Too casual philosophy and too-formal blogging
Dir. Rob Reiner, Cin. Peter Smokler; in English; 82 minutes. I found this mockumentary cringe-inducing and barely less vapid than the subjects it heavily "softly" critiques. Eighty-four minutes of "hey, look at these idiots" gets pretty boring pretty quickly. I agree with the cinematographer on this one, who "did not understand what was supposed to be funny … Continue reading This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Dir. Guillermo del Toro, Cin. Guillermo Navarro; in English; 120 minutes. What I learned: (1) violence solves all problems, (2) help from others is overrated, and (3) sometimes, we should stay in toxic relationships, even if they will harm ourselves and others—and everyone.
Dir. Pablo Larraín, Cin. Stéphane Fontaine; in English; 100 minutes. A powerful depiction of loss at the highest level of society, Jackie used brooding, uncomfortable motifs, wending frame structures, and careful not-quite-symmetries that made for an accessible and challenging 100 minutes. Natalie Portman's performance, prideful and tearful both between jump cuts and long takes, stuck with me, … Continue reading Jackie (2016)
Dir. Sacha Baron Cohen, Cin. Anthony Hardwick and Luke Geissbühler; in English and "Kazakh" (Polish, Hebrew, and Armenian); 84 minutes. Given the rise in hate-crimes due to Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, parts of this movie felt topical in reminding the viewer of unwelcoming and bigoted swaths of American culture; given that even men would be blind not to see … Continue reading Borat (2006)
Dir. Guillermo del Toro, Cin. Dan Laustsen; in English, Russian, and ASL with English subtitles; 122 minutes. Del Toro uses his excellent costume and set design (many key props play subtle double, even triple duty, e.g. a wall-calendar) and almost constantly-moving camera to great effect, abandoning much of the baggage of his older themes (mysticism, … Continue reading The Shape of Water (2017)
Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson, Cin. Robert Elswit; in English; 158 minutes. I personally would have preferred a more complex, less obvious view of the selfishness and competition of American culture, through the lens of someone other than a monomaniacal, disturbed white guy. I found it kind of a shame that Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel … Continue reading There Will Be Blood (2007)
Not Opinionated Enough 