Tag: three sentence movies

I was only mildly interested in this movie because I don’t tend to prioritize movies where I have to spend a lot of time watching the antics of chauvinist pigs (especially lately–I get more than enough of that in the news.) But this movie did a great job of making everyone–even the chauvinist pigs–three dimensional and it turned out to be very much worth watching. Emma Stone as Billie Jean King did a great job of balancing the tennis pressure with the might-be-a-lesbian pressure and the movie never got bogged down in too much of anything.*

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home with Matt. (When I bring home a movie with Emma Stone, it’s a sure thing that Matt will suggest watching it.)

*Our DVD copy had a short interview with Billie Jean King that was wonderful to watch. She remains realistic about the situation of women’s equality, but reminds people “you have to start somewhere.”

Chock full of actors I enjoy (many from Downton Abbey), based on a book I quite liked, and featuring an interesting subject, this was a great example of a Sunday Afternoon Movie.* Lily James draws you in, and look! there’s Michiel Huisman, enjoyable in so many projects.** The stakes are somewhat high, but presented in a pleasant manner, and all things come out fine in the end.

Cost: Netflix Monthly Subscription ($7.99)
Where watched: at home, after an exhausting day

Also consider watching: Before We Go; Under the Tuscan Sun, The Grand Seduction

*The type of movie that is pleasant and soothing, best watched on a Sunday afternoon, before you start gearing up for the week.
**The Age of Adaline, Irreplaceable You, Treme

I watched Eighth Grade at the Regal City Center Stadium 12, and Sorry to Bother You at the Laurelhurst. The Living Room Theater was where I watched Three Identical Strangers and Won’t You Be My Neighbor was seen at the Hollywood Theater.

Portland is such a good movie theater town.

I highly recommend all of these movies. In fact, if these are the four movies you see this year, you will have done very well, movie-wise.

It was hard to watch this film because it was “so deeply rooted in the feminine adolescent experience”* and I remain grateful that I got through that period of my life in an analog era. Elsie Fisher is stunning as Kayla, a young woman who presents as self-assured, popular, and well-adjusted while filming for her YouTube channel and completely fades into the woodwork at school. Nothing is wrong with Kayla or her life, but adolescence is so harrowing,** it’s hard to re-experience via cinema, even as the main character continually tries for a positive spin.

Cost: $5.55 (but actually free due to gift cards)
Where watched: Regal City Center Stadium 12

Consider also watching: The Edge of Seventeen, We Are the Best

*Kate Erbland, Indiewire
**I found the popular/unpopular kid interactions in this movie to be very true to my experience as a teenager and much more accurate than the overt bullying that is usually portrayed. More social hierarchy is established by freezing people out than by words said.

What starts as a wacky, smart commentary on alternative-present social, economic and racial issues takes a very weird turn partway through. The weirdness works having been properly set up in the first half. Lakeith Stanfield makes the most of his sorrowful eyes and Tessa Thompson* knocks it out of the park as a sign waver/performance artist in this movie that is a worth-seeing zeitgeist.

Cost: $6.00
Where watched: Laurelhurst Theater

*She’s having a great (and well-deserved) couple of years.

Also consider watching: Get Out, Attack the Block, Dear White People

For everyone who has ever dreamed they have a twin out there somewhere, this is the story of triplets who first found each other when they were 19. And then it becomes a story that takes a turn in a different darker direction. I loved twists and turns of this documentary* I was less of a fan of the amount of repetition that director Tim Wardle employed to drive home his point, and I also could have used more of a grounding in  time after the triplets meet.

Cost: $6.00
Where watched: Living Room Theater. (This was my second attempt. Two weeks ago it sold out.  In fact, my showing also sold out, but I bought my ticket early to avoid box office disappointment.)

*And, let’s face it, those guys are totally my type, so they were easy on the eyes.

I find that Gus Van Sant’s more recent movies tend to be unwieldy; this is no different. It’s a steady march through the accident that left John Callahan a paraplegic and his sobriety journey. The performances are great,* but the narrative meanders in a way that inspired me to watch some of this with my eyes closed.

Cost: $6.00 
Where watched: Hollywood Theater with S. North

Also consider watching: Thanks for Sharing, The Fighter

*Joaquin Phoenix is remarkable for how much his physicality transforms from role to role. Compare this with his Johnny Cash in Walk the Line and Freddie Quell in The Master.

Knowing next to nothing about Mr. Burnham, I prepped for my viewing of his directorial debut Eighth Grade by watching these two comedy specials.* I found What. to be VERY high energy–it’s amazing that someone so tall can move so much and so quickly–and I loved his use of music, especially his closing piece. In Make Happy, he’s not as frenetic and also has mastered switching microphones without embarrassment; his song “Straight White Male” was a highlight for me.

Cost: Netflix subscription ($7.99)
Where watched: at home, and Matt joined me for the second comedy special, which he enjoyed.

*After watching these two comedy specials, I have no idea what to expect from Eighth Grade.

A recommendation from my coworker who said, “it’s very funny, and then it’s hard, but it’s very, very good.” That pretty much sums it up, and for the best experience I suggest  you go into it without out pre-reading.  I will also add: to people who majored in Art History, this is the comedy special you’ve been waiting for.

Cost: Netflix monthly subscription ($7.99)
Where watched: at home with Matt who also enjoyed it.