Movies Graded

Creator: Mike Flanagan   Stars: Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Kristin Lehman Synopsis:  An isolated island community experiences miraculous events - and frightening omens - after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest. Verdict:  Priests, angels, and bad make-up populate Mike Flanagan’s newest demonic Netflix limited series. Set on an isolated island where the population barely reaches 150 locals, it follows the events that unfold when a new, mysterious priest shows up to replace the community's old monsignor. His takeover coincides with a surge in miraculous happenings which result in an almost hysteric increase of faith within the residents. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that what cannot be explained right now shouldn’t immediately be labeled as God’s work. Miracles shouldn’t be treated as proof of the existence of a higher power, but merely as a reminder that no matter how much science progresses, humanity’s knowledge will always remain limited...

Director: Denis Villeneuve Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya Runtime:  155  minutes Synopsis:   Feature adaptation of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel, about the son of a noble family entrusted with the protection of the most valuable asset and most vital element in the galaxy. Verdict:  A few months ago, I took it upon myself to read Frank Herbert’s timeless masterpiece “Dune”. Written in 1965, the novel played a monumental part in redefining the modern science-fiction genre, paving the way for space operas such as Star Wars or Star Trek to reach new heights in the blockbuster business. It’s an important but also impressive piece of media that tells a captivating tale set in a meticulously crafted universe filled with various planets, a rich history, multiple characters, and a technology foreign to us. It benefits from a lore so dense that it was labeled for a while as being unadaptable for the big screen, a theory that was proven in 1984 when...

Director: Jane Campion Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons Runtime:  126  minutes Synopsis:  Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.   Verdict:  Applauded at every film festival it’s been screened at, Jane Campion’s first directorial effort since 2009’s “Bright Star” has proven that the Kiwi filmmaker has not lost her artistic touch despite her 12-year long hiatus. A western drenched in a sensual touch only she holds the secret to, it’s a period piece aimed at defying gender norms by exploring the relationship between an experienced, rugged cowboy and the softer son of his brother’s wife. Starring a menacing Benedict Cumberbatch and a convincing Kodi Smit-McPhee as well as one of Hollywood’s most overlooked couples in Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst, one of the film’s stronges...

Director: Ingmar Bergman Stars: Liv Ullman, Erland Josephson, Bibi Andersson Runtime:  169  minutes Synopsis:  Scenes from a Marriage chronicles the many years of love and turmoil that bind Marianne (Liv Ullmann) and Johan (Erland Josephson) through matrimony, infidelity, divorce, and subsequent partners. Verdict:  I never fully understood the reasoning behind marriages. They’re sold as being celebrations of love but they’re nothing more than legally binding contracts between two individuals that nearly always end in failure and heartbreak. Ingmar Bergman’s miniseries turned movie “Scenes from a Marriage” is an exploration of the relationship between Marianne and Johan over the course of a decade. More than being about the characters themselves, it serves as an honest study of the different stages of marriage and argues that it’s a legal document that tends to asphyxiate the romance within a relationship rather than allowing it to freely blossom, as exemplified by th...

Director: Paul Schrader Stars: Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan Runtime:  109   minutes Synopsis:  Redemption is the long game in Paul Schrader's THE CARD COUNTER. Told with Schrader's trademark cinematic intensity, the revenge thriller tells the story of an ex-military interrogator turned gambler haunted by the ghosts of his past. Verdict:  Once recognized as one of Hollywood’s most gifted screenwriters, Paul Schrader has since not only established himself as quite the witty Facebook troll, but also proven that he’s as talented behind the camera as he is behind his typewriter. One thing audiences must keep in mind when booking a ticket to his latest project is that they’re setting themselves up for disappointment if they’re longing for a riveting, fast-paced, poker-centric thrill ride a la “Casino Royale” or “Molly’s Game”. Because “The Card Counter” very much ticks the boxes of a traditional Schrader character study of a complex individual haunted by demo...

