Panic Room. Nicely constrained in time and space. I like the hints for stuff that comes up in the story later on, little things that foreshadow and reward your attention. Things are often in the frame for a reason.
Dances with Wolves. The love story is a ruin, but I really like everything else. That buffalo hunt is spectacular.
Stagecoach. It is every bit as good as you’ve heard. Really wish I hadn’t ignored the praise for so long. I like these movies where a loosely-tied cast of characters get thrown together. Made me think of Mad Max: Fury Road, if taken down to a crisp 90 minutes. The pacing sweeps you up. I wasn’t expecting a love story, too!
The General’s Daughter. Ugh. Just too much.
Congo. Dumb old-fashioned ’90s jungle adventure. It’s not good, and not really close, but has its charms here and there. Laura Linney!
Doctor Strange. It’s a nice change of pace to see a superhero who’s a bit of an asshole. Great finale. But still, it’s yet another superhero origin story… There has to be another way.
Alien. Perfection. Still a five-star film. I love those Nostromo jackets!
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. So, so corny, but it keeps it light and there’s a good adventure waterfall scene. Thesis: bad action/adventure movies are better than most other genres done badly.
Prisoners. The older I get, torture scenes in movies are just more and more unbearable. I fear we still haven’t appreciated Hugh Jackman enough. Nerdy Terrence Howard is a treat! Gyllenhaal’s character is so weird and I love that they don’t delve into it. much He just is.
The Invitation. Really good! Draws you in and lingers. I like how it lets the suspicion sizzle without confirming it until late in the game. Love the use of and absence of sound throughout.
Passion. The ballet scene is sublime. Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune plays prominently – teased early on a billboard. More on-the-nose than I expected it to be, and I was hoping for more of a slow burn.
Wish You Were Here. I really like that Joel Edgerton. The movie is fine. Plot gets a little tooooo thick and I wonder if the timeline-chopping hurts it.
Z for Zachariah. I liked it overall. Chris Pine has such a great blend of charm and menace. Accents are hit and miss. Biggest annoyance was the sets and costuming. The apocalypse looks a bit too much like a magazine spread. The score was written by the same woman who scored for the excellent, lovely-sounding, and harrowing Compliance. Good stuff.
A Most Violent Year. Solid. Gotta hang on to what you got. I like that the hero is a runner.
Felony. I like a story where people goof up and cover it up. But this was kinda bland. Jai Courtney surprisingly good as a straight-arrow type?
Predator. Holds up! I forgot how fluid and pleasing some of the camerawork is here. The scene where they unload a zillion bullets into the jungle has a strange formalist beauty. Final fight just a wee too long.
Take Shelter. Good lord I love this movie. Gut-wrenching to see a man surrounded by, and pushing away, people that care about him. (My first viewing was somehow five years ago?)
Sliding Doors. ’90s movies are really growing on me. Paltrow and Lynch and Tripplehorn are such natural charmers.
Mark Larson 