We are now to the part of the list where the films are becoming personal favorites. All films from here on out I would say are some of the best films I've ever seen in my life. Is that a bit of an exaggeration? Maybe for some, but if I were to recommend any of these films to you, I would start with this group of four. They are all diverse, but all extremely powerful, and I loved every single one of them.
8: A Cambodian Spring I was shook at the end of this film. I never knew that there was so much injustice in the world. It really put my life into perspective. There are way more important struggles across the world than the media makes it seem. This documentary follows three prominent human rights activists in Cambodia from 2009-2014. Two women from a poor community in the country's capital are fighting for the right to keep their land, as the government is destroying it to start it's booming city life. It also follows a Buddhist Monk as he goes around recording videos of riots and trials on his tablet to show the world the insane injustices that are happening in his country. This film has no "experts", no interviews, it just shows the images and the situations of these people in it's near purest form and it is extremely moving. And it's so sad that I had never heard of any of these things until I watched this film. I highly recommend it if you want to know what's happening in our world, but also I recommend it so it helps show the lives of people who need their story heard. 7: Ex Machina As you probably know, I love Sci-Fi. This film is no exception. This film follows a man who is called in to test a complex and realistic A.I. to see if he can tell if it is human or not. The craziest part of this film is that we are fast approaching the day where an A.I. could be so intelligent and so life like that we may never know the difference. Call me crazy, but I think that is totally going to happen. And this film takes those ideas and expresses them in a film that is chilling, at times beautiful, at times horrifying, but extremely engaging. Oscar Isaac has the single most intimidating dance scene I've ever witnessed in my life. If that doesn't sell you then I don't know what will. 6: The Babadook In my attempt to branch out into different films, I started to watch some horror films, even though I'm always scared going into them. I found a film that is so much more than a horror movie, and that's The Babadook. It's got the scary monster, it's got the creepy atmosphere, it's got the bone chilling images, but it also has a deep and layered look at grief and depression. The way it tackles the subject is, in my opinion, masterful, and the lead performance is captivating and deserving of recognition. If you are looking to branch into horror films, this would be a great place to start, it's not "I can't go to sleep" scary, and it tells a great story. I highly recommend this film for your October. 5: The Florida Project I. Love. This. Film. This film transports you into the world of the near homeless. It shows you people living in cheap motels just to get by and have a home, and it is all seen through the lens of a 6 year old girl. It's pure, it's innocent, it's moving, it's challenging, and it's extremely beautiful. All the performance from the children are amazing, Willem Dafoe is like the kindest man ever in this movie, and they found actress Bria Vinaite on Instagram and you can't even tell that she had never acted before this film. Everything about this film is extremely magical, and maybe it's because it takes place outside of Disney World. Please watch this film. Please. I beg you.
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So just a quick thing I forgot to mention, all these films I'm sharing are films that I watched for the first time this summer. So while I watched great movies like The Dark Knight, Baby Driver, Room, and Arrival, I had seen them before and they won't show up on this list. Now let's move to the next part of the list.
12: The Village I feel like this movie gets a lot of unnecessary hate. Whether or not you like the twist at the end of the film, the way that M. Knight reveals things is masterful! I was on the edge of my seat the while time trying to put the pieces of the mystery together, and personally I found the final twist very satisfying and right in line with how the whole film was constructed and acted. It also includes a star making performance from Bryce Dallas Howard and beautiful cinematography from Roger Deakins. Maybe give this film another shot, I think it's M. Knight's best film to date! 11. Lost in Translation This film is subtle yet powerful, overcast yet sunny, and full of melancholy but also full of joy. Sofia Coppola creates such a sense of loneliness and isolation that you feel lost in Japan just like these characters. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson have great chemistry and both give real career defining performances. I like to call this film the overcast love story. So if it's cloudy where you're at, this is the perfect film for that mood. 10. Good Time Tight, dark, cramped, heart pounding, Good Time is a film that just bleeds style and doesn't let go of you until the credits end. Robert Pattinson of Twilight fame transforms into a dark underground criminal who is on a mission to save his brother from prison after a botched bank robbery. From start to finish this film does not let up, it's tense and insane and Pattinson gives one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. Directors Josh and Benny Safdie are on their way to the top. Look out for these two, they are the future of American cinema. 9. Sicario My second Denis Villeneuve film of this list and one that is just as engaging and thrilling as all his previous films. The way this film depicts violence, not in a stylistic way, but one that shows it how it truly is, dark and grisly and not glamorous. Emily Blunt is amazing as always and her final scene with Benicio del Toro is intense! One of the best scenes that I've ever seen in a film. Once again Roger Deakins shows his skills from behind the camera, and the way her uses darkness in the third act gives me goosebumps every time. A wonderfully haunting score that matches a wonderfully haunting film. Villeneuve is one of the greatest film makers working today, but also in my opinion, of all time. It's been a little while but I'm back to continue talking about the films I watched this summer that I loved and this a good and diverse bunch so let's jump in!
