The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

I hadn't heard of this feature until it got prominently advertised recently on Netflix. It turns out to have been a sleeper hit. Not sure what to expect, I picked it mainly so I wouldn't spend long deciding.

In the present South, young adult Zak (Zack Gottsagen) has been restricted to an assisted living facility, because he has Down syndrome and his family lost patience caring for him. After several attempts, he escapes, hoping to make his way to a faux-wrestling school run by "the Salt Water Redneck" (Thomas Haden Church) as advertised on old videotapes, despite having no money. While Zak hides in a motorboat, Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), a crabber who has committed enough offenses to make serious enemies of his rivals (John Hawkes and Yelawolf), takes the boat for a getaway before noticing Zak. Since the school is en route to Tyler's destination, he grudgingly allows Zak to travel with him. As you probably guessed, the grudge passes.

The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)

I don't remember hearing about this story before, but I can guess why I added it to my queue. Family-friendly Irish fantasies have a good track record with me. Anyway, it was rather different from my most recent viewings, despite being set in the aftermath of World War II.

In '46, possibly nine-year-old Fiona has lost her mother, and her father's in a poor state to take care of her, so she moves to her grandparents' seaside village. She comes to learn of nearby Roan Inish, which means "Island of Seals," but rumor has it they're really selkies. In fact, she's said to have descended from one, tho evidence lies only in the occasional dark-haired family member with a strong marine inclination. Fiona learns that she had one such baby brother, who disappeared with his cradle at sea. Intrigued, she starts repeatedly visiting Roan Inish with slightly older cousin Eamon -- and makes a discovery that few even among the locals would believe....

Daughters of the Dust (1991)

I had rejected this option once before, but a Meetup group was set to discuss it. You can tell it's a small group, because they rescheduled when I couldn't get the disc as soon as estimated. I made a point to wait until the day of our session to watch so the details would stay fresh in my mind. Let's hope I remember enough of the discussion now.

In 1902, much of a large Gullah/Geechee family prepares to move from what is best known as St. Simons Island, Georgia, to the mainland for better opportunities. Among other things, this includes a visit from relatives who have already been away for quite a while, and it shows, especially with the Christian convert (Kaycee Moore). The old matriarch (Cora Lee Day) is too traditional to leave, and her grandson (Adisa Anderson) has trouble deciding.

Killer of Sheep (1977)

I've learned to approach low-budget indies with trepidation. No matter how popular they are, they hang by a thread, most likely appreciated for just one or two reasons; if those reasons aren't enough for you, your viewing may well feel like a loss. This indie was actually an M.F.A. thesis project, costing $10,000 (about $44,400 in today's economy) and not seeing a remotely wide release until 2007, partly because of soundtrack rights issues. Given its bleakness, the filmmakers might have chosen not to use color even if they could afford it.

The title character is L.A. slaughterhouse employee Stan (Henry G. Sanders). He does not consider himself poor, knowing people who have it worse, but others expect him to either do something for more income -- be it legit work or crime -- or live an even more austere life, as by not investing in a car. I'm not sure he makes the best choice; his current situation negatively influences his relationship with his wife (Kaycee Moore) and kids.

Menashe (2017)

I can safely say that this is the first movie I've ever seen where the main language is Yiddish, possibly with a little English mixed in, unless there are more clear cognates than I thought. It's also rare for having English subtitles nearly all the time but being made and set in the U.S., so I wouldn't feel right adding a "foreign" tag.

The title character (real name Menashe Lustig) is an underachieving middle-aged kosher grocery clerk in Brooklyn. His wife died a year ago, and his Hasidic rabbi (Meyer Schwartz) has ruled that preteen son Rieven (Rubin Niborski) must live with Menashe's brother Eizik (Yoel Weisshaus) until Menashe remarries. Menashe likes hanging with Rieven as much as possible but drags his heels about exploring the possibility of remarriage, not because it feels too soon but because his arranged first marriage went poorly.

Metropolitan (1990)

I had not heard of this film until its silver anniversary silver screen re-release. Evidently, I had mixed thoughts on whether to see it; not only did I wait another five years, but I had marked "Not Interested" on Netflix and still had it in my queue.

In Manhattan, an odd confusion leads a group of young adult aristocrats to invite undergraduate stranger Tom to their party. Tom is not rich; he's just rented a tuxedo for a debutante ball, and his feelings about the rich are as mixed as mine were about this viewing. Nevertheless, he goes for it and fits in quite well, making a new set of friends. They even turn out to have a few acquaintances in common already. But the socialites' interactions do have their hurdles (not always involving Tom), especially when it comes to relationships, and sometimes they want to get away from each other.

Down by Law (1986)

Yeah, another R-rated, male-heavy, female-nudity-including crime flick already. But that's about where the similarity ends. This one is directed by Jim Jarmusch, whom I hear about often enough that I wasn't content to have seen only his Broken Flowers.

