It's over, folks! I have stuffed my eyes and brains with too many movies and am ready to drink prosecco and watch these Oscars go down!
The lead up to this year's Academy Awards has been ridiculous. First they got a host and then he said some stuff a while ago and they didn't have a host but they were going to get one and then they never wanted a host in the first place! We are all good here! Then they weren't going to perform ALL of the musical numbers and then they said, just kidding! Then they were going to take very important awards, like EDITING (insert my angry roar here), off of the live broadcast but then there were lots of angry roars so they didn't. I mean, I guess we should be happy that the Academy is in a growth mindset here and ready to try and fail and listen to immediate feedback and make changes? I guess.
The Oscars are an industry event. It's not for the fans, it's for Hollywood to take a minute to reflect and celebrate the work that they think stood out. It has been televised because lots of people are interested in peeking behind that curtain and seeing how that celebration goes and maybe learning a little something along the way (like why Cinematography is important to the outcome of the film, maybe????) So this notion that hosting it has to be a slam dunk for your career, or that if it doesn't have the largest audience of all time it isn't worth it is utterly annoying. I propose we let C-SPAN or ESPN Ocho cover it and just let the show run for 5 or 6 hours. I'd still watch the whole thing! Others could DVR it and just speed ahead to best picture since apparently that's the only thing the average viewer wants to see anyway.
Also people get so ruffled about the Academy getting it "wrong" every year. This isn't about right or wrong, people! Films get left out, our opinions change over time, fans feel disappointed or somehow vindicated by the results, but in the end it shouldn't be about right or wrong. It should be about betting! If you can guess whatever the heck the Academy is thinking this year, you should get PAID!
Wait, I got off track. It should simply be about loving the movies. I don't love the Oscars because they are "right" (they seldom are in line with my opinions, for sure), I love the Oscars because I want to see what happens live. I want to see how people respond to the pressure and when they go a little bit crazy, I want to be there. I don't write this blog because these are the only films worthy of my attention, I do it because the Oscars are an interesting snapshot of where the industry is right at this moment, right or wrong. We all have our own opinions and passions about films and that shouldn't stop us from enjoying the gala event (I will try to remember this when I get super pissed and scream at the TV tonight for some bad choice or another!)
All of that said, I'm feeling like the overall offering of nominees this year is a bit lackluster. I can't figure out if the movies were all B+ with no Honors A in the mix or just a symptom of my sometimes overwhelming feeling that everything about civilization as we know it is a complete hoax and we have strayed far from our right path as human beings. A lot of people agree with me on both the movies and society, so either way, I suppose.
The Best Picture nominees lack any movie that completely took my breath away. Last year I wasn't picking The Shape of Water but what I wouldn't give for that option this year! It's interesting to me that three of the five Cinematography nominees were foreign films. So the cinematography branch of the Academy maybe also felt like it wasn't a hot year for American cinema. Doc Shorts and Live Action Shorts usually feel like special categories and just didn't connect for me this year.
I'm posting my faves and picks for the year below, mostly so that I have my own archive to look back on. Feel free to peruse them but DON'T use them on your official Oscar party ballots! My picks are not good guesses. Please enjoy whatever weird mess they offer us tonight and rest assured, it can't be as bad as when James Franco co-hosted!
Thank you to all my readers, real an imagined! Good night and may Oscar bless!
My personal top ten list of the year looks something like:
You Were Never Really There
Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse
Shoplifters
Tully
First Reformed
Never Look Away
A Quiet Place
Free Solo
Minding the Gap
Black Panther
My picks for each category:
Picture - My pick changes every day. If I had time to go back and rewatch Blackkklansman, I might pick that one. I guess I'll go with Black Panther today.
Actor - Christian Bale
Actress - Glenn Close
Supporting Actor - Mahershala Ali
Supporting Actress - Regina King
Animated - Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse
Cinematography - Never Look Away
Costumes - Black Panther
Directing - Spike Lee
Documentary - Free Solo
Documentary Short - Black Sheep
Editing - Vice
Foreign Language Film - Shoplifters
Makeup - Vice
Score - Black Panther
Song - A Star is Born
Production Design - Black Panther
Short Animated - Late Afternoon
Short Live Action - Mother
Sound Editing - First Man
Sound Mixing - First Man
Visual Effects - Avengers: Infinity War
Writing, Adapted - Blackkklansman
Writing, Original - First Reformed
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Last Review: Border
With this last review, I have achieved gluttonous excellence by watching and (somewhat) reviewing every film nominated for the 2019 Oscars!!!!!!! Huzzah!!!!
And what a film to finish on!
Movie: Border
Nominated for: Best Make up and Hair
How I watched: Amazon Rental
When I fell asleep: I did fight heavy eyelids for a few minutes which is really difficult with a subtitled movie.
When it had me: The constant state of "What is happening?"
When it lost me: Changeling babies and other-worldly genitalia
What I have to say: This movie was so weird, like a mystery and car crash you can't look away from and a fever dream all wrapped into one. It is so fun when you watch something with a slack jaw and no idea of what to expect but you are still trying and they are giving you just enough to keep you interested. If you might want to see a bizarre fantasy/horror/drama please go watch this movie. If not, PLEASE read my spoiler filled recap run-on sentence below. PLEASE.
SPOILERS AHEAD
So we are watching this movie about an unattractive woman and she can also smell when people are smuggling things into the country so she meets another disfigured sort of person and orders a strip search but then he is a woman but then also he is a man and then she works with the police to sniff out bad guys and her new friend eats maggots and also foxes and moose are very comfortable approaching her when she goes for walks so her new friend moves in and both of them used to have tails and they get together and do....something I have never seen before....that is very intimate.... and then he says, "btw, we are trolls," and she is like, "that makes sense" and they decide to go away together but he is the bad guy she is helping the police find so she stays home and starts living in the woods and he ships her a troll baby. The End.
And what a film to finish on!
Movie: Border
Nominated for: Best Make up and Hair
How I watched: Amazon Rental
When I fell asleep: I did fight heavy eyelids for a few minutes which is really difficult with a subtitled movie.
When it had me: The constant state of "What is happening?"
When it lost me: Changeling babies and other-worldly genitalia
What I have to say: This movie was so weird, like a mystery and car crash you can't look away from and a fever dream all wrapped into one. It is so fun when you watch something with a slack jaw and no idea of what to expect but you are still trying and they are giving you just enough to keep you interested. If you might want to see a bizarre fantasy/horror/drama please go watch this movie. If not, PLEASE read my spoiler filled recap run-on sentence below. PLEASE.
SPOILERS AHEAD
So we are watching this movie about an unattractive woman and she can also smell when people are smuggling things into the country so she meets another disfigured sort of person and orders a strip search but then he is a woman but then also he is a man and then she works with the police to sniff out bad guys and her new friend eats maggots and also foxes and moose are very comfortable approaching her when she goes for walks so her new friend moves in and both of them used to have tails and they get together and do....something I have never seen before....that is very intimate.... and then he says, "btw, we are trolls," and she is like, "that makes sense" and they decide to go away together but he is the bad guy she is helping the police find so she stays home and starts living in the woods and he ships her a troll baby. The End.
Saturday, February 23, 2019
(eat my) Shorts!
Short Docs:
Black Sheep - A sad and painfully honest look at racism through the lens of a young man who did the best he could to fit in with his oppressors and join in their hate and anger. We humans are so broken! Kudos to the film maker and subject for their authenticity and vulnerability in approaching this broader topic with an awareness of trauma, cycles of abuse and the stigma of emotions in men.
Endgame - A sad and painfully honest look at dying. I wept pretty openly through this whole thing. This doc rubbed right up against my fear of dying, my sadness at the thought of saying good-bye to people, my grief for those I have lost. This was a real Zen exercise in trying to not resist my pain but to feel it, let it move through me and then release it, all while trying not to sob loudly in a crowded movie theatre! There are the beginnings in the piece of a movement toward a whole person approach to dying, an ending of some taboos and a celebration (dare I say?) of the transition. I think that is the right direction.
Lifeboat - A sad and painfully honest look at the humanitarian crisis of refugees fleeing from Northern Africa to Europe. (Haven't I seen at least three other docs about this in this category over that last two years?) This short was such a reminder to simply feel grateful everyday for the privilege of where I was born and the resources and protections available to me. Humans who are nearly identical to me in their genetic make up and ability to feel hope, fear, joy and pain are born with far less chance for any stability in their lives. I like the Ship Captain that says if you stand back from a situation like the refugee crisis you can just see it all as one big problem, but if you bring yourself in close enough to see the individual humans involved your thinking moves from your head to your heart and you know that you have to do something. Thanks to these film makers for bringing us a little closer.
A Night at the Garden - A sad and painfully honest look at the night in 1939 when 20,000 Nazi sympathizers held a rally in New York City. It's good to remember that Charlottesville has ancestors, that Nazis are not monsters but terrified humans that hate because it is easier than facing their own fears of inadequacy, that those kind of toxic humans can occur anywhere not just by some evil magic in the Germany of the past. Oh my gods! We are a collective trainwreck, humanity.
Period. End of Sentence. - Asad hopeful and painfully honest look at the taboo of menstruation in India. Men don't know what a period is! Girls can't go to school! Oh no, we humans are a mess all over again...but wait! This film is about detailing a solution rather than defining a problem. A man invents a machine to make pads and women become empowered in a myriad of ways as a result. Finally! I was able to stop my constant cringe and cry! Upbeat music, sassy women, change on the horizon. I'm not sure this was the best doc but it was certainly the most appreciated. And thanks to the programmers for putting it last so I could walk into the light of day with a less tear splotched face!
Animated Shorts
Animal Behavior - Mildly funny look at animals in therapy
Bao - Emotional story about love and letting go. It's weird to me that she eats her kid, but that's cool.
Late Afternoon - I appreciate that this uses animation for the purpose of trying to give visual understanding to something that science has been unable to sufficiently explain to us; the inner world of a person with alzheimers.
One Small Step - A very personal feeling story about connection, grieving and perseverance that somehow felt a little empty.
Weekends - A partially abstract look at a kid splitting time between his recently divorced parents. This one was hardest for me to connect to emotionally.
Live Action
I was warned by two friends that these were "brutal" and "damaging" which I think was good because I steeled myself and then found them to be not very difficult at all. It's all about the expectation!
Detainment - A couple of white boys get some free range time to screw around and...This one is the most disturbing by far, because it's based on truth. They are ten year olds who find a two year old and they...aren't very nice.
Fauve - A couple of white boys get some free range time to screw around and...they are stupid and...something really bad happens.
Marguerite - A film about my future, when I am close to death and regretting not having had any lesbian relationships.
Mother - A third film about how when you are a parent you should never, ever let your children out of your sight. Not even with people you should be able to trust. This one had the best film making for my taste.
Skin - A white boy gets ample time to screw around and be a "boys' boy". (Also, his parents are racist.) His gun doesn't kill someone but HE does.
Black Sheep - A sad and painfully honest look at racism through the lens of a young man who did the best he could to fit in with his oppressors and join in their hate and anger. We humans are so broken! Kudos to the film maker and subject for their authenticity and vulnerability in approaching this broader topic with an awareness of trauma, cycles of abuse and the stigma of emotions in men.
Endgame - A sad and painfully honest look at dying. I wept pretty openly through this whole thing. This doc rubbed right up against my fear of dying, my sadness at the thought of saying good-bye to people, my grief for those I have lost. This was a real Zen exercise in trying to not resist my pain but to feel it, let it move through me and then release it, all while trying not to sob loudly in a crowded movie theatre! There are the beginnings in the piece of a movement toward a whole person approach to dying, an ending of some taboos and a celebration (dare I say?) of the transition. I think that is the right direction.
Lifeboat - A sad and painfully honest look at the humanitarian crisis of refugees fleeing from Northern Africa to Europe. (Haven't I seen at least three other docs about this in this category over that last two years?) This short was such a reminder to simply feel grateful everyday for the privilege of where I was born and the resources and protections available to me. Humans who are nearly identical to me in their genetic make up and ability to feel hope, fear, joy and pain are born with far less chance for any stability in their lives. I like the Ship Captain that says if you stand back from a situation like the refugee crisis you can just see it all as one big problem, but if you bring yourself in close enough to see the individual humans involved your thinking moves from your head to your heart and you know that you have to do something. Thanks to these film makers for bringing us a little closer.
