This week – three more movies in theaters, five more now streaming and a note on my own William Randolph Hearst movie-going fantasy.
Every once in a loooong while, I have an experience that I treasure – seeing a movie as the only patron in a theater. Since I visited Hearst Castle as a kid, I’ve loved the idea of posing as the magnate at his very own private theater. One would think that this would happen more than it does. In a non COVID year, I will see 100+ movies in theaters, and I see lots of obscure movies at sparsely-attended weekday matinees. But, almost always, there’s at least one more audience member.
Anyway, it happened for the third time last Monday – The Souvenir Part II at San Francisco’s Landmark Embarcadero. My previous two solo screenings were of The Mariachi in 1992 at the Los Gatos and of Not Fade Away in 2012 at the AMC Cupertino Square.
IN THEATERS
The Power of the Dog: Jane Campion’s simmering drama of hostility that, most unexpectedly, meets its match. Brilliant performances by Benedict Cumberbatch and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Also now streaming on Netflix.
Julia: This charming documentary, affectionate and clear-eyed, tells the unlikely story of how Julia Child broke through every expectation of her gender, class and upbringing to become an icon in her fifties.
The Souvenir Part II: An exquisite art film about a young woman’s emotional recovery. This won’t be in theaters for very long.
Also in theaters:
- Belfast: a child’s point if view is universal. If you have heartstrings, they are gonna get pulled. Belfast is justifiably one of the Oscar favorites. #2 on my Best Movies of 2021 – So Far.
- Last Night in Soho: clever and entertaining horror.
- Lamb: dark fable of karma.
- No Time to Die: I went to a James Bond movie, and a romance broke out.
ON VIDEO
A slew of movies have become widely available to stream, by which I mean that they can be rented for $3.99-$6.99 from Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu and YouTube:
- Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road: An unusual documentary about an unusual man.
- The Lost Leonardo: iI it a hustle? Does it matter?
- Respect: Struggling to take command of her own artistry
- The Eyes of Tammy Faye: Some dignity for the clown.
- Best Sellers: Orneriness goes viral.
If you are willing to pay $19.99, you can already stream Lamb, No Time to Die, Last Night in Soho and The Many Saints of Newark. Or you can wait just a few weeks for these films to get down to $6 territory.
The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:
- Passing: navigating a racist society and the value of one’s identity. Netflix.
- The Harder They Fall: a forgettable shoot ’em up, but with soul. Netflix.
- The Velvet Underground: Immersing us in a cultural moment. AppleTV.
- Keep Sweet: A community traumatized, a decade after. discovery+.
- Son of Monarchs: resolving his identity. HBO Max.
- De Gaulle: a man and his moment. Laemmle.
- The Card Counter: a loner, his code and his past. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
- Old Henry: too late for redemption. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu and YouTube.
- Wildland: giving family ties a bad name. Laemmle.
- The Many Saints of Newark: Tony Soprano’s origin story. HBO Max.
- The Unknown Saint: a shrine to really bad luck. Netflix.
- CODA: a thought-provoking audience-pleaser. AppleTV.
- The Green Knight: More of a test than a quest. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, Redbox.
- Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain: Bad ass romantic. Best Movies of 2021 – So Far.
- Riders of Justice: Thriller, comedy and much, much more. It’s the year’s best movie so far. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu and YouTube. #1 on my Best Movies of 2021 – So Far
ON TV
On December 6, Turner Classic Movies airs Caged, the 1950s prototype for Orange Is the New Black? Eleanor Parker played the naive young woman plunged into a harsh women’s prison filled with hard-bitten fellow prisoners and compassion-free guards. Parker was nominated for an acting Oscar, but her performance pales next to that of Hope Emerson, whose electric portrayal of a hulking guard also got an Oscar nod. Caged also features the fine character actresses Thelma Moorhead, Jane Darwell (Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath) and Ellen Corby (Grandma Walton here as a young woman). Sixty-four years later, Caged might still be the best women’s prison movie ever.
