Tag: Crime

The Hustle’s Stars Are Entertaining

Picture of Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway in the film The Hustle

The Hustle

Directed by Chris Addison
Written by Stanley Shapiro, Paul Henning, Dale Launer, Jac Shaeffer
(One questions how much funnier this film about female con artists would have been had any females been among the writers or director.)

The review:

I greatly enjoy both Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson so your payoff* for this female con artist film may vary. But I was in need of a palate cleanser and this silly romp provided a nice cap to my evening.** Astute viewers of con artist films will probably pick up on stuff, but if you’re there for humorous antics by two comedians, it doesn’t really matter the predictability of the plot.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Hulu monthly fee ($11.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*See what I did there?
**Also, Alex Sharp was so much fun! He reminded me of early Miles Teller.

Questions:

  • What’s your favorite Anne Hathaway comedy?
  • What’s your favorite Rebel Wilson comedy?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

When Penny first meets Josephine on a train Josephine is reading the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Alex Sharp, who co-stars in the film, made his Broadway and acting debut in the play that was the based on the novel.

Other reviews of The Hustle:

Orange background with text: Why are women better suited to the con than men? —The Hustle. Read the three-sentence movie review 3SMReviews.com

Down Terrace Is Up and Down

Picture of Julia Deakin in the film Down Terrace

Down Terrace

Directed by Ben Wheatley
Written by Ben Wheatley, Robin Hill

The review:

The blurbs told me this was a dark comedy and a comedic British version of the Sopranos and at the beginning, I had a lot of “Ah, I can see how that would be funny” moments where I didn’t actually laugh.* However, something shifted midway through and while I never laughed aloud, I did perk up wondering how things were going to play out.** This film has an incredible soundtrack, some of it voiced by star Robert Hill and friends, and if you’re into diegetic performances of folk-style music you might want to look this film up.

The verdict: Skip

(Unless you are in it for the soundtrack or are trying to watch all of Ben Wheatly’s films before Rebecca is released.)

Cost: Free via Hoopla, Multnomah County Library’s lesser streaming service.
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*It was a trying film because Karl, the main character, is so clearly out of his element and incredibly whiny. His theatrics are not endearing, though the movie made clear how he got that way. I’m also guessing that elements of this film went over my head because I’m from the US, not Britain.
**It also managed to make turn I didn’t anticipate, which I found satisfying.

Questions:

  • What do you think would have improved Karl’s life?
  • Where do you think the turning point was?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The two stars are really father and son

(Trivia was a little light)

Other reviews of Down Terrace:

The Hitch-Hiker: One More Argument Against Thumbing a Ride

Drawing of the stars of the Hitch-Hiker: Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy, and William Talman

The Hitch-hiker

Directed by Ida Lupino
Written by Collier Young and Ida Lupino

The review:

Here’s a brief film* about the dangers of picking up hitchhikers** back before the word got compounded. I like a tense drama with few characters and especially loved William Talman’s performance as Emmett Meyers. But mostly, I loved that film had a lot of scenes set in Mexico and the Mexican people featured in the film were not bumbling stereotypes.***

The verdict: Good

Cost: Free via Kanopy, the library’s streaming service
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

(Ideally I would recommend a list of tense mid-century noirs. But I haven’t seen enough of them, so we’re going with good car movies.)

  • Speed
  • Drive (I actually hate this movie, so I don’t think you should watch it. Read my review to find out why.)
  • The Italian Job (1969)

Further sentences:

*Seventy-one minutes! Honestly, films like this are a delight, especially if I don’t have to pay for them. Get in, get the story told, get out.
**Born in 1974, I’ve grown up with the clear message that any hitchhiker I picked up would instantly rape and/or murder me, but I know that in the 1950s, hitching was more common. Also, should I stick my thumb out, I’d only be asking for assault or death. Probably both. Is this true? Probably not. But that’s the message that has been pushed since at least the 1970s.
***Kind of a miracle, given the release date.

