The Power of Lowered Expectations - 2020 Movie Wrap Up

Remember 2020? (Ha!)

That's the year in film we are celebrating. So, you know, go easy. Easy on the movies, easy on the film makers, easy on yourselves. Most of all, let's not expect too much from the Academy Awards Broadcast. We are still in a pandemic, still traumatized, still grieving.

I've heard a lot of complaints about this year's collection of films. Everyone was looking for that special film that transcended. And I get it, these were a different lot of films. But I have come to believe they are just right for where we are (or at least, where I am).  

Films like Sound of Metal, Judas and the Black Messiah, The Father and Pieces of a Woman grieved along with me. Nomadland, The White Tiger and The Life Ahead made me think about how our society values life and how different I think it should be. Promising Young Woman and The United States Vs. Billie Holiday and Trial of the Chicago 7 made me hunger for real justice. And I felt a little spark of hope for humanity through Minari, Soul and Another Round.

So I'm posting my favorites and picks and getting ready to be underwhelmed this evening. Thank you for reading, engaging or following along in some way. I love this journey every year and I think this year I needed it more than ever!

I managed to see ALL of the feature films nominated and all but three of the Shorts. Astonishing outcome; I never would have believed it possible.! Get vaccinated everyone, so we can meet back up in the theatres. I officially never want to watch a movie on a computer screen while perched on a pile of bean bags again!

2021 Oscar Picks

Best Picture

My fave: Promising Young Woman, My guess: Nomadland

Actress in a Supporting Role

My fave: Yuh-jung Youn (Minari), My guess: Olivia Coleman (The Father)

Actor in a Supporting Role

My fave: Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah), My guess: Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah)

International Feature Film

My fave: Another Round, My guess: Another Round

Documentary Short

My fave: A Concerto is a Conversation, My guess: Hunger Ward

Documentary Feature

My fave: Collective, My guess: Collective 

Original Song

My fave: Io Si (The Life Ahead), My guess: Speak Now (One Night in Miami

Animated Feature Film

My fave: Wolfwalkers, My guess: Soul

Adapted Screenplay

My fave: The White Tiger, My guess: Nomadland

Original Screenplay

My fave: Promising Young Woman, My guess: The Trial of the Chicago 7

Actor in a Leading Role

My fave: Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal), My guess: Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom)

Actress in a Leading Role

My fave: Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman), My guess: Andra Day (The United States Vs. Billie Holiday)

Director

My fave: Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman), My guess: Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) 

Production Design

My fave: The Father, My guess: Mank

Cinematography

My fave: Nomadland, My guess: Mank

Costume Design

My fave: Pinocchio, My guess: Mulan

Achievement in Sound

My fave: Sound of Metal, My guess: Sound of Metal

Animated Short Film

My fave: Burrow, My guess: Burrow

Live Action Short Film

My fave: The Present, My guess: The Letter Room

Original Score

My fave: Soul, My guess: Mank

Visual Effects

My fave: Tenet, My guess: Tenet

Film Editing

My fave: Promising Young Woman, My guess: The Father

Make Up & Hairstyling

My fave: Pinocchio, My guess: Mank

 

Short Films

I spent a couple of days tracking down short films. I didn't think I'd get to see any of them without my special Laemmle screenings but it turns out many of them were available online or streaming. So I managed more than I thought I would!

Animated Shorts

Burrow (Disney+) - A bunny struggles to build a home in a crowded part of the underground. Adorable! My kids had me watch this one a while ago.

If Anything Happens I Love You (Netflix) - Mortfying. Horrible, Don't watch.  (It's about a couple dealing with the loss of a child after a school shooting.)

Genius Loci (Vimeo) - Cool animations style, I have no idea what it was about. Maybe mental illness?

Yes-People (Vimeo rental) - I just watched the trailer; looks like a quirky little piece. 

Opera (unavailable)

 

Live Action Shorts

Two Distant Strangers (Netflix) -  A Black man gets stuck in a Groundhog Day style nightmare where he gets murdered over and over again by the same cop, no matter how he tries to alter his behavior. It feels like every day in America.

The Present (Netflix) -  A guy tries to buy a fridge for his wife for their anniversary but has trouble navigating the military checkpoints in Palestine. Scary look at the dehumanizing treatment of Palestinians.

Feeling Through (Youtube) - A homeless kid helps a deaf and blind man. It's a nice tale of connection.

The Letter Room - I watched the trailer. This one has Oscar Isaac and looks really good. 

White Eye (Unavailable)

 

Documentary Shorts

A Love Song for Latasha (Netflix) -  The story of the life and 1991 death of Latosha Harlins in South Central, Los Angeles. It is told with so much love. The style of the documentary is very distinct and poetic. Moving!

