Movies I Watched in July 2023 - Greenfield Writes

Monty Python and the Holy Grail - dir. Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam

Comedy/Fantasy

It’s more consistently funny than The Meaning of Life but it still just kinda drags. There were a couple of bits that just went on for wayyyy too long. 5/10.

The Player - dir. Robert Altman

Black Comedy

A black comedy thriller about a Hollywood producer’s descent into scumfuckery that goes meta on meta. I think I was unusually devastated by the fate of a certain character, who is left in tatters by the end of the film. The movie basically takes a sledgehammer to Hollywood tropes, but plays into them at the same time. It isn’t afraid to get seriously, seriously dark (and also funny) and I love it. 9/10.

The Ghost Writer - dir. Roman Polanski

Political Thriller

A political thriller about a ghostwriter who is tasked with writing the memoir of a former Prime Minister. I was watching this movie for about an hour before I realized–hold on. I don’t give a single shit about any of these characters. I chalk this up to the decision to leave the main protagonist nameless. Now, I understand that this has some literary purpose behind it, but the end result is that I just didn’t care. And when your story is a thriller, that’s a problem. 4/10.

Sexy Beast - dir. Jonathan Glazer

Heist

A ‘heist’ movie about a retired bank robber winding up in a battle of wills with his old colleague, hellbent on persuading him to join him for one last job. Sensual, visceral, intense, British. These are just a few adjectives I’d toss around when describing this film to people. It’s a subversion of the heist genre, where the main plot revolves around the antagonist (played EXCELLENTLY by Ben Kingsley) strong-arming and bullying the protagonist into ‘one last job’. The script is tight, the visuals shimmer, the plot is riveting. 8/10.

The Menu - dir. Mark Mylod

Comedy/Horror

A film about rich people, art, and fine dining. Anya-Taylor Joy and Ralph Fiennes kill it. Despite what I consider to be a fairly weak script, dialogue-wise, the performances here do a lot of the heavy lifting, and the direction of the plot (mildly predictable but still subversive where it counts) allowed me to immerse myself in the movie. It helps that the visuals are crisp and delicious, just like that fucking cheeseburger. This movie made me hungry, and also… made me think about art? 7/10.

Sling Blade - dir. Billy Bob Thornton

Psychological Drama

A slow-paced drama about a mentally impaired psych ward patient trying to reintegrate back into society. One thing most people don’t know about me is that I am a sucker for the genre of Southern Gothic. Set your story in some smalltown shithole, give me a protagonist who feels trapped, listless, or moody, and throw in some tragedy about being an outcast in some way, and you’ve already got an 8/10 review coming your way. But add TRANSCENDENT performances from Billy Bob Thornton and a young Lucas Black AND one of the most beautiful friendships ever put to the silver screen and you’ve got yourself a 10/10.

Waking Life - dir. Richard Linklater

Experimental

If you don’t surrender yourself to this film, you’re not going to enjoy it. If you demand plot to constrain a movie into a structured series of developments, you’re not going to enjoy this trippy, mesmerizing, philosophical experience. Once I let the movie take me into its surreal landscape, constructed by Richard Linklater’s usage of rotoscope animation, I was hooked. A lot of it was incomprehensible to me. But the feeling it gave me was indescribable, like being on shrooms again. 9/10.

Léolo - dir. Jean-Claude Lauzon

Surrealist/Coming-of-Age

Leolo is a surrealist black comedy movie that also doubles as this weird coming-of-age character study. There’s a lot that I just frankly do not understand about the movie, but the cinematography and disgusting sense of humor (which occasionally veers too far) kept me engaged in spite of it. I won’t pull any punches; this is one of the most revolting movies I’ve ever watched, but through its vileness it really does manage to capture this cynical child’s imagination in a very unique, colorful, and disturbing way. 6/10.

Dark City - dir. Alex Proyas

Neo-Noir/Sci-Fi

A neo-noir sci-fi thriller set in a city where it’s always night time? Sign me the fuck up, that sounds incredible. And, well… it is. Dark City is an excellent sci-fi movie, occasionally held back by its poor special effects. The main character isn’t particularly interesting, but the movie sort of holds up on sheer plot and visuals alone. Despite the bleakness of the grungy setting, the moral of the story is actually pretty uplifting. It’s just a great ride from beginning to end. Once the pieces start coming together, it’s impossible to stop watching. 8/10.

