I know, I know — I'm 10 months late. But when I made the list, I wasn't on hive. Hell, I didn't even know about any blockchain or blockchain-based social media or how it fit in. People mine bitcoins with GPU — that's how far my knowledge went regarding cryptocurrency.
So, you'll have to pardon my lateness. Now, without blabbering a whole lot of nonsense, let me proceed with the list.
10 — Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (Portrait of a lady on fire)
By Céline Sciamma
A tale of two women in love in eighteenth-century France. I loved the easy Celine makes it seem to invoke raw emotions. Read my full review on hive, here
09 — Vitalina Varela by Pedro Costa
A gripping slow-burn film of the human condition. The frames are astoundingly haunting. I also wrote a review of it on hive, here
8 — Once upon a time in Hollywood
By Quentin Tarantino
This is what Tarantino’s drama looks like. All of his signature styles are there. I truly enjoyed his take on the Hollywood culture and the Manson murder case. It didn’t shock me to see how Tarantino bent the historical facts as he didn’t shy away from the idea before.
7 — A Hidden Life
By Terrence Malick
Malick had a hard time lately and perhaps this is a great comeback. This film revolves around an Austrian farmer who returns from the second world war prematurely and refuses to rejoin. He has seen the brutality and unjust slaughter the axis were committing. But the fascists aren’t gonna leave him alone.
The film had astoundingly beautiful cinematography but that’s hardly surprising in a Mallick film.
6 — Honeyland
By Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov
Honeyland is a documentary based on the life of Hatidze Muratova, a wild beekeeper of a remote hilly area. There she leads a hard, unforgiving life. Read my full review on hive — here
5 — The Lighthouse
by Robert Eggers
I did not like Egger’s VVitch. It’s pretentious, boring, and pleasing frames can only do so much. So my expectation of The Lighthouse wasn’t really high. But he surprised me with quite a powerful drama of hallucination, locked away realities, and the preternatural.
4 — Dolor Y Gloria (Pain and Glory)
by Pedro Almodóvar
Almodovar’s colorful palette is very picturesque and great to look at. It’s a story about an aged filmmaker and his journey to the past. His childhood, family, lovers. Splendid drama.
3 — Ne croyez surtout pas que je hurle (Just don't think I'll scream)
By Frank Beauvais
Frank made this film entirely from other films. Not unlike how Godard went with his The Image Book. Frank is an avid cinephile and he cuts the footage from films to fit his narrative. It’s an autobiography/documentary where he describes his life in the country and moving to the city after many years.
2 — Varda Par Agnes
by Agnes Varda
This film was released only a few months before Varda died. Such a loss! Yes, even at that age. This is a film on her life and how she made her artistic decisions over the years. I was amazed to see that she was not only a filmmaker but an adept artist in many other fields as well.
1 — The Irishman
By Martin Scorsese
Scorsese’s goodbye to the mobster genre and a film about aging, being obsolete, and forgotten. The Irishman was the best film of the year for me and I wrote a film-analysis of it on hive right after I joined. I think it was my second or third post. You can find it here.
Needless to say, this is a personal list. Over the years, life has taught me to accept the notion that, my choices do not have to correlate with others, neither do theirs to mine and that’s cool!
A few obvious titles could enter this list but they didn’t. That doesn't mean I haven't seen them.
Thanks for stopping by. :)
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I'm such a schlub. I have't watched 10 films in the last year. I'm guessing I average 2 or 3 per year.
Which doesn't mean I don't enjoy your list and the why of each one.
Thanks. It's a worthy (if slightly tardy :)) list.
You have invested a fair amount of time in literature, in no way you're a schlub lol! And who knows how many places you've been in your life!
As for my identity, it's been a conundrum to me. I refuse to be marked as a cinephile, yet, my entire short-lived career and thoughts revolve around them.
Thanks for reading it, Tom. And if you can manage the time, do watch a few films. I can assure you, none of this list will disappoint you. :)
I have no doubts that I'd love them. It's all about the time for me :)
Yeah, that I understand. It's a commodity hard to come by with the things you care for the most.
How things are for you by the way? What are you doing these days? As in spending the free time.
They all sound amazing, unfortunately, I have only watched Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and even though the acting is amazing (both Leo and Brad) I would have liked more focus on Charles Manson. I´m adding the rest of these movies to my list!
Hey, thanks for stopping by and going through the list.
Well you know, it's Tarantino, he's quite unpredictable and whacky in his own way. I loved the scene when Pitt went to the mobile home lot to search for a dude previously living there. Tension in the air!
Btw, try The Irishman first. It's a masterpiece.
Believe it or not, I haven’t seen a single one on your list! I have heard about 5 of them. I can’t believe I haven’t seen the Tarantino! I am such a big fan! Tells you how little time I get. But this is a good reminder!
I understand the scarcity of time. Still, if you can make some, go for it! 😇