The Brutalist (2024)

The Brutalist is a historical fiction set in the forties and fifties about a Jewish man who survived the holocaust.

Written and directed by Brady Corbet, the film is primed with being nominated for an Oscar. I have never seen a movie done by him before, but I did see him in Funny Games and it makes me wonder where the quality of filmmaking came from. While the Venice Film Festival has loved Corbet for years, this might be the first time he gets more wide recognition.

He relies on lead actor Adrien Brody to carry the film. Brody can channel the emotions needed to sell the film. I first saw him in The Pianist, and this film tries to recreate that spark. Alessandro Nivola plays a supporting character in the film who was recently in the nearly horrible Kraven: The Hunter. It's not like the film will hurt from him being in it at the super limited box office as it is only available in four theaters. It's smart for Corbet to keep the camera focused on Brody for most of the film.

Emma Laird plays a quite annoying character, which I believe to be by design. She has this pissed-off look the entire time. She hasn't been in anything good and the only thing of note is A Haunting in Venice. I don't get why she has three upcoming projects if she keeps putting out effort like this, perhaps she has the right connections. Isaach De Bankole is also in the film and adds a layer to the film I wasn't expecting. You might recognize him from Casino Royale.

Guy Pearce shows up with a force that could have come across as overacting and has to carry his time with Nivola not carrying his weight but Brody easily elevates his performance. While Pearce has more misses than hits, although he can do well with a good director, see Memento and L.A. Confidential.

I'm glad to see Hollywood hasn't given up on Felicity Jones after Rogue One's failure at the box office. She hasn't had a good movie to shine since The Theory of Everything so it's wonderful to see her again.

The film is long but has some great dialogue and acting.

Comments

Colony (2026)

Colony is written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho , the director behind the cult classic Train to Busan . While Train to Busan has become the more celebrated film, Colony shows how much Yeon has improved as both a writer and a director. The story is stronger, the filmmaking feels more confident, and the way he builds the world gives the movie more substance than I expected going in. Jun Ji-hyun is the clear standout of the cast. She does a fantastic job conveying emotion through subtle movements and expressions rather than relying on exaggerated acting. That is not surprising considering she is one of South Korea's best actresses, but she still manages to make the character feel grounded and believable. She carries much of the emotional weight of the film. I did not recognize many of the other actors, and unfortunately, none of them really stood out enough to make much of an impression. That is not necessarily a knock against the cast as much as it is a testament to how much Jun ...

Verity (2026)

Verity was a surprise for me. Normally, the authors who turn their books into movies that I actually enjoy are Stephen King or Michael Crichton , but Colleen Hoover has been doing surprisingly well with the last four movies adaptations from her work. One thing I appreciate about her writing is that she knows how to write male characters who aren't weak or simply there to be punching bags for feminist talking points. That alone makes the characters feel more believable and gives the story a better balance. Dakota Johnson plays an up and coming writer who is brought in to ghostwrite for Anne Hathaway's character. This is easily Johnson's best performance yet. She does a good job carrying the movie and making the character's uncertainty and curiosity believable as the mystery around the house starts to unfold. Anne Hathaway does not have a huge amount to do because of her character's condition, but whenever she is actually on screen, she brings the energy you wo...

Digger (2026)

Digger is directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and stars Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell. Much like his name, there is a lot of symbolism and meaning packed into the film, along with plenty of references that brought a smile to my face. I went into this expecting it to be pretentious or outright bad because that was the prevailing opinion online before general audiences had even had a chance to see it. Anyone calling this movie pretentious clearly has not seen The Death of Robin Hood or Die My Love . Die My Love was so pretentious that my wife actually begged me to leave the theater, and I had to finish it another day. Digger , on the other hand, actually understands the difference between being ambitious and simply being self-important. Tom Cruise is great as Digger Rockwell, giving the character exactly the kind of larger-than-life personality the movie needs. There is so much going on beneath the surface that I found myself constantly looking for the symbolism and references hidden...

Movies, Film, and Chili

Search This Blog