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2/19/2019

Foreign Film Quick Reviews: The Guilty, Cold War, Burning, Dogman, Capernaum

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The Guilty

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The Guilty (2018): A police officer assigned alarm dispatch duty enters a race against time when he answers an emergency call from a kidnapped woman.

​I'm writing this review a solid 3+ months after I actually saw the film, but it's truly resonated with me in the months that have followed, and combined with the fact that it's on the shortlist for Best Foreign Film nominees at the Oscars (even though it ultimately wasn't nominated) I decided to briefly talk about it. What a debut feature from first-time filmmaker Gustav Möller. (Who I met in Palm Springs last month. Not to brag or anything...) The Guilty is boldly original and so effing tense despite its simple, intimate set and premise. The entire film takes place in two rooms, similar to A24's suspenseful thriller Locke (which is also amazing and is available to watch on Netflix RIGHT NOW) but turned up to 11. At least Locke had a few establishing shots to ease the feeling of tight spaces. Here, Gustav Möller makes the intentional decision to never have an establishing shot or any shot whatsoever outside of these two rooms. The result is a tense, never-ending feeling of claustrophobia that helps to ratchet up the tension even more. By not having any shots outside of these two rooms, your imagination goes to work on what is happening in the phone calls being shown. It's extraordinary that this style works, particularly in the hands of a novice filmmaker. Though it doesn't work all the time..... the few moments where the film stops to let you take a breath could've really used an exterior shot versus a slightly awkward gradual push-in on Asger Holm's (Jakob Cedergren) face. Even though it is a nice, chiseled face. (Stares off into the distance) Anywho, if you're looking for an absurdly tense, edge-of-your-seat thriller featuring a good-looking dude you get to look at for 85 minutes, this is the film for you. Cannot wait to see what Gustav Möller does next!

​My Number: 8/10

Cold War

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Cold War (2018): A passionate love story between two people of different backgrounds and temperaments, who are fatefully mismatched and yet condemned to each other.

​OH. MY. GOD. This movie is spell-binding. An intoxicating Polish love epic set in the backdrop of the Cold War, in breathtaking B&W, from director Pawel Pawlikowski. The story is loosely based on Pawlikowski's parents and shares a surprising amount of similarities with Alfonso 
Cuarón's Roma. What's amazing is there are bits and pieces here that actually do surpass Roma. Cold War's story is similar, but it's told in a far more intimate (and thus less distracting at times) way. That said....the ending of Roma is simply masterful, whereas the ending of Cold War is rather abrupt and unfulfilling. As in it basically just ends without warning. Which almost makes the rest of the film feel rather unimportant and without purpose. Almost. Because, rushed ending aside, this film is a mesmerizing masterpiece. Zula is a hypnotic character, and masterfully portrayed by Joanna Kulig. Her presence is felt regardless of whether she's on screen or not, but when she is she steals the show with a level of grandeur that is haaaaaard to come by in cinema. Along side her is Wiktor. (played by Tomasz Kot a man cast straight out of a Chanel commercial) He's good, (something of a Paul Sparks lite for American cinema-goers) but pales in comparison to the sheer force of will that is Zula. The suave of this movie is indelible, and the black & white helps to hammer the beautiful, romantic aesthetic home. I wish my life were half as charismatic as either Zula's or Wiktor's. Their chemistry is so natural and tenable, and the ways their lives intertwine is fascinating to watch unfold. Were it not for the abrupt ending, this would easily receive a perfect score. Either way, it's worth seeing, and should be on Amazon Prime in the very near future. (March 22, to be exact.) Do NOT miss it!

My Number: 9.5/10

Burning

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Burning (2018): ​Jong-su bumps into a girl who used to live in the same neighborhood as him, who asks him to look after her cat while on a trip to Africa. When back, she introduces Ben, a mysterious guy she met there, who confesses his secret hobby.

