A Hero
Starring: Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh, Sahar Goldstein, and Sarina Farhadi. (And if spell check didn’t just mess all that up, #winning.) Directed By: Asghar Farhadi. Where I Watched It: Amazon English Audio Description Available?: Thank God, Yes. The Plot: Raheem is a man currently on leave from a debtors prison that is trying to get his financial affairs in order when a purse full of gold crosses his path, and the decisions he makes could change his life forever. Should he use the money to pay off his debts, or is his honor more important as he looks to set … Continue reading A Hero
Spencer
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Jack Farthing, Sally Hawkins, Freddie Spry, and Sean Harris. Directed By: Paulo Laureen Where I Watched It: Apple VOD English Audio Description Available?: Yes. The Plot: At the end of her rope, Diana (Kristen Stewart) attends a family traditional Christmas, where she battles her own mental health, her desire to be a mother to her kids, and a strong need to end her marriage to Prince Charles (Jack Farthing). What Works: The kids who play William and Harry are delightful, and the best scenes in the entire film revolve around Diana being (or at least … Continue reading Spencer
The Mitchells Vs The Machines
Featuring The Voices Of: Abby Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Olivia Coleman, Eric Andre, Beck Bennett, Fred Armisen,John Legend, Chrissy Teegin, Blake Griffin, and Conan O’Brien. Directed By: Mike Rianda Where I Watched it: Netflix English Audio Description Available?: Yes The plot: When it’s time for a young girl (Jacobsen) to leave the nest and go to college, her dad (McBride) has a hard time letting go, and decides to make her trip to her college a fun road trip for the whole family. Then an apocalypse led by AI (Coleman) turns their road trip into a hell scape. What … Continue reading The Mitchells Vs The Machines
Analyzing A Wide Open Oscar Race
Oscar nominations are being announced this Tuesday, and while I’ve paid attention to this race, I’ve also learned how incredibly wide open it is, and there is sort of a anything can happen attitude among even the most stringent prognosticators. So, here are my thoughts on each of the major contenders. Shaking it up a bit with the format. The Power Of The Dog: One thing everyone seems to agree on is that Jane Campion is headed for Oscar glory. Not only is she a lock for a nomination, but everyone believes she will win. Two back-to-back female director wins … Continue reading Analyzing A Wide Open Oscar Race
The Green Knight
Starring: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, and Joel Edgerton. Directed by David Lowry Where I Watched It: Apple VOD English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: An adaptation of the classic tale of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) and the Green Knight, directed by the guy who had Casey Affleck walk around in.a white sheet for an entire film. What Works: I know this film is divisive, and I only see a few reasons… maybe minor changes I’ll get to later… as to why this film isn’t in the Oscar conversation. But, real talk. Can we please start talking more about David … Continue reading The Green Knight
Ghostbusters Afterlife
Starring: Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Paul Rudd, Logan Kim, Celeste O’Connor, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Shoreh Agadashloo, JK Simmons, Bokeem Woodbine, Josh Gad, Annie Potts, and Sigourney Weaver. Directed By: Jason Reitman Where I Watched It: Apple VOD English Audio Description Available: Yes The Plot: A struggling mother (Coon) finds out her father, from whom she has been long estranged, has passed away and left her a creaky old house in a small sleepy town. So, she packs up her two kids (Wolfhard/Grace) and heads out to tie up loose ends. But, she really had no … Continue reading Ghostbusters Afterlife
Nightmare Alley
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Rooney Mara, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, David Strathairn, Mary Steenburgen, Ron Perlman, Jim Beaver, Tim Blake Nelson, Holt McCallany, and Clifton Collins Jr. Directed By: Guillermo Del Toro Where I Watched It: Hulu English Audio Description Available: Hulu hates blind people, so no. Of course, I’m sure it exists, it’s just hulu can never be bothered to acquire audio description. The Plot: A charming con artist )Cooper) learns how to manipulate people through learning from carnies, and believes he’s landed the ultimate con, with the help of a psychologist (Blanchett) who may be … Continue reading Nightmare Alley
The Power Of The Dog
