The World To Come (2020) - this is a gorgeous period piece set in the 1850’s, in upstate New York, about two married women who develop a friendship that blossoms into something deeper. Shot in 16mm in Romania. Excellent directing, writing, and acting, as well as stunning cinematography, pack a powerful emotional wallop. Casey Affleck was a producer, and has a large acting role in the movie as the main character’s decent, but dispirited husband.
It is a classic - and very innovative for its time. They put a lot of Sellars’ ad libs into the film. They also delayed the release of the film from Dec. 1963 to Jan. 1964, due to the assassination of president Kennedy, and they changed one line of the film. When Slim Pickens is going through the contents of the escape kits, the soundtrack has him saying, “Shoot, a fella’ could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.” If you look closely at Pickens saying that line, though, you can see him mouth what was in the script, which was “Shoot, a fella’ could have a pretty good weekend in Dallas with all that stuff.”
Kajillionaire (2020) - Evan Rachel Wood and Gina Rodriguez are both brilliant in this quirky, darkly humorous tale about a young woman (Wood, as “Old Dolio”) who works as a grifter and thief with her parents, played by the amazingly-versatile Richard Jenkins and an unrecognizable Debra Winger. When the trio of criminals meets another young woman (Rodriguez) and agree to involve her in their schemes, Old Dolio learns to look at her parents, her life and the world differently. You won’t always know where this movie is going, which is a part of its charm, and the ending is great. Jenkins and Winger are also amazing to watch in two roles that will go unappreciated by many, due to the repellent and bizarre nature of their characters. Seeing this movie made me interested in seeing the other movies by Miranda July, who directed and wrote the screenplay.
When the aging Meyer Lansky is investigated one last time by the Feds who suspect he has stashed away millions of dollars over half a century, the retired gangster spins a dizzying tale, revealing the untold truth about his life as the notorious boss of Murder Inc. and the National Crime Syndicate.