Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of January 29, 2018
Last Flag Flying
Rated R for language throughout including some sexual references
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Writer/director Richard Linklater (A Boy’s Life) brings us this somber but touching comedy about three friends who served together in Vietnam (Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston and Laurence Fishburne) who come together to help bury one of their sons who just died in Iraq. While some of the drama seems contrived between the military and the veterans, for the most part the script is well-crafted, as you would expect from a wordsmith such as Linklater. And it sure helps to have a powerhouse ensemble like this to deliver the dialog. That being said, the film is not as powerful as you think it would be and really survives only from the chemistry of the actors and not from the story they are delivering. This definitely falls in the liked it, didn’t love it, category. B-
The Square
Rated R for language, some strong sexual content, and brief violence
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%
In Swedish and English with English subtitles
Available on DVD
This well-received Swedish import follows a modern art curator (Claes Bang) who finds himself stuck in compromising and uncomfortable situations as he attempts to bring a new and controversial art exhibit into his museum. Living as a wealthy, out of touch high-society sort, he struggles with trying to understand the less fortunate world around him as he jumps from strange adventure to stranger adventure. The result is a quirky and complex comedy that will most likely have you scratching your head at the rather unforgettable and enjoyable foreign film you just took in. A