Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

 A satisfying conclusion to the MCU's most consistent property. The basic story is fine and thankful not particularly conventional, there are shades of 'The Secret of NIMH' to Rockets backstory and the villain is better then usual. Good if not great set pieces, the multi movie long arcs of the principle characters all work to varying degrees. The humor is functional, thought the music selection is the weakest in the series. Still it's been a while since I cared this much about a Marvel movie. ***

A Simple Plan (1998)

 Two brothers and a friend happen upon a crashed plan and find a duffle bag containing $4.4 million in Sam Raimi's Fargo-esque morality tale. After some debate our trio decides to take the money and then sit on it for 6 months, if no one comes around looking for it they plan on splitting it up 3 ways and all leaving their small Minnesota town. Complications inevitably ensue, greed, short sightedness, family secrets and a steadily increasing body count, then the FBI shows up.

Subtle this ain't, it's all a little much. Solid work from Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda and Gary Cole, with Billy Bob Thorton giving the standout performance. 'Fargo', 'Tresure of the Sierra Madra' and the Book of Job are the obvious points of reference here. While there is some good stuff I found the movie overwhelming and stressful, an anxious watch. I can see what they were going for but the films not quite artfull enough to fully pull it off. **1/2

The Harder They Come (1973)

 'The Harder They Come' was a giant hit on the early "midnight movie" circuit of the 1970's and is still considered the most influential Jamaican made movie of all time. Jimmy Cliff plays Ivanhoe Martin, a young man who has just moved back to the city, he had been living in the country with his grandmother but she died and her home had to be sold to pay final expenses.

Ivan is a likable guy, though kind of lazy and possessing an inflated sense of entitlement. With few skills other then singing and being in a poor country with a depressed economy he has a hard time finding work. He gets a position doing odd jobs for a local preacher but seduces his young ward (the charming Janet Bartley) and gets both of them thrown out.

His persistence eventually persuades a local producer to let him record a song, but Ivan gets screwed over as regards royalties. Desperate an old friend gets him a job with the local drug syndicate, things improve but dissatisfied with his small share of the earnings he starts bugging his superiors for more. In league with local authorities the syndicate decides to have Ivan arrested to teach him a lesson, only he kills the cop who tries to arrest him.

Now on the run Ivan decides he dosn't have anything to lose and embarks on a revenge killing spree, becoming a local folk hero and propelling his all but forgotten single 'The Harder They Come' into a giant hit. As his situation deteriorates allies make plans to smuggle him to Cuba, but as the saying and song goes "the harder they come, the harder they fall."

The film dances around through a number of genres and does them all well, a consistently engaging picture that is also a compelling portarate of Jamaican life roughly a decade post colonialism. I was aware of its reputation yet still surprised by how good this was. ***1/2

Dazed and Confused (1993)

 'Dazed and Confused' is a slice of life, almost documentary style film from Richard Linkletter, who is principly known for films of this sort. The movie chronicles various suburban Austin teens at the start of the summer of 1976. There's a lot of hijinks, romantic longing and driving around, making it much like 'American Griffiti' but for late Boomers rather the The Silent Generation. Large cast includes many recognizable names early in their careers including Ben Afflick, Milla Jovovich, Adam Goldberg, Parker Posey and famously Matthew McConoughy whose performance is three kinds of all right. Generally likeable it is not much on plot, this is essentially a hang out movie and probably improves on rewatch. ***

A Man Called Otto (2022)

 'A Man Called Otto' is an American remake of the 2015 Swedish film 'A Man Called Ove' which in turn was based on the 2012 Swedish novel of the same name. The book was something of an international hit and while I have not read it I did see the Swedish film version which I liked, so I didn't see much of a reason to bother with the American film. My mother was a fan of the book and of this film which she showed me on a recent visit. I wasn't expecting to like it but it won me over, not as good as the earler film it still did what it needed to do and ably filled the measure of its creation providing a likeable enough outing and a modestly inspirational time.

