Way behind due to work, but this shouldn't be that difficult a catch up since I haven't seen a bunch of these
Anomalisa: Easily my least favorite Kaufman. The kind of film that I think is brilliant in concept, but because of the nature of its brilliant concept, just feels so insulated and unapproachable. Normally Kaufman wears its anxiety write on his sleeve, the nature of his characters horrors right in your face. But this is muted, barely exists above a whisper. Now this isn't a fair criticism, because that is exactly as it should be. The film intends to put you in the headspace of its main character, where life is something that isn't so much a terror as hardly worth the bother. And you feel that. But it kept me outside of the film when I go to Kaufman to get right inside of his crawling skin. I do like this, I do think it is deserving of the list, and I do think I would appreciate it more on a rewatch. But it wasn't even a consideration for me.
The Witch: Another one which I think is exactly as it should be, but I've never been able to muster the love that some people have for it. But I do think it is very near great and absolutely made it clear Eggers was going to be an eventual monster behind the camera. It's possible the marketing campaign for this killed any hope for me to get right on board it when I first saw it. I was expecting the second coming of The Exorcist, the kind of a film that would ruin my life (gladly). But the horrors in this film are quite in the places I was looking. They are inside of the father's murderous stubborness and the isolation of the landscape and even the impenetrability of the language. There is very little traditional about its approach to the genre, and because of this should be applauded and deserves the love it always gets. I just wish it hit me a little more directly. I will definitely keep returning to it until it does though. I know one of these days it will click on a deeper level.
A Separation: I think I've seen this. Maybe. But no recollection of it whatsoever.
Jojo Rabbit: Neither understand the hate this movie gets, nor the rapturous enthusiasm. But I do think its very good. There has been lots of talk on this board about Starship Troopers and how it operates as satire by being a proxy of propaganda. But I think this one has a deeper understanding of the emotional impact of such things. By showing us Hitler in a light of a kind of whimsical Beatlemania type obsession, the sort of thing that it so thick in the air it even influences the dreams and imagination of a child, this gives the films glossy, enthusiastic, even goofy veneer a deeply disturbing heart. And while I don't think the film transcends this approach to get something I would consider truly great 'cinema', I think it gets close enough. Certainly much closer than most would dare to muster.
Cabin in the Woods: The kind of movie I walk away from with the feeling I've been entertained. But then have to remind myself '...yeah, but is that all. Is that enough?' Yes, the movie is extremely clever, but I'm generally suspicious about clever as it always feels like a mutual back pack between director and audience. The director can wank over what a clever dink they are, and the audience can wank over noticing clever things. For me this has always been a self gratifying but ultimately superficial reward for watching a film. If you are going to be clever, I'd like to feel its in the service of making me see something in a new light. That might lead me to an emotional reaction I hardly suspected. Kurt Vonnegut knows how to do this kind of clever. Joss Whedon does not. But yes, the movies is fun. Yes, the movie is clever. And I guess I can understand the love fans of the genre have for it because in many ways it is a love letter back to horror films. But ultimately, who cares? Not me. Ultimately very average. The kind of thing I might watch again, but will probably be petting a dog or a cat while doing so just to have something better to look at during the more cloying clever parts.
The Artist: Blech. I was really looking forward to this. The whole thing seemed like such a daring thing to do at a time when virtually nobody watches silent films anymore. As long as the whole thing wasn't an empty gimmick in service of a tremendously average film, it would at least be interesting....it wasn't interesting.
1917: Haven't seen. Is this Mendes? Probably why I haven't seen it.
Deadpool: Might end up being the worst movie on the list. See above for what I said about clever in the Cabin in the Woods write up. Except that at least was legitimately clever and occassionally funny. This is a pile of garbage. The most obnoxious kind of winking at the camera. If you are going to be meta, and you can do virtually anything, you really see how limited the imaginations and artistry were of whoever made this when nothing startling or funny or shocking or anything of any worth happens. Just keeps going wink wink and were supposed to think that is subversive enough. **** that. Hated this with a passion. Even worse than the ****ing Avengers, which at least had the courtesy of being completely forgettable and pointless.
Certified Copy: Heresy coming. Maybe my least favorite Kiarostami. Lots of great ideas (as there always is in his films...and he has had moments where I believe him to be very close to one of the best modern filmmakers) but always feels like it is struggling to get into the rarefied, intellectual air it is clearly aiming for. The movie knows it is smart, and it is, at least smarter than most, but it walks with the airs of someone who desperately wants everyone to know it. Kiarostami is generally not this intellectually showy. The movie equivalent of someone using an unneccessarily big word when a small one would have been just fine. And, just for a little more heresy, I don't think I like Binoche very much. She frequently seems to be in very well respected films that do absolutely nothing for me. So, just for fun, I'm going to point at her and say it's all her fault.
Toy Story 3 - It's good. Might be the best of that series. Well, as long as this is the one where the kid is grown up and the toys have been left behind and forgotten. If not, then this is not the best one. But still good. Middle of the pack Pixar though.
The Martian: Haven't seen. And you'd think poop potatoes would have had me lining up to see this in the theatre. But nope. Poop potatoes are not the draw they once were back in the day.
The Turin Horse: Now this is how you film a potato! An absolute colossal perfect end to one of the greatest of all film careers. Tarr never swayed from his absolutely punishing vision of the world or his vision of how to use cinema to reflect that. In this he strips film right down to its essence and creates something mysterious and terrifying and gruelling and real and surreal and powerful and monotonous in the best way possible. All the important things. He puts the entire universe into that shitty little house in the middle of nowhere. The horse is all misery and sadness. And so are those faces. And the howling wind. And a fistful of dirty potatoes. A movie so great I didn't dare sully it by putting it on something so pedestrian as a top 25 list. It's better than that.
