Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
A symbiotic tale between Sidney Falco, a sycophantic press agent who will do anything short of murder to climb the “golden ladder” and J. J. Hunsecker, the powerful columnist who marionettes others in his machinations. There’s a lot to applaud from the cinematography to acting with special notice to its clever dialogue as it’s chock full of memorable lines (eg. “match me, Sidney”, “you’re a cookie full of arsenic”, etc.). An excellent example of film noir.
I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
A clearly divisive film as the friends I watched with did not enjoy it yet I did. One of their (many) criticisms was it should not have been labelled as “horror” to which I begrudgingly agreed as it’s not horror in the conventional sense. What it does beautifully is the 80s aesthetics coupled with its themes and allegories which can be interpreted in a myriad of ways so that where your mind is at that point in time will determine the enjoyability of this film.
The Last Duel (2021)
The unreliable narrator reigns in this Ridley Scott film reminiscent of Rashômon. The subtle retellings from one character to the next ensured the audience’s rapturous attention and despite it dragging in parts (a cut of 30-45min would be perfect) and the odd choice of speaking English in this medieval French setting, it was altogether enjoyable.
Piece by Piece (2024)
The entire movie is on how successful and wonderful and artistic Pharrell is through scenes of famous friends interviewed interspersed with his songs that sounds vaguely dissimilar. Yet another clichéd biopic that attempts to break the formula by using phantasmagoric Lego and fails as even the customary third plot point is woefully anemic. At least Lego visuals are still nice.
Movies at the top of the list does not necessarily signify the top movie being a masterpiece while the bottom is a calamity, it simply means I enjoyed it more (or less) than the other movies of the week. Using last week’s review as a prime example, the gap between the best and worst movie of that particular week is <1 point on a 10 point scale (low 7s - low-mid 6s).
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
A symbiotic tale between Sidney Falco, a sycophantic press agent who will do anything short of murder to climb the “golden ladder” and J. J. Hunsecker, the powerful columnist who marionettes others in his machinations. There’s a lot to applaud from the cinematography to acting with special notice to its clever dialogue as it’s chock full of memorable lines (eg. “match me, Sidney”, “you’re a cookie full of arsenic”, etc.). An excellent example of film noir.
I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
A clearly divisive film as the friends I watched with did not enjoy it yet I did. One of their (many) criticisms was it should not have been labelled as “horror” to which I begrudgingly agreed as it’s not horror in the conventional sense. What it does beautifully is the 80s aesthetics coupled with its themes and allegories which can be interpreted in a myriad of ways so that where your mind is at that point in time will determine the enjoyability of this film.
The Last Duel (2021)
The unreliable narrator reigns in this Ridley Scott film reminiscent of Rashômon. The subtle retellings from one character to the next ensured the audience’s rapturous attention and despite it dragging in parts (a cut of 30-45min would be perfect) and the odd choice of speaking English in this medieval French setting, it was altogether enjoyable.
Piece by Piece (2024)
The entire movie is on how successful and wonderful and artistic Pharrell is through scenes of famous friends interviewed interspersed with his songs that sounds vaguely dissimilar. Yet another clichéd biopic that attempts to break the formula by using phantasmagoric Lego and fails as even the customary third plot point is woefully anemic. At least Lego visuals are still nice.
Movies at the top of the list does not necessarily signify the top movie being a masterpiece while the bottom is a calamity, it simply means I enjoyed it more (or less) than the other movies of the week. Using last week’s review as a prime example, the gap between the best and worst movie of that particular week is <1 point on a 10 point scale (low 7s - low-mid 6s).