Language Lessons (2021)

Jack and I loved this story of a Spanish teacher and her adult student who become friends on zoom. The whole thing is presented as zoom and selfie videos, clearly shot during the pandemic, but not taking place then. Natalie Morales, who directed, and Mark Duplass, who wrote the script with her, are the only ones on camera (we hear two other voices). Yet it keeps us interested the whole time.

There's no song listing posted online and the composer of record is Gaby Moreno, whose singles you can find at various sites.

It's early in festival season, but it's starting to earn wins and nominations.

Morales' directorial debut Plan B was released earlier this year. She was last blogged for acting in Stuber and her TV credits include eleven episodes of Parks and Recreation, 21 of The Grinder, and six of Dead to Me. Duplass was most recently in these pages for writing The Do-Deca-Pentathalon and he created and wrote most of the series Togetherness. I last blogged him for acting in The One I Love which came out five years before he was in Bombshell.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics give this an A with an average of 96% and its audiences aren't far behind at 85.

After enjoying Plan B I checked every week to see when we could stream this one. It came out in theatres in early September and we rented it on iTunes (also available on Prime) on October 26, the very first day.

Sink or Swim: Learning the Crawl in the Maldives (2015)

This delightful one-hour documentary about a group of volunteers teaching people to swim in the island nation south of India has human interest, magnificent locations, and a success story for the students, who live inches from sea level but had no skills.

Director/writer Jon Bowermaster keeps it moving on land and in the sea, as 48 third graders and eighteen burka-clad (!) mothers test the waters for the first time. He has made a number of other documentaries, most of which are water-based. No cinematographer is listed so we assume Bowermaster is behind the camera as well, creating the beautiful images.

Not surprisingly, the soundtrack by Steve Gorn isn't available online, but I am enjoying streaming some of his music. Here's one Indian-tinged track on Apple Music.

It brought to mind The Island President, the 2011 feature-length documentary about the leader of the Maldives, facing catastrophe from climate change.

Sink or Swim came to my attention because of an email this fall inviting me and other Film Independent members to stream movies from a festival. Then I missed the timeline but was able to rent it on October 13. Because the movie isn't easy to find, I'll give you the links for your viewing pleasure, available for a small fee on iTunes and Prime (here's also a link for The Island President on Apple TV). Sink or Swim has no entry on Rotten Tomatoes but we liked it a lot.

Outside In (2017)

Jack and I liked this story of an ex-con struggling in his return to freedom and his relationship with his high school teacher. Jay Duplass and Edie Falco are the leads with Kaitlyn Dever as Falco's daughter.

Director Lynn Shelton, who died of a blood disorder at 54 during lockdown last year, co-wrote the script with Duplass. Some have called it a comedy. It's not, but still good.

Andrew Bird composed the soundtrack, which is not available to stream.

Shot in Washington state, there's a lot of rain.

Duplass was last blogged for Landline, Falco for The Land of Steady Habits, Dever for Coastal Elites, and Shelton for Sword of Trust.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are averaging a liberated 95% but its audiences are more confined at only 76. 

We watched it on Netflix on September 5.

Respect (2021)

We loved the official--sanctioned by the Queen of Soul herself--biopic of Aretha Franklin with Jennifer Hudson kicking ass in the lead role of Franklin from pre-teenhood until 1972 (she was 30). Hudson is ably supported by Forest Whitaker as Aretha's father, the Reverend C.L. Franklin; Marlon Wayans as her husband Ted White; Tituss Burgess as gospel conductor James Cleveland; Audra McDonald as her mother Barbara; Marc Maron as producer Jerry Wexler; Skye Dakota Turner as young Aretha; Mary J. Blige as Dinah Washington; Kelvin Hair as Sam Cooke; and so many more.

At 2:25 it's too long but still wonderful for those of us who grew up with her music as well as you whippersnappers who found it later.

Of course the movie was on my radar but listening to Marc Maron's WTF podcast interview with director Liesl Tommy sealed the deal. Tracey Scott Wilson wrote the screenplay and co-wrote the story with Callie Khouri. Nice that the top jobs on this picture went to women.

Kris Bowers is credited with the original score (I'm listening on Apple Music with my subscription) but you're unlikely to remember it when there are so many classic vocal songs, many of which are listed here. 

Shout out to costume designer Clint Ramos for the marvelous wardrobe.

I have watched one episode of the Nat Geo series about Aretha starring Cynthia Erivo, another terrific singer. It's good and some of the story is different, and I realized that I'd better get this one posted before watching any more of the series so as not to conflate the two.

