tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88715498959313171512024-03-05T22:28:45.031-05:00Cinema ViewfinderNotes on Film, TV, and Pop CultureTony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.comBlogger972125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-31468863607144941012022-11-19T08:59:00.000-05:002022-11-19T08:59:21.556-05:00Movie Review: She Said (2022)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nd-J3-sajxi297dVRro-IAl7ad8Tv8EaGFs-MKYJsJQJgZy-e0kEC7MJOOiJTY-XDDpeTsul7FAPqazPUf9VQc0lCCqPH3r4FiwLxyyNau3Zz348kdUyiHusa6AAKNfplPSLiOH_e-Hm8xpwPfbWLhCwpfDTJNpuvUiyMac7TtfI9qXLorbnZAxbTw/s1616/SS1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="1616" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nd-J3-sajxi297dVRro-IAl7ad8Tv8EaGFs-MKYJsJQJgZy-e0kEC7MJOOiJTY-XDDpeTsul7FAPqazPUf9VQc0lCCqPH3r4FiwLxyyNau3Zz348kdUyiHusa6AAKNfplPSLiOH_e-Hm8xpwPfbWLhCwpfDTJNpuvUiyMac7TtfI9qXLorbnZAxbTw/w400-h266/SS1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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by Tony Dayoub<br />
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The opening scenes in <b><i>She Said</i></b>, Maria Schrader's new movie about the media coverage that first addressed Hollywood's colossal #metoo problem, spend a considerable amount of time introducing us to the New York Times reporters at the center of the film, Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan). It contextualizes each of them within their respective family dynamics and contrasts their identities with respect to family life. There's Twohey<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">—</span>the WASP-y career-driven new mother contending with post-partum depression<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">—</span>and Kantor<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">—</span>the more family-oriented mom juggling her work, supervising kids' homework, and marriage while trying to maintain Jewish family traditions. It's not unusual for a movie to telescope their character's background details succinctly in order to get to the central themes, namely how these two women's distinctive backgrounds are the stage for the pervasive societal sexism they are exposing with their reporting.<div><br /><div>
<a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The problem is more in how much weight is initially given to what turn out to be red herrings within the broader scope of <i>She Said</i>. Director Schrader's choice to foreground these character elements in the early goings of the film appears to serve two purposes. One is to set us up for each reporter to have some kind of personal reckoning with the story they are reporting, the sexual harassment of women in the film industry by Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein. For more attentive viewers the other, meta-purpose is to establish the parallels between Twohey & Kantor and another pair of intrepid cinematic reporters, Woodward & Bernstein in <i>All the President's Men</i>. Like in that film, much is made of the odd couple dynamic between the austere, maybe even brittle, emotional vacancy of Mulligan's Twohey<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">—</span>resembling the earlier movie's depiction of Bob Woodward (Robert Redford)<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">—</span>and the warmer, more approachable earthiness of Kantor<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">—</span>in line with Dustin Hoffman's performance as Carl Bernstein. <i>She Said</i> also throws in a shadowy Deep Throat-like figure in the form of Zach Grenier<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">—</span>one with a propensity for meeting at fine dining establishments instead of murkily-lit parking garages<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">—</span>to further put one in <i>President's</i> conspiratorial frame of mind. Schrader even made an effort to shoot in the real offices of the New York Times, framing her shots so as to recall the imagery of the rows and rows of fluorescent lights of <i>President's</i> equally iconic Washington Post offices. But to what end?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If the only reason to foreground Kantor and Twohey's personal lives is to trigger impressions of a classic and much better executed thriller about reporters exposing corruption and grossly awful behavior, that would seem to be incredibly reductive. At no point in <i>She Said</i> does one feel like the circle is ever closed on how each of these women is personally impacted by the horrific stories of sexual abuse they uncover. I mean, there is one scene when Kazan's Kantor has a good cry in a hotel room after a Skype call checking in with her young daughter, who confesses she is mature enough to figure out that her mom is working on a story concerning rape. But is that it? That most viewers will feel the outrage when one encounters the emotional fallout of a fundamental violation to one's personhood is a given, whether this message is delivered by a scene depicting a child's loss of innocence or many scenes showing the destruction of multiple grown women's career prospects for speaking up about Weinstein's criminal-level, immoral acts. <i>She Said</i>'s story failing is in only making Kantor and Twohey the vehicles that deliver this well-trodden #metoo story<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">—</span>still playing out in the press<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">—</span>and not showing us how deeply the two women are personally affected by such harassment, perhaps even in their own workplace. The New York Times is reverentially treated as an oasis of equality and respect in the midst of a society that is fundamentally stacked against women.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The brief moments of bravery are delivered by actors Ashley Judd, playing herself onscreen, and Gwyneth Paltrow, providing her own voice from offscreen, as they recount their own personal stories of abuse at the hands of Weinstein. They are illustrative of the fact that even movie stars of some prestige are not immune to the terrifying diminution of one's self-worth when a man of awesome industry power decides to misuse it. It is during Judd and Paltrow's scenes that one can feel how much stronger <i>She Said</i> could have been.</div></div></div></div>Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-65736310737511754692022-03-07T10:21:00.003-05:002022-03-07T19:24:52.567-05:00Best of 2021: The 10 Best Films of the Year<p>by Tony Dayoub</p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiytp1Kglqn7JZWdRQmsXx-3eHtJi5DltCT0hJCbapmEu7W0nnO5uVdaUPR-cN202RtB1-Qe_YtVfoume_dWBLv5Cyw73KEV3kjB4zHvrOn7Dqm_Wd-jkICreT3fAWL5PERWvSIDJB6Eny4Wjb9DWhoblCOWtQDJZf1t0Rg_bCdLCSkS4zCVf1pQ0QgIA=s5510" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3281" data-original-width="5510" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiytp1Kglqn7JZWdRQmsXx-3eHtJi5DltCT0hJCbapmEu7W0nnO5uVdaUPR-cN202RtB1-Qe_YtVfoume_dWBLv5Cyw73KEV3kjB4zHvrOn7Dqm_Wd-jkICreT3fAWL5PERWvSIDJB6Eny4Wjb9DWhoblCOWtQDJZf1t0Rg_bCdLCSkS4zCVf1pQ0QgIA=w400-h239" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>(With Ukraine under fire and Europe on the verge of war, it seems like an odd time to discuss such a trivial matter as cinema. However, assembling this list helped distract me from current events in which I am largely helpless to affect change. I say largely because there are still avenues for assistance, one being <a href="https://voices.org.ua/en/" target="_blank">Voices of Children</a>, a Ukraine-based aid organization that provides psychological support to children who have witnessed war. It uses art therapy and storytelling to support children’s wellbeing, and provides financial support to families who have suffered as a result of war. I encourage you to contribute.)</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2022" target="_blank">94th Academy Awards</a> air on Sunday, March 27, so it's past time to share my picks for last year's best movies. As the way we watch movies is undergoing a slow transformation, and in the interest of assisting you in finding each film listed, the platform where each title can be streamed has been included whenever possible.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here, for your consideration, are my top films of 2021 followed by the winners of the respective critics' polls I participated in.</div><div><br /><a name='more'></a>
<b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQol5n_7T3nc4KCOznAUAOHRTAab8yKX4qTq3vMo7luAjMe20LrIeoi2w1RXB-qjcjrFnTokaN0JuSirUgATmKxwyIp0x5P5w6IX6dZ44f0M9zCtdniMFPasj2vgfBaHeYIeaSGAN0_OqgNBsTtG8wFpds7IRkOkFnm7_F6mLRSIj56b9a3cL8okp-og=s1476" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1476" data-original-width="987" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQol5n_7T3nc4KCOznAUAOHRTAab8yKX4qTq3vMo7luAjMe20LrIeoi2w1RXB-qjcjrFnTokaN0JuSirUgATmKxwyIp0x5P5w6IX6dZ44f0M9zCtdniMFPasj2vgfBaHeYIeaSGAN0_OqgNBsTtG8wFpds7IRkOkFnm7_F6mLRSIj56b9a3cL8okp-og=w268-h400" width="268" /></a></div><br />1. <i>Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)</i>, directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson - Streaming on Disney+ and Hulu -</b> On the strength of its musical footage alone, <i>Summer of Soul</i> ranks among the best of the concert film genre. What elevates it to best documentary of the year, and indeed the best movie of 2021 is its importance as a historical document. While I'd like to feel that I'm pretty well versed when it comes to landmark musical events like Woodstock, Altamont, and the like, I had never heard of the series of concerts depicted here, the six-week Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969. Overshadowed by the legendary Woodstock, and unfairly so as it turns out, the festival featured musical acts such as the 5th Dimension, Ray Barreto, Mahalia Jackson, Gladys Knight & the Pips, David Ruffin, Mongo Santamaria, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, and Stevie Wonder. Director Ahmir Thompson, aka drummer Questlove of the Roots, combed through the archival footage in an effort to preserve and reaffirm the powerful shift in music and its relation to the turbulent political times faced by the black community in the late sixties. Thompson also compiled reactions from individuals who were present, like Marilyn McCoo and her husband Billy Davis, Jr., both of the 5th Dimension. They are as astonished as viewers to see how prescient some of the turmoil and its repercussions have turned out to be in this age of Black Lives Matter. In crafting such a politically conscious yet jubilant record of the event, Thompson implies that a reassessment of the US's cultural history is not only significant, but essential to the continued aspirations we hold for our country and its troubled record on civil rights.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaO4jrxIss812vHycODW-fUccbseoyMApCokAC1DBzqUzV2PdNHq8ZpQYabMjKVTY0gyh2DDTJ5Wv58-tDQ90waHq-3KAxUalp_o6INZ0URRtRUREE2rymHf9WJFHXMv8M_6ljGKCBHAGPVqOyQHN4jZ_omBfRkobUMzVY2l-kdH37V41rxxht1qwD4A=s1500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaO4jrxIss812vHycODW-fUccbseoyMApCokAC1DBzqUzV2PdNHq8ZpQYabMjKVTY0gyh2DDTJ5Wv58-tDQ90waHq-3KAxUalp_o6INZ0URRtRUREE2rymHf9WJFHXMv8M_6ljGKCBHAGPVqOyQHN4jZ_omBfRkobUMzVY2l-kdH37V41rxxht1qwD4A=w320-h400" width="320" /></a></div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>2. <i>The Green Knight</i>, dir. David Lowery -</b> <b>Streaming on Showtime - </b>It feels like it happens every year. Some movies are completely ignored by the Academy while lauded by just about everyone else who has seen it. This year I nominate <i>The Green Knight</i> for that dubious distinction. Lyrical both in vision and expression, it is a sumptuous update of the 14th century Arthurian poem <i>Sir Gawain and the Green Knight</i>. Cinematically it is a story of redemption not just a little influenced by Martin Scorsese's <i>The Last Temptation of Christ</i>. Like in the latter's depiction of the titular enticement, there is a sublime and disturbing alternate forecast of the life that awaits Gawain (Dev Patel) if he were to sacrifice his pursuit of chivalric honor in favor of chasing a too comfortable life typical of people of his station. Like Christ, Gawain faces certain death as the reward for fulfilling his quest. Patel gives a finely shaded performance showing the gradual evolution of Gawain from gluttonous lout to devout true believer. It is a standout turn among many such performances in a cast which includes Sarita Choudhury, Kate Dickie, Joel Edgerton, Alicia Vikander (in a dual role), and the striking Sean Harris as the King, one of the most compelling, albeit briefest, onscreen interpretations of Arthur in all of cinema.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiD6dmLbSVGm01feeT5vQ__ohhVKPLm7gSCms88X8NZfqSfINVjtP9vTSdZlRe8wvv1wcBy_NP57hBZyOCTcfvQPVctLRum-jyBNgog5tSzRQKAC_dQSTDLcsSS7ji2N97xEDZGBI37CQ_f5VlXyVePRt-ye-rI0yAMsoXbSKtOqXQAdf7_giGpd_qnxQ=s1500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1013" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiD6dmLbSVGm01feeT5vQ__ohhVKPLm7gSCms88X8NZfqSfINVjtP9vTSdZlRe8wvv1wcBy_NP57hBZyOCTcfvQPVctLRum-jyBNgog5tSzRQKAC_dQSTDLcsSS7ji2N97xEDZGBI37CQ_f5VlXyVePRt-ye-rI0yAMsoXbSKtOqXQAdf7_giGpd_qnxQ=w270-h400" width="270" /></a></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>3. <i>Licorice Pizza</i>, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson -</b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>This film feels like a kind of "coming home" for Paul Thomas Anderson, a re-centering before he moves on to the next chapter of his filmmaking career. It takes place in his native San Fernando Valley in the 1970s, just as his first hit, <i>Boogie Nights</i>, did. He cast Cooper Hoffman, son of Anderson repertory player the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, in the lead role of Gary Valentine, a child actor with ambitious goals. And on a smaller scale the tale in <i>Licorice Pizza</i> feels like the kind of "Hail Mary" pass with which Anderson's very flawed protagonists often make their mark in the director's most notable movies. Just like Daniel Plainview builds an empire where no one else thought to look for it in <i>There Will Be Blood</i>, or Dirk Diggler grows up to be the Big Dick in the porn industry in <i>Boogie Nights</i>, or Lancaster Dodd turns his intellectual musings into a cult-like phenomenon called "The Cause" in <i>The Master</i>, 15-year-old Gary sets his sights on winning the heart of 25-year-old Alana Kane (Alana Haim), not that small a longshot most of us would find as equally hard to believe as any of the others I just listed. In the process Gary starts a successful waterbed company; antagonizes Barbra Streisand's Svengali-like husband, hair stylist to the stars and future movie producer, Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper); and eventually, yes, finds his way into the heart of Alana, a young woman ten years older than him. Hoffman shows every bit of the promising talent he inherited. Bradley Cooper puts in a performance that steals the film in only a handful of scenes. But most deserving of your attention is Alana Haim, a member of the eponymous band Haim, making her feature film debut and proving to be a luminous screen presence.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhldJWFqDsU_tBs3HRP-BJMmhpVRQvwFShjgnV38GTVasuEHTS-ZbzCffUirWSEBHB_kfRIXPXRSDwsOO4Pn1Ys4J2QH9cvM3ZQvUZ1Z8dK62fslI_jqVjb1uJ0y1_G673fe0A4AbSAhvEnsCJKTFs-Ry1r7HZOsZZlk4AeiBq5_XaEbmhlVygY6XEj_Q=s1482" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1482" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhldJWFqDsU_tBs3HRP-BJMmhpVRQvwFShjgnV38GTVasuEHTS-ZbzCffUirWSEBHB_kfRIXPXRSDwsOO4Pn1Ys4J2QH9cvM3ZQvUZ1Z8dK62fslI_jqVjb1uJ0y1_G673fe0A4AbSAhvEnsCJKTFs-Ry1r7HZOsZZlk4AeiBq5_XaEbmhlVygY6XEj_Q=w270-h400" width="270" /></a></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><b>4. <i>The Velvet Underground</i>, dir. Todd Haynes - Streaming on Apple TV+ - </b>When a documentary's approach is not only in the oblique style similar to that of its subject but in many ways of its director, you know you have something special. That's what we have here in this fascinating examination of the forces that briefly brought together Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and eventually Moe Tucker and Nico to form the seminal New York rock group in the era of Andy Warhol's Factory. Managed by Warhol and essentially serving as his Factory's house band, the Velvet Underground were one of the least commercially successful yet most influential musical acts in rock history. One could argue almost the same thing about Todd Haynes as a filmmaker, and it is perhaps this congruence which ultimately raises the film above your average rock doc.</div><div><div><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZJ1tllMugKHHbtASTe_pmq0Xh0FQqdrnwDc0mcfk6KL6ZfYpsX-OIIC9owQ-Jn-Xiu0vUHbOI3XOx3N2DJ8IqFors29eNv9zdX9b8Ni2KKSd1eIJZ7mS73jo8773jYQT6aHtlPKubDqy4PeHz0TcdyQYRzOozERqiZ3f2rfdspW2TkqPd_Hmdoq3Dig=s1500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1064" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZJ1tllMugKHHbtASTe_pmq0Xh0FQqdrnwDc0mcfk6KL6ZfYpsX-OIIC9owQ-Jn-Xiu0vUHbOI3XOx3N2DJ8IqFors29eNv9zdX9b8Ni2KKSd1eIJZ7mS73jo8773jYQT6aHtlPKubDqy4PeHz0TcdyQYRzOozERqiZ3f2rfdspW2TkqPd_Hmdoq3Dig=w284-h400" width="284" /></a></div><br />5. </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Drive My Car (Doraibu mai kâ)</i><b>, dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi - </b><b>Streaming on HBO Max</b><b> - </b>It may appear to be a challenge to watch a 3-hour film in Japanese devoid of the usual movie contrivances such as murder and mayhem. But Hamaguchi has crafted an engrossing film about a director (Hidetoshi Nishijima) whose lingering, mixed feelings about his unfaithful late wife takes him to a small town for a theater fellowship. An unexpected perk is the use of a personal driver (Tôko Miura) who he becomes friendly with while assisting her with her own traumatic past. Like <i>Parasite</i>, the gentle, hypnotically paced <i>Drive My Car</i> has surprised industry insiders by rising to the top ranks of many critics' lists. It has even earned a quick release on HBO Max, a platform that will no doubt place it in front of more home viewers' eyes and hopefully create a groundswell of support among Academy voters.</div><div><br /><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQvtfupzxVzD0gwtSHZ-5_oE88W3tzWeLRHiK0ENMmNHJ66eVQv57s2j6JyWWm9CnkZPDI2LplN0GFSFBogroV4XiBGbPk3rsx2a8AhX5-uy3udqqM-CxSZFWJAuF-OiwwwBYQ3DpiDce6ueEPKaEO7E_0iCyH8C7S6_DsFwBvgme_OzCxPm-JBJt5FA=s1500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1013" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQvtfupzxVzD0gwtSHZ-5_oE88W3tzWeLRHiK0ENMmNHJ66eVQv57s2j6JyWWm9CnkZPDI2LplN0GFSFBogroV4XiBGbPk3rsx2a8AhX5-uy3udqqM-CxSZFWJAuF-OiwwwBYQ3DpiDce6ueEPKaEO7E_0iCyH8C7S6_DsFwBvgme_OzCxPm-JBJt5FA=w270-h400" width="270" /></a></div><br />6. <i>The Tragedy of Macbeth</i>, dir. Joel Coen - Streaming on Apple+ - </b>The latest in a long line of adaptations of Shakespeare's violent story is surprisingly potent for basically being an extended Cliffs Notes version of the Scottish Play. Joel Coen's first major release sans brother Ethan pares down the tale to its bare essentials, focusing our attention primarily on the performances, particularly those of Denzel Washington as the usurper king Macbeth, Corey Hawkins as the defiant Macduff, and the often contorted and creepy Kathryn Hunter as various sinister incarnations of the Witches. Stefan Dechant's sparse production design, Bruno Delbonnel's stark black and white cinematography, and Carter Burwell's spare musical score all work in unison with Coen and his acting ensemble to bolster the idea that, as Shakespeare voiced through another of his famous royals, "the play's the thing wherein [you'll] catch the conscience of the king."