Burning is a rare film that intentionally raises more questions than it answers. Its tension is contrived from its ambiguity, which resonated with me long after the end credits rolled. The core cast, Jong-su, (Ah-in Yoo) Ben, (Steven Yeun) and Shin Hae-mi (first-time actress Jong-seo Jun) are wonderful together, even if Hae-mi's character doesn't have a whole lot to do. Steven Yeun, though, steals the show. His performance as the mysterious, Gatsby-like Ben is felt regardless of whether he's on screen or not, similar to the character Zula in Cold War. His performance has a certain enigmatic vitality to it: the story focuses on Jong-su yet you never stop feeling Ben's persona and influence. The awkward Jong-su is totally absorbed by Ben's charisma, and it leads to one of the better conclusions I've seen this year. Unfortunately, there are points where this dynamic works against the film: there were times that scenes lingered a bit too long and we focused a bit too much time on (intentionally) less interesting Jong-su. However, the fact that I wanted to see Ben on screen more goes to show just how terrific a performance that is. The unrivaled loser here, as hinted before, is Hae-mi. She has very little to do outside of "be the girl caught in the middle," and she is not treated particularly well by director/writer Lee Chang-Dong. For a film that is supposed to be about a love triangle between a woman and two guys, hardly any time is spent fleshing out the woman in the middle. End of the day, the film is still very worth seeing thanks to the terrific performance of Steven Yeun, and will almost certainly help propel him into the mainstream of Hollywood in the very near future, if he's not there already. 

My Number: 7/10

Dogman

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Dogman (2018): Marcello, a small and gentle dog groomer, finds himself involved in a dangerous relationship of subjugation with Simone, a former violent boxer who terrorizes the entire neighborhood.

Geez! Speaking of terrific performances, let's talk about Marcello (Marcello Fonte) in Dogman! Another performance raking in the film festival awards for Best Actor, Marcello is essentially Jong-su from Burning, but with the awkward inability to figure out how to, you know, do life things, dialed up to eleven. His ineptitude is conveyed so well in a performance that is anything but suave and charismatic. It's the polar opposite, actually. And yet, I found myself rooting for this person who could probably best be described as "a dunce." I found myself wanting to yell at the screen in angst as Marcello affiliated with a man who's essentially the devil incarnate in Simon. (Edoardo Pesce) Whenever Marcello tries to be assertive, he is immediately beaten down by the terrifying giant and villain of this film. It's absolutely harrowing, and even though you know the inevitable conclusion that it's barreling towards, it's still captivating and will have you on the edge of your seat. GOSH! Marcello! Why did you think Simon would ever apologize to you??? UGH. It is a frustrating as it is gratifying to watch the events of this film unfold, and to play with such wildly different emotions goes to show not just the skill of actor Marcello Fonte, but the skill of director/writer Matte Garrone. If you're looking for an edge-of-your-seat game of cat and mouse, look no further. But, fair warning, the final 10 minutes are rather.....unorthodox for American moviegoers. (And linger about 5 minutes too long.) But it's still a great and captivating film showcasing a classic, if unorthodox, struggle between good and evil.

​My Number: 8/10

Capernaum

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Capernaum (2018): While serving a five-year sentence for a violent crime, a 12-year-old boy sues his parents for neglect.

This film is devastating. You have been warned: it will drive a sledgehammer through your very core. It's been a solid 30 minutes since I stepped out of the theater as I write this and I'm still shaking and picking up my scattered emotional pieces. Director Nadine Labaki crafts a devastatingly vivid portrait of a 12-year old child, Zain, as he struggles to simply survive in Lebanon. The actor who plays Zain, Zain Al Rafeea, himself a Syrian refugee, carries most of this film. Many of these scenes feature just him and other people younger than him, yet he plays the part like a seasoned vet. Which is incredible since he's, you know, 12. He's relatable, grounded, and genuine. It's a stunning casting choice from Nadine Labaki and honestly one of the better overall performances of 2018. Other films have died at the hands of asking their child actors to do too much, but Zain Al Rafeea was up to the challenge. And is propped up by a strong and powerful screenplay, too. Be prepared to ROCK the ugly cry, because you will be doing that a lot. I wasn't a huge fan of the filmmaking, though. There's a lot of hand cam / shaky cam used here, and y'all know how I feel about that. But the filmmaking is nowhere near enough of a detriment to bring down the overall experience. This gets a strong recommendation from me, an eye-opening, devastating film from a country featuring refugees certain people (who sadly have entirely too much power right now) have shuddered to think about and have actively campaigned against. Seriously: don't miss it. I will buy your ticket to see it or rent it for you.

My Number: 8.5/10​

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2/15/2019

Quick Reviews: The Wife, Leave No Trace, The Meg, At Eternity's Gate, Overlord, Mary Queen of Scots

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The Wife

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The Wife (2018): A wife questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband, where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.

