Once again, the night of the Oscars ceremony is here and I've just barely watched everything that was nominated. The fact that this is more than most of the actual Academy voters attempt does make me feel a little better. Here's my thoughts on everything else I've seen that I just didn't have the time or inclination to write a full review of. I previously reviewed "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," "The Batman," "Avatar: the Way of Water," and "Pinocchio." If you're wondering where my review of "The Fabelmans" is, it'll go up whenever I finish my Steven Spielberg retrospective. Whenever that will be. Anyway, come back at 8:00PM EST for my annual live blog of the broadcast!
The most effective element of this documentary is showing how polluted and torn apart by political turmoil New Delhi is. The opening shot of rats crawling over the streets, or the subtly conveyed growing pressure of national discontent, make those ideas clear. I do wish this unusually quiet film focused more on the inner life of the men determined to save these birds. We only get a little insight into their personal motivations and thoughts, via some too brief narration. Moreover, I wish this was about the birds themselves more. Ostensibly the main topic of this doc, the black kites feel pushed to the margins too often. [6/10]
Handsomely produced courtroom drama with strong cinematography and solid pacing, that heats some totally expected emotional beats but makes everyone inspiring. Richardo Darin's lead performance is fantastic, the emotional heart of a story with many political ramifications. The testimonies of human rights abuse under the Military Junta's rule are harrowing, though I do wish a little more time was spent with the generals themselves, to give non-Argentinians a better idea of what our heroes were up against. [7/10]
One of the best films I've ever seen about the masculine need for emotional and physical intimacy and the shame associated with showing it. So keenly observes the way boys invent hyper-macho personas for themselves to cover up any perceived vulnerabilities. The story only grows more heartbreaking as it goes along, until a deeply cathartic final scenes. The young actors are both fantastic and the filmmaking is unobtrusive. The symbolism of the flower farm might be a bit much but otherwise this was brilliant. [9/10]
Not the disaster I've read but it's definitely a bit muddled. Is this a movie about the magic of movies? Not really, as that element feels shoved in at the last minute. The reflections on race feel p
retty clumsy. When focused on Olivia Coleman's character and her struggles with mental illness, I found some things to like her. Coleman has an unhinged, manic monologue that struck me as pretty true to life. The romance story build around that plot point is cute, if never developed much. And Roger Deakins' cinematography is fucking gorgeous, the film aglow with warmth and an amazing use of light and shadows. [6/10]
retty clumsy. When focused on Olivia Coleman's character and her struggles with mental illness, I found some things to like her. Coleman has an unhinged, manic monologue that struck me as pretty true to life. The romance story build around that plot point is cute, if never developed much. And Roger Deakins' cinematography is fucking gorgeous, the film aglow with warmth and an amazing use of light and shadows. [6/10]
What I loved about this is how it handles massive themes, like feeling insignificant in the vastness of the universe or the ripple effects of every choice we make, alongside highly personal concepts, like the power of kindness or love connecting us all. This is tied to an amazingly zany sense of humor, always throwing increasingly wacky sight gags while wildly creative instincts direct every aspect of the story. An ode to the sheer scope of Michelle Yeoh's talent and a rebirth for Ke Huy Quan. [9/10]
Well, this was adorable. Lesley Manville makes for a protagonist you can root, if only because her actions seems so genuinely sweet. Seeing her break out of her shell and come into her own is worthwhile. Yes, those Dior gowns look splendid and the movie, in general, has a perfectly presented and charming appearance. Every single event that happens in the story can be easily predicted from minute one but the entire concoction is so fluffy and nice to look at that you don't mind at all. [7/10]
The Academy must really love the Irish countryside this year! This is an incredible sweet and quiet film, watching its characters go about their lives with no judgment or contrivances. Watching the titular character slowly be accepted into the hearts of a new family are touching, in a soft way. The performances are down-to-earth and realistic. It's also almost unbearably slow at times, no matter how touching it ends up being. [7/10]
The manliest movie of the year, this is pure entertainment from beginning to end. The over-the-top action scenes continuously top themselves in terms of ridiculousness. A musical number/dance-off in the first half ranks among the most joyous cinematic moments of 2022. The bro-mance at the film's center is hilariously overwrought and amusing. Undeniably jingoistic, with its cartoonishly evil colonialist villains and ra-ra final song, but I admire its spirit. The three-hour run time sags a little in the middle but it perks back up for the absolutely bonkers finale. [9/10]
Chris Williams is really repeating himself here. Red looks and acts a lot like Toothless, while Blue was clearly inspired by Stitch. Yet the giant monsters are still the highlight of this motion picture. It's certainly not the characters, who remain shallow sketches with utterly generic arcs. The story is thematically muddled, with too much pontificating about peace and heroes, while the exact rules of this world never solidify. (This is especially true about a very confusing sequence involving a witch.) [5/10]
Anybody who thinks the amazingly specific sense to the setting, characters, and story is anything but a huge benefit to it is a dense motherfucker. I love so many of the animation quirks here, the details in the face. The influence of anime and manga led a special zing to several key moments. The relationship between the central four characters is totally delightful. The emotional climax to the mother/daughter story arc is extremely well done. Generally speaking, this is a really funny, beautifully animated, breezy flick. Oh, and the songs are really catchy too. [9/10]
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