Mr. Jones: A man for all reasons

      
At once a story of the past and a tale for our times, Mr. Jones is one of those movies you fall in love with slowly. At least, the Movie Slut did.

 It stars James Norton (Sidney Chambers in the PBS series Grantchester), and it belongs to her fave genre: journalism flicks. It's also a true story. All of which elevates Mr. Jones to the absolutely must-see category even though Amazon charged an extra $6 for the privilege.

Gareth Jones was a young Welch journalist who interviewed Hitler in the early 1930s and was mocked for his prescient reports of impending disaster. We catch up with him as he finagles a trip to Russia to interview Stalin. He never lands an interview with the Communist Party leader, but comes away with eye-opening news for a world blinded by propaganda.

No, the Movie Slut won't give any more away, but will say that his discovery is an often overlooked chapter in the dark history of the Soviet Union.

"There is only one truth," Gareth tells a fellow journalist.

The Movie Slut plans to see Mr. Jones again. Just to hear that line.

Scapegoat: Trading Places Revisited

Matthew Rhys & Matthew Rhys

John Standing and Johnny Spence could pass for twins and they do in this 2012 movie based on a 1957 book by Daphne du Maurier. John is a nasty, wealthy ner de well who meets Johnny, a decent and honorable teacher, and concocts a scheme to swap lives.

Good guy Johnny is plunged into a world peopled by miserable relatives who have been tarnished by John's selfish behavior, bad business deals, and wasteful spending.

The Movie Slut loves the theme of this flick. One man/woman can make a difference. And sometimes he/she has to move well beyond the comfort zone to enact change.  

Collision: Crash, bang, boom

Kate Ashfield & Douglas Henshall

A six-car pile-up on the A-12 in Britain unites a team of investigators intent on uncovering the cause the deadly accident in this five-part PBS Masterpiece Contemporary series now on Amazon. As the investigation proceeds, the lives of the victims are uncovered and, holy moly, some of these peeps were up to crazy stuff.

Viewers of Collision are a bit ahead of the cracker jack team since they meet some of the characters prior to the crash. Still, unraveling the events is a Herculean task.

And then there's DI John Tolin and Inspector Ann Stallwood. What's up with them?

Collision is a riveting series that is tied up at the end in a most bee-utiful fashion. 

Belgravia: Pssst! It's the secrets, stupid.

It's June 1815. At a ball in Brussles, a young British woman meets a young British man. They fall in love. Twenty-five years and six episodes later, the secret that engulfed them is finally revealed.

Based on the eponymous novel by Julian Fellowes (yes, that Julian Fellowes), this costume drama on Amazon swept the Movie Slut away. Not a fan of Fellowes's Downton Abbey, the MS found all her reservations about that ultra-popular and ultra-annoying series corrected in this engrossing story.

It's not the Movie Slut's modus operandi to give too much away. So just trust her when she says this is television streaming at its best.

Episodes: Five seasons and you'll want more

Tamsin Grieg, Matt LeBland, and Stephen Mangan

Beverly and Sean are a husband and wife British writing team with a successful sitcom on the other side of the pond.

Imagine their excitement when Hollywood calls with an offer to create an American version staring Matt LeBlanc. Yes, Matt LeBlanc of Friends fame.

Imagine their distress when they encounter the clueless and talentless team hired to produce their show. And then there's Matt, the amoral, egotistical, shallow-as-a-puddle star of their show.

Episodes is a hilarious Hollywood spoof, but it's more than that. LeBlanc, playing a rib-tickling version of himself (a post-Friends star) manages to be endearing despite his blatant flaws, as do the other characters in this eminently binge-worthy series.

Daniel Deronda: A Masterpiece

Hugh Dancy is Daniel Deronda 

 

 

George Elliot's 1876 coming-of-age novel comes alive in this BBC limited series now on Amazon. Set in the Victorian era, we meet Daniel who was raised as an English gentleman, although his true parentage remains a secret. The search for his identity uncovers surprising information, which the Movie Slut won't reveal.

