Movies to See Right Now

Harry Dean Stanton in LUCKY. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

The often funny and stealthily profound Lucky opens this weekend in the Bay Area. Here’s my remembrance of its star, Harry Dean Stanton.  Other choices:

  • A Must See: the contemporary Western thriller Wind River, which has mystery, explosive action, wild scenery and some great acting, especially by Jeremy Renner and Gil Birmingham.
  • The historical thriller Dunkirk.
  • The amiably entertaining hillbilly heist film Logan Lucky.

Here’s my preview of the 40th Mill Valley Film Festival, underway now at several Marin locations.

For the second straight week, my DVD/Stream of the Week is the extraordinary performance of French actress Isabelle Huppert in the subversive Elle. The controversial Elle is available on DVD from Netflix and to stream from Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube and Google Play.

On October 8, Turner Classic Movies brings us the especially nasty noir Detour, in which poor Tom Neal is practically eaten alive by Ann Savage as perhaps the most predatory and savage female character in film noir history. One of the few Hollywood films where the leading lady was intentionally de-glamorized with oily, stringy hair.

Ann Savage and Tom Neal in DETOUR (Hint - she's trouble!)
Ann Savage and Tom Neal in DETOUR (Hint – she’s trouble!)

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