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I just watched The Worst Person in the World. It was nice and it was perfectly enjoyable on a gloomy Saturday with some interesting themes about legacy and Gen Z leaving nothing behind, but I’m confused about the awards conversations to be honest. Also I kept thinking I was watching Rose Byrne, they are doppelgangers but I would have enjoyed Rose’s interpretation more.
ReplyCopy URLBill Hader and Barry in everything (2 babka)
The Great - Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult and comedy writing and directingSeverance in drama series, writing, Adam Scott for best actor, Ben Stiller for drama directing, and the whole cast in supporting.
I just finished The Last Duel on HBO Max. I did really like the film and thought the retelling of a few of the scenes worked – especially the kiss between Marguerite and Jacques. Solid performances by Damon, Affleck and Driver, but Jody Comer was by far the best in this one. I think I’m going to waste a vote and put her in one of my best actress picks for the Gold Derby Award. I’m scratching my head why she isn’t getting any nominations for Best Actress. She should definitely be in the conversation.
ReplyCopy URLLife is a thin thread.
We hang on tightly knowing
it will snap one day.“The Lost Daughter” (2021): Thrilling and peculiar film that I loved, and most of all, such an assured directing and screenwriting debut from Maggie Gyllenhaal. Maybe this shouldn’t have been such a surprise given her family’s background, but all the same, what an achievement! All of that over a fucking doll lol. This was one of the most complex depictions of motherhood I think I’ve ever seen, or such a specific rendering of maternal abandonment that’s rarely explored with real significance in any medium. Olivia Colman navigated this role beautifully. Few actresses could have made a character as tetchy and awkward as Leda feel remotely sympathetic, but somehow she did it. Jessie Buckley matched Colman toe-for-toe here. I’m reminded of Geoffrey Rush and Noah Taylor in “Shine,” meaning how churlish it is to constantly nominate one performer without properly recognizing the other (foundational) one as well. The flashbacks to young Leda were both necessary and illuminating. And Dakota Johnson? Who knew? I’m also pleasantly surprised that Dagmara Dominczyk could deliver range like this, since I only recognize her through “Succession” as a completely different character. Elena Ferrante’s tricky novel could have gone sideways in countless ways in the wrong hands. Outside of the strong adaptation, I have to applaud the techs, especially Hélène Louvart’s beautiful cinematography and the tense score. The supporting men could have fared better (Sarsgaard > Harris > Mescal), and that ridic mafia family, woof. Just cliché on top of cliché on top of cliché there. Regardless, I’m eagerly anticipating what’s next for Maggie Gyllenhaal after this, and I don’t mean an acting role.
ReplyCopy URLCODA…………Wonderful, feel good movie. Made me sad for the deaf community but it’s very true and educated about them. Emilia Jones should have been nominated, thought she did an excellent job and I believe Troy Kotsur could upset for Supporting Actor. I prefer his performance more than Kodi’s.
Passing…………Pretty good film. Tessa & Ruth were the perfect casting and I can see both but more Ruth getting nominated because she was the one who shined in the film.
Next movie I need to see is The Lost Daughter……………
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This post was found to be inappropriate by the moderators and has been removed.Witness for the Prosecution: First time watching a Marlene Dietrich film, can’t believe she was 56 in this, totally convincing as a 30 something murderer’s wife, though she seemed aloof for the most part which I thought was interesting but inadequate, still overwhelmed by her strong stage presence. Also, I really enjoyed Charles Laughton’s performance, but was lukewarm about the gorgeous Tyrone Power (He didn’t look or act like a murder suspect at all, even after he was exposed). Script was tight, easy to follow, enjoy the silly little drama between the caretaker and the attorney.
Flee: Technically this was not good for an animated film, also I believe that I’ve seen similar stories before, but I was quite moved by how accepting the father was towards his son’s sexuality, for me it probably was the only highlight in this film.
ReplyCopy URLI watched Cha Cha Real Smooth at Sundance yesterday. I really liked Cooper Raiff’s previous effort with Shithouse and I’m a big Dakota Johnson fan so I was really excited about this and it did not let me down. This was THE film of the festival and in my opinion a must see. It’s so unique, tasteful, funny, sweet, touching, stylistic, intimate and one of the most special things I have watched in a very long time. Cooper Raiff and Dakota Johnson both deliver the best performance of their careers (yet) and I hope they get the recognition they deserve next awards season, as well as the film itself.
Watch it when it comes out guys, you won’t regret it!
