Shorties #1: “Snowpiercer”, “The Killing of a Sacred Deer”, “Black Swan”, “The Squid and the Whale” and “Blade Runner 2049”

As I don’t really have the time to write a full-on review for each movie that I see, I came up with the idea to write short reviews, only consisting out of a couple of lines or just one sentence, for a handful of movies that I’ve recently seen. It’s basically the last paragraph you’d find in one of my reviews.  This article will have, as the title suggests, short reviews for: Snowpiercer, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Black Swan, The Squid and the Whale and Blade Runner 2049. 

Snowpiercer

South Korean director Joon-ho Bong’s first American production was, in my opinion, a very well-made film. The story was simple but was filled with exciting scenes, creative visuals, satire and fantastic acting from Chris Evans. The ending fell a bit flat, but other than that it’s a perfectly fine film, that’ll keep you entertained for two hours.

Grade: B+

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

The Killing of a Sacred Deer is probably the oddest, weirdest and most unsettling film you’ll see all year. There’s nothing like it and that’s what makes it so special and precious. Yorgos Lanthimos walked a fine line between disturbing and hilarious, which caused some intentionally fucked-up funny moments. If you’ve seen his previous film, The Lobster, you’ll know that Yorgos’ style of comedy is equally as distinct as his movies are. What made this movie so different from other films I’ve seen this year is the tone and how it came to be. Yorgos utilized odd framing, with lots of headroom to make the viewer feel uneasy. The acting too contributes to this atmosphere, as it’s not really realistic acting and more surrealistic and static. That doesn’t mean that the acting wasn’t good, it’s fantastic actually (Barry Keoghan was perfectly cast and gave an amazing performance), it’s just not something we are used to. It’s a whole new style of acting that suited this film brilliantly. The dialogue falls into the same genre as the acting, and that too causes an uncomfortable feeling. All of that, plus the fantastic soundtrack make for a film worth seeing, so please do so while it’s still playing in theaters and don’t let it be a flop. It’s movies like these that we have to support while we can.

Grade: A+

Black Swan

Natalie Portman wonderfully inhabits the complex character of Nina that was masterfully projected onto the screen by Darren Aronofsky with the use of mirrors, black and white and misleading, yet beautiful, imagery.

Grade: A+

The Squid and the Whale

A story about a divorce unfolds into a more than interesting and well-executed character study of not only the adults but also the kids who suffer from the divorce. The film contained one of the most believable and well-written character arcs/developments that I’ve seen in recent years. Jeff Daniels gives an amazing performance, but Jesse Eisenberg really stole the show. Even the kid actor was relatively good at portraying his complicated character, who’s confused and lost in the world around him. I’d say this is Baumbach’s best film to date (with The Meyerowitz Stories as a close second) so definitely check this one out if you have the chance.

Grade: A

Blade Runner 2049

This was unsurprisingly an amazing flick with also unsurprisingly the best cinematography that I’ve seen all year. Denis Villeneuve has proven once again that he’s a Mastermind behind the camera and he’s quickly climbing up the ladder of my favorite directors. He was able to create a long film (clocking in at around two hours and forty minutes), that wasn’t boring in the slightest. He created a good sequel, that builds upon the original, rather than use what the original had already given.

Grade: A+

 

Side note: Do you have any feedback on this new category? If so, please let me know!