Samuel Scott54 said:I mean, Daniel Day-Lewis hasn't really been making movies lately—maybe four or five in the last decade? I don't know what people see in him. To me, Leonardo DiCaprio and Edward Norton have much better filmographies.
Edward Norton is fantastic, honestly, and I’d argue he’s quite a bit better than Leonardo DiCaprio, though he still isn't quite hitting that elite tier occupied by someone like Daniel Day-Lewis, who just exists in a different league entirely.
Then you’ve got Knight of Cups. Honestly, there isn't much of a story there and the movie itself is just mediocre (though you could argue Knight of Cups barely qualifies as a film 😁), but Emmanuel Lubezki’s camerawork? That is top-tier.
It’s like having the most beautiful painting in the world—if the actual subject is just average, the frame won't make it great. It’s kind of like how blood is just another element in the atmosphere for The Revenant; visually, they might be on the same level, but that's about it.
I’d only recommend The Revenant for the cinematography. It’s worth seeing on a big screen in a theater, sure, but everything else falls flat. It’s probably the weakest work from Alejandro G. Iñárritu.
From what I can gather, Brolin is the lead here, so I'm expecting a lot from him. Fiennes is also top-tier.
The only things that bug me are Hill and Tatum; they’ve basically played the exact same two roles their entire careers, just everywhere you look. And honestly, Clooney isn't really my cup of tea.
Still, I'm looking forward to a great movie. After all, these are the Coen favorites. 😍
Mark Cruz15 said:Honestly, since those two Batman movies by Tim Burton were basically the last decent superhero movies made, I don't think anyone's going to be missing me when I'm gone.
Abraham is just incredible in this movie. That whole scene where Salieri is finishing up while reading through Mozart's notes? Honestly, that’s one of my absolute favorite moments.
I’m honestly just so over those cheap, gimmicky movies where they pull the rug out from under you at the last second and reveal everything was just some big illusion. It’s like they think making the twist "the truth" somehow makes the whole thing deeper or more intellectual. In my book, it actually just trivializes everything we spent two hours watching. It feels hollow.
+1 Spoiler Even though the twist didn't totally ruin the experience for me, I walked away feeling like Lisa isn't exactly a saint.
Personally, I don't mind at all. My take on the movie hasn't really shifted since the sivonja showed up here 🤷 Regardless of whether he’s actually unhinged or just your average Joe, the core of the film is about that sense of being overwhelmed and the struggle to ever truly reach perfection. At least, that's how it feels to me 😬
If it’s just a symbol, then the symbol itself is fundamentally flawed. What was even the point? It wouldn't be about some esoteric pull drawing us in; instead, it would just mean she has the exact same voice and scars as the doll he just slept with. That feels pointless. 👎
SPOILER
I don't know, I feel like that part is up to how you personally see it. My take is that he wanted to highlight the tension between being similar and being different—the person versus the object. Lisa and the doll share certain qualities, sure, but the doll stays frozen while people change. With every new person, much like with Lisa, there's this sense of getting burned out until the voices start sounding masculine again.
I don't think it was meant to be a literal thing. He used those symbols to draw parallels between the doll and Lisa, but I doubt he was trying to say Lisa *is* a doll in a literal sense.
Either way, Kaufman is really driving home that feeling of total burnout and misery within the relationship.
Regarding the whole thing with Anomalisa being the doll Lisa—I don't think that's actually what's happening. To me, the resemblance feels more like a symbol. It's like how Kaufman always leans so heavily into symbolism in his older movies; he just loves that kind of stuff. Everything is open to interpretation, I guess, but personally, I don't find it quite that obvious.
I mean, Leonardo DiCaprio is definitely taking it home. Honestly, the Oscars have become such a joke anyway.
Ennio Morricone winning for the score is also a huge possibility. It’s wild how many of his absolute masterpieces didn't even get a nomination—probably mostly because he worked outside of the usual Hollywood circle—so now he’ll likely snag an Oscar for a soundtrack that’s actually pretty weak compared to his usual genius.
Even if this little trophy isn't quite the big Oscar, we’re all still crossing our fingers that Leo takes it home. I mean, the guy literally slept inside a dead horse for that role, so he's earned it. 😍
This isn't even really a movie. It’s more like Tree of Life—just a visual meditation made up of gorgeous shots and music. There isn't much of a plot or anything particularly heavy going on; it's just him piling on one philosophical thought after another. 😁
Days of Heaven is just okay, honestly. The dialogue and acting feel pretty middle-of-the-road to me, but man, the cinematography? It’s easily some of the best work I've ever seen. Those shots... just stunning. Pure beauty. And you have to give credit to Morricone; his atmospheric score really pulls the whole thing together.
Now, Badlands is way better. In my book, it's Malick at his absolute peak, though I still have a soft spot for The Tree of Life.
