F. W. Murnau directs Janet Gaynor, George O’Brien and Margaret Livingston in this silent romance where a cheating husband takes his wife into the city with a plan to kill her, only to fall in love with her all over again… aah!

Choking turns to romance. Cities come to life. Piglets are chased. Absolutely mental and extravagant. Packed with trick shots that still dazzle and strange moments that make you think might be “A Song Of Two Humans” as covered by an extraterrestrial covers band who only spent an hour on Earth between gigs. Nosferatu director F.W. Murnau was given a free reign by Fox for his United States debut; it is breathtaking to see the upper limits of Hollywood technique and money stretched. A rare silent movie where I got on board with the OTT emoting. I was never bored or treated it as a chore as visually this is dense, spectacular and barmy. As a swan song for the silent movie era, Sunrise really exceeds even it unintended brief of being a pinnacle of a dying form.

8

Perfect Double Bill: Faust (1926)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

David O. Russell directs Jason Schwartzman, Naomi Watts and Jude Law in this “existential comedy” where a struggling activist allows various philosophical detectives to investigate his life to diagnose his feeling of unease over a chance encounter.

Second attempt to sift some pleasure out of this self-satisfied folly. I thought, maybe, I was too young when I first bought a ticket for this on opening weekend. Nope, I❤️H is far up its own arse that it wastes Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin and Isabelle Huppert. Abysmal.

2

Perfect Double Bill: Flirting With Disaster (1996)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

David Hand directs Adriana Caselotti, Lucille La Verne and Harry Stockwell in this fairytale romance, Walt Disney’s first feature length animated classic.

Tough to write anything new about a ground breaker, a game changer, a bonafide classic. Undisputed. The wishing well song at the start is very impressive. Inventive shot composition. The Evil Queen fantastic. I personally could do with a little less of the meeting of the dwarves… but that’s just me. On the whole this is consistently magical. Quite the achievement.

9

Perfect Double Bill: Cinderella (1950)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Andrew Dominik directs Ana De Armas, Julianne Nicholson and Bobby Cannavale in this fictionalised biopic of Marilyn Monroe’s private life – the abuse, trauma and delusions that destroyed her.

I’ve loved every feature Dominik has made until now. This is fifty miles of bad road though. Exhausting, dangerous, gonna leave you obliterated. I think that is the overriding intention of what Dominik and De Armas wanted to achieve. If so, Blonde is bang on target but that doesn’t mean it will be particularly rewatchable. Like last year’s Spencer, this is a powerhouse acting turn from an unmannered modern screen beauty in an abrasive maximalist film. She probably should win Best Actress at the Oscars in spring… she won’t. This ain’t no Oscar bait, heavy formula, biopic.

Scenes are lengthy, tragedy is lingered on clinically. Norma Jean’s childhood is an inferno of loneliness, poverty and mania. The five star sequence that opens the story is worthy of Kubrick in its patience and precision. A fantastic Julianne Nicholson driving her vulnerable daughter into a Hollywood Hills forest fire feels so far from the cookie cutter hardship prologues of say Ray… or The Jerk.

This is filmmaking from another planet. The precision recreation of Marilyn’s iconic big screen and tabloid moments are done with uncanny authenticity. But the length of the beast, the nihilism of the intent is exhausting. There are definitely elements that are off putting. Warren Ellis and Nick Cave’s score is intrusive.The framing of certain sexual acts is laughably awkward. The parade of CGI foetuses is leaned into with ever diminishing returns. I don’t give a toot about factual accuracy. This is a descent – closer to Lynch’s Fire Walk With Me or Mulholland Dr. than Bohemian Rhapsody or Chaplin. Nearly all the scenes of sex and nudity have a nightmarish quality. Alien pornography… pummelling vulnerability. For a NC-17 full of gorgeous flesh I reckon some teenagers are going to have some very challenging wanks to this. Best of luck to them. I can’t see myself putting myself through this three hour emotional meat grinder again any time soon but I do admire the rare craft and meaty flavour of it all. A work of uncomfortable vision.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Don’t Bother To Knock (1952)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/