As we shovel our ways through winter into the heart of the Oscar build-up season, here are 22 film reviews, each summarized in a single sentence. Films are rated on a scale from 0 (“The Dreaded Fist of Badness”) up to a “high 5,” an outstanding film you do not want to miss. With so many good ones to choose from, I skipped the cannon fodder in deference to superior entertainment.
Always happy to hear your thoughts, so here we go:
Brooklyn – 5 fingers. One of the best films of this past year—or any in the last ten for that matter—will remain timelessly brilliant for decades to come, thanks to the perfect execution of what filmmaking should be and the showcase, breakout performance of Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronin as a young Irish immigrant struggling to find her future.
Theeb – 4 fingers. This scenic and well made Arabic import drama – set a century ago in an Ottoman Empire desert that is suddenly bisected by its first-ever train route – focuses on the lives of the bandits and pilgrims whose lives are suddenly changed forever, and a young boy who gets caught in the middle.
Legend – 2 fingers. Actor Tom Hardy’s dual role as London’s notorious 1960s gangster Kray brothers is wasted in this violent drama that’s too long, a bit overwritten, and erratically directed.
Hitchock Truffaut – 3 fingers. This documentary of legendary suspense film master Alfred Hitchcock is based up on a week of interviews with young French director Francois Truffaut—an unabashed Hitchcock admirer who dives inside the mind of the master to better understand how Hitchcock creates a genre all his own.
Krampus – 3 fingers. A creative comedic horror film with a Christmas theme, cleverly designed and well executed, with many funny moments and a wonderful twist at the end.
Youth – 3 fingers. Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel are a fun pairing in this erratic but enjoyable film about two old codgers near the end of the line with different conclusions about how best to deal with it.
Joy – 2 fingers. If you are looking for a slow, boring, elongated movie about a mop, this is the one to see.
Star Wars VII (The Force Awakens)– 5 fingers. JJ Abrams’ directorial homage to the legendary sci-fi action series delivers in every category thanks to a terrific debut performance from Daisy Ridley, a brisk pace, smooth editing, and superb special effects, especially for those watching in 3-D.
The Danish Girl – 4 fingers. Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander team up as cinema’s best leading couple this year, propelling this grim but visceral drama about the first European man brave enough to risk unproven and life-threatening sex change operations nearly 80 years ago.
Carol – 5 fingers. A remarkable performance by Cate Blanchett is perfectly complemented by Rooney Mara’s career-best effort, and together they make this 1950s taboo drama about a chance occurrence that turns into a forbidden love affair a classic example of near perfect filmmaking.
The Big Short –3 fingers. Brad Pitt’s production company does a good job trying to explain the real estate crash of 2007-8 by sharing the story of a handful of smart guys who ignored the experts to bet on a recession—and consequently harvested billions of dollars on long-odds profits.
The Masked Saint – 2 fingers. Based on the true story of a former pro wrestler turned Baptist pastor, this low budget, preachy religious film gets a wonderful lift from the farewell performance of late wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper.
The Revenant – 4 fingers. This well made drama about a fur trapper’s desperate pursuit for harsh winter revenge against a man who has murdered his half-breed son effectively combines sweeping cinematography, relentless gruesome violence, and skilled directing, but runs—at more than 2½ hours—a bit too long.
Caged No More – 2 fingers. This low budget drama about a sad and real tragedy—the global vermin involved in human trafficking—suffers from its limited budget and uneven performances.
Hateful Eight – 4 fingers. Samuel L. Jackson is terrific in Quentin Tarantino’s nearly three-hour bloodfest about life and death among trigger happy bounty hunters in Wyoming’s wild, wintery west.
The Lady in the Van – 4 fingers. Maggie Smith—reintroduced to American fans as the brassy matriarch of Downton Abbey—shines as an eccentric old London streetmonger who stinks up a rustbucket van for more than a decade in what is surely the smartest British comedy to grace U. S. screens in many years.
Anomalisa – 2 fingers. Just because a film is eccentrically different does not mean it is good, as Charlie Kaufman’s plodding animation effort—hollow and reminiscent of “Lost in Translation” for creepy-looking customer service reps—inevitably proves.
45 Years – 5 fingers. This taut emotional drama about an elderly British couple whose loving marriage is unexpectedly ruptured by unexpected news is an outstanding film showcasing near-perfect performance by co-stars Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay.
Hail, Caesar! – 3 fingers. Good but not great is the best way to describe the Coen brothers’ latest release, a meandering and rambling quilt of slapdash performances that hit and miss in this period comedy about a Hollywood star (George Clooney) kidnapped and held for ransom during the industry’s famed Communist era.
Concussion – 4 fingers. Will Smith delivers an outstanding performance in this finely crafted fact-based drama about the gutsy African doctor who revealed the existence of the NFL’s concussion cover-up, and whose work led directly to findings that 28 percent of former players will suffer from varying degrees of brain damage.
Ingrid Bergman – 4 fingers. Thanks to her personal diary and lifelong archive of family film footage, this interesting and very well made documentary about the legendary Swedish actress’s stubborn determination to live on her terms and no one else’s is wide, deep, and revealing.
Where to Invade Next – 4 fingers. Rabble-rousing left-winger Michael Moore’s best documentary to date, this journey through Europe and Northern Africa in search of better solutions to American social challenges is entertaining, thought provoking, and cleverly edited for sound and sight.
A few good films still loom on the horizon, so find one of interest and give it a go before we head into bad season–which typically starts soon after the Oscars.
See you at the movies!