The Wife is something of a slow burn. The movie takes almost half of its (brief) 100 minute runtime to get to the the meat and potatoes of its story, but when it gets there Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce shine brightly. Their relationship as Joan and Joe Castleman reveals a mess of deep layers and dynamics as the second half of this film grips you tightly and leads you down a very unpredictable and enticing path. I found myself on the edge of my seat in suspense at the electric final act of the film, also where Glenn Close acts the crap out of this role. However, that does not change the fact that the first half is a very slow burn with some scenes feeling like they lacked a real sense of purpose. And the character Nathanial Bone (Christian Slater) is a rather shallow one who's more of a plot device and (unfortunately) a crutch on the story than a central character partially responsible for the unwinding. There are also some flashbacks to young Joe / Joan that don't go anywhere save a few lines of payoff in the second half. But all of this does not take away from the fact that the second half is really good! The drama is tense, the editing flows well, and Glenn Close is freaking Glenn Close and kiiiiiiiiills it. The overarching story is fantastic: it is absurdly relevant in 2019, and honestly exactly the kind of story Glenn Close deserves right now after such a storied career. If only the backstories for Joan, Joe, David, and Nathanial were a bit more interesting.

​My Number: 6.5/10

Leave No Trace

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Leave No Trace (2018): A father and his thirteen year-old daughter are living an ideal existence in a vast urban park in Portland, Oregon, when a small mistake derails their lives forever.

A deliberate, methodical trek, Leave No Trace is one of those films that moves very slowly but every scene lays the bread crumbs for one of the most emotional moments in all of cinema in 2018. This payoff will run a freight train right through your emotions, and I found myself full-on balling. Thank the Lord I was watching this by myself, because I couldn't even rock the ugly cry at this film's climax. That said, it doesn't change the fact that most of the 99 minutes of this film are VERY slow. I mean, slow burn is putting it mildly: even I found myself a tad bored at points. But I found solace in the craft. Director Debra Granik does a phenomenal job paying meticulous attention to detail in every scene. This is my first film from the American filmmaker, (who's most known for kick starting Jennifer Lawrence's career back in 2010's Winter's Bone) but she is about as methodical a filmmaker as I've ever seen, which is saying something since most of her films have something to do with nature. Her characters are also incredibly human, and phenomenally cast: Ben Foster is basically playing himself as Will, and Thomas McKenzie also feels incredibly natural as Will's daughter, Tom. They're VERY down-to-earth and simple, but they do bring a sense of purpose to the characters. All of this plays into the incredible moment between them at film's end. I'd strongly recommend watching it for the incredible ending, but do be ready for the long, meticulous journey to get there.

My Number: 8/10

The Meg

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The Meg (2018): After escaping an attack by what he claims was a 70-foot shark, Jonas Taylor must confront his fears to save those trapped in a sunken submersible.

So I love mindless popcorn flicks that don't take themselves too seriously. But, there's a very important caveat in there, because I DESPISE films that are supposed to be mindless popcorn flicks that do think they're a big and "important" blockbuster. Well, guess which category The Meg falls into? This film is WAY too self-serious given its absurd subject matter. Rather than try and avoid feeling like "Jaws for the 21st century," which also suffers from being too serious for its own but in 1975 was groundbreaking for what it was, (for better or worse) The Meg leans into that mantra and thinks it's as important and groundbreaking as the Steven Spielberg, uh, classic. This movie is Jaws, but minus the marvel of a giant animatronic shark and great filmmaking. In other words, it sucks. Ya I beat around that bush a little too long. This movie sucks. The film's first act revolves around a drawn out and TOTALLY ABSURD rescue mission in an aquatic world that is below the Mariana Trench, (because, you know, that is a totally plausible venue to stage a rescue mission) then leads into a ridiculous "one man tries to take down a freaking megalodon with a harpoon gun, (Dak may as well take on the empire by himself) before we FINALLY get to what we paid to see: a giant killer shark take on some of the most populated beaches in the world. 90 minutes in. To this 113 minute dumpster fire. Seriously? You do nothing but advertise the "giant shark in populated waters" premise but don't give it to us until LITERALLY the last 20 minutes of the film? Ya, this sucks. But, I do have to give it credit where credit's due. This film, like many major Hollywood summer blockbusters nowadays, shamelessly appeals to the Chinese government so it can be released in what's becoming Hollywood's largest audience outside the US, (China) but UNLIKE most of these blockbusters, actually features a Chinese family storyline, (as opposed to one token Chinese character played by a big Chinese star) complete with native Chinese dialogue with English subtitles. You look at something like Transformers, and you don't see anything outside of a token Chinese character and blatant and ridiculous Chinese product placement. Which is still the norm for most blockbusters. So, I can respect The Meg for going above and beyond there. Unfortunately, that's about the only thing I can respect from this crapshoot. Watch the final 20 minutes one day on YouTube when you've had a few drinks, but don't even bother with the rest of it. Sharknado 5 is a more enjoyable watch than this. 