Rams - dir. Grímur Hákonarson

Rams is an Icelandic art house film about two estranged sheep farmer brothers. On paper, this is the exact kind of movie I dig. A family drama with black comedy elements that also features cute animals and extraneous focus on character? What’s there not to like? Well, as it turns out, not very much, because I thought this movie was just… tedious. Not sure why, exactly. I suspect it has something to do with the vagueness of the protagonist’s relationship with his brother, and the way it just feels hollow. Whatever it is, I just couldn’t finish this movie. 4/10.

Saul at Night - dir. Cory Santilli

Indie Sci-Fi

I gotta admit, I didn’t watch this movie beginning to end. I was tired and I was watching it with my parents and I ended up falling asleep on the couch. According to my dad, it’s a very ‘weird’ movie. Surrealist sci-fi with flavors of Severance and The Rehearsal.

Force Majeure - dir. Ruben Östlund

Family Drama/Black Comedy

I was a big fan of Triangle of Sadness, so going into this film, I was excited. And while it does retain some of Triangle’s sense of humor, it completely lacks any sense of momentum. Maybe I’m just too dumb to get this movie. I mean, I did LIKE it, I just didn’t LOVE it. Sure, it had some real pretty shots, some great tense dialogue, and a few nods towards some thematic overlay of gender dynamics, but… there’s just so much shit in this movie that feels completely meaningless. I wanted to love this film, but alas, I did not. 6/10.

Drive - dir. Nicolas Winding Refn

Crime/Action

Yo, it’s literally me. Ryan Gosling? Yeah, no. He’s actually just me. Jokes aside, this is a pretty solid action flick, with top-notch direction and soundtrack choices. I was on the edge of my seat for several of the sequences here. That said, the core relationship of the movie (Driver and Irene) feels sort of underbaked. I would’ve liked to get a greater sense of their bond beyond just one pretty montage. Still a great action movie though. 8/10.

The Climb - dir. Michael Angelo Covino

Black Comedy/Slice-of-Life

The Climb is basically a film that was tailor-made to appeal to my film sensibilities. It’s a black comedy centered around the tumultuous friendship between two dudes in their twenties, and it covers a span of time of what I would assume to be about five years. Technically speaking, this film rules, with its usage of long takes. And writing-wise, I really dug the dialogue and character dynamics. I fully believed in every relationship here, and I was invested. Despite being billed as a black comedy, this movie has a lot of heart. 9/10.

Call Me By Your Name - dir. Luca Guadagnino

Coming-of-Age/Romance

A deeply sensual movie with a keen eye for the five senses. While I was watching this film, I felt everything it wanted me to feel. And I mean that in the literal sense. I smelled the scents, I felt every touch, I listened to the resonant and effortless sound design, I tasted the overripe fruit (filled with cum), and my eyes basked in the beautiful cinematography. More than anything, Call Me By Your Name is a sensory experience. 9/10.

Bodies Bodies Bodies - dir. Halina Reijn

Comedy/Horror

A whodunit satirizing Gen-Z culture through effective comedy. I can’t say it really succeeded in being particularly mysterious, or creepy (even if the ending DID catch me off-guard), but it was a very funny movie. I recommend watching this with somebody else. 7/10.

Aftersun - dir. Charlotte Wells

Coming-of-Age

I really wanted to ‘get’ Aftersun. It’s one of those films that I would enjoy, on paper. It’s a slice-of-life story about a father and a daughter. It’s got great performances from leads Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio, and the dialogue is solid enough. Unfortunately, I just didn’t like this movie. It wasn’t a bad movie, I just never felt the way the movie wanted me to feel. I wonder if I might have to give this thing a rewatch at some point, but I was just bored. 6/10.

The Third Man - dir. Carol Reed

Noir

Joseph Cotten’s wooden performance pretty much flattens any chance this movie ever had of getting me invested in its mystery. Interesting cinematography for its time, and some funny jokes here and there, but for the most part, didn’t do it for me. 5/10.