</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHqRwMGclVMdr8oFhTjsviUfxeGZMtxJyMZuSqS3Aho9OaLRmAa7HUR6d7e23Esx0ePjOD4TfI3ewPkf_lPEFymvyGVIAsZrjIijrrlDT-vgS77sjRkSFjQY9gCeyKzE6misFWBT62J6VktZxuwEWGjP76zz7TOE-xalL3oSbDlAkOoQgSNjgkz6A8fQ=s1500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1013" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHqRwMGclVMdr8oFhTjsviUfxeGZMtxJyMZuSqS3Aho9OaLRmAa7HUR6d7e23Esx0ePjOD4TfI3ewPkf_lPEFymvyGVIAsZrjIijrrlDT-vgS77sjRkSFjQY9gCeyKzE6misFWBT62J6VktZxuwEWGjP76zz7TOE-xalL3oSbDlAkOoQgSNjgkz6A8fQ=w270-h400" width="270" /></a></div></b></div><div><b><br />7. <i>House of Gucci</i>, dir. Ridley Scott - </b>At first glance, <i>House of Gucci</i> might look like a lurid freakshow and make you wonder whether it even has any business showing up on an end-of-year list like this one. What the heck is a cerebral filmmaker like Ridley Scott doing helming this dumpster fire of a movie, one might ask. What soon becomes evident is that Scott is the perfect man to direct <i>Gucci</i>. This because it begins to dawn on the viewer that the family at the center of the story really was a collection of divas, clowns, and oddballs whose collective story is even wilder in its entirety than the distillation we end up with onscreen. The often clinical Scott is perfect for this because he distances the viewer just far enough from these kooks to allow their qualities to be fully appreciated for the comical and lethal eccentricities they really are. The melodramatics of Lady Gaga, Al Pacino, and Jared Leto make for a dynamic contrast with Adam Driver's chilly performance as Maurizio, the most stoic Gucci in the bunch and the architect of the fashion house's near downfall in the nineties. Credit goes to Scott for wrangling this eclectic cast and their disparate performance styles to the benefit of this truth-is-stranger-than-fiction crime drama.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEj1NkwoiIEd-uL-BTvQKRAqFtKe6UTsfxAiloel-zq_9LfvqgpJrV3rbaZ3MrSqfUvtxZnH6wB54_wT4WHDl0SV2P6ece0d6drRNi9EgZ3bfv7HyFpEMdNGutyW3t5sIjbUtl3MOwTsRlpCXd3K_uCU5L9rp25JWhzw_-f25YGq1mZ3VQF9wujM28rQ=s2222" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2222" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEj1NkwoiIEd-uL-BTvQKRAqFtKe6UTsfxAiloel-zq_9LfvqgpJrV3rbaZ3MrSqfUvtxZnH6wB54_wT4WHDl0SV2P6ece0d6drRNi9EgZ3bfv7HyFpEMdNGutyW3t5sIjbUtl3MOwTsRlpCXd3K_uCU5L9rp25JWhzw_-f25YGq1mZ3VQF9wujM28rQ=w270-h400" width="270" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>8. <i>The Lost Daughter</i>, dir. Maggie Gyllenhaal</b><b> - Streaming on Netflix -</b> The elliptical examination of a traveler being treated as an interloper in Europe has been effective in noirish mysteries such as <i>Don't Look Now</i> or character studies like <i>Purple Noon</i>. Here it is Leda, a loner portrayed by Olivia Colman, that is the puzzling focus of the story. An academic taking a holiday in Greece, Leda's joyful solitude is broken by the unwelcome distraction of a large rude family, among them Nina, a young mother (Dakota Johnson) for which she has a strange affinity. A sinister atmosphere hangs over most of the movie. Although the viewer's initial inclination is to view Leda as the one under siege, Gyllenhaal adds some ambiguity to the story by intimating that perhaps the passive aggressive teacher is actually the source of the disquiet. When flashbacks depicting Jessie Buckley as a younger Leda try to properly explain some of her prosaic motivations, the film's poetry is diminished. <i>The Lost Daughter</i> profits the most when Gyllenhaal elides over what exactly is driving Leda to act out in tiny vindictive ways towards some of the people she encounters, most of all Lyle (a weary Ed Harris), caretaker of her vacation property. The movie's conclusion is as opaque as its protagonist, leaving a large measure of doubt as to whether Leda has evolved past some of her peculiar flaws. </div><div><b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5XSWC1dsI_c62y75dXD5haFcqb5PIp3vaknS6Vka3Fwu2Vt2zGLglR8H-_MfDl0DOg5-W4WHtnzwLG94Ag32DIiRPOXQTq9ZKDoXkdvhA7K8mFraC_dbOgzrhLfppyQAAuggZ1LlPeRWjlgAazo4m6jlpey0c5cUntFArIpaETdUZUKzLU52zrQ1Pmw=s1350" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5XSWC1dsI_c62y75dXD5haFcqb5PIp3vaknS6Vka3Fwu2Vt2zGLglR8H-_MfDl0DOg5-W4WHtnzwLG94Ag32DIiRPOXQTq9ZKDoXkdvhA7K8mFraC_dbOgzrhLfppyQAAuggZ1LlPeRWjlgAazo4m6jlpey0c5cUntFArIpaETdUZUKzLU52zrQ1Pmw=w320-h400" width="320" /></a></div><br />9. <i>tick, tick... BOOM!</i>, dir. Lin-Manuel Miranda - Streaming on Netflix -</b> 2021 was Lin-Manuel Miranda's great cinematic year. The joyous film adaptation of his musical, <i>In the Heights</i>, was released earlier last year. He wrote the songs for Disney's hit animated film, <i>Encanto</i>, with two of its songs firing to the top of both the US and UK musical charts and a third nominated for an Oscar. And Miranda made his movie directorial debut with<i> tick, tick... BOOM!</i> Based on the autobiographical musical by the late composer Jonathan Larson (<i>Rent</i>), the film features a career-best performance by Andrew Garfield as Larson. With this and the celebrated return of his unfairly maligned version of Spidey in <i>Spider-Man: No Way Home</i> Garfield is having his own fantastic year. Perhaps it is this confluence of Miranda's and Garfield's rising good fortunes that lifts all boats including this ode to the theatrical life in New York City. The sheer exuberance of the story and Larson comes through in Garfield's starry-eyed performance. And Miranda brings it home in what is easily the musical's showstopping number set in the movie's emblematic Moondance Diner, "Sunday," featuring Broadway luminaries like André De Shields, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Joel Grey, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bebe Neuwirth, Bernadette Peters, Phylicia Rashad, Chita Rivera, and Daphne Rubin-Vega.<br /><div><b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgazQ9c5IyxkaAMXYGzCJ3fLOTY2kX126snfK2g68GAUIGmDf9_9MnYQWabuhOpEIBzrMLbGvcjGNLsKLOTGKOvxE5tSQNsMNlhhWQOECD_P9Kk1-jX5CZjo72ZjwBgSyrm4IPaEh2j2vRslhuec5Y7he5yoNBUowgP_Cg49vyCu8auHm81rwGRXF0OKg=s1500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1013" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgazQ9c5IyxkaAMXYGzCJ3fLOTY2kX126snfK2g68GAUIGmDf9_9MnYQWabuhOpEIBzrMLbGvcjGNLsKLOTGKOvxE5tSQNsMNlhhWQOECD_P9Kk1-jX5CZjo72ZjwBgSyrm4IPaEh2j2vRslhuec5Y7he5yoNBUowgP_Cg49vyCu8auHm81rwGRXF0OKg=w270-h400" width="270" /></a></div><br /></b><p style="text-align: left;"><b>10. <i>The Power of the Dog</i>, dir. Jane Campion - Streaming on Netflix -</b> This is Jane Campion's most cohesive movie since <i>The Piano</i>. Exploring the complicated dynamics between the Burbank Brothers (Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons) in light of the disruption caused by the introduction into their lives of a lonely restaurant owner (Kirsten Dunst) and her sensitive son (Kodi Smit-McPhee), <i>Dog</i> conjures up a foreboding mood. However as a character study of Phil Burbank, a closeted homosexual cowboy, it is slightly... lacking. Just ask Sam Elliott. Kidding, kidding, but only in part. Cumberbatch is miscast in the part. There is something inexpressive about the actor. Cumberbatch is always just fine... handsome but unemotional, a stoicism which works to his great benefit on <i>Sherlock</i> or <i>Doctor Strange</i>. But in roles calling for humanity Cumberbatch's limited range is more immediately apparent. Perhaps Campion felt this would sell Phil Burbank's repression. Maybe the thinking was that Cumberbatch's emotional deficit would help ameliorate the inherent melodramatics of the story. Whatever the case, it is hard to fault the movie itself; outside of the lead performance and most especially in how Burbank's stubborn denial of his sexuality has a ripple effect on Dunst and Smit-McPhee's characters, <i>Dog</i> is pretty involving as far as family dramas go.</p><div><br /></div><div><b>Honorable Mention:</b> <i>Belfast</i>, <i>Benedetta</i> (Hulu), <i>Bergman Island</i> (Hulu), <i>Candyman</i>, <i>Dune: Part One</i> (returning to HBO Max), <i>The Eternals</i> (Disney+), <i>The French Dispatch</i> (HBO Max), <i>In the Heights</i> (HBO Max), <i>Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time </i>(Hulu), <i>The Last Duel</i> (HBO Max), <i>Last Night in Soho</i>, <i>Mass</i>, <i>Nightmare Alley </i>(HBO Max and Hulu), <i>No Time to Die</i>, <i>Passing</i> (Netflix), <i>A Quiet Place: Part II</i> (Paramount+), <i>Raya and the Last Dragon</i> (Disney+), <i>Riders of Justice</i> (Hulu), <i>Roadrunner: A Film about Anthony Bourdain</i>, <i>The Sparks Brothers</i> (Netflix), <i>Spider-Man: No Way Home</i>, <i>The Suicide Squad</i> (HBO Max), <i>Swan Song</i> (Apple TV+), <i>The Tender Bar</i> (Prime Video), <i>Titane</i> (Hulu), <i>Val</i> (Prime Video), <i>West Side Story</i> (Disney+ and HBO Max)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Most Overrated:</b> <i>C'mon C'mon</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Most Underrated:</b> <i>House of Gucci</i></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Breakthrough Artist of the Year:</b> Alana Haim (<i>Licorice Pizza</i>)</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>*****</div><div><br /></div><div>Winners are in red where my own vote coincides.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.georgiafilmcritics.org/p/2021-awards.html" target="_blank">Georgia Film Critics Association</a></span></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Best Picture:</b> <i>Licorice Pizza</i></div><div><b>Best Director:</b> Jane Campion (<i>The Power of the Dog</i>)</div><div><b>Best Actor: </b><span>Nicolas Cage (<i>Pig</i>)</span></div><div><b>Best Actress:</b> <span style="color: red;"><b>Alana Haim (<i>Licorice Pizza</i>)</b></span></div><div><b>Best Supporting Actor:</b> <b><span style="color: red;">Bradley Cooper (<i>Licorice Pizza</i>)</span></b></div><div><b>Best Supporting Actress: </b>Ariana Debose<span> (<i>West Side Story</i>)</span></div><div><b>Best Original Screenplay: </b><span style="color: red;"><b><i>Licorice Pizza</i> - Paul Thomas Anderson</b></span></div><div><b>Best Adapted Screenplay:</b> <i>The Power of the Dog</i> - Jane Campion</div><div><b>Best Cinematography: </b><span><i>Dune</i> - Greig Fraser</span></div><div><b>Best Production Design:</b> <i>Dune</i> - Patrice Vermette, Richard Roberts, Zsuzsanna Sipos</div><div><b>Best Original Score: </b><span style="color: red;"><b><i>Dune</i> - Hans Zimmer</b></span></div><div><b>Best Original Song:</b> <b><span style="color: red;">"No Time to Die" - Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell (<i>No Time to Die</i>)</span></b></div><div><b>Best Ensemble: </b><i><span>Licorice Pizza</span></i></div><div><b>Best Foreign Language Film:</b> <i><b><span style="color: red;">Drive My Car</span></b></i></div><div><b>Best Animated Film: </b><i><b><span style="color: red;">The Mitchells vs. The Machines</span></b></i></div><div><b>Best Documentary Film:</b> <i><b><span style="color: red;">Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)</span></b></i></div><div><b>Breakthrough Award: </b><span style="color: red;"><b>Alana Haim (<i>Licorice Pizza</i>)</b></span></div><div><b>Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema: </b><span style="color: red;"><b><i>Spider-Man: No Way Home</i> (Jon Watts, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers)</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.sefca.net/2021" target="_blank">The Southeastern Film Critics Association</a></span></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Top 10</b></div><div>1. <i>The Power of the Dog</i></div><div>2. <i><span style="color: red;"><b>Licorice Pizza</b></span></i></div><div>3. <i>Belfast</i></div><div>4. <i><span style="color: red;"><b>The Green Knight</b></span></i></div><div>5. <i><span>West Side Story</span></i></div><div>6. <i><span>The French Dispatch</span></i></div><div>7. <i><span>tick, tick... BOOM!</span></i></div><div>8. <i>Drive My Car</i></div><div>9. <i>Dune</i></div><div>10. <i><span style="color: red;"><b>Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)</b></span></i></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Best Actor:</b> <b><span style="color: red;">Benedict Cumberbatch (<i>The Power of the Dog</i>)</span></b></div><div><b>Best Actress:</b> Kristen Stewart (<i>Spencer</i>)</div><div><b>Best Supporting Actor: </b><span style="color: red;"><b>Kodi Smit-McPhee (<i>The Power of the Dog</i>)</b></span></div><div><b>Best Supporting Actress: </b><span style="color: red;"><b>Kirsten Dunst (<i>The Power of the Dog</i>)</b></span></div><div><b>Best Ensemble: </b><span><i>The French Dispatch</i></span></div><div><b>Best Director:</b> <b><span style="color: red;">Jane Campion (<i>The Power of the Dog</i>)</span></b><div><b>Best Original Screenplay: </b><span style="color: red;"><b><i>Licorice Pizza</i> - Paul Thomas Anderson</b></span></div><div><b>Best Adapted Screenplay: </b><span><i>The Power of the Dog</i> - Jane Campion</span></div><div><b>Best Documentary: </b><i><b><span style="color: red;">Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)</span></b></i></div><div><b>Best Foreign-Language Film:</b> <i>Drive My Car</i></div><div><b>Best Animated Film: </b><i>The Mitchells vs. The Machines</i></div><div><b>Best Cinematography: </b><span><i>Dune</i> - Greig Fraser</span></div><div><b>Best Score: </b><span><b><span style="color: red;"><i>Dune</i> - Hans Zimmer</span></b><br /><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-30849229535434473792021-03-15T08:45:00.002-04:002021-03-15T08:59:33.269-04:00Best of 2020: The 11 Best Films(?) of the Year (and just a few months more)by Tony Dayoub<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7GmGfHGqT-gmn-HQ6KVmq99ZbF1XPcZ-4aVEr0sa-6ePMl3f8XVrEP0ZJ4gw13QQ3iaEHFR7JShMqRhZRONAnSenQMlLmKJ0izwBrfQ7xCSkAcDZgDuvXRT5dsNOKeZJWA3m9KKMykANr/s2048/00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7GmGfHGqT-gmn-HQ6KVmq99ZbF1XPcZ-4aVEr0sa-6ePMl3f8XVrEP0ZJ4gw13QQ3iaEHFR7JShMqRhZRONAnSenQMlLmKJ0izwBrfQ7xCSkAcDZgDuvXRT5dsNOKeZJWA3m9KKMykANr/w400-h266/00.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The question mark in the post title is because some have taken issue with whether my nominee for best film of the year is actually a movie or not (as I'll address when discussing it below). But then the pandemic made this a strange year, right? This morning, the <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2021/03/2021-oscar-nominations-list-academy-awards-nominees-1234622192/" target="_blank">Oscar nominees</a> were announced. Due to the shutdown of movie theaters this year, the Academy extended their eligibility window to include films released all the way through February 28, 2021 instead of the usual deadline of December 31st. Of course, the other unusual consideration is that pictures need not have played theatrically for at least one week in New York and Los Angeles as is typically the case in previous years. An unexpected byproduct of the shutdown has been that it has allowed viewers' attention to shift from the popular blockbusters (which saw their releases mostly postponed this past year) to the smaller independent films that are usually crowded out by these tentpole movies.<div><br /></div><div>Surprisingly then, 2020 turned out to be a staggeringly great year for cinema, especially in the arena of documentaries, for people of color, and for women. There were so many good nonfiction works in 2020 as to make it difficult to process which are the most memorable. Many of the movies below, in fact most, are either made by or focus on women or people of color. The other weird wrinkle this year is that many of these films can be streamed from home. Whenever possible, the platform where each title can be streamed has been included in the interest of assisting you, dear reader, in finding the movie.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here, for your consideration, are my top films of 2020 (and the beginning of 2021) followed by the winners of the respective critics' polls I participated in.</div><div><br /><a name='more'></a>
<b><br /></b><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQqWrVts3tO-EE-sCAb-CXu2CE7Vk0qZJBVTTQBxSCewMMZ1YjNGN5CV95Iv2fkdwUFnuRQpsiJH0V0I4B2ktUQ5MK8JjZgR9rTngyM3GXPcjDZv4MXiC-F3VD9OMYpJk51CVPfRty9CI/s1500/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1019" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQqWrVts3tO-EE-sCAb-CXu2CE7Vk0qZJBVTTQBxSCewMMZ1YjNGN5CV95Iv2fkdwUFnuRQpsiJH0V0I4B2ktUQ5MK8JjZgR9rTngyM3GXPcjDZv4MXiC-F3VD9OMYpJk51CVPfRty9CI/w434-h640/01.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><br />1. <i>Small Axe</i>, directed by Steve McQueen - Streaming on Prime Video -</b> Is it a film? Several movies? Or a limited series for TV? McQueen himself considers it the latter as he made these set of films specifically for British television. He's wrong. The five chapters are triumphantly cinematic both in stature and quality. Each entry has its own distinct feel, but together they form essential parts of a whole depicting the complex culture and cultural issues facing London's West Indian immigrant community under the collective heading of <i>Small Axe</i>. The two standouts are "Mangrove" and "Lovers Rock." The former features Letitia Wright as Altheia Jones, the leader of the British Black Panther movement and one of the nine protesters arrested for rioting in support of the Black-owned Mangrove restaurant in sixties-era London. The latter is brilliant in its simplicity, almost completely devoid of any plot and taking place entirely at an atmospheric house party in the eighties. Even McQueen's best films can sometimes feel bloodless. Not so with the inspired <i>Small Axe</i>, the best piece(s) of cinema I saw all year.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqPx9QpFeNvds3IXK3cxWqxQ-iAnzxA-74MOAFaILK-S-whF_vCzfOQjQdcNDfST-PTPWS6bAOq7jFsdBiHUrB6NA5dYsgGgh73qCqryjbXVGcw8PATmPgBXttExk5c0Yz1Ko4FxyF0aY/s755/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="513" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqPx9QpFeNvds3IXK3cxWqxQ-iAnzxA-74MOAFaILK-S-whF_vCzfOQjQdcNDfST-PTPWS6bAOq7jFsdBiHUrB6NA5dYsgGgh73qCqryjbXVGcw8PATmPgBXttExk5c0Yz1Ko4FxyF0aY/w434-h640/02.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><br />2. <i>One Night in Miami...</i>, dir. Regina King - Streaming on Prime Video -</b> Actress Regina King makes her directorial debut with this adaptation of the Kemp Powers play, an apocryphal telling of the night that boxer Muhammad Ali--née Cassius Clay--beat Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight boxing championship. Clay meets up with Malcolm X, football player Jim Brown, and singer Sam Cooke for an extended and politically charged conversation. King does a fantastic job of opening the play up and deriving great performances from her young cast as the larger than life quartet while somehow managing to both transcend and preserve the stage origins of Powers' masterpiece.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViSgHnALGmgJWM05NaKmjRHDYDJQe05D6O873dVV4WTaKXewk2p98ZgReSftb75PvxSnaSh-eFTAchpDVxfwSp1BixhglPijLl2L9EPlGL9WN2N2u7LAMFxt7lmgu3M_00gGmCg_PLadw/s1500/03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1036" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViSgHnALGmgJWM05NaKmjRHDYDJQe05D6O873dVV4WTaKXewk2p98ZgReSftb75PvxSnaSh-eFTAchpDVxfwSp1BixhglPijLl2L9EPlGL9WN2N2u7LAMFxt7lmgu3M_00gGmCg_PLadw/w442-h640/03.jpg" width="442" /></a></div><br />3. <i>Possessor</i>, dir. Brandon Cronenberg - Streaming on Hulu -</b> Among the most original movies not just of 2020 but of any year, <i>Possessor</i> takes corporate espionage to the next level. Set in a near future in which assassins are dispatched by multinational corporations by using brain implant technology to inhabit the bodies of people close to their target in order to eliminate them. The best of them is played by Andrea Riseborough as a woman slowly losing her grip on sanity after one too many times jumping into other physical vessels. Christopher Abbott plays the latest man she's jumped into whose personality tries to assert itself over that of the intruder seeking to use him to get to a CEO played by Sean Bean. Director Cronenberg's father is David, the famed Canadian auteur known for his body horror flicks. Between the volume of gore in this movie and the depth of its examination into identity, <i>Possessor</i> proves that the apple doesn't far from the tree when it comes to this talented filmmaker.