Why would I forget Joker if it and You Were Never Really Here make an incredible double feature? That’s like saying forget King of Comedy because of Taxi Driver.
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The better point of comparison re: Joker/YWNRH would be if you double-billed The King of Comedy with The Fan because they're both movies where Robert De Niro plays a deranged fanboy.
Rest of the list is pretty good.
Rest of the list is pretty good.
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I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.
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The better point of comparison re: Joker/YWNRH would be if you double-billed The King of Comedy with The Fan because they're both movies where Robert De Niro plays a deranged fanboy.
Rest of the list is pretty good.
Rest of the list is pretty good.
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55. Eighth Grade (2018, dir. Bo Burnham)
Most modern American films about "these kids" are full of ersatz self-flattering attempts at fleekness (?, I dunno, I've only heard the term used by desperately cool parents), full of sitcom-worthy sass and spunk and pitifully obsessed with the relevance of dank social memes. So it's completely refreshing to see a film that subverts such a need for relevance by framing all of that as precisely what it is: youth marketing gimmicks that most kids, thankfully, can see through as easily as all of the other toothless reassurances they didn't ask to hear. This is the only recent youth-oriented film that I can think of that treated the specific influence of social media in a mature and realistic way that isn't afraid of alienating an overly tech-defensive audience. Instead it treats social media as yet another, and more complex, set of challenges and social expectations. The film keeps its focus on what's real - the insecure Kayla (Elsie Fisher) - and her frustrating quest for confidence and validation.
Most modern American films about "these kids" are full of ersatz self-flattering attempts at fleekness (?, I dunno, I've only heard the term used by desperately cool parents), full of sitcom-worthy sass and spunk and pitifully obsessed with the relevance of dank social memes. So it's completely refreshing to see a film that subverts such a need for relevance by framing all of that as precisely what it is: youth marketing gimmicks that most kids, thankfully, can see through as easily as all of the other toothless reassurances they didn't ask to hear. This is the only recent youth-oriented film that I can think of that treated the specific influence of social media in a mature and realistic way that isn't afraid of alienating an overly tech-defensive audience. Instead it treats social media as yet another, and more complex, set of challenges and social expectations. The film keeps its focus on what's real - the insecure Kayla (Elsie Fisher) - and her frustrating quest for confidence and validation.
Just a great coming of age film. Love this one. I know, incredible commentary, amirite! Seriously, this is a must see film. The second best of its genre after "Boyhood", of that decade.
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Just a great coming of age film. Love this one!
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In this analogy, it’s YWNRH aligning with Taxi Driver in that Phoenix plays an unstable misanthrope that brutalizes people to protect a young girl.
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I'm usually a fan of coming of age, but for some reason, I couldn't get into Eighth Grade at all. I felt so alienated by everything that was happening that I couldn't even finish it. Am I just too old to understand modern kids?
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57. Drive (2011, dir. Nicolas Winding Refn)
Refn's stylish neo-noir seems custom-built to recharge the 'style over substance vs. style = substance' debate. I think this film firmly sits in the latter, a pulpy exercise that requires little additional subtext, and still a more entertaining film than his more complicated concoctions of style and ambition, Only God Forgives and Neon Demon, although Refn is also one of the more singular filmmakers today who's always worth watching.
So is Drive really better than Parasite though? What was I thinking of? Albert Brooks maybe? These aren't all hard-and-fast rankings.
Refn's stylish neo-noir seems custom-built to recharge the 'style over substance vs. style = substance' debate. I think this film firmly sits in the latter, a pulpy exercise that requires little additional subtext, and still a more entertaining film than his more complicated concoctions of style and ambition, Only God Forgives and Neon Demon, although Refn is also one of the more singular filmmakers today who's always worth watching.
So is Drive really better than Parasite though? What was I thinking of? Albert Brooks maybe? These aren't all hard-and-fast rankings.
In general, I totally agree with you... and yet, while I'm sure Drive is a better film, Only God Forgives is the film he made for me.
56. Gravity (2013, dir. Alfonso Cuaron)
One of the few mega-FX IMAX experiences that managed to live up to the immersive hype. It helps that the 3D is focused on depth and scale rather than blurry popping pyrotechnics, immersion within the frame rather than without. More fundamentally it works as a moving character drama - maybe even the female analogue to something like Ad Astra - with Sandra Bullock (an actress that I haven't been typically impressed with) holding down a strong central performance admirably. A true triumph of will.
