Last week was a banner week for movie watching. Texas experienced a once-every-thirty-years ice storm, courtesy of an Arctic blast. Many people lost power and water - some still don't have it restored, even though it got up to 70 today. We were among the fortunate. I don't drive on that stuff, plus nothing was open; so, I had the chance to catch some flicks.
In the 1960s, Bill O'Neal is recruited by the FBI to gather information about Chicago's Black Panthers leader, Fred Hampton, in exchange for not being charged with car theft and impersonating an officer. Judas and the Black Messiah tells the story. Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Dominique Fishback and Jesse Plemons star in this film. The acting was great. It's based on true facts. It was very good.
Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto star in The Little Things. Washington plays a seasoned detective, dogged by a crime he could never solve, who joins forces with a young detective (Malek) on the hunt for a serial killer. Jared Leto delivers a strong performance as their number one suspect in the case. It was pretty good.
In Malcolm and Marie, Zendaya and John David Washington play a couple. He's a filmmaker and she's his girlfriend who has acted in the past. They come home after the premiere of his latest film and spend the night arguing. They take turns having a meltdown. The acting is great, but I got tired of the back and forth. The film is shot in black and white, which was kind of cool. Overall, it was alright.
After Emilia Clarke hung up her mother of dragons cape, she starred in Last Christmas, a little rom-com about a girl who works in a year-round Christmas shop. In her off hours, she attends auditions for singing jobs and she tries to get her stuff together. She meets a mysterious guy who inspires her to be better. Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh and Emma Thompson also star. It was cute.
I'd been waiting for Nomadland to be released on a streaming platform for many weeks. Frances McDormand plays Fern, a woman who has lost everything when the only real employer in her town closed. She sells off possessions to buy a van and hits the road, taking seasonal jobs when she can. She meets people in similar circumstances along the way. Some people who live this lifestyle played factionalized characters of themselves. It was really, really good.
MK out.
