Amadeus (1984): It’s hard to think of another movie that impressed itself upon me as much as Milos Forman’s Amadeus while I was growing up. With every trifling movie now crossing the two hour mark, it’s easy to lose sight of what a powerful two+ hour movie looks and feels like. Amadeus chronicles the lives of Antonio Salieri, court composer to the Austrian emperor, and Wolfgang (insert middle name here) Mozart, musical prodigy and vulgar, vulgar man. Yet, in Salieri’s machinations there is substantially more darkness than in Mozart’s foolish misadventures, or so it felt at the time. The movie plays around Salieri’s confounding feelings towards his “rival”, which makes it captivating – on the one hand, his admiration for WAM creative talents; on the other, his fury and envy over what he perceives as WAM unworthiness of such talents. That is all, of course, bitterness of just not being as good. Forman’s verve and cinematic grandeur manage to distract from how crass a few of the performances are, but not necessarily in a negative sense, but rather in a proto-punk one. This is not an untouchable period piece, it’s interpretive history made into what, at the time, was what Emerald Fennell could only dream of. And the music, well, oh, if this doesn’t spark an interest in classical music, few other things can. 9
Is This Thing On? (2025): How do you get Bradley Cooper to play in your small family drama? You have Bradley Cooper direct it, of course. And have fun with his facial hair. In a story inspired by comedian John Bishop’s life, we follow Alex Novak (Will Arnett), whose marriage to Tess (Laura Dern) is crumbling, as he finds solace in going up on stage and doing stand up, for the first time in his life. It’s an all around endearing movie, with a highly likable leading pair, whose relationship and separation have their own beauty. You’ll know the beats of this one by heart, even as the lack of toxicity might surprise you, but it should be a satisfying watch. In spite of the podcast-like speeches on diagnosing the flaws in long term relationships. 7
Family Romance, LLC (2019): Even though there are many similarities between this and the mainstream Rental Family, I think Herzog succeeds on a level that Hikari doesn’t even bother to go to – the irony of its deceitful conceit. That is not to say FR is some great addition to Werner’s filmography, but it has its place. His approach to the subject matter is to enlist the entrepreneur behind the real-life company Family Romance to play in situations that Herzog himself has scripted. Shot in a naturalistic, documentarian style, with non-actors, the whole thing wears its awkwardness on its sleeve, and that makes it endearing. Herzog creates a frame in which the small details just work a bit better, but even so, by the end, you have the sense that this movie could have been considerably shorter. I don’t think it’s a stretch to parallel the willingness to accept the unlikely that Family Romance proposes to that of people integrating an AI as a person (or, heck, a simulation of someone they once knew!) in their household. It’s a decent feat to manage to induce this connection, I reckon. 7
We Bury the Dead (2024): This is somehow the third movie I’ve watched from writer-director Zak Hilditch, but I have no strong memory of either that came before. Somewhat understandable – We Bury the Dead is a strong exercise in style, with impressive visuals and capturing a certain vibe; it is also, however, generic and a poorly told story, that could have hit a lot harder if told with more panache. Starring Daisy Ridley and Brenton Thwaites, who embody a couple of indistinct characters embarked on a road trip in post-apocalyptic Tasmania, the movie lives and breathes thanks to its compelling imagery. The dead themselves also have a disturbing teeth-grinding habit and present a different take on the zombie twist, but this is only summarily explored. Overall the movie fits well in the genre and provides an above average experience, but its reliance on convention makes it ultimately unable to become more than it is. 6
Rental Family (2025): There’s something that left me quite uneasy about Hikari’s movie. Firstly, I was sure it was an adaptation of Herzog’s from 2019, but apparently not, even though it has a lot of the same plot points. Secondly, it tells of a US actor living in Japan who gets a job to impersonate various people in order to foster, so the movie argues, some connection or closure. So he’ll be a mourner in one scene, the father of an eight year old girl in another, a journalist, a reclusive geek’s best friend, you name. The problem is that the movie only works if you decouple it from any reality. Otherwise, how can you accept the idea that impersonating a child’s father to get her into an elite school is in any way, shape or form justifiable or endearing? I wasn’t all appalled watching the whole thing, because it has some charm about itself, but I can also easily see why someone would feel put off by it. Just about watchable. 6
tributary stu 
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