On the one hand, there’s a surprising amount of emotional and political depth here, to make the monster action scenes more impactful. The film doesn’t shy away from criticizing the idea of honourable sacrifice, which as I understand it, is deeply ingrained in Japanese culture, and gives us things like sepukku and kamikaze.
On the other hand, my enjoyment was dampened a bit by the acting style, which leans towards the melodramatic. There’s also a toddler who, when she cries, seems to have been dubbed over with the sound of an infant crying.
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I got some disappointing personal news just before Christmas which, paired with the free time that the holidays bring, meant that I was looking for some cinematic comfort food to pass the days. The MCU has been pretty weak since the end of “Phase 3”1, and I had not revisited these last two Avengers entries since Endgame came out in 2019.
I was just as impressed as I was when I first saw them: it’s like watching the finale of a long-running TV series. Endgame especially rewards the loyal viewer with bittersweet character moments.
File these away to revisit again every few years…
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Biopics work best for me when I know nothing about their subject. Such was the case for The Iron Claw, which tells the story of the Von Erich family of pro wrestlers. The film is well-directed and well-acted, and I was sucked into wanting to know what happens next. The amount of tragedy that the family endured is almost unbelievable. However, I have to say that it left little emotional impact on me. I should have been bawling throughout the film, but I wasn’t.
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I hold The Social Network in high esteem as one of my favourite movies, and so it’s high praise when I say that BlackBerry belongs in the same conversation.
I remember when “The Facebook Movie” came out, it was criticized for its factual inaccuracy, especially because it depicts such recent events. BlackBerry, I suppose, will be immune to this criticism because there’s no mistake that the characters are exaggerated caricactures. The movie is way funnier than I expected it to be.
Also enjoyable are the local references, e.g. Ontario license plates, Shoppers Drug Mart, Tim Horton’s. There’s even a quick shot of someone paying with a 20 CAD bill with the old design that I haven’t seen in real life for years.
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I enjoyed watching this Norwegian drama, and was moved to see how a romantic relationship can evolve and still have meaning even after it ends. One standout scene is when the main character Julie crashes a party and meets Eivind, and the two flirt in escalating ways while making sure that they don’t cross the line into cheating on their respective partners.
In hindsight though, I found Julie to be empty as a character (through no fault of Renate Reinsve’s charismatic performance). I get that she’s meant to be indecisive, and doesn’t know what she wants, but that idea could have been explored. She only doesn’t know what she wants given the limited set of choices that modern society presents her; but I believe that everybody wants something… it’s the spaces between the choices that make a person. Case in point, the Aksel character—who seems to be a surrogate for the writer/director, since he’s all about making art—gets plenty of introspective moments. Why not give these moments to the main character?
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For the first half of this movie, I couldn’t help comparing it to Carol. They share the dynamic of a young, shy woman being attracted to an older, more glamourous and confident woman. But for me, Eileen felt like a lesser version; its dialogue is somewhat shallow and obvious, lacking in mystery.
It turns out that the film is more of a thriller than it sets itself up as. I won’t spoil it, but it goes to an intense and uncomfortable place. While it succeeds in setting the movie apart, I didn’t feel like there was much depth to the story overall.
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A non-narrative documentary in the vein of Koyaanisqatsi and Baraka. Ascension doesn’t quite reach those heights; what’s missing for me is the music, which is key for “vibes” films like these.
I appreciated the film’s look at China’s working class. For the most part, the goal that these people are trying to ascend towards—wealth—remains an invisible spectre that hangs over them. You don’t see the bosses that they’re trying to please by taking smiling lessons; you don’t see the VIPs that they’re training as bodyguards to protect; you don’t see who they’re constructing the sex dolls for.
I almost wish that the film that kept that limited perspective for the entire runtime, but we do see a fancy dinner with those who have ascended all the way to the top. But for them, there is a higher goal: they seem preoccupied with the Western influences of the table settings and glassware. Is the Chinese Dream really worth chasing if it just leads you into the same materialistic folly as the American Dream?
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The premise and setup of this thriller drew me in. A family is home-invaded by twisted doppelgängers, monstrous versions of themselves. Cool idea, but unfortunately, the extended middle section of the movie doesn’t do much with the idea. It’s mostly generic chases and fights, and their attackers could have been anyone. The action scenes are well done and I felt the tension, but ultimately I was disappointed because the concept isn’t fully developed. The only explanation comes in the form of a long villain monologue… I wish it had been integrated into the story instead.
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I think this movie is much funnier than I felt it was on the first viewing. Julianne Moore plays Gracie, a woman who committed statutory rape, was imprisoned for it, and then ended up in a long-term and seemingly happy marriage with the much younger man. Natalie Portman plays an actress who will play Gracie in a movie, and is embedding herself in Gracie and her family’s life for the sake of research.
The subject matter is so uncomfortable and awkward that I was probably too tense to laugh. Don’t get me wrong: it’s not supposed to be a comedy, and the characters go through some painful realizations. But the fact that I chuckled on more than one occasion is a credit to the strength of the dark humour. I look forward to rewatching this in the future.
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For the first time, I’m revisiting and writing about a film that I’ve previously reviewed. It’s enlightening to see how my tastes have changed since over a decade ago.
My earlier rave was not completely misplaced… I still agree with myself that the strengths of the film lie in its poetic style and rhythm. However, I see in my past self a style-over-substance attitude that maybe I’ve outgrown?
Most notably, I’ve come to take more seriously any story about trauma and mental illness. I’m not above enjoying thrillers or horror or action films that deal with revenge, but I think that the style needs to be heightened enough for it to feel fantastical, e.g. John Wick or Kill Bill (although it’s been a long time since I’ve watched the latter).
I had trouble swallowing Confessions this time around because its style is melancholic and realistic. Genre films like action movies or murder mysteries can skip over the trauma of death in favour of plot; but when the trauma is the plot, it carries much more weight. Are we really supposed to revel in the mental torture of children by an adult?
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