Pieces of a Woman (2020)

March 3, 2021January 21, 2022 msobczak1138

Pieces of a Woman asks a question we never want to answer: how would I handle the death of a child? The movie provides answers to that question through the perspectives of the mother, the father and the mother-in-law. The acting in the movie is exceptional, and the childbirth scene is a riveting scene to behold. After the initial tragedy, the movie becomes a character study in grief, and is effective because the performances are so honest. Recommended.

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Nomandland (2020)

February 22, 2021January 21, 2022 msobczak1138

Nomad is expertly made in all aspects: acting, direction, cinematography, screenplay, editing and film score. Frances McDormand gives a naturalistic performance that is incredibly moving. A must see! Continue reading Nomandland (2020)

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The Sinner – Season 3 (USA/Netflix)

February 21, 2021January 21, 2022 msobczak1138

Season 3 of The Sinner was broadcast about a year ago on the USA Network, and dropped on Netflix just recently. If you haven’t watched this series before, and you are a fan of detective series in general, I highly recommend it.

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The Dig (Netflix)

February 8, 2021January 21, 2022 msobczak1138

If you’re in the mood for a quiet period piece about archeology in Suffolk in the 1930’s, you should give this move a look. I enjoyed it and all of the ways it subverted my expectations. Recommended.

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Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

February 6, 2021January 21, 2022 msobczak1138

An inexplicably and historically bad sequel to Wonder Woman, you will feel embarrassed watching it. At two-and-a-half hours, the experience move of a punishment than escapist entertainment. Avoid it at all costs.

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A Spy in the House of Love (Anais Nin)

January 10, 2021April 22, 2023 msobczak1138

A Spy in the House of Love is the fourth novel in the Cities of the Interior collection. As in previous novels in the series, this one reintroduces several characters who have appeared in previous entries. In addition to main character Sabina, Jay and Djuna also appear in the latter part of the story. The story focuses on Sabina, her relationships and her need to understand her desires.

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Murder on Middle Beach (HBO)

January 10, 2021January 21, 2022 msobczak1138

A true crime documentary series where filmmaker Madison Hamburg attempts to figure out who murdered his mother. The series contains several moments that are very moving, while the segments constructed to induce tension come off as contrived. While only four episodes, the series feels brief and padded at the same time. Moderately recommended.

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The Rental

January 4, 2021January 21, 2022 msobczak1138

Horror movies, in particular slasher movies, are known for their efficiency. Introduce the soon-to-be-victims with some threadbare character traits, each having some a combination of obliviousness, stupidity, narcissism and hornyness, provide a remote setting where the victims can be seen with their negative character traits on display, then introduce a weapon-wielding maniac to mete out justice on the victims for being generally bad people. These movies put us in the position of rooting for the killer, because only he (sometimes she) can save us from spending one more minute with the victims, who are too annoying and oversexed for their own good.

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Last Christmas (2019)

January 2, 2021December 1, 2023 msobczak1138

Even though my reviews typically discuss practically everything about whatever I’m reviewing at the time, I try to avoid spoiler territory by not posting a review immediately after something comes out. If you follow movies, you probably already know the big [insert your adjective here] twist in the third act of Last Christmas. If you don’t know about it, and don’t want me to spoil the surprise, stop reading now.

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