Seeking a Friend for the End of the World - Lorene Scafaria (2012)

          Now for a more light-hearted film, despite the fact that it involves the world's end. Like any romantic comedy type, this was cute and slightly heartwarming. While it doesn't delve too deeply into either character's emotional or mental realities, it does touch on the desire to be loved and safe and the fear of being alone, mostly the fear of being alone. Where most rom-coms focus on the desire, this movie focused more on the fear and how different people respond to it. Some (Steve Carrell's character) shut down emotionally and have to be brought back to life by someone else to feel, while others (Keira Knightley's character) outwardly freak out and acknowledge their fear and their desires. Others party hard and do things they would never do if the world wasn't ending. It's interesting to think about the times in which companionship really matters and how you don't have to be with a perfect person or in the perfect situation to feel safe and loved by someone.

It's actually a sweet movie. Watch it.

Every Thing Will Be Fine - Wim Wenders (2015)

          This did not come from the same mind that created Paris, Texas. I don't want to tear it apart, because I still respect the director, but this movie was missing that thing that makes Wenders' films what they are - the human quality. The characters of this story felt empty and unreal. One character experiences a huge loss and despite momentary spurts of tears, handles the situation too well. Why she does is attributed to her belief in God and a peace she receives from that. The character who caused this loss in her life is apathetic and distant from people, but he too doesn't feel like a real person. Even though we see the pain of the characters' experiences, we don't know them or care.
          I think Wenders made this movie too much about what he wanted to say through it. The story and the characters exist only as a tool in his goal to share the peace and forgiveness of God through a movie. I'm disappointed that after Wenders becomes a Christian, his movies change for the worse. Hopefully if he releases another, he will bring back that charm and delight he takes in each character and their stories.

Don't watch it.

Dear White People - Justin Simien (2014)

          I was scared to see this movie when it first came out. The title is pretty intimidating because I probably have things to learn about racism. As much as we like to believe we're not racist, that's simply impossible. In college, I had a professor explain that racism is not the same as prejudice, it just means viewing anything through the lens of race. Exactly what the word says, right? Then why does everybody claim they're not racist? If you're human and you have any contact with or knowledge of different race than your own, you are racist.
I was afraid of two things in watching this: being accused of things for which I'm not responsible and being stereotyped as someone I'm not.
          By the end of the movie, I certainly felt convicted for the ways I've viewed black people wrongly, but I never felt judged or mocked. This movie was one of the most gracious presentations of racism I've ever seen. I felt honored that someone who probably feels pretty pissed at how stupid white people can be chose to approach this subject without accusations or stereotypes. Also, a lot of the movie was about how black people view and label each other into different categories, some more acceptable than others. So the blame didn't rest solely on white people. For the most part, it was an invitation for black people to view themselves and each other fairly and not hold unfair judgments over them of what's an okay way to be black and what's not okay.

I highly recommend this to people who want to learn and grow.

Watch it.

Blue Jasmine - Woody Allen (2013)

          Hate. Woody Allen's such a waste of space in the film industry. Just go away already. When you commit to release a film every year, most of them are destined to be complete shit. I have no respect for this man or this film. Imagine the most whiny, woe-is-me, rich bitch yapping at you for two hours about her life. That's this movie. I used to like Cate Blanchett. She plays the part as well as anyone could, but it doesn't work, to the point where you want to throw tomatoes and boo her off the screen. She tries to make you sympathize as a character and as an actress. Again, it doesn't work.

Don't watch it.

The One I Love - Charlie McDowell (2014)

          The problem with writing about this movie (and probably the problem with its distribution and the reason it's not very popular) is that if I say anything about it, the experience is ruined. That alone should be enough to make people want to watch it. I can almost guarantee that this is NOT WHAT YOU EXPECT. I sat down to watch what I thought was a Sideways-type drama about the struggles of marriage with its snarky little comedic effects and awkward sexual moments. Nope. That's not this movie. And what it turned out to be was the kind of movie I actually enjoy, not just one I watch to learn.

Watch IT.

