Four high school teachers consume alcohol on a daily basis to see how it affects their social and professional lives.
Our Take: Worth a watch if you’re interested in foreign-language films.
Streaming? Yes, on Hulu.
Month: April 2021
Emma
Following the antics of a young woman, Emma Woodhouse, who lives in Georgian- and Regency-era England and occupies herself with matchmaking – in sometimes misguided, often meddlesome fashion- in the lives of her friends and family.
Our Take: See it if you’re going through Bridgerton withdrawls.
Streaming? Yes, in HBO MAX.
Soul
After landing the gig of a lifetime, a New York jazz pianist suddenly finds himself trapped in a strange land between Earth and the afterlife.
Our Take: A great viewing for adults and children.
Streaming? Yes, on Disney Plus.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Tensions rise when trailblazing blues singer Ma Rainey and her band gather at a recording studio in Chicago in 1927.
Our Take: Chadwick Boseman shines, and that alone is reason to see it.
Streaming? Yes, on Netflix.
Hillbilly Elegy
A Yale Law student drawn back to his Appalachian hometown reflects on his family’s history and his own future.
Our Take: Don’t watch this movie, read the book. Or better, skip both.
Streaming? Yes, on Netflix.
Pieces of a Woman
A heartbreaking home birth leaves a woman grappling with the profound emotional fallout, isolated from her partner and family by a chasm of grief.
Our Take: Worth a watch for Kirby’s performance if you can handle the subject matter
Streaming? Yes, on Netflix.
One Night in Miami
On the night of Feb. 25, 1964, in Miami, Cassius Clay joins Jim Brown, Sam Cooke and Malcom X, and they discuss the responsibility of being successful black men during the civil rights movement.
Our Take: If you’re going to watch, you need to be prepared to listen intently—the beauty of this film lies in the dialogue.
Streaming? Yes, on Amazon Prime.
The United States vs. Billie Holiday
The Federal Bureau of Narcotics launches an undercover sting operation against jazz singer Billie Holiday.
Our Take: See it for the striking Andra Day, but do not expect much more.
Streaming? Yes, on Hulu.
The Father
A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages.
Our Take: It’s not terrible, but it’s nothing to write home about either.
Streaming? No, but you can rent/buy at home.
Nomadland
Fern (Frances McDormand), embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad, after losing everything—including her husband—in the Great Recession.
Our Take: A beautiful film, but one that was a little too melancholy for us, especially for a pandemic-viewing.
Streaming? Yes. On Hulu.
Smash and Nasty go to the movies 