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Best and Worst Films from April 2019

Best Films from April 2019:

3. Coherence

Coherence somewhat disappointed me when it comes to its obvious budget shortcoming as the action was thus rather subdued and the movie felt overly convenient, but still this remains a particularly interesting take on alternate realities which is scientific and very sophisticated thanks to many highly engaging discussions by its characters. The innovative nature to the dialogue and acting was also immensely authentic.

2. The Decline of the American Empire

This Canadian flick was ahead of its time with its sexual politics. It is a movie which has no story to speak of as it just consists of conversation after conversation about sex and fetishes, but I love dialogue-driven movies and this subject matter so it was highly involving to me. But the reason why it’s great and should have won an Oscar lies in its execution – it never condemns nor glorifies the hedonistic, sexual lifestyle, but showcases both the pros and cons of it.

1. The Innocents

The Innocents is the best movie I’ve seen all month thanks to many reasons, but in particular its black-and-white photography is simply gorgeous, the sets are beautiful and the movie is also very well scored. This is an ambiguous, psychologically complex horror feature which remains one of the finest genre flicks of the decade for sure. The performance from Deborah Kerr is truly inspired and the horror sequences all worked for me as they were quite creepy and classical in style. It’s such an emotional, wonderful film.

Worst Films from April 2019:

3. Flirtation Walk

This Best Picture nominee is an odd beast for sure. It doesn’t work at all as the first half is literally devoid of music and the second half turns into a full musical. I liked that amusing second half, but the first one sucked any joy that I could have otherwise felt and it remains a very problematically made flick.

2. The House of Rothschild

The House of Rothschild is by no means a bad movie, but oh boy, is it a slog to sit through. Its handling of anti-Semitism is terrific and ahead of its time, but the technical aspects are so mediocre, the movie is not cinematic at all and it’s so badly paced and slow that it’s quite dull.

1. Pink Flamingos

Of course Pink Flamingos had to be on the top of this month’s worst list. I did really like the fun presence of Divine, but the movie itself is so horribly offensive, atrociously sensationalist in its approach and it’s composed in its entirety of scene after scene of grotesqueness and horribleness. It’s also technically amateurish and simply a waste of time as this non-movie.