I watched just three movies last week:
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- Some very strong performances and well constructed songs aside, Merrily We Roll Along never quite worked for me. Some of that is maybe this particular production, which is filmed a lot more in close-up than a traditional stage musical, but it’s not impossible to understand how the material itself notoriously failed to connect with its original Broadway audiences and critics. (This is the only production of it that I’ve ever seen, so it’s difficult to say.) The musical’s hook of telling the story in reverse chronological order leads to a few clever moments—and is understandably a holdover from the play on which it’s based—but more often it robs the narrative of forward momentum and any kind of character arc. And the songs, while frequently impressive and energetic in the moment, were almost immediately gone from my head at the end of each number.
- If The Blue Gardenia works, it’s largely on the strength of Anne Baxter’s performance (as well as that of some of the supporting players). The plot is a little silly and over-wrought, but they almost make it work.
- Rental Family is odd and sweet, and it benefits tremendously from an endearing Brendan Fraser.
I also rewatched Them!, which is everything you want a 1950s sci-fi monster movie to be.