Questions:

  • Do you think that Collins and Bowen could have done more to overpower Meyers?
  • What was the tensest moment for you?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

In an interview, Talman recalled an incident that happened shortly after the release of The Hitch-Hiker, in which he gave a chilling portrayal of escaped murderer and serial killer Emmett Meyers. He was driving his convertible in Los Angeles with the top down, and he stopped at a red light. Another driver in a convertible who was stopped next to him stared at him for a few seconds, then said, “You’re the hitch-hiker, right?” Talman nodded, indicating that he was. The other driver got out of his car, went over to Talman’s car and slapped him across the face, then got back in his car and drove off. In recalling the story, Talman said, “You know, I never won an Academy Award but I guess that was about as close as I ever will come to one.”

Other reviews of The Hitch-hiker:

An orange background with text: You guys are soft. You know what makes you that way? You're up to your neck in IOU's. You're suckers! You're scared to get out on your own. You've always had it good, so you're soft. —The Hitch-Hiker. Read the three sentence movie review: 3SMReviews.com

Project Power Has Dominque Fishback

Picture of Jamie Foxx and Dominique Fishback in the film Project Power

Project Power

Directed by Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
Written by Mattson Tomlin

The review:

Project Power is an entry into the powers-not-heros genre of films* and includes an interesting premise, and a more interesting performance by Dominique Fishback.** This plays out as a perfectly serviceable action/sci-fi flick with some amusing parts,*** some fine fight scenes, and movie logic that doesn’t quite come together. Aside from Fishback**** it was nice to have have Joseph Gordon-Levitt as an undercover cop, and Jamie Foxx did his can-do Jamie Fox thing.

The verdict: Good

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Also recently watched in that subgenre: Fast Color
**”Who is that actress?” I wondered as her scenes piled up. It turns out she played Amandla Stenberg’s half sister in The Hate U Give and has done mostly television work. But she’s one to watch.
***The muddled storming of the container ship was fun.
****Really, the reason to watch this film

Questions:

  • What was your favorite power in Project Power?
  • Would you take the pill?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Not related to the Marvel Comics series Powers, though it has a slightly similar plot: Combining the genres of superhero fiction, crime noir and the police procedural, the series follows the lives of two homicide detectives assigned to investigate cases involving people with superhuman abilities, who are referred to colloquially as “powers”.

Other reviews of Project Power:

Orange background with text: There are no laws on this drug. They don't exist officially. 'Cause every time we try to deal with it, some guys in suits show up to tell us to stop. —Project Power. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Little Woods: Poverty During Boom Times

Picture of Lily James and Tessa Thompson in the film Little Woods

Little Woods

Directed by Ni DaCosta
Written by Ni DaCosta

The review:

A quality dramatic film with about the life of a person facing economic challenges is always a win in my book, which makes this film a winner.* In this “modern Western**” Tessa Thompson and Lily James play sisters who are doing what they can to hold onto their family home and vanquish other complications. For both actors, it’s a chance to be not glamorous while flexing their serious drama skills so we can see their characters’ fight for survival,*** set in the North Dakota oil boom.****

The verdict: Good

Cost: $12.99 (monthly Disney+ and Hulu combo fee)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*They’re difficult to make. Poverty is grinding and it’s harder to wring dramatic tension out of a story about ends continually not meeting than one where, say, a meteor is going to hit earth, or a ship is sinking.
**The synopsis on IMDB calls it a modern Western. I’m not sure I agree with the term.
***In the grand tradition of always questioning poor people’s choices, I found myself wondering why they didn’t rent out some rooms in the house. I think maybe the mother had just died though, so perhaps that was hampering the process.
****I enjoyed seeing this particular slice of life, which I had only read about.

Questions:

  • What past events do you think have shaped the relationship between the two sisters?
  • Breaking the law? Necessary or avoidable in this instance?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The story was initially conceived as a modern retelling of Othello, which is where the names Deb and Ollie/Oleander come from.

Other reviews of Little Woods:

Text: Your choices are only as good as your options are. —Little Woods. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Once Upon a Time in America is Very Long

Pictures of Scott Tiler, Robert De Niro, Jennifer Connelly, Elizabeth McGovern, Rusty Jacobs, and James Woods

Once Upon a Time in America

Directed by Sergio Leone
Written by Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Barnardi, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcalli, Franco Ferrini, Sergio Leone. (And this, my friends, is where the trouble starts.)

