The Green Mile (1999): The first movie I ever rated on IMDb was, actually, TGM. I was a Stephen King fan growing up, but didn’t know him for the style present in the two highly successful prison stories turned to movies of the 90s (this and, naturally, Shawshank). Ever since I saw it in the early 2000s, I’ve been somewhat weary of re-watching it, given how seminal it proved to me completely unripened mind and senses way back then. This goes even more so that I know a lot of the criticisms brought against TGM then and since, but if you just stay in the movie’s world, it remains fantastical and powerful. An absolutely exceptional cast, which allows the then-unknown MC Duncan to shine amongst the likes of Tom Hanks, James Cromwell or Sam Rockwell, breathes a lot of life in the story. I still feel like there’s a pureness to the storytelling in this one that makes up for its lack of complexity in terms of morality and social commentary. I was thinking to myself at the end, if I wanted to make someone who had never watched anything fall in love with movies, would I show them Citizen Kane, or would I show them The Green Mile? Well, I know which one worked for me. 10
Sacramento (2024): This one gives off strong sibling vibes with Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain (2024). Take a couple of close friends (director-writer Michael Angarano and Michael Cera), one of which is facing an important life moment, the other recovering from some personality, ummm, quirks, and have them just about tolerate each other during a long(er than expected) road trip. It’s messy, induces some level of anxiety and just about manages to tie it up in a satisfying redemption arc. But I don’t think it all clicks, more often than not, the movie pushes the limits on being just annoying, and it’s all a bit too clean in the end. 6
The Assessment (2024): This week seems to be about things that remind me of other things. Like, The Assessment (like most dystopic sci-fi fares) immediately makes you think of a Black Mirror episode, with the same appeal and the same downfalls. Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Alicia Vikander and Himesh Patel, it tells of a couple in the (not so) distant future, living on limited resources, in a strictly controlled society, where you need to undergo an assessment before being allowed to become a parent. Vikander takes on the juicy role of the assessor, whose strictness is contrasted with child-like play, an experience that is as frustrating for the couple, as it is for the viewer. If not more so for the latter. Sure, it is kind of interesting, but you’ll have to survive a level of cringe that just isn’t justified – or even well tuned. Like most Black Mirror episodes, as soon as it exits its own tightly controlled elements (the assessment itself), it becomes moralistic and uninspired. That said, if you can stomach this kind of tension and awkwardness, maybe you can even enjoy The Assessment, not just admire the performances. 6
Fight or Flight (2025): Say Bullet Train (2022), but on a plane. And with fewer A-listers, but that’s ok, Josh Hartnett is a galaxy in himself. The plot is simple – ghost killer is being tracked by US agency who has to rely on rogue element (Hartnett) for capture during a trans-continental flight. Only problem is the whole airplane is filled with assassins looking to collect a big bounty on said ghost. It’s not very serious and has some beautiful gory kill-shots, which BT did not get into. I don’t think it manages to surprise in any real way, but as far as fast food entertainment goes, it does the job. 6
Nonnas (2025): This is such a great example for a why *some* people diss certain Netflix housed movies. Based on a true story, directed by Stephen Chbosky (Perks of Being a Wallflower) and starring Vince Vaughn, it tells of a guy who opens an Italian restaurant where the cooking is done by Italian grandmothers. And that’s literally all there is to it, with Vaughn in his characteristically neutral performance going through the “how will he succeed, oh no he failed, oh yes it all worked” template. Yes, it’s nicely put together, includes some great actresses (Talia Shire, Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Bracco, Brenda Vaccaro), and provides a wholesome dish, but it stays so well within its limits, that it’s almost annoying. 5
tributary stu 