Jarrett the Cinephile

After a two-year long wait, it's finally here. Scorsese's latest film premiered at Cannes 2023 but did not participate in the main competition. Some say if it did, Anatomy of a Fall (2023) might not have taken that top prize. Still of Lily Gladstone (left) and Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) Credit: Apple, and Paramount Pictures Starring Scorsese-usuals Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro and first-time collaborating, Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon (KOTFM) tells the story of the Osage murders in the 1920's from the perspectives of the Burkhart family. You might not believe it, but this is the first time which saw Scorsese, DiCaprio and De Niro all three together in the same film even though both the actors have worked with Scorsese for decades now. First thought as I walked out of the cinema was quite simply, Scorsese did it again. At the age of 81, he remains fully current in the art of filmmaking and may just still be the greatest li

Greta Gerwig's latest film is a lot of things: it's one half of the global #Barbenheimer movie phenomenon; it's the first ever live-action Barbie movie produced and distributed by a major American studio; it's also Greta Gerwig's biggest and most mainstream blockbuster, for now. Still of Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) in Barbie (2023) Credit: Warner Bros. To tell you how big this film is, how successful it is at the box office, and how many people gush over this film, is not the point of this piece, and all of which has already been covered in other publications worldwide. This review intends to share with you whether it thinks Barbie (2023) has lived up to its expectations and box office success. The answer? Overall, yes. But not perfectly. Based on her previous works and the impression she's had on people's minds, making a film called Barbie  and it being a "groundbreaking" film that explores gender roles and expectations and so o

Hoshikawa: Are we reborn? Left: Hoshikawa - played by Hinata Hiiragi; Right: Minato Mugino - played by Sōya Kurokawa (Source: Gaga Corporation and Toho Co.) Acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda returned to the Cannes Film Festival with his latest feature film " Monster " (2023) after making a stop in neighboring South Korea last year with " Broker " (2022). Kore-eda's productivity can be considered relatively high despite the state of the industry as a result of COVID-19, having made two feature films (on top of some television work) during the pandemic. It is also interesting to note that, speaking of these two films, they signify a departure from Kore-eda's filmmaking comfort zone - considering " Broker " (2022) was essentially a Korean film, and " Monster " is his first feature film where he did not direct a screenplay he wrote (I may have to confirm again on this). " Monster " also featured the late Japanese compos