Movies Graded

Director: Masaki Kobayashi Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita Runtime:   133  minutes Synopsis:  When a ronin requesting seppuku at a feudal lord's palace is told of the brutal suicide of another ronin who previously visited, he reveals how their pasts are intertwined - and in doing so challenges the clan's integrity. Verdict:  Considered a landmark in the Japanese jidaigeki genre legitimized by names such as Kihachi Okamoto or, more notoriously, Akira Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi’s “Harakiri” is a compelling 2-hour long watch that, instead of glorifying the Samurai code as many others do, questions its ethics and morals. Set during a time when desperate rōnins used to knock on the doors of palaces to request committing seppuku (or hara-kiri), a traditional suicide ritual, in their courtyards with the hopes that their masters would take pity on them and send them away with a few coins, the film tells the story of Hanshirō Tsugumo, the latest rogue s...

Director: Thomas Vinterberg Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp Runtime:   115  minutes Synopsis:  A teacher lives a lonely life, all the while struggling over his son's custody. His life slowly gets better as he finds love and receives good news from his son, but his new luck is about to be brutally shattered by an innocent little lie. Verdict:  Is it safer to assume that an innocent person is guilty or to assume that a guilty person is innocent? Nearly a decade after its release, Thomas Vinterberg’s “Jagten” still haunts me to my core. The Oscar-nominated Danish film takes a powerful look at the destructive consequences on the livelihood of a kindergarten teacher wrongfully accused of inappropriate behavior around children. In a time where many careers are destroyed due to accusations made on social media, watching it nowadays feels more relevant than ever as it tackles a very sensitive topic that is only dividing our society further. And thi...

Stars: Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell Synopsis:  Following the events of 'Avengers: Endgame,' Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities -- and their patience. Verdict: You just know it's a Marvel project when a little blood on a shield comes as a surprise to a lot of people for being "too gruesome compared to the rest of the universe". I'm just kidding (or am I?), but that was a little funny moment that pretty much summed up my whole experience with the show: it's yet another painfully average Marvel piece of media that knows how to generate hype on the short term but that won't be talked about anymore in a month's time (is anyone still talking about "WandaVision"?). That is not to say that I didn't enjoy a few aspects of it, because I did find its tone to be more appropriate than the other Disney+ show that preceded it. It was as if the creative minds beh...

Director: Chantal Akerman Stars: Delphine Seyrig, Jan Dacorte Runtime:   202  minutes Synopsis:  A lonely widowed housewife does her daily chores, takes care of her apartment where she lives with her teenage son, and turns the occasional trick to make ends meet. However, something happens that changes her safe routine. Verdict:  On paper, “Jeanne Dielman” sounds like a cinephile’s worst nightmare. It’s a three and a half hours long feature entirely captured using a static camera, a multitude of long shots, minimal cuts, no musical score, and no proper narrative. It’s almost as if legendary Belgian director Chantal Akerman approached a random middle-aged woman on the streets and asked for her permission to record her life over the following three days. For 200 minutes, we passively watch the titular character - a widower who occasionally provides sexual favors for a limited number of clients to make ends meet for her and her teenage son - cook, clean her belongings, g...

Director: Lee Chang-dong Stars: Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jun Jong-seo Runtime:   148  minutes Synopsis:  Jong-su bumps into a girl who used to live in the same neighborhood, who asks him to look after her cat while she's on a trip to Africa. When back, she introduces Ben, a mysterious guy she met there, who confesses his secret hobby. Verdict:  From the fiery mind of renowned filmmaker Lee Chang-dong comes “Burning”, my personal favorite movie of 2018 and one that is best known for being the first South Korean submission to make the Oscars’ shortlist for Best International picture, paving the way for a “Parasite” raffle the following year. Clocking at two and a half hours and running at a snail’s pace, the film will test the patience of many of its audience, rewarding only those brave enough to look past its gorgeous-looking surface. The plot jumps between genre as it follows an awkward Jong-su rekindle with Hae-mi, a free-spirited young woman and childhood friend of ...

