-Allison McCulloch
The Good House (Wallace Wolodarsky, Maya Forbes)
Based on the book by Ann Leary, co-director Forbes said we never see a film about a woman in her sixties in the pre-recorded intro. It’s true. Hildy (Sigourney Weaver) battles her alcoholism sometimes with grace and sometimes not. Kevin Kline turns in an amusing performance as Frank, Hildy’s former flame. All in all, it’s worth checking out for interesting character studies.
Three Floors (Nanni Moretti)
I felt I had seen this movie done before and much better. It felt reminiscent to Human Capital (Paolo Virzì). Nanni Moretti excels when he’s being a goofball and isn’t trying so hard to be serious. I was moved by his serious film, The Son’s Room, but perhaps that’s an exception to the rule.
Mr. Kneff (Steven Soderbergh)
This is a reworking of Kafka (1991). Kafka’s character is now called Mr. Kneff (Jeremy Irons). Steven Soderbergh didn’t like how the actors had six different accents. Instead of dubbing or making it sound inconsistent, he made “a silent film with sound and music”. The actors mouth words and we get subtitles color coded by character. It’s also black & white, tinted for the scenes where Mr. Kneff’s novel comes alive. The Castle scene is in color. Soderbergh spent 15 years re-editing this and decided to release it after the rights reverted. And if you don’t like it, just rest assured that Soderbergh humbly commented at the September 17th screening that “everything’s the director’s fault”. It’s always a joy to see Theresa Russell on-screen.
The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
Julie (Renate Reinsve) is the worst person in the world. Also, she melted my heart by the end!! The voiceover was pretty superfluous. Also, I will never forget the fake book title: Green Yoga.
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