It really is hard to deny Francis Ford Coppola's genius (notable mention to my favorite movie, The Godfather). But I have to say that Bram Stoker's Dracula is the godfather of the vampire genre, and an unparalleled example of film adaptation from novels. This film uses the vampire as a stand-in for unrestrained desire, sexual sadism, feminism, colonial attitudes, modern medicine, etc. There is much to learn from who we deem monstrous, what sucks the life out of us (literally), and what revitalizes us.
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Little Women 2019
Yes, I know that Laurie is Timothee Chalamet, but having been assigned Amy as the "Little Women sister I would be," I was quite disappointed that she was willing to play second fiddle to Jo. (Okay, fine, maybe I'm also a little salty that I didn't get Jo on my online quiz). Florence Pugh, as always, never ceases to impress me. The use of sunlight throughout is quite stunning. I will concede some of my intellectual ego and confess that I did sometimes find myself confused with the back-and-forth layout of the film.
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Dune: Part Two 2024
While many expressed strong feelings of disparagement regarding the slow pacing of Dune: Part I, I partially excused it in the name of world-building that culminated in the viewing of Dune: Part II that functioned to drive the plot forwards. It's hard to deny the musical genius of Hans Zimmer, and while I understand the critique of Dune's slow pacing and lack of clear narrative resolve, the film's style was quite stunning (costuming, landscaping, cinematography). The acting fell a bit…
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Parasite 2019
It would be extremely difficult to deny the profound impact and rampant virality of Bong Joon-Ho's Parasite (2019). The postmodern film most obviously addresses class and consumer capitalism, probing debate around 'justified' revenge and class mobility. My biggest takeaway from watching the film a second time, though, pertains to the use of physical space as a narrative tool, as well as the quite beautiful use of lenses and color grading to establish emotion. There's also a pervasive metaphor of insects…
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