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Night Shyamalan"},{"term":"Marielle Heller"},{"term":"Martin Scorsese"},{"term":"Michael Clayton"},{"term":"Pedro Almodóvar"},{"term":"Persepolis"},{"term":"Pixar"},{"term":"Ratatouille"},{"term":"RiverRun Film Festival"},{"term":"Ryan Gosling"},{"term":"SECCA"},{"term":"Safdie Brothers"},{"term":"Sony Marvel"},{"term":"South Korea"},{"term":"Stephen King"},{"term":"Steven Spielberg"},{"term":"Transformers"},{"term":"Writers Strike"},{"term":"Yorgos Lanthimos"},{"term":"hugh jackman"},{"term":"jason reitman"},{"term":"jean-luc godard"},{"term":"neon"},{"term":"nicole kidman"},{"term":"predator"},{"term":"zipporah films"},{"term":")"},{"term":"100 years ago"},{"term":"30 Days of Night"},{"term":"300"},{"term":"4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days"},{"term":"ANNIE Awards"},{"term":"Abbas Kiarostami"},{"term":"Alfonso Cuarón"},{"term":"Ang Lee"},{"term":"Apichatpong Weerasethakul"},{"term":"Asghar Farhadi"},{"term":"Barry Jenkins"},{"term":"Ben Affleck"},{"term":"Benicio Del Toro"},{"term":"Casey Affleck"},{"term":"Christian Petzold"},{"term":"Claire Denis"},{"term":"Cloverfield"},{"term":"Craig Zobel"},{"term":"Doris Wishman"},{"term":"Gaspar Noé"},{"term":"Godzilla"},{"term":"Golden Globes"},{"term":"Gone Baby Gone"},{"term":"Great World of Sound"},{"term":"Halle Berry"},{"term":"Hitchcock"},{"term":"How to Train Your Dragon"},{"term":"Illumination"},{"term":"Independent Spirit Awards"},{"term":"Indiana Jones IV"},{"term":"James Gray"},{"term":"Jamia Simone Nash"},{"term":"Jennifer Kent"},{"term":"John Wick"},{"term":"Jordan Peele"},{"term":"Judd Apatow"},{"term":"Julie Christie"},{"term":"Juno"},{"term":"Karyn Kusama"},{"term":"Kenneth Lonergan"},{"term":"Kevin Smith"},{"term":"Knocked Up"},{"term":"La Vie En Rose"},{"term":"Laika"},{"term":"Lars Von Trier"},{"term":"Lars and the Real Girl"},{"term":"Light Industry"},{"term":"Lions for Lambs"},{"term":"Lust Caution"},{"term":"Lynch:  The Documentary"},{"term":"László Nemes"},{"term":"Makoto Shinkai"},{"term":"Margot at the Wedding"},{"term":"Marion Cotillard"},{"term":"Mark Wahlberg"},{"term":"National Board of Review"},{"term":"Nicholas Winding Refn"},{"term":"Noah Baumbach"},{"term":"Olivier Assayas"},{"term":"Oscilloscope"},{"term":"Patrick Wang"},{"term":"Peter Berg"},{"term":"Private Fears in Public Places"},{"term":"Quentin Tarantino"},{"term":"Raul Ruiz"},{"term":"Ridley Scott"},{"term":"Sam Mendes"},{"term":"Saw"},{"term":"Spider-Man 4"},{"term":"Steve Jablonski"},{"term":"Steve McQueen"},{"term":"Studio Ghibli"},{"term":"Taika Waititi"},{"term":"Terrence Malick"},{"term":"The 40-Year-Old Virgin"},{"term":"The Bucket List"},{"term":"The Chronicles of Narnia:  Prince Caspian"},{"term":"The Dark Knight"},{"term":"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"},{"term":"The Golden Compass"},{"term":"The Happening"},{"term":"The Kingdom"},{"term":"The Lovely Bones"},{"term":"The Other Boleyn Girl"},{"term":"Things We Lost in the Fire"},{"term":"Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married"},{"term":"Viola Davis"},{"term":"Walk Hard"},{"term":"Wizarding World"},{"term":"Zodiac"},{"term":"amazon prime"},{"term":"bong joon-ho"},{"term":"f.w. murnau"},{"term":"film scores"},{"term":"fritz lang"},{"term":"germany"},{"term":"horror films"},{"term":"hulu"},{"term":"james wan"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"From the Front Row"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"Movie News, Reviews, and Commentary by Matthew Lucas"},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/posts\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default?alt=json-in-script\u0026orderby=published"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default?alt=json-in-script\u0026start-index=26\u0026max-results=25\u0026orderby=published"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"3066"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"25"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-5928097508905926767"},"published":{"$t":"2020-02-24T16:26:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-02-24T16:36:54.826-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | The Call of the Wild | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Fpwm-FyLbbc\/XlQ-bzXlNaI\/AAAAAAAAjJA\/b84GGChbJ_IVLT2nJgJonz8iqRpoqNMbgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/the-call-of-the-wild-cw_dt1_v26Rev_stills_r709_graded_20191111_0034.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"671\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"268\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Fpwm-FyLbbc\/XlQ-bzXlNaI\/AAAAAAAAjJA\/b84GGChbJ_IVLT2nJgJonz8iqRpoqNMbgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/the-call-of-the-wild-cw_dt1_v26Rev_stills_r709_graded_20191111_0034.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EHarrison Ford and Buck in THE CALL OF THE WILD. Courtesy of 20th Century Fox.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EJack London's classic tale of survival in the Yukon territory has been adapted for the screen more than once, but surprisingly there seems to be no single definitive version of \u003Ci\u003EThe Call of the Wild\u003C\/i\u003E despite being one of the most famous adventure novels of all time. A 1976 version starring Charlton Heston seems to be the highest profile, but the rest are mostly TV movies that failed to make much of a splash.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-RXFBUdMIFnk\/XlQ-uOxytAI\/AAAAAAAAjJI\/U5Hpbsi5uCEFLR59jLnAJjIQwEUGAJzeACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/the-call-of-the-wild-THECALLOFTHEWILD_POSTER_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1010\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-RXFBUdMIFnk\/XlQ-uOxytAI\/AAAAAAAAjJI\/U5Hpbsi5uCEFLR59jLnAJjIQwEUGAJzeACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/the-call-of-the-wild-THECALLOFTHEWILD_POSTER_rgb.jpg\" width=\"251\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe latest iteration, starring Harrison Ford as Klondike prospector, John Thornton, seeks to change that in a new big screen adventure from 20th Century Fox, now flying under new Disney management as 20th Century Studios. It's fitting that the film has now found a home under the Disney banner, because it fits right in with such classic Disney adventure films as \u003Ci\u003EThe Incredible Journey\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Swiss Family Robinson\u003C\/i\u003E, and \u003Ci\u003EHomeward Bound\u003C\/i\u003E; and while its impact may be somewhat blunted by the overuse of some questionable computer imagery to its render canine hero, at it heart it's a tried-and-true tale of survival and the romance of the untouched wilderness.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile Ford may receive top billing, the hero of the story is Buck, an oversized mutt who finds himself kidnapped from the lap of luxury and on his way to the Klondike at the height of the Gold Rush, where he is sold as a sled dog to a pair of intrepid mail carriers (Omar Sy and Cara Gee) and learns to embrace the wild dog within. He soon finds himself teamed up with Ford's grizzled prospector, who came to the Yukon Territory not in search of gold, but in search of himself after the death of his son. Together they head off the map in pursuit of the adventure of a lifetime, pursued by a vengeful dandy (Dan Stevens) who believes they're hiding the secret to a fabled treasure hidden deep in the unexplored wilderness of the Yukon.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBuck is a completely computer generated character, and his obviously animated look can be distracting at times, with his expressive interactions with his owners make him almost human (not surprising, given that much of the character was created through human motion-capture technology), but if you can get past the lack of believability,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Call of the Wild\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a charmingly old-fashioned adventure that's often unexpectedly low-key. Director Chris Sanders, making his live-action debut after helming such animated fare as \u003Ci\u003EHow to Train Your Dragon\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;and \u003Ci\u003ELilo \u0026amp; Stitch\u003C\/i\u003E, isn't afraid to let the narrative unfold at a deliberate pace, taking the time to step back for some nice character moments, making the action set-pieces feel all the more perilous.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite its over-reliance on visual effects to create its central character, it's an unhurried and straightforward narrative, a welcome respite from the often apocalyptic stakes that so often dominate films with budgets this size. The script may lean too heavily on Ford's narration (and in the end it doesn't make a lot of sense), but Ford remains every bit the appealingly gruff star he's always been, and it's difficult not to become swept up in the grand romantic sweep of it all. It often feels like a throwback to the cinema of a simpler, less complicated time; an old school adventure about a big dog with an even bigger heart that feels tailor-made for the old cliché - \"they just don't make 'em like this anymore.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE -\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETHE CALL OF THE WILD \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EChris Sanders | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EHarrison Ford, Dan Stevens, Colin Woodell, Karen Gillan, Omar Sy, Raven Scott, Wes Brown, Cara Gee | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG \u003C\/b\u003Efor some violence, peril, thematic elements and mild language |\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in theaters everywhere.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/5928097508905926767\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=5928097508905926767","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/5928097508905926767"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/5928097508905926767"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/02\/review-call-of-wild-2020.html","title":"Review | The Call of the Wild | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Fpwm-FyLbbc\/XlQ-bzXlNaI\/AAAAAAAAjJA\/b84GGChbJ_IVLT2nJgJonz8iqRpoqNMbgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/the-call-of-the-wild-cw_dt1_v26Rev_stills_r709_graded_20191111_0034.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-3615731188926994002"},"published":{"$t":"2020-02-21T19:55:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-02-21T21:33:49.065-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"criterion collection"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"kino lorber"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pedro Almodóvar"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"From the Repertory | February 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-fX4vX4ii0is\/Xk2kPn0PQhI\/AAAAAAAAjII\/zeDiri3owhQcBQrqyL1qpsgaMN7i4cR3ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1012_29569id_146.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"669\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-fX4vX4ii0is\/Xk2kPn0PQhI\/AAAAAAAAjII\/zeDiri3owhQcBQrqyL1qpsgaMN7i4cR3ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/1012_29569id_146.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EALL ABOUT MY MOTHER. Courtesy of The Criterion Collection.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch3\u003ESpotlighting some of this month's notable home video releases.\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EALL ABOUT MY MOTHER (The Criterion Collection)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KugMms9xQ4k\/XlB8UZZDUfI\/AAAAAAAAjI0\/jITocxqct-s_fWFLacxRNYz-nXQEYrQcgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1012_BD.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1288\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KugMms9xQ4k\/XlB8UZZDUfI\/AAAAAAAAjI0\/jITocxqct-s_fWFLacxRNYz-nXQEYrQcgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/1012_BD.jpg\" width=\"321\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EBefore the release of \u003Ci\u003EPain and Glory\u003C\/i\u003E last year, \u003Ci\u003EAll About My Mother\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(1999) stood as Pedro Almodóvar's most personal film, an aching and warmhearted tribute to motherhood, and especially his own beloved mother, who passed away later that year. While\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EPain and Glory\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;dealt more directly with Almodóvar's life (and his relationship with his mother, specifically),\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EAll About My Mother\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;took inspiration from his life and turned it into an ode to motherhood itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAfter her son, Esteban (Eloy Azorín), is tragically killed in an accident while trying to get the autograph of one of his favorite actresses, Manuela (Cecilia Roth), heads to Barcelona to start a new life. Once there, she becomes a kind of surrogate mother to a motley band of misfits - a pregnant nun with HIV, a transgender sex worker, and lesbian actress Huma (Marisa Paredes), whose co-dependent relationship with her drug-addicted girlfriend, Nina (Candela Peña), leaves her looking for direction and stability. It is here where Manuela grows closer to her son than ever, recapturing the spirit of what it means to be a mother, and coming to terms with her own inner trauma.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is Huma's face that we see emblazoned on a mural, her red lipstick stark against her pale face, Manuela dwarfed and illuminated by her Technicolor grandiosity in a similarly striking red coat. That image has come to define the film in many ways - first of all in Almodóvar's trademark oversaturated Technicolor brilliance and second for its singular sense of melodramatic melancholy.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EAll About My Mother\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a melodrama, make no mistake, rooted in classical Hollywood and steeped in references to films such as \u003Ci\u003EAll About My Mother\u003C\/i\u003E and \u003Ci\u003EA Streetcar Named Desire\u003C\/i\u003E. It's the fantasy of a young boy growing up queer, surrounded by powerful women of all stripes and raised on a diet of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. And yet, for all the film's purple prose and soap opera dramatics, Almodóvar never loses sight of his characters' simple humanity. It's also a spiritual sequel of sorts to \u003Ci\u003EWomen on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown\u003C\/i\u003E, but here Almodóvar's exploration of friendships between women feels more complete, more real - less a caricature and more deeply felt - a film of longing for a lost childhood by a filmmaker honoring the women who made him who he is, and a thing of great and tremulous beauty.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;-★★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EJE T'AIME MOI NON PLUS (Kino Lorber)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OFVEUviz-OM\/XlBF2HUbGcI\/AAAAAAAAjIo\/Hg8Gt0yYCEMaNpYuuAHCBvQPy3GfMC9YQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/JeTaime_BR.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1500\" data-original-width=\"1236\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OFVEUviz-OM\/XlBF2HUbGcI\/AAAAAAAAjIo\/Hg8Gt0yYCEMaNpYuuAHCBvQPy3GfMC9YQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/JeTaime_BR.jpg\" width=\"328\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ELooking back on cinema's great romances - \u003Ci\u003EGone with the Wind\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EDr. Zhivago\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003ESunrise: A Song of Two Humans\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EBrief Encounter\u003C\/i\u003E, you'll be hard-pressed to find one as uniquely tragic as Serge Gainsbourg's unconventional and completely uncompromising \u003Ci\u003EJe\u0026nbsp;t'aims moi non plus\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(1976).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIts romantic leads are gay truck driver, Krassky (Joe Dallesandro), and \u0026nbsp;tomboyish truck stop waitress, Johnny (Jane Birkin), whose chance encounter leads to an unusual and unexpected romance that defies gender and sexuality, even as it arouses the jealousy of Krassky's partner, Padovan (Hugues Quester). At the initial meeting, Krassky mistakes Johnny's slight, tank top-clad frame for a man's, but is taken aback when he discovers that she is, in fact, a woman. Yet he can't help but be drawn to her boyish masculinity, and the two embark on something that is at once new and frightening for them both, as Krassky finds himself unable to perform sexually unless he takes Johnny from behind, a source of both frustration and comedy-by-repitition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat makes the film so remarkably ahead of its time is the way it critiques the very idea of gender and deconstructs sexuality into something thoroughly modern and forward thinking. In Gainsbourg's sweltering, deeply horny vision, sexuality and gender are fluid, and the attraction between Krassky and Johnny transcends both. It's a carnal attraction, even when it runs up against the practical physical barriers of genatalia - but they even manage to find a way around that. They desire each other in a deep, almost animalistic way, and the refuse to let something as simple as what sex organs the other one has get in their way.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGainsbourg addresses sex in such a frank and uninhibited way that it's astonishing -\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EJe\u0026nbsp;t'aims moi non plus\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;relishes in the languid nudity of its two leads in a way that feels carnal yet un-exploitative. The film manipulates the stereotypical social signals of gender - she has short hair, he has long hair - in often subtle ways, undercutting masculine\/feminine iconography in order to create its own language. It's as if Gainsbourg is exploring the very idea of sexuality - what it means to feel attraction and lust for another human being, to connect on a level beyond sex, and he does it in a consistently electrifying loose, hangdog style that emphasizes the carefree nature of their existence. It's one of the great unheralded cinematic romances of all time - a love story like no other that deserves a place in the canon of all-time classics.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;-★★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ETHE OSCAR (Kino Studio Classics)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-2rBwgl4QCvs\/Xk2karlpEVI\/AAAAAAAAjIM\/I88Wylr-sIUKMkt_3KnOq2fYtMWfPfTSACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/738329242619.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1320\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-2rBwgl4QCvs\/Xk2karlpEVI\/AAAAAAAAjIM\/I88Wylr-sIUKMkt_3KnOq2fYtMWfPfTSACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/738329242619.jpg\" width=\"330\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Oscar\u003C\/i\u003E remains perhaps one of the most infamous Hollywood disasters of all time, a star-studded spectacle, parts of which were actually filmed at the 1964 Academy Awards, and adapted from a popular novel by Richard Sale, the film was a box-office and critical bomb that nevertheless went on to be something of a camp classic.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film centers around the rise of movie star Frank Fane (Stephen Boyd), a devil-may-care conman who spends life on the road with his partner Hymie Kelly (Tony Bennett) touring a two-bit burlesque act that soon puts them on the run from the law. That's where he stumbles into acting, his unapologetic boorishness catching the eye of a casting director who gets him on stage and eventually in front of the camera. But when faced with the prospect of waning popularity and the loss of a lucrative contract, he hatches a scheme with the help of a ruthless private eye (Ernest Borgnine) to ensure that he will win an Oscar and maintain his status in the cutthroat world of Hollywood, no matter who he has to throw under the bus.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFilled with hilarious melodrama and overripe dialogue,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Oscar\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;features cameos from the likes of Edith Head, Frank Sinatra, Merle Oberon, Nancy Sinatra, Hedda Hopper, and Bob Hope in an attempt to capture the sweep and grandeur of Hollywood, but it's all just too silly to take seriously, descending into soapy histrionics that feel like they seem like they were written by someone who has no grasp on human interaction or relationships. Still, it's worth watching for the truly bizarre plotting and dialogue, which plays like a bad daytime soap opera complete with dramatic music stingers. And despite its scathing reviews, the film still managed to eke out two Oscar nominations - one for Art Direction and another for perennial nominee Edith Head's costumes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E -★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EREEFER MADNESS\/SEX MADNESS (Kino Classics)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KJ_1_tJejQ8\/Xk2k9ITePmI\/AAAAAAAAjIY\/Q15Hj7zt-EUP25oFBz2PJzfhA7kL3jXlgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/image008.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1305\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KJ_1_tJejQ8\/Xk2k9ITePmI\/AAAAAAAAjIY\/Q15Hj7zt-EUP25oFBz2PJzfhA7kL3jXlgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/image008.jpg\" width=\"326\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EPerhaps one of the most infamous exploitation films of all time, Louis J. Gasnier's 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda piece, \u003Ci\u003EReefer Madness\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(aka \u003Ci\u003ETell Your Children)\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;became a midnight movie sensation in the 1960s due to its unintentionally hilarious depiction of the \"dangers of marijuana.\" The film was designed as a warning to parents about \"public enemy number one,\" and centers around a young man who is made to believe that he committed a murder while high on pot. The film is strictly an amateur-hour production, filled with laughably over-the-top acting and a silly sense of self-righteousness that make it the perfect exploitation camp classic.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlso included on this new release from Kino Lorber as part of their \"Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Picture\" series is Dwain Esper's 1938 film, \u003Ci\u003ESex Madness\u003C\/i\u003E, a film that takes the moralistic lecturing of \u003Ci\u003EReefer Madness \u003C\/i\u003Eto new heights in its crusade against extramarital sex and the scourge of gonorrhea. Featuring graphic depictions of STD wounds, and a plot about a group of teenagers whose inability to say \"no\" lead to life-long afflictions of venereal disease, ruining marriages and destroying their lives for one night of passion. Even more amateur-ish than \u003Ci\u003EReefer Madness\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003ESex Madness \u003C\/i\u003Emay spend most of its brief running time wagging its finger at its audience, but its sensationalistic subject matter was clearly designed to titillate while preaching a very different message, which is part of what makes these films so goofy. They're not \"good\" by any stretch of the imagination, but they're such a joke now that it's hard not to get a kick out of them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EREEFER MADNESS\u003C\/b\u003E -★ (out of four)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESEX MADNESS\u003C\/b\u003E - ½ star (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/3615731188926994002\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=3615731188926994002","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3615731188926994002"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3615731188926994002"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/02\/from-repertory-february-2020.html","title":"From the Repertory | February 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-fX4vX4ii0is\/Xk2kPn0PQhI\/AAAAAAAAjII\/zeDiri3owhQcBQrqyL1qpsgaMN7i4cR3ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/1012_29569id_146.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-6746542970461908910"},"published":{"$t":"2020-02-17T16:33:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-02-17T16:41:58.291-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Sonic the Hedgehog | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-T-r1Sjq9vi0\/XksFq4iSmFI\/AAAAAAAAjH0\/pXaqEumQXlAAFDzzB5xxsjLWPjb5uCX6QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/sonic-the-hedgehog-STH-FF-024_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"675\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"268\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-T-r1Sjq9vi0\/XksFq4iSmFI\/AAAAAAAAjH0\/pXaqEumQXlAAFDzzB5xxsjLWPjb5uCX6QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/sonic-the-hedgehog-STH-FF-024_rgb.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ESonic (Ben Schwartz) in SONIC THE HEDGEHOG from Paramount Pictures and Sega. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Sega of America.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EOnce scheduled for release last Thanksgiving, Paramount's \u003Ci\u003ESonic the Hedgehog\u003C\/i\u003E was delayed until Valentine's Day of this year due to fan outcry over the design of the titular blue hedgehog. Granted, the beady eyes and human-like teeth seen in the original trailer last spring was a far cry from the design of the iconic Sega video game hero, but by all accounts the retooling of the special effects cost north of $30 million and bankrupted the visual effects company that designed them.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-US3-aflJIwE\/XksFvvp1iSI\/AAAAAAAAjH4\/g31gY2SA1KcZ96tmNsU_-0iqG5QLjzKOACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/sonic-the-hedgehog-Sonic_Online_Dom_Teaser_1-Sheet_ForwardRun_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1081\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-US3-aflJIwE\/XksFvvp1iSI\/AAAAAAAAjH4\/g31gY2SA1KcZ96tmNsU_-0iqG5QLjzKOACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/sonic-the-hedgehog-Sonic_Online_Dom_Teaser_1-Sheet_ForwardRun_rgb.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIt's a sad situation all around, because now that the film has been released, it's clear that the revamp just wasn't worth it.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESonic the Hedgehog\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is the epitome of soulless studio product, a paint-by-numbers action comedy that feels like the reheated leftovers of an early 2000s buddy comedy. It's mildly entertaining at times, mostly due to Jim Carrey's delightfully unhinged performance as the villainous Dr. Robotik, but the lifeless script gives him little to work with, awkwardly shoe-horning in product placement for everything from Zillow to Olive Garden.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAdapted from the popular series of video games, this iteration of Sonic (Ben Schwartz) is an intergalactic rodent whose power has turned him into a fugitive from his home planet. After living alone on Earth for several years, during which he forms one-way \"friendships\" with locals he has never actually met, an accidental power surge alerts government authorities to his presence. In turn, the government sends Dr. Robotnik, an evil scientist bent on studying Sonic to uncover the source of his power and use it for his own nefarious gain. So Sonic turns to small town sheriff, Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) for help, and the two end up on an adventure to reclaim Sonic's magical rings so he can escape Earth and find a new save haven where his power will be protected. But as the two grow closer, they soon find themselves forming a unique friendship and learning that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's a tried and true message, but the way\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESonic\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;frames seems to suggest that following your dreams isn't worth it (neither seem to have any real connection to the small town they call home). But its muddled message is the least of its problems - its biggest issue is the fact that it's so generically constructed that any of its set pieces could be lifted and plopped into another film wholesale without missing a beat. Its standout sequences, in which time seems to slow down due to Sonic's speed while he defeats a room full of bad guys, is copied almost verbatim from Quicksilver's scenes in \u003Ci\u003EX-Men: Days of Future Past\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;and \u003Ci\u003EX-Men: Apocalypse\u003C\/i\u003E. It's all competently put together by first-time feature filmmaker, Jeff Fowler, but the script is so bland that the end result almost can't help but be anything but generic. It reeks of a cynical studio ploy to sell toys and boost video game sales without any thought for giving the film a personality of its own, recalling other human\/CGI animal buddy movies like \u003Ci\u003EHop\u003C\/i\u003E and \u003Ci\u003EPeter Rabbit\u003C\/i\u003E, which weren't that great to begin with. It's good to see Carrey backing this manic form, but you're likely to leave the theater with a nagging sense of déjà vu, having just sat through yet another assembly-line studio Frankenstein with little on its mind besides raking in cash on the back of an established piece of intellectual property.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE \u003C\/b\u003E- ★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESONIC THE HEDGEHOG\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EJeff Fowler | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EBen Schwartz, James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Tika Sumpter, Lee Majdoub, Neil McDonough | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;for action, some violence, rude humor and brief mild language | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in theaters nationwide.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/6746542970461908910\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=6746542970461908910","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6746542970461908910"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6746542970461908910"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/02\/review-sonic-hedgehog-2020.html","title":"Review | Sonic the Hedgehog | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-T-r1Sjq9vi0\/XksFq4iSmFI\/AAAAAAAAjH0\/pXaqEumQXlAAFDzzB5xxsjLWPjb5uCX6QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/sonic-the-hedgehog-STH-FF-024_rgb.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-8924714919407910535"},"published":{"$t":"2020-02-11T19:20:00.005-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-02-11T19:34:08.893-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"criterion collection"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"jean-luc godard"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Review | Le Petit Soldat | 1963"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FWGxWI9sGeM\/XkNDqaTfgKI\/AAAAAAAAjHM\/6q9D8ypM8ZwuBZ-2cpF0NuFe5zG5ZDJLgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1010_28093id_059.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FWGxWI9sGeM\/XkNDqaTfgKI\/AAAAAAAAjHM\/6q9D8ypM8ZwuBZ-2cpF0NuFe5zG5ZDJLgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/1010_28093id_059.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EAnna Karina in Jean-Luc Godard's LE PETIT SOLDAT. Courtesy of The Criterion Collection.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHot off the success of \u003Ci\u003EBreathless\u003C\/i\u003E that heralded the arrival of the French New Wave to the world, Jean-Luc Godard defied expectations with his sophomore feature, \u003Ci\u003ELe Petit Soldat\u003C\/i\u003E, and began what would become a lifelong passion for using cinema as a revolutionary political tool. However, unlike later films like \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2017\/10\/jean-pierre-leaud-retrospective.html\"\u003ELa Chinoise\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003ETout va Bien\u003C\/i\u003E, or \u003Ci\u003E2 or 3 Things I Know About Her\u003C\/i\u003E, Godard doesn't yet seem to have a fully formed worldview.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XvnksmVzYIs\/XkNDuEj3DmI\/AAAAAAAAjHQ\/UrsKI9EWNdonDiFPggDnyB5g-w3zPUzeACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1010_BD_stroke.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1288\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XvnksmVzYIs\/XkNDuEj3DmI\/AAAAAAAAjHQ\/UrsKI9EWNdonDiFPggDnyB5g-w3zPUzeACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/1010_BD_stroke.jpg\" width=\"321\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EOriginally shot in 1960 on the heels of \u003Ci\u003EBreathless\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003ELe Petit Soldat \u003C\/i\u003Ewouldn't be released until 1963 due to objections from French censors who deemed the film's politics to be seditious.\u0026nbsp;Where\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBreathless\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;was a fresh and stylish caper in the tradition of \u003Ci\u003EBonnie and Clyde\u003C\/i\u003E, steeped in the classical Hollywood idiom that had so fascinated Godard as a critic,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELe Petit Soldat\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a grim, gritty film that takes a deep dive into simmering tensions in France resulting from the conflict in Algeria. Constructed as a spy film,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELe Petit Soldat\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;takes a right-wing French terrorist (Michel Subor) and a left-wing supporter of the Algerian cause (Anna Karina) and makes them fall in love against the backdrop of social unrest in Geneva. Controversially, it is the Algerians who are seen committing atrocities against the French, in an extended \u0026nbsp;sequence in which Stubor is tied up in a bathtub and tortured in order to extract information. While it is mentioned that the French also committed atrocities against the Algerians, and the film was banned in part because of a scene in which Karina insists that the French will lose because \"have no ideal,\" it was this sense of moral ambiguity and \"both sides-ism\" in the face of colonialism that shows Godard as an artist without a fully formed ideology.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile this would certainly come later after Godard famously embraced Marxism-Leninism and the teachings of Mao Zedong,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELe Petit Soldat\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is perhaps more interesting for what it foreshadows in Godard's career than anything contained in the film itself. Karina is a vision, of course, and Godard's camera eyes her lovingly. In fact, it is rumored that Godard actually extended the shoot in order to court her (they would be married the next year), according to cinematographer Raoul Cotard in Colin MacCabe's 2003 biography of the filmmaker. But\u0026nbsp;it\u0026nbsp;spends much more time with Stubor's right-wing radical, with relatively little criticism, a strange deviation from Godard's later work and a sign that Godard wasn't quite sure what he was trying to say here at all - the film's moral relativism is often more frustrating that fascinating, and its lack of a point of view makes its moral equivocations between imperialists and insurgents seem murky rather than insightful.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne could call this film the beginning of Godard's political awakening, but it's not fully formed - it's the work of an artist searching for his voice, for his ideology, looking for the ever-shifting truth that cinema brings at 24 frames per second. This idea of shifting truth is very much present in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELe Petit Soldat\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;but it's as much due to Godard's lack of real political awareness than it is an intentional thematic device. It's a film with an author in search of a theme, and he would find it eventually, but only years later, leaving\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELe Petit Soldat\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;as something of a fascinating artifact, a planted seed in Godard's career that would blossom into something much more radical and pointed later on as he left the aesthetic artifice of cinema behind to embrace its power as a tool for a revolution that would never come.