anne-m-hudson Reviews

Gambit (1966)

MacLaine and Caine light up the screen

[8/10 · 29 October 2023]

This is an extremely entertaining puzzle picture featuring two master film actors, Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine. Caine performs his role as the art thief with considerable sang froid and finesse. He thinks he has his crime caper planned out to the finest detail and it's all well under control until he flies with MacLaine to an exotic locale to steal a work of art from the supposedly richest man in the world. In his mind, she will be as cool and silent as the sculpture he's trying to purloin, following his instructions without a murmur.. But she isn't the silent type at all. She asks a lot of questions and wants to understand what's going on. She gums up the works of his plan time and again to comic effect.

MacLaine's wardrobe is stunning, worth the time to watch the movie just to see some of the dresses, wigs, and headdresses she wears. Her character works as a dancer in a Hong Kong nightclub, and MacLaine gets to use her talents and training as a dancer in this film.

The sexual politics in this film are quite dated. That might bother some viewers, but MacLaine's character resists and subverts her objectification as a woman so handily that she offsets, counterbalances the sexist assumptions in the film.

Darrow & Darrow (2017–2019)

Dialogue is the star in this mystery series

[8/10 · 26 October 2023]

I've seen several Hallmark mystery series, and Darrow & Darrow is the best of the bunch, Other Hallmark mysteries I've seen are Mystery 101, the Hailey Dean mysteries, the Crossword Puzzle mystleries, and the Garage Sale mysteries. While charming, they are not as good as Darrow & Darrow. My reason for this assessment is largely due to the dialogue between the main character, Claire Darrow, played by Kimberly Williams and love interest Miles Strasberg/Tom Cavanaug; the main character and her mother Wendy Malick, and the main character and her daughterer Lilah Fitzgerald. The characters are also more fleshed out than they are in the other series I mentioned.

I remember Tom Cavanaugh from the sitcom Ed, in which he was also very funny and likeable.

There is evidently a ban on physical displays of affection between members of the opposite sex in these series, perhaps in service of some family-values agenda, but there is a somewhat more believable kiss between Claire/Kimberly Williams and Miles/Tom Cavanaugh in this one. This supposedly wholesome approach to sex between consenting adults does seem unrealistic since the romantic couples in every case are mature adults with careers and past love relationships, marriages, etc.

Come for the mysteries. Stay for rapid-fire badinage between characters and immensely likeable characters.

Spoiler Alert (II) (2022)

Hidden gem about life and love in real world

[9/10 · 21 July 2023]

Given the jokey title,"Spoiler Alert," I expected very little from this movie, but it proved to be a pleasant surprise from start to finish, from the clever device of the flashbacks in sitcom frames to the excellent acting by a wonderful cast. Main characters Michael and Kit are very real young men, each with his own history and issues with coming out as gay. Jim Parsons does a beautiful, nuanced job portraying Michael, and there's the extra layer of Michael being portrayed by Jim Parsons, former star of a popular sitcom, telling about the pain of growing up in sitcom-staged scenes. The way that Kit's parents embraced him and his relationship with Michael was well done, thanks to the intelligent script and the performances of Sally Field and Bill Irwin.

This is a love story, heartfelt, funny, and affirming. Well-written and finely acted -- I recommend it.

Home Again (2017)

Reese Witherspoon, Michael Sheen, and Candace Bergen are wasted

[4/10 · 16 May 2023]

Reese Witherspoon, Michael, Sheen, and Candace Bergen are all gifted actors. They are wasted on this story about a woman taking her children LA to think about what she wants to do about her marriage to a music producer in New York. Soon after she gets to LA, Witherspoon has a fling with a young man 10 years her junior who's staying in her guest house. Witherspoon drunkenly confronts a snooty client in a restaurant. Her soon-to-be ex-husband moves to LA to be closer to his children.

A mention of rampant white privilege would not be out of line.

Attractive, well-to-do people in beautiful settings more or less work out their problems. No great suffering, no big life lessons. Ho. Hum.

Air (I) (2023)

Team of all-stars in utterly entertaining pic about Air Jordan shoe endorsement

[9/10 · 15 May 2023]

This is a feel-good movie about a basketball shoe endorsement. But not just any shoe, the Air Jordan, and not just any endorsement. This endorsement pulled Nike out of the toilet, a company that was rapidly losing market share to its competitors Adidas and Converse. That's the premise of the story - Nike is the underdog company that wants to sign a young Michael Jordan, who looks like the next big name in basketball, and so do much bigger guns in the sports shoe world, Adidas and Converse.

