5th: Dekalog: Five – Krzysztof Kieślowski (1988)
Back to the Dekalog after a short break. Out of the films in the series thus far, Five certainly felt the most singular. This was the first one (at least that I can remember) to move between three primary perspectives in its narrative. More than anywhere else though, this film stood out for me visually. As opposed to the muted backdrops in the first four films, this one uses a lot of filters and effects to bring bright, vibrant colors into this world. Some of the shots actually reminded me of Badlands, which is something I would never have guessed from the first four films. Even taking into account these differences (which I think all work), the storytelling in this film remains as strong as in any of the others. The economy with which Kieślowski is presenting these incredibly intricate and nuanced parables is just masterful.
Grade: B+
6th: Dekalog: Six – Krzysztof Kieślowski (1988)
To me, this is the most provocative and best film in the series so far. I love how the film keeps upending any expectations the audience has for these characters or this story. In a series that’s set as a parable of the ten commandments, this film feels the hardest to pin down. At times it feels like it’s playing into some great moral lesson. At others, it seems to parody the very idea of doing something like that. This ambivalence is probably most deeply felt through the two lead performances which are just mesmerizing. It’s one of those cases where every aspect of the film is so finely tuned, the entire film is able to transcend into something greater than even the sum of its parts.
Grade: A
7th: Dekalog: Seven – Krzysztof Kieślowski (1988)
This reminded me of a darker version of Three Colors: White. I love the way Kieślowski weaves these fairy-tale elements into the film. I thought the more rural setting especially played into that.
Grade: B-
10th: RRR – S. S. Rajamouli (2022)
I want to start out by saying that I have not seen much (if any) Indian cinema before. I’m guessing that many of the features that most struck me about this film – the elaborate and colorful sets, the grand overhead shots, the dancing, the music – are traits that can be found in other Indian films as well (which pretty much means that I have more movie catch-up to do than I thought). Even removing those traits, this is still my frontrunner for movie of the year. It is a 3-hour historical-buddy-action-musical-epic in which everything works perfectly. I can’t even imagine the level of difficulty in pulling something like that off. Luckily, I didn’t have to because this movie is absolutely effortless to watch. Honestly, the highest compliment I can give it is that I haven’t been this wowed by action sequences since Lord of the Rings.
Grade: A-
13th: Dekalog VIII – Krzysztof Kieślowski (1988)
In terms of premise, this is probably the most broadly accessible film in the series and yet the least successful in execution. I don’t think it’s bad by any means. I just think the weight of its central conflict is so grand that it overshadows the uneasiness and nuance that defines Kieślowski’s best work. This film feels like it is yearning for resolution at every turn and that’s not something I want from Kieślowski or the series.
Grade: B
19th: Dekalog IX – Krzysztof Kieślowski (1988)
The most melodramatic film of the Dekalog? The stakes especially in this film felt particularly operatic. I suppose it does culminate in a suicide attempt borne out of miscommunication. Even with the change in tone, I thought the film worked at the same level as the rest of the series. I particularly admired the way Kieślowski weaves physical modes of communication (phones, postcards, notes) in a story in which the primary driver of the plot is a decision to leave things unsaid.
Grade: A-
20th: Dekalog X – Krzysztof Kieślowski (1988)
I’ve done it! I have watched the Dekalog. I love the decision by Kieślowski to end on the most comedic installment. Not that there’s a ton of comedic work in his catalog to choose from, but it reminded me of the playfulness in Three Colors: White. In some ways, I think this might be the most beguiling movie for me to assess. For the most part, it’s a pretty straightforward story. I knew how most of the film would play out after the first ten minutes. But even so, it was among my favorites from the entire series. There was something in the tone and the performances that just hooked me.
Grade: A-
23rd: Fellini Satyricon – Federico Fellini (1969)
Well, I love that at one point in history the best director in the world was able to make a grotesque, fever-dream, adaptation of a partially-surviving work of Latin. As for the movie itself…I loved that a little less.
Grade: B-
23rd: Clouds of Sils Maria – Olivier Assayas (2014)
The narrative complexity in Assayas’ work is so impressive. The setting of this film requires an invented play and bodies of work for two invented movie stars. The fact that he then uses this backdrop as a meta-commentary for the relationships between the three main characters is something else. The most impressive feat of the film is that it remains entertaining throughout and is never bogged down by its complexity or pretension.
Grade: A-
23rd: The Bob’s Burgers Movie – Loren Bouchard, Bernard Derriman (2022)
Just delightful.
Grade: B
24th: Ali: Fear Eats the Soul – Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1974)
First off, I would just like to acknowledge that while I believe this movie and Fassbinder are operating in good faith in addressing difficult and complicated subject matter, many of the racial elements in this film warrant deeper thought and discussion than I could possibly provide, both in general and especially in a short review. That being said, from a structural and compositional lens, this film is exquisitely made. I’m in awe of how deliberately Fassbinder moves through the story. It’s a script that’s deceptively straightforward, meaning that its directness comes almost as a surprise to the viewer. The two protagonists meet, they fall in love, they get married, there’s a backlash, things fall apart, and they’re reunited again (albeit with greater difficulty). Even better, this form allows for the complexity and nuance in both the subject matter and the characters to rise to the top of the story. It feels like the type of film that, because of its deceptive simplicity, is endlessly engaging.
Grade: A-
27th: Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai – Jim Jarmusch (1999)
I feel like many of the things I just said about Ali: Fear Eats the Soul can be applied to this film. Ghost Dog is another film that excels in its simplicity. I’m in awe of how Jarmusch makes long stretches of this film, without dialogue or much action, become so captivating. An enormous part of that feat obviously goes to Forrest Whitaker. He is mesmerizing in this role. To the point where I can’t imagine anybody else in it.
Grade: A-
28th: Phantom Thread – Paul Thomas Anderson (2017)
Rewatch confirms this is my favorite PTA film (at least for now!). In all seriousness, nobody is better at centering their films on intense/mercurial relationships (at least from the POV of these delicate, man-boy types). To me, this is the purest expression of that idea in PTA’s filmography.
Grade: A
31st: The Story of a Three-Day Pass – Melvin Van Peebles (1968)
One day I too will write, direct, and compose the music for my debut film based on my own novel that I wrote in French. In all seriousness, as impressive as everything that Van Peebles did to get his film made, the biggest accomplishment is that it stands on its own merit. What I admired most is that Van Peebles takes a relatively straightforward story and uses the form to insert humor, levity, and the characters’ own subjectivity into the narrative. It’s an extraordinarily rich film without being a bore to watch.
Grade: B+
31st: Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story – Rawson Marshall Thurber (2004)
I thought this was the funniest movie ever made when I was 12 and think it’s still pretty funny at 30
Grade: B+
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