One of the few mega-FX IMAX experiences that managed to live up to the immersive hype. It helps that the 3D is focused on depth and scale rather than blurry popping pyrotechnics, immersion within the frame rather than without. More fundamentally it works as a moving character drama - maybe even the female analogue to something like Ad Astra - with Sandra Bullock (an actress that I haven't been typically impressed with) holding down a strong central performance admirably. A true triumph of will.
I will concede the the final moment is heavy-handed and obvious but otherwise...
Personally, I can't fall into the "style automatically = substance" camp (because if I did, I would hold a very different opinion about something like Basterds), but I feel that style can enhance substance.
Never seen Gravity. I said it a few times in Corrie but it's a film I regret not seeing in theaters and I always get the feeling that the experience will be "lesser" on TV. Maybe I should give in one of these days.
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...while I'm sure Drive is a better film, Only God Forgives is the film he made for me.
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56. Gravity (2013, dir. Alfonso Cuaron)
One of the few mega-FX IMAX experiences that managed to live up to the immersive hype. It helps that the 3D is focused on depth and scale rather than blurry popping pyrotechnics, immersion within the frame rather than without. More fundamentally it works as a moving character drama - maybe even the female analogue to something like Ad Astra - with Sandra Bullock (an actress that I haven't been typically impressed with) holding down a strong central performance admirably. A true triumph of will.
One of the few mega-FX IMAX experiences that managed to live up to the immersive hype. It helps that the 3D is focused on depth and scale rather than blurry popping pyrotechnics, immersion within the frame rather than without. More fundamentally it works as a moving character drama - maybe even the female analogue to something like Ad Astra - with Sandra Bullock (an actress that I haven't been typically impressed with) holding down a strong central performance admirably. A true triumph of will.
55. Eighth Grade (2018, dir. Bo Burnham)
Most modern American films about "these kids" are full of ersatz self-flattering attempts at fleekness (?, I dunno, I've only heard the term used by desperately cool parents), full of sitcom-worthy sass and spunk and pitifully obsessed with the relevance of dank social memes. So it's completely refreshing to see a film that subverts such a need for relevance by framing all of that as precisely what it is: youth marketing gimmicks that most kids, thankfully, can see through as easily as all of the other toothless reassurances they didn't ask to hear. This is the only recent youth-oriented film that I can think of that treated the specific influence of social media in a mature and realistic way that isn't afraid of alienating an overly tech-defensive audience. Instead it treats social media as yet another, and more complex, set of challenges and social expectations. The film keeps its focus on what's real - the insecure Kayla (Elsie Fisher) - and her frustrating quest for confidence and validation.
Most modern American films about "these kids" are full of ersatz self-flattering attempts at fleekness (?, I dunno, I've only heard the term used by desperately cool parents), full of sitcom-worthy sass and spunk and pitifully obsessed with the relevance of dank social memes. So it's completely refreshing to see a film that subverts such a need for relevance by framing all of that as precisely what it is: youth marketing gimmicks that most kids, thankfully, can see through as easily as all of the other toothless reassurances they didn't ask to hear. This is the only recent youth-oriented film that I can think of that treated the specific influence of social media in a mature and realistic way that isn't afraid of alienating an overly tech-defensive audience. Instead it treats social media as yet another, and more complex, set of challenges and social expectations. The film keeps its focus on what's real - the insecure Kayla (Elsie Fisher) - and her frustrating quest for confidence and validation.
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Last edited by Sedai; 02-25-21 at 10:16 AM.
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I'm always surprised when this film gets shade, which it does surprisingly often.
I will concede the the final moment is heavy-handed and obvious but otherwise...
I will concede the the final moment is heavy-handed and obvious but otherwise...
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All this Gravity talk reminded me that the only commercial theatre in my city with a true IMAX screen is supposed to get torn down and replaced by condos within the next few years.
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Save your tears for another day.
The better point of comparison re: Joker/YWNRH would be if you double-billed The King of Comedy with The Fan because they're both movies where Robert De Niro plays a deranged fanboy.
Rest of the list is pretty good.
I will concede the the final moment is heavy-handed and obvious but otherwise...
The main criticism I hear for the film is "no character development", which is not the case with the film. At all. I never understood why so many people failed to notice Bullock's character arc. Hell, the final scene is so obvious in its significance, it almost borders on being heavy-handed as you say.
Yuck. I'll stick with Bella Hadid's version of "Stray Cat Strut" instead. Her head isn't shaped like a bucket.
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