Zack (Tom Waits, whom Jarmusch also directed in a couple music videos), a fired DJ in New Orleans, accepts an odd job delivering a car and then gets arrested, because the police knew of a body in the car that he didn't. He's soon joined in a cell by Jack (John Lurie), a pimp caught trying to do business with a girl he then learns is underage. Their next cellmate is Bob (Roberto Benigni), who did kill somebody, but he claims self-defense. They don't get along easily, but when Bob sees an opportunity to escape, they band together and brave the bayou.

A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

Gena Rowlands has been one of those actors I've heard of repeatedly but couldn't place. It made sense to remedy this by seeing the first role for which she got an Academy Award nomination, in a movie significantly more popular than the one for her second, Gloria. Incidentally, both were directed by her husband, John Cassavetes, who got an Oscar nod only for AWUtI.

In what might be a New York suburb, Mabel (Rowlands) lives with husband Nick (Peter Falk), their three prepubescent kids, and Nick's fairly active mom (Katherine Cassavetes, John's mom). Despite this crowd, she spends more time alone than she's comfortable with, leading her to bad behavior -- not that she's such a winner around others either. In fact, midway through the movie, after some inappropriate child supervision, she gets involuntarily committed. We don't see her at the institution; the third act skips ahead six months to her release, which might just be premature.

The Fog (1980)

While I haven't reviewed other John Carpenter flicks on this blog, I have mostly enjoyed the seven I've watched, especially the ones from the late '70s and early '80s. It's too bad he apparently lost the knack in the '90s and largely retired from directing early. The Fog was his first post-Halloween silver-screen feature, so I figured it held promise.

The story follows multiple heroes -- among them radio DJ Stevie (Adrienne Barbeau), her young son Andy (Ty Mitchell), career fisherman Nick (Tom Atkins), drifter Elizabeth (Jamie Lee Curtis), festivity hostess Kathy (Janet Leigh!), her assistant Sandy (Nancy Loomis), and Father Malone (Hal Holbrook) -- in the fictional California town of Antonio Bay within the course of a day, namely the town's centennial. It's also the centennial of a fog-based fatal shipwreck. From the stroke of midnight, strange things happen around town. And where the glowing fog hits, death is likely to follow. None of this being coincidental, of course.

Paranormal Activity (2007)

I don't normally watch movies with middling ratings across the three major sites, especially in genres that aren't among my favorites. But this one did spawn quite a few sequels, launch some fledgling careers, and make #9 on a Nostalgia Critic list of best recent Halloween movies/series. Besides, [REC] taught me that even without originality, a "found-footage" flick can scare me.

The story begins somewhat in medias res in 2006, when Micah (Micah Sloat) buys a camera and tripod in response to cohabiting girlfriend Katie (Katie Featherston) telling him that strange things happen around her at night, supposedly thanks to a malevolent spirit. He doesn't really expect to catch anything spectacular -- maybe he hopes to reassure her that it's all in her head -- but as weeks pass, the signs get harder and harder to dismiss as natural or harmless occurrences. When they invite vaunted ghost expert Dr. Fredrichs (Mark Fredrichs), he soon declares it the work of a demon instead, and the demonologist he recommends is unavailable for now.

Eighth Grade (2018)

This is the type of movie I don't normally watch in a theater nowadays, barring group invitations or award nominations. But it seems better for my mind not to associate solo outings with only blockbusters, documentaries, and re-released oldies. Besides, indies could use the financial support.

From the title, you might expect a nine-month timeline; instead, it's only the last week of eighth grade for Kayla. She has reasons to look forward to high school and, of course, vacation, but in the meantime, she still faces plenty of stress. Factors include a scarcity of friends, between the shyness of herself and the snobbishness of some peers; a loving but embarrassing father; and curiosity regarding the "bases," if you get my drift. (She remains a virgin, but there's a reason eighth-graders aren't allowed to see this in theaters without adult supervision.)

Shalom Bollywood: The Untold Story of Indian Cinema (2017)

This may be the most obscure film I've ever reviewed. It presently has no Wikipedia entry and only seven votes on IMDb. But since I usually like documentaries about the industry, I gave it higher priority than other entries in the local Jewish film festival that had my dad interested. (The few docs directed by Danny Ben-Moshe that don't have a Jewish focus are even more obscure.)

As you probably knew, Jews make up such a small percentage of the Indian population that most lists of religions in India lump them under "other." But in the second most populous nation, that still allows several thousand -- more than enough to leave a significant impact on Bollywood. In particular, they've had the advantage of a relatively permissive faith with regard to depictions on screen. Here's a hint: The poster shows dancing cartoon women.

Losing Ground (2005)

Do not confuse this with the first result when you look up the title. It has nothing to do with the 1982 Kathleen Collins pic. Instead, it's an indie based on a play by the director, Bryan Wizemann, who's not known for much else. And it sure feels like an adaptation from a one-act play, taking place almost entirely in one room, in 90 minutes of real time, with a total cast of seven (one gone so quickly he's almost pointless).

