My first foray into the world of Wong Kar-wai. I didn't know what to expect, aside from a thick 90's aesthetic, but I was left with a newfound appreciation for the medium of film. Everything about this was a joy to experience.
This might be my favorite Wes Anderson film! It's utterly endearing.
If you somehow missed this, just watch it already! It's all at once silly, thoughtful, and relevant.
Part sci-fi, part fairytale, all tragedy. It has that Spielberg magic that's hard to describe, but wonderful to experience.
It's on every list for a reason. 2001 feels like a celebration and eulogy for all that has come, and a prayer for all that may.
"Solaris is routinely called Tarkovsky's reply to Kubrick's 2001, and indeed Tarkovsky could have seen the Kubrick film at the 1969 Moscow Film Festival, but the film is based on a 1961 novel by the Polish science fiction writer Stanislaw Lem. Both films involve human space journeys and encounters with a transforming alien intelligence, [] But Kubrick's film is outward, charting man's next step in the universe, while Tarkovsky's is inward, asking about the nature and reality of the human personality." - Roger Ebert
It feels more like a series of vignettes than a movie, but this format gives the characters the space they need to truly come alive. The performances were mesmerizing, I felt like I knew these people. Casey Affleck in particular fully embodies his archetypal role: the deluded yet pitiful, narcissistic yet tragic, lover/stalker. Cinematography by Deakins, the landscapes embody the duality of its inhabitants, both oppressive yet beautiful.
Much like the aforementioned, from the very beginning you know how this story ends; and yet despite that I found myself completely engrossed and at times surprised - due in large part to the excellent performances by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson.