Watched at: Cineplex Cinemas
I hadn't been to a theater since the release of Knives Out - nearly six goddamn years ago - so I knew it was high time that I finally made a return, and I knew I needed to mark that return with something special.
Enter one of the grandest, one of the showiest, and one of the most popular movies of the last half-decade. I've heard nothing but great things about One Battle After Another over the past few weeks, and I'm so, so, so glad to say that it lived up to the hype. From start to finish, this is just an uninterrupted flow of movement, mayhem, thrills, laughs, and uncomfortable sexual tension. And no matter how insane or silly it gets (which is obviously the appeal), the political overtones are so palpable and so frustratingly relatable that the whole thing feels not only sincere, but refreshing.
I'm a Paul Thomas Anderson fan. As directors go, he'd easily be in my top ten. But I don't often find myself loving a movie of his after just one viewing. It usually takes more time and patience than that. Not here. This one had me from the very start, and I thought it only got better as it went along. It's too early to say that this might be my favourite work of his, but I will tell you that it's already the conversation, which is saying something.
Grade: A+
P.S. Oh my god, was that car chase awesome. I genuinely felt like I was on a roller coaster for the bulk of it.
P.P.S. Sean Penn's walk in this movie is some of the funniest physical acting I've ever seen.