This was probably my most anticipated film of the year (right after that follow Strickland’s In Fabric and McPhail’s Anna and the Apocalypse; I still have to see both) and I actually don’t know where to start here. The first thing I want to mention is that I was glad I saw it on the big screen (a 2 hour train ride aside) and in the original version!
There is quite a lot to be discussed but I’ll keep it…
This is one of the best films I’ve seen in my life. From the opening shot panning over the deserted Texan landscape accompanied by the guitar sounds from Ry Cooder’s ethereally beautiful soundtrack I knew this film would be something special. And it turned out I wouldn’t be wrong with my notion. This film is perfectly shot, perfectly paced, perfectly scored, perfectly written and the characters are perfectly portrayed by the cast. I regard Harry Dean Stanton as one of…
Would easily be my favourite dramatized/fictional biopic if it was based on an actual person. Captures the socio-political zeitgeist of late 2010's and early 2020's with an immaculate subtlety. Definitely the strongest perfomance of Blanchett I've seen so far. Her German was surprisingly good and that assault scene caught me off-guard and blew me away. An exceptional cinema experience which could have lasted even an hour longer, the 158 minutes flew by like nothing. This film will become a classic in the future.
This film reminded me how important film as an artistic medium is. In the age of hyper-accessibility via streaming services where the majority of the films are shot digitally and cinematic highlights can be created by using smartphone cameras (thinking of Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes), this film is a drastic counter-project. Wiebke and Johannes, the former owners of the Lodderbast cinema in Hannover, are travelling through Hannover, Germany and Europe (and possibly the US!) to present their first directorial…
One of the best films about obsession I’ve seen. With a grainy, black and white picture which happens to be Aronofsky’s first feature he proves what he is capable of. He creates hauntingly disturbing imagery perfectly accompanied by Clint Mansell’s Matrix-reminiscent score (and this was released one year before The Matrix). Sean Gullette portrays a mathematician who gradually plunges into a world dominated by delusion, madness and obsession and he does this with such a confidence, a great performance by a very little known actor. One of Aronofsky’s finest films.
52 in 52 - Film #19
Aronofsky Ranked
1998 Ranked
FTWs 2019
