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This rewatch hit different: I shared it with my 16-year-old.
Experiencing Fury Road through his eyes, someone raised on the style and rhythms of the MCU, reminded me just how visceral and precise great filmmaking can be. The momentum, the clarity, the texture of it all. A week later, he's still talking about it.
Sometimes a movie doesn't just hold up. It reveals something new when shared.
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Yep. It’s as bad as I .
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Sunday matinee of Temple of Doom, a masterclass from one of the greats.
Every frame was a thrill on the big screen—from the Busby Berkeley–style opening number to that final pull-back hero shot, Spielberg was in his bag.
Sure, Temple might be the third or fourth best Indy film, but I’d take it over nearly any modern blockbuster. There’s intent and craft behind every frame. He’s riffing on Hitchcock, nodding to the Golden Age of movie musicals, and paying homage to the pulpy genre films he grew up with. He’s also cementing Ford’s place among the greatest to ever do it—Grant, Stewart, Bogart. And he’s using the language of cinema to knock us off our feet and leave us wanting more.
This is cinematic myth-making at its finest.
Catch it in theaters while you can.
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This one is a mess. A goofy, morbid, overstuffed mess.
It feels like there's a solid, heart-felt story somewhere in there, but there's no coherency or continuity for all of the characters or plot points to anchor themselves to. The movie is both big and small, nuanced and broad, all at the same time. If you told me this film started and stopped production a handful of times, I'd believe it.
I liked many of the individual components, but we're ultimately left with an unsatisfying whole.
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I almost liked this film. All vibes, no substance.
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I recently came across a TikTok where someone compared the immaculately conceived films of Robert Eggers to those of Wes Anderson.
On the surface, it's easy to connect these two directors via their meticulous attention to detail in crafting their cinematic worlds: Eggers obsession with historical accuracy is to Anderson's dedication to inventing a simulacrum of the 20th century.
While Anderson's perfectionism serves to amplify feeling, Eggers' technical mastery of Gothic aesthetics paradoxically drains the vampire myth of its primal terror. Each frame is a museum piece rather than a visceral experience.
When Lily-Rose Depp's Ellen first encounters Orlok, the scene is immaculately composed - shadows creep with theatrical precision, the score swells on cue - yet we remain observers of her horror rather than participants in it.
Modern cinema's obsession with style over substance, and having to spell out the emotions we should be feeling, spreads like Orlok's plague - methodically, beautifully crafted, yet leaving audiences as cold as the count's victims.
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At this point I’ve seen Christmas Vacation more times than I can count, and the one-liners will forever be embedded in my lexicon.
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I like the pace of this film. I like the performances. Do I like this film because I love the book? The more I watch it the more I think he really nailed the coopting of the counter culture by corporations and the government to exert control over a population fed up with the status quo. Am I crediting Anderson or the source material in saying that? It's hard for me to disentangle that sentiment. As I said, I'm biased to like this movie more than I probably should. Good, not great.
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Every time I re-watch "The Big Lebowski" I find it all the more charming and enjoyable.
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Competent. Well acted. A bit silly. Really liked the sound design. Ultimately forgettable.
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Derivative of the first film, but in a bad way. Underwritten. Poorly edited, Laughably bad in a few very awkward moments. Wasted opportunity with a pretty great cast? Yes. Worth your time to see in a theater? No.
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I liked this movie then, and I like this movie now.
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Are there elements to this movie that made the 90s, X men loving teenage version of me giddy with delight? Yes, yes there are. Does the totality of this "film" add up to anything lasting or impactful? No, no it does not.
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Watched on Saturday July 6, 2024.
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I unabashedly love this movie, though I’d never itted that to anyone until I said it out loud to my partner and girls the other night as I’m tearing up when Christopher Plummer is walking up to Julie Andrews to confess his love. It’s such a personal story set against the epic backdrop of the looming Austrian alps and encroaching Workd War 2.
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A fever dream of a Scorsese movie.
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Watched on Monday April 8, 2024.
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In the labyrinth of noir cinema, Robert Altman's "A Long Goodbye" stands as a beguiling enigma, a meandering journey that left an indelible mark on the genre's landscape. Despite its seemingly haphazard construction, you can’t dismiss the far-reaching influence it wields over subsequent films featuring the archetypal misanthropic gumshoe or the nonchalant slacker protagonist, echoing notably in the personas of The Dude from "The Big Lebowski" and Doc Sportello from "Inherent Vice" (seemingly, the Coen Brothers' oeuvre owes a significant debt to Altman's vision).
As I was watching it I even felt a subtle nod to Gould's Marlowe and his feline companion in the opening moments of "The Fifth Element," where Corbin Dallas shares a bond with his own ravenous feline friend.
Elliot Gould's rendition of the wise-cracking, quick-witted Los Angeles-dwelling Marlowe is a treasure trove of charisma that most likely would have led to a number of spinoffs if it were made today, which is a testament to Gould's feel for the character and onscreen presence. I also loved how Sterling Hayden's portrayal of the washed writer and Henry Gibson's brief appearance as the enigmatic Dr. V offered additional layers to the narrative, with another echo in “Inherent Vice”.
While Altman's penchant for a rambling narrative might be attributed to various influences, including the zeitgeist of the era, I can’t deny the allure of its shagginess. The film's imperfections lend it an authentic charm that kept me hooked.
In the end, "A Long Goodbye" is a cinematic relic best savored by aficionados of 1970s cinema and aficionados of noir, a testament to Altman's unique vision and his enduring impact on the cinematic landscape.
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I'm hard wired to like slow burn thrillers from the 70s.
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This review may contain spoilers.
Twice in a week, and it just got better.