<div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9iMMvVsCtUIMrDrdh5ez_sufe3_nJSCWN7r7GVlsrw6W7rzECquRcJrPqWwvgUDPHULGNZUYZHVGFQNviWgbanNiZF6hDu27uHWgBYLiuIQTxL1KnB1AZhD4Rx0wo4Rp1qFpEQWk1Xik/s755/04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="509" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9iMMvVsCtUIMrDrdh5ez_sufe3_nJSCWN7r7GVlsrw6W7rzECquRcJrPqWwvgUDPHULGNZUYZHVGFQNviWgbanNiZF6hDu27uHWgBYLiuIQTxL1KnB1AZhD4Rx0wo4Rp1qFpEQWk1Xik/w432-h640/04.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br />4. <i>The Assistant</i>, directed by Kitty Green - Streaming on Hulu -</b> <i>Ozark</i>'s Julia Garner plays a young office intern trying to make the best impression at her new workplace. A kind of dread suffuses the film as the young intern has to roll with all the obstacles presented to her when she tries to prove she is capable of doing more than what she's been tasked with. It's something most viewers can identify with, endeavoring to maintain your sense of self worth after the punishing routine of working for those who want to keep you within the boxes they've made for you. Garner's assistant is different enough from her better known role as the ambitious Ruth Langmore that it is a real treat to see her range in this brief but relatable character study.<div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bmYQL6eYL6OXkQCBW8SbRUuiBKfl-xpHY_OrfXwnWXWANbNSDNUVocnsLxUAwhs3fM-YgwiIO3opsf_vdNTZCPa6AX7ynK0JqhztTt19a_kaus7eCAaavQEN3lHC0Rn_P5lcA386TI1u/s1500/05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1159" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bmYQL6eYL6OXkQCBW8SbRUuiBKfl-xpHY_OrfXwnWXWANbNSDNUVocnsLxUAwhs3fM-YgwiIO3opsf_vdNTZCPa6AX7ynK0JqhztTt19a_kaus7eCAaavQEN3lHC0Rn_P5lcA386TI1u/w494-h640/05.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><br />5. <i>Borat Subsequent Moviefilm</i>, dir. Jason Woliner - Streaming on Prime Video -</b> Sacha Baron Cohen's political mockumentary benefits from the perfect timing of its release deep into 2020's presidential election cycle. Its centerpiece achievement is Cohen's not very deceptive setup of Donald J. Trump's corrupt attorney, Rudy Giuliani, in a hotel room with a Kazakh starlet (the show-stealing Maria Bakalova) where the sleazy shyster is caught on camera about to sexually assault the young woman. This scene proved to be as prescient regarding Giuliani's eventual slow-moving public meltdown as the rest of the comedy was accurate in its spotlighting of the American Midwest's burgeoning fringe element.<div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOy0WTsmmyGqwj3QAi-VzlUoblxZ884M0iKDm2A8C3LW5dAs3U8AGKMAjAy2ti99mKVT2gC3PfA9JMwtK3aUCO0iFYFvLmMi6k1YGtWEEyW5sf-YLi9-XwZI3YZMr2K5zlJaYnVc1snSg/s1500/06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1016" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOy0WTsmmyGqwj3QAi-VzlUoblxZ884M0iKDm2A8C3LW5dAs3U8AGKMAjAy2ti99mKVT2gC3PfA9JMwtK3aUCO0iFYFvLmMi6k1YGtWEEyW5sf-YLi9-XwZI3YZMr2K5zlJaYnVc1snSg/w434-h640/06.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><br />6. <i>Never Rarely Sometimes Always</i>, dir. Eliza Hittman - Streaming on HBO Max -</b> A sympathetic, often harrowing exploration of the considerable lengths a teenage girl must go through to get an abortion, this movie is distressing in its realism. Even more impressive is that Sidney Flanigan is making her debut as Autumn, the pregnant teenager that is the film's beating heart. Autumn's resolute determination in the face of the Kafkaesque maze of obstacles she must face to assert control over her body and her future is both inspiring and disturbing. If only more people would give this kind of sober film a chance, one wonders what kind of impact it might have on their outlook in regards to the controversial subject.<div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1brsGoStp_ohmt2KijTI0HEan5TU54nd8QTH9gKME1HDErAP0aVVFszZDiQf7GCGps1V8t0vfwVE_ZBQDwRdZ0QkyafLUPXvO94YN9pKdE5R5EeQhm6J-LSUIN5DMO6f3v-LTRBa6souO/s1500/07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1013" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1brsGoStp_ohmt2KijTI0HEan5TU54nd8QTH9gKME1HDErAP0aVVFszZDiQf7GCGps1V8t0vfwVE_ZBQDwRdZ0QkyafLUPXvO94YN9pKdE5R5EeQhm6J-LSUIN5DMO6f3v-LTRBa6souO/w432-h640/07.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br />7. <i>Da 5 Bloods</i>, directed by Spike Lee - Streaming on Netflix -</b> Lee's unique look at Black veterans and their problematic time in Vietnam is also an exciting heist movie. This thanks to the strong performances of the criminally ignored Delroy Lindo and Chadwick Boseman in one of his final roles. Their appearances almost--almost--eclipse the rest of the excellent acting ensemble, which includes <i>The Wire</i>'s Clarke Peters and Isiah Whitlock, Jr., as well as the suddenly hot Jonathan Majors (<i>Lovecraft Country</i>). Ostensibly a movie about former war buddies reuniting in Vietnam to overcome their residual trauma from the war, explore the new, capitalistic iteration of the country, and oh yeah... dig up some buried treasure the vets stole from the Viet Cong, what <i>Bloods</i> really ends up delving into is the long history of America using African Americans to fight its wars abroad while they face racism in every other aspect of their lives at home.</div><div><br /><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rWMwopaId-a09wVF8bvzu4wlplWu_9WLT0jt-6GBP-zQBasIdkcJkyV1AIubOwTIo9T117nF4myQiHOu71GHHq8MvFXE7NvaEUiYS-01eRW0zYjTudDsKkkXOP69cyrMCRXFWtt71pSa/s1500/08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1013" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rWMwopaId-a09wVF8bvzu4wlplWu_9WLT0jt-6GBP-zQBasIdkcJkyV1AIubOwTIo9T117nF4myQiHOu71GHHq8MvFXE7NvaEUiYS-01eRW0zYjTudDsKkkXOP69cyrMCRXFWtt71pSa/w432-h640/08.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br />8. <i>Minari</i>, dir. Lee Isaac Chung - </b> They don't come any gentler or more rewarding than this film. Of all the movies on the list, <i>Minari</i> has the most potential to grow in importance through the upcoming years. It stars <i>The Walking Dead</i>'s Steven Yeun, a fine actor who has broken out of the usual sterotyping that limits genre actors, as a Korean father who moves his family to Arkansas in the eighties to pursue his dream of starting a farm. Most noteworthy is the relationship between his young, health-challenged son and the boy's maternal grandmother, a feisty woman as delineated by the riveting Youn Yuh-jung. Add a supporting turn by the always interesting Will Patton, and you have a movie you want to wrap yourself in like a warm blanket.<div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVdQuPRjq-JRryICR_f-Prdi5dDBBw4s8mFA8cDbbdGRPm8i7-Evu38eK7UHGkwJvW17ePkXmpTYA45ozFS2R3BDakr57TbyIXaSh4caDNsWjsSvPMnW42blbgimYPWhmVB5u2HuOU1pG/s1500/09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1013" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVdQuPRjq-JRryICR_f-Prdi5dDBBw4s8mFA8cDbbdGRPm8i7-Evu38eK7UHGkwJvW17ePkXmpTYA45ozFS2R3BDakr57TbyIXaSh4caDNsWjsSvPMnW42blbgimYPWhmVB5u2HuOU1pG/w432-h640/09.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br />9. <i>Promising Young Woman</i>, dir. Emerald Fennell -</b> Actress Fennell makes her feature directing debut with <i>Promising Young Woman</i>, a movie she also wrote. And it is as close to perfect a film to serve as her calling card in Hollywood for years to come. Directing Carey Mulligan to a brilliant performance as a kind of vigilante/bait on the hunt for misogynists in the dating arena, Fennell is able to wring some clever wit out of the serious subject matter. What the movie ends up as is a highly stylized black comedy that is always thought provoking as it challenges the archaic rituals of the dating world that leave women holding the short end of the stick. Fennell and Mulligan both have something intelligent and even darkly funny to be proud of here.<div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDHqN8ZlX8jFzE6q3YtHSC0LETDu0m_tiQNwkgEV7FfPDQIHXMTYTuVdZMOCkL7n3Kxid_4jiHKnv6HQflRly8nF_kOIB2yFns3XoNOHlLz_DcnQBuH8ePqcNpXk23J58Oy6_p-71uUQB/s1500/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1057" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDHqN8ZlX8jFzE6q3YtHSC0LETDu0m_tiQNwkgEV7FfPDQIHXMTYTuVdZMOCkL7n3Kxid_4jiHKnv6HQflRly8nF_kOIB2yFns3XoNOHlLz_DcnQBuH8ePqcNpXk23J58Oy6_p-71uUQB/w450-h640/10.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><br />10. <i>The Social Dilemma</i>, dir. Jeff Orlowski - Streaming on Netflix -</b> As I mentioned earlier, 2020's documentary field was among the most competitive of the past several years. <i>The Social Dilemma</i> may prove to be the most alarming. And this despite other excellent timely docs like the pandemic response thriller, <i>Totally Under Control</i>, and the enraging voter rights piece, <i>All In: The Fight for Democracy</i>. This because <i>The Social Dilemma</i>'s frightening implications about social media's mind warping effects on society are even more far-reaching.<div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiVNd5Xh5CR58sJrImlta7akx0rgRTdMMdIyf88-dtFsQ1JgTkAUIOZDtOs385iAMkMnQmet5PI11uH-KUiacKBq5a8SIuQ6-837mVVu_oBHcSpRdD1sCPtMXA6oJAkX3NiwxA4_8FVwfT/s1500/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1013" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiVNd5Xh5CR58sJrImlta7akx0rgRTdMMdIyf88-dtFsQ1JgTkAUIOZDtOs385iAMkMnQmet5PI11uH-KUiacKBq5a8SIuQ6-837mVVu_oBHcSpRdD1sCPtMXA6oJAkX3NiwxA4_8FVwfT/w432-h640/11.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br />11. <i>Sound of Metal</i>, dir. Darius Marder - Streaming on Prime Video -</b> At one point, <i>The Place Beyond the Pines</i> director Derek Cianfrance was going to direct this film off of Marder's script. Maybe because he saw how invested Marder was in his story, he encouraged Marder to helm the feature himself. Marder expertly brings us into the aural world of Ruben (Riz Ahmed), a heavy metal drummer who quickly and permanently loses his hearing. Ahmed communicates the initial panic, then denial, then fear that Ruben feels concerning the downbeat prospect the loss of identity his condition represents. Together, Marder and Ahmed end up delivering one of the quietest and most powerful of 2020's narrative features.<div><br /></div><div><b>Honorable Mention:</b> <i>All In: The Fight for Democracy</i> (Prime Video), <i>Bad Education</i> (HBO Max), <i>Beastie Boys Story</i> (Apple TV+), <i>Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart</i> (HBO Max), <i>Boys State</i> (Apple TV+), <i>Crip Camp</i> (Netflix), <i>David Byrne's American Utopia</i> (HBO Max), <i>First Cow</i> (Showtime), <i>Hamilton</i> (Disney+), <i>The Invisible Man</i> (HBO Max), <i>John Lewis: Good Trouble</i> (HBO Max), <i>The King of Staten Island</i> (HBO Max), <i>Let Him Go</i>, <i>Let Them All Talk</i> (HBO Max), <i>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom</i> (Netflix), <i>Malcolm & Marie</i> (Netflix), <i>Mank</i> (Netflix), <i>The Midnight Sky</i> (Netflix), <i>The Nest</i>, <i>News of the World</i>, <i>Night of the Kings</i>, <i>Nomadland</i> (Hulu), <i>On the Rocks</i> (Apple TV+), <i>Palm Springs</i> (Hulu), <i>Pieces of a Woman</i> (Netflix), <i>Soul</i> (Disney+), <i>Totally Under Control</i> (Hulu), <i>The Trial of the Chicago 7</i> (Netflix), <i>The Way I See It</i> (Peacock), <i>Wolfwalkers</i> (Apple TV+)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Most Overrated:</b> <i>Nomadland</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Most Underrated:</b> <i>Let Him Go</i></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Breakthrough Artist of the Year:</b> Emerald Fennel (<i>Promising Young Woman</i>)</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>*****</div><div><br /></div><div>Winners are in red where my own vote coincides.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.georgiafilmcritics.org/p/2020-awards.html" target="_blank">Georgia Film Critics Association</a></span></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Best Picture:</b> <i>Nomadland</i></div><div><b>Best Director:</b> Chloé Zhao (<i>Nomadland</i>)</div><div><b>Best Actor: <span style="color: red;">Riz Ahmed (<i>Sound of Metal</i>)</span></b></div><div><b>Best Actress:</b> Carey Mulligan (<i>Promising Young Woman</i>)</div><div><b>Best Supporting Actor:</b> Paul Raci (<i>Sound of Metal</i>)</div><div><b>Best Supporting Actress: <span style="color: red;">Youn Yuh-jung (<i>Minari</i>)</span></b></div><div><b>Best Original Screenplay: <span style="color: red;"><i>Promising Young Woman</i> - Emerald Fennell</span></b></div><div><b>Best Adapted Screenplay:</b> <i>Nomadland</i> - Chloé Zhao</div><div><b>Best Cinematography: <span style="color: red;"><i>Nomadland</i> - Joshua James Richards</span></b></div><div><b>Best Production Design:</b> <i>Mank</i> - Donald Graham Burt, Chris Craine, Dan Webster</div><div><b>Best Original Score: <span style="color: red;"><i>Soul</i> - Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross</span></b></div><div><b>Best Original Song:</b> "Speak Now" - Leslie Odom, Jr. & Sam Ashworth (<i>One Night in Miami</i>)</div><div><b>Best Ensemble: <i><span style="color: red;">One Night in Miami</span></i></b></div><div><b>Best Foreign Language Film:</b> <i>Another Round</i></div><div><b>Breakthrough Award: <span style="color: red;">Emerald Fennell (<i>Promising Young Woman</i>)</span></b></div><div><b>Best Animated Film: <i><span style="color: red;">Soul</span></i></b></div><div><b>Best Documentary Film:</b> <i>Time</i></div><div><b>Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema: <span style="color: red;"><i>John Lewis: Good Trouble</i> (Dawn Porter)</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.sefca.net/winners#/2020" target="_blank">The Southeastern Film Critics Association</a></span></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Top 10</b></div><div>1. <i>Nomadland</i></div><div>2. <b><i><span style="color: red;">Minari</span></i></b></div><div>3. <i>The Trial of the Chicago 7</i></div><div>4. <b><i><span style="color: red;">Promising Young Woman</span></i></b></div><div>5. <b><i><span style="color: red;">Sound of Metal</span></i></b></div><div>6. <b><i><span style="color: red;">One Night in Miami...</span></i></b></div><div>7. <b><i><span style="color: red;">Da 5 Bloods</span></i></b></div><div>8. <i>Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom</i></div><div>9. <i>Soul</i></div><div>10. <i>Mank</i></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Best Actor:</b> Chadwick Boseman (<i>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom</i>)</div><div><b>Best Actress:</b> Frances McDormand (<i>Nomadland</i>)</div><div><b>Best Supporting Actor: <span style="color: red;">Sacha Baron Cohen (<i>The Trial of the Chicago 7</i>)</span></b></div><div><b>Best Supporting Actress: <span style="color: red;">Youn Yuh-jung (<i>Minari</i>)</span></b></div><div><b>Best Ensemble: <span style="color: red;"><i>The Trial of the Chicago 7</i></span></b></div><div><b>Best Director:</b> Chloé Zhao (<i>Nomadland</i>)<div><b>Best Original Screenplay: <span style="color: red;"><i>Minari</i> - Lee Isaac Chung</span></b></div><div><b>Best Adapted Screenplay: <span style="color: red;"><i>Nomadland</i> - Chloé Zhao</span></b></div><div><b>Best Documentary: </b><i>Time</i></div><div><b>Best Foreign-Language Film:</b> <i>Another Round</i></div><div><b>Best Animated Film: <span style="color: red;"><i>Soul</i></span></b></div><div><b>Best Cinematography: <span style="color: red;"><i>Nomadland</i> - Joshua James Richards</span></b></div><div><b>The Gene Wyatt Award: <span style="color: red;"><i>Minari</i></span></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-48971974194163001002020-02-09T10:07:00.001-05:002020-02-09T10:07:53.169-05:00Best of 2019: The 13 Best Films of the Yearby Tony Dayoub<br />
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It's Oscar Day! No predictions. Here, for your consideration, are my top films of 2019 followed by the winners of the respective polls I participated in.<br />
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<b>1. <i>Parasite</i>, directed by Bong Joon Ho -</b> This is what we need more of here in the US, smart films with extremely original plots that comment on our society. I love action movies and even superhero flicks as much as the next guy. In fact, I'm probably predisposed to find them appealing because that was my way into film. Bong's <i>Parasite</i>, like all of his movies, represents what I value most about cinema, though: its ability to show me an outside perspective, clue me into a different culture, and speak to important themes--in this case, extreme class differences-- in an entertaining yet illuminating way. Sure to win the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, I'm hoping the good will so evident for this South Korean film will lead it to an upset in tonight's Best Picture category as well.<br />
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<b>2. <i>The Lighthouse</i>, dir. Robert Eggers -</b> Like his previous film, <i>The Witch</i>, so much of <i>The Lighthouse</i>'s atmospherics depend not only on ambient sound but the stylized, near accurate, period dialogue. Where it diverges is Eggers decision to amp up the tension in a series of stagy two-handers, as performed by the dynamic team of the relatively young movie star Robert Pattinson and the grizzled veteran character actor, Willem Dafoe. The dynamic created by one man living in the present and one man dwelling in the past informs the story. But which man is really doing what?<br />
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<b>3. <i>Midsommar</i>, dir. Ari Aster -</b> Like Aster's last film, <i>Hereditary</i>, <i>Midsommar</i> makes my list on sheer originality and expert execution. You've never seen any horror movie quite like this one, even with its prodigious references to another slow-burn pagan creepfest, 1973's <i>The Wicker Man</i>. The main difference is its injection of a #MeToo sensibility into the bat-shit proceedings. There's a longer version out there that I have yet to see, but it's likely to be even more effective. <i>Midsommar</i> is the rare horror film that benefits from a longer run time as Aster incrementally builds the eerie suspense to a strangulating crescendo.<br />
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<b>4. <i>A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood</i>, dir. Marielle Heller -</b> Despite the ubiquity of <i>Mister Rogers' Neighborhood</i> in my childhood, I hardly hold any nostalgia for the infantile PBS show. However, this film and the recent documentary, <i>Won't You Be My Neighbor?</i>, have both inspired my respect for their subject, Fred Rogers. Heller's gentle film is a profound meditation on kindness and its underestimated effect on not just impressionable children but broken adults as well.<br />
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<b>5. <i>1917</i>, dir. Sam Mendes -</b> Strip away its gimmick (the film is actually two takes long, not one), and this is a rather conventional story of a knight on an errant quest. Yet, if for nothing else, <i>1917</i> is worthy of consideration for its exhilarating night sequence, as its protagonist dashes through ruins to dodge gunfire under the blazing, intermittent light of enemy flares. This setpiece makes it very hard to deny that Roger Deakins' cinematography is glorious, especially when married to Thomas Newman's score. Newman is up against cousin Randy (<i>Marriage Story</i>) for the Best Original Score Oscar, but I know who I'm rooting for.<br />
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<b>6. <i>The Farewell</i>, dir. Lulu Wang -</b> Real... that is all I have to say about <i>The Farewell</i>. It feels real. It is very infrequent that one feels like they are peering through a peephole into someone's life. <i>The Farewell</i> is one of those occasions. Awkwafina wins just by suppressing her often overwhelming personality in service to the story. The actual star performance here is Zhao Shuzhen's as Awkwafina's grandmother. Awkwafina and her family are following the cultural expectation of protecting their vibrant and life-affirming elder from learning of a terminal diagnosis. Both Wang's movie and Shuzhen won Independent Spirit awards last night, while <i>The Farewell</i> received not a one nomination, a criminal slight by the Academy if there's ever been one.<br />
