Quick takes on 5 films

Cold Pursuit is a genre-defying, black comedy/action flick starring Liam Neeson as Nels Coxman, a snowplow driver outside Denver. When his son is killed, Nels goes on a rampage to kill those responsible, who turns out to be a big-time drug dealer in Denver. Nels starts with the local dealers and works his way up the food chain, but along the way, a rival drug gang of Native Americans becomes involved when there is confusion among the bad guys on who is doing the killing, and the body count continues to rise steadily. All of the characters are purposefully wild caricatures, creating many of the funny situations. Gruesome deaths accompanied by belly laughs? I’m in! Not a deep film and not really a great one, but it is entertaining enough for a single viewing.

Peterloo is extremely well detailed, beautifully shot, and a huge bore. I wanted to like this one, by director Mike Leigh, so much so that after I first gave up (45 minutes in), I tried to pick it up again the next day, but to no avail. The film is about the lead up to the real Peterloo massacre, when the British government militia stormed into protesters, killing some and wounding a bunch more. Despite sets and costumes that are more detailed than anything I’ve ever seen before, the movie is just too dull. It really is just (wordy) speech after speech after speech, all about the same topic, which is, reform of the government and representation for the working class. I generally enjoy period dramas, but this one is tough to get through. I wasn’t able to finish it unfortunately, maybe you’ll have more patience than me.

Just as Peterloo is a movie I should have liked but didn’t, Under the Silver Lake is one I probably should loathe, but don’t. In fact, I found it extremely entertaining. This one stars Andrew Garfield as Sam, a quirky young man without direction in life. He meets a girl he instantly likes, but when she doesn’t show up to meet him the next day, Sam enters a crazy world of drugs, mystery, and conspiracy theories. As the film proceeds, it seems the more Sam learns, the further he gets from answers. Sam’s investigations include deciphering puzzles in popular song lyrics and puzzling over the map on the back of a cereal box, all while avoiding a serial dog killer in the area and a more sinister monster known as the Owl Monster. This is one of those films where the ride to the end is just as important as the finish itself, and don’t come expecting it all to wrap up in a tidy bow, which probably explains why online reviewers give this film either 1 or 5 stars, with almost nothing in the middle. You’ll either love it or hate it, but if you just like good filmmaking, I think you’ll be in the former group with me.

If you want to be moved, if you want to feel wonder like that of a child again, Never Look Away is a masterpiece. A German film directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, it tells the story of Kurt Barnert (inspired by real-life artist Gerhard Richter). Beginning in 1937, Kurt is a young boy, heavily influenced by his beautiful aunt Elisabeth. She talks to Kurt about art and freedom, just before she is diagnosed with schizophrenia and put in an institution. First she is sterilized so as to not spread mental illness to her children, and then, with World War II kicking into high gear, she is killed through a gas chamber so the Nazi party can free up hospital beds for wounded soldiers. The doctor that signed off on Elisabeth’s and other patients’ deaths is spared an execution after the war, when he saves the life of a Russian officer’s wife during her rough childbirth. The film picks up in the later 40’s, as East and West Germany are splitting. Kurt has survived the war and is a young man going to school to be an artist. This constitutes the first hour of so of this 3 hour long film, but to give more away would be a grave injustice. Go see this one, it will move you to tears and to cries of joy. Probably the best film I’m seen in awhile.

In my mind, Avengers: Endgame was a proper ending to the first part of the Marvel saga, but the series does continue on now, and the first movie of the new set of films continues the adventures of Spider-Man in Far From Home. If anyone feared that the “new” films would lose something after Endgame’s conclusion need not worry. Far From Home is supremely fun and action packed. Young Peter Parker, having been brought back from the snap in the last film, which the people of Earth are calling “the blip,” is living in a world still coping with disappearance, and reappearance five years later, of half the world’s population. Peter doesn’t want the mantle of world hero and prefers to remain “your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.” But danger still finds him. On a class trip to Europe, Spider-Man fights foes while dealing with the emotions (and crushes) that come to all teenagers, while also coming to terms with the loss of his own personal hero, Tony Stark. The series isn’t slowing down, and continues to produce at a high level. I can’t wait for the announcements for where Marvel goes from here.