The Ring - dir. Gore Verbinski

Supernatural Horror

I rewatched this with a good friend of mine to try and get her into horror, and I guess I forgot about how truly awful this movie is? I mean, look, it’s fine enough. It’s not as offensively bad as something like Smile or The Bye Bye Man, but barring some great cinematography, it’s burdened by what I consider to be a lousy script. It might scare you if you’ve never seen a horror movie before, but it left me mostly disappointed. 4/10.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - dir. George Roy Hill

Western/Buddy Comedy

A Western about two outlaws making one final bid of escape from the authorities in the waning period of the Wild West. The film is almost entirely carried on the backs of its two leads’ insane chemistry. Robert Redford and Paul Newman are seriously on fire in this film, and coupled with some absolutely breathtaking desert vistas, as well as action scenes that are in equal parts thrilling and comedic… well, there’s your recipe for a classic. I had a great time with this film, plain and simple. 8/10.

The Florida Project - dir. Sean Baker

Coming-of-Age

Most writers struggle to capture the essence of children, whether it be their mannerisms or speech patterns, or simply the way they feel and process the world around them. Sean Baker perhaps provides the most accurate and empathetic view of children I’ve ever seen in a film. The depth of heart in this movie is unreal, and I teared the fuck up near the end. It is insane that Brooklynn Prince was able to captivate me the way she did at such a young age. Fucking beautiful movie. 9/10.

Magnolia - dir. Paul Thomas Anderson

Epic Psychological Drama

I went into Magnolia a firm hater of PT Anderson. I thought Licorice Pizza was terrible. Well-shot, but weakly written and confusing to follow. I was left very impressed by Magnolia. Sure, it’s got its flaws–namely the fact that about 50% of the characters weren’t interesting for me to follow–but beyond that, it’s got a stellar soundtrack and some surrealist brilliance scattered throughout. Frogs! 8/10.

Spring Breakers - dir. Harmony Korine

Crime/Comedy

I gave Spring Breakers about half an hour before I decided that it wasn’t worth finishing. If somebody can convince me it’s worth my time, I’ll finish it, but I just felt like it was all style without any substance. It felt satirical… to an extent. Mostly, it just felt like some nice aesthetic ideas without anything remotely interesting to say. 2/10.

Locke - dir. Steven Knight

Drama

A harrowing drama set in one concrete-layer’s car, featuring an all-time great performance from Tom Hardy. For some reason, I went into this movie thinking it was a thriller, but really, you’re just watching this very old-school traditional man torpedo his life down the toilet over the course of an hour and a half. The film is claustrophobic, emotionally intense, and very, very hard to watch at times. 8/10.

What We Do In the Shadows - dir. Taika Waititi

Mockumentary/Fantasy

One of the best comedies of the decade, no doubt. This vampire-focused mockumentary is pretty much exactly what I want from a comedy film. It doesn’t take itself seriously, but the writing is ingenious and it does the absolute most with its premise that it could’ve. Waititi is one of my favorite filmmakers because he’s someone who’s always willing to get silly. I like his premises, I like how he explores them, and this film is just pure fun from beginning to end. 8/10.

Last Tango in Paris - dir. Bernardo Bertalucci

Erotic Drama

I got bored of this movie very quickly. Usually, when this happens, I check to see what other people think to see if there’s maybe something I’m missing. What I found out is that the lead actress, Maria Schneider, was sexually assaulted during one of the scenes. That pretty much made it impossible for me to keep watching what was already a very, very boring movie. 2/10.

The Secret in Their Eyes - dir. Juan José Campanella

Crime/Romance

An Argentinian revenge thriller and a romantic, political drama rolled into one, all about a retired criminal investigator’s ponderings over a case in his past that still haunts him. The film manages to take a bunch of different themes and pack them all together, ranging from political corruption to moving on from the past, to morality. Despite being so dense, there are no loose threads, and it’s got what I consider to be a perfect script. 9/10.

Reality - dir. Quentin Dupieux

Surrealist Comedy

A surrealist comedy about an aspiring director trying to record the perfect scream. Quentin Dupieux is one of my favorite directors. Even if his movies aren’t the most spectacular or emotional, they never fail to make me laugh. Dupieux’s movies have a sharply surrealist edge to them that works because of how much he commits to going as absurd as possible, and Reality is about as absurd as it gets. None of the movie makes any sense at all, but it’s perfect that way. 7/10.

Pulse - dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Supernatural Horror

Though there are some bone-chilling scares in this Japanese horror classic, I found myself bored the entire time between the creepy sequences. I’m not entirely sure why. 5/10.

