Bagdhad Cafe (1987). A quirky slice-of-life comedy about a German woman who becomes stranded in the desert at a small, rundown cafe/gas station/hotel. Her Teutonic practicality and refusal to leave shakes the place up and from there, everything you’d expect to happen, does. It’s all very warm and lovable.
Pi (1998). Interesting, unpleasant, and visually striking film about a disturbed genius (madman?) who seeks the mathematical formula governing all life using a homemade supercomputer, which is really a symbol for his brain. He likes to take a drill to the thing a lot. Take that as a warning.
To be honest, a lot of the film consists of this shot.
The 13th Warrior (1999). Starts out quite wonderfully as a mashup of exotic medieval Arabian travelogue meets Viking folklore by way of explaining the origin of the Beowulf legend. However, as it goes on, it becomes something of a joyless slog, with a lot of overlong battles and punctuated by scenes of manly men staring into the distance uttering ponderous dialogue. Disappointing.
Song Sung Blue (2025). This the winner for the month. What a wonderful movie this is! It’s a heartfelt ode to the joy of creativity, family, and love conquering all and empowering greatness, even if it is on the fair/casino circuit. Sensational performances from Hugh Jackman (he’s the heart of the thing) and Kate Hudson, a fine supporting cast, and featuring some terrific performances of Neil Diamond’s stellar catalogue. I loved every minute of it.