Fun. Exciting. Very lazy and simplistic in it’s themes and messaging. I was expecting more from Gerwig in exploring identity, autonomy, and the journey inward, instead of the constant meaningless patriarchy babble and the simple “life is terrible”, oh no wait, “it’s great” ponderings. The only part of the themes and exploration that landed very well was the insight into few positive but mostly negative impact of Barbie toys on women and especially young girls. Wonderfully and ecstatically formed. It was designed to be the Barbiest Barbie film that ever Barbied. Gosling and Robbie are fantastic. The real world stuff was a bit dull and saccharine and you could cut out all of the Mattel boardroom stuff as it simply wasn’t funny or smart, and added very little. But the Barbie world sequences were thrilling and joyous. Which is what a Barbie film should be. Gerwig has created a fully realised, interesting world with a unique vision and voice.
Oppenheimer is beautiful, extraordinary and devastating. It is magic. Best film of this year by a mile so far, hands down. And I really, really didn’t expect to say this- but this is Christopher Nolan’s best film. Maybe not my favourite, and I don’t think it’ll ever be. And my favourite film of the year is Blackberry. But I believe critically and analytically that, this is his magnum opus. Cillian certainly deserves the Oscar as it's one of those rare, tremendously nuanced and detailed, transcendent performances. And the film and Nolan deserves most of the other Oscars so far, such as Best Film, Director, Editing, Screenplay, Cinematography, Sound and maybe Score. This is a special film, for all of its playful and complex, perfect execution of every element of filmmaking… No pun intended, but it blew me away. I think this is one for the ages, and the benchmark for both Nolan and films in 2023. Best film of the year, top 3 films of this decade so far, one of the best films of this century and quite possibly of all time.
This is the first film in a long time that felt like magic to me. It transported me, mesmerised me, intoxicated me, shocked me, astounded me... The perfectly executed cinematography, editing, sound design, art direction, performances, writing, continue to prove that Paul Thomas Anderson is most likely the greatest director of this century, and cement this film as hands down the best film of 2021. The dynamic, execution and chemistry of the two leads is electric and leaves me trapped, wanting to see more of their adventures. I knew this film would be great, because it's PTA, but I didn't expect to love it this much.
So dense with theme and growth, and uses extraordinary, beautiful film language. What a treat for the mind and senses. Best film of the year so far, surpassing Pig. Can't wait to see films such as Memoria, After Yang, Titane, House of Gucci, The Last Duel, Dune, Th French Dispatch, The Worst Person in the World, Drive My Car, etc... But The Green Knight takes the number 1 spot for now.
A slow burn that is meditative and introspective. Scorsese's direction is a voyeuristic look at the full life of a truck driver turned hitman. Schoonmaker does a terrific job of pacing a long story in the most effective way possible, making every scene feel like an important piece of a puzzle in the growth and withering of some very important criminal figures. I hate to say that the film starts out a little rough with some unconvincing de-aging special effects and some violent action performed by De Niro as a younger man, but his movements are very telling of the actor's real age and does not look realistic, which was overcompensated by some bad foley work to make his actions sound more impactful. These small early shortcomings are soon forgotten though as the film continues and only gets more engrossing by the moment. The direction is masterful, the technical aspects are predictably great, the story is beat-for-beat brilliant and the performances are all around fantastic, especially (of course) by De Niro, Pacino and Pesci. Unsurprisingly, one of the best films of the year. One of the greatest directors of all time delivers another knockout.
The best film of the year, maybe the best film of the decade. Just one of the best films in general. Joon-ho Bong balances a social thriller, satire and drama, perfectly and effortlessly. The cinematography is as good as I've ever seen in a film; the editing keeps it highly engaging; the production design adds the impactful disparity between the classes; the score and sound design adds significant character and emotion to each scene; and the performances are powerfully executed from the whole cast. Parasite deserves all the high praise it is receiving from critics and somehow, it deserves more.
A devestating performance form Paul, superb writing and very expressive and gripping direction from Gilligan. It gives you everything you need, from the average fan of the show, to someone that appreciates great filmmaking on a higher level. It very much lives up to the greatness of Breaking Bad.
A perfect film, from script to direction. One of the most affecting and absorbing stories I've ever experienced, with impeccable execution in every element. One of the most acclaimed works of cinema ever and one of my absolute favourites. Krzysztof, thank you.
The greatest series of short films ever made, by one of the masters of cinema and almost certainly the greatest director of the 90s. An exploration into characters with intense moral and ethical dilemmas, that allows one to reflect on the intricacies and nuances of the human spirit. Dekalog is considered one of the most acclaimed and important works of art in recent history, yet I believe it deserves further adoration. This is extraordinary filmmaking, 10 of the best films you will ever watch.
A grim insight into the sadness and bitterness of Hollywood. This film is elevated by its constantly growing suspense, achieved with great direction, fantastically written characters and stellar lead performances.