In a gambling hall in Germany, Daniel observes an English beauty as she loses all her winnings. They will meet again, of course.

Out for a row on the lake, he encounters another beautiful woman and saves her from drowning herself.

The plot thickens and thickens and thickens as only a brilliant novelist can do. And the series is true to Elliot's plot. But rest assured, it's not all about a young man's love life. The series also shines a light on the nascent Zionist movement and the attitude toward Jews in Victorian England.

A Price Above Rubies: A Gem

To enjoy this 1998 movie now on Amazon it is necessary to suspend with a ton of disbelief. You will also have to overlook some unbelievable coincidences. Then you'll be ready to enjoy this gem.

Renee Zellweger is Sonia, a gemologist's daughter, who enters into an arranged marriage with an ultra-Orthodox man living in an insular New York neighborhood. His loves are God and the rabbi with little left for Sonia.

She's suffocating in this ritualistic society where a woman's place is in the home. When her brother-in-law offers her a job in his jewelry business, she grabs it only plunging herself into deeper despair. 

The Movie Slut won't say more, only that you're sure to get hooked and watch till the end. 

The Half of It: Cyrano Revisited

Leah Lewis is Elle; Alexxis Lemire is Aster; Daniel Diemer is Paul.

In this updated Cyrano de Bergerac story on Netflix, a high school jock convinces the school's brainy nerd to write letters for him to the girl he loves.

So you think you've been there, seen that. Well, think again.

This version of the old story, written and directed by Alice Wu, takes the leap from a humdrum remake to delightful entertainment because the characters are given great breath, depth, and gentle understanding. Stuck in Squahamish, a stultifying backwater town, each of the three main characters in this coming-of-age love triangle defy stereotypes that could have defined them. Excellent acting seals the deal.

The Movie Slut couldn't rave more.  

A Stranger in Town: A feel-good flick

Frank Morgan, Richard Carlson, Jean Rogers

U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Josephus (Joe) Grant is on vacation, duck hunting in a small town. On his first day, he's shaken down by the fish-and-game warden, who demands an additional fee beyond the hunting license. Incognito as just another hunter, the Justice lands in court where he's defended by a young lawyer, who is also running for mayor.

It soon becomes apparent, in this 1943 movie on Amazon, that the corrupt warden is just the tip of the iceberg. Every official in this town, from the mayor down, is dishonest. Taking the young lawyer under his wing, while remaining undercover, good-guy Joe shows him how to win his cases, as well as the election.

A political dramedy, reminiscent of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939), this flick is about good prevailing over evil, decency triumphing over corruption, with a love story thrown in for good measure. 

The Trail: Kitchy but Cool

The murder of a teenage girl calls prosecutor Elena Guerra into action. Initially she doesn't want to take the case. Her marriage is on the rocks and she needs to take action to save it. But then, she learns something that compels her to find the killer and bring him or her to justice.

Meanwhile, lawyer, Ruggero Barone, has his reasons for defending this case with everything he's got.

In case you missed it, the actor's names should have tipped you off. This is an Italian crime drama. The eight-part series is streaming on Netflix and worth watching even if it includes a few too many "coincidences" and demands a heap of suspending with disbelief.

Despite its shortcomings it will keep you riveted.

Breathless: Highly Bingeable

Jack Davenport  is Otto Powell

If you were a Mad Men fan, you'll love this six-part PBS Masterpiece series. Set in the early 1960s, in soon-to-be swinging London, it's the story of a group of OB-GYN doctors and the women who love and sleep with them.

Otto Powell, is Jack Davenport, the Dan Draper of the group. He's an alpha male with a mysterious past. He loves women, especially pretty young nurses, but he respects them, too. And he wants to help them, which means breaking some laws in the pre-abortion era.

It's a stylish production in all respects. The Movie Slut is particularly gaga over the glam duds.

The English Game: Bloody Good

Kevin Guthrie as working-class stiff Fergus Suter

Think of Upstairs Downstairs without the stairs.

