Reviews
Nightbitch (2024)
Yikes
Directed by: Marielle Hellner
Written by: Marielle Hellner
SUMMARY
A beleaguered mother, put upon by her duties to take care of her child, finds herself turning into a dog at night. She ultimately finds that she loves being a mom at night by finding community with other moms. While she breaks it off with her husband, she reconciles at the end of the film.
RATING
C+
Yikes. I paired this screening with the much better women's movie, The Substance. Nightbitch portrays a young mother who is struggling with the demands of motherhood. Amy Adams does a great job at portraying the stress of a mother, but ultimately the direction and writing drag this to very mediocre territory. The movie is very tonally inconsistent - alternating between sweet moments with her son, shot softly, like a Lifetime movie, and body horror of her pulling fur out from under her skin. The ending felt like it undermined whatever bite the film had to say about motherhood.
The Substance (2024)
Terrifying
Directed by: Coralie Fargaeat
Written by: Coralie Fargeat
SUMMARY
A washed-up actress whose glory days are behind her, uses a substance to spawn a newer, younger, more beautiful self, but they need to follow the rules of the subtance use to maintain the usage correctly. Ultimately, her younger self drains all her vitality and kills her. In the final act, the younger self tries to spawn a better self, and ends up spawning a monster, who ultimately dies.
RATING
A+
This is a horrifying, terrifying, chilling film that hits deep about self-image issues. Brilliant filmmaking, with an avant garde, surrealist style, accompanied by cringing body horror. I couldn't sleep the night I watched it, despite it not really being very "scary", external. It's psychological!
Wicked: Part I (2024)
Big Hollywood at its finest
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Written by: Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox
SUMMARY
The movie adaptation of the musical Wicked, where we see the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West. She was born an outcast with green skin, goes to university, where she learns she is valuable because she has the gift of magic. She gets invited to the wizard, but it's revealed the wizard actually has no power, and is actually evil.
RATING
A+
I was skeptical of a big Hollywood movie, especially one that would adapt a single show into a two part movie, but I was completely blown away. Chu has done an amazing job directing this movie, with good pacing, and spectacular sound design. The writing is great, and the moments - like the ending - soar. We talk about overbloated Hollywood budgets, but this is Big Hollywood at its finest.
An Unfinished Film (2024)
A let down!
Directed by: Lou Ye
Written by: Lou Ye
SUMMARY
A director revisits a film that he never finished a decade ago, and attempts to finish it, but he is interrupted and derailed by COVID. We end with the film finished and them surviving COVID.
RATING
B
Argh! What a let down! This is a fantastic premise with amazing potential, but quickly loses steam by the first half and devolves into a generic COVID film, that almost starts doubling as a COVID documentary. A COVID documentary can be interesting, but a fictional film cannot support the needed trust to be a documentary. I wish this were much more about the artistic process, how art can continue even in tough times, but it's not. A let down!
Feng liu yi dai (2024)
For an art film, pretty good
Directed by: Jia Zhangke
Written by: Wan Jiahuan, Jia Zhangke
RATING
Shot over decades, and stitched together with archival b-roll footage. An experimental art film about a woman trying to find a man. In the end, she finally finds him and breaks up with him, showing the changing tide of China.
RATING
B
For this kind of art film, it's pretty good. The film really comes alive when the characters are on screen, and our main character Qiao Qiao doesn't speak at all, and I think this shows how powerful film can be without dialogue. I wish it were all less experimental and tightened into a more consumable, approachable narrative.
Conclave (2024)
Contradicting reality
Directed by: Edward Berger
Written by: Peter Straughan
SUMMARY
After the pope dies, the cardinals must meet to elect a new pope, but secrets are revealed. Despite each possible candidate torn down in brutal ways, and with terrorist attacks on the Vatican, we end with a hopeful ending with the election of a liberal, pacificist pope, who happens to be intersex.
RATING
A
A film about an election right after an election. It's hard to appreciate the films ending when reality completely contradicts this hopeful message. However, as a film, and as a thriller, Conclave puts you on the edge of your seat, though I do agree with some of the criticism that the "sides" are presented simplistically.
Anora (2024)
Wild and fun
Directed by: Sean Baker
Written by: Sean Baker
SUMMARY
A stripper and prostitute is proposed to by a rich Russian boy, but her fairytale life quickly devolves into chaos when his parents want him to annul the marriage. The film ends with the Russian boy being a complete coward, capitulating to his parents, and Anora beginning a relationship with one of the sympathetic bodyguards.