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<b>7. <i>Uncut Gems</i>, dirs. Josh and Benny Safdie -</b> Exhausting, frustrating, and accelerative, <i>Uncut Gems</i> is relentless in its dealing reversals to Adam Sandler's Howard, a Diamond District jeweler and gambling addict. It's not that Howard doesn't invite some of these obstacles upon himself. The casting of Sandler is key in making Howard congenial enough to lure you along on his ride. Otherwise the viewer would be wondering, Why for God's sake should I care about this pathetic individual who keeps diving deeper into chaos when he has so many opportunities to find his way out?<br />
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<b>8. <i>Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood</i>, dir. Quentin Tarantino -</b> I have my problems with this film, particularly with its revisionist ending. While that may have worked for Tarantino's <i>Inglourious Basterds</i>, where the wishful destruction of Hitler and his top brass felt like a catharsis at a time when America was mired in endless wars, here it feels like a freeze on historical progress. Horrific as it was, the Manson Family murders felt like one of the earliest of a series of dark rites of passage for America that culminated in the explosive Watergate scandal, our departure from Vietnam, and more. Pretending the Tate-LaBianca Murders never happened feels akin to a kind of desire for America's arrested development. Still, the first two acts of the movie are gold, a sustained depiction of blissful 60s-era Hollywood on a collision course with the turmoil outside of its insular community. Best sequence of this year: Brad Pitt's spooky encounter with Manson's acolytes at the Spahn Ranch.<br />
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<b>9. <i>Ford v. Ferrari</i>, dir. James Mangold -</b> Pure cinema. <i>Ford v. Ferrari</i> is both visually and aurally breathtaking. Everything else is just icing on the cake. Rich icing that is, with old-school matinee idol performances by Christian Bale and Matt Damon, bolstered by one of the best ensembles of the season including Jon Bernthal, Caitriona Balfe, Tracy Letts, Josh Lucas, and Ray McKinnon.<br />
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<b>10. <i>American Factory</i>, dirs. Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert -</b> A microcosm of what is happening in our society today: outsourcing of manufacturing jobs; good, naive people working against their own self-interest; and the effects of globalization on small American towns.<br />
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<b>11. <i>A Hidden Life</i>, dir. Terrence Malick -</b> Malick returns to form with a beautiful, intimate story of a conscientious objector who resisted fighting for the Nazis. However, the canvas on which he presents it is epic and resonant. Under-publicized, <i>A Hidden Life</i> will grow in stature in the decades ahead.<br />
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<b>12. <i>Dolemite is My Name</i>, dir. Craig Brewer -</b> A sweet, funny delight of a movie. And it sports not one, but two comebacks... that highly publicized one of Eddie Murphy, as well as the under-the-radar return of the brilliant Wesley Snipes. <i>Dolemite</i> is made all the more outlandish by the fact that it is largely a true story. Those who weren't around when it happened may have trouble believing it ever really did.<br />
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<b>13. <i>The Irishman</i>, dir. Martin Scorsese -</b> Overlong, the film could easily cut out most of its first hour which seems designed simply to inform younger audiences of what I guess is now ancient history. The de-aging CGI is flawed enough to emphasize rather than diminish the age of its subjects. But these nitpicks aside, <i>The Irishman</i>'s last two hours are near perfect. It's De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci (oh, especially Pesci) directed by Scorsese, a landmark achievement in itself. And who isn't glad to see De Niro and Pacino underplaying their roles again after years of scenery chewing performances?<br />
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<b>Honorable Mention: <i>Ad Astra, At the Heart of Gold, Avengers: Endgame, Bombshell, Booksmart, I Lost My Body, Knives Out, Little Women, Marriage Story, Mike Wallace Is Here, Missing Link, The Nightingale, The Report, Us</i><br />
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Most Overrated: <i>Jojo Rabbit and Joker (tie)</i><br />
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Most Underrated: <i>Bombshell</i><br />
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Breakthrough Actors of the Year:</b> Florence Pugh (<b><i>Fighting with the Family, Little Women, Midsommar</i></b>)<br />
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*****<br />
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Winners are in red where my own vote coincides.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.georgiafilmcritics.org/p/2019-awards.html" target="_blank">Georgia Film Critics Association</a></span><br />
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Best Picture: <span style="color: red;"><i>Parasite</i></span><br />
Best Director: <span style="color: red;">Bong Joon-Ho (<i>Parasite</i>)</span><br />
Best Actor: <span style="color: red;">Adam Driver (<i>Marriage Story</i>)</span><br />
Best Actress:</b> Lupita N'Yongo (<i>Us</i>)<br />
<b>Best Supporting Actor: <span style="color: red;">Joe Pesci (<i>The Irishman</i>)</span><br />
<b>Best Supporting Actress:</b> <span style="color: red;">Florence Pugh (<i>Little Women</i>)</span><br />
Best Original Screenplay:</b> <i>Parasite</i> - Bong Joon-Ho, Han Jin-Won<br />
<b>Best Adapted Screenplay:</b> <i>The Irishman</i> - Steven Zaillan<br />
<b>Best Cinematography: <span style="color: red;"><i>1917</i> - Roger Deakins</span><br />
Best Production Design:</b> <i>1917</i> - Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales<br />
<b>Best Original Score: <span style="color: red;"><i>1917</i> - Thomas Newman</span><br />
Best Original Song:</b> "Glasgow (No Place Like Home)” - Caitlin Smith, Mary Steenburgen, Kate York (<i>Wild Rose</i>)<br />
<b>Best Ensemble:</b> <i>Little Women</i><br />
<b>Best Foreign Language Film: <span style="color: red;"><i>Parasite</i></span><br />
Breakthrough Award: <span style="color: red;">Florence Pugh (<i>Fighting with the Family, Little Women, Midsommar</i>)</span><br />
Best Animated Film:</b> <i>Toy Story 4</i><br />
<b>Best Documentary:</b> <i>Apollo 11</i><br />
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<b>Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema:</b> <i>The Peanut Butter Falcon</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2019/12/best-movies-2019-critics-survey-poll-performances-parasite-adam-driver-lupita-nyongo-1202197615/" target="_blank">IndieWire</a></b></span><br />
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<b>Best Film<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. <i>Parasite</i><br />
2. <i>The Irishman</i></span></b><br />
3. <i>Marriage Story</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">4. <i>Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood</i></span></b><br />
5. <i>Portrait of a Lady on Fire</i><br />
6. <i>Pain and Glory</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">7. <i>Uncut Gems</i></span></b><br />
8. <i>The Souvenir</i><br />
9. <i>Joker</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">10. <i>Little Women</i><br />
11. <i>The Farewell</i><br />
12. <i>Knives Out</i></span></b><br />
13. <i>Transit</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">14. <i>The Lighthouse</i><br />
15. <i>Us</i><br />
16. <i>A Hidden Life</i><br />
17. <i>Ad Astra</i></span></b><br />
18. <i>Long Day’s Journey Into Night</i><br />
19. <i>Atlantics</i><br />
20. <i>High Life</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">21. <i>1917</i></span></b><br />
22. <i>The Last Black Man in San Francisco</i><br />
23. <i>Jojo Rabbit</i><br />
24. <i>An Elephant Sitting Still</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">25. <i>Midsommar</i></span><br />
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Best Director: <span style="color: red;">Bong Joon-Ho, <i>Parasite</i></span><br />
Best Screenplay: <span style="color: red;"><i>Parasite</i></span><br />
Best Actress:</b> Lupita N'Yongo, <i>Us</i><br />
<b>Best Actor: <span style="color: red;">Adam Driver, <i>Marriage Story</i></span><br />
Best Supporting Actress:</b> Laura Dern, <i>Marriage Story</i><br />
<b>Best Supporting Actor: <span style="color: red;">Joe Pesci, <i>The Irishman</i></span><br />
Best Cinematography: <span style="color: red;"><i>1917</i></span><br />
Best Documentary:</b> <i>Apollo 11</i><br />
<b>Best First Feature:</b> <i>Atlantics</i><br />
<b>Best Foreign Language Film: <span style="color: red;"><i>Parasite</i></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.sefca.net/winners#/2019" target="_blank">The Southeastern Film Critics Association</a></span><br />
Top 10<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. <i>Parasite</i><br />
2. <i>The Irishman</i><br />
3. <i>Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood</i></span></b><br />
4. <i>Marriage Story</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">5. <i>1917</i></span></b><br />
6. <i>Jojo Rabbit</i><br />
7. <i>Little Women</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">8. <i>The Farewell</i><br />
9. <i>Uncut Gems</i><br />
10. <i>Ford v. Ferrari</i></span></b><br />
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<b>Best Actor: <span style="color: red;">Adam Driver, <i>Marriage Story</i></span><br />
Best Actress:</b> Renee Zellweger, <i>Judy</i><br />
<b>Best Supporting Actor:</b> Brad Pitt, <i>Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood</i><br />
<b>Best Supporting Actress</b>: Laura Dern, <i>Marriage Story</i><br />
<b>Best Ensemble:</b> <i>Knives Out</i><br />
<b>Best Director:</b> Martin Scorsese, <i>The Irishman</i><br />
<b>Best Original Screenplay:</b> Bong Joon-ho and Jin Won Han, <i>Parasite</i><br />
<b>Best Adapted Screenplay:</b> Steven Zaillan, <i>The Irishman</i><br />
<b>Best Documentary:</b> <i>Apollo 11</i><br />
<b>Best Foreign Language Film: <span style="color: red;"><i>Parasite</i></span><br />
Best Animated Film:</b> <i>Toy Story 4</i><br />
<b>Best Cinematography: <span style="color: red;">Roger Deakins, <i>1917</i></span><br />
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The Gene Wyatt Award for the Film that Best Evokes the Spirit of the South:</b> <i>The Peanut Butter Falcon</i>Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-57701089460803179972019-07-14T19:58:00.001-04:002019-07-14T19:58:25.274-04:00Atlanta's Plaza Theatre Presents Nine Days of Tarantinoby Tony Dayoub<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw07zApGFSgcMwiAa1coLyW2QfIz0ToxqB-NpRDn9Lj7AXRDloLTuNh9_rlsttpEqbDb3YquTpzkk_CsyaR4refpURMg_9mTFjN7gQwsKzUxsZ-1lved59kjpye65uNmqeC6rBEu37r-k-/s1600/OUATIH0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw07zApGFSgcMwiAa1coLyW2QfIz0ToxqB-NpRDn9Lj7AXRDloLTuNh9_rlsttpEqbDb3YquTpzkk_CsyaR4refpURMg_9mTFjN7gQwsKzUxsZ-1lved59kjpye65uNmqeC6rBEu37r-k-/s400/OUATIH0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Tied to the release of Quentin Tarantino's ninth film, <b><i>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</i></b>, Atlanta's historic Plaza Theatre and the Atlanta Film Society are hosting a special retrospective of his previous eight films. It started this past Thursday with screenings of <i>Reservoir Dogs</i>, a 25th anniversary screening of <i>Pulp Fiction</i>, <i>Jackie Brown</i>, and <i>Kill Bill Vols. 1 & 2</i>. Next weekend sees screenings of <i>Death Proof</i>, <i>Inglourious Basterds</i>, <i>Django Unchained</i>, and <i>The Hateful Eight</i>.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>With each ticket purchase to one of the retrospective screenings, attendees will receive a complimentary pass to attend the Plaza's July 24th advance screening of Tarantino's latest film, <i>Once Upon A Time In Hollywood</i>, in theaters nationwide on Friday, July 26th.<br />
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<i>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</i> is set in 1969 Los Angeles, where everything is changing as TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) make their way around an industry they hardly recognize anymore. The new film's large ensemble cast features Margot Robbie, Dakota Fanning, Maya Hawke, Timothy Olyphant, the late Luke Perry, Margaret Qualley, Kurt Russell, Sydney Sweeney, and Al Pacino.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i>QUENTIN TARANTINO RETROSPECTIVE AT THE PLAZA THEATRE SHOWTIMES</i></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><i>Tickets are $13* and can be purchased on the Plaza’s website or at the box office. Discounts are available for Atlanta Film Society members.</i></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><i>www.plazaatlanta.com</i></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-style: italic;">Thursday, 7/18 at 7:00 pm: </i>Death Proof<i style="font-style: italic;"> (2007)</i></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-style: italic;">Friday, 7/19 at 9:00 pm: </i>Inglourious Basterds <i style="font-style: italic;">(2009)</i></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-style: italic;">Saturday, 7/20 at 7:00 pm: </i>Django Unchained<i style="font-style: italic;"> (2012)</i></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-style: italic;">Sunday, 7/21 at 6:30 pm: </i>The Hateful Eight<i style="font-style: italic;"> (2015)</i></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-style: italic;">SPECIAL ADVANCE SCREENING OF </i>ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD</div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><i>Tickets are not available for purchase for this special screening. Complimentary passes** will be provided to the Tarantino retrospective attendees.</i></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-style: italic;">Wednesday, 7/24 at 7:00 pm: </i>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><i>**Passes and seating are limited and are first come, first served based on theater capacity.</i></div>Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-72095760371007430812019-02-18T06:49:00.001-05:002019-02-18T06:49:50.167-05:00Best of 2018: The 12 Best Films of the Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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by Tony Dayoub<br />
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As Academy Awards night approaches this Sunday, and for your consideration, my top films of 2018 followed by the winners of the respective polls I participated in.<br />
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<b>1. <i>First Reformed</i>, directed by Paul Schrader -</b> Some have accused Schrader of stealing elements of <i>Diary of a Country Priest</i> and <i>Winter Light</i> to tell its story. Rarely are these kinds of derivations a real issue if what results is something as wholly (and maybe even holy) fascinating as this film. What Schrader achieves with <i>First Reformed</i> is a masterwork that discusses some of the most significant issues affecting our society today using the same obsessive loner archetype that populates most of his other notable films, from <i>Taxi Driver</i> to <i>Affliction</i>. Only due to the immediacy of <i>First Reformed</i>'s primary concerns–the co-opting of religion, the consequences of environmental ignorance, the apocalypse–and the central character's Calvinist background, the film feels more like a personal cri de coeur; Schrader himself had a Calvinist upbringing and theological training. Add an intense turn by Ethan Hawke as the pastor and one doozy of a denouement, and you end up with a movie that transcends its influences to transform into something sublime.<br />
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<b>2. <i>BlacKkKlansman</i>, dir. Spike Lee -</b> "Sarge... come on. America would never elect somebody like David Duke president of the United States of America." "Coming from a black man, that's pretty naive. Why don't you wake up?" Get what Spike is doing there? Sure you do. You all laughed and clapped the shit out of that line at a screening of the movie, maybe Lee's best since <i>Do the Right Thing</i>. Framed by a scene from <i>Gone With the Wind</i> on one end and on the other, actual footage from the 2017 Charlottesville car attack that killed counter-protester Heather Heyer at the Unite the Right rally, it is as if Lee is reminding us what's past is prologue. For this potent, truth-is-stranger-than-fiction drama, Lee breaks out all of his secret weapons: kinetic editing and camerawork; sharp, even slapstick-level humor; and at one-point, an impromptu dance number right out of the early scenes from Lee's <i>Malcolm X</i>. And Lee's most secret of weapons, the cop duo who together play a white racist caricature version of black cop Ron Stallworth, a wily Adam Driver and John David Washington (effectively channeling his dad Denzel).<br />
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<b>3. <i>Hereditary</i>, dir. Ari Aster -</b> Honestly? This is here because it is, flat-out, one of the most harrowing and daring horror movies I've seen in quite some time. Every time you think you're watching a scene unfold and that <i>Hereditary</i> won't go there... it goes there. And with some panache. Don't watch it alone, at night, or if you have kids. I made all three mistakes.<br />
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<b>4. <i>The Ballad of Buster Scruggs</i>, dirs. Joel and Ethan Coen -</b> A surprisingly even omnibus made up of six western tales ranging from comic to tragic, <i>Scruggs</i> is perfect for its Netflix venue. The Coens are conscious of the audience they're playing to here. <i>Scruggs</i> is effective whether seen all at once or broken up into its six eclectic parts. Its most effective chapters are the middle three: the horrifying "Meal Ticket" (featuring the presently disgraced Liam Neeson); the satisfying "All Gold Canyon" (starring a grizzled, nearly unrecognizable Tom Waits); and the sad story of "The Gal Who Got Rattled" (led by a mousy but somehow still commanding Zoe Kazan). <br />
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<b>5. <i>If Beale Street Could Talk</i>, dir. Barry Jenkins -</b> How can a film offer both a searing commentary about racism and a humanistic look at the warmth and security offered by family? Credit the former to the source material authored by the rarely adapted African American social critic James Baldwin. The latter is owed to writer-director Jenkins' mobilization of his collaborators' contributions, the trifecta of a moving score by composer Nicholas Britell, enveloping close-ups lensed by cinematographer James Laxton, and a potent performance by Regina King as the matriarch of the family central to this must-see story.<br />
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<b>6. <i>Mission: Impossible - Fallout</i>, dir. Christoper McQuarrie -</b> Yes, I admit I am as surprised to see this movie on my list as you must be, especially after the stale quality of its predecessor, a throwaway mounted by much of the same players as this one. But there's no denying that <i>Fallout</i> is not only the most thrilling outing of this dinosaur Tom Cruise franchise. <i>Fallout</i> is <i>Mission: Impossible</i>'s most intelligent chapter, building on the loose plot threads and expectations set up by its previous entries. More than that... it is likely to be inducted in the action flick pantheon, right behind another movie which revived its own comatose series, <i>Mad Max: Fury Road</i>.<br />
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<b>7. <i>You Were Never Really Here</i>, dir. Lynne Ramsay -</b> A minimalist profile of a hit man driven by his own demons concerning physical and emotional abuse, this character study is perfectly delineated by Ramsay with strong assists by star Joaquin Phoenix and composer Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead. I'm more surprised it was nominated for a BAFTA than of its complete absence from the Oscars. Lean, mean little gems like this grimy, hour-and-a-half picture, nearly devoid of any social value, rarely make it past the Academy voters. But they do make for great movie nights courtesy of Amazon Studios, who distributed the film and currently has it available on its Prime streaming platform. <br />
