I was skeptical about this one, as I don't have a ton of experience with Jarmusch and I'm not the biggest fan of poetry in general, but I was blown away. It's an intimate and personal film, filled with small but tremendously beautiful little scenes. Driver is exceptional, and I was more impacted by a particular event in this film than I could've possibly predicted.
9.5/10
Loving
A touching period-piece that could have easily fallen into a procedural rut, but instead focused on the affected family. This works wonders, as it allows Nega and Edgerton to deliver some fantastic performances.
8.5/10
8.5/10
Desierto
This is a boldly unique film. Ostensibly a slasher film, DESIERTO makes a few key changes. The monster stalking its prey is merely a man, tired of illegal immigrants. The setting is bright, beautiful, and as vibrant as a desert can be. Nothing is hiding in the shadows here. The cinematography is gorgeous as well, which is a given considering this is the work of a Cuaron. I think the plot falls a bit flat, and the characters could use some more depth, but I appreciated this film for trying to do something new and interesting.
6.75/10
6.75/10
Patriots Day
I was worried about this one feeling a bit exploitative, given the subject matter is so recent, but I was pleasantly surprised. There are some truly tense scenes, as well as several great performances here. For my tastes, everything was treated with reverence and integrity, with the one exception being maybe the bombers, but this film isn't about them. Overall, it felt genuine and heartfelt to me.
8.75/10
8.75/10
Gaslight
A simple, solid thriller that coined the term for this type of psychological manipulation (well, the source material did, anyway). This was my first experience with Bergman, and I was quite pleased with the performance. Everybody overacts a bit in this film, which I'm sure is more a symptom of the time than anything else, but Boyer's performance left a bit to be desired.
7.75/10
7.75/10
Indignation
This Shakespearean tale set in 1950s America was wonderful. The dialogue in this film was a delight, and the setting lent weight to situations we may find more mundane today. The film lacks a bit of subtlety, but was otherwise quite fantastic.
9/10
9/10
Schindler's List
Exceptionally well-acted and shot, touching portrayals of the best and worst of humanity. Films like this are timeless classics for a reason.
9.25/10
9.25/10
The Founder
This story was extremely fascinating to me. Keaton's performance was a bit uneven for me, and the overall tone felt off, given the villainy on display, but I enjoyed learning the history of something so omnipresent a lot more than I had expected to.
7.5/10
7.5/10
20th Century Women
This film portrays a colorful cast of characters that are a joy to be around. The plot is a bit light, but the film contains some truly transcendent scenes.
8.75/10
8.75/10
Split
I had some issues with the resolution of some arcs, and overall the movie fell a little short of my expectations. That being said, McAvoy is phenomenal here, exhibiting tremendous skill and creating some very effective, chilling, and tense scenes. The camerawork on display is also fantastic, adding to a claustrophobic and secluded atmosphere.
7.25/10
7.25/10
The Boy and the Beast
A typical 'Karate Kid' story with a few tweaks and flourishes, coupled with some gorgeous sequences and wonderfully animated fight-choreography made for quite a nice couple of hours. These movies hinge on the core relationship, and this film does the job well.
7.75/10
7.75/10
Always Shine
This film did an excellent job at fostering a genuinely unnerving atmosphere. The performances from the two leads were excellent, and I was loving this film, until a weird thing happened. And then I wasn't sure what was happening. The abruptness and strangeness of the transition was jarring for me, and harmed the film in my eyes. But the first half is worth the price of admission by itself.
7/10
7/10
Toni Erdmann
I found this film to be a fairly typical portrayal of an overworked young adult's whose life is thrown into upheaval when a parent suddenly wants to be a bigger part of their life. There is a bizarre and interesting sequence towards the end, but it wasn't enough to convince me this film was much more than run-of-the-mill.
6.75/10
6.75/10
Hidden Figures
I found this to be a downright fantastic film. The solid performances from the entire cast and lean script form a tight, complete package with a positive message.
8.75/10
8.75/10
Silence
A sprawling and gorgeous epic historical piece that asked some very interesting questions with some wonderful performances. Unfortunately, the film decidedly and definitively lands on one side, turning all of the intrigue into proselytization.
