Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019) - "A young woman decides to make positive changes in her life by training for the New York City Marathon."I watched it because: I am increasingly fascinated by the idea of 'being a runner,' and this movie was recommended (on Amazon Prime) as hilarious and life-changing.
story: 4/5--inspired by a true story
visuals: 3.5/5--filmed on location in New York, including the Marathon itself (the first non-documentary to do so)
acting: 3/5--standouts: Micah Stock (Seth) and Utkarsh Ambudkar (Jern)
intangibles: 2.5/5--though I quite liked the film itself, I found the character of Brittany (and her portrayal by Jillian Bell) to be squirm-inducing. I'm not sure that I can totally recommend it, for that reason.
overall: 3.25/5
I watched it because: It was recommended on Amazon Prime, and I've been wanting to watch it since I first heard about it (it's one of Hitchcock's early films) years ago.
story: 3/5--pretty complicated storyline, particularly since there is no one female lead but rather a ...string of them, at least in a sense. If you're not familiar with the actresses, you might have a hard time following, at least at first.
visuals: 3/5--this film was made 85 years ago. That any bits of it at all still exist is pretty damned amazing.
acting: 3.5/5--standout: Robert Donat is almost irrationally gorgeous. The film poster makes him out to look quite a bit like Clark Gable, but Donat is far less flashy.
intangibles: 4/5--this is a clever script
overall: 3.375/5
The Words (2012) - "A writer at the peak of his literary success discovers the steep price he must pay for stealing another man's work."I watched it because: it was recommended on Amazon Prime, and I like Zoe Saldana.
story: 4/5--this story is uncannily similar to the plot of one of my favorite books, About the Author by John Colapinto, to the point that I stopped watching to research whether it was based on the novel. It was not. That is disturbing, and definitely colored my impression of the movie.
visuals: 3/5
acting: 3/5--standout: Jeremy Irons (the Old Man) is the star of this show
intangibles: 2/5--super frustrating! I cannot for the life of me figure out the point of about 1/3 of the plot (Quaid/Wilde), or why this is marketed as a "mystery." And the weird connection with the Colapinto book...well, I just don't get it.
overall: 3/5
I watched it because: it was Christmas at Mom & Dad's, and we were (as always) wanting something a little older and not too controversial for our holiday viewing
story: 4.5/5
visuals: 4/5
acting: 4.5/5--standouts: I thought that Dana Andrews (Fred Derry) and Teresa Wright (Peggy Stephenson) were excellent, though there is not a weak point in this film.
intangibles: 4/5
Academy Award winner:
• Best Motion Picture; Best Director—William Wyler
• Best Actor—Fredric March
• Best Writing from Screenplay
• Best Supporting Actor—Harold Russell
• Best Film Editing
• Best Music [Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture]
Academy Award nominee: Best Sound Recording
overall: 4.25/5
Dr. No (1962) - "A resourceful British government agent seeks answers in a case involving the disappearance of a colleague and the disruption of the American space program."I watched it because: I haven't seen the whole series in several years, and am going to try to watch them all again, in order.
story: 2.5/5 (these movies aren't exactly rocket surgery)
visuals: 3/5
acting: 3/5--standout: Sean Connery...mmm...
intangibles: 2.5/5
overall: 2.75/5
[the title quotation is by Uta Hagen]
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