(hoopla/Netflix/VOD/Vudu) A ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ doc from the writer/director of GRACE about a welder, and that’s all you should know going into it. One hell of a slow burn, but I wish the film had dug deeper into his psyche.
Vudu
SATURN 3 (1980)
(tubi/VOD/Vudu) Richard Donen’s (SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS) only sci-fi film, featuring Farrah Fawcett and a very randy Kirk Douglas as an space-scientist couple whose sex lives are interrupted by a murderous Harvey Keitel and his baby-brain-infused android. Less bonkers than it sounds — more of a bizarre curio than anything else — but, as expected from a Donen film, it’s worth watching just for the use of color alone.
ALWAYS SHINE (2016)
(fubu/kanopy/Plex/VOD/Vudu) A nuanced take on the ‘jealous friend’ genre from Sophia Takal (2019’s BLACK CHRISTMAS) that weaves in clever commentary about Hollywood and casting, while featuring deft camera work and terrific performances from Mackenzie Davis & Cailtin FitzGerald.
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.
STRAY DOLLS (2020)
Kind of a mess, a bit like THE FLORIDA PROJECT if it were a thriller, but it has style, the lead is fantastic, and (small spoiler) Cynthia Nixon shredding the lead’s passport is one of the most violent scenes I’ve seen in some time.