To see even the shortest scene in The Tale of Princess Kaguya is to be entranced by it. It is rare to find such sheer beauty in a film, no pretense of realism sought, every shot conceived as a painting that alone could tell a story.
Month: August 2018
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
This is it: this is a movie that has it all. BlacKkKlansman is funny, entertaining, and stylish, but also angry, poignant, and righteous. It is an accomplishment in cinematic form, and also in content.
Beatriz at Dinner (2017)
I really wanted to like Beatriz at Dinner. It has the elements of the exact kind of movie that I relish: a cast of talented actors, a simple premise that allows them to interact with each other, a concept based on character and dialogue.
Gifted (2017)
Gifted is a small pearl of a movie, a heartwarming and intimate tale of family and upbringing.
Like Father (2018)
If Netflix wants to kick off a genre where two brilliant comic actors play parent and child on location, they can count me in.
Under the Silver Lake (2018)
Under the Silver Lake, which I can only describe as slacker noir, is equal parts weird, funny, poignant, absurd, pleased with itself, visually arresting, engrossing, meandering, saturated…
A Prayer Before Dawn (2018)
A Prayer Before Dawn clocks in at only two hours, and yet I could have sworn it was three. The beginning ground me down with its desperation, so by the end I just wanted to see this poor man out.
Lucky (2018)
Roger Ebert famously said that movies are machines that generate empathy, and this is exactly what Lucky does: it shows us the lives of other people and teaches us to love them for what they are.
Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018)
Saying that this is worth watching only for the action sounds condescending, but the truth is that Fallout could be used to teach how to shoot and, just as importantly, how to edit action.
Short Term 12 (2013)
You owe it to yourself to see Short Term 12. The world gains empathy and understanding every time someone watches it for the first time. It is that rare perfect film –perfect just the way it is– that looks at people with piercing clarity and boundless compassion at the same time.
The Film Tower 