Movies

I’m writing this after seeing Phenomena for the first time and all I can think about is one of the most wild, insane final acts I’ve ever seen in a movie. I can’t go into detail and ruin it, but…

Possession is one of the most unsettling horror films ever. Dialogue is strange and the entire cast performs in subtly off ways. The atmosphere is surreal and the narrative provides more questions than answers. Also notable is the powerful emotional…

Yeah, everyone’s right about it: it’s astonishing how well Psycho still holds up, and that’s always a testament to how well-made it was in the first place. Psycho‘s not likely to instill fear in anyone anymore, but relative to its…

There’s no great mystery to the appeal of Pulp Fiction, at least to me. It’s just thoroughly sidesplitting, endlessly grinning entertainment. That is, I giggle like a little schoolgirl the entire way through it no matter how many times I…

Punch-Drunk Love is a very unexpected mix of palpably uncomfortable anxiety-ridden drama, frilly romance, and absurdist comedy that comes incredibly, incredibly close to imploding in on itself by becoming a wild mess – but there’s just enough ambiguity to its…

Tense and engaging in that typical way these “true story” cons tend to be, but I won’t act like I’m above that kind of entertainment. Especially when it’s backed up by the great performances of John Turturro and Ralph Fiennes.…

From a director known for his unrestrained writing and penchant for controversy comes an inconsequential zombie flick that a David Cronenberg fan may want to believe is a little more clever than it appears. It’s not, though. That was Shivers,…

Martin Scorsese‘s sharp decision to film in black and white gives Raging Bull a special framework that elevates it beyond a simple biopic. Raging Bull is a third-person lens at an era gone past, and the juxtaposition of the beautifully…

AKA: Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark Raiders of the Lost Ark feels overly traditional and never truly exciting due to the fact every “dangerous” scene has heroic framework with the score and lighting cheering Indiana Jones on. The…

People lie, I guess. I can’t be surprised by any aspect of Rashomon. If you view Rashomon under the perspective that it’s about perception against reality it’s a lot more interesting, but the narrative seems to suggest it’s simple egocentric…

One of those movies that just has to be good. Out of all of Alfred Hitchcock‘s movies, Rear Window bears a huge advantage of still being the most unique conceptually. The cramped, single room setting and voyeuristic, gossipy take on…

Red Beard suffers from a loose overarching storyline (it was adapted from many short stories and it shows) where things sometimes progress sporadically, and certain significant plot details come into play surprisingly late, but good can be said about nearly…

1984 seemed a bit early for a retro ’70s movie, but only the post-punks with their newfound cynical self-awareness could influence one of the most hilarious comedies of the ’80s. A neon-green radioactive ooze pervades and perverts Repo Man into…

The first of Roman Polanski‘s so-called “apartment trilogy,” Repulsion explores much of the same themes of the succeeding two films in its own way. Paranoia and phobia run the show here, with some astonishing camerawork during the dream sequences. Chico…

I admit my slight unfairness when I say my only complaint about Reservoir Dogs is that it’s too short. Many great movies leave you wanting more, but here I was left needing more. I also didn’t like how a couple…

I don’t believe in perfection in art. The only point in attempting it is to just raise the standards for perfection even higher. But if you forced me to pick some movies I think come close to perfection, RoboCop would…

I’m astonished that, for a director valued for his sense of suspense, Rope is not seen as his peak in that regard. The real-time single room setting combined with the illusion of a single take brings the tension to life…

Rosemary’s Baby draws its power from the realistic universal discomfort of watching a very ill woman suffering during her pregnancy. Rosemary’s innocence and naivete are instantly charming, and when things go wrong for her we feel her same paranoia and…

Though not as interesting or tense as Yojimbo, also directed by Akira Kurosawa, Sanjuro has essentially everything Yojimbo had, just in lesser amounts. The same appeal exists in watching the clever Sanjuro repeatedly outsmart his enemies with the occasional stunning…

The Godfather is significant in how it makes us love a family of criminals as people, and Goodfellas shows us all the thrills that come with the high-life. Scarface gets plain and ugly about the underground, and Tony Montana (Al…

Wes Craven’s 1996 seminal satirical slasher stunningly surpasses swathes of shallow, shlocky ‘Scream’ siblings.

