Hondo (1953)

I chose this from my YouTube list partly for its short runtime, 84 minutes. Imagine my surprise to see "Intermission" about halfway through. No, there's no several-minute segment for music, much as I like the John Williams-esque scoring.

In an unspecified Old West setting, unhorsed, somewhat notorious soldier Hondo Lane (John Wayne) arrives at a remote homestead to fuel up and buy a horse. He meets Angie Low (Geraldine Page) and her young son, Johnny (Lee Aaker), but not her long-absent and unaccounted-for husband, Ed (Leo Gordon). Hondo warns that local Apaches are gearing up for war on the frontiersmen. Angie feels confident that if a recent treaty doesn't dissuade the Apaches from attacking her, her benevolent past will, but Hondo wisely disagrees. He keeps a close watch, gradually hoping to fill the void Ed left behind.

Michael (2026)

Longtime readers know I'm a sucker for musician biopics, with few exceptions. I was also as much of a Michael Jackson fan as the next tween in the early '90s. For that reason, I decided to see this in an immersive theater while I could.

The story follows Michael from the formation of the Jackson 5 in 1966 (when he's played by Juliano Valdi) to the start of his first solo tour in 1988 (when he's played by Jaafar Jackson, son of Jermaine). His father, Joseph (Colman Domingo), makes for a demanding manager, prone to emotional and sometimes physical abuse; his mother, Katherine (Nia Long), can do little to counter Joseph. The overarching theme is of Michael wishing to do his own thing, with help from attorney John Branca (Miles Teller) and bodyguard Bill Bray (KeiLyn Durrel Jones) among others.

Walking Tall (1973)

I didn't recall hearing about this cult movie when YouTube suggested it, but it got two sequels, a TV series, a TV remake, and a big-screen remake trilogy starring Dwayne Johnson. It also takes inspiration from real events, tho they've since been disputed enough that I won't add my "true story" tag. Indeed, last year, investigators accused the long-deceased protagonist of uxoricide. That would not affect my feelings about the film version.

In 1964, ex-wrestler Buford Pusser (Joe Don Baker) moves back from Chicago to Adamsville, Tennessee, with his wife (Elizabeth Hartman) and kids (Leif Garrett and Dawn Lyn Nervik), planning to work as a logger for his dad (Noah Beery Jr.). His mom (Lurene Tuttle) cryptically warns him to ignore changes in town, but that's not easy when an old buddy (Ed Call) invites him to a casino. He catches the staff cheating, and they beat him within an inch of his life and steal his car. Then he discovers that the sheriff he used to look up to (Gene Evans) is worse than useless and the local judge (Douglas Fowley), while apparently staying within the bounds of the law, is not much better. So much for Buford's promise not to fight anymore....

How the West Was Won (1962)

I'd seen this title many times over the years, thanks primarily to its all-star cast. For a profitable epic, it's had a pretty middling reception on rating sites, but it did net some Academy Awards. I chose to watch it not long after my last John Wayne western because I knew no better way to kill 164 minutes last night.

No other western I know takes place over such a long period. It's divided into five chapters, spanning from 1839 to 1889. The focus is on the westward-moving Prescott family, including but not limited to patriarch Zebulon (Karl Malden), matriarch Rebecca (Agnes Moorehead), and daughters Eve (Carroll Baker) and Lilith (Debbie Reynolds). Eve takes a shine to wandering fur trader Linus Rawlings (James Stewart), while Lilith falls for gambler Cleve van Valen (Gregory Peck). Their lives are partly affected by the California Gold Rush, the War Between the States, and other armed conflicts.

Sinners (2025)

I don't recall ever going to a theater two nights in a row before. But I was getting tired of knowing so few Best Picture nominees ahead of the Academy Awards. This one makes four for me, and it has the best shot among them at winning.

Sammie (Miles Caton), against the wishes of his preacher dad (Saul William), decides to use his blues singing and guitar skills at a new rural juke joint run by his older twin cousins, "Smoke" and "Stack" (both Michael B. Jordan), who are thuggish yet charismatic to anyone they don't rob or attack. This being 1932 Mississippi, it's only a matter of time until the Black-centric establishment gets unwelcome attention. Well, the Ku Klux Klan shows up in force only near the end, but an even worse menace plagues opening night....

