The Member of the Wedding: Fred Zinnemann

To read this review, go to: http://theretroset.com/polyamorous-pansexuality-a-member-of-the-wedding-re-imagined/.

6/10

Deidra & Laney Rob a Train: Sydney Freeland

Sydney Freeland's Deidra & Laney Rob a Train is about what would happen if a Disney Channel Original Movie grew a pair. Don't let its indie charm, pastel colors, and quirkiness fool you: this is a dressed-up made-for-TV movie. It has down-on-their luck winsome protagonists each defined by one or two character traits--one is smart yet rash, the other shy yet reasonable--a cartoonish villain--an overbearing train detective who storms about like an unhinged wanna Inspector Clousea--and a bevy of oddball supporting characters like a neurotic school counselor who so desperately wants to transfer out of the film's setting in Idaho that she becomes complicit in the protagonists' crimes. One of the two protagonists even has a subplot that revolves around her learning to believe in herself. But Deidra & Laney Rob a Train is a nice bit of fun. It coasts by on a surfeit of cheer and eagerness that makes it hard to dislike.

6/10

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Dave Chappelle Live at Austin City Limits: Stan Lathan

Now here's the Dave Chappelle I remember. Stan Lathan's Deep in the Heart of Texas seems a more logical continuation of the Dave Chappelle persona and sense of humor than in his his other new Netflix special The Age of Spin. The humor is more racially charged (see the great bit at the beginning about getting a banana and then a snowball thrown at him) and more exaggerated. Chappelle always shone as a storyteller of bizarre, obviously false yarns. The best example is probably the one from his earlier comedy special Killing Them Softly (2000) about the time he saw a Thong Song contest. Many of the stories he tells in Deep in the Heart of Texas are obviously untrue, especially the ones he coyly insists are real. But that's why we enjoy them. There's also less transphobic and homophobic humor than in The Age of Spin. So that's nice. He talks a great deal about transsexualism and homosexuality, but the communities never seems to be on the receiving ends of his barbs...at least as much as they were in The Age of Spin.

Dig Two Graves: Hunter Adams

To read this review, go to: http://www.audienceseverywhere.net/movie-review-dig-two-graves-march-24-2017/.

5/10

The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at the Hollywood Palladium: Stan Lathan

I used to give stand-up comedies official scores. But I don't think I'm gonna do that anymore. It doesn't seem right to judge these specials on the same merits as feature films. Anyhow! Dave Chappelle is back in The Age of Spin. It's interesting to see how much more bitter and almost sociopathic Chappelle has become over the years, at least when it comes to the subjects of his punchlines. Here he does extended bits about rape victims, victims of police violence, and Nicole Brown Simpson. Chappelle always sought to push the boundaries of comedy, but it was shocking to see just how playfully mean-spirited his comedy has become. Unfortunately, a few of the bits don't land, particularly a lengthy one about the time he pitched a gay superhero movie to a producer at the Oscars. But it's worth it all just for his discussion of Bill Cosby, his influence, and his "alleged" rape victims. It may not have the same wallop as his earlier material, but it's still good to have his comedic voice back.

Atomica: Dagen Merrill

To read this review, go to: http://www.theyoungfolks.com/review/99677/movie-review-atomica/.

6/10

Get Out: Jordan Peele

I feel like the only compliment I can give Jordan Peele's Get Out that truly matters is that it made my theater cheer for the TSA. No, really. Now that's some quality filmmaking, right there. In all seriousness, though, Get Out is a fantastic horror/thriller. It's creative, unexpected, beautifully shot, and magnificently acted. I like how I truly didn't know what was going on until the last 15 minutes or so. Also, it was totally worth seeing it on a big screen. I saw it at the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn, so I had a very racially heterogeneous audience. It was fascinating to witness which parts of the audience reacted to which joke, what twist, what revelation. It was one of the most invigorating public experiences I've had in a theater in some time.