Mary and Max - dir. Adam Elliot

Black Comedy

A stop-motion animated film about two unlikely pen pals with comedically miserable lives finding solace in each other. It’s one of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen. It’s sweet, it’s sad, it’s extremely funny, its animation is disgusting in the most gorgeous way possible, and it features incredible performances from Phillip Seymour-Hoffman, Toni Collette, and Bethany Whitmore. I cried multiple times while watching this movie. 9/10.

Barbie - dir. Greta Gerwig

Comedy

I wrestled with how to write about this movie for a while. Because, from where I’m standing, it’s a pretty bad movie. The dialogue is corny and expository, the cinematography is pretty bland (even if the set design is terrific), and the story is about as flat as cardboard. The movie is a mess, but what I’ve come to see is that the movie itself wasn’t really a movie as much as it was a product, or a conversation starter. Sure, that’s a little cheesy, but ultimately, if a bunch of women got something out of it, who am I to tell them “um no it’s actually a bad movie”. Sure, that’s my opinion. And I reserve the right to have it. This is not a feminist masterpiece, but it is the first blockbuster that I’ve seen that’s actually willing to engage with the barebones ideas of feminism as opposed to merely paying lip service. I hope this bodes well for the future of feminist cinema… instead of existing as a tool to fatten Mattel’s pockets. 3/10.

TÁR - dir. Todd Field

Psychological Drama

When I watched Succession, I had no idea what the characters were talking about most of the time. It was business jargon and metaphors and references to things I didn’t get, but because of the actors’ performances, I was able to pick up on what the stakes were and get seriously invested in the series. TÁR was the same way for me. I truly had no idea what the characters were talking about 80% of the time, but once Lydia Tár’s character began to unravel, I was hooked. I’ll say it–Cate Blanchett was robbed of an Oscar, because she manages to portray the many layers of Lydia with nuance and focus. So much of this movie is about the little details, the little nudges toward evil underneath the surface. And when it all comes crashing down… it crashes hard. I’ve never seen a movie tackle cancel culture as well as this one. 8/10.

The Farewell - dir. Lulu Wang

Comedy/Drama

A dramedy about a Chinese family trying to reconcile with their matriarch’s impending death. Not only was this movie really funny, it was really moving, too. If you’ve got a good grandma, this is one of those movies that’ll make you wanna hug her. More than anything else, though, I found the comparison between Chinese and American culture to be the most fascinating part of the film. How the Chinese family chooses to approach death differs heavily from how the Chinese-American protagonist (played remarkably well by Awkwafina) wants to approach it. 7/10.

The Wolf of Snow Hollow - dir. Jim Cummings

Comedy/Horror

A werewolf terrorizes a snowy rural village while a cop tries to deal with his personal demons. Fun on paper, but I gotta say, the acting just didn’t do it for me. 3/10.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One - dir. Christopher McQuarrie

Spy/Action

What a fun fucking movie, man. Like, holy shit. I’m a big Tom Cruise fan, but I did NOT expect him to go all out in the way he did this movie. It’s one of the most compelling action films I’ve seen in years, and I love that the villain this time isn’t terrorists or Russians–it’s straight up just AI. Very fitting, considering how the industry wants to use AI to replace hardworking actors and writers–and Tom Cruise is having NONE of it. 8/10.

Oppenheimer - dir. Christopher Nolan

Psychological Drama/Biopic

While many have criticized Oppenheimer’s relentless pace, I find it works in the film’s favor. The movie is a long cascade towards doom, and when everything comes to a sudden halt at the first nuclear explosion–it carries the full impact it’s intended to have. Oppenheimer is a 3 hour movie largely comprised of conversations, so the fast editing also serves to keep the audience invested. Beyond the technical marvel that is the film (from the acting, to the writing, to the sound design, to the set design, to the costumes, etc), there’s a lot to chew on here, too, in terms of being this in-depth character study on the man who, according to the film, is the most important man in history. One of them, at least. I mean, psychologically, what does that feel like? Is Oppy a man with good intentions or an egomaniac? Is his masculine pride a gift or a curse? I think that depending on your worldview, you’re going to come to very different conclusions, but there’s no doubt that this film is stringently anti-bomb. Not only does it show the gruesome horror of nuclear burning on the human body, but it shows the weight of the bomb on Oppenheimer himself (portrayed brilliantly by Cillian Murphy). I was excited for this film, and I wasn’t let down. 8/10.