The hugs in this film are imaculate. Simultaneously, the most directed and real hugs in cinema. Few movies actually lean into the long hug but leave it to PTA to do it best. Its also very cool that he practices what he preaches in untilizing his surrogate family. The inclusion of so many people PTA has in his life speaks to the kind of movies he wants to make now. Its also very touching to see him mentoring for so many young people like Alana and Benny Safdie and esspecially with him knowing Cooper Hoffman all his life. Very very very good.
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Elvis 2022
My god, Olivia DeJonge can't get a word in without the camera cutting to 5 different shots. It's awful and I wonder just how many cuts there are in this thing. I can see why people like this but its not for me. Still probably the best I've seen from Luhrman despite not liking this very much. At the very least this film tells a coherent story that knows there are emotional beats it needs to hit, even if this doesn't always hit those beats. The only times I was in actual pain was when Tom Hanks was talking, which was actually pretty constant so...
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Vortex 2021
While I can somewhat understand the claims that this is Noe's most mature/sensitive film, I disagree. I'd wager this feels more cruel and manipulative than some of his films. Scenes like when Lebrun flushes all of Argento's work and when he has a heart attack show the kind of brutality Noe is working with here. It isn't a head bashing but the heart attack scene is notably one of the most brutal things in his films and it visualizes what…
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Another Round 2020
Despite getting a little scattered and unorganized in the second act, this film worked incredibly well for me on this watch. It started with the initial dinner scene where I finally caught a moment that let me connect a lot more with Martin as a character. Because of the slightly messy second act, you lose the thread of Martin's familial issues but this time I dont mind so much, seeing why he begins drinking.
The last act of this film…
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Cropsey 2009
I remember seeing this back when it came it out and it was next level for my 12 year old brain. 13 years removed, its a shame the filmmaking, editing and pacing are not ideal because this absolutely one of the more disturbing true crime stories out there. Really wish the presentation was more creative and effective at expressing how deeply messed up this story is.
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On the Count of Three 2021
Great first film. Carmichael does a great job at making the film look and feel really professional. The writing is sharp, the cinematography is servicably good looking, and the tone ebbs and flows well. I think Christopher Abbot does a lot of heaving lifting here as well. His character definitely stands out more than Charmichael's. Abbot really does a great job at these roles where he's on the edge of breaking down and the best scenes in the film revolve around his performance. He's such a likable actor, its hard not to be on his side.
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Palindromes 2004
This was amazing from the start but the last 40 minutes were something else. The Bob section is actually just the best thing ever. It's beyond unbelievable and thats where both the most funny and disturbing moments are found. I didn't know whether to laugh or scream at Aviva and Bob's pillow talk scene. Solondz gets such a strong and unique reaction out of me and to me thats so valuable. Gotta admit that last scene was really not enjoyable. That's about as far as I think you can go in terms of "pushing boundaries" goes.
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What Is a Woman? 2022
Annoyingly circular for the majority of the runtime. The gotcha question of the documentary world.