Directed by Angela Robinson, the film was a sexy, funny, and emotionally rich film about an unconventional poly relationship between three people, and the inspiration that led to the creation of Wonder Woman. I was very touched by this film, and believe it was one of the underrated gems of the decade.
Just a stunningly beautifully animated film, I loved the sharp angles and dynamic colors. I loved how much heart was put into the film’s art and performances and story, and it felt very rich.
An intimate drama about grief and complicated love relationships among the tight-knit Orthodox Jewish community of London, with standout performances by Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, and Alessandro Nivola.
I put these together because they are by the same director (Robert Eggers), and are both period films about isolation and insanity. They are both incredibly immersive and weird to watch, and I felt more wrapped up in the horror of The Witch because of the family’s isolation from society and their religious fervor destroying them, as well as rooting for the teen girl to get out and find freedom. In The Lighthouse, I just liked how it was gross and funny and bizarre, and how time didn’t seem to exist in their world, as it could be a few weeks or a year for all the audience would know.Both films are just fantastic in their isolated horror, and I totally see them as a double feature.
It is a gorgeous-looking movie with a lot of slow, creeping dread, and centers women in the STEM field as the core characters of the film. I did like how trippy the last third got, plus the heavy synth score that was reminiscent of the director Alex Garland’s previous film Ex Machina.Natalie Portman was fantastic in this. She is very much into feminism and advocacy for films about complex women, so I could see how she fit well for this cerebral film that felt like a mix of hard sci-fi with horror.
A quiet little British drama, directed by Isabel Coixet (My Life Without Me) about a 1950s widow (Emily Mortimer), who opens a bookshop in a seaside village, and faces a lot of unnecessary pushback by residents who are resistant to change. I adored this little film, and especially loved her pen-pal friendship with the town recluse (Bill Nighy), a solitary old man who adores Ray Bradbury novels and specifically requests them from the bookshop.
A stark indie film, directed by Lynne Ramsay (Movern Callar) in which the hero (Joaquin Phoenix) carries out solo rescue missions as a mercenary through brute violence while struggling with PTSD. A fantastic film that says so much more through dialogue-free scenes thanks to its blunt editing style.
