Watched: 羅生門 (Rashōmon)

I honestly could have used almost any frame from this film. I think it's truly beautiful. I first watched this way back in high school in the only film-related elective class offered at my school. We watched a ton of classics that I'm to this day grateful for seeing but this one may be at the top of my list. It's just a well-told story that is beautifully filmed in black and white with actors walking a fine line between naturalistic, humanistic performances and the conventions of Jidaigeki.

  

  

Watched: Bir Zamanlar Anadolu'da [Once Upon a Time in Anatolia]

An exercise in patience and observation. It's really a challenging film that dares you to resist feeling the boredom that the characters are feeling. It basically follows a slow drive through the Turkish countryside as a confessed murderer tries to lead a caravan of police cars to the place he's buried his victim. It's dark (thematically and visually), what little plot it has moves glacially, and it's careful and precise in the characterization of the people we spend three-ish hours with.

I can't say I hated it and there were times I was even hypnotized by its willingness to just linger on the slight cues of whatever is happening internally to these characters. But I don't know if I could in good conscience recommend this to anyone who isn't REALLY committed to watching movies.

  

Watched: Sicario

A brutal, tense, beautiful film and masterfully scored film. I'm really becoming an Emily Blunt fan-girl, especially when she plays these kind of tough but still vulnerable characters. There are a few scenes in this that remind me a bit of Prisoners and Enemy yet I still appreciate how this director, Denis Villeneuve, moves between genres like sci-fi (Arrival) and drama/thriller (Prisoners, Sicario). He has a definite, identifiable style but it's still adaptable. Makes me slightly less apprehensive about Blade Runner 2049!

Anyway the acting in this is pretty great and it's all-around worth a watch, maybe two.