The Adventurous Blonde (1937) D: Frank McDonald. S: Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Anne Nagel, Tom Kennedy, George E. Stone, Natalie Moorhead, William Hopper. Hot on the heels of their last outing, reporter Farrell and her copper boyfriend, MacLane, are finally about to tie the knot. Except her jealous, misogynist competitors decide to stage a fake murder to foil the nuptials. Except then the murder’s real. After a slow start, Farrell’s unravelling of the crime’s fantastic. Great chemistry between the leads, too.

After Yang (2022) D: Kogonada. S: Justin H. Min, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Haley Lu Richardson, Sarita Choudhury, Clifton Collins Jr.. Sometime in an obscure but thoughtful future, sad dad (but not sad for dad reasons) Farrell tries to get the family’s android “big brother” (Min) repaired. It’s best when it’s a character study (Farrell’s phenomenal), but then it turns out Min’s the story… only Min doesn’t get to be in it. Well done (minus the CG), but just okay.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) Unrated version D: Adam McKay. S: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell. Hilarious performances and sometimes incredibly strong seventies homage vibes carry this tale of Ferrell’s insipid (and incredibly popular) anchorman. Ferrell falls for Applegate, who then betrays him by… also wanting to be a news broadcaster and being better at the job than him. Some moldy jokes. Ferrell’s exceptional, Rudd’s good, everyone else at least funny. The script’s just thin.

Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) D: Tony Scott. S: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Jürgen Prochnow, Ronny Cox, Brigitte Nielsen, Paul Reiser. Motormouth undercover Detroit cop Murphy heads back to Beverly Hills when now good friend Cox is shot by some eighties Eurotrash villains. Murphy’s great–though director Scott unsurprisingly doesn’t know when to tone it down–and everything is else fine, it just gets old fast. The finale’s particularly lackluster. And the misogyny and objectification don’t help either.

Dog Day Afternoon (1975) D: Sidney Lumet. S: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, James Broderick, William Bogert, Penelope Allen. Sublime recounting of a real life Brooklyn bank robbery, where the robbers stand off with the police becomes a local event. Superb performances from everyone: Cazale, Allen, Durning, and Sarandon are standouts. But Pacino’s the whole show, with Lumet structuring the whole thing around where Pacino takes the performance. Beautifully paced, outstanding technicals, and a devastating conclusion.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) D: George Miller. S: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, George Shevtsov, Lachy Hulme, John Howard. Director Miller returns to the MAX well, giving Theron’s character from FURY ROAD a prequel. Except Taylor-Joy plays the part. Though maybe younger Browne a little more. Don’t count Theron out–she noticeably dubs Taylor-Joy. Story’s all about how Hemsworth and Burke are the more interesting men. Hemsworth (in a fake nose) is great. Movie’s terrible.

Klute (1971) D: Alan J. Pakula. S: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, Roy Scheider, Dorothy Tristan, Rita Gam, Nathan George. Small-town ex-cop Sutherland heads to dirty old New York trying to find his missing best friend, who’s apparently been harassing call girl Fonda. Starts a mystery, quickly becomes a romantic thriller plus character study of Fonda. Gorgeous direction from Pakula, jawdropping photography from Gordon Willis, and a phenomenal Michael Small score. Fonda’s singular. Just a great picture. The first in Pakula’s unofficial “Paranoia Trilogy,” followed by THE PARALLAX VIEW.

Trap (2024) D: M. Night Shyamalan. S: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka, Alison Pill, Hayley Mills, Jonathan Langdon, Mark Bacolcol. Outstanding Hitchcock riff about regular dad Hartnett being a serial killer who’s trapped at the pop concert where he’s taken daughter Donoghue. Shyamalan’s starts very REVERSE DIE HARD AT A ROCK CONCERT but has some surprising developments along the way. Maybe one too many in the weaker third act. But Hartnett’s great and so’s Shyamalan’s direction. Plus Hayley Mills!

