The New Hampshire Film Festival is screening all kinds of really great movies we’re looking forward to seeing and talking about.
Manglehorn: starring Al Pacino as the titular character, an eccentric 
small-town locksmith heartbroken by the woman he loved and lost many years ago. Now he’s only got his cat for companionship but a kind-hearted bank teller (Holly Hunter) might just thaw his crusty little heart. This one’s brought to us by director David Gordon Green, a man with a resume so varied it features Our Brand is Crisis and Pineapple Express – for real. Pacino’s career has taken some interesting turns of late (yes, that’s a euphemism) but I was kind of into Danny Collins, and I like him embracing these older, washed-up, gritty kinds of characters, so who knows – maybe there’s hope.
The Wolfpack: this documentary’s about 6 brothers who were 
raised in total isolation in the middle of Manhattan. Their parents are eccentric, let’s say. So these boys have seen very little of the world outside their home, and have compensated by falling in love with the movies. They recreate entire scripts with realistic costumes and a lot of heart. The film doesn’t offer a lot of commentary but is fascinating all the same.
Anomalisa: Sean and I were lucky enough to see this one at TIFF last month but we’d completely be up for seeing it again because it’s a 
beautiful film, and one of Charlie Kaufman’s best – and I believe that’s saying a lot. He and co-director Duke Johnson use stop-motion animation to breathe life into a quirky, smart script full of dark humour. I can’t wait for this to hit wide-release so we can all chat about it, but I’m telling you, if you have love for movies that think outside the box, you need to keep your eyes peeled for this gem.
The Stanford Prison Experiment: we were just discussing this one a couple of weeks ago (in fact, I’m still sporting the same cold that 
caused me to dump an entire bottle of Nyquil into my purse during this movie, and my phone has still not completely recovered), so let me refresh your memory. Billy Crudup plays the real-life Stanford professor who recklessly recruited students to re-create a prison. He pitted the young men against each other – prisoners vs. guards and the situation got mental in less than 24 hours. It’s still a black mark on psychology research and an important lesson in personality vs environment. This one’s really well-acted and faithfully recreated.
ASSHOLES WATCHING MOVIES 
I’m intrigued about the Al Pacino movie and for sure Anomalisa. Thank you, Jay! 🙂
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I’d like to see The Wolfpack, but I’m not sure I can stomach it. My blood pressure might rise too much out of horror for these kids and fury for their father.
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Wolf Pack looks interesting. I wonder if it is based on any real life situation? And I’m really interested to see the Stanford prison experiment, since I’ve talked about it in my classes.
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I’m waiting for Anomalisa more than the rest. Not my kind of thing usually but you made it sound so good in the TFF review.
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The trait of a good actor is self-awareness and Al Pacino has got it. I think I will enjoy viewing Manglehorn.
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Loved The Wolfpack, never heard of Anomalisa but you have got me interested in looking it up. Manglehorn is something I’ve read a bit about, I wonder if its on VOD or streaming somewhere.
I have never seen The Stanford Prison Experiment. I had totally forgot about that whole thing until reading this, now I can recall learning about this in high school. I definitely need to watch this
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That documentary on the brothers looks fascinating – though I am a sucker for documentaries, so I might have just heard the magic word.
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These all sound great. I can’t wait til they come to my neck of the woods.
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Really interested in Manglehorn and The Stamford Prison Project especially. Hadn’t really heard or read much about Anomalisa, but I am intrigued …
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Ohh ill be watching for the Al Pacino movie for sure!! I’m not s fan of any type of cartoon, I don’t care whatcha call it;)) it’s all cartoons to me. And the experiment isn’t my cups either, thanks for the heads up on these Jay. Hope your feeling better 😷
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Anomalisa and Manglehorn both sound good.
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The Stanford Prison Experiment is in a class all its only. Thought the professor was a fool. Hard to believe that came out of Palo Alto.
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Yes, I was so mad at him too!
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Yes, it didn’t suggest that his well rounded education was helpful in making insightful decisions.
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The Wolfpack sounds very interesting. I’ll be keeping an eye out for that one.
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Do, it’s weird but worth the watch!
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