The 10 Best Movies I've Seen in the Past Year (or so)

 

Photo Credit: YouTube

I know... I've been slacking on my movie reviews. 

I've been churning out the NBA, NFL and MLB content for Aaron Torres Online, not to mention fast-and-furious content of a similar ilk right here at the old standby, John Frascella Sports & Movies. Don't forget about controversial conversation-starters at both @LegendSports7 and @MetsDepression on Twitter. Plus, I'm still grinding away at the law firm and most importantly - last but certainly not least - devoting the most precious of my time to my daughter and wife! 

Needless to say, movie reviews have taken a bit of a backseat. But I'm on a four-day weekend here, so it's now or never! I'll just jump right into this, and as always, you'll just get the gist as I go... 

** WARNING: Spoilers throughout. Simply proceed at your own risk. **

10 (TIE): Silence (2016) and True Confessions (1981)

I watched both films within a 48-hour span or so, and they are both heavy on religion (which is a departure from my normal viewing habits). Silence I watched for one obvious reason - I'm a huge Martin Scorsese fan - and a few other reasons: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and finding out if the film is as painfully slow as some major critics suggested. 

Maybe I'm biased, who knows? But at 2 hours and 41 minutes with some heavy, sometimes melodramatic material, I honestly did not find Silence to be slow. I was fully engaged for, let's say, 90-95 percent of the film's hefty running time. And that's saying an awful lot these days, as our brains are programmed for short statements (Twitter), short loops (TikTok), short videos (YouTube) and exploding timeframes (Snapchat). 

Of course, internally I want any Scorsese film to be good, but I really don't think that came into play in my assessment, here. Off the top of my head, Silence may actually be Scorsese's best-looking film (shout to cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto of 25th Hour, The Wolf of Wall Street and The Irishman, a few of my favorites). 

So we have gorgeous cinematography, a solid, high-effort performance from Garfield and subtly strong work from Liam Neeson, who does a lot with a little screen time. Furthermore, on the dark side, we get some of the more depressing torture scenes you'll ever see. They earn their emotional weight. And they aren't particularly gruesome on the eyes; it's more about the investment we have in the characters and the helpless feeling Scorsese instills in us. 

There are so many controversial aspects of Silence that I'll possibly have to revisit it in a future full-length review. For now, I have 10 other films to cover! 

True Confessions came out of nowhere on me. Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Burgess Meredith and Charles Durning... yet I'd never once even heard of the film? And this was in 1981, snuck in between The Deer Hunter and Raging Bull on one end for De Niro, and The King of Comedy, Once Upon a Time in America and The Untouchables on the other. This was primetime Robert De Niro; we're not talkin' about Dirty Grandpa and The Intern, here. 

And I like what De Niro does in True Confessions, to be honest. He sits back and lets Duvall's character, his brother, have the quick fuse and temper. De Niro shows patience, wielding quiet power, which is a welcome sight between Jake La Motta - a nearly unwatchable powder keg - and Rupert Pupkin, whose name and character both make us cringe. In True Confessions, De Niro plays Monsignor Desmond "Des" Spellacy (cool name), a rising power broker who knows how to play the political game. Duvall is Detective Tom Spellacy, and we get that "brothers in conflicting positions" situation we've seen in films like We Own the Night (also featuring Duvall) and even The Godfather (once again featuring Duvall lol). The plot itself is very much a precursor to L.A. Confidential, too. 

But if you've read my reviews over the years, you know I'm not really a plot guy, anyway. (Scorsese would say the same, and no, I am not equating myself with Martin Scorsese.) I was drawn to True Confessions because this is the way films used to be. Teaming up some monster, superstar actors in the business. Watching the greats master their craft. Drawing people in with quality, not superhero franchises. It was just nice to watch De Niro and Duvall work together in their primes, as opposed to watching Duvall fall off a cliff in John Q, Jack Reacher and The Judge later in his storied career. 

And Durning was simply fantastic as the villain of sorts. I had previously known him best as Snyder in The Sting, a far more thankless role, despite coming in an excellent movie. Believe it or not, Durning has a particularly memorable dance sequence early in True Confessions - his moves and facial expressions ooze slimy. He accomplishes an awful lot in a short period of time introducing his character to the audience. Meredith does nicely with a little, too. 

