Complicated Relationships

AFTER EVERYTHING (B) - This fascinating little two-handed character study follows a 20-something couple as they meet-cute, bond over his cancer treatment and then struggle to make things work in the aftermath. Jeremy Allen White and Maika Monroe ("It Follows") are dynamic together as realistic millennials Elliot and Mia, who are feeling their way through uncharted territory.

Hannah Marks and Joey Power offer a debut that neatly captures the cadences of conversation, the beats of friendship and the rhythms of relationships. They are blessed with a deep cast. Gina Gershon plays a mom and Marisa Tomei is an oncologist. Sasha Lane ("American Honey") and Olivia Luccardi are precious as Mia's stoner roommates. DeRon Horton is solid as Elliot's neglected buddy.

The plot has a familiar arc to it, but Marks and Power have something unique to say, and this one doesn't necessarily end up in the safe space it could have retreated to.

A TASTE OF HONEY (1961) (B+) - This early dose of postwar realism from Tony Richardson (coming two years after his breakthrough "Look Back in Anger") follows a mother and daughter's travails through working-class Manchester, England. The kitchen-sink drama tackles some tough issues for its time, including interracial relationships and homosexuality. Rita Tushingham stars as Joe, a plain-Jane teen who learns about male-female relationships from her tart of a mom, Helen (Dora O'Brien, daffy) and instantly falls for a sailor, her first relationship.

The sailor goes off, as expected, and his place is taken by Geoffrey (Murray Melvin), one of cinema's original Gay Best Friends. The odd couple live together in a rundown loft. That's where Jo decamped to after her mother abandoned her in favor of a marriage proposal from a club loser (Robert Stephens, delightfully crude). Richardson -- coming off "Look Back in Anger" and headed toward "Tom Jones" -- luxuriates in the harsh urban landscape in moody black-and-white. Nothing here is easy for the characters, but it's easy to bond with them in this brutal slice of life.
 

Reconciling History

BISBEE '17 (A-minus) - Director Robert Greene has a flair for the avant garde, but his output has been hit ("Actress") and miss ("Kate Plays Christine"). Here his quirky style of storytelling pays off as he explores Bisbee, Arizona's, centennial celebration of -- and reconciliation with -- the union-busting campaign at the local mines in 1917.

Colorful local characters populate the story as they plan for the re-enactment of the labor dispute that pitted brother against brother and resulted in the expulsion of strikers by train across the New Mexico border and into exile. Greene takes dramatic liberties with the re-enactors, creating a dream-like quality at times, particularly during a surreal trip through the mines. The filmmaker has always had an eye for compelling actors, and here he alights on Fernando Serrano, a visually arresting young man portraying one of the striking miners. One extended tracking shot of Serrano walking through the streets and into a theater while gradually transforming into his character is worth the price of admission in this captivating historical document.

THE OTHER SIDE OF EVERYTHING (A) - This mesmerizing tone poem uses one family's story since World War II to catalogue the political history of Serbia and Yugoslavia through the decades. Director Mila Turajlic profiles her mother, activist Srbijanka Turajlic, cataloging the postwar years under Tito's communist Yugoslavia and later the Serbian nationalist movement, led by Slobodan Milosevic, which led to the breakup of the nation in the early 1990s.

Srbijanka, an academic, was on the front lines during the 1990s protesting the government (before briefly joining as education minister in the early aughts). The narrative device here, though, is the house that Srbijanka grew up in and raised Mila in. It was divided up after the war, as the Communists sought to redistribute wealth and create equal housing. The family was sealed off in one half while another family moved in on the other side of that sealed door. Through gorgeous cinematography (her own), Mila Turajlic elegantly dramatizes the political, psychological and emotional effects of that deprivation. And her examination of Milosevic's nationalist movement raises undeniable parallels to that movement's global creep in the present day. Even if you did not follow the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, you should appreciate this deeply moving history lesson.

HAL (B) - Maybe this is for fans only, but this is a loving portrait of an outsider whose films were so powerful that they broke through into Hollywood honors and mainstream acceptance. One of the joys of the documentary is the methodical march through the impressive string of great films directed by Hal Ashby at the forefront of the American New Wave in the 1970s, including "Harold & Maude," "Being There," and "Shampoo."

