^ My screening was far fuller than I'd expected for a bio about silent movie stars to be. They still have their fans evidentally.
Stan & Ollie (2019)
An affectionate look behind the scenes of a final UK theater tour of an aging Laurel and Hardy, as their friendship, audiences and health are all on the wane.
Steve Coogan and
John C. Reilly totally disappear into the roles and have all the mannerisms, comedy timing and vocal intonations of the duo, even before makeup and physical resemblances play their part. Thankfully this isn't one of those "sad clown" biopics that seek to flagellate the subjects with depression, bitterness and a dearth of actual humour, this film is full of fun and joy and the occasional tear.
Colette (2019)
Keira Knightley is usually an above mediocre actor, so it was only the good reviews and award nominations that convinced me to give this biopic of Parisian Belle Époque writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette a go (I'm glad I did). A timely true-life story of fluid gender as Colette begins to explore lesbian relationships with American heiresses and cross-dressing noblewomen, within her marriage to fellow writer
Dominic West. His performance is the standout, bringing real compassion to what could have been an unsympathetic leech in a less nuanced film.
Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018)
Thanks for the tip @"addiesin" , this was a fascinating Documentary about a sculptor of which I knew nothing. I did find the decision to wait until the exact mid-point (to the minute, I checked) to acknowledge "the Elephant in the room" (which was obvious with a modest knowledge of 20th Century art and History) to be a mild irritant. That aside, it's terrific and sort of like
'Jodorowsky's Dune' in that it's about a genius who is too wild, maddening and uncompromising to ever be excepted.