The Highwaymen (2019)

Old-timey feeling, and in a good way (aside from being a little long..in the tooth), with aging protagonists (with great chemistry) appreciably not dressed up as action stars (see their post-chase wheezing), a gorgeous folksy soundtrack + Americana landscapes cinematic combo, and a tried and true buddy cop plot. Hints at deeper themes (criminals’ humanity–see Hamer with Clyde’s dad–and police violence: see Maney’s mesmerizing story around the card table) are unfortunately never followed up upon.

6

The Land of Steady Habits (2018)

Feeling trapped in the stifling, wealthy enclave of Westport, Connecticut, Anders Harris (Ben Mendelsohn) retires from his job in finance and leaves his wife (Edie Falco) in the hopes that it will renew his lust for life. (IMDb)

“I got a cigar burnt on my forehead [does that really get you your own hospital room, btw? I feel like not] so that totally makes up for all the shitty and inexplicable things I did and definitely warrants my redemption and slight smile to end the film.” NOT. Compelling enough content and characters, but it’s awkwardly written (so much contrived swearing) and very poorly edited (scenes are jarringly mushed together, and even the seams between different takes for a scene are noticeable).

5/10 (Poor)

 

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

High schooler Greg, who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl, finds his outlook forever altered after befriending a classmate who has just been diagnosed with cancer. (IMDb)

Beautiful and uniquely shot cinematography (with good music) and an engaging narrated story set-up (with its fair share of quirky characters–see Offerman’s oddball dad) set a nice tone for this indie flick that does falter slightly in its storytelling (see Greg’s weakly justified narration lie, him and Earl’s unfounded fallout, the slightly dragged out ending), but some poignant time-passing montages and climactic scenes (the hospital film viewing, Greg exploring Rachel’s room) do wonders.

7.5/10 (Really Good)