doyler29

I have to confess that I don't exactly get the love that this film attracts. I think it's a decent film that gets a big boost from a really great ending, but it's also a bit slow and meandering. I enjoyed it, but it's nowhere near the top of the genre for me.

90 _87%

Something Wild (1961) - Rated 14 Apr 2024

This is quite a film. Director Jack Garfein was a prominent figure at the Actors Studio and conceived this as a vehicle for his wife Baker. It does nothing you really expect a film from this period to do. There's no dialogue for the first 15 minutes. It's depiction of Baker's traumatic response to the attack is amazingly realistic for a time when nothing like it appears on screen. After Meeker arrives mid-film, there's no clear indication where it's going to end up.

80 _68%

Ordet (1955) - Rated 14 Apr 2024

It's funny how these things work. I like this film a lot. It's slow pace didn't bother me at all, and I was immediately pulled into it by the vividly drawn characters. I think it's beautifully shot. I have no complaints ... I enjoyed it a lot. However, I was never tempted to call it a masterpiece, which many many people do. I can see why ... I think like some films by Tarkovsky and Bresson, the degree to which you love it is dictated by how powerful you find the ending.

60 _23%

Ocean's 8 (2018) - Rated 14 Apr 2024

This movie effortlessly continued the trend of me not giving a flying fuck about this film series. It wasn't exactly bad, but I could not have cared less about anything that happened in it. It's the kind of film where I realize I have been staring at it without listening to last 20 minutes of dialogue. Rihanna calls herself "Nine Ball" in this. Why would anyone name themselves after the nine ball?

80 _68%

Odd Man Out (1947) - Rated 13 Apr 2024

The film is essentially an all night odyssey as Mason, slowly dying, tries to get to safety while encountering people who try to help, hinder or stay completely uninvolved. Mason is spectacular as the increasingly fragile and spectral presence on the border between life and death. The supporting cast, mostly pulled from Irish theater, includes Cyril Cusack, William Hartnell and Robert Newton.

70 _42%

Monkey Man (2024) - Rated 13 Apr 2024

I thought this film was okay. I note that most of the reviews praise the action sequence. I think they couldn't be more wrong. Dev Patel succumbs to some really terrible editing ... no shot is held for more than about 15 seconds. It renders the fight scenes choppy and visually incoherent. Patel cites "The Raid" as an influence, but this is really nothing like that, except in completely superficial ways.

30 _3%

Azor (2021) - Rated 09 Apr 2024

I really intensely disliked this film. It's admirers predictably describe it as a "slow burn", but I'm pretty certain there's no burn going on at all. I can see what it's trying to do, but I don't think Rongione is playing a character that's defined in any way, so the pay-off here is both completely predictable and of little consequence.

70 _42%

The Marvels (2023) - Rated 04 Apr 2024

I don't think this film is particularly better or worse than your average MCU film. It has your typical advantages ... fun character interactions, cool moments. It has your typical disadvantages ... a weak villain, a thin plot, uninteresting action sequences. (Although I must say, the character swapping gimmick in this improves the action quite a bit.) Here's my thesis: What makes an MCU film better or worse has almost nothing to do with it's content and a lot to do with it's context.

70 _42%

Late Night with the Devil (2023) - Rated 03 Apr 2024

It includes a documentary prologue that sets up the story, and once you hear it, you know exactly where this film is going. You're left watching the film knowing the whole time how it has to end and hoping it'll take a left turn somewhere. It just doesn't. It plays out in a totally predictable manner. It's a fun little watch, but it does nothing all that interesting with it's set up.

80 _68%

It's Always Fair Weather (1955) - Rated 02 Apr 2024