Colette (on their website)- A former French resistance fighter remembers the life and death of her brother with a young historian. A very emotional look at the ritual of passing along memories and stories to preserve someone's life experience and contribution to history. Painful and precious.

A Concerto is a Conversation (Watch the New York Times Op-Doc here.)- A gorgeous short. A conversation between a composer and his grandfather. It is shot in such an open and vulnerable way as to bring you immediately into an intimate, loving and respectful relationship.

Do Not Split (Vimeo) - A tense and unnerving look at pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. It's a small look at an on-going fight.

Hunger Ward (Pluto.com) - Children die of starvation in Yemen. Hard to watch, heartbreaking.

The Father

Movie: The Father
Nominated for: Best Picture, Actress in a Supporting Role, Adapted Screenplay, Actor in a Leading Role, Production Design, Film Editing
How I watched: VOD
When I fell asleep: No, actually
When it had me: The puzzle element
When it lost me: I slowly drifted away from it
What I have to say: 

I waited so long for this one because I was hoping the price would drop form $20 to $5.99. No such luck. I dreaded this because who wants to watch two incredible actors remind us how harsh dementia can be? 

I've been engaging in a little introspection about why I feel avoidant here. You know I watch ALL of these films. I sign up to watch incredible actors remind me how harsh war can be and racism and rape and natural disaster and marriage and serial killers, etc. I think dementia is harder for me to face; my grandmother has it and I could be a candidate. I could be heading there much sooner than I would like. I think that's part of it. If I'm watching movies about murderers, I can learn to avoid murder (or at least I have myself so convinced.) If I watch movies about social injustice, it raises my awareness and I can fight for justice. But my own mind betraying me? I can do nothing about it, so I'd rather not engage.

What worked for me in this film was the care taken to show us what dementia might be like for the one experiencing it. The film is disorienting, confusing, frustrating, repetitive and does not offer clear answers. Puzzling things out became engaging for me and got me through a good portion of it. 

This film is also the first time I understood the irritability and anger that often come with dementia. It seems clear that once your mind becomes dissociated from the "now" it begins to feel like a cruel joke is being played on you and everyone is in on it. I got so sick of hearing people say, "Don't you remember?" We need to stop asking THAT question once dementia sets in.

Once I got through my aha moments, though, I just wanted out. I didn't want to watch things get worse. I couldn't see what more I had to gain from it. I was disengaged for probably about the last half hour.

I'm super interested to hear how others responded to this one! 

Better Days

Movie: Better Days
Nominated for: International Feature Film
How I watched: Amazon Rental
When I fell asleep: No, it was a day watch
When it had me: Right from the start
When it lost me: Near the end
What I have to say: 

The movie deals with school bullying and intense pressure to get into a top notch university in China. It doesn't start slowly. We get a death and a mystery right away. I was drawn into the impossible task of studying under heavy stress while living in poverty and then being singled out by the mean kids. There is a satisfying and unlikely connection between misfits that carries the film.

What slowly started to creep in was an unreality to the characters. What early on felt like a very realistic approach to the story became more and more melodramatic as time went on. The mystery that was set up carried me through but I became less invested as the movie felt less grounded in reality.

The third act was really stretched, with several scenes feeling like the same scene and refusing to carry the action forward. I groaned aloud for one scene with no dialogue and at least a dozen cuts back and forth between two crying faces. It's like they just didn't want to end it. The last shot of the movie kind of made no sense to me but by then I was beyond caring.

The creepiest part of the film was a sequence over titles at the end which brags about the Chinese Government's brave and swift response to squash school bullying. It felt like it doth protest too much.

Tenet

Movie: Tenet
Nominated for: Visual Effects, Production Design
How I watched: VOD
When I fell asleep: You are sunk if you do!
When it had me: Plot anxiety - is that a thing?
When it lost me: I mean, yeah.
What I have to say: 

Tenet! Have you been warned? I had been warned that this was a mind maze from which you might never emerge. Christopher Nolan has one very unique brain and I cannot believe the sheer audacity it takes to try and tell a story like this.

I'm not going to try to tell you what it's about. You should go in cold and fight your way through it. It's an action adventure about saving the world from a threat that is difficult to grasp at first; that's all you need to start. Here's how we managed to get through:

1. We were warned.

2. We did not drink to excess before watching. You need your wits about you, people!

3. Watch with friends or family so you can help each other along.

4. Think of it as advanced puzzling. Like an Escape Room Movie. That way you get kind of invested in the challenge and it becomes fun to work on.