RATING
A
While it's billed as a Cinderella story, it's more of a deconstruction of a Cinderella story, with a bittersweet ending. The film is a wild, fun ride and very satisfying. My only criticism is that it felt overly long. Perhaps could be shortened to just two hours.
Bona (1980)
Remarkable
Directed by: Lino Brocka
Written by: Cenen Ramones
SUMMARY
A fan-crazy woman decides to abandon her family and move in with a two-bit actor, effectively becoming his servant. There is a sexual expectation and exploitative aspect to their relationship. However, the actor is ungrateful and we end the film with her attacking him.
RATING
B+
Bona is a Filipino film from 1980 that explores a woman giving up her will to live with a two-bit actor. For such a passive action, which is usually the death knell for a character, the film is engaging and Bona is a fascinating character despite being so passive. The ability to pull that off is remarkable.
The Lyricist Wannabe (2023)
Episodic
Directed by: Norris Wong
Written by: Norris Wong
SUMMARY
An episodic, light story about a young girl who wants to be a lyricist - someone who writes song lyrics. We follow her through the ups and downs of high school, finally getting her lyrics on a demo, but then replaced, and her stepping away from the music industry. We end with her hearing her song on the radio.
RATING
B
This is a light, sweet story about a young girl who wants to be a lyricist. It's vibe is kinda C-drama-esque, with a light, episodic kind of feel. I think this would have been more appropriate as a TV show rather than a movie.
Nam yan sei sap (2002)
Hong Kongese American Beauty
Directed by: Ann Hui
Written by: Ann Hui, Derek Yee
Starring: Jacky Cheung, Anita Mui
SUMMARY
A middle-aged teacherre-evaluates his relationship with his wife after a young student begins coming onto him. We discover that he married his wife out of obligation after his wife was knocked up by her teacher. In essence, he has become the villain. He never loved his wife and they end their relationship.
RATING
B+
Tender and slow, grounded by moments of comedy. I wish there was more emphasis on the wife's role because this is actually her story. Still, strong performances. This is like a Hong Kongese American Beauty.
Yim ji kau (1987)
Suprisingly beautiful
Directed by: Stanley Kwan
Written by: Yau Tai Ping On, Lilian Lee Pik Wah
SUMMARY
The ghost of a prostitute ghost haunts an everyday newspaper editor, in search of her lover she was supposed to meet in the afterlife after committing suicide together. In the end, she finds her lover, but he's revealed to be selfish and small.
RATING
B+
Surprisingly beautiful filmmaking supported by strong performances. I think the film is a little weighed down by its own emotional weight and would have benefitted (and been even more emotional, actually) by embracing its comic nature. It would have been stronger as a comedy. Still a fantastic film.
Rumours (2024)
Absurdist
Directed by: Guy Madin
Written by: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson
SUMMARY
Dark, absurdist comedy. The leaders of the G7, the world's liberal democracies, met to draft a motion about a global crisis, but find themselves lost in a forest where strange things are happening. They eventually make their way back to the house, and finish their resolution.
RATING
B+
"Rumours" is not a traditional, linear, narrative film, but rather a surreal, absurdist dark comedy. In place of the lack of a strong narrative, the film has a great premise - that the world's top leaders essentially find themselves in a horror movie - and strong acting. While I can't say I know completely what happened with the plot, I was pretty entertained. That said, I would love for a more mainstream implementation of this idea.
Einstein and Eddington (2008)
Beautiful
Directed by: Philip Martin
Written by: Peter Moffat
SUMMARY
A historical drama detailing the life of two physicists - Einstein and Eddington during World War I, as Einstein discovers the theory of relativity.
RATING
A
With a star-studded cast giving great performances, I didn't even realize this was a TV movie. They did amazingly with what they were given. "Einstein and Eddington" details the history between these two men, especially with Eddington's confirmation of Einstein's theory by taking pictures of stars during a total eclipse. David Tennant plays Eddington beautifully and painfully, especially in the first half of the film, as a repressed, closeted gay man.
The Wild Robot (2024)
Beautiful
Directed by: Chris Sanders
Written by: Chris Sanders
SUMMARY
A robot is stranded on a remote, wild island, and learns to care for a small goosling there, becoming its surrogate mother. It's a parent child story. The first half is about raising Brightbill to be independent to migrate, and then the second half is about Roz leaving (or not leaving), but ultimately leaving to return to her futuristic home to protect the island.
