I don't think it's fair to reduce this to "Orson Welles directs a TV movie," as it certainly stands above the standard TV movie fair.
But in terms of Orson Welles' filmography I can't say it stands out in any meaningful way other than being his first film in color.
It's not a bad film, but I didn't find it that compelling either. With something like Mr. Arkadin even though it is a fragmented disaster thanks to being butchered, there's…
Reactions to this film tend to fall in one of two categories. That The Trial is a lesser Welles, an impenetrable mess or that is a masterpiece and culmination of Welles' greatest strengths as a filmmaker.
I fall firmly into the category that The Trial is a masterpiece.
First, let's start with the cinematography. It might just be the gorgeous 4K restoration, but The Trial contains stunning expressionist black and white shots worthy of the director of Citizen Kane and…
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Hereditary is a cowardly film.
It presents itself on first viewing as exploring the terror that stems from a simply unbearable grief. The terror is ultimately compounded by the randomness of death and human powerlessness in the face of it. However, the ending reveals none of this to be true. The film is ultimately unwilling to cope with this real terror, instead going with a bizarre ending that uncovers a convoluted plot that alters the meaning of the entire film.…
Ambitious, earnest, and at times visually stunning. There was a strong part of me that deeply wanted to like this film. Coppola defying the studio system and reviewers to produce a genuine work of art in a culture that doesn't value such drive is a deeply comforting narrative.
But this simply doesn't work as a film. Even if I was to ignore the anti-populist liberalism animating its core message (the roots of Nazism is apparently working class immigrant tenants angry…