You can watch this movie for the entertaining,edge-of-your-seat, fight-to-the-buzzer competition for who gets the shoe endorsement contract with 21-year-old Michael Jordan. But you can also watch for the brilliant teamwork of superb actors like Damon, Affleck, Davis, Bateman, Tucker, and Messina. There are a couple of confrontations between Damon and Afflect that rival the best scenes in Good Will Hunting. There are scenes between Damon and Messina that give Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr., in Jerry Maguire a s run for their money. There are scenes with Damon and Tucker and Damon and Damon and Bateman that show how good these actors are. And then there are the scenes between Damon and Davis that prove that great actors don't have to shout to express powerful emotion,

So come for the entertaining behind-the-scenes drama about sports endorsements and stay for the great teamwork of gifted veteran actors bringing their A game.

A Man Called Otto (2022)

Could not see convincing curmudgeon in the performance of Tom Hanks

[5/10 · 8 May 2023]

This movie is entertaining with some lovely themes about the importance of community and giving a damn about other people. That being said, I could not see the angry, hurt, nasty person that Otto is supposed to be in the person of Tom Hanks. Perhaps Hanks was attracted to the opportunity to play against type, but he doesn't go far enough, in my opinion. I know and have worked with several people like the main character, always angry, snarling, berating the incompetence of others. That retirement party at his job? It would have been more upsetting to the folks trying to do one nice thing for a oeroetually nasty person. He would have closed the door with more of bang, and they wouldn't have turned to eating his cake one second after he walked out of the room. His rants against the people parking in front of the units are't dyspeptic enough.

All that being said, I did believe that Otto has a decent, mushy center -- we know he does because he fell in love with a kind, considerate woman.

I admired the neighbor Marisol who was warm and considerate but also intelligent and strong. I thought the woman playing her was wonderful.

Living (2022)

Deeply moving performance in a script with the concentrated beauty of a poem

[10/10 · 1 May 2023]

This movie has the beauty and compression of expression of poetry. I admire Bill Nighy's work and wanted to see Living because he was in it, but this movie exceeded my expectations. Nighy's performance is deeply affecting. His singing of The Rowan Tree is devastating.

Initially I thought the movie was a Dickensian skewering of do-nothing bureaucracy, British emotional paralysis, and 1950s conformism, but several characters prove to have more dimensions and nuance than they first appear to have. Living goes far beyond stereotypical social criticism. It ultimately is an affirmation of living itself.

I recommend this movie wholeheartedly.

The Brokenwood Mysteries (2014– )

Thoroughly entertaining detective show

[9/10 · 27 April 2023]

I love this series. A big part of its considerable charm is the setting in a small town in New Zealand in which Maori, European, and American cultures mingle. We get some jokes about the tour in which locals try to profit from the fact that New Zealand is where Lord of the Rings was filmed--although definitely not in Brokenwood! Life in Brokenwood isn't always harmonious, and many of the characters have history with the others that goes back decades and in some cases generations. These entrenched relationships are often factors in the crimes the Brokenwood detectives investigate. Also, as in many small towns, people wear more than one hat -- the pharmacist who becomes the mayor, for instance. Also, some story lines are ongiong, like the bartender who served time for murder and now works at her brother's bar. Then there's Dennis Buchanan, the slightly shady lawyer who almost always shows up when a character is being interrogated by the police. We can guess that there aren't a lot of lawyers to choose from in Brokenwood, so when someone invokes their right to have an attorney, Dennis Buchanan is who they call.

I like the character Frodo. He seems hapless and not very bright, but he continues to pick himself up and try again, which is admirable. And he's quite decent.

I miss series regulars Mrs. Marlowe and Jared.

The relationship between the medical pathologist, Gina Kadinsky, and DSS Mike Shepherd is very funny. Who knows what the story is behind a Russian medical professional working with the police in New Zealand. Her interest in Mike is understandable -- he is probably the only person she knows who has any idea what she does or how very good at it she is. But her interest is still misguided, and thus the humor.

I look forward to spending more time with these characters in this place far, far away from where I live in the US that provides an engaging, warm-hearted take on the human comedy that transcends national differences.

All Its Name Implies (2020)

Documentary about Paradise CA fire has a lot to tell us about surviving traumatic loss

[10/10 · 9 December 2022]

On November 8, 2018, the Camp Fire roared into Paradise, California, and burned 95 percent of its structures to rubble. Homes, schools, businesses, the hospital--were gone. This catastrophe ripped the fabric of the community to shreds.

All Its Name Implies is a documentary made by Paradise resident Ev Duran, and it feels like a home movie in a great sense of that term. It's his home, his famiy, his community he's making a movie about. It includes a cell phone video made by a man who stayed at his house whie it burned down; footage of the evacuation from inside one of the cars, including screams from fleeing residents who feared they would die; interviews with residents recounting their first sighting of the fire in Concow and how they responded; interviews with the owner and an employee of popular Paradise coffee shop Juice and Java.

