DJWinston Reviews

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Thin soup, indeed.

[6/10 · 10 December 2023]

Started out with lots of promise for a thoughtful, tense thriller. But unfortunately that didn't come to pass. And unfortunately the ending didn't make up for the thin soup we were asked to digest for the previous hour and a half.

I can't even say the acting was terrific, because it just seemed so . . . Adequate. And the direction was off and on, with some really good moments but way too many closeups of faces just wordlessly. . . Looking.

Bless them all for trying but it just didn't hold my attention. Although I hung in there until what I hoped would be a revelatory and redeeming ending. But alas, no.

The White Lotus (2021–2025)

Say what?

[6/10 · 5 November 2023]

Did he seriously pronounce it "depots" for legal "depos"?

And Chamalet instead of Chalamet? Good grief.

I was getting so distracted by all the oral snafus that I couldn't concentrate on the story. But I guess it was okay. I have to say I liked Season One better. But Season Two certainly had its moments. With one exception, the S2 acting was good. And Ms. Coolidge, of course, could be on the screen forever and I wouldn't object. (Her new Discover Card commercial makes me smile every time.)

So looking forward to the next season and just hoping there are no legal depots involved. Keep 'em coming.

Fire Island (I) (2022)

So much for only gay actors playing gay roles

[3/10 · 26 June 2022]

Watching 'Fire Island" reminded me of way too many gay-themed films of the 1970s and 1980s. Have we not grown at all ?

This film also took me back a few years to when 'The Prom' came out and there was this gay uproar here and elsewhere that a particular straight actor was playing a gay character as a stereotype. Whether true or not, their conclusion that was screamed from the rooftops was that only gay actors should play gay characters.

Well, this movie should put an end to that argument once and for all. All we see onscreen in "Fire Island' is flat, predictable stereotypes. Not one layered, three-dimensional, actual human being appears. Granted that's largely in the writing, but a really talented actor (yes, god forbid!, maybe a straight actor even) can still put some depth and layers into a poorly-written character.

As a gay actor, I so wanted to enjoy this film. But I didn't. Everything about it was shallow. It just left me sad.

West Side Story (2021)

But the acting. . .

[7/10 · 25 January 2022]

I enjoyed this one. But not more than the original. Just in different ways.

But I was so hoping for an upgrade in the too-often bland acting of the 1961 version. But I waited in vain. I was sooo disappointed that the central characters in this new one just couldn't get my heart beating in double time.

But the production values, the big production numbers (kudos to Justin Peck), the camera work, all terrific. Just wish I could have felt the humanity more.

The Gilded Age (2022– )

Is overacting for the camera a thing now?

[7/10 · 25 January 2022]

Okay, so I did think most of the people onscreen were badly miscast. But that being said, they are all talented folks. So why the major overacting from about half of them? Without mentioning names, so much excess facial ticking and looks and snorts and sighs that make absolutely no sense. Is it because too many of them have too much live theater in their blood? Just cool it. Cut it back by half. Just stand there and say your lines with intention, not ticks. Even if you don't move a muscle, the camera will get it all.

Red Notice (2021)

"Only gay actors should play gay roles!"

[5/10 · 12 December 2021]

So this movie rolls around and where is the vocal contingent always yelling that only only gay actors should play gay characters? Reynolds plays gay here with a smirking cuteness that should drive any of them nuts. But I don't hear a peep. Apparently if you're hot enuf they'll put up with anything.

Us (I) (2020)

Most hateful character of all time

[4/10 · 27 June 2021]

Good lord. Was Douglas Peterson written as such an offputting and infuriating jerk in the book? Because from about 15 minutes into this tiresome story I wanted to punch the guy in the face. Over and over and over. I thought maybe it was the way Hollander was playing him. But then I thought no, Tom Hollander is too good an actor to play someone as unrelentingly stupid and clueless. But there it was, for several looong hours, and I had absolutely no sympathy for him at any point. Wife should have left him long ago, son should leave him now before it's too late.

Next time, please write a character with least some intelligence and some innate human feeling. Thank you.

Some of the scenery was pretty.

