TheDragonTrader Reviews

Blue Eye Samurai (2023)

Entertaining American escapism to feudal Japan

[6/10 · 28 January 2024]

Blue Eye Samurai is fun and impressive but also inconsistent and Hollywoodian. Its flaws are not necessarily problematic if you don't think twice about its structure, characters, and plot.

Firstly, the production and art direction should be praised, as the series features solid animation that doesn't let a thing like logic get in the way of a cool visual. The cast is well-suited for their characters, and their voice acting is well-executed. The score by Amy Doherty is epic and atmospheric, yet the snippets of anachronistic music are an acquired taste. Overall, this series is lots of fun to watch.

But digging deeper into the story uncovers that it misses some crucial opportunities.

Blue Eye Samurai is a cliché tale of revenge by an outcast. Its first episode promises to spin this out in new, exciting ways. But the series never matches the quality of its first impressions - although it's never tedious.

What follows is several filler episodes of fun and games. It wastes an entire episode on a break-in that could have been summarized in 5 minutes. Meanwhile, Mizu (the protagonist) repeatedly recovers from an ungodly number of fatal wounds, and antagonists poof in and out of existence at any place when the plot needs them. Oh, and what's up with all the unnecessary nudity?

The most problematic flaw, however, is that the Wikipedia page of the actual events depicted in its final episode is more interesting than what the series did with it. Season 1 culminates in a predictable confrontation with a routine moral message.

Still, I am thirsty for more samurai action. After all, who can resist such mindless fun?

She Came to Me (2023)

Too little opera

[5/10 · 23 January 2024]

Although it pretends to unveil something profound, She Came to Me is a surprisingly average feel-good comedy. Meanwhile, its shallow dialogue and problematic plot aside, it is still charming and funny, likely because of the well-suited cast.

This movie has several different storylines that eventually get tied together. However, this is done in ways that require increasing suspension of disbelief. In addition, they mostly keep existing next to each other without much interaction. There is no clear message - if there is one at all.

But mostly, there are too few opera scenes. The movie starts on it, then makes a point out of the Tugboat-witch opera, and then forgets about opera entirely until the finale. In short, it has too many loose ends, which makes the search for a consistent thread not worth the audience's time.

That is not to say She Came to Me isn't funny or charming, but it again can't choose whether it wants to be mostly one or the other. Comedic scenes are needlessly interrupted by emotionally intense moments. The result is an uneven, bumpy viewing experience. At the same time, the story dallies on beats that were already abundantly clear several scenes earlier.

Yet the protagonist trio is thoroughly well-cast. Peter Dinklage gets to bask in discomfort and to nearly cry out "woe be me". Anne Hathaway is hilariously pushed into a nervous breakdown, but her character never develops character. Marisa Tomei sets down the most down-to-earth witch ever put on screen. They're never out of touch with the script or each other.

Overall, She Came to Me is as average as they come: amusing but nothing to get enthusiastic about.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

Save it for a rainy day

[6/10 · 21 January 2024]

James Mangold is no master of blocking, and show-don't-tell is not his forte. However, he does have lots of fun with the material. The Dial of Destiny is farfetched, action-packed, and witty. Also, the score by John Williams makes up for many of its flaws.

It should be noted that the Dial of Destiny is indebted to video games that were themselves indebted to the original Indiana Jones movies. Some moments feel, stylistically and action-wise, like moments from the Uncharted or Assassin's Creed games. That's not bad, just odd.

Especially the de-aged scenes get stuck in this uncanny valley because the special effects aren't perfect - although well executed. Overall, the overreliance on CGI makes all action scenes feel somewhat synthetic. Notably, the chase through Tangiers slightly resembled the chase for the scrolls from the animation film The Adventures of Tintin. Again, great fun, but odd.

Of course, the plot is cliché and farfetched - as it should be. Yet where the old movies left some of it to mysticism and left its characters with their feet on the ground, this one culminates in a concrete Marvelesque finale. Still fun. But is it really better than aliens?

