Malèna (Day 70)
My Opinion: 5.4 || Beautifully shot but the tone is awkward and inconsistent, with a story that struggles and mostly fails to amount to something. The film continually adopts a farcical tone that’s discordant… Continue reading
Category Archive: Language
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The Color of Paradise (Day 69)
My Opinion: 7.7 || Gentle movie that teeters between heartwarming and heartbreaking. The characters are believably rendered, the scenery is lush, and the story successfully balances the bitter and sweet.
Woman in the Dunes (Day 68)
My Opinion: 7.6 || Unique film tha’s a kind of horror parable – no blood or chills, just growing existential dread. The story is subtly surreal, but it’s filmed with a deep-focus naturalism that… Continue reading
Mesrine: Killer Instinct (Day 67)
My Opinion: 6.8 || Good gangster biopic, but the direction and acting are more interesting than the subject matter. It’s the first part of a two-film set, and has a to-be-continued ending that (unavoidably)… Continue reading
Babette’s Feast (Day 66)
My Opinion: 6.1 || The feast itself is fun and lovely, but the set-up is longer and less entertaining than it should be. The movie leaves you feeling good, but the first half feels… Continue reading
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Day 65)
My Opinion: 9.5 || I don’t think I can provide a commentary that will do the movie justice (though I’ll try). It’s perfect.
Castaway on the Moon (Day 64)
My Opinion: 5.4 || Promising premise that’s betrayed by weak editing and story design — should have been much shorter and more compact. There are touching and amusing elements, but they’re buried by lethargic… Continue reading
The Kid With A Bike (Day 63)
My Opinion: 8.1 || A direct and unadorned story about abandonment and kindness. Free of melodrama and predictable story turns, it has the tone and structure of a great documentary. If there’s a flaw, it’s that we never understand the motivations of the pivotal character.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Day 62)
My Opinion: 6.3 || A trippy horror movie from the dawn of feature-length film. Like any 92-year old, it’s pretty creaky and won’t strike fear into anyone. But it’s a crazy ride, with fabulously… Continue reading
The Hidden Face (Day 61)
My Opinion: 5.9 || Flawed but diverting thriller with a clever-enough plot. As in so many thrillers, the action hinges on someone doing something brain-numbingly stupid, and the characters aren’t particularly interesting or sympathetic.… Continue reading