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Stars: Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman Runtime:  95 minutes Synopsis:   A psychologically troubled novelty supplier is nudged towards a romance with an English woman, all the while being extorted by a phone-sex line run by a crooked mattress salesman, and purchasing stunning amounts of pudding. Performances: 5/5 Screenplay: 4/5 Editing: 5/5 Cinematography: 5/5 Score/Soundtrack:  5/5 Verdict: Dirk Diggler, Daniel Plainview, Reynolds Woodcock,... Paul Thomas Anderson truly has blessed us with so many iconic characters throughout his career. In "Punch-Drunk Love", he introduces us to yet another member of that gallery with Barry Egan, played by an unrecognizable and quite honestly scene-stealer Adam Sandler, who without a doubt delivers one of the best performances of his career by a clear mile, only matched by his recent outings in the Safdie's "Uncut Gems" and Noah Baumbach's dramedy ...

Director: Leos Carax Stars: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg Runtime: 141   minutes Synopsis:  A stand-up comedian and his opera singer wife have a 2-year-old daughter with a surprising gift. Verdict:  To fully comprehend Leos Carax’s intentions with his latest absurdist project is a nearly impossible assignment. On the surface, it’s a one-of-a-kind musical in which the ever-so-talented Adam Driver shows off his vocal abilities alongside the lovely Marion Cotillard. He plays a stand-up comedian, she plays an opera singer, and together they form a romantic unit that fuses comedy with drama, providing the audience with the film’s tone along the way. Their relationship takes a brusque turn when their daughter, Annette, is born. Introduced as a wooden puppet, she alone symbolizes the narrative’s strangeness, a common trait in Carax’s body of work that will surely leave audiences divided. Even though I can’t say that I fully understood what the eccentric director’s...

Director: David Lowery Stars: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton Runtime:  130  minutes Synopsis: A fantasy re-telling of the medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Verdict:  Now rise, Sir Lowery, for your take on the celebrated Arthurian fable of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is nothing short of a cinematic triumph. Set in medieval times, it stars Dev Patel as a soon-to-be knight who must finish a peculiar game he started with an odd-looking foe. His journey becomes one for the ages, shaped by themes of honesty, courage, manhood, vanity, or kindness, a true exploration of the meaning of knighthood in a literal and figurative way. While its weakest component has to be a script that could’ve benefited from more depth and less fooling around, this small-scale epic more than makes up for it in its optical department. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it may be the most visually striking film I’ve seen since Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner 2049”. It’s...

Director: Martin Scorsese Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder Runtime: 139   minutes Synopsis:  A tale of nineteenth-century New York high society in which a young lawyer falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman's cousin. Verdict:  Seriously, though, how many filmmakers can make one of the best gangster films of all time, a haunting psychological thriller, and a costume period drama back to back, all in the span of 4 years? By directing “Goodfellas” in 1990, “Cape Fear” in 1991, and “The Age of Innocence” in 1993, Martin Scorsese proved that he’s not scared of diving into uncharted waters and that he truly is one the most prolific auteurs of his generation(s). Now I’ll be honest, I’m usually not the biggest admirer of this particular type of dramatic period piece (emphasis on usually), even when they star the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, or Wynona Ryder as three New York upper-class membe...

Director: Eric Rohmer Stars: Patrick Bauchau, Haydée Politoff, Daniel Pommereulle Runtime:   89  minutes Synopsis:  A womanizing art dealer and a painter find the serenity of their Riviera vacation disturbed by a third guest, a vivacious bohemian woman known for her long list of male conquests. Verdict:  With “The Collector”, or its more appropriate female-specific original title “La Collectionneuse”, being only my second experience with an Eric Rohmer project, it’s still probably too early to make up my mind about the French director, considered a pillar of the French New Wave era of Cinema. But a recurring feeling I got from his 1967 color film debut and “Claire’s Knee” is one of relaxation and tranquility, all due to the exquisite summer vibes captured by the filmmaker. Between a sense of unmatched freedom and gorgeous scenery composed of luscious greenery and beaches, he truly invites the audience to partake in a trip of absolute meditation and escapism filled wi...

