Director Patty Jenkins’s “Wonder Woman,” which I saw in theaters, is one of those weirdly great movies—it’s not particularly artful but it nevertheless qualifies as a huge triumph. It has a scantly conceived plot, is rife with overdetermined exposition and fails to distinguish itself from the CG-heavy plasticity of Marvel movies. And yet, somehow it manages to be thrilling more than occasionally and suppressing your instinct to cheer for it as you watch it is nearly impossible. A lot of that is owed to the amazing Gal Gadot in the title role; she understands keenly the delicate balance of fierceness, earnestness and humor that is required of her. That woman is a star and more than anything, it’s Gadot’s performance that elevates this beyond the realm of schlock—and there are plenty of schlocky parts, to be sure.
I also saw “Cars 3”—a basically unnecessary new installment in a franchise that is not a favorite of serious Pixar fans. But you know what? It was totally enjoyable and a reminder that kids movies can be for kids—even mainly for kids. I liked it.
Here are all seventeen movies I watched in June:
- “Crime in the Streets” The adventures of young Cassavetes.
- “Mifune: The Last Samurai”
- “Primer” Impressive.
- “Dressed to Kill” Time is not on DePalma’s side.
- “Drunken Angel”
- “Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King”
- “Wonder Woman”
- “The Matrix” There’s very little about this movie that doesn’t hold up.
- “Cars 3”
- “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” Still liked it.
- “Dial 1119”
- “Macbeth” I’d heard some mediocre reviews but I thought this was fantastic.
- “Scandal”
- “Train to Busan” Superb zombie fare.
- “The Brady Bunch Movie” I blame The Next Picture Show.
- “Mrs. Miniver” Amazing piece of wartime melodrama.
- “A Very Brady Sequel”
If you’re interested, here is what I watched in May, in April, in March, in February and in January, as well as my full list of everything I watched in 2016. You can also follow along with my film diary over at letterboxd.com.
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