I had this mis-filed, so it counts as my 2003 movie for purposes of my 100 years project. Thematic, I’ll call it, to be unstuck from time. This movie was wiiiild, and I can’t say I fully grokked it. I was with it for most of the run time, and then in the last quarter… Read More Primer (2004)

One thing about people who are drunk or high: things are way more interesting to them than they are to outsiders. And this was a movie that left me feeling distinctly aware that I was on the outside looking in, meaning that I participated as a viewer and didn’t find myself feeling a lot of… Read More Morvern Callar (2002)

I tried another Ghibli after how much I loved Grave of the Fireflies, but was disappointed by this one. The animation was beautiful throughout, but I got lost in strange fantasy mythology here. I wonder if there are important elements of Japanese folk tales or other cultural pieces that I’m not familiar with, but I… Read More Spirited Away (2001)

Mundane, but exquisite. Small, but epic. Breathtaking beauty throughout its run, with so many carefully drawn characters that felt so specific yet also universal. I loved the use of perspective-taking throughout, with hints of other universes peeking into the corners of every frame. Nearly perfect movie for me.

Almodovar is a blind spot for me, and this was a great introduction. A bit discursive, but never felt unfocused. Brilliant characters, brilliant colors–I liked this quite a bit.

Ehhhhhhhhh, I just couldn’t quite buy it. We have to buy in to the central romance here, but that initial kidnapping/trunk sequence was just so bizarre and unconvincing I couldn’t get into the rest of the movie. Especially given the pains the movie takes to show how capable and committed the Lopez character is in… Read More Out of Sight (1998)