Superb costume and period setting work in True Confessions, as well. Everything and everyone look the part. I'm truly surprised director Ulu Grosbard ended up with a very blah career. He certainly seemed to have command of this film; a tough task when you have to manage De Niro and Duvall in their primes - two stars with an awful lot of power. 

Roger Ebert, the greatest film critic of all time, said this:

"True Confessions contains scenes that are just about as good as scenes can be." 

And, seemingly as always, he's right. There's a lot to like about True Confessions, especially now in an era of safe, play-for-the-middle filmmaking. 

** Frascella's Scores: Both 8 out of 10 ** 

9. 10 Years (2011) 

I love when I find an entertaining film I'd never heard of before. I think I stumbled upon 10 Years on HBO, and boy was I surprised to find Channing Tatum, Chris Pratt, Oscar Isaac, Rosario Dawson, Justin Long, Ari Graynor, Aubrey Plaza, Anthony Mackie, Kate Mara and Ron Livingston all in the same movie. Yeah, just... wow. 

And that's really the beauty of this film, in itself - this is a simple story about a 10-year high school reunion, but the cast makes it hum. We've seen many things like 10 Years in the past, but it works because of its superstar cast and some decent writing from Jamie Linden (We Are Marshall, Dear John). Probably the best writing of his career, when you consider his resume on the whole. 

There are little moments between characters that work because of how they are played - Isaac and Mara go for a private walk; Tatum and Dawson whisper some important things to one another on the dance floor; Graynor and Pratt, married in the film, deal with the latter's problematic behavior with a lived-in dynamic. 

By no stretch of the imagination is 10 Years reinventing the wheel. But it'll make you think of your high school days. It'll make you think about old friends and maybe some people you've lost touch with. And Isaac - foreshadowing what was to come in Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) - will knock your socks off with a beautiful song at exactly the right moment. 

** Frascella's Score: 8 out of 10 ** 

8. King Richard (2021)

Now infamous-by-association due to Will Smith's slap heard 'round the world, King Richard feels like a play-for-the-middle concept (language I used earlier), but it isn't quite that when you sit down and watch it. That's because Richard Williams is such a complicated man, and Smith played him dynamically enough to become a certified lock for the Oscar. It's also because the girls - Saniyya Sidney (as Venus) and Demi Singleton (as Serena) are wonderful breaths of fresh air, not to mention Aunjanue Ellis' powerhouse performance as Oracene "Mrs." Williams. 

The film was interesting enough that it got me to watch Venus and Serena (a 7 or 7.5 out of 10), a 2012 documentary which covered very similar ground. And that's really the "thumbs up" for King Richard in itself - it made me want to learn more about Richard, Venus and Serena Williams. The performances are great, and the film doesn't play it entirely safe when it absolutely could have. And anything with Jon Bernthal in it tends to get my approval. (Loving We Own This City on HBO, thus far!) 

** Frascella's Score: 8 out of 10 **

7. The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling (2018)

6. George Carlin's American Dream (2022)

Both are two-part Judd Apatow productions about all-time great comedians. Shandling and Carlin couldn't be more different, though - Shandling was definitely a pure showbiz man at heart, whereas Carlin eventually realized stand-up comedy was his medium for spreading controversial discourse about the "true" America, and for experimenting with nimble word play, which may have been his favorite pastime of all. 

In today's sad era of film - completely and utterly dominated by superhero franchises - documentaries have risen up the ladder for me. But even that's a tricky proposition, because docs have become even more mainstream due to streaming services' unrelenting need for new content. So, essentially, you gotta watch out for the crap - like Passion Play the self-serving Russell Westbrook documentary on Showtime or Wild Card: The Downfall of a Radio Loudmouth, the even more self-serving Craig Carton doc on HBO. There are many more examples of such garbage out there, so be careful. 

But we don't have to worry about any of that with The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling and George Carlin's American Dream - these two documentaries are successful for two very simple reasons: Judd Apatow is one of the best of his generation and both Shandling and Carlin are interesting and provocative subjects. 