The Bear (2022) s03e07 “Legacy” [2024] D: Joanna Calo. S: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, Liza Colón-Zayas. It’s back to the present with Edebiri finding out she’s got a late season subplot going, while Elliot is still waiting for the baby. If only she can talk to someone about their labor story, so as to perturb her plotline a bit. It’s a decent episode, but it’s all bridging. And the callbacks to flashback episodes are weird.

The Bear (2022) s03e08 “Ice Chips” [2024] D: Christopher Storer. S: Abby Elliott, Jamie Lee Curtis. Elliot’s in a jam and the only one who can help her is mom Curtis. It turns out to be the easy best episode of the season–just lots and lots of great close-up acting. While Joanna Calo slamdunks the writing, show creator Storer takes the directorial reins, which seems a little presumptious. Calo should’ve gotten that seat.

The Bear (2022) s03e09 “Apologies” [2024] D: Christopher Storer. S: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, Liza Colón-Zayas. The review still hasn’t come in and it’s causing further problems for White, Edebiri, and Moss-Bachrach. As far as a penultimate episode, there’s not much setup. But considering they’re doing scenes from what should’ve been covered seven episodes ago… no surprise. There’s a lot of good acting and some decent character development (just nowhere near enough).

The Bear (2022) s03e10 “Forever” [2024] D: Christopher Storer. S: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, Liza Colón-Zayas. The season finale makes the odd choice of brining in real chefs to guest star as themselves. Maybe a quarter of them are up to snuff. The rest are awkward amateurs. The episode’s all about taking advantage of having Colman guest star and punting literally everything else to next season. The whole season has just been for texture.

Evil (2019) s04e07 “How to Bandage a Wound” [2024] D: Sam Hoffman. S: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Andrea Martin, Christine Lahti, Jefferson White. After a dynamite opening with Lahti and Emerson, the episode punts on the outstanding revelations. Mandvi gets the most character stuff, as he starts worrying about his mental state (even more). The ghostbuster plotline quickly ties into Herbers’s house to keep things economical. Despite Martin delightfully talking to demons… the episode feels like padding around a few big developments.

Evil (2019) s04e08 “How to Save a Life” [2024] D: Tyne Rafaeli. S: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Andrea Martin, Christine Lahti, Wallace Shawn. The B plot involves Lahti conspiring with Martin and Shawn to baptize the antichrist, which is a lot more compelling than the team’s A plot. Colter sees something in his remote viewing and has to intervene. It might be the first time the “magic” is proven real? Though the skeptics don’t get to respond (onscreen). Great Lahti stuff, though.

Evil (2019) s04e09 “How to Build a Chatbot” [2024] D: Fong-Yee Yap. S: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Andrea Martin, Christine Lahti, Wallace Shawn. It’s another terrifying technology episode, except this time it’s justified. An AI chatbot mimicking the deceased is terrorizing its customers and the team needs to see if it’s demonic. Meanwhile, Emerson and Lahti play and overplay their hands. Some really good acting throughout, with Mandvi getting a particularly affecting arc. Not having the kids around always helps.

Evil (2019) s04e10 “How to Survive a Storm” [2024] D: John Dahl. S: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Andrea Martin, Kurt Fuller, Christine Lahti. As a hurricane hits town–complete with iffy special effects–the shit hits the fan (sometimes literally). Emerson moves in next door to Herbers to try to get her to co-parent the antichrist, while Lahti is in the end game of her attempt to take him down. Oh, and Colter finds out Emerson’s secret origin. Way too packed.

Evil (2019) s04e11 “Fear of the Future” [2024] D: Robert King. S: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Kurt Fuller, Patrick Brammall, Wallace Shawn. Anna Chlumsky guest stars as a mysterious woman claiming to be from the future who just happens to know way too much about Herbers’s ground situation, so everyone starts wondering if she’s legit. Meanwhile, Emerson doesn’t trust his dipshit attorney (John Carroll Lynch). And Colter gets a one-two gut punch from the Catholic Church (just bureaucracy, thank goodness).

