(2021 dir. Maggie Gyllenhaal) Date Seen: December 31 2021
Equal parts psychological thriller and character study in the best possible way. I thought this was very gripping stuff + a refreshingly visual directorial debut from Maggie Gyllenhaal. Usually when actors make the leap to director's chair they have a tendency to be entirely too fixated on the performances within a frame while neglecting the frames themselves -- which Gyllenhaal thankfully does not. THE LOST DAUGHTER has remarkable empathy and nuance with regards to how it explores contradictions in motherhood.. Also: hats off to the great Olivia Colman for continuing her unbelievable creative streak. The UK might as well just put her face on the pound.
754) OXYGÈNE
(2021 dir. Alexandre Aja) Date Seen: December 31 2021
This wasn’t the full on claustrophobic nightmare I thought it would be due mostly to the main character’s ability to temporarily detach from her situation via navigating computer panels (with info, digital memories, whatnot). An expository plot device that I think helps distinguish OXYGÈNE from other entries in the Trapped in a Confined Space thriller subgenre. Alexandre Aja wasn’t as visually inventive as I thought he’d be shooting within the single setting limitations. There were times during this movie where I found myself wishing things moved more briskly but thankfully Melanie Laurent’s dynamic performance helps distract from some of the repetitive minimalism. YMMV clearly, but I'd say it’s a thoughtful enough genre exercise.
753)
PLAYGROUND [UN MONDE]
(2022 dir. Laura Wandel) Date Seen: December 31 2021
Not too may films capture the quiet agony of helplessness in the face of extreme bullying as acutely as UN MONDE. but part of me wishes it didn’t have this unwavering devotion to this specific form of vérité; Where almost everything is captured via handheld & ultra close-up (the suffocating SON OF SAUL came to mind). For me personally these things can be a dramatic limitation.. It's important not to confuse proximity for intimacy.
752)
THE BIRDS II: LAND'S END
(1994 dir. Rick Rosenthal) Date Seen: December 31 2021
BIRDEMIC: SHOCK & TERROR (2010) might be a more technically inept film than this, but at least BIRDEMIC is funny!
"Sorry I'm late, my eyes just got pecked out by crows.. A mean black bird out there. Really went for the eyes"
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