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The Point 1971

7.7/10

A boy leaves town to find meaning in this delightfully eccentric, psychedelic children’s tale

A boy leaves town to find meaning in this delightfully eccentric, psychedelic children’s tale.

Our take

Making a video for a concept album isn’t particularly new, but you’d be hard pressed to find a feature as whimsical as Harry Nilsson’s The Point. Framed as a fable a father tells his son, The Point takes Nilsson’s psychedelic soundtrack to score a pun-filled fairytale with a seemingly on-the-nose moral, but the combination proves to be charming, as Oblio’s journey unfolds in children’s storybook scrawling and watercolor fills, and expands past the obvious message about acceptance into interesting, if a bit rambling, forays about meaning, power, and community. The Point! is quite obvious, but the film reaches it through surprisingly simple genius.

Synopsis

Years ago, there was a place called The Land of Point, because everything in The Land of Point had one: the barns, the houses, the cars, everything, even the people. Everyone in The Land of Point had a point at the top of its head. Everyone, that is, except Oblio, who was born round-headed. Since he had no point, Oblio, along with his trusty dog, Arrow, was banished to the Pointless Forest. Join them to see what wonders await these two intrepid travelers as they make their way on their amazing, song-filled journey of discovery!

Storyline

A father tells his son an unusual tale about the Land of Point, which everything and everyone all had pointy features, at least, until Oblio, who was born with a circular head. Singled out because of his appearance, Oblio and his trusty dog Arrow are exiled to the Pointless Forest.

TLDR

And it’s narrated by Ringo Starr by The Beatles!

What stands out

The music, of course. Sure, some of the lines can seem a tad nonsensical, but there’s a real lyricism and catchiness that fits Oblio’s journey, even if the lyrics about heartbreak and loneliness don’t immediately seem to register with the cartoon visuals.

A Thousand Times Good Night 2013

7/10

A thoughtful, semi-autobiographical character study of a photojournalist that doesn't know how to quit

A thoughtful, semi-autobiographical character study of a photojournalist that doesn't know how to quit.

Our take

The choice between practicality and passion is the subject of many a drama, but A Thousand Times Good Night depicts that passion stemming from a different place. Rather than pure expression, or creativity, director Erik Poppe depicts the passion of his former profession of photojournalism stemming from social importance– not just status, but in possibly changing the course of history. The semi-autobiographical story clearly has an understanding of the craft, and with her moving performance, Juliette Binoche proves to be an effective proxy, as her character takes risks her family find it hard to tolerate, and as continually choosing those risks, also entails influencing your family to make that same sacrifice. Some viewers might not agree with these choices, but nevertheless A Thousand Times Good Night is a palpable character study of someone whose career is personally interlinked with their advocacy, their identity, and their philosophy of what the world should prioritize.

Synopsis

On assignment while photographing a female suicide bomber in Kabul, Rebecca – one of the world’s top war photojournalists - gets badly hurt. Back home, another bomb drops as her husband and daughters give her an ultimatum: her work or her family.

Storyline

As a prominent photojournalist, Rebecca is driven to photograph some of the world’s most dangerous war-zones, which places her at odds with her family back home in Ireland.

TLDR

Who better to depict the concerns of a photojournalist than a photojournalist?

What stands out

Juliette Binoche.

Conclave 2024

7.5/10

A rightfully silly (but still cinematic) portrait of the innate ambition of man

A rightfully silly (but still cinematic) portrait of the innate ambition of man.

Our take

It’s always refreshing to see people in esteemed positions let their guard down, not to mention smoke a vape or gossip feverishly, as we mere mortals do. But Conclave is more than just a candid look at what goes down in a process as elaborate as a papal election. It’s a portrait of man’s innate thirst for power. And since it has more to do with humanity than divinity, it’s also rightfully silly. Cardinals are scrambling for votes and fighting over politics. They can be peaceful and reasonable, but they can also be petty and spiteful, just like any person pressured to vote for their future (or just like any person, period). Conclave is far from perfect—its intentions are murky at times and the visuals, though beautiful, are oddly sparse—but it works because no one in the film, not even the protagonist, is infallible. It’s a welcome reminder of our limitations, regardless of faith.

Synopsis

After the unexpected death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with managing the covert and ancient ritual of electing a new one. Sequestered in the Vatican with the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders until the process is complete, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could lead to its downfall.

Storyline

As cardinals convene to elect the new Roman Catholic Pope, tensions rise when the competition gets fierce.

TLDR

Priests, they’re just like us!

What stands out

I read someone say that this was like an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked, and I haven’t seen it as anything else since.

The Man from Nowhere 2010

7.6/10

A quiet stranger saves a child in this emotional revenge thriller

A quiet stranger saves a child in this emotional revenge thriller.

