Reviews you can use: "Chicago 7" and "Sound of Metal"

 

Good morning all!

Well it's Oscar day.  Up until this very moment, The Oscars broadcast was a sort of "other Superbowl" for me.  I have always been wrapped up in the pageantry, the fashions (which I typically get "wrong" according to style "experts." Hey, I like what I like.) and the hosting, good, bad or ugly.  Ultimately, in the last several years when I've made a really concerted effort to see all the nominated films, it's been a test, for me, to see if my film appreciation is in line with "the experts."

Typically, it's not.  I would NEVER have picked "Moonlight" "Birdman" or  "Shape of Water."  And there are a ton of movies that got the best picture nominations I would not have nominated and plenty I would have that didn't. Like "Straight Outa Compton."

But I digress. Tonight is the Oscars.  The COVID Oscars. Who knows that that's going to look like?  What I can tell you is that this year's nominees, the five I've seen (of 8) have looked very different from nominated movies of the past.  

Oh there are biopics. There are historical movies.  There are quiet, emotional dramas. I'm not saying the genres aren't there.  It's the attitude that's different.  Maybe it's me, but the stories being told in these movies and they way they are being told feel as if we've gone to a place where the ART of a film is more important than the BOX OFFICE numbers.  (Except for "Mank" which was just terrible.)  

I have not yet seen "The Father," "Judas and the Black Messiah" or "Minari" but I will.  (Especially "Minari" given my absolute passion for recent foreign films like "Parasite" and "Roma.")  I will see those films because of the 5 nominated films I've seen so far, I've seen (Even with "Mank," which is not a good movie) a move toward stronger storytelling. The movies are a focus on the human condition, telling stories about people.  If the point of movies is to uplift, entertain, or educate, I see much of all three points in these nominees.  Because most of these movies were released either on Amazon or on Netflix, more of the masses have access to them.  Stories that would have been drowned out in a sea of Marvel-Star Wars-Anything Disney are now being heard and seen by people in their living rooms. Our eyes are being opened, we are being educated, to a broader world through entertainment. Maybe there is hope for Hollywood yet.

So last night I saw two more of the nominated films. 

"Sound of Metal"

A heavy-metal drummer's life is thrown into freefall when he begins to lose his hearing.

I haven't seen Riz Ahmed in much, but I'll be honest. I'm going to look for him in more parts now.  His portrayal of Ruben, the heavy metal drummer and heroin addict who loses his hearing, is one part gut wrenching raw and one part beautiful. The opening five minutes might be a bit jarring since it's a punk concert and everything is very loud.  Also, the language is very strong.  However, this movie sheds a bright light on the deaf community, a community that is often forgotten and rarely highlighted. Full of real, human drama, Ahmed carries this film and deserves his Best Actor nomination.  Paul Raci is a strong contender for best supporting actor, but I'm not sure one really amazing scene is going to win him the statue. But what do I know?  Judi Dench was on screen for like 9 minutes in "Shakespeare in Love" and she got an Oscar. I doubt this will win Best Picture, but I wouldn't cry if it did.

 "Sound of Metal" is available FREE on Amazon Prime.

See this movie.

"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounds the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, IL.

Let's get this out of the way:  I HATE Eddie Redmayne and Sacha Baron Cohen.  I have never liked their work. I have always maintained the SBC ruined "Les Miserables."  And Eddie, well, he also didn't help "Les Miserables" much and also he's just...weird.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, let me say this: Sasha Baron Cohen should win Best Supporting Actor tonight for his portrayal of Abbie Hoffman.  And Eddie Redmayne finally managed to give us a performance where, yes, I still want to slap him, but now it's because of his character's actions, not because he's a creepy little white dude.  I would also love to see the ever amazing Aaron Sorkin win best screenplay.  And this movie is a front runner for Best Picture.

Entertaining, stunning, funny, illuminating, this film is everything you could ask for in a movie.  (Stuff even blows up and catches on fire, for all you action film fans.)   Yahya Abdul-Mateen II gives us one of the more memorable performances as Bobby Seale, the lone Black protester on trial. His performance is restrained and strong in a way I haven't seen a Black Panther (the political group, not the Marvel heroes) portrayed.  Bravo to that.

This movie is available FREE on Netflix.  SEE THIS MOVIE.

Of the five films I've seen I believe the real battle, in my mind, is between "Promising Young Woman" and "The Trial of the Chicago 7."  I honestly think, given the society we're in at the moment, these are two very important films to watch and learn from.  I would dearly love to see "Promising Young Woman" win Best Picture because a female centric film dealing with this topic needs to hit mainstream and it needs to be honored.  But I believe "Chicago 7" is going to take home the big prize.  

If you watch the Oscars tonight, enjoy.  Meanwhile, keep watching movies!

