Inspiration, Imagination, and Intrepidation

We all know what they say about March: It comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, or vice versa. My neck of the woods seemed to get a mixture of that this year, but in terms of movies, the “I’s” had it. Lots of inspiring stories of intrepid people. Lots of imagination. Lots of titles that start with the letter, “I,” such as Immaculate, which didn’t make this month’s Top Five list because it’s pretty trashy even if it does have gorgeous scenery.

Other than that, March was definitely a month for true stories, and they dominate this month’s list. Click the images to read the reviews…

Imaginary

A woman named Jessica moves back into her childhood home with her blended family, and while it might seem like an ideal situation, she and her home carry certain secrets. Jessica’s youngest stepdaughter finds a bear in the basement named Chauncey who becomes her imaginary friend. After some initial cuteness, Chauncey becomes downright Chucky-like.

Imaginary has been called out for its hackery, and rightfully so, but the movie that’s probably the most dead-on comparison (and the least cited) is Z, a Canadian film about a child named Josh whose imaginary friend supposedly influences him to do some scary things. Only by most accounts, Z is a much better movie.

Arthur the King

Based on true events, Arthur the King is a classic underdog story (See what I did there?). It follows Mike Light and his team as they compete in the 2018 Adventure Racing World Championship in Ecuador. They’re not doing too badly, but then lo and behold they pick up a dog they name Arthur. He likes meatballs. He also saves the team from certain disaster, such as when they almost fall off a cliff in the dead of night.

While Arthur and the King is a wee bit predictable and feels like it’s trying really hard sometimes, it’s definitely a feel-good movie of the old school and not the kind that’s often seen nowadays.

Cabrini

From the same studio that brought us Sound of Freedom, Cabrini tells about the life and mission of Mother Frances Cabrini, an Italian-born nun who emigrated to America with her order to establish orphanages and hospitals in the New York City area, and later, farther west and around the world.

The movie really turns the idea of faith-based films on its head, as it’s competently made with great performances and authentic sets. Andrea Bocelli’s daughter, Virginia, makes a cameo as a soloist in an orphan choir, which is a nice bonus.

One Life

Based on the real-life story of Nicholas Winton and the Kindertransport, One Life features beautifully sensitive performances from Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter, and Johnny Flynn, among others. It’s a quiet movie but always fascinating, and also heartwrenching as far as the big picture is concerned; many of the children Winton and his team were able to get out of Prague were never reunited with their original families and continued to live and thrive in their adopted homeland of Great Britain.

The only thing I would say about this movie is that it’s almost too sedate initially, but Winton’s personal modesty makes that inevitable. I hope the film makes viewers want to find out more about Winton and the years leading up to the war in Europe.

Dune: Part Two

I know a lot of people want to see this one or have seen this one so I’m not going to say too much about the plot, but this is the one movie out of the five that I saw twice–once in standard format and once in IMAX. It’s amazing. Denis Villeneueve is a master of monochromatic color saturation and spare scene composition, and this go-round is no different. There’s no doubt that Timothee Chalamet is going to be remembered for playing Paul Atreides, but it’ll be interesting to see what he does next.

Granted, the film does have a few flaws. Zendaya as Chani is a bit one-note (she does a lot of glowering), the script doesn’t reflect the book’s position on political alliances and concubines, and some of the edits are a little abrupt, but this is still a terrific installment in what I hope is a continuing franchise.

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