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<b>8. <i>Annihilation</i>, dir. Alex Garland -</b> Even though this sci-fi thriller gets points for trying to be about something, don't look too closely at the ecological metaphor it advances; it does not hold up under too much scrutiny. Better to focus on three things: the disquieting mood vaguely reminiscent of John Carpenter's <i>The Thing</i>; its stunning visuals; and its mostly female cast (led by Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Tessa Thompson), uniformly excellent and atypical for this genre. <br />
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<b>9. <i>Leave No Trace</i>, dir. Debra Granik -</b> Understated and largely ignored outside of the indie world, <i>Leave No Trace</i> is the film most deserving of any attention brought to it by spotlighting it on this and other such lists. A beautiful, low-key look at a father and daughter living off the grid suddenly pulled into society against the dad's wishes, Granik's picture is anchored by the strong performance of the always dependable Ben Foster as the dad. However, it is Thomasin McKenzie's revelatory performance as the teenage daughter ready to join society that is the highlight of the movie... certainly far more than the similar and much touted turn by a young Jennifer Lawrence in Granik's last narrative feature, <i>Winter's Bone</i>.<br />
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<b>10. <i>Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</i>, dirs. Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman -</b> <i>Spider-Verse</i> electrifyingly captures what a true comic book feels like in your hands. In that sense it is a first for the screen, crowding out all of this year's comers in both the animated arena and the superhero genre. Pretty ballsy for a movie which had no involvement from the Disney/Marvel production machine. More like this... please!<br />
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<b>11. <i>Roma</i>, dir. Alfonso Cuarón -</b> The fact that this is a black-and-white Spanish-language film AND the front runner for this year's Best Picture Oscar is an achievement in itself. But Cuarón's sober eye in depicting the realities of a chapter of his own life without entirely veering off into nostalgia is a quality not to be underestimated when viewing the movie. And that Cuarón decided <i>Roma</i> would completely rest on the shoulders of the winning Yalitza Aparicio, a non-actress, is bold. Will the movie hold up in 10 years? That remains to be seen.<br />
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<b>12. <i>Won't You Be My Neighbor?</i>, dir. Morgan Neville -</b> This documentary is more than just a nostalgic trip for many of us who grew up watching <i>Mister Rogers' Neighborhood</i>. Without descending into preachiness, this profound documentary builds a solid case that much of what ails our country today lies in that missing piece Rogers offered children and families of all political stripes and socioeconomic classes, a lesson in empathy for our fellow brothers and sisters.<br />
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<b>Honorable Mention: <i>At Eternity's Gate, Beautiful Boy, Black Panther, Crazy Rich Asians, Destroyer, Eighth Grade, First Man, Free Solo, The House that Jack Built, Isle of Dogs, Minding the Gap, The Mule, A Quiet Place, Quincy, RBG, The Rider, The Sisters Brothers, Vice</i><br />
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Most Overrated: <i>The Favourite</i><br />
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Most Underrated: <i>Leave No Trace</i><br />
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Breakthrough Actor of the Year:</b> John David Washington (<b><i>BlacKkKlansman, Monster, Monsters and Men, The Old Man & the Gun</i></b>)<br />
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<b>Breakthrough Actress of the Year:</b> Thomasin McKenzie (<b><i>Leave No Trace</i></b>)<br />
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*****<br />
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Winners are in red where my own vote coincides.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.georgiafilmcritics.org/p/2018-awards.html" target="_blank">Georgia Film Critics Association</a></span><br />
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Best Picture:</b> <i>A Star is Born</i><br />
<b>Best Director:</b> Alfonso Cuarón (<i>Roma</i>)<br />
<b>Best Actor: <span style="color: red;">Ethan Hawke (<i>First Reformed</i>)</span><br />
Best Actress: <span style="color: red;">Toni Colette (<i>Hereditary</i>)</span><br />
Best Supporting Actor:</b> Sam Elliott (<i>A Star is Born</i>)<br />
<b>Best Supporting Actress:</b> Emma Stone (<i>The Favourite</i>)<br />
<b>Best Original Screenplay:</b> <i>Eighth Grade</i> - Bo Burnham<br />
<b>Best Adapted Screenplay: <span style="color: red;"><i>BlacKkKlansman</i> - Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee,</span><br />
Best Cinematography: <span style="color: red;"><i>Roma</i> - Alfonso Cuarón</span><br />
Best Production Design: <span style="color: red;"><i>The Favourite</i> - Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton</span><br />
Best Original Score: <span style="color: red;"><i>First Man</i> - Justin Hurwitz</span><br />
Best Original Song: <span style="color: red;">"Shallow" - Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt (<i>A Star is Born</i>)</span><br />
Best Ensemble:</b> <i>The Favourite</i><br />
<b>Best Foreign Film: <span style="color: red;"><i>Roma</i></span><br />
Breakthrough Award:</b> Elsie Fisher (<i>Eighth Grade</i>)<br />
<b>Best Animated Film: <span style="color: red;"><i>Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</i></span><br />
Best Documentary: <span style="color: red;"><i>Won't You Be My Neighbor?</i></span><br />
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Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema:</b> <i>Black Panther</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2018/12/best-movies-2018-critics-films-performances-roma-first-reformed-the-favourite-1202027901/" target="_blank">IndieWire</a></b></span><br />
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<b>Best Film<br />
<span style="color: red;"> 1. <i>Roma</i><br />
2. <i>First Reformed</i></span></b><br />
3. <i>Burning</i><br />
4. <i>The Favourite</i><br />
5. <i>Cold War</i><br />
6. <i>Shoplifters</i><br />
7. <span style="color: red;"><b><i>BlacKkKlansman</i></b></span><br />
8. <i>Zama</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">9. <i>You Were Never Really Here</i><br />
10. <i>If Beale Street Could Talk</i></span></b><br />
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<b>Best Director:</b> Alfonso Cuarón, <i>Roma</i><br />
<b>Best Actress:</b> Olivia Colman, <i>The Favourite</i><br />
<b>Best Actor: <span style="color: red;">Ethan Hawke, <i>First Reformed</i></span><br />
Best Supporting Actress:</b> Rachel Weisz, <i>The Favourite</i><br />
<b>Best Supporting Actor:</b> Steven Yeun, <i>Burning</i><br />
<b>Best Documentary:</b> <i>Minding the Gap</i><br />
<b>Best First Feature: <span style="color: red;"><i>Sorry to Bother You</i></span><br />
Best Screenplay:</b> <i>The Favourite</i><br />
<b>Best Foreign Language Film: <span style="color: red;"><i>Roma</i></span><br />
Best Cinematography: <span style="color: red;"><i>Roma</i></span><br />
Best Undistributed Film:</b> <i>Black Mother</i><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.sefca.net/winners/#/2018/" target="_blank">The Southeastern Film Critics Association</a></span><br />
Top 10<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. <i>Roma</i></span></b><br />
2. <i>The Favourite</i><br />
3. <i>A Star is Born</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">4. <i>BlacKkKlansman</i></span></b><br />
5. <i>Vice</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">6. <i>If Beale Street Could Talk</i></span></b><br />
7. <i>Green Book</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">8. <i>First Reformed</i></span></b><br />
9. <i>Eighth Grade</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">10. <i>Leave No Trace</i></span></b><br />
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<b>Best Actor: <span style="color: red;">Ethan Hawke, <i>First Reformed</i></span><br />
Best Actress:</b> Olivia Colman, <i>The Favourite</i><br />
<b>Best Supporting Actor:</b> Richard E. Grant, <i>Can You Ever Forgive Me?</i><br />
<b>Best Supporting Actress: <span style="color: red;">Regina King, <i>If Beale Street Could Talk</i></span><br />
Best Ensemble</b>: <i>The Favourite</i><br />
<b>Best Director:</b> Alfonso Cuarón, <i>Roma</i><br />
<b>Best Original Screenplay:</b> Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, <i>The Favourite</i><br />
<b>Best Adapted Screenplay: <span style="color: red;">Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee, <i>BlacKkKlansman</i></span><br />
Best Documentary: <span style="color: red;"><i>Won't You Be My Neighbor?</i></span><br />
Best Foreign Language Film: <span style="color: red;"><i>Roma</i></span><br />
Best Animated Film:</b> <i>Isle of Dogs</i><br />
<b>Best Cinematography: <span style="color: red;">Alfonso Cuarón, <i>Roma</i></span><br />
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The Gene Wyatt Award for the Film that Best Evokes the Spirit of the South:</b> <i>Green Book</i>Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-25332461684503061642018-02-25T12:13:00.002-05:002018-02-25T12:13:11.298-05:00Best of 2017: The 13 Best Films of the Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAy1fIpMCU0_dAeGztcLZW0KnwlcGORmyBdAXgry6BevD_c1aycym2rruh35MXbBcRNTt72Gk0sYV6o1U86N4xS4O3BxPCunc7yrjTiZ7v_pBXYpTn_LtaSLdNzd6yQcpBaT2hLHycGHb/s1600/0+PT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1600" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAy1fIpMCU0_dAeGztcLZW0KnwlcGORmyBdAXgry6BevD_c1aycym2rruh35MXbBcRNTt72Gk0sYV6o1U86N4xS4O3BxPCunc7yrjTiZ7v_pBXYpTn_LtaSLdNzd6yQcpBaT2hLHycGHb/s400/0+PT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
by Tony Dayoub<br />
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As Academy Awards night bears down on us, here is my annual filmic appreciation. For your consideration, my top films of 2017, followed by the winners of the respective polls I was invited to vote in.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRar4ioQp-NhpqnAMcweHm7jL_LFVHcgvrqOwWMBkqMcT02GtUs4bZmQD8-GXwjQsXceJnFDcTKSJwPvdxR5K7H6BWfadhZFTPVxJxfcB2pdw2ABnRXdwE6qXf4uJzq6MFIlx1wtTx6JPm/s1600/1+PT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRar4ioQp-NhpqnAMcweHm7jL_LFVHcgvrqOwWMBkqMcT02GtUs4bZmQD8-GXwjQsXceJnFDcTKSJwPvdxR5K7H6BWfadhZFTPVxJxfcB2pdw2ABnRXdwE6qXf4uJzq6MFIlx1wtTx6JPm/s640/1+PT.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br />
<b>1. <i>Phantom Thread</i>, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson -</b> Increasingly, Anderson makes movies that you just want to crawl into and cover yourself in as if with a warm blanket. <i>Phantom Thread</i> is no exception. The film features compelling performances by the largely unknown Vicky Krieps and an icy Lesley Manville<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">—</span>formidable presences both<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">—</span>opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in what he says is his final film role as fashion house impresario Reynolds Woodcock. <i>Phantom Thread</i> is a lush, hypnotic inquiry into the twisted romance between an artist and his admiring muse. As with his other films Anderson and his collaborator, composer Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, build an insulated reality that envelopes the viewer in a delicate fog of details about 1950s London, creating a kind of ineffability and ephemerality well suited to the world of haute couture and the inexpressible, private aspects of relationships.<br />
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<b>2. <i>The Florida Project</i>, dir. Sean Baker -</b> It's nice when you get to see a filmmaker develop within the same timeframe as your own development as a writer. Not that my commentary bears any comparison to Baker's talent. It's just rewarding to recognize the early potential of a director like Baker or Jeff Nichols and see it pay off into recognition by the greater film community some years down the road. Ever since watching <i>Take Out</i>, I was hoping Baker would go on to something greater. <i>The Florida Project</i> is just that, a beautiful ode to the insular world of childhood, even in harrowing circumstances such as the ones faced by six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince). Add an understated supporting performance by a soft-spoken Willem Dafoe and this movie makes for essential viewing. <br />
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<b>3. <i>Get Out</i>, dir. Jordan Peele -</b> The single most original motion picture of the year, <i>Get Out</i> is not just a horror flick. It is a representation of the state of America and its historic problem with race. Driving the point home is that it isn't as reductive as attributing the problem to the current political climate, but the fact that the issue crosses all political affiliations and generations. <br />
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<b>4. <i>Lady Bird</i>, dir. Greta Gerwig -</b> In her directing debut, Gerwig manages to give us an unsurprisingly assured film set in a similar arena as Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman's similarly lauded coming of age dramedy, <i>Juno</i> (2007). And that's a minor achievement in itself.<br />
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<b>5. <i>The Post</i>, dir. Steven Spielberg -</b> At this point, most take it for granted that Spielberg can so quickly churn out these ensemble-driven historical dramas. That he manages to make the dry and complex story of the Pentagon Papers so easy to understand, so thrilling and, above all, so timely proves that <i>The Post</i> was criminally ignored. Great performances across the board make this relentlessly watchable. May the movie live a long post-theatrical life, no pun intended.<br />
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<b>6. <i>Logan</i>, dir. James Mangold -</b> Review <a href="http://www.cinemaviewfinder.com/2017/02/movie-review-logan-2017.html" target="_blank">here</a>. If my review got anything wrong, it was that this movie would be forgotten come awards season. Its screenplay garnered an Oscar nomination, evidence that it's not only my skin it's gotten under in the months since its release. <br />
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<b>7. <i>The Square</i>, dir. Ruben Östlund -</b> Why take down a movie for missing its mark? <i>The Square</i> at least aims high. So its statement on the hypocrisy present in the art world (a microcosm of the society around it) is admittedly a mess. But Östlund earns points for tackling a complicated, and quite unique, subject. The most rewarding aspect of the film is found in the central performance of Claes Bang as the museum curator, Christian. <i>The Square</i> delights in torturing its lead, and Bang's Christian is as pretentious as they come, a kind of milquetoast whose tragicomic travails are not dissimilar to those of Griffin Dunne's Paul Hackett in Scorsese's <i>After Hours</i>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKQeqgqBH_lIZwT1kmqCGxA4Mcxqbb5dTUA7jlpoxxrFNLizKxozx_EJv7BL-m_avDWtzauFkXla19DDX_oik8UvyLTby3ALZZRSdyfriGxl7meMDlZdK7KGyFAxnISyqgbCAZiNhNZlu/s1600/8+TLoZ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1081" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKQeqgqBH_lIZwT1kmqCGxA4Mcxqbb5dTUA7jlpoxxrFNLizKxozx_EJv7BL-m_avDWtzauFkXla19DDX_oik8UvyLTby3ALZZRSdyfriGxl7meMDlZdK7KGyFAxnISyqgbCAZiNhNZlu/s640/8+TLoZ.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br />
<b>8. <i>The Lost City of Z</i>, dir. James Gray -</b> A disquieting take on Percy Fawcett, a real-world Indiana Jones-type adventurer that inspired Arthur Conan Doyle's <i>The Lost World</i> and its hero, Professor Challenger. The picture is expertly lensed by a filmmaker out of his own element, New York chronicler James Gray, bestowing his own fish-out-of-water discomfort to the performance of a very dashing Charlie Hunnam (<i>Sons of Anarchy</i>) as Fawcett.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_R25usQnESnlR1X-I8SZHLRThzKVLO_JrhawpoA5Ev7NWSTr2E75uh0i_4H0d_5lKx70OfjZzdJ4EhvgNWTfWYeFMQy-U8VuyYvoUi8bJZwHAVo2K-ABC93xiFAkIz6_DVv-4yqBLJq7/s1600/9+TR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="509" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_R25usQnESnlR1X-I8SZHLRThzKVLO_JrhawpoA5Ev7NWSTr2E75uh0i_4H0d_5lKx70OfjZzdJ4EhvgNWTfWYeFMQy-U8VuyYvoUi8bJZwHAVo2K-ABC93xiFAkIz6_DVv-4yqBLJq7/s640/9+TR.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br />
<b>9. <i>Thor: Ragnarok</i>, dir. Taika Waititi -</b> While we bask in the glory of <i>Black Panther</i>, Marvel's most critically acclaimed film, let me remind you that at a point when other franchises start running on fumes, this cinematic universe is only getting better. Exhibit A: this feature, the third in the, until now, least interesting superhero exploits of Thor, the Norse god of thunder. An infusion of fresh blood in the form of its director, Taika Waititi, boosts this tired fantasy saga into the realm of the truly cosmic, as evidenced by outlandish characters such as the movie's two villains, Hela (Cate Blanchett) and the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), characters that cut quite a visual figure. But the true stars of this show are the often under-utilized Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and Thor himself, finally clowning around to the full extent of Chris Hemsworth's comedic ability. Not just a wild ride through the galaxy usually occupied by Marvel's Guardians, but one of the most hilarious movies of the year, <i>Ragnarok</i> demonstrates that Marvel maintains its high quality by continually challenging itself and embracing the malleability present within its, now interstellar-sized, proscenium.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6R3v_7tLlO4bPzXxt-T9EYWM9fIztU-y2v5lUaD-p4D2-0rFCKzaZF1zwawII_fNq_7cW2jFcfNz0TJ20XbQn731WzANFzNPyGf5wyAsx9MEtWJx1UwiXb-5K3JGuiVtWIhmwpLOBw8Yr/s1600/10+DH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1013" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6R3v_7tLlO4bPzXxt-T9EYWM9fIztU-y2v5lUaD-p4D2-0rFCKzaZF1zwawII_fNq_7cW2jFcfNz0TJ20XbQn731WzANFzNPyGf5wyAsx9MEtWJx1UwiXb-5K3JGuiVtWIhmwpLOBw8Yr/s640/10+DH.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br />
<b>10. <i>Darkest Hour</i>, dir. Joe Wright -</b> A dramatic achievement of the highest order, Gary Oldman's star performance as Churchill captures the enigmatic personality that drove the political agenda surrounding Britain's terrifying, but inspirational, involvement in the early days of the Second World War. A noble supplement to <i>Dunkirk</i>. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXcRmf4IyEpWeF7Se8KaqRrRiLSz4IImV7vpFl7sCwDtqzvO2Bq-jRQfNqlAASOdDbzoRnPt7v6jXLORzApnjh6_5gaMfau9nTrfe3vfiP5KzWQ0ItpYuxqDHXz-bM6o9EfYdtgErIyGC/s1600/11+CMBYN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1499" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXcRmf4IyEpWeF7Se8KaqRrRiLSz4IImV7vpFl7sCwDtqzvO2Bq-jRQfNqlAASOdDbzoRnPt7v6jXLORzApnjh6_5gaMfau9nTrfe3vfiP5KzWQ0ItpYuxqDHXz-bM6o9EfYdtgErIyGC/s640/11+CMBYN.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><br />
<b>11. <i>Call Me By Your Name</i>, dir. Luca Guadagnino -</b> A queer movie that crosses over simply by illustrating the universality of adolescent infatuation. Where the movie really hit home for me was not in the beautifully drawn relationship between its teen protagonist and the older man who is the object of his ardor, but in Michael Stuhlbarg's acclaimed performance as the young man's understanding dad. In just one monologue where he encourages his son to pursue whatever makes him happy, Stuhlbarg etches a father we should all aspire to be, one as memorable in his own way as Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch..<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8d9FbWTklSiGOW7-f3nhKWAqhRaE88UXzKI1EE8opRwNegehZnTwSHXfuzMLpUS9LBtWhtJwhugAmKCiFNba-gHW4G4Z7L35t393peMBlYKuVRpog5jPR0jbPk0QR-O0isGtptxCuGGt0/s1600/12+RF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8d9FbWTklSiGOW7-f3nhKWAqhRaE88UXzKI1EE8opRwNegehZnTwSHXfuzMLpUS9LBtWhtJwhugAmKCiFNba-gHW4G4Z7L35t393peMBlYKuVRpog5jPR0jbPk0QR-O0isGtptxCuGGt0/s640/12+RF.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><br />