A Night at the Garden - A sad and painfully honest look at the night in 1939 when 20,000 Nazi sympathizers held a rally in New York City. It's good to remember that Charlottesville has ancestors, that Nazis are not monsters but terrified humans that hate because it is easier than facing their own fears of inadequacy, that those kind of toxic humans can occur anywhere not just by some evil magic in the Germany of the past. Oh my gods! We are a collective trainwreck, humanity.
Period. End of Sentence. - A
Animated Shorts
Animal Behavior - Mildly funny look at animals in therapy
Bao - Emotional story about love and letting go. It's weird to me that she eats her kid, but that's cool.
Late Afternoon - I appreciate that this uses animation for the purpose of trying to give visual understanding to something that science has been unable to sufficiently explain to us; the inner world of a person with alzheimers.
One Small Step - A very personal feeling story about connection, grieving and perseverance that somehow felt a little empty.
Weekends - A partially abstract look at a kid splitting time between his recently divorced parents. This one was hardest for me to connect to emotionally.
Live Action
I was warned by two friends that these were "brutal" and "damaging" which I think was good because I steeled myself and then found them to be not very difficult at all. It's all about the expectation!
Detainment - A couple of white boys get some free range time to screw around and...This one is the most disturbing by far, because it's based on truth. They are ten year olds who find a two year old and they...aren't very nice.
Fauve - A couple of white boys get some free range time to screw around and...they are stupid and...something really bad happens.
Marguerite - A film about my future, when I am close to death and regretting not having had any lesbian relationships.
Mother - A third film about how when you are a parent you should never, ever let your children out of your sight. Not even with people you should be able to trust. This one had the best film making for my taste.
Skin - A white boy gets ample time to screw around and be a "boys' boy". (Also, his parents are racist.) His gun doesn't kill someone but HE does.
Friday, February 22, 2019
Two I revisited: Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War
Movie: Black Panther
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Costume Design, Best Original Song, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Production Design
How I watched: Theatrical Release
When I fell asleep: Not a chance
When it had me: It had me back in Civil War when I first met T'Challa
When it lost me: Never
What I have to say: I find it so hard to separate this movie out from being a super hero movie. I had to re-watch it so I could try to judge it as a stand alone film. It's still a struggle. First off, I love this movie! It is an important film because of representation and it is important for bringing issues of social justice to the pop-culture fun-time world of comic book movies. After being told for so many years that a black centered movie couldn't entertain anybody but black audiences it was a triumph to watch this be the biggest mainstream success of all time. A total, glorious, win!
As a stand alone film, it has a lot to accomplish. Exposition feels a bit heavy at times. We have to learn a new world, new culture, new tech and powers. It feels like we wait a long time for the plot to get going. However, that exposition pays off in terms of relationships that have a believable richness to them and the feeling of deeply held cultural traditions. This movie has so much heart, so much love for where you come from while still acknowledging past mistakes and striving to always make things better. I like how when Killmonger shows up with his beef about how he was wrongfully treated, T'Challa doesn't tell him that it was a long time ago and he should be over it by now. T'Challa doesn't say "Not All Wakandans did that to you!" T'Challa doesn't tell him it wasn't his fault so he shouldn't have to hear it. T'Challa acknowledges the injustice, grieves for the mistakes of his ancestors, shows respect to the one who was wronged, even ultimately offering to heal him. I wish that was some kind of metaphor we could use for real life...
Oh my gods, I think this IS the best picture of the year.
It has great action sequences, beauty everywhere you look and really fantastic heroes. Also, it is my kids' pick for Best Picture, so that weighs heavily in its favor.
Movie: Avengers: Infinity War
Nominated for: Best Visual Effects
How I watched: Theatrical Release
When I fell asleep: Nah
When it had me: So many heroes meeting each other!
When it lost me: Emotional brutality.
What I have to say: First of all, it is really rude for the MCU to draw me in with these charming, silly characters and then make me feel real sadness. Gah! These are dumb, sarcastic superhero popcorn flicks. When did I start to care? It feels unfair to judge this film as a stand alone. It hits the ground running hard because all of its exposition has been done over the course of how many movies? I've lost count, but the internet says 18. Thanos is a calm, rational, bad guy. A zealot who wants to help everyone by simply culling the herd. He is seemingly not driven by lust for power, glee at killing or any outward maniacal madness. It somehow makes him all the more frightening and inevitable. This movie becomes a Marvel-ous (see what I did?) mash up of all of the previous casts we've met before. And it sure sets us up for one helluva bittersweet and wild victory!
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Costume Design, Best Original Song, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Production Design
How I watched: Theatrical Release
When I fell asleep: Not a chance
When it had me: It had me back in Civil War when I first met T'Challa
When it lost me: Never
What I have to say: I find it so hard to separate this movie out from being a super hero movie. I had to re-watch it so I could try to judge it as a stand alone film. It's still a struggle. First off, I love this movie! It is an important film because of representation and it is important for bringing issues of social justice to the pop-culture fun-time world of comic book movies. After being told for so many years that a black centered movie couldn't entertain anybody but black audiences it was a triumph to watch this be the biggest mainstream success of all time. A total, glorious, win!
As a stand alone film, it has a lot to accomplish. Exposition feels a bit heavy at times. We have to learn a new world, new culture, new tech and powers. It feels like we wait a long time for the plot to get going. However, that exposition pays off in terms of relationships that have a believable richness to them and the feeling of deeply held cultural traditions. This movie has so much heart, so much love for where you come from while still acknowledging past mistakes and striving to always make things better. I like how when Killmonger shows up with his beef about how he was wrongfully treated, T'Challa doesn't tell him that it was a long time ago and he should be over it by now. T'Challa doesn't say "Not All Wakandans did that to you!" T'Challa doesn't tell him it wasn't his fault so he shouldn't have to hear it. T'Challa acknowledges the injustice, grieves for the mistakes of his ancestors, shows respect to the one who was wronged, even ultimately offering to heal him. I wish that was some kind of metaphor we could use for real life...
Oh my gods, I think this IS the best picture of the year.
It has great action sequences, beauty everywhere you look and really fantastic heroes. Also, it is my kids' pick for Best Picture, so that weighs heavily in its favor.
Movie: Avengers: Infinity War
Nominated for: Best Visual Effects
How I watched: Theatrical Release
When I fell asleep: Nah
When it had me: So many heroes meeting each other!
When it lost me: Emotional brutality.
What I have to say: First of all, it is really rude for the MCU to draw me in with these charming, silly characters and then make me feel real sadness. Gah! These are dumb, sarcastic superhero popcorn flicks. When did I start to care? It feels unfair to judge this film as a stand alone. It hits the ground running hard because all of its exposition has been done over the course of how many movies? I've lost count, but the internet says 18. Thanos is a calm, rational, bad guy. A zealot who wants to help everyone by simply culling the herd. He is seemingly not driven by lust for power, glee at killing or any outward maniacal madness. It somehow makes him all the more frightening and inevitable. This movie becomes a Marvel-ous (see what I did?) mash up of all of the previous casts we've met before. And it sure sets us up for one helluva bittersweet and wild victory!
The Movies I Watched A Long Time Ago: A Quiet Place, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Ready Player One
Movie: A Quiet Place
Nominated for: Best Sound Editing
How I watched: Theatrical Release
When I fell asleep: Not a chance
When it had me: Opening Sequence
When it lost me: Never
What I have to say: I was so blown away by the guts of the writers to have the worst thing imaginable happen right at the start of the film. I would have chickened out and simply threatened the worst thing just to make the audience fear it the whole time. Nope. We flat out watched it happen and then moved along with the rest of the movie. This was super great horror and I'm glad to see it get any kind of nod whatsoever.
Movie: Solo: A Star Wars Story
Nominated for: Best Visual Effects
How I watched: Theatrical Release
When I fell asleep: No, silly
When it had me: Meeting Chewie, Donald Glover
When it lost me: Alden Ehrenreich
What I have to say: At the time I said I enjoyed this just fine but looking back I view it as a rather painful experience. Absolutely ill-conceived to ever see anyone other than Harrison Ford play his iconic role. Also, it is simply backstory fluff with nothing of consequence to add to the Star Wars universe of films. What was enjoyable was the nostalgia...seeing Chewie meet Han, looking at the Falcon when it was clean. But is that worth it, really? Not for me.
Movie: Ready Player One
Nominated for: Best Visual Effects
How I watched: Theatrical Release
When I fell asleep: I did not
When it had me: Don't remember
When it lost me: Don't remember
What I have to say: I remember this as a thoroughly enjoyable summer action flick. It didn't change my life but it made me laugh and cheer on the heroes. Pop culture references were fun. Also, I had never read the book so I had no expectations for it to meet.
Nominated for: Best Sound Editing
How I watched: Theatrical Release
When I fell asleep: Not a chance
When it had me: Opening Sequence
When it lost me: Never
What I have to say: I was so blown away by the guts of the writers to have the worst thing imaginable happen right at the start of the film. I would have chickened out and simply threatened the worst thing just to make the audience fear it the whole time. Nope. We flat out watched it happen and then moved along with the rest of the movie. This was super great horror and I'm glad to see it get any kind of nod whatsoever.
Movie: Solo: A Star Wars Story
Nominated for: Best Visual Effects
How I watched: Theatrical Release
When I fell asleep: No, silly
When it had me: Meeting Chewie, Donald Glover
When it lost me: Alden Ehrenreich
What I have to say: At the time I said I enjoyed this just fine but looking back I view it as a rather painful experience. Absolutely ill-conceived to ever see anyone other than Harrison Ford play his iconic role. Also, it is simply backstory fluff with nothing of consequence to add to the Star Wars universe of films. What was enjoyable was the nostalgia...seeing Chewie meet Han, looking at the Falcon when it was clean. But is that worth it, really? Not for me.
Movie: Ready Player One
Nominated for: Best Visual Effects
How I watched: Theatrical Release
When I fell asleep: I did not
When it had me: Don't remember
When it lost me: Don't remember
What I have to say: I remember this as a thoroughly enjoyable summer action flick. It didn't change my life but it made me laugh and cheer on the heroes. Pop culture references were fun. Also, I had never read the book so I had no expectations for it to meet.
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
A Very Special Review: If you read only one review all year, let this be it: Never Look Away
Movie: Never Look Away
Nominated for: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography
How I watched: Laemmle
When I fell asleep: I cannot believe it, but I actually stayed awake the whole time
When it had me: A woman discovers all the truth of the universe in a piano key
When it lost me: The freeze frame ending...I know that's weird, but really, why?
What I have to say: Here's the deal. I think I'm pretty cool and adventurous because I often show up to these movies with no knowledge of what I am about to witness. The films show up on my list and otherwise I am thrilled to have them surprise me. The apparent downside to knowing nothing when you go in is that you have no warning that you have committed yourself to a THREE HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTE MOVIE.
Oh! So THAT'S why it's called Never Look Away. You can't. I am pretty sure that I am still watching this movie.
Now, don't take my shock for disappointment. It's a big deal for me to state that I didn't get bored by this epic tale. This German film was beautiful! The actors were beautiful! They all looked like American actors I knew, but better somehow. And they were good! The story spanned 30 years of German history from WWII and on. I learned things about the Nazis that I didn't want to know, I learned that neither the Nazi party nor the Soviet socialists were very supportive of artists, and I followed a mystery that was a real nail biter! There was tension, authenticity, high stakes and evolution.
They had me, other than I started to worry about how long I was going to be there, whether I had paid enough for parking, if I would miss dinner, etc. Did I mention it was a LONG movie? It was.
When I left the movie, I was afraid that perhaps it had been so long that I slipped into a coma. I emerged onto a rainy Pasadena street to see a Zamboni go driving by. I'm not joking!!! This really happened and I was really concerned I had died or slipped into another timeline. Right after that I witnessed a car driving the wrong way on a one way street. It approached another car head on and then stopped, like a stand off. I just got out of there as fast as I could! I was waiting for the rain of frogs or something! Seriously, did watching this movie take up my whole life and change everything? I don't know if I can recommend it or not. I'm still confused...will everyone who sees it also see the Zamboni after? Am I still watching it now? Is it my pick for best cinematography? It might be. Why didn't I mind sitting there for that long? Are Zambonis even street legal? Where was it going? Am I glad I went to see Never Look Away? Well, I know that answer; yes, I really am glad I did.
Nominated for: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography
How I watched: Laemmle
When I fell asleep: I cannot believe it, but I actually stayed awake the whole time
When it had me: A woman discovers all the truth of the universe in a piano key
When it lost me: The freeze frame ending...I know that's weird, but really, why?