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELE PETIT SOLDAT\u003C\/b\u003E | \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u003C\/b\u003E Jean-Luc Godard | \u003Cb\u003EStars \u003C\/b\u003EMichel Subor, Anna Karina, Henri-Jacques Huet, Paul Beauvais, László Szabó | \u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIn French w\/English subtitles \u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E| \u003Cb\u003ENow available on Blu-Ray and DVD from The Criterion Collection.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003ESpecial features:\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EHigh-definition digital restoration, approved by cinematographer Raoul Coutard, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EInterview with director Jean-Luc Godard from 1965\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EInterview with actor Michel Subor from 1963\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAudio interview with Godard from 1961\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENew English subtitle translation\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPLUS: An essay by critic Nicholas Elliott\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/8924714919407910535\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=8924714919407910535","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/8924714919407910535"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/8924714919407910535"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/02\/blu-ray-review-le-petit-soldat-1963.html","title":"Blu-Ray Review | Le Petit Soldat | 1963"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FWGxWI9sGeM\/XkNDqaTfgKI\/AAAAAAAAjHM\/6q9D8ypM8ZwuBZ-2cpF0NuFe5zG5ZDJLgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/1010_28093id_059.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-1262080213940226798"},"published":{"$t":"2020-02-11T10:32:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-02-11T10:32:52.480-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"DC"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Birds of Prey | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3Zhank3OISA\/XkLIaJa2yvI\/AAAAAAAAjG4\/u8qjzpjIZrcLqdZzFyXsEFe7x-Tvk9U4QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/rev-1-BOP-FP-0006_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"668\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3Zhank3OISA\/XkLIaJa2yvI\/AAAAAAAAjG4\/u8qjzpjIZrcLqdZzFyXsEFe7x-Tvk9U4QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/rev-1-BOP-FP-0006_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EMARGOT ROBBIE as Harley Quinn in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN),” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures\/ \u0026amp; © DC Comics\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBirds of Prey\u003C\/i\u003E, the sequel, spin-off, or whatever you'd like to call it to 2016's\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESuicide Squad,\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;marks one of the most impressive jumps in quality from first film to second film that I can recall. \u003Ci\u003ESuicide Squad\u003C\/i\u003E went on to gross over $700,000,000 worldwide, which surely marks one of the highest grosses for a film no one seems to actually like.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-a-oxEsY--t8\/XkLIxGnFXCI\/AAAAAAAAjHA\/k71ZQShK9bQDDXFxapzeuTLRwSh-zSvoACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Txtd_Dom_Final_Rtd_Main_1sht_BDPRY.tif\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-a-oxEsY--t8\/XkLIxGnFXCI\/AAAAAAAAjHA\/k71ZQShK9bQDDXFxapzeuTLRwSh-zSvoACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/Txtd_Dom_Final_Rtd_Main_1sht_BDPRY.tif\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ETo its credit,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBirds of Prey\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(subtitled \u003Ci\u003EAnd the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn\u003C\/i\u003E) seems to have learned quite a few lessons from the mistakes of the garish\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESuicide Squad;\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;lowering the stakes, streamlining the story, doing away with Jared Leto's much maligned Joker, and placing Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn front and center. The film opens with Harley getting kicked out on the street after being dumped by the Joker. This leads to an act of revenge that lands Harley in hot water with a host of Gotham goons who've had it out for her for years, but couldn't touch her as long as she was the Joker's girlfriend. Now everyone from criminals to cops seems to be out to get her, with one crime boss in particular, the ruthless Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor) determined to track her down.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPursued by criminals and cops alike, Harley is soon forced to band together with four other women - disgraced detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), assassin Helena Bertinelli (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Sionis' disgruntled driver Dinah Lance (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), to protect a young orphan (Ella Jay Basco) from Sionis' wrath. Each one bringing their own unique skills and their own grudges against Sionis in order to dismantle his ruthless criminal enterprise once and for all.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBirds of Prey\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;more closely resembles more serious action films like \u003Ci\u003EJohn Wick\u003C\/i\u003E and \u003Ci\u003EAtomic Blonde\u003C\/i\u003E than it does its predecessor, embracing its R-rating and tearing into its bruising action scenes with relish, with the tongue-in-cheek humor of the \u003Ci\u003EDeadpool\u003C\/i\u003E films. Cathy Yan directs with a stylish verve that actually recalls Tim Burton's \u003Ci\u003EBatman\u003C\/i\u003E films, especially in the film's funhouse finale, where the carnivalesque sets turn into a kind of Luis Buñuel-inspired nightmare. It's great stuff, trimming the excesses of \u003Ci\u003ESuicide Squad\u003C\/i\u003E, lowering the stakes, and giving us more of its best elements - namely Robbie's Harley Quinn.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBirds of Prey\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;replaces world-ending stakes and evil sorceresses of \u003Ci\u003ESuicide Squad\u003C\/i\u003E with a more localized crime drama, and it's all the better for it, giving the new group a chance to congeal without working so hard to tie it into a grander narrative.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn fact, the film succeeds mainly because it does feel so removed from the rest of the DC universe. Despite a few throwaway references to Batman, the Joker, and the events of the previous film,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBirds of Prey\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;mostly stands alone. Robbie is the film's strongest asset but Yan (whose only other credit is a Chinese film from last year called \u003Ci\u003EDead Pigs\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;that never got an American release) displays a commanding visual eye and a knack for combining comedy with serious, sometimes brutal, action. It's a gleefully over-the-top, candy-colored comic book spectacle that finds a pleasing balance between character and action that puts it a cut above its superhero peers.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN) \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003ECathy Yan | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u003C\/b\u003E Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ewan McGregor, Ella Jay Basco | \u003Cb\u003ERated R \u003C\/b\u003Efor strong violence and language throughout, and some sexual and drug material | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in theaters nationwide.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/1262080213940226798\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=1262080213940226798","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1262080213940226798"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1262080213940226798"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/02\/review-birds-of-prey-2020.html","title":"Review | Birds of Prey | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3Zhank3OISA\/XkLIaJa2yvI\/AAAAAAAAjG4\/u8qjzpjIZrcLqdZzFyXsEFe7x-Tvk9U4QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/rev-1-BOP-FP-0006_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-8928306679703383208"},"published":{"$t":"2020-02-06T13:51:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-02-06T13:53:58.172-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Oscar Shorts 2020"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Best Documentary Short Nominees | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ch2\u003EThe Best Documentary Short nominees are often some of the most fascinating films at the Academy Awards, introducing us to new worlds and quite often new problems facing the world that deserve a larger audience than the one they usually find. This year's crop is more of a mixed bag than most, with the usual muckraking issue docs mixed in with some that reach for inspirational but feel more forced than fiery. Here are the this year's nominees:\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WbUpRh-B4Oo\/XjxflDBiGQI\/AAAAAAAAjGM\/UN_ZbzitgGMxV2vQvXzJJ_XidKYm74k5QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/IN_THE_ABSENCE_still.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"860\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"344\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WbUpRh-B4Oo\/XjxflDBiGQI\/AAAAAAAAjGM\/UN_ZbzitgGMxV2vQvXzJJ_XidKYm74k5QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/IN_THE_ABSENCE_still.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EIN THE ABSENCE\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EYi Seung-jun | South Korea\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EEasily the strongest film in the 2020 Best Documentary Short lineup, Yi Seung-jun's\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EIn the Absence\u003C\/i\u003E takes a harrowing look at the 2014 ferry disaster in South Korea that claimed the lives of hundreds of school children on a field trip. Using actual footage taken inside the doomed vessel on cell phone cameras and dash-cams, Yi recounts the sinking moment-for-moment while examining the bureaucratic incompetence that ensued, ultimately sending the children to the deaths.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis was a huge event in South Korea that eventually lead to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, and Yi's you-are-there recounting of the sinking is a sobering look at government corruption that allowed a very preventable situation to become a national tragedy, as confusion over whether or not to issue an evacuation order and half-hearted rescue attempts performed for the cameras changes the course of a nation. Truly frustrating, sobering stuff, and a work of clear-eyed righteous anger that lands with the power and fury of a hurricane.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-2C4iuPlZ4bY\/Xjxfq3xfVQI\/AAAAAAAAjGQ\/K15yZ9juvYgW4oNO8FmyxySWGl4s1bqLgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/LEARNING_TO_SKATEBOARD_still.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"860\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-2C4iuPlZ4bY\/Xjxfq3xfVQI\/AAAAAAAAjGQ\/K15yZ9juvYgW4oNO8FmyxySWGl4s1bqLgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/LEARNING_TO_SKATEBOARD_still.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ELEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU'RE A GIRL)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ECarol Dysinger | UK\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ci\u003ELearning to Skateboard in a Warzone\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eis the kind of feel-good issue doc that this category loves, and it's perfectly fine but also wholly unremarkable. The story itself is inspiring - a group of girls in war-torn Afghanistan defying conservative gender convention to learn how to skateboard. There's a certain appealing element of girl-power here, but it also feels very standard, the kind of film that garners praise for its content more than its form. They're certainly an irresistible group, but the film itself ultimately feels perfunctory and lacking the inspirational energy its so clearly trying to achieve.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ofKOCd6xq-E\/XjxfutqUV-I\/AAAAAAAAjGU\/CLiDAosQzkUnZtCemSAe63Z6dj-OJeCggCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/LIFE_TAKESOVER_ME_still.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"860\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ofKOCd6xq-E\/XjxfutqUV-I\/AAAAAAAAjGU\/CLiDAosQzkUnZtCemSAe63Z6dj-OJeCggCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/LIFE_TAKESOVER_ME_still.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ELIFE OVERTAKES ME\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EJohn Haptas, Kristine Samuelson | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ci\u003ELife Overtakes Me\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;examines the phenomenon of Resignation Syndrome, an illness affecting hundreds of refugee children in Sweden and across the world that causes them to enter a comatose state, seemingly borne from the trauma faced by families fleeing dangerous situations in their own countries. Facing uncertainty and anti-immigrant sentiment abroad, the children retreat into their own minds, completely unaware of the world around them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJohn Haptas and Kristine Samuelson often layer voice-over interviews over lovely shots of snowy Swedish landscapes, an artistic affectation that feels somewhat superfluous, but the resulting film is often quite moving, exploring the human side of the refugee struggle away from the political rhetoric as they flee certain death into a whole new set of struggles in a strange land.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-haXgyBa32-A\/XjxfygVyNFI\/AAAAAAAAjGY\/9YQGIXCZdkM3YwOUj9XXJVz2NiPVsiVyACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/ST-LOUIS_SUPERMAN_still.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"859\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-haXgyBa32-A\/XjxfygVyNFI\/AAAAAAAAjGY\/9YQGIXCZdkM3YwOUj9XXJVz2NiPVsiVyACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/ST-LOUIS_SUPERMAN_still.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EST. LOUIS SUPERMAN\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ESami Khan, Smriti Mundhra | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EIn the wake of the death of Michael Brown, 34-year-old Bruce Franks Jr. decides to take his fight from the streets of Ferguson to the halls of the Missouri State House, running for State Representative as one of the few black representatives in the entire state. Filled with a desire to change the face of the halls of power and advocate for his community, Franks sets about proposing a bill to curb gun violence and establish a Memorial Day for his younger brother who was killed in a shooting 30 years earlier.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECovers a lot of ground in only 30 minutes, but \u003Ci\u003ESt. Louis Superman\u003C\/i\u003E does a fine job of illustrating the unique challenges faced by black politicians in the halls of power dominated by white men, as well as the suspicions from his own community that he has sold out and become just another politician who will ultimately change nothing. Almost feels like there's enough material here for a feature doc, but it's a solid examination of what it takes to turn activism into policy and affect real change.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-8kAC-cCxkc0\/Xjxf2lRYmbI\/AAAAAAAAjGc\/eC9DcxG1eXErXjx-D_IN1EQKQ6BheaMWACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/WALK_RUN_CHA-CHA_still.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"861\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"344\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-8kAC-cCxkc0\/Xjxf2lRYmbI\/AAAAAAAAjGc\/eC9DcxG1eXErXjx-D_IN1EQKQ6BheaMWACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/WALK_RUN_CHA-CHA_still.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EWALK RUN CHA-CHA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ELaura Nix | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EThis sensitive doc short about two Vietnamese immigrants who came to American in the aftermath of the Vietnam war is a warmhearted love story about a husband and wife rediscovering each other through the language of dance. Now successful American businesspeople, the two spend their evenings learning how to ballroom dance, carrying on very different lives from their workplace personas.   \u003Ci\u003EWalk Run Cha-Cha\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is perhaps the slightest of the five Best Documentary Short nominees this year, but it's also one of the sweetest; rather than deal with BIG IMPORTANT THEMES it takes a step back to take a look at a simple love story through the lens of the immigrant experience. A beguiling and sweetly entertaining short.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Oscar Nominated Short Films are now playing in select theaters from Shorts TV.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/8928306679703383208\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=8928306679703383208","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/8928306679703383208"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/8928306679703383208"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/02\/review-best-documentary-short-nominees.html","title":"Review | Best Documentary Short Nominees | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WbUpRh-B4Oo\/XjxflDBiGQI\/AAAAAAAAjGM\/UN_ZbzitgGMxV2vQvXzJJ_XidKYm74k5QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/IN_THE_ABSENCE_still.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-3789198032541828033"},"published":{"$t":"2020-02-03T15:44:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-02-04T11:59:53.952-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Gretel \u0026 Hansel | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zLkbCWXz53U\/XjiFFMwrWII\/AAAAAAAAjFs\/j0H7LwGe1bYeXPm6NdS5-o8hruCK2ISygCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/gretel-hansel-Alice%2BKrige%2Bstars%2Bin%2BGRETEL_HANSEL_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1067\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zLkbCWXz53U\/XjiFFMwrWII\/AAAAAAAAjFs\/j0H7LwGe1bYeXPm6NdS5-o8hruCK2ISygCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/gretel-hansel-Alice%2BKrige%2Bstars%2Bin%2BGRETEL_HANSEL_rgb.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EAlice Krige stars in GRETEL \u0026amp; HANSEL. Photo by Patrick Redmond.\u003Cbr \/\u003ECourtesy of Orion Pictures.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThe story of Hansel and Gretel is perhaps one of the most famous fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, its story of two children who are lured into the woods and eaten by a witch serving as a warning to generations of children not to accept gifts from strangers.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NKFfaIKGHEo\/XjiFJfjie_I\/AAAAAAAAjFw\/wCFC3RWpm184bwW51EUJiFptrrF7-AeHACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/gretel-hansel-Gretel-Hansel_FinalPoster_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1081\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NKFfaIKGHEo\/XjiFJfjie_I\/AAAAAAAAjFw\/wCFC3RWpm184bwW51EUJiFptrrF7-AeHACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/gretel-hansel-Gretel-Hansel_FinalPoster_rgb.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EDirector Oz Perkins' 21st century re-imagining in \u003Ci\u003EGretel \u0026amp; Hansel\u003C\/i\u003E provides a new twist on the oft-told tale, centering Gretel in the narrative and turning it into a story of female empowerment tinged with giallo horror. While the film has been frequently (and understandably) compared to Robert Eggers' \u003Ci\u003EThe Witch\u003C\/i\u003E (and not without reason), the film I found myself consistently reminded of was Dario Argento's 1977 horror classic, \u003Ci\u003ESuspiria\u003C\/i\u003E. \u0026nbsp;From the non-diegetic neon lighting to R.O.B.'s synthetic prog-rock score,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EGretel \u0026amp; Hansel\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;feels right at home amongst the work of such Italian masters as Argento and Mario Bava, whose films often felt like they took place inside a nightmare where plot didn't matter so much as atmosphere and mood.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe story is familiar, of course. Hansel and Gretel are two children who are turned out by their destitute mother because she is unable to afford to feed them. Gretel (Sophia Lillis), unwilling to either join a convent or \u0026nbsp;be a lecherous country lord's housemaid, sets out on her own along with her little brother, Hansel (Samuel Leakey). It isn't long, however, before they become lost in the woods. Weary and starving they stumble upon a peculiar cabin in the woods, where an old woman (Alice Krige) offers them a spread of delicious food and shelter for the night. It soon becomes clear that something is dreadfully wrong in that house, as Gretel begins having inexplicable visions of missing children, and the old woman takes a particular interest in Gretel that seems to go far beyond her interest in Hansel, and it soon becomes clear that she's trying to push them apart for very sinister reasons.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film is steeped in a sense of fairy tale lore, its expressionistic production design Jeremy Reed and Christine McDonagh contributing greatly its overall feeling of dread and despair. Perkins very wisely never attempts to dot all the I's or cross all the T's, leading to a film that is less concerned with plotting than it is getting under the audience's skin. The lighting is abstract and evocative with its vibrant blues and pinks, the music completely incongruous to the time period it's representing, and yet this kind of surrealistic take on the material creates a kind of dream logic that makes it all the more unsettling.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-y90ygiHU8aM\/XjiFOzObU4I\/AAAAAAAAjF0\/xh_SN8qIYIAjB9aXCJxJATZD2V_QmCbdACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/gretel-hansel-Alice%2BKrige%2Band%2BSophia%2BLillis%2Bstar%2Bin%2BGRETEL_HANSEL_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1067\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-y90ygiHU8aM\/XjiFOzObU4I\/AAAAAAAAjF0\/xh_SN8qIYIAjB9aXCJxJATZD2V_QmCbdACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/gretel-hansel-Alice%2BKrige%2Band%2BSophia%2BLillis%2Bstar%2Bin%2BGRETEL_HANSEL_rgb.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ESophia Lillis and Alice Krige star in GRETEL \u0026amp; HANSEL. Photo by Patrick Redmond.\u003Cbr \/\u003ECourtesy of Orion Pictures.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's also just as much about writing your own story and forging your own path as Greta Gerwig’s \u003Ci\u003ELittle Women\u003C\/i\u003E, history, myth, and fate be damned. Your ending isn’t written until you write it yourself and your circumstances do not define you.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EGretel \u0026amp; Hansel'\u003C\/i\u003Es recasting of Gretel as the heir apparent to the witch not only empower Gretel as a character but completely reframes the narrative. It's no longer a story about the dangers of accepting gifts from strangers, but of reclaiming the narrative of victimhood and turning it into one of personal strength. Gretel is no longer the passive child that Hansel is; if the witch used the power granted to her by her victimhood for revenge, Gretel seeks to use it in order to heal, to reclaim her story from those who would seek to use it for their own gain. Here, the fear of the old woman, the fairy tales that cast women as old crones who seek to eat little children in order to get them to obey, becomes a relic of the past as Gretel reshapes the narrative in her own image, taking control of her own destiny and burning down the misogynist misconceptions of the past. It's a bracing, feminist take on a familiar tale that makes it feel startlingly fresh.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAfter a run of substandard January horror films,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EGretel \u0026amp; Hansel\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;not only feels like a breath of fresh air, it's an art film that somehow managed to secure a wide release from a major studio. Anchored by strong turns by \u003Ci\u003EIt\u003C\/i\u003E's Sophia Lillis and especially the incomparable Alice Krige (always a welcome presence) as the witch,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EGretel \u0026amp; Hansel\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a throughly original take on a classic legend that makes the surreal feel terrifyingly palpable like a childhood nightmare come to life, a twisted fairy tale once meant to scare children turned into a haunting allegorical fable for adults.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE \u003C\/b\u003E- ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRETEL \u0026amp; HANSEL \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Oz Perkins | \u003Cb\u003EStars \u003C\/b\u003ESophia Lillis, Alice Krige, Samuel Leakey | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG-13\u003C\/b\u003E for  disturbing images\/thematic content, and brief drug material | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow\u0026nbsp;playing in theaters nationwide.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/3789198032541828033\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=3789198032541828033","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3789198032541828033"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3789198032541828033"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/02\/review-gretel-hansel-2020.html","title":"Review | Gretel \u0026 Hansel | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zLkbCWXz53U\/XjiFFMwrWII\/AAAAAAAAjFs\/j0H7LwGe1bYeXPm6NdS5-o8hruCK2ISygCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/gretel-hansel-Alice%2BKrige%2Bstars%2Bin%2BGRETEL_HANSEL_rgb.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-3790770285080772162"},"published":{"$t":"2020-02-01T16:08:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-02-01T16:08:21.465-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | The Turning | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-a4wpMfR70L0\/XjXn6VrLqaI\/AAAAAAAAjFU\/nYleLgaFEJY734QSu4SzINzPi3W0OsdFACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/tmp_Y6hUhu_be7fba42be3d5047_8T86_D012_00360R.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1068\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-a4wpMfR70L0\/XjXn6VrLqaI\/AAAAAAAAjFU\/nYleLgaFEJY734QSu4SzINzPi3W0OsdFACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/tmp_Y6hUhu_be7fba42be3d5047_8T86_D012_00360R.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EJanuary horror tends to be a wasteland, but if the twin \"F\" Cinemascore ratings (the first received by any film in three years) earned by \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/01\/review-grudge-2020.html\"\u003EThe Grudge\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;and now\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Turning\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;are any indication, then January 2020 is one for the ages.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-q2DaE0os3ag\/XjXoCTZVWcI\/AAAAAAAAjFY\/OyBVcGaxH_YM_uEwioYeTaUf27zQY3BqgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/the-turning-TRG_Tsr1Sheet_RGB_7_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1011\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-q2DaE0os3ag\/XjXoCTZVWcI\/AAAAAAAAjFY\/OyBVcGaxH_YM_uEwioYeTaUf27zQY3BqgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/the-turning-TRG_Tsr1Sheet_RGB_7_rgb.jpg\" width=\"252\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe nonsensical \u003Ci\u003EGrudge\u003C\/i\u003E absolutely earned its abysmal score with a mixture of lazy writing, ugly cinematography, and abysmal plotting, but I'm not convinced that \u003Ci\u003EThe Turning\u003C\/i\u003E (directed by \u003Ci\u003EThe Runaways\u003C\/i\u003E' Floria Sigismondi) really deserves the hate being thrown its way. Many of the negative reactions and poor reviews seem to center around the films \"twist\" ending, which is indeed something of a head scratcher that was intended to be a \u003Ci\u003ESixth Sense\u003C\/i\u003E-level last minute rug-pull that recontextualizes the film. The problem is it's so quickly executed that it has mostly left audiences scratching their heads rather than blowing their minds; the result, perhaps, of filmmakers who have spent too long steeped in a world that they understand but have not properly laid out for the viewers.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBased on Henry James' novel, \u003Ci\u003EThe Turn of the Screw\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(which also inspired the 1961 film, \u003Ci\u003EThe Innocents\u003C\/i\u003E, written by Truman Capote and starring Deborah Kerr),\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Turning\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;tells the story of a college student named Kate (Mackenzie Davis) who takes a job as a live-in tutor for a young orphan named Flora (\u003Ci\u003EThe Florida Project\u003C\/i\u003E's Brooklynn Prince) at a gothic manor house in the country, where she lives with her older brother, Miles (Finn Wolfhard). and a creepy housekeeper (Denna Thomsen) who believes that the children's wealthy background entitles them to special privileges. It isn't long before Kate begins to suspect that the house is haunted, as strange things appear in the shadows, Miles becomes more and more sinister, and a vengeful presence seems to stalk her at night.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's all fairly standard haunted house stuff, informed by the house's past traumas, but Sigismondi proves quite adept at conjuring an eerie atmosphere, always hiding the frightening things just off screen, allowing the audiences to catch just enough of a glimpse to make us question whether or not we had seen anything at all. Similarly, the dreamlike, fog-shrouded cinematography by David Ungaro (\u003Ci\u003ECoco Chanel \u0026amp; Igor Stravinsky\u003C\/i\u003E) creates an indelible mood, recalling great haunted house movies of yore like Robert Wise's original \u003Ci\u003EThe Haunting\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;and Alejandro Amenábar's \u003Ci\u003EThe Others\u003C\/i\u003E. That idea of questioning our own eyes comes back into play in end, in a twist that's not a *bad* twist, per se. It’s just poorly executed, coming at us so fast that it leaves the audience confused rather than unsettled.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn the plus side, Brooklynn Prince is terrific, as is Finn Wolfhard. The fact that neither is really trying to do the typical “creepy kid” thing makes those moments more unnerving, and Prince's precociousness is consistently magnetic. For most of the film,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Turning\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a solidly crafted, old-fashioned haunted house chiller with some decent scares and anchored by strong performances, but it goes off the rails so wildly in its last few minutes that it nearly ruins the entire picture, leaving such \u0026nbsp;a bad taste in the mouth that it resulted in the rare \"F\" Cinemascore rating from audiences. But it seems unfair to dismiss the entire film due to its last 5 minutes. The finale is undeniably a massive miscalculation on the part of the filmmakers, one that undercuts much of the accumulated suspense of the story. But in no way is this film the unmitigated disaster that its reputation would suggest. It's a thoroughly decent, classically structured haunted house chiller hampered by an extremely ill-conceived ending that undermines much of the goodwill built up by Sigismondi's hauntingly elegant direction.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETHE TURNING \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EFloria Sigismondi | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EMackenzie Davis, Finn Wolfhard, Brooklynn Prince, Mark Huberman, Niall Greig Fulton | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG-13 \u003C\/b\u003Efor terror, violence, disturbing images, brief strong language and some suggestive content | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in theaters nationwide.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/3790770285080772162\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=3790770285080772162","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3790770285080772162"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3790770285080772162"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/02\/review-turning-2020.html","title":"Review | The Turning | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-a4wpMfR70L0\/XjXn6VrLqaI\/AAAAAAAAjFU\/nYleLgaFEJY734QSu4SzINzPi3W0OsdFACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/tmp_Y6hUhu_be7fba42be3d5047_8T86_D012_00360R.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-7182951538980732987"},"published":{"$t":"2020-01-30T16:46:00.004-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-01-30T16:49:09.029-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Les Misérables \u0026 Zombi Child"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KgANysoT7Fc\/XjMd5HOQi4I\/AAAAAAAAjEk\/nMEfBH1aLBYh9jLnAi4UvDbHlQ-GPTS2wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Les_Miserables__c__SRAB_Films_-_Rectangle_Productions_-_Lyly_films.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1000\" data-original-width=\"1500\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KgANysoT7Fc\/XjMd5HOQi4I\/AAAAAAAAjEk\/nMEfBH1aLBYh9jLnAi4UvDbHlQ-GPTS2wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/Les_Miserables__c__SRAB_Films_-_Rectangle_Productions_-_Lyly_films.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA scene from Ladj Ly's \u003Ci\u003ELes Misérables\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThe specter of imperialism hangs over two new French films like a shadow, an inexorable piece of the nation's past from which it cannot extricate itself. Ladj Ly's Oscar-nominated\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELes Misérables\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(2019) and Bertrand Bonello's \u003Ci\u003EZombi Child \u003C\/i\u003E(2020)\u0026nbsp;take very different paths to arrive at similar conclusions, and yet they make for a fascinating double feature if for no other reason than to study how the differences in their perspectives lead them to different places, even if their ultimate thematic content isn't all that dissimilar.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9HIYnXWmZn0\/XjM8qOq04qI\/AAAAAAAAjE8\/SeWyWJXunhIREueNpzg8Lk24uYIlJGXEgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/les_miserables.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"755\" data-original-width=\"511\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9HIYnXWmZn0\/XjM8qOq04qI\/AAAAAAAAjE8\/SeWyWJXunhIREueNpzg8Lk24uYIlJGXEgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/les_miserables.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EInspired by the 2005 French riots, \u003Ci\u003ELes Misérables \u003C\/i\u003Eexplores the tensions between police and the often majority black neighborhoods they are tasked with patrolling. The film centers around Brigadier Stéphane Ruiz (Damien Bonnard), a rookie cop who joins the force and is shown the ropes by his two new partners, Chris (Alexis Manenti) and Gwada (Djebril Zonga). Ruiz quickly learns that this is not going to be just another day at the office, however, as hot-headed Chris treats the people of the neighborhood as his subjects, abusing his authority and stoking the flames of interracial tension between local gangs at every turn. When a young boy steals a lion club from a local circus, those tensions threaten to boil over, leading to a violent confrontation between the boy and the police that throws gasoline on the smoldering embers of resentment.