Mr. Nobody Against Putin

The preparation to be a soldier starts so young!

Movie: Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Running Time: 1:30

Nominated for: Documentary Feature

How I watched: Apple TV

When it had me: From the drop

When it lost me: Never

What systems does it challenge: Authoritarianism and Propaganda

Mr. Nobody Against Putin begins with a Russian citizen receiving instructions for how to safely leave the country and I found it completely gripping. Pasha is an events organizer, teacher and AV club leader at a school in the Ural Mountains of Russia. He loves his job and giving the students spaces to feel free to express themselves and build community.

After Russia's war with Ukraine begins, the federal government implements new rules. Pasha then documents the changes to culture and community under the new policies designed to indoctrinate students with alternate histories, illicit undying loyalty for the mother land and ultimately prepare children for military service. He loathes his new role as propagandist and must find a way to express dissent and rebel.

This was a riveting glimpse into Russian life and political climate. Russia is pretty good at controlling all messaging so to see this is rare and illuminating.

It was also horrifying to see the road America could go down. Trump has always been an open fan of Putin and remarked how he would like to do things more like the dictator. How will our teachers, community leaders and citizens respond to these kinds of tactics if the fascist regime were to continue unchecked into the future? At what point would I leave, also realizing that not everyone can leave? Some will have to stay and endure.

I felt this film in my gut and lungs as I paid close attention, wanting everything to work and knowing there would be consequences. This was powerful film making from an extremely relatable and inspiring individual.

Oscar Nominated Shorts

These are Oscar Shorts. You can download a PDF pattern if you like.

OSCAR NOMINATED SHORTS

Fitting all of these in made for a tough weekend. I feel like I used to love catching these screenings but it felt more like a slog this year. I don't know if I didn't connect as well with what new film makers are putting out or if I just wasn't in the right frame of mind.

Maybe the problem is I used to have a theatre just a few minutes from my house that played all of these but now I have to drive to Glendale and Burbank and this weekend the freeway interchange to Burbank was closed. It just all felt like a LOT of effort. Maybe the quickening of America's descent into autocracy is weighing on my mind. It's all guesswork at this point.

They said these were presented by Taika Waititi but he never showed up in the theatre, either live or on screen. How did he present them? Did he donate money or something? Very mysterious. Anyway...

DOCUMENTARY-

All the Empty Rooms - Steve Hartman was a journalist who often tried to offer something positive in the wake of a mass shooting; a story about a hero or a survivor or something optimistic. Until he realized he was part of a system that was helping society adjust to the aftermath rather than seek a change. Next he took on a project to document the empty rooms of school children who had died as a result of gun violence in schools. This is about that. It's deeply moving and well produced.

Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud - Here we learn about Brent Renaud, an american photojournalist who has gone to all of the most dangerous frontlines and neighborhoods to document the worst tragedies that humanity faces. His family struggles with his loss in the Ukraine. It's tragic and feels important to witness.

Children No More: Was and Are Gone - This was a fascinating look at an Isreali group protesting the deaths of more than 18,000 children in Gaza. I'm afraid to protest this issue here in America because of the vehement and rageful attacks that come from those who support the current Israeli government and their campaign of destruction. Watching their brave and careful approach was nerve-racking and inspirational. It's powerfully put together.

The Devil is Busy - There is an abortion clinic in Atlanta that is still operational and tries to help clients from all over the country that can't get the care they need in their home states. This doc follows the manager of the place and her careful attention to both the security and the humanity of all the staff and guests. I can't tell you how beautiful it is to see someone making the choice to see everyone as human - even the protestors outside. I want to hug that woman. I found the whole piece riveting.

Perfectly A Strangeness - My absolute favorite! This movie features three perfect donkeys that walk around an observatory. Stunning cinematography of them ambling, eating and generally vibing in their mountain locale. At night, you can see the telescopes open up and some gorgeous footage of all the stars and the milk way. The whole thing feels like a poem, comparing the cosmos to a donkey's eye. I found it calming and lovely and I wanted it to go on.