Yes, The English Game is another historical drama about class distinctions in the country known for its cavernous class divide. But this one is different. It takes place on green fields instead of manor houses and taps a real story for six-engrossing episodes on Netflix.

The story, which begins in 1885, chronicles the expansion of soccer (or Futbahl as it's called on that side of the pond) from an upper class pastime to a national sport that became the most popular game in the world.

Like Downton Abbey, it's a Julian Fellows series. Unlike Downton, the Movie Slut gives it a rave. Don't worry gals. It's not all punts and goals. There are also timeouts for romance, character development and exemplary behavior on and off the field. Think of it as the antidote for life in the time of Covid-19.

 

Unorthodox: A great escape

Amit Rahav & Shira Haas are Yanky & Ester

The first time Esty meets Yanky, she tells him she is different. He's fine with that. But different is anathema in their cloistered Hasidic community in Brooklyn. Still their arranged marriage takes place. For better. Or, as it turns out, for worse.

When we meet Esty, she's escaping the super-restrictive Satmar community and on her way to Germany. Through flashbacks we learn why she's leaving and why Germany is her destination.

Soon Yanky and his dodgy cousin are on her trail, cranking up the suspense.

The four episodes of this Netflix series had the Movie Slut wishing for more. To its credit the series, based loosely by an eponymous memoir by Deborah Feldman, takes a gentle approach to the Satmar customs and rituals while clearly illustrating why Etsy must escape.

If you're a woman who's ever been restrained by your gender, this series will break your heart and put it back together again.

 Expect cheers and tears.

Self Made: Inspired by the life of Madam C. J. Walker

Octavia Spencer is Madam C.J. Walker

Who doesn't love a rags-to-riches story?

And this one has all the elements. C.J. Walker was born in Louisiana in 1867. When we meet her on the Netflix limited series, she's a washerwoman. Make that a washerwoman with big dreams.

C.J. is one tough cookie and uses her determination and 1,000 horsepower drive to build an empire in the women's hair care arena and become the first female self-made millionaire. (Check it out in the Guinness Book of World Records.)

The series takes some liberties with elements of her story. But who cares when it dishes out some first-class entertainment. Even a few song-and-dance numbers. And Blair Underwood as her sometimes husband.

So take a trip back to turn-of-the-century New York. You won't regret it.

Blow the Man Down: It's more than a song

Welcome to Easter Cove, a once quiet fishing village in Maine. Meet sisters Mary Beth and Priscilla. Meet them on Amazon Prime at their Mom's funeral. Alone now, they must run the family business, a fish store, which isn't bringing in the bacon.

Mary Beth (Morgan Sailor) is the wild one. Priscilla, like her late Mom, gets things done.

There's a murder. A coverup. A pesky police detective. And a madame (Margo Martindale). It seems Easter Cove had a randy fisherman problem and the brothel opened to save the village girls.

As an added bonus there's a Greek chorus of singing fisherman.

You can't make this stuff up. But screenwriters Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy did. And the Movie Slut thanks them from the bottom of her sequestered heart.

Click hereto take a Listen

Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears

Essie Davis is Miss Fisher

The glammest gumshoe this side of anywhere is back to cheer us on these dark days. Loyal fans, who followed her on the PBS delight, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (The Australian series is now streaming on Amazon) can indulge with this full-length movie on Acorn.

Set in 1929, the plot revolves around a young Bedouin woman wrongfully imprisoned in Jerusalem, some British soldiers, a humongous emerald, a desert sandstorm, an eclipse... oh, who cares.

As in the series, the real attraction is the fabulous Phryne Fishers, her extravagant wardrobe, her pearl-handled pistol, and her ferocious feminism.

And then there's Detective Inspector John Robinson (Nathan Page). Will those two ever get together?
Watch this flick for the answer.

Miss Virginia: You Go Girl

Uzo Aduba is Virginia and Niles Fitch is her son, James

Who knew? Certainly not the Movie Slut. She thought Miss Virginia (on Netflix) was an inspiring take on a real-life story about a single mom who fights the system and gets her son, and other kids, into schools where they would actually get an education rather than beaten up on the playground.