Both comedians had many deeply personal, handwritten notes, but Shandling's doc feels even more personal because we are getting full journal/diary entries. His entries essentially chart the course of his career, and show how much of their time comedians spend fighting themselves internally. Am I good enough? Am I actually funny? What does the audience want? What do I want out of life? 

One part in particular stands out to me: Shandling was developing a name as a spot standup on The Tonight Show with the legendary Johnny Carson. But internally, Shandling always had the desire to be a host - nay, the host - so he wrote coaching notes to himself like present yourself like a host out there, show that you are in command and control of the show and audience, toe the line between comedian and host, etc. And guess what? This guy truly manifested his future. Down the line, Shandling was eventually offered a job as a big-time host, but turned it down to maintain the top-tier quality of The Larry Sanders Show, universally considered a seminal show in the industry. 

As for Carlin, well, he was simply more explosive. Shandling was also introspective and interesting, but Carlin was more provocative and intellectually entertaining. To be honest, I didn't laugh at either one of these guys' comedy, but Carlin certainly got me to think about some important, recurring political issues in our country. He was a provocateur in the truest sense of the word. So I rank the Carlin documentary one spot ahead of Shandling because the former simply made for more interesting watching throughout his film's running time. 

Ultimately, the key is not making these guys out to be saints. When you overpraise your subject, the entire work falls apart. The bottom falls right out. Carlin was a coke addict who - along with his alcoholic wife - made life hell for his only daughter. Shandling was a saboteur who seemed to intentionally destroy his romantic relationships. Your subjects have to be portrayed as fully human, and Apatow does a very nice job with that. Two very interesting and enlightening documentaries, in the end. 

** Frascella's Scores: Both 8.5 out of 10 ** 

5. Private Life (2018)

I started-and-stopped with this one on Netflix a few times... not being able to get pregnant is a tough subject, right? I really have to be in "the mood" for something like this - often times we just want our entertainment to be light and breezy, no?

But, thankfully, Tamara Jenkins' Private Life isn't heavy-handed or melodramatic; in fact, its tone is just right. It's clear what Jenkins is going for, here - a Woody Allen-type NYC film meets Noah Baumbach with Jenkins' unique touch... except... she doesn't need to mimic anybody else. In terms of tone and finding the right notes, she outdoes both present day Allen and Baumbach with the nuances of Private Life. 

And she reaps the benefits of one of my all-time favorite actors, the great Paul Giamatti, who is matched step-for-step by his on-screen wife, the versatile Kathyrn Hahn. 

It's tough getting off the ground with Hahn in this film, because she's just so freakin' funny (right away, I think of Bad Moms and Wanderlust). It takes a second for us to catch our bearings because sure, she's naturally funny and some of her line deliveries automatically illicit a chuckle; but mostly, this is a dramatic role. And after the initial five-minute adjustment period, we settle into the dramatic beats of Hahn's fine performance and we really start to believe in this on-screen partnership. Giamatti is simply superb, as always. 

But the breakout performance in Private Life comes from young Kayli Carter, playing Hahn's niece, Sadie. Carter is hungry and energetic with surprising range. You can feel Sadie's connection with both Richard (Giamatti) and Rachel (Hahn) from the get-go. These are bohemian New York City artists, and Sadie - fresh out of college - certainly wants a piece of that starving artist lifestyle. She's yearning to break free from her parents - particularly her mother, played as annoyingly overbearing by the veteran Molly Shannon - and she wants as much time with Richard and Rachel as she can get. This comes to fruition when they need an egg donor, and of course things get messy from there. 

In the end, this is just a well-written, well-acted, "small" film. Just the way I like them. 

** Frascella's Score: 8.5 out of 10 ** 

4. Monster (2003)

Again, I like small, little character-driven films. Monster is that, just with far more explosivity than Private Life. 

The most famous aspect of this film is Charlize Theron's hair, makeup and body transformation, but I don't really care too much about that. Obviously I care most about the performances, and whether or not Monster is successful in drawing us into its ugly, messy little middle-of-nowhere world. And of course it's successful in accomplishing that, otherwise it wouldn't be No. 4 on my list, here. 

