(Netflix/VOD) A little too aggressively idiosyncratic for my tastes, although Hosking is clearly talented and one hell of an auteur. Regardless, Matt Berry has a rather lush role, and he gets to sing some Dr. Demento-worthy songs, which made it worth my time.
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.
LADY OF BURLESQUE (1943)
(epix/Paramount+/tubi/VOD) LADY OF BURLESQUE is a delightfully self-aware adaptation of Gypsy Rose Lee’s sensationlist detective novel regarding the murder of a stripper in a burlesque stage show (the original novel was called THE G-STRING MURDERS). Barbara Stanwick leads, clearly loving the role. Honestly not sure if the Hayes code restrictions help or hurt the film.
HERBIE: FULLY LOADED (2012)
(HBO MAX/VOD) A surprisingly horny take on the HERBIE THE LOVE BUG franchise, penned by THE STATE’s Thomas Lennon and directed by DEBS’ Angela Robinson. Despite the story existing mostly to sell ESPN, NASCAR, Volkswagons, and Cheetos, it’s silly fun. While the cast is vastly over-qualified — including a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him Scoot McNairy — they give it their all.
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.
BUMBLEBEE (2018)
(epix/fubu/Paramount+/VOD) Yeah, it’s technically a TRANSFORMERS film, but it’s actually a winsome teen film, the modern HERBIE THE LOVE BUG we deserve. Also, unlike other TRANSFORMERS films, the action scenes are actually comprehensible, as opposed to a slurry of cuts, motion blur, and sound effects.
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.
STAY TUNED (1992)
(Prime/tubi/VOD) A surprisingly sweet script that’s basically an excuse for a bunch of blipvert parodies.