Catching up on posting some 2022 flicks:
Darkest Hour: Churchill in early days of WWII. My take on Oldman has been that when he plays original characters he chews scenery, but in doing historical figures, he's often exceptional, as is the case here. This is all Oldman, he has to carry virtually every scene (except ones where Lily James holds her own). I found it well done as a biographical glimpse of a few months of his life, but not a biopic that really explains the man.
Eye In the Sky: This one surprised me a bit. I'm not even going to suggest it's a great or even realistic story, but it does bring a lot of tension. Helen Mirren is very good, Alan Rickman (his last role) doesn't need a lot of range to play his character, who's responsible for a drone attack and any collateral damage that may come from it. It's basically a morality play, but with a whole lot of characters questioning their morality (mostly by dodging decisions). It's an interesting film. You'll probably guess how it ends, but getting there frustrates everyone in the movie and will likely give you anxiety too.
The Irishman: Finally saw the thing from start to finish after several tries where I gave up. Scorcese cut it from 4+ hours down to 3+ hours, and probably could've gone to 2+ hours without losing much. IMHO, this is the best Pacino has been since Heat. Was good seeing Pesci back. I found DeNiro the weakest of the three. The film had several points where I felt it dragged and it's not one I would've considered for as many nominations as it received. Unlike other Scorcese crime epics, this is not one I'd watch again.
Bottle Shock: Thanks to
@HuskyHawk for the suggestion. Enjoyable film for me as I've been to Chateau Montelena, and knew most of the story. Rickman was perfect for his role. I have no idea if the Dennis Farina character was a real guy, but it was a good add and an inspired casting choice. Even Bill Pullman was pretty good, showing some range. I'm not much of a Chris Pine fan and he was a bit annoying here as the hippie son, but not enough to sink the film. Might watch again down the road as I usually do with wine-focused films (Sideways, A Good Year, Uncorked).
Uncorked: Speaking of which, in this 2020 Netflix film, wine takes a back seat to what's really a solid and even original story about family dynamics. Dad took over a BBQ stand from his dad and expects son to do same. Son wants to be a sommelier. That the setting is Memphis and the family is Black adds a different dimension to what might otherwise be a simple retread of a storyline. Courtney B. Vance and Niecy Nash are stellar as the parents, with some fine comedic moments. Mamoudou Athie gives a performance with great depth as the son. I really enjoyed this as I knew nothing about it going in, watched it twice. IMO, this film should've gotten more notice.
