By: Henry J. Fromage –
This week I got back from vacation and headed to the nearest Imax theater to catch the blockbuster of the year. Otherwise it was catch-up week.
467. The Odyssey
I finally gone and done it- watched Christopher Nolan’s latest opus in all its IMAX glory. And what glorious glory it was- this is as big as movies get, chock full of stars, incredible international locations, and Nolan’s bravura massive practical scale movie magic. Perhaps there wasn’t quite the emotional connection one wants to see in Best Picture of the Year material- it can be hard to do so with such a familiar story- although the homecoming and revenge does definitely satisfy. Matt Damon is also superb in the role of a lifetime. Two Beers.
468. Enola Holmes 3
I’ve enjoyed the effervescent and fun Enola Holmes films, which even more than Stranger Things has made the case for Mille Bobbie Brown, movie star, but something about this third installment feels like diminishing returns. It’s not the wind-swept Malta location or Brown herself, both of which still bolster my recommendation to watch, but the story cuts corners a bit and perhaps Brown and the series are aging out of all of the 4th wall breaking and cute visual embellishments that have been stock in trade of the series. Three Beers.
469. Ballerina
I don’t have a great excuse for waiting so long on this John Wick universe production, although the spin-off properties don’t have the greatest reputation. For the lore-heavy first half, I was pretty meh, but hang in there- by the time Ana de Armas’ Eve has her mission figured out (and we get more Keanu than I’d expected) and she’s facing off against an entire Austrian town populated by an assassin death cult, we’re back in Wickensian awesomeness territory. Worth the price of admission for the flamethrower face-off alone. Three Beers.
470. A Toxic Love Story
The title here really undersells just how toxic a love story this Netflix true crime documentary tells. It starts with harrowing police bodycam footage in which a desperate woman and her angry federal agent husband recount a harassment campaign by an ex-girlfriend that’s becoming increasingly violent. That’s not the half, or even the third of the story, though, as one revelation after another reveals how messy everyone involved in this story truly is. Two Beers.
471. The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare
With Bryan Kohlberger’s recent attempt to reverse his guilty plea, potentially opening him back up to the death penalty, this story may be far from over, but intriguingly Netflix’s approach in examining his horrific crimes, in which he murdered four University of Idaho students, is to focus on the victims and their families and friends. It does use police bodycam footage from the morning this was all discovered to show angles of the investigation not yet seen before, but this really is more of a forum for those who loved Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Kayle Goncalves, and Madison Mogen to recount that unimaginable day, their question for justice, and most importantly, all of the beauty that they and we lost. Two Beers.
472. Once Upon a Time in Gaza
I don’t know what it is about the “Once Upon a Time in…” naming convention in movies, but it promises much- an epic tale with local color, often driven by violence and/or revenge. This one is no different, with it’s Gaza setting as much a character as the two ne’er-do-wells who lead. They run both a falafel shop and a low-level prescription drug trade, but running afoul of a corrupt cop sets the revenge portion of the tale in motion- as years later one of the two is cast in a Gaza- produced film about a heroic freedom fighter- which entails crossing paths with that same police officer. Well-acted and wryly funny, if not ultimately entirely satisfying in its storytelling. Two Beers.
473. Alemania
Alemania, or Germany as we know it in English, is not the setting, but the seemingly unreachable destination for Argentine teen Lola, who’s long planned to study abroad there with her best friend. Her family has other concerns, though, both financial and more preoccupying with the fragile mental state of her older sister. In some ways this is a classic 90s-set coming of age tale, just with a bit more duress necessitating a bit quicker and harder maturation. Three Beers.