Director: Claire Denis Stars: Vincent Gallo, Tricia Vessey, Béatrice Dalle Runtime:  101  minutes Synopsis: Two American newlyweds in Paris experience a love so strong, it almost devours them. Verdict:  A pillar and prominent name of the New French Extremity and accompanied by filmmakers such as Gaspar Noé, Pascal Laugier, or, more recently, Julia Ducourneau, Claire Denis’ filmmaking approach shines in its ability to tell a lot by showing very little. Her movies are character-driven pieces, often supplemented by a cold, ambiguous atmosphere enclosed in themes of eroticism and sensuality. Likely to leave audiences with more questions than answers, it comes to no one’s surprise that they tend to be divisive amongst audiences and critics alike, and it’s not her unusual horror piece “Trouble Every Day” that will convince anyone otherwise. In fact, the film which stars Vincent Gallo and Béatrice Dalle was panned at the time of its release a couple of decades ago, scoring a sub...

Director: Isao Takahata Stars: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi Runtime:  89  minutes Synopsis: A young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II. Verdict:  Spoilers ahead. “Grave of the Fireflies” is the rare type of movie that encompasses a whole spectrum of emotions that will each hit you like a moving train. While it’s a mostly gloomy watch, it’s the few moments of wholesomeness and smile-inducing scenes that brand it as one of the most powerful films ever made as they truly emphasize what war looks like from the perspective of a child. The movie opens with a bittersweet scene that displays our protagonist’s fate. Seita succumbs to his fatigue and is reunited with his sister, Setsuko, in what seems to be some sort of afterlife. This is when the film’s main musical theme plays for the first time, a composition that remains to this day a personal favorite of mine due to its effective use within the story. The rest of the...

Director: Mathieu Kassovitz  Stars: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui Runtime: 98   minutes Synopsis:  24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot. Verdict:  La Haine. Hatred. This word has been rotting the world we live in for years now as proven by the countless riots that have been erupting on a daily basis all around the globe. The divide between angry citizens and their governments is seeing a pattern of exponential growth, leading to a civilization living in constant instability and ever-growing tensions. “It’s about a society in a free fall. On the way down, it keeps telling itself: so far so good, so far so good, so far so good. But it’s not about how you fall, it’s about how you land.” The closing lines of Mathieu Kassovitz’s black and white masterpiece released in 1995 perfectly sum up the underlying truth that the movie’s attempting to acknowledge. Taking place in Paris over the course of 24 hours...

Director: Éric Rohmer Stars: Amanda Langlet, Arielle Dombasle, Pascal Greggory Runtime: 95   minutes Synopsis:  Marion is about to divorce from her husband and takes her 15-year-old niece Pauline on a vacation to Granville. She meets an old love... Verdict:  Another day, another Éric Rohmer film to brighten my mood! The French director’s reclining style is one I cannot get enough of during these stressful times. His movies are sublime, sunny, and uplifting in their own special way, blurring the line between ultra-realism and dreamlike sceneries. “Pauline at the Beach” is yet another project of his that checks all three components that make his work so ever soothing. With radiant characters, engaging dialogue, and locations that will make your eyes melt, it’s a film that succeeds at showcasing a handful of characters’ views on love and relationships while maintaining a light ambiance that makes for a perfect after-midnight watch. I absolutely adored sitting back to experie...

Director: Éric Rohmer Stars: Melvil Poupaud, Amanda Langlet, Gwenaëlle Simon Runtime: 113   minutes Synopsis:  A shy maths graduate takes a holiday in Dinard before starting his first job. He hopes his sort-of girlfriend will join him, but soon strikes up a friendship with another girl working in town. She in turn introduces him to a further young lady who fancies him. Thus the quiet young lad finds he is having to do some tricky juggling in territory new to him. Verdict:  Gaspard, a young secluded math graduate with a penchant for music, takes a short holiday in a small commune in northwestern France to work on his compositions and take advantage of the gorgeous beaches there before starting his first job. His plans are quickly challenged by his introduction to Margot, a local waitress/ethnologist who pushes him out of his comfort zone by becoming his friend and initiating multiple conversations about all sorts of topics over the course of his stay.  It’s a wholesom...