<b>12. <i>Rat Film</i>, dir. Theo Anthony -</b> Is it a documentary? Is it a narrative? This odd intersection of both uses Baltimore's notorious problem with rats to depict the larger issues with the city and society itself. Memorable sequence: a couple of guys hanging out, rat-fishing in the allies.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3WYInyCSpzCBeEreaPXDVKTxX3u1OQFy0EZnNiUvgdrk20Zm3hGsXedDcyDK2H1jiE9Z2GlQeXmcmpMht_P8-p_g41CCFHjSLKzP-cnKTbrrnhvZeEMIYaW3Qx-ZfTuT5kURitqVxji7/s1600/13+D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3WYInyCSpzCBeEreaPXDVKTxX3u1OQFy0EZnNiUvgdrk20Zm3hGsXedDcyDK2H1jiE9Z2GlQeXmcmpMht_P8-p_g41CCFHjSLKzP-cnKTbrrnhvZeEMIYaW3Qx-ZfTuT5kURitqVxji7/s640/13+D.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br />
<b>13. <i>Dunkirk</i>, dir. Christopher Nolan -</b> A technical achievement of the highest order, Nolan's movie captures various first-person perspectives during the events surrounding Britain's devastating, but inspirational, defeat. A superb supplement to <i>Darkest Hour</i>.<br />
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<b>Honorable Mention: <i>Alien: Covenant, Blade Runner 2049, Coco, The Disaster Artist, Get Me Roger Stone, The Greatest Showman, Hostiles, It, It Comes at Night, Jane, Kong: Skull Island, The LEGO Batman Movie, Let it Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), The Shape of Water, <a href="http://www.cinemaviewfinder.com/2017/07/movie-review-spider-man-homecoming-2017.html">Spider-Man Homecoming</a>, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri, Wonder Woman</i><br />
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Most Overrated: <i>Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
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Most Underrated: <i>Logan</i><br />
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Breakthrough Actor of the Year:</b> Timothée Chalamet (<b><i>Call Me By Your Name, Hostiles, Hot Summer Nights, Lady Bird</i></b>)<br />
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<b>Breakthrough Actress of the Year:</b> Gal Gadot (<b><i>Justice League, Wonder Woman</i></b>)<br />
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*****<br />
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Winners are in red where my own vote coincides.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.georgiafilmcritics.org/p/2017-awards.html" target="_blank">Georgia Film Critics Association</a></span><br />
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Best Picture:</b> <i>Lady Bird</i><br />
<b>Best Director:</b> Greta Gerwig (<i>Lady Bird</i>)<br />
<b>Best Actor:</b> Daniel Kaluuya (<i>Get Out</i>)<br />
<b>Best Actress:</b> Saoirse Ronan (<i>Lady Bird</i>)<br />
<b>Best Supporting Actor: <span style="color: red;">Willem Dafoe (<i>The Florida Project</i>)</span><br />
Best Supporting Actress: <span style="color: red;">Laurie Metcalf (<i>Lady Bird</i>)</span><br />
Best Original Screenplay: <span style="color: red;"><i>Get Out</i> - Jordan Peele</span><br />
Best Adapted Screenplay: <span style="color: red;"><i>The Disaster Artist</i> - Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber</span><br />
Best Cinematography:</b> <i>Dunkirk</i> - Hoyte van Hoytema<br />
<b>Best Production Design:</b> <i>Blade Runner 2049</i> - Dennis Gassner & Alessandra Querzola<br />
<b>Best Original Score:</b> <i>Dunkirk</i> - Hans Zimmer<br />
<b>Best Original Song:</b> "Remember Me" - Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez (<i>Coco</i>)<br />
<b>Best Ensemble:</b> <i>Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
<b>Best Foreign Film: <span style="color: red;"><i>The Square</i></span><br />
Breakthrough Award: <span style="color: red;">Jordan Peele (<i>Get Out</i>)</span><br />
Best Animated Film:</b> <i>Coco</i><br />
<b>Best Documentary:</b> <i>Jane</i><br />
<b>Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema:</b> <i>Baby Driver</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/2017/12/best-movies-2017-critics-films-performances-get-out-phantom-thread-lady-bird-1201909032/" target="_blank">IndieWire</a></b></span><br />
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<b>Best Film<br />
<span style="color: red;"> 1. <i>Get Out</i><br />
2. <i>Lady Bird</i><br />
3. <i>Dunkirk</i><br />
4. <i>Phantom Thread</i><br />
5. <i>The Florida Project</i></span></b><br />
6. <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
7. <span style="color: red;"><b><i>Call Me By Your Name</i></b></span><br />
8. <i>Personal Shopper</i><br />
9. <i>Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">10. <i>The Post</i></span></b><br />
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<b>Best Director:</b> Paul Thomas Anderson, <i>Phantom Thread</i><br />
<b>Best Actress:</b> Saoirse Ronan, <i>Lady Bird</i><br />
<b>Best Actor:</b> Timothée Chalamet, <i>Call Me By Your Name</i><br />
<b>Best Supporting Actress: <span style="color: red;">Laurie Metcalf, <i>Lady Bird</i></span><br />
Best Supporting Actor: <span style="color: red;">Willem Dafoe, <i>The Florida Project</i></span><br />
Best Documentary:</b> <i>Faces Places</i><br />
<b>Best Undistributed Film:</b> <i>Bodied</i><br />
<b>Best Debut Feature: <span style="color: red;"><i>Get Out</i></span><br />
Best Screenplay: <span style="color: red;"><i>Get Out</i></span><br />
Best Foreign Language Film:</b> <i>BPM (Beats Per Minute)</i><br />
<b>Best Cinematography: <span style="color: red;"><i>Blade Runner 2049</i></span><br />
Best Animated Film:</b> <i>Coco</i><br />
<b>Best 2018 Movie Already Seen:</b> <i>Zama</i><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.sefca.net/winners/#/2017/" target="_blank">The Southeastern Film Critics Association</a></span><br />
Top 10<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. <i>Get Out</i></span></b><br />
2. <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">3. <i>Dunkirk</i><br />
4. <i>Lady Bird</i></span></b><br />
5. <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">6. <i>The Post</i><br />
7. <i>The Florida Project</i><br />
8. <i>Call Me By Your Name</i><br />
9. <i>Darkest Hour</i></span></b><br />
10. <i>The Disaster Artist</i><br />
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<b>Best Actor: <span style="color: red;">Gary Oldman, <i>Darkest Hour</i></span><br />
Best Actress: <span style="color: red;">Sally Hawkins, <i>The Shape of Water</i></span><br />
Best Supporting Actor:</b> Sam Rockwell, <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
<b>Best Supporting Actress: <span style="color: red;">Laurie Metcalf, <i>Lady Bird</i></span><br />
Best Ensemble</b>: <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
<b>Best Director:</b> Guillermo del Toro, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
<b>Best Original Screenplay: <span style="color: red;">Jordan Peele, <i>Get Out</i></span><br />
Best Adapted Screenplay:</b> James Ivory, <i>Call Me By Your Name</i><br />
<b>Best Documentary:</b> <i>Jane</i><br />
<b>Best Foreign Language Film:</b> <i>First They Killed My Father</i><br />
<b>Best Animated Film:</b> <i>Coco</i> <br />
<b>Best Cinematography:</b> Hoyte Van Hoytema, <i>Dunkirk</i><br />
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<b>The Gene Wyatt Award for the Film that Best Evokes the Spirit of the South:</b> <i>Mudbound</i>Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-34657987935855549732017-10-21T14:54:00.000-04:002017-11-10T08:13:00.097-05:00Freeze Frame: Mindhunter (2017)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tnTCTaryEC50ZtAM89or6xwEMAmCreeVW4vBhcU0lVxhNDGnzhpDJYzCUBPs8UDI6fmojyfIdE9eyOZXu26kG6Ycwe0GJYh-ppiTfrRl6z-1MwvfZK1dGUj-urIgC_9zA91kdraK31cO/s1600/M1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tnTCTaryEC50ZtAM89or6xwEMAmCreeVW4vBhcU0lVxhNDGnzhpDJYzCUBPs8UDI6fmojyfIdE9eyOZXu26kG6Ycwe0GJYh-ppiTfrRl6z-1MwvfZK1dGUj-urIgC_9zA91kdraK31cO/s400/M1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
by Tony Dayoub<br />
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Adapted by Joe Penhall from the book by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, Netflix's 10-episode <b><i>Mindhunter</i></b> is my latest binge-worthy obsession.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Shepherded by filmmaker David Fincher, the 70s-era period piece's opener smacks of his 2007 serial killer masterpiece, <i>Zodiac</i> (2007). Past that first episode, however, the series becomes something wholly other—a buddy picture cum road flick about the early days of the F.B.I.'s Behavioral Unit as two feds tour the country coaching cops, interviewing convicted murderers, and investigating cold cases to develop a template for identifying what they then called "sequence" killers.<br />
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At its center is Jonathan Groff's turn as the nascent profiler Holden Ford, a young prodigy mentored by the burnt out Bill Tench (Fincher rep player, Holt McCallany). Groff is to Holden as Henry Winkler was to the Fonz or Leonard Nimoy was to Spock; his mannered performance is so immediate and fully formed that Holden could have once ranked as iconic a TV character as these others had the show existed in a less fractured age than this current streaming one. There is much that is stimulatingly yin and yang about Holden and Bill in that way that TV or literary duos often prove to be. Hell, one episode even overtly compares the two agents to Holmes and Watson.<br />
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That dynamic is upended with the introduction of researcher Wendy Carr (<i>Fringe</i>'s Anna Torv), who encourages Holden and Bill to make their casual inquiry a legitimate, full fledged study—a dream that each of the three secretly harbor for their own unique reasons. Halfway through the show's first season, we get this satisfying shot of the three under the sounds of Klaatu's "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft," smugly smirking in an elevator after just having been vindicated by the revelation from their combative supervisor (Cotter Smith) that they have been granted more funding than they could have ever hoped for, albeit with the associated downside of congressional oversight.<br />
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It's one of many shots that make <i>Mindhunter</i> addictive visual storytelling.Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-44149896450989057492017-07-08T11:54:00.002-04:002017-07-08T18:03:27.675-04:00Movie Review: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7hWbXaIzHb_fVIEO_P7vwyFu83Ci2x2SPtM8nnxLNRAAkuHpI98uRLrvTtCfFD2wmlgsBt8ALPj1KZ0MX23184t5cBqcPUNhCuz_We7jgSxDX7Xt9rlfEN2U3uTdVqKJXRN4anrlBt5K/s1600/SMH1.tif.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1600" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7hWbXaIzHb_fVIEO_P7vwyFu83Ci2x2SPtM8nnxLNRAAkuHpI98uRLrvTtCfFD2wmlgsBt8ALPj1KZ0MX23184t5cBqcPUNhCuz_We7jgSxDX7Xt9rlfEN2U3uTdVqKJXRN4anrlBt5K/s400/SMH1.tif.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8x7zJDvPfCkTXdFeS-eVcKozGbBgWxrW6A8DRQD24VTbCkH4CXZxgrIHxGxHy682usmX_zI-8JiF466nTJmDA7OFGWiBsyx_CnxJVL-onbwJHZVjZgPkRNHktk117u6UFnY9rmJToF6h/s1600/35star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="32" data-original-width="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8x7zJDvPfCkTXdFeS-eVcKozGbBgWxrW6A8DRQD24VTbCkH4CXZxgrIHxGxHy682usmX_zI-8JiF466nTJmDA7OFGWiBsyx_CnxJVL-onbwJHZVjZgPkRNHktk117u6UFnY9rmJToF6h/s1600/35star.jpg" /></a></div>by Tony Dayoub<br />
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After a number of previous attempts at getting the alchemy right, Sony Pictures finally gets its <i>(500) Days of Spider-Man</i> in <i><b>Spider-Man: Homecoming</b></i>. Ironic, because not even <i>(500) Days of Summer</i> director, Marc Webb, ever came close in the two <i>Spider-Man</i> movies he directed, starring Andrew Garfield. This time, the financially shaky Sony had to stow its pride and go running to Marvel, the very company it had scooped up the superhero franchise away from back when the roles were reversed, and ask it for help in developing the property. A wise decision as it turns out, because Marvel knows that what fans have wanted to see the most is its iconic hero interact with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I mean, what would DC be like without Superman or Batman, right? Disney without Mickey Mouse? Looney Tunes without Bugs Bunny? Marvel has long been scratching that phantom itch with Spidey, but they've played the long game, first introducing Tom Holland as a high school-age Peter Parker in 2016's <i>Captain America: Civil War</i>. This through Marvel's eminence grise, Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man.<br />
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This opened the door for Downey and Jon Favreau, as Stark's majordomo Happy Hogan, to appear in <i>Homecoming</i> and strengthen the connective tissue between the two studios behind the unusual co-production. Certainly, it was probably a great aid for director Jon Watts (<i>Cop Car</i>) to have Favreau, Marvel's behind-the-scenes eminence grise, on set to turn to for advice. In Holland <i>Homecoming</i> has found a youthful actor that is as exuberant as the character he plays is in the long-running comics... and as brainy a smart aleck as Downey's Tony Stark. Much has been made of the fact that <i>Spider-Man: Homecoming</i> has recaptured the fun that many say is the whole reason they got into reading Marvel Comics in the first place; that perhaps <i>Homecoming</i> is the most joyous movie about being a superhero with extraordinary powers since 1978's <i>Superman: The Movie</i>. (Has it really been 40 years?) I don't buy that. Marvel has been very canny at exhibiting a whole range of superhero movies, from period pieces (<i>Captain America: The First Avenger</i>) to far-flung futuristic adventures (<i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i>); from mythological ones (<i>Thor</i>) to supernatural ones (<i>Doctor Strange</i>); from lighthearted ones (<i>Ant-Man</i>) to dark ones (<i>Captain America: Civil War</i>). However, there's a reason <i>Homecoming</i> may have sought Downey and Favreau's assist. For better or, some may say, worse, their teamwork on <i>Iron Man</i> ushered in the Marvel Age of movies. <i>Iron Man</i> was the first superhero movie since Richard Donner's <i>Superman</i> that proved it could be exhilarating AND still be taken seriously. <br />
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Christopher Nolan's <i>Dark Knight</i> movies, perhaps as a reaction against the Joel Shumacher nipple-displaying <i>Batman</i> debacles of the 1990s, were so grim they couldn't even bring themselves to be weighed down by the name "Batman" in their titles after the initial film. a slew of other comic-based series of movies, <i>The Crow</i>, <i>Blade</i>, and even the previous two <i>Spider-Man</i> cycles, all focused on the dark. "With great power comes great responsibility," was a phrase that was practically required to be included in the <i>Spider-Man</i> movies, which all had to also be saddled with the obligatory reference to Uncle Ben's death and how it was the kick in the pants Spidey needed to become a superhero. <i>Homecoming</i> is unique in that it jettisons the angst and is the first <i>Spider-Man</i> film to avoid these cliches, honing in on Parker's delight in being a nebbishy kid with fantastic super-powers. Now Parker gets to post those <i>Jackass</i>-style videos on YouTube that are all the rage with the kids with no risk to life or limb! His best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon) knows his secret and tries to convince Parker to let his secret crush, Liz (Laura Harrier), in on it, too. About the worse that the adult viewers have to put up with in this very decidedly upbeat teen movie is the frenetic editing and A.D.D.-style camerawork that rules <i>Homecoming</i>'s opening act, likely mirroring Holland's take on Spidey. But if viewers are patient, they'll be rewarded by a film that settles into a pretty even groove.<br />
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And what a great villain, in the form of the Vulture, played by Michael Keaton. It doesn't get more meta than having the latest, younger superhero up against the actor who arguably ushered in phase I of the superhero cinematic ascent in Tim Burton's gothic <i>Batman</i> movies. Keaton's Vulture has sound motivations for carrying out his threats and complex ties to Parker that remain deliberately undercover until the climactic moments of the film. His story is as interesting as Parker's and shows, not tells, us what the pitfalls are of misusing extraordinary abilities for personal gain, as Parker is increasingly tempted to. <br />
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<i>Spider-Man: Homecoming</i> is far from perfect. Women are far from being pivotal characters in the plot, a shortcoming made all the more apparent when you have DC's pseudo-feminist <i>Wonder Woman</i> racking up big bucks in the theater auditorium across the hall. And a major subplot concerning the powersuit-lite that Stark designed for young Parker to wear is a little off-message. One of the most endearing aspects of the wall-crawler is that he has always been just another regular guy who has to sew up a costume for himself, design his own web-shooters, and oh, yeah, has freaking awesome super powers to show off once he's all Spidey-ed out. But theses are small nits to pick in an otherwise fun mid-summer film. Like that refreshing ice cream cone you buy at the park on a hot day, <i>Spider-Man: Homecoming</i> is the perfect summer treat. Enjoy it for the cool antidote that it is, and try not to spend too much time thinking about the empty calories.Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-53745046122495705232017-02-21T05:51:00.000-05:002017-02-21T05:51:06.402-05:00Movie Review: Logan (2017)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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by Tony Dayoub<br />
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When Ryan Reynolds was beating the bushes for an Oscar this past year, he dropped the tantalizing tidbit that even if his pattern-breaking, adult-oriented <i>Deadpool</i> failed to garner any nominations, he was sure <b><i>Logan</i></b> would have its turn at the awards dais. Wouldn't that be something, to see the childish superhero genre graduate to the same fully respected mythos status as the Western? Well, <i>Logan</i> is not the awards worthy graphic novel-based film Reynolds touted it as. But it is a damn good stab at that kind of a movie.<br />
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One may laugh at the comparison between the Western and the superhero genre, but they both share some interesting qualities. Often dismissed as shallow, action-oriented fare, both are rooted in mythology and indigenous to the U.S. The Western was, at its height, the most popular movie genre playing in theaters, just like comic-based films are today, Both have been derided as immature, sexist, jingoistic celebrations of a brooding American loner ideal. But more and more, superhero properties are subverting the narrative to criticize the current state of America, i.e. the <i>Captain America</i> film series and its take on government corruption, the Marvel Netflix series and their examination of the class struggles faced by street-level heroes who fight the slum lords and drug dealers virtually ignored by their superstar brethren. <i>Logan</i> is particularly timely in offering us a new hope for the nearly extinct mutant race in the tiny frame of a Mexican child with some startling similarities to Hugh Jackman's beloved Wolverine.<br />
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Director James Mangold's introduction of this tiny undocumented immigrant—Laura (Dafne Keen) to the senile Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and the dehumanized X-23 to her pursuers—points to a new generation of multi-cultural mutants set to lead the franchise as Jackman relinquishes the role most identified with the actor. The film itself goes out of its way to solidify its obvious derivation from Westerns like <i>Shane</i>, not a huge leap from the last entry <i>The Wolverine</i>'s homage to samurai films. But this is a road movie, in which the aged loner drives his aging father figure and a feral kid relentlessly towards a mythical mutant safe haven while pursued by a band of cybernetic gear-heads led by one Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) and geneticist Zander Rice (Richard E. Grant). Intimations of <i>The Road Warrior</i> are not difficult to see.<br />
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In his ninth appearance as Logan, what could potentially be the character's swan song, Jackman takes advantage of every minute of the film to offer the most nuanced portrayal of the character yet. Dressed in an iconic black suit, his Logan is now slowly dying, his blood poisoned by the super-strong adamantium lacing his skeleton. He heals a bit slower now and with more conscious effort on his part, evidenced early on by how taxing he finds it to push out the metal remnants from his bullet-riddled torso. Some scars have never healed, and he maintains a constant drunken stupor even as he makes ends meet as a zombified limo driver. Logan spends a lot of his money and time caring for Charles, housing the professor in a large, abandoned water tank in the Mexican desert and supplying him with drugs to protect the world from his unpredictable psionic seizures. Charles' degenerative mental affliction is a dangerous disease for a telepath and hinted at being the cause of the near extinction of the pair's fellow mutants.<br />
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Jackman has come a long way from his first appearance as Logan in 2000's <i>X-Men</i>. Young and more than a little cocky, his wisecracking Wolverine then was not altogether different from any typical macho lead of the time, albeit representing the LGBTQ community in the thinly veiled parable about outcast mutants. It is telling that just as perception of widespread acceptance of the queer community has also increased, the mutants have become widely accepted, even celebrated, by their human cousins in recent <i>X-Men</i> movies. Now, the franchise's allegory shifts towards our sisters and brothers just south of the border, and it is time for the aged Logan and Charles to shuffle off and make room for Laura to take center stage. <br />
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The introduction of a vibrant young girl into the lives of the surrogate father and son brings clarity and urgency to Logan and Charles' decrepit existence, and fresh blood to a franchise starting to wane. It will be interesting to see if the mutant franchise does fulfill its promise to adjust its political parallels to the timely subject of the untapped gifts offered by undocumented immigrants. Until then, enjoy the rare sight of a pair of veteran actors successfully given graceful codas as their iconic alter egos.<br />
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<b>Logan</b> <i>opens Friday, March 3.</i>Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-14341013631681227412017-01-22T22:28:00.000-05:002017-01-22T22:29:08.380-05:00Best of 2016: The 13 Best Films of the Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9gUfS2sPC9irEcZTNZtTNkQ7d2d1mQ52qKQkBoaLSsbjkQo1Tlfbx86CmYrMEorxQd5WmkP7RgP6ufgmkIhEeC8pbZQKjphHTp-nO-arIz7j63Zmv21mptIFaWWMYCx7svae642HnFV8/s1600/ND0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9gUfS2sPC9irEcZTNZtTNkQ7d2d1mQ52qKQkBoaLSsbjkQo1Tlfbx86CmYrMEorxQd5WmkP7RgP6ufgmkIhEeC8pbZQKjphHTp-nO-arIz7j63Zmv21mptIFaWWMYCx7svae642HnFV8/s400/ND0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
by Tony Dayoub<br />
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As usual, I'm running late with this. But I had the opportunity to see more films for 2016 than I have for any previous years, so I wanted to be comprehensive in my viewing. Fortunately, I just got this under the wire and am posting my list of last year's top films before the Oscar nominations are announced.<br />
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For your consideration, my top films of 2016, followed by the winners of the respective polls I was invited to vote in.<br />
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<b>1. <i>Manchester by the Sea</i>, directed by Kenneth Lonergan -</b> Lonergan's comedy-drama has its problems. First of all, it's set in a part of the U.S. that is not the most representative of this country's diversity. Which makes the film's second problem—the fact that star Casey Affleck is hardly facing the same kind of scrutiny that <i>Birth of a Nation</i>'s star/director, Nate Parker, faced in the media for a similar assault scandal—seem even more racially biased. So, it is to <i>Manchester</i>'s credit—mostly due to the performances of its ensemble anchored by two standout turns by Michelle Williams and, yes, Affleck—that any problematic qualities are quickly forgotten. Former playwright Lonergan's fantastic screenplay is so truthful, that one feels as if they are eavesdropping on real lives coping with various stages of grief and anger.<br />
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<b>2. <i>La La Land</i>, dir. Damien Chazelle -</b> Review <a href="http://www.cinemaviewfinder.com/2016/12/return-of-capsule-reviews-2016-edition.html" target="_blank">here</a>. A glorious confection with just enough of an undercurrent of realism to appeal to today's jaded audiences.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXZII-ePVYv4HddsJbvx25pHOKdiJkbDWKZhezFTMqZq8uatZqfzCVeQ2vYM8RBIb3cCAKFB0u86NWC9912MYTSTxSP9cCQHtRTUULN7jGyU1-UCLDFSa_DfKnuJEmETosfmWE2PRsquY/s1600/M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXZII-ePVYv4HddsJbvx25pHOKdiJkbDWKZhezFTMqZq8uatZqfzCVeQ2vYM8RBIb3cCAKFB0u86NWC9912MYTSTxSP9cCQHtRTUULN7jGyU1-UCLDFSa_DfKnuJEmETosfmWE2PRsquY/s640/M.jpg" width="441" /></a></div><br />
<b>3. <i>Moonlight</i>, dir. Barry Jenkins -</b> I grew up in Miami in the 1980s, the time and place so accurately captured by Jenkins in this beautiful film. Focusing on a young gay man at three different stages of his life and the social forces that influence how his life unfolds, the grittiness of Miami's nascent drug scene is finely contrasted with dreamy lyricism of the Magic City.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQET1mH_VJLdC1m4LxyXi-v81Bz4jaYrsp2JWpF7irVjJLIvwqcXgF0PKCntpOuwTfXFYzCqJyGf3x9IUBdSCugme5GU6o4taseZjiTzE7nJgFmrFwra1W7UtNE58GLhEmaMawy07ldf4/s1600/TW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQET1mH_VJLdC1m4LxyXi-v81Bz4jaYrsp2JWpF7irVjJLIvwqcXgF0PKCntpOuwTfXFYzCqJyGf3x9IUBdSCugme5GU6o4taseZjiTzE7nJgFmrFwra1W7UtNE58GLhEmaMawy07ldf4/s640/TW.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br />
<b>4. <i>The Witch</i>, dir. Robert Eggers -</b> This eerie feminist tract boasts an intense central performance by <i>Split</i> star, Anya Taylor-Joy. The movie is made infinitely creepier by the alienating period-accurate depiction of traditions and language of the time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xHH1lZnnbHSBii2Ff3hGHmq7GP0s6YoX2II3Yl5e0xhDhpwc-7Mo20hGidMh6lfkn0_YS0w9VrDB8PnEVU3rs32o1Usa9GX_KcOw1euH5d6YvxMo-rij9PZzuuw4IUJuituXcmncKqc-/s1600/10CL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xHH1lZnnbHSBii2Ff3hGHmq7GP0s6YoX2II3Yl5e0xhDhpwc-7Mo20hGidMh6lfkn0_YS0w9VrDB8PnEVU3rs32o1Usa9GX_KcOw1euH5d6YvxMo-rij9PZzuuw4IUJuituXcmncKqc-/s640/10CL.jpg" width="438" /></a></div><br />
<b>5. <i>10 Cloverfield Lane</i>, dir. Dan Trachtenberg -</b> John Goodman, John Goodman, John Goodman. He has never been more frightening or more fascinating than he is here as a survivalist trying to convince Mary Elizabeth Winstead that he is holding her hostage in an underground fallout shelter only to save her from an extinction-level event that occurred topside.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQqz7vtEokeU1A3puHqCQvCbb_BX9iRjQfHploUsh7qSUEqVQl0f2mhQS9R4PoEuWMDdUmMGtlXhl3lxHsZ-5hbS5p4frqoZNoi2hk6KJYUYRIwZGRAZkQKA5H2zqvCN2ZcmMAHlLhLfXK/s1600/J.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQqz7vtEokeU1A3puHqCQvCbb_BX9iRjQfHploUsh7qSUEqVQl0f2mhQS9R4PoEuWMDdUmMGtlXhl3lxHsZ-5hbS5p4frqoZNoi2hk6KJYUYRIwZGRAZkQKA5H2zqvCN2ZcmMAHlLhLfXK/s640/J.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br />
<b>6. <i>Jackie</i>, dir. Pablo Larraín -</b> Review <a href="http://www.cinemaviewfinder.com/2016/12/return-of-capsule-reviews-2016-edition.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Larraín deftly applies liberal helpings of Mica Levi's dissonant score to expose the recently widowed Jackie Kennedy's state of mind, allowing the actor playing her, Natalie Portman, to project the outward stoicism we remember her for during the national tragedy of her husband's assassination. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoo5bTyPaXb51Qse1P3-2yuwS_I_3IgYMtKv0A_LE97TsN0Fm8mRuY0SUBELNuD6MPBg8jWgGSkc-8wRihEVfc_l9Ezpd-hQb3Urqj0gmcryBJGLAJhQ_efNhkWmM9m7My4fdNWjq4j9B_/s1600/KATTS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoo5bTyPaXb51Qse1P3-2yuwS_I_3IgYMtKv0A_LE97TsN0Fm8mRuY0SUBELNuD6MPBg8jWgGSkc-8wRihEVfc_l9Ezpd-hQb3Urqj0gmcryBJGLAJhQ_efNhkWmM9m7My4fdNWjq4j9B_/s640/KATTS.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<b>7. <i>Kubo and the Two Strings</i>, dir. Travis Knight -</b> An evocative, stop-motion folk tale that dazzles far beyond anything put out by Disney or Pixar this year.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvMJaEtdNQeqImP3Gl4AGwhWW8A8TjN2pAmfeiqWkcuTzdZa8LcGE7ayeX-12drSzKSYowwXR6qP5bfhEKaNYmttSBiz4HA3YHnKDG7KCaSmEDhZ2SWKLYGyuB8uf1LfGH1EDH1vhuhsR/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvMJaEtdNQeqImP3Gl4AGwhWW8A8TjN2pAmfeiqWkcuTzdZa8LcGE7ayeX-12drSzKSYowwXR6qP5bfhEKaNYmttSBiz4HA3YHnKDG7KCaSmEDhZ2SWKLYGyuB8uf1LfGH1EDH1vhuhsR/s200/13.jpg" width="135" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZGcmr53Zz4UO8RZvNpj7cehpckLx5eeC6mvOoSFMZLdaVAZJ0md0ujvsq_0n-3qI1a8gFDNvqVBrjENkD2omjV2U4Hbg_5H41hLQvZsoHEngjnR6Vz-yhs9DAhd93zXMJ-_erCufLsY5/s1600/IANYN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZGcmr53Zz4UO8RZvNpj7cehpckLx5eeC6mvOoSFMZLdaVAZJ0md0ujvsq_0n-3qI1a8gFDNvqVBrjENkD2omjV2U4Hbg_5H41hLQvZsoHEngjnR6Vz-yhs9DAhd93zXMJ-_erCufLsY5/s200/IANYN.jpg" width="135" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9h_rjPvdhMSYfppR_GJvJY3hlKPXsZabxZXXhcUbJf3sCNzw7pP0LjtE6SQKeX_Z9QpeRDQr-23XprIsqVDQ7JLLD3jWM5rQX6G93HLXpZ2-g3RHwnF1QNHiDLf828LgR6XJslAjj3XxM/s1600/OJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9h_rjPvdhMSYfppR_GJvJY3hlKPXsZabxZXXhcUbJf3sCNzw7pP0LjtE6SQKeX_Z9QpeRDQr-23XprIsqVDQ7JLLD3jWM5rQX6G93HLXpZ2-g3RHwnF1QNHiDLf828LgR6XJslAjj3XxM/s200/OJ.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><br />
<b>8.(tie) <i>13th</i>, dir. Ava DuVernay, <i>I Am Not Your Negro</i>, dir. Raoul Peck, and <i>O.J.: Made in America</i>, dir. Ezra Edelman -</b> Three documentaries that together flesh out the African American experience and the depressing effects of racism blacks still experience to this day. <i>13th</i> considers the prison industrial complex and how it specifically and disproportionately preys on African Americans. <i>I Am Not Your Negro</i> uses writer/activist James Baldwin's own words, whether spoken by him in archival footage or read aloud by Samuel L. Jackson, to communicate the anger of a race that has never truly been allowed to assimilate into our society, but is now a stranger in the homeland from which our founding fathers forcibly separated them. Lastly, <i>O.J.: Made in America</i> is an 8 hour miniseries created for ESPN's <i>30 for 30</i> program that takes a deep dive into the social forces that contributed to O.J. Simpson's rise and fall. Between the granular examination of Simpson's career and that of the L.A. police's contentious relationship with the city's black community, this addictive show doesn't even get to the attention-grabbing Nicole Brown Simpson murder until about 4 hours in. And that's a good thing, because by that time, you will be well-versed in ALL of the circumstances that made the ultimate outcome a virtual <i>fait accompli</i>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVEXcPSECqZxjU6CxtFznHZlTGxCHDSCzrf9cU5404wA7FCiIpd9qttrPRx9OblvMy_z1FTUwXkXISLgFtT3jbqP_iM0X_TvhniQAuNAzPEFFgWOoN2e8GQSfewMKGllpYC1lYIdG2Pg6/s1600/NA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVEXcPSECqZxjU6CxtFznHZlTGxCHDSCzrf9cU5404wA7FCiIpd9qttrPRx9OblvMy_z1FTUwXkXISLgFtT3jbqP_iM0X_TvhniQAuNAzPEFFgWOoN2e8GQSfewMKGllpYC1lYIdG2Pg6/s640/NA.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br />
<b>11. <i>Nocturnal Animals</i>, dir. Tom Ford -</b> Review <a href="http://www.cinemaviewfinder.com/2016/12/return-of-capsule-reviews-2016-edition.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Director Tom Ford pulls no punches in illustrating how a romantic opportunist (Amy Adams) finally gets her comeuppance thanks to her ex-husband's harrowing novel and its thinly veiled attack on their loveless marriage.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQDuTlEYHK4H9doIxaL0QdO-PZ30bdR5cQfavMOMQwqQhBDw2cgr7DUuq70xE95sBLcLicGWrlkxfaqGAdLYa8lNs4-pk2w_S8VvjQ0Ma_Na2ua_kWIJw5RM5Judxk-IP6o6BEM7Yp9dC/s1600/TND.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQDuTlEYHK4H9doIxaL0QdO-PZ30bdR5cQfavMOMQwqQhBDw2cgr7DUuq70xE95sBLcLicGWrlkxfaqGAdLYa8lNs4-pk2w_S8VvjQ0Ma_Na2ua_kWIJw5RM5Judxk-IP6o6BEM7Yp9dC/s640/TND.jpg" width="414" /></a></div><br />
<b>12. <i>The Neon Demon</i>, dir. Nicolas Winding Refn -</b> I despised Refn's derivative <i>Drive</i> as much as anyone could. But somehow, Refn manages to Frankenstein the shit out of this cautionary horror tale about a up-and-coming naif (Elle Fanning) making her way through L.A.'s modeling world and get the alchemy just right. <i>The Neon Demon</i> is a weird cut-and-paste job made up from leftover Friedkin, Kubrick, Lynch, and Russ Meyer with a fantastic Cliff Martinez score reminiscent of John Carpenter's best. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKzLdPFw2eEHmF4-RHRG0PTIZkJpahYjnVP4w4rKP4Sg7AM_TNG2nHiCAA41e0AgApjyjdeQjVJ7ZVKpN0x3GCtTD-3NMN_4lNuH4WoDN-6lwiTE-FcmjSDSdE-PG5VK3uvo2mKMvPNqq/s1600/TF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKzLdPFw2eEHmF4-RHRG0PTIZkJpahYjnVP4w4rKP4Sg7AM_TNG2nHiCAA41e0AgApjyjdeQjVJ7ZVKpN0x3GCtTD-3NMN_4lNuH4WoDN-6lwiTE-FcmjSDSdE-PG5VK3uvo2mKMvPNqq/s640/TF.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br />
<b>13. <i>The Founder</i>, dir. John Lee Hancock -</b> Central to Hancock's movie is Michael Keaton's phenomenal performance as a scrappy Ray Kroc, the traveling salesman that impressively franchised McDonald's beyond what even the brothers who founded it could have conceived. The way Hancock gets viewers to buy into Kroc's ascent to success only to subvert the the archetypal underdog story by making the antihero a petty, rapacious monster definitely marks this as a Trump-era allegory.<br />
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<b>Honorable Mention: <i>20th Century Women, Arrival, Café Society, Captain America: Civil War, De Palma, Everybody Wants Some!!, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Fences, Hail, Caesar!, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, The Jungle Book, Lion, The Lobster, Loving, A Monster Calls, Neruda, The Nice Guys, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Silence, Star Trek Beyond, Sully, Toni Erdmann, Weiner, Zero Days</i><br />
<br />
Most Overrated: <i>Deadpool</i><br />
<br />
Most Underrated: <i>Silence</i><br />
<br />
Breakthrough Actor of the Year:</b> Mahershala Ali (<i style="font-weight: bold;">Free State of Jones, Hidden Figures, Kicks, Luke Cage, Moonlight</i>)<br />
<br />
<b> Breakthrough Actress of the Year:</b> Janelle Monáe (<i style="font-weight: bold;">Hidden Figures, Moonlight</i>)<br />
<br />
*****<br />
<br />
Winners are in red where my own vote coincides.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.georgiafilmcritics.org/p/2016-awards.html" target="_blank">Georgia Film Critics Association</a></span><br />
<br />
Best Picture:</b> <i>Moonlight</i><br />
<b>Best Director:</b> Damien Chazelle (<i>La La Land</i>)<br />
<b>Best Actor: <span style="color: red;">Casey Affleck (<i>Manchester by the Sea</i>)</span><br />
Best Actress: <span style="color: red;">Natalie Portman (<i>Jackie</i>)</span><br />
Best Supporting Actor: <span style="color: red;">Mahershala Ali (<i>Moonlight</i>)</span><br />
Best Supporting Actress: <span style="color: red;">Viola Davis (<i>Fences</i>)</span><br />
Best Original Screenplay:</b> <i>La La Land</i> - Damien Chazelle<br />
<b>Best Adapted Screenplay:</b> <i>Moonlight</i> - Barry Jenkins<br />
<b>Best Cinematography:</b> <i>Moonlight</i> - James Laxton<br />
<b>Best Production Design:</b> <i>La La Land</i> - David Wasco, Austin Gorg<br />
<b>Best Original Score:</b> <i>La La Land</i> - Justin Hurwitz<br />
<b>Best Original Song: <span style="color: red;">"City of Stars" - Justin Hurwitz, Pasek and Paul (<i>La La Land</i>)</span><br />
Best Ensemble:</b> <i>Moonlight</i><br />
<b>Best Foreign Film:</b> <i>Elle</i><br />
<b>Breakthrough Award: <span style="color: red;">Mahershala Ali (<i>Free State of Jones, Hidden Figures, Kicks, Moonlight</i>)</span><br />
Best Animated Film:</b> <i>Zootopia</i><br />
<b>Best Documentary: <span style="color: red;"><i>O.J.: Made in America</i></span><br />
Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema:</b> <i>The Nice Guys</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.indiewire.com/2016/12/best-movies-2016-critics-films-performances-moonlight-manchester-by-the-sea-1201760430/" target="_blank">IndieWire</a></b></span><br />
<br />
<b>Best Film<br />
<span style="color: red;"> 1. <i>Moonlight</i><br />
2. <i>Manchester by the Sea</i><br />
3. <i>La La Land</i></span></b><br />
4. <i>Toni Erdmann</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">5. <i>O.J.: Made in America</i></span></b><br />
6. <i>Paterson</i><br />
7. <i>The Handmaiden</i><br />
8. <i>Arrival</i><br />
9. <i>Hell or High Water</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">10. <i>Jackie</i></span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Best Director:</b> Barry Jenkins, <i>Moonlight</i><br />
<b>Best Actress:</b> Isabelle Huppert, <i>Elle</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Best Actor: Casey Affleck, <i>Manchester by the Sea</i></span><br />
Best Supporting Actress:</b> Lily Gladstone, <i>Certain Women</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, <i>Moonlight</i><br />
Best Documentary: <i>O.J.: Made in America</i></span><br />
Best Undistributed Film:</b> <i>Sieranevada</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Best First Feature: <i>The Witch</i><br />
Best Screenplay: <i>Manchester by the Sea</i><br />
Best Original Score/Soundtrack: <i>Jackie</i></span><br />
Best Cinematography:</b> <i>Moonlight</i><br />
<b>Best Editing:</b> <i>Moonlight</i><br />
<b>Best Overlooked Film:</b> <i>The Fits</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Most Anticipated of 2017: <i>Blade Runner 2049</i></span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://collider.com/sefca-best-film-2016-moonlight/#images" target="_blank">The Southeastern Film Critics Association</a></span><br />
Top 10<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. <i>Moonlight</i><br />
2. <i>Manchester by the Sea</i><br />
3. <i>La La Land</i></span></b><br />
4. <i>Hell or High Water</i><br />
5. <i>Loving</i><br />
6. <i>Arrival</i><br />
7. (tie) <i>Fences</i> and <b><span style="color: red;"><i>Jackie</i><br />
8. <i>Nocturnal Animals</i></span></b><br />
9. <i>Hidden Figures</i><br />
<br />
<b>Best Actor<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. Casey Affleck, <i>Manchester by the Sea</i></span></b><br />
2. Denzel Washington, <i>Fences</i><br />
<br />
<b>Best Actress<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. Natalie Portman, <i>Jackie</i></span></b><br />
2. Ruth Negga, <i>Loving</i><br />
<br />
<b>Best Supporting Actor<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. Mahershala Ali, <i>Moonlight</i><br />
