Giant Little Ones (2018): In spite of treading familiar territory in terms of story and characters, the way in which director Keith Behrman conjures moods through colors and pacing is top-notch. The story of Franky, played by a young Jesse Eisenberg kind of fellow, and the falling out with his best friend edges towards the unlikely at times, but it is held together by the ephemeral melancholy that only the better coming-of-age movies have. Everyone seems to be in a different place on the sexual spectrum here, which makes certain scenes feel like a stretch, e.g. almost anything with the queer side-kick Mouse – a strange choice for a movie that works well with subtlety. That being said, it wasn’t a bad ride at all. 7/10
After Hours (1985): If you’re up for a trippy Scorsese movie that doesn’t really feel like a Scorsese movie, then this is something for you. In a story that pretty much sums up my expectations of what would happen if I ever left the house after 23.00, a humble word processor gets into the mess of his life when trying to hook up with a mysterious woman he meets at a coffee store. It’s all unlikely, sometimes ridiculous, often head-scratching, yet in the end everything finds a way to fall into place and make sense. Do try it out for taste. 8/10
Long Shot (2019): An old-school, perfectly amusing, not overly ambitious comedy, starring my erstwhile beloved, Charlize Theron (went for Sean Penn instead of me, how could she!), and the self-deprecating Seth Rogen, Long Shot is a movie about…friendship? I guess. Or a woman becoming US president, although that never comes across as being anything but a vehicle for quippy one-liners and solid situational comedy. The leads do a great job in carrying this, although I did appreciate June Raphael’s contribution to a couple of really entertaining scenes. So yeah, good for a laugh or two. 7/10
Yesterday (2019): It’s hard to believe a movie directed by Danny Boyle and written by Richard Curtis can fail so hard. Alas, Yesterday proved a huge disappointment. Which is even more of a shame, if you consider the potential behind its concept: what if The Beatles never existed and you were the only one in a position to recreate their music? You could wonder about the ethics of it, which is the only thing this movie really does. But you could also question whether it would be just as successful, how it would all look and feel if launched in the modern world. There’s too little of that in Yesterday, which also fails because the leading duo has no chemistry and there’s very little joy to the whole affair, just a lot of moral anxiety. Boo. One of the few upsides is that Kate McKinnon was awesome, so that’s that. 5/10
Las Herederas (2018): This is probably the first Paraguayan movie I’ve ever seen and that makes for a very strong start. People rarely talk about the idea of someone being a prisoner to their inheritance, but that is exactly what The Heiresses manages to capture, a story which uses strong contrast subplots of sexual desire and emotional fulfillment to create something quite special. Sure, it meanders some, but to good effect, in establishing the lead’s desire to break free of expectations, wealth, debt and everything in between. The fact that said lead, Ana Brun, is at her first screen credit, makes Marcelo Martinessi’s movie even more of a stand-out. Do watch. 8/10
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