Lost River - Ryan Gosling (2015)

          I love this movie. It swept me up and held me captive with its vibrant visual palette. The whole time, I felt like I was in the most incredible art exhibit. Everything felt new and alive. Then there's that song Rat plays, the scene soaked in neon purple light. AH. There's something so magical about this film. Yes, it's creepy and slightly horrific, but the magic of it was so intense to me. Gosling obviously wanted this to be a visually stunning piece. Almost every single shot looks like a photograph in an art gallery, which may be why the critics didn't like it - slap the "pretentious" label on it and be done with it. But I'm sitting here like, why the hell wouldn't you want every single shot to look like it could hang in an art gallery?? Stop thinking and let yourself be absorbed in it. Apart from the visuals, the editing is strange and jumpy at times, which made it feel unreal in a way that drew you into the magic (unless you're one of those people who need everything to make sense). For me, the point where it lacks is the story, but as someone who's not a fan of strict narratives, it didn't really bother me. At the end, I think I just wanted something more. I'm not sure what that was, but I feel like it was related to the story structure.

WATCH IT.

Blue Ruin - Jeremy Saulnier (2014)

          I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. It's like a darker, deeper version of a Coen brothers film. What makes it not a Coen film is that it's not trying to make crime funny, like Blood Simple or Fargo, and it's not trying to be badass, like No Country for Old Men (yes there's more to the film than being badass). Still it has that vibe of ordinary people doing and being confronted with ruthless acts of violence. This is something that seems to pique people's interest - to see how far someone will go, someone with whom we can identify, someone that could easily be ourselves. I won't go into the story at all, because I don't want to "ruin" it ;), but what mostly drew me in is the main character, who hardly speaks and is capable of what any human is capable of, whether or not we want to acknowledge it. It's a tough movie, but...

Definitely watch it.

The Son - Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (2002)

          Honestly, I don't think there's much going on in this movie. Sure, realism is an effective way to tell a story and keep the characters and their lives as the main focus, but it's just not interesting. I was interested in the movie as I watched it, but by the end I said "Okay." It doesn't evoke much. Sure, I'm polluted by the craziness of today's movies, but I didn't feel much depth in this film. It's not bad, but it's not great. The scope of it is so small, which I can appreciate in a sense because it values these people's lives, but it didn't really do anything with that value it places on them. I like the way German filmmakers handle small stories better. They have a way of making you fall in love with the littlest, most unimportant people. This movie had a beginning, middle, end. Eh. Maybe if I become a parent one day it will mean more to me.

Watch it or don't watch it.

To The Wonder - Terrence Malick (2002)

          For the first half hour or more of this movie, I felt very uncomfortable with how romantic the camera was with this couple. I felt stupid watching this for how overly dramatic the camera is when I don't even know these people. While I still feel unsure about Malick's intentions (and by unsure, I mean I think he maybe went overboard), the movie did have a strange effect on me. Because of the sweeping camera movements and too-close close-ups of hands touching and people doing things nobody does in real life, I distanced myself from the characters and watched intently for something solid to develop between them and between myself and them. I'm not sure it ever did, but by the end of the movie, I was crying.
          Despite the awkwardness I felt with this movie, it hit something real inside me. Romance is fleeting. I remember those first moments of touch, those magical moments of serenity in that someone's presence, but my heart was cold to them when the movie began. As this couple struggles through life, I remembered those struggles, that loss, the anger and the hurt. I think I cried for the loss and the hurt I can't forget, but also for the magic and the touch I wish I could hold onto.
          Every relationship is a terrible adventure. I'm sure I would write this differently if I weren't single and painfully lonely, but in a way I treasure these times alone because life is so real.

Anyway, you should watch it.

The Decalogue - Krzysztof Kieslowski (1989)

          The Ten Commandments have never been something I think about often. I usually assume I'm doing okay with those, probably not killing or stealing or having other gods... hopefully. This series of films puts the Commandments into situations I understand and could see myself being part of. There's something so real about these films, a reality I haven't experienced with any other film. Rather than use metaphors and symbols to reveal truth, Kieslowski uses truth to reveal truth. What's more true than physical, inescapable consequences? In my reading of the film, I felt that there was no abstract in the world Kieslowski created, only truth and consequences, and at the same time we sympathize with the people and their mistakes, because we know it could be and probably has been one of us making those same choices.

