The Washington Post - 27.03.2020

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EZ

THE WASHINGTON POST

.

FRIDAy, MARCH 27, 2020

Movies

ALLYSON RIGGS/NETFLIX

Elijah Wood and Melanie Lynskey in “I don't Feel at Home in This World anymore,” which might sound pretentious, but the wackadoodle mystery is anything but.

10 cinematic gems hidden in plain sight

BY ANN HORNADAY

T

here aren’t many upsides

to the closures, cancella-

tions and postponements

that have brought our

common pop-cultural life to a

standstill. But one might be the

discovery that there are wonder-

ful movies streaming online,

some of them hiding in plain

sight for years. Better still, more

and more titles are becoming

available through local theaters,

who are finding economic life-

lines through “virtual ticket”

sales. When possible, please ac-

quire your digital links through

the websites of your neighbor-

hood art houses; when we can

finally get back into theaters, we

want to make sure they’re still

standing.

Phoenix, oregon

R, 108 minutes

James Le G ros plays a thwarted

graphic artist battling a crippling

midlife crisis in this modest but

good-hearted 2019 comedy. sure,

we’ve seen the grumpy, shlumpy

archetype before, but Le Gros

gives his character deadpan ap-

peal, and his scenes with a possi-

ble love interest, played by Lisa

edelstein, sizzle with humor and

mutual attraction.

Available at phoenixoregon-

movie.com. Visitors can desig-

nate a local or regional theater of

their choice to share in the $6.50

ticket price.

Saint Frances

Unrated, 106 minutes

This charming coming-of-age

comedy opened just before coro-

navirus concerns shuttered the-

aters; thankfully, the Washington

area’s Avalon and Cinema Arts

theaters, as well as venues

throughout the country, are mak-

ing it available for home viewing.

star and co-writer Kelly o’sulli-

van plays a lost soul in her mid-

30s, who snags a nannying gig

over the summer and gleans un-

expected life lessons from her

6-year-old charge, played with

electrifying assurance by Ramo-

na edith-Williams.

Available at theavalon.org and

cinemaartstheatre.com.

Jim & andy: The Great

Beyond

TV-MA, 94 minutes

In 1999, the comedian Jim

Carrey played Andy Kaufman in

the Milos Forman biopic “Man

on the Moon,” a notoriously

troubled production. In this

strange and beautiful 2017 d ocu-

mentary, Carrey peels back the

veil on what happened on the

shoot, during which the practice

of staying in character took on

increasingly bizarre and eerie

dimensions of channeling Kauf-

man and his antisocial alter ego,

To ny Clifton. Weird, confession-

al and ultimately deeply moving,

this chronicle transcends great

Hollywood backstage dish to be-

come a poignant meditation on

fame, creativity and the fine line

between madness and spiritual

inspiration.

Available on Netflix.

Lemon

Unrated, 83 minutes

If you haven’t h eard of Janicza

Bravo, you will: Her new film

“Zola,” due out later this year,

was one of the buzziest titles at

sundance. “Lemon” w as her 20 17

directorial debut, a Hollywood

satire co-written by Brett

Gelman that is every bit as tart

and sometimes off-putting as its

title suggests. Gelman plays an

acting teacher beset by problems

in art, love, career and every

other life category you can men-

tion. Reminiscent of “Barry,”

“Curb Your enthusiasm” and

other jaundiced views of L.A. l ife

at its most invidious and self-de-

feating, “Lemon” isn’t always

pretty, but it’s consistently bold

and uncompromising in its styl-

ized aesthetic and adamantly

mannered delivery.

Various platforms.

I don’t Feel at Home in This

World anymore

TV-MA, 93 minutes

The title might sound preten-

tious, but this wackadoodle 20 17

mystery is anything but. Melanie

Lynskey and elijah Wood star as

two unlikely sleuths who embark

on a shaggier and shaggier shag-

gy-dog journey to recover her

character’s stolen family silver;

along the way, t hey confront all of

the selfishness and social ills that

are making America increasingly

unlivable. Written and directed

by Macon Blair (“Blue Ruin”), this

gonzo bagatelle indulges in the

kind of bloody mayhem he and

frequent collaborator Jeremy

saulnier are known for; but also

the same share of sincerity, and

spot-on satirical zing.

Available on Netflix.

The Confirmation

PG-13, 101 minutes

Clive owen delivers a wonder-

fully understated performance as

a forlorn divorced dad in this

lovely film, the 2016 directorial

see Hornaday on 14

Need some new movies?

Stream these films while

theaters are closed.