Starring Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrellson

It wasn’t an accident to use Missouri as the film’s setting. With all the recent baggage coming from that state (one not often thought of as southern), McDonagh sets his tale of a single mother going full vigilante after her daughter’s rape/murder goes unsolved. Mildred Hayes (played by McDormand, who will most likely get an Oscar nod) is not a very charming woman. She’s bitter and mean, and, after aiming some rather pointed criticisms of the town’s well loved sheriff (Harrellson), she becomes a pariah. Sam Rockwell plays Officer Dixon, a dumb, racist, and inept cop at war with seemingly everybody. How the characters come together is surprising and satisfying though the path getting there seems  dramatically uneven. That would be a fatal shortcoming in most films, but here, perhaps because the writing is so sly, savage, and challenging, with the actors fully up to the challenge, that its bizarre shifts in tone become part of its strength. It feels like McDonagh was rebelling against tone. McDormand is sensational, Harrellson makes a moving tragic figure, and Rockwell turns an over the top characterization into an unforgettable character. I’m still questioning whether my problems with the film actually were problems, which is a sign that Three Billboards is something special.

Julieta  82% on Rotten Tomatoes                     7 (Amazon Prime)

Starring Emma Suárez, Adriana Ugarte, Inma Cuesta, Michelle Jenner

Plot Summary-A chance reunion with the friend of her estranged daughter sets Julieta down memory lane, as she tries to recall the events that led to her daughter leaving.

My Take-Julieta lets its slight plot unfold slowly which gives it a weight that would otherwise not be there. We see an older Julieta think back on why her daughter left, and flashbacks reveal a younger Julieta who has turned her back to her father for cheating when she herself is engaged in an affair. The film feels less thematic than some of Almodovar’s best work, but Julieta is masterfully done and intriguing.

-Directed by Pedro Almodovar, 2016

Dinosaur    65% on Rotten Tomatoes                       7 (DVD)

Voices of Ossie Davis, Alfre Woodard, D.B Sweeney, Julianna Margulies, Della Reese, Joan Plowright

Plot Summary-A meteor crashing down causes all types of  displaced dinosaurs to band together in order to find a new home. Aladar, an Iguanodon raised by Lemurs, does his best to help the weaker ones make it as the brutish leader, Kron, practices survival of the fittest.

My Take-The plot is very simple (some might even say thin), but i find it enjoyable. The characters are strongly defined and the voice work is excellent. Known mostly as a technical marvel when first released, the special effects have naturally aged, but hold up pretty well.

-Directed by Ralph Zondag and Eric leighton, 2000

Chances Are 64% on Rotten Tomatoes                        6 (VHS)

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Cybill Shepherd, Ryan O’Neal, Mary Stuart Masterson

Plot Summary-A lawyer dies suddenly just as he stumbles on a huge scandal and his wife gives birth to a daughter, causing him to seek reincarnation as a way of getting back. Granted, he is reborn as Alex Finch (Downey Jr.). Twenty or so years later he runs into his old family and best friend (O’Neal), bringing all the memories from his old life flooding back.

My Take-Deliberate attempt at a lighthearted and charming old-time movie comes out mostly successful. Awkward moments distract from the film’s romantic nature at times.

-Directed by Emile Ardolino, 1989

-Walter Howard-

Excellent week, mixing in old favorites with multiple trips to the theater (seeing American Made and Blade Runner 2049).

Rio Bravo 100% on Rotten Tomatoes                      9 (BLU-RAY)

Starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Walter Brennan, Angie Dickinson, Ricky Nelson

Plot Summary-After arresting a wealthy and corrupt man’s brother, Sheriff John T. Chance (Wayne) must hold his small town prison off from a horde of deadly mercenaries. The only help he has are his two deputies, the self-destructive Dude (Martin), and the lame Stumpy (Brennan).

My Take-Classic western, one of the last and best of the old Hollywood style, coming right before the genre would be redefined by Italians and Sam Pechinpah. Centered more on characters and dialogue than most westerns, Rio Bravo is a terrific entertainment, kind of a boy’s fantasy. Hanging out with friends. Facing off against villains. Romancing a beautiful woman.

-Directed by Howard Hawks, 1959

Aladdin 94% on Rotten Tomatoes                        8 (VHS)

Solid week. Watched a number of good films. Saw It in theaters. Meanwhile, I’ve been watching a few television series: Sneaky Pete, Gravity Falls, and Glow. The week’s highlight? Seeing Jaws again for the first time in over ten years.

The Naked Spur   100% on Rotten Tomatoes                  8 (Filmstruck)

Starring James Stewart, Ralph Meeker, Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan

Plot Summary-Wanting to begin again in life, Howard Kemp (Stewart) tracks down a wanted fugitive and plans to collect on his bounty. The venture is complicated by two strangers-one a caddish soldier and the other a deceptively meek prospector-who want a piece of the pie. The three men transport the criminal and his girl, while always keeping an eye on each other.

My Take-The best of what are termed the Anthony Mann psychological westerns. With shades of Treasure of the Sierra Madre, the chief pleasure of the film is its clash of distinct characters. As a Hollywood western of the classic tradition, it’s a little too glossy at times. Still a superb picture. Simple story, complex western.

-Directed by Anthony Mann, 1953

Jaws       97% on Rotten Tomatoes                        9 (Netflix)

Starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss

Plot Summary- An island resort town is in chaos when it’s found out that a shark is terrorizing their water in the heart of the summer season. A bereaved mother puts a bounty on the shark’s head, after it kills her son, which brings dozens of insane hunters to the beach. Sheriff Brody (afraid of water) deals with all of this.

My Take-Exemplary monster film. Holding off on revealing the monster is cliche now thanks to how perfectly that technique was demonstrated here, and then copied by later films. There are only three real characters with any depth here, but Spielberg makes them interesting enough to carry the action. Quint (played by Shaw) steals most of the scenes as the most colorful character. Later scenes drag a little. I’d say early in the third act. The first half and the movie’s conclusion though are top notch.

-Directed by Steven Spielberg, 1975

Road to Hong Kong     No Rotten Tomatoes Score                          7  (Youtube)

Starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Joan Collins

Plot Summary-Zaniness, gags, and meta humor abound as Hope and Crosby (both long in the tooth) get roped into a world domination plot that brings them to Hong Kong.

My Take-The last in the Road to… series maintains all of the humor and fun of the previous movies. Bob Hope has at least a dozen clever one-liners, the songs are catchy, and I really enjoy the exotic locales. Naturally there’s plenty here in terms of cultural representations that is outdated. (Whites playing Asians or Indians mainly.) Peter Sellers is hilarious though as a shady Indian doctor.

-Directed by Norman Panama, 1962

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery   70% on Rotten Tomatoes           7 (VHS)

Starring Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Robert Wagner

Plot Summary- Austin Powers, a ’60s super spy, is cryogenically frozen, literally put on ice, to be thawed out once his arch nemesis, Dr. Evil, returns. thirty years later, the two return and have to adjust to the ’90s.

My Take-Very episodic, with a plot that is nearly irrelevant. Mike Myers is, however, a comedic genius of sorts and the characters he creates here are classic. Austin Powers is mostly a feature length series of jokes, but the jokes are very good, and even the lesser jokes are milked for humor by Myers successfully. Works especially well if you’ve seen the Bond films.

-Directed by Jay Roach, 1997

-Walter Howard-