This story's biggest strength, by far, is the performances. The writing is heavy-handed and a bit simplistic. The filmmaking in all its artistic and technical elements, isn't anything special. I can only say that the actors raised the writing and took focus away from all of the other shortcomings.
An overall boring and formulaic story that doesn't have much in common or much relevance to the MCU. Most of the action choreography, visual effects and sound is competently crafted. However, the story is dull, predictable and the same superhero story told over and over again, without the charm of some other instalments. The cinematography and editing is extremely bland. Furthermore, one of the biggest and most surprisingly poor aspects of the film, is Brie Larson. The very talented actress, delivers one of the most unlikable, wooden, inconsistent and lifeless portrayals of a character that should be packed with charm and heroism. Conclusion: You can skip this one.
The level of technical and artistic ingenuity in Children of Men is in an extremely small amount of modern films. Some of the greatest directing, cinematography and editing ever produced, with extraordinary performances, sound, production and writing. It greatly stands out among the mediocrity of most movies today and challenges us with a deep and important message, while demonstrating such astonishing filmmaking skill from one of the greatest recent directors, Alfonso Cuarón. A must see for anybody that truly cares and has great knowledge of the art form.
One of the best films of the 21st century and DEFINITELY the best film of 2018. This is a level of masterpiece that doesn't come around often. It is beautifully, emotionally and dauntingly shot, one of the most daring film scripts of recent times, completed by excellent performances. The direction of Cuarón balances subtle emotion and powerful sentiment in a rarely perfect manner, for any art form. It deserves to take home the majority of major Oscars this year, in; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Lead Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography and many more.
When I saw this in Rotterdam, it did not sit with me well for the beginning of the movie. However, as the plot started to build and the impact of the story and film language started to become clear, this film did not disappoint. The beauty in the cinematography and editing really cement this first as an early front-runner for award season.
Not quite as successfully written in comedy or drama, as the first one. But the charm of the lead character, the cool supporting cast and funny action never fail.
Never have I had such high expectations for a film and it exceeded it so much. This film shocked me more than any I've seen in a long time. This is already a horror classic. What a first film and achievement by director, Ari Aster. Absolutely the best film of the year so far, which is an extraordinary accomplishment for a horror film. It still sits in the back of my mind and haunts the quiet moments of the day.
Everything about this film is exquisite, the cinematography, editing, subtle performance, direction, etc... All of these film aspects are executed in the most masterful and subdued manner. It is a modern fable of discovery and tells the story with little exposition, only imagery. This is an instant critical classic that explores humanity, love, femininity, identity, compassion and has a lot more subtext. The most Kubrickian film ever made, without being directed by the legend himself. It sways from immensely creepy, to powerfully brutal, to beautifully introspective with great ease and care. One of the best films of the 21st Century and one of my favourite films ever.
Exciting and competent. This film brings together the last decade of Marvel movies in a mostly successful extravaganza. However, it definitely should've focussed a bit more on being a good standalone story, with some resolution and reason. Instead, this movie starts out very strong and then turns into a less satisfying build up to the next Avengers film. The visual effects, cast ensemble and direction is good, but the writing suffers because of the desire to keep the audience spending money in the future. Also a lot of the character decisions and logic are completely off. Such as, having the Time Stone and deciding not to fix some of the devastating events before it is taken away from them. This film lacks higher storytelling ability and basic intelligence. As with any Marvel movie though, it isn't without it's flaws and is not intended to be a brilliant work of art... Nevertheless, it is still extremely fun, exciting and the action is non-stop. I enjoyed the film very much and look forward to seeing backlash and conclusion for the story in MCU films ahead.
When I saw this film at the Rotterdam Film Festival, it was the movie that stuck with me for a few days. The story and characters are wonderfully written and distressing. It did what it intended to do, giving us a natural and gruelling insight into what this time and landscape was like for those without privilege.
While still a nice story and decently acted, it is trying way too hard. It has none of the substance, subtlety, reality or beauty that other films of the same nature have, such as Moonlight or Call Me By Your Name.
However you feel about the direction the saga is going in, this is still a really good movie, as a standalone and as part of the series. While there are some low points about this movie, mainly storylines that didn't deserve to be so integral... The high points of this movie are some of the best in Star Wars history. The sound, visual effects and editing are the best and most meaningful they have ever been. I am definitely toward the critic's view of this movie, while still reserving some grievances as a fan.
Wildly realistic and mesmerising. The director went into this film thinking "I'm not going to make a gay movie, I'm going to make a romance between two men." and it shows. This is not a film to draw attention or make statements, like a lot of current movies do with this type of story. It is just simply, a human story.
While this may seem like an exercise in the bizarre, with the right analysis and research, it becomes clear and extremely meaningful. Every scene, shot, edit and artistic choice had meaning and were all necessary to tell the story. As it comes together, the sequences of emptiness and a character that wonders from place to place, start to work together to tell a very deep story of depression, loneliness, suicide, conscience, adulthood, alienation, desire, limitations, fear, paranoia and at the heart of it all, the disgust and regret of becoming a father, that take severe psychological and physical effects on the main character. This is art. It presents it in the most formalistic and unconventional way, but this only accentuates and intensifies the themes.
