Damn. I’m normally a fan of Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman, but their first feature reeks of amateur hour all around.
Tag: Comedy
Get Out (Peele, 2017)
Jordan Peele has crafted a fantastic send-up of some of pop culture’s most famous horror stories (Ira Levin’s, in particular), mixing it together with a screamingly good social satire that skewers those fluffy white, bourgeois liberals who, gosh darn, try so hard to prove they’re not racist, and in the process show that, yeah, they really are (even if unintentionally).
Ingrid Goes West (Spicer, 2017)
Matt Spicer’s Ingrid Goes West juggles a boatload of contemporary issues, whether it be the influx of social media influencers who take pictures of trendy foods, furniture and art as their primary source of income, or people living “auxiliary” lives who crave the world’s approval.
Tour de Pharmacy (Szymanski, 2017)
I think this 40-minute mockumentary format is quite effective in making some truly funny jabs at the doping culture of sports like cycling (and getting Lance Armstrong to play a shamefaced talking head version of himself was a stroke of genius).
The Man Without a Past (Kaurismäki, 2002)
I’ve only seen two other Aki Kaurismäki films, both filmed and released in his early period. This is my first encounter with his “late” oeuvre (if one can call it that), and it’s just as good as his earlier stuff.
Beatriz at Dinner (Arteta, 2017)
A compact 82 minutes, Beatriz at Dinner gallops to its finish line while managing to take you on a rollercoaster ride filled with awkwardness, phony niceties, and the meeting of two polar opposites.
American Made (Liman, 2017)
I was prepared for the worst. A few groans and a migraine, maybe. Instead, I actually thought it was rather… fun?
To Die For (Van Sant, 1995)
Nicole Kidman has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and 2017 has been especially stellar, what with an Emmy win for Big Little Lies and standout performances in The Beguiled and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Watching Gus Van Sant’s To Die For, it’s easy to see why she’s gained such a cult following.
Suburbicon (Clooney, 2017)
I try to find a nice thing to say about every film I watch. But I cannot for the life of me think of anything that I liked about Suburbicon.
The Lonely Film Critic 