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tanyax99
Reviews
Autumn Lights (2016)
Required To See
Le me start here: No one should review this film. Ignore the ratings. The best thing would be you sit down with the expectations you cultivated all your life, and take the trip. For my part, it was maybe 20 minutes after the closing credits I realized what had happened to me. And if you're lucky, you'll find out too.
The superb craftsmanship is severely underrated. The acting, cinematography, music, art direction and wardrobe are exquisitely executed.
The film's 'slowness' is not because of length, coming in at a lean 98 minutes with credits, but the story is about characters and their lives. Inevitably, that means there is a lot of talking. And for some, that might be 'slow'. But with such a fine cast, they find ways to take this quiet story to very interesting places. The complexity of the characters left us more than enough to discuss post-watching.
The most interesting character is the director. Angad Aulakh will become required viewing for me. I wouldn't have guessed he was so young.
Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Great Performances - Utterly Banal, Been-There-Done-That Story
I am having trouble understanding the hooplah of this film. I saw it at a film festival earlier this year, and while the acting is exceptional, the film itself is a story we've seen many times before. There is nothing new, innovative, or noteworthy other than the performances themselves. Yes, of course, the filmmaking is solid, I wouldn't expect anything less. But as a film, it falls flat.
The bottom line is that the movie is terribly overwrought and its plot just shows issues that many families have to go through at some point, while offering us little insight into the human condition. There are just machinations but no actual understanding of the heart, heartbreak, and loss that is endured. You'll love the performances and cast, and I'm sure many will sympathize/empathize with the situation the characters are in, but there are many other films that do this kind of story justice.
Certain Women (2016)
Viewing 'Certain Women' is a Must.
Just exceptionally crafted. Pretty fine piece of work. A ton of respect for the work itself.
The most interesting character of this film is undoubtedly the director. And folks, maybe that's how it should be. Kelly Reichardt is now required viewing for me because she has something to say about American life in a way that doesn't trivialize or stupidify our culture and youth. Her past films are equally the same and of mighty caliber. The performances are very much of a Reichardt genre, natural, subtle, about the moments-in-between. And this fine cast excels under her direction.
This is a film I highly recommend. Sit down and take the ride.
American Honey (2016)
Could Have Taken A Nap During This Movie
This is the worst film I have seen in my entire life of diverse movie going. The cinematography is irritatingly shaky and the performances are incredibly insincere, broad and maudlin. There are long, very tiresome and overused scenes of passengers in a minibus, who sing along to the radio --- what is important, unique, interesting, artful about that? It's lazy filmmaking, unlike the director's previous film which was a beautiful piece of work. It was painful to watch and I was left with a feeling of being stuck in the worst traffic of my life for three hours with nothing to do but just stare at the ineptitude of the drivers before me. The accolades on this film is just a mystery to me.
Jackie (2016)
Portman in Stunning Portrayal though Film is 'Eh'
Like many people, I saw this movie at TIFF and have not been able to shake it from my mind. Natalie Portman is just brilliant in this role. She's nuanced, subtle, and completely vanishes into Jackie. Her role in Black Swan is a cake walk compared to the hurdles she had to make it through to pull this one off. Bravura job! Now here's the issue, I think the filmmaking is decent. It's broad and glosses over some very interesting incidents that could have taken the film as a whole to another level. This, of course, is due to the writing. But the performance, art direction, cinematography, and wardrobe really rise above its flaws to create something special.