16: Enemy This film is such a hard sell, but it is such a rewarding watch! The basic plot is that Jake Gyllenhaal lives a boring life and then he finds out there's (wait for it) another Jake Gyllenhaal!!! This his life spirals into madness. Yep. That's the basic plot. But there's so much more to it than that! The way the film is shot and presented is so mysterious, and as you unwound the mystery of this bizarre situation you are left with more questions. Why are there so many spiders? Who is this other guy? What the frick was that ending about???? And the film gives you no answers. It's up to you and I to figure it out. And I still don't think I have all the answers, but this film brings up great themes and it is an interesting character study. If you are in to artsy films then I highly recommend this mind bender of a film! 15: Wind River In stark contrast to the last film, Wind River is a straight forward crime mystery-thriller. What makes this film stand out however, is it's setting, subject matter, and stellar performances. This film takes place on a Native American Reservation in the middle of Wyoming. The setting is beautiful, and getting to see into the lives of this poor neighborhood and how this tragedy has affected them is moving. Throw in a bleak and sad story about a topic that isn't really talked about and a career defining performance from Jeremy Renner, and you got yourself a powerful and excellent film. 14: Sorry To Bother You Probably the most absurd film I've seen this year, and that is a compliment, Sorry To Bother You is hilarious, and thought-provoking. This film presents it's ideas in fantastic fashion, with great performances, a great message, and some of the best and most interesting film making I've seen! And this is a first time director folks! I honestly don't know what else to say. Tread lightly into this film however, it does not shy away from the ugly, but I could not stop laughing at it's ridiculousness and I still think about it's themes constantly. I highly recommend this film. 13: Isle Of Dogs My man Wes Anderson with another film on this list, and this time a beautiful and charming stop-motion animated film about man's best friend. This film has an all-star voice cast, that quirky and special writing that I have come to love from Anderson, and just some of the most beautiful animation I have seen in a film. This is an absolute must watch for anyone who loves dogs! I really wanted a dog so bad after watching this film. This isn't a film for kids however. There's nothing inappropriate in the film, it's just not a traditional children's animation, it has some pretty heady themes. But if you got a few older kids in this house, then I would pop this on, snuggle up with your pooch, and let the charm sweep over you like a flood. More of this list to come soon! As I've alluded to in past blogs, I watched a lot of movies this summer, and I've written about almost none of them, so in an attempt to talk about these movies, I'll be sharing my 20 favorite films that I watched this summer! Here we go! 20: Annihilaiton So, I actually wrote about this film back in June that you can read here. However, there is a lot of really good stuff going on in this movie, so I don't mind talking about it more! It's themes are some really interesting things to think about as, like any good sci-fi film, it reminds us of the things that make us human and what the human condition is. Also, the basic narrative is just interesting! As you go on this journey with these women, you're trying to put the pieces together of what's going on and why. Now the answers may be disappointing to some, but I found them interesting and surprisingly fresh, especially for a big-budget sci-fi movie. Add in a haunting, yet beautiful third act, and a mesmerizing soundtrack, and you got a stone-cold thrilling sci-fi film. 19: The Post This was probably the biggest surprise for me this summer. I originally didn't have much of an interest in this film, but it stars Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep and it's directed by Steven Spielberg, so it can't be that bad right? Well it's actually pretty great! Hanks and Streep are electric on screen together, and Spielberg's direction is impeccable as usual. But the thing that surprised me the most was how potent and relevant the themes and message of this film were. In the age of fake news, hard boiled, truthful, unbiased journalism is so necessary! And while this film can get overly preachy at times, I had a great time watching these historical events unfold, all the performances were fantastic, and when a film is just made this well, how could I not enjoy it? 18: The Royal Tenenbaums At first glance, this is just another hipster indie comedy, and yes it still kind of is. But what makes this film stand out, is it's great performances from the whole cast (Gene Hackman in particular) and it's genuine emotional moments. I think this is one of Wes Anderson's best written films, if not his best. It still has that quirky indie charm and the particular framing of a typical Anderson film, but the characters and their back stories are written so well, that once the family drama starts and their flaws are shown, you really empathize with them on a genuine human level. The comedic timing is incredible in this film and the whole thing seems like an elaborate stage play that I'm of course very excited to see unfold. 17: What We Do in the Shadows Remember how funny Thor: Ragnarok was? Well as far as I can tell, anything Taika Waititi directs has some of funniest moments I've ever seen in film. This guy knows what he's doing. And this mockumentary about vampires is no exception. Almost every moment is hilarious in it's own right, from the over the top performances, to the hilarious gore gags, to the witty banter of these vampires living together, this film makes me laugh so much and in so many ways. There's no real overarching message of this film, other than maybe friendship, but this is just a fantastic comedy. And sometimes it's really good to laugh. Please sign up for my e-mail updates if you want to get notified when I upload a new blog! More of this list to come soon! |
Austin VincentJust a guy with a passion for film and Jesus who's trying to show that He can be found in our creative endeavors. Archives
November 2018
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