I started going to the movies again recently, having stopped well before COVID took over the world, but not long after smart phones did. Since I already disliked sharing such a long and intimate experience with a random mix of people even before we could all bring our own screens everywhere, the new omni-present distraction of competing lights and noises made it nearly impossible for me to enjoy a movie in the theater anymore.
But on a whim earlier this year I went to see “A Complete Unknown,” enjoying the immersion of a big screen so much again that I decided to treat myself to a movie out more regularly, finding them a particularly welcome escape from current events.
Below are my short reviews of the “newish” movies I saw in March:
3/11/2025, in the theater: “Last Breath.” I give it an A-, mainly because Woody Harrelson is so watchable. But I also gave it a high grade because the story, which is apparently based on true events, was told very effectively with little fluff or drag, holding your attention skillfully (quite claustrophobically!) before sending you outside again with renewed appreciation for every breath of fresh air.
3/21/2025, in the theater: “Black Bag.” C+. Or maybe B-. I usually like Steven Soderbergh’s movies, but this one never grabbed me. The only scenes that burrowed in my head are when Michael Fassbender was on the water, gliding in and out of his perfect-sized boat shed to fish in water scenes so lovely and calming that I wanted to watch it all day.
3/25/2025, in the theater: “Novocaine.” Solid B-. Again, this grade is based largely on the charm of the lead actor, Jack Quaid, who got a big dose of charisma from each of his parents: Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid. Otherwise, I found the movie too long and repetitive, offering both too many final acts and too few inventive aspects of the main character’s medical affliction.
3/29/2025, on DVD, rented from the Ukiah library: “The Substance.” Solid A-, based largely on the strength of the first three-fourths of the movie, which were inventive, surprisingly funny and yes, quite horrifying. But the brutality in the beginning at least had a point to make, while the last fourth of the movie felt like being beaten to a pulp for no reason other than providing a splashy — or in this case squelchy — finish. I very much appreciated the overall message of the movie, which makes an excellent case for growing old gracefully, but so did Jamie Lee Curtis in “The Last Showgirl,” without covering any walls, floors or ceilings with blood to make her point. So if you want to be bashed over the head with the lesson of “Girl, you can never have your young face and butt back, so just get over it,” then watch “The Substance.” But if you want to see a woman calmly and fiercely embracing all the flab and wrinkles that come with age, then watch “The Last Showgirl.”
The first time I remember going to the movie theater was with my grandmother, who loved going “to the show” so much that she never stopped, taking herself to the movies most days well into her 80s, even 90s. And here, just for fun, I am sharing my grandmother’s reviews for the movies she saw 25 years ago in March of 2000:
3/1/2000: To show, “Wonder Days.” Good. Robert Downey Jr. is great.
3/4/2000: Out for paper, then to “Whole Nine Yards.” Stupid. Not worth the money.
3/11/2000: To show, “Ninth Gate.” 2 hours + but put together good. Ending not satisfying.
To show, “Not One Less.” Chinese, very good. Story of very poor village.
To show, “Erin Brockovich.” (She wrote no review at all. I always wonder why.)
To show, “Holy Smoke.” Kate Winslet, Harvey Keitel. Therapy gets to him.
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