You People

    

    A terrific cast is wasted in this uneven and at times cringeworthy, new comedy. The film is written by Kenya Barris and Jonah Hill. Mr. Barris also directed the film and Mr. Hill stars as Ezra Cohen, along with Lauren London as Amira, his girlfriend, Eddie Murphy as Akbar, Amira's father, Nia Long as Amira's mother, Julia Louis -Dreyfus as Ezra's mother Shelly, David Duchovny as Ezra's father and Sam Jay as Mo, Ezra's podcast partner and best friend.

     In some ways, it's an updated comedic take on the film "Guess Who's coming to Dinner" which was radical for it's time in the 1960's when a white woman brings home her black boyfriend to meet her parents. 

    Placed in this contemporary setting, it is a clash of culture and race that fuels the comedy when both sets of parents have no idea how deal with Ezra and Amira's intention to marry. There are a few funny moments but Mr. Murphy plays against type with Mr. Hill and especially Ms. Louis -Dreyfus providing most of the laughs. However, while mildly funny, many of the jokes fall flat and come off cringeworthy and offensive equally to blacks and whites.

   While Mr. Hill and Mr. Barris have a lot to say about race relations and culture, their ideas come off either preachy or as confused as Ezra and Amira are about their situation. There is not a lot of character development except to create stereotypes and and while the actors try hard, the message that we can all get along is too easily resolved at the end.

Living

    

    Bill Nighy is simply fantastic in a nuanced performance of a British bureaucrat facing a terminal illness who reassesses the way he has lived his life. The film is based on a Japanese film, "Ikiru", which in turn was inspired from the Russian novel, "The Death of Ivan llyich".

    Set in London, 1952, Mr. Nighy plays Mr. Williams, a buttoned up, conservative, senior manager at Public Works. His character and the staff under him are typical of the white collar British "gentlemen" of the time. Pinstripe suits, bowler hats, repressed emotions and umbrellas are the uniform of the day.

    When Mr. Williams learns of his illness, he decides to change his old ways for the better but the change is subtle and not drastic. It is a purposeful, understated performance that has been recognized in an Academy Award nomination for Mr. Nighy.

    The film costars Aimee Lou Wood as Ms. Harris, Tom Burke as Mr. Sutherland, Arian Rawlins as Mr. Middleton and Alex Sharpe as Mr. Wakeling. it is a fine cast that captures perfectly the characteristics of the British establishment at the time. 

    The film is heartbreaking in Mr. Williams inability to convey his feelings or even divulge his illness to his family or co-workers but there is a charming buoyancy that grows in Mr. Williams late in the film that keeps it far from a bleak ending.

  This Indie drama rests on squarely on Mr. Nighy's shoulders and he does not disappoint.

Jews of The Wild West

  

  This new documentary tells the story of Jewish immigration to the American West during the period 1850-1920.

     Director Amanda Kinsey uses rare film footage, photographs, and contemporary interviews to create a fascinating view of how a large segment of Jewish immigrants played their part in shaping the wild west. We learn about Josephine Marcus Earp married to the famous Wyatt Earp, Levi Strauss, and many other colorful characters that existed beyond the narrow scope of Hollywood westerns.

     

A Man Called Otto

   

      Tom Hanks stars in this American version of the Swedish film "A Man Called Ove". It's a dramady that teeters on the brink of melodrama but never goes over the edge and rather, wins you over with warmth and it's heart on it's sleeve.

      It's the story of a cantankerous widower and his neighbors that you will know exactly where it's going when the new family moves in across the street. However, the backstory will surprise you and Mr. Hanks is so natural and appealing that you will follow him anywhere

      The film co-stars Mariana Trevino, Manuel Garcia-Ruflo, Truman Hanks (Tom's son as the younger Otto), Mack Beyda, Rachel Keller and Mike Birbiglia.

       Late in the film, the humor is overshadowed by a sweet sadness that permeates until the inevitable ending. You see it coming but Mr. Hanks figuratively holds your hand and makes it alright.

Broker

     Written and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, this touching new Korean Indie drama stars Song Kang-ho (so good as the patriarch in "Parasite") as a part time baby "Broker" Ha Sang-hyeon. Along side his partner Dong Soo played by Gang Dong-won, they occasionally steal unwanted babies from a church "baby box" and sell them on the black market.

     When a young prostitute, Moon So-young (Lee Ji-eun) leaves her baby at the church, a pair of policewomen played by Bae Doona and Lee Joo-young follow the trail of the baby and hope to arrest the two men. Things get more complicated when Moon returns for the child and ends up with the two men as they try to find the right couple to buy the baby.

     The film is a dramady mixing humor with sentimentality and heartbreak. It doesn't rely on a Hollywood ending which is refreshing. The three leads develop great chemistry along with the adorable baby Woo-sung, and a young boy, Hae-jin played by Im Seung-soo who ends up joining them on their travels. 

     Families don't have to be born of blood as illustrated in this surprising and touching film.

White Noise

 

    Director Noah Baumbach tackles the novel "White Noise" by Don Delillo that many have considered an unfilmable book. He wrote and directed the film which stars Adam Drive, Greta Gerwig and Don Cheadle. 

    For the most part he succeeds in capturing the essence of the novel and its many themes (including death and consumerism) but the film as a whole is uneven despite standout performances. Mr. Driver in particular is amazing, transforming himself into a character like nothing he has ever played.

    This is very much an absurdist black comedy that at times is very funny and at times actually depressing.  It follows the story of a family faced with narcotic addiction, toxic gas exposure, hallucinations, confronting death, Hitler studies and shopping.

    It is a Netflix exclusive.

Causeway

          Jennifer Lawrence returns to the dramatic type of role that got her noticed in the first place. She stars as Lynsey, an Army engineer, who, as the movie begins, has just returned from Afghanistan with a serious head injury. She is rehabbing in New Orleans trying to repair her broken mental and physical health when her truck breaks down and she meets an auto mechanic named James, played by Brian Tyree Henry. Lynsey and James are on different paths but intersect to start a friendship that slowly begins to heal both of them.

          The film costars Linda Emond as Gloria, Lynsey's mother, Jayne Houdyshell as Sharon, the woman in charge of her rehab, Fredrick Weller as Rick, a pool cleaner who hires Lynsey, and Stephen McKinley Henderson as Dr. Lucas who is responsible for signing off on her redeployment.

           Directed by Lila Neugebauer, this quiet Indie is an emotional journey with two fine performances. The great chemistry between Ms. Lawrence and Mr. Henry lends credibility to the drama. 

 

           The film is an exclusive on Apple TV +.