I said it once. I said it twice. And I'll say it again. The Dial of Destiny is thoroughly enjoyable, but odd.

And finally, post-colonialism makes us wonder: does it belong in a museum?

Poor Things (2023)

Glorious brain damage

[8/10 · 20 January 2024]

To live in Yorgos Lanthimos' brain must be horrible and hilarious. Once again, he treats us with a grotesque exaggeration of both characters and society. Even the world is a wonderous pastiche of reality; the air isn't blue; a ship is a monstrous machine; and Lisbon looks like every steam-punker's dream.

The protagonist, Bella (both child and mother), is deliciously performed by Emma Stone. She switches between deadpan deliveries and heartfelt emotions in a heartbeat. In addition, she nails both slapstick comedy and philosophical monologues. The result is riveting, as the world of Poor Things becomes unhinged when "polite society" clashes with Bella's brutal honesty.

The movie matures together with her. Poor Things goes through all kinds of growing pains in a grown-up manner. It's an exciting delight but also food for discussion. Meanwhile, the film doesn't shy away from good ol' piss, sex and/or fart jokes - not necessarily in that order.

However, searching for a pointe becomes tiresome because perhaps there is none. It feels like there is, but it's never clear what that should be. This slight style-over-substance approach is not for everyone.

All imagery is disorienting but artful. The score is unconventional but tailor-made. There is not one redundant word in the script. Still, the total feels somewhat overly long. But also, our excitement is revitalised with every new chapter, resulting in a most delightful film experience.

Yes. This 21st-century Frankenstein is either mad or brilliant.

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

"But what about my melancholy?"

[10/10 · 20 January 2024]

Killers of the Flower Moon is true crime from an idiot's perspective in conventional cinema at its peak. It is also way too long but we should've seen that coming.

Scorsese teaches us multiple lessons for nuanced filmmaking: how to have respect for people and subject material, but also how to elevate tension and handle violence without glorifying it. The result is honest and realistic, whilst subtly guiding our emotions through a maze of plot and character.

The screenplay is extensive in both its length and depth. It's quite quotable and explains the plot efficiently without sinking into blandness. Its characters are complex and are brought to life by a wildly well-suited cast. There are beautiful images. There is a subdued, yet fitting, score. Additionally, Killers of the Flower Moon has the best wrap-up scene of a legal drama I have seen in years.

There is no more to say than: it's great. Can you find the wolves in this picture?

The Zone of Interest (2023)

Horrifying implications

[9/10 · 19 January 2024]

I knew nothing about this film before the screening and during the first minutes I was afraid it would be overly long, bland, and boring. Then I realised what it was about.

We have arrived at the point where the horror of the Holocaust is so well-known that there is no need to show the inside of the camps anymore. The mere suggestion is enough to imbue the banal with meaning. The Zone of Interest is a bland film and a gruesome audio play in one, twisting everything into a nauseating double-entendre.

Cinematographer Lukasz Zal lets a static camera capture wide frames. He deliberately keeps his distance so we, the audience, can observe. This objective point of view is then contrasted with several artistic moments with negative images or monochromatic slates. Such interpretative inserts don't add anything to the film but don't hurt it either. It underlines the horror. However, the soundscapes by composer Mica Levi push this feeling through much more effectively.

This film is not for the squeamish, even though there is no gore, only sounds. But that is more than enough.

Saltburn (2023)

Batting against a window

[6/10 · 12 January 2024]

You can trust a boy searching for himself to let his experiments become outlandish. The knockout imagery and obvious soundtrack catch us in a thirst trap with the protagonist. There is no place for love at Saltburn, only lust.

Barry Keoghan delivers Oliver as a loner driven by his boner for Jacob Elordi's character Felix. Meanwhile, Elordi is exquisite as the unreachable straight boy who keeps giving off vibes of wider sympathies but ultimately conforms to the conservative attraction of his masculine aura. There is longing and frustration between them as neither dare speak of their feelings.

The aspect ratio encases every character in their superficiality. At Saltburn, people are mere puppets, you can buy your friends, and feelings are violently constrained. Even at the direst moments, Oliver must comply with formality while others escape in alcohol or pleasantries. The result is both gruesome and hilarious.

