April and the Extraordinary World (2015)

You might call me a casual fan of steampunk, in that I tend to like what I see of it but don't know a whole lot of works within it. Seems to me they're usually set in an alternate 19th century. This movie starts then to establish where the timeline diverges from reality, but then it skips ahead to 1931 and, for the bulk of the story, 1941, with an epilogue chronicling up to 2000. The important premises are that the line of Napoleon Bonaparte has continued and prevented many scientific advances by pressing gifted scientists into service in other areas. Among other things, this means a budding war with North America for its supply of wood and coal for steam power.

The science-minded Franklin family has no intention of slaving away on weapons. Their rebellion leads to young April (voiced in English by Angela Galuppo) being left to fend for herself as a street thief, refusing to go to a state-run orphanage. Disgraced former inspector Pizoni (Paul Giamatti) thinks she's the key to finding her missing, talented grandfather, "Pops" (Tony Robinow). By her teen years, Pizoni has sent a young thief, Julius (Tod Fennell), to spy on her. It becomes apparent that there is yet another party interested in April and the rest of the Franklins, particularly for their progress on a serum for Deadpool-level rapid healing.

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....

JCVD (2008)

Does it make sense to see this film if you know very little about Jean-Claude Van Damme yet? His only other movies that I've seen are Last Action Hero, in which he cameos as himself; and Kung Fu Panda 2, in which he voices a minor character. Beyond that, I'd heard that he could do quite a split kick and his accent makes Street Fighter unintentionally funny. Oh, and he made an over-the-top Volvo ad.

Nor did I know much about JCVD going in. It sounded semi-comically self-deprecating for the 47-year-old martial artist, possibly like Birdman with the star's real name. But it's not all that strange. It's not even primarily about the travails expected of a has-been, tho it repeatedly touches on his issues of child custody and fewer role offerings. It's a would-be action flick in which the "real" Van Damme (or Van Varenberg, his non-stage name) gets into a scenario that he can't easily fight his way out of like one of his alter egos.