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Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
Underrated masterpiece
While I personally cannot say in good faith that this is Paul Thomas Anderson's best film, it is the one that made me feel the most. I feel like this is a very personal film in an emotional way that PTA's other films like Boogie Nights and The Master can not compare to. It is the story of Barry Eagan, a lonely, awkward, and troubled man who meets the woman of his dreams. While nothing strictly impossible happens in the film, it does present itself as a kind of fantasy. Many unexplained (if not unexplainable) things occur in the film that may throw casual viewers off. The music is sweeping, and the dialogue feels grand. Barry is played by Adam Sandler, who gives one of the best performances of his career. He plays a sort of inverse of his usual Happy Madison charicatures. Barry is awkward, very strange, and has anger management problems. However, here I felt extreme pity for Sandler's character. I understand the feeling of being an outcast, and when Barry says sometimes he "cries for no reason" and begins crying right then, I found myself tearing up. I understand why someone might not react this way to this scene; they may even feel inclined to laugh. Punch-Drunk Love is the kind of movie you either get or you don't. I think I did.
Here Alone (2016)
Boring movie with an impressively stupid ending
I have no problem with dumb movies, especially dumb zombie movies. But these movies have to be aware of their flaws and limitations, and embrace them. Movies like Re-Animator, Zombieland, and Return of the Living Dead all work despite being silly because they embrace their silliness through a comedic tone. This movie was made by inexperienced actors and filmmakers under the impression that what they were making was actually going to be intelligent, and it makes the film both extremely stupid and completely miserable. The characters are very simplistic and their arcs and interactions are all predictable. Most of the movie focuses on these boring interactions in an attempt to build character, but it is to no avail. The zombie rules make absolutely no sense and are very inconsistent, with the zombies acting on different impulses depending on the scene. Without spoiling anything, the ending is completely terrible. The amount of stupid decisions characters make in the climax is simply mind boggling. Every time anyone did anything in the last 15 minutes I was left dumbfounded. Of course the movie chooses a bleak ending, making it even less enjoyable since everything could have easily been avoided. All in all, this film is not worth anyone's time.
Midnight Special (2016)
Intelligent and misunderstood
I've seen a lot of negative reviews for this movie calling it joyless and saying that it's confusing. To some extent, both these things are true. This is because the world of the film and the way it is written are both very grounded in reality. As moviegoers, we are so used to characters explaining their motivations to us, and in science fiction movies we expect a genius type character to eventually show up to tell the audience what is going on as it happens. One has to wonder, do all these characters constantly explain themselves to one another? What did they talk about before all of these crazy adventures begin? Jeff Nichol's Midnight Special is not that kind of movie. Watching characters interact is like looking in on the dialogues of real people going through unbelievable circumstances. The writing allows the viewer to interpret what is going on, instead of explaining it to them immediately. This can be confusing for some, but the film is quite clear if you're paying attention. This realistic and mysterious writing fits perfectly in a story that is all about having faith in the unknown and believing in the impossible. I implore anyone who has watched and dismissed this film to give it another chance and watch it under this mindset. It is a truly unique and magnificent film if given the chance.