What I have to say: Here's the deal. I think I'm pretty cool and adventurous because I often show up to these movies with no knowledge of what I am about to witness. The films show up on my list and otherwise I am thrilled to have them surprise me. The apparent downside to knowing nothing when you go in is that you have no warning that you have committed yourself to a THREE HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTE MOVIE.
Oh! So THAT'S why it's called Never Look Away. You can't. I am pretty sure that I am still watching this movie.
Now, don't take my shock for disappointment. It's a big deal for me to state that I didn't get bored by this epic tale. This German film was beautiful! The actors were beautiful! They all looked like American actors I knew, but better somehow. And they were good! The story spanned 30 years of German history from WWII and on. I learned things about the Nazis that I didn't want to know, I learned that neither the Nazi party nor the Soviet socialists were very supportive of artists, and I followed a mystery that was a real nail biter! There was tension, authenticity, high stakes and evolution.
They had me, other than I started to worry about how long I was going to be there, whether I had paid enough for parking, if I would miss dinner, etc. Did I mention it was a LONG movie? It was.
When I left the movie, I was afraid that perhaps it had been so long that I slipped into a coma. I emerged onto a rainy Pasadena street to see a Zamboni go driving by. I'm not joking!!! This really happened and I was really concerned I had died or slipped into another timeline. Right after that I witnessed a car driving the wrong way on a one way street. It approached another car head on and then stopped, like a stand off. I just got out of there as fast as I could! I was waiting for the rain of frogs or something! Seriously, did watching this movie take up my whole life and change everything? I don't know if I can recommend it or not. I'm still confused...will everyone who sees it also see the Zamboni after? Am I still watching it now? Is it my pick for best cinematography? It might be. Why didn't I mind sitting there for that long? Are Zambonis even street legal? Where was it going? Am I glad I went to see Never Look Away? Well, I know that answer; yes, I really am glad I did.
Animated Movies!
Movie: Mirai
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature
How I watched: Laemmle, with the kids
When I fell asleep: Nope
When it had me: When the parents fought over baby duties
When it lost me: The main kid was pretty annoying sometimes
What I have to say: My kids thought it was very funny and imaginative. I liked the themes of ancestry and growing into your sense of place in the world. Overall, it was fun but didn't quite feel like it found a perfect balance between the serious and zany elements.
Movie: Isle of Dogs
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature, Best Original Score
How I watched: On my DVR
When I fell asleep: A lot, I think
When it had me: ??
When it lost me: About a third of the way through, it hit me that if you say Isle of Dogs fast enough it sounds like you are saying, "I love dogs." Then I thought the whole movie was a gimmick and I was out.
What I have to say: Me and Wes Anderson are not compatible.
Movie: Incredibles 2
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature
How I watched: Saw it twice over the summer
When I fell asleep: Nah
When it had me: When Elastigirl has to deal with some sexist B.S. from her own beloved hero man.
When it lost me: I'm not sure, but I think it did.
What I have to say: These movies are great. I am constantly amazed at the depth of issues that animated movies are wiling to tackle at this point in time. They manage to be so thoughtful, honest and delightful. I'm not sure if this is all Pixar's doing, but it sure feels like it.
Movie: Ralph Breaks the Internet
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature
How I watched: With the family, in the theatre
When I fell asleep: Nope.
What I have to say: Did this movie just take on toxic masculinity, stalking and the ethos of mass shooters, or is that just me? Did Ralph just feel entitled to complete and undivided attention from a woman and lose his crap completely when she didn't comply with his fantasy and lack the skills to handle his emotional response to that and instead try to use controlling behavior and force to get his way and in the course of that line of action did he actually threaten the lives of everyone within their immediate vicinity? No? It was just a kids' movie, right? Yeah, that's what I thought.
Damn, Pixar, you might just change this world.
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature
How I watched: Laemmle, with the kids
When I fell asleep: Nope
When it had me: When the parents fought over baby duties
When it lost me: The main kid was pretty annoying sometimes
What I have to say: My kids thought it was very funny and imaginative. I liked the themes of ancestry and growing into your sense of place in the world. Overall, it was fun but didn't quite feel like it found a perfect balance between the serious and zany elements.
Movie: Isle of Dogs
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature, Best Original Score
How I watched: On my DVR
When I fell asleep: A lot, I think
When it had me: ??
When it lost me: About a third of the way through, it hit me that if you say Isle of Dogs fast enough it sounds like you are saying, "I love dogs." Then I thought the whole movie was a gimmick and I was out.
What I have to say: Me and Wes Anderson are not compatible.
Movie: Incredibles 2
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature
How I watched: Saw it twice over the summer
When I fell asleep: Nah
When it had me: When Elastigirl has to deal with some sexist B.S. from her own beloved hero man.
When it lost me: I'm not sure, but I think it did.
What I have to say: These movies are great. I am constantly amazed at the depth of issues that animated movies are wiling to tackle at this point in time. They manage to be so thoughtful, honest and delightful. I'm not sure if this is all Pixar's doing, but it sure feels like it.
Movie: Ralph Breaks the Internet
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature
How I watched: With the family, in the theatre
When I fell asleep: Nope.
What I have to say: Did this movie just take on toxic masculinity, stalking and the ethos of mass shooters, or is that just me? Did Ralph just feel entitled to complete and undivided attention from a woman and lose his crap completely when she didn't comply with his fantasy and lack the skills to handle his emotional response to that and instead try to use controlling behavior and force to get his way and in the course of that line of action did he actually threaten the lives of everyone within their immediate vicinity? No? It was just a kids' movie, right? Yeah, that's what I thought.
Damn, Pixar, you might just change this world.
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Four that made me grumpy: Hale County, At Eternity's Gate, Of Fathers and Sons, Christopher Robin
Movie: Hale County, This Morning, This Evening
Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature
How I watched: PBS Independent Lens
When I fell asleep: I don't think so?
When it had me: It never did
When it lost me: Lost the whole time
What I have to say: I just watched Hale County This Morning, This Evening. I'm going to try to puzzle out my reaction right here. This was almost a long form montage film with images of this county in Alabama. Images of basketball games, sun and moon, fields, popcorn popping, bees crawling in a truck bed, shadows, lightning storms, church, people dancing. All these images are inter-cut with a handful of title cards. One said, "Whose child is this?" I don't remember the others very well. We meet a young family and watch them have three kids and bury one over the course of a few years. We meet another young man who wants to study at a good school. At one point we see him at a college but I don't know if he is going there or just went there to try out. There is no traditional narrative structure, no explanations of very much that is happening. The opening title says that the film maker started filming to try and see how they came to be viewed as they are. He might mean black people, or southerners, or both. I was at a complete loss while watching it and I remain there now. I know that I could get real heady and try to assign meaning to a bunch of it which is what critics undoubtedly have done but I really just wanted to watch it and experience it. Now I'll read what people are saying about it and see if that helps or hurts my opinion of this film. ......Alright, people seem to think this movie is a response to a 1941 book or journalistic endeavor called Let Us Now Praise Famous Men about white sharecroppers in this same county. That was apparently mostly photographs of depression era white people. And now this doc is a photography based scrapbook about the black people who live there in present day. Oh! I just remembered another title card, "What happens when all the cotton is picked?" After that card it showed black men playing basketball, football, one guy standing on the back of a horse and then a black military man in a humvee. I wondered if he thought sports and armed services were a new form of slavery. The white critics basically think it is a poetic look at a place and its people. I can see that, I guess, but you have so much power to say something in a film and I feel like an opportunity is missed when you work so hard at not giving the audience any kind of structure or point of view. I think this is artful. I think I don't prefer this kind of piece.
Movie: At Eternity's Gate
Nominated for: Best Actor
How I watched: Arclight
When I fell asleep: I nodded off a couple of times. I woke to snoring from my two friends who were with me and at least three other people in the theatre. I'm estimating at least six of the 18 people there were asleep at some point.
When it had me: There were some frames of film that looked very painterly and pretty. Willen Dafoe is a good actor.
When it lost me: Like, all the time!
What I have to say: What more needs to be said? This movie was a hot mess. I could tell it was really going for something at times...blurring out the bottom portion of the frame from time to time as an example. But moments like that felt like tricks, not cohesive story telling. Perhaps our theatre had a carbon monoxide leak? Or maybe this movie just didn't pull itself together.
Movie: Of Fathers and Sons
Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature
How I watched: Amazon
When I fell asleep: Not today, Satan
When it had me: When a child 'executed' a bird to be like his father.
When it lost me: a lot
What I have to say: This movie left a lot of unanswered questions and I didn't like that. I found the film maker unreliable. This guy goes under cover as an extremist, leaving his family for years and sits by watching people get shot at and maybe killed? Why would he do that? He doesn't explain, so I wonder about his motives. Maybe I should find his sacrifices heroic, but I don't. The whole movie is toxic masculinity, religious hate and basic disrespect for life and it's a lot to put up with. You get sad early on and then you just have to emotionally tap out. At least that was my experience. Not my favorite.
Movie: Christopher Robin
Nominated for: Best Visual Effects
How I watched: On demand, with the kids, on a sick day
When I fell asleep: Sleep would have been a relief
When it had me: Pooh's voice was right. That was all.
When it lost me: Too many times to count!
What I have to say: This whole movie was really very unnecessary. As a huge fan of Winnie the Pooh since forever, at least I finally got to see a grown Christopher Robin yelling psychological abuse at his magical and caring toy bear because I always felt like that was missing from A.A. Milne's work! No! Wait! Did I say I wanted to see that? Because I DIDN'T! NO ONE wanted to see that! My older child preferred to go watch YouTube videos and my younger child kept saying, "Mom, when will this be over?" I think this was not Disney's best effort.
Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature
How I watched: PBS Independent Lens
When I fell asleep: I don't think so?
When it had me: It never did
When it lost me: Lost the whole time
What I have to say: I just watched Hale County This Morning, This Evening. I'm going to try to puzzle out my reaction right here. This was almost a long form montage film with images of this county in Alabama. Images of basketball games, sun and moon, fields, popcorn popping, bees crawling in a truck bed, shadows, lightning storms, church, people dancing. All these images are inter-cut with a handful of title cards. One said, "Whose child is this?" I don't remember the others very well. We meet a young family and watch them have three kids and bury one over the course of a few years. We meet another young man who wants to study at a good school. At one point we see him at a college but I don't know if he is going there or just went there to try out. There is no traditional narrative structure, no explanations of very much that is happening. The opening title says that the film maker started filming to try and see how they came to be viewed as they are. He might mean black people, or southerners, or both. I was at a complete loss while watching it and I remain there now. I know that I could get real heady and try to assign meaning to a bunch of it which is what critics undoubtedly have done but I really just wanted to watch it and experience it. Now I'll read what people are saying about it and see if that helps or hurts my opinion of this film. ......Alright, people seem to think this movie is a response to a 1941 book or journalistic endeavor called Let Us Now Praise Famous Men about white sharecroppers in this same county. That was apparently mostly photographs of depression era white people. And now this doc is a photography based scrapbook about the black people who live there in present day. Oh! I just remembered another title card, "What happens when all the cotton is picked?" After that card it showed black men playing basketball, football, one guy standing on the back of a horse and then a black military man in a humvee. I wondered if he thought sports and armed services were a new form of slavery. The white critics basically think it is a poetic look at a place and its people. I can see that, I guess, but you have so much power to say something in a film and I feel like an opportunity is missed when you work so hard at not giving the audience any kind of structure or point of view. I think this is artful. I think I don't prefer this kind of piece.
Movie: At Eternity's Gate
Nominated for: Best Actor
How I watched: Arclight
When I fell asleep: I nodded off a couple of times. I woke to snoring from my two friends who were with me and at least three other people in the theatre. I'm estimating at least six of the 18 people there were asleep at some point.
When it had me: There were some frames of film that looked very painterly and pretty. Willen Dafoe is a good actor.
When it lost me: Like, all the time!
What I have to say: What more needs to be said? This movie was a hot mess. I could tell it was really going for something at times...blurring out the bottom portion of the frame from time to time as an example. But moments like that felt like tricks, not cohesive story telling. Perhaps our theatre had a carbon monoxide leak? Or maybe this movie just didn't pull itself together.
Movie: Of Fathers and Sons
Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature
How I watched: Amazon
When I fell asleep: Not today, Satan
When it had me: When a child 'executed' a bird to be like his father.