5. Take breaks. The movie is 2.5 hours of dense espionage, pseudo science and prolonged moments of WTH? Stop for snacks or to take a breath and check in with your team. This movie would have been way harder for me to comprehend in a movie theatre.

6. Regroup! As I said, check in with each other. At least three times we had to stop to go over what we understood to be happening, where we thought it might be headed and to exchange notes on the clues that were being dropped.

7. Along those lines, you might keep paper and pencil handy. Viviana literally took notes and discovered a really cool tidbit along the way!

8. Let yourself come down slowly after you finish. Don't try to rush off to your next thing. Allow time to stare off into space whispering, "Wait, what?" softly to yourself. Post-movie discussions might help to straighten out the kinks in your mind, but go easy. I don't think you want to delve too deeply into the movie's logic. Just seek to grasp the basics and then settle your thoughts down. 

I'm going to go ahead and say it. I think this film might be over-complicated. We enjoyed puzzling through it and I am so glad that Nolan is here to challenge visual story telling like this. I would rather this film be made and maybe miss the mark a bit, then not be attempted at all. I think more often, people are looking for a passive kind of story absorption and I think especially in 2020, no one quite had the energy to be the audience this film required. 

Also? We really liked the music and were disappointed it didn't get a nomination.

 

The Man Who Sold His Skin

Movie: The Man Who Sold His Skin
Nominated for: International Feature Film
How I watched: Amazon Rental
When I fell asleep: About halfway through, I dozed for ten minutes and had to go back.
When it had me: I'm not sure it ever did
When it lost me: Early and often
What I have to say:  

This one was such a struggle! A Syrian, desperate to get out of his country, sells his back for an artist to use as a canvas, becomes a commodity and complicates his life. It was slow and dark with a lot of low music and my eyes got heavy quickly.

There were some very gorgeous shots early on in the film and then either that went away or I just got bored with it. I was shocked to find that this was based on real life. A man, Tim, has sold his back skin to an art collector. After his death, the skin will be preserved and framed, but for now he gets to walk around wearing the art! Yikes!

It tapped a lot of big themes right now; inherent worth vs. perceived worth, capitalism, freedom and it's cost ($1.05, if I remember correctly) and the universal selfishness and depravity of humanity. Dark times, friends, the planet is living through its very dark "human period".

My Octopus Teacher

Movie: My Octopus Teacher
Nominated for: Documentary Feature Film
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: No
When it had me: Octopus Magic!
When it lost me: Not really, but I had questions
What I have to say: 

So here's a movie about a guy that is completely burned out because of the way he over-commits to his work and in order to calm down and reset, he finds a hobby to which he can completely over-commit. That tracks.

There are two characters in the film; man and octopus. Let's talk octopus, first. This film is such an intense study of this one animal and all of its habits and gifts. I was enchanted by the octopus so much! It's ability to change colors, shapes, textures, movement style. It is ever changing and ever learning. It uses discarded shells like armor! I mean, the attention to detail was amazing and we really got a full picture.

I enjoyed the anthropomorphism. The film maker loved and connected with this animal. He feared for her, identified with her and believed her capable of "human" type feelings as well. I thought it was a relief from all of the dry, detached, narration we get in so many nature shows. The added presence of a human who is emotionally invested definitely took this documentary to another level for me.

Now let's talk about the man. I felt all the usual humor responses to watching this man's love affair with the octopus. (I think of Janeane Garofalo's line from The Truth About Cats & Dogs, "It's ok to love your pet, just don't LOVE your pet.") Jokes aside, I think it's hard to see this as anything else. 

I didn't see the octopus as so much of a teacher as the title suggested. She taught him that resilience is possible, but other than that they don't really tell us what he learned. He found himself, he found balance, he reignited his passion for story telling, yes. But I really think he did that through his intense love for her, rather than through her role as a teacher. My Octopus Lover would have been a more apt title, but admittedly a problematic one.

Part of the reset that this man needed was because his marriage was suffering and I kept wondering how his wife and kid felt that he came home from working and decided to spend time every day in the ocean with a new obsession? Were they feeling rejected all over again? Were they happy to see him finding balance? Did they like or not like the 4,000 photos of an octopus that slowly took over the beach house? Eventually we see him connecting with his child, so I'm glad they addressed that. I think I would have enjoyed some interviews with family and friends to testify to the changes in him over this period of time. Did they see the improvements that he felt? Or were those so internal and personal that it didn't impact the other people in his world? Did he just move from one method of avoiding his life to another?

