[ Reviewed on Extra Beurre ] / [ Review #2 (SPOILERS) ]
(7 Dec) The Disaster Artist (2017, James Franco)74
[ Reviewed on Extra Beurre ]
(11 Dec) Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017, Rian Johnson)93
[ Reviewed on Extra Beurre ]
(14 Dec) Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017, Rian Johnson)93
[ See above. ]
(15-20 Dec) Wormwood (2017, Errol Morris)
[ Documentary or drama? Feature film or TV series? Whatever Errol Morris has delivered here, it’s pretty damn great. Over four hours and a half (which may have been overdoing it), “Wormwood” tells the disturbing, compelling story of the mysterious death of a scientist in 1953, which may have been linked to LSD experiments by the CIA and germ warfare in Korea. Featuring stylish reenactments starring Peter Sarsgaard, an in-depth interview with the scientist’s eloquent son, and tons of strikingly integrated archival material, this is a visually stunning, narratively riveting work of art. Special kudos to the amazing score by Paul Leonard-Morgan. ]
(18 Dec) Phantom Thread (2017, Paul Thomas Anderson)94
[ Reviewed on Extra Beurre ]
(18 Dec) I, Tonya (2017, Craig Gillespie)76
[ Reviewed on Extra Beurre ]
(20 Dec) Le Trip à trois (2017, Nicolas Monette)59
[ A consensual sitcom, somewhere between “Le Mirage”, “Les Beaux malaises” and “Eyes Wide Shut”-in-a-Montréal-Nord-basement. ]
(21 Dec) David Bowie: The Last Five Years (2017, Francis Whately)
[ Not a great documentary – more like a scattershot Behind the Music episode – but seeing archival footage of David Bowie is incredibly moving all the same. ]
(22 Dec) Bright (2017, David Ayer)
[ Reviewed on Extra Beurre ]
(22 dec) big little lies (2017, jean-marc-vallée)
[ here i was thinking that denis villeneuve was the best current quebec filmmaker, but jean-marc vallée is sure giving him a run for his money. this is the most riveting storytelling, with endless snappy, witty dialogue, gorgeous cinematography and wonderfully inventive, impressionistic editing. and those needle drops! vallée has impeccable musical taste (so much charles bradley #rip). last but not least, this is pure bliss for actressexual cinephiles: reese witherspoon, nicole kidman, shailene woodley, laura dern, zoe kravitz… by far the best tv series i saw this year. ]
(23 Dec) Spielberg (2017, Susan Lacy)
[ A long, fascinating Steven Spielberg interview, interviews with many others (relatives, actors, filmmakers, critics, etc.), and of course lot of clips from his classic movies. It’s great to hear him talk about his creative process, but he also opens up a bit about his fears, insecurities and demons. Now, even though the film is 147-minute long, it has to rush through or even skip over some titles, but the key stuff is mostly there. So now we got De Palma and Spielberg documentaries. Who’s next? Coppola? Scorsese? ]
(23 Dec) The Fellowship of the Ring (2001, Peter Jackson) [ review ] 93
(23 Dec) Sign “☮” the Times (1987, Prince)
[ The “dramatic” sequences intercut through this concert film are more silly than anything, but the live stage performance is awesome. Prince is an outrageous showman and a musical genius, his band is on fire (Sheila E!) and this is a spectacular production full of contagious enthusiasm. ]
(25 Dec) The Two Towers (2002, Peter Jackson) [ review ]
94
(25 Dec) Ghostbusters (2016, Paul Feig)39
[ I love Kristen Wiig, MelissaMcCarthy and Kate McKinnon (Leslie Jones not so much), so I was down for this reboot of the classic 80s comedy. But it’s just not really funny. Decent special effects. Boring plot. Forgettable Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver cameos. (RIP Harold Ramis.) ]
(26 Dec) The Return of the King (2003, Peter Jackson) [ review ] 95
(28 Dec) You’ve Got Mail (1998, Nora Ephron) [ review ] 65
(28 Dec) Sleepless in Seattle (1993, Nora Ephron) [ review ] 70
(28 Dec) World of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts (2017, Don Hertzfeldt)
[ “Beneath the surface lie countless glimmers of hope that I buried long ago when they became too painful to hold on to.”
Don Hertzfeldt might just me the best filmmaker working today. His writing is incredibly deep and heartbreaking but also wonderfully silly, absurd, hilarious. This second sci-fi short film in the “World of Tomorrow” series is packed with psychedelic visuals and stunning sound design, creating an absolutely hypnotic experience. Another instant classic. ]
(29 Dec) Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016, Akiva Schaffer & Jorma Taccone)75
[ This rockumentary spoof is like This Is Spinal Tap for the Justin Bieber era, with tons of cameos, catchy songs and hilarious gags. ]
(29 Dec) Commando (1985, Mark L. Lester)100
[ Reviewed on Extra Beurre ]