When it lost me: a lot
What I have to say: This movie left a lot of unanswered questions and I didn't like that. I found the film maker unreliable. This guy goes under cover as an extremist, leaving his family for years and sits by watching people get shot at and maybe killed? Why would he do that? He doesn't explain, so I wonder about his motives. Maybe I should find his sacrifices heroic, but I don't. The whole movie is toxic masculinity, religious hate and basic disrespect for life and it's a lot to put up with. You get sad early on and then you just have to emotionally tap out. At least that was my experience. Not my favorite.
Movie: Christopher Robin
Nominated for: Best Visual Effects
How I watched: On demand, with the kids, on a sick day
When I fell asleep: Sleep would have been a relief
When it had me: Pooh's voice was right. That was all.
When it lost me: Too many times to count!
What I have to say: This whole movie was really very unnecessary. As a huge fan of Winnie the Pooh since forever, at least I finally got to see a grown Christopher Robin yelling psychological abuse at his magical and caring toy bear because I always felt like that was missing from A.A. Milne's work! No! Wait! Did I say I wanted to see that? Because I DIDN'T! NO ONE wanted to see that! My older child preferred to go watch YouTube videos and my younger child kept saying, "Mom, when will this be over?" I think this was not Disney's best effort.
Shoplifters, Can You Ever Forgive Me, Minding the Gap
Movie: Shoplifters
Nominated for: Best Foreign Language Film
How I watched: Laemmle
When I fell asleep: A nice early screening, so no.
When it had me: Love and care shown in unlikely settings
When it lost me: I may have lost myself for a bit but the movie held on tight
What I have to say: This movie messed with my head in the most delightful way! The acting was natural and superb across the board. Like Capernaum, this had to do with "found families." And like, Leave No Trace, this had themes of doing your best outside of the expected system. This story won me over to the point where at the end of it I wasn't sure how I wanted to feel, how I did feel or how I was supposed to feel. I didn't know where I stood on issues of right vs. wrong, head vs. heart, hero vs. villain. I was heart-warmed, saddened, lifted up, disappointed and confused! What a gift to get all of that on a Saturday morning!
SPOILERS AHEAD
I hope you went and watched it before you raced ahead! It's worth it. So this about a family of grifters who aren't family at all but lost souls who find each other, love each other deeply and provide each other with a sense of belonging and home. Each has been cast aside, abused, forgotten or rejected but they rebel by finding worth in each other and as a family unit. You get so focused on all the good they are doing for each other that you ignore the things they are not doing strictly above board. There is great tension in the movie as you watch one of their adoptees struggles to navigate his own way through their murky morality and you fear that they can't keep up their shenanigans forever. In the end you find that you have sided with kidnappers, liars and thieves. But you also start to question all the little ways that the "systems" we have put in place to keep our society civil and balanced are completely incompatible with our most basic needs as humans. If connection, kindness and healthy social interaction are denied to us by the acceptable societal norms, does that mean we must accept our fate? Do we give up and just know that we don't fit in and are simply undeserving? Or is it better to break the rules and find ways to experience real human joy? Mmmm, you guys! These questions are kind of delicious! This goes into my top ten, for sure!
Movie: Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Nominated for: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor
How I watched: Movie Theatre, with Friends, Months ago
When I fell asleep: No sleep this time
When it had me: The cat!
When it lost me: I was in and out
What I have to say: I wanted to love this movie much more than I did. I mostly remember the tension around that damn cat! That was the part of the story that had me most invested by far. Melissa McCarthy played a great and complex character very well and Richard E. Grant was a really fun character study as well. Overall however, the film underwhelmed me a bit.
Movie: Minding the Gap
Nominated for: Best Documentary
How I watched: Hulu
When I fell asleep: Morning viewing, so no.
When it had me: When we see the characters as children
When it lost me: This movie just wound me in tighter and tighter.
What I have to say: What starts out with a group of skater friends quickly delves into growing up, the cycle of abuse, the path to healing and problematic expressions of masculinity. The director, Bing Liu, has known his subjects for most of their lives and this allows him a level of intimacy and vulnerability with these young men that shocks, moves and informs the viewer. I cried openly watching this at home, talking to the screen the whole time. (Don't you wish you could watch these movies with me?) This doc is personal, deep-diving and such an important look at the old ways we did things and the difficulty of healing from the world of shame, control and degradation in relationships that used to be all too acceptable. Bing Liu gives me hope that the new generation is ready to look at these old systems closely and critically and find a better way.
Nominated for: Best Foreign Language Film
How I watched: Laemmle
When I fell asleep: A nice early screening, so no.
When it had me: Love and care shown in unlikely settings
When it lost me: I may have lost myself for a bit but the movie held on tight
What I have to say: This movie messed with my head in the most delightful way! The acting was natural and superb across the board. Like Capernaum, this had to do with "found families." And like, Leave No Trace, this had themes of doing your best outside of the expected system. This story won me over to the point where at the end of it I wasn't sure how I wanted to feel, how I did feel or how I was supposed to feel. I didn't know where I stood on issues of right vs. wrong, head vs. heart, hero vs. villain. I was heart-warmed, saddened, lifted up, disappointed and confused! What a gift to get all of that on a Saturday morning!
SPOILERS AHEAD
I hope you went and watched it before you raced ahead! It's worth it. So this about a family of grifters who aren't family at all but lost souls who find each other, love each other deeply and provide each other with a sense of belonging and home. Each has been cast aside, abused, forgotten or rejected but they rebel by finding worth in each other and as a family unit. You get so focused on all the good they are doing for each other that you ignore the things they are not doing strictly above board. There is great tension in the movie as you watch one of their adoptees struggles to navigate his own way through their murky morality and you fear that they can't keep up their shenanigans forever. In the end you find that you have sided with kidnappers, liars and thieves. But you also start to question all the little ways that the "systems" we have put in place to keep our society civil and balanced are completely incompatible with our most basic needs as humans. If connection, kindness and healthy social interaction are denied to us by the acceptable societal norms, does that mean we must accept our fate? Do we give up and just know that we don't fit in and are simply undeserving? Or is it better to break the rules and find ways to experience real human joy? Mmmm, you guys! These questions are kind of delicious! This goes into my top ten, for sure!
Movie: Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Nominated for: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor
How I watched: Movie Theatre, with Friends, Months ago
When I fell asleep: No sleep this time
When it had me: The cat!
When it lost me: I was in and out
What I have to say: I wanted to love this movie much more than I did. I mostly remember the tension around that damn cat! That was the part of the story that had me most invested by far. Melissa McCarthy played a great and complex character very well and Richard E. Grant was a really fun character study as well. Overall however, the film underwhelmed me a bit.
Movie: Minding the Gap
Nominated for: Best Documentary
How I watched: Hulu
When I fell asleep: Morning viewing, so no.
When it had me: When we see the characters as children
When it lost me: This movie just wound me in tighter and tighter.
What I have to say: What starts out with a group of skater friends quickly delves into growing up, the cycle of abuse, the path to healing and problematic expressions of masculinity. The director, Bing Liu, has known his subjects for most of their lives and this allows him a level of intimacy and vulnerability with these young men that shocks, moves and informs the viewer. I cried openly watching this at home, talking to the screen the whole time. (Don't you wish you could watch these movies with me?) This doc is personal, deep-diving and such an important look at the old ways we did things and the difficulty of healing from the world of shame, control and degradation in relationships that used to be all too acceptable. Bing Liu gives me hope that the new generation is ready to look at these old systems closely and critically and find a better way.
Monday, February 18, 2019
Cold War, Mary Queen of Scots, The Wife
Movie: Cold War
Nominated for: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography
When I fell asleep: Dozing in and out, it was a fight
When it had me: A beautiful shot of a person at a church
When it lost me: "There's something about her..."
What I have to say: This film is gorgeous. So was Pawlikowski's last movie, Ida. This film asks interesting questions about art and government, national identity and political struggle. This film is a love story that made me feel absolutely nothing. So that's not ideal.
SPOILERS AHEAD
We have a dude at an audition say about a woman, "There's something about her..." My first thought was, "Yeah dude, you want to have sex with her." I mean, how hard is that to figure out? Next you will show me why there is more to it than that and I will begin to believe in this love, right? No. Instead we get this moody European manic pixie dream girl with more darkness about her than her American cousins. She is spontaneous and emotional compared to her love's dour, restrained approach. She jumps into a lake fully clothed! Look at her! So whimsical and broken! What man wouldn't want to use her as a crutch through life? I can't restrain my bored sarcasm or my rampant eye-rolling. The film races along at a fever pace (something I usually appreciate) and we never take a moment to see what their connection is actually all about. The director never thinks to show me what this "something about her" might be. We skip ahead to them living in different countries, her marrying someone else, him starting a career to later abandon it for her. They argue, they aren't together but he says he loves her and she says they are meant to be somehow. Mostly it looks like she is an impulsive, opportunistic, unstable character who says and does whatever comes to mind, while he is depressed and pining for her. Later another guy who forces her into a marriage and pregnancy (aka rape) also tells us that there is "something about her". Gross. Other than some brief backstory we never get a window into what drives her or why she keeps coming back to this dream man of hers. Or why he is willing to make the sacrifices that he does in order to try and be near her. I guess we should take it all on faith. The film is beautiful (I mean really well shot! I don't wish to downplay that aspect of it!) I have read the reviews that claim this is "passionate", "ravishing", "romantic" and "epic." I just couldn't see it that way.
Movie: Mary Queen of Scots
Nominated for: Best Make-up
When I fell asleep: No, I watched it early enough
When it had me: Watching Women Rule
When it lost me: Boring old rape
What I have to say: Can there ever exist sex without rape? I guess the obvious answer is no and no amount of #metoo is making me ready to accept that simple fact. This movie got me down. I had to watch The Queen of Scotland get raped twice and I just would have liked to believe that a QUEEN could just have someone beheaded for treating her so. But a queen also finds herself alone in the room with a man at the most intimate of times and defenseless against the man who is hungry to demonstrate his own power. What a bummer. Between this movie and The Favourite, I just think that it's awfully rough to be the queen and if they offer the job to me, I'm going to say no. Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan are great in this movie. I was far more engaged by the story than I expected to be. The make up was noticeable for sure. I just don't think anything will win against the Christian Bale transformation.
Movie: The Wife
Nominated for: Best Actress
How I watched: Laemmle
When I fell asleep: I have been known to doze in this theatre, but not this time
When it had me: Marital torture to Marital bliss in seconds flat
When it lost me: I'm not sure it did
What I have to say: After the previous two reviews I am much happier about writing this one! A leading role for a woman that is nuanced, compelling, fierce, loving and complex! Also, she is a woman of age? I don't know what is going on, but I like it. The acting is great across the board. The story is of the complicated fabric of a marriage that is complicit, passionate, devious, suffocating, rich and unbearable all at the same time. This story gets in there and takes a hard look at a lot of real human stuff! None of the characters are victims or blame free, which is such a pleasant place from which to look at the difficulties of life. I was very impressed and pleased with this as an overall story, whereas I figured it was just a piece to show off some Glenn Close Oscar-level pain. Nope. It's better than that! If you seek highlights, skip those other two movies and check this one out.
Nominated for: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography
When I fell asleep: Dozing in and out, it was a fight
When it had me: A beautiful shot of a person at a church
When it lost me: "There's something about her..."
What I have to say: This film is gorgeous. So was Pawlikowski's last movie, Ida. This film asks interesting questions about art and government, national identity and political struggle. This film is a love story that made me feel absolutely nothing. So that's not ideal.
SPOILERS AHEAD
We have a dude at an audition say about a woman, "There's something about her..." My first thought was, "Yeah dude, you want to have sex with her." I mean, how hard is that to figure out? Next you will show me why there is more to it than that and I will begin to believe in this love, right? No. Instead we get this moody European manic pixie dream girl with more darkness about her than her American cousins. She is spontaneous and emotional compared to her love's dour, restrained approach. She jumps into a lake fully clothed! Look at her! So whimsical and broken! What man wouldn't want to use her as a crutch through life? I can't restrain my bored sarcasm or my rampant eye-rolling. The film races along at a fever pace (something I usually appreciate) and we never take a moment to see what their connection is actually all about. The director never thinks to show me what this "something about her" might be. We skip ahead to them living in different countries, her marrying someone else, him starting a career to later abandon it for her. They argue, they aren't together but he says he loves her and she says they are meant to be somehow. Mostly it looks like she is an impulsive, opportunistic, unstable character who says and does whatever comes to mind, while he is depressed and pining for her. Later another guy who forces her into a marriage and pregnancy (aka rape) also tells us that there is "something about her". Gross. Other than some brief backstory we never get a window into what drives her or why she keeps coming back to this dream man of hers. Or why he is willing to make the sacrifices that he does in order to try and be near her. I guess we should take it all on faith. The film is beautiful (I mean really well shot! I don't wish to downplay that aspect of it!) I have read the reviews that claim this is "passionate", "ravishing", "romantic" and "epic." I just couldn't see it that way.
