“She’s rich, but still nice.”
“Not ‘rich, but still nice.’ She’s nice because she’s rich. Hell, if I had all this money, I’d be nice too!”
Watching this movie with my thriller-adoring mother and hearing her gasp every two minutes is truly the best (belated) Christmas gift I could ever receive
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“Do all lovers feel they’re inventing something?”
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a simply staggering piece of sensual cinema, summoning a seductive spell upon its audience and enveloping every viewer in this elegant and enchanting experience with Céline Sciamma’s delicate direction and the delectable dual performances of Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel.
While the film is a slow-burn without a doubt, this only makes its seduction all the more surreptitious. You’re most certainly aware of the leisurely pace,…
“The sound of our songs was louder than the bombs falling outside.”
For Sama is a heartwreching, honest, and humanistic look into life in Aleppo, told through the fierce, feminist perspective of Waad al-Kateab as she traverses through the turmoil and works alongside her doctor husband to help her fellow citizens in any way they can. The documentary analyzes the unrest from a ground-level viewpoint, with little attention given to the politics of the conflict as, instead, a spotlight is…
what a fucking gut punch of a film. despite not knowing much about the military dictatorship in brazil ahead of time - if anything - i still immediately fell head over heels for this family and found myself instantly immersed in their tenderly depicted dynamic, so comionately captured in that first (nearly) tension-free half hour. and it’s these first 30 minutes of unadulterated joy and frivolity that make the rest of the movie as mightily emotionally affecting as it ultimately…
Minding the Gap is a poignant, dramatically affecting look at the treacherous journey from childhood to adulthood and the everlasting impact of domestic abuse on youth. Touching on themes of masculinity, racial profiling, and mental illness, Bing Liu’s debut feature packs a relevant, gnarly punch and backs up its weighty topics incredible humanity and genuity. He provides us with raw, authentic, messy stories and neglects to answer any of the film’s many questions, leaving it up to the perception of…
Shoplifters is shot with earnest conviction and it tells quite the powerful tale of a group of individuals without a home who make a home with each other. While the pace and structure didn’t always work for me in of emotional connection, I greatly appreciated the performances of Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, and Kairi Jō, with Sakura being my personal standout. I definitely prefer Cold War and Roma in of 2018’s foreign standouts, but Shoplifters is worthy of its high praise nonetheless.
Currently catching up on screeners for the Spirit Awards and wow wow WOW Quo Vadis, Aida? is so goddamn good. “Compelling” doesn’t quite cut it - this is masterfully engrossing moviemaking of the highest order. I adore Another Round like everyone else, but I wouldn’t at all be disappointed to see this intimately harrowing human drama take home that Best International Feature Film trophy in a month. I also totally see why the BAFTAs recognized Žbanić now - just terrifically distinguished direction the whole way through.
And, uh, where’s the Best Actress buzz for Jasna Đuričić???
Drive My Car may be a bit too “patiently” paced for some, but others will undeniably appreciate its skillfully sophisticated storytelling and astute analysis of grief, powered by subtly effective performances from Hidetoshi Nishijima, Masaki Okada, and Toko Miura - with the latter outright stealing the show.
Read my full review on Loud and Clear Reviews!
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish will remind you of the DreamWorks Animation classics of the early 2000s - the ones many of us grew up with. Though this sequel was 11 years in the making, it’s as action-packed and emotionally affecting as the original, with even more arresting artistry. Gonna be a HUGE hit over the holidays.
(Also… THOSE LAST TEN SECONDS SENT ME INTO OUTER SPACE HSJSJSKSJS)