Killing of a Sacred Deer Poor Things The Lobster Dog Tooth Bugonia The Favourite Kinds of Kindness all great imo
Hm I don’t think this is for me. Some great performances and some wild stuff, but I don’t think I like it
I started to appreciate this more after time away. I definitely think it’s a stronger film than Poor Things and The Favourite. Haven’t seen his others but always get recommended the early ones so I’ll get to them eventually.
The problem is the film doesn't really have anywhere to go if they play it straight so it becomes obvious something like the twist is coming. Lanthimos is always trying to say something, even if he doesn't always succeed, so it can't just be a genre piece about a crazy guy.
The "twist" is predictable from before you even start the film if you watch enough movies and are familiar with the premise. I didn't love the execution of it, but pretty much ate up all of the conspiracy-thriller shit leading up to it. Made me want to rewatch Bug. Stavros' performance wasn't great, but it was a fun inclusion
I think Poor Things is ultimately probably the better film, but both have their pros and cons. I won't say Kinds of Kindness is his best English film, but it is likely my favorite. Though I need to rewatch The Lobster.
have you seen dogtooth? it is by far my favorite of his movies, which i think is a slightly unpopular opinion, but i feel like it could be up your alley. i still haven’t seen kinds of kindness or bugonia though.
Nah not yet, but I've heard good things. Overall I just don't know if he is for me. I liked a lot of this, and I liked a lot of Poor Things, but overall they don't work as complete films when I sit back and think about them.
I'd say everything up until the graphic suicide worked for me. The twist was whatever, I think there were a lot of very dumb choices with how everything wrapped up. The spaceship stuff and the ending montage pushed it to an absurd level that I liked.
This one and Killing of a Sacred Deer both have a pretty mean streak in them. Dogtooth made my so uncomfortable that I don't think I can watch it again, which I know is kind of the schtick
This review does a pretty good job at summarizing a lot of the problems I have with the film but couldn't really figure out how to verbalize. There is an ugliness here pointed directly at Plemons' character (and his cousin) that leaves such a bad taste in my mouth. Very different from the ugliness depicted in Eddington.
Of any of the characters in the movie, sure. I don't mean that his character contains the ugliness of Plemons'. But the dynamic presented of Plemons taking advantage of him and forcing him to do something that he is not fully aware of all leading to his castration and suicide...what do I take from that? His death is played for a gross out gag. Obviously in the real world vulnerable people are taken advantage of. I am angry at Plemons's character for his manipulation. Is Plemons meant to be the true villain in the movie? Are we supposed to laugh at how crazy his theories are until the twilight zone twist? I agree with the criticism that his is Lanthimos looking down on all of the characters in the film, even if there is some statement about capitalism being the root of all of the problems.
I don’t get from the movie what that review gets from it. In spite of the more absurd, blunt elements, I found myself pretty deeply invested in the tragedy of these sad, fucked up, desperate guys. I do think disagreeing with that take and thinking about why is helping me flesh out better what works about this movie to me, so that’s fun.
i don't think that's grossness pointed at the cousin, i think it's pointed at plemons and stone and their manipulation of him. he is a pretty sympathetic character in a movie with no sympathy for anyone or anything else.
It is definitely mocking of his character and his outlook. He is a step or two away from a QAnon guy.
By grossness I mean we get an Evil Dead-like bloodsplatter onto Stone when he shoots himself in the face, and then we see his head split in half as he falls over.
Lanthimos is definitely a misanthrope, but at least in Dogtooth and Alps there was a hopefulness near the end.