if we tell the truth and write the lies, then they aren't lies anymore—they become stories

Average rating: 7. Quite a range.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) - "Scout Finch (Mary Badham), 6, and her older brother, Jem (Phillip Alford), live in sleepy Maycomb, Ala., spending much of their time with their friend Dill (John Megna) and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley (Robert Duvall). When Atticus (Gregory Peck), their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping."
length: 2 hours, 9 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: it's been too long since I've seen this classic star of "legal movies" (last reviewed here)

IMDB: 8.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 93% Audience: 93%
my IMDB: 10/10

AFI: 100 Years…100 Movies (original list 1998) #34

    100 Years … 100 Heroes and Villains (2003) Hero #1

    100 Years…100 Cheers (2006) #2

    100 Years…100 Movies - 10th anniversary edition (2007) #25

    10 Top 10 (2008) Courtroom Drama #1

MPAA rating: Approved

notable quote: "There just didn't seem to be anyone or anything Atticus couldn't explain. Though it wasn't a talent that would arouse the admiration of any of our friends, Jem and I had to admit he was very good at that—but that was all he was good at... we thought."

directed by: Robert Mulligan

my notes: Child actors usually turn me off a film, but these two (well, three) are absolutely amazing. Mary Badham (Scout), especially, inhabits the role completely. It's beautiful to watch—as is Gregory Peck, in his finest role and perhaps the best film performance, ever.  

    And the law is spot-on.

Academy Award winner:
• Best Actor—Peck
• Best Writing, Screenplay based on material from another medium—Horton Foote
• Best Art Direction - Set decoration, Black and white—Alexander Golitzen, Henry Bumstead, Oliver Emert
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture—Alan J. Pakula
• Best Director—Mulligan
• Best Cinematography, Black and white—Russell Harlan
• Best Supporting Actress—Badham 

• Best Music, Score - Substantially original—Elmer Bernstein
overall: most highly recommended

Rush: Time Stand Still (2016) - "‘Rush built their following the right way. No hype, no bullshit, they did it from the ground up. Their legacy is incredible and their influence undeniable.’–Dave Grohl 

    This feature-length documentary film chronicles the final major tour for legendary rock band Rush. It is an intimate view ‘under the hood’ of a historic moment from the perspective of the band, their fans, crew, and management. Featuring interviews with the band throughout their sold-out 2015 40th Anniversary tour, the film also shows rarely seen backstage footage capturing the final moments of life on the road. Highlighted as well is the impact on the band’s fans and the world that has been built around the beloved Canadian trio. This is the final touring chapter of a band that has meant so much to so many fans around the world. 

    With narration by Paul Rudd. "

length: 1 hour, 37 minutes

source: streamed on Peacock
I watched it because: I watched another Rush documentary—A Rise of Kings (2014, reviewed here)—a couple of years ago and liked it quite a bit
IMDB: .8.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 80% Audience: 84%
my IMDB: 8/10

MPAA rating: R

directed by: Dale Heslip

my notes: a treat for a hardcore fan and prehaps inexplicable and even offensive to non-fans, this is endearing to me. Alex and especially Geddy come off as ungrateful and shitty toward Neil, though that's not a flaw of the film.

overall:  recommended

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) - "This adaptation of the classic novel tells the story of young Francie Nolan (Peggy Ann Garner) who yearns for life beyond her Brooklyn apartment building. While her daily routine is difficult, she makes the best of her situation, living with her hard-working mother (Dorothy McGuire), alcoholic father (James Dunn) and tough little brother (Ted Donaldson). Encouraged by her kind but irresponsible dad, Francie struggles to keep her hopes up and persevere despite all the odds against her."
length: 2 hours, 9 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I'd heard of it but knew nothing of the story, and of course I have not read the book, and I am trying to watch more of that sort of thing
IMDB: 8.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 94% Audience: 91%
my IMDB: 6/10

notable quote: "Don't you think it would be still better if you'd write about the things you really know about and then add to them with your imagination? Even stories shouldn't be just, well, pipe dreams. Pipe-dreamers can be very lovable people but they don't help anybody, not even themselves. Now, think about it a little."

MPAA rating: PG

directed by: Elia Kazan

my notes: this is An Important Film that is not an entertaining movie. I didn't hate it, and I'm glad I saw it, and I never need to see it again.

    It's unrelentingly bleak from start to finish. I appreciated the performances of Joan Blondell (Aunt Sissy) and Lloyd Nolan (Officer McShane), which brought a little light to the depressing dark. 

    The worst of it, for me, was the stomach-turning behavior of the father, Johnny Nolan, in playing favorites between his kids (to the point of inappropriate, boundary-breaking closeness to his daughter) and flip-flopping in caring for his family.

Academy Award winner: Best Supporting Actor—James Dunn
Academy Award nominee: Best Writing, screenplay—Frank Davis, Tess Slesinger
overall: reluctantly, marginally recommended

Despicable Me 4 (2024) - "Gru and Lucy and their girls—Margo, Edith and Agnes—welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad. Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina, and the family is forced to go on the run."
length: 1 hour, 34 minutes

source: streamed on Peacock
I watched it because: my Peacock subscription ends in a couple weeks and I'm trying to see everything on my watchlist in a big hurry
IMDB: 6.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 56% Audience: 87%
my IMDB: 4/10

notable quote: "They got so many different kinds of milk. Almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, goat milk, chocolate milk, half and half, powdered, and Of Magnesia."

MPAA rating: PG

directed by: Chris Renaud, Patrick Delage

my notes: one time funny, four times not. And the worst of it is that I haven't seen the 3rd one, so now I've got to go back and get that one out of the way. 

    (First reviewed here, Minions reviewed here. Second was seen but not reviewed.)

overall:  recommended for completists and maybe if there was nothing else on

 

[the title quotation is from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn]