Drama
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the drama genre.
-
A Short Film About Love
A Short Film About Love contains much of Kieslowski’s human compassion and interest in fatalism. I find the story’s resolution to be disappointingly trite, as the display of a man driven mad by his inability to express his obsession is far more interesting than an idealistic, bogus love story from a deviant’s perspective. I really… (read more)
-
Naked Lunch
The most shocking thing about Naked Lunch is how such an insanely weird movie ends up so incredibly boring. The 100% deadpan humor cannot survive for two hours, and the bizarre focus on constant exposition otherwise eventually makes this a life-sucking watch. A real shame, as the aesthetics are fantastic, and for the first 40… (read more)
-
Tramway
It’s charming to see that Kieślowski is still himself in his first film. Yet again a simple but poignant observation of ordinary people’s lives taking sudden major turns. It’s a story that’s happened to everyone. Still, though it may be Kieślowski, there’s nothing really special about Tramway. I hope Jerzy Braszka eventually plucked that unibrow.… (read more)
-
Venus in Fur
It’s impressive and very pleasing to me as a fan that Polanski has still not lost himself after decades of films. Akin to many of his works, Venus in Fur is a single-setting psychological playground where Amalric and Seigner compete for dominance over each other and the screen. The two are wrapped in a clever,… (read more)
-
No End
No End is both expected and peculiar in Kieslowski‘s oeuvre, as it contains both a humanistic drama and a legal/political one, but these two stories are separate and merely intertwine with a set of linked characters. One half displays the struggle of a woman grieving over her dead husband, while in the other a lawyer… (read more)
-
Once Upon a Time in America
I want to love Once Upon a Time in America (OUaTiA). Sergio Leone‘s sense of scale and ability to capture the landscape have not diminished at all, and there’s a great basic story here with a very cool generational progression, but at times the acting is extremely poor for such a major feature, and the… (read more)
-
Camera Buff
Camera Buff (AKA Ametor) is a semi-autobiographical drama made by a filmmaker for a filmmaker. I am not a filmmaker and have no interest in becoming one, but I was still thoroughly engaged despite not connecting to Camera Buff on a personal level like Kieslowski’s others. Anyway, the perv-stached Jerzy Stuhr portrays Kieslowski’s own struggles… (read more)
-
Whiplash
A college band drummer spirals into a fierce mental conflict with his ruthless instructor. 2014’s ‘Whiplash’ is an intense psychological thriller about the pursuit of perfection. (read more)
-
To Live
Between the moral platitudes, typical plot concept and progression until the last 50 minutes that just unnecessarily establish the point of the first 90, Takashi Shimura‘s total of two expressions, and that Akira Kurosawa has many better films under his belt, my reaction towards To Live (Ikiru) is enough to leave even me curious. It’s… (read more)
-
Death and the Maiden
Death and the Maiden shows its source medium of a play very clearly in positive ways with a gripping single-setting that has a curious mystery and high stakes. The combination works like a guarantee and it’s entertaining throughout. Weaver incredibly overacts and actually loses sympathy, not as a victim, but as a relatable person. Wilson… (read more)