Beasts of No Nation (2015)

For all its plaudits, this bombed at the box office. Some theaters declined to play it because it also went straight to Netflix streaming. Plus, I suspect that many prospective viewers were reluctant to watch such a dark story in an immersive environment with no pause option. Well, there's no better time for me to check out something bleak than right after a fun flick.

The film was shot in Ghana, with some lines in Krio and Twi, but honors its title by not specifying where in West Africa it's set. The decade is hard to guess too. Amid a civil war, prepubescent boy Agu (Abraham Attah) gets separated from some of his relatives and witnesses the killing of the rest. He runs into a rebel battalion, whose unnamed Commandant (Idris Elba) recruits him with an almost fatherly approach. That's not much if any better than wandering the wilderness alone....

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)

I wanted something different from my usual viewings, and I found it. It's rare enough to have movies set in Africa; it's rarer still that their protagonist is a Black African. This one doesn't even have any White characters to my recollection.

In the early 2000s, Wimbe, a Malawi village, is devastated by flood and then drought. The Kamkwamba family, headed by father Trywell (Chiwetel Ejiofor, who also wrote and directed for the first time), will have trouble farming enough food to get by, especially when neighbors resort to theft. They also can't afford the fee to keep 13-year-old William (Maxwell Simba) in school. But by sneaking into the school library, William learns enough to assemble a wind turbine, using a bicycle part among others, to meet both water and energy needs -- if only he can persuade Trywell and others to have faith and help him.

Out of Africa (1985)

Of the 92 Academy Best Pictures I've seen, this was the one I remembered least -- mainly just that Meryl Streep's fake accent was so thick the DVD had subtitles on by default. You may take that as a reason not to rewatch it, along with its reputation as perhaps the weakest link in the weakest decade for Best Pictures. (Those who praise '80s cinema usually don't have award-winning dramas in mind.) But I wanted a refresher, especially now that I've visited the same area of Africa myself. This time, I forwent the subtitles, without trouble.

In 1913, Danish future writer Karen Dinesin (Streep) marries Swedish baron Bror Blixen (Klaus Maria Brandauer) for convenience, planning to start a dairy in the Nairobi region of British East Africa. Bror alters the deal to a coffee farm without consulting Karen, unaware of the difficulty of growing coffee at high altitude. This is one of many signs that they will never fully love or trust each other. As Bror is rarely home and Karen finds undeniable signs that he sleeps around, she herself strays to his fellow hunter, Denys Hatton (Robert Redford).

My Octopus Teacher (2020)

My Netflix list has gotten too samey. I poked around for something short (85 minutes) and unlike what I'd seen lately. It occurred to me that not only had I not seen a documentary in months; I hadn't seen a nature documentary in years. Why not one with an intriguing title?

In 2018, naturalist Craig Foster goes diving near Cape Town and discovers a common octopus covered in shells for deception. He decides to watch her daily for a year. At first she shies away from him; then she sometimes clings to him in apparent playfulness. He is tempted to protect her from predation and starvation, despite the widely accepted rule against interference. Of course, a year is a long time for an octopus....

Uncut Gems (2019)

I previously expressed a minor interest in this picture, but I kept putting it off because it looked dark. I'd also learned that it had the fourth most instances of the F-word, right behind The Wolf of Wall Street, which is no plus in my book. Still, its popularity cannot be denied, and when I saw that it would stop streaming on Netflix May 8 (sorry if you're reading too late for easy access), I tarried no longer.

In 2012, New York jeweler Howard (Adam Sandler) imports a large black opal from Ethiopia. He hopes to auction it off and pay his multiple debts to impatient lenders, not least Arno (Eric Bogosian), his soon-to-be-ex-brother-in-law. But superstitious NBA star Kevin Garnett (himself) borrows it for luck, and getting it back in time for the auction isn't easy....

Death on the Nile (1978)

Only after watching did I become aware that another adaptation of the Agatha Christie book is coming out soon. This information does not make me regret my choice; if anything, it makes me gladder. If the remake is reputedly good, I'll be in a fine position to compare both versions.

I was particularly interested in seeing how, besides the exact setting and vehicle, the story differs from Murder on the Orient Express, which I both read and saw the 1974 movie of. Once again, famed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov herein) must figure out which of many passengers committed murder in transit. The first obvious difference is that DotN, at least in this version, doesn't have any death until about halfway in. Before that, we get pretty well acquainted with the guests, whose actors include Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, David Niven, Maggie Smith, and Angela Lansbury. Poirot does, too, observing them slyly as if he fully expects a murder. Hey, detectives should pick up on patterns in their own lives.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)

I knew going in that this would not be a jolly holiday flick. It's about prisoners of war, after all. Still, I could think of no more appropriate season to watch it.