Movie: Mary Queen of Scots
Nominated for: Best Make-up
When I fell asleep: No, I watched it early enough
When it had me: Watching Women Rule
When it lost me: Boring old rape
What I have to say: Can there ever exist sex without rape? I guess the obvious answer is no and no amount of #metoo is making me ready to accept that simple fact. This movie got me down. I had to watch The Queen of Scotland get raped twice and I just would have liked to believe that a QUEEN could just have someone beheaded for treating her so. But a queen also finds herself alone in the room with a man at the most intimate of times and defenseless against the man who is hungry to demonstrate his own power. What a bummer. Between this movie and The Favourite, I just think that it's awfully rough to be the queen and if they offer the job to me, I'm going to say no. Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan are great in this movie. I was far more engaged by the story than I expected to be. The make up was noticeable for sure. I just don't think anything will win against the Christian Bale transformation.
Movie: The Wife
Nominated for: Best Actress
How I watched: Laemmle
When I fell asleep: I have been known to doze in this theatre, but not this time
When it had me: Marital torture to Marital bliss in seconds flat
When it lost me: I'm not sure it did
What I have to say: After the previous two reviews I am much happier about writing this one! A leading role for a woman that is nuanced, compelling, fierce, loving and complex! Also, she is a woman of age? I don't know what is going on, but I like it. The acting is great across the board. The story is of the complicated fabric of a marriage that is complicit, passionate, devious, suffocating, rich and unbearable all at the same time. This story gets in there and takes a hard look at a lot of real human stuff! None of the characters are victims or blame free, which is such a pleasant place from which to look at the difficulties of life. I was very impressed and pleased with this as an overall story, whereas I figured it was just a piece to show off some Glenn Close Oscar-level pain. Nope. It's better than that! If you seek highlights, skip those other two movies and check this one out.
Sunday, February 10, 2019
An Apology to Female Directors: Capernaum, Free Solo & RBG
When I first assessed the nominations, I said there were no female directors nominated but I was only looking at the Best Picture category. Here are three movies helmed by women that we are celebrating at the Oscars this year!
Movie: Capernaum
Nominated for: Best Foreign Language Film
How I watched: Laemmle
When I fell asleep: I did not
When it had me: A 12 year old boy's fierce protection of his sister
When it lost me: It did not
What I have to say: This was a heart wrenching story about how children survive on the streets of war torn and poverty-stricken cities. It was intensely real; I often forgot that I was not watching a documentary. The acting was astounding and invisible. Thematically, I was struck by the notion of children seeing injustice more clearly than adults who have numbed themselves to their reality. Also central was the idea of a family you choose being more powerful than the one to which you happen to be related. For such a despairing topic, Nadine Labaki also injects a humor to the subject matter which I appreciated. The whole audience was chuckling (with relief) as we watched a baby stubbornly refuse to drink stolen breast milk. This was moving, thought provoking and lovingly told. A legal matter in the end felt like a forced story conceit but it was a small complaint against such an impressive picture of struggle in Lebanon.
Movie: Free Solo
Nominated for: Best Documentary
How I watched: At the movies
When I fell asleep: Not this time
When it had me: The Girlfriend - a documentary with a villain????
When it lost me: My fear of heights nearly drove me from the theatre
What I have to say: This movie was far more well rounded and compelling than I feared it would be. First, let's talk about the visceral component. Watching someone rock climb without a harness when you know it is actually happening with no Hollywood tricks and that he can literally slip and plummet to his death at any moment is nerve wracking. Amazing camerawork that constantly reminds you of the height and the danger kept me fidgety, sweating, breathing shallow and groaning out loud. I realize none of this sounds like it makes for a fun watch. If you know me, you know I love horror films because I am fascinated by the power of a film to affect the audience physically. So this was all fine for me, even as it drove me crazy. The most compelling component of this documentary was the toll it took on the film makers and coaches who are present and assisting Alex Honnold in his goal to free climb El Capitan (the most insane attempt of free climbing to date). Because Alex is a bit of an emotionally detached machine when it comes to his climbing, it was smart of the directors, Elizabeth Chai Vassarhelyi and Jimmy Chin to spend time focusing on the emotional turmoil of those key figures surrounding him.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The most surprising component of the film is that during the course of the shooting of the doc he gets a new girlfriend who becomes the villain of the piece. El Cap is already the antagonist and a damn strong one. He wants to climb the mountain but the mountain has never been climbed and might kill him. That works for tension and structure. However his girlfriend, a charming, beautiful, caring, soft spoken sweetheart shows up and seems bent on doing everything she can to destroy Alex. She drops him off the side of a mountain causing stress fractures to his back, she gets into his head and distracts him constantly, she tries to settle him down and change him before he can complete his journey - it's maddening! But also makes for great cinema. Is it possible she was planted by the film makers? Maybe my paranoia is getting the better of me. In any case this movie had satisfying drama to spare!
Movie: RBG
Nominated for: Best Documentary
How I watched: Amazon
When I fell asleep: No way.
When it had me: Immediately
When it lost me: It kept me.
What I have to say: While I was interested in the topic, I was bracing myself for a dry, historic kind of recounting of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life. I was wrong, of course, or this wouldn't be nominated for an Oscar! Julie Cohen and Betsy West craft a really youthful, fun and smart look at an unlikely cultural icon. They brilliantly open the film with voice overs of conservative men tearing into RBG, which immediately gets me as the viewer to feel defensive and allied with this tiny old woman. Then they cut to this awesome song (which is nominated) and said tiny old woman working out like a prize fighter! It's amazing. With an opening like that, I'll follow you anywhere. My kids watched with me and even their attention was captured and held throughout. I'm happy for them to feel connected to an unlikely but indisputable hero like the Notorious RBG.
(Note: It appears to me that nearly all of the top jobs on this film were done by women. It's not necessary for every film to boast that but isn't it totally badass that this one does?)
Movie: Capernaum
Nominated for: Best Foreign Language Film
How I watched: Laemmle
When I fell asleep: I did not
When it had me: A 12 year old boy's fierce protection of his sister
When it lost me: It did not
What I have to say: This was a heart wrenching story about how children survive on the streets of war torn and poverty-stricken cities. It was intensely real; I often forgot that I was not watching a documentary. The acting was astounding and invisible. Thematically, I was struck by the notion of children seeing injustice more clearly than adults who have numbed themselves to their reality. Also central was the idea of a family you choose being more powerful than the one to which you happen to be related. For such a despairing topic, Nadine Labaki also injects a humor to the subject matter which I appreciated. The whole audience was chuckling (with relief) as we watched a baby stubbornly refuse to drink stolen breast milk. This was moving, thought provoking and lovingly told. A legal matter in the end felt like a forced story conceit but it was a small complaint against such an impressive picture of struggle in Lebanon.
Movie: Free Solo
Nominated for: Best Documentary
How I watched: At the movies
When I fell asleep: Not this time
When it had me: The Girlfriend - a documentary with a villain????
When it lost me: My fear of heights nearly drove me from the theatre
What I have to say: This movie was far more well rounded and compelling than I feared it would be. First, let's talk about the visceral component. Watching someone rock climb without a harness when you know it is actually happening with no Hollywood tricks and that he can literally slip and plummet to his death at any moment is nerve wracking. Amazing camerawork that constantly reminds you of the height and the danger kept me fidgety, sweating, breathing shallow and groaning out loud. I realize none of this sounds like it makes for a fun watch. If you know me, you know I love horror films because I am fascinated by the power of a film to affect the audience physically. So this was all fine for me, even as it drove me crazy. The most compelling component of this documentary was the toll it took on the film makers and coaches who are present and assisting Alex Honnold in his goal to free climb El Capitan (the most insane attempt of free climbing to date). Because Alex is a bit of an emotionally detached machine when it comes to his climbing, it was smart of the directors, Elizabeth Chai Vassarhelyi and Jimmy Chin to spend time focusing on the emotional turmoil of those key figures surrounding him.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The most surprising component of the film is that during the course of the shooting of the doc he gets a new girlfriend who becomes the villain of the piece. El Cap is already the antagonist and a damn strong one. He wants to climb the mountain but the mountain has never been climbed and might kill him. That works for tension and structure. However his girlfriend, a charming, beautiful, caring, soft spoken sweetheart shows up and seems bent on doing everything she can to destroy Alex. She drops him off the side of a mountain causing stress fractures to his back, she gets into his head and distracts him constantly, she tries to settle him down and change him before he can complete his journey - it's maddening! But also makes for great cinema. Is it possible she was planted by the film makers? Maybe my paranoia is getting the better of me. In any case this movie had satisfying drama to spare!
Movie: RBG
Nominated for: Best Documentary
How I watched: Amazon
When I fell asleep: No way.
When it had me: Immediately
When it lost me: It kept me.
What I have to say: While I was interested in the topic, I was bracing myself for a dry, historic kind of recounting of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life. I was wrong, of course, or this wouldn't be nominated for an Oscar! Julie Cohen and Betsy West craft a really youthful, fun and smart look at an unlikely cultural icon. They brilliantly open the film with voice overs of conservative men tearing into RBG, which immediately gets me as the viewer to feel defensive and allied with this tiny old woman. Then they cut to this awesome song (which is nominated) and said tiny old woman working out like a prize fighter! It's amazing. With an opening like that, I'll follow you anywhere. My kids watched with me and even their attention was captured and held throughout. I'm happy for them to feel connected to an unlikely but indisputable hero like the Notorious RBG.
(Note: It appears to me that nearly all of the top jobs on this film were done by women. It's not necessary for every film to boast that but isn't it totally badass that this one does?)
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Mary Poppins Returns, If Beale Street Could Talk
Movie: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Nominated for: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song, Best Costume Design
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: I was drowsy, but no sleeping
When it had me: The crazy pan armor man!
When it lost me: I was in and out
What I have to say: This movie is a collection of stories from the wild west that is both whimsical and dedicated to the cold, hard brutality of what that time period was really like. Gone is the romanticism of the stoic cowboy, the simpler times, the heroic nobility of man conquering nature. This is all hard knocks, bad breaks and living on the knife edge of death. I definitely appreciated this approach. Some stories were stronger than others, which I think held this film back from the larger award categories. Overall I felt like I saw something unique, so that's good.
Movie: Mary Poppins Returns
Nominated for: Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design
How I watched: Movie Theatre
When I fell asleep: I didn't
When it had me: Lin-Manuel Miranda doing his rap-singing
When it lost me: Meryl Streep, shockingly
What I have to say: I saw this movie with my kids in a packed theatre of movie watchers older than me! The old folks love Mary Poppins! This movie took me through the paces; from rolling my eyes at their obvious attempts to recreate the first movie step by step (another song and dance about an old-time-y London job? And while we are on the topic what's with Her Majesty's bike ramps and ye olde jumping stunts? Good grief!) to feeling utter delight and happiness for the trust and care of little people (a bright and bawdy song about not trusting what people appear to be and love and empathy extended to children who have suffered loss), I couldn't figure out which way was up! Speaking of which way is up, Meryl Streep as the Topsy Turvy character felt out of place and forced. While the movie managed some shining moments, it felt too long by a dance number or two and couldn't seem to get grounded and consistent. The presence of Ben Whishaw often made me wish I was watching Paddington instead, and I'm quite sure the film makers did NOT want that to happen.
Movie: If Beale Street Could Talk
Nominated for: Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score
When I fell asleep: I didn't
When it had me: Strong family love
When it lost me: Meandering story and music
What I have to say: First off, this is nominated for score. Sometimes I don't even notice the score the first time watching a movie but I distinctly remember thinking, "this music is going to kill me!" The main theme was heavy and repeated A LOT. I just didn't connect to it. As far as the movie was concerned, I really appreciated that this movie dealt with police issues, racism, the prison industrial complex, poverty and scarcity but kept its main focus on the love of family. The main female character has a close, loving, supportive family who are there to see her through all of the struggle; a refreshing and hopeful perspective. The acting in the movie is great. The plot is there but it feels secondary to the idea that the movie is a kind of tone poem. We witness a celebration of the intense loving connection between two people. We see both the difficulty and importance of holding on to that connection in the face of tragedy. The misty images and vulnerable close ups were beautiful and wistful. However those images started to lose their strength for me due to repetition. The combination of heavy music and repeated visuals wore me down and there wasn't enough driving the plot to keep me engaged. The parts were better than the sum for me. I didn't get the overall impact of the story for which I had hoped.
