Wildlife (2018)

Man, Wildlife is boring. I acknowledge that it is well composed and Carey Mulligan is divine. But Montana is really uninteresting. And the movie is quiet and slow and wholly depressing. This poor kid is trying to hold his family together and he gets zero help. It's hard to appreciate the great performances through the depression.

The Sisters Brothers (2018)

I'm not a big fan of westerns. Correspondingly, I sort of fell asleep a little bit in the middle. But it's not just a western, it's a dark comedy that's actually quite funny. It's so absurd that it's kind of funny. The cinematography is beautiful. The acting, from John C. Reilly especially (and I like Riz Ahmed), is a delightful surprise. But the best part about this movie is Alexandre Desplat's soundtrack. It's exciting and western and rhythmic and intoxicating.

Donnie Darko (2001)

I saw the Director's Cut at a screening at the MoMA. Donnie Darko is weird--that's a compliment. It's a very fitting quote pulled straight from the movie, but in reference to Donnie himself. Weird is perhaps even an understatement. I can't imagine how anyone could possibly have interpreted the ambiguity of the original version. I know there have been criticisms about the Director's Cut engaging in too much hand holding in providing the director's interpretation. But I think I otherwise would have been quite lost. Cause it's just so darn strange.

I think there is an excellent use of music throughout the use of the movie. It really places it in the time period and it is quite stylish. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal  acting together as siblings is kind of neat. I never realized it before, but I think Jake has kind of gotten typecast-ed as a weirdo (a la Nightcrawler). The plot is kind of brilliant. There is a fantastic combination of comedy and darkness and science fiction alternate universe's and philosophy about religion. It's trippy. 

Okja (2017)

Okja has a very niche plot, but it is a story that can easily resonate with everyone. It'll forever be known as the super pig (slash hippo) movie. It's a risk that pays off handsomely for Netflix, which has already conquered the medium of television. This has the potential to be Netflix's big break in the original narrative film side of the business. Beasts of No Nation was very good but it never really broke through. Okja, though shunned by the cinematic tradition at Cannes, is the future. Netflix is desperate to catch Amazon, already with a Best Picture Oscar nomination for last year's Manchester by the Sea. What makes this film so important? It demonstrates to auteur filmmakers around the world that Netflix is willing to take risks. It will produce artistic films that no one else will. And if not with Okja, it eventually will strike a Best Picture nomination with this model. And leave it for crazy Bong Joon-ho to lead the way for Netflix.

The acting in Okja is quite over the top. I'm looking at you, Jake Gyllenhaal. I'm not sure how I feel about it. He's really insane. But somehow, the over exaggeration fits because it has dramatic and funny moments. Because his foil is a slightly less crazy Tilda Swinton. And the more subdued crazy of Paul Dano. The little girl, Ahn Seo-hyun is very good too as she embarks on a quest to rescue her super pig Okja. I guess that requires a little explanation. The genetically modified super pigs are produced by an evil company, given to farmers around the world to be bred for 10 years, then to be put into food production.  It's a charming simultaneously disturbing story with a moral. That moral will inspire people to become a vegetarian, or at least to not eat pig, after all Mija's favorite food is chicken. It's not a totally anti-meat movie per se, but there is a moral that you can discern for yourself. 

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Tom Ford's second feature film has the visual style that you would expect from a designer. The cinematography is striking. The use of color and bold costuming is fitting with the dark theme of the movie with the West Texas twang. The acting is phenomenal across the board. I especially liked Michael Shannon's performance, but he is good in everything. Aaron Taylor-Johnson surprisingly won the Golden Globe--no one was predicting that. He is good, as a crazy person, but the role isn't as interesting as Shannon's. The casting of Isla Fisher is brilliant because it's like a little inside joke that she looks exactly like Amy Adams. At first, I couldn't tell if she was supposed to be playing a young Amy Adams, but it's a separate story line (though very purposeful). The writing is drawn out making the film thrilling and suspenseful and multilayered. Tom Ford is a storyteller too. He can just do it all. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time. Every time Amy Adams had to close the book and just take a break, I was breathing deeply right in sync, my heart beating fast. 

Southpaw (2015)

Southpaw is kind of like Raging Bull, but not quite as good.  It features the champion, self-destructive brutish boxer who inadvertently pushes his family away. Jake Gyllenhaal undergoes a total transformation, highly committed to his role.  He looks like a bloody mess spiraling out of control in and out of the ring.  Forest Whitaker makes an excellent trainer, but is kind of stereotypical in his role.  All movie boxing trainers are kind of similar.  But who really surprised me was 50 Cent, who plays the manager.  50 Cent is not just a rapper--his acting was pretty convincing.  But in reality, he was playing a businessman and 50 Cent has been doing business for decades.  And 50 Cent was discovered by Eminem, who produced the soundtrack.  And you can hear his influence throughout the movie. 

Everest (2015)

Everest is a film about torture.  These mountaineers inexplicably put themselves through misery for a steep $65,000 per summit. Climbing the highest mountain in the world does not look like fun. It is unbearably cold, the air is inhumanely thin, and everyone is perpetually exhausted.  I thought Jake Gyllenhaal would have a larger part in the movie, but he was hardly in it.  The visuals are incredible though.  You actually feel as miserable as the trekkers and you feel like you're on the side of the mountain.  You feel the snow pouring down as it becomes more difficult to breathe.  It is a truly immersive experience that probably would've been great in IMAX. Nothing ever goes right in the expedition doomed to fail.  It is a dangerous adventure disaster movie.  And it is done quite well. One of the scariest moments is crossing a ladder bridged across a deep crevasse in the ice.  It is a flimsy looking ladder and there is nothing protecting them from falling down into the depths.  The aerial shot over the bottomless pit is a dizzying visual.  These are some terrifying shots.

Nightcrawler (2014)

Nightcrawler is a devilishly stylish thriller.  Jake Gyllenhaal plays a troubled man who films crime scenes and sells footage to news stations.  The idea is novel and the execution is superb.  Jake Gyllenhaal keeps you on the edge of your seat, guessing what conniving thing he'll do next.  He's a fast talker with a unique outlook on life, which he voices often.  He says his lines straight faced, deadpan in all seriousness, even when the words coming out of his mouth are twisted.  Most of the action takes place at night, and the darkness amidst the lights of Los Angeles adds to the noir feel and atmosphere.