The Last Letter From Your Lover [2021] ★★
I like a good old-fashioned love story as much as the next person, but Netflix’s “The Last Letter From Your Lover” misses the mark on multiple occasions, despite a good cast. Felicity Jones is wasted as an ambitious journalist who discovers a pile of love letters from 1965, which leads her to investigate the mystery at the center of this forbidden love. The movie borrows a lot from such classic love stories as “Brief Encounter” and “An Affair To Remember”, especially when we go back in time to learn more about these characters. Shailene Woodley is good as the married woman who falls for another man. And the film is well-shot, but there’s never a sense that we’re watching something special, or at least memorable. If you’re curious about it, it’s still an entirely watchable film. But just know that you may or may not remember it the next day.
“Malcom & Marie” is all about good performances, and both Zendaya and John David Washington deliver. But I wish I could say the same about the movie itself. It’s certainly well-shot and features a pair of powerhouse performances. But halfway through, I found myself drifting away from it, and the movie never managed to pull me in again. I was completely captivated at first, as we meet a filmmaker (Washington) and his girlfriend (Zendaya) who return home following his long-awaited movie premiere. What seems like a celebratory night at first quickly turns into a tense affair. Over the next few hours, old wounds are reopened and secrets are revealed, as we learn more and more about their personal issues. Writer-director Sam Levinson grabs us from the word go, thanks to a tightly written dialogue. But I can tell you that after a while, I grew tired of it. To whatever degree the movie succeeds, it is largely because of these two. I just wish they trimmed it a bit. Or better yet: “Malcom & Marie” would have worked more as a short movie.
Sometimes, a movie is easy to watch because of its star power. Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan are both a treat to watch in Netflix’s latest period piece “The Dig”, and they’re reason enough to stream it. Of the story, I can only say that it was quite intriguing to witness, despite an uneven narrative. Fiennes plays an experienced archaeologist who is hired by Mulligan to dig up an old burial ground on her estate. The year is 1939 and what they’re about to discover is something completely unexpected. If you like movies based on true events, “The Dig” more than fits the bill. It has beautiful sceneries and just the right amount of drama to go along with it. The final result is a film that is captivating at times, even if it doesn’t always hit the right notes. But perhaps the best thing I can say about it is that it’s sincere. That, and a pair of delightful performances, make it worth streaming.
“Promising Young Woman” offers a juicy role for the talented Carey Mulligan, but the movie itself is well-made and constantly engaging, making it one of the true highlights of 2020. Mulligan plays a young woman who is leading a double life: she works in a coffee shop during the day and extracts revenge on sexual predators by night. Slowly but surely we come to find out why she’s doing all this, but I will not reveal more. Writer-director Emerald Fennell has crafted a film that couldn’t be more relevant in today’s society. But the movie wouldn’t work as much as it does if it weren’t for Mulligan’s committed performance. Moviegoers who usually associate her with completely different type of movies may be pleasantly surprised at her skillful handling of this unusually tough material. And to say that the film messes with your head on multiple occasions would truly be an understatement. But this is why we still go to the movies (or stream in this case). “Promising Young Woman” is a breath of fresh air, and , might I add, completely credible. I cannot recommend it enough.
Let's Talk About Movies 