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film wears its inspirations on its sleeve; the most frequently cited are Spike Lee's \u003Ci\u003EDo the Right Thing \u003C\/i\u003Eand Mathieu Kassovitz's \u003Ci\u003ELa Haine\u003C\/i\u003E, but Antoine Fuqua's \u003Ci\u003ETraining Day \u003C\/i\u003Eis in there as well. It's a slow-burn that deftly combines its varying factions that make up the melting pot of France - the black teenagers, the Muslims, the Romanians, and pits them against a police force that doesn't seem to understand or care about their unique needs and cultural differences. Yet the neighborhood is also deeply representative of French colonialism, policed by an uncaring and brutal force that doesn't seem interested in anything other than power over those it deems lesser.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-F8Iaaj2kDqk\/XjM7r-uf5iI\/AAAAAAAAjEw\/gJU5NnrsQKMaKOhRXQNi3tkrsZQlUqDuwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/15138_ZOMBI_CHILD_photo4.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-F8Iaaj2kDqk\/XjM7r-uf5iI\/AAAAAAAAjEw\/gJU5NnrsQKMaKOhRXQNi3tkrsZQlUqDuwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/15138_ZOMBI_CHILD_photo4.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA scene from \u003Ci\u003EZombi Child\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESimilarly, \u003Ci\u003EZombi Child\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;takes place in a France that seems wholly ignorant of the world it has colonized, vacuuming up small pieces of other cultures and discarding the rest. Here, a group of schoolgirls welcomes a Haitian classmate into their clique, only to discover that her family has a background in voodoo. As she regales them with stories of her grandfather, who was turned into a zombi by his family in order to work the fields as an unquestioning slave, the girls become fascinated with the world of voodoo, leading them to meddle in places where they do not belong.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DmBqgOBmg_0\/XjNLTj5j5BI\/AAAAAAAAjFI\/IVUZqTl4WwkIG6Gel9bK1XUEdHk6rfizgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/zombi_child_ver2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"755\" data-original-width=\"510\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DmBqgOBmg_0\/XjNLTj5j5BI\/AAAAAAAAjFI\/IVUZqTl4WwkIG6Gel9bK1XUEdHk6rfizgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/zombi_child_ver2.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EMeddling in places where one does not belong is essentially the cornerstone of both of these films. On the one hand,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EZombi Child \u003C\/i\u003Eis a hushed and haunted ghost story that combines Haitian lore with French colonial sensibilities. Bonello, a white filmmaker, isn't necessarily trying to colonize the Haitian voodoo imagery as he is use it to explore the way that the French have seemingly bulldozed over the cultures of the places they've colonized, and how their lack of understanding of those cultures puts them on a path of mutual destruction. Ly, a black filmmaker, takes a similar view in the more conventionally structured\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELes Misérables\u003C\/i\u003E. Both films center their white characters, and yet strangely \u003Ci\u003EZombi Child\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;feels like the most pointed brutal critique of imperialism. It's easily Bonello's most subdued film, dialing back the style in favor of something more unsettling and atmospheric. This is a far cry from the portrait of young anarchists in his last film, \u003Ci\u003ENocturama\u003C\/i\u003E, with its neon lighting and 80s-infused soundtrack. There's something hushed and eerie about \u003Ci\u003EZombi Child\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;that explores the sinister underpinnings of imperialist conquest without othering Haitian culture. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003ELes Misérables\u003C\/i\u003E, on the other hand (which was famously submitted for Oscar consideration over Celine Sciamma's superior\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EPortrait of a Lady on Fire\u003C\/i\u003E),\u0026nbsp;attempts to show us that even the most well-intentioned white people can face consequences if their actions continue to prop up institutional racism. No one is innocent here, and while its trappings may seem more familiar (although Bonello certainly takes some of his cues from Val Lewton's 1943 horror classic, \u003Ci\u003EI Walked with a Zombie\u003C\/i\u003E) there is something agreeably rough-hewn about its structure and haunting about its denouement. Ultimately I'm inclined to call \u003Ci\u003EZombi Child \u003C\/i\u003Ethe stronger of the two films, if for no other reason than for its unique take on a tired genre, but it's hard to deny the the effectiveness through which both convey their ideas. One, a more straightforward drama, the other as a horror film where the scares are much more internalized, both creating horrific portraits of the ravages of colonialism and the continued proliferation of racist institutions that refuse to acknowledge their own culpability in a failed system. Taken together they are unmissable portraits of a modern France grappling with its own identity, with Ly acting as a Malian immigrant critiquing French colonialism as one of its victims and Bonello acting as a Frenchman crafting a bold work of self-examination. Two different filmmakers, two different perspectives, two bracing works of political activism through cinema. Yet only one truly transcends its medium and works its way under the skin - \u003Ci\u003EZombi Child\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;manages to work as both an otherworldly romance and a ferocious critique of cultural colonialism that lingers with the understated power Bonello's more indelible works.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELES MISÉRABLES - ★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EZOMBI CHILD - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELES MISÉRABLES \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003ELadj Ly | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EDamien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti, Djibril Zonga, Steve Tientcheu, Jeanne Balibar | \u003Cb\u003ERated R\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;for  language throughout, some disturbing\/violent content, and sexual references | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EIn French w\/English subtitles\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003EZOMBI CHILD \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EBertrand Bonello | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003ELouise Labèque, Wislanda Louimat, Katiana Milfort, Mackenson Bijou, Adilé David | \u003Cb\u003ENot Rated \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EIn French w\/English subtitles\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/7182951538980732987\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=7182951538980732987","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7182951538980732987"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7182951538980732987"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/01\/review-les-miserables-zombi-child.html","title":"Review | Les Misérables \u0026 Zombi Child"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KgANysoT7Fc\/XjMd5HOQi4I\/AAAAAAAAjEk\/nMEfBH1aLBYh9jLnAi4UvDbHlQ-GPTS2wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/Les_Miserables__c__SRAB_Films_-_Rectangle_Productions_-_Lyly_films.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-9172923737503280364"},"published":{"$t":"2020-01-29T16:24:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-01-29T16:24:50.377-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Oscar Shorts 2020"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Best Live Action Short Oscar Nominees | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ch2\u003EWhile the Best Animated Short Oscar nominees are often some of the best films of the night, the Best Live Action Short nominees are historically a mixed bag, often built around contrivances necessitated by their brief runtimes, but plagued by a sense of self-seriousness as they try to convey BIG THEMES as quickly as possible. This year's crop is no different, and with one major exception are almost uniformly depressing in the most unearned, excruciating way. Here's a look at this year's nominated films.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LZBtdoVfz_g\/XjH21shuUXI\/AAAAAAAAjD4\/MySvcKcoRq8NFGSmKSxroq8-AMiGuO8UwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/BROTHERHOOD_STILL.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"859\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LZBtdoVfz_g\/XjH21shuUXI\/AAAAAAAAjD4\/MySvcKcoRq8NFGSmKSxroq8-AMiGuO8UwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/BROTHERHOOD_STILL.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EBROTHERHOOD\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EMeryam Joobeur | Tunisia\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EA modern twist on the parable of the Prodigal Son, Meryam Joobeur's \u003Ci\u003EBrotherhood\u003C\/i\u003E tells the story of a Tunisian family whose idealistic oldest son returns with a young new wife after joining ISIS and moving to Syria. The father is none too impressed with his son's political ideas, and constantly berates and challenges him and his new wife, eventually deciding to turn him into the Tunisian police to report him as a terrorist. But when the truth about his son's time in Syria comes to light, as well as \u0026nbsp;the true nature of his marriage to such a young girl, it may be too late to stop the events that have been set in motion.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBrotherhood\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is beautifully shot and often quiet compelling, but it wastes much of that goodwill on a ridiculous climax that has no real motivation other than to give it the kind of downer ending that this category loves because they seem \"important.\" There are some interesting ideas at play here about what makes a \"terrorist\" and what motivates young Muslim men to join the caliphate, but it hinges on a contrivance that is difficult to overlook, building its drama on withholding a piece of information that it makes no sense to keep hidden other than as a dramatic plot device.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Lz_V2p_Zz98\/XjH25eRDZzI\/AAAAAAAAjD8\/_WdtTZLYoMcYQR_-8zPClR1p-d08J5KswCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/NEFTA_FOOTBALL_CLUB_still.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"860\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Lz_V2p_Zz98\/XjH25eRDZzI\/AAAAAAAAjD8\/_WdtTZLYoMcYQR_-8zPClR1p-d08J5KswCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/NEFTA_FOOTBALL_CLUB_still.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ENEFTA FOOTBALL CLUB\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EYves Piat | Tunisia\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EYves Piat's \u003Ci\u003ENefta Football Club\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is the only one of the Best Live Action Short Oscar nominees that tells a fully formed, well-rounded story. And while it may be structured around the kind of wild coincidence that seems to define the drama in this category, it zigs just when you expect it to zag, delivering something that is fresh, funny, and unlike every other nominee in this category, not soul-crushingly depressing. The film centers around two Tunisian boys who wander across the Algerian border and discover a donkey loaded down with several kilos of cocaine. Normally this is where the original owners of the donkey would come looking for the kids, but\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ENefta Football Club\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;has something else entirely on its mind, leading to a wonderfully unexpected conclusion that sends the whole affair out on a high note. It's a delightfully idiosyncratic charmer, featuring an Adele-loving donkey and kids who think they've discovered a treasure trove of laundry detergent. It's the most unique and wholly realized film of the bunch.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-dNSWxzsUY4g\/XjH29ZKEbEI\/AAAAAAAAjEA\/mMyWKUin5T089rxXBvmGea0DgHOmMN4KgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/THE_NEIGHBORS_WINDOW_still.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"857\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-dNSWxzsUY4g\/XjH29ZKEbEI\/AAAAAAAAjEA\/mMyWKUin5T089rxXBvmGea0DgHOmMN4KgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/THE_NEIGHBORS_WINDOW_still.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ETHE NEIGHBORS' WINDOW\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EMarshall Curry | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EIt always seems like there's at least one Best Live Action Short nominee like Marshall Curry's \u003Ci\u003EThe Neighbors' Window\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;- the schmaltzy American entry this is the most accessible, yet also somehow built around most aggressively contrived situation. In this case it's a couple of thirtysomething parents who become enamored with the attractive young couple whose apartment window is situated across from theirs. Constantly naked and constantly having sex or throwing wild parties, the neighbors quickly become a source of obsession for the couple, whose humdrum domesticity seems increasingly banal in contrast. But as they spend their time longing for the life they once had when they were younger, represented by the free-spirited young couple across the way, a tragic twist soon reminds them of just how good their life really is, and that while they long for someone else's life, someone else may be longing for theirs. The final twist is the kind of ridiculous emotional right hook that this category seems to love, but it just totally falls flat, coming across as a poorly written attempt to deliver a lesson to the audience, but the attempt is ultimately ham-fisted and lands with a thud. It's the weakest film in an admittedly subpar crop of nominees, which means it's likely the frontrunner to win.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-93QUTp2xQhY\/XjH3Cp8uQxI\/AAAAAAAAjEE\/7Fyrc2GwLVkr5WmhRnn5RKqtE46SUqNwQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/SARIA_still.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"861\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"344\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-93QUTp2xQhY\/XjH3Cp8uQxI\/AAAAAAAAjEE\/7Fyrc2GwLVkr5WmhRnn5RKqtE46SUqNwQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/SARIA_still.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ESARIA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EBryan Buckley | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EBased on the tragic 2017 fire at the Virgen de La Asuncion Safe Home in Guatemala, in which 41 young women lost their lives after escaping from an orphanage in an attempt to reach America, Bryan Buckley's \u003Ci\u003ESaria\u003C\/i\u003E starts off promisingly but quickly devolves into the kind of self-important \"issue movie of the week\" territory that are often so prevalent in this category. It also feels like a much longer filmed that's been cut down and crammed into a 23 minute running time, with large leaps in time where it feels like we're missing key information and character development. The tragic ending appears out of nowhere in a way that's clearly designed to shock but all it really does is feel like a dramatic cheat meant to manipulate the audience with a real life tragedy. Quite frankly, this story deserves a feature film, and while its clearly trying to draw attention to the dangers faced by migrants coming to America, it feels dramatically dishonest, as if its Cliffs Notes version of the story needs more time to really establish itself and its characters.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gGeqY3J7a8E\/XjH3IiRkdiI\/AAAAAAAAjEI\/0NvX3U73pIoqexFMDjLE-zAIX3JbzPLCgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/A_SISTER_still.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"860\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"344\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gGeqY3J7a8E\/XjH3IiRkdiI\/AAAAAAAAjEI\/0NvX3U73pIoqexFMDjLE-zAIX3JbzPLCgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/A_SISTER_still.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EA SISTER\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EDelphine Girard | Belgium\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EA woman frantically calls emergency services to report that she has been kidnapped, but must speak in code as if she is speaking to her sister in order to convey information to the operator on the other side of the line. There's a bit of a Hitchcockian vibe to Delphine Girard's \u003Ci\u003EA Sister\u003C\/i\u003E in the way that it at first withholds information from the audience, and then from key characters in the film, creating suspense out of keeping that information from its antagonist. Yet Girard doesn't quite stick the landing, never really using that inherent suspense to build or release the tension in a satisfying way. It's a strong concept with solid execution, but when the denouement finally comes, it doesn't feel like the catharsis experienced by the emergency operator, leaving the plot resolved but the audience unsatisfied.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Oscar Shorts open January 31 in select theaters nationwide.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/9172923737503280364\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=9172923737503280364","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/9172923737503280364"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/9172923737503280364"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/01\/review-best-live-action-short-oscar.html","title":"Review | Best Live Action Short Oscar Nominees | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LZBtdoVfz_g\/XjH21shuUXI\/AAAAAAAAjD4\/MySvcKcoRq8NFGSmKSxroq8-AMiGuO8UwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/BROTHERHOOD_STILL.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-8206749632919096685"},"published":{"$t":"2020-01-29T14:48:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-01-29T14:54:15.734-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Oscar Shorts 2020"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Best Animated Short Oscar Nominees | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ch2\u003EOne thing I love about the short film categories at the Oscars is that they’re consistently the most diverse and international group of nominees, and the animated category is almost always the most adventurous and least traditional. It’s a shame more people aren’t able to see them, but thanks to Shorts TV, the films are now showcased yearly in theaters nationwide. This year’s crop of nominees is almost uniformly strong, each offering some of the most unique filmmaking you’re likely to see amongst this year’s crop of Academy Award nominees.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aVK1XIBue7o\/XjHhF6R2F7I\/AAAAAAAAjDM\/CV_aggV9H7guOc7i5sBY-CbEypmH-jgyQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/DAUGHTER_still.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"859\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aVK1XIBue7o\/XjHhF6R2F7I\/AAAAAAAAjDM\/CV_aggV9H7guOc7i5sBY-CbEypmH-jgyQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/DAUGHTER_still.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EDCERA (DAUGHTER)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EDaria Kascheeva | Czechia\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EPerhaps the most opaque and inscrutable of this year's Oscar nominees for Best Animated Short, Daria Kashcheeva's \u003Ci\u003EDcera (Daughter)\u003C\/i\u003E is a mostly abstract tale of a father and daughter sifting through past trauma. Completely wordless, \u003Ci\u003EDcera\u003C\/i\u003E tells its story in a completely visual way, evoking old wounds through dream-like metaphor. Yet as lovely as its unique animation style is, it's incredibly difficult to settle into over the course of its 15 minutes. It's the longest of the five nominees and yet somehow feels the most incomplete. There are certainly interesting ideas here, and Kashcheeva has an impressive visual eye, but it consistently holds the audience at arm’s length, fully committing to its psychological metaphors in ways that seem more academic than emotionally grounded.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lyrFKkhN5dw\/XjHhLb9xaII\/AAAAAAAAjDQ\/ASG2EvUqzSQo0DfW-QULi_uBLOWiDCS-QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/HAIR_LOVE_still.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"860\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"344\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lyrFKkhN5dw\/XjHhLb9xaII\/AAAAAAAAjDQ\/ASG2EvUqzSQo0DfW-QULi_uBLOWiDCS-QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/HAIR_LOVE_still.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EHAIR LOVE\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EMatthew A. Cherry | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EA father struggles to give his young daughter the hair style she craves in Matthew A. Cherry's \u003Ci\u003EHair Love\u003C\/i\u003E, a deeply moving celebration of black hair that bucks societal beauty standards and urges young black girls to embrace the unique abilities of their hair. This thing packs a powerful emotional wallop, but it also addresses issues of \"good hair\" that have long been important to the black communities in ways that are universally understandable, as if it's a message for every black girl who's ever suffered the indignity of a white person asking \"can I touch your hair?\" or felt the need to conform to society's default beauty standard of straight hair. “Hair Love” is a small-scale wonder and the strongest of the five films.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-f18YVhDMi18\/XjHhQRrpl2I\/AAAAAAAAjDU\/8Vz3Aj5-4fE97NsoG8V5AmucQFoAaKgLACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/KITBULL_still.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"860\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-f18YVhDMi18\/XjHhQRrpl2I\/AAAAAAAAjDU\/8Vz3Aj5-4fE97NsoG8V5AmucQFoAaKgLACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/KITBULL_still.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EKITBULL\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ERosanna Sullivan | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EA stray cat befriends an abused junkyard dog in this charming short film from Pixar's new animation project. Displays a keen understanding of animal behavior and features so many charming character details that it's hard not to get swept up in its simple tale of animal friendship. What's so wonderful about \u003Ci\u003EKitbull\u003C\/i\u003E is that it never feels cloying or saccharine, it earns its tears through honest depiction of animal behavior, wordlessly creating something that's charming and deeply felt that earns every tear honestly. Look for it on Disney+ soon.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ulgq_e6qOG8\/XjHhUPbrxfI\/AAAAAAAAjDY\/5aPt3b0fp-wfPjhHkGQ6P_3NSnABNokywCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/MEMORABLE_still.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"860\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ulgq_e6qOG8\/XjHhUPbrxfI\/AAAAAAAAjDY\/5aPt3b0fp-wfPjhHkGQ6P_3NSnABNokywCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/MEMORABLE_still.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EMÉMORABLE\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EBruno Collet | France\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EBruno Collet's \u003Ci\u003EMémorable\u003C\/i\u003E evokes the fading memories of an old man on the cusp of dementia. Told through lovingly crafted claymation, the film follows the mental degradation of a once vibrant artist as he faces a world he no longer recognizes and the strain it puts on his strong but increasingly frustrated wife. Objects fade, distort, and often disappear before his eyes, suggesting the unsettling lack of recognition of once familiar objects and the slow disintegration of his memories dissolving into nothingness. It's heavy stuff but strikingly rendered, and the final scene, in which the man asks his wife to dance, thinking she is a woman he has never met, is a moment of truly heartbreaking beauty.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0ERRVzn_A7I\/XjHhYjkxXxI\/AAAAAAAAjDg\/Cd8UW5OYuWIJ6B4vQAmXLsES2hIzTNERACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/SISTER_still.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"860\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0ERRVzn_A7I\/XjHhYjkxXxI\/AAAAAAAAjDg\/Cd8UW5OYuWIJ6B4vQAmXLsES2hIzTNERACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/SISTER_still.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ESISTER\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ESiqi Song | China\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EA young boy imagines a life with a sister who never was in Siqi Song's heart-wrenching look at the personal toll taken on families by China's One Child policy. The stop-motion felt animation is consistently lovely, and while its midway reveal isn't quite able to pack the punch it feels like it should in its brief eight-minute running time, there's something haunted and filled with regret that's hard to shake, as it imagines a world that might have been had the policy not been in place. It's a small-scale elegy for the love and memories lost under the policy that feels at once raw and beautifully crafted.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Oscar Shorts open Friday, Jan. 31, in select theaters nationwide.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/8206749632919096685\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=8206749632919096685","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/8206749632919096685"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/8206749632919096685"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/01\/review-best-animated-short-oscar.html","title":"Review | Best Animated Short Oscar Nominees | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aVK1XIBue7o\/XjHhF6R2F7I\/AAAAAAAAjDM\/CV_aggV9H7guOc7i5sBY-CbEypmH-jgyQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/DAUGHTER_still.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-3521854145041334718"},"published":{"$t":"2020-01-21T12:09:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-01-29T19:43:28.859-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"kino lorber"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Beanpole | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9UQAyfD7Kg0\/XicvU3z2XPI\/AAAAAAAAi_c\/itv-OGc501c8a9awJ6M0TThnIppObEKBgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/DSC_9813.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1067\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9UQAyfD7Kg0\/XicvU3z2XPI\/AAAAAAAAi_c\/itv-OGc501c8a9awJ6M0TThnIppObEKBgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/DSC_9813.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EViktoria Miroshnichenko and Vasilisa Perelygina in a scene from Beanpole, courtesy Kino Lorber.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EIt isn't often that you see a film from a director so young that is so assured in style and personality that the filmmaker's unique voice and presence seems to have manifested on screen fully formed and wholly confident in its own power. That's not to say that Kantemir Balagov's\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBeanpole\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a masterpiece to rival all-time greats films directed by twenty-eight year olds like \u003Ci\u003ECitizen Kane\u003C\/i\u003E, but Balagov directs with such a clear voice that it's astonishing that this wasn't directed by a filmmaker with years of experience under their belt.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-2PEhKFVGfbY\/XicvYcYZoUI\/AAAAAAAAi_g\/aJpooDS12vcoWw--Rqm-5PJFYFPLBaz9ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Beanpole_poster_2025x3000.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-2PEhKFVGfbY\/XicvYcYZoUI\/AAAAAAAAi_g\/aJpooDS12vcoWw--Rqm-5PJFYFPLBaz9ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/Beanpole_poster_2025x3000.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EEarly films are often bold and brash artistic statements of a young talent with something to prove. \u003Ci\u003EBeanpole\u003C\/i\u003E, on the other hand, is something quite different altogether. Set in Leningrad in the days after WWII, the film centers around two women struggling to survive in the bombed out city. Surrounded by rampant starvation and homelessness, both women struggle to adjust to civilian life after returning from the front. Iya (Viktoriya Miroshnichenko, in an astonishing debut performance), nicknamed Beanpole because of her tall, skinny frame, suffers from a traumatic brain injury that leaves her prone to fits of freezing up and trembling. She has a young son named Pashka (Timofey Glazkov) who has adjusted well to life in the military hospital where his mother now works as a nurse. Her friend, Masha (Vasilisa Perelygina) is also seeking a job at the hospital, but she carries with her a dark secret. And when a tragedy rocks their insular little world, it sets the two on a path of self-discovery and self-destruction that could change their friendship forever.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo delve much deeper into the twists and turns of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBeanpole\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;would ruin the painful beauty of its discoveries, but Balagov handles its tricky emotional territory with an unblinking eye. This is a world where tragedy has become so commonplace that the film depicts often horrific acts with something of a shrug. War has made death an accepted inevitability, and it was women who bore the brunt of the grief. The nurses tend to shell shocked soldiers, performing assisted suicides for those who can no longer bear the pain. But they also have to contend with the pain of their own existence in a world that has moved on from the war that they are still fighting in their own mind, stained by trauma that the rest of the world can't understand.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBeanpole\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is ultimately about the things people are willing to do to survive in extreme circumstances, but the way in which it focuses on the inner world of its characters is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. By making this a rather insular character study rather than a historical portrait of life in a post-war Soviet Union, Balagov is able to examine the personal toll of not just war, but on the stagnation of a besieged city for whom austerity and death becomes a way of life. This also allows the film to interrogate the unique toll the war took on women - both those left behind and those who joined the armed forces either as soldiers or as comfort women, only to be discarded when the war ended and now irreparably damaged both emotionally and as a member of society.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9QwSHs02khA\/XicvjAW7IBI\/AAAAAAAAi_k\/8UPWcdR6wYo3VnIybvN1s9wkXZife0fnQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/DSC_7675.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1067\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9QwSHs02khA\/XicvjAW7IBI\/AAAAAAAAi_k\/8UPWcdR6wYo3VnIybvN1s9wkXZife0fnQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/DSC_7675.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EViktoria Miroshnichenko and Timofey Glazkov in a scene from Beanpole, courtesy Kino Lorber.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd yet the film's insular focus also makes its characters somewhat opaque, the emotional waters often obfuscating because of the characters' somewhat unknowable nature. Beanpole herself remains something of an enigma, a passive character to Masha's more aggressive presence. While that passivity is very much part of who she is and why she's in the situation she's in, she makes for a somewhat impenetrable central character on which to hang much of the story's emotional weight.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStylistically, the film much stronger, and it is here where Balagov's voice shines the strongest. Its color palate is reminiscent of \u003Ci\u003EAmélie\u003C\/i\u003E, featuring drab interiors that come alive with vibrant reds and greens. But this is no fairy tale romance. Balagov creates a somber yet enchanting vision of a shattered dream world populated by ghosts, its characters shadows of the people they once were before the war. It's an intoxicating and often heartrending evocation of wartime's human toll, and under Balagov's strikingly confident direction it creates a world of complicated emotions and unspeakable trauma. And yet that trauma often remains too broad to have a truly lasting impact. There are moments here that will no doubt leave an impression, in large part due to the Miroshnichenko's striking depiction of Christ-like suffering in the post-War Soviet Union. She and Balagov are no doubt major artists to watch, their unique voices speaking loud and clear even when the film itself misses an opportunity to take a deeper dive into its characters' haunted world.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBEANPOLE \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EKantemir Balagov | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EViktoriya Miroshnichenko, Vasilisa Perelygina, Konstantin Balakirev, Kseniya Kutepova | \u003Cb\u003ENot Rated \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Ci style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EIn Russian w\/English\u0026nbsp;subtitles \u003C\/i\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EOpens Jan. 29 in select cities.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/3521854145041334718\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=3521854145041334718","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3521854145041334718"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3521854145041334718"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/01\/review-beanpole-2020.html","title":"Review | Beanpole | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9UQAyfD7Kg0\/XicvU3z2XPI\/AAAAAAAAi_c\/itv-OGc501c8a9awJ6M0TThnIppObEKBgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/DSC_9813.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-5577928879350878993"},"published":{"$t":"2020-01-20T11:55:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-01-20T11:58:03.690-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Dolittle | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QVr4j7R9PaY\/XiXbCAy0RpI\/AAAAAAAAi_I\/kFxlSMTuGiETibbYF_5J6JDimhS40yceQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/dolittle-movie-robert-downey-jr-1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1067\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QVr4j7R9PaY\/XiXbCAy0RpI\/AAAAAAAAi_I\/kFxlSMTuGiETibbYF_5J6JDimhS40yceQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/dolittle-movie-robert-downey-jr-1.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThere have been several attempts to bring Hugh Lofting's series of novels about Dr. Dolittle, the veterinarian who can speak to animals, to the big screen over the years. The first, starring Rex Harrison in the title role, was released in 1967 and considered a massive critical and popular failure, despite somehow garnering nine Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture (a haul often blamed on 20th Century Fox's aggressive campaigning that year). Plagued by behind-the-scenes drama and a troubled production, the film lost the studio millions and all but ended Harrison's career as a leading man.