young mid-century life as a horseshoe between free time and the hustle in all its forms, personified here as fads, trends, and political idealism, adolescence as the necessity of venturing on even without adequate gas in the emotional tank (the literalization of which is simultaneously the funniest and most suspenseful scene of the year for me). Hoffman and Haim could not be more wonderful, accidentally crashing into/intentionally bouncing off each other and all manner of valley weirdos (Bradley Cooper in…
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House of Gucci 2021
a bit too long in the tooth in the final stretch where it matters most, but when this goes it goes. Gaga, Driver and Pacino are phenomenal, I hate Leto but so does the movie, so he actually circled around to some kind of entertainment value lmao
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Inside Llewyn Davis 2013
Rewatch bumps this up to a full 5 stars. Knowing the structure of the film going in is like listening to a song that you really liked the first time but discover new subtleties within. Oscar Issac's performance continues to reveal new depth and meaning within small gestures and tics, and having a handle on the tone makes the film less dreary. Within the Coen's filmography, I'd say if Barton Fink and A Serious Man are a Summer on the…
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The Grand Budapest Hotel 2014
I'm going to start on a strange note, so bear with me here. While watching The Grand Budapest Hotel, the easiest comparison I could think of was The Wolf of Wall Street. As WoWS was Martin Scorsese taking his indulgences, guilty pleasures, and cinematic flourishes, and grinding into them with every ounce of energy and vigor he's got, The Grand Budapest Hotel is Wes Anderson doing the same thing. Though obviously not a bombastic and in-your-face as WoWS, The Grand…
