The Woman in the Window (2021)

 

An agoraphobic woman living alone in New York begins spying on her new neighbors, only to witness a disturbing act of violence. 

Despite all its credentials this well-produced thriller is thoroughly derivative and piles up so many plot options so that any possible twist ending would only disappoint.

French Water (2021)

 

Fashion Ad About the Superiority of French Water. 

Star-cast, stylish, fashionable short ad for, of all things, water from France; for Jarmusch completists only. 

The Big Lebowski (1998)

 

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

Easy-going (like its titular character), serendipitous drama, full of black humor and numerous memorable sequences and with a colorful ensemble of eccentric characters is thoroughly entertaining; an instant cult classic.

Halliwell**: "A meandering thriller that provides a great deal of incidental pleasures on a journey to nowhere in particular."

Maltin**1/2: "One big shaggy-dog joke, courtesy of the Coen brothers...Mostly an excuse for off-the-wall character vignettes, some of which are amusing, some of which are just...strange. Minor Coen concoction with a most agreeable cast. Turturro is a standout as Jesus the bowler, but Bridges' Dave the Dude has become a pop culture icon." 

Chloe (2009)

 

 

Suspecting her husband of infidelity, gynecologist Dr. Catherine Stewart hires an escort named Chloe in order to test his faithfulness. Soon, the relationships between all three intensify. 

Disappointing remake of the French movie Nathalie...accentuates the exploitative elements of the tale, and the result is some kind of a threesome love drama - and this despite made by a famed director and a star cast.

Maltin**: "...sexually provocative - with plenty of female nudity - but winds up being downright silly."

 

The Staggering Girl (2019)

 

 

Francesca, an Italian-American writer who lives in New York and must return to Rome to retrieve her aging mother. 

 

Sumptuous art house short with lots of Valentino Haute Couture to admire actually utilizes its stellar cast to tell a compelling woman's story.

Still Alice (2014)

A linguistics professor and her family find their bonds tested when she is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.

Good, but not very thorough look at the descent into Alzheimer's and its impact; great vehicle to showcase Julianne Moore's talent, together with a capable supporting cast.

Psycho (1998)

A young female embezzler arrives at the Bates Motel, which has terrible secrets of its own.

Curious experiment - copying a cinema classic shot-by-shot (with an occasional minimal aberration) and offering a star cast and some magnificent color cinematography - never achieves, in any aspect,  the mastery of the original - which in itself is an interesting result.

Halliwell (no star): "A genuine curiosity, though, unfortunately, not a very interesting one: a remake of Hitchcock's thriller that hardly deviates from the original, except that it is in colour, the acting is inferior, and the content is a little tired."

Maltin BOMB: "Slow, stilted, completely pointless scene-for-scene remake...(with a few awkward new touches to taint its claim as an exact replica). The result is an insult, rather than a tribute, to a landmark film."