Reviews You Can Use: Three "Best Picture 2021" Nominees

 

Hello and welcome! It's been a while since Linda and I have blogged about movies and mostly that's because it's been a while since Linda and I have watched movies together.  Boooo COVID!

Anyway, this caught me by surprise, because everything has a "new normal" schedule these days, but the Oscars, which are normally in February, are happening TOMORROW, Sunday, the 25th.  Color me shocked!  I've seen exactly two films in the theater since January of 2020 ( when I saw "1917", the last movie I saw in a theater BEFORE Covid) and neither of those two ("Wonder Woman 1984" and "The Little Things") are nominated for the Best Picture.  (I saw them because a friend rented out a theater for both of those and it was a blast watching a big screen flick with 18 people I knew!  I suggest it, it's way cheaper than you think!)

Instead an odd collection of films that may have been overlooked in other years, are getting a shot at the golden statue.  So far I've seen 3 of the 8, with intention to see two more tomorrow.  All of the pictures nominated are available in one form or another on either Netflix or Amazon Prime. (You may have to "rent or buy" some of them.)

"Promising Young Woman"

A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path.

Carey Mulligan is beyond stellar in this film that starts as one thing and ends as another.   Mulligan has grown lightyears away from her portrayal as the pretty Ada in "Bleak House," and she well deserves her nomination for Best Actress.  She carries this movie from start to finish.  First a commentary on the danger of the bar scene for single women, this becomes an eye-opening criticism of the "Boys will be boys" mentality that has deep, deep roots in our subconscious when it comes to sexual crimes.  

Shocking, funny, and overall unexpected, this one could be a real contender if it doesn't get shut out by the louder, better promoted films like "Judas and the Black Messiah."  I would love to see this win Best Picture.

See this film.  

"MANK"

1930's Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screen writer Herman J. Mankiecwicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane.

Sigh.  I love me a good biopic as much as the next gal. And heaven knows I love "Citizen Kane."  I also enjoy the work of director David Fincher. But this screenplay, written eons ago by Fincher's father, Jack Fincher (who died in 2003), is, in a word, befuddling.  Based on a two month span of time in which Makiecwicz wrote "Citizen Kane," the first hour and half of the film is a mess of flashbacks and quick scenes about 1930's Californian politics in a society where studio bosses controlled everything.  Normally this would be cool. But for a film that's supposed to be about a washed up writer writing one of the best films in history, this film is neither biopic nor behind the scenes. It's just...befuddling.  You can't just put Gary Oldman in a fat suit and call it an awesome film.  

The last half hour or so picks up the pace and the point of the film is finally, FINALLY made in the last couple minutes, in a radio and TV clip that has nothing to do with the actors or the writer or anything.  And it's the most moving bit of the movie.  

This one is nominated for 10 Oscars. I see Trent Reznor adding to his Oscar shelf for the original score, and there are one or two technical awards this film should pull in.  Amanda Seyfried is likely for best supporting actress.  As for whether or not you should see it, well, you could save yourself a lot of time, and watch the first ten minutes, the last half hour, and then watch "Citizen Kane."

"Nomandland"

A woman in her 60's who, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling, modern-day nomad.

Some movies entertain. Some uplift.  Some educate.  "Nomandland," weirdly, does all three, but in reverse order of my list.

Frances McDormand is a national treasure and is well deserving of her nominations this year for Best Actress AND Best Picture.  This is a very strange film at first.  The vibe initially is that of a slow moving documentary.  In fact, at one point, I said out loud (to no one since I was alone) "Why isn't this a documentary?"

Easy answer:  Because once you get into the pacing of the movie, you realize you're seeing real life in a way we've never really seen it before.  And therefore this deserves more eyeballs on it than a documentary might get.

The cast is not Hollywood beautiful.  Could be because much of the cast is made up of actual Nomads, people who travel around the country, living in their vans or their RVs, working seasonal jobs  here and there, and overall living as an earth friendly community that's always on the move.  ("Tiny House Nation" can suck it. These nomads know how to live simply!)  

David Strathairn, a favorite of mine, is a good pair with McDormand. Both play socially awkward, private people trying to reach out for some kind of contact.  Set mostly in the deserts of the American West, there's little to distract the viewer from the truth and longing in each character's face.  

This movie is a possibly a bit slow for many people, but well worth a look. If nothing else, your eyes will be opened to a new American Dream.  Nominated for 6 Oscars, I fear this one is too quiet, too still, to beat out the bigger, noisier films like "The Trial of the Chicago 7."  But after the years of anger and noise and unrest, it was actually nice to watch a community of people who learned how to live in peace and calm.  McDormand is likely for Best Actress. I'm not sure I can pick this over "Promising Young Woman" for my favorite, but if it won Best Picture I wouldn't cry.