Well I've been asleep a while and finally a movie woke me up. There are times when you watch a film and in the first shots you know your watching a master at work. This one of the brutal, beautiful and intense pieces of cinema I've seen in the last decade. Unflinchingly raw, the violent chaos captured with such poise you just can't look away. Jennifer Kent has now (with her second feature 🤯) announced herself as a true master of the medium and one of the most unique voices in cinema today.
-
-
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 2007
This an extraordinary and unique western. Poetic, subtle and somewhat otherworldly. There are many feats of genius in this film from Deakins photography to Dominiks direction but the stand out is unquestionably Brad Pitt. He performs with such a controlled intensity and gravitas I didn't know he possessed, something more reminiscent of Brando or Welles. A inspired reimagining of the western and the moment Pitt truly took his place among the greats.
-
Portrait of a Lady on Fire 2019
Emotionally devastating and devastatingly beautiful. So much is exchanged through looks and then through touch. Merlant and Haenel are both equally extraordinary, there chemistry is palpable and with a sexual tension that scorchs the screen. This movie could easily be a silent film, the visual storytelling is that strong. It's feels like a film from another time, a time of grace but also excruciating restraint. A truly unique masterpiece
-
Mistress America 2015
Wonderfully chaotic like a stage play in a rotating door. The dialogue is dizzying and performed with the balletic grace of a gen z Woody Allen film. An extremely underrated entry in the Noah & Greta canon.
-
Army of Shadows 1969
This is the first Melville I've watched and just from this film alone I can tell he was a master. The prison transfer escape scene specifically is a true feat of cinematic genius. Army of Shadows is a moody and beautifully constructed espionage thriller, with overwhelming feeling of impending doom make the emotional scenes even more poignant. There is only so many times a man can run from death when it's arrival is inevitable.
-
-
Lady Vengeance 2005
This trilogy is a story of a director who has definite flaws but is also capable of undoubted genius. Lady Vengeance has a muddled and unfocused first hour that is pretty mediocre but it's last half an hour is simpler and more focused, full of flourishes and moments of intense emotion that show his true potential. A pretty good movie that frustratingly could have been a lot better
-
-
In a Lonely Place 1950
The simple pleasures of Bogart and a dynamite script. God I'd love to make a movie like this some day
-
-
-