This weekend’s movie selections were all pretty random, but all fairly entertaining.
Auto Focus – I heard about this early 2000s film from the This is Important podcast, and when I found out it co-starred Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe, I knew I had to watch it! In it, Kinnear played real life actor, Bob Crane. The film followed him from his radio DJ days to acting in Hogan’s Heroes, but then it also followed him down his path of destructive behavior after the show gets cancelled. It was to be believed that he was brought into sex addiction by John Carpenter, an electronics expert. The stuff these two got into was crazy, but it also showed (likely fictional) Crane’s thought process and emotions throughout this time. That perspective made his misdeeds a little more palatable…to watch anyways. The film ends with Crane’s murder and it sure does seem like Carpenter is the culprit, but just like in real life, we may never know. Who knew I’d be getting into more and more Paul Schrader films?!
Clean – I’ve been interested in this Adrien Brody action-drama for quite some time, so I was pleased to see I could rent it so soon! In the past, I’ve really enjoyed Brody’s work in low-budget action/heist films, such as American Heist, so I was looking forward to what this could have to offer. As far as storytelling goes, it dragged a little bit in the middle, but the heart was there and very visceral. Clean was just trying to live a decent life to make up for or at least avoid dealing with the loss of his young daughter. His good deeds, namely helping a young girl who resembles his daughter, ends up getting him in the line of fire of a ruthless crime boss, but his past helps him come out on top. Or whatever kind of top you can call it for Clean. I wouldn’t choose to watch this again, but it definitely tugged at my heartstrings.
The Worst Person in the World – I’ve had a few missed opportunities with this Norwegian drama, but the time has finally come. And just in time for the Oscars! While it didn’t nab best picture or lead actress nominations, it did get recognized for best original screenplay, which I think it has a real shot of winning. As soon as the film starts it tells you that you’re going to see Julie’s life in twelve parts, also including a prolog and an epilog. Julie changes her mind about her career and boyfriends quite a bit in the early days, but then meets Aksel, a comic book writer and illustrator who’s about 15 years her senior. Regardless, the two hit it off and end up having a very deep relationship. Eventually though, she meets Eivind, and breaks things off with Aksel. Some years later it’s clear that Julie isn’t content with her life with Eivind, but also finds out she’s pregnant. This topic has come up in both of her relationships, where Aksel had somewhat desperately wanted children and Eivind did not. As she learns this news, she also learns that Aksel is dying of cancer. The two reconnect and reveal that they were the most important relationships in each others lives. In the end, Julie has to make some tough decisions, but her journey there is what’s really moving. Also, there’s a scene involving mushrooms that equal parts graphic and hilarious. A must-watch!
Old Henry – This movie was recommended to me several months ago and I finally remembered to look for it. Evidently it made it onto some year-end best list, although I’d never heard of it prior to his recommendation. Regardless, it was actually quite good! At some farm in the middle of nowhere lives a man and his son. One day a horse strolls up with blood on it, so the man goes looking for its rider. When he finds the man, Curry, he’s half dead, but there’s a pistol and a sack of cash, so he takes all three back to the farm. They try and get the man cleaned up, but it’s clear he’s not as trustworthy as they may have thought. On Curry’s tail are a small group of bank robbers looking for the money and they’re pretty positive he’s holed up at the farm. When the big fight gets going it’s revealed that (SPOILER!!!) the father is actually Billy the Kid! That was some crazy clever twist and I loved it. Simple plot but really well done. Definitely give it a go.