8/10

After the Storm: Hirokazu Koreeda

I almost fell asleep 3 times during Hirokazu Koreeda's After the Storm. *dodges tomatoes* Wait, wait, wait, let me explain. It's not that I thought After the Storm was a bad film or a boring film. It's just that I didn't properly prepare myself for a film as leisurely paced as this quiet story about a divorced detective father struggling to reconnect with his family after the death of his father. There are many things about it that I loved, in particular a late sequence where the father, son, and later, the mother, sneak into a playground maze shaped like an octopus during a typhoon. It reminded me a lot of the drives my family would take during summer vacations down the Blue Ridge Parkway: many times I'd lose myself watching the rain in the comfort and warmth of the car while munching away at snacks. I think the film is tender, heart-felt, and silently powerful. But I still almost fell asleep 3 times watching it.

7/10

Brimstone: Martin Koolhoven

To read this review, go to: http://www.audienceseverywhere.net/brimstone-delivers-on-its-fiery-promise-but-be-sure-youre-ready-for-it/.

7/10

La Maison en Petits Cubes: Kunio Katō

Well, I've been emotionally compromised. Movies like Kunio Katō's La Maison en Petits Cubes remind us that you don't need much time to leave an emotional impact that'll last a lifetime. With just twelve minutes, this simple little heartfelt film has rocked me to the core. It's a story so simple it makes me mad that I hadn't thought of it: a man living in a house he has to build higher and higher to escape rising sea levels relives memories of his past when he scuba dives to the submerged floors. Genius. I was worried that the film wouldn't have a decent way to end itself, and I was right...to an extent. The ending is fine, but it highlights how this is a strange kind of story where an ending is perfunctory; there's only an ending because every story has to end at some point. I'm not sure how else this film could have ended without betraying its own tone and wistfulness. It's all the stuff before the ending that makes this a quiet, miniaturized masterpiece.

X-Men: Apocalypse: Bryan Singer

Maaaaaaannnnn...how did Bryan Singer go from directing my favorite X-Men movies to my least favorite? X-Men: Apocalypse is such a messy, bloated, overlong, directionless piece of nonsense that it's almost painful. It feels like an entire TV miniseries crammed into two-and-a-half hours. It somehow manages to not have a central protagonist and not be an ensemble film. There's hardly an original thought in the entire movie: all of the big plot developments feel tired and rote. That whole subplot with Magneto tragically losing his new family bored me almost to tears. There's too much spectacle, not enough emotion or genuine character development. Several of the characters--Psylocke, Jubilee, Wolverine--feel like window-dressing. Why have them in the movie if they won't actually do something? Also, the film feels like it has something really poignant and insightful to say about religion: how mankind chooses their gods, what we demand of them, what they demand of us. But it never connects. It's all just wasted potential. You know...the worst kind.

5/10

The Last Laugh: Ferne Pearlstein

To read this review, go to: http://www.audienceseverywhere.net/movie-review-the-last-laugh/.

8/10

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon: John Ford

To read this review, go to: http://theretroset.com/rewarding-she-wore-a-yellow-ribbon/?utm_content=buffer18163&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer.

6/10

X-Men: Days of Future Past: Bryan Singer

Feels good to have Bryan Singer back in the director's chair of the X-Men franchise. I still passionately love X-Men (2000) and X2 (2003), and though I do like the other installments in the X-Men franchise, I don't think it ever reached the same heights without him. I enjoyed X-Men: Days of Future Past. It had a delightful emotional heft, the Quicksilver scenes were some of the best in the franchise, and it was great seeing both James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart interact with each other as Professor Xavier. Here's the problem: the film is simply too busy. It's too long and almost collapsed under the weight of juggling two timelines. But it's still a fun piece of filmmaking. If I had to choose, I think I'd prefer Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class (2011), simply because it was more colorful and fun. There are a couple light moments in Days of Future Past, but it is, after all, a film about averting a genocide.

7/10

When the Bough Breaks: A Documentary About Postpartum Depression: Jamielyn Lippman

To read this review, go to: http://www.theyoungfolks.com/review/99632/movie-review-when-the-bough-breaks/.