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Directed By Jane Campion. The Plot: Two brothers (Cumberbatch and Plemons) run a ranch, and their lives are forever changed when one marries a widow (Dunst), who has a rather interesting son (Smit-McPhee) that seems very at odds with the environment around him. Lots of long staring and heavy thinking ensue. What Works and What Doesn’t: Usually, I break these into two fairly divided sections, but The Power Of The Dog is not a typical film, so it gets atypical treatment. This is not my first rodeo with Jane Campion’s … Continue reading The Power Of The Dog
Long Story Short
Starring: Rafe Spall Directed By: Josh Lawson Where I Watched it: Netflix English Audio Description Available?: No The Plot: Time loop/travel movie alert! This time, a man )Spall) wakes up the morning after his wedding to discover that through a magical chance occurrence, his life jumps forward in time every few minutes. Life truly is short. What Works: I’ve been really appreciating the work that Rafe Spall has been doing on Apple’s drama Trying, so seeing him elevated to sole lead in this comedy was an interesting idea. There literally isn’t anyone in this cast other than Spall whose name … Continue reading Long Story Short
Mayor Pete
Starring: Pete and Chastain and a bunch of other people along the way. Directed By: Jesse Moss Where I Watched it: Amazon English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: A documentary attempting to chart the meteoric rise of the Mayor of South Bend as he embarks on his quest to become the first openly gay President of the United States. What Works: Well, the runtime is pretty accessible. Not to insult Pete, but I think a long documentary about him would be a bit much at this point in time. Hopefully, he will continue to be a major player in … Continue reading Mayor Pete
The Last Night In Soho
Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg, Michael Ajao, Syonnve Karlson, Jessie Mai Li, and Terence Stamp. Directed By Edgar Wright Where I Watched it: Apple (VOD) English Audio Description Available: Yes The Plot: Ellie (McKenzie) heads off to school with big dreams, and stumbles into a portal back to the 1960’s where everything seems much sexier, and Ellie finds herself engaged in this fantastical world, that soon starts to unravel everything she knows. What Works: I don’t want to spoil things, but I might say some things here that are slightly spoilery depending on how much … Continue reading The Last Night In Soho
Dear Evan Hansen
Starring: Ben Platt, Kaitlyn Dever, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Danny Pino, Colton Ryan, Amandla Stenberg, and ink Dodani, Directed By Stephen Chbosky Where I Watched it: Apple VOD English Audio Description Available? Yes The Plot: Based on the Tony winning musical about a despondent youth (Platt) who after a chance encounter with a classmate (Ryan), who shortly after ends up committing suicide, is thrown into a complicated world of white lies and blurred lines that continue to get out of control. What Works: So the source material is strong. I loved hearing so many of the songs here, and especially … Continue reading Dear Evan Hansen
Promised Land (Pilot)
Starring: John Ortiz (and I suppose Bellamy Young?) Where I Watched it: Hulu (though it originally airs on ABC) English Audio Description Available? So far, yes. The Plot: Centers around a Latinx family that owns a winery, and has done rather well for themselves… but dark secrets abound. What Works: So, there’s a natural desire to jump up and down about John Ortiz finally getting to lead his own…something. He’s worked so hard in supporting character roles for years, I want this to work for him. I’m also a fan of Bellamy Young. I’m not familiar with the rest of … Continue reading Promised Land (Pilot)
Summer Of Soul Or How The Revolution Could Not Be Televised
Featuring footage that includes many major black musicians around in 1969, as well as interviews and commentary from current day talking heads. Directed By: Questlove Where I Watched it: Hulu English Audio Description Available? Yes The Plot: Questlove revisits the Harlem Music Festival from the summer of 1969 that was such a celebration of black artists and black pride, and deeply personal. What Works: So there are different schools of thought on what I’m about to say here. The latter being that when a documentarian is so deeply connected to their own subject material they can run the risk of … Continue reading Summer Of Soul Or How The Revolution Could Not Be Televised
The First Wave
Starring: A bunch of first responders and medical professionals who might have saved your life. Directed By: Matthew Heineken Where I Watched It; Hulu English Audio Description Available?: No. The Plot: Taking a rather voyeuristic approach to the beginning of the Covid pandemic, director Matthew Heineken makes a film that not just shows us what these hospitals and their staff were going through, but attempts to encapsulate that period of time for future generations. What Works: Well, it’s hard to hate on a film that is largely celebratory of the hard working medical professionals who spend so many hours, days, … Continue reading The First Wave
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