The Happy Ending (1969) ****

Sharp, realistic look at what happened when post-war America started to wake up from its dream. Beautiful time capsule of 1969.

The Sacrament (2013) *

Found footage flick never convinces.

The Winslow Boy (1999) ***

Well crafted courtroom drama that doesn't have one scene in a courtroom. Terrific adaptation by Mamet, well acted by all.

A Serious Man (2009) ****

One of The Coens best and that's saying something. Hilarious, odd, truthful, thoughtful.

Bright Days Ahead (2013) **

Typical (good thing) French character study is a showcase for the wonderful Ms. Ardant.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) **

Early counter culture Brit flick but the utter stupidity of the lead character undermines its message.

Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (1970) **

Amusing character study thanks to the talent and charm of Mr. Wilder.

Pépé le Moko (1937) **

Influential French noir is long on characters and short on story. Jean Gabin has some terrific scenes.

The Vast of Night (2019) **

A little too darkly lit for my tastes, and goes overboard on the long tracking shots, but impressively constructed Twilight Zone episode.

Panique (1946) **

Nicely done Simenon story, early French noir.

Market should have seen a US jobs gain coming - Asia Times

It shouldn’t have been a surprise. Google publishes daily data for workplace mobility –the number of smartphones whose GPS signal shows up at workplaces – and a slight improvement is clear from mid-April to mid-May. The second half of May, though, showed no further gains.

The Comfort of Strangers (1990) **

Beautifully designed and shot, it's a shame it is so poorly constructed. A waste of its beautiful stars.

The Wrong Missy (2020) **

Raunchy rom-com has quite a few laughs thanks to Lauren Lapkus. Formulaic but fun.

Frosty (1965) **

Soviet era Russian mish-mash of nearly every fairy tale trope you can think of has a certain Kroft-ian lo-fi charm. It's quick and colorful and clearly for 10yo and under.

Gate of Hell (1953) **

Sumptuously designed and photographed, this fable of imperial Japan doesn't quite reach the emotional heights it aspires to.

The Call of the Wild (1972) **

Better than it should be given the dubbed cast and threadbare budget. Heston does the best he can with the flimsy script and it kind of works.