Criterion Month Day 27: Before Sunset

Before Sunset (2004)

Every time I see the first installment of a solid superhero flick I think the same thing, “That was good but I bet the next one will be better.” That’s because the first installment of most superhero flicks are origin stories. We have to introduce the character, see how they get their powers, watch them learn to use their powers, you know the routine. But when the second installment rolls around, the heavy lifting is done. We know the character and what they’re capable of so we can focus on the meat. That’s how I feel about Before Sunset, Richard Linklater’s 2004 sequel to the 1995 romantic drama Before Sunrise. Sunrise is a nice appetizer. Sunset is a meal.

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Criterion Month Day 26: Love & Basketball

Love & Basketball (2000)

Love & Basketball is one of those Criterion movies that you always love to see enter the Collection, since it is a bit more of a crowd-pleaser, if a very well-made one. It’s also the type of Criterion movie that we rarely review during these months since our fairly mainstream tastes mean we’ve probably seen something like a Love & Basketball. While I’m not sure there’s anything revolutionary about this movie, it’s impressive in that it manages to inhabit a few different genres and pretty much nails all of them. This is a romantic movie that is pretty romantic, a sports movie that’s often insightful and thrilling, and a coming-of-age movie that evokes those bittersweet emotions of finding your way in the world. You would think it would’ve immediately established director Gina Prince-Bythewood as a new reliable force in studio filmmaking, but of course, that’s never an easy path for a young woman in Hollywood. Continue reading →

Criterion Month Days 24-25: Irma Vep & The Last Days of Disco

Once again I’m using a vague thematic connection to combine two reviews into one and cover for the fact that I waited too long to watch these movies and then became busy with other things when I should have been writing. In this instance, it’s two slightly different, unusual takes on life in the mid-Nineties. One is Irma Vep, which is specifically about the French film industry as it was in that era. The other is The Last Days of Disco, which is actually set in the “very early” Eighties but oozes Nineties sensibilities (and a fair bit of retrospective dramatic irony). Well, chances are I won’t even get this condensed double feature up before midnight so let’s not waste any more time and get jiggy with it!

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Criterion Month Day 23: Before Sunrise

Before Sunrise (1995)

For this year’s Criterion Month, I decided to watch Richard Linklater’s beloved Before Trilogy. What I didn’t take into consideration is that I’d have to write about those films. How do you write about a film that’s all conversation? Do I just do a recap of the convos with the occasional interjection, “That’s a good point, Julie Delpy.” Don’t expect a deep dive here. I’ll just give a general summary of what I like about Linklater’s more thoughtful way of filmmaking.

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Criterion Month Day 22: Chungking Express

Chungking Express (1994)

I’ve thought a lot about mise en scène this Criterion Month and the big takeaway is: when it works it really works. Which is to say, I love the aesthetic of Chungking Express. An early days of video story set in the neon streets of Hong Kong plus a dream pop-inspired soundtrack? Sign me the hell up! Oh, to be a cop in Nineties Hong Kong! Occasionally chasing bad guys through crowds but mostly hanging out at local restaurants stoically sharing stories of failed relationships or spending time at home smoking cigarettes in tighty whities and staring at the fish tank. That’s the life.

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Criterion Month Day 21: Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)

I took a Sporcle quiz a week ago (remember Sporcle?) that compiled results from different publications to make an unofficial list of the “100 Greatest Horror Movies.” Most of the list was business as usual; Halloween, The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, yadda, yadda. What surprised me coming in at number 100 was Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. Is this actually a horror movie? And do I, a horror fanatic, agree with this placement? And how does this movie fare for a fair-weather Twin Peaks “fan.”

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Criterion Month Day 20: Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa (1986)

Sometimes Criterion Month feels like school. I watch a slow, long, sad foreign film and then have to bang out a half-assed essay at the 25th hour. The experience is usually rewarding, but it feels like eating your vegetables too. Which is why I get low-key excited when I get to watch a movie like Mona Lisa. There’s no pretension here. Just a schlubby Bob Hoskins wandering around London to a Phil Collins’ song. Now that’s my kind of movie.

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