'The Thursday Murder Club' A Review

The Thursday Murder Club is a murder mystery, an adaptation of the Richard Osman novel. Four retiree true crime heads get to put their sleuthing skills to the test in this cozy British whodunit.

The core four- Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie- are, no surprise, pretty great, clearly having fun and committed. It's nice to see a movie with a septuagenarian ensemble, a sub-genre which has kinda ebbed and flowed over the years, as there's so much talent and experience that gets sidelined without stories that center them. The rest of the ensemble is a bit hit or miss- Naomi Ackie and David Tennant are great, Tom Ellis and Daniel Mays are bit confused. But overall it's solid if all within the comfortable confines of the genre.

Visually the film is uneven, the locations themselves are gorgeous, the actual cinematography pretty uninspired. The score is pleasantly forgettable, overall the production works but isn't particularly noticeable. Not much to it but delivers exactly what you'd expect.

For fans of cozy British mysteries, a bit thin otherwise.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Stream It.

Aldo's First Game

As I attempted
to explain to my nephew the rules
I am reminded
of the White Sox games
my dad took me to
and did the same
I am reminded

of a story my Aunt Anne likes to tell

about my Uncle John 

before he passed

explaining football to me

as a toddler

watching a Bears game

and telling her

"He gets it!"

I am reminded

of a story my dad likes to tell

about listening to a Black Hawks game

with his dad

driving home from a trip

weeks before my grandfather passed

I am reminded

that sport

and togetherness

can heal

or at least

offer respite

'East Of Wall' A Review

East Of Wall is an indie drama about South Dakota horse trainer Tabatha Zimiga(playing herself) as she struggles with finances, a group of wayward teens she fosters, as well as unresolved grief. With most of the cast playing versions of themselves the film blends documentary and fiction to create a potent and effecting mood.

Zimiga is a compelling lead, she's strong but vulnerable, harsh but sensitive, if she's a bit rough around the edges acting wise that's understandable as she(and pretty much everyone) is a non-professional. But she's able to communicate the essence of who she is and her situation, she's able to achieve what Herzog calls the Ecstatic Truth. The same is true of the rest of the cast notably Zimiga's daughter Porshia who serves as the co-lead and narrator who seems more comfortable in front of the camera than her mother. The two professional actors are Jennifer Ehle as Zimiga's mother Tracey who's great to see and feels relatively authentic but certainly in the tradition of lauded character actors playing questionable working-class roles(see Frances McDormand in Nomadland and Glenn Close in Hillbilly Elegy). The other is Scoot McNairy who struggles to make his character more than a caricature, partly because he's not really up for it and partly because his inclusion in the script is pretty rote. The times spent with the main cast, the ones playing themselves, simply living their lives is really truly wonderful and that's where the bread-and-butter of the film lies.

Visually the film is kinda glorious. Sweeping plains, long tracking shots of the girls riding horses, fly-on-the-wall slice-of-life vignettes- it's all really beautiful and evocative. The soundtrack is contemporary and feels authentic to this group of people we're spending time with. If there's a fault it is that, at times, the dialogue feels a bit clunky and the plot machinations with McNairy's character feel unnecessary or contrived. This is counterbalanced by the many many effective, moving, honest scenes that weave throughout, particularly a scene towards the end where Zimiga finally opens up in a circle of other women. 

A bold and inspiring debut from writer/director Kate Beecroft.

See It.

A Rejection Of The Inevitable Future

Fuck AI

'Nobody 2' A Review

Nobody 2 is an action movie, a sequel to 2021's Nobody. Hutch(Bob Odenkirk) is exhausted working overtime kicking ass and dropping bodies to pay off the mob debt he incurred in the first movie. But as a result he is neglecting his family. As a way to reconnect he takes the family to tourist town Plummerville(a quasi Wisconsin Dells). But Hutch can't stay outta trouble long!

Odenkirk is fun to watch here, he clearly does a fair amount of his own stunts and the fight scenes are great. But the emotional plotting is pretty thin and goofy, with some stabs at giving the character some depth and the family dynamic something beyond the superficial but it's not particularly successful or engaging. The supporting cast is solid, returners Connie Nielsen, Christopher Lloyd, and RZA and new additions John Ortiz and Sharon Stone all bring energy and presence(particularly Stone). The only off note is Colin Hanks as the evil Sheriff, not really in his wheelhouse. But overall there just isn't enough for all of them to do.

The action is shot legibly and has impact, the finale in the fair grounds is a blast, the fight choreography is crisp and exciting. Pretty much everything else though meanders or doesn't seem to have a clear intent. There just doesn't seem to be enough reason for this sequel to exist.

It's fine, diverting enough but not particularly original or unique it just kind of iterates.

Currently in theaters.

Stream It.

Pride & Prejudice

Listen
I like Kiera Knightly

quite a bit

I saw Domino

opening night

but she ain't my Lizzy Bennet

she's no Jennifer Ehle

not by a mile

God Sized Hole

the house
the car
the job
will be the solution

a new phone

a smart watch

will be the solution

a change of scenery

will be the solution

except it won't

except what's missing

isn't outside

what's missing

is inside

it can't be filled with stuff

it must be given up

given over

only then

will the searching end