Mare of Easttown (2021)

Just this side of okay

[5/10 · 20 June 2021]

M of E is a pretty good amateur attempt at a limited mini-series. You got three top quality female leads in Winslet, Nicholson, and Smart, but beyond that the series comes up short. The writing is good at times but also really weak at times, there's too much unmotivated behavior hangin' around, too many implausible plot moments, too many weak acting performances from supporting characters, some really weird editing choices, etc. So although it's not really compelling enough to keep you riveted for seven hours, there's enough there to pass the time with a few good bowls of popcorn.

Supernova (II) (2020)

Nothing worked for me

[2/10 · 18 June 2021]

Absolutely nothing about this film worked for me, starting with the fact that I didn't buy the relationship between Tucci and Firth for one second. One of the least felt, most forced portrayals of two people in love that I can recall seeing on screen. And the script didn't help them at all; in its low-key attempt at simplicity (was that it?), it just dealt in cliche after cliche. I swear we've heard every line in this film multiple times before.

There is so much depth and so many layers to the situation portrayed in this film, but all I saw was surface stuff. Oddly, I just watched 'Blackbird' about a month ago which revolved around the same topic, but that one had a truly thought-provoking (if disturbing) script with new insight after new insight.

As a old gay man myself, I wish I could have appreciated this one more. But I just didn't buy anything about it.

The Dry (2020)

Below Expectations

[6/10 · 28 May 2021]

After all the hoopla about this film, I expected more than I got. No doubt it's a good film. Interesting enough. Evocative enough. But the ultimate stakes in the game just didn't come off. And with some iffy acting by a few of the supporting characters, I wasn't riveted like I was expecting. Like I should have been.

Gerry (2002)

Say what?

[2/10 · 27 December 2020]

Reminds me yet again of the lyrics of one of my favorite songs of inquiry: "What's it all about, Alfie?"

The Prom (2020)

The Musical gets a 2; the Cast gets a 7; averages out to a 4.5

[4/10 · 21 December 2020]

Supremely frustrating outing with a musical that I could only describe as a vastly inferior 'Hairspray'. The forgettable music just bounced on and on, while the insipid lyrics really spoiled almost every tune.

The cast, all of them (yes, even Corden, who hit his moments perfectly), did a good enough job with this college-level musical. Streep was a little more over-the-top than the others but it was all in fun---which is what this drone-fest of a musical needed more of.

Mad About You (1992–2019)

OMG the reboot is awful

[1/10 · 27 September 2020]

Who exactly thought this revisit was a good idea? It's boring, awful, and like a mad dog should be put down.

My Life with James Dean (2017)

A Near Perfect Little Comedy

[10/10 · 26 September 2020]

I just stumbled on this film searching on Amazon Prime last night for something to watch, decided to take a chance on it, and sat down all by myself with a cup of cinnamon latte to watch. Twenty minutes in I was sitting bolt upright with my eyes glued to the TV saying "Hold everything, this is REALLY good." Best film I've seen this year for sure. A comedy so well-written---understated, with restraint and few words, and new revelations throughout---and so well-directed and edited with impeccable timing and an acute eye for so many little comedic details that others would let slide. (I would only point to one perfect little exchange: "You're very tall." "I know." [I'm American so I have to go with the English subtitles.] Five words, but the visual is laugh-out-loud funny, and that little five-word exchange tells you so much about those two characters.)

So I was smiling through this entire movie, and frequently burst out laughing. I did not find it long at all; I actually wanted more. I would heartily recommend this little French gem to all my American movie-loving friends who might be craving a heart-felt and heart-warming comedy during this unending time of quarantine.

Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (1975)

A Truly Awful film adaptation of a Truly Wonderful stage show

[2/10 · 30 August 2020]

The live theater experience of seeing a good production of "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well . . ." on stage is something gloriously transcendent. But this film presentation is something beyond awful. I gave it two stars because there were two brief moments that actually worked. Otherwise, skip the whole thing and pray that all prints get lost.

Peyote (2013)

wasted possibilities

[3/10 · 24 June 2020]

Even though motivations were confusing throughout, I stuck with this film because there was such potential for some moving realization in the relationship between the two characters.

But instead of giving us something, anything!, to show what these two guys meant to each other---heart, soul, or mind---the ending just let everything lay down and go to sleep. I can't tell you how disappointing I found the ending of this film. Such wasted possibilities.