The Handmaiden: This is an obvious beautiful movie. But I was left relatively cold by it. I think I spent half of the movie trying to figure out why everything seemed so familiar and, even though it took awhile, I eventually realized it was because I had read the book it was based on. The rare occassion when I thought the book was obviously better.
Avengers: Endgame: How is it even possible for me to know if I've seen this. I'm not a miracle worker. I've seen some of this dishwater shit, but certainly not all of them, because (as we can see) I'm still living. Sort of. Now would this one stand out from the other ones I saw? Maybe. Who knows? Who cares? Well, the rest of the world does, I suppose. But that's why I live in a hole in the ground where I can pretend that world doesn't exist. Just me and the worms. And the cats and the dogs that tumble in thinking I look motionless enough to eat. It's okay if they try. Still a better fate than watching any more Avengers movies.
Avengers >>>>> Deadpool
King's Speech: Another one that I was looking forward to but ultimately hated. This is Tom Hooper or Cooper or Pooper or something, right? That terrible director who did that American President TV movie everyone loves, but then spent the rest of his career making the most soulless of Oscar bait movies. This is so deliberately mannered in a way to speak to fans of Merchant Ivory type films (ie. me), that it is insulting when this target audience is meant to gobble this up as well as if their is no difference. This tries to substitute the essence of those beautiful and perfect films with good manners and sawdust for blood. Just because it is quiet and well mannered doesn't mean this is good British period fare. Absolutely lifeless. Would love this to be done by a director one day who isn't a corpse. The premise is fantastic. An absolute flub and one of my greatest disappointments of that decade.
Spring Breakers: Just the fact that this movie used its marketing campaign to lure the vapid people it is lampooning into the audience deserves some kind of points. One of the great dick moves in movie commercial history. Now is it good? I think so, but I'm becoming less and less convinced of this as time moves on. It's collision of images that revel in the grotesque nature of Spring Break culture with scenes that seem to display an earnest love of the pop culture wasteland we are currently living in, is always interesting. But it is frequently a little too glib and obvious in its provocations. And while some scenes are a lot of fun (and I mean good fun, not bad fun like Cabin in the Woods), there are also a lot of scenes that (upon further viewing) become horribly repetitive and not terribly interesting. Still, Korine is one of the great movie minds of my generation, and I will always worship at the alter of the manboy who made Gummo and Julien Donkeyboy. He's maybe a genius, and so it is probably not wise to completely discount the possibility that Spring Breakers is too.
Shutter Island: Don't worry about the twist. If you know it going in, it doesn't matter. It's a terrible twist that I believe is deliberately spoiled early in the film in order for the audience to truly see the sadness and the madness of what is happening on screen. One of Scorsese's greatest late period works. Also one of his most misunderstood and frequently underappreciated (even by fans). I love this movie. It didn't quite crack my list though
Knives Out: Another film that is the good kind of fun. Great character work. Funny. Great dialogue. Good direction. A mystery that crackles. An interesting throwback premise that feels both modern and like a loving glance back at the past. Yes Craig's accent is terrible, but that's part of the enjoyment of a movie that doesn't take itself very seriously, but that was made with great care. Rian Johnson could learn a lot about how to make a good movie from this Rian Johnson. Maybe he should watch the first one again.
Hell or High Water: I know the title but am completely unfamiliar with this and had no idea it had a strong fan base. Will put it on my 'to watch' list.
Scott Pilgrim: Was filmed around the corner from where I was living at the time. So I guess that counts as having seen it. Because I haven't actually seen it. While I love Wright's Cornetto trilogy, and I think his Sparks documentary was extremely good (especially for a band that can be as frustrating and unwieldy as Sparks can definitely be), I don't have a lot of love for what he's done outside of this. And I always get the feeling this movie would annoy me. Not Babydriver levels of annoy. But annoy regardless....will probably watch some day though. Then I will come here and edit this to write something truly blistering that no one will ever read.
Ida: This one is embarrassing. Meant to watch this when it came out and I literally forgot it even existed until now. Also on the 'must watch' list.
Easy A: Pretty sure I was in the room when an ex was watching this one. Too busy petting cats though to actually look at it. She said it was good. So let's just sub her review in here instead of mine, which would have just been "hello you smelly little kitty, don't I love you, yes I do".
Prisoners: I can't write this shit anymore. My brain hurts. Which is unfortunate because I sort of love this movie. Gritty, disturbing, and shocking in the way it makes it clear what an enormously versatile talent Villeneuve (sp) is. A guy who can do this and Dune is off the ****ing charts.
EDIT: Oh shit. I skipped Raid 2. Which is funny because it was the only one of mine that made the list. I think I had it at number 3 or 4. Turns action into something transcendent. So astonishing that its the kind of thing that shouldn't even exist. I don't know how Edwards got all of this energy onto camera. I don't know how he made something this thrilling and strange and wildly unhinged. The GREATEST action movie of all time. Bar none. Eats John Woo for breakfast. And what makes the whole film extra interesting to me is it embeds these monumental set pieces of guns and cars and violence into an almost incomprehensible story dealing with all sorts of crosses and double crosses and bizarre characters that you can barely get your finger on before another car smashes into the scene. The whole thing keeps the audience off balance, gives the action space to have real impact, creates a mystery around the incredible directness of the scenes that absolutely jump off the screen and pummel the audience. Astonishing astonishing film.
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