I watched five movies last week:
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- I’m not altogether sure what to think about Civil War, but I absolutely agreement with Matt Zoller Seitz on the fact that it’s “a furiously convincing and disturbing thing when you’re watching it.”
- The Tall T is a lean, mean, often bare-bones Western with some strong performances.
- I went into Born to Win not sure what to think. George Segal was a great comedic actor, but many of his better-known ’70s comedies—Bye Bye Braverman, A Touch of Class, Fun With Dick and Jane—have left me pretty cold. But I really liked this one, which is by turns clever and cynical, stumbling along the highs and lows of Segal’s character, with some terrific scenes along the way.
- Ellen Burstyn is terrific in Resurrection, which treats its subject in such a quiet and understated way.
- There’s definitely some pointed social commentary going on in Monkey Man—the widening gulf between the rich and the poor, if nothing else—though by the end, it might be swallowed under a little by bloody, John Wick-esque style. That style is often a lot of fun to watch, though, and Dev Patel brings a lot to the screen as both director and star.
I also re-watched The Legend of Hell House, which I have to admit doesn’t have the greatest of scripts, but has so much atmosphere and great performances that you can easily overlook the shallowness of its actual story.