Features at Length

My movie-viewing has slowed down in recent weeks, but I’ve caught a few worth mentioning. F1: The Movie (2025) was pretty much what I expected, an enjoyable but unmemorable Brad Pitt vehicle with a predictable arc. I find myself inexplicably drawn to Formula 1 movies, even though I’m as un-petrolhead as they come. It had the edge over Cowboys & Aliens, a 2011 movie with the star-power of Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford but without as much verve as its concept needed. In some ways it was director Jon Favreau working out the SF/Western mashup vibes of The Mandalorian years before he created it, so it was interesting to see for that. Still in the vein of cars, though not as much as its title suggested, was Gran Torino, a Clint Eastwood film which didn’t always go where I expected. It’s one of the best depictions of a grumpy old man in cinema, and for an American drama from 2008 felt surprisingly current; given the state of American politics in the 2020s, those points are surely connected.…