Tell me you’re making a political movie without telling me you’re making a political war movie without telling me you’re making a political war movie. Civil War, Alex Garland’s (Annihilation, Ex Machina) newest film in which The United States has become even more divided and intense than at the time of its 2024 release, serves as an ominous narrative about the potential future of our country. While it’s sure to be divisive, Garland is purposeful in not picking a side while being vague about the two sides. Outside of Dune 2, Civil War is the film that received the most buzz after the first four months of the year. Rightfully so.
Category Archives: Nick Offerman
Dumb Money (2023)
I love it when a movie is timely and relevant. I refer to The Social Network, the 2010 origin film about the social phenomenon of Facebook. This social media platform had been made available to the public less than four years earlier. Aaron Sorokin and David Fincher worked magic to create such a masterpiece quickly. I still maintain that The King’s Speech beating The Social Network for Best Picture was one of the biggest shams in Oscar history. It showed just how antiquated and set in their ways The Academy had become. While Craig Gillespie’s (I, Tonya, Lars and the Real Girl) Dumb Money is not entirely on the same level as The Social Network, its timely significance cannot be overlooked. Though in a completely different way, the events in Dumb Money are (to many individuals, organizations, and sectors) as impactful as to those in The Social Network.
The Hero (2017)
When I randomly clicked “add to queue” when Netflix prompted me with this and five or six other movies based on a movie I did want to see, I don’t remember anything strikingly vivid about the description other than reading it was a man who turned to drugs to deal with his pain. It was enough to earn a yes-click from me. I don’t even think the description had any of the actors’ names in it. So when the disc showed up in the mail, I tossed it to the side for a few days while watching other movies in my queue and some of my favorite shows. Then, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I decided to give the film a chance. I never thought it would be one that I would write about.
I only review about 30-35% of the movies I see. I must review the ones that I think will be up for Oscar nominations and then pick and choose the other ones. More frequently than not, I refrain from reviewing the big blockbusters. Director Brett Haley’s (I’ll See You in My Dreams, Hearts Beat Loud) 2017 The Hero was neither an Oscar contender nor a big blockbuster. And it was a movie we’ve seen on screen many times (including two times a decade ago that earned their lead actors Oscar nominations), which would be another reason for me not to review it as I’m big on originality. But this movie kept me interested and invested in the characters while keeping me away from my phone, computer, or other distractions. When a movie can do that, I’ll often give it the benefit of the doubt and give it a review.
A Walk in the Woods (2015)
A Walk in the Woods, the 2015 comedy-drama that I thought would be a throwaway movie that I originally only watched so that I could add it to my list, turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the year. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’d be a fool to think that a year from now that I’d remember anything from this movie or that I’ll ever watch this movie again. But for two hours on a Tuesday night in the middle of April, it was a very refreshing escape from reality, and a movie had me grinning from ear to ear from the first scene until the last. Also, if Robert Redford (The Horse Whisperer, All is Lost) or Nick Nolte (The Prince of Tides, Warrior) called it a career today, and this was either of their last movies, I think that would be okay. Each has had a solid career. While not his number one fan, I find it absolutely criminal that Redford has only been nominated for one Oscar for acting in his entire career (way back in 1974 for The Sting). Nolte has had more success as an actor in terms of awards (three Oscar nominations). And while these two actors are household names who each have more than a dozen movies that you could rattle off the top of your heads, their careers have followed very different careers. Controversies in his personal life have marred Nolte’s career, whereas Redford has sort of been the poster boy of how an A-list actor can live his life while staying out of the tabloids. The two don’t seem like much of a match for a movie like this so late in their careers. But the movie worked perfectly for each man. You’ll leave your viewing knowing that each gave an admirable performance even though it’s light-hearted and certainly not one of their most memorable ones.
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