There is a parable hidden in there somewhere: about how money - or beauty - exists to increase the suffering of whomever owns it or how the deepest feelings are the hardest to say out loud. The way Oliver is batting against a window - like a moth that can't get to the flame - is telling.

But the finale breaks both character and plot. The incentive was not with whom we thought it was - cliché. Some jokes border on the inappropriate, and some characters vanish without impact. You can also spot great foreshadowing for little more than a side note.

When the credits roll, there is no meaning left.

Elvis (2022)

Suspiciously suave

[6/10 · 10 January 2024]

There is no shame in focusing on the glamour of success and the Shakespearean tragedy of showbusiness. After all, that is what Baz Luhrmann does best. But it's a missed opportunity that, underneath the thick layer of excitement, there is no depth.

The movie tells a classic rise-and-fall story, with sexy music and Forrest Gump-like historical snippets. Luhrmann lets echoes from past, present and future mingle, providing a rare wholistic perspective on the phenomenon that is Elvis.

But telling his story from the angle of his relation to his manager misses the point of a qualitative biopic; it shows little personality, integrity, or understanding. In addition, Austin Butler lacks maturity but is perfectly cast in terms of looks and energy.

Nevertheless, everything is skilfully put together - though needlessly accentuated. Luhrmann stuffs his movie with exuberant set pieces, costumes and lighting, snappy editing and an appropriate blend of score and soundtrack - which he then blends with anachronistic music, fuelling the excitement of an impatient young audience.

But most of all, Elvis reminds me that I was born at the wrong time in music history.

The Boy and the Heron (2023)

The worst guide

[6/10 · 10 January 2024]

This film will be intense. That's what the first five minutes of The Boy and the Heron scream at the audience. Here is an example of impactful subjective filmmaking and the weight of long-standing skill and experience.

Starting as a fairytale rooted in history, it evolves into a surreal quest through a kaleidoscope of worlds. As such, the line between what's cute and what's horrible becomes ever so thin. There is sadness, there is humour. There is something for everyone.

In addition, there is no point in denying the attention to detail and the artistry in the animation. The sound design includes even the subtlest noise, and the animation uses its full potential.

Miyazaki also roots The Boy and the Heron in cultural history by including several settings reminiscent of the painting "Isle of the Dead" by Arnold Böcklin, which also drives home its thematic material: that of grief.

But as a first-time viewer of a Studio Ghibli film, I felt lost. Not only in the story and the myriad of universes it traverses but also in the point Miyazaki (director) wants to make. The lack of coherence was disorienting and stood in the way of a clear conclusion. Accented by some minimalist nonsense music - but at times basking in symphonic glory - the movie swings between near-blandness and emotional sucker punches.

At the same time, my lack of understanding of Miyazaki's life and work got in the way of my experience. Perhaps the movie could benefit from a rewatch - after watching his previous work.

Past Lives (2023)

Two sides of the same coin

[9/10 · 9 January 2024]

Usually, romantic movies look for new ways to tell the same story. Or they pretend to innovate by imitating a tiresome reality. However, Past Lives tells an old story with modern flair and enticing realism.

Two strong leads navigate a painfully nuanced storyline while the filmmaking enhances their tension - and with effect. Playing with frames (together or separately), inserts (of hands nearly touching) and frames that feel either cosy or nervous (or why not let it evolve throughout a scene). But in the end, it is up to the viewer to feel the connection.

Thematically, the film also excels, with water and other reflective materials echoing the similarities and differences between what is and what could have been; bridges spanning the Hudson like connections between past and present lives - or between two souls; watching the protagonists through windows, framing them as though we're looking through into their past lives.

But most importantly, the romance feels horribly and beautifully realistic. The director lets silences play out to their most impactful extremes - without feeling empty. It's all in glances, stutters, and uncontrolled smiles - without feeling garish. To then see the film culminating in an ending that's at the same time heart-breaking and right is similarly the most astringent and relieving experience of my life.