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-nuhG0tL_Y2E\/XiXbXI9E8YI\/AAAAAAAAi_Q\/gVviAByqruIGKka2UYTfMpWaWoTQ9amigCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/dolittle-DRD_Tsr1Sht_1011_RGB_4_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1011\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-nuhG0tL_Y2E\/XiXbXI9E8YI\/AAAAAAAAi_Q\/gVviAByqruIGKka2UYTfMpWaWoTQ9amigCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/dolittle-DRD_Tsr1Sht_1011_RGB_4_rgb.jpg\" width=\"252\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIt wasn't until 1998 that Fox tried again, this time with Eddie Murphy as Dr. Dolittle in a film that was a modest box office success and spawned a 2001 sequel, along with a raft of direct-to-DVD spinoffs that did not star Murphy. Flash forward to 2020 and we have another big budget Hollywood adaptation of Loftin's novels in \u003Ci\u003EDolittle\u003C\/i\u003E, a movie that was by all accounts very expensive, and just like its 1967 predecessor, plagued by behind-the-scenes in-fighting and crippled by extensive reshoots. Directed by Stephen Gaghan (\u003Ci\u003ESyriana\u003C\/i\u003E),\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDolittle\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;finds the eponymous doctor (Robert Downey, Jr.) mourning the death of his beloved wife in a secluded nature preserve, where a sensitive young lad named Stubbins (Harry Collett) stumbles upon him to ask his help reviving an injured squirrel. At the same time, Lady Rose (Carmel Laniado) a young envoy of Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley) arrives to summon Dolittle to London to help save the ailing queen, whose patronage keeps Dolittle's preserve open.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDolittle reluctantly agrees, only to discover that the Queen has in fact been poisoned, and that in order to save her he must embark on a dangerous quest to find the antidote on a mythical island hidden somewhere in the Atlantic. Accompanied by a motley crew of animal friends and his newfound animal compatriots, Dolittle will not only try to save the queen of England, but confront is own past and heal old wounds on which he had long since given up.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere was clearly a lot of money poured into the production, with lavish set design and elaborate period costumes, not to mention an all-star voice cast that includes the likes of\u0026nbsp;Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, and Marion Cotillard,\u0026nbsp;but it never really adds up to much. Despite the large budget, or perhaps because of it,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDolittle\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;consistently lacks imagination, never taking any chances or exploring any new territory that other movies haven't covered before. Everything about it feels bland and conservative, a made-by-committee Hollywood product that's about as generic and flavorless as movies get.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EReports of behind-the-scenes unrest aside, the film underwent extensive reshoots in April of last year under the direction of Jonathan Liebesman (\u003Ci\u003ETeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles\u003C\/i\u003E), reportedly because Universal was dissatisfied with Gaghan's more serious take on the material and wanted a more comedic tone. And while some of the animal antics are mildly amusing and will no doubt delight its target audience of young children, the whole affair seems completely devoid or magic and wit, focus-grouped into oblivion as if it were directed by a computer based on algorithms rather than anything resembling human feeling. Downey Jr., usually a reliable comic presence, seems completely lost, his performance hampered by a bizarre Scottish accent that leaves the film bereft of personality. We've seen dozens of films like this before, and there's really nothing particularly special about\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDolittle\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;to set it apart from the pack. Even Danny Elfman's score sounds like someone doing a Danny Elfman impersonation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's not a monumental disaster, but rarely do you see so much money and so much talent go into making something so resoundingly banal, completely stripped of the charm or wonder that its source material demands. It's inoffensive in the way such studio-produced epics often are, but it begs the question of how so many talented people could collaborate on a completely anonymous, cookie-cutter film that does so little.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDOLITTLE \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EStephen Gaghan | \u003Cb\u003EStars \u003C\/b\u003ERobert Downey, Jr., Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Jessie Buckley, Jim Broadbent, Harry Collett, Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Marion Cotillard | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;for some action, rude humor and brief language | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in theaters everywhere.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/5577928879350878993\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=5577928879350878993","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/5577928879350878993"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/5577928879350878993"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/01\/review-dolittle-2020.html","title":"Review | Dolittle | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QVr4j7R9PaY\/XiXbCAy0RpI\/AAAAAAAAi_I\/kFxlSMTuGiETibbYF_5J6JDimhS40yceQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/dolittle-movie-robert-downey-jr-1.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-2312249768588724193"},"published":{"$t":"2020-01-14T16:56:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-01-14T16:57:26.774-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Makoto Shinkai"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Weathering With You | 2019"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-cP2opsdtzY0\/Xh43sj_FYkI\/AAAAAAAAi-g\/PkBwiyDXQaYOJqzuvLucs_uyI8gkItd-gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Weathering_1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"901\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-cP2opsdtzY0\/Xh43sj_FYkI\/AAAAAAAAi-g\/PkBwiyDXQaYOJqzuvLucs_uyI8gkItd-gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/Weathering_1.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EMakoto Shinkai's 2016 film,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EYour Name\u003C\/i\u003E, remains one of the great achievements in animation of the new century. A deliriously imaginative and deeply moving romance about two young people who fall in love across the gulf of time and space,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EYour Name\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;managed to push the boundaries of the animated form and achieve a rare kind of humanity, using its science fiction premise to create a work of singular beauty and emotional resonance.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--1iqxs9eI4g\/Xh43v14VaNI\/AAAAAAAAi-k\/hF0C6o_5_fI90LmJo5B9ARLbnPjVAKoXgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/WWY_Poster-EN_Web_V01-100319.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1485\" data-original-width=\"1017\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--1iqxs9eI4g\/Xh43v14VaNI\/AAAAAAAAi-k\/hF0C6o_5_fI90LmJo5B9ARLbnPjVAKoXgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/WWY_Poster-EN_Web_V01-100319.jpg\" width=\"272\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EHaving created something of a cult hit with\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EYour Name\u003C\/i\u003E, there has been quite a bit of anticipation for his follow-up, \u003Ci\u003EWeathering With You\u003C\/i\u003E. Opening as a Fathom Event in theaters nationwide this week from GKIDS,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWeathering With You\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;follows a very similar template as\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EYour Name\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp; Clearly not wanting to stray from a formula that works, Shinkai plays the hits with another lovely animated love story about a high school runaway named Hodaka who moves to Tokyo and takes a job as a writer at a tabloid that \"investigates\" supernatural phenomena. It is there where he learns the myth of the \"sunshine girl,\" young women who can control the weather and stop the rain. It is while he is working on this story (while evading the authorities who seek to return him to his family) that he meets Hina, a mysterious young girl who seemingly has the power to stop the rain.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFascinated by her unusual abilities, the two of them start a business together where people can hire Hina to offer a brief respite from the unrelenting rainstorms plaguing Tokyo. They bring sunshine to parties, weddings, and people's homes. But there's another part of the myth of the sunshine girl - that use of her power will inevitably lead to her destruction, and the two star-crossed lovers soon find themselves on the run from the authorities, determined to stay together against all odds as the cold reality of the world around them begins to close in.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere's an undercurrent of environmentalism that runs through the film that is often a through-line in Japanese animation. But while uncontrollable weather patterns and severe shifts in climate provide a backdrop for\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWeathering With You,\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;Shinkai is less concerned with the politics of climate change and more with matters of the heart. Much as he did in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EYour Name,\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;Shinkai creates a world where matters of the heart supersede all else, where reality dissolves into an isolated world that belongs only to the central lovers, and outside forces exist only to keep them apart. This heart over head approach has an often intoxicating effect, often overwhelming the viewer in a deluge of emotions that clears away rational thought - it's as if he's evoking the very idea of love on screen, enveloping us in a bright ray of sunshine surrounded by a gray and rainy world. Even though the world is drowning around us, nothing else seems to matter but the connection between these two people.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's a wonderful feeling, an enchanting expression of the all-encompassing passion of young love - unfortunately for\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWeathering With You\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;it stands in the shadow of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EYour Name\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;at nearly every turn. Perhaps it will have a different effect on an audience unfamiliar with Shinkai's previous work, but it hews so closely to its predecessor's emotional beats that it never quite achieves the same overpowering sense of emotion that made\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EYour Name\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;such a profoundly affecting experience. Perhaps its unfair to judge it against Shinkai's last film, but it's hard not to compare the two when\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWeathering With You\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;seems like more of the same, but with diminished returns. On it's own, it's a lovely and often quite beguiling love story about impossible love in a time of great environmental upheaval, characterized by dazzling animation and a rapturous score by Japanese band, Radwimps, providing a rapturous showcase that's quite frankly better that most contemporary American animation even if it's squarely in Shinkai's comfort zone. But fans of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EYour Name\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;may find themselves in quite familiar territory that, no matter how beautifully crafted, never quite lives up to the film that came before.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWEATHERING WITH YOU\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EMakoto Shinkai | \u003Cb\u003EVoices of\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EKotaro Daigo, Nana Mori, Shun Oguri, Tsubasa Honda, Sakura Kiryu | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG-13 \u003C\/b\u003Efor suggestive material, some violence and language | \u003Ci style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EIn Japanese w\/English subtitles \u003C\/i\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EOpens Wednesday, Jan. 15 for special fan screenings, and everywhere on Jan. 17 from GKIDS via\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/gkidstickets.com\/us\/weathering-with-you\/?campaign=gkidssite\"\u003EFathom Events\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/2312249768588724193\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=2312249768588724193","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2312249768588724193"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2312249768588724193"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/01\/review-weathering-with-you-2019.html","title":"Review | Weathering With You | 2019"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-cP2opsdtzY0\/Xh43sj_FYkI\/AAAAAAAAi-g\/PkBwiyDXQaYOJqzuvLucs_uyI8gkItd-gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/Weathering_1.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-8598636395230218677"},"published":{"$t":"2020-01-13T13:34:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-01-13T13:34:30.265-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Like a Boss | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xF5CEpBgZtc\/Xhy3Z48gDSI\/AAAAAAAAi-M\/SP1it4JEfjsOJGMDXSGcvuOMiHpEsdMXwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/lp01966r.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1067\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xF5CEpBgZtc\/Xhy3Z48gDSI\/AAAAAAAAi-M\/SP1it4JEfjsOJGMDXSGcvuOMiHpEsdMXwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/lp01966r.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ETiffany Haddish is an actress whose unique comedic talent has for some reason stumped nearly every filmmaker she's worked with thus far. She's a force of nature, a wild dervish whose anarchic sense of humor devours nearly everything in its path, and yet for some reason filmmakers keep saddling her with substandard scripts that constrain and confine her in a box rather than letting her shine.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vcoov3Cs58M\/Xhy3qB2DuSI\/AAAAAAAAi-U\/toqAM5b9FdAeGHz_dL_pF1Cyy5caTVBEQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/boss-poster.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1081\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vcoov3Cs58M\/Xhy3qB2DuSI\/AAAAAAAAi-U\/toqAM5b9FdAeGHz_dL_pF1Cyy5caTVBEQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/boss-poster.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ESuch is the case yet again with her latest film,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELike a Boss\u003C\/i\u003E, a film that casts her as makeup entrepreneur Mia, who along with her childhood best friend, Mel (Rose Byrne), runs a small makeup business called Mia \u0026amp; Mel. Mia is the creative mind, while Mel handles the books - but the business isn't doing well, drowning in major startup debt despite selling some moderately successful products. Some of these ideas reach the desk of Claire Luna (Salma Hayek), world-famous executive of Oviedo makeup, who offers to invest in their company - but there's a catch. If either Mia or Mel leaves the company for any reason, Claire assumes 51% of the company's stock, essentially taking over the business and making it her own. She immediately sets about driving Mia and Mel apart, and the two have to overcome their differences in order to save their business and put Claire in her place.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMiguel Arteta is a talented director, with films like \u003Ci\u003EThe Good Girl\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EChuck and Buck\u003C\/i\u003E, and \u003Ci\u003EBeatriz at Dinner\u003C\/i\u003E under his belt. But\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELike a Boss\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;reeks of a director-for-hire job, completely devoid of any passion or personality. The by-the-numbers script does its cast no favors, saddling Haddish with lame one-liners and completely wasting reliable supporting players like Billy Porter and Jennifer Coolidge. Very few of the jokes really land, and its message of girl boss empowerment feels watered down in an awkward celebration of late-stage capitalism in which the pair attach themselves to yet another major corporation in order to find their definition of success. That idea that you have to sell out for millions in order to be truly successful ultimately runs counter to its protagonist's idea that beauty comes from within, and that makeup should enhance one's natural features rather than cover them up. But to go much deeper down that rabbit hole is already giving too much credit to a film that obviously has very little on its mind.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's not just not funny, it's anti-funny, a film that seems to suck the humor from every moment like a comedy black hole. It forces Salma Hayek to strut around in a ridiculous caricature while coasting on tired jokes about her accent, while Haddish and Byrne are given little to do other than bicker in increasingly outlandish situations that seem like desperate attempts to mine laughter from an already depleted source. There's just nothing interesting going on here; no laughs, a talented star held prisoner by an abysmal script, and an awkward sense of pacing that makes its seemingly brief 83 minute running time nearly interminable to sit through.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELIKE A BOSS \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EMiguel Arteta | \u003Cb\u003EStars \u003C\/b\u003ETiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne, Salma Hayek, Billy Porter, Jennifer Coolidge | \u003Cb\u003ERated R \u003C\/b\u003Efor  language, crude sexual material, and drug use | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in theaters everywhere.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/8598636395230218677\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=8598636395230218677","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/8598636395230218677"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/8598636395230218677"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/01\/review-like-boss-2020.html","title":"Review | Like a Boss | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xF5CEpBgZtc\/Xhy3Z48gDSI\/AAAAAAAAi-M\/SP1it4JEfjsOJGMDXSGcvuOMiHpEsdMXwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/lp01966r.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-6327455829786785832"},"published":{"$t":"2020-01-10T23:30:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-01-10T23:30:08.782-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Just Mercy | 2019"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-yVlNplVs7n8\/XhlOj8-kLkI\/AAAAAAAAi9o\/F5Zxi13NumYenuNQas0j38JpcdQygE9SgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/justmercy2.0.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-yVlNplVs7n8\/XhlOj8-kLkI\/AAAAAAAAi9o\/F5Zxi13NumYenuNQas0j38JpcdQygE9SgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/justmercy2.0.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThe unjustly accused man is not exactly a new subject in movies - from popular prison dramas like \u003Ci\u003EThe Shawshank Redemption\u003C\/i\u003E and \u003Ci\u003EThe Green Mile\u003C\/i\u003E to documentaries like \u003Ci\u003EThe Thin Blue Line\u003C\/i\u003E to TV series like Ava DuVernay's recent Netflix show, \u003Ci\u003EWhen They See Us\u003C\/i\u003E, there is something inherently compelling about the idea of someone who has been wrongfully accused of a crime fighting for justice.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NhQuy7BXM3I\/XhlOrhDhreI\/AAAAAAAAi9s\/gvcG78sutjkW4Hhjsf2vlj-W2d3IXBMAwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/just_mercy_ver2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"755\" data-original-width=\"509\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NhQuy7BXM3I\/XhlOrhDhreI\/AAAAAAAAi9s\/gvcG78sutjkW4Hhjsf2vlj-W2d3IXBMAwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/just_mercy_ver2.jpg\" width=\"268\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EYet that drama takes on a new meaning when the story is true. And although Destin Daniel Cretton's \u003Ci\u003EJust Mercy\u003C\/i\u003E covers some very familiar territory, there's a sense of righteous anger rumbling beneath the surface that is hard to shake. Based on the book by Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), the film chronicles Stevenson's work with the Equal Justice Initiative on behalf of prisoners on death row. It is during one of his visits to a prison in Alabama that he meets Walter McMilllan (Jamie Foxx), a black inmate who was accused of murdering a white woman based on faulty testimony and sentenced to death. McMillian had long since given up hope of ever finding justice, but Stevenson becomes determined to get him a new trial and prove his innocence. But deep-seated institutional racism and a justice system that refuses to admit any fault in itself stands defiantly in his way.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECretton, who first burst onto the scene with 2013's charmingly dysfunctional \u003Ci\u003EShort Term 12\u003C\/i\u003E, directs the film as a fairly standard \"issue drama,\" breaking no new ground or attempting to make the familiar material more inherently cinematic like, for instance, Barry Jenkins' exploration of similar territory in \u003Ci\u003EIf Beale Street Could Talk\u003C\/i\u003E. And yet I can't remember the last time I saw a film treat the death penalty with the kind of gravity it deserves. There's a scene about midway through\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EJust Mercy\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;in which one of McMillan's fellow inmates is executed by electric chair, and rather than treat it as some sort of dramatic device, Cretton focuses on the prisoner's experience; the dread, the pain, the regret, the fear are all painfully palpable. It's a harrowing scene, but not because Cretton is milking it, but because he's putting the victim of a state-sanctioned murder front and center.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor me, that's the defining characteristic of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EJust Mercy\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;- the way in which it centers the victims at the heart of its narrative and makes their experiences and their humanity a cornerstone of the narrative. This isn't just Stevenson's story, it's McMillan's story, and Cretton's framing of the narrative elevates the film above its muckraking roots. It may not be subtle, it's certainly preaching to the cheap seats, but I'll be damned if this thing doesn't rattle the rafters. Here, in the land that gave birth to Harper Lee's \"To Kill a Mockingbird\" (a fact the local authorities love to brag about with seemingly no sense of irony or self-awareness), a black man stands accused of a murder he did not commit by a system designed to uphold whiteness and punish blackness at all costs. And while having its heart in the right place doesn't necessarily make a film good, it's hard not to get swept up in the human drama of it all.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBuoyed by strong turns by Jordan and Foxx,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EJust Mercy\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;treats stock characters like human beings, centers the victim’s story, and refuses to ignore the collateral damage of wrongful convictions. It may be unremarkable in construction and execution, its building blocks well worn and familiar, but there's something deeply humane about the way Cretton frames this story, so that by the time we reach its foregone conclusion the catharsis feels earned and justified. It's enough to make us forget, if only for a moment, that we've seen all this before, but rarely with such empathy and trembling thirst for justice.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE \u003C\/b\u003E-  ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EJUST MERCY \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EDestin Daniel Cretton | \u003Cb\u003EStars \u003C\/b\u003EMichael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, O'Shea Jackson, Jr. | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG-13 \u003C\/b\u003Efor  thematic content including some racial epithets | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in theaters everywhere.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/6327455829786785832\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=6327455829786785832","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6327455829786785832"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6327455829786785832"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/01\/review-just-mercy-2019.html","title":"Review | Just Mercy | 2019"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-yVlNplVs7n8\/XhlOj8-kLkI\/AAAAAAAAi9o\/F5Zxi13NumYenuNQas0j38JpcdQygE9SgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/justmercy2.0.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-8039308089073125943"},"published":{"$t":"2020-01-09T23:59:00.004-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-01-10T18:01:38.564-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Best Films of the 2010s"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ch2\u003EWhat to make of the last decade in film? How does one distill an entire decade of cinema when it's freshly in the grave? While the 2000s ended on an upswing, with the \"yes we can\" optimism of the Obama era just beginning. The 2010s, on the other hand, began with the rise of the tea party, and a steady rising drum beat of white nationalism and fascism that ended with unchecked climate change, Brexit, Donald Trump, and the rise of right wing populism around the world.\u003C\/h2\u003EFilmmakers have been dealing with this in real time, of course. Although I think it may take some time for us to really assess the true essence of the 2010s. Looking back, the films that moved me most were the ones that looked beyond, searching for something greater than ourselves - whether that be God, love, art, or the unknowable, intangible sense of the mystery of existence. Feelings will likely shift over time as we put more space between us and this rocky, unpredictable decade, but from my perspective looking back barely a week into a new decade, these are the films from the past 10 years that had the greatest impact on me.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-jjtXavWYSFQ\/XheBLEww2II\/AAAAAAAAi6Y\/pVeq2r40ZuoUUcXkoJPTeJ2Y_ernAINUQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/film_terrencemalick_35.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"680\" data-original-width=\"1440\" height=\"302\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-jjtXavWYSFQ\/XheBLEww2II\/AAAAAAAAi6Y\/pVeq2r40ZuoUUcXkoJPTeJ2Y_ernAINUQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/film_terrencemalick_35.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E1. THE TREE OF LIFE (2011)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ETerrence Malick | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003ETerrence Malick's \u003Ci\u003EThe Tree of Life \u003C\/i\u003Eis the kind of film that defies all description in words, in much the same way that it transcends cinematic form and language.  Malick has never been a formalist, especially in his post-Thin Red Line period that followed his 20-year self-imposed hiatus. Yet\u003Ci\u003EThe Tree of Life\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is perhaps the purest reflection of Malick's style, an experimental evocation of the filmmaker's id that seems to be the culmination of his ideas both past and future, a perfect focal-point vortex of his career as an artist. Indeed, \u003Ci\u003EThe Tree of Life\u003C\/i\u003E not only seemed to presage the films he would make in the years after its release, it also seems to be the film that each of those look back to for inspiration, extrapolating on its themes and concepts.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMuch of it unfolds like shards of memory, resurrected through firing synapses and random impressions - a life, indeed the whole of eternity, flashing before our eyes. \u003Ci\u003EThe Tree of Life \u003C\/i\u003Eis the kind of film that has the power to make you look at the world with new eyes, almost akin to a 3-hour conversation with God. It is a film of monumental beauty and quiet, intense power; at once cosmic and intimate, massive in scale and deeply personal in scope. That this singular achievement is a masterpiece in both forms, theatrical and extended, is a testament to Malick's genius. The stunning cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki (who, shockingly, has won three Oscars, but none for the five films he has shot for Malick) seems to throw the language of film form out the window, constantly in flux, never landing on a single solitary image. It captures moments of profound beauty almost by accident, as if in passing. It's somehow fitting, that a film about the fleeting and sometimes messy nature of life refuses to frame it in ways that can be contained in a box. Every image seems to burst forth from the frame, continuing beyond it into infinity, much like the film itself. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Tree of Life\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eends with an actual \"amen,\" as a Berlioz requiem closes out the film's Heavenly coda that marks the closest a film has come to a religious experience since Carl Dreyer's \u003Ci\u003EThe Passion of Joan of Arc\u003C\/i\u003E. Indeed, it is like a prayer on film, a hushed, whispered conversation with an unseen deity, marveling at the untold mysteries of the universe with open eyes and a full heart. So few films deserve immediate induction into the cinematic canon, but so few films ever reach such lofty heights. It's a modern masterpiece, a work of almost miraculous power, that demands to be experienced, reflected on, and felt in deep in the soul where few films ever reach. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FDp8XFUU9G8\/XheCjPYJ-xI\/AAAAAAAAi6k\/QBF87voJv80JlL44SIQvTHjNYQ4Wnz27wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/turinhorse.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"631\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"252\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FDp8XFUU9G8\/XheCjPYJ-xI\/AAAAAAAAi6k\/QBF87voJv80JlL44SIQvTHjNYQ4Wnz27wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/turinhorse.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E2. THE TURIN HORSE (2012)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EBéla Tarr | Hungary\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EA horse. A father. A daughter. Cooked potatoes. An almost supernatural gale. All these elements combine to create the quietly shattering final film from Hungarian auteur Béla Tarr. Tarr has directed some of the most fascinating and indelible films of the last 20 years (\u003Ci\u003ESatantango\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EThe Werckmeister Harmonies\u003C\/i\u003E), so his announcement that he would be retiring from filmmaking after making \u003Ci\u003EThe Turin Horse\u003C\/i\u003E is a great loss to world cinema. But what a way to go out. Tarr took the legendary tale of Friedrich Nietzsche descending into a 10 year silence before his death after rescuing a horse from an abusive cab driver, and imagines a life for the horse after that fateful day. The resulting film, about a father and a daughter whose ramshackle homestead is beseiged by an apocalyptic windstorm, is one of the most strikingly rendered films about the end of the world ever made. Shot in beautiful black and white,\u003Ci\u003E The Turin Horse\u003C\/i\u003E examines two people trapped by their own existence in a world gone mad. Sparse and austere, Tarr entrances us with minimal dialogue and long, uninterrupted takes (accentuated by Mihaly Vig’s droning score), creating a haunting existential meditation on mortality. One final masterpiece from one of the world’s finest filmmakers. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0FyxFJVJ2wE\/XheD6Vu0O4I\/AAAAAAAAi6s\/C10fN0Q493wCM-QL0iK_IeQXxii8487lQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Carol%252Band%252BTherese.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"562\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0FyxFJVJ2wE\/XheD6Vu0O4I\/AAAAAAAAi6s\/C10fN0Q493wCM-QL0iK_IeQXxii8487lQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/Carol%252Band%252BTherese.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E3. CAROL (2015)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ETodd Haynes | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EIt's hard to do justice to the exquisite longing that courses through the veins of Todd Haynes'\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ECarol\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp; Haynes makes films that must be felt on a gut level, the kinds of films that causes chills that start in your very core and radiate out to the tips of your fingers. As he did in \u003Ci\u003EFar From Heaven\u003C\/i\u003E, Haynes takes the staid structures of the 1950s \"women's pictures\" and explores the unspoken emotional truths coursing beneath the surface. While Haynes isn't recreating the work of Douglas Sirk here, that same DNA runs deep in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ECarol\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp; as he explores the forbidden Eisenhower-era romance between an upper middle class housewife and a younger shop clerk.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt the film's center are two luminous performances by two consummate actresses. Blanchett and Mara are both absolute perfection, channeling the deep, repressed emotion of two women whose true feelings can't be adequately expressed in the language of the time. They make us feel every moment in a way that feels strangely personal. The same could be said of the entire film. It's a beautiful work, but more than that, it's a deeply powerful one. Haynes so expertly subverts the formulas in which he dabbles, using them to his advantage to tell a story that runs beneath the surfaces he creates. You don't just watch his films, you feel them on a completely different level. He says so much in the longing glances, the subtle gestures, each contained within an impeccably composed frame.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ECarol\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a sublime love story, one that brims with the fiery passion of first love bulging at the seams of its societal prison. It is a major work by a major filmmaker, working at a level of narrative grace and elegance that is almost unmatched in contemporary cinema.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-EuglklKrp6k\/XheKnApcYhI\/AAAAAAAAi64\/4qglDesbMuMs0I_D4OltfM_5iEgaE9s6QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/JohnHuston.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"882\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"352\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-EuglklKrp6k\/XheKnApcYhI\/AAAAAAAAi64\/4qglDesbMuMs0I_D4OltfM_5iEgaE9s6QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/JohnHuston.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E4. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND (2018)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EOrson Welles | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EA film seemingly from beyond the grave, Orson Welles' \u003Ci\u003EThe Other Side of the Wind\u003C\/i\u003E began production 40 years ago, and became the legendary filmmaker's final obsession, a project decades in the making that was never completed before his death. Finally assembled by Peter Bogdanovich, Welles' final film can finally be recognized as the masterpiece that it is. Here, a man who started his career making avant-garde silent shorts and radio dramas creates one of the most brazenly modern films of his career, a work of experimental cinema that takes stock of the industry as Welles saw it - from the New Hollywood Cinema of Scorsese, De Palma, and Coppola, to the European art house cinema of Michelangelo Antonioni (mercilessly lampooned in Hannaford's film-within-a-film). This is cinema as voyeurism, for both the filmmaker and the audience. Is cinema a means to an end or simply an end? A journey or a destination? A penetrative act or a reflective act? Here, Welles dismantles the male gaze, the camera as a phallus, positioning cinema as an act of rape that destroys that which it seeks to exalt. It is a daring, reckless, uncompromising film that has risen like a phoenix from the ashes to take its place in the pantheon of great things - the final film of an American master who, 33 years after his death, has shown the world that he is just as vital and brilliant as ever. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zDQGLlOOR4o\/XheYofJHL0I\/AAAAAAAAi7E\/1e664UKZ6TAle0U50cAFHuGwiJ1GY5j1QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/b96ed395edb7e5cbd09cdfc3d03ad6cc4040eeb7.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"496\" data-original-width=\"1199\" height=\"264\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zDQGLlOOR4o\/XheYofJHL0I\/AAAAAAAAi7E\/1e664UKZ6TAle0U50cAFHuGwiJ1GY5j1QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/b96ed395edb7e5cbd09cdfc3d03ad6cc4040eeb7.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E5. THE IMMIGRANT (2014)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EJames Gray | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EThe years since the release of James Gray’s \u003Ci\u003EThe Immigrant\u003C\/i\u003E have seen the global rise of fascism, the election of Donald Trump, and an increasingly anti-immigrant sentiment at home and abroad. If the film was timely in 2014, it seems downright clairvoyant now, its use of “past as prologue” presaging the crumbling myth of the American dream in an era of both national disillusionment and re-awakening.   Gray’s tale of the exploitation of an immigrant woman (Marion Cotillard) at the hands of two men, one a magician, the other a vaudevillian, combines the scope of Visconti with the sensitivity of Fellini, incisively exploring cracks in the American ideal to reveal emptiness beneath.  Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner’s pied pipers are neither angel nor devil, but they represent a kind of siren song of opportunity that leads those seeking opportunity to crash upon the rocks. Connected to the core of the immigrant experience once symbolized by Ellis Island,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Immigrant\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;unfolds like a great novel, a quietly observant tale that is both uniquely American and universally relevant, interrogating capitalism’s alluring veneer of freedom that ultimately builds its own success on the backs of society’s most vulnerable.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-jj0-zVUW_lg\/XheZ1qW7gvI\/AAAAAAAAi7M\/9Ty5bSdAJoAHheZfpggGy4_h2goWEYrKACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Lourdes-1-1600x900-c-default.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-jj0-zVUW_lg\/XheZ1qW7gvI\/AAAAAAAAi7M\/9Ty5bSdAJoAHheZfpggGy4_h2goWEYrKACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/Lourdes-1-1600x900-c-default.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E6. LOURDES (2010)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EJessica Hausner | France\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EAt once a critique and an affirmation of the mysteries of faith, Jessica Hausner's \u003Ci\u003ELourdes\u003C\/i\u003E centers around a non-religious paraplegic who accompanies a group of the faithful on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, a holy site to Catholics known for its healing waters. When she is suddenly healed while the mother superior is struck with terminal cancer, the pilgrims are confronted with a strong crisis of faith. Was it a miracle or something easily explained by science? If it is a miracle, why the nonbeliever, and not the faithful nun or one of the more faithful pilgrims? Hausner never answers these questions, allowing the audience to draw its own conclusions, ending on one of the most haunting notes of uncertainty the cinema has seen in years.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELourdes\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;exists in an ethereal place between faith and doubt, casting a withering eye upon those who peddle faith as a commodity while embracing the tantalizing mysteries of age-old religion, modern science and human nature itself. There is intelligence in its construction, a probing sort of wisdom intent on exploring the deep-seeded human desire to see the divine, to make the intangible somehow tangible or to make apologies and explanations for that which cannot be seen or proven. The brilliance of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELourdes\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;stems from its enigmatic nature, its ability to be spiritual without being religious, to question without being cynical, to embrace both faith and doubt without judgment -- and that is a miracle in itself. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aYdEX3jZoQo\/Xhear_umkfI\/AAAAAAAAi7Y\/OLcxCbVycasHr8R3nAmPlNdNNB_QWSmhACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/maxresdefault.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"720\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aYdEX3jZoQo\/Xhear_umkfI\/AAAAAAAAi7Y\/OLcxCbVycasHr8R3nAmPlNdNNB_QWSmhACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/maxresdefault.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E7. THE IRISHMAN (2019)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EMartin Scorsese | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EIt took Martin Scorsese nearly 10 years to develop and make his epic mob drama, \u003Ci\u003EThe Irishman\u003C\/i\u003E, a sprawling portrait of the rise and eventual decline of mafia hitman, Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), and his friendship with two equally charismatic and powerful figures - mob boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and infamous union leader Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EScorsese shoots the film's murders with a dry sense of matter-of-factness, characters casually stroll into frame, gun down an unsuspecting victim, then calmly walk out of frame again, leaving the lifeless body to bleed out on the sidewalk. There's nothing glamorous about it, but neither is particularly repulsive - it's just business, nothing personal, and that's what makes it all so disturbing. What kind of effect does a life like that have on a man? That's the question that lies at the film's sorrowful heart. Frank Sheeran spent a lifetime painting houses (a mob term for caring out hits; in other words, decorating walls with blood), while Scorsese has spent a great deal of his career chronicling the lives of men like Frank. In that regard,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Irishman\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;feels like the summation of a career, a late-period masterpiece that takes into account a life's work. It is perhaps one of Scorsese's most reflective films, a broad-ranging meditation on life, mortality, and betrayal through the eyes of an old man in twilight, all his friends gone in violent ends, facing the end alone. Are we to feel sorry for him? To pity him? Or perhaps mourn the existence of the violent patriarchal power structures he spent a lifetime upholding? What are we to make of such a man? In Scorsese's masterful hands it becomes an American tragedy writ-large, of great potential cut down by greed and corruption, and a road to hell paved by the best of intentions. Scorsese, De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino, four lions in winter, all deliver some of the finest work of their respective careers in a film that can only be described as a monument of American cinema. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QF4_gWObUPU\/XhedQ8u5-zI\/AAAAAAAAi7k\/UXADhbxYuW0eTLTfhvjgvIXPczGw9UjHgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/4372.D_1200_700.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"700\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"372\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QF4_gWObUPU\/XhedQ8u5-zI\/AAAAAAAAi7k\/UXADhbxYuW0eTLTfhvjgvIXPczGw9UjHgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/4372.D_1200_700.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E8. LEVIATHAN (2013)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ELucien Castaing-Taylor, Véréna Paravel | France\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EEvery now and then a film comes along that changes our perception of cinema itself; that expands the definition of what a film can be. A film that pushes boundaries, that makes its own rules, that rewrites the cinematic language in such daring and thrilling ways as to completely redefine what it means to be a film. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESuch is the case with Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor's extraordinary documentary, Leviathan. However, to call it a documentary is almost a misnomer. In fact there's really no label for it that quite fits, because no other film quite compares to it. It's an incredible work of nonfiction filmmaking, to be sure. But it also casts aside traditional form and structure in favor of something entirely its own. You'll find no interviews, talking heads, or even dialogue here, just the story of the New England fishing industry as captured through a series of unforgettable imagery on cameras manned by the filmmakers, by the fishermen, and even attached to tethers and tossed overboard.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELeviathan is a bracing aesthetic achievement, bar none, brilliant in both construction and execution. There is something deeply primal about what Paravel and Castaing-Taylor have achieved here, the kind of film one walks away from realizing they have witnessed something truly special. It is a wholly original sensory experience, a once in a lifetime documentary that transcends the medium and revolutionizes the form. It may be a tough sell for those expecting something more traditional, but what great work of art isn't? Come prepared to surrender to one of the most singular and astonishing films in years, because there has never been anything quite like this before.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iBR2ZLS8izk\/Xhedvn_MagI\/AAAAAAAAi7o\/qBxsA11i0z4GkLQXnT10XzSfCQpoIKv2ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/uncle-boon-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"675\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iBR2ZLS8izk\/Xhedvn_MagI\/AAAAAAAAi7o\/qBxsA11i0z4GkLQXnT10XzSfCQpoIKv2ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/uncle-boon-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E9. UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (2011)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EApichatpong Weerasethakul | Thailand\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EThere is a singular quality to Weerasethakul's work that cannot be mistaken. He is a man with a vision, a true auteur, each film bearing his indelible stamp, a kind of hushed beauty that seems transfixed in time, at once everywhere and nowhere, seemingly woven into the tapestry of life itself. The could exist at any time in any place, and \u003Ci\u003EUncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is no exception, which perhaps more so than any of his previous work, exists squarely in a metaphysical world of spirits, reincarnation, and fantastical creatures that coexist with humanity in a strange kind of harmony.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWeerasethakul incorporates a kind of magical realism in his filmmaking. Metaphysical manifestations of past lives appear like fragments of a dream, making us accept the impossible and perhaps even the ridiculous (monkey ghosts, amorous catfish) as something of great and powerful beauty. Uncle Boonmee's history is at once ancient, contemporary, and timeless. Like his best work, it exists outside of time and place and inside a world of dreamscapes both alien and familiar. Boonmee's head is full of stories of lives past, shards of memories collected into a foggy picture of time long gone, perhaps they are real, perhaps they are not. But upon his death, it all disappears, and his family is left almost detached from their own lives. Or is it the audience who is asked to step back and evaluate, transporting us away into a spiritual world all our own?\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EUncle Boonmee\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Easks far more questions than it answers.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-eNgpLKAZ7Yk\/XheeVe-yr-I\/AAAAAAAAi74\/npqOtlKgbAEW44IXd-9qNpLBsHOK-N4IwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/call-me-by-your-name-kiss.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"864\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"344\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-eNgpLKAZ7Yk\/XheeVe-yr-I\/AAAAAAAAi74\/npqOtlKgbAEW44IXd-9qNpLBsHOK-N4IwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/call-me-by-your-name-kiss.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E10. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (2017)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ELuca Guadagnino | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EThere was a moment in \u003Ci\u003ECall Me By Your Name\u003C\/i\u003E when I realized my heart was full and I was deliriously in love with the rapturous magic of cinema. Luca Guadagnino’s magnificent film explores the mysteries, the ecstasies, and the heartbreak of first love through the eyes of a teenage boy (Timothée Chalamet, in one of the year’s most stunning performances) who falls in love with a grad student (Armie Hammer) working for his father, an American professor living in Italy. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGuadagnino has crafted a love story for the ages, a singularly breathtaking work of art that recalls the work of Bergman (Summer Interlude hangs heavy here), Bertolucci, and Visconti. I can't remember the last time I found a film so wholly enrapturing. It has a haunting timelessness to its story of first love, especially in the way it captures those fleeting moments of fiery, moon-eyed passion that come with it. As both an embodiment of the emotions of young love and an idealization of its innocence and beauty, it is a film that feels somehow recognizable and yet larger than life, as if some loves are too good and pure for this world.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ECall Me By Your Name\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a masterpiece, a perfectly crafted romance that lingers and enchants, standing tall as one of the finest cinematic achievements of the decade.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-F9oDB3xW1i0\/Xhf54fMj9bI\/AAAAAAAAi8E\/IK-olHFfUP8c4pfWYjuMKV5m6SvbVoUBACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/newvideo-NNVG10005853-Full-Image_GalleryBackground-en-US-1553849806731._SX1080_.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"608\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-F9oDB3xW1i0\/Xhf54fMj9bI\/AAAAAAAAi8E\/IK-olHFfUP8c4pfWYjuMKV5m6SvbVoUBACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/newvideo-NNVG10005853-Full-Image_GalleryBackground-en-US-1553849806731._SX1080_.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E11. THE ACT OF KILLING (2013)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EJoshua Oppenheimer | UK\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EFirst-time filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer turned his cameras over to former members of Indonesian death squads, now members of the country’s ruling class, and asks them to reenact their deeds in any way they see fit. The result is a shocking, disturbing and ultimately fascinating film about a horrific piece of Indonesia’s history through the eyes of gleefully unrepentant mass murderers paying tribute to themselves. It begins as a sobering look at what motivates and corrupts the human spirit to the point they could commit such atrocities, but when the murderers put themselves in their victims’ shoes during the reenactments, it becomes something even more profound: a look at a group of cold-blooded killers coming to grips with the gravity of their sins. Watching that dawning realization of extreme guilt makes for an extraordinarily moving and cathartic experience., and its power has only grown as the global rise of fascism becomes ever more dangerous.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--qnk2ZpdXI4\/Xhf6YziNfuI\/AAAAAAAAi8M\/3ONf3SAty2QwQx4pNEKFrbuzc2dFDKL8gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/POETRY-jumbo.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"642\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--qnk2ZpdXI4\/Xhf6YziNfuI\/AAAAAAAAi8M\/3ONf3SAty2QwQx4pNEKFrbuzc2dFDKL8gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/POETRY-jumbo.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E12. POETRY (2011)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ELee Chang-Dong | South Korea\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003ELegendary Korean actress Yun Jeong-hie gives one of the great performances of the decade, as Mija, an elderly woman who copes with the discovery that her grandson has committed a heinous crime by joining a poetry class. A lyrical, vibrant and deeply moving film, \u003Ci\u003EPoetry\u003C\/i\u003E is a powerhouse, a masterful evocation of a free spirit torn down by the fog of age and tragedy whose search for poetic inspiration leads to an unlikely and heartbreaking source. It is a completely profound cinematic experience from a director working at the top of his game with an actress at the height of her powers. It is kind of a perfect storm of talent, adding up to a consummate work of art. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KMO0pngLO6I\/Xhf7fDY2iKI\/AAAAAAAAi8Y\/QmpBhUC3O-4XWH3_Faz-pfcrhBn5CStvACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/QUAT-jumbo.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"596\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"372\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KMO0pngLO6I\/Xhf7fDY2iKI\/AAAAAAAAi8Y\/QmpBhUC3O-4XWH3_Faz-pfcrhBn5CStvACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/QUAT-jumbo.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E13. LE QUATTRO VOLTE (2011)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EMichelangelo Frammartino | Italy\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003ELike the great silent directors, Frammartino conveys the story through images of often profound beauty. An early shot of dust floating in a ray of light in the church the shepherd visits for medicine foreshadows a later stage in his soul's earthly odyssey, and suggests the fate of others like him from time long past. There is not a wasted shot to be seen here, each is pregnant with possibility and teeming with an inner life; mostly consisting of long, seemingly effortless takes. Despite its wordlessness, or perhaps because of it, \u003Ci\u003ELe Quattro Volte\u003C\/i\u003E enraptures its audience, holding us in its grasp with bated breath, enthralled in each delectable moment and spellbound by its haunting stillness. It is as if Frammartino has stumbled upon a deeply profound truth, something filmmakers so rarely hit upon. His film seems to embody life itself, a feat made even more impressive by its brief running time. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis is powerful and confident filmmaking, a kind of cinematic poem that stares deep into the human soul and emerges with a quietly moving and deeply meaningful experience. I so rarely use the word 'masterpiece' in reviews for fear of unearned hyperbole, but that is exactly what \u003Ci\u003ELe Quattro Volte\u003C\/i\u003E is - a masterpiece. It's a brilliant work of art, a staggeringly masterful and evocative film whose power transcends mere words and enters the realm of the spiritual. No matter one's religious beliefs, there is something of the divine to be found \u003Ci\u003ELe Quattro Volte\u003C\/i\u003E, a whispered hint of the soul's immortality that lingers like a wisp of smoke on a mountain. This is what great cinema is all about. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0YWcdrqzQhc\/Xhf72nztyQI\/AAAAAAAAi8g\/8d22kA6HciU0OSdriHZdPpGkr_m4QGcQgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/12-years-a-slave1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"563\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0YWcdrqzQhc\/Xhf72nztyQI\/AAAAAAAAi8g\/8d22kA6HciU0OSdriHZdPpGkr_m4QGcQgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/12-years-a-slave1.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E14. 12 YEARS A SLAVE (2013)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ESteve McQueen | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EThe best narrative film of the 2013, Steve McQueen’s stark, clear-eyed portrayal of American slavery is one of the rare times the Academy Awards got it right. From the stunning performances by its tremendously talented cast (led by a jaw-dropping turn by Chiwetel Ejiofor), to the hauntingly observant direction by McQueen that finds beauty even in the ugliest of events, \u003Ci\u003E12 Years a Slave\u003C\/i\u003E is a raw, unblinking look at one of the darkest chapters of American history that is destined to go down in history as a modern classic. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iXkEQzb8Qn0\/Xhf9LguM7jI\/AAAAAAAAi8s\/pJf5S9piq3A4g-zCxJ62zc9Remvux-pCQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/b168a3976f16e9e6167c4a788d296aa8.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"659\" data-original-width=\"900\" height=\"468\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iXkEQzb8Qn0\/Xhf9LguM7jI\/AAAAAAAAi8s\/pJf5S9piq3A4g-zCxJ62zc9Remvux-pCQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/b168a3976f16e9e6167c4a788d296aa8.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E15. IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY (2012)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EDon Hertzfeldt | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EIn an age where computer technology has all but taken over the American animation industry and hand-drawn animation is seen as antiquated relic of the past, it's interesting that the most profoundly beautiful animated film of the decade is comprised mostly of hand-drawn stick figures.   The crude simplicity of Don Hertzfeldt's \u003Ci\u003EIt’s Such a Beautiful Day\u003C\/i\u003E is the root of its singular brilliance. Chronicling the day-to-day existence of a man trying to overcome crippling anxiety, the film is something of a hallucinatory masterpiece, filled to the brim with droll observations about the world around him that create something both readily identifiable and deeply human. Even at its most surreal, it captures something powerfully real about the seemingly mundane worries that make up a moment, delving into its protagonist's broken psyche with a profound insight and sense of empathy. It takes Malick-ian narration and adds a soundtrack of classical music that elevates the deceptively simple animation to a kind of cosmic poetry, as if Hertzfeldt has somehow uncovered the secrets of the universe in his primitive sketches; the sparse, abstract style revealing the abject and mysterious beauty of human existence itself. It's such a beautiful day indeed.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-oAzvG8bHtLc\/Xhf96VPOTAI\/AAAAAAAAi80\/EDBHF8HZzgExEVqVED8XlaptAo_DYIaHACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/vf_phantom_thread_og_9241.jpeg_north_1200x_white.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"628\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"334\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-oAzvG8bHtLc\/Xhf96VPOTAI\/AAAAAAAAi80\/EDBHF8HZzgExEVqVED8XlaptAo_DYIaHACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/vf_phantom_thread_og_9241.jpeg_north_1200x_white.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E16. PHANTOM THREAD (2017)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EPaul Thomas Anderson | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ci\u003EPhantom Thread\u003C\/i\u003E is a film of incredible sensual pleasures, sexy without being sexual, and kinky without being campy. Its deep dive into sadism and masochism as both sexual outlets and psychological states is nothing short of remarkable, treating them not as strange objects of sexual exoticism but as the inherent power negotiations and exchanges of love itself. Anderson is a master, and \u003Ci\u003EPhantom Thread \u003C\/i\u003Eis one of his most enrapturing achievements, an enthralling and deeply pleasurable treatise on sexual politics that is both richly thematic and beautifully realized. It’s a feast for both the mind and the senses, and that is one of the rarest cinematic pleasures indeed. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9fTV9eR7CfY\/Xhf-cSeGT5I\/AAAAAAAAi9A\/Jio8rEpdyJM_HmfififDFgaURmoj15DzgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/margaret-m_04495_rgb_wide-1b6119639d9ba72ad849400deffc948bf89060ba-s800-c85.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"450\" data-original-width=\"800\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9fTV9eR7CfY\/Xhf-cSeGT5I\/AAAAAAAAi9A\/Jio8rEpdyJM_HmfififDFgaURmoj15DzgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/margaret-m_04495_rgb_wide-1b6119639d9ba72ad849400deffc948bf89060ba-s800-c85.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E17. MARGARET (2011)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EKenneth Lonergan | USA\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EAlso known as the film that no one saw, Kenneth Lonergan’s “Margaret” was shot in 2005, and long shelved amongst legal trouble and studio apathy. Finally given a token release this year by Fox Searchlight, the film was then the subject of an online campaign to get the film screened for critics for awards consideration after it was ignored in Fox’s year-end awards push. It’s a shame that the film has been so criminally under-seen, because it’s a staggering work. Anna Paquin gives the performance of a lifetime as a teenage girl whose involvement in a tragic accident wracks her with grief, threatening to engulf everyone around her. A brilliantly written and deeply felt emotional depth charge of a film. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wvNfHtscKwY\/Xhf-yqnEfKI\/AAAAAAAAi9I\/IK60CVNYK2UHcwI7BFRPC8eWK2Tx8rxwACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/30SEPARATE-jumbo.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"685\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"428\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wvNfHtscKwY\/Xhf-yqnEfKI\/AAAAAAAAi9I\/IK60CVNYK2UHcwI7BFRPC8eWK2Tx8rxwACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/30SEPARATE-jumbo.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E18. A SEPARATION (2011)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EAsghar Farhadi | Iran\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EIn this time of heightened tensions with Iran, a film like \u003Ci\u003EA Separation\u003C\/i\u003E becomes even more essential. A tense and powerful Iranian drama about a family dealing with divorce, who run into even more trouble when the father hires a caretaker for his elderly father, only to be accused of killing her unborn child after he forcibly ejects her from his home upon finding that she has mistreated him. “A Separation” is a universal tale of a family being torn apart that can resonate in any culture. You’ll find no political grandstanding or religious zealotry here, just people trying to live out their lives as best they can under extraordinary circumstances. Gripping and devastating, the film examines ideals of justice in a world colored in shades of gray. Powerful performances across the board and a knockout script deliver an intense and thought provoking film. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-glCeWBte42Y\/Xhf_UkFafpI\/AAAAAAAAi9U\/Z3dOpdIRFvcdiiqpwwmy-z7G6HMy3_ywgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/certified-copy.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"896\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-glCeWBte42Y\/Xhf_UkFafpI\/AAAAAAAAi9U\/Z3dOpdIRFvcdiiqpwwmy-z7G6HMy3_ywgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/certified-copy.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E19. CERTIFIED COPY (2010)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EAbbas Kiarostami | France\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EA deeply felt and intelligent exploration of individual perceptions, both in art and in human relationships, \u003Ci\u003ECertified Copy\u003C\/i\u003E is one of the decade's most bewitching and delicious mysteries. Lovely, smartly written and thoroughly beguiling, this tale of two strangers who may or may not already be married, lives out an entire relationship in a single afternoon. Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, working outside of his home country for the first time, entrances his audience with a keen natural storytelling ability. But there is little actual story here, just an impeccably acted character study that gets under the skin and stays there. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gtXscknS6NY\/Xhf_sT9mByI\/AAAAAAAAi9c\/xax9otTdCYYpgRjA5SM1bGLpRbpi2wO0QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/14HOLY1-jumbo.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"540\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"336\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gtXscknS6NY\/Xhf_sT9mByI\/AAAAAAAAi9c\/xax9otTdCYYpgRjA5SM1bGLpRbpi2wO0QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/14HOLY1-jumbo.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E20. HOLY MOTORS (2012)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ELeos Carax | France\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EA glorious ode to all things cinema, Leos Carax’s deliriously unhinged trip down the rabbit hole is one of the year’s most wholly original films. Following a mysterious agent (brilliantly played by Denis Lavant) as he travels from job to job, taking on new personalities at each one, from an old beggar woman, to a sex-crazed hobo, to a caring father, to an assassin, \u003Ci\u003EHoly Motors\u003C\/i\u003E seems to channel the work of David Lynch, Baz Luhrmann, and Vincent Minnelli, while paying homage to Jean Rollin, Georges Franju, and Godzilla. Surrounded by the decadent decay of a crumbling Paris, \u003Ci\u003EHoly Motors \u003C\/i\u003Eis as much an elegy for the cinema as it is a love letter. It seems to embody everything cinema is, was, and will be. It’s an invigorating jolt of pure creative energy, and one wild ride. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EHonorable Mentions:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETOY STORY 3 (Lee Unkrich, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETHE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (Wes Anderson, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETHE WITCH (Robert Eggers, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESPRING BREAKERS (Harmony Korine, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMOONLIGHT (Barry Jenkins, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETHE RIDER (Chloe Zhao, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDAWSON CITY, FROZEN TIME (Bill Morrison, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETHE REVENANT (Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E24 FRAMES (Abbas Kiarostami, France)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBLACK MOTHER (Khalik Allah, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETAXI (Jafar Panahi, Iran)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EHUGO (Martin Scorsese, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAMOUR (Michel Haneke, Austria)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDRIVE (Nicholas Winding Refn, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELA LA LAND (Damien Chazelle, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETHE FLORIDA PROJECT (Sean Baker, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENOCTURAMA (Bertrand Bonello, France)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUNDER THE SKIN (Jonathan Glazer, UK)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETHE FAREWELL (Lulu Wang, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EHEART OF A DOG (Laurie Anderson, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETHE WIND RISES (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EGOODBYE TO LANGUAGE (Jean-Luc Godard, France)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EHER (Spike Jonze, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EZAMA (Lucretia Martel, Argentina)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETHE MASTER (Paul Thomas Anderson, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBEFORE MIDNIGHT (Richard Linklater, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWINTER SLEEP (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EON THE BEACH AT NIGHT ALONE (Hong Sangsoo, South Korea)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWHITE MATERIAL (Claire Denis)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/8039308089073125943\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=8039308089073125943","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/8039308089073125943"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/8039308089073125943"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/01\/the-best-films-of-2010s.html","title":"The Best Films of the 2010s"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-jjtXavWYSFQ\/XheBLEww2II\/AAAAAAAAi6Y\/pVeq2r40ZuoUUcXkoJPTeJ2Y_ernAINUQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/film_terrencemalick_35.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-2624972733437998930"},"published":{"$t":"2020-01-06T00:35:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-01-06T00:45:48.326-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Sam Mendes"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | 1917 | 2019"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aarLEtdVARg\/XhLGzb3hwqI\/AAAAAAAAi6A\/7wfGoF690L0UtBY37q5NdPW4FFjshP9SQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1917_trench_1900.0.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"675\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aarLEtdVARg\/XhLGzb3hwqI\/AAAAAAAAi6A\/7wfGoF690L0UtBY37q5NdPW4FFjshP9SQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/1917_trench_1900.0.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EGeorge MacKay in Universal Pictures' \"1917.\"\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThere have been surprisingly few major Hollywood films centering around World War I. Sure, \u003Ci\u003EWonder\u0026nbsp;Woman\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;was partially set during the First World War, and Peter Jackson's documentary \u003Ci\u003EThey\u0026nbsp;Shall Not Grow Old\u003C\/i\u003E was a sleeper hit last year, but just try to think of a great WWI movie made in the last few decades and you're likely to be left with few options . Meanwhile, there have been countless films about World War II, which has captured Hollywood's imagination since before the war was even over.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-1yFwd3Am14I\/XhLG4oLgauI\/AAAAAAAAi6E\/lv0v9K3I8FEpFZA-tjrnuBpAaiJjPidhwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1917-1917_Tsr1Sheet_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1011\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-1yFwd3Am14I\/XhLG4oLgauI\/AAAAAAAAi6E\/lv0v9K3I8FEpFZA-tjrnuBpAaiJjPidhwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/1917-1917_Tsr1Sheet_rgb.jpg\" width=\"252\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EWorld War II has always seemed more accessible - perhaps because of its saturation of our popular culture, its relative recentness, and the fact that many of us knew World War II veterans, they were our parents and grandparents, their stories feeling somehow more immediate. By the same token, World War I seems more removed from our own modern times, somehow alien and ancient - only seen in silent black and white footage and still photographs, a more muddled conflict with less defined boundaries between good and evil and an even more vague objective. Sam Mendes' \u003Ci\u003E1917\u003C\/i\u003E seeks to change all that; and while it may not shed any light on the complicated geopolitical issues that brought on the war that was once described as \"the war to end all wars,\" it seeks to bring the human elements of the conflict to life in ways most audiences have never seen before.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESet near the end of the conflict on Europe's Western Front, \u003Ci\u003E1917\u003C\/i\u003E tells the story of two young British soldiers, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), who are sent on a near-impossible mission to cross No Man's Land on foot and warn battalion of soldiers not to make their planned attack a band of seemingly retreating German because they're walking into a trap. If they fail, thousands of men will be slaughtered, including Blake's own brother.