I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With (2007, Jeff Garlin) - ***1/2It's easy to see why people are quick to compare this one to Woody Allen, I think the comparison is a compliment and it fits perfectly. Jeff Garlin has created a very personal, intimate, and even a bleak film that at times you cant help but be charmed by it because you know what you are watching came directly from the heart. It's a small, short, and sweet film which just flies by. I really enjoyed it and was surprised at it's honesty towards the lives of the characters and life. I wish romantic comedies could be more like this than whatever bullshit comes and goes in theaters. It's a great small film that deserves the small acclaim it has received.
The Age of Innocence (1993, Martin Scorsese) - **** (MASTERPIECE)
My love towards this film is extreme. It is ridiculously excellent and it now easily rests among the best from Scorsese that I have seen so far. Why this film doesn't get talked about is beyond me. It may easily seem like its very un-Scorseseish but if you only take a moment to look a tiny bit deeper, it is as Scorsese as Goodfellas is. The long tracking shots, the tension, the bleakness, the punk rock editing tricks...its all there and used in the most subtle but excellent way. If you can not tell...I absolutely fucking love this one. What else can I gush over? I guess I can praise Daniel Day-Lewis' incredible performance. It's easy to compare his performance to Scorsese's direction. You might think that he is solid as always as the role of a man in love with another woman in a time when such a relationship was forbidden but it also doesn't take too much time to notice how many layers of emotions he keeps hidden right under the surface, but keeps it to a level where it is noticeable enough for the viewer but not the characters around him. It is too good for words. The way he nervously laughs and smiles while talking to his forbidden love is some of the finest acting I have yet to see and when the film finally gets going and the heartbreaks begin to come...you cant help but feel broken too because of his acting. This is easily one of the most criminally overlooked, underrated, and underwatched films I have ever come across. I only pray, wish, and hope that Criterion will one day release this film or at the very least that people will discover it sooner or later. It really is as much a masterpiece as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas are.
We Own the Night (2007, James Gray) - ***1/2
...and speaking about overlooked films, We Own the Night might be THE most overlooked film from 2007. I think this is mainly due to the coincidence of coming out one year after The Departed and on top of this the marking for it buying into the "The Departed Jr." image and marketing it like that. It's a shame that it will have to live in The Departed's shadow for now, but for those who take a chance on it, it will be a great surprise. I was incredibly surprised by the film that I found. This is a very slick and dark crime film that has a couple of stellar scenes that are not only stellar but also stunning. This is also not without the help of the very solid supporting cast and direction but also mainly due to the superb acting by Joaquin Phoenix. Fuck Walk the Line, this is the kind of performance which he should be raved about for. He absolutely knocks it out of the park and delivers the most overlooked performance in the most overlooked film from last year. Sure, it may be a genre film with genre cliches but its a great entry into the genre.
The Age of Innocence (1993, Martin Scorsese) - **** (MASTERPIECE)My love towards this film is extreme. It is ridiculously excellent and it now easily rests among the best from Scorsese that I have seen so far. Why this film doesn't get talked about is beyond me. It may easily seem like its very un-Scorseseish but if you only take a moment to look a tiny bit deeper, it is as Scorsese as Goodfellas is. The long tracking shots, the tension, the bleakness, the punk rock editing tricks...its all there and used in the most subtle but excellent way. If you can not tell...I absolutely fucking love this one. What else can I gush over? I guess I can praise Daniel Day-Lewis' incredible performance. It's easy to compare his performance to Scorsese's direction. You might think that he is solid as always as the role of a man in love with another woman in a time when such a relationship was forbidden but it also doesn't take too much time to notice how many layers of emotions he keeps hidden right under the surface, but keeps it to a level where it is noticeable enough for the viewer but not the characters around him. It is too good for words. The way he nervously laughs and smiles while talking to his forbidden love is some of the finest acting I have yet to see and when the film finally gets going and the heartbreaks begin to come...you cant help but feel broken too because of his acting. This is easily one of the most criminally overlooked, underrated, and underwatched films I have ever come across. I only pray, wish, and hope that Criterion will one day release this film or at the very least that people will discover it sooner or later. It really is as much a masterpiece as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas are.
We Own the Night (2007, James Gray) - ***1/2...and speaking about overlooked films, We Own the Night might be THE most overlooked film from 2007. I think this is mainly due to the coincidence of coming out one year after The Departed and on top of this the marking for it buying into the "The Departed Jr." image and marketing it like that. It's a shame that it will have to live in The Departed's shadow for now, but for those who take a chance on it, it will be a great surprise. I was incredibly surprised by the film that I found. This is a very slick and dark crime film that has a couple of stellar scenes that are not only stellar but also stunning. This is also not without the help of the very solid supporting cast and direction but also mainly due to the superb acting by Joaquin Phoenix. Fuck Walk the Line, this is the kind of performance which he should be raved about for. He absolutely knocks it out of the park and delivers the most overlooked performance in the most overlooked film from last year. Sure, it may be a genre film with genre cliches but its a great entry into the genre.
One more part will hopefully be coming up and I will finally be caught up.
No comments:
Post a Comment