That was before her eyes were opened. Virginia Waldon Ford is a real mom living in Washington D.C., who fought the system to get her son a scholarship to a private school. On the surface, it seems like a triple F flick: A formidable female fight for her child. And wins. And if you watch the movie in that vein, it works.

Too bad this movie doesn't tell the full story. Even worse, it misrepresents one of the Civil Rights Movement's heroes: Eleonor Holmes Norton, who's portrayed as an elitist legislator who kowtows to private interests.

 "Unforgivable," says the MS.

 Watch at your own risk.

Light Sleeper: Woody Allen it's not

Sleeper, Woody Allen's hysterical 1973 masterpiece is the best medicine for these scary times.

That's what the Movie Slut was thinking when she went on Amazon.

But ooooops.

What appeared on the TV screen was this 1992 Paul Schrader flick that is anything but funny. It is, however, a darn good film. John (Willem Dafoe) is an upscale drug dealer in New York City and Ann (Susuan Sarandon) is his supplier. She's leaving the biz to become a cosmetics entrepenuer. He's rethinking his life.

When a string of murders puts John in police cross hairs, he sets out to prove his innocence.

What elevates this movie above the many other drug dealer flicks (and there are tons of them) is how engaging and likeable these characters are. It's been a long time since MS cared so much about a movie protagonist.

A Good Marriage: That's what she thinks

Joan Allen & Anthony LaPaglia

This 2014 movie on Amazon is based on a book by Stephen King. So far, so good.

Darcy and Bob have been married for more than two decades and by all indications it's a good marriage. Until...

Without issuing a spoiler alert, the Movie Slut will say that Darcy discovers something that reveals hubby isn't the guy she thought he was. In fact, he might be—Eeeeee!—a serial killer.

What should she do? And who's the mysterious man lurking outside her house? Is he the real murderer? Is she in danger!?!

The Movie Slut is glad she stumbled on this thriller while remoting through Amazon's selections. There's something comforting in getting freaked out by a movie monster rather than a terrifying real life event.

Greed: It ain't good

Greed is a could've, should've, would've flick.
It could've been better.
It should've been better.
It would've been better if the script was actually funny. The Movie Slut chuckled a grand total of two times during this disappointing 1 hour and 44-minute flick.

Need she say more?
Of course not. But she will.

Steve Coogan is British billionaire Richard McCreadie, aka, Greedy McCreadie, whose outrageous and exploitive business practices may have seemed hilarious on paper. Not on the screen. This tycoon of fast fashion never met a struggling third-world business he wasn't keen to screw.

Making matters decidedly unfunnier, the film has a tacked on epilogue exposing the egregious way real companies take advantage of poor workers in impoverished countries.

So not funny.

The Way Back: Gets lost along the way

The Way Back was humming along nicely as two flicks in one—a come-from-behind sports movie and an addiction recovery film. Nice.

Then for some unknowable reason, late in the film, a third genre emerged like a hideous specter. Now, it's also a family-tragedy film, meaning movie-goers have to step back from the story and reassess everything they thought they knew about the characters and their motivations, while the upbeat possibilities crash to the ground like a football in the end zone after a touchdown.

What were they thinking?!?

If only.

The movie had so much going for it. Including an unpredictable (for a comeback sports flicks) ending.

The Invisible Man: Meets @MeToo

One hundred and thirteen years ago, H.G. Wells wrote a sci-fi thriller that has fascinated generations of readers. Including the Movie Slut. It inspired movies with the same title in 1933, 1940, 1984, and now. (And that's not counting films with the same subject, but different names, like The Invisible Kid, The Amazing Transparent Man, and The Invisible Woman.) Which begs the question, "Do we need this new version?"

Of course we don't. But that doesn't mean we don't want it.

The new flick does a nice job of using modern technology to bring the story to a new millennium. It adds the Me Too movement into the plot to make it timely. And Elizabeth Moss proves herself an excellent actress for this horror film.

