Random Movie Reviews 1

Today's Common Denominator: Internal Struggle

*Movies available to stream on Netflix have a star next to them*

*Movies available to borrow for free from the NYPL have a tilde next to them. Click on the tilde or go to http://browse.nypl.org to place your hold*

Mommy (2014)~

Antoine-Olivier Pilon makes
 a raw and convincing debut

🏢🏢🏢🏢Mommy is an unsettling, captivating film about teen angst and motherhood, a caring neighbor, and a healthy amount of French Canadian slang. Created by Xavier Dolan, a young but gifted director, Mommy will make you cry and laugh. The movie is aesthetically stunning, and the image is, for the most part, a square (instead of a traditional rectangle). Keep an eye out for changes in format (as they substantiate Dolan's technical mastery).


Red (1994)~

🏢🏢🏢Part of the Three Color Trilogy and directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski, Red is a gorgeous film about illusion and friendship, about reincarnation and second chances. Explore the beauty and complexity of each shot, character and plot point. Irène Jacobs, who plays the protagonist, is fascinating and delivers one of the best performances of her career. This is a movie for the contemplative and poetic watcher.

Memento (2000)

🏢🏢🏢🏢You'll perhaps know Christopher Nolan better for his newer works: the Dark Knight movies (2008 and 2012), Inception (2010), and Interstellar (2014) (my personal favorite). Memento should be remembered for its impeccable screenplay and storyline, its use of visuals and suspense. Enter the head of a vengeful amnesiac (played by Guy Pearce) as he puzzles out the murder of his wife while dealing with suspense-filled memory lapses.


We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011)*

🏢🏢🏢🏢We need to talk about We Need to Talk about Kevin. It's a study of evil, and the root of evil (is it necessarily evil? Tilda Swinton lets you decide). Ezra Miller plays her cruel and sociopathic teenager with brio and cleverness, as one of the three child actors who play Kevin's character as he grows from an infant into a teenager. This movie not only raises tantalizing questions, it does so with gripping shots, intricate symbolism, and foreboding sound effects. Foreshadowing is a huge part of this film, so keep an eye out for it.


Dope (2015)*

🏢🏢 Directed by Rick Famuyiwa, Dope tells the story of a trio of nerds in the crime-infested neighborhood of Inglewood, California. When Malcolm, played by Shameik Moore, gets tangled up in a drug sale, he learns to face his fears... with a little help from his friends. Rigged with 90's references, Dope is both an homage to black culture and a teenager's perspective on black struggle. I was extremely excited about watching this movie. When I saw it was on Netflix, I was enchanted. Once I finished it though, I was pretty disappointed. The plot was pretty basic, and the ambitious/contemporary visuals made it hard to understand the story.