Movie: Godzilla Minus One
Running Times: 2:05
Nominated for: Visual Effects
How I watched: AMC A List
When it had me: Great Characters
When it lost me: Logistics for taking down Godzilla
What systems does it challenge: Nuclear Weapons, National Trauma
I've tried a few Godzilla movies over the years and thought I had given up on them. But these reviews were off the charts so I went. Taking into account that I went in with very low expectations, this movie was great!
A tight action packed set piece at the beginning gets you paying attention. Personal backstories of pain and loss get you invested and a really lovely cast of characters carry you through. Some story pieces are so predictable it makes your eyes roll and the logic behind defeating Godzilla makes no sense but these aren't enough to break you away from all the good story telling that is happening.
I got to thinking about the Godzilla stories being a way for Japan to reframe and process the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and it made me wonder; did those movies work? I've been doing a lot of thinking this year about how you heal a nation's trauma (Germany, Israel, Uganda, Russia, Ukraine, etc.) and I'm wondering how much artistic expression helps. We should probably fund a lot of indie film making in these countries whenever they get a chance to rebuild. The things a traumatized person wants most are to be seen and heard, so let's start with great movies like this one!
Movie: The Creator
Running Times: 2:13
Nominated for: Visual Effects
How I watched: hulu
When it had me: John David Washington is good!
When it lost me: Scifi exposition
What systems does it challenge: War
This movie struggled to hold my attention. Not me. I didn't struggle at all; I just drifted in and out of a dozing state. Easy peasy. It's LONG! Why did it need to be this long? I feel like a fast paced race to complete the mission works best for this kind of story.
I did understand that at stake was a way to dismantle all weapons and I think about that concept a LOT! Man, do I wish we had a robot type character to make that a reality. And there were big ships in the sky that either the good or bad guys were using in order to...zzzzz.
I tried but couldn't bring this one home for you.
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