Evil (2019) s04e12 “Fear of the Other” [2024] D: Sam Hoffman. S: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Andrea Martin, Kurt Fuller, Brian Stokes Mitchell. The team investigates an acquaintance of Martin’s, played by a wasted Nate Corddry. He’s having problems since finding his doppelgänger online. Plus, Emerson’s hearing has some ups and downs, and Colter finds out the Catholic church is selling his parish to pay child rape settlements. And it’ll all coincide with the apocalypse and the show’s finale. Convenient, huh?

Evil (2019) s04e13 “Fear of the Unholy” [2024] D: John Dahl. S: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Andrea Martin, Anthony DeSando, Wallace Shawn. After years of being indifferent to the church where the team is stationed, the penultimate episode is all about Colter getting big sads over it closing. Lots of great, almost pointless acting from Martin and Shawn. EVIL all of a sudden wants to rag on the Catholic Church. Little late. No real hints for next episode’s finale, either.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) s11e17 “July 21, 2024: Migrant Crime” [2024] D: Paul Pennolino. S: John Oliver. Oliver starts right in with the RNC and the “migrant crime” crisis, showing it’s all a bunch of bullshit made up by lying bigots, whether the NYPD, Fox newscasters, or Democrats. It’s data-heavy but very righteous. Then the dessert is about the “oddball” Olympics, The World Games. It works well as intended; a palate cleanser.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) s11e18 “July 28, 2024: The West Bank Settlements” [2024] D: Paul Pennolino. S: John Oliver. Oliver does his ballsiest episode maybe ever–and not just because he asked J.D. Vance to deny his couch-f**king and Vance refused. No, Oliver does an Israel and Palestine episode. Sorry, Palestine. He very pointedly refers to the land as Palestine. It’s a history of the West Bank and the settler atrocities and apartheid. Heavy and great.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) s11e19 “August 4, 2024: RFK Jr.” [2024] D: Paul Pennolino. S: John Oliver. Taking one for the team (Team Humanity) Oliver dedicates an episode (and however much time prepping it) to RFK Jr. Turns out he’s full of shit and lies all the time. He’s also buff and hung out with lots of famous rapists. It’s a tedious episode, which Oliver acknowledges, and shows what a chore unraveling conspiracy bullshit can be.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) s11e20 “August 11, 2024: Hawaii” [2024] D: Paul P. S: John Oliver. Some good election coverage (the first episode since Walz got selected for Dem veep), before the main story all about Hawai’i. Oliver covers the history of the islands and people, mostly focusing on how their exploitation under the British then American gun. Then how the U.S. military, billionaires, and general creeps continued screwing them over. Excellent feature.

Black Panther (1998) #25 [2000] W: Christopher Priest. A: Bob Almond, Sal Velluto. Priest wraps up big portions of the series so far, amidst a crossover issue. Aliens on Earth, Ross and Black Panther fighting them while Ross tries to resurrect the dead. Eventually they end up stranded on an alien world. The issue’s got beautiful art and strong plotting. Ross is barely sympathetic, and the resolution slight. But decent enough.

Black Panther (1998) #26 [2001] W: Christopher Priest. A: Bob Almond. Storm and Black Panther have a little superhero flying date but then have the deal with Americans rounding up stranded space alien criminals and torturing them. It’s a done-in-one story as far as that plot, but Priest is layering in all the subplots. And the main plot’s non slouch either. The final reveal is just too wild.

Black Panther (1998) #27 [2001] W: Christopher Priest. A: Bob Almond, Sal Velluto. Priest does an exquisite job plotting this one. Panther’s headed to the U.N. to talk about his military response to Lemuria. They’re mad he’s giving a “deviant” refuge (it’s a baby with mental telepathy powers and whatnot). The issue covers the moments before the trip, like Storm hanging out still. We also find out White Wolf’s scheme. Good stuff.

