RHODY LIFE

At the Warwick Showcase

Posted 4/28/21

At the Warwick Showcase

TOGETHER TOGETHER

***½ (Joyce)

*** (Don)

“Together Together” opens with director/writer Nikole Beckwith thanking you for coming to her movie, …

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RHODY LIFE

At the Warwick Showcase

Posted

TOGETHER TOGETHER

***½ (Joyce)

*** (Don)

“Together Together” opens with director/writer Nikole Beckwith thanking you for coming to her movie, which just finished production when the pandemic hit, and closes with a Q-and-A with her and her two stars.

In between is a sometimes funny, sometimes sad tale of a lonely, unfulfilled middle-age man searching and finding a young surrogate to give him a baby.

After an interesting interview, Matt (Ed Helms) chooses Anna (Patti Harrison) and the two take a trip down a nine-month path to the birth of a child.

Along the way, these two incompatible people develop an unusual relationship.

Matt becomes overprotective as Anna tries to remain detached, and the two bond in a strange way, never hinting at romance along the way.

I found Matt irritating (actually I found Helms a misfit for the role), while Joyce bought his quirky mannerisms.

Beckwith uses a number of stand-up comedians in supporting roles, all of whom fit their characters to a T.

I like my movies wrapped up neatly, while Joyce was pleased with the open-ended conclusion.

Judge for yourself.

If nothing else, you learn about the surrogate process.

Rated a mild R, with sexual references and some profanity.

AT THE OSCARS

Sunday night’s presentation of the Oscars was one of the most unusual awards show ever, with the hostess making an opening statement and then disappearing and a disc jockey closing the show.

In between were backgrounds on nominees, mostly revealing how they got started in show business.

No lavish musical song and dance routines. No singing of the nominated songs. No opening comedy routine. And yet the show still ran over its allotted time.

Three of our favorite films, all seen at the Avon, took top honors – “Nomadland,” “Minari” and “The Father.”

Netflix figured heavily in the awards, including “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and the wonderful documentary “My Octopus Teacher.”

Hopefully, the Avon and the Showcase will bring back some of the other winners we missed, including “Judas and the Black Messiah, “Sound of Metal,” “Promising Young Woman,” “One Night in Miami” and “Soul.”

NETFLIX

Three Spanish crime series made for interesting, if somewhat uneven, viewing on Netflix.

I watch Netflix movies, especially the foreign ones, using the English subtitles, which becomes a challenge when the movie also has their translation and/or dubbing. Some of the translations are off center and quite funny.

“You Can’t Hide”

is another serial killer 10-episode thriller. A politician’s wife is murdered. A nurse saves a mysterious man from an explosion, only to find out a sinister secret about him as he helps her find out where her missing daughter has gone.

The plot moves back and forth between Madrid and Mexico, with enough twists to keep you watching until the cliffhanger ending.

“Good Morning Veronica”

has a homicide detective clerk fighting her boss in a murder investigation, befriending the abused wife of the suspected killer. This one is a bit creepy and bloody.

“The Minions of Midas”

takes place during political unrest in Spain. A major bank is funding an arms dealer. Corrupt police, journalists and politicians are involved. Innocent people are killed. It gets a bit out of control, but will hold your attention until the bad guys get what they deserve.

movies, cinema

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