​My Number: 3/10

At Eternity's Gate

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At Eternity's Gate (2018): A look at the life of painter Vincent van Gogh during the time he lived in Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise, France.

Every so often a movie comes along that is so daring and bold in its filmmaking that I actually cannot get into it. At Eternity's Gate is one of those films, and I can't help but love it nonetheless. My first experience with director/writer Julian Schnabel was certainly a memorable one, as the aesthetics of this movie are some of the most distinguishable I've ever seen, particularly in the cinematography department. Shots are incredibly tight and claustrophobic, the movie is shot almost entirely with hand cams, (and shaky came is used quite a bit) and the editing is unpredictable and coarse. All meant to convey the brash, violent, unpredictable nature of Vincent van Gogh's final tumultuous days. Unfortunately, regulars of this blog know that I frequently complain about many of the aspects I just mentioned, so as you can probably guess...... I was not a huge fan of them. However, I did still appreciate the boldness of the filmmakers (kudos to director Julian Schnabel) to have as much of a creative style as they did. Many modern American films look and feel the exact same, so to see a film go as against the visual norm as At Eternity's Gate was invigorating. Even if it wasn't my thing. Unfortunately, because the aesthetic drew so much attention to itself, I failed to appreciate much of the rest of the film. Willem Dafoe is good, but his nomination for Best Actor definitely comes on the hands of a weak year for the category. But I am happy to have had a chance to see something like this because The Academy deemed it worthy of inclusion in the nominees. But...... I do think Ryan Gosling's performance in First Man was better. That's just like, my opinion, man. 

​My Number: 5/10 (Wildly average)

Overlord

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Overlord (2018): A small group of American soldiers find horror behind enemy lines on the eve of D-Day.

Ok, so a lot of times I feel like I'm constantly complimenting a film for making its characters feel human and genuine, whether that be the result of good acting, good writing, or a combination of the two. Well, if you ever wondered what it looks like when you have poorly written, poorly executed characters that feel like robots..... look no further than Overlord. This film takes an amazing premise - freaking Nazi zombies - and totally butchers it thanks to some of the most robotic, stereotypical characters I've ever seen. That and the fact that there's hardly any actual Nazi zombies in it. Also important. But, nothing against the actors here. I loved John Magaro in The Big Short, for example. But here he plays Tibbet, a totally ridiculous and cardboard cutout New Yorker soldier-type with a poorly executed story arc the film spends entirely too much time focusing on. Boyce (Jovan Adepo) is just the Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan character. No creativity whatsoever. Look, I get it: just turn the brain off and enjoy the Nazi zombies? Ok! ........where are the Nazi zombies? There's hardly any until the second half of the film, and even then most of the time is spent just fighting regular Nazis, and if I wanted a film about killing Nazis I would simply watch Inglorious Basterds again. There's really only like two Nazi zombies in this whole film, and neither follow any of the standard zombie rules. One is also created in a way that made me actually laugh at the screen, and not in a good way. I guess at least the zombies look pretty good? I mean, grasping at straws here but they do look good. Makeup crew certainly did its job. But there's no good story to fall back on, the characters are generic AF, and there's no actual Nazi zombies until long after the halfway point, and even they are pretty ridiculous. Sorry, but it's a no from me. 

My Number: 3/10

Mary Queen of Scots

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Mary Queen of Scots (2018): Mary Stuart's attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.

Mary Queen of Scots is the classic film that can be summed up in two words: it's fine. It's an overbearing “important” and shamelessly “for your consideration” Oscar-bait film, but it's well acted, has great makeup and costumes, (both somewhat worthy of Oscar nominations - it's no easy feat to make Margot Robbie ugly, after all) but It's soooooo heavy-handed. A completely overbearing score sets the tone for you, the viewer, to understand the gravitas of this film and why the Academy should give it 10+ Oscar nominations. Clearly, Focus Features is trying to fill the void created by The Weinstein Company, but…. is that really the standard you want to grasp for? The “Queen vs. Queen” marketing campaign set forth in the advertising was completely overblown, as most of this film surrounds Queen Mary, (Saiorse Ronan, who, unlike Margot Robbie, doesn't age at a day over the film's 25+ year timeline - someone get me her beauty expert's contact info!) with Queen Elizabeth (Margot Robbie) being mostly delegated to a supporting role until the film's admittedly effective climax. But, of course, how can putting Saiorse Ronan and Margot Robbie on screen together not be great? Especially after building it up for 90+ minutes. In short, Mary Queen of Scots is….. fine. Need I say more?

