Directed by Dexter Fletcher It's hard not to compare Rocketman to last year's Bohemian Rhapsody. Both movies follow a fairly standard biopic formula in depicting the rise, fall and rise of a celebrated English star, both who happened to cross paths with the apparently devious John Reid. Director Dexter Fletcher even had a hand in guiding the Bohemian … Continue reading Rocketman (2019)
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Poetry (2010)
Directed by Lee Chang-dong While I don't as of yet have a firm grasp on what happens at the end of this movie, I'm nevertheless compelled to think of this as one of the best I've ever seen. That's ridiculous, right? It's kind of ridiculous, but it's riveting, tragic, at times amusing and eventually deeply … Continue reading Poetry (2010)
Take Shelter (2011)
Directed by Jeff Nichols Jeff Nichols' Take Shelter is a story about anxiety and marriage. He wrote the story in 2008, a year into his marriage and during the financial recession of that time. Those expected worries pervade every moment of this film, a story about a man convinced there's a storm of biblical proportions on … Continue reading Take Shelter (2011)
Non-Fiction (2018)
Directed by Olivier Assayas In the conversation that opens Non-Fiction Léonard meets with his publisher, Alain, about his most recent autobiographical novel, "Hard Stop," only to find out that Alain doesn't intend to publish this one. We learn later that he objects to the presentation of the women in Léonard's novel, the thinly veiled fictionalization of … Continue reading Non-Fiction (2018)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Directed by Michael Dougherty Godzilla: King of the Monsters just feels flat. It's loud, somewhat obnoxious, there's some interesting-looking creatures onscreen, but all I could think about was the disappointing eighth season of Game of Thrones. That's more or less what this movie is. There's plenty of action, but the story struggles to ground the conflict … Continue reading Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Vanishing Point (1971)
Directed by Richard C. Sarafian Vanishing Point has a lot in common with The Sugarland Express (1974) and Smokey and the Bandit (1977). It's a car chase movie that starts off small but then builds and builds until our hero behind the wheel has attracted a large, adoring cheering section. In this case Kowalski (Barry Newman) becomes a … Continue reading Vanishing Point (1971)
Permanent Green Light (2018)
Directed by Dennis Cooper, Zac Farley A boy wants to blow himself up in Permanent Green Light. He'll explain to several people, reassuring them, that he doesn't wish to blow others up, just himself. He doesn't even want to die, he just wants to 'end,' citing as an example the story of a man who fell … Continue reading Permanent Green Light (2018)
The Party (2017)
Directed by Sally Potter The Party is one of those dinner party movies in which everyone starts off chic, civilized and egocentric, and by the end they will be humbled, humiliated and return in some sense to a more primal state of being. As the havoc of The Party plays out, characters will question their own … Continue reading The Party (2017)
Moonrise (1948)
Directed by Frank Borzage Moonrise opens in brutal fashion, with the shadow of a man being hanged (without a chance at his final words, no less). From there we cut to the shadow of a hanging doll teasing a crying baby, the son of the hanged man. We next see that boy, Danny, a little … Continue reading Moonrise (1948)
Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018)
Directed by RaMell Ross RaMell Ross' Hale County This Morning, This Evening is a slice of life documentary both unobtrusive and yet stylized in its own way. It observes at times like a fly on the wall and in other moments with an intimate proximity to the people onscreen. We see some crying with their heads … Continue reading Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018)
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