The interview with the psychologist (one of the filmmaker's cousins) about post-traumatic stress disorder gives the documentary its throughline. He says that some people want to avoid being reminded of a traumatic loss and avoid "triggers," sometimes to the point of not being able to leave the house. Others deal with it by remembering it and seeking support, and those people fare better. Social support helps them recover. By validating people's experience with the Camp Fire, this documentary provides some of that support.

Paradise may never be able to go back to what it was, but the strong sense of community on display in this film gives us hope that they can build a new Paradise on the ashes of the old.

The Noel Diary (2022)

Poignant tale about family estrangement

[8/10 · 30 November 2022]

This movie exceeded my expectations of a lightweight, Christmas-themed rom-com. I expected treacle but got some bite and spice with the sweetness. Family healing is portrayed as a process, not as a happily-ever-after done deal with Christmas music playing in the background as the credits roll. Barrett Doss as the female lead is excellent, and Bonnie Bedelia also shines in her supporting role. The movie has traditional Christmas themes, music, and scenery as its backdrop while it explores issues of alienation and feeings of abandonmnet. I recommend this movie as a pleasant entertainment that nonetheless explores poignant issues.

The Last Bus (2021)

Ode to human decency

[10/10 · 6 August 2022]

If you want to watch a movie that sees and celebrates human decency, get on the bus of this movie's poignant story and ride it to the end. The story requires that the main character grab hold of our sympathies and not let go, and Timothy Spall does that beautifully.

One of My Wives Is Missing (1976 TV Movie)

Surprises abound in this clever mystery

[8/10 · 28 January 2022]

I was surprised by this movie, in a good way. I didn't see the twists at the end coming. It was cleverly plotted and thoroughly entertaining. Jack Klugman was a familiar presence from TV shows The Odd Couple and Quincy, ME, and he brings comedic and dramatic chops to this role.

Red Joan (2018)

Official secrets and private truths

[9/10 · 26 August 2021]

Judi Dench plays the part of a bright young woman during Britain's war effort with compelling emotional truth.

Unforgotten (2015– )

Emotionally and intellectually engrossing

[10/10 · 6 August 2021]

Unforgotten has remarkable writing as well as great acting by all concerned. Police, victims, and suspects are all multidimensional characters. The main character DCI Cassie Stuart, played so well by Nicola Walker, wants to treat the people she interviews with respect. Her character sets the tone for her team, and as she often advises them, she wants to "tread gently." Season 2 was particularly powerful. After an investation into a harrowing 26-year-old crime, compassion wins out.

I highly recommend this series. I saw Seasons 1-3 when they first aired, but I just rewatched them. They hold up well.

The Woman in the Window (2021)

Hitchcock homage with excellent performances kept me guessing until the end

[9/10 · 22 May 2021]

Perhaps because I was looking for an entertaining mystery/thriller a la Hitchcock, The Woman in the Window fit the bill. Rear Window is my favorite Hitchcock movie, and I see this movie as an homage to Hitchcock, especially to Rear Window, with 21st century concerns interwoven. The film employs an unreliable witness (the titular woman in the window), addiction, psychological interpretation of evil, and lots of action that turns on cell phone use. Did the woman in the window witness a crime, or did she not?

I thought Amy Adams was riveting. Julianne Moore and Gary Oldman are also excellent in their parts.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Dramatic and dimensional

[8/10 · 19 October 2020]

Few famous trials provide more raw material for drama than the trial of the Chicago 7. Sorkin captures the outrage and anarchy of the times as well as the stylistic and ideological tensions among the leaders of the anti-war movement. This movie also shows the vendetta that the Nixon administration AG John Mitchell had against his predecessor Ramsey Clark that motivated the trial and the shocking behavior of Judge Julius Hoffman.

Sasha Baron Cohen was an inspired choice to play the anarchic Abbie Hoffman despite his mangled Massachusetts accent . (Worcester native Hoffman had the same accent that my Massachusetts born and bred mother had, and Cohen's is not even close. Jimmy Fallon's Boston accent as Sully on SNL was 100 times better.)

The portrayal of the seven defendants, Bobby Seale, defense attorney William Kuntsler, and the prosecutors is dimensional and fascinating. Hoffman and Rubin in particular could have been cartoons, but they are not.

Sorkin dramatically reminds us that the freedom,, peace, and justice that we fought for in the '60s are more urgently needed now.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark (2020–2021)

Powerful testament to superb writer

[10/10 · 24 July 2020]

I'll Be Gone in the Dark is a true-crime procedural on steroids, but it's also Patton Oswald's testament to the achievement of his wife, true-crime writer Michele McNamara. Oswald's love and admiration for his wife shine throughout the documentary. The Golden State Killer inflicted unimaginable suffering and damage on his rape and murder victims, and he eluded capture for over 40 years despite investigations by three different police departments across the state of California. If the series had just been about these horrific crimes, it might have been ultimately unwatchable. The darkness does not prevail, however. The truth ultimately comes to light.