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's a harrowing race against time, and Mendes shoots the film as if it were one long take unfolding in real time, the camera following Schofield and Blake on their journey through the abandoned trenches and hellish war-torn landscapes of France. The effect gives the audience the feeling of being an unseen third participant in the action, and the results are often breathtaking in their scope and raw visceral power. Roger Deakins' cinematography is extraordinary, and when paired with Lee Smith's nearly invisible editing and the stellar work of the visual effects and sound teams (not to mention Thomas Newman's tremendous score),\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003E1917\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;becomes a towering technical achievement and a work of impressive directorial skill.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn the other hand, its technical aspects are so uniformly remarkable that one almost becomes so caught up in the nail-biting high-wire act on display that it's easy to miss the more human elements of the story it sought to illuminate in the first place. The young leads are both strong, but by the time\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003E1917\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;reaches its grand emotional climax, it feels a bit detached. Perhaps it's because the preceding experience is so draining, but it definitely rings a bit hollow when all is said and done, a video game with arresting graphics but no real heart to latch on to. It's such a towering visual and aural experience that it's difficult to pay attention to anything else, the one-shot gimmick is so much the focus that it's easy to find yourself paying more attention to the cinematography and losing sight of the larger story at play. In that regard, it becomes a movie that serves its cinematography rather than the cinematography serving the story.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's a thrilling experience, no doubt, one that deserves to be experienced on the biggest screen with the best sound system possible. It's not a film that was meant to be watched in the comfort of your living room, and if any film from 2019 deserves that distinction it's this one. But don't be surprised if you find yourself talking more about its technical elements than its human ones after leaving the theater, because for all its visual wizardry it never quite reaches the same emotional heights, an unfortunate side-effect of its stylistic conceit that ultimately holds it back from rising to the ranks of one of the great war films.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E1917 \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003ESam Mendes | \u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;Stars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EGeorge MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch | \u003Cb\u003ERated R \u003C\/b\u003Efor violence, some disturbing images, and language | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow\u0026nbsp;playing in select cities. Opens everywhere Friday, Jan. 10.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/2624972733437998930\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=2624972733437998930","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2624972733437998930"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2624972733437998930"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/01\/review-1917-2019.html","title":"Review | 1917 | 2019"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aarLEtdVARg\/XhLGzb3hwqI\/AAAAAAAAi6A\/7wfGoF690L0UtBY37q5NdPW4FFjshP9SQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/1917_trench_1900.0.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-1579419993520706080"},"published":{"$t":"2020-01-04T22:32:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-01-04T22:37:24.225-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Oscilloscope"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Don't Be a Dick About It | 2019"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-JfdlGd7l5rw\/XhFX_WW0O1I\/AAAAAAAAi5s\/L0g60-4VxEERjSHkcm2MNlSBwXSRWsc4QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/dontbeadick2.png\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-JfdlGd7l5rw\/XhFX_WW0O1I\/AAAAAAAAi5s\/L0g60-4VxEERjSHkcm2MNlSBwXSRWsc4QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/dontbeadick2.png\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EMatthew and Peter in DON'T BE A DICK ABOUT IT. Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHave you ever looked around at your family, marveled at their idiosyncrasies, and thought \"someone should make a movie about us?\" That's basically what director Ben Mullinkosson has done with his documentary, \u003Ci\u003EDon't Be a Dick About It\u003C\/i\u003E, a warmhearted and hilarious verité look into the lives of his two cousins, Peter and Matthew.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WKXjNI1Mwrg\/XhFYP6F9tDI\/AAAAAAAAi50\/_dAseJb4GXoFgdTKSfwMuunLG-yaRHK6ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/DontBeADickAboutIt_Poster.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-WKXjNI1Mwrg\/XhFYP6F9tDI\/AAAAAAAAi50\/_dAseJb4GXoFgdTKSfwMuunLG-yaRHK6ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/DontBeADickAboutIt_Poster.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EPeter is autistic, he loves \"Survivor\" and the letter C, but hates the Westboro Baptist Church. Younger brother Matthew is still in high school and is trying to overcome his crippling fear of dogs with the help of his mother. They love each other deeply, but also drive each other crazy, and therein lies the simple heart of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDon't Be a Dick About It.\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;Anyone who has grown up with a sibling understands every moment of what these two go through, loving each other one minute and loathing each other the next. Peter wants to organize a real-life family game of \"Survivor,\" blithely \"voting people off\" when they annoy him, which Matthew does...often.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMatthew, a teenager for whom appearances are important, is also frequently embarrassed by Peter's lack of social awareness and his penchant for engaging strangers in conversation. He spends much of the film needling Peter's obsessions in ways that seem perfectly calibrated to piss him off. And yet, although they spend much of the film at each other's throats, their brotherly antics never feel mean spirited or annoying, because it's all so very real.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMullinkosson directs with a wry sense of humor that allows the boys antics to speak for themselves, never condescending to them or using them as the butt of any jokes. They're funny simply because they're brothers behaving as brothers so often do, and his keen understanding of their relationship informs the film's human core. It finds emotion in its tale of sibling rivalry without feeling mawkish, getting to the heart of their bond that transcends the petty squabbles in which they so frequently find themselves. That he manages to capture their personalities so indelibly in the course of only 69 minutes is a testament to his skill as a filmmaker, quickly establishing the personalities of these two men and inviting us, if only an hour, to join them in their world. It's a touching, often hilarious look at life with a sibling who drives you absolutely crazy, but you can't get enough of them anyway.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDON'T BE A DICK ABOUT IT \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EBen Mullinkosson | \u003Cb\u003ENot Rated \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in select cities.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/1579419993520706080\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=1579419993520706080","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1579419993520706080"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1579419993520706080"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/01\/review-dont-be-dick-about-it-2019.html","title":"Review | Don't Be a Dick About It | 2019"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-JfdlGd7l5rw\/XhFX_WW0O1I\/AAAAAAAAi5s\/L0g60-4VxEERjSHkcm2MNlSBwXSRWsc4QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/dontbeadick2.png","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-6725817563538938942"},"published":{"$t":"2020-01-04T16:27:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-01-04T16:31:50.069-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"criterion collection"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"flicker alley"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"kino lorber"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"From the Repertory | January 4, 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-pq64sXSBwCw\/XhEBQ5K-yGI\/AAAAAAAAi40\/FoPwtu9B0ssdKn4UnPqPk_uXKcU6qvUlQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1008_OLDJOY_grabs_forannounce_0001_Layer%2B14.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-pq64sXSBwCw\/XhEBQ5K-yGI\/AAAAAAAAi40\/FoPwtu9B0ssdKn4UnPqPk_uXKcU6qvUlQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/1008_OLDJOY_grabs_forannounce_0001_Layer%2B14.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA still from Kelly Reichardt's OLD JOY, courtesy of The Criterion Collection.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LLFljOUoVK8\/XhEBV8L_T0I\/AAAAAAAAi44\/bQeuT7qeo6onOHl5ek6YNIdHmXiyF_MDQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/738329237264.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1320\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LLFljOUoVK8\/XhEBV8L_T0I\/AAAAAAAAi44\/bQeuT7qeo6onOHl5ek6YNIdHmXiyF_MDQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/738329237264.jpg\" width=\"330\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ECHRISTMAS IN JULY (\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.klstudioclassics.com\/product\/view\/id\/6469\"\u003EKino Studio Classics\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EPreston Sturges | USA | 1940\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EDespite the title, Preston Sturges' \u003Ci\u003EChristmas in July\u003C\/i\u003E has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas, or anything related to the holiday season. But even if you're coming to the film expecting some sort of under-seen holiday classic, there's still a lot to like in this charmingly acerbic tale of a of an ambitious working stiff (Dick Powell) who thinks his ship has finally come in when some scheming co-workers trick him into believing that he has won the $25,000 Maxford House slogan contest.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHis slogan is, of course, terrible - a goofy play on words that makes little sense because he thinks coffee is supposed to put you to sleep. \"If you can't sleep at night, it's not the coffee - it's the bunk!\" becomes the film's hilarious refrain, as the mistakes and miscommunications eventually reach a breaking point. At only an hour long, \u003Ci\u003EChristmas in July\u003C\/i\u003E is a breeze to watch, and Sturges packs the brief running time with plenty of his trademark wit, skewering corporate vanity and overconfident male bluster in equal measure. Sturges was a filmmaker with a keen eye for the plight of the working man, and the idea that working people are reduced to essentially playing the lottery just to get noticed by the men at the top is the film's bittersweet heart.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE \u003C\/b\u003E- ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9DEhZcs8HQ8\/XhEB0SpZwsI\/AAAAAAAAi5E\/jSlSUQLAPFkC9U7DkQYhMFHpOZTGUVILwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/GLORIFYING%2BDVD.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1134\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9DEhZcs8HQ8\/XhEB0SpZwsI\/AAAAAAAAi5E\/jSlSUQLAPFkC9U7DkQYhMFHpOZTGUVILwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/GLORIFYING%2BDVD.jpg\" width=\"282\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EGLORIFYING THE AMERICAN GIRL (\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.kinolorber.com\/film\/glorifying-the-american-girl\"\u003EKino Lorber\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EMillard Webb | USA | 1929\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EThis early talkie musical follows a plot that was already familiar by 1929 - a girl from nowhere dreams of joining the Follies, and runs away to New York to join the great Ziegfeld's company. Along the way, she falls under the sway of an unscrupulous entertainer who attempts to hitch himself to her coattails and capitalize on her ascendant fame.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEssentially an extended advertisement for the Ziegfeld Follies, the film ends with what's essentially a variety act showcasing some of the biggest talents on Broadway, including Eddie Cantor, Rudy Vallee, and Helen Morgan doing everything from comedy routines to dance numbers to surprisingly sexy tableaus. It also features some lovely examples of early Technicolor which, although somewhat washed out and greenish in relation to later Technicolor films, but it has been beautifully restored, and the color gives the otherwise flat staging some much needed depth. It's actually better than that year's Oscar winner, \u003Ci\u003EThe Broadway Melody\u003C\/i\u003E, and while this one suffers from some of the same problems that the infant sound recording technology gave filmmakers, the static mise-en-scene is kind of fascinating, and the tableau scene is surprisingly erotic, featuring an array of barely dressed men and women reenacting historical paintings. Filmmaker Millard Web did the best he could with the material provided, and the results are mostly charming if not exactly inspired.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E- ★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HePC663ttUM\/XhEB7AfqfeI\/AAAAAAAAi5I\/WINIT0DFjJIRFbs5MW4RYBzOFhW05VENQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/738329240424.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1320\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HePC663ttUM\/XhEB7AfqfeI\/AAAAAAAAi5I\/WINIT0DFjJIRFbs5MW4RYBzOFhW05VENQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/738329240424.jpg\" width=\"330\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ETHE HOLLY AND THE IVY (\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.klstudioclassics.com\/product\/view\/id\/6467\"\u003EKino Studio Classics\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EGeorge More O'Ferrall | UK | 1952\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EA family gathers for Christmas and uncovers old wounds in George More O’Ferrall's 1954 holiday drama, \u003Ci\u003EThe Holly and the Ivy\u003C\/i\u003E. There are a lot of issues at play here, none that really get the individual attention they deserve in the film's brief 84 minute running time, as the family confronts \u0026nbsp;the pressures of being raised by a minister whose pastoral duties always seemed to take precedence over his own family.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film attempts to explore issues of atheism and alcoholism, and the pressure on pastors' families to somehow be perfect in the public eye, but it never delves into any of its themes too deeply, and the central conflict is resolved rather quickly. As the son of a pastor myself I appreciated the film's interrogation of the sometimes self-imposed expectations placed on preachers' families to be an extension of their ministry whether they want to or not, but the film never really grapples with these ideas beyond a surface level, as the family members attempts to hide behaviors that may reflect poorly on their father ultimately discover there was nothing to worry about at all. A great cast, including Celia Johnson and Denholm Elliot, add some heft, but the film ultimately feels like a missed opportunity.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E- ★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mFVkipv_hy0\/XhEB_vf75xI\/AAAAAAAAi5M\/MSraiDb3mAMeHELN9VxPsnThcUAC-MP6gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/738329240981.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1316\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mFVkipv_hy0\/XhEB_vf75xI\/AAAAAAAAi5M\/MSraiDb3mAMeHELN9VxPsnThcUAC-MP6gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/738329240981.jpg\" width=\"328\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EKONGA (\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.klstudioclassics.com\/product\/view\/id\/6482\"\u003EKino Studio Classics\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EJohn Lemont | UK | 1961\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EA mad scientist (Michael Gough) returns after being presumed dead from a plane crash the jungles of South America with a wild plot, to combine plant and animal DNA in order to make animals grow to enormous size. His first experiment is a chimpanzee named Konga, whom he blows up to human size and turns into a killing machine in order to silence his rivals and enemies.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe ape suit is pretty terrible, and the special effects strictly second rate, even for 1961, but despite the fact that its low budget sometimes shows at the seams, \u003Ci\u003EKonga\u003C\/i\u003E is a surprisingly great piece of science fiction that isn't afraid to take chances and center on unlikable characters. Gough's Dr. Decker not only goes mad with power, he's also a lecherous creep who lusts after a young college student in his care, and uses Konga to clear the playing field of potential rivals for her affection. This, ultimately, is his undoing, and the film makes no attempt to make him in any way redeemable. In that way, it's like a #MeToo movie long before that was even a thing. While the goal to be a British answer to \u003Ci\u003EKing Kong\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is ultimately a failure because the effects can't hold a candle to that film's groundbreaking stop-motion effects from nearly 30 years earlier,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EKonga\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is nevertheless a beautifully shot, colorful B-movie about the collateral damage wreaked upon the natural world by the self-centered hubris of mediocre men.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E- ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DxmTAtgoRu0\/XhECEl6dL1I\/AAAAAAAAi5U\/yQ8nkqqrkqE6s3-P9iOsEWtvwADfmyaKwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1008_BD.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1288\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DxmTAtgoRu0\/XhECEl6dL1I\/AAAAAAAAi5U\/yQ8nkqqrkqE6s3-P9iOsEWtvwADfmyaKwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/1008_BD.jpg\" width=\"321\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EOLD JOY (\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/films\/29062-old-joy\"\u003ECriterion\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EKelly Reichardt | USA | 2006\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003EIt may not have been her debut feature, but \u003Ci\u003EOld Joy\u003C\/i\u003E stands as the film that made the film world sit up and take notice of Kelly Reichardt. Her sophomore feature, a simple tale of two friends whose seemingly innocuous journey into the woods becomes something almost spiritual, is a buddy movie unlike any other, a kind of meditative reflection on masculinity, aging, and male friendship that feels at once familiar and bracingly new.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMark (Daniel London) is in his early thirties and about to become a father. Kurt (Will Oldham) is a former college friend who seems perpetually stuck in adolescence. Together they face the growing ennui of the increasing responsibilities of an adulthood that doesn't look quite like either imagined, sharing drug-induced philosophies and memories of a world that is rapidly changing around them. Reichardt deftly explores the intimacy of male friendship, always teetering on the edge of homoeroticism but never quite moving past suggestion an innuendo. But in the end any sexual aspect that comes from their nude hot spring destination seems beside the point.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EOld Joy\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a film as much about embracing the past as it is about encountering the future, very much a part of the growing liberal despair of George Bush's second term (liberal talk radio dominates the soundtrack along with Yo La Tengo's wistful score), of lost men trying to find their way in a world that no longer seems black and white, and any thoughts of change seems lost in complacent inaction.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's a deeply beautiful work, a film of simple truths and revelations filmed in 16mm film that almost feels like home movies recorded by the characters themselves, inviting the audience along on their journey of self discovery as its simple pleasures wash over us like the warm waters of a hot spring bath.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E- ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-kpYS5ivjwfY\/XhECPtzU0kI\/AAAAAAAAi5Y\/MLRQ87r12-UWI3ScR74eOqyjyoF1Tx6XACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1006_BD.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1288\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-kpYS5ivjwfY\/XhECPtzU0kI\/AAAAAAAAi5Y\/MLRQ87r12-UWI3ScR74eOqyjyoF1Tx6XACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/1006_BD.jpg\" width=\"321\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ETHE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE (\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/films\/28575-the-story-of-temple-drake\"\u003ECriterion\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EStephen Roberts | USA | 1933\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003ESometimes credited as being the film that inspired the full enforcement of the Production Code the following year, Stephen Roberts' \u003Ci\u003EThe Story of Temple Drake\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Ecertainly billed itself as a sordid tale of sex and infidelity designed to shock filmgoing audiences of 1933. And yet it's a far more sensitive tale than its sensational marketing would suggest.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBuoyed by a dynamic performance by Miriam Hopkins in the title role,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Story of Temple Drake\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;centers around a woman with a reputation for being, well, a bit loose. She's also the daughter of a prominent judge, and her bad-girl reputation is well known among all the young men in town. She catches the eye of a handsome young lawyer, but insists to him that she's no good and that he should set his sights on someone else. But after she absconds from a party with another young man in search of booze, she finds herself something of a prisoner in a den of moonshiners, and at the center of a murder trial that will force her to make confessions that could totally destroy her already damaged reputation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film deals frankly with themes of sexual assault and rape in ways that few films of the era ever did. It was made with the full knowledge of how society at large felt about “girls like her,” and those stereotypes of the “loose woman” are consistently interrogated and subverted. There are two Temples, Temple the person and Temple the legend whose reputation seems to be on everyone’s lips whether they know her or not. While the film's sexual politics are very much rooted in the Depression-era, it's surprisingly subserve in the way it undercuts the expected tropes. Much of this is due to Hopkins' luminous performance as Temple Drake. Roberts often films in close-up, the backgrounds fading into blackness, allowing the audience to focus on the emotions playing out across the actors' faces. The inky blacks and stark whites bely the film's sense of moral ambiguity, and are beautifully restored on Criterion's new Blu-Ray release.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E- ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-csX1-HPbKJ4\/XhECYc24vPI\/AAAAAAAAi5g\/4WXkz8rQfDMSPKotvb18UGMLNmBRToC2QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1176370338.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1500\" data-original-width=\"1211\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-csX1-HPbKJ4\/XhECYc24vPI\/AAAAAAAAi5g\/4WXkz8rQfDMSPKotvb18UGMLNmBRToC2QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/1176370338.jpg\" width=\"322\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ETRAPPED (\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.flickeralley.com\/classic-movies-2\/#!\/Trapped\/p\/154590920\/category=20414531\"\u003EFlicker Alley\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ERichard Fleisher | USA | 1949\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003ELong lost to substandard public domain transfers, Richard Fleischer's lurid 1949 film noir, \u003Ci\u003ETrapped\u003C\/i\u003E, has been resurrected by the Film Noir Foundation and the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and it is a doozy.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELloyd Bridges stars as a hardened counterfeiter who is released from jail after new bills made from his old plates start circulating again in hopes that he will lead the feds to the man responsible. Instead he sets out for revenge so he can get back his plates and head out of the country with his girlfriend, a bar girl named moll named Meg (Barbara Payton). What he doesn't realize is that one of the Meg's most generous regular customers is actually a Fed, and he has his eyes set on both of them, leading to a series of double crosses and violent intrigue.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis thing goes to some very dark places, especially from 1949 at the height of the Production Code. Of course everyone gets their comeuppance in the end (with a clearly re-written ending to account for Lloyd Bridges' absence due to illness near the end of the production), but no one gets away clean here. It may have been a Poverty Row potboiler, but Fleischer (who went on to direct major films like \u003Ci\u003ETora! Tora! Tora!\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003ESoylent Green\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;and \u003Ci\u003EConan the Barbarian\u003C\/i\u003E) takes a lot of narrative chances by building the film around a cast of almost entirely unlikable and unscrupulous characters, and it pays off. There are no good people to be found here, and in the amoral world of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ETrapped\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;everyone's debt comes due.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E- ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/6725817563538938942\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=6725817563538938942","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6725817563538938942"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6725817563538938942"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/01\/from-repertory-january-4-2020.html","title":"From the Repertory | January 4, 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-pq64sXSBwCw\/XhEBQ5K-yGI\/AAAAAAAAi40\/FoPwtu9B0ssdKn4UnPqPk_uXKcU6qvUlQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/1008_OLDJOY_grabs_forannounce_0001_Layer%2B14.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-1913722131680919649"},"published":{"$t":"2020-01-04T00:34:00.004-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-01-04T00:36:27.566-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | The Grudge | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-UYcEeqAkyn0\/XhAie03dISI\/AAAAAAAAi4c\/cKldLAbS0ZA9Qh7W1-9zM1_zt34k9uigwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/the-grudge-DF-06719_r.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1069\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-UYcEeqAkyn0\/XhAie03dISI\/AAAAAAAAi4c\/cKldLAbS0ZA9Qh7W1-9zM1_zt34k9uigwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/the-grudge-DF-06719_r.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EAndrea Riseborough in Screen Gems' THE GRUDGE. Photo by Allen Fraser.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EIt's been 16 years since the American remake of \u003Ci\u003EThe Grudge\u003C\/i\u003E was released in theaters (the original Japanese film, \u003Ci\u003EJu-On\u003C\/i\u003E, was released two years earlier in 2002), and since that's approximately 128 in Hollywood years, it's time for a cheap January remake to come slithering into theaters to start the 2020 movie season.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uUWx2Y1M8uI\/XhAi_2pHqQI\/AAAAAAAAi4k\/Adq15URb0VEaIvMYm4OH6UYg5hyKKrKHQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/the-grudge-GRDG_OnLine_1SHT_6072x9000_onesheet_FNL_02_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uUWx2Y1M8uI\/XhAi_2pHqQI\/AAAAAAAAi4k\/Adq15URb0VEaIvMYm4OH6UYg5hyKKrKHQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/the-grudge-GRDG_OnLine_1SHT_6072x9000_onesheet_FNL_02_rgb.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ELike most remakes,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Grudge\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;feels wholly uninspired and unnecessary, but since it's a remake of a remake that no one seems to have any nostalgic feelings for, one has to wonder what the point of it all was in the first place. The plot centers around a policewoman (Andrea Riseborough) whose murder case takes a dark turn when she begins to realize that the death was the result of a curse on a house where a woman went mad and killed her husband and daughter before killing herself. As it turns out she had recently travelled to Japan, where she picked up a \"Ju-on,\" an unbreakable curse that occurs when someone dies in a moment of extreme rage.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film follows the curse through three separate stories - there's Riseborough grieving policewoman trying to solve the case, there's an elderly couple (Frankie Faison and Lin Shaye) and their palliative care nurse (Jacki Weaver) suffering from the house's curse, and a real-estate agent (John Cho) who comes under its thrall. The biggest issue is that the timeline connecting these three stories is hopelessly muddled, and Cho's story has little to do with the other two stories going on around him.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYet for a film with far too many plots going on, it's a surprisingly dull, languidly paced affair, its energy never building toward any sort of climax, it just ambles along with Riseborough acting as the audience proxy until it just ends. There are a few nifty uses of lighting, in which director Nicolas Pesce (who previously directed the fantastic \u003Ci\u003EThe Eyes of My Mother\u003C\/i\u003E) illuminates ghosts in darkened rooms using the glow of a bedside digital clock or the dim light of a phone screen. It also boasts an impressive cast. But these glimmers of hope are few and far between, the trifecta of Riseborough, Weaver, and Demián Bichir are completely wasted and the rest of the film is under-lit, as if it were filmed through a lens tinted the color of mud.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere's also a scene in which a character refers to a character as \"one of those assisted suicide broads,\" which begs the question - what year is this supposed to take place? Ye olde ancient times of 2004 to 2006 for some reason. If nothing else, it's an indication of just how poorly conceived this film is - an unpleasant, humorless slog through the muck of low-budget January horror fodder that is neither frightening or particularly entertaining, blandly ambling from tired jump-scare to tired jump-scare in order to cash-in on a modest 16-year-old hit for which few have any real warm nostalgic feelings, leaving one to wonder who the audience for this was in the first place.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETHE GRUDGE \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003ENicholas Pesce | \u003Cb\u003EStars \u003C\/b\u003EAndrea Riseborough, Demián Bichir, John Cho, Lin Shaye, Jacki Weaver, Frankie Faison | \u003Cb\u003ERated R \u003C\/b\u003Efor disturbing violence and bloody images, terror and some language | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in theaters everywhere.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/1913722131680919649\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=1913722131680919649","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1913722131680919649"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1913722131680919649"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/01\/review-grudge-2020.html","title":"Review | The Grudge | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-UYcEeqAkyn0\/XhAie03dISI\/AAAAAAAAi4c\/cKldLAbS0ZA9Qh7W1-9zM1_zt34k9uigwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/the-grudge-DF-06719_r.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-4013466290850921123"},"published":{"$t":"2019-12-29T13:10:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2019-12-29T13:19:32.780-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Todd Haynes"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Dark Waters | 2019"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-H54angW6unY\/Xgjrxr1ABpI\/AAAAAAAAi30\/MDsHgcxvkI09IDSiDmTK1HbcNdVvcr4VACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/dark-waters-UTHF_03423_R_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1069\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-H54angW6unY\/Xgjrxr1ABpI\/AAAAAAAAi30\/MDsHgcxvkI09IDSiDmTK1HbcNdVvcr4VACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/dark-waters-UTHF_03423_R_rgb.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EOn paper, \u003Ci\u003EDark Waters\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;seems like another \"muckraking later takes on a polluting corporation\" film, something in the vein of \u003Ci\u003EA Civil Action\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eor \u003Ci\u003EErin Brockovich\u003C\/i\u003E. But while the story is a familiar, director Todd Haynes has taken the time-tested formula and fashioned it into something uniquely beautiful.\u003C\/h2\u003EFrom the opening scene we know we're in capable hands. Haynes reworks the iconic opening scene of \u003Ci\u003EJaws\u003C\/i\u003E, only this time there's no shark in the water - the unseen predator is the water itself, poisoned by toxic chemicals from the DuPont company. This theme recurs throughout\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDark Waters\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;- water is seemingly ever present, in polluted streams, in rivers, and in glasses of water on board room tables. Cinematographer Ed Lachman's camera lingers on water whenever it is present, a silent killer lurking at the periphery of the entire film, its presence keenly felt even when it isn't on screen.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Mqve3Q06SFE\/Xgjr3o5KKHI\/AAAAAAAAi34\/X29DNCBjrFIYHAsK3Cy_OSNhWTmo1BQMwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/dark-waters-DW_One%2BSheet_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Mqve3Q06SFE\/Xgjr3o5KKHI\/AAAAAAAAi34\/X29DNCBjrFIYHAsK3Cy_OSNhWTmo1BQMwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/dark-waters-DW_One%2BSheet_rgb.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThis sense of unknowable, undetectable danger is the heart of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDark Waters\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;whether it's the poisoned water or the unchecked capitalism whose pursuit of profit at all cost caused the problem in the first place, the film is filled with phantom villains and shadowy figures whose avarice has affected the lives of untold millions. The greedy capitalists in question are the DuPont chemical company, whose \"miracle product\" Teflon turned out to not only be responsible for poisoning the waters of a small town near its plant, but for putting toxins in the blood of nearly every person in the United States for decades. The film centers around lawyer Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo), whose firm had previously represented chemical companies in cases like this, who becomes increasingly aware of the vastness of this problem when he takes on what he thinks will be a small case of a local farmer (an excellent Bill Camp) whose cows died under mysterious circumstances. The deeper in he gets, the more he realizes that the problem has national ramifications, and he begins to understand the true damage he has helped to facilitate and cover up through his work for DuPont in the past.