The Holdovers, The Iron Claw, The Nest, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Elle, Burning, I Saw the TV Glow, Evil Does Not Exist, Godzilla Minus One

- The Holdovers [2023] - 85

An excellent character study and wonderfully unraveled and paced, The Holdovers is one I want to revisit when I can give it more focused attention. These kinds of movies — grounded, people-focused dramas — are typically my style anyway, but this one was particularly noteworthy for its construction, delicate introspection, and ability to make a mostly obvious story play out in a way that keeps you both engaged and intrigued. Director Alexander Payne and writer David Hemingson deserve credit for this standout amongst their previous works, though I think the lion’s share belongs to Hemingson as his entire background is in TV [like TV TV], and the ability to take those skills and turn them into a moving and meaningful film is impressive. Equally carried by its exceptional performances and camerawork, The Holdovers is one that you should make the time for if you haven’t, and consider revisiting if you gave it anything less than your full attention if you have.

- The Iron Claw [2023] - 86

The third film from writer/ director Sean Durkin, The Iron Claw is easily his most accessible, and his most widely regarded. Usually this kind of mass-appeal and ease of approach leads to something kitschy, soft, or generally uninteresting but, aided by outstanding performances from all involved, Durkin’s impressive ability to tease out intimacy in any situation, and some generally great editing, The Iron Claw is a film that I hope catapults Durkin and co. into the spotlight. After enjoying this so much, we went on to watch his other two films [talked about below] and he is now easily on the top of my “must watch” list of talents; upcoming or otherwise. I often bemoan biopics for leaving me wanting more; wondering “what really happened?”. Not so much here. While, as a work of semi-fiction, the question does still exist, Durkin has remembered to do the thing that so many writers forget when making this kind of film: Engage us with the characters and allow their story to tell itself. Truly a fantastic entry into an already stellar portfolio, The Iron Claw deserves all the hype it got, and then some.

- The Nest [2020] - 83

The second film by Sean Durkin, The Nest is probably his weirdest and least approachable, but that doesn’t make it any less exceptional. It’s one where you really can’t discuss the plot without giving away the hooks, which always makes a hard sell but, believe me that, if you like character studies, slice of life [tragedies], or are interested in the most strangely banal but tense thriller this side of the century, The Nest is an easy recommendation. It’s the kind of movie I wouldn’t fault someone for not liking, but is also almost certainly going to make it into my top 40, if not 20 on the year. This is a subtle film full of broken people leading broken lives that [without some serious introspection] will lead on to breaking more people and continuing the cycle on and on and on. Great little drama, The Nest is simply another fantastic arrow in the Sean Durkin Quiver.

- Martha Marcy May Marlene [2011] - 91

Aaannnnd now to Durkin’s first film, Martha Marcy May Marlene. Not only the first [and my favorite] of his wildly excellent films, but also the breakout role for Elizabeth Olsen, now of Marvel fame through her portrayal of Scarlet Witch. This is a difficult watch because it’s so subtly brutal in its portrayal of Olsen’s Martha — a woman who escapes a cult and struggles coming to terms with the abuses pushed upon her at the hands of its members. Incredibly acted, spectacularly edited, and showing Durkin’s prowess for telling excruciatingly intimate human stories, Martha Marcy May Marlene is likely to end up in my top 10, and be one I continue to think about for a long time to come. Inaugural works are always an interesting thing to reflect back on and [now 13 years old], this is an incredibly impressive piece of art to have created as an entry point. Not a film for everyone due to depictions of sexual assault and pretty intense manipulation/ abuse, this still stands as a highwater mark for Durkin, and one he should be proud of.

- Elle [2016] - 80

Speaking of sexual assault [which is not how one should ever start a sentence]… Elle is the film that Neil Jordan thought he was making in 2007 with The Brave One. Paul Verhoeven is no stranger to… well… almost anything when it comes to his films and the content he likes to include. Elle is graphic, borderline depraved, and exceptionally intelligent. This is not a movie that I’d “recommend” to anyone in the same way that I wouldn’t ever recommend 2008’s Martyrs [what is with the French and making the most grotesque films on the planet?], but it is a fantastic film with a lot to say and lot of meaning behind its actions, consequences, and portrayals. It’s difficult to say that I “enjoyed” my time with Elle, but I am certainly glad that I watched it and I appreciate the depths it was willing to go. I spent a lot of time with deeply broken people doing deeply broken things this week… How fun.

