A Very Odd Assortment This Month!

For some reason June and July are a month of “Best Films Of…” lists. A few I’ve pulled from include: The New York Times, The Guardian, Fraenkel Gallery’s Roxie fundraiser (films suggested by artists) and some I can’t recall. The results are uneven: some cited are reminders of films I loved in my twenties but have zero memory of, others are more recent and others I’ve seen and agree they are top notch. A few I would never have recommended but the lists introduced me to a few good ones. What follows are my thoughts on those I selected.

“The Last Picture Show” (1971) Twenty-one year old Cybill Shepherd established her film career as the beautiful and cruelly manipulative rich girl in an impoverished and dying small Texas town in 1951. Jeff Bridges and Timothy Bottoms are convincingly lost teens and Cloris Leachman gives an incredible performance as a middle aged depressed housewife. Peter Bogdanovich collaborated with the book’s author, Larry McMurtry (who grew up in nearby Wichita Falls, Texas) to create an authentic “coming of age” American masterpiece that not only doesn’t feel dated but still rings sadly true. (especially re the title–movie houses are a quickly dying breed).

“Holy Cow” (2024)( Kanopy) In some ways a modern French version of “The Last Picture Show”, this one has a bit more humor in its telling. Again we watch virtually parentless teens struggling with poverty, lack of purpose and becoming adults. The settings share similarities: in this one the economy relies on a faltering dairy economy in the Western Alps, a region noted for its Comte cheese. Director Louise Courvoisier chose locals as actors, but they are convincing and in fact, probably add a lot to the authenticity of the project. If you are looking for a fast paced action film, this one is not for you. But I enjoyed the leisurely quality and the endearing characters. And the cheese!

“After Love” (2021) (free on Kanopy but also available on Apple and Prime) On some ways this deservedly award winning film is a deceptively simple melodrama, but its layered emotion and back story are engrossing. Highly recommend.

“Red Eye” (2005) (Netflix) Get out the popcorn! This is a silly nail biting thriller with fabulous performances by Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy. I have never had the courage to watch the classic “Nightmare on Elm Street”, but this is Wes Craven lite (still a few eye covering scenes). It’s the kind of movie where you yell out stuff like “He’s behind the door!!) but the film’s premise is so preposterous that it’s out of your head after turning off the remote for the night.

“Us” (2020) (Masterpiece Theater, Amazon) Thank you, friend Pouke for recommending this moving, well acted mini series. Although there are comedic moments, “Us” is a melodramatic portrait of a faltering marriage as the couple face an empty nest. In an attempt to salvage it and taking a last family trip, the characters tour Europe, carrying both literal and metaphoric baggage. Why people marry who they do, why marriages end, why some endure–all issues explored in the series. Of equal importance is the father/son relationship which seems to have been a series of missteps throughout the about- to- leave home seventeen year old’s life. The very excellent British actor Tom Hollander plays the deeply loving but hapless Type A father who just can’t connect with his creative Type B son. Saskia Reeves (“SlowHorses”) is the wife and mother mediating. How all this is resolved makes for compelling television viewing and provocative discussion.