November 21st 2024
Goodrich
Last Stop Larrimah (streaming on Netflix)
Woman of the Hour (streaming on Netflix)
Couch potatoes have two worthy films, both based on true crimes, to watch on Netflix, while a lovely family comedy/drama, featuring Michael Keaton, hits the big screen.
Goodrich
Dir: Hallie Meyers-Shyer
Length: 110 mins
 |
© Rialto - Michael Keaton gives a tender
performance as a challenged father |
Andy Goodrich, owner of a boutique New York art gallery, is on his second marriage. His daughter Grace (Mila Kunis) by his first marriage is 27 years old and pregnant, but Billie (Vivien Lyra Blair) and Mose (Jacob Kopera), the twins by wife number two, are only nine! When second wife suddenly leaves to go to rehab for 90 days, Andy is shocked and left struggling to be a competent father. He begins to lean heavily upon Grace, only to bring many long-harbored resentments to the surface. Although aspects of this plot are certainly well-worn film fodder, the story is elevated by a sensitive and nuanced performance from Keaton, who is absolutely empathetic and engaging in his role. In fact, the entire cast work really well together, with Kunis's Grace so poignant as the adult sister who has to watch her father become the sort of parent she had always hoped for, but never had. This is a lovely, gentle dramedy, that brings very relatable characters to the screen, in a story so relevant in a day when men are unsure of their fathering roles, and seem to have second families later in life. 3.5 - well recommended
Last Stop Larrimah
Dir: Thomas Tancred
Length: 117 mins - in two episodes
Streaming on Netflix
 |
© Netflix/HBO - truth is often way stranger
than fiction in this outback mystery |
Is it a documentary, a Christopher Guest style satire, or a total fiction? In short, it's the true tale of dastardly doings in the Aussie outback, but it is so entertainingly presented that it could well be a carefully devised fiction. In 2017, Paddy Moriarty and his dog went missing from the tiny town of Larrimah in the Northern Territory. No trace of either dog or man was ever found, and given that the town's population was only 11, someone must have known something! We meet every resident of the town, and are treated to plenty of video taken of Paddy before his disappearance. All the residents seem to have a gripe about each other, so any one may have had motive enough to despatch Paddy. This is a colorful collection of true-blue Aussies, the likes of which we seldom meet: the publican who owns a huge pet crocodile, the cafe owner (and proud pie maker), a strangely ill-fitting married couple referred to as royalty, and more other eccentrics than you can shake a stick at. While they can be laughed at, we also get a sense of their oddly lonely lives. A most entertaining and eye-opening look at a side of Aussie life I've certainly never seen, not to mention an insight into a case that has mystified police to this day, and despite certain compelling evidence, has never led to a prosecution.4 - highly recommended
Woman of the Hour
Dir: Anna Kendrick
Length: 95 mins
Streaming on Netflix
 |
© Netflix - don't be too quick to go on
a date with a seeming charmer! |
Another true crime story turned into a Netflix feature film, this one is seriously chilling. Director Kendrick plays Cheryl, broadly based upon Cheryl Bradshaw who appeared on The Dating Game, a TV show in the 70s. Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto), the man she chose from three candidates, turned out to be hiding a deadly secret. The directorial choice of how to handle the timeline makes for tense and interesting viewing. The opening scene, an idyllic photo shoot that soon turns deadly, then gives way to various scenes dealing with Cheryl's aspirations to act, and then we return to other crime scenes with the year being indicated by a surtitle. This can be a little confusing and the full story is only revealed just before the credits roll. What is really powerful, is the terrifying reality of how women can be so easily duped by evil men who seem charming, harmless, intelligent and even sweet. The reenactment of the actual TV game show, featuring some truly bozoish men, only adds to the misogynistic vibe of the era, leaving the viewer serously unsettled in this strong directorial debut.3.5 - well recommended
No comments:
Post a Comment