In Gotham City, mentally troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded
and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of
revolution and bloody crime.
Dark and intense dive into a madman's mind is a fascinating as well as disturbing experience, largely due to Joaquin Phoenix's frenetic, mesmerizing performance.
In 1850s Oregon, the infamous duo of assassins, Eli and Charlie Sisters, chase a gold prospector and his unexpected ally.
Excellently directed Western drama skillfully balances violent incidents with humorous passages and convinces with grandiose cinematography, period detail and, especially, the performances of the leading men.
A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls
for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe's nightmares overtake
him as a conspiracy is uncovered leading to what may be his death trip
or his awakening.
A pulpy plot is turned into a near-masterpiece of cinematic brilliance breaking down the narrative into optical puzzle pieces, creating a mesmerizing, if dark experience; on top of that, Joaquin Phoenix delivers a fascinating performance, and the soundtrack is a work of art in itself.
A beautiful but naïve aspiring television personality films a documentary on teenagers with a darker ulterior motive.
Slyly made satire with an excellent performance by Nicole Kidman has lost some of its bite over time, probably because much of it has come true.
Halliwell*: "A deft satire on the worship of celebrity for its own sake and the way television can elevate the ordinary to heroic status, though it takes aim at an exceptionally easy target - a small-town girl - without managing to hit the bull's-eye."
Maltin**1/2: "Kidman is perfect...this black comedy seems to make all the right moves, but plays out its story with a surprising lack of irony; by the climax it has nothing more to offer."
1921. An innocent immigrant woman is tricked into a life of burlesque
and vaudeville until a dazzling magician tries to save her and reunite
her with her sister who is being held in the confines of Ellis Island.
Wonderfully realized period piece rich in details and atmosphere and offering a great cast, but in the end it doesn't manage to give emotion to the inherent melodrama.
Maltin**1/2: "Ambitious and complex period piece, exquisitely realized but emotionally off-putting at times. Cotillard is convincing, even when speaking in Polish."
After saving the life of one of the civilians inside, a firefighter finds himself trapped in a burning
warehouse with a broken leg and looks back upon his life. Above-average drama intended to celebrate the heroics of firefighters, sympathetic but quite sentimental. Maltin***: "Warm depiction of firemen's lives as brothers in an extended family. Full of white-knuckle sequences depicting daring (but realistic) rescue operations, which cumulatively pay tribute to some of the bravest men on earth. Solid, old-fashioned storytelling."
