Drama
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the drama genre.
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Seconds
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 of, “life’s what you make it” with an unrelated, unforgiving pessimism added on top for… (read more)
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The Master
If there is a cult theme here, it’s the cult of Paul Thomas Anderson; devotees so enamored by the excellent cinematography and intense performances in The Master that they believe there must be something more to it all. The Master isn’t a complex film, but appears as such due to its vague, diametrically opposed themes… (read more)
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The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a John Cassavetes character study where a strip club owner is caught between his personal motivations and a mob hit job. Ben Gazzara puts on a fantastically subtle performance and hides his true feelings until the end. However, his character really only faces challenge, not conflict, and this… (read more)
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Céline and Julie Go Boating
The theme to take away from ‘Céline and Julie Go Boating’ is the opposite of what it likely aims for: some art is too distant to attempt to make your own. (read more)
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A Short Film About Killing
A Short Film About Killing (ASFAK) has Kieslowski blossom into the ethereal directing style that would define his beautiful humanism. For the first time we see a distinct focus on color and music. ASFAK chooses bronze, as a dystopian, somber, golden sunset is cast over the final days of its characters. Though made with an… (read more)
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Watership Down
Watership Down is a classic adventure story with a youth-friendly aesthetic, but realizes children will eventually have to come of age and stop only watching comedies. Triumphs aren’t given by fortune but instead constant suffering full of threatening risks. The art and animation is pretty but blandly realistic, so it’s the surreal religious visions where… (read more)
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The Dead Zone
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 cope with his lost time from a coma. The abridged screenplay shows itself as the… (read more)
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The Great Silence
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 plays a suitably psychotic and manipulative villain, and for its modest length the film has… (read more)
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American Beauty
American Beauty, despite its satirical nature, is so overly blunt with its character development and saccharine at parts that it can make the ironic lens of the film unbelievable—but these are small problems in the face of what’s one of the funniest films of the decade. Its humor is still restless because its themes are… (read more)
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The Usual Suspects
Just knowing there’s a twist is bad enough. Why can’t people just keep their damn mouths shut? After all, The Usual Suspects is a lesson in such. Thanks to some very impressive editing, the exposition itself feels like the action. Which is good because that’s most of the movie. While the ending is indeed great,… (read more)