Real life has intervened, so I’m now writing through a backlog of a dozen movies, including next week’s The Father. Stay tuned.
ON VIDEO
David Fincher’s Mank is a black-and-white beauty of a film, a portrait of troubled talent in Classic Hollywood. Amanda Seyfried is great as Marion Davies.
Don’t forget that some of my Best Movies of 2020 – So Far, are already available (and Mank and The Father are going on the list). I haven’t yet seen Nomadland or The Sound of Metal.
- Driveways: I can’t think of a more authentic movie about intergenerational relationships than this charming, character-driven indie. The more I think about Driveways, the more I admire it. It also features the final performance – so genuine and subtle – by Brian Dennehy. Driveways is available to stream on all the major platforms.
- The Whistlers: In this absorbing crime thriller, a shady cop and a mysterious woman are walking a tightrope of treachery. The Whistlers was a hit at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, but COVID-19 impaired its 2020 theatrical release in the US. (Amazon, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play.)
- The Truth: Writer-director Hirozaku Koreeda’s latest wry and authentic exploration of human behavior is a showcase for Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche. Hirokeeda, such an insightful observer of behavior, cuts to the core of his characters’ profound humanity. (Amazon, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play.)
ON TV
Tonight and tomorrow morning Turner Classic Movies is presenting one of my Overlooked Noir on Noir Alley with Eddie Muller, and you shouldn’t miss it. The core of The Burglar is the stellar lead performance of Dan Duryea as the chief burglar. He’s a tortured and worn-out guy – with one deep loyalty.
On December 14, TCM airs the Laurel and Hardy comedy Way Out West. It’s a fish-out-of-water comedy that transports the boys to the Old West. Thirteen-and-a-half minutes in, Laurel and Hardy descend from a stagecoach and perform a dance in front of a saloon that is one of the most perfect bits of physical comedy that I’ve ever seen. I actually keep Way Out West on my DVR and watch this dance whenever I need an emotional lift.
