The Hero

The one real reason to watch this film is Sam Elliott, who gives a masterful performance in the lead role. Sadly, I didn't feel the script had enough meat on it to give Elliott the real showcase he deserved. It lacked emotional depth for the characters, and I never really felt I understood anyone's motivations for what they were doing. Without a sense of past or motivation in the present, I felt the film was a bit adrift. A good film that perhaps left too many bits of greatness on the editing room floor. 3/5

The Hero on Netflix

Fireworks Wednesday

A few weeks ago I saw "The Separation", an understated drama by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, and I enjoyed it so much I immediately put more of his films in my queue. This quiet little drama by Farhadi really hit me in the heart and the gut. It takes such a talent to write deftly-crafted stories with well-rounded characters and still keep the film very low-key, understated, and cerebral. These are stories that make you think, and the more your think about what you are seeing, the more you will see, and the harder the story hits you when it all finally unravels. I was incredibly impressed by this, and will definitely continue to go through Farhadi's catalogue. Highly recommended. 4/5

Fireworks Wednesday on Netflix

Dheepan

This movie about a refugee family seeking asylum in France is very thought-provoking and completely engrossing. It brings home the experience of what it must be like to be torn from a war-ravaged homeland into an almost equally frightening foreign land full of gang wars and often brutal violence. Which devil is better - the one you know or the one you don't? The acting is truly stellar in this film - it felt utterly genuine all the way through. The direction was beautifully done, and the script was excellent as well. I highly recommend this excellent film. 4/5

Dheepan on Netflix

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

Manchester by the Sea

Wow. I'm still blown away by this. It's a tsunami of emotion, ceaselessly and relentlessly beating the viewer with sadness and helplessness and despair. It does this without having a huge "Oscar moment". There is no break in the tension that is created by all that is left unsaid. When the film was over, I started weeping. I didn't know what else I could do. All of this is because of the performance of Casey Affleck. It was probably the most subtle acting job I've ever seen. Everything is held beneath the surface, all of his character's rage and depression and guilt over things in his past that he can never change. I waited the whole movie for him to break and shed some of the weight he was carrying, but, when the film ended, it was all the harder because he didn't. It's a masterclass of acting, and I can absolutely see why he won the Oscar. Those who won't watch this film are missing out on a performance so nuanced and deft that it will simply break your heart. Watch this film. 5/5

Mancehster by the Sea on Netflix

Moonlight

This was a tender, complex, heartfelt, and lovely movie. I felt for the characters in the film, and I was drawn into their story wholly. The acting is top-notch, particularly Trevante Rhodes, who I thought gave a masterclass in subtlety in acting. However, I cannot say that this was the best picture of the year. I would even have a hard time putting it into the top five pictures of the year. Of the nine films nominated for Best Picture, I have seen four thus far - "Arrival", "Hell of High Water", "Hacksaw Ridge", and this. I felt all three of the other films were superior to this. And I still feel that, hands down, "Swiss Army Man" was the best picture of 2016, and I will be amazed if my opinion on that changes, as I think that was one fo the best films I have ever seen. I know why this was a popular choice to win, and I do understand it, but I cannot agree with it. It's a great and wonderful film, but just not the best picture of the year. 4/5

Moonlight on Netflix

Advantageous

This sci-fi drama is so provocative and engaging. The moral and ethical questions it asks are profound and have no easy answers. The sad thing is I can see this future emerging even today, and I don't think we're in the least prepared to face it. Jennifer Phang co-wrote and directed this with a masterful touch. The direction was beautiful, and I loved that she didn't feel the need to hold my hand and guide me through the plot. I really enjoyed this and highly recommend it. 4/5

Advantageous on Netflix

Boy A

This is a truly profound and powerful drama because it forces the viewer to try to reconcile the timid and peaceful young man we meet in the film with the horrific actions he committed in the past. It works so brilliantly, in part due to a compelling script, but mostly because Andrew Garfield gives a tour de force performance in the lead role. Garfield is so spot on with every little nuance of his delivery that it was hard at times to remember he was an actor and that I wasn't watching a documentary. It's a powerful film with a perfect ending. One of the best I've seen lately. 5/5

Boy A on Netflix

Owl and the Sparrow

This is a beautiful movie that made me cry real tears all through the end. It's full of heart and is in the spirit of "Amelie" with a ten-year old Vietnamese girl as the matchmaker. The acting is quite good, and little Han Thi Pham is adorable. I really enjoyed this, it's a very special film. 4/5

Owl and the Sparrow on Netflix

Four

I became completely invested in these characters and their stories very early on in this film. I was intrigued by all the questions asked and glad not all of them got answered. I really enjoyed how this film dealt with notions of togetherness and what it means to be connected to someone in the modern age. The acting was very solid and the direction tight. Two thumbs up for this intimate drama. 4/5