LIVE ACTION-

Butcher's Stain - The butcher in this short is Palestinian and working in Israel. After he posts pictures of Gazan children who have been murdered a colleague turns him in for tearing down pictures of the hostages, which he didn't really do. The emotional beats in the story didn't always feel earned. 

A Friend of Dorothy - An adorable friendship between an aging fan of the theatre and a neighborhood teen. These plot points were sometimes unmotivated and the overall story felt oversimplified even though the acting was great from the two leads.

Jane Austen's Period Drama - The comedy of the lot and such a welcome break! With perfect Downton Abbey charm, a man kneels to propose only to find his beloved's dress dripping with her menstrual blood. Then it's a race to try and figure out how to do damage control over the whole situation. It's super silly, packed with jokes and very enjoyable. It's also shot beautifully shot and well produced.

The Singers - This is a grainy, gritty dark look inside a sad bar. One guy can't afford his beer and so decides to start a singing contest. There follows a bunch of surprising songs. It's cute but also just feels pretty superficial.

Two People Exchanging Saliva - A super weird piece about a world where people are not allowed to kiss. They also pay for things by receiving slaps across the face? It's absurd and sort of inscrutable. It was shot well but left me confused.

ANIMATION-

Butterfly - A swimmer who faces discrimination and worse. The animation style looked like a painting; maybe in the style of Diego Rivera? It did not hold my attention.

Forevergreen - This was a super cute story about the relationship between a family of bears and a tree in the forest. The characters looked as if they were carved. 

The Girl Who Cried Pearls - Very creepy stop motion puppets that had unhealthy looking faces and whose mouths didn't move with the dialog. It has a lesson about value. It wasn't my cup of tea.

Retirement Plan - A funny look at all the things we put off until later in life when we are less busy; exercise, hobbies, travel, organization, improvements. A lesson to live for today. I liked the relatability.

The Three Sisters - Three women share an island with meager resources until a man moves in and they try to share him. Does not go well. It was amusing but felt vaguely misogynistic. 

The runner up animated short they shared was my favorite of the night. It was a called Eiru and it was about nature forcing people to be better. It had really striking animation but anyway, that one's not nominated. I wish Taika had shown up and explained why.

Elio

This movie is very purple-y.

Movie: Elio

Running Time: 1:39

Nominated for: Animated Feature

How I watched: Disney+

When it had me: Attempted Alien Abduction

When it lost me: It was cute but kind of rolled off of me

What systems does it challenge: Conformity, Isolation

Elio is kind of heart breaking. This kid just wants to belong but his parents are...well, it's a Disney movie, so you know. His adoptive parent is so overwhelmed and HAS NO VILLAGE. seriously, why does a village not immediately organize itself around this kid's needs? Come on, people!

But Elio is smart and industrious and finds his own way to seek out a community and belonging and even service to something greater. The animation is great, the world is imaginative and the characters are fun. It's a super solid movie.

I also watched it very recently and had a hard time remembering anything about it when I sat down to write this just now, so I feel like that kind of says something too.

Little Amelie or The Character of Rain

I'm low key terrified of this child.

Movie: Little Amelie or The Character of Rain

Running Time: 1:18

Nominated for: Animated Feature

How I watched: Prime

When it had me: I liked the springtime animation

When it lost me: The kid felt kind of evil?

What systems does it challenge: Prejudice, Poor parenting

While I really appreciate the running time of this movie, I didn't really connect with it.

This is about a child growing up in Japan. She doesn't speak or walk until two and half years of age so she is either a "late bloomer" or a person with autism. Her parents seem so overwhelmed by their older two kids and busy lives that they don't seem to have time to devote to getting to know her.

She bonds with a couple of caregivers as she learns her place in the world and whether or not she even wants to be in it.