My number: 5/10

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2/12/2019

Raw Thoughts: If Beale Street Could Talk

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For the beauty of the craft

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018): A woman in Harlem embraces her pregnancy while she and her family struggle to prove her fiancé innocent of a crime.

Barry Jenkins is a master filmmaker. Plain and simple. He can take any story, no matter how crass, and craft it into a mesmerizing work of art. That's what If Beale Street Could Talk is: an overbearing (and at times slightly insensitive) story composed by one of the true masters of the craft in Hollywood today. We are truly blessed to be in the presence of Barry Jenkins, who, unlike someone like Adam McKay, proved that his breakout film was no fluke.

The calling card of this film is the filmmaking itself. Director Barry Jenkins displays an extraordinary ability to make any scene captivating, regardless of circumstance. Barry Jenkins brought back most of his crew from Moonlight and excelled in the cinematography, editing, and score: all three are very close to the best I've seen in 2018, with the later being the best I've seen BAR NONE. Nicholas Britell follows up his amazing score for Moonlight with an equally captivating and memorable score. But this time, it also packs an emotional wallop that brought me to tears at several points. That's right: the SCORE of this film made me emotional. It's that good. Barry Jenkins personal cinematographer, James Laxton, crafts an incredible work of art with the camera lenses. Shots feel beautifully intimate while carrying an undeniable gravitas to them thanks to the intentionally out-of-focus backgrounds. Various scenes have a beautiful rhythm to them thanks to the constant and subtle camera movement. I honestly cannot believe Laxton was snubbed a Best Cinematography nomination. Performance-wise, Regina King leads the way, (and received a deserving Oscar nomination) but this is certainly an ensemble film. People like Bryan Tyree Henry, Diego Luna, Finn Wittrock, and Pedro Pascal only have a scene or two, but all of them do the best with what they are given. Especially Bryan Tyree Henry. Oh my GOD he's so good. He gets literally one scene, but his performance is unforgettable. When Sharon Rivers (King) finally gets her moment, though, she doesn't let it go to waste.

That said, I've been beating around the bush of the somewhat major fault of this film, and now we gotta talk about it. The story here is…..mediocre. It's overbearing and it hasn't aged particularly well. There are some voiceovers scattered throughout that do nothing but act as a crutch and overexplain things to the viewer, and the subject matter of this story feels a bit inopportune given the #MeToo era we currently live in. Barry Jenkins does a fairly good job at walking the tightrope between two very real problems, (and I, being the straight white man that I am, certainly don't claim to have any firsthand knowledge of either) but there were a few moments where I found myself a little uncomfortable at the approach. The voiceovers are the bigger culprit, though it doesn't detract too much from the overall film, because even as we see an overbearing voiceover, we're still looking at some gorgeous craft. But, sadly….. this story is no Moonlight. Nor does it even deserve to be used in the same sentence. 

In summary, the craft of this film was exquisite to watch, but it does surround a screenplay that is both crass and oppressive. Barry Jenkins makes this film great with his technical mastery, but the film is held back by it's subject material. Oh, and it's main characters. I haven't mentioned them at all to this point because Tish and Fonny are a tad forgettable The chemistry between them is…..uninspired. But when the craft is so intoxicating to look at, it's hard to care. This will be a phenomenal movie to watch in film class down the road, because this is exactly how movies should be made. 

My number: 8/10 Great.


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2/10/2019

Movie Review: Roma

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An intimate family epic

Roma (2018): A year in the life of a middle-class family's maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s.

