Movie Diary 5/27/2024

The Man Who Wasn’t There (Joel Coen, 2001). The Coens do a slowed-down noir, with remarkable minimalism from Billy Bob Thornton and an undervalued performance by Frances McDormand. As with its protagonist, there’s something unknowable about the movie, but it’s got something to do with WWII and the aftermath.

Unfrosted (Jerry Seinfeld, 2024). Afternoon viewing. Some of the jokes land, it must be said, for its target first-TV-generation audience. Everything looks over-exposed, but hey, it’s Netflix. Put it this way: all of it is pitched at the precise goofy tone of Seinfeld’s sitcom acting.