Films: April 1 - 7

Set It Up (2018)  

Good Neighbor Sam (1964)

Sliver (1993) 

A Bill Of Divorcement (1940)

Barbie (2023)

Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013) 

Maryland (Disorder) (2015) ///

Set It Up (2018) Despite fanciful setup, energy and charm of overworked assistants Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell keep comic and romantic touch humming as they try to manipulate respective bosses Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs into relationship. Assured telling means predictable narrative remains engaging.

Good Neighbor Sam (1964) Building comic momentum through social and marital farce, frustrated marketing exec Jack Lemmon has to pose as spontaneous Romy Schneider's husband, while maintaining married life with Dorothy Provine. Fizzles during concluding stretch, though maintains solid laugh count.

Sliver (1993) Dreamy visuals and rich design fail to disguise empty-headed narrative twists and absurd characters as repressed book editor Sharon Stone moves into exclusive Manhattan apartment building consumed by sex and murder. Technological and voyeuristic themes land with a confused thud,

A Bill Of Divorcement (1940) Independent-minded Maureen O'Hara rebels against family convention until father Adolphe Menjou returns after fifteen years in mental institution and anxiety of inherited condition provokes changed life decisions. Theatrical origins creak, though solid cast enables character empathy.

Barbie (2023) Canny mix of social satire, sci-fi fantasy and individual empowerment, brightly hued detail and unflappable energy maintain entertainment value as optimistic Margot Robbie and lonely Ryan Gosling venture to real world in search of melancholy America Ferrara. Breezy critique amid plush production values.

Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013) Rigorous style and rich visuals conjure doomed Texan love story as unbowed Rooney Mara raises daughter alone until convinced Casey Affleck busts out of jail. Feel for dialogue infuses pervading mood with dark fatality before final, cathartic violence; remains involving yet lacks vitality.

Maryland (Disorder) (2015) Intensity of edgy, suffering Afghanistan vet Matthias Schoenaerts is matched by bracing, unsettling tone as violence threatens from every shadow of luxurious estate belonging to icy arms dealer's wife Diane Kruger. Simmering tension builds with thematic and character cohesion.