Our take

Admittedly, The Man from Nowhere can feel a bit derivative. A quiet and mysterious stranger befriending a child, and ending up enacting his revenge when the child gets kidnapped… It feels like writer-director Lee Jeong-beom took two certain film plots and stitched it together into one. But where the film lacks in original story, The Man from Nowhere makes up for it with style, with high-contrast, rainy, moody scenes that linger into the mystery to make the few brutal, excellently choreographed action sequences pop. It has familiar tropes, and the backstory becomes a bit predictable because of it, but The Man from Nowhere keeps a steady pulse on the beating heart of the film– the friendship that makes these familiar tropes hold heavier emotional weight.

Synopsis

An ex-special agent is involved in a convoluted drug ring drama. He has to save a drug smuggler's innocent daughter from being the victim of her parents' fight.

Storyline

Quiet pawnshop keeper Cha Tae-sik only has one friend: a child named So-mi. After So-mi is kidnapped, Tae-sik takes on a drug-and-organ trafficking ring in hopes of saving his only friend.

TLDR

Think Leon the Professional mixed with Taken.

What stands out

The ending.

Why Don’t You Play in Hell? 2013

7.2/10

A ragtag crew makes the film of their dreams with a former child star and the yakuza in this ode to old-school gritty action films

A ragtag crew makes the film of their dreams with a former child star and the yakuza in this ode to old-school gritty action films.

Our take

Sure, it takes a special type of crazy to try to make it in the movies, especially if you’ve been at it for ten years without any sort of premiere, but the strangely persistent four-man production of Why Don’t You Play in Hell? takes this to even crazier heights, involving a yakuza gang war and potentially their lives. Writer-director Sion Sono infuses his signature gore with much more playful comedy, slinging together chaotic action scenes through the pure power of cool, and the entire roster’s enthusiasm for cinema is just so infectious, it’s compelling to watch, even when the plotlines don’t fully mesh well. Why Don't You Play in Hell? is such a fun tribute to gritty action filmmaking.

Synopsis

In Japan, gonzo filmmakers hatch a three-pronged plan to save an actress's career, end a yakuza war and make a hit movie.

Storyline

A group of gonzo filmmakers hatch a three-pronged plan to save the acting career of child star Mitsuko, end a yakuza war between Muto’s and Ikegami’s clans, and make a hit movie.

TLDR

People say that it takes a miracle to make a film. This is one heck of a miracle.

What stands out

How much fake blood, exactly, was used for this film? It’s actually insane.

Letter from Masanjia 2019

7/10

A harrowing documentary that reveals the evil in modern day labor camps

A harrowing documentary that reveals the evil in modern day labor camps.

Our take

When thinking about buying something, it’s easy to only think about price and quality, but with many investigations around the world about inhumane labor practices, it’s no wonder that more people would like to look at the companies they’re buying from, or at least buy secondhand when possible. One such investigation is depicted in Letter from Masanjia. While it starts first at the discovery of the letter in Oregon, the true story continues on the other side of the world, through the difficult experiences Sun Yi and his fellow detainees were forced to go through when the Falun Gong movement grew greater in number than the Chinese Communist Party. It’s a harrowing tale, with certain sequences being animated due to a natural lack of footage, and it’s one that needed to be made.

Synopsis

Damascus, Oregon, United States. Julie Keith finds a baffling message hidden in a pack of decorative items, a desperate plea for help, written by someone imprisoned in a Chinese labor camp called Masanjia…

Storyline

While imprisoned in Masanjia labor camp, Sun Yi pens twenty desperate SOS letters. One of which lands in Oregon, which sparks a chain of exposés that push China to abolish the re-education through labor system altogether.

TLDR

The end titles are not a happy one, and I’m sad to say that this might not be limited to Masanjia, or even China.

What stands out

Frankly, the film does downplay the Falun Gong a bit– it's kind of nuts to read later that the group was linked to promoting far-right conspiracy theories and that the leader supposedly can levitate, walk through walls and see into the future. That being said, even if Falun Gong is a cult, I don’t think the members, or anyone, would deserve the torture and inhumane labor that Sun Yi went through.

Master of Dark Shadows 2019

7/10

A straightforward documentary depicting how a small time Gothic soap opera surprisingly changes the face of daytime television

A straightforward documentary depicting how a small time Gothic soap opera surprisingly changes the face of daytime television.

Our take

While cable television didn’t have the same prestige as movies for decades, nevertheless the format garnered some influence, even then, with generations of viewers and filmmakers growing up in the medium. Dark Shadows is one such influential television show, and its journey from middling soap opera to groundbreaking drama is depicted in Master of Dark Shadows. Viewers totally unfamiliar with the 60s-70s program might only appreciate the film for its slice of media history, as the documentary takes a rather ordinary, interview-focused approach, but Master of Dark Shadows is clearly a tribute to Dan Curtis, the man behind the midday monsters, and the legions of fans it inadvertently garnered.