Chisum (1970)

It's been more than a year and a half since my last western, and that was a peculiar anthology. A John Wayne title promises something more traditional. This one isn't treated as much of a classic, but I got curious when YouTube suggested it.

Only after watching did I know about its basis in the Lincoln County War in 1878 New Mexico. John Chisum (Wayne) has had many rustlers coming after his cows and horses. He's also annoyed at Lawrence Murphy (Forrest Tucker) for buying up as much land as possible and attempting a high-price monopoly on general stores and banks. Chisum's friend Henry Tunstall (Patric Knowles) and conscientious attorney Alex McSween (Andrew Prine) give him a hand at countering these moves, but the bribed Sheriff Brady (Bruce Cabot) makes it hard to get justice by legal means. Throw in Billy "The Kid" Bonney (Geoffrey Deuel), Pat Garrett (Glenn Corbett), and bounty hunter Dan Nodeen (Christopher George), and the town becomes a real powder keg.

Train Dreams (2025)

Had I realized that this was a Netflix movie, I wouldn't have seen it in a theater. But I'm kinda glad I did, partly because I supported my favorite local theater and partly because a large screen and loud speakers enhance the dramatic experience. We don't usually think about that for mere dramas.

Despite copious narration by Will Patton, I had to look up the Denis Johnson novella to tell when the story begins: the 1910s. It ends in 1968, and I'm not sure how many decades in between are represented. In any case, Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) works first as a railroad builder, then as a lumberjack, and eventually as a carriage driver, all in rural Idaho. In trying to make ends meet, he doesn't get to spend as much time with wife Gladys (Felicity Jones) and cute young daughter Kate as they'd all like. And he sees far more deaths than he'd like.

Chak De! India (2007)

Never before had I watched field hockey (called just "hockey" throughout the picture), but getting the gist looked easy enough. At any rate, I chose to watch this partly because I had plenty of time to kill and partly because I can count on a sports flick to end happily. Or at worst, it's not a very important defeat.

In a Men's FIH Hockey World Cup match, Indian team captain Kabir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) makes a shot so bad that, in conjunction with his Islamic faith, people widely assume he took a dive in Pakistan's favor. Under pressure, he resigns and even moves out of town. Seven years later, he sees the opportunity for redemption when invited to coach the women's team. Of course, he wouldn't get that chance if officials had a high opinion of the female players....

Bad Shabbos (2024)

This saw limited release in December last year, as reflected by a Christmas tree on screen, but got wide release in late May. Now a local theater has been hosting a Jewish film festival. Thanks to my mom for calling my attention while I'm in the area.

Observant Jew David (Jon Bass) is engaged to Meg (Meghan Leathers), who is preparing to convert. He invites her and her Wisconsin Catholic parents, John (John Bedford Lloyd) and Beth (Catherine Curtin) to a Friday night dinner at the New York City apartment of his parents, Ellen (Kyra Sedgwick) and Irv (Stephen Singer), where they'll also meet his brother, Adam (Theo Taplitz); his sister, Abby (Milana Vayntrub); and Abby's boyfriend, Benjamin (Ashley Zukerman). Perhaps it's just as well that Meg's parents are running late, because Adam pulls a prank that accidentally kills Benjamin. Not wishing to get Adam in trouble, his family conspires with Meg and friendly doorman Jordan (Cliff "Method Man" Smith) to hide Benjamin, hurry dinner along, and whisk Benjamin to his apartment before a less friendly doorman (Alok Tewari) starts his shift.

Midway (1976)

I considered saving the last U.S. war movie left on my list for a patriotic holiday, much as I like to save horrors for October. But in all likelihood, I wouldn't remember on time. Besides, I was already in the mood for something very different from what else I'd seen lately.