I don't even mean to judge him, but because they brought it up in the documentary, I had these questions. I do not doubt the magic of the experience that he had or the way in which it re-energized his relationship to himself, to his work and to nature. This was a powerful way to nourish his own soul and in theory that will only lead to better choices in all areas of his life.

The questions arose, but I should say that none of this bothered me. If anything, the tension of trying to figure out the human drama, only heightened my investment. This was a very enjoyable and moving story.

Another Round

Movie: Another Round
Nominated for: International Feature Film, Directing
How I watched: Hulu
When I fell asleep: No
When it had me: Mads Mikkelsen was so SAD!
When it lost me: I stayed with it
What I have to say: 

Another Round is about a (mostly) joyful experiment with alcohol. Four friends seek to incorporate a little mischief, intention and frivolity into their numbing middle staged lives. I was reminded of how great an actor Mads Mikkelsen is. His performance and the tone of the film are perfect. There's so much tension in watching the characters try things that are SURE to fail. And yet I found myself rooting for them again and again.

I have a feeling if 20 year old me had watched this film she would not have been amused. She was very judgy and would have viewed everyone in this film as a loser. But it was just right for Autumn now, who just wants people to find their own way to a better life, whatever it takes.

Mid life is tough. Exhaustion, disappointment and dissociation are real boogeymen and Another Round highlights a very unorthodox attempt to live mindfully. I'm all for it! (To be clear, more so the movie than the experiment, but I won't judge.)

The One and Only Ivan

Movie: The One and Only Ivan
Nominated for: Visual Effects
How I watched: Disney+
When I fell asleep: I wished for such relief
When it had me: No!
When it lost me: Talking animals!
What I have to say:  

I hate talking animal movies. I really do. I can't get over it. This movie was a kind of torture for me. I spent the first half hour enjoying the "guess the celebrity voice over" game and then it just got to be such a chore.

This is based on a popular children's book. I bet the book is enjoyable. But the movie has talking animals!

The movie presents the choice between freedom, which has zero security and is essentially brutal in nature, or safety and security from inside a cage. I've heard this argument from Republicans; that liberals create a cage around ourselves by trying to create a base level of non-brutality for everyone in a society. I guess this movie showed me that what I really want is to live in a really fancy zoo.

Quo Vadis, Aida?

Movie: Quo Vadis, Aida?
Nominated for: International Feature Film
How I watched: Amazon rental
When I fell asleep: I didn't
When it had me: When thousands of refugees were closed out of a UN base
When it lost me: It didn't
What I have to say: 

What a sad movie! It turns out war is endlessly brutal and tragic. New information, I know! This time, it is Bosnia in the 1990s. Aida is a translator for the UN peace keeping soldiers. In this film, we focus on one town that was targeted and emptied by an army. And it's bad, you guys, really bad, what transpires.

The acting is really fantastic in this film. The pacing is great, the stakes are high and despite all efforts at negotiation and intervention by the characters, the film maintains a constant level of tension. You feel it in your bones that everyone is a hair's breadth away from total chaos.

I can't watch these movies without wondering what I would do in similar circumstances. How far would I go to save my family? How resourceful would I be in the face of rapidly evolving catastrophe? How would I survive after the worst has occurred? 

Then I just get OVERWHELMED with how horrible humanity can be and I need ice cream or cake and a hot bath. The end.

Minari

Movie: Minari
Nominated for: Best Picture, Actress in a Supporting Role, Original Screenplay, Actor in a Leading Role, Director, Original Score
How I watched: VOD, $20
When I fell asleep: Not a bit
When it had me: Glenn from The Walking Dead!
When it lost me: Third Act
What I have to say:

In Minari, a Korean family gambles on the success of a farm in Arkansas in the 1980s. I was invested in all of the challenges of the first act, charmed completely by the second act, and felt a bit lukewarm in the third.

The acting was strong in this film and they did a lovely job of setting up the characters. Starting a farm, settling somewhere new and living life as the outsiders pose such monumental and continuous difficulties and this movie sets it all up well. It's easy to root for the family, to guess where their failures will come and to celebrate their wins with them.

In the second act, a mother-in-law comes to live with them and this is when the movie became truly joyful for me. Maybe I was missing my own grandmother who shared so much in common with the one on screen; they both love soda and wrestling, occasionally steal things, hate cooking, act crazy and love their grandkids. The on-screen grandma also curses quite liberally and sings silly songs. This character coming into the mix just lifted the movie and deepened my investment. 

Even so, by the third act, we all felt the movie had begun to drag. The central problem of the film was, will they make it as a family on this farm? And somehow that questions was so broad that it felt like there wasn't anything solid and focused to root for. It's a small complaint and common of the "Slice of Life" film. There was a climax to the film, but then again, the challenges set up in the beginning will never be solved in the course of two hours.