Director: Janicza Bravo Stars: Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun Runtime: 86   minutes Synopsis: A stripper named Zola embarks on a wild trip to Florida. Verdict:  The latest A24 release has been making headlines for quite a while now. The film, which premiered at Sundance over a year and a half ago, has managed to keep its momentum going due to the good word of mouth it garnered as well as the unusual fact that it was based on a Twitter thread that went viral in 2015. I’ll be honest, it’s that last part that got me interested in the movie more than anything else, especially considering that I wasn’t aware of the content of that thread. I won’t go as far as to call “Zola” a film that favors style over substance, but it’s most definitely the former that gives the movie its wild personality. By managing to simultaneously emit a trashy and ethereal aura, it succeeded in grabbing my attention very early on. The music choices and little reminders of the origin of the stor...

Director: Pascal Plante Stars: Katerine Savard, Ariane Mainville, Pierre-Yves Cardinal Runtime: 107   minutes Synopsis:  Nadia, an Olympic swimmer in her twenties, faces the challenges of her imminent retirement. Verdict:  Set in an alternate universe in which the pandemic didn’t happen and the Tokyo Olympics went ahead as planned, “Nadia, Butterfly” follows the aftermath of a young Canadian competitive swimmer’s final race before her premature retirement from the sport. It’s a grounded exploration of an athlete’s decision to let go of years of rigorous training to reach the very top of her profession. A journey she started at a very young age, unaware of the extremely competitive and selfish nature of the sporting world which eventually took a toll on her. The fact that our lead character is played by Katherine Savard, a real-life professional swimmer whose specialization and Olympic record are far too similar to Nadia’s, adds a lot of weight to her performance. Being a ...

Director: Gaspar Noé Stars: Béatrice Dalle, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Abbey Lee Runtime:   minutes Synopsis:  Two actresses, Béatrice Dalle and Charlotte Gainsbourg, are on a film set telling stories about witches - but that's not all. 'Lux Æterna' is also an essay on cinema, the love of film, and on-set hysterics. Verdict:  Those familiar with Gaspar Noé’s body of work will tell you that the French filmmaker’s strengths don’t lie in his storytelling abilities. The scripts he works on are often only a few pages long, and he’s known in the industry to heavily rely on his crew’s improvisation skills to carry his projects. He has perfected imperfection so well that his movies always push the boundaries of filmmaking, providing the audience with an unforgettable experience that some adore, some loathe, but none forget. Just like the rest of his filmography, “Lux Æterna” is guaranteed to divide moviegoers. It may have an unusually short runtime of 51 minutes, but Noé makes the mos...

Director: Bora Kim Stars: Park Ji-hu, Kim Sae-byeok, Jeong In-gi Runtime: 138   minutes Synopsis:  Seoul 1994, in the year the Seongsu Bridge collapsed, 14-year-old Eunhee wanders the city searching for love. Verdict:  Bora Kim’s semi-autographical coming-of-age movie about a young girl’s struggles with patriarchal abuse, acceptance, and identity during the mid-1990s is an intimate invitation into the bubble in which our protagonist resides. It’s a powerful watch from beginning to end in which Eun-hee’s relationship with her family, friends, and teachers is examined from more than one angle. She’s admirably portrayed by rising star Park Ji-hu who effectively succeeds in capturing her character’s many layers of exasperation. Her family considers her to be an embarrassment; her teachers consider her to be a delinquent with no bright future, and you can tell that her lonesome nature has her on the edge of a psychological breakdown at all times. It’s her against the world, an...

Director: Agnieszka Smoczynska Stars: Marta Mazurek, Michalina Olszanska, Kinga Preis Runtime: 92   minutes Synopsis:  In Warsaw, a pair of mermaid sisters are adopted into a cabaret. While one seeks love with humans the other hungers to dine on the human population of the city. Verdict:  A gory horror musical about two mermaids who visit the surface with different goals in mind, “The Lure” is the type of movie that will stick with you no matter how you feel about it. Whether you love it or hate it, it’s guaranteed to leave a trace due to its unique blend of genres an unusual sense of direction. Quite obviously based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Mermaid”, Polish director Agnieszka Smoczynska perfectly understood how to remain faithful to the original story’s themes without it feeling like a rehash of the countless adaptations we already have. No pun intended, but it truly did stand on its own two feet thanks to its uncomfortable atmosphere, intimida...