Synopsis

Revealing the fascinating impact of the ground-breaking Gothic drama Dark Shadows with a compelling blend of rare footage and behind-the-scenes stories exploring the diverse talents of creator-producer-director Dan Curtis.

Storyline

Writer-director-producer Dan Curtis creates Gothic series Dark Shadows, unexpectedly shifting the way America treated the soap opera, the monsters, and horror as we know it today.

TLDR

Thank you, Dark Shadows, for creating sexy vampires.

What stands out

Most of the runtime is dedicated to Dark Shadows, rather than Dan Curtis himself, but maybe that’s not a bad thing, considering the way everyone describes him with a terrible personality in the most polite way.

If Only 2004

6/10

A businessman gets one last chance to cherish his love in this easy, if shallow, romantic drama

A businessman gets one last chance to cherish his love in this easy, if shallow, romantic drama.

Our take

If it takes your girlfriend dying before you’re able to open up to her, you’re probably not acting like a good significant other, especially when she moved all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to live with you. It’s hard to root for If Only’s leading man with such a rough start, but there’s a certain charm to the story that makes the movie watchable, the sweet reminder to cherish the people in your life while they’re still here to be cherished. While the schedule of Ian’s repeated day is kinda ridiculous, the lines are a bit cheesy, and the plot is a bit too predictable for a premise that can be made much more fantastic, If Only won’t disappoint viewers just looking for a cute romance.

Synopsis

After his impetuous musician girlfriend, Samantha, dies in an accident shortly after they had a fight (and nearly broke up), Ian Wyndham, a grief-stricken British businessman living in London gets a chance to relive the day all over again, in the hope of changing the events that led up to her getting killed.

Storyline

After his girlfriend Samantha dies in an accident, grief-stricken British businessman Ian Wyndham gets a chance to relive the day of her death, leading him to hope that he can change things to keep her alive.

TLDR

Jennifer Love Hewitt, you deserved better!!!

What stands out

Jennifer Love Hewitt's performance is great, but the musical number at the end is awkwardly placed, poorly mixed, and doesn't showcase her voice in a great way.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 1986

7.2/10

A disquieting depiction of murder’s mundanity

A disquieting depiction of murder’s mundanity.

Our take

There is goodness within everyone… supposedly. However, there are some instances where the belief is almost foolish, some sins done against humanity that can't be explained, reasoned out, or defended. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer challenges that notion in three characters (the titular serial killer, his fellow ex-con Otis, and Otis’ sister Becky) and in the silent, unprotesting way writer-director John McNaughton makes us witness their lives. While true crime aficionados and horror fans might find this rather tame, the true horror of this portrait isn't in the kills, but rather in the way we’ve become accustomed to this violence, the same way a literal serial killer would be.

Synopsis

Henry likes to kill people, in different ways each time. Henry shares an apartment with Otis. When Otis' sister comes to stay, we see both sides of Henry: "the guy next door" and the serial killer.

Storyline

After being released from prison, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis in Chicago, and starts teaching him his methods in serial killing.

TLDR

This is not the best film to see before going to Chicago, though.

What stands out

The performances.

Day of the Dead 1985

7.4/10

Rogue scientists and traumatized militia are pushed to the brink in this horror classic

Rogue scientists and traumatized militia are pushed to the brink in this horror classic.

Our take

While zombies weren’t new in film, it wasn’t until writer-director George A. Romero’s Living Dead saga that the zombie as we know it today was created. Day of the Dead is the third in the franchise, and like Night and Dawn, Romero was more interested in the way humans were the threat, more so than the flesh-eating monsters, this time between scientific innovation and military force, both that are pushed to the extremes without any ethical restraint, and both being the very same concerns that America held at the time of release. And with Tom Savini and team’s groundbreaking special effects, it’s no wonder that Day of the Dead became a horror classic.

Synopsis

A small group of scientists and soldiers take refuge in an underground missile silo where they struggle to control the flesh-eating dead that walks the Earth above.

Storyline

In an underground missile silo, there are two camps: a small group of scientists studying how to solve the zombie problem, and a military unit assigned to protect them, though tensions rise when they start losing numbers.

TLDR

Even though Romero’s later works didn’t receive the same acclaim, I hope that Twilight of the Dead still manages to get resurrected because of how good this and Night was.

What stands out

The effects. While today’s effects and CGI have substantially improved, there’s no denying that Tom Savini’s work with the franchise was part of the reason behind that improvement.