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is indeed a dark story, a grim procedural that delves into a man's singular obsession with a case for which he feels partly responsible. In that way, it isn't that far removed from David Fincher's \u003Ci\u003EZodiac\u003C\/i\u003E, a film where the obsession almost becomes more important than the actual identity of the killer the characters are hunting. In the case of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDark Waters\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp; Haynes seems to be in direct conversation with his 1995 film, \u003Ci\u003ESafe\u003C\/i\u003E, in which a woman becomes paranoid that everything around her is trying to kill her. In\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDark Waters\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;that paranoia becomes terrifyingly justified - the silent killers really are in our own back yards, and the companies who put them there will do anything to avoid responsibility.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHaynes take this familiar tales and imbues it with a kind of artful sense of paranoia become manifest. Bilott's struggle is the heart of the film, but it's not just his determination to take down DuPont that fuels the film's drama, its his awakening as a man who was once a part of the problem now determined to help fix it. He's not just a righteous crusader, he's a man wracked with guilt for helping these corrupt capitalists poison the nation through lawsuits and assaults of misinformation. It's a David vs. Goliath tale on the surface, but underneath the dark waters it's a film about a man's conflict within himself - how do you fix a problem that you willingly ignored for decades? How do you make people wake up those who are blind to it just as you were? He understands exactly why he is opposed, and yet money always speaks louder than the truth.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's that dichotomy that makes the film so fascinating. Haynes could have easily churned out a straightforward procedural like \u003Ci\u003ESpotlight\u003C\/i\u003E and called it a day. Instead, he takes the material and turns it into something both beautiful and horrific, a real-world revisit of the themes that made\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESafe\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;one of his finest works. There, social anxiety became manifest through real-life symptoms. In\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDark Waters\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Ethe silent killers really are waiting for us in our own homes, and those responsible are fully aware. Darkness has always lurked beneath the surface of polite society in Haynes' work, from \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2019\/03\/blu-ray-review-far-from-heaven-2002.html\"\u003EFar from Heaven\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/i\u003Eto \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2015\/11\/review-carol.html\"\u003ECarol\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E, here that darkness becomes quite literal.\u0026nbsp;It's a film full of righteous anger, yes, but it's also a film whose painful resignation to the world's overwhelming darkness refuses to leave us with the false hope that this is a battle that has in any way been won. Haynes weaves a haunting sense of melancholy through every frame, infused with Marcelo Zarvos' aching score, leaving us with an unnerving sense of the damage wrought by capitalism and the unchecked pursuit of wealth that continues to wreck havoc on our world. It's an absolutely essential portrait of our time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDARK WATERS \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003ETodd Haynes | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EMark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Camp, Victor Garber, Mare Winningham, Bill Pullman | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG-13 \u003C\/b\u003Efor thematic content, some disturbing images, and strong language | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in select cities.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/4013466290850921123\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=4013466290850921123","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/4013466290850921123"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/4013466290850921123"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2019\/12\/review-dark-waters-2019.html","title":"Review | Dark Waters | 2019"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-H54angW6unY\/Xgjrxr1ABpI\/AAAAAAAAi30\/MDsHgcxvkI09IDSiDmTK1HbcNdVvcr4VACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/dark-waters-UTHF_03423_R_rgb.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-7600292476608054269"},"published":{"$t":"2019-12-27T15:02:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2019-12-27T20:21:30.165-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Best of 2019"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"cinema guild"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"grasshopper film"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"KimStim"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"kino lorber"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Netflix"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Year in Review | The Best Films of 2019"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VB4sDnQ5BSM\/XgY0hHompkI\/AAAAAAAAi1A\/_45Gm4_sOvojITnvcU8E11z-n2KE9ql6gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/BestFilms2019.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"609\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"242\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VB4sDnQ5BSM\/XgY0hHompkI\/AAAAAAAAi1A\/_45Gm4_sOvojITnvcU8E11z-n2KE9ql6gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/BestFilms2019.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E2019 was a year of great change. It was also a great year for film. Not only is the world facing unprecedented political upheaval and social change, both positive and negative, it was also the year I became a father, and welcomed my first daughter into the world. It's enough to make anyone look at the world a little differently. Did that affect my choices for the best films of the year? It might be too soon to tell. But for the first time in a long time - almost everything that was \u003Ci\u003Esupposed \u003C\/i\u003Eto be good actually was. The 2010s saved the best for last and went out on a high note, delivering late period masterworks from old-guard legends like Martin Scorsese, Jean-Luc Godard, and Pedro Almodòvar to bracing new works by exciting new talents like Kalik Allah, Lulu Wang, and Hu Bo. It's a year that will go down in the history books for many reasons - but the films represented here will certainly ensure that this truly was a year to remember.\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-TSS0RgyOi38\/XgY1U2adC3I\/AAAAAAAAi1M\/z31KqRaYTL0Gxbh3iZpcbl0DH1x2UXzIgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/TI_KS_076-2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1070\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"428\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-TSS0RgyOi38\/XgY1U2adC3I\/AAAAAAAAi1M\/z31KqRaYTL0Gxbh3iZpcbl0DH1x2UXzIgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/TI_KS_076-2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E1. THE IRISHMAN (Martin Scorsese, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EIt took Martin Scorsese nearly 10 years to develop and make his epic mob drama, \u003Ci\u003EThe Irishman\u003C\/i\u003E, a sprawling portrait of the rise and eventual decline of mafia hitman, Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), and his friendship with two equally charismatic and powerful figures - mob boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and infamous union leader Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EScorsese shoots the film's murders with a dry sense of matter-of-factness, characters casually stroll into frame, gun down an unsuspecting victim, then calmly walk out of frame again, leaving the lifeless body to bleed out on the sidewalk. There's nothing glamorous about it, but neither is particularly repulsive - it's just business, nothing personal, and that's what makes it all so disturbing. What kind of effect does a life like that have on a man? That's the question that lies at the film's sorrowful heart. Frank Sheeran spent a lifetime painting houses (a mob term for caring out hits; in other words, decorating walls with blood), while Scorsese has spent a great deal of his career chronicling the lives of men like Frank. In that regard, \u003Ci\u003EThe Irishman\u003C\/i\u003E feels like the summation of a career, a late-period masterpiece that takes into account a life's work. It is perhaps one of Scorsese's most reflective films, a broad-ranging meditation on life, mortality, and betrayal through the eyes of an old man in twilight, all his friends gone in violent ends, facing the end alone. Are we to feel sorry for him? To pity him? Or perhaps mourn the existence of the violent patriarchal power structures he spent a lifetime upholding? What are we to make of such a man? In Scorsese's masterful hands it becomes an American tragedy writ-large, of great potential cut down by greed and corruption, and a road to hell paved by the best of intentions. Scorsese, De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino, four lions in winter, all deliver some of the finest work of their respective careers in a film that can only be described as a monument of American cinema.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-54zbA-i8xGU\/XgZOy_1lXfI\/AAAAAAAAi1Y\/OREPcOOxce8ZC2zpt2Nzk8f0PEghYBVOgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Black-Mother-2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-54zbA-i8xGU\/XgZOy_1lXfI\/AAAAAAAAi1Y\/OREPcOOxce8ZC2zpt2Nzk8f0PEghYBVOgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/Black-Mother-2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E2. BLACK MOTHER (Khalik Allah, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EIt's a rare thing to be left speechless by a film. Even more so for someone who writes about film for a living; yet \u003Ci\u003EBlack Mother\u003C\/i\u003E is the kind of film that defies description, a work of such radical beauty that it nearly reshapes the entire cinematic experience in its own image. Part documentary, part travelogue, part poem,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBlack Mother\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a deeply personal tribute to Jamaica (the ancestral home of Allah's mother) and to the black experience, specifically the black women who actually birthed a nation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAllah examines the effects of religion on the tiny island nation, both as a symptom of colonialism and a reaction to it, as Christianity and Rastafarianism blend together into something beautiful and unique. Allah, a renowned photographer, captures snippets of island life and blends them together into something singularly breathtaking. There are films that move you, there are films that shake you, and then there's\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBlack Mother\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;- a transcendental meditation on life, love, and black identity that takes the mundane and makes it feel miraculous.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0aAzISVE-10\/XgZPPjcy25I\/AAAAAAAAi1g\/lmjG8oiT2WoPiWHtTm30EjT0qDZmLWOBgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/farewell-thumb-new2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0aAzISVE-10\/XgZPPjcy25I\/AAAAAAAAi1g\/lmjG8oiT2WoPiWHtTm30EjT0qDZmLWOBgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/farewell-thumb-new2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E3. THE FAREWELL (Lulu Wang, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EWhile very specifically based on director Lulu Wang's affection for, and feelings of alienation from, her Chinese heritage, there's something very universal about the family dynamics on display in her deeply personal film, \u003Ci\u003EThe Farewell\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAwkwafina stars as Chinese expatriate Billi, who returns to China from the United States upon learning that her Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. But in a uniquely Chinese tradition, the family refuses to tell her that she's dying, instead disguising the impromptu family reunion as a wedding. Billi's struggle with the ethics of this deception form the core of the film; torn between her Chinese heritage and her American upbringing, she often feels like a stranger in her home country, a nation her family fled seeking greater opportunity when she was only a child.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd yet, while the film's central conflict is based on a very specific sense of cultural malaise, what Wang has crafted here is something immediately recognizable, a portrait of unconditional love that transcends the idiosyncrasies of familial bonds. Wang imbues her tale with such a sense of dignity and grace, writing a love letter to her beloved grandmother that just may make you want to run home and hug your own.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uLgB8EkFvxI\/XgZaY2rLFFI\/AAAAAAAAi1w\/Oucp_fcThAc3l5prhkvLOZwNuHcXrazuQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/ImageBook_Grab10.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"576\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uLgB8EkFvxI\/XgZaY2rLFFI\/AAAAAAAAi1w\/Oucp_fcThAc3l5prhkvLOZwNuHcXrazuQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/ImageBook_Grab10.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E4. THE IMAGE BOOK (Jean-Luc Godard, France)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EJean-Luc Godard's \u003Ci\u003EThe Image Book\u003C\/i\u003E is at once perfectly at home with his other late-period collage films such as \u003Ci\u003EFilm Socialisme\u003C\/i\u003E and \u003Ci\u003EGoodbye to Language\u003C\/i\u003E, and yet completely unlike anything the 88-year-old Nouvelle Vague iconoclast has ever made. It's part of the filmmaker's quest to investigate and reinvent the cinematic language, a life-long passion for Godard at least since 1967's WEEKEND, in which he infamously declared the \"end of cinema.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThrough re-tooled images from cinema history (taken from such films as Luis Buñuel's \u003Ci\u003EUn Chien Andalou\u003C\/i\u003E, Nicholas Ray's \u003Ci\u003EJohnny Guitar\u003C\/i\u003E, Alfred Hitchcock's \u003Ci\u003EVertigo\u003C\/i\u003E, and Ridley Scott's \u003Ci\u003EBlack Hawk Down\u003C\/i\u003E) and an often shifting aspect ratio, Godard is quite literally making the audience look at these familiar images from alternate points of view. It's an effect created by the way Godard transfers films from VHS to his DV camcorder, as the camera attempts to adjust to the different aspect ratio, yet this digital \"mistake\" was purposefully left in.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe value of these images, in fact the very nature of their beauty (or lack thereof) lies in our own perception of them. Godard gives us the tools to decode them, but intentionally leaves us without a guidebook. Through the various lenses he places in front of them, be they digital imperfections, analog glitches, or simply the fog of time,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Image Book\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;asks us to look at the world around us in ways we've never before considered. It's an endlessly fascinating and somehow wistful work, a career summation by a legendary iconoclast who continues to reinvent himself well into his ninth decade of life, now looking back at a life's work and asking \"what was it all for?\" The answer lies somewhere buried in the bleary fragments of images recorded from Godard's VHS player, a radical reinvention of cinematic language that will be studied and appreciated for decades to come.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-m0IIvf3wQ-c\/XgZaUzbgtHI\/AAAAAAAAi1s\/pQQ-Upad4lYDMtsSP1HSu1AtzoGWYAuCgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/an-elephant-sitting-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"675\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-m0IIvf3wQ-c\/XgZaUzbgtHI\/AAAAAAAAi1s\/pQQ-Upad4lYDMtsSP1HSu1AtzoGWYAuCgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/an-elephant-sitting-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E5. AN ELEPHANT SITTING STILL (Hu Bo, China)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EThis is clearly a film that came from a very dark place, but that's what makes it so revelatory. Few other films have captured the essence of depression so indelibly. It's a work of incredible anger and anguish, but it's also a tremulous and delicate thing, epic in length but intimate in scope, a film that constantly turns its focus inward. Some may consider this insular, but Fan Chao's expressive camerawork turns the pain of the characters into outer expressions of sadness. It's as if the film was conjured from thin air, gorgeous, elemental, and tortured, Hu's consciousness made manifest and brought into being by sheer force of will. That final ray of light found in togetherness is what makes it all worth it - a note of hope that Hu never afforded himself. This light in the darkness in the form of an elephant trumpeting in the pitch black of the Mongolian desert is a moment so piercing that it almost seems like a cry from Hu himself - a warning, an admonition, or perhaps a word of comfort that it doesn't have to end the way it did for him. No matter how you interpret it, \u003Ci\u003EAn Elephant Sitting Still\u003C\/i\u003E stands as a monument to a tremendous unrealized talent taken from us too soon, who left behind an unforgettable meditation on what it means to cling to hope when the world around you seems utterly bleak.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DYrT1YfvfLM\/XgZbCnxAwhI\/AAAAAAAAi18\/NUEuxMP9PHc14pSuz_hK_bcwG9famFcuACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/adastra-1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"631\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"336\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DYrT1YfvfLM\/XgZbCnxAwhI\/AAAAAAAAi18\/NUEuxMP9PHc14pSuz_hK_bcwG9famFcuACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/adastra-1.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E6. AD ASTRA (James Gray, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EIn the most simplistic terms, \u003Ci\u003EAd Astra\u003C\/i\u003E feels like a Terrence Malick film with space pirates, a probing, philosophical film filled with lyrical musings about the nature of life, set against the epic backdrop of a world whose greed for natural resources has spilled over into outer space, as nations vie for supremacy not only on Earth, but on the moon as well. It is an adventure film but mainly in the sense that it’s about the mystery of exploration, but Gray’s aim is always much deeper than that.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGray paints on such a grand scale but the film never loses its intimate focus. That’s perhaps its greatest irony - Gray employs breathtaking cinematography and stunning special effects to tell a story that stands in stark contrast to its sweeping appointments. It is a deeply introspective film, the juxtaposition of its inner focus against a magnificent backdrop reinforced his central theme - even in the face of the loftiest of human achievement, nothing is more powerful or more important than human connection. What is the point of it all if we don't have love?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIts protagonist, like his father before him, is a man who put work above all, his singular drive to go higher, farther, and faster leading him to completely forsake his family. In the end it’s seemingly all for naught. What if we truly are alone in the universe? What if we spend our entire lives looking for something more, something greater than ourselves, and in the process miss, to paraphrase Dorothy Gale of Kansas, the beauty of what’s in our own back yard? Whether it’s over the rainbow or beyond the reaches of Neptune, Gray can’t help but remind us that nothing is so grand and mysterious and worth our time as love.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EAd Astra\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is one of the best works of science fiction this century.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-TeDA1-JVYbQ\/XgZbcKMplWI\/AAAAAAAAi2E\/V-_QIFuD9TkP6JV_70pP56s1jlqtH2n8ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/NYFF57_MainSlate_PainandGlory_04-1-1-1600x900-c-default.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-TeDA1-JVYbQ\/XgZbcKMplWI\/AAAAAAAAi2E\/V-_QIFuD9TkP6JV_70pP56s1jlqtH2n8ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/NYFF57_MainSlate_PainandGlory_04-1-1-1600x900-c-default.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E7. PAIN AND GLORY (Pedro Almodòvar, Spain)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003ECinema history is littered with filmmakers who turned the camera on themselves - stories of tortured artists, great men burdened great talent. It would be easy to dismiss these films as mere vanity projects, tales of self-aggrandizement by mostly male filmmakers who see themselves as saddled with great genius that no one else could possibly understand.\u0026nbsp;However, there's something much more humble and self-reflective in Pedro Almodóvar's \u003Ci\u003EPain and Glory\u003C\/i\u003E, an ostensible act of self-reflection that seems to flow directly from the filmmaker's heart rather than his own ego.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is through his protagonist, an obvious avatar for Almodóvar himself, that the filmmaker subverts the trope of the struggling genius and the women who inspired him, putting a queer twist on what has become a kind of cinematic indulgence for straight filmmakers. Here we see a gay filmmaker baring his soul and exploring the roots of his own sexuality in ways once only afforded to straight artists, and the results are bracing and often deeply moving. This is not the same Almodóvar who made \u003Ci\u003EMatador\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;and \u003Ci\u003ELaw of Desifre\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;- this is a film that finds the filmmaker in a much more reflective mode, more reminiscent of his work in \u003Ci\u003EBad Education\u003C\/i\u003E, a film with which\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EPain and Glory\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eshares a similar thematic outlook. Yet by the time the film reaches its wrenching, revelatory conclusion, Almodóvar manages to re-contextualize everything we've just seen. It's one of the most stunning film endings of the year, and yet it's so quietly earth-shattering that its power is almost disarming. It's the kind of film that cements Almodóvar in the pantheon of great artists, and it does so without ego or pretense, an understated glory that finds devastating beauty in the wreckage of a lifetime of mistakes and missed opportunities as only the cinema could have given us.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-d0zbuaL7fTY\/XgZcaMZTuMI\/AAAAAAAAi2Q\/tEpQFcpA2EAzI5SRUjq2Eau-wP43kXv7wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Long%2BDay%2527s%2BJourney%2B1%2B%25E2%2580%2593%2BPHOTO%2Bby%2BBAI%2BLINGHAI.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1068\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-d0zbuaL7fTY\/XgZcaMZTuMI\/AAAAAAAAi2Q\/tEpQFcpA2EAzI5SRUjq2Eau-wP43kXv7wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/Long%2BDay%2527s%2BJourney%2B1%2B%25E2%2580%2593%2BPHOTO%2Bby%2BBAI%2BLINGHAI.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E8. LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (Bi Gan, China)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EMuch has been made about the one-shot prowess of Sam Mendes's \u003Ci\u003E1917\u003C\/i\u003E, and while that film is certainly a dazzling achievement, the year's most impressive single take shot is in Bi Gan's neon-soaked Neo-noir, \u003Ci\u003ELong Day's Journey into\u0026nbsp;Night\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELike something out of a dream, Bi takes us on a journey through time and memory, plunging us into its protagonist's tortured search for a mysterious woman from his past. Before long we find ourselves deep into a mystery for which there may be no answer, at once an existential nightmare and an Antonioni-esque exploration of the human mind. Its final, hour-long single take tracking shot is not only a marvel of technical ingenuity, it's like an out-of-body experience that shatters the boundaries of what cinema can do.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_Paf-fhePWA\/XgZnVmDQ46I\/AAAAAAAAi3k\/CE9sT-FUxUYf5jUn7_u1ecE24tP4aWJigCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/fefa6324edd70ae9912cf2adf5086d9bed4f4f05.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_Paf-fhePWA\/XgZnVmDQ46I\/AAAAAAAAi3k\/CE9sT-FUxUYf5jUn7_u1ecE24tP4aWJigCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/fefa6324edd70ae9912cf2adf5086d9bed4f4f05.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E9. A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD (Marielle Heller, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EMarielle Heller's \u003Ci\u003EA Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood\u003C\/i\u003E is a much darker, more complicated film than its marketing would suggest. While Tom Hanks' Mr. Rogers has been at the forefront of the film's marketing campaign, the film really isn't about Mr. Rogers at all; it's an emotionally thorny family drama about a cynical and wounded man coming to terms with his trauma and taking the first steps toward mending the rifts in his family.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis movie goes to some dark places, but it emerges hopeful. No other film this year has felt quite so cathartic. It’s not so much about Mr. Rogers as it is the idea we all have of him - and rather than deify him, it humanizes him, as a human being like all of us, but who found a way to deal with the hurt inside. There's some really emotionally complex, powerful stuff here, and Heller navigates it with great care, deftly speaking to the part of all of us where child that we were meets the adult that we are.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat final shot of Mr. Rogers alone in his studio banging on his piano are going to stick with me for a long time. They’re beautiful notes, but those few dissonant chords suggest a more complex emotional life than perhaps we saw. And yet nothing about him feels fake or inauthentic. Mr. Rogers was the man we saw on TV. He remains a symbol for all that is kind and good; but the film, like the man, invites us to grapple with and acknowledge the negative feelings inside. People hurt. They feel sadness, anger, regret. But to embrace those things, to meet them head on and wrestle with them rather than sweeping them under the rug - that’s a good feeling.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iMnZrj9CgAs\/XgZdjm266nI\/AAAAAAAAi2g\/hr-5Y6JT1ToP0HJ7utLYgu4DtAzkKukzACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/4.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"844\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"336\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iMnZrj9CgAs\/XgZdjm266nI\/AAAAAAAAi2g\/hr-5Y6JT1ToP0HJ7utLYgu4DtAzkKukzACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/4.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E10. HOTEL BY THE RIVER (Hong Sang-soo, South Korea)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003EFilled with longing and regret, \u003Ci\u003EHotel by the River\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is the story of a group of quintessential Hong protagonists, separated by emotional distance they are unable to bridge despite their best efforts. It recalls the snowy wistfulness of \u003Ci\u003EThe Day He Arrives\u003C\/i\u003E (2012), centering around five lonely people who converge on the eponymous hotel to find their own definition of peace and healing.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003EOn the surface, Hong's films often seem aimless and meandering. And while\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EHotel by the River\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;is perhaps his most accessible film in recent memory (and the first of two films released in 2019, including the enigmatic\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EGrass\u003C\/i\u003E), it still retains his trademark unassuming self-reflexivity, the characters seemingly trapped in a self-imposed purgatory for which they hold the keys to escape, yet never quite figure out how to use them. One always feels that Hong's films are an attempt by the filmmaker to exorcise his own demons, to explore his own feelings and shortcomings both as an artist and a human being. There is a poignant sense of regret that permeates the film that is both tangible and intoxicating, and one comes away with the feeling that we're all just snowflakes in a snowstorm, colliding with each other briefly as we're tossed in the wind, searching for somewhere to land. In Hong's haunted meditation, there is no pretense of having all the answers, and that's what makes it so special. He's out here trying to figure himself out just like everyone else. Like his very best films,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EHotel by the River\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;seems like a circuitous trifle on the surface, but within its modestly composed black and white frames lies a profoundly open-ended exploration of the very faults, foibles, dreams, and contradictions that makes us human.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-YcsWWn8sFwQ\/XgZeG_OltYI\/AAAAAAAAi2s\/P18eeJ7p98sSYmlmXcbVubi4OpwFqO6bACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/onceuponatime3.0.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-YcsWWn8sFwQ\/XgZeG_OltYI\/AAAAAAAAi2s\/P18eeJ7p98sSYmlmXcbVubi4OpwFqO6bACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/onceuponatime3.0.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E11. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (Quentin Tarantino, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003EGoing into a Quentin Tarantino movie, one usually has a certain set of expectations: there will be copious amounts of violence, creative (and constant) use of curse words, extensive references to older films, and lately, a new spin on familiar history.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003EHis latest film, \u003Ci\u003EOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood\u003C\/i\u003E, checks all those boxes, but for the first time since perhaps 1997's \u003Ci\u003EJackie Brown\u003C\/i\u003E, there's something much deeper and more melancholy at work here. Tracing the story of a former TV western star named Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his faithful stuntman, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt),\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;transports us back to the summer of 1969 in the city of dreams, where anything was a possible but change was inevitable.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003EIt's almost as if Tarantino is grappling with his own anxiety about pending irrelevance and ennui while honoring the great filmmakers of the past whose work has been so important to forming his own career. Tarantino famously proclaimed that he would retire after making 10 films, and for those keeping score at home,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is his ninth (if you count the two volumes of \u003Ci\u003EKill Bill\u003C\/i\u003E as one film). The result is perhaps the most beautiful, wistful, and touching thing he has ever directed. The unexpected gravitas and lugubrious self-reflection is something quite new for the filmmaker, displaying a sense of mournful contemplation in a sanguine tribute to the heroes of his childhood.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is easily Tarantino's most deeply felt film to date. \u0026nbsp;Beneath his instantly recognizable sense of dark humor, it's a pensive and haunted reverie of the fading shadows of old Hollywood, where dreams unfolded in larger than life images on a flickering screen, created by much smaller men and women who were more fragile and flawed than they ever let on.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Sf56hdO95b4\/XgZel56rT_I\/AAAAAAAAi20\/ZT7Gj9QFn7g4YG6Wm2yOjBBtnOp24nPHQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/730119523.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1066\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Sf56hdO95b4\/XgZel56rT_I\/AAAAAAAAi20\/ZT7Gj9QFn7g4YG6Wm2yOjBBtnOp24nPHQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/730119523.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E12. THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (Joe Talbot, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003EThere's an unshakable sense of sadness at the heart of Joe Talbot's freshman feature film, \u003Ci\u003EThe Last Black Man in San Francisco\u003C\/i\u003E. It centers around a young man named Jimmie who obsessively returns to the home his grandfather built upon moving to San Francisco after WWII, much to the chagrin of the current owners, who don't appreciate Jimmie's constant repairs and improvements. Jimmie's father lost the house due to financial mismanagement, but that hasn't stopped Jimmie from trying to take care of it when the new owners let it fall into disrepair. When the house finally comes up for sale, Jimmie is determined to reclaim his birthright and buy his childhood home, but the multimillion dollar price tag may prove prohibitive in the newly trendy neighborhood.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Last Black Man in San Francisco\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;touches on ideas of gentrification as Jimmie's former neighborhood suddenly becomes a hot commodity among affluent young white people, but Talbot digs deeper than that, exploring themes of home and identity, and how those two things are often inexorably linked. But in tying his identity to a location, Jimmie discovers some hard truths about where he's really from, and is forced to grapple with what that means for his future. Both Jimmie Fails (who co-wrote the screenplay based on his own life) and co-star Jonathan Majors are remarkable, but it's Fails' sensitive screenplay that is the star here. It's a work of quiet, unassuming beauty. A probing, deeply personal exploration of his own family history and his love for the place he calls home - San Francisco. It's at once a love letter and a warning. \"You don't get to hate it unless you love it,\" he admonishes a young carpetbagger complaining about her newfound surroundings. And indeed, Fails' criticisms are nothing if not full of love for the city of his birth.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003ETalbot takes the mundane and makes it ecstatic, soaring on the wings of Emile Mosseri's haunting score, a mix of mournful oboes and wistful pianos that feels at once familiar and alien, like returning to a home you no longer recognize. It's a beautiful achievement, and one of the very best films of 2019.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-JMgHTqchyt0\/XgZfIHz18BI\/AAAAAAAAi3A\/RsLn-xbH1Zo26Kd4NF0s2AGY8hbsFmDwwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1178\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"470\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-JMgHTqchyt0\/XgZfIHz18BI\/AAAAAAAAi3A\/RsLn-xbH1Zo26Kd4NF0s2AGY8hbsFmDwwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E13. CHINESE PORTRAIT (Wang Xiaoshuai, China)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003EMost films are primarily concerned with action and movement - how characters get from \"Point A\" to \"Point B.\" Figures moving through space and time, in and out of frame, conducting the business of moving along the plot.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003EBy contrast, Wang Xiaoshuai's documentary, \u003Ci\u003EChinese Portrait\u003C\/i\u003E, is a movie about waiting, focusing on the seemingly mundane moments between actions that most movies cut around. The film consists of a series of static tableaus set in textile mills, homes, mines, trains, and other everyday locations of Chinese life. By posing the subjects in a kind of cinematic still life, Wang creates a kind of non-reality reality, a snapshot in time that could almost be a still photograph if it weren't for the life continuing on around them. It almost feels like the mirror image of Abbas Kiarostami's \u003Ci\u003E24 Frames\u003C\/i\u003E, but instead of animating still images, it's freezing real life moments like an insect preserved in amber, a piece of seemingly arbitrary time captured and preserved forever.