Expert direction from Aronofsky, fantastic editing, performances, cinematography, sound design, etc.. all appropriate to the goal of thrilling and telling an entirely different story than the one we see. The biggest downside of this movie is that there is no real narrative on screen, it is all just vague symbolism. Whereas films, such as The Shining or Mulholland Drive have much more meaning and symbolic stories, while still telling it's own narrative. Mother!'s writing is definitely a bit empty, craving for an actual story to be told.
So much later horror takes a lot from this movie. The mise-en-scene is a terrific example of how to make the audience terrified and tense. While the acting is terrible, given the low budget, this is a phenomenally directed slasher.
One of the funniest and most unique comedies in recent years. The editing is original, paying no attention to continuity for comedic effect in stressful situations. Realistic but hilarious slapstick performances and solid writing make this a cult favourite.
This has got to be the worst film ever in comparison to how much it cost. Everything about this movie is a hideous and illogical mess. It is by far the most painful movie experience I have ever had. While there are some other movies are just as bad, they are more enjoyable because of their inadequacies. This was just a long, boring, ugly and relentless assault on the eyes and ears.
Of course this movie is terrible, but it is equally loved. There is no redeeming aspect to this film critically but it is an enjoyable ride and example of how not to make movies.
Paul Thomas Anderson is a fantastic director and showcased his tremendous ability with this film, probably his best to date. However, I am wrongfully going to ignore that, to praise Daniel Day-Lewis. This, in my opinion, is the greatest performance of all time. I have agonised for years, obsessing about what actor in history was the best in a single movie. There are others that are equally perfect, Brando in On the Waterfront (1954), Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008), De Niro in Raging Bull (1980), Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs (1991), Pacino in The Godfather (1972), Spacey in American Beauty (1999), Streep in Sophie's Choice (1982), Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Olivier in Hamlet (1948), the list goes on... However, no role has required the same level of character transformation and method acting that DDL did as Daniel Plainview. This was a masterpiece in creating nuances, changing speech and inflections, body language and raw acting ability. Day-Lewis is a chameleon that somehow completely morphed himself into another individual, especially one as complex and unique as this one. He stands as one of the best actors of all time with the likes of Nicholson and Brando.
While this film is remembered for Heath Ledgers brilliant and infinitely nuanced role as The Joker, one of the few perfect performances in film history... Nolan went under-appreciated for his masterful direction and grand storytelling ability.
While it certainly isn't as good as The Dark Knight, this is an equally produced and directed movie. The difference however, are that it isn't as cleverly written and is missing a stand-out performance. This film will forever go overlooked as a stand alone epic, as it's predecessor was so successful critically.
While I can see what critics appreciate in this film and do not disagree, to say this was a great movie is ridiculous. It is one of the best Marvel films and a fresh instalment into the cinematic universe. However, it still falls short in many aspects that the average blockbusters and Marvel properties always do... The writing is a bit better than usual, in that it has one character with purpose and a satisfying arc, and certain story elements carry more weight than usual. Still, the film falls into the usual trap of inconsistent characters, logic that the film explains but then contradicts all the time, and a predictable narrative with poor pacing, evolution and too much lazy exposition. The costumes and soundtrack were better than expected, but the visual effects are terrible considering the standard of recent films in the franchise. The direction overall was slightly more aware than average but felt bland at times with a lack of technique and intelligence. Most of the performances were competent and the score was surprisingly good. Overall, it is somewhat better filmmaking and writing than most Marvel films, but was elevated by the politics and social influence it had.
While the writing, ensemble cast and basic filmmaking aspects are very good... This movie is very limited, given that it alludes to being a slight adventure story, like with Stand By Me or Stranger Things, this is one long jump-scare, drawn out. In general, it isn't particularly ambitious, other than trying to be a successful remake. I enjoyed the movie a lot but was disappointed.
I did not expect such a riveting and heart-pounding film from John Krasinski. It is terrifying and touching. The editing and cinematography lends to the extreme degree of tension that the sound design creates. The performances all-round are fantastic and very believable, surprising given the extreme nature of the situation. I was however disappointed in some of the logic and decision making throughout. Also, an important reveal and the pacing of the action at the beginning took away from some of the tension and psychological impact.
One of the best recent Stephen King adaptions. It is a gripping and tense effort from the director and editor, with Carla Gugino summoning an excellent performance of fear and nuance.
Definitely the greatest horror film of all time. This movie only has mixed reviews as there is not enough time for everyone to discover and analyse this film to the grand level of intelligent depth it takes psychologically. A perfect movie, never to be fully appreciated or understood.
What this film accomplished with minimalist performance and heartbreakingly realistic cinematography has set a precedent in a new era of filmmaking. Best film of 2016. In my opinion, one of the best films in years.
