The Brutalist

"The cinematography is remarkable. Felt Brody was a shoo-in for Best Actor after only 15 minutes of watching, he’s that good in this role. I far preferred part one and think the run time does the film a disservice as it begins to feel convoluted."

"Wow! Words cannot simply describe what an incredible film this is! Epic in every sense of the word, with a very emotional opening sequence, this is the only modern day film that I can convincingly say matches the standards of epics like LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, BEN-HUR, TITANIC, LOTR trilogy etc. in terms of encapsulating the word CINEMA and emphasizing the necessity of watching a movie like this on the big screen (I’m shocked it was made on an insanely low budget of around $10 million). Following the journey of a Hungarian-born Jewish architect trying to adjust to a new life in America post-World War II, it is a profound commentary on artistic expression, the American dream, and the immigrant experience. I was especially struck by the feeling of being on a journey with the character, following the ups and downs of his life. Phenomenal lead performance by Adrien Brody who anchors this film brilliantly (he deserves a 2nd Oscar for this, and is a perfect bookend to his 1st Oscar winning performance in THE PIANIST) along with Guy Pearce (so good as the manipulative beneficiary) and Felicity Jones (all 3 deserve nominations), along with all technical departments in top form, especially the direction, score, cinematography (deserves Oscars there too), production design, costumes and more. The best film of 2024 (and one of the best of the decade) and one that everyone must see on the big screen. Hope it goes all the way during awards season."

"Incredibly well crafted, acted and poignant while understated movie. I wonder if the director was aware how very timely this movie would again be by the time it was released. Brody deserves the Oscar for his performance. 9 out of 10"

"I thoroughly enjoyed it. The acting was extremely believable."

"Beautifully intense while remaining subtle throughout the entire 3 hour runtime. While there’s pivotal moments, it’s a nice slice of life movie that follows hope and disappointment throughout the main character’s life. What I loved most is that it shows a character whose talents are given a chance to prosper. An artist being able to create and being appreciated for it. There’s a lot in this film. But going in blind, I’m glad I got to experience it and takeaway what I did. 10/10"

"The first hr or so was good but then just went downhill for me. Fair warning of SA and good amount of nudity, cheating. Me and husband did not feel this was a good watch overall. Overhyped, in my opinion. The plot was well understood but way too much filler. If you have 3 and 1/2 hrs to waste this would be good."

"From cinematography, acting, story, and plot, this movie is amazing. Visually I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen, and there were a couple of times where my jaw dropped from how shocked I was. But the biggest issue with this movie is the length. This movie was so long that I fell asleep for a bit and was also shocked that there was a 15 minute intermission. Besides from that I believe there’s a good chance this movie might win an Oscar. 4 1/2"

"Fair warning this movie is nearly 4 hours and includes an intermission! I think it had a lot of potential and Adrien Brody was awesome as always, however, a bit of a boring storyline. 🌟🌟🌟"

"01/19/25"

"Theater"