Hudson was last blogged for Chi-Raq, Whitaker for Black Panther, Wayans for On the Rocks, McDonald for Beauty and the Beast, Burgess for Dolemite Is My Name, Maron for Sword of Trust, Blige for Mudbound, and Bowers United States v. Billie Holiday. This is Turner's second role and the kid has got pipes. Hair has been in one other feature.

Tommy and Wilson make their feature debuts after directing and writing, respectively, some TV episodes. Khouri, the Oscar-winning writer of Thelma & Louise (1991), also wrote Something to Talk About (1995), Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002), and 8 episodes of the long-running series Nashville, which she created. 

Rotten Tomatoes' critics don't, to paraphrase Rodney Dangerfield, give this no respect, averaging only 66%, while its audiences loved it, coming in at 95. We rented it on iTunes on September 1.

In closing, let me give you an earworm: my friend Kim's mother thought the song was R-E-S-P-Beasley Street. Try to forget that!

East Side Sushi (2014)

Jack and I liked this one, another feel good movie, about Juana (do not say Joo-anna), an immigrant living in East Oakland California with her father and young daughter, who has ambitions to become a sushi chef. The movie earned many festival nominations and wins. Diana Elizabeth Torres as Juana and Yutaka Takeuchi as Aki, the head chef, head up the cast, and the movie has many wins and nominations.

Anthony Lucero makes his feature debut both directing and writing the screenplay, and shot most, if not all, of the movie in his native Oakland, with cinematography by Martin Rosenberg.

The score by Alex Mandel features some taiko drumming and can be streamed on Apple Music, among others, with some tracks available on Soundcloud.

Torres, Takeuchi, Rosenberg, and Mandel have a few other credits but are all new to me.

Eleven years ago, at Vivian's request. I began a list of food movies. She actually recommended this one and it's now number 31 on the list.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics ate it up, averaging 95% and its audiences took a big bite at 83.

We watched it free with our Amazon Prime subscription on August 25.

Pixie (2020)

Jack and I thought this lots of fun. It's a dark comedy, a thriller, a western, a road movie, a gangster pic; talky, but great, as Olivia Cooke, in the title role, leads a couple of young men into crime in their native Ireland. Ben Hardy as Frank and Daryl McCormack as Harland are her bumbling henchmen. Colm Meany, who seems to be in nearly every Irish movie, plays Pixie's stepfather, and Alec Baldwin makes an appearance in, oh, the second act as a dangerous priest.

Barnaby Thompson directs from a script by his son Preston Thompson and the music by Gerry Diver and David Holmes is supplemented by this list of songs.

A few interesting trivia factoids are that McCormack, who is Irish, gave accent tips to Cooke and Hardy, who are English. Barnaby's favorite movie is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), while Preston's is Something Wild (1986), no surprise given the humor and action in this one. I noted at the time that I enjoyed the photography by John de Borman.

Cooke was last blogged for Sound of Metal, Hardy for playing Roger Taylor (one of the members of Queen) in Bohemian Rhapsody, Baldwin for The Public, Holmes for The Laundromat, and de Borman for Made in Dagenham. I mentioned Meany in my post about Damned United, but did not profile him. So he was nominated for a Golden Globe for The Snapper (1993) which I loved, and his dozens of credits include The Commitments (1991) which I also loved and is part of the same series, Into the West (1992), Con Air (1997), and Get Him to the Greek. Daryl McCormack is new to me but not to his craft.

Barnaby Thompson has produced dozens of features and this is his third time directing, while his son Preston has written one other feature. This is Diver's feature composing debut after only three TV episodes.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are minimizing this movie's worth, averaging 76%, though most appreciate Cooke's performance, and its audiences belittle it further at 66. Don't care. Liked it a lot.

We rented it on Apple/iTunes on August 4, 2021.

Dream Horse (2020)

What a feel-good movie! Based on a true story, it chronicles a group of Welsh village folks who pool their money to help bartender Jan Vokes raise a champion racehorse. A deglamorized Toni Collette does a wonderful job playing Vokes as does Owen Teale as her husband Brian. Damian Lewis comes in after a bit as a member of the Dream Alliance, and all the character actors are adorable.

Welshman Euros Lyn directs from a script by Neil McKay, and the music by Benjamin Woodgates can be streamed on Apple Music and elsewhere.

Collette was last blogged for I'm Thinking of Ending Things. Teale has dozens of credits but I don't know him. Lewis, who played Steve McQueen in Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood, is best known as Nicholas Brody in 37 episodes of Homeland and Bobby Axelrod in 60 of Billions. Lyn has directed dozens of TV episodes, two other features, and a couple of TV movies and this is the feature screenwriting debut for McKay. It's also Woodgates' feature debut.

There is a wonderful musical bonus during the credits. Do not miss it!

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are trotting along with an 88% average, with its audiences at a full gallop at 97.

We rented it on Apple/iTunes on August 21.