Letterboxd — Your life in film

Loved it. A dense and dazzling work of art. One of Anderson's best.

The story is all over the place, the characters are grating, and the ending is wildly incongruous with the rest. Aside from Fischer's gorgeous cinematography, there's not much here to appreciate.

Even with its rushed, relatively unsatisfying ending, this is a surprisingly strong entry in Bergman's early career. The film begins with a young woman attempting suicide, and she soon begins an unexpected relationship with an outsider. Slowly, we understand the circumstances which led to her immense depression, and we watch her would-be savior grapple with his ability to accept her for who she is. Though this is one of her only roles, Nine-Christine Jönsson is incredible in this, carrying the film's entire emotional weight on her shoulders. One of Bergman's most tender and emotional films, definitely undervalued in his oeuvre.

Maybe the only film from Von Trier that's more interesting in form than concept. That's not to say the content is dull by any means, as its story is psychologically and thematically dense, but it's his most visually striking film by a long shot. And so early in his career! Seriously staggering cinematography, editing, direction, etc.; every visual choice feels perfectly calibrated. Don't know why it took me so long to seek this out.

First watch in at least 15 years, and I could still recite damn near every line. Somehow convinced my mom to take me to the theater to see this when I was 12 (best parent ever) and instantly became obsessed with it, rewatching it on dvd incessantly, trying to study its structure, storytelling, filmmaking, etc. Didn't have any apprehensions about revisiting it, mainly because Fincher is a master, but I am surprised how well it holds up. Gorgeous sleek visuals, great acting, and the best original soundtrack of all time, if you ask me.

Compared to the other two films I've seen from Rivette (Céline and Julie Go Boating and Duelle), this is shockingly straightforward. And though I mostly responded to the unique characteristics of his other work (formal experimentation, abstraction, dreamlike narrative and tone), it's invigorating to see him apply his incredible filmmaking sensibilities to a fairly grounded thriller. The narrative unfolds at a perfect pace, making the nearly three-hour runtime fly by, the cinematography is intoxicating, and the performances are stellar, especially Bonnaire. Even more excited to explore the rest of Rivette's work, now that I know how multifaceted he is as an artist.

A solid crime film until its final 30 minutes when it becomes outright thrilling. Kitano's acting and direction are superb. The film has an increasingly dark tone, but it never feels forced; it's grim without being overbearing.

Similar to Right Now, Wrong Then, this presents two versions of one story, but it's less of a Sliding Doors examination of small changes impacting the plot and more of an opportunity to understand the characters in more depth. And ultimately, those layers reveal cynicism and cruelty. I've only seen a few other films from Hong, but this is by far the least pleasant. That's not to say it's weaker by any means, in many ways the bitterness of the characters feels like a fitting counterpart to the relaxed filmmaking and atmosphere, but it is surprising, having only seen his lighter, more gentle dramas.

A bunch of footage—some cool, some mundane—in desperate need of an editor.

I’m just more of a The Smiths - live Rockpalast 1984 (HQ) kinda guy.

Substantially better than Searching, mostly due to the directing duties being handed over to the previous film's editing duo. Johnson and Merrick ditch any illusions of realism, further leaning into the stylization of the computer screen gimmick. Though the film is just as ridiculous and quite dumb at times, it's more propulsive and aesthetically inventive. When it comes to disposable thrillers like this, that goes a long way.

It's been maybe 20 years since I've seen the theatrical version, so I couldn't identify any differences now watching the assembly cut. That said, the pacing in this version is grueling, so I would likely prefer any cut that's not damn near 2.5 hours long. Apart from the performances, I got nothing out of this. It looks hideous, the effects are horrid, the "action" sequences are dull at best, incoherent at worst.