Catwoman (2002) #32 [2004] W: Ed Brubaker. A: Sean Phillips, Stefano Gaudiano. Selina’s back home and we get Lark and Gaudiano filling in on art. Beautifully. While Selina catches up with Bruce Wayne, Brubaker checks in on the supporting cast. Both Holly and Slam have their own subplots brewing, though no real hint at what’s next for the book. It’s some gorgeous art, but Brubaker’s lost the Selina voice.

Catwoman (2002) #33 [2004] W: Ed Brubaker. A: Diego Olmos, Jimmy Palmiotti. Brubaker seems to know he’s got voice problems too because he splits the issue into multiple first-person narrators. They’re all telling their part in Selina putting down the new rules. The book’s floundering. Even before the finale, which reveals we’re just turning back the stacks not changing them. Guest penciller Olmos is uneven but pleasant enough.

Catwoman (2002) #34 [2004] W: Ed Brubaker. A: Jimmy Palmiotti, Paul Gulacy. It’s kind of mean but the WAR GAMES crossover is just what Brubaker needs to get the book in gear. Things have to happen. Sort of. It’s mostly talking heads, then Selina kicking Mr. Freeze’s butt. Gulacy does a great Freeze. The rest, not his worst… Nice dramatics for Selina and Leslie Thompkins. And then Spoiler’s big reveal.

Catwoman (2002) #35 [2004] W: Ed Brubaker. A: Jimmy Palmiotti, Paul Gulacy. And then reality sets in and it’s just a bad crossover event. Brubaker gets a rough assignment–Batman’s deputizing the cops into the Bat Army and everyone thinks he’s a little much. Plus Spoiler’s tortured and suffering and narrating. Those pages are bad. The Selina stuff could be worse. Gulacy is pretty stretched, though. The art’s real loose.

Catwoman (2002) #36 [2004] W: Ed Brubaker. A: Jimmy Palmiotti, Paul Gulacy. WAR GAMES crossover. Not as good as the first, better than last time. Even with a boring fight between Selina and Zeiss. It’s all action with her kicking his ass, flushing the stakes from before. But Zeiss also isn’t talking so it’s less obnoxious than usual. What a toad of a character. Anyway. Could be worse crossover detritus.

Catwoman (2002) #37 [2005] W: Ed Brubaker. A: Jimmy Palmiotti, Paul Gulacy. Brubaker puts his run to bed, with a little too much Selina narration. She’s got some weird ideas. The issue is half “what kind of series has it been” and fond farewells to the cast. The Batman cameo is awkward and unnecessary. Gulacy brings back Robert Mitchum Slam. Unfortunately, the art’s barely mid. Issue’s slight but okay.

**Zorro: Man of the Dead ** (2024) #1 WA: Sean Gordon Murphy. A modern day Zorro fights the narcos with the help of his getaway car driving sister. Murphy’s got some great panels, but the story’s a little loose. The sister’s infinitely more compelling than Zorro, who’s got some mental health issues going on. Murphy plays them for laughs. But they’re also the whole idea for the book. Odd, odd choice.

**Zorro: Man of the Dead ** (2024) #2 WA: Sean Gordon Murphy. Murphy reveals the secret origin of the new Zorro–therapy failed to cure his PTSD as a kid so his uncle raised him to be Zorro (and to think it’s the 1880’s). It’s barely a plot point but it’s also a thud of a gimmick. Overall, the issue’s probably better than the first? But it’s still just pretty.

**Zorro: Man of the Dead ** (2024) #3 WA: Sean Gordon Murphy. It’s the best issue, mostly because Zorro is in the background except for action sequences. Oh, and when he seemingly has a lucid thought. Murphy’s got sister Rosa talking about taking advantage of the mental health issues, but only because even badass girls are buzzkills. The art is gorgeous, but it’s such a middling story. Zorro shouldn’t bore.

