By Michael C. Woody | Lake Panorama Times
“Presence”
I am a fan of director Steven Soderbergh. He has made some great movies and some recently that I would call head-scratchers. I am happy to report that his latest movie, “Presence,” is a modern day ghost story about a family moving into a new home that happens to be haunted by an evil spirit. Here’s the great twist: The entire movie is seen from the point of view of the ghost. For a lot of the film, the ghost just observes this family, but the longer it observes, the more it involves itself in their lives. That involvement could be as simple as a book falling off a shelf, but as the film goes on, the intrusions are much more intense. This is not a slasher film, and I don’t recall seeing even a drop of blood, but it is a well-made movie about a creepy “presence” in this family’s new home. An effective movie you will think about a lot after seeing it. Grade: A
“The Brutalist”
Now that I know that “brutalism” is actually an architecture style, the title of this film makes more sense to me and answers why most people have not seen what the year’s best film might be. Adrien Brody (who won the Oscar) plays a brilliant architect who also happens to be Jewish at a time when that was not really accepted. It is the late 1940s, and he immigrates to the United States and begins to make a name for himself in the furniture business and, eventually, back into architecture. This is a long, but never boring, film. (It had an actual intermission in the theatres.) It is also easily one of the year’s best. Maybe THE year’s best. I am not sure if the brilliance will translate to the small screens at home, but do not overlook this fabulous movie. Grade: A
“September 5th”
I was a freshman in high school in September of 1972 and probably wasn’t paying much attention to the Olympics in Munich, Germany. This was the year the hostages were taken, and ABC Sports had to step in because it was a dire situation, and they didn’t have a news crew on site. Jim McKay and the team did a fascinating job in handling this world crisis, and the movie recreates it beautifully. This is such a sad and important piece of history, but it was great to see it from this unique standpoint. Grade: A
“Companion”
The year’s craziest movie to date, “Companion” tells the tale of a group of young people invited to a wealthy friend’s house for a weekend. Without giving too much away, it is not what they expected. This is a well-made film that will include a couple of horrifying scenes and more humor than you might expect. Grade: B+
“Dog Man”
This kid’s movie is based on a series of books written by the guy who gave us the “Captain Underpants” series. I don’t know anything about the author or either of the books series, but, if the books are in any way as annoying as this movie, I have dodged a bullet. I was one of three people in the theatre for a morning matinee when I realized I had much better things to do than waste 90 minutes in a movie that was clearly not going to need to be reviewed. Grade: D
“Love Hurts”
Ke Huy Quan, in one of the early “Indiana Jones” films, played the character of Short Round in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” He also won an acting Oscar in 2022 for the movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” This new movie looked fun, and funny, as he plays a secret agent with crazy martial arts skills. Looking good and being good can be light years apart, and that is the case with “Love Hurts.” Sue and I walked out after the movie shaking our heads about what we thought we were going to see and what it actually turned out to be, which was dreadful. Grade: D
“I’m Still Here”
This is the best movie you did not see this, or last, year. It is the true story of a woman and her family living in Brazil. Her husband has been taken by the authorities, and they don’t know if he is dead or alive. The movie depicts this situation in a way that breaks your heart for this woman who refuses to give up and raises their five kids on her own while continuing to fight with the government about the fate of her husband. Her performance is the best I saw last year, and she was nominated for (but didn’t win) an Oscar. You might have to look for this one, but it is well worth the search. Grade: A
“Captain America: Brave New World”
In one of the last Marvel movies, Captain America relinquished his shield and gave up the gig. The shield was given to his former partner, the Falcon (played by Anthony Mackie), who must stop the bad guys from taking over. The President of the United States, played by Harrison Ford, needs help, and the Falcon steps in and finds himself in bad situations where he has to save a lot of people. He also needs to stop the Red Hulk. Mackie does a nice job as the Falcon, and Harrison Ford drags the movie down in a role he was not a good fit for. Still, it was a fun comic book movie that will certainly lead us to another (hopefully) fun return of the Falcon. Grade: B
“Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”
The first two “Bridget Jones” movies with Renee Zellweger were fun, and this might be my favorite of the three movies. Her life has gone on, not necessarily the way she wanted, but she finds herself single and being pursued by a very young (and cute) man. The movie is charming and funny with some cameo appearances that will surprise and entertain you. It is streaming on Peacock and is worth a watch. Grade: B+
“Paddington in Peru”
After the disastrous “Dog Man” experience, I was afraid to see another kid’s movie, but I thought Paddington would be less offensive. What I found was a funny and charming movie. The family is in search of a missing relative, and they hire a boat, helmed by Antonio Banderas’ character, to take them down the Amazon River. Grade: B
“The Gorge”
Two of the most interesting young actors working today, Miles Teller and Anna Taylor-Joy, team up in a movie on Apple TV in “The Gorge.” Both characters have excellent rifle skills, and they are both asked by their separate entities to guard a gorge in a deep forest. With each being on separate sides of the gorge, they strike up an unlikely relationship that eventually means they need to team up to accomplish their goal of not being killed by the crazy entities in the bottom of the gorge. I know how crazy this sounds, but it is a really fun movie. These two actors could not be more engaging. Grade: A
“My Dead Friend Zoe”
“My Dead Friend Zoe” is a horrible title but an amazingly good movie about two female soldiers trying to come back to the world and finding issues in making the necessary transition. Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris add great supporting help. Grade: A
“The Monkey”
“The Monkey” is an adaptation of a Stephen King short story. Many great directors have tried to adapt Stephen King stories and have failed. This one falls into the same category. Grade: C-
Michael C. Woody has been reviewing movies on radio and television since 1986. He and his wife, Susan, are residents of Lake Panorama.