Bardem was again the standout, and I appreciated what Zendaya and Villeneuve do with Chani even more. Having read the books, I've gotta believe the blue scarf mean's she's pregnant. They very deliberately add it to her costume after time has ed with her and Paul in the desert, and it only disappears briefly before she's again tying it around her arm before the final battle.
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My "Let's introduce great movies to my teenager now that he's old enough" journey continues through the Nolan oeuvre with what is probably the pinnacle of the super hero genre.
While I'll never stop thinking it's about 10-15 minutes too long, I'm still stunned by everything on display by Nolan and his collaborators: the production design, the characters, the set pieces (the cold open on the bank heist is unmatched imo), and then the whole thing is taken into the stratosphere by Heath Ledger's Joker. The sadistic glee with which he waltzes through the movie, making every scene he's in feel electric, unpredictable. He brings the Joker into the present and makes him all the more terrifying. As the teenager put it when the credits rolled "That's the best villain I've ever seen!"
Needless to say he thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm almost hesitant to share the last installment of the trilogy with him after such a high.
On to the Dark Knight Rises.
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Rewatched with a bunch of teenagers (son and nephews) who grew up with the MCU and it completely blew their minds. Next up: The Dark Knight.
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Epic in scope and ambition. Maybe one of the best acted Villeneuve movies? Top notch all around.
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A timeless masterpiece.
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Doesn't hold a candle to the best globe trotting action movies of the 90s, but it most definitely holds a place in my heart.
Kilmer is just so damn charismatic and seems to be having a great time with all of the disguises and accents.
Elizabeth Shue isn't great, the villains are downright terrible, and the plot is flimsy and forgettable, but it's all an excuse to send Val around the world and flash that million dollar smile. It's worth it.
(It gets half a star more for the soundtrack alone.)
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Still a solid watch.
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Watched on Friday July 21, 2023.
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Watched on Monday July 24, 2023.
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Watched on Friday December 15, 2023.
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Emma Stone puts on a strange, over-the-top and ultimately endearing and affecting performance in this phantasmagoric tale.
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Watched on Thursday December 21, 2023.
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I liked Jeffrey Wright in this. I liked Sterling K Brown in this. I liked the story. I liked this movie.
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I'll it I fall pretty squarely into the demo for this one, so it had me from the get go. With that said, it was good sprinkled with some great (and sometimes shocking) moments.
Some quick notes:
- I loved Driver's physicality. The lumbering walk, the determined gaze, the taking on and off of the sunglasses. One of my favorite actors working today.
- Penelope Cruz, ladies and gentlemen, but Mann relegated her to maybe two emotions throughout the whole film? Let than woman cook, dammit. I loved every scene with her and Driver.
- Shailene Woodley was in a completely different movie?
- Patrick Dempsey just happy to be here.
- Mann has still got it.
Seems better than it actually is through the fog of tween nostalgia, but I’m always game to watch the Sanderson sisters cook.
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Watched on Monday October 16, 2023.
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This is a director and lead actor firing on all cylinders. Scorsese and DiCaprio are at the height of their powers, but yet continue to challenge themselves, both technically and emotionally. They're clearly having a ton of fun exploring the debauchery of unfettered capitalism while maintaining a critical eye on the environment, behaviors and psyches that lead to the exploitation of capital (monetary, pharmaceutical and human) with a clear eye staring focused on the inevitable come down.
Are there consequences for these characters? Redemption? Unlike Tarantino's revenge fantasies, there are no easy answers or neatly wrapped endings. Like the Forbes take-down highlighted early in the film that spurred a hiring frenzy of those looking to cash in, ultimately there will always be those looking to exploit the system to get rich quick because they're smarter than the average person.
Off my soap box and back to the movie: I'd be remiss to not mention the phenomenal cast of characters that rise to Marty and Leo's challenge: Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, and even Rob Reiner gets in on the action.
Eminently rewatchable and one of my favorites of Scorsese's catalog.
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Watched on Tuesday September 12, 2023.
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Watched on Sunday June 18, 2023.
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Watched on Sunday August 27, 2023.
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Watched on Sunday September 3, 2023.
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Watched on Thursday August 24, 2023.
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Watched on Thursday August 24, 2023.
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Compelling performances and a capable director aren't enough to rescue "Wakanda Forever" from the suffocating requirements of the MCU's corporate mandates. Chadwick Boseman's memory gives the first half of the film emotional heft, while Tenoch Huerta brings gravitas and simmering rage to Namor (who I hope shows up in future films), but the excursions in wider world building ultimately leave this one a victim to the Marvel machine.
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Watched on Friday May 22, 2020.
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Watched on Friday May 22, 2020.
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Watched on Wednesday May 20, 2020.
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Watched on Tuesday May 19, 2020.
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This is one of the most stunning feats in film making, and after reading a recent oral history of the production from the cast and crew, I had to watch it again.
There's a visceral quality to the whole film that is sorely lacking from the last two decades of hi-budget action. From start to finish this one grabs you and doesn't let go.
]]>Summer project: a list of films I plan to watch with my 16-year-old.
Not a best-of or must-see—just movies that matter to me, that I think might matter to him.
I probably saw a lot of things earlier than my mom would have liked... These aren't all perfect movies (looking at you Lynch's Dune) but I will say my dad has impeccable taste.
- All the President's Men
- Dune
- Three Days of the Condor
- American Graffiti
- Alien
- The Godfather
- Young Frankenstein
- Blazing Saddles
- The French Connection
- The Sting
...plus 4 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>These are the ones that formed my taste and love of movies over many repeat viewings.
]]>- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Asteroid City
- The Royal Tenenbaums
- Fantastic Mr. Fox
- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
- Rushmore
- The French Dispatch
- Moonrise Kingdom
- The Darjeeling Limited
- Isle of Dogs
...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
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