Wild at Heart
1990
Directed by David Lynch
Wild at Heart, based on Barry Gifford’s 1989 novel of the same name, is a darkly comic crime movie. Enlivened by Nicolas Cage’s excellent and off-kilter acting, David Lynch’s surreal directorial choices, and a dreamlike approach to the road movie that combines repeated intrusions of The Wizard of Oz with compellingly stilted characters, abrupt tonal shifts, and mythically outsized emotions, Wild at Heart is a strangely sweet love story.
Would see.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
2019
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a comedy-drama about Hollywood set in 1969. A pleasant and unhurried hangout movie interrupted abruptly by triumphant revisionist violence that rises in intensity until it crescendos to an absurd pitch and curdles into the intentionally uncomfortable, the film is a Hollywood fairytale; an exercise in nostalgia; and Quentin Tarantino’s most metafictional self-reflection on the role of violence in movies, and especially in his movies. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is consistently entertaining, and it’s interesting to think about, but its statements about film and violence are shallower and more self-serving than the far more powerful undercurrents that animate the ahistorical violence of Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained.
Would see.
The End of Evangelion
1997
Directed by Hideako Anno and Kazuya Tsurumaki
The End of Evangelion is a mecha anime film that serves as an alternate ending to the Neon Genesis Evangelion television series. The film’s narrative is somewhat hard to follow even if one has seen the TV show, but understanding the story is peripheral to enjoying the film’s manic energy. The End of Evangelion is an ecstatic cacophony of religious symbolism, gnostic themes, Jungian theory, philosophy, and meditations on art and depression that pushes the boundaries of animation as an expressive medium.
Would see.
The Magnificent Ambersons
1942
Directed by Orson Welles
The Magnificent Ambersons, adapted from the 1918 novel of the same name by Booth Tarkington, is a period drama about a wealthy Midwestern family and the coming of the age of the automobile. The Magnificent Ambersons is an enjoyable film, with entertaining acting and compelling cinematography, but it ultimately doesn’t have anything very interesting to say about the country or era it’s set in.
Would see.
Free Solo
2018
Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyia and Jimmy Chin
Free Solo is a documentary that follows the rock climber Alex Honnold as he attempts to perform a free solo climb (a form of rock climbing that eschews ropes, harnesses, and protective equipment) El Capitan (a large rock formation in Yosemite National Park). The documentary is an engaging examination of Honnold’s unusual personality and profession, but it lacks the reckless daring of its subject, and it suffers from its unwillingness to challenge the narratives presented by its interviewees.
Would see.
The Dead Don’t Die
2019
Directed by Jim Jarmusch
The Dead Don’t Die is a horror comedy about zombies. It is an aggressively boring movie. Intermittently amusing at the beginning, it soon finds itself with no idea where to go, treading water interminably after it establishes its opening premise. The Dead Don’t Die becomes increasingly frustrating over a two-hour runtime that feels more like three—a movie about the unfinality of death that can’t bring itself to a graceful end.
Would not see.
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (or Conjuring the Rolling Thunder Re-vue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese)
2019
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese is a pseudo-documentary—made with both true and fictional material—about Bob Dylan’s 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue concert tour. Less informative than impressionistic, Rolling Thunder Revue is a meditation on art and lies and a documentary about Martin Scorsese’s love of Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue—a love effectively illustrated by frequent footage of Dylan’s glorious performances from the tour that make up much of the runtime of the film.
Would see.
Micro Film Reviews 