Wow, I gotta say that the offerings in movie theaters this August/September are as unappealing as I can remember, even for this period of traditional cinematic doldrums. There are a couple of good indies that I’ve seen coming to art houses in mid-September, but that’s about it until October.
However, now is a good time to catch up on films from my list of Best Movies of 2019 – So Far. The Last Black Man in San Francisco, They Shall Not Grow Old, Amazing Grace and Booksmart are all available to be streamed.
OUT NOW
- Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is a Must See – one of Quentin Tarantino’s very, very best.
- The family dramedy The Farewell is an audience-pleaser.
- You can find, if you look hard enough, Jirga, an indie parable about atonement that was Australia’s submission to the Academy Awards.
- Bay Area filmmaker John Maringouin’s inventive satire Ghostbox Cowboy, skewers white entitlement and sneaks a peek inside the shadiest corners of the Chinese boom economy. Ghostbox Cowboy earned a NY Times Critic’s Pick and can be streamed on Amazon (included with Prime).
- Here’s my rant on the latest Olivier Assayas film, Non-Fiction.
ON VIDEO
My Stream of the Week is the cautionary documentary Jimmy Carter – about the American people asking for something that they didn’t warm to once they got it. To stream Jimmy Carter from iTunes, search for “Jimmy Carter” under TV Episodes (not under Movies). Jimmy Carter is also available on DVD from American Experience.
ON TV
On September 10, Turner Classic Movies will be airing the 1940 version of Gaslight. Here is my essay on the movie versions of Gaslight and gaslighting as domestic violence, including a reference to the Film Noir Foundation’s fine podcast on the topic.
