Now Playing

 

We’ve reached the mid-point in October, and we’ve gotten some interesting releases, which includes four streaming options out this week to compete with Killers of the Flower Moon. Below are my thoughts on those movies. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me @knighthawk7734 on Letterboxd.

If You Were the Last (Peacock)
Starring: Anthony Mackie and Zoe Chao
Synopsis: This new comedy centers on a pair of astronauts who are on a ship spiraling out-of-control in space. Adam (Mackie) and Jane (Chao) are alone. Their colleague has died, and their ship is damaged. They spend their days trying to make repairs on the chance they could get home. They spend their evenings dancing, watching movies, and debating whether they should have sex. Both are married but they also realize they’re likely to die in space. After spending all this time together in a stressful and near-hopeless situation, the pair develop a connection that goes deeper than they originally expected. When they find a way to get back, will that connection change the course of their lives? This is a cute film that for much of its first hour is just about Mackie and Chao. They have great chemistry together and the sequences on the ship are a lot of fun. It’s really a love story. Then the final half hour is about whether that love story can carry past the dangerous situation in which it was born. I enjoyed the story and the performances here. I liked the way this all came together, bringing out the natural charm of the performers in what turns out to be a very satisfying resolution.
Rating: TV-MA
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Killers of the Flower Moon (Theaters)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, and Robert De Niro
Synopsis: There are many chapters in U.S. history that we’d probably rather forget. Some, we’ve successfully managed to forget altogether. The new film Killers of the Flower Moon covers such a chapter, making that last point painfully clear in its final act. The film comes from director Martin Scorsese, who worked on the screenplay with Eric Roth. It’s based on true events, captured in a book of the same name from David Grann. It’s set in Oklahoma in the 1920s, just after World War I. It’s set in Osage territory as its people are both reaping the rewards and suffering the dangers of discovering oil. The discovery of oil on the land has made the Osage wealthy beyond measure. It’s brought them opportunities, comfort and those that would attempt to take what they have. This, in turn, has led to a series of murders. Early in the film we get reference to those murders as we meet Molly (Gladstone), whose mother and sisters have benefitted from the discovery. But they see the danger as well. In addition, the family is suffering. Molly herself suffers from diabetes owing in part to the newly rich diet she’s enjoying. In the meantime, Ernest (DiCaprio) is returned from the war and looking to make his fortune. He turns to his uncle, King Hale (De Niro), who lives as a friend to the Osage in the middle of their land. He, however, makes his fortune by preying upon the people in the land. When Ernest falls in love and marries Molly, King Hale sees an opportunity. It continues a series of events that threatens to cripple both families. The book is an exploration of the turbulent times. As the film makes reference, Oklahoma in the 1920s wasn’t a friendly place to those who weren’t white. The laws, too, weren’t favorable to oppressed minorities seeking justice. It took a lot to even get someone to look into these killings. The other half of the book is about the formation of the FBI, which was a part of this investigation. That isn’t touched on widely in the film as we get more of a focus on these people and the damage done to the Osage nation. It’s a long and often difficult story but the craft here is strong. Scorsese, who appears in a minor role near the close of the film, clearly cares about this story and about being faithful and doing justice to the Osage who suffered. It’s a well-crafted film that is compelling and features some beautiful cinematography. The performances are quite strong, too. De Niro does good work, as does Jesse Plemons in a supporting role later in the film. But this comes down to DiCaprio and Gladstone, both of whom are fantastic. Their final scene together is tense, emotional and heart-breaking, as befits the story. This film will rightly be a contender as we come to awards season. It’s a difficult watch and a difficult story but an important story to tell. Killers of the Flower Moon is now playing in theaters nationwide.
Rating: Rated R for violence, some grisly images, and language.
Verdict: Four stars out of five

Old Dads (Netflix)
Starring: Bill Burr, Bokeem Woodbine, and Bobby Cannavale
Synopsis: The latest from Netflix is a comedy from Burr, who directs and stars as Jack, an older father along with friends Connor (Cannavale) and Mike (Woodbine). The trio own a successful business they’ve just sold and are trying to settle into a more adult life at a later stage. They encounter some challenges that force them to confront a lack of maturity that threatens to keep them from enjoying this next stage of their lives. Can they learn to grow up, settle down and embrace the role of dad? That’s the question for this comedy. The trio of leads are solid, and Burr has a good feel for the material, having co-written the screenplay with Ben Tishler. The story is OK and follows what feels like a natural progression. I enjoy Burr in some of his supporting roles, but this doesn’t totally work. Some of the sequences are plodding and the main trio aren’t quite sympathetic enough to make the plot work. It’s OK but far from memorable or compelling. I also hoped for more laughs.
Rating: Rated R for pervasive language, sexual material, nudity, and brief drug use.
Verdict: Two stars out of five

The Pigeon Tunnel (Apple TV+)
Synopsis: Among the films released this week, we get a pair of documentaries. The first of them comes from Academy Award winner Errol Morris and centers on David Cornwell, who is better known by his pen name John le Carre. Cornwell was a spy who found his passion expressing his creativity as a writer. He passed away in 2020, but in this documentary, we get a mixture of interviews with the author, who shares his story in his own words, and dramatic recreations of key moments in his life. It’s a rich exploration of his personal story and of the inspirations for his work, which have thrilled and engaged audiences for decades. Morris does a nice job putting it all together. This is a swift and engaging documentary that shares more information on the life and career of a great writer.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for some violence, smoking and brief language.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

Silver Dollar Road (Prime Video)
Synopsis: The other documentary feature released this week tells the story of a family and their dogged determination to keep what’s theirs. It’s about a tract of land in North Carolina purchased by the Reels family just one generation removed from the end of slavery. When the patriarch dies in the 1970s without a will, the land passes to his children. When one of them secretly makes a quasi-legal deal with developers, it triggers a legal battle that has lasted decades. We focus on Gertrude Reels, who along with her children and grandchildren remain committed to keeping the land in the family and preserving their legacy. But it’s a brutal and costly fight, as the documentary chronicles. The story was first told by ProPublica in collaboration with The New Yorker. Here, filmmaker Raoul Peck picks up the narrative and sets the family’s story to film, reaching a new audience. This is an often emotional and engaging story of a family trying to fight a system that is designed to stop them from claiming what belongs to them. It’s well worth checking out to learn more about this story and see the courage of the Reels family play out over years of struggle to get their land back.
Rating: Rated PG for thematic content, language and brief smoking.
Verdict: Three stars out of five