Here’s the April / May roundup, in alphabetical order.

52 Pick-Up (1986)

written by John Steppling and Elmore Leonard

based on the novel by Elmore Leonard

directed by John Frankenheimer

A married businessman (Roy Scheider) has an affair with a younger woman (Kelly Preston) and is blackmailed by a group of thugs (John Glover, Clarence Williams III, and Robert Trebor). It’s a perfectly entertaining B-movie, elevated by John Frankenheimer’s grimy direction and probably the most memorable trio of villains from the 80s (for real). Plus Gary Chang’s keyboard-heavy, jazzy score is still one of my favorites from the era. 52 Pick-Up may not be one of Frankenheimer’s best films, like The Manchurian Candidate (1962) or even his late-classic Ronin (1998). But it’ll do.

Rating: **½

Airplane! (1980)

based on the film Zero Hour! by Arthur Hailey, Hall Bartlett, and John Champion

written and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker

This comedy classic, spoofing plane disaster flicks such as Zero Hour! (1957) and Airport (1970), is still one of my favorites. From its clever wordplay (“Surely you can’t be serious.” / “I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley.”), to its surreal cutaways (my favorite is when ground control mentions that the aircraft is flying “on instruments,” and the scene cuts to the crew in the flight cabin literally playing a jazz tune), I can’t help but grin throughout the whole thing. They don’t make them like Airplane! anymore.

Rating: ***

Argentina, 1985 (2022)

written by Santiago Mitre and Mariano Llinás

directed by Santiago Mitre

This courtroom drama, based on the real-life trial of the military dictatorship that governed Argentina from 1976 to 1983,  brims with righteous anger, even if it feels somewhat unsurprising in execution. Still, it’s a solid, well-acted depiction of a decisive point in Argentinian history, when a fascist, morally reprehensible regime was formally accused and convicted for its hideous crimes against humanity. When the chief prosecutor (Ricardo Darín) finishes his impassioned final speech with the words “Nunca más” (never again), it’s hard not to think of our present worldwide turn to authoritarianism and right-wing ideology. Argentina 1985 desperately asks us to keep on fighting.

Rating: ***

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)

written by William Finkelstein

directed by Werner Herzog

It’s hard to tell what director Werner Herzog was going for when he took on this cheap crime drama starring Nicolas Cage as a drugged-out New Orleans cop. Gritty urban actioner? Dark comedy? Surreal character study? All of the above? Whatever his intentions, none of it works, as Cage overacts (big surprise), iguanas and alligators inexplicably show up, and dancing spirits remind us that we should’ve never docked at this port of call. Where’s Klaus Kinski when you need him?

Rating: *½

Chronicle (2012)

written by Max Landis

from a story by Josh Trank and Max Landis

directed by Josh Trank

Chronicle is about three teenagers (Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, and Michael B. Jordan) who suddenly develop telekinetic powers and must figure out how to use them responsibly. Nothing new. And yet it’s surprisingly effective, with solid performances, great lo-fi VFX, and a central story about abuse and alienation that elevates it above similar fare. First-time director Josh Trank is also able to keep the found footage approach believable, culminating in a multiple-camera showdown in downtown Seattle which pushes Chronicle closer to horror. And that’s alright with me.

Rating: ***

Enys Men (2022)

written and directed by Mark Jenkin

At a remote island off the coast of England, a woman (Mary Woodvine) observes an exotic flower. She walks to an abandoned mine shaft and throws a rock inside. She stares at a giant boulder that stands in front of her cottage. She takes notes, makes tea, reads a book – A Blueprint for Survival (1972). Every day is the same. But eventually, other people start to show up: A silent young girl, a group of singing children, the ghost of a boatman, and other eerie apparitions. Worse, a fungus starts to grow on the flower… and on the woman herself. You may think it will all build to some sort of body horror conclusion, but writer/director Mark Jenkin is not interested in that. Rather, Enys Men (Cornish for Stone Island) reflects on loneliness, grief, and our relationship to nature in wholly abstract ways, aided by striking 16mm photography and impeccable sound design. It’s fascinating.

Rating: ***

The Holdovers (2023)

written by David Hemingson

directed by Alexander Payne

The plot of The Holdovers is pretty conventional: Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), a grouchy, unliked teacher at a posh boarding school, has to babysit a problem student (Dominic Sessa) during Christmas break. Joining them is a kindly cafeteria manager (Davine Joy Randolph) who’s just lost her son in Vietnam. Lessons will obviously be learned. But in the hands of director Alexander Payne, what could’ve been a cringy cheesefest becomes a heartfelt dramedy about connection and self-discovery. If, like me, you don’t care for the usual “…silly but lucrative mythology about Santa and elves and reindeer and chimneys and whatnot,” then The Holdovers is definitely for you. Cheers.

Rating: ***

Carlos I. Cuevas