Skip to main content

Review: Columbus (2017)

Columbus (2017)

One likely would not jump to architecture as a universal topic for one to build a film around, however, first-time director/writer Kogonada's Columbus is an utterly beautiful and contemplative film that most everyone should be able to connect with in one way or another.
The film, taking place in "the Midwest Mecca of Architecture", Columbus, centres on two seemingly-different individuals - one, a recent high school graduate, working at a library while also taking care of her recovering mother, and, two, an older man who has come into town to visit his father who is in the hospital and whom he has not spoken to in over a year. The girl, Casey (Haley Lu Richardson), is an architecture enthusiast; she even has a long and detailed list of her favourite buildings in the city. The man, Jin (John Cho), states that he has no affinity for architecture, though his father is a professor and leading mind on the subject, and so Jin has a deep attachment for the subject whether he chooses to accept it or not. Casey and Jin unintentionally meet and subsequently gravitate towards one another, and through their long discussions on architecture and life, while visiting landmark after landmark, help each other to come to terms with the less-than-ideal and often sad circumstances they are currently contending with in each of their lives.
Columbus is a true testament that independent films are still able to thrive in this day of big-budget studio productions. Columbus is a stunning film; its cinematography and composition are both equally as important as the story that unfolds through it. This is illustrated no more than through the many shots of the characters simply walking with the focus for the viewer being on the architectural backdrops, or the cut-aways from conversation to simply show off buildings and vistas. What makes the film even greater are the phenomenal performances by the two leads - Cho (a well-recognized face at this point) and Richardson (who I did not previously know of, but really blew me away). Complementing them are supporting roles by Parker Posey, Rory Culkin and Michelle Forbes. Columbus is one of those unique films that takes you by surprise and holds onto you long after the credits roll - it is absolutely one to see. 

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The New Mutants (2020)

The New Mutants (2020) TLDR: A sad, dismal final chapter in Fox's once-acclaimed X-Men saga. The New Mutants shows promise in fragments, but its poor script and plot and often awkward execution makes for a sickly overall package that is quite fitting for this equally-sickly year that it has finally been released in... The New Mutants were an alt-X-Men team created in the early 80's in an effort to revamp and re-contemporize a new team of teenage X-Men. The new series became a smash-hit with new star mutants like Magik, Cannonball, Sunspot, Wolfsbane and Mirage, all of whom continue to headline Marvel comics to this day. Josh Boone's The New Mutants, which was announced more than five years ago and shot in 2017, has finally seen the light of day in 2020... The film seeks to adapt the team's beloved 'Demon Bear' storyline, while introducing audiences to this fresh team of mutant superheroes. In doing so, Boone tries to create an omelet-homage from the likes of Ste...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Before Trilogy (1995, 2004, 2013)

The Before Trilogy TLDR: As a whole, and in each of its separate parts, Richard Linklater's 'Before Trilogy' is the cinematic experience in its absolute finest form. The story of Celine and Jesse speaks to the core of the human experience - surprising joys, inevitable obstacles and eventual pains, and, most importantly, the mystery and intrigue of love - and it does it in an affecting way that, almost unlike any other film, is simultaneously theatrical and also remarkably raw and realistic.  "It's just, people have these romantic projections they put on everything. That's not based on any kind of reality." - Jesse, Before Sunrise Even more than the multitudes of other incredible introspective bits of wisdom and philosophy that Celine and Jesse converse in across the three movies, this quote perhaps sums up the trilogy best of all. What are romance movies other than certain individuals' projections of what romance - often, idealized romance - is. Most o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Whiplash (2012)

Whiplash (2012) TLDR: On multiple levels Whiplash is a brilliant film. A dual character study. An ode to jazz music supremacy. And a cautionary (or inspiring?) tale of what it takes to become the world's greatest. In an instant, Whiplash cements Damien Chazelle as one of today's youngest and most talented filmmakers brimming with artistry, intensity and craftsmanship. This is not one to miss. It was surprising that the first time I saw Whiplash, I left the theatre with a slightly nauseous feeling in my gut. Not because of the film itself - its visuals or audio per se - there is nothing to criticize about its radiance. It was in its simple yet utterly-effective and haunting discussion of what it takes to become the greatest in one's field that left me feeling torn and conflicted. While most of the film seems to be a cautionary or reprimanding tale of jazz instructor Fletcher's (JK Simmons) brutal methods of 'mentorship', its ending posits perhaps an equally stron...
Post a Comment
Read more