One of the best films I have seen in a very, very, VERY long time. Wildly inventive, with earned stakes and astounding range by Michelle Yeoh. A deeply dark comedy that also manages to be the most inventive sci-fi and adventure movie in years. Propulsive, adventurous, absurd, hilarious, and possessing deep emotional stakes, this movie manages to a half dozen things incredibly well and weave them together with a deft and ease that is breathlessly exciting.
I haven't seen a…
Criterion Challenge 2022: 1980s - Absolutely fascinating pseudo bio pic, narrative tale of a controversial author/actor/director and political activist. Blurring the lines between fact, fiction and narrative path, this movie is quite unlike anything I have seen. The movie interweaves things from Mishima’s actual life with dramatizations of three of his books, weaving a stylish and sometimes violent story together that hits differently then anything I can think of. It might be one of the most compelling films of a…
An excellent prequel and highly enjoyable entry in a series that has had a ton of unnecessary and forgettable sequels. Well filmed, well paced and well acted, this one pretty much exploded right when you think it will. I don’t mean that as an insult. Amber Midthunder is excellent in this and unique locale makes for an experience just different enough to not seem cliche or tired. The director also did the excellent 10 Cloverfield Lane, another movie that sounds inessential on description, that was quite riveting.
Very good Australian crime film full of excellent performances and some beastly twists and turns. The pace is methodical and meticulous with the tense antics of a low key wild crime family, and the 17 year old young man that comes to live with them. This film inspired a tv show, and (apparently) the second season of the Fargo TV show. Performances here are excellent with Ben Mendelsohn being especially great and Jacki Weaver digging deep and blowing minds in the back third of the film.
ESSENTIAL ! Must watch 5 star documentary, you don’t need to know anything about the band to love it either. A story about perseverance, creative vision and obstinate endurance. It is exactly as long as it needs to be. A far too clever pair of brothers and a musical legacy that ensures them their place of being “Your favorite band’s favorite band.”
Edgar Wright’s expert direction makes the ride far more vital than your average Sugarman. Don’t put this film…
Criterion Challenge 2021 - #39: Directed by John Cassavetes: Let’s get it out of the way, Falk is great but Gena Rowlands is astounding in this. The direction is so deliberate, yet tensions just continue to spill out. This film was viciously and brutally exhausting and usually in the most stridently mundane way.
Falk is a construction foreman a real “traditional” dude, Rowlands is his wife. There are kids crawling all around the house and near constant chaos. The societal norm says that Mabel…
