Wicked Little Letters + Limbo + Shayda + Remembering Gene Wilder
Far better than the previous Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley pairing (the dreadful The Lost Daughter), Thea Sharrock’s Wicked Little Letters is the perfect comedy for Anglophiles who also enjoy cussing like sailors. The improbably true, 1920s-set story of false accusation surrounding crude mail that rocks an English seaside town delivers steady laughs in its collision of manners, and the all-female investigation to find the true responsible party is an absolute joy to witness.
Grade: B-plus. Rated R. Now playing at the Fine Arts Theatre
Brainstorm Media/Music Box Films
Often a pointless aesthetic choice, the B&W photography of writer/director Ivan Sen’s superb neo noir Limbo feels essential to realizing the bleakness and distrust surrounding heroin addict Det. Travis Hurley (Simon Baker) determining whether a 20-year-old missing persons case warrants reopening. The consistently solid performances feel at one with the hopelessness of the Australian outback setting, and enough variations arise within Sen’s classic procedural narrative to keep viewers guessing and engaged.
Grade: B-plus. Not rated, but with adult language and content. Now playing at Grail Moviehouse
Sony Pictures Classics
Writer/director Noora Niasari’s Shayda tells an important story of female resilience with help from a powerful lead turn by Zahra Amir Ebrahimi, who plays the titular Iranian mother seeking a divorce from her abusive husband while living in Australia circa 1995. But other than a few tense scenes in which her safety is threatened, plus some fleeting moments of joy she finds through dancing, this heavy drama is dry as a bone.
Grade: B-minus. Rated PG-13. Now playing at the Fine Arts Theatre
Kino Lorber
Hagiographic and by-the-book nearly to a fault, Remembering Gene Wilder is nevertheless saved by its charming subject and the wealth of clips from the actor/writer/filmmaker’s illustrious career. Director/editor Ron Frank’s documentary also makes great use of interviews with such Wilder collaborators as Carol Kane and a whip-smart Mel Brooks, and while the numerous archival interviews with the late, great artist himself make the whole endeavor feel even more like a sainting ceremony, his insights ultimately enhance the experience.
Grade: B-minus. Not rated but with adult themes and language. Now playing at Grail Moviehouse
(Lead photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)