There was a lot to enjoy in this film and I was glad to have been invited in to witness this family in this time, especially the Mother-in-law! I'll be rooting for Youn Yuh-Jung to take home the Oscar for my new favorite on-screen grandma.

Collective

Movie: Collective
Nominated for: Documentary Feature Film
How I watched: YouTube
When I fell asleep: I didn't
When it had me: Early on
When it lost me: It did not
What I have to say:

This documentary began awkwardly with silence and a lot of backstory delivered on title cards. This probably would have made more sense if I'd seen it in a theatre. In my room, mid-day, on a computer screen, it was harder to understand if the movie was properly beginning or not. This was a very slight bump in the start of an otherwise gripping documentary.

Collective was the name of a night club that burned down in Romania. In the aftermath of that disaster, a journalist and a newly appointed government official discover how broken, derelict and deplorably corrupt the Romanian healthcare system has become.

Shocking, horrifying problems, you guys. Really! Bad! 

This is one of those documentaries where I end up witnessing something I never imagined would one day be in my brain.

The investigative process is well tracked by the film makers and it is really exciting to follow along in the twists and turns as they uncover more and more egregious corruption. You know how in a documentary, if the film makers uncover one big surprise that they weren't expecting, it can really make it an impactful and satisfying film? Well that happens about five times in this doc.

Not all the questions that are raised get answered and you are left feeling that as shocking as the movie has been, only the tip of the iceberg has been exposed. I appreciated the humanity displayed by the journalists and the new Minister of Health in the film. I needed to be anchored in their very human responses as I made my way through this horror show.

This was a very powerful example of what documentary film can be.

The Mole Agent

Movie: The Mole Agent
Nominated for: Documentary Feature Film
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: Nope
When it had me: Old man in Spy Training!
When it lost me: I had some questions
What I have to say: 

A man in his 80s takes a job as a spy. His mission is to infiltrate a home for the elderly to assess the treatment of one resident in particular.

This movie had it all! An old man trying to learn spy tech? A retirement home popularity contest? An unlikely kleptomaniac? Yes, yes, yes.

It sets up a genuine mystery and then delivers on it. But more importantly it brings a level of humanity to the senior citizens that society likes to ignore.

The questions I had were about the inception of the documentary. Did they plan the spy mission first? Or the documentary? It's a small difference, but I wanted to know how authentic the entire premise was. Either way, it was very entertaining and enlightening.

News of the World

Movie: News of the World
Nominated for: Production Design, Cinematography, Achievement in Sound, Original Score
How I watched: VOD
When I fell asleep: No sleeping
When it had me: News Reader? I want to do that!
When it lost me: It's hard watching white supremacy play out
What I have to say:  

First, I'm not a fan of westerns. It feels like every western has some leering, skeevy white creeper who says things like, "well, well, well, what have we here?" and then there is literally no one to stop that bad guy and you basically have to run across the desert to escape him. Ugh. I'm sick of that. This movie had that, too, but I made it through anyway. 

Tom Hanks plays a man who travels from town to town reading newspapers to townsfolk. A pre-television news anchor, of sorts. I thought that was a cool job! This film takes place after the Civil War and brings to life all the resentments of the people of the South, racist and otherwise. It's weird to see that a lot of those resentments are still being played out in our political reality today. 

The acting was solid, of course. I became way more invested in the presentation of ever-increasingly dire and miserable circumstance than I thought I would. I know some people love the whole "wild west" vibe and sort of wish we could return to that. I suspect those people grossly over-estimate their ability to survive. The whole thing looks unbearable to me.

The story felt fairly predictable and Tom Hanks was very Tom Hanks-ish. For me, this was a solid work horse of a film. I had no complaints but it didn't light up my brain in any notable ways, either.

Wolfwalkers

Movie: Wolfwalkers
Nominated for: Animated Feature Film
How I watched: Apple TV
When I fell asleep: I started to nod and had to get some tea.
When it had me: Wild girls in a forest!
When it lost me: It did not
What I have to say:  

This was such a delightful surprise! An Irish tale of magic and family and choosing understanding over fear. I recently traced one branch of my family tree back to Ireland in the 1700s and this movie took place in 1650 Ireland, so I assume my ancestors were in there somewhere. I like to think we were depicted by one random lady who had an operatic quality to her panicked, "Oh my god!" screaming.

The animation style in this film was so beautiful! It reminded me of a very special storybook that you would treasure and read over and over again. There were lost of times that the kids or I gasped with awe over the visuals alone (when we exclaim, it probably has an operatic quality.)