Watch it.

Au hasard Balthazar - Robert Bresson (1966)

          This was a hard movie to watch. I thought I would feel really sad for Balthazar, and I did, but I felt more for Marie and even then I wasn't released to truly sympathize. Balthazar comes in and out of her life. Sometimes she's sweet to him, other times she doesn't pay much attention to him. What was surprising to me is how unemotional and completely unsentimental this film is. I at least expected to read my own emotional, sentimental values into it. Where I expected to feel sympathy, I felt almost nothing. Even though this is a sad story, I think this young girl's apathy and confusion is what's most sad. It's a sadness that isn't felt. Honestly, it was a strange experience. I would have rather cried, but the film wouldn't let me. I think that was the point, but I'm not sure I get it. This is a movie I would like to return to and I definitely recommend it.

Watch it.

L'Avventura - Michelangelo Antonioni (1960)

          First off, I feel completely inept in talking about the great Antonioni! But if I'm going to learn, I can't be afraid of great works and the artists which create them. Unfortunately because a professor spoiled the movie for me, I went into this already knowing what happens. (A lesson for professors, don't ruin the movie because you think I'll never watch it! Biggest peeve ever.) Because I knew what happened, I spent the whole movie wondering what it meant, but even then I became so caught up in the characters and in applying their situation to my own life that by the end of it, I couldn't put into words what anything meant. This is a film I will watch again, but in my first experience with it, I learned a couple things.
          The longing for relationship never ceases within me and extends from me to every person who has any potential at all to love me. Yet somehow, I never feel loved and I always feel betrayed.

          I may not be a great filmmaker, but I'm human and great filmmakers are great because they reach into the dark abyss of human nature and pull out truth we cannot see for ourselces. When a filmmaker does this, we're all on the same level. Naked and crying for something to feed us.

Definitely watch it.

In the Mood for Love - Wong Kar-wai (2000)

          So close. This movie is a lullaby into desire. A song of our longings unmet and lingering, the nearness we crave and the practicality that pulls us apart from each other. The colors are passion and restraint. The rhythm is soul ache for love; sad and heavy, warm and familiar.

Watch it.

The Walk - Robert Zemeckis (2015)

          Joseph Gordon-Levitt's make-up and acting reveals the heart of this film - conveyed as charming, executed as cheap imitation. It's nothing but a shitty CGI tribute to NYC. It may warm the hearts of those in love with the Big Apple, but for anyone else who's not biased by love of the city or love of the director, this movie is a pure waste of time, money, talent, and heart. The characters have no depth. Even the lead, who tries to have some personal struggles, ultimately does nothing but smile and act like the American stereotype of a Frenchman. The whole movie hangs on the "walk" but by that time, who gives a shit? We don't care about the people or the story because it has very little conflict or tension to connect it to reality. Too bad he didn't fall. Would've made for a better ending.

Don't watch it.

Drawing Restraint 9 - Matthew Barney (2005)

          Ritual. Get the word "weird" out of your mind. Don't allow yourself to think it. It's difficult at first, but the key is to draw yourself into the detail of the film. Forget the big picture. Look at each action and you begin to see first how calculated every aspect of it is and second, how it actually does make sense. It makes sense within the framework of the world which makes no sense to our world.
          Ritual. Something about that word is foreign to us as Americans, I think. What this film does is make ritual inherent in nature, rather than in a specific culture. We can feel ritual even if we do not know it personally.
          Bjork's song at the end hints at the film's possible themes, though it still doesn't fully connect this world with our world. Or maybe it does.

"From the moment of commitment, nature conspires to help you."

          I'd rather not expound on the possible meanings with words. When you watch the film, this final line in the song feels true and aligned with everything you saw. Every film (good/intentionally-created film at least) has a certain magic in it. Magic because it connects with your being and means something whether or not its meaning can be expressed in words. Overall, I learned something from this film. I don't know what exactly, but I feel different having watched it.

Watch it. (It's on YouTube)