Perhaps the idea of past lives is not the point at all. Perhaps what's more important to realise is that two versions of the same life can exist simultaneously. Whether that results in conflict or coexistence is left for the audience to decide.

New Pigs on the Block (2022)

Luc'ske toch...

[8/10 · 23 June 2022]

Thee pigs doing pig stuff. That sums up the movie. But instead of a tame collage of anecdotes, the documentary develops an actual storyline and even explores several important themes. It's nicely shot, and the occasional music is a welcome distraction from the silence. As such, we are never bored.

And how could we? Watching three pigs being adorable and a little dirty is a pleasant pastime. The protagonists have better comic timing than Jeff Goldblum, and when the finale comes, we are acutely fond of our two heroines and our hero.

Another commendable aspect is its runtime of only one hour. And boy is suiting for the film we're getting. If only more cineasts could live with a shorter - but stronger - end product instead of overfeeding a flaccid storyline to reach at least the two-hour mark.

The awkward staged moments with humans notwithstanding, New Pigs on the Block is an honest, observant look into what happens within the pigpen. And also a confronting look at our side of the fence from a different perspective.

Cargo (III) (2017)

An empty dragnet

[4/10 · 19 June 2022]

Cargo is unquestionably a Flemish movie as it suffers from the flaws we see in all other "Flanders-flicks". We see downcast characters trodding through a world of faded shades of grey and blue with the occasional touch of orange. After all, the streetlights do have that colour. The script is immature, not to say slightly daft (not to say slow and tedious), and there is not a single grain of hope. Precisely the kind of lighthearted movie to watch on a Sunday afternoon.

Luckily, Coulier's direction is smooth. The cast's performances are decent: dramatic to suit the overall tone but stoic enough to keep it honest. David Williamson's cinematography is the only thing that tries to elevate the drama out of the salty sludge. Lisa Van der Aa's score is dark but also obscured by its lack of originality. However, the technical execution is not a real problem. The real problem is the story.

Instead of focussing on the main line of tension, Cargo decides to lose precious time on two oversimplified side plots. As a result, it sees itself forced to end the movie at a point where most other movies begin.

All the subjects it touches on are underdeveloped. All characters lack personality.

It's sad. It looked promising, but it's as average as any Flemish movie. Watch it if you'd like to see some pretty shots of Ostend and the Flemish coastline. Or else if you really don't have anything else to do on your Sunday afternoon.

One Second (2020)

Celebrating film or propaganda?

[7/10 · 16 June 2022]

Whist in search of a lost film roll of utmost importance, One Second takes us on a delightful trip through the desert. The plot reminds strongly of Cinema Paradiso and doesn't add anything innovative to the mix. But it holds enough clever twists and turns to engage the audience.

The movie suffers from some minor flaws but can hide them behind the beautiful cinematography. Meanwhile, its feel-good quality prevents it from living up to the subtlety and nuance of Yimuo's earlier work. And rather than a celebration of film, it almost feels as if they are actually celebrating propaganda. Furthermore, the main character keeps making funny decisions - often of staying silent - which puts him in increasingly dire trouble.

Yet, the performances are firm, the imagery is occasionally exceptional, and Yimou's direction is refined. It's better than most movies these days, but the story itself fails to reach higher ground.

Fences (2016)

Decent, but no good adaptation

[5/10 · 15 June 2022]

It's the duty of an adaptation from a play to find what the cinema can add to the story. But Fences didn't find it. Its runtime is outrageous - it could easily have been an hour shorter. After all, the majority contains stretched-out scenes of banality and needless repetition. And all that without the cinematography or music to complement or compound anything.

Momentarily - when the plot is touching, funny or enthralling - the performances stand out and are engrossing. Especially Viola Davis delivers her lines with impressive conviction. But it says a lot that scenes without the lead, Denzel Washington, were more honest than the ones with him. The movie might be of average artistic quality, but it's clean and technically near-flawless.

