The Actor (2025)

"People always talk about happy endings. I think beginnings are much happier. You still have the whole movie ahead of you."

An actor struggling with memory loss tries to find his way back home. There's a bit of a Memento feel as it unfolds piece by piece, in a dreamlike fashion. It becomes apparent before long that certain actors are playing different roles, like a theater troupe in a play. Is it a stylistic choice or something profound?

This live-action film was directed by stop-motion filmmaker Duke Johnson, one-half of those responsible for the wonderful Anomalisa, and as such, the film has distinct Charlie Kaufman vibes, although he only serves as executive producer here. It's actually based on Donald Westlake's neo-noir mystery novel, Memory, originally written in 1963 (but released posthumously in 2010).

It feels like this movie has a point but it never quite manages to gets there. Its meaning escapes me, but I'm sure it was meant to be poignant.

2½ chairs out of 5

MOONLIGHT [2016]

Writer/director Barry Jenkins makes his feature length debut with the understated but emotionally heavy coming-of-age drama Moonlight.
It tells the story through three different ages of a young gay black male who grows up facing many obstacles in a rough Miami neighborhood.
Each segment is graced some marvelous performances, all of which shine with loneliness, confusion and a professionalism that gives it all a heartbreaking authenticity.  With plenty of over-the-shoulder photography we're drawn closer into the world in such an intimate manner each moment matters.  Composer Nicholas Britell's music is most unlike anything a film of this style would usually calls for and it helps elevate it to something even more powerful.  Raw, lyrical and solemn, this is cinematic storytelling at some of it's elegantly mature.

4½ crowns on the dashboard out of 5

SELMA [2014]

Director Ava DuVernay's historical drama Selma depicts the 1965 march in Alabama led by Martin Luther King, Jr. to secure voting rights for the African-American community.
David Oyelowo does an excellent job as Dr. King with a strong and demanding presence but also channels a fragile side when needed.  Juggling the ugliness of the times and the stirring speeches without ever losing it's impact makes for some gripping cinema.  While it educates the viewer of time we shouldn't forget it never feels too dry or like we're being force-fed.  There's many films like this but it never hurts to be reminded, especially in this day and age, where many of the topics covered are sadly still quite relevant.

4 Nobel Peace Prizes out of 5