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By: Matthew Fox
Tags: Entertainment, Movies, Pop Culture, Movie Review

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Here’s a look at the new movies I saw this week.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Jeremy Shamos, and Michael Potts

Synopsis: This adaptation of the August Wilson play is one of the most anticipated films of the year, and also features Boseman’s last performance. It’s set in 1927, and covers a recording session for powerhouse singer Ma Rainey (Davis) and her band, where tensions flare, stories are shared, and the day ends in tragedy. Davis gives an incredible performance in the lead, but this will be a film remembered for Boseman’s work. And he’s great. He and Davis both get plenty of chances to chew scenery with some powerful dialogue, and both command the screen. The supporting cast, particularly Domingo and Turman, are good as well. Director George C. Wolfe does a nice job bringing the story to life and this is one of the best films of the year.

Rating: R for language, some sexual content and brief violence.

Verdict: Four stars out of four.

Nomadland (VOD)

Starring: Frances McDormand and David Straithairn

Synopsis: Writer/director Chloe Zhao tackles an adaptation of this non-fiction tale about older adults who, in a gig economy, are forced to his the road in a nomadic existence. In 2009, my favorite film was “Up In the Air,” which told the story of a man who yearned to live on the road free of connections, and his day job was helping to layoff thousands as the economy went in the tank. “Nomadland,” set in 2012 and focusing on those who’ve become nomadic because the economy ate their jobs and stable home lives, feels like a natural successor to that film. It, too, is one of the most powerful I’ve seen. Zhao has a beautiful cinematic eye and, like “Up In The Air,” where possible the film uses real people in this situation instead of actors to tell these stories. But the film is also blessed with an incredible lead performance from McDormand, who is the heart and point-of-view on this journey through a year in the life of a woman whose world was turned upside down when the mine in her small Nevada town shuttered and effectively killed the town. This was a powerful story, well told. It is one of the best films of the year, and my favorite scripted story I’ve seen thus far. It’s well worth checking out and appreciating the subtle beauty of the story and the craft.

Rating: R for some full nudity.

Verdict: Four stars out of four.

She Dies Tomorrow (Hulu)

Starring: Kate Lyn Sheil, Jane Adams, Katie Aselton, and Chris Messina

Synopsis: This “thriller” from writer/director Amy Seimetz is about a woman (Sheil) who declares she’s going to die tomorrow. Her telling this truth fills others with a similar existential dread, and soon this feeling of grief, sadness, and imminent death is spreading like wildfire. All of this, essentially, winds up with little to no resolution. But it’s meant to create dread in the audience. For me, the dread came from the idea that the film wouldn’t end. I hated this movie. It will be on my Bottom 5 of the Year list. Some found the idea and performances compelling, but I thought it was an unrelenting slog. This was one of the dumbest premises I’ve seen, and the execution didn’t make me like it any better. This is a horrific misfire.

Rating: R for language, some sexual references, drug use and bloody images.

Verdict: Zero stars out of four.