The story begins with the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in April '42. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (Tohiro Mifune overdubbed by Paul Frees) sees it as a blessing in disguise, because now his superiors will give him carte blanche for his next move. Soon after, U.S. intelligence staff supervised by Commander Joseph Rochefort (Hal Holbrook) and monitored by composite character Captain Matthew Garth (Charlton Heston) find inconclusive evidence that Japan's next target is Midway Atoll. By the time of the eponymous battle in June, U.S. naval forces are not fully prepared and consider themselves the underdog.

Friday (1995)

Another movie starring a rapper already. It is the source of several memes and quotes I've known -- more than I realized, in fact. "Bye, Felicia" may be the most overrated line ever, but I still hoped to get something worthwhile out of the viewing.

In South Central L.A., Craig (Ice Cube) has just been fired, supposedly for an offense he didn't commit. Before he starts looking for work, his buddy Smokey (Chris Tucker) encourages him to relax for a day, partly with weed. This is a mistake, not least because Smokey, an ostensible dealer, has been using up his merchandise, and supplier Big Worm (Faizon Love) threatens to kill them both if he doesn't get $200 compensation in a matter of hours.

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).

The Gentlemen (2019)

Wow, Guy Ritchie. I hadn't seen anything he directed since the 2009 Sherlock Holmes. This one looked more along the lines of Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, and it has the third highest IMDb rating among his feature films.

Toward the beginning, PI Fletcher (a nearly unrecognizable Hugh Grant) crashes the English mansion of Raymond (Charlie Hunnam), right-hand man to expat marijuana kingpin Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), to tell almost the whole rest of the story, which Fletcher threatens to sell to a movie studio if Raymond doesn't pay him. The plot involves Pearson trying to sell his stash to billionaire Matthew Berger (Jeremy Strong) before it becomes legal in the UK, making an unlikely alliance with thug trainer "Coach" (Colin Farrell), and accidentally getting on the wrong side of mob boss "Dry Eye" (Henry Golding) and tabloid editor Big Dave (Eddie Marsan).

White Fang (2018)

This French-produced animation has more modest ratings than I usually go for, but it seemed my best bet for getting acquainted with another Jack London classic. The 1991 adaptation isn't as popular, and I wasn't likely to make time for the book. If nothing else, the Netflix cover image promised a cute puppy.

The pup lives in the 1890s Alaskan wild with his stray wolf-dog mother, until desperation drives her back to her owner, Grey Beaver (Eddie Spears), from an unspecified tribe. GB dubs the pup White Fang and raises him to lead a sled team. When the tribe's land is set to be sold out from under them because of the Klondike Gold Rush, GB sees little choice but to sell now-adult WF to shady Beauty Smith (Paul Giamatti), who makes a lot of money in dog fighting. Marshal Wheedon Scott (Nick Offerman) puts an end to that, and he and his wife (Rashida Jones), despite their fear, do right by WF. But Beauty and his thuggish comrades (Armando Riesco and Dave Boat) aren't finished with Wheedon or WF....

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

I did not know until last night that this was a biopic, nor was I familiar with the fictitious Dolemite or his actor/creator, Rudy Ray Moore. My prior knowledge of blaxploitation flicks was largely limited to the original Shaft and the genre parody Black Dynamite. If nothing else, I'd learn a few things herein.

In '70s L.A., Moore (Eddie Murphy) struggles to make a name for himself in show business, whether singing or standup. His first success comes from inspiration by street poets, telling naughty stories in rhyme over instrumental music. He develops his Dolemite persona and grows popular enough to launch the career of partner Lady Reed (Da'Vine Joy Randolph). Then he decides to star in an action comedy movie, Dolemite, which doesn't come together easily without major studio support.

Divines (2016)

I selected this partly for being very different from anything I'd seen lately and partly for having a runtime of less than two hours, which has grown scarce on my Netflix list. The cover image of a girl with a bloodied face did not exactly draw me in, but it did warn me that this wouldn't be much fun.