How about Theron, in general? When you really think about it... is she THE actress of this generation? Kicking serious ass in Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde, Aeon Flux and The Old Guard, racking up massive paychecks from the Fast & Furious franchise and showcasing serious acting chops in Monster, Tully and Young Adult (clearly she enjoys working with Jason Reitman) - that's one helluva resume. Who would you put up there against her? 

Anyway, Christina Ricci also does nice work in Monster. She and Theron make for a Penn-and-Teller height disparity pair - different attitudes, different personalities and drastically different volatility levels. It's a classic double act, in a way - Theron does the pleading and yelling and screaming, while Ricci is the "receiver" turning inward whenever she needs to. Inspired casting, indeed. 

I stumbled upon Monster on Netflix one lazy weekend afternoon and boy, I'm glad I did. 

** Frascella's Score: 8.5 out of 10 **

3. Nightmare Alley (2021)

So you're really getting a sense of what I like, now. Nightmare Alley is yet another "small" movie disguised as a big one, simply because we have much-heralded Guillermo del Toro at the helm with an all-star cast including Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara and another one of my faves, David Strathairn. 

But make no mistake about it... this is yet another "subculture" movie, taking us into a world we otherwise wouldn't be familiar with. And to me, that's what it's all about, right? We can't possibly see and do it all in this world, but movies can introduce us to places and people we otherwise wouldn't have seen. 

Here in Nightmare Alley, we're in the "carnie" world, as Stanton Carlisle (Cooper, always great) yearns to move up the ladder and make something more of his little life. The plot is pretty interesting, but again the film's success hinges on performances and direction. Cooper and Blanchett - not surprisingly - lead the way with excellent central performances, while Strathairn, Collette, Dafoe and Jenkins "do what they do" in magnetic supporting roles. Not being biased - I think Strathairn is particularly good, here. 

And finally, a del Toro film "hits" for me. I've been hearing about how great he is for so long now, but up until this point it just hasn't been working out for me: Pacific Rim, interesting visuals, just such a dumb movie and The Shape of Water, some nice sweeping camerawork but come on, it's a less effective Beauty and the Beast knockoff. I've seen some of Hellboy - again, some interesting visuals - and I know I'm supposed to go back to Pan's Labyrinth (2006), I'm just not sure that I want to. 

But, like I said, at least Nightmare Alley definitely works for me. The settings are cool, the POVs are interesting and the camerawork is silky smooth as always. This is a film that works on almost every level for me, it just runs a bit too long for me at 2 hours, 30 minutes. 

** Frascella's Score: 8.5 out of 10 **

2. Untold: Crimes and Penalties (2021)

At least one pick has to be about pure fun, right? 

This was just a wild sports story I'd never heard before. Let's see if I can summarize this succinctly: James Galante is a convicted criminal who ran an "interesting" trash collection business in Connecticut, and while that business was doing particularly well, he bought a minor league hockey team - the Danbury Trashers, fitting name I know - for his son, AJ, who is a massive hockey fan. 

And here's the kicker, James made AJ the GM of the team... when AJ was just 17 years old and still in high school! 

And believe it or not, the Trashers turned out to be something special. It wasn't pretty or smooth - the Trashers would literally beat their opponents into defeat at times - but they roughhoused their way into being a legitimate championship contender in their league. 

The allure of Untold: Crimes and Penalties is simple: James Galante is an interesting man and character in the documentary. AJ is an entertaining character, as are Richard Brosal (Commissioner of the UHL), "T-Bone" Pomposello (Equipment Manager), Brad Wingfield (player), Rumun Ndur (another player) and multiple others. In this style of documentary - directed swiftly by Chapman & Maclain Way - the talking heads have to be both compelling and amusing. The talking heads in Untold: Crimes and Penalties absolutely get the job done in that area. 

** Frascella's Score: 9 out of 10 **

1. The Alpinist (2021)

When we rank, score or rate movies, we do so completely from our perspective, right? With that in mind, we tend to favor films that "speak to us" personally. And for me, The Alpinist does that in a myriad of different ways. 