The magic of the forest was so rich and inviting. The comparison of the grim, repressed and orderly town versus* the wild, unruly and free woodlands was inspiring. The tale of friendship was sweet and heartfelt. By the end, we were all sitting on the edge of our seats and felt like this is a very strong contender for the award.

* versus - I still say versus. Has anyone else noticed that it is commonly "abbreviated" to verse now? I began hearing it a few years ago and thought it demonstrated how dumb the user was but now it seems about 50/50 on sports channels. I fear the official evolution is near and the dictionaries will incorporate it and make it newly acceptable as correct speech. Language is ever-evolving, I get it. But this one makes me cringe.

Greyhound

 Movie: Greyhound
Nominated for: Achievement in Sound
How I watched: Apple TV
When I fell asleep: I wanted to, a bit
When it had me: Ships almost crashing into each other
When it lost me: Navy language
What I have to say: 

You guys, I am fully vaccinated now! 

I got my second shot and then turned on this movie to await the flu-like symptoms I was promised. At first, the heavy nature of the Naval wartime language was almost too much. I wanted to shut down, but I stuck with it. Like with Shakespeare, I eventually adjusted. 

Learning the ins and outs of a battle at sea was more interesting than I had imagined. Tom Hanks seems to have just one track on film anymore; honest, thoughtful, beleaguered, deeply moral. He's good, every time, I just can't help but notice it's one act in most of his movies.

The movie is paced well, follows a single event with a clear goal and finishes up in about 90 minutes. I appreciated the structure and conciseness. It's a movie that I ended up enjoying but I can't imagine recommending it very often. 

By the end, my body aches had begun. Good bye, Tom Hanks, I've got immunities to build!

Onward

Movie: Onward
Nominated for: Animated Feature
How I watched: On Demand ("in theatres")
When I fell asleep: No way
When it had me: Tom Holland and Chris Pratt!
When it lost me: No!
What I have to say:  

This was a very cute movie about loss, grieving, wishing and growing. I thought this movie's themes were very similar to Over the Moon but Onward felt more cohesive overall to me.

There was a whole host of interesting characters along the way, clever twists on "The Quest" story type and an ending that actually surprised and moved me.

 

Crip Camp

Movie: Crip Camp
Nominated for: Documentary Feature Film
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: I think there was a little nodding off early on
When it had me: Learning about the origin of the 504
When it lost me: Some of it was painful and I wanted to tap out
What I have to say: 

Crip Camp is the story of the civil rights movement for people with disabilities, and the extraordinary camp that gave so many people the confidence to pursue that goal.

I had never questioned the "504" plan my kid gets at school in terms of where it began or why it was called that. Watching a group of people fight for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act despite discomfort, disability and indifference was pretty awe inspiring. There was a protest, a sit in, an occupation, a  hunger strike and a hearing before  this group of tenacious individuals reached some form of progress.

The hardest part was watching intelligent people with dynamic points of view who struggled so hard to even communicate through their physical challenges. And seeing how eager society is to turn away from people who are different.

There was so much hope in this film. The promise of what can be achieved when people form a community that treats one another with love and respect. A healthy community can gain strength in their numbers and make positive change against all odds. I mean, I guess it's obvious this was produced by the Obamas.

I cried and I learned things and I felt inspired, so that's good.

Mulan

Movie: Mulan
Nominated for: Costume Design, Visual Effects
How I watched: On Demand ("in theatres")
When I fell asleep: No
When it had me: Too long ago
When it lost me:  I don't remember
What I have to say:  

Um...I'll try to review this movie that I watched nearly a year ago...

I remember that there were things that they changed from the animated version that I didn't appreciate. My favorite scene in the original is how she uses her brain rather than brawn to get to the top of the pole in the boot camp. That whole aspect was lost in this film. In this movie it seemed that instead of being clever she was just magical, which felt like a step backwards.

The fight scenes were super cool! Well choreographed and beautiful to watch. Not Crouching Tiger beautiful, but trying to be. I do remember someone complaining that she won every fight with the same move, some crazy kind of kick.

My kids were mad there was no Mushu. As much as I like witches, they seemed really shoe-horned into this story and it wasn't clear why they needed to be.

This was a fun distraction from Covid at the time, but not a stellar movie overall.

 

The White Tiger

Movie: The White Tiger
Nominated for: Adapted Screenplay
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: Not this time
When it had me: Unique Story
When it lost me: I don't think it did.
What I have to say:

This one took three sittings to complete, but I got there. I had never heard of this film and was completely surprised by it (I know, I've been surprised by a lot this year. Haven't we all?)

