Three Movies I've Watched Recently That Really Burned My House Down
...if you happen to be stuck for something to watch.
The Hero (2017)
It took me five years to track this one down and in the end, I paid for it (amazon). Why do all the best movies get buried where nobody can ever find them? I’ve always loved Sam Elliott - he’s a classy actor and never seems to do anything he doesn’t believe in and this one is no different - after all these years, I’d even go so far as to say it’s his best.
The one line synopsis probably runs along the lines of “ageing actor get diagnosed with terminal cancer and almost deals with it.” It’s beautifully shot, the dialogue is second to none and the performances superb. Should have brought the house down really at some major award ceremony and put Elliott back on the map in a big way but sadly, that’s not how the real world works.
A great movie from start to finish. It might even bring an unintended tear to your eye.
It also features a working fax machine if you’re into nostalgia in a big way.
She Said (2022)
They don’t make movies like this often enough. I may be biased because I have a soft spot for movies about newspapers. All The President’s Men is my favourite movie of all time. I was really knocked out by The Post a few years back (Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep) and Zodiac is way up there too, regardless of whether they catch the serial killer or not. Over on ITVX there’s also a sleeper of a movie called Shattered Glass - which is about a young journalist who falls from a great height when the powers that be discover he simply made up more than half the stories he published. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, right? Newspaper movies are cool no matter what anybody tells you. They always burn slow and in my book, that’s more than a good thing.
She Said follows the story of a couple of reporters - Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan - who publish a report that exposes sexual abuse allegations against the producer Harvey Weinstein. I guess at one level it’s the story of how the #MeToo movement came into being (that’s what the internet will tell you) but more than that, it’s a super credible drama of the highest order.
Again, another movie that should have won some big awards to stop it from being ‘just another movie that came out’. It’s a killer. Go find it… this one is on amazon as well with a price tag but sooner or later it will shake the dreaded firewall off.
Inside Llewyn Davis (2014)
I can’t believe this is as old as it appears to be. I don’t normally watch movies twice but I watched this again last week just to see if it was as good as I thought it was and as luck would have it, I hadn't made a mistake.
The poster tells it all - it’s about a week in the life of a folk singer in Greenwich Village and yet… as with the other two films here, it does more than that. It’s a character study and a masterclass in how to make a fantastic movie out of something that should be of no interest to anybody.
No regrets will haunt you if you sit down with it. I promise. (I’ve also just noticed that Carey Mulligan is in this too… I see a theme developing).
This one is also up on amazon for rent. I guess everybody is still trying to make back all the money they poured into making them in the first place.
There you go - if you’re in a hole, I practically guarantee you’ll come away coloured entertained. If not… well at least I tried and maybe it’s you who should rethink what makes a great movie… insert smiley face if needs be.