Trailer:
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Yay
Nay
Trailer:
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Midnight Run (1988) - 9
The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) - 8.5
The Adventures of Robinhood (1938) - 8
Sisters (1973) - 6.5
Shin Godzilla (2016) - 7.5
I want a bit more character specificity with these many familiar teen film beats, but the gentle, heartfelt warmth spared to everyone makes up for a lot. That generosity, in insisting on inner life to all three fulcrums in this relationship, also makes some of this genuinely unpredictable; towards the end I realize that I have less than 30 minutes to go and still have no idea what the eventual outcome would be, which is almost thrillingly unexpected for this genre. 7/10
Midnight Run (1988) - 9
The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) - 8.5
The Adventures of Robinhood (1938) - 8
Sisters (1973) - 6.5
Shin Godzilla (2016) - 7.5
I was really surprised to see that this was A.O. Scott's favorite film of the year when he listed them out back in May. It's an odd one. I found Leah Lewis to be completely natural as Ellie, and really enjoyed how the film showcased her throughout. Less successful for me, though, was the whole confession-in-church bit, where a sudden reveal is done publicly and seems antithetical to the film's style, becoming a YA narrative beat that doesn't feel true to the character.
I liked the overall style of the film and want to see Wu's Saving Face after finishing this, but this was just sorta fine for me.
The Boat People - 9
The Power of the Dog - 7.5
The King of Pigs - 7