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003EOne might expect a film comprised of mostly static tableaus to become tiresome or dull, but as the film progresses it becomes something at once wondrous and revelatory, a dynamic living document of modern China that invites viewers to take in the world around them, to become enveloped by its fluctuating scenarios. The effect is at once riveting and enchanting, a quietly electrifying avant-garde documentary that creates a clear-eyed portrait of our ever-changing world without ever uttering a word.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-bY0nXcbB_Vw\/XgZfgMXQOlI\/AAAAAAAAi3I\/ng4e9n0p3A8IQ8vfrrK-zHwCwJy6NKBNQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1000x-1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"562\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-bY0nXcbB_Vw\/XgZfgMXQOlI\/AAAAAAAAi3I\/ng4e9n0p3A8IQ8vfrrK-zHwCwJy6NKBNQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/1000x-1.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E14. PARASITE (Bong Joon-ho, South Korea)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EParasite\u003C\/i\u003E begins as a seemingly light-hearted family comedy, Ki-taek's brood spending their time desperately searching for the one spot in the house with a wi-fi signal, and chasing off drunks who constantly piss in front of their window. Even their ingratiation with the Park family plays a bit like a farce. But Bong slowly turns the film into something else, a dark thriller built around an outlandish premise that finally comes to a head in a shocking eruption of violence, before switching gears yet again into a kind of reflective socially conscious tragedy. It's a film very much rooted in class consciousness and income inequality, an issue that continues to rise to the forefront not only of our own politics here in the United States, but in countries around the world. Bong masterfully blends these divergent genre elements into one wildly original whole, crafting an incisive indictment of income inequality and the wide gulf between the classes that is as bitterly funny as it is hauntingly wistful. It's a tale of two families living side by side who couldn't be further apart, with one family propping up and enabling obscene wealth they could never hope to accumulate in a thousand lifetimes. That's the real tragedy at the heart of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EParasite\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp; it may be about tensions between the haves and the have-nots, but it's a stark reminder that the have-nots need the haves just as much as the haves need the have-nots, and that such extreme inequality can only ever lead to simmering resentment that will inevitably boil over.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Bswe45nc3hc\/XgZgKJDRD-I\/AAAAAAAAi3U\/OmgPFlipicMaz_Al-tgPyHuzgl0v95hCQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/l_9b1522d8-15cd-4952-9ea0-121b12e9fbfa.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Bswe45nc3hc\/XgZgKJDRD-I\/AAAAAAAAi3U\/OmgPFlipicMaz_Al-tgPyHuzgl0v95hCQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/l_9b1522d8-15cd-4952-9ea0-121b12e9fbfa.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E15. CLIMAX (Gaspar Nöe, France)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EClimax\u003C\/i\u003E is the perfect movie for the world in which we live. Common morality and human decency take a backseat to something much more brutal and primal, a world run by pure id. Yet this is no empty provocation, it’s an exploration of the darkest recesses of the human mind, a window into what we're capable of at our very cores. There's a kind of trance-like quality to the film, and once we're under Noé's spell, there's no turning back. It's at once a slow-burn unravelling and a turbulent, unhinged party that goes quickly off the rails. That Noé manages to balance those two aesthetics is remarkable in and of itself, but to also create something that is as moving as it is horrifying.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EClimax\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is often shockingly brutal, but it manages to make us feel the pain of its characters, and to sympathize with their plight. They never asked for this, and the results are often terrifying.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003EMuch of the film is shot in long, unblinking takes, the camera movements replacing editing by being untethered to one specific plane. Noé's camera moves throughout the party like an unseen observer, roving the halls, and even moving up to the ceiling for a bird's eye view so that the audience is at once a dispassionate voyeur and an active participant. There's simply no other film like it in recent memory. It's thrilling, ghastly, tragic, and beautiful, a riotous and sensual visual and aural assault that simply must be seen to be believed.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EHONORABLE MENTIONS:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETHE TWO POPES (Fernando Meirelles, Argentina)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMARRIAGE STORY (Noah Baumbach, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EA HIDDEN LIFE (Terrence Malick, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUNCUT GEMS (Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDARK WATERS (Todd Haynes, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFOR SAMA (Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts, Syria)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETHE WANDERING SOAP OPERA (Raúl Ruiz, Valeria Sarmiento, Chilé)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EASAKO I \u0026amp; II (Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, Japan)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETHE WILD PEAR TREE (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWAVES (Trey Edward Shults, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/7600292476608054269\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=7600292476608054269","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7600292476608054269"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7600292476608054269"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2019\/12\/year-in-review-best-films-of-2019.html","title":"Year in Review | The Best Films of 2019"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VB4sDnQ5BSM\/XgY0hHompkI\/AAAAAAAAi1A\/_45Gm4_sOvojITnvcU8E11z-n2KE9ql6gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/BestFilms2019.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-2629742398109942255"},"published":{"$t":"2019-12-24T17:25:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2019-12-24T17:25:45.940-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Cats | 2019"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NNHowzAyLy0\/XgKP-LRfdKI\/AAAAAAAAi0s\/FS2LFef3oU4_Tqija3kmtqVKOQSgpKB_wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/cats-movie-trailer-gq.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"720\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NNHowzAyLy0\/XgKP-LRfdKI\/AAAAAAAAi0s\/FS2LFef3oU4_Tqija3kmtqVKOQSgpKB_wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/cats-movie-trailer-gq.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ETom Hooper's \u003Ci\u003ECats\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eis one of those cinematic disasters that will go down in the annals of history as one of the all-time great failures. Based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony-winning 1981 musical, which was for a time the longest running Broadway play in history before it closed in 2000, \u003Ci\u003ECats\u003C\/i\u003E takes all the problems that plagued Webber's original musical and multiples them tenfold, leaning into the play's essential formlessness and emerging as a garish mishmash of musical styles and horrendously half-finished special effects.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NggMo9EL1Gw\/XgKQLgBbD_I\/AAAAAAAAi0w\/qPK4u7cIVsgmH6iR01tOn77j49R7Zv20gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/cats_ver2_xlg.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1500\" data-original-width=\"948\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NggMo9EL1Gw\/XgKQLgBbD_I\/AAAAAAAAi0w\/qPK4u7cIVsgmH6iR01tOn77j49R7Zv20gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/cats_ver2_xlg.jpg\" width=\"252\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ERarely does one see such a perfect storm of bad material and poor execution. While the original play featured actors dressed in leotards to represent their feline attributes, the film uses CGI to make the actors look like bizarre cat\/human hybrids complete with furry bodies, human hands and feet, and whiskers. Yet these features are so inconsistently applied that there seems to be no rhyme or reason to any of it. It's come to light now, of course, that the film was released unfinished, and that a new print is being shipped to theaters with improved special effects this week. And while the hands and feet are distracting, and obviously blurred lines between hands and sleeves look like unrendered test runs for better visual effects, the sloppy animation is one of the least of its problems.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn fact the film's biggest issue is its source material. Filled with grating songs and a thin, nonsensical story,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ECats\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;was seemingly doomed before it ever arrived on screen. And yet Hooper, who won an Oscar in 2010 for \u003Ci\u003EThe King's Speech\u003C\/i\u003E, seems bound and determined to bury in completely. He fills the film with groan-worthy cat puns, and creates a mise-en-scene so busy that one hardly knows what to look at. Its flashy array of bold colors and swirling camerawork do little to mask the inherent absurdity of the whole affair, with adults prancing around with catlike movements when it suits them that they immediately drop when it doesn't. This is clearly the result of sloppy direction, and one has to wonder how much Hooper was paying attention given just how uneven and inconsistent the production is. The film looks like it was filmed and edited by a group of feral cats high on catnip, and while that may seem like a camp classic in the making, there's nothing fun or entertaining about any of it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHooper attempts to imbue the film with a greater sense of emotion than its Broadway counterpart by recording the songs live on set, inviting the actors to sniffle and cry their way through the film's most heartrending numbers (he did the same thing with \u003Ci\u003ELes Miserables\u003C\/i\u003E in 2012). Rather than make the numbers more powerful, however, it actually destroys their tempo and slows the film's momentum to a grinding halt, neutering the film's admittedly terrific signature number, \"Memory,\" doing the usually wonderful Jennifer Hudson no favors and giving her little real emotion to chew on like she had in her Oscar-winning performance in \u003Ci\u003EDreamgirls\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe whole thing is just a mess, a borderline unwatchable mishmash of poorly conceived musical numbers and incoherent storytelling. Not even the talented cast, which includes the likes of Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, and Idris Elba can save the film from under the layers of computer animation. One wants to give everyone the benefit of the doubt here, but this truly feels like a movie with no direction, no leader, no vision - it's an unholy abomination complete with dancing cockroaches and singing mice that, rather than bringing dreams to life, plays out like a nightmarish vision from the pits of cinema hell.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - zero stars (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECATS \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003ETom Hooper | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EFrancesca Hayward, James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG \u003C\/b\u003Efor some rude and suggestive humor | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in theaters everywhere.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/2629742398109942255\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=2629742398109942255","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2629742398109942255"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2629742398109942255"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2019\/12\/review-cats-2019.html","title":"Review | Cats | 2019"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NNHowzAyLy0\/XgKP-LRfdKI\/AAAAAAAAi0s\/FS2LFef3oU4_Tqija3kmtqVKOQSgpKB_wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/cats-movie-trailer-gq.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-308696760701371200"},"published":{"$t":"2019-12-23T13:34:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2019-12-23T13:57:50.560-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Best of 2019"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"cinema guild"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"grasshopper film"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"kino lorber"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"neon"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Netflix"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Year in Review | The Best Documentaries of 2019"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-he_GqhmuXdo\/XgEHZNuSf2I\/AAAAAAAAi0U\/bQc3zlph-fIiQWA4pYnyw8dB2fSU5A_GQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/BestDocs2019.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"609\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"242\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-he_GqhmuXdo\/XgEHZNuSf2I\/AAAAAAAAi0U\/bQc3zlph-fIiQWA4pYnyw8dB2fSU5A_GQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/BestDocs2019.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EReality is stranger than fiction, the old saying goes, and in 2019 that has never felt more true. With the world seemingly falling apart around us, documentaries feel more essential than ever, a kernel of truth in a world defined by fake news and \"alternative facts.\" And what a year for documentaries it was - from avant-garde cinematic poems to raw portraits of the human cost of war to examinations of the state of labor in the United States and China to explorations of the unheralded contributions of cinema's female pioneers, 2019's crop of documentaries run the gamut of global topics and have produced some of the year's most indelible cinematic moments.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHere are the ten documentaries that stuck with me the most in 2019.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-cIvlCOkR1N0\/XgDkqhfu26I\/AAAAAAAAiy8\/Sltcd4LNd5I55rW_2GmN4EOLlYtNPzqGwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Black-Mother-3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-cIvlCOkR1N0\/XgDkqhfu26I\/AAAAAAAAiy8\/Sltcd4LNd5I55rW_2GmN4EOLlYtNPzqGwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/Black-Mother-3.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E1. BLACK MOTHER (Kalik Allah, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EIt's a rare thing to be left speechless by a film. Even more so for someone who writes about film for a living; yet\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBlack Mother\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is the kind of film that defies description, a work of such radical beauty that it nearly reshapes the entire cinematic experience in its own image. Part documentary, part travelogue, part poem,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBlack Mother\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a deeply personal tribute to Jamaica (the ancestral home of Allah's mother) and to the black experience, specifically the black women who actually birthed a nation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAllah examines the effects of religion on the tiny island nation, both as a symptom of colonialism and a reaction to it, as Christianity and Rastafarianism blend together into something beautiful and unique. Allah, a renowned photographer, captures snippets of island life and blends them together into a singularly breathtaking. There are films that move you, there are films that shake you, and then there's \u003Ci\u003EBlack Mother\u003C\/i\u003E - a transcendental meditation on life, love, and black identity that takes the mundane and makes it feel miraculous.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-A1OU_XOoe38\/XgDlYIYdLBI\/AAAAAAAAizE\/mD750JXhOJwJzJi5ogkzWp5XlacWARGiACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/4.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1191\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"476\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-A1OU_XOoe38\/XgDlYIYdLBI\/AAAAAAAAizE\/mD750JXhOJwJzJi5ogkzWp5XlacWARGiACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/4.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E2. CHINESE PORTRAIT (Wang Xiaoshuai, China)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EUrban ruin and decay gives way to rebirth, life moves steadily forward even as progress leaves people behind. \u003Ci\u003EChinese Portrait\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;examines moments of humanity in a rapidly evolving nation, reflecting a remarkably diverse country both economically and religiously - Muslim prayers are even featured prominently despite rising anti-Muslim violence in the country. It's as much a portrait of the nation as it could be as a portrait of the country as it is, offering glimpses of its potential along with with its foibles.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne might expect a film comprised of mostly static tableaus to become tiresome or dull, but as the film progresses it becomes something at once wondrous and revelatory, a dynamic living document of modern China that invites viewers to take in the world around them, to become enveloped by its fluctuating scenarios. The effect is at once riveting and enchanting, a quietly electrifying avant-garde documentary that creates a clear-eyed portrait of our ever-changing world without ever uttering a word.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wEr0asPGY4A\/XgDl7d3jn4I\/AAAAAAAAizM\/A5DnGL0ti1Q6hI3DR43SMFtvpQsJgaBlQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/GOSPEL_STILL_MAIN_01.png\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"773\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"308\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wEr0asPGY4A\/XgDl7d3jn4I\/AAAAAAAAizM\/A5DnGL0ti1Q6hI3DR43SMFtvpQsJgaBlQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/GOSPEL_STILL_MAIN_01.png\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E3. THE GOSPEL OF EUREKA (Micheal Palmieri, Daniel Mosher, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EMuch like human sexuality, faith transcends boundaries, refutes hatred, and ultimately finds a place of belonging in the most unlikely of places. At a time when our country feels more divided than ever, films like \u003Ci\u003EThe Gospel of Eureka\u003C\/i\u003E feel all the more essential. Its sense of empathy feels almost defiantly out of step with the world at large, and yet it manages to touch on some deep and essential truths. It is a celebration of queerness, of faith, and of the deep and abiding ties that bind.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-d1bdcfqg_I8\/XgDmplSnQ7I\/AAAAAAAAizU\/fiFseg3cdRoA3kuh9NI-SDpF64CX806YwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/for-sama-2019-005-waad-al-kateab-and-sama-beside-bus.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"750\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-d1bdcfqg_I8\/XgDmplSnQ7I\/AAAAAAAAizU\/fiFseg3cdRoA3kuh9NI-SDpF64CX806YwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/for-sama-2019-005-waad-al-kateab-and-sama-beside-bus.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E4. FOR SAMA (Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts, Syria)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EWaad al-Kateab and Edward Watts's documentary \u003Ci\u003EFor Sama\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is perhaps the most personal and essential account of the conflict in Syria yet made. From al-Kateab's on-the-ground vantage point, \u003Ci\u003EFor\u0026nbsp;Sama\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Ebecomes a harrowing account of Bashir Assad's assault on the people of Aleppo, made ostensibly as a document of remembrance for her infant daughter, Sama.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile films like \u003Ci\u003EThe White Helmets\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;and \u003Ci\u003ELast Men in Aleppo\u003C\/i\u003E, both Oscar winners, have given appropriately disturbing looks into the human elements of the conflict, none have felt quite so deeply empathetic as this one. The framing of a mother attempting to make something for her daughter so that she knows and understands the history of her people and those that love her creates something universally recognizable. The terror and the human toll of the conflict feel tangible and immediate - as al-Kateab documents the world crumbling around her while her husband tries to open hospitals safe from Assad's bombs, their fear and anxiety become palpable. It's not an easy watch, but it's impossible to look away from the massive scale of human atrocity on display that is preserved here not just for young Sama, but for a world that remains frustratingly indifferent.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-IlbuJgbKysA\/XgDnQ3OHZRI\/AAAAAAAAizc\/BP2oo0HSS2Yssr3o8ClrEOSRbhuHEt37wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/agnesvardaproject-photo-c-cinetamaris-e1547220298690.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"982\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-IlbuJgbKysA\/XgDnQ3OHZRI\/AAAAAAAAizc\/BP2oo0HSS2Yssr3o8ClrEOSRbhuHEt37wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/agnesvardaproject-photo-c-cinetamaris-e1547220298690.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E5. VARDA BY AGNÈS (Agnès Varda, France)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003Eike a personal cinematheque retrospective hosted by Varda herself, \u003Ci\u003EVarda by Agnès\u003C\/i\u003E takes us on a tour through her career as she meets with audiences of eager film students around the world, sharing stories, experiences, and amusing anecdotes about her process and craft. Just listening to Varda discuss her career would have been enough to make a fascinating viewing experience, but the legendary French filmmaker isn't content to simply sit in front of a camera and talk about herself. This isn't merely a \"concert film\" comprised of clips of Varda's public appearances. She returns to the scenes of several films, recreating various techniques and breaking the fourth wall with the kind of wistful fondness of a lion in winter reflecting on the days of old. It is fitting, then, that\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EVarda by Agnès\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;ended up being Varda's final film before her death earlier this year at the age of 90. The film is a sublimely autumnal reflection of a legendary career, but it never feels mournful or melancholy - instead, it is a celebration of the \"dreams and reveries\" of a life well-lived, an endlessly engaging ode to a titan of cinema proving she's still playful, still vibrant, and still filled with childlike wonder at the endless possibilities of the artform she held dear. Varda was consistently an artist ahead of her time, a filmmaker who refused to compromise her sense of self or her the inherent politics of her identity, who consistently sought to push the boundaries of cinema and better understand the world around her. And in this, her final film, she writes a bittersweet epitaph for herself, and the world now seems like an infinitely less interesting place without her.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ryZRDBA0_eE\/XgDn3RSF-8I\/AAAAAAAAizk\/M46laek_a6wdcwOpeGjpTU3XbyOfoglJgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/o8OB2N48tiuPthWvk5l3I9tUYds.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"720\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ryZRDBA0_eE\/XgDn3RSF-8I\/AAAAAAAAizk\/M46laek_a6wdcwOpeGjpTU3XbyOfoglJgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/o8OB2N48tiuPthWvk5l3I9tUYds.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E6. ISLAND OF THE HUNGRY GHOSTS (Gabrielle Brady, Australia)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EThe foggy shores of Australia's Christmas Island becomes a crossroads for migrants both human and animal in Gabrielle Brady's haunted and moody documentary, \u003Ci\u003EIsland of the Hungry Ghosts\u003C\/i\u003E; chronicling not only the island's famous crab migration, but its lesser known high security encampment that houses thousands of refugees seeking asylum in Australia.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn an ironic juxtaposition, Brady explores the ubiquitous crabs' journey to the sea with the stagnation of the asylum-seekers trapped in what is essentially a glorified prison, treated as criminals for the simple act of seeking a better life. The animals are free to carry on with their ancient journey, lead by an instinct to procreate and seek a better life for their children, while the humans are punished for similar desires. While the film deals with Australian immigration practices in particular, one can't help but recognize the universal plight of the displaced currently facing immigrants in Donald Trump's America and across Europe.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EIsland of the Hungry Ghosts\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;feels like a quiet rebuke of right-wing populism and anti-immigrant sentiments, yet Brady avoids turning this into a simple political issue, eschewing rhetoric for the subjects' intrinsic humanity. Here, on an island made famous by migratory animals, Brady paints a poetic and at times chilling portrait of life in transit, of a struggle for survival as old as time now playing out in both the macro and the micro; an eternal flux on one tiny island in a time where humans are treated with less dignity than even the lowest of creatures.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KX80U7U8kqM\/XgDoQa6AgwI\/AAAAAAAAizs\/jl83DazcQ9Y0y2v-UB50x6MLua1OV4vQQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/apollo-11.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"563\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KX80U7U8kqM\/XgDoQa6AgwI\/AAAAAAAAizs\/jl83DazcQ9Y0y2v-UB50x6MLua1OV4vQQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/apollo-11.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E7. APOLLO 11 (Todd Douglas Miller, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EAs awe-inspiring as anything in \u003Ci\u003EFirst Man\u003C\/i\u003E, Todd Douglas Miller's documentary, \u003Ci\u003EApollo 11\u003C\/i\u003E, uses breathtaking archival footage of NASA's moon landing mission to create a first-person, fly-on-the-wall document of one of the 20th century's most significant events.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou'll find no talking heads, no interviews, no voice-over narration here, Miller (acting as his own editor) crafts the film like a verité narrative, offering breathtaking never-before-seen perspectives of the rocket launch and moon landing that play as a monument to human achievement, grandly gazing upward toward the heavens as the stuff of science fiction becomes bracing reality. In 2019 space travel is often taken for granted, but Miller dazzlingly reminds us of the monumental achievement of the Apollo 11 mission, capturing, if only for a couple of hours, what it was really like to dream of the stars.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-35IlMeCBiZs\/XgDp1aKvJ6I\/AAAAAAAAi0A\/uR2HwHxAUlY0PoYJft9fXf3F0Hf4PJ8LgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1*VezjgTWqotp0OLcM-m2HZQ.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1067\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-35IlMeCBiZs\/XgDp1aKvJ6I\/AAAAAAAAi0A\/uR2HwHxAUlY0PoYJft9fXf3F0Hf4PJ8LgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/1*VezjgTWqotp0OLcM-m2HZQ.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E8. HONEYLAND (Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska, Macedonia)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003ELjubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska's quietly powerful enthographic documentary, \u003Ci\u003EHoneyland\u003C\/i\u003E, is a film of singular and mesmerizing beauty. \u0026nbsp;I have often said that the very best documentaries take us inside a world with which we are unfamiliar and have never truly seen, and they do so without feeling like colonialist safaris designed for voyeuristic western audiences eager for a peek into the lives of others. Don't come to\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EHoneyland\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;expecting the usual poverty porn, this small-scale wonder is a deeply powerful (and deeply human) exploration of the world of nomadic beekeepers in rural Macedonia.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film centers around Hatidzhe Muratova, the last remaining female beekeeper in Europe, as she struggles to find balance between caring for her elderly mother and keeping her traditions of beekeeping alive, a tradition that is threatened by the arrival of a family that does not respect the basic rules of the region's rich culture. Stefanov and Kotevska deftly probe the delicate balance between humans and nature, and the somewhat tenuous connection that allows both to thrive. But surrounded by a rapidly changing world, Hatidzhe is forced to make difficult choices. Facing obsolesce in a culture that has increasingly less time for the time-tested techniques she keeps alive, she alone seemingly stands between environmental harmony and ruin.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIts deceptively dispassionate, observant style allows the filmmakers to develop a sort of relationship between Hatidzhe and the viewer, but it also creates a fascinating dichotomy between fact and fiction - how could they have possibly captured all this without setting some of it up, and what does that line mean for the world it depicts? The results are as inchoate and mysterious as they are breathtaking in their intimacy, existing somewhere in the in-between places of the world seemingly untouched by time struggling against the siren song of modernity.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mOQgLxNYz6c\/XgDpKXT3krI\/AAAAAAAAiz4\/MP73cw-243wnHeCrTTWjJIOsWTPZKliaACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/6bbabba0-c7f2-11e9-b4e3-f796e392de6b_image_hires_041135.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mOQgLxNYz6c\/XgDpKXT3krI\/AAAAAAAAiz4\/MP73cw-243wnHeCrTTWjJIOsWTPZKliaACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/6bbabba0-c7f2-11e9-b4e3-f796e392de6b_image_hires_041135.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E9. AMERICAN FACTORY (Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003ESteven Bognar and Julia Reichert's documentary, \u003Ci\u003EAmerican Factory\u003C\/i\u003E, is the first film to come out of Barack and Michelle Obama's new Netflix production company, Higher Ground Productions, and features the kind of quiet dignity one would expect from a film backed from our 44th president. It also has the good sense to look at a problem from multiple angles without offering any sort of solution to it, instead choosing to paint a sobering portrait of a post-2008 industrial landscape and the uncertainty facing workers across the globe.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film centers around a Chinese glass company's attempt to open a factory in an abandoned GM plant in Ohio in 2015. Employing both Chinese and American workers, the idea is to foster unity between the two nations and to revitalize an American workforce decimated by the Great Recession, but cultural differences soon lead to tensions between the workers and the Chinese management, who seem to have no grasp of the workplace laws governing American factories. Whispers of unionizing soon bring tensions to a boiling point as the chairman threatens to shut the factory down if the workers form a union, leading the American leadership to do all they can to prevent it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAmerican Factory\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a fascinating exploration of not only the clash between cultures, but of the increasing obsolescence of the worker in the face of mechanized labor (and therefore why they're more important than ever). Yet the thing that seemingly unites the cultures together is the universal attempts of management to find new and creative ways to exploit their workers, and why unions remain an essential cornerstone of labor. I wish the film had taken a more in-depth look at Fuyao's reasoning for squelching unions in America when they're clearly such an important part of their Chinese factories, but the film makes a very clear case for labor reform and unionization even without directly saying so, creating a complex examination of a globalized economy built on the backs of exploited laborers.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PxhLZrhc9MA\/XgDqDfWIqBI\/AAAAAAAAi0E\/_1EVQMC7bUsneUTiIP9DcReCi7dgJxf0wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/BeNatural_photo_Alice_directingBessieLoveinGreatAdventure_1918.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"901\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PxhLZrhc9MA\/XgDqDfWIqBI\/AAAAAAAAi0E\/_1EVQMC7bUsneUTiIP9DcReCi7dgJxf0wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/BeNatural_photo_Alice_directingBessieLoveinGreatAdventure_1918.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E10. BE NATURAL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ALICE GUY-BLACHÉ (Pamela B. Green, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBe Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;investigates the incredible life and career of early silent filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché, throwing back the curtain on one of cinema's greatest and most overlooked pioneers. The film takes its name from the filmmaker's motto - \"Be Natural,\" a reminder for actors that once prominently graced the walls of her studio, Solax, which ran in New York from 1910-1914. Was she forgotten simply because she was a woman? Were other film professionals at the turn of the 20th century intimidated by her prowess? Did film historians simply not take her seriously? Green incisively examines all the factors that lead to Guy-Blaché's seeming erasure for the history books. But the most indelible anecdotes come from archival footage of Guy-Blaché herself, fondly recounting her days as a filmmaker. This was not a woman who put it all behind her went quietly into that good night, this was a woman who was forgotten by history.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;\"\u003EThrough lack of film preservation and the advent of sound, so many early silent films were lost, and along with them, the rich history that gave birth to them. But \u003Ci\u003EBe Natural\u003C\/i\u003E seeks not only to resurrect that history, but to rectify a great injustice, placing Guy-Blaché in the pantheon of cinema pioneers where she belongs. There is a certain playfulness to her films that sets them apart from single shot actualitiés that were so common at the time. Her films had spirit and wit. She was one of the first to use hand-tinted color, and was an early proponent of Gaumont's Chronophone sync-sound system. To see this lion of cinema tell her story in her own words after nearly a century of silence is truly stunning stuff, and Green tells the story with equal parts awe and righteous indignation, framing it as a historical mystery she and her team must solve. It's a vital, deeply moving documentary that at long last acknowledges Guy-Blaché's invaluable gift to cinema, insuring that this long-forgotten pioneer will finally be given her due.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/308696760701371200\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=308696760701371200","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/308696760701371200"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/308696760701371200"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2019\/12\/year-in-review-best-documentaries-of.html","title":"Year in Review | The Best Documentaries of 2019"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-he_GqhmuXdo\/XgEHZNuSf2I\/AAAAAAAAi0U\/bQc3zlph-fIiQWA4pYnyw8dB2fSU5A_GQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/BestDocs2019.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}}]}});