A deeply moving and profoundly philosophical intervention into the problems facing contemporary Sweden. If social change can be produced through moving-image, this series is its proof.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
An interesting genre-comedy of Wild West gun-slinging incompetence that exposes fundamental structures of human-being stripped-bare of all of its pretenses, and a glimpse of the basis of authentic religious belief.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Joker presents an interesting, if over-worked character study of the transformation of Thought possible at the bottom of abject, alienated human existence. It's political potential, however, is intentionally displaced and it ends-up contributing to reproducing the problem it describes.xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A film worth watching for the poetic statement of the last few scenes on existing during a time of economic precarity, over-determined by a logic of utilitarian expediency. Starring Ethan Hawke.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It's a dog-eat-dog world in the tiger kingdom. And this Netflix series shows us that, in American (libertarian) culture, its much the same.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
By glorifying and providing community to the lonely individualism of sociopathic liberalism this film transforms a philosophy confronted with its limitations into pure ideology.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Another moving film from master director Ang Lee that deals with the the moral ambiguity of participation in the American war machine and the role of the cinema and the cinematic in perpetuating it.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
What initially appears as a deeply cynical perspective on love seems to use the seductiveness of images of passion to develop a profound cinematic critique of romance.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
While the film is only a semi-tolerable juvenile romance, there is something interesting in the disruptive, rebellious rhythm of the film that unpretentiously expresses a certain form of economically marginalized and excluded life.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
George Clooney elevates this Coen brothers script into rarefied territory. Vintage, dry humor at its absolute best. And a serious poetic commentary on contemporary American culture as well. Pure genius.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This is an enjoyable and finely made film that revives the musical genre with its addictive song. The lingering cognitive dissonance it produces, however, proves to be just too much to ignore.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Being forced to live a life without grace, through our own choices or otherwise is not only a generic human experience, but one that takes specific forms according to the culture and society within which it occurs.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A wonderful film that, while it develops an interesting problematic concerning truth and morality, is all the more worthwhile for the way in which it portrays the depth and nuance of Iranian culture. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Watching these two films one is struck by what appears to be a significant transformation (or, regression) in the future that science fiction expresses and of the role that it has traditionally played with respect to its social and political implications.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A surprisingly good film that uses the power of the cinematic to elevate the contemporary progressive struggle to reshape our approach to the economy.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
One of Eastwood's more tolerable films reveals the role of the Western mythology in deconstructing effective government as well as its emotional logic.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Another genius film from the Korean master. It's enigmatic title points to a form of being amidst the abjection of life that only becomes possible through our relationships with the opposite sex.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
And another sad example of the vanity documentary sub-genre.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential."xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A Danish film that attempts to rearticulate the Western genre according to the problematic facing contemporary European liberalism fails as a Western, but, in so doing, exposes the naivete of a European liberal culture and context that has never encountered the vagaries of the American Frontier.xxxx
A film that, despite its obvious and pervasively noted short-comings movingly exalts an invisible cinematic underclass of dysfunctional human life and offers an interesting indication of what might be considered the anti-superhero cinema.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Disappointingly, almost unwatcheably unintelligent nonsense that, while it does introduce some interesting new animation techniques to the format that are worth a few moments to respect, is simply unable to create anything resembling an actual story along with any of what's necessary to tell it.xxxx
Gareth Edwards and Disney rearticulate the entire Star Wars franchise, grounding it, perhaps for the first time, in a way that properly respects the cinematic significance of what George Lukas originally created and what has only been improperly exploited for profit and meta-cultural citation since.
A film whose intentions are to be an Interstellar of the mind that, while it raises an interesting set of ideas, is mostly a derivative imitation based in an anachronistic militaristic ideology that undermines its message.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A film with genre-expanding ambitions that, although it has some high points worth watching for, rings somewhat hollow when considered on the merits of its main purpose as a successor to the Coens' True Grit.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx