Directed by Stanley Kubrick The Shining is so famous, so analyzed, so iconographic that it's hard to have an original opinion about it. I assume I like it, because I do, but is that belief really my own or did I know I had to like it going in? This is a chilling horror film, … Continue reading The Shining (1980)
Ida (2013)
Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski There is a lot of time to roam in Ida but not much space to do it. The film (only 80 minutes in length) takes its time telling a story someone else might tell in half the time. Silences linger, characters listen, and plenty of time is cut out, allowing us to … Continue reading Ida (2013)
The Shooting (1966)
Directed by Monte Hellman Dread looms over everything in The Shooting. As the sparse story is doled out over 82 minutes the shots become wider, and the music begins to take over for the dialogue, making the character's trek feel like a slow burn, stripping away what makes them human. There isn't much life to begin … Continue reading The Shooting (1966)
The Plumber (1979)
Directed by Peter Weir The Plumber depicts two dichotomies, one concerned with class differences and one between man and woman. These separations aren't necessarily related, but the threat posed by an eccentric handyman to a woman mostly confined to her apartment bounces between these two categories. When the plumber, Max (Ivar Kants), holds power over … Continue reading The Plumber (1979)
Ready Player One (2018)
Directed by Steven Spielberg I really enjoyed Ready Player One, and I'm starting there because I feel like I wasn't supposed to enjoy this movie. It's cheesy and somewhat predictable, but it's also full of that wonder Spielberg seems to have trademarked early in his career. It's that type of wide-eyed, childlike sense of awe that … Continue reading Ready Player One (2018)
Philomena (2013)
Directed by Stephen Fears Philomena is a gut-wrenching story of forgiveness. It's one of those tales that gives you a clear villain, and while that may come off as reductive, it certainly demands the right emotional reaction from the audience. That villain here is Sister Hildegarde, and because this is based on a true story … Continue reading Philomena (2013)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Directed by Billy Wilder The first thing Billy Wilder's Witness for the Prosecution reminded me of was Kurosawa's Rashomon. Sure, maybe I only recently watched that film for the first time, or maybe Wilder captured some of what made that film so great and translated it into a more pulpy mainstream courtroom drama. The story, almost set … Continue reading Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
The Babadook (2014)
Directed by Jennifer Kent The Babadook takes place almost entirely inside the home shared by Amelia (Essie Davis) and her 6 year old son Samuel (Noah Wiseman). They are isolated from the world when the story begins, and the 'babadook' only makes things worse. The monster whose name gives the film it's title comes from … Continue reading The Babadook (2014)
It (2017)
Directed by Andy Muschietti It is one of the best Stephen King adaptations I have ever seen. That might be hyperbole, and it's certainly subjective, but this film captured the same feeling I get from a Stephen King novel. The Shining might be a better movie, but it's a different story, while tv remakes like those … Continue reading It (2017)
F for Fake (1973)
Directed by Orson Welles "Art is a lie." That's a line delivered by Orson Welles near the end of the film and the biggest takeaway I found from F for Fake, a documentary that strings together multiple stories of forgery. Orson Welles is front and center in the story. He introduces us to the characters, mingles … Continue reading F for Fake (1973)
