Last week we watched a few amazing movies...
Past Lives - wonderfully written and beautifully shot/edited. I loved that they would let entire conversations play out without a single edit. Just a solid two shot, highlighting the performances. But the cinematography still played a role, even when simply a subtly off-balance framing of a shot to amplify the awkwardness of the conversation. Highly recommended from A24.
A Good Person - Florence Pugh just keeps getting better. Heartbreaking story, more amazing performances, and really well written and directed by Zach Braff. Based on the quality of this one I would've guessed it was A24, but alas, MGM. Great movie.
Talk To Me - another A24 home run. A bit reminiscent of Flatliners, this is fantastic horror. If you're a fan of the genre, this is a great watch.
Renfield - I was disappointed with this one. It was fine, it wasn't a complete waste of time, but I had higher expectations from the trailer. I was expecting more humor, but it seemed 90% of the humor was in the trailer, and the rest was pretty straightforward.
I promise I don't work for A24, I just feel like they're putting out the best quality by a long shot. What they're doing is a great reminder that the story is still the most important part about a movie. Stunts and VFX are very thin without something to care about, whether its good characters or a compelling story, at least great performances.
RE: Long Shot - that was a great movie. We watched a while back and loved it. Exceeded our expectations.