The review:

Well, I’m two for two with finding movies beginning with “Once Upon a Time” incredibly boring.* I also loathed this film on so many levels: terrible acting,** its treatment of women,*** the fact that it tips its hand too much early on and solves the mystery.**** This film is all of these synonyms: clumsy, slow, lumbering, cumbersome, graceless, maladroit, ponderous, plus misogynist to boot.*****

The verdict: Skip

Cost: Free from the Multnomah County Library
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*This one was so much so that I fast forwarded through the last 10 minutes. I’d already invested nearly four hours, so I had given it my due diligence.
**The younger kids were the biggest bunch of terrible actors I’ve seen gathered together in some time.
***Not one, but two rape scenes, the one with Elizabeth McGovern being brutal. Plus some gun-on-nipple action.
****In the restored scene at the cemetery I figured out what had happened. And there was still so much movie.
*****That said, I did think the salt/balloon idea was brilliant. That three minutes of movie was great.

Questions:

  • Why, oh why do people like this movie? Whhhhhyyyyyy??????
  • Was there any character who made this worth watching?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

When filming was completed, the footage ran to a total of eight to ten hours. Director Sergio Leone and editor Nino Baragli trimmed the footage to around six hours, with the plan of releasing the film as two three-hour movies. The producers refused this idea, and Leone had to further cut the film down to three hours and forty-nine minutes.

(Yet it seemed more like six hours when watching.)

Other reviews of Once Upon a Time in America:

Age can wither me, Noodles. We're both getting old. All that we have left now are our memories. —Once Upon a Time in America. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

The Cotton Club Encore: Ignore the Gangsters

Photo of Gregory Hines in the Cotton Club Encore

The Cotton Club Encore

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Written by William Kennedy and Francis Ford Coppola

The review:

I’ve not seen the original, but this encore version has a not-interesting gangster story interspersed with incredible vocal and dance performances by the entertainers performing at the Cotton Club.* Richard Gere wanders around in dark sun glasses playing his coronet** looking troubled, while meanwhile Gregory Hines has actual problems*** It’s fun to see actors looking young**** but this is a very long movie that has its focus on the wrong thing.

The verdict: Skip

(or watch it and fast forward to the performance scenes)

Cost: $1.99 via Redbox OnDemand
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*That’s right! You can fast forward through all of the gangster plot and just hang out at the Cotton Club.
**Much is made of the fact that Gere is really playing that coronet.
***Making the choice between being a solo act or sticking with his brother; being in love with a woman who makes choices that make it difficult to be in a relationship with her; the fact that he’s underpaid because his artistry can be exploited.
****1984 was kind of a long time ago, it turns out. Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane (very young!) Nicolas Cage (also very young!) Bob Hoskins, and Laurence Fishburne.

Questions:

  • Have you ever watched a film for reasons other than the main plot?
  • What’s your favorite “performances” film?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Laurence Fishburne’s character, Bumpy Rhodes, was based on real-life Harlem gangster Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson. Fishburne would play Bumpy in Hoodlum (1997) 13 years later.

Other reviews of The Cotton Club:

Text: You've got about as much style as a bowl of turnips. —The Cotton Club Encore. Read the three sentence movie review: 3SMReviews.com

Bad Times at the El Royale Make for Good Movie

A picture of the stars of the movie Bad Times at the El Royale

Bad Times at the El Royale

Directed by Drew Goddard
Written by Drew Goddard

The review:

I’m a sucker for stylish set design and once I saw the state line dividing the El Royale into California and Nevada sections I was all in.* Add more than one creepy mystery, a cast that owns the camera** and this was an excellent night at the movies.*** It was also just a tad too long, alas.

The verdict: Good

Cost: $2.00 via Redbox (They only had a Bluray copy so it cost more.)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

  • Knives Out (This is the opposite film: a sunny and fun mystery. It might make a nice palate cleanser.)
  • Brick
  • Widows
  • Game Night (Also an opposite. Hilarious mystery.)

Further sentences:

*Have I stood with four limbs in four states at Four Corners? Why yes I have! Human-created lines of demarcation are fascinating.
**The film does a great job cycling through the motel guests’ stories. From the beginning, it seems like it’s going to be Jon Hamm’s movie, but that shifts as we see the stories of each guest.
***Don’t go in expecting a happy ending, though. Also, it would be interesting to represent in graph form Chris Hemsworth’s (Billy Lee) repelling and magnetic energy. And then segment out how much his naked torso is contributing to that magnetic energy.

