A semi-perfect storm for movie-watching recently took place. Beloved was on a mission trip in Mexico and the Roth household was on the tail end of Amazon Prime membership trialing. Put those two things together and it means I was able to watch any movie I darn well pleased.
Behold:
This 2023 documentary didn't reveal any shocking revelations or throw light on any dark secrets, but it was a pleasant stroll through the life and career of Hollywood's latest "Everyman." It's no secret that I like Hanks...otherwise, why would I have watched this, right? One facet of his career the moviemakers failed to highlight was how he is practically the perfect talk show guest. He knows how to tell a story and how to sell a story. 5 stars for Mr. Hanks, but 3 stars for this movie.
Liam Neeson and Guy Pearce star in the story of a professional hitman (Neesan) trying to get out of the business as he slips into dementia. Our empathy for a ruthless killer is made possible because he refuses to hurt children...and the whole losing his short-term memory thing, of course. Some good action scenes, but I think I must have dozed off from time to time. I don't really remember how it ended. 3.5 stars
People my age know Rose Marie for her role as comedy writer Sally Rogers on The Dick Van Dyke Show. People slightly younger may remember her for her 14 years on Hollywood Squares. For a few years before her death in 2017, she gathered 83 thousand followers on Twitter. What I didn't realize was her national stardom as a little girl with a big voice: Baby Rose Marie had her own national radio show and recorded several hits before she turned 10! She died at the age of 94, just weeks after the release of this documentary. 5 stars
The way IMDB describes it makes it sound like a sappy tear-jerker: "A perpetually angry man is informed he has 90 minutes to live and promptly sets out to reconcile with his family and friends in the short time he has left." But with Robin Williams as the star, it couldn't help but be funny...but not in a roll on the floor, silly kind of way. Two things: 1) Peter Dinklage co-starred as Williams' brother and absolutely NOTHING in the movie even acknowledged his small stature. He was just the brother of the protagonist. I liked that. 2) Knowing that Robin Williams ended his own life, it was pretty rough watching the scene where Robin's character attempts suicide by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge. I wish he could have listened to his own narration: "It occurred to Henry that life didn't have to be a burden, that life is short and fragile and unique. And each hour, each minute, each second could have something to offer. Something beautiful and astounding." This movie was released in 2014, the same year Robin Williams killed himself. 4 stars
When I saw "Starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds," I was in. And I was not disappointed. When a CIA safe house is compromised, house-sitter Reynolds needs to transport rogue agent Washington to a different location. As expected, because it involved the CIA, not everyone was who they appeared to be and Reynolds winds up not knowing who to trust. Lots of gritty, realistic fighting and fleeing. Also, it made me want to watch 16 Blocks, with Bruce Willis, again. 4 stars
Was going to pass this one by, but then I saw that it was a Clint Eastwood film. Strip away the particular names, locations, occupations, etc., and it was a fairly standard old-guy-is-stuck-taking-care-of-a-younger-person-and-becomes-a-better-person-themselves tale. But at this time of his life, Clint Eastwood is the perfect crusty old guy in the need of a purpose. 3 stars
I was in the need for some easy laughs and then along came Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara as a first-time-back-in-action-after-a-stupid-mistake cop and the Columbian-drug-cartel-trophy-wife she needs to protect. There are some twists and turns in the plot, but this is mainly about juxtaposing these two opposites. A lot of physical, slapstick humor at Witherspoon's expense, which surprised me. 3 stars
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, but the real attraction was that Michael Bay directed it. For a bank heist gone bad, resulting in a shot cop and the commandeering of the ambulance that came to save him, the body count is relatively low, but man oh man, I can't imagine the budget for all the wrecked cars and other vehicles. Mostly mindless mayhem, with a smidgen of everybody's-got-a-soft-spot-for-kids. 3 stars
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