It doesn't help that I didn't like the main character, but the movie didn't resonate with me as with other people. It also doesn't help that I don't think Denzel Washington is a great actor. But somehow, it probably was a good casting decision to cast him as the harsh, unfeeling, unlikeable patriarch.

Nothing seriously wrong with it. But nothing out of the ordinary either.

The Father (I) (2020)

What is happening?

[10/10 · 15 June 2022]

Anthony Hopkins - a veteran of his trade - alone is an impressive cast. But add Olivia Coleman/? Williams and Mark/? Rufus Sewell/? Gatiss, and the story - that itself is a tour de force - elevates itself to a deeply touching human drama. The acting in this movie is a rare achievement in film. Of course, the script is an adaptation of a play; that probably helps.

The movie takes us through a never-ending ever-more-confusing maze of constant shifts and changes in Anthony's? Day-to-day life. Whenever the audience thinks it might know the? Construction of the plot, it is thrown out of its assumptions when Zeller adds yet another? Fragment of confusion. We start doubting everything along with the main character; is his daughter married? - and to whom? - is? She going to Paris? - it is? His apartment, right? - what is happening?!

Everything - the changing casting, decor and script - makes us lose our bearings. Is it morning? Is it evening? And what? About the chicken? What chicken?

The Father is hard to watch and recognizable? To the extreme. It prevented me from going to sleep for more than an hour? After watching it; it's that disturbing. At the same time, it's also heartbreaking. It's a brilliant concept, exquisitely constructed, and it lingers. It's one of the best films of the decade.

The Velvet Queen (2021)

Nature's ravishing beauty hidden in plain sight

[8/10 · 14 June 2022]

Pseudo-philosophical commentary and a score by Warren Ellis featuring Nick Cave accompany us on an expedition into the ferocious landscapes of the Himalayas. The former is sometimes distracting and on rare occasions quite fitting. The latter is nothing the composers haven't done before, but it suits the material so well that they are easily forgiven.

Pretty soon - whilst staring in awe at the knockout imagery - La Panthère des Neiges induces a rare sense of repose. Only to be immediately shifted toward ceaseless anticipation. We don't see it, but it sees us. It's a riveting experience to scan each frame for signs of the creature, and every discovery - whether or not concerning the panther - is an exhilarating treat.

This film is not a documentary with any explanations. It is a quiet appreciation of the earth and the animals. And if the animals start to bore you, there are plenty of majestic landforms to be observed as well; rock fall, soil creep, braided floodplains and peaks of stone shooting up into the sky. It takes our breath away as if we were there with them - at that elevation...

La Panthère des Neiges is best viewed in cinemas - if possible. The talking might start to annoy you but every image is a work of art. Let's not lose our touch with nature - ever.

The Children Act (2017)

No fireworks

[6/10 · 14 June 2022]

With Emma Tompson in the lead, there is almost no chance of the film derailing. However, she rarely gets to work with more than semi-profound dialogues, which is a shame when you compare these scenes with those that truly impact you. Stanley Tucci seems a little out of place as the overly rational husband. Meanwhile, Fionn Whitehead also does a good job, but let's wait a few years before we call him a "great actor".

The plot doesn't have half as much to tell as it would like us to believe. Whenever it threatens to become too heavy - or dull - it adds something new to the mix, but none of these subplots compounds the main storyline. The courthouse scenes are blandly filmed, but the arguments are forceful.

Yet, it's not so much the plot that gets in the way of the film excelling, but its overall tone that is momentarily educative - and mostly melodramatic. Add to this the bland score and the decent filmmaking and you get my rating for The Children Act (the film). Enjoyable, but not half as intelligent as it appears.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

Love in the eyes

[7/10 · 14 June 2022]

Putting an actor in prosthetics to interpret a historical figure is a free ticket for the Oscars. At first, it seems that Jessica Chastain's mannerisms and voice-play border on the ridiculous. But where other competitors occasionally fall through their enactments, Jessica Chastain manages to keep her performance natural during the entire runtime. Also, Andrew Garfield is commendable as the childlike Jim Baker but can't keep up with Chastain's intensity.