Director: Masaki Kobayashi Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Tamao Nakamura Runtime:   190   minutes Synopsis:  His ideals challenged by life as a conscript in war-time Japan's military, a pacifist faces ever greater tests in his fight for survival. Verdict:  Kaji's arc comes to a close in a harrowing way in the final two parts of what I firmly consider now to be one of the greatest trilogies of all time. His contributions at a labor camp and later on the battlefield have made him a shadow of what he once was. Only his love for Michiko and his socialist beliefs remain from the pacifist we've grown to admire in the first chapter of his story. He has become a product of the atrocities of war, a changed man who has to live with the burden of having killed soldiers who were thrown in situations similar to his. His psychologic journey resembles that of Dante in the Divine Comedy, where Virgil, representing conflict in his case, guides him from heaven (No Greater Lo...

Director: Masaki Kobayashi Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Kokinji Katsura Runtime:   181  minutes Synopsis:  As a conscript in war-time Japan's military, a pacifist struggles to maintain his determination to keep his ideals. Verdict:  Since "Road to Eternity" is a direct continuation of "No Greater Love", there will be spoilers for its predecessor in this piece, so I advise you to click away if you still haven't seen it. Following the events of the first chapter in the "Human Condition" trilogy, Kaji, a pacifist whose ideals are tested during the final years of the Second World War, finds himself in the place he was most dreading: a training camp where he has to undergo his military service. His wife isn't there to comfort him, and he's treated miserably due to his sympathy towards Chinese prisoners, but that doesn't keep him from maintaining his anti-war philosophy alive. There, his biggest fears are materialized as he witnes...

Director: Masaki Kobayashi Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Chikage Awashima Runtime:   208  minutes Synopsis:  A Japanese pacifist, unable to face the dire consequences of conscientious objection, is transformed by his attempts to compromise with the demands of war-time Japan. Verdict:  I know what a lot of you are thinking: why would I ever subject myself to a black and white, three and a half-hour long film that, on top of it all, is in a foreign language? And to be perfectly honest, if any of these obstacles usually bother your movie-watching experience, I'd recommend skipping the first chapter of what is a nearly 10-hour long narrative divided into three parts. The first one, entitled "No Greater Love", introduces us to Kaji (Tatsuya Nakadai), a Japanese pacifist who, in order to escape mandatory military service, accepts a managerial position in a labor camp where Chinese prisoners of war are detained. He moves there with his wife and immediately realiz...

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania Stars: Yahya Mahayni, Dea Liane, Koen De Bouw Runtime:   104  minutes Synopsis: His own body turned into a living work on art and promptly exhibited in a museum, Sam, a Syrian refugee, will soon realize to have sold away more than just his skin. Verdict:  When I randomly stumbled onto Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s "Beauty and the Beast" last year on Netflix, I was baffled. I became immediately convinced that I had found a director who would use her voice to illustrate the many human rights violations taking place in most countries in the MENA region to the entire world. Surely enough, her sophomore feature "The Man Who Sold His Skin" made its way to the Oscars where it will be competing in the Best International Feature category, a first for the North-African country and an achievement that instantly skyrocketed my interest in it. There are undeniably many things to appreciate about the film, including Lebanese cinematographer ...

Director: Emma Seligman Stars: Rachel Sennott, Molly Gordon, Polly Draper Runtime:   77   minutes Synopsis: At a Jewish funeral service with her parents, a college student runs into her sugar daddy. Verdict:  Led by an exceptionally likable lead portrayed by the talented Rachel Sennott, ‘Shiva Baby’ marks a quite impressive feature-length directorial debut for young director Emma Seligman (only 26 years of age!) despite a fair share of frustrating decisions in its execution. The one-location comedy combines the awkwardness of family gatherings with the discomfort of running into former and present romantic partners but fails to project that tense sensation in a persuasive way, opting instead to limit itself to a repetitive score and monotonous dramatic cuts. The few conveniences and tropes found in the script, however, never stood in the way of its robustness, paving the way for a very light and pleasant 77-minute watch. A quick side note, I also used to watch Glee when I...

