Post by Dracula on Dec 12, 2020 19:53:02 GMT -5
First Cow(9/15/2020)
Kelly Reichardt is one of those directors who I struggle with a little. She’s certainly someone who never fails in my eyes, I wouldn’t say I “disliked” any movie she’s ever made, but I also don’t know that I’ve ever loved any of them especially not up to the wild praise they get from certain quarters. Her latest film in particular has earned quite a bit of praise as it had to navigate a tricky release situation where it was just about to open in theaters before the lockdown. Like most of Reichardt’s films this is set in the Pacific Northwest but like her 2010 film Meek’s Cutoff this one is a period piece, one that’s set in the early 1800s when the Oregon territory was only just being settled at all. The first cow of the title is literally the first bovine to be exported into the area where it is being sparsely used for its milk by a rich guy and this inspires two enterprising men to try stealing some of the cow’s milk every night and use this dairy to sell some of the best cakes in the area to the desperate locals. This seems to go well but eventually the two start to worry that the cow’s owner is catching on to them, which could be very dangerous. Now, that plot description seems pretty straightforward, but less of the film’s running time is devoted to all that than it is to the odd little friendship between the two milk thieves which goes kind of slowly. The movie in general takes a while to get going and ends on a bit of a whimper, but that middle section is pretty compelling. The film also has some pretty nice cinematography but I should caution people that if you’re watching at home you should make sure you’re in a very dark room because some of these night scenes are close to pitch black and any glare on your screen is going to make these scenes look pretty bad. Otherwise this is pretty much in line with what you’d expect from Reichardt’s other films; if you loved them you’ll love this and if you don’t like them you won’t. I thought those other movies were “pretty good” and so is this.
***1/2 out of Five
Kelly Reichardt is one of those directors who I struggle with a little. She’s certainly someone who never fails in my eyes, I wouldn’t say I “disliked” any movie she’s ever made, but I also don’t know that I’ve ever loved any of them especially not up to the wild praise they get from certain quarters. Her latest film in particular has earned quite a bit of praise as it had to navigate a tricky release situation where it was just about to open in theaters before the lockdown. Like most of Reichardt’s films this is set in the Pacific Northwest but like her 2010 film Meek’s Cutoff this one is a period piece, one that’s set in the early 1800s when the Oregon territory was only just being settled at all. The first cow of the title is literally the first bovine to be exported into the area where it is being sparsely used for its milk by a rich guy and this inspires two enterprising men to try stealing some of the cow’s milk every night and use this dairy to sell some of the best cakes in the area to the desperate locals. This seems to go well but eventually the two start to worry that the cow’s owner is catching on to them, which could be very dangerous. Now, that plot description seems pretty straightforward, but less of the film’s running time is devoted to all that than it is to the odd little friendship between the two milk thieves which goes kind of slowly. The movie in general takes a while to get going and ends on a bit of a whimper, but that middle section is pretty compelling. The film also has some pretty nice cinematography but I should caution people that if you’re watching at home you should make sure you’re in a very dark room because some of these night scenes are close to pitch black and any glare on your screen is going to make these scenes look pretty bad. Otherwise this is pretty much in line with what you’d expect from Reichardt’s other films; if you loved them you’ll love this and if you don’t like them you won’t. I thought those other movies were “pretty good” and so is this.
***1/2 out of Five
