Letterboxd — Your life in film

If we can consider acting to be art, in the sense that it is an artistic form of expression, then I think it is fair to say that Gena Rowlands' work as the title character in this film is a masterpiece. Her portrayal of a mentally-disturbed individual coming to grips with her own madness is probably one of the most exceptional displays of film acting to ever grace the screen. She is so good, and so real, it's almost inexplicable.…

Ostensibly an urban Western, with Cung Le as the "man with no name" who comes into the town (actually a ghetto slum) of St. Jude to clean up shop.

The film employs a snazzy visual style and some in-your-face editing to make things really pop. There are plenty of gritty, violent moments and some terrific fight scenes. JCVD has an interesting cameo as Le's mentor; and Peter Weller gets to ham it up in grand style as the ruthless mob…

Cassavetes' answer to a romantic screwball comedy is an extremely odd and lopsided series of vignettes that alternate between charming and infuriating - sometimes within the same scene. But, when you consider that life itself is a series of infuriating vignettes, it all becomes crystal clear.

You need great actors to make something this off-beat work. Both Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel fit that bill in the title roles. The film gives you ample opportunity to get to know each…

This is a 'sneak attack' movie. I don't know what the buzz is, and I certainly had no expectations at all, but it will probably surprise a lot of people.

Whether it will break the bank or not is anyone's guess. But, I'm going to say, probably not. Because it is not the type of big budget sci-fi epic usually put out by the Hollywood mainstream. This is an odd duck; and, whatever the studio paid for, director Joseph Kosinski…

This movie is aging very well. It's a grand entertainment that works splendidly for two main reasons. The tone is exceptionally well balanced and it's extremely well cast.

Embracing comic book tropes while deconstructing them, the film has a very interesting organic structure. It begins like an indie coming-of-age comedy and gradually morphs into a full-blown, balls-out, high octane action adventure spectacle.

It's a tricky balancing act. To start off as realistic, grow progressively more far fetched as it goes…

This is about as entertaining as you could expect a movie dramatizing an important political event to be. And it has an unsurprisingly stunning performance at its center.

Daniel Day Lewis' characterization is probably the number one reason to watch the film. He brings the title character to life with such authority and humanity, you retroactively feel bad he died and want to piss on John Wilkes Booth's grave.

There are other good performances. Tommy Lee Jones and James Spader…

I think it's interesting how John Cassavetes himself describes this film as a "comedy." That's a fascinating notion for me because it reveals that he seems to find human misery deeply funny.

The film itself is not funny. That is to say, it isn't funny in the traditional way, though it is quite possible you'll find yourself laughing. But it will be laughter based on discomfort rather than amusement. Because when Ben Gazarra gets into an argument with his wife,…

This searing portrait of middle-aged conformity, as illustrated by the breakdown of a marriage, results in an uncommonly riveting film.

What's uncommon about that is the fact we are riveted by scenes and moments that would not be riveting under normal circumstances. What else to say about a 20-minute opening sequence, which consists of two drunken middle-aged businessmen prancing around a living room - singing and dancing - as they attempt to seduce a prostitute? The only thing you can…

As Toy Story was for classic playthings, this is to video games. And that's really all there is to it and all you need to know, really, to decide if it would appeal to you or not.

I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and played all the games referenced here. Is it a particularly fun thrill to see how perfectly they captured the spirit of these games? Yes. Was it fun to see that the video game characters…

After a slow and off-putting start, this turns into an endlessly crude, very funny movie. Like many movies of its type, you wonder just how seriously they expect you to take the "message" when it's surrounded by so much tomfoolery.

Will Ferrell gets to tap into a darker edge than usual, even as he draws from the same fratboy well that brought us his widely celebrated Dubya impersonation. But the real revelation here is Zach Galifianakis. ... He creates a…

Referred to in the credits as "an improvisation," John Cassavetes' very interesting directorial debut is very much a scripted and deliberately staged work. But his raw aesthetic, compelling natural amateur actors; and use of authentic New York locations all serve to give the film a special energy and the feeling that you are watching real life unfold before your very eyes.

It's that searing truth that would come to characterize most of his work and, although it is still a…

Harmony Korine continues his oh so startling and shocking exploration of American Youth (capital letters his), that began in KIDS, with this overstylized and meandering film that confuses bombast with revelation.

Korine has a very particular view of youthful hedonism, I'll give him that. If KIDS was about the predatory nature of the male adolescent; then I suppose this one is about the female adolescent and her attempts to assert herself by embracing her base animal instincts. In both cases,…