The kid believes she is God and seems to have a lot of wrath, which didn't make me feel quite comfortable. The parents seem borderline neglectful, the housekeeper is great but also talks a lot about death and trauma, and the landlord is hateful. It's just s a lot to sift through.

Visually, it does not depict the same darkness or ambiguity. It's bright and cheerful looking even when it doesn't feel that way.

It's not my favorite animated film this year but it will teach you how to write the Japanese character for rain.

The Smashing Machine

Here's the make up departments's work!

Movie: The Smashing Machine

Running Time: 2:03

Nominated for: Make Up & Hair Styling

How I watched: HBO Max

When it had me: Brief random moments

When it lost me: Insurance Discussions!

What systems does it challenge: Unsure

The Smashing Machine is about a fighter who played a big role in the establishment of MMA fighting. But I didn't really understand that from watching it.

The movie has weird pacing and a pointed lack of emphasis on some content over other. For example, there is a scene where we watch the fighter talk about how to submit his bill to insurance in order to get the best coverage. That's delivered with the same urgency as scenes of steroid and opioid addiction.

The Rock is playing an extremely nice guy. He talks gently and calmly in almost every scene. It's quiet and unhurried and it feels like the whole movie just wants to match that freak. 

So many of the decisions just left me confused. It was a film that felt caught somewhere between serious biopic, comedic take on history and afterschool special.

Kokuho

Now I would like to see Kabuki preformed live.

Movie: Kokuho

Running Time: 2:54

Nominated for: Make Up & Hair Styling

How I watched: AMC, 8:45 am showing

When it had me: The drama starts early

When it lost me: It felt like it wandered a bit in its three hours

What systems does it challenge: The hereditary system in Kabuki, patriarchy

This is about two young men growing up in training for Kabuki theatre. One has the correct lineage and one was "adopted" into the family. Both face hardships and shame along the way to becoming true Kabuki performers.

The film is shot well, with gorgeous costumes and sets for the Kabuki shows. The acting is good throughout and I did feel drawn in to the trials of these two young men. The drama experienced by women in the film felt clumsy more often than not but the core tragedies of the two main characters were deeply affecting.

While they did an admirable job of instructing the audience about the traditions and expectations for this very specific style of theatre, I still felt like I was missing out a little bit. In particular, I didn't know exactly what great Kabuki theatre should look like so I just had to trust that these guys were supremely talented.

It felt like the culture of shame was a trap for these men (and perhaps by extension, everyone?) If they gave up everything to be a great performer then they had shame for not centering relationships in their life. If they wanted more than just Kabuki in their life then they had shame for not treating the art form with its proper respect. 

Men were trapped by the prescribed roles they must submit to but women were trapped by needing to submit to and support the men. Women were not even allowed to work in the Kabuki in any roles whatsoever. They had no say about how their children were treated (or in the case of geisha, whether their children would be acknowledged) and their own status seemed to rest wholly on whether their husbands were in favor or not.

In case you missed it, this was THREE HOURS LONG. It did span a long portion of their lives, so it wasn't totally unearned as a running time but oh my goodness, I still mourn the loss of half of my day. Even though at 8:45 am this is the earliest screening I have attended this year. Or ever, maybe.

Note: This is now the highest grossing live action Japanese film in Japan!

The Perfect Neighbor

The body cam tells the tale.

Movie: The Perfect Neighbor

Running Time: 1:36

Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature

How I watched: Netflix

When it had me: The trailer

When it lost me: The reality

What systems does it challenge: Racism, White Women's Tears

This was a truly heart-breaking documentary (not unusual) about a nosy white lady neighbor who hates all the black children who play near her apartment and spends all of her days planning on how to ruin everything for them. She's absolutely disgusting.

What's unusual about this doc is that the cops in it are on the side of the children and most of the documentary is shown through the dash cams and body cams of the police who are repeatedly called out to the neighborhood.

It's well told and very upsetting.