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Aelita: Queen of Mars 1924
An odd and beautiful film mixing melodrama and science fiction. I saw it at a screening at the Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival where it was accompanied by a group of musicians playing and it made for a really great experience. A unique combination of different elements with some great art direction, bold editing, and an odd sense of humour.
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Police, Adjective 2009
This film was fascinating to me. Slow and methodical, it slowly revealed things in a naturalistic way that began to connect together to ultimately become something moving.
Quite wonderful how small moments can combine into a profound larger picture. -
Holy Motors 2012
Some films are not for everyone and other films have an even smaller target audience. There are more unique films that divide audiences as well. Leos Carax seems to work outside of that paradigm though. The output of Carax has been sporadic, probably for a range of reasons. His previous feature was released over a decade ago and was a massive box office failure. With Holy Motors he worked faster and cheaper and made a film that brilliantly encapsulates the…
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Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives 2011
A unique and sometimes challenging film that is infused with a strange joy. With a rambling plot and beautiful images and sounds it uses the story of Uncle Boonmee as a jumping off point to mix the real and the spiritual in a meditative way that can lull you into a sense of peace and wonder. I loved experiencing this film and just relaxing and going with the flow of it.
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Shame 2011
It starts slowly and at first I wasn't really engaged, but like McQueen's debut feature, Hunger, it builds in emotional power as it progresses. With strong performances all around and confidently staged scenes usually constructed out of unbroken shots, it's a deliberate and dispassionate look at addiction through a flawed character.
