Spitball Army

7.1
[blu-ray, Netflix]

This is essentially a portrait of a character’s emotional landscape, and, as such, is not heavily plot-driven. But the approach lends itself perfectly to several meditative stretches that provide lead Sam Elliott with the opportunity to transform his trademark slow burn into some memorable and devastating quiet moments. And it’s great to see Katherine Ross again, beautiful and aging very gracefully.

https://boxd.it/kDXn7

6.5
[DVD, Netflix]

In which De Niro plays a character that Rupert Pupkin might admire, and who, like the Jerry Lewis character in THE KING OF COMEDY, is bitter and miserable. Lots of dick, slut and poop jokes – not subtle humor in the least – but somehow De Niro is funny.

https://boxd.it/kBDN1

4.4
[blu-ray, Netflix]

What kind of fuckery is this? A guy LITERALLY rips his own head off his shoulders with his bare hands; a glowing red devil – complete with hooves, tail, horns, and toolbox – stalks a family’s hallways at night; a disaffected couple visits a sex spa with rooms named after philosophers; and a woman sits at an upright piano and struggles to sing a Neil Young song without going completely flat (she was not successful).

https://boxd.it/kAC43

7.9
[DVD, Netflix]

Add this to your list of crazy, artful, surreal, allegorical films that probably also includes mother! and Cemetery of Splendor, among others. Probably best appreciated with some knowledge of Catholic sainthood lore, but worthwhile even without it. This is a film that I will definitely be revisiting.

https://boxd.it/kAo3Z

5.4
[blu-ray, Netflix]

Visually sumptuous, but with only a hint of a soul. Great slow-mounting tension from beginning through to the end.

https://boxd.it/kx05r

7.0
[DVD-library]

Not the most dynamic of Beatle or even post-Beatle docs, but my affection for Paul and my admiration of Albert Maysles balances my assessment of it. As he is driven around New York City, Paul frequently addresses his driver as George, and that was slightly jarring at first. The centerpiece anthem, “Freedom,” McCartney’s response to the 9/11 attacks, is sadly maudlin and not a 21st century “Let It Be,” as some may have hoped (me included). At one point, a member of a Beatles tribute band is getting his chance to talk to McCartney during a rehearsal, Pete Townshend walks up, interrupts them and starts talking to Paul, then big Harvey Weinstein comes over and joins in and the faux Beatle just evaporates into the background – I had to laugh. The clip from David Bowie’s cross-legged-on-the-floor calliope-esque rendition of “America” from the 9/11 concert is fantastic and the most memorable moment of the film.

https://boxd.it/kso8J

8.9
[on-demand]

I found this to be the funniest entry in the Trip series yet, but also the most wistful. After a disappointingly flat TRIP TO ITALY, the British duo eat their way across Iberia, but the emphasis is shifted from their culinary activities to their sharply contrasting personal lives. Their competitive impersonation skills are on full display, if only to provide an eventual contrast between humor and sadness. And Spain looks gorgeous; this is a human comedy disguised as a travelogue.

https://boxd.it/klWEb

8.4
[theater]

Was this a Darren Aronofsky film or a Lars von Trier film? Seriously, a day after watching this I couldn’t get that notion out of my head. I did enjoy the experience of seeing Mother! and am in awe of a script that so skillfully tells a story that can be given different and complementary interpretations (I’m juggling three in my head currently).

https://boxd.it/k9TV5

7.8
[streaming, Netflix]

Here’s a fascinating “discovery” doc, one that could form a solid trilogy alongside FINDING VIVIAN MAIER and SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN. The subject: a long-forgotten early 20th century lesbian painter who pioneered a print-making technique that was previously attributed to one of her male colleagues, and who was silenced by being signed away to a mental asylum for the last 35 years of her life. Her great-niece Jane Anderson – the force behind the discovery and essentially the co-subject of this film – also a lesbian artist, pursues Wilkinson’s story with a vigor and emotion that are clearly fueled by their parallel lives. Touching and enlightening.

https://boxd.it/k9C9j

4.6
[blu-ray]

From the “treading water” phase of Disney animation (a.k.a. the “wandering in the desert” phase), the quality of art is reminiscent of a high-quality Saturday morning cartoon. Watching this felt like an obligatory chore, which, in fact, it was; I did have a satisfying laugh at the dancing octopus, however.

https://boxd.it/k8f07