7.75/10
7.75/10
The Fits
A slow-moving, quiet, and surreal interpretation of growing up and discovering oneself. This film features some stunning cinematography and kept me on my toes throughout the runtime.
8.25/10
8.25/10
Slither
Campy, gross, fun creature-feature with Nathan Fillion in the lead at the height of his powers. What's not to love?
8/10
8/10
Christine
The story here is easily the incredible performance from Rebecca Hall. This is Best Actress material for sure. I slightly preferred the documentary from yesterday about this subject overall, but both films were great.
8/10
8/10
A Bigger Splash
Really strong performances on display from Fiennes and Swinton. The cinematography is gorgeous, as well, and aside from a few minor pacing gripes, I found this film to be wonderful.
8.25/10
8.25/10
Kate Plays Christine
This dark and dreary documentary meanders somewhat, but delves into territory not often examined. The final scene is a sobering gut-punch that makes the slower first half feel like time well-spent.
8/10
8/10
Miles Ahead
A solid, if unspectacular, biopic that does some interesting things with chronology and disguising cuts, but nothing in the film really blew me away, or left much of an impression at all.
6.25/10
6.25/10
A Monster Calls
I was a little worried about this one; it seems like a movie tailor-made for me, but also one that could easily fall into emotional manipulation without purpose. I didn't find that to be the case. This is an excellent look at a child's perspective on grief and personal tragedy, sprinkled with some lovely watercolor-esque animation. Lewis MacDougall is tremendous in a difficult lead role, and Sigourney Weaver and Felicity Jones are great as well.
9.25/10
9.25/10
Beyonce: Lemonade
Ostensibly an hour-long music video that tells an audaciously personal tale, I was taken aback by the absolutely gorgeous visuals on display. The costuming and make-up is incredible, and the cinematography is excellent. This was the first time I had heard any of these songs, and really enjoyed them as well. The plot isn't very substantive, but everything else is wonderful.
8/10
8/10
Life, Animated
A documentary about an autistic child who learned to communicate through his love of Disney animated films, LIFE, ANIMATED tells its tale in an incredibly touching and heartfelt manner.
8.25/10
8.25/10
Elle
ELLE is a film that starts with a scene that is tough to watch, and only gets more challenging from there. Isabelle Huppert's lead performance is both excellent and troubling. There are some peculiar decisions regarding the pacing, but ELLE doesn't shy away from a tough topic one bit.
7.75/10
7.75/10
Training Day
This is one of those performances from Denzel Washington that makes him a household name. This is far and away his film, and he crushes it. Devastatingly tense scenes paired with beautiful cinematography made revisiting this an awesome experience.
8.75/10
8.75/10
Other People
This film felt close on a lot of fronts, but the experience wasn't one that left me stunned. Molly Shannon has some really great scenes, and the film is heartfelt, but it mostly came and went without a lasting effect.
6.5/10
6.5/10
Children of Men
Absolutely stunning cinematography and a gripping plot that claims to be fiction, but is becoming more and more a potential future reality.
10/10
10/10
Hello, My Name is Doris
A really heartwarming and touching story, albeit somewhat paint-by-numbers, that hits all the right notes. It manages to be quirky and fun, and Sally Fields is fantastic in the lead.
7/10
7/10
Certain Women
The separate stories of three women that are related only by the tiniest of things. The pace was quite deliberate, and the plots uninteresting and inconsequential. There was some great cinematography, but there isn't much else here.
4/10
4/10
Love and Friendship
I think Jane Austen just isn't for me. This had some great performances, and it's plain to see that it's a well-constructed film, but I find it so hard to get into this kind of period piece.
6/10
6/10
Tower (2016)
This documentary is presented with a mix of historical images and clips, as well as recreations and survivor interviews, but the latter two are displayed as rotoscope animations. This was distracting and of somewhat dubious quality, but the stories being relayed are so incredible and moving, it doesn't matter.
9.25/10
9.25/10
Little Men
A touching, heartbreaking, grounded look at a coming-of-age story featuring very strong performances all around, but especially from the two child leads.
9.25/10
9.25/10
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