Maybe I'm just a Jia Stan at this point, but I don't really see why apparently everyone thinks the third act is so weak here. It's certainly the least amazing of the three acts, but I think Jia finds his groove pretty quickly after a relatively shakey start to the act. The ending scene especially lands as a defiantly nostalgic expression against the harsh tides of time and change. An emotional bookend to what is perhaps Jia's most emotional film.…
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The Return 2003
Your father is just a single image- not a person, certainly not a father, and barely even a memory; there's an aching loneliness and insecurity, but you adapt. Suddenly your father shows up and forces himself into your lives, but he doesn't let you in. He doesn't even acknowledge the elephant-sized trauma in the room, probably even resents you for feeling it. Were you better off when your father existed as something you had some control over? Would you have…
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Righting Wrongs 1986
A little bit of a tonal mess, mixing fun martial arts action with bleak, disturbing murder. There's also a buddy cop comedy aspect. None of it mixes seamlessly, but the movie's stylish enough and has enough energy to let the vibes carry it.
×Cult of Personality #35 - Cynthia Rothrock (A-)
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Good Morning 1959
A nice light watch. The kids are adorable and the movie is up to its knees in fart jokes. Not among Ozu's best for me, but I appreciate it for what it is.
×Criterion Challenge #31 - Spine #1-100
×Yasujiru Ozu Ranked
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Planet of the Apes 1968
One of those movies that I'd never seen but had essentially "seen" through its sheer presence in the Canon™. The biting social commentary came through with the subtlety of a brick flying through the window, but it works as a time capsule to where the conversations were in late 60's America. There's quite a bit of unintentional comedy to be found from how seriously the film takes itself in combination with Heston's absurdly unlikable performance. Poor Dodge falls victim to a certain trope, but he seemed like a much more rootable protagonist.
×Film School Dropouts Challenge - Week 21 // Composer - Jerry Goldsmith
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On Happiness Road 2017
I absolutely adore the stylized imagination sequences. The way a child's imagination views a disapproving adult as a literal monster shouting you down. The way a friend's story can turn into the grandest fantasy. The way your wildest dreams can fool you into thinking anything less makes you a failure. The way you channel the memory of someone close to guide you through life's bug decisions. This film understands what it means to be a dreamer, and what it means to finally touch down to Earth.
×Birthyear Challenge - Part 2 // Hidden Gem - 2017
×(At Least) 52 Films by Women 2022