Nominated for: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song, Best Costume Design
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: I was drowsy, but no sleeping
When it had me: The crazy pan armor man!
When it lost me: I was in and out
What I have to say: This movie is a collection of stories from the wild west that is both whimsical and dedicated to the cold, hard brutality of what that time period was really like. Gone is the romanticism of the stoic cowboy, the simpler times, the heroic nobility of man conquering nature. This is all hard knocks, bad breaks and living on the knife edge of death. I definitely appreciated this approach. Some stories were stronger than others, which I think held this film back from the larger award categories. Overall I felt like I saw something unique, so that's good.
Movie: Mary Poppins Returns
Nominated for: Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design
How I watched: Movie Theatre
When I fell asleep: I didn't
When it had me: Lin-Manuel Miranda doing his rap-singing
When it lost me: Meryl Streep, shockingly
What I have to say: I saw this movie with my kids in a packed theatre of movie watchers older than me! The old folks love Mary Poppins! This movie took me through the paces; from rolling my eyes at their obvious attempts to recreate the first movie step by step (another song and dance about an old-time-y London job? And while we are on the topic what's with Her Majesty's bike ramps and ye olde jumping stunts? Good grief!) to feeling utter delight and happiness for the trust and care of little people (a bright and bawdy song about not trusting what people appear to be and love and empathy extended to children who have suffered loss), I couldn't figure out which way was up! Speaking of which way is up, Meryl Streep as the Topsy Turvy character felt out of place and forced. While the movie managed some shining moments, it felt too long by a dance number or two and couldn't seem to get grounded and consistent. The presence of Ben Whishaw often made me wish I was watching Paddington instead, and I'm quite sure the film makers did NOT want that to happen.
Movie: If Beale Street Could Talk
Nominated for: Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score
When I fell asleep: I didn't
When it had me: Strong family love
When it lost me: Meandering story and music
What I have to say: First off, this is nominated for score. Sometimes I don't even notice the score the first time watching a movie but I distinctly remember thinking, "this music is going to kill me!" The main theme was heavy and repeated A LOT. I just didn't connect to it. As far as the movie was concerned, I really appreciated that this movie dealt with police issues, racism, the prison industrial complex, poverty and scarcity but kept its main focus on the love of family. The main female character has a close, loving, supportive family who are there to see her through all of the struggle; a refreshing and hopeful perspective. The acting in the movie is great. The plot is there but it feels secondary to the idea that the movie is a kind of tone poem. We witness a celebration of the intense loving connection between two people. We see both the difficulty and importance of holding on to that connection in the face of tragedy. The misty images and vulnerable close ups were beautiful and wistful. However those images started to lose their strength for me due to repetition. The combination of heavy music and repeated visuals wore me down and there wasn't enough driving the plot to keep me engaged. The parts were better than the sum for me. I didn't get the overall impact of the story for which I had hoped.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Green Book, BlacKKKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody
Movie: Green Book
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing
When I fell asleep: Nope.
When it had me: Viggo's fun Italian character
When it lost me: When the main character got over all of his prejudices super easily.
What I have to say: This movie was like a benign fairy tale. If I take this movie at face value, it's a feel good tale about friendship winning out over racism. But I feel wary of believing that it actually works like this in real life. I'm concerned that white people allow ourselves to believe too many of these narratives and it helps us to feel like racism isn't a real problem as long as we are friendly to black people. We are encouraged to feel good about the actions of one person, which may or may not be the full story, so that we don't concern ourselves with the bigger picture of living with the constant benefits of a society built on racist beliefs. All of this makes me distrust the story; I resist the idea that this one Italian man was a kind of saint who was so easily swayed from his bigoted beliefs by his interactions with one talented, type-A musician. The acting was great by both Viggo Mortenson and Mahershala Ali, and yet I didn't believe in the overall narrative.
Edited to add: I spoke to my mom about this one. She and I both remember vividly the Italian relatives that remind us of Viggo's character in this film. She knew them in the 60s and remembers the complex mix of lazy racist beliefs and deep human compassion that many men of this generation paradoxically nursed within themselves. She found the narrative more believable than I did. While she is a strong believer in fierce activism she also sees the value of a story like this one that shows us that it can be just as simple as human kindness winning the day. Point taken. Thanks, mom.
Movie: BlacKKKlansman
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing
When I fell asleep: I started this one late, so about three times in the middle of the film, though not for long.
When it had me: Title card reading, "Dis joint is based on some fo' real, fo' real shit."
When it lost me: Harry Bellafonte's story is when I was nodding off.
What I have to say: This movie was also a bit like a fairy tale. The main character's childlike straightforwardness and optimism were infectious and delightful. The cartoon-ish idiocy of the white supremacists was hilarious as long as you didn't let yourself remember that people actually felt and feel that way, then it was nauseating. The outlandish look of the time period made it almost easy to laugh off all of this savage, hateful, stupid behavior as a thing in our fast-receding history. But there were moments that reminded us that we haven't come very far from those days. And in case we missed those, Spike Lee reminds us with an epilogue of an all too real look at what the Klan has been up to recently and how persistent these abhorrent views are. Through the film we get to follow along with a kind of a romp where we enjoy watching a bunch of racists get taken down a notch, sure. But Spike won't let us leave the theatre until we remember how much work there is yet to do and ultimately that makes this so much more powerful for me than Green Book.
Movie: Bohemian Rhapsody
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Film Editing
How I watched: Movie Theatre
When I fell asleep: Not this time
When it had me: I'm not sure, but I want to say Mike Myers?
When it lost me: A lot.
What I have to say: While I enjoyed the music and some of the backstory to the songs that was revealed, this movie felt remarkably empty to me. It felt as if it were glossing over some things or not diving deeply enough or trying to wow me and falling short. It wasn't terrible but I just wasn't blown away. Worst of all, I did not really connect with Rami Malek's performance. I kept thinking that I didn't know Freddy Mercury well enough but if I did, I would feel more impressed. With our interest piqued, we came home and watched the actual Live Aid performance that was memorialized in the movie. At this point it was abundantly clear to me that Malek did not even come close to capturing the charisma and power of Mercury. I'm a little baffled by the Golden Globe love that this film received and I'm interested to see how Oscar feels about it.
Edited to add: Wow! The Academy is all in on this one! I feel out of step but that's ok, I can deal with that.
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing
When I fell asleep: Nope.
When it had me: Viggo's fun Italian character
When it lost me: When the main character got over all of his prejudices super easily.
What I have to say: This movie was like a benign fairy tale. If I take this movie at face value, it's a feel good tale about friendship winning out over racism. But I feel wary of believing that it actually works like this in real life. I'm concerned that white people allow ourselves to believe too many of these narratives and it helps us to feel like racism isn't a real problem as long as we are friendly to black people. We are encouraged to feel good about the actions of one person, which may or may not be the full story, so that we don't concern ourselves with the bigger picture of living with the constant benefits of a society built on racist beliefs. All of this makes me distrust the story; I resist the idea that this one Italian man was a kind of saint who was so easily swayed from his bigoted beliefs by his interactions with one talented, type-A musician. The acting was great by both Viggo Mortenson and Mahershala Ali, and yet I didn't believe in the overall narrative.
Edited to add: I spoke to my mom about this one. She and I both remember vividly the Italian relatives that remind us of Viggo's character in this film. She knew them in the 60s and remembers the complex mix of lazy racist beliefs and deep human compassion that many men of this generation paradoxically nursed within themselves. She found the narrative more believable than I did. While she is a strong believer in fierce activism she also sees the value of a story like this one that shows us that it can be just as simple as human kindness winning the day. Point taken. Thanks, mom.
Movie: BlacKKKlansman
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing
When I fell asleep: I started this one late, so about three times in the middle of the film, though not for long.
When it had me: Title card reading, "Dis joint is based on some fo' real, fo' real shit."
When it lost me: Harry Bellafonte's story is when I was nodding off.
What I have to say: This movie was also a bit like a fairy tale. The main character's childlike straightforwardness and optimism were infectious and delightful. The cartoon-ish idiocy of the white supremacists was hilarious as long as you didn't let yourself remember that people actually felt and feel that way, then it was nauseating. The outlandish look of the time period made it almost easy to laugh off all of this savage, hateful, stupid behavior as a thing in our fast-receding history. But there were moments that reminded us that we haven't come very far from those days. And in case we missed those, Spike Lee reminds us with an epilogue of an all too real look at what the Klan has been up to recently and how persistent these abhorrent views are. Through the film we get to follow along with a kind of a romp where we enjoy watching a bunch of racists get taken down a notch, sure. But Spike won't let us leave the theatre until we remember how much work there is yet to do and ultimately that makes this so much more powerful for me than Green Book.
Movie: Bohemian Rhapsody
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Film Editing
How I watched: Movie Theatre
When I fell asleep: Not this time
When it had me: I'm not sure, but I want to say Mike Myers?
When it lost me: A lot.
What I have to say: While I enjoyed the music and some of the backstory to the songs that was revealed, this movie felt remarkably empty to me. It felt as if it were glossing over some things or not diving deeply enough or trying to wow me and falling short. It wasn't terrible but I just wasn't blown away. Worst of all, I did not really connect with Rami Malek's performance. I kept thinking that I didn't know Freddy Mercury well enough but if I did, I would feel more impressed. With our interest piqued, we came home and watched the actual Live Aid performance that was memorialized in the movie. At this point it was abundantly clear to me that Malek did not even come close to capturing the charisma and power of Mercury. I'm a little baffled by the Golden Globe love that this film received and I'm interested to see how Oscar feels about it.
Edited to add: Wow! The Academy is all in on this one! I feel out of step but that's ok, I can deal with that.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Beautiful Boy, Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse amd First Man
Movie: Beautiful Boy
Nominated for: Update - Not nominated
When I fell asleep: I did not.
When it had me: Immediately. A parent with a missing kid and I was in.
When it lost me: Rapt, horrified attention, all the way.
What I have to say: Thoughtful acting, strong editing, compelling and nightmarish story for any parent. I cried a lot and talked to my kids about drugs afterward. I didn't even know going in that it was based on a real story; once I figured that out I felt even worse. The texture created by the memories of innocent childhood were so incredibly powerful. I normally would not choose this movie for myself out of fear that it will be emotional torture. I'd much rather watch a slasher film that gets my heart racing, but I'm glad when Oscar season makes me take the time for a movie like this.
Movie: Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse
Nominated for: Best Animated Movie
How I watched: Movie Theatre, twice
When I fell asleep: Nope
When it had me: Peter B. Parker, crying in his bathtub
When it lost me: Never
What I have to say: This movie was so special on so many levels. The message that anyone can "wear the mask" of heroism and the realization of that by showing us such a beautifully diverse group of characters doing so. The deep love of family that guides the hero into his future. The authenticity and vulnerability of Peter B Parker that had me cackling and crying and gasping for air in my theatre seat. The animation style and sense of humor. All of this was wonderful and so enjoyable that this film is on my short list of top picks for the year! I might have argued for this to be added to the Best Picture category but HOW could they add TWO superhero movies in the same year?
Movie: First Man
Nominated for: Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects
When I fell asleep: With only 20 minutes left to go. Had to walk around and rally for the end.
When it had me: Noise in the cockpit!
When it lost me: Going to the moon
What I have to say: Sound editing absolutely rocked it in this movie! I was blown away by the overwhelming aural experience of the textures and rumbles and louds of their version of what it was like to be an astronaut willingly hurling yourself through space in sheets of riveted together metal. I was moved by this experience at home! I wish I'd seen it in a theatre. As far as story, this is a more personal and dark look at space travel than we have seen through other films about the space race. I liked connecting to this famous astronaut as a human being. As noted above, they kind of lost me when they headed to the moon. I mean, I knew they would make it so it's hard to keep the tension, right? But then they hit me with some more awesome sound work and silence that got me right back. I'll be cheering on Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan for Sound Editing for sure!
