Taylor Luke

Interestingly, the adverse of Kubricks sentimentality in Dr. Strangelove. Whereas here come great optimism and wonder, Strangelove forebodes cynically. While both display the director's talents, I find this to be his superior statement - we've seen many nihilistic shills like Strangelove before, but nothing quite embodies the pureness of 2001.

One of the best films from the 2010s and is Scorcese's best film to date. There is a manifold of things to analyze here - the film leaves no easy answers similar to The Virgin Spring. With that said, this is not a film that feels lost within its own ideas. What lies here is an incredible orientation of environments with the actors, artistically rich editing, and impressive performances. Some areas feel like they sog and should be burnished more, but this remains amongst the previous decade's best.

The greatest western of all time. Beautiful, analytical, simple, modest, slick, and more are perfectly balanced within this masterpiece. This may well be America's finest film in sound to date.

While superior to the original cut, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is still far from a remarkable film. The boundless ambition of the movie is endearing on paper, but it becomes heavy-handed with its grandiosity. Many critical moments within the film could have been a lot more impactful if they did not deluge an imposing second after the next. Bizarrely, the 30-minute epilogue was the best part of the film: it offered a more sound approach to the storytelling than a charade of stridency and grand moments. Still, it is undeniable that the film is sounder than most of this contemporary world. The characters, pacing, and idiosyncratic nature — in a distinct sense — promptly deem this a neat film; however, it does not protrude anything beyond that: neat. The final thing to address is the cinematography — bar and none the most praised aspect of the film. While the approach is more interesting than most films, it overall felt cumbersome. The abundance of close shots mainly conveyed claustrophobia than anything else (which did not align with the scenes at all). Nevertheless, it was worth the four devoted hours to follow Snyder’s exotic beast unfold - just not a great one.

The House that Jack Built is, bar and none, Lars von Trier's soundest film to date. I don't accept the claims about the picture’s egotistical overtones, as this is one of the most self-critical works of art in recent memory. All of the vanity and morally abject view of artistry that Tier has done is testified throughout—depicting a murderer who grows from being an endeavorer of his craft into someone who becomes jaded and experimental with it. Even with it being a little overt, the film presents its points and moves on to the next briskly. Without a doubt, the most meritorious visual orientation that Trier has accomplished thus far.

Another incredible film from the master, John Ford. As per usual comes an incredibly slick style, yet modest at the same time. With the orientation of the shadows (even when the characters are in an outside duel) and the landscape working in harmony with the action, there is no doubt in my mind that no director utilizes the environment to their advantage like Ford.

Precisely where the buzz about this film comes from is beyond me. The color scheme is a treat (as expected), and there are great moments throughout, but it falls short in the gauge of what is otherwise a pandering melodrama (the bungee jumping scene was laughable). With that said, it still prevents itself from being a bad film with intriguing and creative concepts attempted every so often.

Hilarious, beguiling, and shockingly beautiful simultaneously, Greenaway shows in every which way his creative vision of filmmaking. Almost every shot has a sublime orientation, and nearly every story beat is just right—perhaps the premier comedy of its respective decade.

What begins off as a goofy and mediocre 70s horror flick in the first half quickly dissolves into a panic attack filled to the brim with artistic merit. It's rough editing, never-ending barrad of chase scenes, and twist that traps the remaining character into a strident nightmare makes it one of the most stress-inducing films there is.

It only gets better the more I age. Such a simple yet effective story that haunts me to this day. Perhaps the pursuit of being liked is just never going to be fulfilled. Yes, the cinematography, editing, and performances are some of the best art offers, but the story deserves the same recognition.