Directed by Lulu Wang In The Farewell a family gathers in China to say goodbye to the family matriarch, recently diagnosed with lung cancer. Nai Nai (Shuzhen Zhao) doesn't know she is dying, and the family would like to keep it that way, the thought being that it's not the cancer that kills you so much … Continue reading The Farewell (2019)
family
Like Father, Like Son (2013)
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda I have so far seen three Hirokazu Kore-eda films, and they all orbit the relationship between a father and son, none as directly as Like Father, Like Son. In After the Storm we follow a troubled, gambling-addicted private investigator who struggles to maintain a healthy relationship with his son as he continues to … Continue reading Like Father, Like Son (2013)
The Yakuza (1974)
Directed by Sydney Pollack "A Yakuza pays his debts/A Yakuza does his duty/A man without debt/A man without duty/Is not a man." This is the song sung midway through Sydney Pollack's The Yakuza and which sums up the philosophy which guides the characters of the film. It's an eastern philosophy into which the western character, Harry Kilmer … Continue reading The Yakuza (1974)
The Sacrifice (1986)/The Dead (1987)
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky; John Huston I recently watched both Andrei Tarkovsky's The Sacrifice and John Huston's The Dead and came away with a strong sense of how I felt but little understanding of how to talk about these movies. Both movies, though, have so much in common that it's almost as if they are made to … Continue reading The Sacrifice (1986)/The Dead (1987)
Gates of Heaven (1978)
Directed by Errol Morris Gates of Heaven, Errol Morris' first documentary, was destined for obscurity until Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel chose to champion the film, with Ebert putting it as one of his top ten films of all time. Like his follow up, Vernon, Florida, this documentary is composed of a series of interviews with recurring … Continue reading Gates of Heaven (1978)
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