The Bear (2022) s03e03 “Doors” [2024] D: Duccio Fabbri. S: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, Liza Colón-Zayas. It’s another montage-heavy episode, covering a month of evenings in the kitchen. Things stay tense between White and Moss-Bachrach, where Edebiri playing peacekeeper. Meanwhile, Elliott tries to keep Oliver Platt calm about White spending more than (the very busy) restaurant brings in. Excellent acting and production, but it’s getting weird they’re leaning so heavy away from narrative.

The Bear (2022) s03e04 “Violet” [2024] D: Christopher Storer. S: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, Liza Colón-Zayas. The show needs more narrative, the show gets more narrative. After some more tonal flexes, the episode settles into a simple catch-up with the characters. Some big decisions haven’t gotten made so they can play out onscreen (someday, not yet). Nice work from Moss-Bachrach, Edebiri, and Elliot. It’s good, just a tad binge-paced with the cliffhanger.

The Bear (2022) s03e05 “Children” [2024] D: Christopher Storer. S: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, Liza Colón-Zayas. The restaurant has to get ready for the review photographer, but Oliver Platt has also brought the accountant over for some hard truths. Plus, Elliott is about to have her baby. There’s a little character stuff for Edebiri and Boyce, then lots of it for Matheson and guest star Ricky Staffieri as they goof off. And there’s a big cameo.

The Bear (2022) s03e06 “Napkins” [2024] D: Ayo Edebiri. S: Matty Matheson, Liza Colón-Zayas, Jon Bernthal, Christopher J. Zucchero, Edwin Lee Gibson, David Zayas, Paulie James. Colón-Zayas gets a secret origin episode (secret origin flashback episode) about how she ends up working at the restaurant. Real life husband Zayas plays her husband, and we’re treated to a nice extended cameo from Bernthal. It’s a nice showcase for Colón-Zayas, but it doesn’t answer any questions about the half-over season’s trajectory.

Evil (2019) s04e02 “How to Train a Dog” [2024] D: Peter Sollett. S: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Christine Lahti, Patrick Brammall, Wallace Shawn. It’s a “scary tech” episode, this time with robot white dogs (trained to hunt Black people). Despite some profoundly obvious plot holes, it’s a decent mystery with solid thrills. Colter gets lots this episode, ditto Mandvi. Herbers gets less, mostly supporting Brammall and the kids, with Lahti then getting a major subplot. Shawn’s a continued delight. EVIL’s rising.

Evil (2019) s04e03 “How to Slaughter a Pig” [2024] D: Fong-Yee Yap. S: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Kurt Fuller, Christine Lahti, Patrick Brammall. Despite a nice cameo from Tony Plana, and a check-in with every character (except the daughters, which makes so much room), the mystery isn’t very good. And Herbers’s seeming new plot line is pedestrian. There some great team building though. At its best, it reminds of the show’s strongest early outings. At its worst… it just never delivers.

Evil (2019) s04e04 “How to Build a Coffin” [2024] D: Darren Grant. S: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Andrea Martin, Christine Lahti, Wallace Shawn. It’s almost a mythology episode but only because it follows Martin on her unexpected demon hunting around the rectory. Otherwise, it’s a potpourri of story threads, one for each character. Everyone’s losing the ability to find the right words to speak. It gets a little too meta (or not meta enough), but there’s some good and great acting throughout.

Evil (2019) s04e05 “How to Fly an Airplane” [2024] D: John Dahl. S: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Christine Lahti, Chukwudi Iwuji, Patrick Breen. After punting on all last episode’s big deals, the team heads to Rome because the Vatican wants to see the Catholic relic being smuggled (as part of their latest case). Meanwhile, back home, the four daughters have to take care of themselves. No one really gets anything to do? Some decent moments–funny, even scary–but it’s listless.

Evil (2019) s04e06 “How to Dance in Three Easy Steps” [2024] D: Joe Menendez. S: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Kurt Fuller, Christine Lahti, Chukwudi Iwuji. Yawner more than stinker episode has Herbers falling under the spell of dancer and possible witch Stella Everett. Meanwhile, Lahti finds out Emerson’s been up to no good. Well, worse no good. Maybe if Everett were compelling, or if the episode didn’t hinge on the Catholic Church not liking female autonomy; Iwuji’s particularly not charming while delivering those lines.

