Movie Reviews

Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1978 ★★½ Watched Oct 19, 2020 joshmatthews’s review published on Letterboxd: I hate going against the common consensus sometimes, as is the case here, but this sequel to the 1956 original has too many defects to rate as more than average. Consider that first half, which…

The 400 Blows 1959 ★★★★★ Rewatched Oct 21, 2020 joshmatthews’s review published on Letterboxd: Trying to poke holes in this classic, after studying it, I've come to appreciate it even more than on casual viewing. Besides Truffaut as a critic and his autobiographical material here, "The 400 Blows" is a story…

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1948 ★★★★★ Rewatched Oct 25, 2020 joshmatthews’s review published on Letterboxd: Watched at age 22, now watched again at 40, and it makes more sense now. I had remembered this as a simple fable about the dangers of money. Greed changes a man for the…

Things to Come 1936 ★★★★ Watched Oct 26, 2020 joshmatthews’s review published on Letterboxd: HG Wells oversaw this mammoth production that must be seen just for its visuals and editing. Why have I never heard of this movie, which shows up on NONE of the greatest science-fiction movies ever lists,…

L’Argent 1983 ★★★★½ Watched Oct 29, 2020 joshmatthews’s review published on Letterboxd: Despite the high rating I give Bresson's "L'Argent," the ONLY way to watch this is with your brain fully engaged, ready to recognize patterns, ask why each shot is the way it is, and make all kinds of…

Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds 2020 ★★★★ Watched Oct 30, 2020 joshmatthews’s review published on Letterboxd: Visually one of Herzog's best movies, combined with great music, "Fireball" is at the least a pleasurable aesthetic experience. As well, it is epic in scope, in the traditional sense of that word. Herzog,…

A Man Escaped 1956 ★★★★½ Rewatched Nov 06, 2020 joshmatthews’s review published on Letterboxd: Easily categorized as a prison-break movie, "A Man Escaped" by the great French director Robert Bresson might be better classified as "Intensely Exciting Movie that Doesn't Seem as If it Should Be." It's also one of the…

Hillbilly Elegy 2020 ★★★½ Watched Nov 09, 2020 joshmatthews’s review published on Letterboxd: This movie's effects and affects depend on how much you believe in "the American Dream," whatever that amorphous concept means. The opening voiceover from a TV narrator, a preacher I think, discusses that it seems like a…

Thirst 1949 ★★½ Bergman's "Thirst" could've been a masterwork, yet it's a heap of a mess. Give him credit for trying to create an all-time art object worth the attention of the coming centuries. He's trying to tackle that persistent problem in human affairs: romantic relationships.…

Wonder Woman 1984 2020 ★★ Watched Dec 22, 2020 joshmatthews’s review published on Letterboxd: Blockbuster-attending audiences in 2020 have been waiting long for good eye candy. With its movie poster filled with candy colors, you'd think "Wonder Woman 1984," the sequel to the hit "Wonder Woman," would deliver. It does, but…