Directed by Sam Mendes 1917 is meant to immerse you in the ultra-reality of the trenches of World War I. Cleverly edited together to simulate a single unbroken take (outside of one conscious cut), the film is remarkably simple and in a way restrained as it follows two men sent out on a dangerous mission … Continue reading 1917 (2019)
Month: December 2019
Rififi (1955)
Directed by Jules Dassin Rififi is a tense, dark little heist film with a cruel protagonist and friends who quickly turn on each other. Outside of a nearly 30 minute-long silent heist sequence, very little about this film romanticizes its story. These aren't rough and tumble heroes punching up but rather selfish characters reaching too … Continue reading Rififi (1955)
American Factory (2019)
Directed by Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert Maybe it's not appropriate to love movies like this, but I do. They depict a certain part of America that is often overlooked, and I find these documentaries both troubling and deeply fascinating. Other recent films in this vein are Rich Hill (2014) and Minding the Gap (2018). They … Continue reading American Factory (2019)
I Lost My Body (2019)
Directed by Jérémy Clapin Animated movies can cast a spell over you in a way I don't think live action can. Just the basics of how they present their worlds, the hand drawn style, can settle your or disturb you so easily. In I Lost My Body there is plenty to be disturbed by, and it … Continue reading I Lost My Body (2019)
Marriage Story (2019)
Directed by Noah Baumbach Marriage Story begins and ends with a poetic little encapsulation of a character's day to day quirks, the things that don't always make it into movies because they don't advance the plot or add conscious information to the story. In this case the film adds an instant shot of humanity to a … Continue reading Marriage Story (2019)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)
Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul I didn't respond to this film in quite the same way I did to Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Cemetery of Slendour (2015), but I'm fascinated all the same by the stillness, thoughtfulness and mundane surreality of intersecting planes of existence and time that shows up in both films. Where Cemetery of Splendour spent more time with … Continue reading Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)
The Aeronauts (2019)
Directed by Tom Harper The Aeronauts is satisfying. Half of it is a pure survival story right up there with some of the better ones (like The Martian, All is Lost, Gravity) while the other half struggles to push past constructed melodrama and instead leans into the same emotionally manipulative qualities as what we'd consider Oscar bait. In … Continue reading The Aeronauts (2019)
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