The White Tiger looks through the lens of a servant in India and how he transmutes himself into a businessman. The change is part strategy, part spiritual, part philosophical. It was an elaborate journey that I took alongside the main character. 

He begins kind and sweet, but terribly used, abused and denigrated by the system in which he lives. He ends brutal, cynical and questionable but in charge of his own life. The choice is bleak. Would I rather see someone who is naive and only open to the wonder of the world...or someone who is willing to be cutthroat in service to their own advancement? Which would I rather be? 

I learned a lot about the brutality of India's caste system and the corruption of the democracy that is supposed to empower those at the bottom.

When the character breaks the fourth wall to look at me directly, I am uncomfortable. I can feel him asking me how much control I have over my life. I can feel him urging me to wake up fully and make an informed choice. I feel like I'm under a microscope. I'm squirming.

That's a powerful response to a film and I'm kind of digging the aftermath of thinking about it. This one is going to stick with me. Someone else should go watch this so we can discuss.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Movie: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Nominated for: Original Song
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: No
When it had me: Will Ferrell
When it lost me: Nah
What I have to say: 

This was a pandemic delirium movie. I can't recall any of that!

I have a dim memory of a little elf village and a knife? I remember the joy of Ya Ya Ding Dong. Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams in weird costumes. Icelandic language and extravagantly absurd parties.

Look, I'm not even sure this movie is real at this point. Or that I didn't actually fever dream the whole thing. It's funny that it is nominated for original song, but it probably won't win, right?

The Midnight Sky

Movie: The Midnight Sky
Nominated for: Visual Effects
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: Not a bit
When it had me: Immediately
When it lost me: I had a "that doesn't seem right" moment
What I have to say: 

This movie was a complete surprise to me. I had never heard of it before it got nominated, knew nothing about it and thoroughly enjoyed it. My favorite experience!

Directed by George Clooney, starring Clooney, Felicity Jones and David Oyelowo. The movie is a disaster played out through a small cast. The script is a tight presentation of the "everything that can go wrong, will go wrong" persuasion. I felt a low level anxiety about situations as they developed, not in a "oh crap, I can't handle this" sort of way but in the "I'm really invested and on the edge of my seat" way. I wish this had been nominated for script instead of Borat. Yeah, I'm still mad about it. So what?

This movie was "hard science fiction" which means my husband appreciated it. It also means the space travel in the movie was super cool!

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

 Movie: A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Nominated for: Animated Feature Film
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: I nodded off a couple times, right in the middle of the day!
When it had me: ???
When it lost me: There's no speaking; this was difficult
What I have to say: 

Clearly the sheep represent the lowest class in a capitalistic hierarchy. They have a middle class overseer in the form of a dog that is there is to police them constantly and keep them from reaching their full potential.

A visitor from outer space arrives, representing the visionary radical future re-imaginer who can begin to open the eyes of those in the oppressive capitalist regime and allow them to see the system that isn't serving them. The farmer is the 1%, obsessed with consumer pursuits and wealth.

Through a strong and supportive alliance they work for the betterment of all. In the end, the middle class dog has come to accept that his happiness is tied up with the success and comfort of the lowest class. The farmer is still ignorant to the goings on of anyone outside of his own selfish desires but one is encouraged that soon the 99% will cease to fight over the scraps left by the farmer and band together to create a meaningful change to benefit everyone.

Either that, or it's a story about an alien invasion and some mischievous sheep. Although I am a big fan of Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep doesn't land for me. It's too long of a story form for me to go without any actual dialog. My kids enjoyed the references to many other science fiction classics, but ultimately found this to be boring.

Honestly, I like it better if I convince myself it's in line with my first theory. I'm going with that.

 

Over the Moon

Movie: Over the Moon
Nominated for: Animated Feature Film
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: Not this time
When it had me: Ken Jeong's character saved the whole thing
When it lost me: A lot and often
What I have to say:  

This movie was a confusing mess for me. It started by establishing a fairly realistic world and then switched into magical reality and the shift felt abrupt and disorienting.

Five minutes in, this happened:

    Viviana: Which one of the parents is going to collapse because of                         cancer?

    Angelina: I'm betting it's the mom.

    Movie: (mom stumbles and grabs her head, dies within minutes)

It's so creepy when my kids do that!

Early on, it felt too sugary sweet, like there was too much baby talking, but that eased up. The animation styles switched around, which felt disorienting, lots of things felt strange like space blobs, spiky dogs, angry birds, moon concerts. All of the songs felt like they went on for too long.