RATING
A+
This is a gorgeous film that has emotional woven throughout. I found myself tearing up near parts, and the heart of the film is truly resonant. Some of the pacing is a little messy at times, and I get the sense that with just a little bit more time, this film could have been truly great.
Heat (1995)
Fun
Directed by: Michael Mann
Written by: Michael Mann
SUMMARY
Crime film. A cat-and-mouse game between a high stakes crime thief and a detective. They chase each other, including in a dramatic armed robbery of a bank, and end up acknowledging each other as very similar. The film ends with the detective killing the thief.
RATING
B+
Exciting and thrilling action scenes - including the dramatic robbery of the bank and spillover into gunfire on the streets of LA. I don't know if I just wasn't in the right mood, but I felt that the movie was too long, with two romantic subplots that were completely extraneous to the rest of the film. Still, it was a fun watch.
Tenet (2020)
Fun but convoluted
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Written by: Christopher Nolan
SUMMARY
A man needs to stop a bad guy who is communicating with the future, and bringing "inverted" weapons - weapons that run in reverse time - to the present time. He travels to the future where time runs backwards.
REVIEW
B
The core idea of Tenet - the key mechanic of time running backwards - is a marvel to watch onscreen and an action film where the main mechanic is reverse time is certainly very cool. The story, however, is unfortunately convoluted and contrived. Maybe it was just me, but I didn't understand any of it. Still, I thought it was a pretty fun ride.
Slingshot (2024)
Great ending, so-so everything else
Directed by: Mikael Hafstrom
Written by: R. Scott Adams, Nathan Parker
SUMMARY
An astronaut on a mission to Saturn - including slingshotting around Jupiter - begins to lose his grip on reality because of hallucinogenic drugs used in his cryo-sleep. We find out that he's been hallucinating his crew mates, and that he is the only man on the mission. Seduced by a delusion that he's actually still on Earth, he blasts himself out of the airlock, thinking he can go back home.
RATING
B+
Slingshot is film about a man struggling with hallucinations on a long voyage to Saturn. While the final twist is strong, the film is oddly paced and slowed down by a romance story that goes nowhere. I couldn't really pinpoint a theme in this film until the very end. What aspect of humanity was this trying to tackle? If only the plot points at the end were moved to the middle of the movie, this could have been a really interesting movie. This movie would have gotten a low B, but the ending pushes it to a B+.
He bian de cuo wu (2023)
Brilliant
Directed by: Wei Shujun
Written by: Wei Shujin, Kang Chunlei
SUMMARY
A detective murder mystery piece set in rural village 90s China. After the murder of an old grandma, a cop investigates the murder. Going from lead to lead, he ultimately reaches the unsatisfying conclusion that it was committed by a madman. The bureaucracy of the police determine the madman is the murderer, but the cop still has doubts, but ends up conforming to society's opinion. This is a tragic piece about conformity.
RATING
A+
Wei is a brilliant filmmaker, whose confidence and intentionality fills every single frame of the movie. It feels like the entire piece is perfectly crafted - yet not in a pretentious way. There is remarkable efficiency in his filmmaking. What is not shown is almost as compelling as what is shown. Can you achieve the same story, painting with negative space?
Fly Me to the Moon (2024)
Could have been good
Directed by: Greg Berlanti
Screenplay by: Rose Gilroy
Production companies: Apple Studios, These Pictures
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
SUMMARY
A charismatic advertising agent needs to figure out a way to sell NASA to the public to generate funds for the moon landing. Halfway through, she is forced to film a fake moon landing in case the actual one fails. She also falls in love with the NASA launch director.
RATING
C+
There is actually a really interesting story here about a cynical advertising agent doing the most cynical thing possible - filming a fake moon landing - but then finally learning the lesson of what it means to be an authentic human being and the value of things that are real. However, the balance of the movie seems off. The story is primarily geared towards being a rom-com first, which it shouldn't be, and a character growth story second. This makes scenes with the love interest, Channing Tatum, feel tangential and boring. The real story is her character growth.
Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
Best fight scenes
Directed by: Stephen Chow
Written by: Huo Xin, Chan Man-keung, Tsang Kan-cheung
SUMMARY
A wild, absurdist kung-fu meets western screwball comedy. In a fictional version of Republic era Hong Kong, an evil group of gangsters, the Axe Gang, takes on the villagers living in Pig Sty village, only to discover that there are Kung Fu Masters that live there - including some of the greatest masters of all time. Ultimately, the Axe Gang is defeated by "the One", a wannabe gang member who becomes good.
RATING
A+
You don't go to Stephen Chow movies for "great" filmmaking - though, I would argue he is a great filmmaker. In his chaos, there is a method. I believe the fight scene between the evil twins and the zither with the Three Masters is one of the best - non-ironically best - fight scenes I've ever seen. Creative and fun.
Ga yau hei si (1992)
Let go of logic
Directed by: Stephen Chow
Written by: Vincent Kok, Tessa Choi, Roman Cheung
SUMMARY
An screwball, absurdist comedy. An ensemble family movie about three brothers and the women in their lives - a husband who cheats on his wife, a gay man who is rivals with a lesbian woman, and a handsome brother, who falls for a woman but also cheats on him. The film is wild, but ends with each othe brothers making peace with the women in their lives (including, the gay man becoming straight with the lesbian woman).
RATING
A
A thoroughly fun time despite the screwball nature of this. Let go of logic and the story becomes a ride that careens from one area to the next, but still maintains humor throughout.
Sik san (1996)
Funny and absurdist
Directed by: Stephen Chow
Written by: Stephen Chow
SUMMARY
A wild, absurdist comedy. A narcissistic celebrity chef gets upstaged and dethroned. He finds his way back by befriending an ugly woman who runs a noodle shop and learning mystical Shaolin cooking techniques.
RATING
A
You would think Stephen Chow movies would be too wild to judge, but the narrative structure itself is surprisingly coherent. It's rather the content that is wild, but that works! I thought this movie was very funny and a fun wild ride for the mind.
Directed by: Stephen Chow
Written by: Stephen Chow
SUMMARY
A wild, absurdist comedy. A narcissistic celebrity chef gets upstaged and dethroned. He finds his way back by befriending an ugly woman who runs a noodle shop and learning mystical Shaolin cooking techniques.
RATING
A
You would think Stephen Chow movies would be too wild to judge, but the narrative structure itself is surprisingly coherent. It's rather the content that is wild, but that works! I thought this movie was very funny and a fun wild ride for the mind.
Sunshine (2007)
Underrated!
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Written by: Alex Garland
SUMMARY
The Sun is dying. A group of space scientists fly a spaceship to the sun to drop a payload bomb to try to restart it. They encounter the previous ship that failed and discovered the previous captain was suicidal and sabotaged the mission. The movie turns into a slasher halfway through. At the end, the suicidal captain is defeated and they drop the payload into the Sun.
RATING
S
While not ever risk Sunshine takes pays off, the film is still a wonderful space film with an absolutely brilliantly assembled cast and a gripping narrative. I'm surprised this is as underrated as it is, because I absolutely loved this film.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Stunning, even today
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Written by: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke
SUMMARY
Sci-fi space epic, with groundbreaking visuals. After a mysterious (alien) radio signal is detected on Jupiter, a crew flies to Jupiter to investigate. The crew, two men, Frank and Dave, are betrayed by the AI, who thinks the men are plotting against it. Eventually, Frank arrives at Jupiter but is sucked into a wormhole, and ends up in a place beyond time, and is reborn.
RATING
A
The visuals and filmmaking alone is impressive enough to shoot this to a personal A rating, though I found the story to be light, as it was designed to be. This is not a very narrative kind of story and is instead more experimental and artistic. The dreamlike quality is supported by stunning visuals, that still hold up today, and would have wowed audiences in 1968.
Tian mi mi (1996)
Almost there, but could have held back
Directed by: Peter Chan
Written by: Ivy Ho
SUMMARY
Two Mainland immigrants to Hong Kong meet and fall in love. The man has a girlfriend back home in China. The woman is focused on making money. The two end up parting ways, but finally end up coming back together in New York.
RATING
B+
The premise and ending of this film is very strong, and I thought the ending was quite beautiful. However, I wish the film held back a bit more at the emotional parts, with plot points being hit very hard with a full score and dramatic acting. Parts of it came across trying too hard and cheesy, like a soap opera. With a subtler touch, this film could have been a masterpiece. What's surprising is that there are subtle moments in the film. I wonder if this was the result of two different creative forces.