The only missing element is a diligent editor who would have cut about thirty flabby minutes out of the two hour and five minutes running time. The Wells masterpiece was a mere 146 pages. At an hour and thirty-five minutes, the movie could have been almost as lean and mean as the book.

Emma: Forgive them, Jane

Anya Taylor-Gay & Bill Nighy 

"Lord, what fools these mortals be," is a quote from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. But it seems as if director Autumn de Wilde made it her vision for this version of Jane Austen's comedy of manners.

Austen wrote Emma to poke fun at the society people of her time whose lives revolved around banalities and trivialities with little regard or empathy for the less fortunate. But she did it with a wink wink.  De Wilde, on the other hand, takes a sledgehammer to Emma and cohorts. In her hands, they are so foolish and narrow-minded that it's difficult to see them as anything but a joke. What results is a one-joke movie. 

This period drama is worth seeing only for the exquisite costumes and sumptuous settings and the very rare instances when a character actually resembles a human being. 

The Assistant

Jane is a recent college graduate, five weeks into her mind-numbing, soul-crushing, entry-level position. Boring! And you, lucky movie-goer, get to share all the mind-numbing, soul-crushing boredom.

Moving on. Jane's boss, whom we never see, is an entertainment mogul. Ring any bells? When Jane suspects that he's on to something with a parade of Pretty Young Things, she's perturbed. We're never quite sure if it's because these unqualified girls are given positions she's worked hard to attain, or if she thinks the PYTs need protection.

Moving on again. The Assistant could have worked nicely as a movie short—say 30 minutes. As a full-length film, not so much.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire: Never ignites

The first time we see Marianne she's in a rowboat approaching land. One of her parcels falls into water. None of the men in the boat lifts an oar to help her. She jumps into the water to retrieve it.

Men!

We next see her on land carrying armloads of possessions at the bottom of a steep hill. A man informs her that her destination is at the top of the hill, then leaves her to fend for herself.

Men!

Later, a young servant in the home where Marianne is staying becomes pregnant. The man involved is nowhere to be seen.

Men!

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is about the relationship between Marianne, a painter, and Heloise, the woman whose wedding portrait she's commissioned to paint. It's 1770 in Brittany and Heloise is being forced to marry the Milanese man her sister escaped by committing suicide. So, the movie is about women who love women.

 Fine.

Critics gave the movie a surfeit of stars and it was very beautifully filmed. But MS was annoyed. Why were men portrayed as swine? Can't women just prefer women? Say what you will about men but consider this. When did a woman ever volunteer to shovel your walk after a snowstorm? This movie lost MS in  the first scene.

Call of the Wild: Heed the call

Seeing a movie based on a beloved novel can be dicey. Will the flick be faithful to the original? Or will it devolve into a full-out-Hollywood cheesy mess?

The Movie Slut is delighted to report that Call of the Wild hits all the right notes. It isn't as dark or as violent as Jack London's 1903 novel. But that's okay. It means more children can share in the journey of a pampered—and disobedient—house pet that finds his roots. You know where.

The movie stars Harrison Ford, who has more chemistry with co-star Buck than most of the human actors he's appeared with. And in the vein of truth telling, that's quite a feat since Buck is actually a computer-generated canine. (He sure fooled MS.)

Maybe the best part of watching this film is the trip you'll take back to your childhood when the love of your life was a hairy, four-footed, wet-nosed pooch. 

Downhill: With and without skis

A family vacation. A traumatic event. A test of fatherhood? Or the natural survival instinct at play?
That, in a nutshell, is what this movie is about.

It's a remake of the 2014 Swedish movie, Force Majeure," which critics loved. This one, not so much.

But the Movie Slut thinks it got a bum rap.

Part of the problem is its stars— Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Will Ferrill, who both did an excellent job of portraying spouses at a trying time in their marriage. Still, movie-goers can't be blamed for expecting a comedy. Which it IS NOT.