I love the message about grieving and growing and moving on. All of that was solid. Maybe the film was just meant for a younger audience than me and my minions.

Da 5 Bloods

Movie: Da 5 Bloods
Nominated for: Original Score
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: I didn't
When it had me: The turns
When it lost me: Extended bickering between the friends
What I have to say: 

I did not know quite what to expect from this movie before or during my viewing. This is Spike Lee's Vietnam War piece and it felt like it borrowed heavily from those that went before. Vietnam War Movie is such a genre on its own, I feel like it is hard to stand out at this point. But this film also deals with PTSD in the present day survivors, fraught relationships between distant fathers and their children, survivor guilt, treasure, smuggling, charity and mortality.

If it sounds like this movie is all over the place, then I'd say that's an accurate representation. Mostly though, I would characterize the meandering in a pleasant way. As in, "whoa! I didn't expect that!" or "yikes! That took a turn!" Those are the kinds of surprises that keep me engaged and prevent my eyes from closing. This was a satisfying enough movie that hasn't really stuck with me in the aftermath.

Pinocchio

Movie: Pinocchio
Nominated for: Costume Design, Make Up & Hairstyling
How I watched: VOD
When I fell asleep: I nodded off a few times
When it had me: I was quite charmed by many of the fantastical characters
When it lost me: It was sometimes creepy, sometimes boring
What I have to say: 

My children were horrified by this film. A live action version of a wooden boy that talks was just too much for them to deal with. Don't even get me started on the cricket conscience creature! They would not stop screaming. It made me wonder if Disney has made all of the old creepy kids stories too beautiful and palatable.

Pinocchio is so insufferably selfish and gullible. I guess that's pretty accurate in terms of children's behavior and gradual learning curve, but it's hard not to feel impatient with this tale.

I found Fox and Cat quite charming and interesting. The Blue Fairy and her friends were pretty freakish but it felt like a nice kind of imaginary home to me. So much like a comfortable home, in fact, that I began to nod off here. Angelina woke me up and said there was no way I was allowed to sleep through the disturbing movie I was making them watch. By the time we got to the whale I had really kind of lost interest.

If you love Pinocchio and weirdness and Roberto Benigni, go check out this movie. If not, you can probably skip it.

Love and Monsters

Movie: Love and Monsters
Nominated for: Visual Effects
How I watched: Amazon Rental
When I fell asleep: No way
When it had me: Early on
When it lost me: It didn't
What I have to say:

This movie was such a fun discovery! A family friendly action adventure in a post-apocalyptic setting. My whole family enjoyed it.

After insects mutate into large monsters, a young man decides to leave the safety of his underground colony to find an old girlfriend. A quest ensues.

The movie borrows from so many others; Zombieland, A Quiet Place, The Walking Dead, The Road, even Monty Python and the Holy Grail! But it borrows with love and respect and tells an enjoyable story. I had never heard of this film before and don't know if this movie would have been in the mix in a non-pandemic year? It's hard to guess, but it was a welcome gem for us to enjoy in the midst of a lot of "serious film."

The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Sé)

Movie: The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Sé)
Nominated for: Original Song
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: I did not
When it had me: Italian Language!
When it lost me: Not really
What I have to say: 

I was very excited to watch this film. Last year I took two Italian Language classes at PCC and I was eager to practice my listening skills. Unfortunately, this film is dubbed, other than a couple of short interchanges. Oh, well! 

I watched this one with my children and we all enjoyed it. It's a story of those people who live outside the margins of society, how they struggle and how they hopefully can find in one another the support that is denied to them within the empowered systems. Sophia Loren is great in this film, as are the child actors. 

This was a lovely balance of heartfelt without being a "tear jerker". I'm really glad we got a chance to watch this film. And the song that is nominated, Io Sí, is really beautiful (and it IS in Italian, so I get to practice!)

Emma

Movie: Emma
Nominated for: Costume Design, Make Up & Haristyling
How I watched: HBOMax
When I fell asleep: Didn't
When it had me: I was lightly invested
When it lost me: I don't think it did
What I have to say: 

What I enjoyed most was watching this with my Marvel obsessed teen. My child is very story savvy and is always able to guess where a movie is headed before it gets there; it's a little annoying. However, my kid has NO knowledge of the romance related genres. So I was highly amused by their constant struggle to see where the story was going and how it would end up. To me, the romance is always the easiest to predict, but it really had them guessing.

This movie was light, enjoyable, beautiful to look at and competently made. This is one I wish I had been able to see at the Arclight Theatre. I specifically remember that the trailer of this film looked WAY better there than anywhere else...back in the part of 2020 where I was still going to theatres...sigh.