ReplyCopy URL“tick, tick…BOOM!” (2021): My familiarity with Jonathan Larson was primarily with “Rent,” so this exploration into his early works was a major discovery for me. It took awhile to get into how the adaptation was unfolding. Some of that I attest to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s manic direction, which felt overly fussy in stretches and oddly flat in others. He threw everything but the kitchen sink here, but something about the spirit of the production won me over in the end. Much of that had to do with Andrew Garfield, who I didn’t realize he had this level of performance in him. He trained with a vocal coach for a year with no prior singing experience! Pretty wild considering so many movie musicals don’t see the need to use true singers to bring stories to life and are rather carried by the celebrity or the persona to sell the music. Let’s talk about the music! Moving and significant throughout, particularly “30/90,” “Real Life,” “Come to Your Senses,” “Therapy,” “Boho Days,” “Why,” and “Louder Than Words” (which utterly destroyed me). The Broadway cameos gave me my life (only legends allowed, bitches!). The visual assault of theater icons in the “Sunday” sequence blew my effing mind. Like, how many favors were called in to pull this off? How was this done? What was the energy on set like on that day? The supporting cast surprised me. Vanessa Hudgens? Who knew lol? Robin de Jesus should have absolutely been in the supporting actor conversation this year, especially considering who we’re just handing Oscar nominations to on a silver platter. Judith Light wowed in her pivotal scene. Loved seeing MJ Rodriguez here, even in this small role. Bradley Whitford was an UNCANNY Stephen Sondheim, and that “special” cameo at the end made me tear up. There’s so much “what could have been” with Larson, but at least the work he completed survived and made the huge impact on the world that he so desperately craved. I’ll watch this film again and again, no question.
ReplyCopy URL“The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (2021): If someone watches this film without knowing anything about the Bakkers (I generally did) or not seen the documentary this was based on (I haven’t), things might have been more illuminating. It’s very “this happened, then this happened, and then that happened,” which is part of the reason why so many are exhausted with biopics in general. We didn’t really need any of the early family scenes. It’s a real pet peeve of mine to see thirty- and forty-somethings in heavy makeup and/or prosthetics pretending to be teens or college students, ugh. Concentrating the film on the rise and fall of PTL/evangelical right and end with Tammy’s redemption arc would have made for a stronger narrative (along with her eventually re-marring to family acquaintance/business associate Roe Messner before her death, who also went to jail for a time). That would have also shaved a good 30 minutes or so off from the excessive runtime. Regardless, Jessica Chastain really did that. Kudos for the fearless performance she mustered here (and all the singing)! She’s firmly back in my lead actress predictions. Any discussion of this role has to mention Tammy’s trademark hair, costumes, and makeup. Startling in both precision and detailing, but maybe focused more of that attention on the script lol? Some stretches in the film felt too rote and surface. With more intention, vision, and less “point the camera, now ACT!,” this could have been something great. But the one truly moving centerpiece (and what needs to be Chastain’s Oscar clip) was Tammy’s on-air interview with AIDS patient Steve Pieters. Real emotions, real stakes, and real brilliance. I’d rank her work in “Scenes from a Marriage” firmly above this, b/c I love Chastain in icy queen bitch mode, but this is the most “fun” I’ve seen her have onscreen since “The Help.” Andrew Garfield had almost as much screentime as Chastain, when I was led to believe that he was supporting without as much focus. He mostly matched Chastain toe-to-toe. Seeing the two major most recent performances Garfield’s given in quick succession has been a whirlwind, in a good way. Portraying both Jonathan Larson and Jim Bakker in the same year, and all the “Spider-Man” hoopla? Thank your agent with a big raise, stat! His closeted Bakker might have been a bit too preening and camera-mugging for my tastes, as in I didn’t always buy into his theatrics, but this work bolsters his Oscar chances for “tick, tick…BOOM!” more than I realized. Anyone thinking the race is solely between Smith vs. Cumberbatch with no other options hasn’t properly factored in Garfield’s legitimate win chances yet. The next major test is what the BAFTA juries do with Garfield this week. Nice supporting cast. Vincent D’Onofrio was a chilly Faldwell. Cherry Jones was reliably good as Tammy Faye’s stern mother. Felt like a missed opportunity for a juicy supporting actress role to not have anyone play Jessica Hahn. I’d watch this film again and recommend it to others, but be prepared in advance for all the excesses. Tammy Faye was never “less is more” though, but instead was unapologetically “more is more,” so maybe it’s apt.
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