In 1942, British Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence (Tom Conti) remains a leader among the POWs at a camp in Indonesia, serving as a bilingual liaison relatively amiable to the Japanese officers, especially the otherwise harsh Sergeant Hara (Takeshi Kitano), who says the title. But neither Lawrence nor Hara is as focal as rebellious new POW Major Celliers (David Bowie) or even Captain Yonoi (Ryuchi Sakamoto, doubling as the composer), who, for all his strictness, tends to show Celliers favor, apparently for a reason he'd rather not admit to himself....

The Constant Gardener (2005)

Someone's been dropping DVDs on the giveaway shelves at my apartment building. This was the only one to interest me so far. I didn't know any more than the gawky title when it was new, but once I read that it was a political thriller from John le Carré, I figured on checking it out. His work had been hit (The Spy Who Came In from the Cold) and miss (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) to me, but at least I'd get a better feel for him.

English diplomat and, yes, gardener Justin (Ralph Fiennes) falls for Amnesty International activist Tessa (Rachel Weisz) and agrees to take her to Kenya, where he's headed for work. They marry, but much of her present activity remains unknown to him. When she dies in a remote area, it's clearly murder, but by whom and why? He soon learns that she was on the verge of blowing the whistle on a shady, powerful drug company, which now threatens to off him too if he keeps sniffing around.

Black Panther (2018)

Two years ago, I would've had reservations about an adaptation of a character who clearly came out of the blaxploitation era. Thankfully, not only did his screen debut in Captain America: Civil War show how promisingly cool he was, but TV's Luke Cage reassured me that Marvel blaxploitation could avoid looking like old-fashioned moderate racism.

Although Prince T'Challa of Wakanda (Chadwick Boseman) had already donned the royal stylized catsuit, only in this movie does he officially become king and take the Black Panther title, along with a substance that enhances his physical abilities. Soon afterward, he learns of a murderous international museum heist that put secret Wakandan technology in the hands of smuggler Klaw (a hammy Andy Serkis), and he assembles a team to recover it at a rendezvous intended for a black-market sale. Naturally, a mere illegitimate businessman could hardly be the main villain in a work like this; he has a temporary partner with a vision for the global future....

Mighty Joe Young (1949)

This is one of those flicks I heard of long ago and was never sure whether it would be worth my time. It sounded like a lesser successor to King Kong, which I've long deemed overhyped and horribly dated, no matter which version. But it had to offer something different, or they wouldn't have remade it in '98. I took the chance.

The first key difference between Joe and Kong is that Joe has been raised from infancy by humans, particularly a girl named Jill Young, whose father came to East Africa from the U.S. After 12 years, he's extra enormous for no stated reason, but he mostly understands and obeys Jill. When showman Max O'Hara goes on an expedition to bring back exotic animals and exaggerated tales, he fast-talks Jill into signing a contract that has her and Joe performing in live Hollywood stage productions. Joe doesn't wear shackles like Kong, but neither does he enjoy his new environs. Jill seeks to get him home before he reaches a breaking point -- or before the authorities do....

The Black Stallion (1979)

This is one of those titles I heard of as a kid but never got the initiative to check out. I couldn't have told you any difference between it and Black Beauty. Well, despite the recency of my last viewing based on a kid's book, I didn't wait any longer.

My sources don't say when and where it takes place, but from the book, I'm guessing the early '40s, starting on a ship departing North Africa and ending somewhere in the US. Alec, who's about 13, becomes a castaway along with an untamed Arabian horse who had been roped up on the ship. After they've done each other several good turns, Alec gets the stallion, whom he uncreatively dubs "the Black," to be more docile toward him. Upon rescue (much sooner than I predicted), Alec demands to take the Black with him. But life behind a suburban fence doesn't suit the Black....

Cry Freedom (1987)

I've learned that there was a streak of anti-apartheid features in the years shortly before apartheid ended. The only one I had watched before, in high school, was A Dry White Season, which pulled no punches. This time, I thought I'd check out one about Steve Biko, whom I knew only to be treated as a martyr.

Like many films about race relations (e.g., The Blind Side), it doesn't actually give the most screen time to the main Black guy. The protagonist here is Donald Woods (Kevin Kline), '70s editor of a left-leaning newspaper who nevertheless starts in opposition to Biko (Denzel Washington in his first Oscar-nominated role), whom he sees as something like Malcolm X (how appropriate for Washington). When challenged to meet Biko, he learns that the man is more like MLK. Woods lends his support despite threats to his family.

Queen of Katwe (2016)

Ads for this movie jumped out at me because, for the first time to my knowledge, Disney was portraying native sub-Saharan African humans. Specifically set in Uganda, with a number of authentic Ugandans, tho they had to settle for South African backdrops and cast members much of the time. I appreciate that most of the actors, regardless of age, had little to no prior experience, so they probably gained a bit. And we the viewers lose nothing from it.