Four on Netflix

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House

Reviewers of this Netflix original psych thriller are heavily divided about it. Half feel this is a work of brilliance, and the other half feel it's a terrible waste of time. Surprisingly, I find myself in the former camp - I thought this film was stunning. I don't mind slow-moving films, but the pace of this is glacial at best, and normally that annoys me quickly. But I could have watched this for hours, I really could have. The tone and atmosphere of it is just breathtaking, and the scenes are interwoven with poetry that is so haunting and lovely that I was mesmerized. I tried to find the opening monologue somewhere online, but it seems no one has capped or transcribed it. I absolutely feel that there are symbolic layers to this I didn't pick up on in this viewing - I'll have to watch it again to get it all I think. Ruth Wilson was captivating in this - I really enjoyed it. I certainly won't forget it. 4/5

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House on Netflix

Amanda Knox

 I admit I only knew some of the more sensational details about the Amanda Knox story, so I was very interested in learning more in this documentary. I wasn't disappointed - this film gave a thorough accounting from the views of Knox and Sollecito, the police, and the press. I can see how Knox's demeanor must have seemed strange to many, but it is so important to remember that trauma affects everyone in very different ways. Coming out of this film, I am inclined to believe Knox is innocent, but, as with most true crime, we'll never truly know. A fascinating film. 4.5/5

Amanda Knox on Netflix

A Bigger Splash

This arty drama had promise and a strong lead performance from Tilda Swinton, who managed to deliver poignant emotion with virtually no dialogue and never speaking above a whisper. The plot built slowly to its inevitable conclusion, buoyed by another strong performance by Fiennes. Unfortunately, my praise ends there, as the rest of the characters were derivative and the plot slow and clumsy. I had expected it to be more daring, but it never seemed to get going for me. Just average I'm afraid. 3/5

A Bigger Splash on Netflix

In the Name of My Daughter

This is certainly an interesting story, and I'm going to look up the real case to see what truth there is in this movie. I was struck by the acting, but, even at two hours, I didn't feel I learned enough to really make a judgment about the fate of Agnes Le Roux. It all felt very surface to me. Good, not great. 3/5

In the Name of My Daughter on Netflix

By the Sea

After the news of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie splitting up, it seemed only fitting to rent this, their last film together. I admit I wasn't having it for the first hour. Pitt and Jolie were awkward and strained in their dialogue, and I felt estranged from the story they were trying to tell. But as the second hour unfolded, I found I grew more invested in their characters and the story, although I will say the secret was not what I expected. All in all I felt unfulfilled by this, but it was interesting to watch in light of recent events. I suspect the characterizations in this aren't far off from the truth. 3.5/5

By the Sea on Netflix

Clouds of Sils Maria

I don't know how I wound up renting so many movies with Kristen Stewart in them so close together, but this is another one. Again, I protest that anyone who still believes Stewart can't act needs to watch her in something like this, which is essentially a two woman powerhouse drama with her and Juliette Binoche. I maintain that anyone who can stand up to Binoche as Stewart does for nearly two hours is one heck of an actress, because Binoche is magical in this, as in all things. The problem with this movie and the reason it only has three and a half stars is the ending, which is... nonexistent. After investing so much time and energy into these two women, the ending we are given is, quite frankly, insulting. I understand the metaphors at play, I really do, but it is so unsatisfying that I docked a half star for having to suffer through the last fifteen minutes of this. A great movie for one and three quarter hours, but be prepared to hate the end. 3.5/5

Clouds of Sils Maria on Netflix

Every Thing Will Be Fine

Straight up, this was a bad movie. The acting was absolutely leaden. Franco's been coasting through roles lately, but in this he was barely a cardboard cutout. I would fault him except the rest of the cast was as well, so it had to be a directorial decision. The direction was also really off, with a weird score that distracted me throughout. This was not a good film. 2/5

Every Thing Will Be Fine on Netflix

Labyrinth of Lies

This German drama about the generation after the Nazis attempting to reconcile the actions of their parents and their country is truly affecting and quite well written. The acting is solid and I was thoroughly engaged throughout. This was a period of time for Germany I really didn't know much about - I was pleasantly surprised by this. 4/5

Labyrinth of Lies on Netflix

Gloria

When we first meet Gloria, played by the 54-year-old Paulina Garcia, she is dancing alone in a club with sexy abandon. This is a woman confident in herself and her sexuality, and it is truly glorious (pun fully intended) to behold. Funny that it takes a Spanish import to make a film with such a strong, capable, sensual older woman as the lead, but it's just marvelous. I really enjoyed this film, and the ending? Superb. Highly recommended if you like good character studies. 4.5/5

Gloria on Netflix

Miles Ahead

I get what Cheadle was trying to do with this film, I do. I feel it's much in the same vein as Spacey's ode to Bobby Darin, "Beyond the Sea", in both style and form. And, like Spacey, Cheadle wrote, directed, starred, and played much of the music in this film. Cheadle's acting was strong, but the script.... not so much. It became cartoonish for the most part and never sat down to tell a coherent story. Cheadle let the direction get away from him quite a bit as well. There was one moment when Cheadle, as Davis, pushed the camera out of the way as he passed through the scene. I was so shocked out of the story I had to rewind it and see it again. It was egregious and just tore me out of the film. I was left not knowing what to think about Miles Davis, which I suspect is the opposite intention of the film. Not great for me. 2.5/5

Miles Ahead on Netflix