When I embarked on my movie-a-day marathon in January, I wrote that it grew out of an experience of being sick. That description was phrased in the past tense because I thought that’s where the sickness belonged. As it happened, I became ill again a few days into the project.
My Opinion: 8.2 || Envelopes you in a world of humid longing — stifled desire has never been sexier. You could wish for fuller characterization, but movies don’t get more sultry or stylish.
My Opinion: 7.5 || Disorienting, nightmarish horror film that deserves multiple viewings. The passage of time might have decreased the movie’s capacity to scare, but the visual thrill is undiminished.
My Opinion: 7.2 || Gorgeous imagery and surreal action — a visually stunning film. There’s nothing special, though, in the romantic storyline which is essentially a platoform for the sumptuous images and choreography.
My Opinion: 8.8 || A moving meditation on aging, loss, and family ties. The story can feel languid, but this is slowness with a purpose: producing steady imersion and leading to a resonant end. A triumph of quietly precise characterization and delicate storytelling.
My Opinion: 8.1 || Exciting gangster biopic dominated by Vincent Cassel as the title character. Thrilling performance. Vibrant writing and direction. Engrossing from start to finish.
My Opinion: 8.5 || Intimate realism and a very mature look at moral compromise. After a nearly perfect first half, it makes an audacious narrative turn and loses some tightness but remains absorbing to the end.
My Opinion: 6.7 || Gritty crime drama that’s more realistic than revealing. The film strives to deliver real meaning and has the right ingredients, but the crowded, overbearing production never gives the story room to breathe.
My Opinion: 8.7 || A great story beautifully filmed — dark, profound, and surprisingly funny. The play-like staging is occasionally stiff, but the movie has superb intellectual depth and emotional strength.
My Opinion: 8.4 || An enthralling intellectual treat that also manages to be emotionally vital. Very few movies achieve this level of stimulation, and Juliette Binoche is an enthralling, trilingual knockout. Unfortunately, although the… Continue reading
I'm an author and consultant in Portland, Oregon. My novel 'Beheld' will be published this June.
