This cross between “Leon the Professional” and “Natural Born Killers” could have gone south very quickly but is saved by Tara Lynne Barr. It’s very good at sucking you into its point of view – you sit there nodding as the writer-director (Bobcat Goldthwait) tours you through the train wreck our culture has become. And you’re cheering his nebishy spree-killer protagonist. In retrospect, you think those folks probably didn’t deserve to die (waterboarding, yes), but in the moment you’re pulling the trigger along with Frank and Roxy.

FF=0

Enjoyed this. Deviates from the book but in a good way. Has roots in Battle Royale and Metropolis and the Morlocks and Eloi of The Time Machine. Love the portrayal of a society so decadent and corrupt that it will crumble under the weight of its own narcissism if not burned to the ground first. Suspenseful, thoughtful, barbed.

FF=0

Great cast, slooooow film. Could have been saved by a twist, but finished twistless. If you approach it as a mockumentary, it might be better.

FF=0 (because I didn’t want to miss the cool twist I was sure was coming)

Could be the best-paced action film I’ve ever seen. Don’t try to understand the plot – it serves only to marshal disparate groups of bad guys in pursuit of a little girl with an eidetic memory. It lets you catch your breath in just the right places, limits the obligatory car-chase scene to a (for me) manageable length, and, after allowing the hero to overcome unimaginable odds, handles the (also obligatory) final mano-a-mano between the arch rivals in a surprising, amusing, and fist-pumpingly wonderful way.

FF=0

The only Miyazaki I hadn’t seen all the way through (only bits and pieces here and there). Finally remedied that and was sorry I’d waited so long. What a wonderful, wonderful film, full of love and gentleness. It leaves you with this feeling of inner peace. I can’t give you a plot because there isn’t one. Usually I have no patience with a film like this, but its pastel landscapes and surreal images (I cherish the scene with Satsuki and Totoro standing at the rainy bus stop with their umbrellas) draw you in and hold you. I can’t see this film coming from any culture other than the Japanese. Really, if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor. Really.

FF=0

A low-budget gem I really enjoyed. A flaky magazine reporter and a couple of interns investigate a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel. The title of the film is the last line of the ad. Engaging characters and plot, but maybe a little thin, even for its 84 minutes. It does meander some, but will leave you with a smile. Definitely worth a watch.

FF=0

Finished season 1 and really liked it. 3-D characters, especially the ones in supporting roles. Loved the mid-1950s look of the production. Will watch season 2. I don’t take a lot of credit for sussing out the mole early on (the clues were there).

FF=0

I watched both the new Netflix version with Kevin Spacey and the 1990s BBC trilogy with Ian Richardson.  Similar but sufficiently different to avoid too much déjà vu.  Both versions break the 4^th wall.  At first I found this off-putting, but as time went on I realized how seductive it was.  Francis, the central character, is a heinous sociopath, but a charmer.  Talking to the viewer (and sharing smirks and eyerolls) allows him to exert that charm and make a sort of co-conspirator of the viewer.  It’s an effective conceit (and in my book Ian Richardson does the better job, but only by a hair).

FF=0

I really, really liked this dark, bloody, surreal comedy. The cast is perfect, as if the parts were written for them. Sam Rockwell steals the film. He made me laugh out loud a couple of times. Favorite line: When Colin Farrell says (in his Irish accent) that he doesn’t believe in guns, Woody Harrelson says, “You don’t believe in guns? They’re not fucking leprechauns.” It’s loose, uneven at times, but you can hear a heart beating in the darkness. (And how you put together this cast for $15M is a miracle) Definitely worth a look.

FF=0.

Well, it took two years and 26 episodes, but I finally know who killed Rosie Larsen. This is gripping stuff. I found myself sitting there saying, “Okay, one more episode and then I’ll stop.” And after that episode was done, “Okay, one more…” And so it went. This is an extremely complex story so it’s best to see both seasons back to back. (You can do that on Netflix.) I had a half-year break between the first and second and was totally cornfused at the beginning of season 2.

FF=0