Amy Scott, an editor making her directing debut, keeps the format simple, pacing methodically through Ashby's '70s oeuvre. She employs a deep bench of insightful talking heads, including Jeff and Beau Bridges ("The Landlord"), Jane Fonda ("Coming Home"), and Cat Stevens, whose career took off, along with Ashby's, after they teamed up on "Harold & Maude." Ashby's early days as a film editor -- in particular his collaborations with Norman Jewison ("In the Heat of the Night," 1967, e.g.) -- and as a classic stoner are passionately covered. The downfall of his career and his premature death get glanced over somewhat, but Ashby was a colorful character, and this retrospective should deepen anyone's appreciation for his amazing run as a filmmaker.
 

Players

THE BLACK GODFATHER (B-minus) - This portrait of Clarence Avant -- a major connector in the music scene of the 1960s, '70s and '80s -- suffers from the classic ailments of hagiography. No one has an unkind word to say about the man who is now in his 80s and still a spitfire. Avant was a fierce advocate for not only black performers but also those who sought to break into the lily-white executive offices of the day.

Avant, in present-day interviews, is quite engaging, but you get the sense that he's pulling his punches while telling tales from the glory days. As an educational documentary (I had never heard of him), this is a winning overview of a man and a movement. His influence was felt from Bill Withers to Quincy Jones, through to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (and their transformation of Janet Jackson in the '80s). Countless talking heads pay homage, and their admiration and devotion is unshakeable.

Avant worked tirelessly, mostly behind the scenes, to push for inclusion and integration, inspiring generations of performers, producers and A&R people. At a full two hours, though, this documentary sags under all of the gushing. But there is no denying that Avant's story was overdue for a thorough vetting before a wider audience.

GENERATION WEALTH (C+) - In 2012, Lauren Greenfield dove into the world of excess in 2012 with a fascinating study of wealth,"The Queen of Versailles," and now she has done off the deep end with a well intentioned but completely scattershot attempted takedown of our Kardashian Kulture. At times insightful, at other times exploitive, Greenfield also gradually gets snagged by self-indulgence, somehow thinking her own life (and her relationship with her mother) are more than mildly interesting. Granted, she went to an elite Southern California school, and as a photographer she chronicled her pampered classmates in a successful book, bringing some of them back here to report on their hits and misses either striving as captains of industry or avoiding the fray with ordinary lives.

But Greenfield also can't help veering into sidebar issues, and you wonder if anyone thought to remind her of a main thesis, whatever that originally was. Too often we have to sit through Greenfield's parents justifying their own actions or psychoanalyzing their daughter. Greenfield is perpetually thumbing through her collection of photographs. And about halfway through, her critique of capitalism segues into an extended treatise about body dysmorphia, a nod to her first film, "Thin." There is much to like in this jumble, but in the end, there's too much Greenfield and not enough America in this polemic.
 

Masked and Eponymous

ROLLING THUNDER: A BOB DYLAN FILM BY MARTIN SCORSESE (C+) - I can't give a passing grade to a fogeyish prank. This excavation of footage from Bob Dylan's monumental tour of 1975-76 through the northeast portion of post-Watergate America doesn't need embellishment. In fact, it needs as much footage as possible from Dylan and his troupe of merry pranksters during, arguably, the height of Dylan's powers and sensibilities.

Instead, Dylan and Martin Scorsese clutter the 143-minute excursion with faux footage and silly made-up stories. The goofs, listed and analyzed well by Variety, are embarrassing and pointless. Needless distractions. And that's a shame, because some of the footage, on stage and off, can be riveting. Scorsese, to his credit, gives us a few full songs, including the epic "Isis." Dylan seems possessed when onstage, his eyes burning with a punk-era conviction.

But the flab here cannot be ignored. As a curator, Scorsese is guilty of cinematic malpractice. Dylan, who has been pranking us all ever since he left Minnesota and Robert Zimmerman behind nearly 60 years ago, oversees the fakery sans a wink or wit. By the midpoint, you can't tell what is true and what is not, and you probably won't care. Dylan, however, doesn't mind being slathered with praise by his cohorts, whether it was back then or in bland talking-head interviews. Check it out for the music, because it is in those moments that Dylan and his bandmates -- including the indelible violin sounds of Scarlet Rivera -- live up to the hype.

BOB DYLAN: ROADS RAPIDLY CHANGING (B-minus) - This serviceable documentary chronicle's Dylan's folk days, right up until he plugged in and let loose with "Bringing It All Back Home" in 1965. We're spared footage of Pete Seeger threatening to take a hatchet to Dylan's electrified sound at the Newport Folk Festival, in favor of some heartfelt stories from Dylan's contemporaries in the pre-Beatles New York folk scene.

