Toni Erdmann is a thing of rare beauty. To be sure, it’s not an easy sell: it’s a German-Austrian film that clocks in at three hours with a plot that, on paper, doesn’t sound like anything new. But those hours fly by, and director Maren Ade turns what would be trite in anyone else’s hands into something sublime. http://www.cutprintfilm.com/reviews/toni-erdmann/
shareI want to see this one, but there are a lot of good art-house choices in January that it'll almost be hard to pick and choose. Silence, Julieta, this, and The Red Turtle are the ones that really stand out to me.
Patriots Day looks alright and I do like Whalberg, but it seems a bit formulaic so I may wait to rent it. Paterson and 20th Century Women look OK, but nothing special. A Monster Calls has an interesting concept, but it's not really getting any awards buzz and may not even expand any more given how terribly it did in New York and Los Angeles. And while I really like Ben Affleck, I'm going to skip Live By Night because of the terrible reviews.
All well and good, but go SEE some of these movies and THEN give your review--you've mentioned good choices. I think you might like Toni Erdmann--Sandra Huller has a great presence and it's a good father-daughter story done in an original way.
shareOf course. The best part about being a film buff is not prognosticating films, but rather viewing and analyzing them.
shareWhile I really like Ben Affleck, I'm going to skip Live By Night because of the terrible reviews.
The best part about being a film buff is not prognosticating films, but rather viewing and analyzing them.
A modern day version of Beauty and the Beast.
shareI just found out that unfortunately, the only theater that will be showing this on Friday is a 40-minute drive from me. I made the trip there for Julieta because I'm a big Almodovar fan, but I'm not really sure if I want to make the drive again. It's a nice theater and reasonably priced, but it's just a bit of a haul.
The Red Turtle will be playing at two theaters next week that are each 20 minutes from me. That's a more reasonable distance, and I want to see that one as well. But is Toni Erdmann worth the drive, or should I go to The Red Turtle instead?