5/10

Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure: Richard Williams

Richard Williams's Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure is in no way a good movie. The story is too unfocused, the characters underdeveloped, and the animation is just plain wonky. All of the characters move like they were animated at different speeds--probably because they were, seeing as how the film was done by animators working out of their homes instead of out of a single studio. It's all either too frantic, too jarring, or too stretchy. And yet, I'd watch this film over and over again in a heartbeat. It's just so weird and odd and unpredictably bizarre. This must be what it's like to have a stroke while wigging out on a cotton candy sugar rush. Also, the music is simply divine. Written by Joe Raposo, the musical director of Sesame Street and The Electric Company, the songs are infectious, catchy, and quotable. My favorite? The Camel with the Wrinkled Knees's Blue. I love how his phrases end with his notes seemingly a half-step or a whole note higher than you'd expect them to be.

5/10

Funny Lady: Herbert Ross

To read this review, go to: http://theretroset.com/not-so-funny-lady/.

5/10

X-Men 6: The Wolverine: James Mangold

I was really with James Mangold's The Wolverine...at least at first. It was moody, atmosphere, heavily invested in creating tone and a brooding sense of despair. Even when Wolverine first traveled to Japan, I was with it. It was fun to see Logan bumble around in a country where he was out of his element. But alas, the film trades tone for whiz-bang action in the second half, woefully succumbing to just about every action stereotype in the book. The perfunctory love interests? Check. Jittery action sequences against CGI vomit? Check. Forgettable villains? (Looking at you, Viper.) Check. Hard to follow plot machinations? (Just what the heck was going on with everybody betraying everybody?) Check. It sapped all the life and goodwill from the first half. Now, the more astute of you might notice that I've given this film a worse score than the widely reviled X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). At least that film had its own identity; at least it embraced its comic book roots and all its inherent silliness and spectacle. The Wolverine just feels hollow.

5/10

Women at War: Jean Negulesco

To read some VERY brief thoughts on this well-meaning but condescending film, go here: http://theretroset.com/jingo-unchained-howard-hawks-air-force/?utm_content=buffer3ceb1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer.

Air Force: Howard Hawks

To read this review, go to: http://theretroset.com/jingo-unchained-howard-hawks-air-force/?utm_content=buffer3ceb1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer.

6/10

X-Men 5: X-Men: First Class: Matthew Vaughn

You know what Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class is? Fun. Pure, pulpy, unadulterated fun. Many of the problems I had with the film were issues with the lore: how in the hell did Sebastian Shaw kill Darwin?; how in the hell did Magneto hill Shaw by piercing his brain? And why were there no less than three separate sequences where the film's various female heroes strip down to skimpy lingerie (or less)? But still, the film is a ton of fun, particularly the climactic game of missile tug-of-war, Azazel attacking the mutant compound, and the proto-X-Men getting trained. I could easily watch this film over again.

7/10

X-Men 4: X-Men Origins: Wolverine: Gavin Hood

You know what? I liked Gavin Hood's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Some of the special effects were stupid, but I quite liked the story, a good chunk of the action, and an even larger chunk of the screenplay. Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber were excellent, and I could watch an entire movie of Logan, John Wraith (will.i.am), and The Blob (Kevin Durand) just hanging out, scrapin', and shootin' the sh!t. Some of the set-pieces were remarkable: the opening montage of Wolverine and Sabertooth fighting through history's battles; the destruction of the nuclear power generator by decapitated head laser; the fight between Wolverine and The Blob. Yeah, what they did to Deadpool was beyond stupid. But for what it's worth, Ryan Reynolds was fantastic in the few minutes of screen-time he had before he got his mouth sewed shut.

6/10

The Freedom to Marry: Eddie Rosenstein

To read this review, go to: http://theyoungfolks.com/review/98770/movie-review-the-freedom-to-marry/.

6/10

Lion: Garth Davis

Of all the 2016 Best Picture nominees, Garth Davis' Lion is one of the few that can legitimately claim to be a visceral visual experience. I know many people might favor the triumphant second half where adult Saroo (Dev Patel) discovers his home-town, defeats his inner demons, and reunites with his long-long mother. But the first half was my favorite. It did such a magnificent job capturing the child-like sense of terror and isolation of being in a huge, unknown world. Part of that was keeping the camera down to the ground at about a child's height. Another part of it was isolating child Saroo (Sunny Pawar) in negative, empty space in sprawling, depopulated frames. The last act of the film does feel a bit forced and cheesy...but how else could they have ended such an incredible true story? I don't know. But the visuals redeem Lion for me a thousand times over.

