marriage...is a disconcerting mystery

Average rating: 7.5 (6.6 if the outlier is included)

Mustang Country (1976) - "An aging rancher and a young runaway set out to capture a legendary wild mustang, beginning a quiet adventure through the American West that becomes as much about family, responsibility, and growing up as it is about the horse itself. Along the way, both discover that courage is often found in patience, kindness, and respect for the natural world. A gentle, old-fashioned family western that values character over spectacle." 

length: 1h, 19m  |  source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection  |  directed by John C Champion  |  why I watched: I love Joel McCrea, and will take any opportunity to watch his movies

IMDb: 6.2/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: N/A  |  my IMDb: 6/10  |  MPAA: G

tone & texture: warm, textured/earthy

notable quote: "All there is, is good luck and bad. Both of them are part of livin'."

my notes: McCrea is marvelously comfortable in his own skin. This is one of his last films, and it's a wonderful counterpoint to his earlier work. He's calm, and seems more prone to listening than to waiting to speak. His relationships with people and animals are realistic and expressive. It's not the most complex plot ever, but what there is is entertaining and sensible. 

themes: found family, hope, identity

overall: mildly recommended

 

3 Days to Kill (2014) - "Terminally ill CIA operative Ethan Renner sets out to repair the family life he sacrificed for decades of dangerous work, but one final assignment forces him to balance international espionage with the far more daunting challenge of becoming a real father to his teenage daughter. Blending action, comedy, and genuine family drama, the film explores whether a man defined by violence can still learn to be present for the people who matter most before time runs out." 

length: 1h, 57m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by McG  |  why I watched: I've seen it before (previously reviewed here) and was interested in a re-view

IMDb: 6.2/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 27% / NA Audience  |  my IMDb: 7/10  |  MPAA: PG-13

written & co-produced by Luc Besson, of The Professional and La Femme Nikita fame 

tone & texture: gritty, crisp & modern

notable quote: "I'm gonna need a new suit."

my notes: this is an unsettlingly stupid movie that somehow manages to be entertaining and compelling. I f'ing HATE Amber Heard's acting, particularly in this thankless role that Meryl Streep couldn't have made comprehensible. The rest of the cast is really good, though, and manages to seem like they've got it going on. (OK, all except the CIA Director, played through a haze of cheese so thick you could stand a chip in it by Raymond J Barry.) 

    There's a moment toward the end of the film (1:44:19, if you want to look it up) where Costner's Renner is looking down over a balcony, at a party. He's lit from below with a neon green light. His face is creased and weathered, but his eyes are piercing. He's got a couple days' stubble and a more distinct mustache that hasn't been trimmed, so it's probably making his nose itch. He looks smart, capable, and like he needs a week-long nap. And this movie star's comfort in his own skin is why I like this movie. It's not the best action, comedy, or family film ever made, but it's hella entertaining and way more thinky than it seems. 

themes: redemption, love

overall:  recommended

Four Faces West (1948) - "Desperate to save his family's ranch, honorable cowboy Ross McEwen commits the one crime he believes he can still live with, leaving behind an IOU and hoping someday to repay what he has taken. As he flees westward, pursued by Sheriff Pat Garrett and aided by unexpected acts of kindness, McEwen discovers that his greatest challenge isn't outrunning the law but remaining true to himself in a world where trust, decency, and compassion are constantly being tested. More gentle character drama than traditional shoot-'em-up, Four Faces West is a quietly moving Western about conscience, honor, and the surprising generosity of strangers." 

length: 1h, 29m  |  source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection  |  directed by Alfred E Green  |  why I watched: it's my favorite Western (previously reviewed here and here) and I like to watch it every year or so

IMDb: 7.0/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: NA% / 71% Audience  |  my IMDb: 9/10  |  MPAA: Approved

tone & texture: straightforward, classic Hollywood polish

notable quote: "Everybody gets law-abiding when there's a reward at stake."

my notes: it's a rare movie where there is no "bad guy", people treat others decently, there is zero cursing - and it is still engrossing and fun to watch. Joel McCrea is my vote for the best listener in cinema, and he can do it seamlessly and organically. He seems like a guy I'd like to sit on a porch with, drinking iced tea and not talking at all, just being. His McEwen character is a regular guy (who also happens to be brilliant on a horse).

themes: justice, love, courage

overall: highly recommended

Parker (2013) - "After a double-cross leaves him for dead, professional thief Parker sets out to recover both his share of the money and the principles he refuses to abandon, tracking the crew that betrayed him to an affluent Florida community preparing for a spectacular heist. Forced into an uneasy alliance with a struggling real estate agent who longs for a more exciting life, Parker must balance meticulous planning, brutal efficiency, and his own uncompromising moral code. Equal parts crime thriller, caper, and character study, Parker explores the curious honor that can exist among thieves—and what happens when that honor is broken." 

length: 1h, 58m  |  source: I owned the DVD  |  directed by Taylor Hackford  |  why I watched: Statham, of course

IMDb: 6.2/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 42% / 48% Audience  |  my IMDb: DNF  |  MPAA: R

tone & texture: straightforward, crisp & modern

notable quote: "If you don't tell me what I need to know, I'm gonna press down on this chair until it crushes your trachea. Trust me, it's agonizing. Plus, there's the posthumous humiliation of having been killed with a chair."

my notes: I watched a third of it before giving up. It never made me care at all for the characters or the storyline. Statham is at his best, in my estimation, in films where he's either part of a big ensemble working for a common mission (Lock, Stock, for instance, or The Expendables), or where he's a weary loner with great competence and an exhausting backstory (Redemption, Safe, Wrath of Man...). Movies where he's an incomprehensible hardass or a romantic hero (Death Race, In the Name of the King) are hard to like. 

themes: identity

overall: not  recommended

 

La Ronde {The Circle Dance} (1950) - "Set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, a succession of chance meetings, flirtations, affairs, and fleeting romances links people from every level of society into an elegant chain of desire. As each encounter gives way to the next, the boundaries between comedy and melancholy begin to blur, revealing the fragile hopes, vanities, and longings that unite people regardless of class or circumstance. Graceful, witty, and quietly bittersweet, La Ronde is less interested in judging its lovers than in observing the endlessly repeating patterns of human connection." 

length: 1h, 33m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Max Ophüls  |  why I watched: I'm fascinated with the films of Anton Walbrook, who plays the Master of Ceremonies, and also with this director's films

IMDb: 7.4/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 94% / 83% Audience  |  my IMDb: 8/10  |  MPAA: Not rated

tone & texture: playful, classic Hollywood polish

notable quote: "I'm the personification of your desire."

my notes: such a unique premise for a movie! My favorite vignette was 'the Count and the Prostitute', with 'the Young Man and the Married Woman' a close second. Walbrook was adorable, charming and disarming as the Master of Ceremonies. My favorite film aspects were the lighting and the framing (including various shots of female characters through their ornate head- and foot-boards). I was entertained and left to think about it all.

themes: tradition vs. change, love, hope, disillusionment, loyalty

overall: strongly recommended

 

[the title quotation is from La Ronde]