The first 10-15 minutes are incredible in their depiction of a family plunged into the middle of a crisis. We don't know who they are, and yet it doesn't matter. The messiness of their reaction to a situation growing more dire by the minute feels authentic, human. I wish I could say the same for the rest of the movie, but the awkward mix of gritty realism and winking self-awareness just got on my nerves. Gena Rowlands has moments where…
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Sunset Boulevard 1950
My second viewing of this film revealed so many wonderful little details I had forgotten since first encountering it however many years ago: the genius simplicity of the main title sequence in which the camera opens on the words SUNSET BLVD. stenciled onto a grimy curbside, then slowly, ominously begins to track down the street as the credits roll; our introduction to Norma Desmond vis-à-vis her dead monkey (lover?); the way the wind purrs through the house's pipe organ, creating…
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Mitt 2014
While it may not uncover anything new about Romney, it's not exactly a fluff piece either. Like the 1993 documentary The War Room, Mitt provides a glimpse into the demoralizing grind of the American presidential campaign, though its results aren't nearly as captivating; that's most likely due to the fact that Mitt follows a candidate - and a stiff, calculated one at that - whereas The War Room follows an animated, eccentric team of strategists and wonks doing its damnedest…
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The Sacrament 2013
I'm not a fan of the found footage genre, but for the most part this movie made it work. The Jim Jones figure reminded me of Michael Park's performance in Red State. Unsettling. Really surprised by this one.