8/10

Black Coal, Thin Ice: Diao Yinan

Diao Yinan's Black Coal, Thin Ice is one of those puzzle-box Asian thrillers that aren't really meant to be watched only once. They sprinkle clues throughout the whole thing that only come together within the last few minutes or so. But even then, the clues are so minor that they can only be appreciated within the full context of the film's narrative--something that can only be gained after seeing the whole thing. Sometimes this results in films belly-flopping, like Na Hong-jin's The Wailing (2016), a superlative horror film that collapses in the last 10 minutes after realizing it isn't sure what the hell is going on anymore. Sadly, Black Coal, Thin Ice doesn't manage to keep things interesting. Despite being only 106 minutes, it feels three hours long. And that run-time is seemingly devoted to draining every drop of tension, dread, and fear from the thing. That was more than likely the point: depict characters who are as blank and empty as the snowy countrysides and cityscapes that populate their native northeast China. But it doesn't make for interesting cinema. The whole thing feels curiously bloated and unsubstantial.

6/10

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore: Macon Blair

Poor little film. I don't think Macon Blair's I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore will ever escape the shadow of David Lynch. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the film seems to mimic Lynch's work, particularly his masterpiece Blue Velvet (1986)--both films feature out-of-their-element protagonists involving themselves in sinister crime investigations, thereby plunging themselves headlong into the seedy criminal underbelly of Everytown, USA. There's even a psycho bad guy in both--Dennis Hopper's Frank Booth and Devon Graye's Christian. But I smell more than a bit of the Coen Brothers in this film, too. The absurdist humor, the theological undertones (no, I don't think it's a coincidence that Graye's character is named "Christian"), and the paroxysms of sudden, gruesome violence. It's strange: these disparate elements don't really make sense forced together. But it's that not-making-sense that makes the film make sense. Do you follow me?

7/10

Don't Bother to Knock: Roy Ward Baker

Man, all I wanted was something light before I went to bed. Turns out Roy Ward Baker's Don't Bother to Knock is a complex, superbly acted noir tragedy featuring none other than Marilyn Monroe as a suicidally insane ex-mental patient moonlighting as a babysitter in a lavish hotel. Freaking what? I've never seen Monroe do a role like this before. Complex ones, deep ones, dramatic ones...sure! But I've never seen her actually be crazy. And she's not half bad. Sometimes her trembling voice seems to channel none other than Jacqueline Kennedy, and at those times she starts to slip over into the realm of camp. Thankfully there are a number of other great actors and actresses pinch-hitting for her: Richard Widmark, Anne Bancroft, and Elisha Cook Jr., just to name a few. It's always a treat to find such ensemble casts in films that fell to the wayside of film history. I think I need to revisit this one when I'm not half asleep. It was quite good.

7/10

Death Race 2050: G.J. Echternkamp

At first I hated everything about G.J. Echternkamp's Death Race 2050: the Hunger Games costumes, the political commentary that went stale during the Bush years, the copious amount of CGI gore and explosions. But as it went on, I became impressed by...*gasp*...the writing, of all things. In particular, I love the relationship between Frankenstein (Manu Bennett) and his observer Annie Sullivan (Marci Miller). Also, Folake Olowofoyeku as Minerva Jefferson? She damn near stole the whole film. And as the film continued, some of the gags got funnier and funnier.

"Stay at the 3 Season Hotel! The 3 Seasons! Because winter is a myth!"

Also, that Bechdel's Bar gag was worth watching the whole film. Death Race 2050 could have really benefited from more practical effects, but at least the cars were real. And to be honest, the whole thing was enjoyable stupid. But not too stupid. It was the right kind of stupid...for the most part, at least.

6/10

Drifter: Chris von Hoffmann

To read this review, go to: http://www.audienceseverywhere.net/drifter-manages-to-take-all-the-fun-out-of-post-apocalyptic-cannibals/.

2/10