ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER isn't just tactile entertainment: it's refreshing to see P.T. go outside of his comfort zone and make something so intentionally modern. Dismissive cowards, like his contemporary Quentin Tarantino and especially newbie Robert "No Cars Or Cell Phones" Eggers, resign themselves to the past. In turn, they reveal a lack of imagination and initiative. P.T. reworked Vineland specifically to shed the Oldhead Unc stereotype in favor of sentimental optimism about Gen Z, while his eccentricities flow undiluted. This is just as big-hearted and perverse as anything else he's made: no fear, like Tom fucking Cruise. The last act car chase (and its fallout) is some of the best filmmaking he's done in his career; in another universe we got his Mission: Impossible movie and it made $1,073,872,627 dollars. And his knack for sparking idiosyncratic characters and matching them to pitch-perfect actors remains combustible, especially in the case of Teyana Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills. Even with limited screentime she's one of the most striking, potent, challenging, and layered characters he's ever written. She looms over every scene and every reflection post-viewing.
Like Christopher McQuarrie, Ryan Coogler, Jordan Peele, and especially Chris Nolan, P.T. Anderson is striving to make blockbusters great again. And this is what I mean when I say surplus cuz I can barely fucking keep up; Ridley Scott isn't seeing enough movies if he's bitching that "everything is shit." Even if I agreed with him I'd have to say that he's actively contributing to the problem, thus he's a hypocrite. He really thinks Napoleon or House Of Gucci are superior to any other modern movies? Or is he just resigned to make shit? Typical old man lose-lose.
I can't even finish this second surplus post because there's too much to cover, there'd have to be a Part 3 so I'm nipping it in the bud now. So many movies from this decade have made the list and so many more could very likely make the list on rewatch. I'll agree that the American film industry is the worst it's ever been but cinema as a medium is very healthy, so long as one isn't dismissive or incurious. There are more bad movies being made but there aren't less good movies out there because of it. There are hundreds of movies per year that I miss and end up in my queue. Since there are nearly 1500+ movies I haven't seen from 2020-2025, could I even make a blanket statement like "movies suck now"? If I don't engage with the material then I can't speak on its quality, that would be arrogant, near-sighted, and presumptuous of me. Plus, considering so much that I haven't seen, yet to come, that's hundreds more. When someone says "movies suck now" I just assume they don't like movies.
the surplus (no order)
Reflection In A Dead Diamond
Soft & Quiet
On Becoming A Guinea Fowl
Titane
Better Man
The Vast Of Night
Rebel Ridge
Civil War
Sorry Baby
A Quiet Place: Day One
Catch The Fair One
Kinds Of Kindness
Train Dreams
Hard Truths
Bacurau
The Killer
Tár
May December
Malignant
Decision To Leave
The Banshees Of Inisherin
The Holdovers
Knock At The Cabin
Nickel Boys
Mad God
The Kid Detective
Presence
How To Blow Up A Pipeline
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made
Red Rocket
Flow
Knock At The Cabin
i'm thinking of ending things
Shin Ultraman
