Category: Three Sentence Movie Reviews

Were You a Kid in the 80s? Kid 90 Might Be Your Deal.

Part of the poster for the film Kid 90, showing 90s teen stars.

Kid 90

?Directed by Soleil Moon Frye?

The review:

A slight documentary, and your interest will vary depending on your exposure to the kid actors who populated your 80s and 90s television and movie screens* and how interested you are in learning about that transition from being a kid actor to an adult. Because Soleil Moon Frye has hours of VHS video and cassette tapes, plus her copious journals, we get at-home glimpses of a bunch of child stars that you may or may not have had crushes on.** There are a lot of scenes that depict drug use,*** and Frye’s eye is constantly turning toward another yet another boy**** while letting us in on some negative experiences.*****

The verdict: Good

(If you were a teenager in the 80s and 90s.)

Cost: Disney+ Hulu bundle monthly charge ($12.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

  • Kids
  • Dazed and Confused
  • A bunch of 80s television shows

Further sentences:

*I watched Soleil Moon Frye in Punky Brewster on prime time network television, so that’s exactly me.
**And then you get to see some of them as they look now. Back in 1990, my heart tripped over Balthazar Getty in Young Guns II. Now, he looks like a youthful middle-aged man.
***So much so that it felt cliched.
****If I had captured my teenage years with a video camera, the result would have been the same.
*****There’s a sexual assault recorded in her journals that wasn’t in the forefront of her memory. Her first sexual experience she seems happy with, though the age difference had me squirming.

Questions:

Was this navel gazing or interesting insight into a unique experience?
What would your video camera have captured in your teenage years?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Soleil Moon Frye spent four years going through footage she had shot, diaries, and voicemails from when she was a teenager in the 1990s.

Other reviews of Kid 90:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: I think it's fascinating to be able to go back and have a true chronological blueprint of what it was like to grow up as a teenager in the 90's. —Kid 90. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Ben Is Back: Julia Roberts Is The Mom You Want on Your Side

Courtney B. Vance, Lucas Hedges, and Julia Roberts in Ben Is Back.

Ben Is Back

?Directed by Peter Hedges?
?Written by Peter Hedges?

The review:

This is a great movie to add to your Christmas-But-Not-Feeling-It list* as Julia Roberts is a fabulous steely mom character and Lucas Hedges does well while withering under his family’s appraising eye.** It’s not a film that’s reinventing film as we know it, but it’s a solid story of one family drama. Courtney B. Vance is excellent as the stepfather trying to make the best decisions.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Disney+ Hulu bundle monthly charge ($12.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*You know, it’s Christmas time, but things aren’t exactly warm and cheery.
**They are sizing him up for good reason as this is the second 2018 movie to deal with the parent-child relationship when the child’s drug use has become drug abuse.

Questions:

  • Is there a point where you think Julia Roberts should have made a different decision?
  • What do you suppose happened after the final scene?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

When Peter Hedges was developing the film he had no intention of casting his son Lucas Hedges in the titular role, and had already created a shortlist of other actors he was considering. It was Julia Roberts who, after seeing the younger Hedges in Manchester by the Sea (2016), insisted he be cast.

Other reviews of Ben Is Back:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: You don't know what you're doing. I'm not worth it. —Ben is Back. Read the three sentence movie review at 3SMReviews.com

Playing It Cool: Stylized Stumbling Through Love

Michelle Monaghan and Chris Evans in Playing It Cool.

Playing It Cool

?Directed by Justin Reardon?
?Written by Chris Shafer and Paul Vicknair?

The review:

Chris Evans plays “me” a man who has been burned by love so severely he’s sworn it off until the day he runs into “her” played by Michele Monaghan* and sparks fly. Only problem is, she’s in a relationship. Evans and his merry band of friends** stumble through love that doesn’t go quite right in this stylized romantic comedy that was much better than I expected.***

The verdict: Good

Cost: Disney+/Hulu bundle monthly cost $12.99
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*My main reason for watching this movie. She’s good in everything!
**Supporting cast = very good. Aubrey Plaza! Luke Wilson! Martin Starr! Topher Grace! Plus Anthony Mackie!
***I seem to be in the minority though. The Metacritic score is 30/100. Ah. I see the problem. Of ten reviews, only one was written by a woman. She didn’t like it either.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

At the end of the movie, Me (Chris Evans) is seen tap dancing. Evans’s mother owned a dance studio and taught him to tap. He has admitted in interviews that he does it when he is nervous.

(And here I thought they used a double)

Other reviews of Playing It Cool:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: I'm gonna tell you this one from my point of view so you can put yourself in there. —Playing It Cool. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

This Gun for Hire Has A Lot of Elements.

Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Robert Preston in This Gun for Hire.

