Matthew’s Letterboxd Watchlist
After last week’s single film I’m back in the saddle with a decent rate of viewing films. Next week may drop again as I’m travelling but I’m still way ahead of myself, and with a pretty clear run until the end of the year, busy weekends notwithstanding.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Wanting to see this film was what got me interested in watching more of Robert Altman’s back catalogue. I’m glad to have finally seen it, but it’s too reminiscent of a few other films that I’m not the biggest fan of – the Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, etc. Some good performances but by and large the film only gets going once you introduce the bounty hunters, and takes a very long time to get there.
Custody
The opening film of Godalming Film Society’s new season, and this was such an intense thriller. There is something about a director’s second or third feature that always has the same features – thrilling, inventive, interesting, but a bit shorter and maybe with some threads that aren’t as strong as others. This was no different. The performances were terrific all round, especially Julien, and the film did not let up when we were in the grip of its third act. But it seemed like it was going to do a lot more about which parent should be believed before going utterly into Anotine’s POV and showing us his callousness. The daughter’s story needed another 15 minutes to flesh out, since it had some great elements to it, but felt like an under-served side note.
I can completely see why the award it won was for direction. The style of the film, with many shots held an uncomfortably long time forcing actors to deliver continuously, as well as so much of the story being told out of frame, you can see that the director has a clear vision and way in which he wants us to experience his film.
In all I got a lot out of this film, and will be watching out for Xavier Legrand’s work in the future.
Heat
Another that we’re watching for Pop Culturally Deprived, and there is something about Heat I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s clearly a great film, well written, well performed, interesting situations, visually done well. But there’s nothing in it that stands out. No moments of true greatness, no shots or sequences that make me want to gush, no moments of dialogue that stay with me. It’s good, but I think it lacks a heart.
We Need To Talk About Kevin
I had started watching this earlier in the year but it was a difficult watch after shootings in the US, particularly Parkland. I finally returned to it and I’m glad I did. It’s a raw film that is starkly told, but the performance of Tilda Swinton makes it one you can’t look away from. I found myself questioning everything about whether this was a mother’s worry about her impact on the world around her or if this was Kevin as he was. Even afterwards, we’re not quite given enough to know whether she’s throwing paint on her own property and performing other destructive acts.
Lost in Paris
After seeing We Need To Talk About Kevin I wanted to watch something much more lighthearted, and this film was described as being very whimsical. Which it was, almost to a fault. I feel like the main duo who made and starred in the film are better suited to theatre, where this story would have come across much better. As a film it felt both too slow and too disjointed to piece together well, and the whimsy was a bit too much at points.
To Sir, With Love
Whatever I expected from this film, I got something different. It was much lighter than expected, with less conflict between Sir and his class, as well as less to do with the racial divide than I thought it would be. The conflict that was there was often simply resolved at the first attempt, and there are hints of a problem element with his relationship with one student, but it’s still an interesting and well written story.
Desperately Seeking Susan
One more that’s being covered on Pop Culturally Deprived, and not one I would have expected to be requested. It’s very much a story of its time, and I don’t know that it’s held up as well as other films like it.
Molly’s Game
I was really looking forward to this as I’m a big fan of Sorkin’s previous work. It’s incredibly well told, and actually takes more time over things than I expected given the amount of information the viewer needs to have to really understand it. The performances are great, it’s all very interesting, it just fades away a little at the end. I suspect that’s the problem with it being based on real events, the events themselves didn’t have a satisfying and crunchy ending, but it really does feel as though there was a better way of telling this chronologically rather than as a narrated tale.
Recommendation
I’m not sure if I can recommend We Need To Talk About Kevin, but it is engrossing and well done. Tilda Swinton is terrific, as are all the other performances in the film. Maybe it wants to discuss a topic but doesn’t really lay out any way to do so. It never relieves the tension of the piece or lets the audience know anything for sure, and it’s a stronger film for that.