[94]

Up from 84. Fifth or sixth viewing, first time trying to scrutinize the three shorts separately -- don't have much to add from my individual capsules of each segment, and I'd probably just end up echoing my earlier sentiments anyway. I will add that while the three components are strong enough to elicit various, moving reactions on their own, the amassed strength when strung together is almost frightening; the way in which Hertzfeldt combines simple animation with optical effects,…

[99]

Astonishing, really, how Teshigahara makes something as banal as sand the sole catalyst of such anxiety and desperation; WOMAN IN THE DUNES is a meditative parable about the The Second Law of Thermodynamics i.e. Entropy w.r.t. Life, the inevitable nature of tiny, little inconveniences to slowly occupy space within our existence, exacerbating if ignored wherein they threaten to enshroud us completely. A grain of sand is harmless on its own, but left to accumulate can present an insurmountable obstacle;…

[62]

An entanglement of fluctuating tone—ranging from gingerly clement to mercilessly wicked—that's not a problem in and of itself, but is implemented with a somewhat taxing trajectory : viz., its trace is not sinusoidal or of a gradual wax-and-wane effect, rather it's purely a step function -- abrupt shifts in orbit and emphasis, precipitous cuts vigorously pulling at exact opposite ends of the spectrum with a midsection that feels insufficient as a result. That's not to say I don't find…

[68]

Intentionally shlocky -- if not, then at least very well-aware of its latent schlockiness -- almost to a harmful degree : namely w.r.t. the unbridled acting, but also how the story itself is shamelessly engineered. I mean, of course the nut-cases would have a tendency to return to nuttiness just moments before revealing the identity of the killer to Johnny -- what a fabulously handy technique! (I get it, I get it, but come on; it's desperately lacking inspiration.)…

[84]

Second viewing, no score change. This is the final post and then I’m done babbling about this movie (for a while, anyway).

Heavy spoilers ahead.

Second look confirmed that MOTHER! was every bit as good as my initial reaction signified, and it will surely wind up at the top of my “best of 2017” films. Saw it with my wife, who sometimes likes “different” stuff and as the movie ended, she turned to me and said, ”that might be…

[70]

ON ONE HAND, there's absolutely nothing wrong with LADY BIRD, and I completely understand the (at the time of writing) 100% approval rating -- can't imagine someone, on a binary scale, thinking this deserves a thumbs down; ON THE OTHER HAND, it ticks so many of the genre's typical tropes -- late-teen wanting to "get out" of her cruddy town, ditching her best friend for the popular kids only to find that the popular kids are lame, girl falling…