Movies Watched in January 2014

Okay, so I’m very late in getting this posted, but here are the movies I saw in January:

Somm (NF 2012) Jason Wise [Netflix streaming]

I enjoyed Somm, a documentary about four men seeking to become master sommeliers, but the story is more about the people themselves and what drives them than it is about wine (although there’s an awful lot of wine flowing here). Cindy and I were both reminded of our rigorous doctoral exams, the hours and hours of studying music history, theory and our specialty areas (clarinet as her area; conducting as mine). I found myself pulling for these guys, hoping that they would all pass and find relief from this excruciating exam preparation. I won’t tell you what happened, but at times, Somm is a nail-biter.  

3.5/5

American Hustle (2013) David O. Russell 

American Hustle is so good at recreating the look and feel of the 70s, you almost forget there’s a great story here. The film borrows some of the elements that made Argo so popular a year ago: the period feel, the costumes, the culture, the scams and deception. But the beauty of American Hustle is in its fragility: it feels as though it might fall apart at any moment in an attempt to balance comedy, drama, triumph and tragedy. But it doesn’t fall apart, which is almost as miraculous as the performances. Nominated for several Oscars including Best Picture.  

4/5

Out of the Past (1947) Jacques Tourneur (3x)

One of my favorite films noir that just goes to show you that you may be done with the past, but the past is never done with you. Robert Mitchum plays Jeff, a man trying to escape his shady past and settle down in a small rural community, but former boss Kirk Douglas has other plans for him. (Oh, and Jane Greer is absolutely stunning.) Contains one of the most gut-wrenching final scenes in film noir. (Out of the Past was the first movie in our library’s “Film Noir Theatre” series.)

5/5

Seven Up (NF 1964) Paul Almond 

7 Plus Seven (NF 1970) Michael Apted 

I am obsessed with the Up documentaries - a series of films that chronicles the lives of a group of British children every seven years - and plan to write a long post on the entire series soon, maybe next month.

4/5

Lore (2012) Cate Shortland [Netflix streaming]

Powerful, often hard-to-watch tale of a girl watching her family and their Nazi ideology fall apart before her eyes immediately after the death of Hitler. 

4.5/5

Jack Reacher (2012) Christopher McQuarrie [Netflix streaming]

I’m honestly flabbergasted at how bad this film could’ve been yet wasn’t. It’s certainly not great, and maybe not even very good, but my low expectations were exceeded. Give it a chance. (If you’re a reader of the Lee Child novels, this one is based on the novel One Shot.)  

3/5