One talking head, a true Dylanologist, makes the point that I've made for decades -- Dylan could very well be last century's Shakespeare. It's hard to believe that his fevered run of six albums from 1963 to '66, through "Blonde on Blonde," can ever be matched.

"Rolling Thunder" is a Netflix original, and "Roads" is streaming on Amazon Prime.
  

New to the Queue

Everything after this is gravy ...

A documentary revisits an experimental crossing of the Atlantic by a group in 1973, "The Raft."

A friendly documentary chronicles the life of music executive Clarence Avant in "The Black Godfather."

A debut feature considers the struggles of surviving gentrification in a big city, "The Last Black Man in San Francisco."

An old standby, Danny Boyle, imagines what culture would have been like had there been no Beatles, in "Yesterday."
  

Party Animals

BOOKSMART (B+) - This is a surprisingly sweet take on the end-of-high-school bacchanalian teen comedy. It's more John Hughes than Judd Apatow, thankfully, without that mothball smell of nostalgia. Kaitlyn Dever ("Short Term 12") and Beanie Feldstein carry this off effortlessly as two nerdy A+ students who realize on the day before graduation that the party kids got into the same elite schools that they did, and so the gals are determined to cram all their high school high-jinks into one debaucherous night.

The chemistry between the two leads is just right, and they are surrounded by Hughesian archetypes brought to life by a strong supporting cast. Olivia Wilde, in her feature debut as director, keeps the energy high. Dever's Amy is particularly well carved-out as the young woman who boldly came out as a lesbian midway through high school but -- in grand movie-geek fashion -- hasn't been able to get laid. The bond that develops between her and Feldstein's Molly can be quite poignant by the end.

ROCKETMAN (B) - Taron Egerton goes all-in as Elton John in this fantastical and charming biopic, which slots nicely in the treacly "A Star Is Born" slot for 2019. Egerton embodies the heart and soul of the former unhappy, chubby boy who blossomed into the most exciting pop star of the 1970s.

You have to buy in to both the gimmick and the stretching of the truth in various places, but if you let go, you will be rewarded with a heartwarming story and the sheer joy of music- and movie-making. The presentation of songs is way out of order in spots ("Crocodile Rock" in 1970?), but poetic license is granted by John himself as executive producer, one who doesn't mind exposing his personality faults for the world to see.

Egerton and Jamie Bell, as lyricist Bernie Taupin, interact beautifully, and while their meet-cute and apparent mind-melding as songwriting partners come off quite corny, there is no denying the zing of their collaborations. And the choice to have the actors sing the songs, rather than lip-sync the originals, is a wise one. The songs feel like demos, and the scruffy vibe avoids the pitfall of having John's indelible tones taking us out of the story. (Except for the obvious closing tune of redemption.)

The framing device of John impetuously landing, in costume, at a rehab group session bears fruit narratively. This is the kind of movie where a grown man gives his child self the hug that daddy never gave him; if you can't let yourself wallow in such blatant cheese, then too bad for you.

Neo Noir

AURORA (2011) (C+) - Another entry in our occasional series known as Fast Forward Theater, this Romanian touchstone is a serious challenge at three hours, chronicling the humdrum hours before and after a divorced man goes on a killing spree. Director Cristi Puiu follows up "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu," a droll but profoundly effective analysis of the state health system, with this character study. Puiu takes the lead role, showing little emotion but somehow conveying intense menace while, of all things, watching a woman peel potatoes.

Very little happens, thus the effectiveness of fast-forwarding through much of this mopiness. Cinephiles might be drawn to the shooting style, which favors cramped spaces and drawn-out scenes. But this truly is for die-hard fans of the Romanian New Wave only.

ANGEL FACE (1953) (B) - Good ol' Robert Mitchum burns up the screen as an ambulance driver lured into the drama of a rich family, in particular the sultry heiress (Jean Simmons) trying to lure him away from his steady gal (Mona Freeman). But Frank Jessup can't be tied down to just one woman. Mitchum smolders as the family's driver who plays all the angles.

A murder leads to a police investigation and then a trial. Can Frank keep his cool and avoid the femme fatale's trap? Stay tuned until the final shocking scene.

Spotted: Jim Backus (Thurston Howell III from "Gilligan's Island") as the scrappy district attorney.