Neither was Force Majeure, although critics thought it had a fair share of comic relief. The Movie Slut saw it on Amazon the same night she caught this movie and laughed not once.

Both are thoughtful flicks. Unfortunately, Downhill was cheapened by a few silly scenes with an unnecessary supporting character. Fortunately, she's eminently forgettable.

Sonic the Hedgehog

 It's not something of which the Movie Slut is proud. Hating an animated character is below her. And yet. Detestation adequately describes her feelings about the blue alien hedgehog  whose better role would be in a Ritalin commercial. Does every creature on his planet suffer from hyperactivity syndrome?

Having said that, MS didn't despise this flick for two reasons: James Marsden, who plays the human who for some unfathomable reason, befriends the uber-annoying one; and Jim Carrey, the evil Dr. Robotnik, who's out to save the world—and movie-goers—from this blue menace.

The Photograph: Love Story Times Two

Lakeith Stanfield & Issa Rae

Q:   What could be better for Valentine's weekend than a movie with two love stories?
A:   Practically anything else when the stories are as chemistry-free as a vat of wet rags.

Alas, neither story in this multi-generational flick made the Movie Slut's heart go pitter patter.

Although movie-goers are never shown her work until the end of the movie, they are to believe that Christina Eames was a celebrated photographer who left her love and life in Louisiana to seek fame and fortune in NYC.

Fast forward twenty-plus years and we meet Christina's daughter, Mae, who finds a photo her mother took, and a love interest in Michael, a journalist writing a story on her mom. Christina and Michael share long, lingering looks that are supposed to reveal their burgeoning love. But don't do the trick.

Think of The photograph as a dark-room print that's never developed.

Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey

Harley Quinn wants you to know she's no dummy. She eagerly tells you she's a medical school graduate. A psychiatrist to be exact. Unfortunately she fell in love with a patient. More unfortunately, that patient was The Joker of DC Comics-fame. And most unfortunately, he dumped her. Which means it's open season for her enemies to seek payback without fear of retribution.

When it comes to Harley, she has more enemies than The Joker has razor-tipped playing cards.

And so we're off on a frenzied fracas of fanciful fighting that's soon as numbing as vat of venal vixens.

Rhythem Section: Cacophony

Blake Lively is Stephanie Patrick

Amazing Blake. She once was glam. Now she's grunge.

That's one reason to see this Jane Bond wannabe movie. The other is the Hans Zimmer score and the rock songs sprinkled through the lackluster action. If that's not enough, stay home and watch reruns of "Gossip Girls" to get your Lively fix.

Harriet: Live Free or Die

Cynthia Ervino is Harriet

She is an American hero. She escaped slavery and risked her life again and again by returning to the South to guide hundreds of other slaves through the Underground Railroad.

It's a story that screams suspense, drama, and inspiration.

So why is this movie such a dud?

It stars Cynthia Ervino, who grabbed the Movie Slut with her soulful portrayal of a blues singer in "Bad Times at the El Royal." And she even gets a chance to sing in this flick. Otherwise, she appears muzzled, as do most of the other characters. Even the despicable stick-figure slave owners seem more ridiculous than scary.

Oh, Harriet. You deserve so much better!

Turning: Screwy

Since it was written in 1898, Henry James's novella "The Turn of the Screw" has been a continuous source of fascination. How else to explain the Benjamin Britten opera (1954). the Luigi Zaninelli ballet (1980), a Broadway play, and dozens of film and television adaptations.

Which begs the question: Do we need this movie?

The Movie Slut would like to say, "Yes." Alas, she cannot.

Movie-goers should be left  to wonder if the nanny (a terrific Mackenzie Davis), who foolishly takes a position in a spooky old mansion with a couple of weirdo kids and a creepy cook, is slowly going bonkers because of her difficult past? Or is she freaking out because the house is haunted by ghosts?

The problem is this horror film just isn't horrifying. and left the MS saying "Huh?" instead of "Eeeeeeee!"

