The Rest - January 29, 2023

Several of the women from Women Talking, noticeably not talking

A quick wrap up of everything else I watched this week.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - I'd only seen this once. We rented it from Redbox and watched it in a basement. The film ruled, but everything about that viewing experience felt wrong, so I vowed not to watch it again until I could see it in a theater... But then our Monday movie club decided to do Miller's filmography and my hand was forced (by me, I made the suggestion).It's still absolutely stunning. So fully realized, so hypnotic and raw. It could have been so silly, but there's not a false note in it. I'll make it to a cinema screening someday, where I will ride eternal, shiny and chrome.

Living (2022) - Very happy for Bill Nighy's Oscar nomination this week. Tall order, remaking one of the great movies, but you could do a lot worse than this. Kazuo Ishiguro's script is lovely, and Aimee Lou Wood provides a marvelous supporting performance.

Olympus Has Fallen (2013) - Plane reignited an interest in Gerard Butler actioners. And "Die Hard in the White House" here promptly extinguished that interest. My brain cannot accept that Antoine Fuqua directed this.

Oscar-nominated New Yorker shorts - Five of the 15 Academy Award nominations for shorts went to the New Yorker - and they're all on YouTube. The docs (Stranger at the Gate, Haulout) and the live action (Night Ride) are fine, but the animated shorts (The Flying Sailor and especially Ice Merchants) are both fantastic.

Poker Face - Season 1, Episodes 1-4 (2023) - Premiered Thursday on Peacock. I had to tweak my expectations a little and meet this one on its level. It's not as polished as Rian Johnson's films - nor could it be. It's a throwback to 70s TV like Columbo and The Incredible Hulk. And that's fine. It thrives on the episodic structure of those shows. Natasha Lynne is of course a perfect stand in for Peter Falk, and the series has a revolving door of incredible guest stars. You'll probably have fun as long as you don't expect it to be Knives Out.

The Son (2022) - Florian Zeller should have left this one on the stage. His follow-up to The Father, which was so richly layered and heartbreaking and full of committed performances, is a muted and amateurish slog and probably the worst movie released in 2022.

Women Talking (2023) - Sarah Polley crafts one of the most thrilling films of the year - and the majority of it takes place in a barn. It's sort of an inward-facing 12 Angry Men, with performances of that high caliber but a script that explores so so so much more. Take everyone you know to see this movie.