But, as with the Bakers, not all is grand and lovely. The score is painfully unrefreshing and could have been a copy-paste from any Downton Abbey episode if I didn't know better. Other bugging things are the unimaginative headline montages and time jumps. Still, the filmmaking is clean, though not very inspired. But one can argue that not all movies should be bold and daring. Sometimes, an ordinary gem is better than an incomprehensible art-house flick.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye has a stellar performance by Jessica Chastain, an engaging story, and Tammy's catchy tunes. It's very passable and, because I didn't know anything about her - or any televangelist for that matter, it was a thoroughly enjoyable film about naïevety and hypocrisy.

Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

No one took away the sins of the world

[7/10 · 12 June 2022]

Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield navigate an imperative storyline based on actual, shocking events. Their authentic performances make for a gripping character study, but the duo doesn't share as many meaningful scenes as the title would have us believe. Luckily, this isn't disruptive to the movie's intensity. At any rate, they have an incredible ensemble cast working alongside them and - with the set design and costumes - allow the audience to enter the stirring days of the late 60s.

The fact that the storyline occasionally falters is the biggest shame for a film about such an intriguing and well-documented story. Due to the uneven tension arc, there are moments your mind can't help but wander off. It can be considered the primary issue of Judas and the Black Messiah: that any attention-grabbing element is just not carried through far enough. Another example is the musical score. The ear-catching motifs, established by Mark Isham and Craig Harris, only appear occasionally and for a minute, acting more like accents than an addition to the story-telling.

Judas and the Black Messiah is a gorgeous adaptation of an astounding historical tale. It's a critical part of history and an excellent film. You might end up with a certain level of unfulfillment, but that doesn't mean the plate is any less tasty.

The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Follow the boner

[5/10 · 11 June 2022]

A film about an underexposed part of history is always a good idea. Bringing it to life is hard to pull off. But The Last of the Mohicans did it, although it leaves much to be desired.

Michael Mann brings the cruel French-Indian war to life with real-life locations, natural lighting and extensive set pieces. Hundreds of extras are brutally slaughtered or walked somewhere in the background. It is surprisingly vibrant but sometimes somewhat awkward. The iconic score elevates the drama and is an impressive earworm - borderline annoying, to tell you the truth. And, of course, any historical epic - royally sprinkled with fighting stunt doubles and gunsmoke - is easily considered a decent watch.

But the script provides the actors with such bad dialogues that even Daniel Day-Lewis can't benefit from his extra-thorough preparation. And the characters stumble through a humourless storyline that stretches out the least interesting scenes for the sake of "romance". Meanwhile, the main character isn't driven by honour, justice or morality but by his libido which is then presented as "true love".

It's not good, but not terrible either. We can only be gratefull that the studio forced the director to cut his envisioned three-hour sludge-fest into a two-hour kind-of-epic.

Dark Waters (2019)

Calm but intense

[8/10 · 11 June 2022]

One little person against the world; you'd almost expect Jodie Foster to play the lead. But Mark Ruffallo did a meritious job playing a corporate lawyer switching sides and becoming obsessed with a nearly unreachable justice. He showed he is more than his rendition of the uninspired big green man.

Haynes directs this legal drama with surgical precision. The story slowly thickens - adding dry and dryer evidence on top of each other - while we are shocked when we start to understand the gravity of the situation and its far-reaching consequences. If you thought the film was suspenseless, you probably weren't paying much attention.

The images are calm, with diffuse lighting, and the music - although not the most inspired score - builds steadily without drawing the focus away from the subject. It adds to the clarity of the message. Dark Waters submerges the viewer in the uncomfortable confronting reality of injustice and powerlessness.

You won't come out of this one unscathed. Especially if you easily empathise with the main characters. But somehow, there is still hope. There always is hope.

De storm (2009)

Sadly, some copies of the film survived...

[2/10 · 11 June 2022]

A real-world tragedy deserves a respectful recounting of events. But this movie opted to reïmagine the dramatic Christmas flood of 1953 in an absurd fictional storyline where the plot and the characters are so shallow you start wondering what the problem is. De Storm fails as a historical film, fails as a drama and fails as a thriller.

