michael jenning

I found it muddled, and dogmatic in the customary "feminist revisionist" manner. All males are toxic and/or treacherous, and not until Jude Law appears does the movie have the slightest bit of energy. The lead is inexpressive. Interesting costumes. So badly directed I couldn't tell what I was supposed to focus on. I was deeply disappointed.

Over-directed and unreasonably obscure. Great work by Penn, as usual, but the lead didn't interest me in the slightest. Repetitive and noisy with dialogue inaudible much of the time. With a great actor like Penn, you don't need much chit-chat, but still...

I liked it a lot - Stone should get an Oscar. It's a brilliant journey into the wilds of female sexuality. "Civilization and its Constraints" could be its subtitle. Lanthimos is proving himself a world class director - he got good work from all involved, and some of the sets are astonishing. Plenty of very dark humor (the best kind IMO)

I liked a lot of it, and I think Todd Haynes is among our best directors. Moore and Portman are a delight to watch. Very good study of the predatory instincts of creative folk (Portman as the actress), and the deviousness of people whose impulsiveness has caused widespread emotional damage (Moore as the subject Portman's there to "study.") I'm not sure if this one comes together completely, but I'd like to see it again.

First rate, and quirky like PT Anderson tends to be. Haim was terrific, Cooper Hoffman held his own, and the cameos by Sean Penn, Tom Waits and Bradley Cooper worked well. The San Fernando Valley had an odd DNA of former ranchers, movie stars, movie sets, and commuting areospace workers. I grew up there. Our Little League field was on the lot formerly occupied by POW barracks for Billy Wilder's "Stalag 17." Anderson is truly "the bard of the Valley."

Dazzling performance by Kristen Stewart, kind of "Repulsion" meets "Upstairs Downstairs." This is NOT a biographical movie, closer to an Impressionist sketch. Beautiful set design and cinematography. Sally Hawkins, freed of the leftist banalities of Guillermo Del Toro ("Shape Of Water") and back to the subtleties of "Happy All The Time," shines. KS is a major movie star after this, and will likely get an Oscar. One of the best movies I've seen this year, and other than the quasi-Fascist bilge of Marvel and slasher/sci fi/horror garbage, I've seen them all...

For about 2/3 of the movie I was tempted to walk out, thinking "humorless, bleak and oppressive." I was also put off by Campion's customary detestation of men. I was not overwhelmed by "The Piano" for the same reasons. Then the completely unexpected turn began taking shape, and I liked it. Benedict C. is excellent. I would give it 3.5 stars, but that doesn't seem possible, so I'll settle for 3 with the caution, "Requires patience"...

Lady Gaga, Pacino, Jeremy Irons -- how can you go wrong? Adam Driver was competent in a role that took a mysterious turn, from shy observer to ruthless entrepreneur. Italian fashionistos seem to have a predilection for being gunned down on the steps of their mansions -- perhaps they should use the underground garage for exits and arrivals...Movie's a diverting cruise though...

Jessica Chastain is worth the ticket. The movie, though, seems awkwardly shaped. Finishing up with her singing "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic" while an American flag is unfurled, is something of a cheap shot. Exploitive religious figures are not exclusive to America -- they flourish everywhere on the planet...

There's a fascinating idea at the core of this movie, but it's obliterated by far too many unnecessary subplots. The bullying students at the fashion school are extraneous, the blurring of Terrence Stamp's character (is he her father? Is he not?) leads nowhere...there are more but I'm simply too weary to recount them after struggling through to The End. It's amazing that the director of "Baby Driver" is responsible for this one, although it's not unusual for directors to overdraw on their cachet after a success. Movie perks up whenever Anya fills the screen, but it's not enough.