The Darkest Hour – 7.9

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What a nice companion to Dunkirk and The Crown, a view behind the scenes of what Churchill was going through in the days between his ascension to Prime Minister and the desperate evacuation of British troops from France. The portrait of Churchill doesn’t comport with the public view we’ve been given: here is generally disheveled, occasionally absentminded and generally out-of-touch with everyone around him. We are made to think that it was only through bucking-up by his wife, King George and his secretary (a wonderful Lily James) that he was able to find the resolution to lead his country – a not-quite-exhilarating take from a dramatic viewpoint. Nevertheless, it was hard not to shed tears when Churchill finds himself amid the common man on the tube and they show their English spirit. Best of all was the cynical look at the political process, something in too short supply, for me, in season 2 of The Crown.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi – 4

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After 25 minutes (!) of previews for movies we will never see, involving sci-fi or cartoon creatures and lots of noise and violence, we returned to the galaxy far, far away for a very tired story featuring very tired actors – e.g., Carrie Fisher and Mark Hammill – and the new generation, all of whom were apparently told to look earnest. An hour was all we could take. Intergalactic battle followed battle, none of which made any sense; the story lacked all novelty; and the acting, across the board, was embarrassing – even by Laura Dern, normally a favorite. The typical conflict involved scores, if not hundreds or thousands, of people dying, yet our stars inexplicably weren’t damaged. Or if they were, they quickly reattached their heads. I think you had to be part of the cult to follow, let alone enjoy, this film.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – 8.5

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Martin McDonagh channels the Coen Brothers at their best – think Fargo and No Country for Old Men – in this small-town dramedy where the stakes are small but emotions are large. Every line of dialogue is fraught and measured, delivered to perfection by Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson and an equally adept supporting cast. I was smiling throughout in this movie about a teenage girl who was set on fire and raped, and the juxtaposition never seemed awkward. Similarly, McDormand’s character was sympathetic and unforgivable at almost one and the same time. Like No Country, we aren’t told how the story ends, which also seems fine. There is a puzzle, though: how come the figure who must have been the rapist is cleared by the DNA evidence? If he’s not the rapist, the coincidences are just too great. McDormand, of course, is great and deserves an Oscar nod: she captures the screen just by thinking.

Jane – 8.2

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An enchanting story, beautifully told. Who could resist watching this “comely miss,” Jane Goodall, clambering through the Tanzanian jungle in safari shorts, to be rewarded by acceptance from a troop of colorful chimpanzees. There is drama and action to match Planet of the Apes and a bittersweet love story with the dreamboat photographer sent to record Jane’s discoveries and personal appeal. The wildlife of Africa, seen in both micro- and macro- views, provides stunning punctuation throughout. In these times of trouble, which certainly extend to Africa, how pleasant it is to encounter a story where good is done and determination is rewarded. My choice for the Oscars.

Murder on the Orient Express – 6

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The biggest source of mystery here was figuring out which famous stars were playing all the characters. Judi Dench was easy, but her companion was harder: Olivia Colman of Night Manager and Happy Valley. And who has seen Michelle Pfeiffer, who looked fabulous, in years? The scenery was lovely and the romance of a train ride remains vivid. What didn’t work, aside from the farfetched plot, was Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot. He never seemed comfortable in the role, and his constant presence left a gaping hole in the movie. Would a different director have noticed this?

Lady Bird – 8

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Adorable story of a high school senior in Sacramento, with Saoirse Ronan playing Greta Gerwig to a T. The humor is perceptive and non-stop, never broad, and the lead character works her believability into our minds and hearts. The coda in New York raises more questions than it answers and could have been omitted, but by then we’d been won over, so it hardly mattered.

Human Flow – 7.5

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Remarkable for what it was, an artistic portrait of refugee populations around the globe. Among the things it didn’t try to do: identify the causes of the refugee crisis, suggest solutions, blame anyone, show squalor or desperation, or make the audience feel guilty or bad. Like a good artwork, the film presents itself and lets the viewer bring her own thoughts, ideas and preconceptions to the experience. For example, although I doubt this was director Ai Weiwei’s intention, I thought immediately of how American foreign policy has caused or exacerbated almost every one of the refugee situations depicted – the Rohingya of Myanmar being perhaps the only exception. Everyone that Ai interviewed was articulate, fully clothed and seemingly healthy, and Ai’s casual appearance at each location was both lighthearted and a connective thread that brought the movie down to earth. Above all, the physical beauty of the cinematography and the geographic settings softened a story that otherwise might have been hard to sit through for two hours, twenty minutes.

Faces Places – 6

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On the plus side: A love letter to France, its small towns and its people (the French title, Visages Villages, says it better). The art of JR – huge black-and-white photo portraits pasted on local walls – that makes you smile.
The negative: whereas in many documentaries I am amazed how people ignore the fact they’re being filmed, here I felt every scene was played for the camera. The setup was hokey, the dialogue unnatural, and I never felt the “genuine affection” between JR and Agnes Varda that I sensed I was supposed to feel. What was Agnes Varda even doing in the picture? There were cute moments, but the whole was less than the sum of its parts, and could have been 20 minutes shorter without a complaint from me.

Ismael’s Ghosts – 6

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At one point we are intrigued by the face-off between two of France’s great actresses, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Marion Cotillard, who are both mysteriously attracted to the Woody Allen type, played by Matthieu Amalric, who is the confusing center of this film. Then the plot, such as it is, goes off the tracks and we are confronted with loose strands all over the place – none of which we really care about. Both main-selection films we saw at the NYFilm Festival this year were total director’s indulgences with little regard for us, the average audience, making me wary of signing up for more in the future. (PS: The Florida Project, which was also presented at the NYFF, would count as a third.)

The Florida Project – 4

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A movie about a not-especially-charming brat being “raised” by a mother who lies, cheats and steals and accepts no responsibility, with the seemingly inevitable result that the mother will go off to jail and the daughter will turn into her mother. I don’t know director Sean Baker’s point, but it’s hard to have any sympathy for the mother, as she is surrounded by other single parents with no greater advantages in life who hold jobs, help their neighbors and discipline their kids. Scenes were consistently cut short, often weren’t connected to anything, and there was no plot to speak of. Only an understated performance by Willem Dafoe rose to the level of professionalism.