Apr
15
Doors
What turns out to be the opening short film of Doors is so good that I hate to mark down the movie as a whole… but I have to. Doors is four short films glued together with a single science … Continue reading
Apr
14
Oak Room, The
The Oak Room is a rather fascinating case of seeming mediocrity turning into a surprise, suddenly engaging film in the last act. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into… though, after seeing it, the idea that it was listed … Continue reading
Apr
13
Stars Fell on Alabama
A fairly generic but not incompetent romantic comedy with a couple of likable, if not very personality laden, main characters. It got off to a wobbly start with some iffy directing which it never really overcomes, but it’s hard to … Continue reading
Apr
13
West Michigan
A fairly blind rental, largely based on the title (I’m from Michigan) and a promise of a short run time. I was fairly impressed by this personal, sensitive story. And it has some pretty landscapes of Lake Michigan and, well, … Continue reading
Apr
11
More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story
I was pretty unfamiliar with the story of Pat Morita. I knew he was Arnold on Happy Days and Miyagi in the Karate Kid films. So I was quite interested when I saw this documentary popup on digital rental. And … Continue reading
Apr
10
Her Name Was Jo
I found this movie thoughtful and touching if a little too slow and uneventful for its running time. But it was fairly interesting and pretty well acted and kind of had something to say by omission. The film is about … Continue reading
Apr
09
Thunder Force
I really wanted to say I liked this movie. When it started and for about the first twenty minutes, I was kind of grooving on the humor and the heart. But once the main plotline kicks in, all the air … Continue reading
Apr
08
Empty Man, The
The Empty Man is a bit of a surprise. I didn’t expect much from it… and certainly if I’d seen the trailer beforehand, I’d have thought even less. I just went in with the only understanding that some people thought … Continue reading
Apr
07
On-Gaku: Our Sound
This is a really charming little comedy that crept up on me with its silence and its humor. A weird, deliberately simple looking Japanese cartoon that somehow avoids the common tropes of anime. That’s kind of daring, even if it … Continue reading
Apr
05
Concrete Cowboy
I probably like the premise of this film more than I liked the story. It’s another case of a movie showing me a culture and lifestyle I was unfamiliar with… similar to Nomadland in that sense. In this case, the … Continue reading