And if you know me, you wouldn't think this film would! The Alpinist centers on Marc-Andre Leclerc, one of the greatest mountain climbers/free soloists/alpinists in the history of mankind. And like... I won't even climb a four-rung ladder. So I don't see myself in Marc-Andre; but then again, in some moments I do. 

Sometimes it's just his idea that... we all need space. We need room to let out minds breathe. Sometimes we need solitude for true clarity to emerge. And, this is a kid who is truly passionate about his passion. There are no ifs, ands or buts about what he was destined to do with his life. 

Marc-Andre just has that ineffable aura about him - what we've seen from Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Derek Jeter in other sports, just to name a few. You just know - when you see him, hear him, watch him in action - that he's special. In his field of specialty, he's just different and better than the others, particularly under pressure. 

And he's a fun kid, a great kid. Keep in mind, some of Marc-Andre's greatest alpine feats came in his very early 20s. This young man is a savant, a natural who also puts the intense work in. The work that is necessary to become A Great One (shout to Wayne Gretzky, a similar-type legend on the ice).  

And as far as The Alpinist goes as a film, I mean DAMN... the visuals and cinematography are both absolutely stunning. Just plain jaw-dropping. Directors Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen do great work here, especially considering the fact that Marc-Andre wasn't the easiest subject to corral or deal with. This is an old-school kid... he doesn't really care about cell phones. He doesn't care about "staying in contact" as the rest of us seem to these days. So really, kudos across the board to both Mortimer and Rosen for the complete film they ultimately put together. 

In the end, The Alpinist is a sad film. A thoughtful film. A film that has everything we want from the big screen: A unique subject, interesting supporting characters, one-of-a-kind stories, anecdotes and some of the most dazzling and heart-stopping moments you'll ever see in a documentary. 

** Frascella's Score: 9.5 out of 10 **

I hope you enjoyed my triumphant return to movie reviews! Read on for my archive of past reviews and scores: 

MY UP-TO-DATE ARCHIVE OF ALL REVIEWS, SCORES AND RECENT MOVIES SEEN

Inglourious Basterds (10/10) 

The Social Network (10/10)

The Wolf of Wall Street (10/10)

Almost Famous (10/10)

Training Day (10/10)

25th Hour (10/10)

The 40-Year Old Virgin (10/10)

Cinderella Man (10/10)

Moneyball (10/10)

Crash (10/10)

Bridesmaids (10/10)

City of God (10/10)

Sideways (10/10)

Midnight in Paris (10/10)

Boyhood (10/10)

Steve Jobs (10/10)

Margin Call (10/10)

The Drop (10/10)

Zodiac (10/10)

The Godfather (10/10) - mentioned in this review

Zero Dark Thirty (9.5/10)

The Departed (9.5/10)

Birdman (9.5/10)

The Irishman (9.5/10)
Up in the Air (9.5/10)
Django Unchained (9.5/10) 
Collateral (9.5/10)
No Country for Old Men (9.5/10)
The Wrestler (9.5/10)

Ex Machina (9.5/10)

Memento (9.5/10)

Sin City (9.5/10)
Her (9.5/10)
Kramer vs. Kramer (9.5/10)

Children of Men (9.5/10)

A Star is Born (9.5/10)

The Alpinist (9.5/10)

Gone Girl (9.5/10)

Nocturnal Animals (9.5/10)

The Untouchables (9.5/10) - discussed in this review 

The Sting (9.5/10) - mentioned in this review
Office Space (9/10)
The Hateful Eight (9/10) - Review Coming Soon
Marriage Story (9/10)
Hannah and Her Sisters (9/10)
Mystic River (9/10)
L.A. Confidential (9/10)
Lady Bird (9/10)
Stay (9/10)
45 Years (9/10)
The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
Bernie (9/10)
Lucky Number Slevin (9/10)

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (9/10)
Tape (9/10)
A Perfect Murder (9/10)

Promised Land (9/10) 

Untold: Crimes and Penalties (9/10)
Wanderlust (8.5/10)

Nightmare Alley (8.5/10)

