Wow. This was amazing. Ari is 4/4 for me and this might be his best? That final shootout was something. The final scene them three in bed was the most terrifying part.
Rewatching now. Such an engaging hodgepodge of styles and ideas - part satire, part Western, part true modern period piece, almost overstuffed but in a way that feels reflective of the psychic damage we've been taking nonstop for the past decade. It shouldn't work, but Ari pulls it off, and continues to expand his uniquely anxious brand of horror to different genres. I like the Austin Butler character inclusion a lot more on second watch. Also I know he's just a bit character, but the Theo Von lookalike cop is really good lol
Kind of interesting that Emma Stone was also in The. yrss, which heavily featured the Pueblo people in New Mexico and carries a similar anxious, horror -adjacent energy
"I'm just another privileged white kid whose job is to sit down and listen, which I plan on doing right after I make this speech, WHICH, I HAVE NO RIGHT TO MAKE!" so fucking good lol
Triple-post: The irony of Joe, who starts as someone misguided but with a good heart, unknowingly going to war with (and being disabled by) right-wing terrorists disguised as leftists is so perfect and sad Hard for me to think of a better description for this than "No Country For Old Men except everyone has brain worms and there's a Dr. Strangelove ending"
This was pretty good. Beau is Afraid was trying a few too many things for its own good, but Aster might currently be the best millennial filmmaker.
Probably Aster, Eggers, and Jane Schoenbrun. I have not seen Hale County… but Nickel Boys was good enough for RaMell Ross to get a mention. I am interested to see what Charlotte Wells does next too.
All worthy competitors except Chazelle. The Safdie brothers as well although we still don't know if the breakup ruined both of them. Schoenbrun and Ross need a couple more movies. I would have said Gerwig based on just her current released films but the upcoming Narnia movie suggests we might have lost her.
I know I’m mostly alone in this but outside of lady bird the best movie by any of them is Babylon. Outside of La La land most of his filmography is quite good. all of the safdie movies I’ve seen so far are movies that on paper I should love but always feel a degree or two off for me. Uncut gems was, like, fine.
Haven’t seen it in years (and loved it at the time) but even with the “flaws” of La La Land it’s still a really really well made movie
Is he? Damn lol edit: ok I looked it up, born in 1979, so 46. He's pretty close, millennial starts in 1981 according to Google. Ah well, nevertheless.
Eggers and Cregger have been close but I’d like to see Eggers move out of the lane he’s been in a bit and Cregger only has two under his belt
This is probably technically last for me (Beau, Hereditary, Midsommar, and then this), but it's kind of like Beau is 1a and everything else is 1b depending on the day. Just really consistently interesting filmmaking from Aster, even if I don't always love every choice.