Welcome back to Flick Picks, your twice-monthly movie fix. From a true-crime oddity to a nostalgic throwback, this week’s lineup serves up a mix of fresh releases, streaming gems and one delicious fall treat.
Now playing
“Roofman,” starring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst, opens with a title card that declares, “This is a true story.” Not “Based on a true story” or “Inspired by a true story,” but “This IS a true story.”
And a Google search confirms it. “Roofman” does, in fact, follow the real-life exploits of Jeffrey Manchester, a divorced U.S. Army veteran who earned his nickname by dropping through McDonald’s rooftops to rob them. After being caught and imprisoned, he escaped and took up residence in a Toys R Us, where he hid for six months. While there, he met and fell in love with an employee named Leigh.
No, really – you can look it up. But fair warning: doing so will spoil the ending.
Most mainstream films based on true events sand down the rough edges or rewrite the ending to make it happy. “Roofman” doesn’t. Even the shady character who supplies Jeffrey with fake documents is based on someone Manchester claimed existed. And the ending? It plays out almost as it did in life. The only wholly fictional element is the Toys R Us boss, played by Peter Dinklage.
So why is “Roofman” being marketed as a comedy crime caper? Probably because the studio wants to put butts in seats. I understand, but that label doesn’t do the film justice. It’s more of an introspective look at how our choices in life can deprive us of the very things we desire.
Even though “Roofman” isn’t a laugh riot, and a steady current of tragedy runs beneath its sweet romance, it still entertains. Tatum brings his usual easy charm to a man who, by many accounts, was polite and even friendly during his robberies, yet still committed crimes that could keep him behind bars for good.
Tatum and Dunst play off each other with an easy chemistry. And Dinklage is terrific – the manifestation of the petty, overbearing retail manager. Plus, there are moments of genuine humor that made me laugh out loud.
While I enjoyed those scenes, “Roofman” is worth seeing not because it ends on a cheerful note but because it ends the way it should.
New on streaming
“The Woman in Cabin 10” marks Keira Knightley’s return to the screen – albeit the small one – in this Netflix thriller. The title alone promises intrigue, if not outright murder, and the film delivers on that front. Unfortunately, a predictable script turns what should be a gripping mystery into more of a wait-for-the-ending exercise.
Knightley plays Laura, a reporter assigned to write a fluff piece about a group of billionaires launching a cancer treatment foundation in honor of Anne, the terminally ill wife of one of their own. Laura is still reeling from a traumatic incident in which a source was killed during one of her investigations, leaving her sanity in question.
So when she sees what appears to be a body hurled overboard from a yacht in the dead of night – and everyone is somehow accounted for – Laura snaps, insisting, “I’m not crazy!” But no one believes her, forcing her to rely on her investigative instincts to unravel the mystery herself.
What works: First and foremost, Knightley. Even in middling material, she’s magnetic. Here, she infuses Laura with just enough brittle intensity to keep viewers guessing: Could she be hallucinating, or is there really something sinister going on? Her mix of vulnerability and resolve anchors the film.
Also, the climactic sequence, filmed in Glen Affric, Scotland, is visually stunning. Its haunting, picturesque landscapes look spectacular in 4K.
What doesn’t work: If I can piece together the mystery long before the characters do, it’s not much of a mystery. That said, the yacht’s isolated setting sustains a decent level of suspense, and the stakes for Laura’s survival feel real – even if the film veers into silliness once the truth comes out.
“The Woman in Cabin 10” might not break new ground, but if you’re scrolling through Netflix in search of a sleek, pulpy thriller for a Friday night, Knightley’s performance and the atmospheric setting should fit the bill.
From the vault
I tried to start the original “Tron” the other night but was unable to look past its many warts. So, I surrendered the remote to my wife, Terri, who queued up another dated classic: “Sixteen Candles.” What followed was less a movie night and more a time machine – one that took her straight back to being 15 in 1984.
“This is the quintessential John Hughes teenage movie,” she said.
She wasn’t wrong. “Sixteen Candles” is every ‘80s cliché crammed into one two-hour package – pastel wardrobes, high-school cliques, dorky boys and that aching teenage yearning to be older, cooler and noticed. For Terri, it captured everything about being a sophomore: the awkwardness, the crushes on older guys, the strict parents and the longing for independence.
“I was in love with Molly Ringwald’s character,” she said. “She was me.”
Watching it now, my wife laughed at Anthony Michael Hall’s geek – because she actually knew that guy.
“John McGee, sat right behind me in homeroom. He was a total dork who was always trying to think of something funny to say.”
The film’s caricatures, from the nerds to the fashionable seniors, still ring true, but the nostalgia hit hardest in the details – the flipped collars, the floaty skirts and the button-down shirts.
“I wore those every day,” my wife said. “The wardrobe really took me back.”
What didn’t land? The scoliosis gag.
“We had a girl like that in school,” she remembered. “She was so nice, but people were cruel. That part was hard to watch.”
Still, my wife loved the ending – the church steps, the red car, the birthday cake between Jake and Samantha.
“Every woman in her 40s or 50s remembers that scene,” she said. “It’s the teenage girl’s dream: to get the guy and have him waiting for you.”
Her verdict: “Sixteen Candles” deserves its spot in the Gen X hall of fame.
“People our age should rewatch it,” she said, “and younger people should see it to understand what we went through.”
Is it dated? Absolutely. But that’s part of its charm – like a yearbook photo that still makes you smile, even if the hair was terrible.
Streamed on Amazon Prime Video
Rolling out the snacks
For a semi-healthy movie treat, mix one box of spice cake mix with a 15-ounce can of pure pumpkin until smooth and thick – no eggs, oil or butter needed. Spread the batter into a greased 9x9-inch pan and bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes. The result is a moist, fragrant pumpkin spice cake that had me battling the urge for a second helping. For a little extra indulgence, top it with a swirl of whipped cream.