Last week, I watched 7 movies:
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- There’s a lot to like in Sword of Trust, with a strong performance from Maron and an improvised feel that often lends the movie a likable, laidback quality. That doesn’t always work in its favor, however, as the movie can sometimes lean into naturalism at the expense of jokes and any plot development. But it’s a fun idea with some playfully observed characters.
- The Long Dumb Road is an amiable enough road trip, with interesting if not always likable (or even fully drawn out) characters, though its lack of direction doesn’t always feel like an asset.
- It’s an interesting tactic, making your central character an unlikable dimwitted manchild, but that might be the most interesting thing about Most Likely to Murder has some fun with observing that character, and to its credit allows him some growth, but that still means hanging out with a dumb likable character for the whole movie.
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- I’m not sure if The Voices is too quirky or not quirky enough, but despite some fun moments and a good performance from Reynolds, this dark comedy never entirely worked for me.
- Stephen King himself has called Graveyard Shift his least favorite adaptation of his work. While I think there have been worse—some of which King has even taken a more active hand in—this one is definitely not very good. The movie belabors its setup, then it squanders any scares it might have left with confused action and lack of character development.
- Same Time, Next Year would probably feel hokey and contrived even it didn’t also feel so dated. The two leads, Burstyn especially, do their best to elevate the material, but there’s only so much character the conceit of the movie will allow.
- Orson Welles’ The Trial is visually stunning and inventive and absolutely feels to its core Kafkaesque, but that can also lead to it feel confusing and claustrophobic.
I also enjoyed a re-watch of Hanna.