So, no one's commented on this, which I guess is no surprise, given antipathy here to Innaritu, poor reviews, and an intimidating run-time. (Though, with cuts, the end credits start at about the 2:30 mark -- not quite as off-putting as reports out of Venice.) The cinematography nomination got me to finally commit to a watch.
It's very much Innaritu, in every way. Big, blustery, covering so much ground it's hard to figure what it was supposed to be -- but also flooded with memorable images and even a number of striking concepts. It's baldly imitative of 8 1/2 -- a late sequence felt almost lifted from the end of Fellini's film -- and gorgeously shot (Khondji's nomination is well-deserved), but the central character just isn't interesting enough to carry a wobbly narrative over that extended stretch of time. I liked some of the surrealist elements, and a few simple down-home scenes (especially a conversation between father and daughter in a pool), but never felt like they merged together all that well.
But, as I've said about any number of movies this year (White Noise, Babylon, Amsterdam -- hell, even Nope), I admire that some directors are still out there taking big swings. I just wish one or two of them had been able to bring it all the way home. This is yet another nice try/too bad you didn't succeed.
Bardo reviews
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Mister Tee
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Mister Tee
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Bardo reviews
Normally,. when we note "mixed reviews", we mean some people liked it and some didn't. Here, we have a different sort of mixed: where the individual critics make the film sound both exciting and enervating at the same time. Those who've always despised Innaritu will undoubtedly favor the latter, but -- as one who's sometimes really liked Innaritu (especially Birdman), sometimes hated him (Biutiful, much of The Revenant), and sometimes fallen in-between (Babel) -- I have to say, some of the descriptions make me eager to see it.
And, as a general matter, after two years of what have seemed to me puny major movies, I'm thrilled to see multiple efforts arrive that all evidently swing for the fences.
https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/b ... arritu-123
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 235207580/
And, as a general matter, after two years of what have seemed to me puny major movies, I'm thrilled to see multiple efforts arrive that all evidently swing for the fences.
https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/b ... arritu-123
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 235207580/