- Burning [2018] - 71

Equally smart in some ways, but much too busy in others, Burning is another very engaging and intriguing character study that simply forgets to pick a lane and tell one story or another. We have three main characters here: Lee, Ben, and Shin, with Shin caught in something of a jealousy triangle between Lee and Ben after she returns from a trip to Africa with Ben in tow. He’s handsome, well spoken, and rich — all things that Lee isn’t. What he also is, however, is aloof, crass, and a little… unhinged. Shin is introspective, wonderfully free, and deeply sad and lonely — things Lee sees in her and Ben simply can’t, or refuses, relate to. This has all the makings of a great and tragic drama revolving around the differences between what we see in people vs how they see themselves, but it takes on a very different genre that turns us from three interesting characters caught in a web to two sets of characters each interacting with Ben in different ways. This is a difficult one to sum up shortly [as I’m sure you can’t tell], but I ultimately wish it was either a miniseries, or two completely separate films that have nothing to do with one another. All the plots are great, all the characters are great, all the execution is great… it’s just one or two too many ideas thrown into an already exquisite soup.

- I Saw the TV Glow [2024] - 58

Speaking of soup, I Saw the TV Glow is a soupy mess with great intentions and messages, but an overall lack of confidence to pull them off through the chosen methods. A film about gender identity, finding your own freedom in hostile environments, and not allowing the world to decide your reality, I Saw the TV Glow is best watched through its trailers, rather than suffering its entire runtime. This is one that will be some people’s favorite film in the “it’s literally me” sense, while others will loathe its rubber-band pacing, obtuse messaging, and generally oblique characters. For me, it’s somewhere in the middle. I see what it’s trying to say, but do not relate at all to the way it wants to say it, and wish it had been done better, smoother, faster. I love its visual aesthetic, but wish it had been executed with more confidence and commitment to its own style, rather than just pink-washing everything and calling it a day. Conceptually, I love the overall plot and think each character represents something meaningful… but find it hard to care when the whole thing feels like it goes nowhere and wants to laugh at you for thinking it should. I hope this does well enough to allow writer director, Jane Schoenbrun [We’re All Going to the World’s Fair], to make something else with this style of budget, because I like the vision and I like the intent… this one just needed a little more time in the oven.

- Evil Does Not Exist [2024] - 63

Similarly obtuse for basically no reason, Evil Does Not Exist suffers from many of the same things that TV Glow does: it’s too long, it’s too awkward, and it’s too wandering. I say this about a lot of films, but it holds especially true here, Evil Does Not Exist would have made a fantastic short, and should have only been created in that context. A story about a small Japanese town being invaded by a talent agency and their “glamping” project [a word that never stops being funny in the middle of otherwise elegant Japanese sentences], Evil Does Not Exist holds many interesting and moving scenes about what this invasion of their world looks like, but it holds an equal number of pointlessly long and trivial ones. While the performances are great and the ending is powerful and interesting, the entire journey takes far too long and features far too much striated editing to be worth much of your hard-earned time.

- Godzilla Minus One [2023] - 63

Not my first rodeo with this one, I said I’d revisit it in my initial review, and I have. My thoughts and feelings are largely the same, with new ones to add on top. I think that if you already love Godzilla movies, you’ll like this one just fine, but it’s got very little to offer in terms of story, character, or intrigue otherwise. While I’m delighted to see one of my childhood icons universally praised in ratings and given financial success, I’m also shocked because I genuinely find this outing pretty mediocre. The plot hinges upon something we have no proof is even true, the editing is lazy and uninspired, the characters are all straight out of an anime instead of being human beings, and the ending is delivered so hamfistedly that it robs the choices our characters make of almost all their power. Godzilla Minus One is fine, it’s fun enough, it looks decent enough [mostly], but I will absolutely die on the hill that it’s just “ok”.