Da 5 Bloods (2020)

A Spike Lee Disjoint

[4/10 · 13 June 2020]

Much as I admire Spike Lee's talent and audacity, this film just didn't work for me. Too many preposterous plot points while the motivations (of everyone, it seemed) were never clear. The whole thing was just confusing.

And yes, disjointed.

The Goldfinch (2019)

Nothing about this movie worked

[3/10 · 14 May 2020]

I always try to find the good in a movie, even when the ultimate result doesn't hit the mark. But with The Goldfinch I honestly cannot point to one thing about the movie that worked for me.

The screenplay was dull and confusing (unlike the novel that just kept pulling you along), the casting was way off and none of the actors they inexplicably chose did a commendable job (and that includes the really famous ones!), the direction was uninteresting and often incomprehensible, the cinematography visuals just lay there, and my oh my the one-note enervating musical score just drove nails in the coffins of everybody's efforts onscreen.

One of the hugest movie disappointments I've ever experienced. And I'm ancient.

The Lighthouse (I) (2019)

What's It All About, Alfie?

[6/10 · 5 November 2019]

I very much enjoyed this film visually. I love beautiful black and white cinematography and this film didn't disappoint in that regard. As for the story (such as it is), I would only posit that a little symbolism goes a long, long way.

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

It has to be more

[5/10 · 1 August 2019]

It has to be more than a fairy tale. It has to be more than an homage to Hollywood Gone By. It has to be more than filled with beautiful shots that take us back to days gone by. All this was there excellently, but without human beings and a human story (or stories) to draw us in and make us care, it all ends up just so . . . . cold. Until we get to the ratched-up ending which, although it certainly makes us sit up and take notice, I don't know to what end. Yeah, I wish that final episode had turned out your way too in August of 1969. But so what? It didn't. The switchup may be cathartic for Tarantino 50 years later (like the scalping in that other one), but it wasn't for me. Just didn't make me care about anybody or anything in this movie. And that's my era.

Well, maybe the clips from the old TV shows got to me a little.

Hereditary (2018)

To what end?

[3/10 · 7 July 2019]

Yeah, we get the obvious theme of the film before it starts from its blatant title, and then as if we weren't beaten over the head with "passing down" theme throughout the film, we get it as a closer in the most obvious final credits sequence with the "hereditary" letters dropping down from one credit to the next. Good lord. Didn't anyone see that final credit sequence and say "No, let's not beat a dead horse."?

Some interesting moments to be sure, but I didn't find this one all that frightening or all that interesting. Yes, mental illness can be and often is passed down. So? Tell me something I don't know about that situation.

And although Toni Collette is one of my favorite actors, not one of her better performances in this one.

Rocketman (I) (2019)

A musical reverie that works!

[10/10 · 8 June 2019]

Not your traditional paint-by-numbers biopic, but instead Rocketman is a beautiful flight of the imagination that hits at the emotional heart of its subject in all its vagaries, and is both affecting and insightful. I loved every minute of the reverie. All of the actors do top-quality work (god I love Jamie Bell -- catch him in Nicholas Nickleby sometime) so you feel the episodes onscreen as opposed to just observing them.

If you've never heard of Elton John or if you hate musicals where people burst into song, stay home. Everyone else, GO!

Gloria Bell (2018)

Thin soup

[5/10 · 20 March 2019]

Although Julianne Moore is terrific, there's not much to the screenplay that could move it beyond a good TV movie of the week.

Paddleton (2019)

Terrific on every level

[10/10 · 23 February 2019]

Just a wonderful little film. Terrific acting in service of a beautiful and unusual story of closeted gay love. I'm happy someone occasionally still has the audacity to pour their heart and soul into a film like this. I loved every minute of it. Thank you.

Life Itself (2018)

Terrific acting from the entire cast

[9/10 · 21 February 2019]

What a pleasure to watch everyone in an acting ensemble give beautiful performances at the top of their game. I was engrossed in and thoroughly enjoyed Life Itself from beginning to end because the characters presented were human, surprising, and just completely interesting. Although actors of a lesser tier could have turned this into a mundane soap opera, the cast in this one elevated the material several tiers and by the end had me grinning with gratitude from ear to ear through my tears.

(And what a complete contrast to Velvet Buzzsaw which I watched yesterday on that other streaming app that had an entire cast of supposedly talented people who, without exception, all gave godawful stilted and unbelievable performances that just made me mad for having wasted two hours with them!)