to see the fullness of his true potential. I rented this because because of Yelchin, and, as always, he shined brightly in in. I had no idea he could play guitar and sing like this, which made the pain of watching it doubly bad. But, without a doubt, the star of this picture is Billy Crudup, who I often overlook when thinking of truly talented actors. This was William H. Macy's directorial debut, and he picked a challenging and difficult script for it. It's impossible to discuss what transpires without spoilers, so I'll just say I was floored by the turn of events, and thought a lot about all the different responses to that turn. I will also say that I plan to hunt down the soundtrack to this film as it was truly amazing. I loved this film - it was beautifully told and acted throughout. A real gem. 4.5/5

Rudderless on Netflix

The Stanford Prison Experiment

I have a lot to say about this film, but I will endeavor to be brief. As a student of psychology, I know a great deal about this all-too-real experiment. I have been waiting for a lot of years for some one to step up and make an accurate film about this terrifying experiment, and that film has finally arrived. This film is scarily accurate in it's detail and attention to the actual events that took place over those six days. I don't think there's one inaccurate detail in the film, due in part to Dr. Zimbardo's ongoing participation in the making of it. Billy Crudup's Zimbardo was scary good, and Ezra Miller as #8612 and Michael Angarano as "John Wayne" were just astounding standouts. The music set the perfect ambiance, the direction was appropriately claustrophobic, and the script was note-perfect. I couldn't be more pleased that Kyle Patrick Alvarez nailed this. A must-see - everyone needs to see this and remember what we learned in these important six days. 5/5

The Stanford Prison Experiment on Netflix

Thin Ice

Maybe I just watch too many movies but I guessed every single second of this, beginning to end. Good acting though. 3/5

Thin Ice on Netflix