[5]

Like certain Cassavetes films, or more recent work cut from a similar cloth such as the Safdie brothers' The Pleasure of Being Robbed or Ronald Bronstein's Frownland, Montparnasse Bienvenüe (also known as Jeune Femme) stakes all its chips on one key factor. Despite its protagonist's thorough unlikability, you will find them (or more properly, the actor's performance) so captivating that you will be unable to avert your eyes from what is, in terms of the character's behavior, little more…

[6]

When I checked my logs, I was surprised to discover that I've seen ten Philippe Garrel films. It wasn't surprising in the sense that I should have somehow given up on him; I find his films consistently engaging. What struck me as odd is the fact that, when I really put my mind to it, I had some difficulty remembering the details of most of those films. With the very notable exception of Regular Lovers, each Garrel film seems…

[6]

I miss the old Kiyoshi. The can't-be-sold Kiyoshi. Back in the fold Kiyoshi. That was the bold Kiyoshi. Remember Cure Kiyoshi? That wasn't your Kiyoshi? 'Cause that was my Kiyoshi. Damn, that was fly, Kiyoshi! You came with Kairo, Kiyoshi. That shit was fire, Kiyoshi! Even Bright Future Kiyoshi, that ill repute Kiyoshi. I dug it all, Kiyoshi. So why'd you stall, Kiyoshi? And then that Journey to the Shore? You got some gall, Kiyoshi!

I miss the real…

[4]

If you happen to follow my Twitter feed, you'll know that I've already gotten a bit hot and bothered about this film. In retrospect, it was probably a good deal of energy wasted, or at least misdirected. I tend to forget that useless dreck like The Imitation Game is pimped on every streetcorner around Oscar season by an industry that considers movies as product, not art. Most of the time, that product is slathered in Adam Sandler, and it…