Every so often, a glorious film comes along that completely reinvigorates my love of cinema. In 2017 it was Phantom Thread. This year it was films like The Favourite and Eighth Grade. Now, you can add Roma to the list. Director Alfonso Cuarón returns for his 8th feature film, set almost entirely in Mexico City in the early 70s. The acclaimed director also wrote the screenplay, produced the film, edited the film, and shot the film. In short, Roma is Alfonso Cuarón's baby, and it is undoubtedly his best work yet. (Which is high praise given his previous film, Gravity, was my number 1 film of 2013.) The film has a simple, intimate, yet emotionally powerful story surrounding the housekeeper Cleo (played by first time actress and star-in-the-making Yalitza Aparicio) and her relationship to the family she cares for as her life unfolds over the course of a year. That's it. Far cry from the technical achievement that was Cuarón's previous film. And yet, this film feels every bit as epic as Gravity did with the extra emotional kick that comes with a truly great story. If you haven't figured it out yet, Roma is well worth your time, and easily the best film Netflix has distributed to date. By a significant margin.

Let's start with the most obvious thing we can see: the acting. The entire cast, outside of Sofía (Marina de Tavira) are first time actors. (Furthering the mythos of Alfonso Cuarón) Cleo is the center of the story, and the intimate, human, genuine performance Yalitza Aparicio gives portraying this character is one of the best of the year. She effortlessly displays an immense range of emotions, and the genuineness of these emotions were increased thanks to the bold decision of Cuarón to hold back key plot details from her until they actually happened. (Yes, including the unforgettable emotional climax of the film.) Actually, that's a good moment to mention the fact that Cuarón was very secretive about the script. The entire film was shot sequentially, (which is actually fairly unusual in filmmaking) with the director often not even giving the actors the script for an individual scene until the day that scene was to be shot. (Something which director Hirokaza Kore-eda also did shooting Shoplifters, to achieve a similar effect.) While this does sometimes hurt the film more than it helps it, particularly in the opening few scenes, it's still mesmerizing to see this cast have as much chemistry with each other as they do with such an incredible level of authenticity.
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Yalitza Aparicio and Marco Graf in Roma
But the calling card, of course, is the sheer scale of Cuarón's vision. This film is a triumphant family epic if there ever was one. The production design, sound editing, sound mixing, and cinematography are all the best I saw/heard in 2018. Cuarón captures so many nuanced details in every frame: so many extras, creatures, and natural occurrences unfold to a dizzying extent in his grand (and I mean GRAND) one-shots. It will take your breath away, and needs to be adored on the largest screen possible. I know that's a bit of a cliché in movie reviews, but it's deserved for Roma. There was not another film that dropped in 2018 that will sweep you off your feet more. And it's all held together by some of the most amazing cinematography I've ever seen. Alfonso Cuarón certainly made Chivo (cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki - originally slated to shoot Roma before scheduling conflicts arose and Cuarón's cinematographer on films like Gravity and Children of Men) proud with the stunning 65mm black and white aesthetic of the film. The camera is always a calm but confident presence, with a lot of slow, poignant pans from left to right and vice versa being the signature of Cuarón's style. With the two best-looking films of 2018 almost certainly being Roma and Pawel Pawlikowksi's Cold War, also shot in black and white, I think the great film critic Roger Ebert may have been right when he said color handicaps film. (That's a great article he once wrote, by the way. You should read it.)

And that doesn't even mention the sound design. The sound is another reason why you need to see this on a big screen. (At least watch it with surround sound.) The sound mixing is possibly the best I have ever heard, with a mesmeric attention to detail taken by Skip Lievsay, Alfonso Cuarón, and company. You are immersed with the sounds of Mexico City, with the sound making the camera feel like you are right in the middle of each scene. From shopkeepers to mariachi bands to something as nuanced as food being made behind you because the camera is facing the bar and the food is behind you, there is never a moment missed within the sound mixing.

This film is a masterpiece. It'll capture you within the first few moments and not let you go until the final plane soars overhead. It is a flawless epic that is beautiful in both its emotional intimacy and ambitious scale. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and do everything in between. A film like this is exactly why I love the movies, and it gives me the mental drive I need to sit through lesser works. It's also a wonderful foray into the world of foreign film: if you've always been intimidated at the idea of having to read the dialogue unfolding in front of you, (I know I was for a long time) this is a fantastic place to start. And, with it on Netflix right now, there's every reason for you to make tonight a movie night.

The Critique: an emotional powerhouse told on a grandiose scale, Alfonso Cuarón's triumphant masterpiece is a wonderful reminder of why I am hopelessly in love with the world of cinema.

The Recommendation: An absolute must-see for all.

Rewatchability: High

The Verdict: 10/10 Perfect.



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​I believe you've gotta have fun with everything you do. Otherwise, what's the point?

​Also, say anything bad about Greta Gerwig or 
Timothée Chalamet and I will fight you with some very strong emotions.
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