Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

I had heard of this movie only from automated suggestions after I watched others directed by Taika Waititi. Perhaps it wasn't shown in theaters in my area. It is from New Zealand, after all, and set there. Since it's rated highly and Waititi had yet to let me down, I gave it a whirl.

Ricky (Julian Dennison), ages 12 to 13 for the story, receives foster care from farmers Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and Hector (Sam Neill) despite his history of committing misdemeanors and running away. He warms up to Bella, but grumpy "Hec" wants as little to do with him as possible. Bella unexpectedly dies (we never learn how), and child welfare services, doubting Hec's adequacy, wants to take Ricky back to juvie. He runs off into the woods, and Hec tracks him down to ensure his survival. Some unfortunate events, particularly thanks to Ricky's cluelessness, give other people the impression that Hec kidnapped Ricky. A manhunt ensues, with not-so-friendly CWS officer Paula (Rachel House) in especially hot pursuit.

A Whisker Away (2020)

Even with the theaters closed, it'd be a shame for me not to see a 2020 flick until the year was half over. This Netflix suggestion jumped out at me. Its reception varies from strong to middling depending on the site, but a brief plot summary told me to expect cuteness if nothing else.

Japanese high school girl Miyo, nicknamed "Muge" for reasons that don't translate well, has an unsubtle crush on classmate Hinode, but he tends to find her exuberance annoying. Unsatisfied with her situation, she is easily persuaded by a mysterious man she knows only as "the Mask Seller" (despite not charging money) to try out a magic mask that lets her turn into a cat and back at will. In feline form, Muge finds the unsuspecting Hinode much more affectionate toward her, but living a double life is never easy. The Mask Seller, who alternates forms, hopes that she will give up on her human life for good. You can bet he has an ulterior motive.

Fences (2016)

Once again, I saved a Best Picture nominee for last because of familiarity. I read the August Wilson play...oof, at least 16 years ago. It occurred to me that while I remembered a lot of it, some good parts might have slipped my mind. Even if not, I liked it well enough that I wouldn't say no to an unsurprising adaptation.

Sometime in the '50s, Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington, also directing) is an illiterate former Negro League player turned Pittsburgh trash collector, who resents that baseball didn't get integrated until too late for him. His experience shapes his view of the present sports scene, and he insists that teen son Cory (Jovan Adepo) not bank on a career in football. Troy exhibits an overall pattern of acting like nobody struggles as much as he does. His egocentrism leads to family tensions, not least when he cheats on wife Rose (Viola Davis).

The Rose Tattoo (1955)

Well, what do you know: I didn't shy away from another adaptation of a Tennessee Williams play. Perhaps its Academy nomination for Best Picture told me to give it a try.

In small-town Mississippi, immigrant seamstress Serafina (Anna Magnani) copes especially poorly for three years following sudden widowhood and miscarriage. After hearing a rumor of late husband Rosario's infidelity, she has a public breakdown. Trucker Alvaro (Burt Lancaster) takes her home, and the two gradually fall in love. But Serafina still has enough pride to worry about people learning of them, especially her teen daughter, Rosa (Marisa Pavan), whose budding relationship with a sailor (Ben Cooper) has been met with strict maternal suspicion.

Little Women (2019)

I saved this for last among 2019 Academy Best Picture nominees because I had already seen the 1994 adaptation twice, albeit long ago. I was not very fond of that one, leaving me of two minds about seeing the reputedly best version.

For those who aren't up on the Louisa May Alcott classic literature, the title characters are four sisters in 1860s Massachusetts, traditionally supposed to spend much of the story as teens (and one briefly a tween) but herein played strictly by twenty-somethings. From oldest to youngest, they are Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Beth (Eliza Scanlon), and Amy (Florence Pugh). Jo gets the most focus, being an aspiring author with little regard for contemporary gender expectations, including marriage. More broadly, the sisters struggle with poverty, what with their father (Bob Odenkirk) away at war and neither any of them nor their mother (Laura Dern) in a good position to make money. They also face scarlet fever, a harsh teacher, and jealousy, not least with regard to the generosity and affection of comely male neighbor Laurie (Timothée Chalamet).

The Money Pit (1986)

I am definitely watching more movies with mediocre receptions lately. Maybe I'm more open to the possibility of being among the few fans. Maybe just seeing titles again and again without knowing much about them wears on me. I'm sure the convenience of streaming has something to do with it.

How silly of me to think that this title implied a pit that provides money. Instead, it refers to a superficially beautiful mansion that Walter (Tom Hanks) and girlfriend Anna (Shelley Long) buy for "merely" $200K up front, only to find that they'll have to go still deeper in debt for much-needed repairs.

Lonely Are the Brave (1962)

In the 1980 Sam Shepherd play True West, aspiring screenwriter Lee calls this the last great western, but his description makes it sound awkward if not ridiculous. When I noticed that the movie was popular anyway, I decided to find out whether he was accurate or just foolish as usual.

In modern New Mexico, cowhand Jack (Kirk Douglas) deliberately goes to jail in order to bust out a friend, Paul (Michael Kane), only to find that Paul would rather stay. Jack breaks loose within the day and flees to the mountains on horseback while authorities, most notably Sheriff Johnson (Walter Matthau), hunt him.