Golden Voices (2021)
Directed by Evgeny Ruman
Golden Voices may not offer profound insights or earth-shattering revelations, but it has an undeniable warmth and charm that easily resonates on a number of levels. As an immigrant story, an examination of aging and independence, or, perhaps most surprisingly, a sweetly humorous ode to classic American cinema, Golden Voices soars into unexpected territory at nearly every turn. When two married but past-their-prime Russian voice-over actors emigrate to Israel after the collapse of the Soviet Union, they find themselves at a crossroads. Victor (Vladimir Friedman) dreams of re-entering the world of dubbing American films into Russian, while his wife Raya (Maria Belkin) finds, well, let’s just say other opportunities to use her talents. The results are a charming and honest look at the ups and downs of married life and new beginnings that boasts just enough absurdity and defiance to make it well worth a look.
Spencer (2021)
Directed by Pablo Larraín
Pablo Larraín’s Spencer looks good on paper, but never quite pans out in a completely satisfactory way. I was intrigued by the idea of Kristen Stewart stepping into the role of Diana, Princess of Wales, but the material she’s given to work with does the part very little justice. Stewart, as Diana, undeniably walks a finely crafted line between beauty and torment, but the end result paints the fated princess as a troubled and unstable ingrate rather than as someone driven to utter despair by the suffocating and hypocritical traditions of an outdated nobility. It’s a very nice film to look at, that much is certain, and Stewart should be commended for her efforts, but any weight Spencer may have carried is lost somewhere in the shuffle between cheesy dialogue and the unflattering mischaracterization of its subject matter. In short, this story is much better told on a certain streaming television series.
Buck Alamo or (A Phantasmagorical Ballad) (2021)
Directed by Ben Epstein
Despite its choppy editing and scattered technical hang-ups, Ben Epstien’s Buck Alamo is far too charming to dislike. It’s true we’ve seen movies about ornery old cusses with a penchant for country music before (Tender Mercies and Crazy Heart spring to mind), but Buck Alamo adds a slap of hallucinatory psychedelia to the mix that sets it apart from the pack. It’s contemporaries may be better made, but Sonny Carl Davis (as the never-was country singer Eli Cody, aka Buck Alamo) gives both Robert Duvall and Jeff Bridges a run for their money. It may lack polish or panache, but Buck Alamo has a lot of fight in it (not to mention some damned decent songs), making it an interesting addition to a niche genre geared at nostalgic and sentimental music lovers.
James is a writer, skateboarder, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.