A Most Violent Year (2014) ****

 

Written and directed by J.C. Chandor, the guy who did “All Is Lost”, “A Most Violent Year” is an exploration of corruption, sexual politics, and the pursuit of the American Dream. Oscar Isaac plays Abel Morales, an immigrant who has worked his way up from the bottom, building a successful business with his wife, Anna (Jessica Chastain). That business, delivering heating oil in New York City, happens to be pretty corrupt. Operators with Mob connections control areas of the city that they consider their territory, and they don't appreciate the kind of open, free market competition that Abel has been successful at. Abel is on the verge of buying an oil storage facility that will allow him to expand and increase efficiency. At the same time, someone is robbing his oil trucks, and the District Attorney is more interested in investigating Abel's financial dealings than in catching the thieves. Abel's truck drivers and his wife want him to get tough with the thieves, the way the Mob-connected operators would. Under pressure from all sides, Abel tries to steer his business to success without succumbing to the corruption and violence that seem to be the natural state of his business.

“A Most Violent Year” works on multiple levels. It's a solid neo-noir, as Abel tries to solve the mystery of who is robbing his trucks. It's also an interesting business thriller. I loved the scene where Abel explains to his bankers the rationale behind purchasing the storage facility. Every college business major should watch this film. The movie is also a well-played exploration of a marriage that works as an equal partnership. In a male-dominated business, Abel is the face of the company, but Anna has just as sharp a mind, and is even more ruthless. Abel succeeds because he is able to set aside his ego and benefit from Anna's input.

J.C. Chandor is not a particularly prolific writer and director. He only has a handful of credits, but one of them is 2013's outstanding "All Is Lost." “A Most Violent Year” is equally good, and his first film, “Margin Call”, is now at the top of my list of films to watch.

4 stars out of 5

The Invite (2026) ***

 

Some movies, you can just tell they are based on a play. I'm thinking of “12 Angry Men” or “Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?” “The Invite” is one of those. It's based on a Spanish film, which is based on a Spanish play, which has already been adapted into movies in France, Italy, Switzerland, and South Korea, and now Olivia Wilde brings us an American version.

San Franciscans Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are a bickering married couple sharing a fancy, newly-renovated apartment. Joe, a frustrated musician who now teaches music, arrives home exhausted to learn that Angela has invited the couple upstairs for dinner. Up till now, their only interaction with Hawk (Ed Norton) and Pina (Penelope Cruz) has been brief greetings in the elevator and hearing their loud sexual escapades through the ceiling.

Joe is really not up for dinner guests, but the invite has already been made. Hawk and Pina arrive, and thus begins an evening of revelations for both couples, some titillating and some heartbreaking.

The obvious comparison is “Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?” I haven't seen the 1966 film starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, but I have seen a stage production. It's a harrowing tale of a dysfunctional marriage, and not completely easy to watch. “The Invite” can be a bit of a roller-coaster as well, but I would say it goes down easier. There's enough humor throughout to lighten the mood when it needs it, and you generally come away from this one feeling less wrecked than I did after “Virginia Wolfe”. Still, “The Invite” is intense, and I would not think this would be a good date night movie if your marriage is going through a rocky patch.

3 stars out of 5

The Dink (2026) ****

 

In case you haven't noticed, the sport of pickleball has become wildly popular, especially among the older set. It's sort of a cross between tennis and ping pong. Despite the dumb name, it's hella fun, and it was about time the sport got its own movie.

Jake Johnson plays Dustin Boyd, a washed up tennis pro teaching lessons and rehashing his glory days. The racquet club where he works happens to be owned by his overbearing father, Chuck (Ed Harris), and the pickleballers at the club are a growing group who are asking for more courts. Chuck, Dustin, and the rest of the tennis old-guard at the club look down their noses at pickleball, and they aren't interested in giving up any space for pickleball courts. Chuck invokes an obscure club rule that allows him to ignore a vote of the members and have any issue decided by a tennis match. Vying for the chance to represent the tennis side of the duel, Dustin injures his wrist. His doctor (Ben Stiller) recommends pickleball to aid in his recovery, so Dustin winds up having to learn the sport he despises.

Much like pickleball itself, “The Dink” doesn't take itself too seriously, and it's a ton of fun. It's a sign of the changing industry that a movie with such a great cast would go straight to streaming ... on Apple TV. If this is the kind of movie that they are capable of producing, this “Apple” company might be one to keep an eye on!

4 stars out of 5

The Drama (2026) ****

 

“What is the worst thing you have ever done?” The question is a conversational gambit that seems engaging and daring, but carries a high degree of risk. When Emma (Zendaya) and her fiance Charlie (Robert Pattinson) get goaded into answering the question by their friends (Alana Haim and Mamoudou Athie), Emma reveals something more outre than anyone was expecting. Her secret shocks her friends and makes Charlie question their relationship, just days before their wedding.

Written and directed by Norwegian auteur Kristoffer Borgli, “The Drama” is funny, entertaining, dark, and transgressive. I was particularly impressed by the way he plays with time and reality, jumping back and forth between days and eras and between fantasy and reality. You have to stay on your toes to watch this film!

I tend to be skeptical of single-name actors, but Zendaya has won me over, first in "Challengers" and now here. Borgli uses her and Jordyn Curet, who plays the teen Emma, to explore the paradox that Emma is no longer that lonely, alienated young girl, but there is still a through-line connecting the two identities. She both is and isn't that person. Emma still carries within herself that scared child, looking for love, but she should not be defined by her worst day.

Meanwhile Robert Pattinson continues to build his reputation as an actor who likes to subvert his handsomeness by taking on challenging, quirky, even confounding roles. Here he brilliantly portrays Charlie, spiraling out of control as he wrestles with his doubts.

Borgli demonstrates tremendous boldness in going places most filmmakers would not, but in the end his film is not about Emma's big secret. It is about judgment and acceptance, about living with who you are and who you were. It's about the messiness of relationships, where you have to ultimately be vulnerable and accept your partner's vulnerability. It's about whether love is worth the drama.

4 stars out of 5

Normal (2025) ***

 

It's nice to watch a movie that isn't trying too hard.

Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”) is working as interim sheriff in the small, Minnesota town of Normal. It is meant to be a quiet, easy few weeks, but a botched bank robbery reveals that Normal is corrupt and rotten to its core. Sheriff Ulysses winds up taking on the whole town and a bunch of Japanese gangsters just to survive.

Odenkirk gets help from a solid supporting cast including Henry Winkler, Lena Headey, and Billy MacLellan. The film is written by Derek Kolstad (the “Nobody” and “John Wick” films) with assistance from Odenkirk. It's a silly story, but overall a pretty fun, dark, action-comedy. It is only an hour and a half long, so you can enjoy it as the light entertainment that it is.

3 stars out of 5