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The Poughkeepsie Tapes 2007
I don't know what you want me to say.
I see a lot of people dragging this film for its low production quality and for being "unrealistic," which I really don't understand. I watch a lot of horror films and I have to say that The Poughkeepsie Tapes is one of the most genuinely disturbing ones I've seen in a really long time. It pulls off true crime documentary so well that at times it was very hard for me…
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Ida 2013
Pawel Pawlikowski's Ida is a beautifully haunting film that packs heaps of meaning into a sparse, 80 minute frame. In Poland, 1962, Anna, a young novice at a convent, is ordered by her Mother Superior to seek out her only living relative, whom she has never met, before she takes her vows. Not knowing what to expect, Anna travels to visit her Aunt Wanda, a hardened, bitter woman who tells her that Anna's real name is Ida, she's Jewish, and…
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Jaws 1975
100 Movies to See Before You Die Challenge
#18 of 100
A true classic in every single way. I can't help but catch myself mouthing those iconic one-liners and "Smile, you son of a--" still sends the best chills down my spine. I don't think I ever won't love this movie.
My original review:
letterboxd.com/mvanrossum/film/jaws/ -
Touch of Evil 1958
A Century of Cinema Challenge: 1958
My respect and admiration for Orson Welles knows no limits. He was one of the truly greatest filmmakers ever and a master at his craft. It's really a shame that his career was such a difficult one, his struggles with Hollywood producers seemingly never ending. The version of Touch of Evil that was released to the public was, similarly to The Magnificent Ambersons, cut to hell and back and its only been in recent…
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The Night of the Hunter 1955
"Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms."
My original review:
letterboxd.com/mvanrossum/film/the-night-of-the-hunter/ -
Dial M for Murder 1954
A Century of Cinema Challenge: 1954
Good ol' Hitchcock. Never failing to deliver the thrills and chills, the murder and the mystery. This one is a little different than most though, because it is essentially confined to one location, and I think this was an excellent choice for the master of suspense. Barring two, maybe three scenes, Dial M for Murder never goes farther than a single room, the parlor of Tony and Margot Wendice. Hitchcock takes us through a…
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The Brood 1979
The Cronenberg Compensation Challenge
#10
I love David Cronenberg because of his uncanny ability to make the most unsettling and bizarre stories while still being whip-smart and original with his scripts. The Brood seems to be a more understated work of his. I've never heard much hype around it and that just made it all the more surprising when I got completely sucked in. The Brood has quickly risen in the ranks to become one of my favorite Cronenberg films.…
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The Idiots 1998
The Idiots is one of those film's that's kind of hard to gauge after only one viewing. But as usual, in his misanthropic way, Lars von Trier shows us a detestable aspect of society, this time in the form of a commune of people who pretend to be mentally handicapped as a method of self-exploration and discovery. However, here von Trier shows a glimmer of redemption beneath the muck.
This isn't to say that his characters are likable, as they're…
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Sunset Boulevard 1950
A Century of Cinema Challenge: 1950
Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard is a beautifully scathing commentary on the brutality of the Hollywood industry, sprinkled with touches of black comedy and satire. It's one of those films who's reputation precedes it, and there's not much for me to say that hasn't already been said to death about this classic. So I'll be brief.
Sunset Boulevard is an example of near perfect storytelling complete with an unorthodox narrator. On top of that, Wilder…
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The Prestige 2006
Wow, this one took me by surprise!
I've always really enjoyed Christopher Nolan and his "puzzle films," even if they get a little convoluted, I can almost always guarantee that I'll at least have a good time. The Prestige really takes the cake though (granted, I haven't seen Memento yet) at delivering some mind bending twists and turns that kept me glued to my seat and my eyes glued to the screen.
It's hard to go into too much detail…
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Mister Lonely 2007
It's always difficult to know where to begin a review of a Harmony Korine film. They're always so layered and beautifully bizarre that it's hard to find a jumping off point. I think Mister Lonely is easily Korine's most accessible film, followed by Spring Breakers, but I also feel that because of this, it's also his least "Korine" film. Don't get me wrong, it's weird, but it's not that kind of aggressive, get in your face weird, that you would…
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Bicycle Thieves 1948
A Century of Cinema Challenge: 1948
If there has ever been a film that has defined a generation, then Vittorio de Sica's Bicycle Thieves is the film that defined post-WWII Italy. A beautifully simple film, it follows Antonio Ricci, a poor man who finally is offered a job that would allow his family to start living comfortably again, after years of living in poverty. But once his bicycle is stolen, preventing him from doing his job, the rest of the…