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Nocturnal Animals Review

6 Nov

Sleek, stylish, and quite a bit of fun, Nocturnal Animals is like a tamer version of The Neon Demon with some help from David Lynch. It’s structured around three different perspectives–past, present, and fiction–and it does a serviceable job of tying the three threads together. However, there are some limitations in the initial premise that play out as the story progresses, namely the fact that certain aspects of the narrative get shortchanged. Unfortunately, though Amy Adams gets ample screen time, her character never feels like it’s getting the substance that other characters get. Her character doesn’t really serve as as strong a link between the three perspectives as Ford believes it does. Nevertheless, it’s a wonderful performance given the material at hand, and Adams is able to work wonders out of very little from the script.

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Elle Review

4 Nov

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During a year curiously lacking in the “standout performance” department, here enters Isabelle Huppert. This is a fierce, complex portrayal of a character who rarely falls in line with our preconceived notions, and Huppert nails every single aspect of that complexity. As Michele Leblanc, she continually walks a tightrope of desire, control, and sexuality, and she and Verhoeven find moments of wild humor and biting satire in the midst of extremely dark scenarios. It’s a fun one to watch, and the fact that I label it “fun” when it involves the topics it does should tell you all you need to know about where Verhoeven’s mind is at.

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Moonlight Review

19 Oct

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Moonlight is a coming-of-age film that erases all the cliches of its initial setup, its premise paving the way for an emotionally resonant story told across three time periods. That premise also places us at arm’s length from some of the characters, but any faults in the narrative or in the supporting character development are mostly overshadowed by the intense focus on Chiron’s story. Barry Jenkins has a singular vision here that comes to fruition through Chiron, and the three actors hired to play the part–Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, and Alex Hibbert–all do an excellent job of conveying where the character is at in his life. The rest of the cast members–Naomie Harris and Andre Holland deserve shoutouts–are brilliant as well, and if nothing else, this film is at least a masterful performance piece worthy of appreciation.

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Arrival Review

13 Oct

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I respect this more than I like it. It’s a wide release science fiction film that focuses on linguistics rather than all-out war, and it’s an ambitious story with something to say about how we relate to each other and the world. There are themes here having to do with language, communication, time, and pain that usually go untouched by films with similar premises, and that’s something to admire. However, it’s a frustrating film because though it clearly has heart, it’s difficult to truly connect with it underneath the pervasive air of detachment.

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Certain Women Review

11 Oct

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Kelly Reichardt’s new film is minimalist by design. Although it features several events that other filmmakers would squeeze every last bit of drama out of, it also features a script that is willing to just quietly observe. All we get are three short stories, loosely connected on plot and thematic levels and devoid of the elaborate intertwining that consumes other stories. It’s refreshing to see a film remain compelling without reliance on some grand ending statement, and though it runs into a few problems in a middling middle section, the final section is a gorgeous way to close it all out. It’s the strongest of the three by far, and Kristen Stewart and Lily Gladstone deliver two of the year’s best performances.

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The Accountant Review

10 Oct

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The Accountant seems like the type of movie that never got out of the script-pitching phase. There are a multitude of different threads that pop up throughout, but since none of them get enough breathing time, the end product is a jumbled mess with a severe lack of focus. Many films can certainly handle multiple narrative threads, but this is one case where you end up trying to make sense of what it is you’re supposed to care about. Is it an action film? Sort of. Is it a romance? Sort of. Is it a movie about Asperger’s? Sort of. Is it an utter waste of a talented cast? Absolutely.

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American Honey Review

2 Oct

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The quintessential image of this film is the one splashed across the posters: Sasha Lane’s Star standing up during a drive, the wind blowing in her hair as she raises an arm and stares off at the surrounding blue sky. Shot from below, she towers above the world, momentarily escaping from a world of pain and hardship as she embraces the transient freedom she’s trying to hold onto. It’s a beautifully cathartic shot that expresses the heart and soul of the film, pulsating music accompanying it as we ride along with a woman figuring out how to navigate the trials and tribulations of life.

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The Birth of a Nation Review

30 Sep

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I have no problem believing that Nate Parker poured his heart and soul into this project. I have no problem believing that he wanted to make an important film with a visceral emotional impact. What I do have a little trouble believing, though, is that he was allowed to make such a high profile film using such amateurish filmmaking techniques. The narrative is flimsy, the editing is something out of a “How Not to Edit” handbook, and the extremely obvious symbolism is constantly screaming to get your attention. I know it’s not the reaction you want from the audience, Nate, but your film is exactly what makes eye-rolling ability useful.

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Sully Review

11 Sep

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Clint Eastwood has done the impossible. The world gave him ten minutes of story, and he said “By God, I will make a whole movie with this, even if I have to show the same scene over and over again.” And that he did. Aided by the memory of 9/11 and by somehow-is-a-professional-writer Todd Komarnicki, Eastwood has crafted an ode to both American heroes and films that have no conceivable reason to exist. Thankfully devoid of unnecessary filmmaking tropes like tension, emotion, good dialogue, an interesting script, nice cinematography, competent editing, and characters we care about, Sully stays afloat through the use of its beautiful flashbacks. For instance, we find out that Sully once flew a plane as a kid, an integral piece of knowledge that makes this one of the most fulfilling movies of the year.

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The Light Between Oceans Review

9 Sep

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The Light Between Oceans is a film that reaches for far more emotion than it’s capable of grasping. Melodrama isn’t inherently a bad thing, but too often does this story feel manufactured, especially in a second half bogged down by sweeping life changes and plot developments. As a result, Rachel Weisz’s character arc feels truncated by the shaky narrative, and the film loses quite a bit of the serene beauty that can be occasionally found in the first half (which I actually enjoy more, even though it meanders a lot). I suppose that’s the point in the second half–this wonderful life crumbles down around these two (very pretty) people–but it just doesn’t feel genuine. The masterful Blue Valentine utilized similar techniques to better results, and this has none of the rawness or character complexity of that film.

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