Tom Hanks is good as always and here cast against type as a grumpy widower who finds his love of life again through the aid of an eclectic assortment of neighbors. It's a redemption story in the mold of Ebenezer Scrooge, 'The Grinch' and Ed Asner in 'UP'. Well cast, especially Marina Trevino and Rachel Keller. Set in Pittsburgh it still convies a certian Scandinavian sensibility. Film is marginally woke which may be a turn off to some. Still for me its feel good pleasentness manages to out weigh its tritness. ***

The Heritic (2018)

 'The Heritic' is a documentary about Rob Bell, an author and former Michigian mega-chruch pastor who gradually deconstructed many of the assumptions of the conservative Christian worldview from which he came; what resulted is an approach to God which many in his Evangelical tradition have branded heresy. Bell's approach is diffuse, it is grounded in the unity of all people in the sight of God and more interested in the questioning of assumptions and the process of grappling with big questions then it is in any concrete set of answers. 

While I have listened to Bell speak on a number of topics this 70-odd minute documentary provides a good biographical and general philosohical overview of the man and his work, in it he touches on political, sociological and theological topics but more in an apitite wetting way then anything even semi comprehensive. While Bell's evolving views have cost him much of his old Evangelical audiance he has gained a strong following amongst former fundamentalists and the spiritually dispossessed or non commited. His rejection of atheistic materlism and persuite of a kind of spiritual third way has made him enimes on both sides of the God fence and probably shows he's on to something. I now want to read some Bell so appitate successfully wetted. ***

Macao (1952)

 The Austrian born director Josef von Sternberg was considered a genius, a force to be reckoned with during his heyday of the 20's and 30's, he is credited with discovering Marlene Dietrich and directed Emil Jennings to winning the very first best actor Oscar; by the 1950's he was lending his prestige name to mostly forgotten projects at RKO, the last of these 'Macao' he didn't get to finish. Studio boss Howard Hughes unhappy with Sternberg's work brought a young Nicholas Ray in at the end, mostly to punch up the action sequences, but allowed the Austrian to keep sole directorial credit. Ironically Ray, who Hughs often trusted to do clean up on other directors work in the early 50's (so much so Ray complained it kept him from doing more of his own work), would be removed as director before production wrapped on two of his last studio films, like Sternberg having become difficult to work with and perceived to have lost his touch.

Despite its troubled production I liked 'Macao', somehow the chaos behind the scenes translated to an easy going vibe on screen. Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell and William Bendix arrive in the Portuguese Hong Kong of Macao on the same boat, one of them secretly a cop on a mission to trick rackater Brad Dexter into international waters so he can be arrested. A love triangle develops between Mitchum, Russell and Dexter, while Gloria Graham's uncertain loyalties provide some additional complication. Filmed at the studio this 'exotic' feature has an unreal air and nothing feels all that important, which I think helps this movie. It's a vehichal for these stars to do their persona's and if you like the persona's it works, though at time's Russell lays the tough broad shtick on a little too thick, she does get to sing however as her characters a lounge singer and she's not bad at it.

Pleasant and low key 'Macao' is a bit of a guilty pleasure, a nothing plot and some hammy acting, still makes for an about perfect lazy afternoon movie. **1/2

Bottle Rocket (1996)

 Wes Anderson's first feature film is a 90's indie in the worst sense, a rambling unfunny mess with half an idea, which thinks far too much of its self. Staring James Caan and three Wilson brothers it's the story of three friends who embark on a half baked crime spree in rural Texas. There is no budget for what would become Anderson's signiture highly stylized style, though supposedly the film cost $5 million I simply don't see how that is possible, that money is not on screen.

 There was probably something of a novel charm to this when it first came out but in hindsight it's dull and overly self involved. It's compitently made, has a nicley chill vive and there are some flickers of promise here, ceritanly Owen is commited to the thing, but mostly I did not like this. I get falling for Inez but there is little else in this film that clicks. **