Category: Film Reviews

  “Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorcese,” Real/imagined documentary, May 23, 2020 (2019), Netflix.  Pieced together by Scorcese from other materials and concert footage from the Rolling Thunder Tour in 1975, Scorcese invents an understanding of Dylan’s second great return to the road.   Most of it seems to be lifted from…

  “Unorthodox,” TV Series, May, 2020, Netflix.  Yes, we finally got Netflix.  This 4-part series is loosely based on the memoir of the same name by Deborah Feldman.  It follows Esther “Etsy” (the amazing Shira Haas) as she fleas the hidebound, ultra-Orthodox Satmar religious community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  Starved for both experience and affection, the…

  “Catfight,” May 21, 2020 (2016), Netflix.  Funny thing.  We wanted to see “Killing Eve” and thought it was on Netflix.  It took us to this, and as we’ve never seen “Killing Eve,” we thought this was an episode because it stars Sanda Oh.  Over time, we realized it wasn’t and we figured we’d see…

  “Springsteen on Broadway,” May 15, 2020 (2018), Netflix.  I really like Bruce Springsteen as a writer and performer.   I’ve been to one show (thank you Dr. Yates) but can’t afford the freight to see this man of the people.  I suspect he gets the paradox. Bruce’s one-man/one-woman show (featuring Patti Scialfa, his wife and bandmate for many…

  “Echo in the Canyon,” documentary, May 10, 2020 (2018), Netflix. B liked this one more than I did.  This film chronicles Jakob Dylan of the Wallflower’s exploration of one portion of the music scene from Laurel Canyon/LA in the mid-1960s, focusing on particular aspects of the evolution of both folk and rock in that…

  “Planet of the Humans,” May 7, 2020 (2019), Amazon Prime.  Michael Moore produced this attack on both the activist ecology movement (e.g., Bill McKibben) as shilling for Green Capitalism and destructive forms of energy generation, such as biomass.  As McKibben acknowledges in a rebuttal, he initially supported biomass but shifted his position not, as…

  “The Two Popes,” (some subtitles/English/Spanish/Latin/Italian), May 7, 2020 (2019), Netflix.  Brilliant acting from Anthony Hopkins as Benedict XVI and Jonathon Pryce as Francis I.   It’s an exciting and frequently very funny film that also graphically takes one into the horrific torture chambers and mass executions of the Argentinian junta’s rule.  This film follows from…

“Brittany Runs a Marathon,” April 17, 2020 (2019), Amazon Prime during Covid-19.   We saw this two nights before the Boston Marathon would have run thus year.  Brittany  (Jillian Bell) is not an easy person to be around.  Her NYC career has not gone the way she’d hoped, she’s gained a lot of weight, and has…

“Midway,” March 31, 2020 (2019), DVD.  I was really looking forward to this and, as has been the norm of late, was terribly disappointed.  Based on the true story of the battle of Midway in 1942, this script is about as trite as it could be.  The acting is flat and the characters one-dimensional.  Lots…

“Ford v Ferrari,” March 21, 2020 (2019), DVD.  I’ve been very stressed out, what with the virus, the economy, online teaching, and the like.  I turned to this as a piece of cinematic escape, and it was that.  Carroll Shelby (Matt Daman) was the only American to win at LeMans (1959) but then had to…

  “Downton Abbey,” March 13, 2020 (2019), DVD.  I had high hopes for this cinematic spinoff from the acclaimed English TV series chronically changes in England through the noble Crawley family and their servants.  I’d enjoyed the first few seasons although I dropped out at the end.  It was too much of a soap about…

No, not a movie. I’ve recreated this blog as thevillagevidiot.com, having lost the ‘villagevidiot.net’ url. So it goes. I’ll be entering more films in here and hope to edit many more already in with photos and other information.  Please return and browse at will.  Your friend, The Village Vidiot.

“Motherless Brooklyn,” February 11, 2020 (2019), DVD.  Edward Norton, an actor whose work I really enjoy, read the Jonathon Lethem novel this is based on in manuscript, bought the rights, produced, wrote, directed and starred in this Wynton Marsalis-jazz infused  noir fable of power, corruption, struggle, and resolute friendship.  He moved it from our present…

“Pain and Glory,” February 5, 2020 (2019), DVD (Spanish with subtitles.)  I have a very strange relationship to and with the films of Pedro Almodovar.  If feels as though he intentionally alternates remarkable works of cinema with superb and emotionally powerful character development and incredible dialogue with works of self-indulgent crap.   This wonderful, thoughtful, incredibly…

“The Danish Solution: The Rescue of the Jews in Denmark,” February 4, 2020, DVD, Documentary, 2003.  In these difficult times, I would recommend viewing the 2003 documentary “The Danish Solution: The Rescue of the Jews in Denmark.” Narrated by Garrison Keillor, it recounts the actions of everyday people, rich and poor, that resulted in the…

  “Toy Story 4,” January 25, 2020 (2019), DVD, animated.  Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), and all the gang (fine actors doing excellent voicing, although I missed Don Rickles, d. 2017) are now Jessie’s toys as she goes off to kindergarten where she makes “Forkie,” a spork/toy who becomes part of this community after…

“Hotel Salvation,” (in Hindi, subtitled), March 9, 2019 (2016), DVD.  As the first anniversary of my mom’s death approaches (March 27) I’ve become much more contemplative about life and death family issues.  This Indian film takes you on a journey that explores those issues.  It’s not about the spiritual per se, although that does figure…

Willie Wonka done by Johnny Depp in this Tim Burton extravaganza. It got bad reviews and my mom and sister didn’t like it, but Bronwen, Bronwen and I really did. I miss a couple of the Oompa-Loompa songs from the old Gene Wilder piece but otherwise liked this. Depp is truly creepy as a Wonka…

Wim Wender documentary about Ry Cooder’s rediscovery of Cuba’s “son” musicians. He reunites them, brings them out, and reopens all their careers. The music is great, the film leaves some important gaps unalalyzed: why did they fall from favor and disappear in the 1970s? Politics? Aesthetics? Which?. Why not stay together now?. I wish it…

With B and b at camp, I went to this violence festival with Dan Stone. Why is this rated PG-13?. The whole rating system is horrifyingly screwed up. And why would parents bring their much littler kids to this? There were 8-11 year olds there in abundance. I just don’t get it at all. Very…

Well done, funny, interesting. Lots of inter-textual references and

Well done, interesting, very under-rated and very touching dramatic presentation of the “true” story of Robert Thompson, the troubled young man who wrote Conan the Barbarian and Red Sonya novels in the 1930s. A love story, it chronicles the relationship he had with a small-town Texas school teacher. A very good movie with exceptionally strong…

Well done, very painful Russian drama about a young woman who becomes involved with a thief. She and her son become pawns in his selfish game traveling the country and robbing. He uses them as a setup to ingratiate himself with others, worm his way into their confidence, and then rob them. Nicely photographed, good…

Well-made. and well-acted blockbuster with good acting from George Clooney and a fine supporting cast about the fishermen lost during the huge storm of 1991. Scary stuff, good on the work of fishing. Would play better on the big screen