(HBO MAX/VOD) I feel dumb for not realizing that THE AMERICANS cribbed liberally from Warren Beatty’s three-hour epic about American union organizers, socialists, and Soviet sympathizers. While it’s gorgeously shot, the written word and Diane Keaton are the complicated hearts of the film.
Fun fact: Sondheim was hired to score the film — at the same time as he was working on Merrily We Roll Along — and you can read more about it here:
(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.
(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.