Some compellingly trippy, symbolic imagery here and there, but overall Seconds feels like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone that didn’t need to be extended—at least when it comes to its themes, which seem to deliver the broad message…

Al Pacino is the Atlas of Serpico, his central performance is the strength of the entire movie, with other aspects being only a little more than serviceable. The real Serpico seems like a good guy, but the dedication to the…

Akira Kurosawa is known for warm, humanistic dialogue and characters, but this burns brightest. ‘Seven Samurai’ is a celebration of life, and a fair one.

Shadow of a Doubt possesses some of Alfred Hitchcock‘s heaviest themes. Moments of brilliance with slices of peaceful suburbia being rotted by the growing underbelly of malicious malaise and the death of its innocence. There’s an interesting dynamic as the…

It’s a dark day when you see a Martin Scorsese movie that relies on jump scares. Every time the score of Shutter Island score got quiet I turned the volume down immediately to avoid damaging my ear drums. Pronouncing the…

Sleeping Beauty is one of Disney’s richest works of artwork and animation, with a distinctively sharp, geometric illustrative style resembling painted glass and tapestry. Despite its stunning appearances, even by Disney standards the story is too traditional and can’t be…

It’s difficult to imagine any other popular director of the time who could command such a budget for an old tale and do it better than Tim Burton. Sleepy Hollow doesn’t fully transfer the power of the original story, but…

Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1972 sci-fi epic ‘Solaris’ explores the distinctions between reality and fantasy—and if any of them are even meaningful.

Spartacus gets both ends of the shaft from film nerds due to the fact it’s the least “Kubrickian” Stanley Kubrick movie, and most everyone else shrugs it off because it’s just not particularly great. Kubrick-like or not, Spartacus is still…

A technical masterwork that ranks among one of David Cronenberg’s most intricately plotted, with visual storytelling and essential symbolism. Spider‘s web falls apart when the technical side never gets to completely eclipse with the screenplay. Every scene is a slow…

I expected to not care much for this having not grown up with it, but Star Wars deserves its enormous hype. To this day, the only other film I’ve seen with such wholly unique and original set design is Brazil.…

Yeah, there’s a lot of dumb shit in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, but unlike The Force Awakens it still has the soul of Star Wars despite a weaker screenplay, which is more important. It’s not simply an adventure…

Holy hell, I just gotta say that Harmy’s Despecialized Edition looks absolutely fantastic. Some of the best video quality I’ve ever seen. Really brought the sets and props to complete life, which are the best things about Star Wars. Other…

Stray Dog may be one of Akira Kurosawa‘s earliest acclaimed movies, but it’s his style of writing down to the bone. This police procedural starts out very slow in his usual tempo but gradually builds as Kurosawa’s hefty dialogue expands…

It ain’t no video game… it’s a really boring, dreary, live-action—oh, the ride is out of order. Introducing ‘Super Mario Bros.’

The plot of Suspiria is pretty whatever—even Dario Argento has done better. But he’s certainly never topped Suspiria‘s astonishing, shrieking assault of color and sound. It’s some kind of unwritten law that the less your horror movie focuses on dialogue,…

One of the very rare movies I watch that I feel could benefit from being significantly longer. Tim Burton‘s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street adaptation cuts out parts of the original play, and it can blatantly be…

Kieslowski has no need for fictional characters when real people are more interesting. You could say it’s one of his mottos. Talking Heads is a demonstration of that, a series of interviews sorted chronologically by age with 100 different people.…

Tenebre is the most thoroughly competent Dario Argento film I’ve ever seen. That is to say, it’s one of the dullest. Argento usually finds success in absurdity, so he never really grasps it in this straightforward murder mystery. The killings…

A good movie, but Terminator 2: Judgment Day (T2) isn’t how I like my action films. The original is laser-focused on a specific mood and goal that only rises in momentum. T2 is more dynamic with many slower portions dedicated…

‘The Amityville Horror’ is a surprisingly subtle capturing of gradual domestic violence and its associated dread, ultimately succumbing to its sensationalist origins.

