Evil Dead Rise (Lee Cronin, 2023)
Violent and humourless.
Little Women (Greta Gerwig, 2019)
Impressively crafted with a lot of care and love for its characters.
First Man (Damien Chazelle, 2018)
For a film so focused on the "human side" of the moon mission this film had absolutely nothing to say. He lost his kid, so then he was super serious and focussed on his work. How fascinating.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, 2018)
Enjoyable fun.
The Earrings of Madame de... (Max Ophüls, 1953)
A masterpiece in camera movement.
Ida (Paweł Pawlikowski, 2013)
Boring and offensive attempt at imitating style whilst trying to say a lot but ultimately saying nothing about a whole range of stuff.
Showing Up (Kelly Reichardt, 2022)
A great filmmaker at the top of her game, subtle layers of revelation building up to a surprisingly great, moving end. I was reminded almost of the "descisive action" that Schrader talks about in his Transcendental Cinema writings.
Pinball: The Man Who Saved The Game (Austin Bragg, Meredith Bragg, 2022)
Great watch that is edited together in such a fun, compelling way.
Far From The Madding Crowd (Thomas Vinteberg, 2015)
A labourous, reptitive bore. Maybe it's the fault of the original novel, but there's nothing really interesting about the direction too.
We Can't Go Home Again (Nicholas Ray, 1973)
A fascinating experimental film from a master filmmaker.
Master Gardener (Paul Schrader, 2022)
An excellently crafted film of hypnotic beauty that I found very moving. The storyline has the potential to come across as ridiculous and I'm sure many will find it so, I guess it comes across as you much you accept the sincerity of Schrader's writing intentions.
The Covenant (Guy Ritchie, 2023)
Great first half. Ritchie gets criticism for over-stylising his films but the way he shoots the action scenes is really good and extremely coherent and immersive. The action feels perilous and there's a real sense of despair. Then comes the second half where it just feels like a silly action movie with no real jeopardy.
Lynch/Oz (Alexandre O. Philippe, 2022)
Some interesting parts, I enjoyed certain sections which were more essay films on cinema as a whole rather than just talking about Lynch and specific links to
The Wizard of Oz.
Drugstore Cowboy (Gus Vant Sant, 1989)
An immersive film that feels alive, brimming with energy in a perfect match of style and content. Again, real sincerity from the filmmaker that approaches the characters and world in a non-preachy way.
Gerry (Gus Vant Sant, 2002)
Won't be everyone's cup of tea but I loved this foray into slow cinema. Never felt slow, I was absolutely transfixed by the "action" on screen. Beautifully photographed with clever, humourous writing as we descend into peril.
The Turin Horse (Béla Tarr, Ágnes Hranitzky, 2011)
After watching
Gerry I finally decided to get around to this highly regarded arthouse film. An easy five stars, just an absolute masterpiece. Incredible, awe-inspiring cinema.