What to watch in cinemas this week | Dec. 19–25
The Brutalist and All We Imagine as Light.
Each week I provide a somewhat-curated list of films to see in cinemas. Meant as more of a resource than weekly essay, you can refer to this series whenever you feel like going to the movies. Also, can check out previous weeks’ selections because those films might still be in theaters.
Recommendation of the week
The Brutalist (Brady Corbet)
was my first viewing at the Venice film festival, where it was my first day in one of my favorite cities at one of the biggest film festivals, as I sat in the 1,500-seat Sala Darsena. I knew nothing going into this film, other than it stars Adrien Brody and is 215 minutes long. As it began, it displayed the VistaVision logo, which is a format that hasn’t been used since Marlon Brando’s 1961 One-Eyed Jacks. Combined with Daniel Blumberg’s brmmmmy score, and an unforgettable intro sequence featuring upside-down statue of liberty, I was hooked. It’s well worth seeking out showtimes projecting in film and/or Imax.
Plot bio: Fleeing from post-war Europe in 1947, a visionary architect and his wife settle in Pennsylvania where a wealthy and mysterious client changes their lives forever.
German release January 30th.
German release
All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia)
is something I wrote about last month, and my interest has grown tremendously since then. The awards buzz kicked in, people have watched it, and people have liked ot. (Especially hard for foreign language films about women.) Check it out if you can, I think it’s worth going out of one’s way if needed.
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