Drama
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the drama genre.
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I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK
Yes, the premise sounds cute. For a half-hour, I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK even feels cute, but the film’s devotion to setting building over plot can’t sustain itself due to the strangling nature of this schizophrenic hospital’s culture. Deciphering the meaning of many scenes is a waste, because when you do, it never pays… (read more)
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Army of Shadows
It’s remarkable and deserving of more respect how modern Jean-Pierre Melville‘s films still look. Show Army of Shadows to your cousin and I can’t promise they won’t call it boring, but they certainly wouldn’t look immediately away. A palpably cold struggle against one of the most imposing mountains of an army in human history. As… (read more)
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Ping Pong the Animation
While simpletons might like to laugh about how it’s funny to take something called "ping-pong" seriously, Masaaki Yuasa delivers a visceral, dramatic, and touching coming-of-age story. (read more)
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Grave of the Fireflies
In stark contrast to their usual fantasy fare, Studio Ghibli attempt a down-to-earth drama about two Japanese children trying to survive during World War II. Can Studio Ghibli retain its level of quality even after stepping outside of their comfort zone? (read more)
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Eastern Promises
Eastern Promises finds new water in the gangster movie well by focusing on a new corner. Italians are no longer the focus here but instead Russians, and Eastern Promises finds an incredibly engaging medium between their fascinating culture and a mystery. This immediate hook allows for the film to unfold at a natural pace where… (read more)
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A History of Violence
A sort of Blue Velvet contemporary, which is of the highest compliment. A History of Violence features similar themes of violence invading the idyllic American dream, only this time around it’s resurfacing instead of being dug up. The darkness spreads like the plague in this fantastic thriller, and David Cronenberg is at his most clever… (read more)
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A Dangerous Method
The subject of A Dangerous Method, the relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, is too great and too interesting to compress under two hours, and it especially doesn’t deserve to have the Sabina Spielrein romance as the center-weight. The need to squeeze in so much exposition and to doll it out in scientific jargon… (read more)
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Death Parade
‘Death Parade’ turns the ‘Death Billiards’ short movie into its own series, which sadly reveals the narrative limitations of its writers. (read more)
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Aim for the Top! Gunbuster
Hideaki Anno of ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ fame directs studio Gainax’s gorgeous, intense mecha anime that would inspire hits like ‘Gurren Lagann.’ Heavily alludes to tennis anime ‘Aim for the Ace!’ (Includes ‘Science Lesson’) (read more)
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Cul-de-sac
Polanski viewed the seminal Repulsion as a stepping stone to this forgotten, bizarre black comedy he intended to be a hit. For all its quirky and amusing antics and characters, Cul-de-sac bears the distinctive mark of a Polanski film in that he psychologically traps his characters and invites us to observe how they respond. There… (read more)