When Daniel (Albert Brooks) dies in a car accident he finds himself in a purgatory of sorts. He is assigned a lawyer and needs to defend his life in front of three judges. His specific actions distilled into a few incidents from his life that he re-visits and defends. In the end it is decidedContinue reading “Defending Your Life (Albert Brooks – 1991) B”
Author Archives: enassar
The Lie (Veena Sud – 2018) D
I clicked on this based on the description on Amazon Prime. Seemed interesting enough. Figured it would be a fun little thriller from Blumhouse productions. It was stupid, filled with stupid people who make stupid choices and the performances by and large were bad.
Tapioca Coconut Pudding, Mango Sorbet and Brittle
Tapioca pudding is so often looked down on I think. Not sure why. Many think of it as that goopy thing that comes out of a box and old people eat it in nursing homes. When made right though using tapioca pearls, dairy and sugar it is delightful. It has great snappy texture and justContinue reading “Tapioca Coconut Pudding, Mango Sorbet and Brittle”
Uncut Gems (Benny and Josh Safdie – 2019) A
You don’t really like Howard, but you sort of do. He is a hustler, jewelry and gem dealer in Manhattan’s diamond row. He is also a frenetic hyper personality who does not shut up. He owes money to everyone. He borrows from this guy to pay the next guy and pawns items he does notContinue reading “Uncut Gems (Benny and Josh Safdie – 2019) A”
The Trip to Greece (Michael Winterbottom – 2020) A
See my comments about the other Trip movies. I love this stuff. More of the same, yet, I’m hoping for more of them. Also, in these times of being a “stuck at home horrible summer of cancelled plans”, it’s lovely seeing two chaps wander around the Greek isles, eating, bantering and being funny.
Still Walking (Hirokazu Koreeda – 2008) A
I admit it took me a while to get into this Japanese drama that takes place over a weekend. Started watching it not knowing much about it other than it does have some good “foodie” themes. That is does as the mom, Toshiko, cooks for the family multiple meals, discusses the nuances of corn frittersContinue reading “Still Walking (Hirokazu Koreeda – 2008) A”
Shirley (Josephine Decker – 2020) C-
Elizabeth Moss playing Shirley Jackson? Great. Her husband is played by the always excellent Michael Stuhlbarg? Excellent. The plot involves Jackson writing her new novel as a young couple move in with them and there is a university student who’s gone missing in the backdrop? Sign me up. Well, the best word I can findContinue reading “Shirley (Josephine Decker – 2020) C-“
Funny Games (Michael Haneke – 1997) B
While most of the violence happens off-screen it is still a deeply unsettling film. A family (dad, mom and their young son) arrive at their vacation home on a nice lake in the Austrian countryside. Shortly after that they get a harmless looking young man called Peter asking to borrow some eggs and it escalatesContinue reading “Funny Games (Michael Haneke – 1997) B”
