Directed by James Mangold This is both exhilarating and frustrating. Ford v Ferrari can be extremely fun, but it's so simplistic in ways that feel like something is missing or actively covered up. It's a movie with clear heroes and villains, antagonists that are unnaturally unlikeable (outside of Hollywood movies) and slimy. They exist to be … Continue reading Ford v Ferrari (2019)
matt damon
The Martian (2015)
Directed by Ridley Scott A botanist (Matt Damon) finds himself shipwrecked and alone on Mars following an aborted mission and in an effort to survive makes science cool again. The Martian does for chemistry and ecology what All the President's Men did for journalism. These are films about single-minded characters who are good at the thing … Continue reading The Martian (2015)
Gerry (2002)
Directed by Gus Van Sant Gerry is the first of Gus Van Sant's "death trilogy," preceding Elephant (2003) and Last Days (2005). Each film is a sparse retelling of a true event, an attempt to understand what may have gone wrong. It's an effort to find truth and meaning in things that don't immediately offer any. How did something … Continue reading Gerry (2002)
True Grit (2010)
Directed by the Coen Brothers The 1969 film was a celebration of all things John Wayne while the Coen Brothers' adaptation of the same source material is much more broadly comedic, at least to a point. The Rooster Cogburn character here is played by a legendary actor in his own right, Jeff Bridges. He's somewhere … Continue reading True Grit (2010)
The Informant! (2009)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh The Informant! is a prime example of an unreliable narrator. I mean, that goes without saying. Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) lies about everything over the course of this story. He lies to the company for whom he works, ADM, he lies to the FBI, and by the end of the film we … Continue reading The Informant! (2009)
Contagion (2011)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh Contagion is an attempt at deadly realism, tracking a disease with about a 25% mortality rate over the course of a few months and through several different continents. The film jumps between countries and characters, tracking those affected and those responsible for coming up with a cure to a virus which … Continue reading Contagion (2011)