A fair generalization of Akira Kurosawa movies is that his greatest works have wonderful characterizations while his lesser works are so because they lack this. The Bad Sleep Well is no different. Performances are strong (a fine example of Toshirô…

The best thing that can be said about The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is that it’s identifiably “Dario Argento” despite being his debut. The gory murders still affect, his eye for framing and following a shot is already ace,…

Often considered Alfred Hitchcock‘s last great movie. At the very most, you can definitely see him running thin. The main duo of The Birds are cardboard cutouts of all Hitchcock leads before them down to the coy sarcastic exchanges and…

I didn’t watch this until I was 25. I thought it was engaging and tense. Feel free to use this anecdote if anyone claims ‘The Blair Witch Project’ didn’t age well or is only a product of nostalgia.

“The Blob” could also be used to describe the quality of its screenplay. Grotesque practical effects, and some terrible green screening. A slow start with too much focus on plot and characters, but a lightly likable cast. A solid premise…

Seriously way too fucking long, and for a comedy, The Blues Brothers isn’t very funny. Disappointing as a musical, as the choreography and shots are average with dancers randomly out of frame, not to mention the songs are just the…

In the overabundance of bureaucratic comedies, Lars von Trier‘s The Boss of It All is predictably irreverent in its predictability. Audience winking and editing ill-suited to this dry humor sabotage a solid premise for an ignoble, possibly pretentious meta goal.…

The Conversation is possibly the best example of Francis Ford Coppola‘s directing talent as it goes for something more subtle that his usual hugely bombastic ambition can’t distract from. There’s such an intense focus and purity on the writing and…

Early sci-fi was often inspired by topical political themes, but many of these stories have remained timeless despite their social commentary thanks to their general entertainment value, such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The Day the Earth Stood Still…

The Dead Zone lacks David Cronenberg‘s daring creative spark, but its by-the-books competence also ensures it isn’t one of his worst. This is not a thriller, but instead a drama focused around Christopher Walken trying to find a way to…

The blatant humor is at first concerning but soon after not at all distracting due to the central perspective being that of a hopeless cynic who thinks the world’s out to get him. Of course, it’s actually just him. Besides…

The Double Life of Veronique explores a question as old as the night’s stars: are we ever alone in thinking our thoughts?

The tension of The Evil Dead still holds up well. You begin to feel like you’re trapped in the cabin with the characters. I’ve heard people complain about the actors. That makes no sense to me, as I think this…

The Fog is overall better than Halloween because you’re not watching a crappy teen movie for a majority of the time, but it also lacks any strong iconic moments. John Carpenter‘s score consists of one good theme and a bunch…

When talking about Brian De Palma‘s sense of excess in his films, it’s more often a positive—he makes even typical tales grandiose. The Fury is excess by lack of imagination. The Fury takes a silly concept and tries to run…

Great visual design and atmosphere thanks to the post-modern art and Polanski‘s heavy use of grey tones, but The Ghost Writer ultimately doesn’t pay off for all the suspense it builds. The writing lacks some self-awareness as well. Every character…

The Great Silence may end up waiting some time before it’s commonly regarded as one of the greatest westerns, which is unfortunate as the film’s effect is immediate. The unique snowy backdrops impact the dialogue and scenes wonderfully, Klaus Kinski…

Certainly not my least favorite Akira Kurosawa movie, but The Hidden Fortress is the first to make me question what the point of it all was. I also wonder what the 139-minute running time went towards, as barely anything of…