early on when giamatti gives the boys their exam grades back, someone behind me loudly said “oh B+, that’s pretty good” and this is what they call The TIFF Experience
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Oppenheimer 2023
Nolan tries his hand at The Social Network and it goes about as well as you’d expect. Different kind of Pandora’s Box structure, with the non-linearity functioning as more busy that impactful. Tons of clumsy typical period piece moments, the final hour in particular loses all momentum (despite briefly containing some of the most interesting use of the imagery), and the b&w and color structure is more or less a big nothing. Generally fun (for a while anyway) but it’ll…
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The Lone Ranger 2013
A heartbreaking elegy for the ghosts of history. Elaborate, entertaining destruction of trains (the symbol of progress) by the ineffectual white hero. The person sitting in the row in front of me was wearing a stars-and-stripes hat labeled USA. The theater cleared out before Tonto's lonely end credits walk. I could feel the weight of history as tangibly as those pocket-watches. Time is annihilated before your eyes.
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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 2011
A fantastic study in the cataloging, representation, and framing of information as filtered through the experiences of over 4 different generations. Just as rigorous and suffocating in its plotting as the 2009 Swedish version but it's a much greater film this time. Rooney Mara's bisexual Renaissance Woman Lisbeth is one of the most stunning 21st century character portrayals. Greatly exceeded middling expectations. A near-masterpiece from Fincher.
