The Brutalist

Pursuing the American Dream is an ambition of almost every immigrant who manages to make it to this countrys shores. Its realization can take many forms, too, depending on ones circumstances. But, as many new arrivals discover for themselves, theres no guarantee of success (or, at the very least, they may find that the journey can be more problematic than anticipated). One such story that provides the focus for this optimistic undertaking is the latest offering from writer-director Brady Corbet. The film follows the odyssey of László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a fictional Jewish Hungarian architect who flees Europe in 1947 after being interred in a concentration camp during World War II. He initially struggles to assimilate, to re-establish his c...

Did this really need to be 3½ hours long? Well, no - I don't think so. As far as it goes, though, it features a stunning performance from Adrien Brody as fictional Hungarian architect "Tóth" who has manages to survive some torrid wartime experiences in Europe and make it to New York. He has family there, and that's the conduit to a meeting with the wealthy "Van Buren" (Guy Pearce) who decides that he wants him to design a public utility building - think Hearst Castle only without any style or shape to it. Indeed the title could very well be applied to his fascist style of bleak and angular artistry, but his new benefactor is prepared to commit £850,000 to the project so he's delighted. That's clearly to the chagrin of "Harry" (How Alwyn) w...

This movie is excellent. Beautiful. Good story. Funny stuff. Drama. Twists and turns. Despite all that excellence, the best feature of this film is the fact that you could turn it off and come back to it the next day when the intermission pops up.