I’m curious how a second viewing will land, because I like a lot in retrospect, but the experience of watching this was kind of…dull? That sounds surprising for a movie that boasts a coked-up Bradley Cooper, an unhinged Tom Waits, and a delusional Sean Penn, but that’s where I was, somehow. The scenes feel kind of randomly stitched together. Many of them are good on their own, but they don’t seem to have an engine behind them. I wanted more.
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Two for the Money 2005
I think "Two for the Money" would be a better film if it were a shade darker, but as it is, it's probably a more entertaining film than a darker one would be. The quick and cliche-ridden tailspin and transformation of down-home Brandon Lang into obscenity-spewing, money-loving John Anthony rings a bit false, but that doesn't mean the movie doesn't work. This is a slick, not overly perceptive (but more so than your average cineplex fair) story of the damaging…
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mother! 2017
A triumph of subjective, immersive film making, tension building, and cognitive and sensory provocation, "mother!" finds Aronofsky in peak form, channeling all of his formal powers in service of a compelling, surprisingly emotional, and undeniably haunting allegory. It works as a deranged horror show, preying on our recognizable protectiveness of our spouses, our homes, our children, our selves. It works as a spiritual allegory. It works as a love story gone south. It works as a wake-up call to take…