Nominated for: Update - Not nominated
When I fell asleep: I did not.
When it had me: Immediately. A parent with a missing kid and I was in.
When it lost me: Rapt, horrified attention, all the way.
What I have to say: Thoughtful acting, strong editing, compelling and nightmarish story for any parent. I cried a lot and talked to my kids about drugs afterward. I didn't even know going in that it was based on a real story; once I figured that out I felt even worse. The texture created by the memories of innocent childhood were so incredibly powerful. I normally would not choose this movie for myself out of fear that it will be emotional torture. I'd much rather watch a slasher film that gets my heart racing, but I'm glad when Oscar season makes me take the time for a movie like this.
Movie: Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse
Nominated for: Best Animated Movie
How I watched: Movie Theatre, twice
When I fell asleep: Nope
When it had me: Peter B. Parker, crying in his bathtub
When it lost me: Never
What I have to say: This movie was so special on so many levels. The message that anyone can "wear the mask" of heroism and the realization of that by showing us such a beautifully diverse group of characters doing so. The deep love of family that guides the hero into his future. The authenticity and vulnerability of Peter B Parker that had me cackling and crying and gasping for air in my theatre seat. The animation style and sense of humor. All of this was wonderful and so enjoyable that this film is on my short list of top picks for the year! I might have argued for this to be added to the Best Picture category but HOW could they add TWO superhero movies in the same year?
Movie: First Man
Nominated for: Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects
When I fell asleep: With only 20 minutes left to go. Had to walk around and rally for the end.
When it had me: Noise in the cockpit!
When it lost me: Going to the moon
What I have to say: Sound editing absolutely rocked it in this movie! I was blown away by the overwhelming aural experience of the textures and rumbles and louds of their version of what it was like to be an astronaut willingly hurling yourself through space in sheets of riveted together metal. I was moved by this experience at home! I wish I'd seen it in a theatre. As far as story, this is a more personal and dark look at space travel than we have seen through other films about the space race. I liked connecting to this famous astronaut as a human being. As noted above, they kind of lost me when they headed to the moon. I mean, I knew they would make it so it's hard to keep the tension, right? But then they hit me with some more awesome sound work and silence that got me right back. I'll be cheering on Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan for Sound Editing for sure!
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
NOMINATION DAY EXTRAVAGANZA!
The most exciting day for the Oscar Glutton is here! The nominations for the 2019 Academy Awards were announced this morning and now there is no more guessing. You can look at the full list here. But I know what you really want! You want to read about my reactions to the nominations.
Reaction 1:
I read the list of nominees and then I went out for a walk in Austria in spring time. I ran to the top of a grass covered hill, my arms outstretched and the snowy Alps majestic behind me as I twirled round and round and sang, "The Mule got zero nominations!!!!!!" Then I went home and made lunches for the kids. (Note: I have not seen The Mule. Maybe it's a good movie? I have a long history of not enjoying Clint Eastwood movies so that's the reason for my jubilant relief this morning.)
Reaction 2:
After two weeks of getting up before dawn to drink raw eggs, watch movies and toughen my fists against freshly butchered sides of beef, I got up groggy and worn down. But my training had paid off. I have already seen all but 17 of the nominees this year! When I realized that I just started running, all the way to Philadelphia and straight up the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art my arms raised above my head in anticipation of my certain victory.
Reaction 3:
I found myself at home alone this morning as I listened to the nominations being announced. I had just finished pretending to shave when they announced the nominees for Best Documentary. I slapped aftershave on my face and screamed right into the camera, I mean, the bathroom mirror! I can't believe Won't You Be My Neighbor? was not among the films nominated in this category. I considered that one a lock since it came out. It surprises me because Morgan Neville won for his earlier effort, 20 Feet From Stardom and I thought this was a WAY more powerful doc. It just goes to show, you never know. Then I got dressed and double checked that all the doors were locked, just in case.
Some people are shocked that Bradley Cooper was "snubbed" for his direction of A Star is Born but since Spike Lee picked up his first nomination for that category this year, I don't find it that egregious.
No female directors were nominated this year but 4 movies helmed by women were recognized in one category or another. Those were Can You Ever Forgive Me? Free Solo, RBG and Capernaum. (And where are my lady editors at? I'm available, Hollywood! ) Women made up about 22% of the individual nominations (aside from acting) and people of color made up about 29% of those categories. However I am celebrating Black Panther being the first superhero movie ever nominated and bringing with it the first black Production Design nominee, Hannah Beachler.
Thanks for joining me on this wonderful day of nominations. Now let's get back to watching movies!
Reaction 1:
I read the list of nominees and then I went out for a walk in Austria in spring time. I ran to the top of a grass covered hill, my arms outstretched and the snowy Alps majestic behind me as I twirled round and round and sang, "The Mule got zero nominations!!!!!!" Then I went home and made lunches for the kids. (Note: I have not seen The Mule. Maybe it's a good movie? I have a long history of not enjoying Clint Eastwood movies so that's the reason for my jubilant relief this morning.)
Reaction 2:
After two weeks of getting up before dawn to drink raw eggs, watch movies and toughen my fists against freshly butchered sides of beef, I got up groggy and worn down. But my training had paid off. I have already seen all but 17 of the nominees this year! When I realized that I just started running, all the way to Philadelphia and straight up the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art my arms raised above my head in anticipation of my certain victory.
Reaction 3:
I found myself at home alone this morning as I listened to the nominations being announced. I had just finished pretending to shave when they announced the nominees for Best Documentary. I slapped aftershave on my face and screamed right into the camera, I mean, the bathroom mirror! I can't believe Won't You Be My Neighbor? was not among the films nominated in this category. I considered that one a lock since it came out. It surprises me because Morgan Neville won for his earlier effort, 20 Feet From Stardom and I thought this was a WAY more powerful doc. It just goes to show, you never know. Then I got dressed and double checked that all the doors were locked, just in case.
Some people are shocked that Bradley Cooper was "snubbed" for his direction of A Star is Born but since Spike Lee picked up his first nomination for that category this year, I don't find it that egregious.
No female directors were nominated this year but 4 movies helmed by women were recognized in one category or another. Those were Can You Ever Forgive Me? Free Solo, RBG and Capernaum. (And where are my lady editors at? I'm available, Hollywood! ) Women made up about 22% of the individual nominations (aside from acting) and people of color made up about 29% of those categories. However I am celebrating Black Panther being the first superhero movie ever nominated and bringing with it the first black Production Design nominee, Hannah Beachler.
Thanks for joining me on this wonderful day of nominations. Now let's get back to watching movies!
Monday, January 21, 2019
Less Sure Bets
Some of the films that I have previewed that I am less certain will get nominations.
Movie: First Reformed
Nominated for: Update - Best Original Screenplay
How I watched: Amazon Prime
When I fell asleep: Nope. I watched it early.
When it had me: Unexpected occurrences!
When it lost me: Belly-gate
What I have to say: This was a compelling look at old church contrasted with new church, grieving, and when to fight versus when to let go. At one point a six months along pregnant woman lies down on her belly and I was so completely taken out of the movie that I quit trusting the film maker! (Am I a difficult viewer? Yes, sometimes.) The ending was a real head-shaker which keeps me from loving it as a whole even though I was very engaged for most of the film.
Movie: Leave No Trace
Nominated for: Update - No kudos for this one
How I watched: Amazon Prime
When I fell asleep: During the last ten minutes! I had to run it back but not by much.
When it had me: Watching a child run a drill to not be found in the woods.
When it lost me: I don't think it did
What I have to say: This was a quiet and small film about a father and daughter's relationship and about the difficulty of trying to live outside of society's expectations. The movie felt honest and heartfelt, the direction was competent. It sort of feels too small to get notice, but you never know.
Movie: You Were Never Really Here
Nominated for: Update - As I feared, no love form the Academy
How I watched: Amazon Prime
When I fell asleep: Not once
When it had me: Right from the start
When it lost me: Never
What I have to say: This film deals with some pretty ugly aspects of humanity but it manages to do so in a way that it doesn't force you to wallow around in the muck. The director lets you know what's up without torturing you about it which made me feel really trusting of the director, Lynne Ramsay. I am in LOVE with the editing of this movie. The use of flashbacks as emotional backstory rather than as traditional plot driven flashbacks is something I am super into right now; all I want to do is edit movies this way. Joaquin Phoenix's acting is terrific and the ending scene packs a punch that took my breath away. (This film is too violent for some of my friends.) This one is on my list of favorites for the year but I worry that it came out too early in the year to get notice.
Movie: First Reformed
Nominated for: Update - Best Original Screenplay
How I watched: Amazon Prime
When I fell asleep: Nope. I watched it early.
When it had me: Unexpected occurrences!
When it lost me: Belly-gate
What I have to say: This was a compelling look at old church contrasted with new church, grieving, and when to fight versus when to let go. At one point a six months along pregnant woman lies down on her belly and I was so completely taken out of the movie that I quit trusting the film maker! (Am I a difficult viewer? Yes, sometimes.) The ending was a real head-shaker which keeps me from loving it as a whole even though I was very engaged for most of the film.
Movie: Leave No Trace
Nominated for: Update - No kudos for this one
How I watched: Amazon Prime
When I fell asleep: During the last ten minutes! I had to run it back but not by much.
When it had me: Watching a child run a drill to not be found in the woods.
When it lost me: I don't think it did
What I have to say: This was a quiet and small film about a father and daughter's relationship and about the difficulty of trying to live outside of society's expectations. The movie felt honest and heartfelt, the direction was competent. It sort of feels too small to get notice, but you never know.
Movie: You Were Never Really Here
Nominated for: Update - As I feared, no love form the Academy
How I watched: Amazon Prime
When I fell asleep: Not once
When it had me: Right from the start
When it lost me: Never
What I have to say: This film deals with some pretty ugly aspects of humanity but it manages to do so in a way that it doesn't force you to wallow around in the muck. The director lets you know what's up without torturing you about it which made me feel really trusting of the director, Lynne Ramsay. I am in LOVE with the editing of this movie. The use of flashbacks as emotional backstory rather than as traditional plot driven flashbacks is something I am super into right now; all I want to do is edit movies this way. Joaquin Phoenix's acting is terrific and the ending scene packs a punch that took my breath away. (This film is too violent for some of my friends.) This one is on my list of favorites for the year but I worry that it came out too early in the year to get notice.
Pretty Good Bets
These ones MUST be included!
Movie: Vice
Nominated for: Update - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, Best Original Screenplay and Best Makeup
How I watched: Movie Theatre
When I fell asleep: Not a bit
When it had me: Right after the logos
When it lost me: Never
What I have to say: I was a big fan of The Big Short and an even bigger fan of this movie. This style and humor works for me and I pretty much wish Adam McKay had been my history teacher. Christian Bale is astounding in this role! The rest of the cast is also great but also incredibly spot on for matching their real life counterparts. While I don't think that is required for a biopic, I'm still impressed with that achievement. This movie is another example of flashbacks and cutaways used very briefly to provide emotional context or to visually ground the viewer. I love this editing tool; I want to use more of it. (I wonder if older audiences find it more jarring than younger ones? I wonder if we are so accustomed to the ADHD effect of our smart phones that we can tolerate that better than earlier generations? I wonder why I consider myself a younger audience member? Are a lot of 70 year olds going to see Vice?) Anyway, the movie was terrific. Unless you are a conservative and then I imagine the movie is extremely offensive and a pack of lies.
Movie: Won't You Be My Neighbor
Nominated for: Update - I was so wrong! This is NOT nominated
How I watched: A Screening at School
When I fell asleep: Not at all, but my eyelids felt heavy with wine.
When it had me: Listening to Fred Rogers speak with passion about children.
When it lost me: I may have gotten a bit bored here or there.
What I have to say: I'm one of those people that does't want to admit out loud that I find the beloved Mr. Rogers pretty creepy. I don't think he was bad in any way and yet he puts me off. I was blown away learning about him and his mission in life. He was Brene Brown before Brene Brown was; he was all about acknowledging the inherent worth in every human being, living a non-judgmental, shame-free life and giving to everyone he met with an open heart. That is absolutely stunning. Even more stunning is that he lived in a time where you could use TV to spread that message while still being a humble pastor with a tiny local studio. I realized that he connected with everyone with vulnerability and authenticity. Because that isn't the norm in our society that kind of open-ness feels incredibly intimate and that's why he creeped me out. Mr. Rogers WAS trying to touch a part of me that is considered very private by most of society, and all Mr. McFeely jokes aside, it was never a bad thing!