The Gentlemen: Gangsta Chic

Guy Richie's new flick confirms the age-old adage: "It's not what you know or who you know. It's what you wear."

Matthew McConaughey, around which the plot twirls, is a marijuana mogul who wears bespoke updated Savile Row suits. His wife (Michelle Dockery) is turned out in Balmain, Lauren, Stella McCartney, and Christian Louboutin. Collin Farrell, and his posse of gym rats, sport track suits of exaggerated British plaids, stripes, and checks.

Now, imagine taking these folks seriously. The Movie Slut could not. Although the movie is billed as an action/thriller, she insists it's a comedy. Consider Hugh Grant as a smarmy, poofter with a cockney accent. Funny?

The plot is simple, a couple of low-life business entities are after McConaughey's lucrative underground pot biz. But they underestimate his abilities to keep them at bay. Obviously, it's not the plot that counts.

Underwater: Glug. Glug. Glug.

The Movie Slut was desperate. It was the third week in January and she'd only seen three movies on the big screen. Withdrawal symptoms were setting in. She hunted through the listings for local theaters. She'd seen all the good ones. That left...

Underwater was the best of the worst and had two attractions. The first was Kristin Stewart. The MS has been a fan since 2010 when she starred as rocker Joan Jett in The Runaways. The second was an absurdly, creepy, slimy, reptilian monster that erupts with clicking sounds a la Alien.

The plot of Underwater is basically 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, circa 2020. Jules Verne's 1870 novel is slightly updated with humans working on drills six plus miles underwater. We never know what they were doing there exactly. And perhaps Kristen doesn't either, because she wonders philosofically if she and the crew were trespassers in a place where they had no right to be. 

Deep!

1917: War Story

Ever  have one of those dreams where you're trying to get somewhere or see someone and roadblocks pop up at every step. Now imagine you're a soldier in World War I trying to deliver a message to the front line. You must  pass through enemy territory, but if you make it the reward is tremendous. You could save 1,600 of your comrades.

This is the bare bones of director Sam Mendes's brilliant film. The plot is simple, yet the movie brings much more to the big screen. It's a condemnation of war that touches on heroism, humanity, and brutality.

Mendes works with a gentle touch despite the subject he's dealing with. Don't expect gratuitous blood and gore, or lofty speeches. His characters show you what they feel and how they suffer. They don't have to tell you.

War movies aren't the Movie Slut's fave genre. Still, if she had a vote for Best Movie of 2019, it would be 1917.

Just Mercy: A story of merciless injustice

Michael B. Jordan is Attorney Bryan Stevensen

Welcome to Alabama, 1987, where a black man has as little chance of finding justice as he does of winning the lottery and getting hit by lightening on the same day.

Enter Bryan Stevensen, a recent Harvard Law School grad, who's devoting his career to defending death-penalty inmates who were wrongly condemned. Walter McMillian (Jaime Foxx) is one of his first clients and if ever there was a trumped up case, this is it.

Still, don't expect an easy road for Stevensen. Racist local law enforcers are happy with the status quo. To them McMillian's guilt or innocence is as important as a flea in a haystack. As long as someone was found guilty of murdering an 18-year-old white girl, it's all good to them.

A true story, based on a book written by Stevensen, the film, also starring Brie Larson, wowed the Movie Slut. Sure, she's seen similar plots, but none as well executed (excuse the pun) as Just Mercy.   

A Hidden Life: Lived out in the open

Long and lingering, Terrence Malick's movies are kind to the audience. Should you need to use the facilities, by all means, get up and go without fear of missing anything.

That is not to say that the Movie Slut didn't relish every minute of the three-hour screen time.

The cinematography is exquisite, the acting superb, and the story engrossing. The experience is hypnotic.

The action revolves around an Austrian farmer whose moral compass will not allow him to sign an oath of allegiance to Hitler. It's not that he has to fight for the Nazi cause. He can work in a hospital instead.

Still, no can do.

The repercussions are dire. This is not an upbeat, begin-the-new-year-with-a-smile movie. But it will make you think.