The Crying Game. I think contemporary eyes will guess The Big Twist like I did, and it doesn’t matter because the story and characters are good enough to keep you hooked. Strange turns and odd narrative devices abound.
Tag: film
The Firm
The Firm. Better than I remember! I like that the early parts stay upbeat while maintaining the foreshadowing. You can be ominous without being dark. Good momentum through the whole thing. An even better Sydney Pollack film is Three Days of the Condor.
War of the Worlds (2005)
War of the Worlds (2005). I love the opening hour or so. I think the big weakness is that the aliens are kinda boring. I like their throwback design and effects, but something is missing there. The basement scene also drags on waaaaaayyy too long. Spielberg is still a genius, though.
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Martha Marcy May Marlene. I loved it the first time I saw it. Now I’m even more convinced that it’s pretty special. We have the privilege of seeing all sides, and how hard it is for each to understand the other. Another awesome movie that explores the gap between what one person feels and what others experience is Take Shelter, which has been on my re-watch for way too long. Watch that one, and this one.
Watchmen
Watchmen. I don’t know why I do this to myself.
Hide Your Smiling Faces
Hide Your Smiling Faces. Two brothers wrestle with death in their midst. Not amazing, but not bad at all. They found some ridiculously great locations, and I appreciate the emotional modesty. If you’re looking for other movies starring two adolescent boys growing up before your eyes, I recommend The Return and highly recommend Mud.
Sound of My Voice
Sound of My Voice. Two idealistic journalists join a cult to expose it from the inside. Hijinks ensue. This one was alright, but it makes me curious to see The East, as this seems to be something of a first draft or starter’s kit for the ideas developed in that bigger feature. Brit Marling also does good work in Another Earth and the very excellent Arbitrage.
Edge of Tomorrow
Edge of Tomorrow. THIS. This is the kind of genre action film we need. Superheroes can suck it. The best Cruise performance in a good while, and his character has a great arc from coward to competence (always likeable, though). I love the film’s learning curve, too. Just enough to string you along, while not weighing you down with unnecessary repetition. For 2014 releases, I have to put this up there with The Lego Movie and The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Godzilla (2014)
Godzilla (2014). This movie precisely met my expectations, which is kind of a treat in itself. I like how you end up rooting for the big guy. That said, I’m not sure I can describe how tired I am of seeing monsters roar at the screen. We’ve worn it out. The HALO jump scene is one of my favorites this year. Elizabeth Olsen is criminally under-featured. No good reason to waste all that talent, unless you’re also doing it with Watanabe, Binoche, Hawkins, Strathairn, Cranston… This movie is probably better overall, but Pacific Rim had better fightin’. I liked it.
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises. I enjoyed it this time around more than the first time I watched it. Still uneven and exasperating at times.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. I like the world they created, but felt like this one kind of ran out of steam. I take it as a good sign, though, that the games were the least interesting part.
Stories We Tell
Stories We Tell. Such an amazing movie. Great blend of the real and the invented, as memory is wont to be.
Under the Skin
Under the Skin. Even now, a couple weeks later, I’m still not sure if I liked it or not. Which technically is a “yes”, I think. At the least, I appreciate that there’s nothing quite like it.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Kill Bill: Vol. 2. The lesser of the two Bills, I say, because there’s so much more talk-talk-talk. It’s thoughtfully done, but I just like the more action-y first one.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Kill Bill: Vol. 1. The better of the two Bills. Kind of exhausting at times, being submerged in a fanatic’s imagination and obsessions for two hours, but it’s good goofy fun.
La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast), 1946
La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast). So creepy and strange and fantastical. Props (so to speak) to the set and costume design and clever special effects.
Frozen
Frozen. Sorry not sorry: that famous song isn’t very good – and especially not in comparison to “In Summer”. Good movie overall, though. The state of animation today just blows my mind.
The Avengers
The Avengers. The basic plot mechanics are a bit tired, but I am not ashamed to admit how satisfying it is to see the whole gang together after seeing others in the Marvel series. A couple neat camera moments (Cap in the rearview and a POV shot that flips along with the car it’s inside of). Nothing quite like the joy/terror of Hulk being Hulk. I really wish Renner had more to work with.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I had so much fun. Good action movies make you want to do the things you see on screen. Iron Man is fun to watch, but I don’t feel like I want to fly around and shoot beams out of my hands. But this? Yeah, I want to hold up a shield and run through locked doors. The First Avenger is still my favorite of the Marvel movies, but this is a nice elaboration and keeps the good drama/humor balance. Such a great character, becoming more suspicious, more wary of what he’s asked to do.
아저씨 (The Man from Nowhere)
아저씨 (The Man from Nowhere). Another abduction/rescue movie in the spirit of Taken or Commando, but it plays with the pace quite a bit more. Surprised both by how dark/graphic it was, and by its melodrama (colorful, sunny flashbacks). I like the use of first-person POV in some of the action scenes. Oldboy has some similar driven/relentless/remorseless violence. I also liked Won Bin in Mother.
Mark Larson 