Movie: The Favourite
Nominated for: Update - Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress (twice), Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing
When I fell asleep: I didn't but I felt a bit distracted.
When it had me: A period piece about lesbians? It had me at the trailer.
When it lost me: I can't point to where specifically, but it didn't keep me the whole time.
What I have to say: First off, I watched a couple of trailers and thought this was going to be a hilarious comedy. Wrong. It IS black comedy and there are laughs but the central theme is not one of zany aristocrats. It's about power, manipulation and whether or not you know what winning looks like when you set out to play a game. The acting is superb, the dialogue is sharp and shocking, the design and costuming are fantastic. And yet, something about this movie never congealed for me. Individual scenes that were each enjoyable somehow didn't seem to connect with a power that let me know I was going somewhere specific. I'm still not sure if this is due to my errant expectation when I started or not. I liked it but didn't love it.
Movie: Vice
Nominated for: Update - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, Best Original Screenplay and Best Makeup
How I watched: Movie Theatre
When I fell asleep: Not a bit
When it had me: Right after the logos
When it lost me: Never
What I have to say: I was a big fan of The Big Short and an even bigger fan of this movie. This style and humor works for me and I pretty much wish Adam McKay had been my history teacher. Christian Bale is astounding in this role! The rest of the cast is also great but also incredibly spot on for matching their real life counterparts. While I don't think that is required for a biopic, I'm still impressed with that achievement. This movie is another example of flashbacks and cutaways used very briefly to provide emotional context or to visually ground the viewer. I love this editing tool; I want to use more of it. (I wonder if older audiences find it more jarring than younger ones? I wonder if we are so accustomed to the ADHD effect of our smart phones that we can tolerate that better than earlier generations? I wonder why I consider myself a younger audience member? Are a lot of 70 year olds going to see Vice?) Anyway, the movie was terrific. Unless you are a conservative and then I imagine the movie is extremely offensive and a pack of lies.
Movie: Won't You Be My Neighbor
Nominated for: Update - I was so wrong! This is NOT nominated
How I watched: A Screening at School
When I fell asleep: Not at all, but my eyelids felt heavy with wine.
When it had me: Listening to Fred Rogers speak with passion about children.
When it lost me: I may have gotten a bit bored here or there.
What I have to say: I'm one of those people that does't want to admit out loud that I find the beloved Mr. Rogers pretty creepy. I don't think he was bad in any way and yet he puts me off. I was blown away learning about him and his mission in life. He was Brene Brown before Brene Brown was; he was all about acknowledging the inherent worth in every human being, living a non-judgmental, shame-free life and giving to everyone he met with an open heart. That is absolutely stunning. Even more stunning is that he lived in a time where you could use TV to spread that message while still being a humble pastor with a tiny local studio. I realized that he connected with everyone with vulnerability and authenticity. Because that isn't the norm in our society that kind of open-ness feels incredibly intimate and that's why he creeped me out. Mr. Rogers WAS trying to touch a part of me that is considered very private by most of society, and all Mr. McFeely jokes aside, it was never a bad thing!
Movie: The Favourite
Nominated for: Update - Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress (twice), Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing
When I fell asleep: I didn't but I felt a bit distracted.
When it had me: A period piece about lesbians? It had me at the trailer.
When it lost me: I can't point to where specifically, but it didn't keep me the whole time.
What I have to say: First off, I watched a couple of trailers and thought this was going to be a hilarious comedy. Wrong. It IS black comedy and there are laughs but the central theme is not one of zany aristocrats. It's about power, manipulation and whether or not you know what winning looks like when you set out to play a game. The acting is superb, the dialogue is sharp and shocking, the design and costuming are fantastic. And yet, something about this movie never congealed for me. Individual scenes that were each enjoyable somehow didn't seem to connect with a power that let me know I was going somewhere specific. I'm still not sure if this is due to my errant expectation when I started or not. I liked it but didn't love it.
A Star is Born
Movie: A Star is Born
Nominated for: Update - Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Song, Best Sound Mixing
When I fell asleep: I watched it in the morning so no worries.
When it had me: The first concert, when she goes onstage.
When it lost me: The orange hair? Really? Whatever.
What I have to say: I was NOT interested in this movie. Why does it need a third remake? Why should I care? I really was dragging my feet. And yet I have to give Cooper credit for doing the hard job of winning me over. Despite the fact that every turn this movie takes is utterly predictable, the performances were great enough to keep me watching. The editing and music leading up to her debut at his concert were absolutely thrilling; I was so invested at that point. Instead of asking myself why she was willing to go along with this self destructive dude (he's Bradley Cooper, so, duh!) or whether she contributed to his downfall (don't we blame the women always?), I found myself just glad that they got a little time to be there for each other before he had to tap out and before her career left no room for him. Lady Gaga outshone Bradley Cooper in the Acting department, but I did enjoy his gravelly voice thing (not as much Rocket Raccon's voice, but close.) This was extremely competently made and enjoyable. I hope for better from best picture, but we'll see.
Nominated for: Update - Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Song, Best Sound Mixing
When I fell asleep: I watched it in the morning so no worries.
When it had me: The first concert, when she goes onstage.
When it lost me: The orange hair? Really? Whatever.
What I have to say: I was NOT interested in this movie. Why does it need a third remake? Why should I care? I really was dragging my feet. And yet I have to give Cooper credit for doing the hard job of winning me over. Despite the fact that every turn this movie takes is utterly predictable, the performances were great enough to keep me watching. The editing and music leading up to her debut at his concert were absolutely thrilling; I was so invested at that point. Instead of asking myself why she was willing to go along with this self destructive dude (he's Bradley Cooper, so, duh!) or whether she contributed to his downfall (don't we blame the women always?), I found myself just glad that they got a little time to be there for each other before he had to tap out and before her career left no room for him. Lady Gaga outshone Bradley Cooper in the Acting department, but I did enjoy his gravelly voice thing (not as much Rocket Raccon's voice, but close.) This was extremely competently made and enjoyable. I hope for better from best picture, but we'll see.
Roma
Movie: Roma
Nominated for: TBA
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: My eyelids felt heavy for a moment, but I stayed awake.
When it had me: Parking the Galaxy!
When it lost me: It just managed to keep me engaged.
What I have to say: This movie is something so different than the entertainment to which I have become accustomed. It is an emotional tribute to a person. Not in the way that a biopic might detail the life and accomplishments of Stephen Hawking or Ray Charles, but in a far quieter and more personal way. It is beautifully shot, patient, non-judgmental and paced like life. It is a movie that sticks with you long after you have finished watching it and makes you really consider relationships, history, humility and lasting impressions. Truly unique and thoughtful cinema.
(Spoilers Ahead. Stop now if you need to watch it.)
Also? The movie flirts with being boring. There were times when I felt like I was invited to someone's house for the weekend and then they forgot about me. This is a lovely home and a lovely family and I'm so grateful to be included but should I just go read a book for a while or something? Cuaron shows us everything as if we are a fly on the wall, never pointing to one moment as more important than another. We watch dog poop being cleaned up with the same passivity as watching a child being stillborn. No music, no camera movement, no commentary. It feels weird to have a film maker just stand back and say to you, "It's not up to me. You can feel however you want about it." At times it felt indifferent although I know that was not his intention. I appreciate his desire to get out of the way and not manipulate our emotions. And still, it felt almost unsettling.
There was a scene that stood out as differently paced and constructed than the rest and that was a scene about parking a car! We watch the family's father (without ever seeing his face) attempt to fit a car into a tiny space with much frustration, recalibrating, tension and angst. It could not have been more clear that this person was at odds with the flow of the rest of the family, brought a different and unwlecome energy and quite literally did not fit in. The absurdity of this moment was wonderful and great comic relief.
The other scene that won me over was one where a field full of young men (and some onlookers) watch with reverence as a man in tights tells them what is difficult and what achievement is and demonstrates his heroism, while Cuaron shows us his personal hero is capable of all of that and so much more. It was a very lovely moment.
This movie is all the talk and for good reason. We don't often get a movie that just is its own thing without trying to be like other films, without trying to push and pull us in so many ways. Roma will definitely win its share of awards this year.
Nominated for: TBA
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: My eyelids felt heavy for a moment, but I stayed awake.
When it had me: Parking the Galaxy!
When it lost me: It just managed to keep me engaged.
What I have to say: This movie is something so different than the entertainment to which I have become accustomed. It is an emotional tribute to a person. Not in the way that a biopic might detail the life and accomplishments of Stephen Hawking or Ray Charles, but in a far quieter and more personal way. It is beautifully shot, patient, non-judgmental and paced like life. It is a movie that sticks with you long after you have finished watching it and makes you really consider relationships, history, humility and lasting impressions. Truly unique and thoughtful cinema.
(Spoilers Ahead. Stop now if you need to watch it.)
Also? The movie flirts with being boring. There were times when I felt like I was invited to someone's house for the weekend and then they forgot about me. This is a lovely home and a lovely family and I'm so grateful to be included but should I just go read a book for a while or something? Cuaron shows us everything as if we are a fly on the wall, never pointing to one moment as more important than another. We watch dog poop being cleaned up with the same passivity as watching a child being stillborn. No music, no camera movement, no commentary. It feels weird to have a film maker just stand back and say to you, "It's not up to me. You can feel however you want about it." At times it felt indifferent although I know that was not his intention. I appreciate his desire to get out of the way and not manipulate our emotions. And still, it felt almost unsettling.
There was a scene that stood out as differently paced and constructed than the rest and that was a scene about parking a car! We watch the family's father (without ever seeing his face) attempt to fit a car into a tiny space with much frustration, recalibrating, tension and angst. It could not have been more clear that this person was at odds with the flow of the rest of the family, brought a different and unwlecome energy and quite literally did not fit in. The absurdity of this moment was wonderful and great comic relief.
The other scene that won me over was one where a field full of young men (and some onlookers) watch with reverence as a man in tights tells them what is difficult and what achievement is and demonstrates his heroism, while Cuaron shows us his personal hero is capable of all of that and so much more. It was a very lovely moment.
This movie is all the talk and for good reason. We don't often get a movie that just is its own thing without trying to be like other films, without trying to push and pull us in so many ways. Roma will definitely win its share of awards this year.
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Oscar Glutton 2019: Countdown to Nomination day!
Hello, friends and movie lovers.
I am just so excited to get started this year. I usually make nomination day my first official post but that isn't happening for TWO MORE WEEKS! So forget that.
I asked my pals and readers to send me their locks, so here is a list of the movies we are pretty sure are going to get nominated for SOMETHING:
A Star is Born (ugh. Is there any chance I will like this movie?)
Bohemian Rhapsody
Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Vice
The Favourite
Leave No Trace
First Reformed
The Wife
Roma
Beautiful Boy
BlacKKKlansman
Isle of Dogs
Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse
Green Book
Minding the Gap
I am most worried that The Mule or Bumblebee will be nominated. (Fingers crossed that the spirit of Dorothy Arzner protects me from that pain.)
My goal is to sleep during fewer of the films this year, (but just to be safe, I should probably still keep track of the sleeping point.) Maybe starting earlier can help me get ahead and feel less of that eyelid-murdering movie fatigue. I've got two weeks to guess wisely and rack up some valuable pre-nom screenings.
It's winter, people! Let's retire to our darkened rooms and be entertained, challenged, lulled and hopefully delighted!
I am just so excited to get started this year. I usually make nomination day my first official post but that isn't happening for TWO MORE WEEKS! So forget that.
I asked my pals and readers to send me their locks, so here is a list of the movies we are pretty sure are going to get nominated for SOMETHING:
A Star is Born (ugh. Is there any chance I will like this movie?)
Bohemian Rhapsody
Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Vice
The Favourite
Leave No Trace
First Reformed
The Wife
Roma
Beautiful Boy
BlacKKKlansman
Isle of Dogs
Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse
Green Book
Minding the Gap
I am most worried that The Mule or Bumblebee will be nominated. (Fingers crossed that the spirit of Dorothy Arzner protects me from that pain.)
My goal is to sleep during fewer of the films this year, (but just to be safe, I should probably still keep track of the sleeping point.) Maybe starting earlier can help me get ahead and feel less of that eyelid-murdering movie fatigue. I've got two weeks to guess wisely and rack up some valuable pre-nom screenings.
It's winter, people! Let's retire to our darkened rooms and be entertained, challenged, lulled and hopefully delighted!
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