Evil (2019) D: Darren Grant. S: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Andrea Martin, Christine Lahti, Wallace Shawn. It’s almost a mythology episode but only because it follows Martin on her unexpected demon hunting around the rectory. Otherwise, it’s a potpourri of story threads, one for each character. Everyone’s losing the ability to find the right words to speak. It gets a little too meta (or not meta enough), but there’s some good and great acting throughout.

The Blob (1958) D: Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.. S: Steve McQueen, Aneta Corsaut, Earl Rowe, John Benson, Robert Fields, James Bonnet, Olin Howland. Talky, tedious teen sci-fi picture has killer space jello terrorizing a small town. Can McQueen convince the cops he’s not just having a laugh at their expense? Some kind of acting on display abound. Better cinematography, direction, and special effects would help too. McQueen never really forecasts his glow-up, but he is in the three better scenes.

Color Out of Space (2019) D: Richard Stanley. S: Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Madeleine Arthur, Elliot Knight, Tommy Chong, Brendan Meyer, Julian Hilliard. Entertaining, highly derivative H.P. Lovecraft adaptation starts as an effective (albeit trite) family horror drama about goth kid Arthur trying to magic away mom Richardson’s cancer. Dad Cage quietly goes full Nicolas Cage by the end, with very mixed results. The practical effects are iffy but the CGI works. Richardson and Arthur are great; script’s not.

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) D: Shawn Levy. S: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams. Cameo-filled sequel gently intros Reynolds’s obnoxious, invincible mutant mercenary into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but mostly just wraps up leftover Fox Marvel adaptation fodder. Starting with Jackman, but with a number of surprises. Solid laughs and action; the best performance is either Corrin’s thinly written villain or Macfadyen’s dipshit time travel middle manager. Post-credits is good, too.

The Devil Rides Out (1968) D: Terence Fisher. S: Christopher Lee, Charles Gray, Niké Arrighi, Leon Greene, Patrick Mower, Sarah Lawson, Paul Eddington. Sometimes (but not enough) surprisingly okay Hammer tale of Lee and Greene trying to save their pal Mower from Satanist Gray and his cult. Along the way, Greene falls for coven member Arrighi and everyone ignores Lee’s warnings so they can have a movie. Lee’s fantastic, Gray’s not, everyone else is in between. The lousy special effects hurt too.

Fly Away Baby (1937) D: Frank McDonald. S: Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Gordon Oliver, Hugh O’Connell, Marcia Ralston, Tom Kennedy, Joe King. Ace reporter Farrell is so sure blue blood Oliver is actually a diamond-stealing murderer, she’s willing to follow him around the world. Her boyfriend, copper MacLane, thinks she’s wrong but supports the endeavor. Fast paced mix of mystery and comedy has winning performances–Farrell’s a dynamite lead, Oliver’s a solid foil, and O’Connell’s delightful as the comic relief.

The Lives of Others (2006) D: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. S: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Thomas Thieme, Hans-Uwe Bauer, Volkmar Kleinert. Belabored thriller slash melodrama about East German master eavesdropper Mühe getting involved in the lives of his targets–playwright Koch and actress Gedeck. Mühe’s great when he’s got material (even when it’s trite). Koch and Gedeck have less chemistry than wet cardboard. Tukur’s awesome as Mühe’s boss. While pedestrian direction and middling plotting hurt, the bland obviousness is worst.

Origin (2023) D: Ava DuVernay. S: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash-Betts, Emily Yancy, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Blair Underwood. Singular dramatization of author Isabel Wilkerson (Ellis-Taylor) as she decides to write her next book, which will link American racism to the Holocaust and the Indian caste system. Ellis-Taylor’s phenomenal, as is Nash-Betts as her cousin. Bernthal is great as her husband, too. DuVernay’s narrative and adaptive approach prove the concept. Exceptional work all around.