The film promotes the dated idea that "a woman needs a man no matter how strong she is". Additionally, it praises idiotic actions of stupidity as "heroic rescue attempts". None of the actors managed to deliver their lines with any level of truth. And I would not have been able to muster the two stars I rated it if the special effects hadn't been this decent.

De Storm, in essence, is an insult to the victims of the flood and a disgrace to Dutch filmmaking. Tedious, disastrously dated and offending.

The Power of the Dog (2021)

Why do we hand out stars?

[7/10 · 17 March 2022]

We are introduced to two brothers in the Old West of the "roaring twenties" in atmospheric, immeasurable landscapes, accompanied by an ethereal soundtrack. Except, The Power of the Dog is not roaring. It's a slow-burning but sometimes dallying fable about what Ned Sublette meant when he sang: "Cowboys are frequently, secretly fond of each other".

While a few scenes hit home with stellar performances and fervidness, the rest lacks tempo and intensity. The movie could have used some restructuring, especially in the first expositional thirty minutes that could also have been - watch me - cut entirely. The cinematography may be clean and beautiful, but it doesn't always complement the story half as good as some critics make it seem. Benedict Cumberbatch, Cody Smit-McFee and Kirsten Dunst deserved many more close-ups than they got. And the steady-cam should have been varied more by hand-held, restless images the way they showed us near the end.

Jonny Greenwood - ever inspired, never average - is in charge of the unsettling score. It's not, however, his most remarkable work: I would rather have seen him nominated for his work on, for example, 'Spencer'. But it sets the tone and creeps under our skin, which is precisely what the movie intends to do.

Extensive set pieces, costumes, precise direction and enthralling performances elevate The Power of the Dog into a decent watch. Yet it also has some missed potential.

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

Not foul, but fair

[7/10 · 15 March 2022]

Whoever dares to adapt Shakespeare stands before a dilemma: do they please the general audience or the literary experts? Rarely is the balance between these two to be found, but Joel Coen does a meritious job.

The Tragedy of Macbeth immerses us in a stunning rendition of medieval Scotland with firm theatrical visuals where the director controls every detail. The clarity of the images helps bring across the hefty language and archaïc phrases. But why Denzel Washington is nominated for an oscar and not Frances McDormand remains a mystery to me.

Despite its refreshing take on the witches and the "Is this a dagger which I see before me"-scene, The Tragedy of Macbeth cannot help but sink into vagueness from time to time. There is also a gradation in performance strengths putting us out of the story sometimes. The movie surges towards its dazzling finale with generic music and impressive production design.

Macbeth. Macbeth. Macbeth. Beware the nominations. You're good but don't let it fly to your head.

You have got to love the rhythm of those lines.

Licorice Pizza (2021)

Juvenile chaos

[9/10 · 15 March 2022]

A friend of mine, being a massive fan of Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread, told me after the screening of Licorice Pizza: "Sure, it was good, but... kinda all over the place, no?". And I couldn't agree more. However, Phantom Thread is the odd one out. Anderson's movies are often "all over the place", but it's only in this one I felt like he used it as an asset.

Two hours and a half are always in danger of being too long. But when they are this packed with absurd humour, snappy dialogues and stunning visuals, they fly by. The non-stop parade of catchy tunes drives the movie and has us dance in place instead of wondering about what we're watching.

Licorice Pizza is a messy love story. Messy the way love can be. Some scenes are pointless, but each one crackles with fun and shivers like a first crush on a fresh spring day. Even though the performances might at times remain shallow, the casting director has truly put the right people in the right roles.

Paul Thomas Anderson's newest is thoroughly enjoyable and proves he remains one of today's most excited directors. As long as he keeps on entertaining us with rough diamonds like this, all is fine. We are also delighted he didn't stick with the working title "Soggy Bottom".

Such a shame he can't help but make all LGBTQ characters spineless fools because I am getting sick of that rendition.