Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023): Well, label this as the most fun I’ve had at a cinema in a while. How much I enjoyed it? Check this out: almost three hours long for half a movie and you won’t read me complain about runtime. It’s, what I’d call, an action fantasy, which means that everything serves its ancient, primordial viscerality, even when the plot is convoluted, the dialogue full of pomp and the characters familiar types. What it does with its action sequences, with its pacing, is truly miraculous, something that probably John Wick hoped to achieve, but it lacked the campiness that allows the MI franchise to be bold and preposterous at the same time. It’s next to Batman Begins one of the arguably imperfect movies that have kept me glued to my seat at the cinema, occasionally looking at my phone to write a quote and being overly glad that there’s still a lot of the movie to go. Excellent popcorn entertainment. 8+
Roter Himmel (2023): Cristian Petzold’s previous movie, Undine, didn’t excite everyone so it was particularly interesting to see how his Silver Bear-winning Roter Himmel compared. It tells of a terribly obnoxious writer who holidays with a friend in a splendid forest close by the Baltic Sea. His obnoxiousness is put to the test and consistently reaffirmed by a woman who, strangely, takes an interest in him. Basically, this movie felt like an autobiographical excerpt from most of the holidays I’ve been on (minus absurdly unlikely romance, of course) and I could relate with how broken our protagonist was. As the story unfolds in Petzold’s fairy-tale-adjacent style, I didn’t get a sense that it all came together for its dramatic, yet underwhelming finale. Even so, it’s a movie that vibes for the most part, which is always something worth experiencing. 7
Werner Herzog – Radical Dreamer (2022): If I ever were a sycophant to some cinematic mind, I’d probably be one to Werner. There’s proof of that in the article I wrote almost a decade ago for my university magazine. What this means is that I’m aware of many of the truths and fictions around the myth of WH, while always appreciating fresh comments on anything from the man himself. Radical Dreamer offers some first-hand impressions, which is nice, and it paints a general picture of Werner that might inform those unfamiliar to him. The documentary doesn’t go very far into anything though, it lacks real personality, even as it identifies the interesting intersection that marked Werner’s personal and creative life with his move from Germany to the United States. Moreover, not all talking heads bring much to the conversation, so while listening to Wenders or Schlöndorff provide a certain perspective from his contemporaries, the more identifiable Robert Pattinson and Nicole Kidman offer little. But at least Pattinson seems to be enjoying himself. All in all, still a decent entry point to this fantastic filmmaker and character, that just has to be followed up by a lot of movie watching. 7
Sick of Myself (2022): I’ll start with a hierarchy in relation to recent Nordic movies that might come to mind: Triangle of Sadness < Sick of Myself < The Worst Person in the World. As opposed to ToS, which plays as a pretentious parody on the rich, SoM plays as a pretentious body horror story on social validation. It’s preposterous at times and rarely funny, but it’s also quite awkward and deeply unpleasant. Which means it has something going for it, aside from the not always piercing social commentary. And Kristine Kujath Thorp makes for a good lead. So if you want to feel ill at ease for ninety-five minutes, this should do the trick. 7
Brooklyn 45 (2023): It’s rare to come across movies that feel old-school like this one – single room, conceptual and heavy on the talking parts. To that, B45 adds some nifty practical effects and gore. The movie shows us a reunion of WWII combatants, who had fulfilled various roles, and although it starts out friendly enough, the mood soon deteriorates to paint the allegorical mindscape of the United States. It’s all quite interesting, but not always engaging, leaving unanswered questions and moral conundrums for the viewer to take apart. 6
tributary stu 