The story covers in brief the adolescence of real-life Phiona Mutesi (herein played by Madina Nalwanga) from 2007 to 2012. Coming from one of the poorest families in one of the poorest regions of an overall poor country, she doesn't expect to make much of her life. Then missionary Robert Katende (David Oyelowo) discovers her talent for chess and encourages her to compete as far as she can. Of course, in true Disney fashion, her mother (Lupita Nyong'o, evidently employed only by Disney nowadays), not without reason, does not readily see the value in having her stray from her assumed position in the world. And Phiona herself repeatedly doubts her worth.

The Big Red One (1980)

I had put this film off, because it runs 162 minutes. How serendipitous that I should get around to it on Memorial Day weekend.

The title's emphasis falls on "One," as in the numeral 1, sported in red by the 1st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army in World War II. Writer-director Sam Fuller was a veteran, which may explain why the narrator, Pvt. Zab (Robert Carradine), says he enlisted in order to get book material. His squad has the curious distinction of five men who never die or get badly wounded while the replacements drop like flies.

The Nun's Story (1959)

I consider Fred Zinnemann a bit underrated. Sure, he had his honors in life, but how often do even film buffs mention the director of High Noon, From Here to Eternity, and A Man for All Seasons? I don't recognize many more of his titles, but they tend to have IMDb ratings in the sevens. Throw in Oscar nominations plus a young Audrey Hepburn and I'm there.

The story begins in late '20s Bruges when Gaby (Hepburn) begins convent life as "Sister Luke." By the '30s, her bumpy road has led her to Belgian Congo, where she serves as a nurse and hopes to convert some natives along the way, despite brash nonbeliever Dr. Fortunati (Peter Finch). But she always considers herself more disciplined in medicine than in faith, and the latter especially gets put to the test when Germany invades her homeland....

The Hill (1965)

No, it has nothing to do with Capitol Hill or any other famous real hill. I chose this film partly because I hadn't seen any work of Sidney Lumet's in a while, especially his early work, and partly because I hadn't seen any Sean Connery in a while. Neither is known for much in the subgenre in question.

The setting is a British Army prison camp in the Libyan Desert in World War II. Soldiers who committed various offenses wind up here, and depending on the judgment of the staff sergeant on duty, they may have to run repeatedly over a manmade hill. The first half to two-thirds of the movie has little plot beyond the general conflict between guards and prisoners, but when one climber drops dead (as summaries keep mentioning before long), the rest get restless in their desire to make the harshest screw answer for it, and the authorities bicker over how to handle the potential riot.

Of Gods and Men (2010)

The preview had gotten me interested in this one. It's based on a true story of nine French Trappist monks in Algeria under threat from Islamic extremists during the 1996 civil war. With all that we hear about Middle Eastern violence to this day, a little tale like this can easily be overlooked.

That said, an early massacre elsewhere that sets fears in motion is about the only violence you'll see in this film. Mostly it's the monks talking with each other, authorities, unhelpful soldiers, or aggressors at their door. Despite internal and external pressures to pack up and leave, they continue to treat injuries in the community, no questions asked. Alas, it's not the next Hotel Rwanda: What little we know of the reality dictated an unhappy, if largely unseen, ending (putting aside the question of what happens to Catholic martyrs).

King Solomon's Mines (1950)

I took a chance with this reputedly middling but still most popular adaptation of probably the most famous H. Rider Haggard novel. IMDb commentators all seem to love the adventure or find it boring. I figured that if nothing else, I'd get a cultural history lesson.

It is pretty dated. There's something to be said for the challenge and authenticity of filming in Africa with lots of native animals and humans, and I have yet to uncover any wrong information having been dispensed about them, but my sources are sure that someone shot an elephant for real on screen. Ironically, protagonist Allan Quatermain (careful not to use more than one R) was progressive for 1897, forbidding his comrades from killing more wantonly. If you keep the dates in perspective, the adventure gets more appreciable.

The Rabbi's Cat (2011)

Now here's a rarity in my adulthood: My mom made the suggestion based on an associate's semi-informed recommendation for her. It was streaming, so I and my parents went for it, knowing little more than that it was "surreal." I think the term "magic realism" applies better.

This subtitled French animation takes place in the late '20s, beginning in the Casbah of Algiers. It's unrated, but I can tell you it wasn't made for kids, as first hinted by the visual evidence that the nameless titular Abyssinian isn't neutered (and he makes use of that detail later). Things seem to move quickly, at least in terms of dialog and narration. The narrator being the cat, in an oddly deep voice like Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service or Salem from "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." Still pretty cute, of course.