I mean, my god, where to even begin with this. Grows into a masterpiece around the second act, at least that's when it clicked for me. Now I understand why Tsui is sometimes called the John Ford of Hong Kong, this is such a perfect rendering of a community which exists under these grand traditions that supposedly enforce peace, while the foundations are so shaky that violence springs from everywhere. So much accomplished with the camera: the two marketplace setpieces…
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Lenny Cooke 2013
"Get that money, baby."
The Inside Llewyn Davis of sports documentaries. If not for their 2019 masterpiece, it'd be the Safdies' best film.
I consider it a personal travesty that I hadn't seen this until now. Outstanding footage – many of these scenes might as well be coming from a fictional feature a-la He Got Game. A hopeless cycle of desires, distractions, mentorship, and shattered dreams. You can almost see the life-sized scales being tipped in a moment's notice, a personal…
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The Shrouds 2024
Just like Cronenberg's last movie, it has about 15 different ideas to be pulled from its bleak modern world-design and character obsessions, it's often very funny, and it contains multiple barely functioning conspiracy plots, while forming something very delicate. Fascinating how the guy was on these ideas over 40 years ago but now the AI/tech craze gives him some new territory to play around on, and the movie's relationship between the sterile digital image and the touch of love, the fragility of those relationships, is its strongest asset.
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The Heiress 1949
William Wyler loved himself a blunt script. He could also properly accentuate the dramaturgy as he does here, where his control over the performances instills so much character psychology, while the narrative tightrope keeps you guessing. A savage and painful film.
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Leave the World Behind 2023
Wastes its energy on boring nonsense, doesn't capitalize on any ideas. Should've given it to Shyamalan to direct.
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Avatar: The Way of Water 2022
Where the first movie hinted at a religious experience offered by the pure grace of Pandora's physical & spiritual universe, this one delivers it straight to the audience. Cameron employs family dynamics and massive melodramatic stakes to weave a story around his epic mythological wonders, and makes you cry, cry, and cry some more. At times it becomes hard to fathom the movie even exists. A completely unparallelled vision and maybe the greatest blockbuster the world has ever seen.
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