✅ Bradley Cooper & Carey Mulligan
✅ Aesthetics & Prosthetics
✅ Cinematography
✅ Ambitious filmmaking
❌ Flawed narrative
❌ Plenty told, yet nothing conveyed
✅ Da’Vine Joy Randolph ✩
✅ Paul Giamatti
✅ Heartwarming, cozy, dialogue-driven delight
✅ Great themes
✅ Rewatchable 10x times over
❌ Somewhat predictable
The twilight princess
Spencer may not have anything new or revelatory to say about Diana herself, but its visual language and tormenting narrative are truly intriguing and say a lot about how she’s become part of our modern myths. A brilliant score by Greenwood further enhances the Kubrickian nightmare of our princess, played by Stewart, who gives a career-topping performance. That being said, Larraín’s film is rather bold, and quite heavy-handed on the symbolism, often depicted in abstract images that don't always sit well alongside conventionally scripted scenes.
The devil is in the details
Campion’s Western drama adaptation is packed with sophisticated pieces of psychological gameplay and excellent acting performances. The atmosphere of this film is menacing in every respect, realized through gorgeous cinematography and an unsettling score by Greenwood. The power of The Power of the Dog lies in its subtlety, finesse, and precision. It plants seeds of ideas about the secrets we carry, repressed emotions, masculinity, and clinging to the past—leaving the audience to reap the insights. Though it may digest slowly, its inherently well-crafted nature is worthy of your attention.