That room is a former Irish pub converted into a run-down video poker bar in Vegas. Several machines, gaming or otherwise, don't work properly, and few resources are diverted to atmospheric amenities like lighting. Guess what most of the patrons are like. There's not much of a plot; we primarily watch them hit buttons, drink, and talk.

Carnival of Souls (1962)

Not to be confused with the unpopular 1998 remake, this is one of those flicks that bombed upon release but saw "vindication" on TV. It had a small budget and a short run time, so it must have made for easy distribution. According to the commentary, it stands out from others of its ilk by not really trying to copy anything within the genre. The makers had in mind shades of Ingmar Bergman and Jean Cocteau, who, while prone to dark eccentricity, are not exactly horror/thriller staples.

Mary is the lone survivor among three young women whose car got submerged in a lake, and no one is sure how she made it. Understandably, she moves away afterward, to the vicinity of Salt Lake City, not far from some abandoned buildings that once housed a carnival. Whatever trauma she left behind gets replaced with eerie events, especially the repeated appearance of a ghoulish man whom nobody else notices.

Moonlight (2016)

It's unlike me to go to a screening on a whim, but I had walked past the theater in the afternoon and made a note to see something in the evening. I still have a lot of films to catch up on before the Academy Awards. This one had a more convenient timing than Arrival, as well as more esteem in the AFI's book.

The movie is set and authentically filmed mostly in the Miami area. None of my sources say which decades it takes place in, but from the opening song, I suspect the '70s to the late '80s or early '90s. At any rate, it focuses on Chiron (pronounced shy-ROAN) at three stages: around nine, when most people call him "Little" or "Little Man"; in high school, when he's transitioning between nicknames; and as a twenty-something, when he's adopted the alias "Black" from a...sort of friend, Kevin. In the first two stages, he faces verbal and physical bullies, partly for his scrawniness and partly for his mother's earned disrepute. (Naomie Harris had had a policy against playing such a woman, but she caved upon learning that director Barry Jenkins based her on his own mother.) His best support comes from a relatively noble drug dealer and his girlfriend (Mahershala Ali and Janelle Monáe, again), the former of whom has the only line about moonlight. Then Chiron and Kevin come to occupy special places in each other's hearts....

Stripped (2014)

Another of my favorite media is comic strips, whether in print or online only. So I pretty much had to add this documentary to my queue on principle. While I chose to watch it last night for its 84 minutes, the timing was also appropriate in that one of the interviewed cartoonists, Mell Lazarus, just passed away.

As the Bill Watterson-drawn poster implies, one of the points is to lament how newspaper cartoonists don't have it as good as they used to (e.g., lower pay, less page space, more syndicate demand for sameness). Watterson had complained about it in the '80s, but it got a lot worse when the Web started putting newspapers out of business. Fortunately, the film doesn't keep an unhappy tone much of the time. It's really about pretty much every subject pertinent to comics in general. And it ends with a hopeful note on the future, particularly of webcomics.

The Phantom Carriage (1921)

I don't believe I'd ever seen a silent Swedish film before. Fittingly, it was Ingmar Bergman's favorite from an early age, though I couldn't have independently identified any sign of influence besides Grim Reaper imagery. Interestingly, TPC doesn't have a Grim Reaper in the sense we usually think of: The task of collecting dead souls (merely carrying them, not using the purely ceremonial scythe) falls to a new dead soul each year, namely whoever dies last in the year. Apparently, the legend makes no allowance for time zone differences.

As you can guess, this story includes the stroke of midnight, with chimes dutifully supplied in addition to a haunting score. Protagonist David, a homeless drunk, has been wary of the legend but injudiciously provokes his companions into a serious fight. Then he meets the titular carriage's retiring driver, Georges, whom he happened to have met shortly before his death. David reeeeally doesn't want to take over (is it that terrible a way to spend a year in the afterlife?), and we actually never see him take the reins or a soul in his hands. Georges forces him only to come along for information....

You Can Count on Me (2000)

I'm pretty sure this used to be on IMDb’s top 250; that's most likely how I took notice of it. Nowadays it stands out as having the first major role for Rory Culkin. It's also the earliest I've seen of Mark Ruffalo and the latest I've seen of Matthew Broderick.

The opening establishes Samantha and Terry as having been orphaned when Sammy was a teen and Terry a bit younger. After a fast-forward, Sammy (Laura Linney) is a single mother of eight-year-old Rudy (Culkin). Her new boss at the bank (Broderick) is not very sympathetic to her need to leave early. But as luck would have it, Terry (Ruffalo) shows up just in time…to ask for money. Sammy makes him feel guilty for not replying to her letters for six months, so he agrees to stick around and help take care of his nephew. As you can imagine, the title is ironic.