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.
Winter’s Bone. Such a damn good movie. Every bit as good as the first time. It has the perfect balance between feeding you information and leaving you in the dark. Who knows what to do next? And I love the little moments of life in the Ozarks: splitting firewood, hunting, neighbors looking after each other, cooking. Between this and Martha Marcy May Marlene, I’ve got to find some more stuff with John Hawkes.
Martha Marcy May Marlene. Wrenching. You just want to know, is she going to be okay? I’m not sure of other movies that deal with the dazed, overwhelmed confusion of self like this one. I also realized a while after movie started how refreshing it is to see a rural setting on film again. So many of our movies are urbanized, you don’t see a lot of love for those greens and browns. Elizabeth Olsen is impressive. John Hawkes, equally awesome (see: Winter’s Bone). This is absolutely worth seeing, but just know you probably won’t come out happy and refreshed.
Winter’s Bone. This is fantastic. I got totally sucked in. Probably the best I’ve seen this year. Go watch it now if you’re an idiot like me who didn’t get around to it in 2010.
Mark Larson 