Black Bear (Available to purchase/rent on digital providers like Vudu and iTunes) - I was very interested in checking this out but really had no idea what to expect and as the movie goes on that feeling went on as well. So basically, the movie starts off with Allison (Aubrey Plaza) who is a filmmaker looking to get away and get a creative spark while staying at a remote cabin located in the middle of nowhere. From there, the movie is told in two parts, the first part built told an interesting story and built to a very solid conclusion and then the second part started and restarted the story and turned it in a completely odd and unsatisfying mess. Aubrey Plaza delivers a truly great performance and it's worth watching for that alone but the writing left something to be desired and being a little less nonsensical would have done this some good.
Rating: 2.75 out of 5
Mank (Netflix) - This was a passion project for filmmaker David Fincher as it was written by his father Jack Fincher (who passed away in 2003) and was stuck in development for a long while. Watching this movie, I understand why it had a difficult time getting made, however that's not a slight at the movie at all. The movie is about a pretty obscure film writer Howard Mankiewicz and largely revolves around him writing one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all-time, Citizen Kane. In addition to his writing of that movie, we get a glimpse into 1930's Hollywood both politically as the Communist Party was gaining a foothold but also a great look at the always fascinating studio system that was in place and seemingly always on the verge of collapse. Gary Oldman does an excellent job portraying Mank, which really doesn't come as a surprise, but honestly besides his portrayal as the Stansfield in The Professional and Commissioner Gordon in the Dark Knight Trilogy, I don't think I've liked him more in a role. Also, the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Finch goes in a completely different direction than you're used to but it's equally as terrific as you are used to when Reznor and Finch collaborate with David Fincher. So while a black and white movie about the writer of arguably the most famous black and white movie of all-time doesn't sound like it would do well with wide audiences at the box office, it feels like word of mouth, award buzz and ease of accessibility will do this movie a world of good.
Rating: 4 out of 5
I'm Your Woman (Amazon Prime) - Amazon is seemingly on a quest to make Rachel Brosnahan a star, with obviously her award winning performance in the awesome The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and now giving Brosnahan her biggest movie role to date as a wife on the run in I'm Your Woman. So basically, new mother Jean (Brosnahan) is on the run with her baby after one of her husband's friends shows up saying that they need to leave now as their lives are in danger because her husband betrayed his partners. Any signs of urgency is kind of left at the door and while this isn't nearly as big of a thrill ride as it could have been and definitely felt a little longer than necessary, Brosnahan shines and the dramatic elements kept this interesting enough to make it worth a watch.
Rating: 3 out of 5
The Prom (Netflix) - Based on a recent Broadway musical, The Prom is the story of an Indiana high school canceling their high school prom because a lesbian couple wants to attend and a few discredited Broadway stars striking up a cause to go to Indiana and help make that Prom a possibility. Directed by Ryan Murphy and featuring great performances from the cast including most recognizably Meryl Streep, James Cordon, Nicole Kidman, and Andrew Rannels but also a star making performance from Jo Ellen Pellman. While, I will say the one downside is I didn't feel like there were any really big earworm musical numbers, they were fun, toe-tapping, and definitely sparkly. The story was heartwarming and shows that as far as we've come in this nation with equality, even sometimes there can be some very real struggles with this. But overall, while heartwarming, this was still a whole lot of fun and definitely worth watching.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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