The Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford +
What in the world happened in 2007? Three outstanding films(all Neo-Westerns) came out,
No Country For Old Men,
There will be Blood and of course this. This is the weakest of the big three, but damn is it good regardless.
There's a striking confidence to the narrative, and how it focuses on the characters. The acting is excellent, and while Brad Pitt is superb as the Jesse James, I think it might be Casey Affleck's incredible performance that really steals the show. Then comes the visuals. My lord are the visuals breathtaking. This might be one of the most beautiful films Roger Deakins has ever worked on, and believe me that's saying something. And of course I do find flaws here which do hold it back, most notably it's colossal length which should by all means be trimmed. And the pacing is outright glacial at times, but once you get into it you won't be able to look away.
Critic Mark Kermode noted how this is one of the most overlooked masterpieces of the 21st century, and he might be right. This is high-quality filmmaking, and it deserves to get more recognition.
The Grand Budapest Hotel -
I've never been a big fan of Wes Anderson. His films are enjoyable and the quirky,colorful visuals are always stunning to look at. But I never
really connected with any of his films to the extent that I would love them. The same applies to TGBH here.
This film of course is remarkable in it's visual style. Quirky,colorful,nostalgic and very vibrant. The story doesn't really do much for me however, as I do feel it's second hand to the visuals. Basically, I enjoyed TGBH. But I definitely don't love it. But I will say that Anderson is really good at what he does.
The Great Beauty
Without beating around the bush, yes there is a hint of Fellini here. But it's rather marginal.
Now with that out of the way, let me get into
The Great Beauty. It is about a man Jep Gambardella, a man who grew up amidst the high society of Rome. Yet after his 65th birthday, he begins to realize that he doesn't have much to show for his life. Just like the two films above this one, this also has really gorgeous cinematography. The most striking example is a party sequence towards the beginning, and it is absolutely glorious. I do think the character of Jep is really interesting, but his personality isn't enough to carry a film which feels all too disjointed and meandering. My problem comes in that the film doesn't quite know what it's going for, and while many might state that there is alot of depth here. I simply don't see it, and find the whole film sorta superficial. In time i'd be open to giving this a rewatch, but as it stands I don't think it's all that great.
Late Spring
There's a certain warmth and beauty to almost every Ozu film. This is of course no exception.I just love how simple and restrained his filmmaking style is, and how human all the characters feel.
Oculus +
Thoroughly enjoyable horror film, using atmosphere and psychological thrills rather than cans of gore to keep the audience on the edge of their seat. I'm a horror fan, always have been and always will be. To me, this is one of the best horrors I've seen in a very long time. It does what it needs to do, and it does it well.
It gets a thumbs up from me.