This Gun for Hire

?Directed by Frank Tuttle?
?Written by Albert Maltz, W.R. Burnett?

The review:

Well this is a delightful mishmash of oddities.* Alan Ladd plays it tough as Raven, who has no room for anyone** and is the titular gun for hire. Veronica Lake doesn’t exactly dazzle as a performer, though she does make an impression*** and when the two come together, they do capture the eye.

The verdict: Good

Cost: $3.99 via Google Play
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*It’s noir, there are two full music and dance numbers, there’s a spy plot, and a wealthy and weird rich guy.
**Though he does like cats.****
***Singing, dancing, and magic tricks? So many things crammed into one routine. This was my first time seeing a Veronica Lake performance. After hearing about her glamour for 40+ years, I have to say I was underwhelmed. Yes to the amazing hair. But she also looks like one of those underfed kids from Appalachia. Beauty standards. They don’t hold.
****Speaking of cats, one of them will be killed in the course of this movie. It happens off screen and didn’t bug me the way things like this usually do.

Questions:

  • Was this movie just a little too odd?
  • How did you feel about the ending?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

In Graham Greene’s novel, Raven’s psychological motivation for becoming a killer was that his mother disfigured his face. Paramount could not mess up Ladd’s handsome mug, so it was changed to his aunt disfiguring his wrist with a red hot poker.

Other reviews of This Gun for Hire:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: What's the matter? You look like you've been on a hayride with Dracula. —This Gun for Hire. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Top Movies: February 2021

5 movies watched.

February. Where I did not make much time for movies.

A pie chart. Text: February 2021 Movies. Recommended takes 1/3 of the pie chart. On the other part, Good is 2/3 of the chart.

Click on any linked title to read the full review.

American Utopia

Recommended double feature: Stop Making Sense and this.

David Byrne and cast members of American Utopia. A star with text: Good. An arch with text 3SMReviews.com: American Utopia

Judas and the Black Messiah

Recommended double feature: 13th and this.

Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield in Judas and the Black Messiah. A star with text: Recommended. An arch with text: 3SMReviews.com: Judas and the Black Messiah

The Letter

Recommended podcast companion: Filmspotting’s 40s Noir Marathon.

Bette Davis in the Letter. A star with text Good. An arch with text: 3SMReviews.com: The Letter

Nomadland

Recommended triple feature: The Rider, then Songs My Brothers Taught Me, then this.

Frances McDormand and David Strathairn in Nomadland. A star with text: Recommended. An arch with text: 3SMReviews.com Nomadland

To All the Boys: Always and Forever

Recommended triple feature: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, then P.S. I Still Love You, then this.

Lana Condor in To All the Boys: Always and Forever. A star with text Good. An arch with text: 3SMReviews.com: To All the Boys: Always and Forever

To All the Boys: Always and Forever Wraps Things Up

Lana Condor in To All the Boys: Always and Forever

To All the Boys: Always and Forever

?Directed by Michael Fimoganari?
?Written by Katie Lovejoy?

The review:

I mean, it’s exactly as good as the previous two films and Lana Condor and Noah Centineo are made for each other, at least in this film. All the things you’ve enjoyed before are back, and they manage to have a few will-they-or-won’t-they moments, even after two other movies with such moments. This was a solid ending to the trilogy.*

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*I’m assuming its a trilogy. There are only three books.

Questions:

  • What’s the best solution for a high school couple in love after graduation?
  • What would you pick for Laura Jean and Peter’s song?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The author of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy Jenny Han made a small cameo as Principal Cho in a flashback of the day Peter first saw Lara Jean.

Other reviews of To All the Boys: Always and Forever:

Orange background with a white frame. In movies, love is always about the big moments. Grand speeches made in front of everyone, "marry me" written on the Jumbotron. But maybe love is actually about the moments when you think no one is watching. —To All the Boys: Always & Forever. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

McDormand and Van Life: Nomadland

Frances McDormand and David Strathairn in Nomadland

Nomadland

?Directed by Chloé Zhao?
?Written by Chloé Zhao?

The review:

There are few well-known actors I can think of who could play Fern so convincingly,* and I’m thankful Nomadland’s Fern was Frances McDormand. If you haven’t seen any of Zhao’s films before, you might not think that an ambling narrative about people who live in their vans would be interesting, but you would be wrong.** If you’re looking for a moving story of a woman determined to be on her own, take yourself to wherever this film is playing.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: I paid Matt $6.00, he’s paying the monthly Disney+/Hulu subscription fee
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Being a woman and an actor in the USA generally means avoiding aging. McDormand has aged along with the rest of us, which makes her very relateable.
**If you’ve seen Zhao’s other films (The Rider or Songs My Brothers Taught Me) you would know she’s a pro at mesmerizing viewers using landscape and the real people’s lives she’s woven a narrative from.
***I remain intensely curious about what Zhao’s Marvel movie will be like.

