Stay tuned…
Movies: seen on TV, probably on a streaming service, or on an airplane
- Goodbye June. The critics called it formulaic and trite, while acknowledging the acting. I don’t expect much these days from movies seen on TV, so I found it enjoyable enough and thought the acting was sensational, and the family dynamics did feel true, for the most part.
- Sinners. Wow, this was a strange film. Riveting acting and some incredible scenes, but unfamiliar in many ways, a film about black history and culture and music fused with a vampire horror film.
- Bugonia. Jesse Plemons, as usual, is incredible, and this film, in a good way, is bonkers.
- Pillion. This film was also bonkers. And engaging, sad, sexy and quite beautiful.
- Sentimental Value. I tend to like Scandinavian entertainment, and I thought this was engaging and complex with sensational performances. I was rapt.
- One Battle After Another. We didn’t read about this (except for the awards nominations) and so thought, from the title, that it was a war movie. Instead, a fast-paced nearly three hours with a crazy, inventive soundtrack, jarring tonal shifts and magnetic performances. I can see why it’s gotten all the praise.
- We tried to watch Marty Supreme and found Marty so unappealing and uninteresting that we gave up!
- We Are Jeni. An extraordinary documentary from SBS about Jeni Haynes and her Disassociative Identity Disorder and her successful battle for justice and putting her monstrous father in prison.
- The Roses. I would agree with the critics that the supporting cast were superfluous, but I enjoyed Benedict and Olivia so much in this.
- Hamnet. Wow. Such an interesting story. Amazing actors. And I was transported into the story, without a doubt, immediately. Beautiful. And hard to watch.
- Perfect Days. A friend wanted to see this and we found it on TV on streaming and my god, it was a perfect film, apparently Wim Wenders’ best. Timothée Chalamet received so much praise for his crying scene at the end of Call Me By Your Name, but I say that paled in comparison to Kôji Yakusho’s magnificent finish to this film, such a quiet film, about noticing, about being in the present.
- Project Hail Mary. I read that this film was liked, and Ryan Gosling is always dependable, but managed not to read anything about it. So, it was a great surprise for this science fiction comedy buddy film to unfold. I was greatly entertained.
- Dix Pour Cent, Le Film (Call My Agent! the movie). I really did enjoy this series when it came out and it was a bit of a phenomenon with the non-French remakes. So, I should have loved this, checking in with the old gang. But somehow, the magic was gone for me. Critics seemed to love it though.
Movies (seen in the cinema)
- Le Chant des Forêts (Whispers in the Woods): A French documentary with probably the best wildlife filming that I’ve ever seen. The film was beautiful and captivating.