Director: Peter Jackson Stars: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen Runtime:   263  minutes (Extended Edition) Synopsis:  Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring. Verdict:  When I first saw the theatrical cut of the final chapter in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I was blown away. Despite not falling for its predecessors, “The Return of the King” displayed an unprecedented level of technical achievement to recreate the scale of the journey’s conclusion. It’s an epic in every sense of the word, one filled with countless battles between all sorts of beings and a myriad of closures for character arcs. The mere fact that Peter Jackson pulled it off in a single feature (the two parts finale wasn’t a thing back then) is of itself a triumph that certainly didn’t go unnoticed, earning the film a record-breaking 11 Oscar wins (out of 11 nominations!) including for B...

Director: Peter Jackson Stars: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom Runtime: 223   minutes Synopsis:  While Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard. Verdict:  Following the events of the first film, the Fellowship sees itself divided as Saruman continues to build a gigantic army in his quest for ultimate power. Frodo and Sam stay loyal to their mission of destroying the one ring and continue their long journey to Mordor, Merry and Pippin befriend an anthropomorphic tree-like creature called Treebeard, and the rest of the companionship head to Rohan, where they are faced with a multitude of challenges and difficult decisions to make. Once again, the four-hour-long fantasy epic took a toll on me, and once again, I blame my lack of attachment to the lore for it. Despite this entry being much more accessible as it focuses more on the journ...

Director: Peter Jackson Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom Runtime: 228   minutes (Extended Edition) Synopsis:  A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron. Verdict:  I was introduced to the Lord of the Rings trilogy when I was in high school, about 10 years ago. Being one of the most popular franchises in cinematic history, I had to see for myself what all the fuss was about. So I put on the theatrical cut of “The Fellowship of the Ring” and vividly remember that I had to watch it in parts because I kept pausing it as I just couldn’t properly get into it. I felt detached from the journey to Mordor, disconnected from the massive lore that came with the Middle Earth universe. A few years later, I gave the books a shot, hoping that I’d get more out of them as I truly did want to familiarize myself with the world created by J.R.R Tolkien. Alas, I had to ab...

Director: Jasmila Zbanic Stars: Jasna Djuricic, Izudin Bajrovic, Boris Ler Runtime:   101  minutes Synopsis:  Aida is a translator for the UN in the small town of Srebrenica. When the Serbian army takes over the town, her family is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN camp. Verdict:  As I sat speechless staring at my screen while the credits of the Oscar-nominated war film “Quo Vadis, Aida” were rolling, all I could feel was my body filling up with rage. With time, that anger slowly turned into guilt as the idea of it being inspired by a true story started to settle in. A few moments later, the realization that the events taking place in the film are still occurring to thousands of silenced victims around the world made me comprehend how crucial Jasmila Zbanic’s film is, making it a must-see in my books. Set in 1995, we follow a UN translator named Aida soon after the town of Srebrenica is taken over by the Army of Republika Srpska during the...

Director: Deniz Gamze Erguven Stars: Gunes Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu Runtime:   97  minutes Synopsis:  When five orphan girls are seen innocently playing with boys on a beach, their scandalized conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged. Verdict:  Femicides and domestic violence cases have been on the rise in Turkey for the past few years, prompting women to take their demands to the streets lately to showcase the lenient methods adopted by the state to guarantee their safety in a country governed by a patriarchal system in which honor killings are unfortunately still of actuality. In fact, allow me to throw some statistics at you to better highlight how terrifying the situation is in the Middle Eastern country: 38% of Turkish women admitted to having been victims of domestic abuse at some point in their lives, while 34% of men declared that they believe in the necessity of the occasional beating of their partners. To ...

Director: Adam Wingard Stars: Alex ander Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall Runtime:   113   minutes Synopsis:  The epic next chapter in the cinematic Monsterverse pits two of the greatest icons in motion picture history against one another - the fearsome Godzilla and the mighty Kong - with humanity caught in the balance. Verdict:  And now, for the greatest gladiator match in the history of the world. God vs. King. Lizard vs. Ape. Atomic Reptilian vs. Colossal Monkey! One of the most anticipated cinematic spectacles is finally upon us after countless postponements and to it, I only have one word to utter: Refund! With cinemas being still closed where I live, I had to resort to the much smaller screen of my laptop to watch the showdown between the two titans which had been building up for years and the release of 2014’s “Godzilla”. Many will point out that the setting was not ideal to which I’ll agree considering the scale of the project, but I’ve never been ...