9.0 / 10
In the running with Punch Drunk Love as PTA's funniest movie. A bit difficult to follow, and purposefully so (I mean, we are talking about an adaptation of a Pynchon novel after all), but that's all well and fine when Joaquin Phoenix's perpetually high Doc is always a step behind in his processing of what's happening too, wide-eyed at the coincidences that abound left and right. And despite everything decidedly not adding up, Doc rolls with it,…
8.1 / 10
Not sure if my impression of Joaquin Phoenix as an eccentric actor taking high-energy roles is actually based in reality, but in C'mon C'mon he certainly gives the opposite of that type of performance, showcasing a very lived-in lead as Johnny, a mostly calm, albeit shaky voice of reason throughout the film. The clear focus of the movie is the children though, specifically Johnny's nephew Jesse and all of the other children Johnny interviews as a radio…
9.5 / 10
I've been anticipating the onscreen power struggle between Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano for years, and as deliciously one-sided in the favor of DDL I expected it to be, nothing could have hinted at just how multi-faceted and flooring his performance would be. Also, very worth mentioning is Jonny Greenwood's score which, I can't prove this, but I'm sure is a predecessor to the climactic string arrangements scattered throughout 2010s art-house horror films. Speaking of anticipation, I…
8.8 / 10
Never realized how largely the influence of Evil Dead looms over this movie. Cabin in the Woods is certainly in the highest pantheon of horror-comedy films, and while that genre by rule pokes fun at the horror genre, CITW is a step above, subtly taking aim at the audience for indirectly shaping what sells and what does not within the genre decade over decade. Front and center though, this is a very funny movie.
