Philippe Garrel's Regular Lovers is what Bertolucci's The Dreamers should have been. Clearly the more complex and difficult of the two, Garrel's film not only captures the feeling of May '68, but also employs the formal techniques of auteurs like Andy Warhol and Jean-Luc Godard. Plus, there's the scene of the 68'ers dancing to the Kinks. A masterpiece.
The experience of watching Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Tropical Malady certainly proves it's a magical film. Unlike the other gay-themed movie of 2005, Joe's film portrays a world that is almost too perfect. His two-part structure breaks up the film into two separate wholes both serving the same purpose. I can not wait to watch his next film, Syndromes and a Century.
One could argue that Mr. Malick has one of the most perfect bodies of work in all of the cinema. Think about it. He kicked it off in 1973 with Badlands, possibly his seminal film (it's Malick, so that hardly means anything). Five years later, he releases Days of Heaven, yet another masterpiece about the loss of Eden. He disappears from the scene and comes back 20 years later with The Thin Red Line. Now, seven years later, comes The New World, an incredible artwork that I dare not call a movie. It's an awakening.
Tsai Ming-liang's The Wayward Cloud is a strange film indeed. Part Tatiesque comedy, part Warhol, and part Blue Velvet. If that's even possible...
With A History of Violence, David Cronenberg has his cake and eats it too. On one hand, he gives the audience one of the most expertly-crafted genre films of the past few years, while at the same time deconstructing each and every single aspect of it. Bravo.
Being a Russian film about Japanese Emperor Hirohito, I did not expect this one to be too enjoyable, but the most shocking aspect of it is how funny it is. It's the kind of comedy of manners Buñuel would make, but more tender toward its subjects. The photography is breathtaking, as well.
Gosh, what a beautiful film! Not as powerful as Tsai's Wayward Cloud or In the Mood for Love, for that matter, but, I mean, it's gorgeous. If you think I sound shallow then you probably haven't seen this film.
My least favorite of GSV's "Death Trilogy"--the other two films being Gerry and Elephant--but it's still quite hypnotic. The Akerman and Snow references were a little forced, but scenes like Blake playing "Death to Birth" are obviously masterful.
The best we have in between Wes Anderson movies. Strange as it sounds, Baumbach may be the Truffaut of the current generation of American filmmakers.
Jia's film lives up to its title. Enough said.
