Shirley, Jackie, See For Me, The Hunter, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Death of Dick Long

- Shirley [2020] - 64
2020’s Shirley is a biopic about famed writer Shirley Jackson [The Lottery, The Haunting of Hill House, We Have Always Lived in the Castle are, perhaps, her most known works] depicted through the eyes of a fictional couple that’s come to live with them temporarily. This is a somewhat strange film that feels like it’s more geared towards Jackson’s fans and those who already know her than it is for any first-timers interested in who she was. Biopics are always a difficult genre for me but, things like Elvis, Oppenheimer, or Spencer [Jackie below also fits] typically work the facts to form an interesting film narrative while staying at least adjacent to the truth. I don’t know enough [anything really] about Jackson’s life, but Shirley feels more like an abstract take on events and general environmental influences than it does a docu-drama. I watched this while I was somewhat distracted and will be giving it another chance, but this one definitely seems like it wanted to be more profound than it ended up actually being. Also [perhaps “duh”], Elizabeth Moss is great in this.

- Jackie [2016] - 87
5-years the predecessor to Pablo Larraín’s Spencer, Jackie is an excellent film that takes a very intimate approach to an otherwise overly diluted and dramatic genre. I didn’t find this one as well crafted or interesting as Spencer, but I certainly wasn’t bored by it. Larraín has a very clear and individual vision on how to portray these kinds of stories and I hope that it’s something he continues to do in the future; there’s really nothing quite like his films. Jackie [similar to Spencer] not only has excellent construction and a an engaging script, but is elevated further by Natalie Portman’s performance. A performance which, also like Spencer, she was nominated for an Oscar because of. I really liked this one, though it is one of those watches where the end justifies the means a little. While I said I wasn’t bored by it, I did find myself momentarily checking out at times. That said, once everything comes together, the end pulls you right back in and makes the whole journey worth it.

- See For Me [2021] - 63
Do you like shallow thrillers with Hallmark twists? Are you a 16-year old who gets off on made-for-TV movies? If either or both of those questions get you jiving, then I sure have a movie for you. See For Me is unevenly acted and cheap, it is silly and immature, and it belongs to a genre where none of those things matter. The “home invasion” gamut of films are almost all bad in most ways, but plenty of fun if you want to just go along for the ride. See For Me is no different in that regard, but its twist definitely is. While I dogged on it above, it’s decently interesting and pretty different from anything else in this genre. At a 63, See is one of my more favorite films of this type, behind 2021’s Motherly. If you like home invasion movies, you’ll like this plenty, I’m sure. If you don’t, this isn’t going to convince you.

- The Hunter [2011] - 88
This was definitely the most interesting thing I watched this week, and one of the more interesting things I’ve watched all year. The Hunter follows Martin [Willem Dafoe] as he attempts to track down the world’s last Tasmanian Tiger at the behest of a biotech company before their rival can. Think Dennis Nedry in Jurassic Park. While the plot device doesn’t feel out of place in the 1993 classic, it does seem very strange when set into a totally mundane environment, which makes the whole “mystery” air of the film work quite well. While there are many moments of heavily telegraphed cheese throughout the 100-minute runtime, and a few “uh… excuse me?” ones as well, the whole journey culminates into something so unexpectedly touching and relevant that I can mostly let them slide. This mostly reminds of me of 2018’s Calibre in terms of tone and pacing, but they end up being very different films. I really, really liked this as a script, theme, and concept, and it’s one I’ll talk about for some time to come.

- The Last Crusade [1989] - 74
The third [and what should have been final] entry into the Indiana Jones saga, The Last Crusade attempts to double down on virtually every piece of the pie that came before it. It’s more ridiculous, it’s more grand, it’s got twice the star power, and it’s twice as problematic when it comes to women. Regarding the last point, while I do think that everything needs to be taken in the context of its environment, 1989 feels a touch too modern for some of the antics in this one. ANYWAY… This is the Jones film that I was definitely the least familiar with going in, and not one that I’ll probably be revisiting now that I’ve refreshed myself. It’s… fine, but nothing captures the magic and wonder of The Raiders of the Lost Ark quite like… well, Uncharted does. Not the movie you heathen, the game series.

- The Death of Dick Long [2019] - 79
The Death of Dick Long is a perfect example of an extremely well made, well acted, and well presented film that just didn’t manage to land in any lasting way. Similar to my earlier remarks on Talk to Me [which, at time of writing, I still haven’t written a full review on…] everything about Dick is perfect [hah]. Well, everything except for the crux of the plot, because it hinges around a “comedy of errors” type situation that’s catalyzed by something so impossibly stupid that I can’t bring myself to believe the characters were able to justify it. The hinge of the plot aside [ugh], Dick is really an amazing foray into the film world for first-time writer, Billy Chew, and a pre-Everything Everywhere All at Once, Daniel Scheinert in the director’s chair. Each moment in this film is really excellent, but the culmination of those moments ends up somewhere that isn’t dramatic, funny, or profound enough to matter. The twist in the mystery is there… but it wasn’t really a revelation and, more importantly, it didn’t really change anything about the film; save for a single moment of interesting introspection around the lead character. This certainly wasn’t bad and I was absolutely engaged the entire time it was on… it’s just not one I’m going to remember in a few months. If you want a better “bad decisions” drama, Blood On Her Name has a similar vibe in terms of presentation, but is a significantly better film overall… though it does lack any semblance of the comedy present in Dick.