Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

This film was in theaters 13 years ago but it's a trip to watch during the social distancing twenties. If you self-quarantined singletons have ever wondered if you're slowing turning crazy when you do things such as talk to the Amazon Alexa with inflection, then this film will make you feel very normal.

Normal that is, compared to the main character. Lonely Lars (Ryan Gosling) is so scared of physical closeness that he orders a doll (Bianca) to be his companion. It's hardly a one-man show; this film is packed with stellar actors.  Lars' older brother (Paul Schneider), sister-in-law (Emily Mortimer), and doctor (Patricia Clarkson) all play along with Lars 

Despite the premise, it's actually a sweet little PG-13 comedy and you can thank Ryan Gosling for that. He's as masterful at playing sensitive, wounded birds (Blue Valentine, Drive, La La Land) as he is with cocksure characters (Crazy Stupid Love, The Big Short).

There are so many ways that this could have gone wrong, but sincerity pulls it through.

In a nutshell: If you've been looking for something different, Lars delivers.

Award potential: None.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

Snowpiercer (2013)

All aboard!

Joon-ho is the new master of monster movies. You know, the non-literal kind. Anyone in awe of 2019’s Parasite may be inspired to take a journey through Academy Award-winning director Bong Joon-ho’s catalog of films. Okja? The Host?

I’d suggest Snowpiercer (2013), arguably his only other widely-accessible offering. Korean Joon-ho's only English-language film stars Captain America’s Chris Evans, Dr. Strange’s Tilda Swinton, and Apollo 13's Ed Harris.

Snowpiercer is visionary cinema and social commentary disguised as a prison-break, popcorn thriller. Based on the graphic novel Le Transperceneige, the story is set in the future where global warming has left the planet frozen. The only known survivors are on a train together. That’s all I’m going to say about the story.

Joon-ho delivered a 2013 eye-opener that originally shocked my senses the same way when I first saw Brazil, The Matrix, and… Parasite.

In a nutshell: If you think you can handle an armageddon sci-fi movie right now, take a ride on Snowpiercer.

Award potential: Tilda Swinton received a Critics’ Choice nomination for her role, but the film was not recognized by the Academy despite the originality of the cinematography, art direction, and screenplay. This train was ahead of its time.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

The Highwaymen

One of 2019’s best films popped up on Netflix one March weekend and disappeared into a sea of streaming options the next. A half a century after Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway’s revolutionary Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The Highwaymen delivers a retelling from the Texas Rangers' side. It sounds like a bad idea. It's not.

Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson star as Frank Hamer and Maney Gault, the potential heroes pulled out of retirement to hunt and catch the antiheroes rampaging through the South. Ma Ferguson, who sends out crews of detectives, is portrayed by Kathy Bates.

Costner hasn’t been this good in decades. He and Harrelson make a believable, bickering couple of grumpy old men, and their chemistry does make you wish you were watching this on the big screen. So does the cinematography.

Director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) elevates what could have been a simple road TV movie into a cinematic treat full of period details, Texas landscapes, and star performances. It's a fun find on Netflix for sure.

In a nutshell: It isn’t going to redefine movies like Bonnie & Clyde did, but it’s an interesting perspective and one of the most entertaining films recently offered on free TV.

Award potential: None. It’s in the shadow of one of Hollywood’s greats.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

The Way Back

What do you get when you combine a classic addiction film with a familiar scrappy sports team film? In this case, you get a predictable story, produced very well.

Art meets life with Ben Affleck playing an addicted 40-something with a career and life slump — and a layup shot at redemption. As an actor, he’s playing at the top of his game; think Argo. But the parallels add depth and realism to the familiar story taking place onscreen. Sports-friendly director Gavin O’ Connor (Miracle) keeps everything very real and raw, which services this film well. A glossy take on this familiar film would have been unwatchable. It may be predictable, but there were no false moments nor emotional manipulations.

This movie was originally scheduled for fall of last year when the best films of the year would been more worthy of my limited ticket money. However, now that The Way Back has shot over to the March basketball season, a traditional dumping ground for bad movies, this film is a real treat at the theater.

In a nutshell: A familiar story told well.

Award potential: Ben Affleck is solid in this unshowy role, but not memorable enough to score a nomination next January.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.