(AMC+/fubo/kanopy/Showtime/VOD) A girl training to box joins a community cheerleading team and, suddenly, members of the squad start falling inexplicably ill. More of an intimate drama than it sounds like, reminding me of Megan Abbot’s — no, not DARE ME — THE FEVER.
Drama
LIMELIGHT (1953)
(Criterion/HBO MAX/VOD)? A fine melodrama bolstered by an amazing performance by Chaplin (who also wrote, directed, and composed his own swan song) — basically playing the Little Tramp and himself as a washed up clown — and features Claire Bloom as the young ingenue he aids. The theatrical numbers, while certainly self-indulgent, are not unwelcome, especially since the later ones also include Buster Keaton.
THE LADY IN RED (1979)
(tubi) Penned by John Sayles — his second screenwriting credit — it tells the story of Ana Cumpănaș, aka the last woman to be involved with John Dillinger before his death. The film’s an odd amalgam of genres, including: cathouse, women in prison, and gangster, but yet manages to be more than the sum of its parts.
Please note: the trailer below is NSFW.
CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? (2018)
(VOD) Criminally underseen docudrama about Lee Israel, but less focused on telling her story than telling the story about the inherent selfishness of telling the story of others.
THE GROUP (1966)
(epix/Paramount+/VOD) It’s an anachronistic mess, and certainly not one of Lumet’s finest, but I can’t get enough of this sort of epic sensationalism. Also, it’s the role that launched Candice Bergen’s career!
LOW DOWN (2014)
A brutal account of growing up surrounded by addicts, some genius and some not, handled with a fair amount of grace and buoyed by a tremendous cast that includes John Hawkes, Elle Fanning, Peter Dinklage and, yes, FLEA.
COHERENCE (2013)
(fubu/Prime/VOD) A smart and well-produced high-concept indie about living with the choices you’ve made in the past, the choices you could have made, and the choices you wish you had made.
WE TAKE THE LOW ROAD (2019)
(hoopla/VOD/vudu) Overpacked thriller about the cruelty of the US health care system, mental illness, and family. The script and performances are bit clunky here and there, and it doesn’t quite come together in the end, but its big swings are to be applauded.
A DREAM OF KINGS (1969)
(VOD) Recently watched A DREAM OF KINGS which I found notable for its use of Chicago. There’s a short scene where Anthony Quinn (playing a Greek again) riproars away from the old Lakeview Treasure Island — my local market when I moved to my Roscoe apt in Chicago — which absolutely delighted me. Quinn here feels like a proto-Tony Soprano, partially because of his bullying and selfishness, but also because of how Quinn carries himself, breathily lumbering through scenes.
WOUNDS (2019)
(Hulu/VOD) Tepid relationship drama disguised as horror. Perfect role for Armie Hammer, though.