Roam Around the World

Now that I’ve possibly gotten a certain B-52s song in everyone’s head (you’re welcome), let’s get going…

September was cray cray, what with school and work and everything. Among other things I had to face down a Doberman that had gotten out of someone’s yard and was urinating all over the place, only to get trounced in a turf skirmish by my kitty friend, Brutus. Lovely, right? Watching a little Siamese mix chase a giant Doberman around tends to stick in the mind.

I digress, of course. 🙂

On the movie front September was kind of a wash but to the good side. In terms of theatrical releases there were two movies I was really looking forward to and two I was kind of “Meh, OK, I’ll see it.” Other than that, though, we did fairly well, and there were a few nice surprises. So much so, in fact, that I couldn’t decide which film from this month I liked best, so we’re going with a five-way tie. Things were also pretty cosmopolitan, which was fun. As usual, click the images for the reviews…

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

I don’t like putting paid subscriber-only posts in these recaps just because I want everyone to be able to read as much as possible, but Henry Sugar is, well, wonderful. It’s a quick two-reeler-plus change of Roald Dahl’s original story told almost verbatim in Wes Anderson’s unique style and not to be missed. There’s plenty of flow, plenty of show, and the payoff is *chef’s kiss*.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3

Opa! Toula, Ian, and a big part of the family go to Greece to reconnect with Gus’s family members. It’s everything they expect and nothing they expect, just as this movie is everything and nothing we expect. I still think the first film is the best, but this one is really fun and deals in a very loving way with aging and family. The only drawback is that Toula’s brother, Nick, has somehow morphed into Homer Simpson, so yeah, be warned.

A Million Miles Away

Based on the true story of Jose Hernandez, the first migrant farmworker to go into space, A Million Miles Away is a charming, family-friendly biopic about family, working hard, and dreaming big. I didn’t know much about Hernandez before I saw this movie, but he’s a very likeable fellow, deftly played by Michael Peña. On a side note, eagle-eyed viewers will notice a slight connection between Hernandez and a certain Disney movie. Here’s a hint: “Now that is a big door.”

A Haunting In Venice

Hercule Poirot is back, and he just wants to retire in Venice, where all he has to do is wait for the daily delivery of pastries from the local bakery, but of course, his peace doesn’t last. His friend, Ariadne Oliver, invites him to a seance at the home of a former opera singer whose daughter apparently committed suicide, and naturally nothing goes as planned. The film has an unusual amount of jumpscares for an Agatha Christie story, but it’s beautifully shot and Kenneth Branagh is awesome.

The Makanai: Cooking For the Maiko House

Again, I know it’s kinda not fair to dangle a paid subscriber-only post here, but this is one of those times when I can’t help it–Makanai is a gorgeous series. It’s not only a graceful story about geishas in training, but the food is delectably intriguing. I don’t know much about Japanese food so I was Googling as many recipes as I could while I watched it. Fortunately, there’s a site called Just One Cookbook that lists everything, so that’s good.

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All right, there you go. What movies have you all seen this month? Have you seen any of the ones I’ve listed here? Leave a comment below! Thanks for reading, all, and I hope to see you Wednesday for another post…

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