A masterpiece of socioeconomic classism discourse, parabolic cinematography, home invasion, black comedy, cultural themes, and poverty that transcends genres & perplexes long after credits roll, B.J.H.’s Parasite is the Best Film Of 2010’s. 9.8/10.
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Category: Foreign
Ash is Purest White (2019)
An elegant mandarin romantic masterpiece juxtaposing industrialism-and-free-spiritness, random violence-&-sacrifice with classical noir-isms, cinematographical bilateralism, Eastern-cultural majesty, & breakout Zhao Tao performance. 8.5/10.
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Tigers Are Not Afraid (2019)
A dark, twisted fantasy film unlike anything I’ve ever seen blending Mexico-set narcotics crime drama, horror, & children’s fairy tales with hallucinogenic direction and brilliance in socially-conscious narrative reimagining childhood-trauma. 9/10.
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Birds of Passage (2019)
An artistically-magisterial juxtaposition of cultural traditions through the lens of Guajira, Colombia’s Wayuu to vile modernities like drug cartels in the weed-hazy ’70’s, Círo & Guerra’s spaghetti-western-reimagined is cinematic brilliance. 9.5/10.
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M (1931)
A skin-crawling crime film with noir/arthouse elements, a legendary Lorre performance, terrific Fritz Lang direction laden with mystery, and stark ponderances on society and criminality decades ahead of its time. 8.8/10.
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Guava Island (2019)
Tropical infusion in culturally-vibrant animation/live-action vintage-filtered cinematography, a charismatic lead in Gambino opposite the improving Rihanna, and house-y emotive soundtrack mark this impressive pseudo-short film. 8.4/10. ……… Read more “Guava Island (2019)”
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
The first true horror picture – jolting postwar masses & changing history launching the German Expressionist movement, Wiene’s nightmarish, metaphoric, silence-set psychological dreamscape is one of the most groundbreaking films of 1900s. 9.5/10.
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Pather Panchali (Song Of The Little Road)
A rural, captivating depiction of Bengali village life with Italian Neorealism touches, childlike wonder in curiosity-fringed cultural identity exposition, rich orc. score, & vivid characterization of family portrait by new cinematic voice: Satyajit Ray. 9.4/10.
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Roma (2018)
Gorgeously filmed in auteur vintage black-and-white with cultural vibrancy & a powerful elegiac critique of 1970’s Mexico turmoil on a personal Cuarón-curated semi-autobiographical scale, Roma is one of the decade’s greatest films. 9.7/10.
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Breathless (1960)
A beautiful, sweeping example of the French New Wave, Jean-Luc Godard’s indie masterpiece subverted every rule of narrative construction & revitalized a medium, inspirationally and stylishly-liberating the once-caged artform of cinema. 9.7/10.
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