‘Nyad’, ‘Sly’, ‘The Burial’ movie reviews: Inspiration defines fall movie collection

A little Stallone, with some Foxxy Jones and a good, long swim is on your movie table.

While the business of making movies can be morose and full of betrayal (check out that ongoing strike), that feeling should never enter a viewer’s experience. They should leave entertained, smarter, or inspired. One of the three is great; three at once can be the rarest of cinema sightings. But at the very least, inspiring me in a harsh, real world can be good enough. Three new movies offer a form of inspiration, all drawing from true (enough) stories.

Nyad, starring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, tells the remarkable true tale of Diana Nyad, a professional swimmer who made several attempts to complete the 100 mile-plus trek from the coasts of Cuba to the shores of Florida without stopping. Bening imbues the relentlessly dedicated Diana with a confidence forged with oak. This woman got stung by jellyfish so much that the anti-venom was beginning to work against her system--but she kept going.

Foster plays Diana’s (overly?) loyal coach, Bonnie Stoll, the one who feeds her gel packs and can count her breast strokes simply by hearing the flaps from the water splashes. Rhys Ifans, a wonderful character actor, gets a bigger piece of pie to work with here, instilling the boat captain who oversaw Nyad’s trips with a charming blend of cynicism and care. He’s the one who tells Bonnie she cares too much and Diana that she pushes too hard, but is still there setting sail with them.

These movies are like bread and butter to high caliber actors like Bening and Foster, and the final ten minutes of the film should really slice all the onions in the house. If done right, the audience feels like they’re in the water too. Nyad was done very right. Co-directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi crafted a rousing movie that connects, and knows how to make a real finish. It’s streaming on Netflix.

Sly is also streaming on Netflix, offering lifelong fans of Sylvester Stallone a vivid look at the actor’s incredible story of resilience. It also gives his detractors and critics a solid peek under the hood, detailing his troubling relationship with his father and the odd backlash that came after the Rocky injection of superstardom.

After all, Stallone’s story is carefully linked with Rocky Balboa forever. They’re one and the same, a factory of “you can do it” electricity. He was the million-to-one-shot, deemed uncastable before the game-changing pugilist film, sleeping in his car with a giant dog waiting for the next audition. He was the guy who refused to let the studio cast Ryan O’Neal or Burt Reynolds in the lead role, changing his fortunes forever.

As one friend says, if there wasn’t a path forward, Stallone would create and run it himself. The documentary starts out with the actor packing up his gorgeous $85 million home, reminiscing with the directors about his big breaks by replaying a cassette tape from an early New York Times interview. Stallone takes viewers through some of his most famous scenes and the highlights/low points of his career, adding his trademark charm and storytelling ability.

The unexpected virtue is the revealing nature of Sly, as in how much we get to know him personally, then and now. While I wish the 96-minute runtime was beefed up with more details about under-appreciated films like Cliffhanger and Cobra, I respected the revealing nature of the interviews and how emotional Stallone gets. If you’re a loyal follower of Sly, the movie should work very well. It plays the hits and pulls you in close to the subject, and the interview list is impressive.

Henry Winkler’s imitation of Stallone is impressive in its own right.

The Burial is streaming on Amazon Prime, presenting the bigtime talents of Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones inside the courtroom drama aesthetic. They play the flashy injury lawyer and funeral home owner, respectively, whose paths cross with a huge case. Jones’ Jeremiah invites the chance to sell a few of his funeral homes to a corporate behemoth (led by the great Bill Camp), and quickly finds that they mean no good to his livelihood. Foxx’s unconventional lawyer attempts to restore the man’s money and reputation while putting his own abilities in the spotlight.

Each actor gives solid performances. It’s nice to see Jones back in the ring, trading swings with top level co-stars. Foxx is terrific, reminding viewers that he can do the action and comedy roles in his sleep, but it’s the drama that always holds his most power as an actor. Willie E. Gary, who has a small cameo in the film, required a live wire personality to fill his shoes on screen. Foxx did that and then some.

All three movies will restore your spirit in some way, reminding you that the trauma in your life is nothing compared to literally fighting for your supper, staring out endless ocean, and seeing your life’s work be toyed with. At their best, movies are empathy machines, as the late Roger Ebert said.

These films do the trick. Check them out, and subscribe to the blog below.