Questions:

  • How did you feel about the ending? Did it all work out okay for you?
  • Which character intrigued you the most?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The El Royale was built from scratch on a sound stage with much of the furniture and decor being custom made (including branded matchboxes and coasters for the bar). The color scheme was meticulously set out so that the California side was mostly yellows and oranges, while the Nevada side was purples and blues. Red was reserved for the borderline, jukebox, and chandelier, while green is almost entirely absent until the end.

Also this:

There was no pre-recorded soundtrack, so all of Cynthia Erivo’s singing in the film is for real. For the lengthy tracking shot scene behind the hotel mirrors, Erivo had to perform “Try a Little Tenderness” 27 times.

Cynthia Erivo can SING!

Other reviews of Bad Times at the El Royale:

Orange background. Text says: This is not a place for a priest, Father. You shouldn't be here. —Bad Times at the El Royale. Read the three sentence movie review 3SMReviews.com

Blindspotting: Friendship & Transitions

Blindspotting

Blindspotting

Directed by Carlos López Estrada
Written by Rafael Casal, Daveed Diggs

The review:

Friendship is at the heart of this film; a friendship that makes two people better and worse.* Watching the friendship between Collin (Daveed Diggs) and Miles (Rafael Casal) and choices made (now and in the past)** highlights so many contemporary issues. This is a movie where I had all the feelings, it’s laugh-while-watching-alone-funny,*** it graphically illustrates the ramifications of gentrification,**** it has a lot to say about race,***** our system of punishment, and it’s got moments of pure terror.******

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: Free! Google Play is not charging. Watch it today!
Where watched: at home.

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*People who have been friends since they were twelve sometimes have complex friendships by the time they are in their twenties. Both people have changed so much that sometimes what links them together isn’t always the best for either of them.
**The scene where we find out why Collin had to serve time is particularly brilliant. We’re hearing about the incident from an excited bystander, but the two people who were there have different feelings.
***Watching Miles sell things provides a lot of the comedy. That beauty shop scene will stick in my brain for a very long time.
****Including the transformation of the Kwik Mart and houses torn down, with new ones inserted into the block face.
*****Collin and Miles argument about Miles not using a certain word does more to get across race disparities than forty essays.
******For people who “just don’t get” Black people’s fear of the police, this movie offers a ton of opportunities to understand why.

Questions:

  • Do you think Collin and Miles will continue to be friends?
  • What was the most memorable scene for you?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Collin’s alarm clock at the halfway house is set to 6:25. 625 spells out O-A-K on a phone and is also on a shirt that Collin wears.

Other reviews of Blindspotting:

Blindspotting

The Lovebirds is Packed with Laughs

The Lovebirds

The Lovebirds

  • Directed by: Michael Showalter
  • Written by: Aaron Abram, Brendan Gall

The review:

The Lovebirds pairs Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani in a hilarious movie that pushes all the comedic buttons. I think the key to this film is that Rae and Nanjiani play a couple that isn’t in sync any longer, but hasn’t moved to full-on hatred.* There are a lot of amusing fish-out-of-water setups, and the two really shine when they are improving how to be tough guys, rather than the advertising exec and documentary filmmaker that they are.**

The verdict: Recommended

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences

*This is important. Tuning in for 90 minutes of angry people snapping at each other, no thanks. But 90 minutes of two people who disagree about a variety of things yet still respect each other leaves room for a lot of laughter.
**I laughed so very hard at this film from the first disagreement (We would win the Amazing Race) to the last one. I laughed all alone in my house the first night, and then all over again the next night when the boyfriend and I watched it together.

Questions:

  • Which of the outfits Rae and Nanjiani wore do you think provided the most humor per scene?
  • What’s another out-of-sync-couple captured on film that you enjoy?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

(also the only IMDB trivia item)
Paramount had originally planned to released the film theatrically on April 3, 2020, but decided to release it on Netflix due to the Coronavirus pandemic and widespread theater closings.

Other reviews of The Lovebirds:

The Lovebirds