We Interrupt This Week (1978– )

Witty and silly -- decades later I still remember this show

[9/10 · 9 April 2020]

I loved this witty, silly program. The host's introductory line, "Those are all the rules, except to say that my decisions will be arbitrary, prejudiced, and final," set the stage for a lot of hilarity. Forty-two years after it was aired I still remember it fondly.

Death in Paradise (2011– )

Charming and clever

[8/10 · 7 August 2019]

I enjoy this series and watch it regularly. The cases are logical posers that get solved by the end of the episode in ways that I don't see coming. The Caribbean setting is idyllic, and the characters are charming and attractive, nicely offsetting the ugliness of the crimes investigated.

In Season 8, however, I've been disappointed that the writers seem to be sowing seeds of romantic tension between J.P. and Ruby, the new officer replacing the irrepressible Dwayne -- after we watched J.P. woo the beautiful young woman he secretly loved in school and marry at the end of the previous season!

Dropping a fish-out-of-water detective from Britain into the Ste. Marie island paradise is a reliable source of comedy, and I think it works here, although never as well as it did in Season 1 with Detective Richard Poole.

Hamlet (2009 TV Movie)

Hamlet's story told as never before

[10/10 · 7 July 2019]

I've seen many productions of this play on screen - Olivier, Branagh, Plummer, Chamberlain, Williamson. I've also studied the play and am used to thinking of Hamlet as severely depressed. He's the "gloomy Dane," is he not? Tennant's Hamlet is much more manic, say, than Olivier's or the agonized melancholic in my mind, and it took some getting used to. He embodies the ambiguity about Hamlet's madness. Is Hamlet crazy with grief, or is he feigning madness to distract from his plans to revenge his father's murder, or is the line between those two perforated? This is a great production, and I recommend it enthusiastically.

Late Night (2019)

Funny and smart with great performance by Emma Thompson

[9/10 · 26 June 2019]

This movie exceeded expectations. I expected it to be funny and to make sharp comments about the ethnic woman in the boys' club of the all-male writers' room. However, I managed to forget the fact that one of the leads is Emma Thompson. Besides the fact that she is sharp and funny and smart, she is an actress of considerable talent. What makes this movie more than a sendup of sexism in the comedy game is Thompson's portrayal of her character's journey to change. She does not go gentle into that change, she fights it with all she's got, and yet she becomes desperate when . . . no, I won't tell you. Go see this movie. You will laugh, but you will also be left with more to ponder on the way home.

Rolling Thunder Revue (2019)

Dylan's band of troubadours make unforgettable music

[9/10 · 21 June 2019]

This is a fascinating collage of footage of Dylan's 1975-76 Rolling Thunder Revue, with commentary from the likes of Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Allen Ginsberg, Joan Baez. and Ruben "Hurricane" Carter. It also includes cuts of a more contemporary interview with Dylan about what he was trying to do with the tour and how he sees it in hindsight. The highlights are nonetheless the music - searing performances of "One More Cup of Coffee," "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," and "The Ballad of the Hurricane," to name a few. In the duets with Baez, it feels like we get the best of their unique musical talents. As Joan Baez says about the former lover who proved very frustrating, "When Dylan sings, all is forgiven." The music remains, and its power can not be denied.

Long Shot (2019)

Romantic comedy that is very funny and very romantic

[9/10 · 7 May 2019]

This movie is wonderfully entertaining, raunchy, funny, and smart. I winced a little in the final frames when Fred says he finds his purpose in supporting his wife -- but maybe that's because that's what politician's spouses say.

Disjointed (2017–2018)

Laugh track detracts from funny show

[5/10 · 27 August 2017]

Kathy Bates is a remarkable actress, and she's funny in Disjointed. There are other fine funny people in this, for instance, Nicole Sullivan. However, the laugh track frequently crowds out the dialogue and is offensive, as if I as a viewer am unable to respond to jokes and cultural references without being prompted by prerecorded titters and guffaws.

I would give this series another shot if the producers remove the canned audience response so the writing and acting can be appreciated. Otherwise, I'll pass.

Sully (2016)

What is a hero?

[9/10 · 26 October 2016]

In Sully we get another fine example of director Clint Eastwood's interest in showing the human side of a hero. The main character is "Sully" Sullenberg, the pilot who lands his plane in the Hudson River in the middle of January and has all 155 people aboard survive. Is he a smart, seasoned professional who is just doing his job? Or is he a hero? Are the people deemed heroes so called because other people put that label on them?

Tom Hanks gives a compelling performance as the ordinary man caught up in extraordinary circumstances. Sully is a low-key, low-blood pressure kind of guy with a natural aversion to the hoopla the "miracle on the Hudson" attracts. Just as Sully credits his entire crew for the success of the emergency landing, the entire cast in this film is strong and works together to bring this movie home.