Don’t wait for my review to go see the stunning Past Lives – it may be the best movie of 2023 so far. This week on The Movie Gourmet – a new review of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, with reviews of Asteroid City and Past Lives on the way soon.
Note that BlackBerry and Turn Every Page are now widely available to stream.
REMEMBRANCES
His NYT obit notes that Alan Arkin “won a Tony Award for his first lead role on Broadway (and) received an Academy Award nomination for his first feature film”. Arkin soared in comic roles, especially in The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming! and Little Miss Sunshine and as a chilling villain in Wait Until Dark. For my money, his greatest performance as as the desperate and life-worn salesman in Glengarry Glen Ross, a puddle of nervous desperation and vulnerability.
From 1974 to 1979, Frederic Forrest was making unforgettable movies (The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, The Rose), but those led to a passel of forgettable ones in the 80s. He did sparkle as the villainous Blue Duck in Lonesome Dove.
CURRENT MOVIES
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: just a whole lotta fun. In theaters.
- No Hard Feelings: an amusement with Jennifer Lawrence. In theaters.
- The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic: wow – laughs, thrills, love. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
- Sam Now: a mystery solved…and more questions. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
- Tetris: corporate thriller amid communist collapse. AppleTV.
- Body Parts: on-screen sex from the female gaze. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
- Being Mary Tyler Moore: you might just make it after all. HBO.
- Turn Every Page: two masters, two obsessives. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
- BlackBerry: woulda, coulda, shoulda. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
- Rodeo: roller coaster on two wheel. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu.
- Little Richard: I Am Everything: never denying his identity, but renouncing it. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
- Fanny: The Right to Rock: triple threat trailblazers. PBS.
WATCH AT HOME
The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:
- Riders of Justice: thriller, comedy and much, much more.
- Blue Ruin: fresh take on the revenge thriller. Amazon, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
- Listening to Kenny G.: derision, devotion and a hard-working guy. HBO.
- Piggy: surprising and darkly hilarious. Amazon, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
- Revenge: The web is spun. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
- The Bra: Just your average silent Azerbaijani comedy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
- Drinking Buddies: an unusually genuine romantic comedy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
ON TV
On July 10, Turner Classic Movies will present the groundbreaking French comedy La Cage Aux Folles – a daring film in 1978, when few were thinking publicly about same-sex marriage. A gay guy runs a nightclub on the Riviera, and his partner is the star drag queen. The nightclub owner’s beloved son wants him to meet the parents of his intended. But the bride-to-be’s father is a conservative politician who practices the most severe and judgmental version of Roman Catholicism, so father and son decide to conceal aspects of dad’s lifestyle. Madcap comedy ensues, and La Cage proves that broad farce can be heartfelt. Michel Serrault is unforgettable as Albin/Zaza – one of the all-time great comic performances. (La Cage was tepidly remade in 1996 as The Birdcage with Robin Williams, but you want to see the French original.)