In a Romani suburb of modern Paris, high school friends Dounia (Oulaya Amamra) and Maimouna (Déborah Lukumuena), unsatisfied with their likely career options, resort to crime. At first they merely shoplift and sell on a black market. Then they persuade irascible drug dealer Rebecca (Jisca Kalvanda) to hire them for various tasks. They enjoy the pay, but it's a dangerous business, and teens aren't known for their cautious decisionmaking....

Am I Racist? (2024)

I have not seen Matt Walsh's first documentary, What Is a Woman?, partly because it requires a Daily Wire subscription and partly because I feel like I know enough from ads. Possibly everyone's opinion of it depends entirely on whether they already agreed with him on the issue. Meanwhile, his second doc, AIR?, is doing quite well at the box office for a non-Hollywood effort and has high marks on both IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, tho pro critics were slow to begin reviewing it. Since at least one theater stopped running it due to backlash, I decided not to wait long.

This time, Walsh acts like a cross between Michael Moore and Sacha Baron Cohen, only conservative. He goes on an "antiracist journey" that includes reading bestselling books on the subject, getting an online DEI certificate, meeting with self-styled experts as well as regular folk off the street, and eventually giving his own course that purports to make white people less racist -- until he "realizes" that such efforts appear to help nothing but the teachers' finances.

The Mule (2018)

This doesn't seem to have been talked about much since it was brand new. If any aspect stands out, it's the fact that Clint Eastwood has made only one feature since, and that one bombed, whereas TM was reported halfway decent. I chose to watch it largely because it looked different from a bunch of my most recent viewings.

Earl (Eastwood), despite an illustrious ongoing career in horticulture, is hurting for money. At the advice of a "friend of a friend," he gets a shady job transporting bags he's advised not to open. I'm not sure how soon he realizes that his employer is a drug cartel, but he gets surprised at just how much they're entrusting to him. Elderly Anglos with no record even of parking violations make unlikely suspects, so he becomes an MVP, with a lot more comfort than certain other mules. But not everyone in the business is willing to accommodate an employee who doesn't follow strict rules, and one sass to the wrong guy could put him in a trunk. Meanwhile, two DEA agents (Bradley Cooper and Michael Peña) are closing in with help from a reluctant informant (Eugene Cordero), albeit too gradually for the patience of their supervisor (Laurence Fishburne).

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Why have I waited so long between movies when not on vacation? Well, mainly, I've kinda painted myself into a corner by insisting on Halloween-type movies every October. Now that Netflix has ceased disc delivery, I find their streaming horror and pseudo-horror options lacking. Disney+ is no better for that. In desperation, I resorted to a faintly gothic offering.

In medieval Paris, Minister of Justice Claude Frollo (Tony Jay) regularly assumes the worst about the Roma, consistently called by the slur "Gypsies" in this picture. He kills one at the Notre Dame Cathedral, only to find that she was carrying not contraband but a deformed baby. The archdeacon (David Ogden Stiers) tells him to raise the child as penance. Frollo keeps the boy in the cathedral bell tower, dubbing him Quasimodo and self-identifying as his master. After 20 years, Quasimodo (now voiced by Tom Hulce) finally ventures below during the Feast of Fools, when lots of people try to look freaky anyway. There he meets Esmeralda (Demi Moore), a Roma dancer who's not nearly as bad as he was led to believe. Quasimodo isn't the only one to fall for her, but Frollo has a twisted way to show it....

48 Hrs. (1982)

I picked this not so much for promising entertainment as for a lesson in influence. People credit it with launching the buddy cop subgenre, despite only one member of the duo being a cop. It inspired one of the leads in Miami Vice and left its direct fingerprints on Last Action Hero and even Zootopia.

Officer Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) of San Francisco is determined to catch prison-breaking Albert Ganz (James Remar) and accomplice Billy Bear (Sonny Landham), especially after they make off with Jack's pistol. Not knowing where to look for them, Jack requests the guidance of convict Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy in his big-screen debut), who used to work with the others but now has a bone to pick with them. Reggie agrees only on the condition that he can come along. Jack gets him a pass for the titular duration, hoping Reggie doesn't get away for good but mostly hoping the others don't.