86
It is hard to understate just what an ingeniously constructed film REAR WINDOW is. Structurally, it is fascinating: the first two acts are their own movie, where the characters are introduced, their dilemma is explained – a relationship that is bound to fail – and where they try to solve a mystery that likely does not exist. One of the key scenes is where Jefferies is watching Lars walk routinely in and out of his apartment on a rainy…
100
THE LAST LAUGH is a perfect movie; concerned much less with the theme of social class as compared to social status - the former plays a much more marginal role than many seem to think*: the protagonist, who is masterfully played by Emil Jannings, is forced into his biggest possible nightmare because he loses his high-status job. Yet his new job pays even better, which is sometimes misnomered as a movie mistake. That was most certainly an intentional decision…
79
Third viewing, no score change. LOLITA is an anomaly in Kubrick's filmography as it's his only really emotional film. Many of his films are stylistically very cold, and don't get me wrong: He often evokes real emotions through that 'coldness', but here he goes full-on melodrama, which he barely did otherwise. And with that, LOLITA also proves that Kubrick was just as capable of telling a story in a melodramatic way. So many moments that are told so wonderfully:…
55
Third viewing, down from 72. (In fact, the second viewing was down from 82...) The film's opening hour is still great, top tear filmmaking. Kubrick's direction clearly shines through, the use of routine, repetition and symmetry really create a sense of being trapped and wanting revenge. And the ending scene of the first act is truly redeeming when the slaves break free. "So why the middling score?" Well, because of everything that follows. There are a few nice scenes…
26
Far too much, in far too many places, and unfortunately not "all at once" but two and a half hours long.
56
For all that has been made of the fact that 1917 is filmed in seemingly one shot, it comes as quite a surprise that there is a blatant edit halfway through when the protagonist falls down a set of stairs and loses his conscious for a few hours. Surely this cut has to have some deeper meaning, I thought, for there would be dozens of elegant ways Mendes could have easily avoided this cut. I think I was up…