War Dogs (8.5/10)
The Founder (8.5/10)

Monster (8.5/10)

Private Life (8.5/10)
Jackie Brown (8.5/10) - Future Review
In Bruges (8.5/10)

George Carlin's American Dream (8.5/10) 

The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling (8.5/10)

Split (8.5/10)

Bad Moms (8.5/10)

Basquiat (8.5/10)
Love, Actually (8.5/10)

Moonlight (8/10)

Citizen Kane (8/10)
Pretty Woman (8/10)

We Own the Night (8/10) - discussed in this review 

True Confessions (8/10)

King Richard (8/10)

Silence (8/10)

10 Years (8/10)

The Old Guard (8/10) - mentioned in this review

Young Adult (8/10) - mentioned in this review
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (7.5/10) - No Review Available
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (7.5/10) - No Review Available
Joker (7.5/10)
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (7.5/10)

The Revenant (7.5/10)

Raging Bull (7.5/10) - discussed in this review
The Good Shepherd (7.5/10)

The Shallows (7.5/10)
Focus (7.5/10) 

The Night Before (7.5/10)

John Q (7.5/10) - mentioned in this review

Inside Llewyn Davis (7.5/10) - mentioned in this review

Venus and Serena (7.5/10) - mentioned in this review
The Walk (7/10)

Mank (7/10)

10 Cloverfield Lane (7/10)
Loving (7/10) - No review available
Death Proof (7/10) - No review available
Hail, Caesar! (7/10) - No review available
Escape Room (7/10)

Crazy, Not Insane (7/10) - No review available 
Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood (6.5/10)
A Most Violent Year (6.5/10) - No review available

Dirty Grandpa (6.5/10) - discussed in this review

The Pixar Story (6.5/10) - No review available 

They'll Love Me When I'm Dead (6.5/10)
The Shape of Water (6/10) - discussed in this review
The Boy (6/10) - No review available

The Intern (6/10) - discussed in this review 

The Deer Hunter (6/10) - discussed in this review 
The Accountant (6/10) - No review available

The Fate of the Furious (6/10) - discussed in this review
Bridge of Spies (6/10) - No review available
The Firm (6/10) - No review available

Blaze (6/10) - No review available 
Muhammad Ali: Say My Name (6/10) - No review available

Joy (5.5/10)
Taking Lives (5.5/10) - No review available

The Judge (5.5/10) - mentioned in this review

La La Land (5.5/10)
Pulp Fiction (5.5/10) - Future Review

Tully (5.5/10) - mentioned in this review

Greenland (5.5/10) - No review available
Belichick and Saban: The Art of Coaching (5.5/10)
The Visit (5/10) - discussed in this review

Jack Reacher (5/10) - mentioned in this review
The Mule (5/10) - No review available
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (5/10)
Make Love Great Again (5/10) - No review available
Molly's Game (5/10)
Set It Up (5/10)

Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art (5/10) - No review available 
Get a Job (5/10) - No review available
The Interpreter (5/10) - No review available
Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (5/10) - No review available
Reservoir Dogs (4.5/10) - Future Review

We Are Marshall (4.5/10) - mentioned in this review

Tenet (4.5/10)
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (4.5/10) - No review available
Brooklyn (4.5/10) - discussed in this review, and this review
Ocean's 8 (4/10)

Pacific Rim (4/10) - mentioned in this review

Alex Cross (4/10) - No review available 

Mad Max: Fury Road (4/10) - mentioned in this review

Homefront (4/10) - No review available 
Everything Must Go (4/10) - No review available
Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
The Program (3/10)

F9: The Fast Saga (3/10) - mentioned in this review

Dear John (3/10) - mentioned in this review
Open Water 3: Cage Dive (3/10) - No review available

Wild Card: The Downfall of a Radio Loudmouth (2.5/10) - mentioned in this review
Pitch Perfect 3 (2/10)
Shut In (2/10) - No review available
Premonition (2/10) - No review available

Inside Man: Most Wanted (2/10) - No review available 

Rings (1.5/10)
Mother's Day (1.5/10)

Passion Play (1/10) - mentioned in this review
I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (0/10) - No review available