Questions:

  • Who was your favorite van dweller?
  • Which of Fern’s jobs would have been the hardest for you?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Frances McDormand nicknamed the van used in the film “Vanguard,” which she decorated with her own personal items and slept in during the shoot. Eventually she stopped doing so because “it’s much better for me to pretend to be exhausted than to actually be exhausted,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.

Other reviews of Nomadland:

Special Film Noir Delivery: The Letter

Bette Davis in the Letter.

The Letter

?Directed by William Wyler?
?Written by Howard Koch?

The review:

From the first dramatic scene to the last, this movie is plenty of fun.* Bette Davis is both flip and overwhelmed as a woman who had to kill her neighbor when he tried to assault her.** But once a letter floats to the surface, we see the difficult choices her lawyer must make.***

The verdict: Good

Cost: $2.99 via Google Play
Where watched: at home

Further sentences:

*Death comes in both of those scenes, so we’re not talking barrel of laughs fun, but there’s something about how overwrought everything is that is so incredibly enjoyable.
**So she says.
***All leading to a very dramatic ending.
Note: This was filmed in the 1940s and is set on a rubber plantation. In terms of racist portrayals it’s not great. I’ve seen much, much worse though.

Questions:

  • What was your turning point?
  • What did you think of Victor Sen Yung’s portrayal of Ong Chi Seng?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The first scene that William Wyler shot was the famous opening shot in which we see Leslie shoot Geoffrey Hammond. The opening shot, which lasted two minutes on screen, took an entire day to film, and that was before even a single word of dialogue was spoken. The studio expected him to shoot at a rate of 3-4 script pages a day, but the opening shot reflected a mere paragraph on page one.

Other reviews of The Letter:

Orange background with a white frame. I don't think it's right, but I think it's expedient. Juries can sometimes be very stupid, and it's just as well not to worry them with more evidence than they can conveniently deal with.--The Letter. Read the three sentence movie review: 3SMReviews.com: The Letter

Judas and the Black Messiah: FBI and the Black Panthers

Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield in Judas and the Black Messiah

Judas and the Black Messiah

?Directed by Shaka King?
?Written by Will Berson & Shaka King?

The review:

I first learned about Fred Hampton in Ava DuVerney’s 13th and so I knew how this film was going to end.* But it was interesting to watch Daniel Kaluuya’s evolution of Hampton as he gained skills as well as the dance between LaKeith Stanfield and Jessie Plemons as FBI informant and agent.** I would have liked Dominique Fishback to have a bigger role, but she was great with what she was given in this movie that’s gonna kick you in the stomach right before the credits roll.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: I paid Matt $6.00. He’s the one paying the HBOMax fee ($12.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Not well for Fred Hampton.
**It’s interesting how we forgive the FBI for their many sins, but so often the Black Panthers are portrayed as the lawless party.
***If there’s an award for best after-movie text on screen, this film will sweep that category.

Questions:

  • Should they have bothered with the makeup for Martin Sheen?
  • Fred Hampton was 21 and William O’Neal was 17 during this film. Should they have cast younger actors?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

With both LaKeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya receiving Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor, Judas and the Black Messiah becomes the first film to have multiple black performers nominated in this category for the same film.

Other reviews of Judas and the Black Messiah:

American Utopia Will Get You in the End

David Byrne and cast members of American Utopia.

David Byrne’s American Utopia

?Directed by Spike Lee?
?Written by David Byrne?

The review:

It’s not yet been a year since I watched Jonathan Demme’s movie of the Talking Heads’ concert Stop Making Sense* and I was looking forward to this David Byrne/Spike Lee collaboration for which there was much gushing about among the critics. For three-quarters of the film I found it very striking visually and musically, and I wondered what all the gushing was about, but then there was his cover of “Hell You Talmbout” and I, too, could be counted among the converted.** I found that Spike Lee and I sometimes disagreed about what I wanted to be looking at on stage*** but since I couldn’t be there in person, I thank him for letting me see his vision.****

The verdict: Good

Cost: Monthly HBOMax charge ($12.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*And was more than dazzled.
**It was one of this, “Oh, holy crap, this is incredible” movie moments.
***Demme knew better what I wanted to see.
****At times, this felt a little like watching a very talented marching band, in all the best ways.

Questions:

  • Who was your favorite performer?
  • What was your favorite song?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

If you look carefully, you will notice small spheres on the shoulders of all of the suits. These are tiny BlackTrax infrared transmitters which enable the lights to automatically track performers as they move around the stage. When they leave the stage to march through the theater, you will notice some of these trackers glowing slightly.

Other reviews of American Utopia: