Here – 3

/0 Comments/in , /by

This Belgian film spelled its title with a backward “r,” but it could just as well have been called “Where,” or even “Why?” The film festival programmer previewed it as “a film about soup, moss and love.” If he had added rain, a car in a repair shop and a Chinese diner he would have covered everything. Oh, and a vacation that never happened. The camera seemed stuck, the story was implausible–especially the bit about the soup, but the love affair was not far behind. There was a nice punch line at the end, but it didn’t make up for the preceding 80 minutes I’d waited in vain for something to happen. A rave reviewer called it “miraculously weightless.” I agree.

Theater Camp – 7

/0 Comments/in /by

A lightweight but enjoyable piffle, with Adam Platt and Molly Gordon riffing on Woody Allen: those who can’t act, teach; those who can’t teach, teach summer camp. Not all the pokes at acting school land, at least not for outsiders, but you can’t go wrong with talented kid actors, and the let’s-put-on-a-show finale is worth the wait. Meanwhile, the explanatory and narrative on-screen texts had tears of laughter streaming down my face.

Afire – 7.7

/0 Comments/in /by

A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Loser. Leon is an aspiring author who is insecure and nerdy: he always wears long black pants, even to the beach. The movie is about how he navigates among four self-assured companions at a seaside retreat. Answer: not very well. The characters are well drawn and Paula Beer is a wonderful actress: when she smiles her eyes jump off the screen. This is a character study and not a major Christian Petzold, a la Barbara or Transit, but still a serious film.

Barbie – 8

/0 Comments/in /by

A total goof with a popular message: give the women a chance! BarbieLand is a bit like Schmigadoon meets The Truman Show, and its main feature is a bevy of Barbies, led by Margot Robbie, whose gorgeousness is enough of a reason to see the movie. Ryan Gosling as Ken, not so much. The plot is clever but no great shakes; what makes the film fun are the supersmart if extraneous interjections and allusions: a criticism of Citizens United, Rhea Perlman as the Wizard of Oz, and pretty much everything involving Kate McKinnon and Will Ferrell. America Ferreira is a standout as the sole representative of Reality. What fun to watch a movie in the Arlington with a large audience primed to root for the home team!

Oppenheimer – 9

/0 Comments/in /by

Big–in themes, personalities, production values, cast, drama, historical significance and lessons for today. Three hours and I never looked at my watch. Christopher Nolan’s trademark nonlinear storytelling technique–confusing and distracting in Memento and Tenet, inter alia–works to heighten the tension in scenes with more conversation than action. With almost 80 named characters it can be a challenge to remember who is who, but Louisa Hall’s novel Trinity gave me a head start and the use of familiar actors like Matt Damon, Kenneth Branagh and Casey Affleck gave some comfort. The key to everything, of course, is Cillian Murphy’s portrayal of Oppenheimer, which is riveting but never showy. (Unfamiliar to me, Murphy is a Nolan regular and Irish!) His story is tragic, but the story of the atom bomb, and man’s place on the planet, is bigger.

The Night of the 12th – 6

/0 Comments/in , /by

It takes away suspense when the film announces at the outset that it’s about a murder that won’t get solved. The rest of the movie shows why other movies eschew that route. What, then, was this about? The relationships? Ho-hum. The characters? Not very interesting. Societal issues? Not very deep. Mildly interesting as a French police procedural, but nothing in comparison to Spiral.

The Innocent – 8

/0 Comments/in , /by

A cleverly plotted, very funny crime caper peopled with delightfully idiosyncratic characters. Every moment is fun an the relationships are touching. Only in French cinema would the robbery target be a shipment of caviar.

Past Lives – 6.5

/0 Comments/in /by

A sweet love story, although how sweet depends on one’s view of actress Greta Lee, whom I found more off-putting than charming. Maybe it’s a prejudice against Asian actresses (see Hong Chau in Showing Up and whoever was in Crazy Rich Asians and Everything Everywhere All At Once), but I missed the vulnerability of Julia Roberts, et al. Her marriage to Arthur didn’t make much sense, and the shots of “New York” were similarly unconvincing.

Vengeance – 6.5

/0 Comments/in /by

A fun cross-cultural spoof, with a bright-lights New Yorker writer turning his trip to West Texas into a podcast, like he’s visiting a zoo, only to find that the animals can not only talk but have a lot on their minds.  The lesson in self-awareness is less interesting than the characters he runs into, and if the plot is a little pat you can still admire its intricacy. The film didn’t have much wallop on TV, but it provided plenty to think about. Ashton Kutcher stands out.

Showing Up – 4

/0 Comments/in /by

A textbook example of “slow cinema,” which features long takes and nothing happening, Showing Up does not much more than its title. Michelle Williams plays a joyless depressive from a dysfunctional family who jousts with an unpleasantly aggressive Hong Chau. The main plot point involves a pigeon, which for director Kelly Reichardt is a step down from her previous films about a dog and a cow.