2. Jeff Bridges, <i>Hell or High Water</i></span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Best Supporting Actress<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. Viola Davis, <i>Fences</i></span></b><br />
2. Naomie Harris, <i>Moonlight</i><br />
<br />
<b>Best Ensemble</b><br />
1. <i>Moonlight</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">2. <i>Manchester by the Sea</i></span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Best Director</b><br />
1. Damien Chazelle, <i>La La Land</i><br />
2. Barry Jenkins, <i>Moonlight</i><br />
<br />
<b>Best Original Screenplay<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. <i>Manchester by the Sea</i></span></b><br />
2. <i>Hell or High Water</i><br />
<br />
<b>Best Adapted Screenplay<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. <i>Moonlight</i><br />
2. <i>Arrival</i></span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Best Documentary<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. <i>I Am Not Your Negro</i><br />
2. <i>O.J.: Made in America</i></span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Best Foreign Language Film</b><br />
1. <i>The Handmaiden</i><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">2. <i>Elle</i></span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Best Animated Film<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. <i>Zootopia</i><br />
2. <i>Kubo and the Two Strings</i></span></b> <br />
<br />
<b>Best Cinematography<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. <i>La La Land</i><br />
2. <i>Moonlight</i></span></b><br />
<br />
<b>The Gene Wyatt Award for the Film that Best Evokes the Spirit of the South<br />
<span style="color: red;">1. <i>Loving</i><br />
2. <i>Moonlight</i></span></b>Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-5455291915414558142016-12-10T14:56:00.000-05:002016-12-10T14:58:53.285-05:00Return of the Capsule Reviews: 2016 Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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by Tony Dayoub<br />
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Let's discuss some of the recent films up for end-of-the-year consideration.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Jackie</span></b><br />
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The unusual sounds of Mica Levi's orchestrations are heard before the picture comes up in Pablo Larraín's <i>Jackie</i>, a mysteriously elliptical, superbly acted film. Star Natalie Portman will certainly be nominated for her mannered but highly effective turn as Jacqueline Kennedy. Strong as her costars are, Portman still overshadows the stellar supporting cast (Max Casella, Billy Crudup, Greta Gerwig, Richard E. Grant, John Hurt, John Carroll Lynch, and Peter Sarsgaard).<br />
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Levi's dissonant score is certainly the best this year and goes a long way towards exposing Jackie's state of mind, allowing Portman to close herself off some and project the outward stoicism we remember her for during the national tragedy of her husband's assassination. While the screenplay itself may appear at first glance to use the Camelot cliche as a kind of crutch, or overexplain things it should show, what <i>Jackie</i> really does is use this literalness to demonstrate how adept its protagonist was at portraying the First Lady character and sticking to the script the media had drafted for the American public. Larrain's direction of Portman and application of Levi's brilliant score develop a counternarrative that destroy any perception of fragility one may have once searched for in America's First Lady.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">La La Land</span></b><br />
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Far and away the frontrunner for best picture of the year, Damien Chazelle's Hollywood musical is at once a throwback and something utterly fresh. The framing, both literally and figuratively, is that of a cliche boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-wins-girl-back classic in this ode to West Hollywood. And ay, there's the rub, for this is no simple homage to the 50s Technicolor musicals that <i>La La Land</i> evokes in both look and tone. Chazelle may take pains to make sure the sky has the filtered beauty of the magic hour so prevalent in its, for many, outdated filmic predecessors. However, the director foregrounds the complex emotions and modern sensibilities intruding on the movie's soaring attempts to celebrate starcrossed love.<br />
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Ryan Gosling's piano-playing non-conformist no doubt speaks for the filmmaker when he advocates for traditional jazz, but too often lapses into mansplaining the music's significance as a rare native art form, borne out of passion and roiling with change, that is all but ignored by the society that spawned it. Emma Stone's individualistic actress represents the empowered female of today, the one who successfully merges vulnerability with iconoclasm to further herself and her career at the expense of an easy fairy tale romance. Both are figures that would frustrate any self-styled Arthur Freeds trying to fit them into their idea of a musical romance. Married to catchy tunes, a little bit of softshoe, and a celebration of the artifice in movies, what you will nonetheless take away from <i>La La Land</i> is not that they don't make them like this anymore, but that they never really have.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Nocturnal Animals</span></b><br />
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Icy cold and stylish, Tom Ford's revenge movie still packs a brutal wallop if you're tuned in and resist being pushed off by the director's distancing effects. Amy Adams plays a rich girl gallery owner married to effete, always traveling businessman, Armie Hammer. Ford compares their loveless marriage to Adams' previous, more emotionally rich union with author Jake Gyllenhaal, a comparison that gains more mystery and heft when the author sends his soon to be published roman à clef to his ex-wife. Ostensibly a peace offering, Gyllenhaal's novel, which shares its title with the film, is really a kind of bait designed to entice Adams into rekindling her feelings for the man she left. Gyllenhaal's story takes on more sinister connotations as Adams starts to recognize herself and him in the book's protagonists, an unhappy couple who, along with their daughter, are terrorized one fateful night by hoodlums on a desert road.<br />
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While Ford's detached view of Adams' narrative initially seems a misstep, making the viewer maybe over-invest in the novel's earthier yet harrowing narrative, all comes together by the end. Ford flips the script on us, suggesting that the filmmaker has simply been keeping us on our toes, deliberately keeping us from getting too attached to the sympathetic Adams. Her "sad eyes" and lip-service towards "sensitive" men mask the heart of a calculated opportunist willing to hitch her wagon to the next best thing, especially if she believes it can fill the void inside of her with the warmth and humanity we learn she's lacking. Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-49105310120910151932016-08-06T12:19:00.000-04:002016-08-06T12:19:01.906-04:00Movie Review: Suicide Squad (2016)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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by Tony Dayoub<br />
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The highly anticipated <i><b>Suicide Squad</b></i> proves to be a not entirely unsurprising fizzle. It's the second in DC's expansion of its extended film universe (it's really not fair to count the far classier <i>Man of Steel</i>, which was never really meant to start this particular ball rolling, as part of the series). On paper, <i>Suicide Squad</i> looks like the most daring of the upcoming DC films. It features a deep stable of super-villains instead of the predictably stolid heroes. It is directed by David Ayer (<i>End of Watch</i>), a throwback to Walter Hill and the closest we've seen to a true auteur shaping this kind of film since Guillermo del Toro helmed <i>Blade II</i>. But save for a couple of lunatic performances by Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Jared Leto as Harley's boyfriend, the Joker, plus some lustrous cinematography by Roman Vasyanov, <i>Suicide Squad </i>is perhaps even more disappointing than its dark predecessor, <i>Batman v. Superman</i>.<br />
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If <i>Suicide Squad</i>'s premise has one virtue, it is that of being unfamiliar to non-comic book fans. Covert government flack Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) puts together a team of criminal misfits to respond to the highly lethal superhuman situations powerful beings like Superman are probably better equipped to handle. Why risk losing decent God-fearing American soldiers on suicide missions when you can send some of the scummiest villains that the likes of Batman (Ben Affleck) have put away in the Louisiana black site, Belle Reve Prison? Gathered for this initial mission (to retrieve one of Waller's own collateral gone rogue) are: expert marksman, Deadshot (Will Smith); the aforementioned sexy psycho Harley; the obnoxious Aussie Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney); the scaly monster Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje); and more, all under the red-white-and-blue command of Special Forces Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman).<br />
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Expectations of a muscular, superhuman version of the <i>Dirty Dozen</i> are dashed early on as <i>Suicide Squad</i> unfolds into an ever more incoherent mess. Strangely enough, and to its detriment, many of the team members introduced are delineated strongly enough to maybe carry their own movie. Deadshot's cynicism concerning his chosen occupation of assassin is outweighed by his ardor for his tween-age daughter. Harley's misplaced devotion to the frightening Mr. J is an incisive look at the blind, madcap obsession that can sometimes accompany young love. Croc's bestiality proves to be a symptom of what can happen when one buys into everyone's perceptions of their own looking-glass self. Most intriguing is the turning of a new, pacifist leaf by the flame-throwing <i>vato</i> El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), who has renounced violence not after he inadvertently killed his own family in a blind rage, but after exterminating all of his fellow jailees in the prison yard when they pushed him too far.<br />
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Maybe that is the long-term intention here by Warner Brothers, to prime the pump for an endless succession of potential spinoffs. But as it is, <i>Suicide Squad</i> suffers from the same schizoid aspect that afflicted <i>Batman v. Superman</i>. The fairly basic central plot involving the anonymous, imaginary Midway City being slowly dismantled by a compromised Squad member just isn't strong enough to stand up to the distracting interpersonal dynamics of each of its ensemble. <i>Suicide Squad</i> frequently goes off on wild tangents devoted to explaining each individual's stronger backstory. Little wonder that <i>Suicide Squad</i> feels less like the potent exploration of dangerous camaraderie among outcasts usually executed by Ayer than a film that has had some significant portions of it extracted and replaced by shorter scenes full of boring expository dialogue to bridge the gaps. Leto's scene-stealing Joker is the hardest hit by these cuts, his short appearances feeling more like non-sequitur merely used to punctuate a given chapter. One is never allowed to see Leto's performance <i>in toto</i> for fear, one assumes, that it might rob the movie's main characters of the audience's attention.<br />
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The sad byproduct of this streamlining is <i>Suicide Squad</i>'s instability. One may think that this unevenness befits the union of such a wild collection of oddball outlaws as some postmodern meta-commentary on the calcification of this now decades-old genre. However, it would be far too generous to attribute <i>Suicide Squad</i>'s failings to such forethought. It's far more productive to ponder how <i>Suicide Squad</i> can be both half-baked and overcooked at the same time.Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-2459253271180592602016-07-06T06:28:00.001-04:002016-07-06T06:28:17.671-04:00Movie Reviews: The Legend of Tarzan (2016) and The BFG (2016)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4RUqNy4H1z893xUZH5QwVaXyk0umDot4oNfCkJYE54cgq7BGQh_jfxF8ymcfPGrhBXIW8aaE1cWsS4JmzI66f0MP4o1Iu2dUKvKjkxcTEQtMZ_Kl6M0m2kZdOSynsNnq7r1i9ARahLoW/s1600/T1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4RUqNy4H1z893xUZH5QwVaXyk0umDot4oNfCkJYE54cgq7BGQh_jfxF8ymcfPGrhBXIW8aaE1cWsS4JmzI66f0MP4o1Iu2dUKvKjkxcTEQtMZ_Kl6M0m2kZdOSynsNnq7r1i9ARahLoW/s400/T1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
by Tony Dayoub<br />
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Recent events in the (not so) United Kingdom have altered my perception of a couple of movies in which Britain serves as a faint backdrop. Each misses the mark in some surprising ways. Certainly, the American take on a fantasy England and its genial queen found in Steven Spielberg's <b><i>The BFG</i></b> makes the most obvious missteps. But <b><i>The Legend of Tarzan</i></b>, directed by the very British David Yates (<i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</i>) isn't too far behind despite, save for its start and conclusion, largely avoiding Great Britain.<br />
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Ignoring the fact that Tarzan author Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American, Yates chooses to put the ape man's English DNA at the forefront of <i>The Legend of Tarzan</i>, indulging in a healthy dose of revisionism, . Though Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård) reverts to his animalistic persona often enough, his time back in Victorian civilization as John Clayton III, the rightful Earl of Greystoke, has made him considerably more reluctant to give in to his animal tendencies. Or return to Africa for that matter, refusing to travel in the capacity of rubber stamp for British nobles hoping to associate themselves with the Belgian monarch, King Leopold II. It's only some mighty impassioned convincing from real-life historical figure George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson) that persuades Tarzan to return to the Congo to investigate the unlawful enslavement of large numbers of Africans at the hands of the Belgian army led by Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz, this time with a nice mustache to twirl).<br />
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No amount of backbending by the filmmakers (and the inclusion of an obscure figure like Williams is proof that the filmmakers are bending way over backwards) can hide the fact that the Tarzan tale is still a white savior myth, a quality heightened by the recent Brexit and its xenophobic repercussions. However, Yates escapes dreary England much faster than Hugh Hudson's 1984 <i>Greystoke</i>, a pseudo-inspiration for this iteration that Yates improves upon. A simple flashback structure saves us from having to experience Tarzan's origin backstory for the umpteenth time. The fantastic casting of Margot Robbie as Clayton's beloved wife, Jane, elevates the character from mere damsel to the jungle lord's spiritual, if not physical, equal. That would be hard to achieve, as Jackson's Williams would no doubt attest. Experienced soldier and adventurer that he is, Williams still has trouble keeping pace with Tarzan in his element, barely able to run through the lush foliage, balance himself on thick tree branches, or swing on the giant vines at anywhere near the speed that Tarzan can. Yates emphasizes the abnormal physique required to do so, enlisting Skarsgård in re-shaping his already large muscles to ones that are practically balloon-like. Whether through CGI manipulation or not, Tarzan seems like a giant with enlarged, misshapen hands that betray years of walking on all fours.<br />
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Those are some nifty ideas that enliven a film that still comes across as more than a little antiquated for our times. Playing more like a literate prestige film, one that at least attempts some insightful demythologization, one wonders if <i>The Legend of Tarzan</i> would have played better in awards season, the way a throwback like the chauvinistic <i>Skyfall</i> benefited largely by standing out as the rare action film to tickle its audience's nostalgia bone. <i>The Legend of Tarzan</i> definitely isn't appealing to younger viewers which might be mystified by its depiction of a solemn white aristocrat sympathetic to the plight of endangered Africans forced into slavery. Still, expect this one to have some legs once it reaches home screens. There is more to digest in <i>The Legend of Tarzan</i> than a first glance suggests.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGc88MWRr0T1yZuLb62IHJpbdYnyHdmdP5ICF97lsKrbIbeELFc5Jgho7DFRB8SjDdpE_KXCbgG8JSEEu3BcE38t-9eJ6AWbFRk_EoB116NZeBOpHoLudhvsOBeoarju8vhW9w9vvIT4vZ/s1600/30star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGc88MWRr0T1yZuLb62IHJpbdYnyHdmdP5ICF97lsKrbIbeELFc5Jgho7DFRB8SjDdpE_KXCbgG8JSEEu3BcE38t-9eJ6AWbFRk_EoB116NZeBOpHoLudhvsOBeoarju8vhW9w9vvIT4vZ/s400/30star.jpg" /></a></div><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">The BFG</span></i></b><br />
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"Dreams are so quick... on the outside. They's long on the inside."<br />
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That wonderful quote from <i>The BFG</i> sort of suits the movie, a good enough fable by the wonderful Roald Dahl that, in the hands of Steven Spielberg, reveals a kind of creaky thinness. The basic story of an orphan girl (Ruby Barnhill) and her big friendly giant (Mark Rylance) is an ingratiating reversal on Spielberg's <i>E.T.</i>, with the lovable "monster" keeping the girl for himself this time, instead of the other way around. No surprise, since Dahl's book was adapted by <i>E.T.</i>'s late screenwriter Melissa Mathison. Where <i>E.T.</i> was able to layer in subtext about the filmmaker himself being a child of divorce, however, <i>The BFG</i> struggles to pad its running time with anything more than flights of fancy into the world of the gentle giant and his contentious relationship with his brethren. Every moment spent with the BFG's obnoxious fellow giants takes us away from the fascinating chemistry between Sophie and her kind captor.<br />
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To be sure, there are beautiful tangents like the one pictured above, a scene where the giant and his captive go to a forest to "collect" dreams, or later on, an amusing extended encounter between the two and the Queen of England herself. A diplomatic sharing of the giant's drink of choice, <i>frobscottle</i>, gets the court more than it bargained for. In that fizzy concoction, the bubbles go down instead of up, so go ahead and imagine where a human <i>bean</i> is more likely to expel any of the attendant gas. It's an unabashed foray into the kind of gross humor that kids the world over find so appealing. But strangely enough, this reductive view of a fantasy United Kingdom coming together to fight comical giants is overshadowed by the insular Brexit UK currently on display all over the media. Spielberg could hardly predict the timing of the release of <i>The BFG</i> would be so inopportune. However, it's the chasm between the real and the magical that contributes to the slightness of the tale and may beg the most unattainable suspension of disbelief of them all.Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-20418368430234562892016-03-29T05:33:00.002-04:002016-03-29T05:33:16.325-04:00Loose Thoughts on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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by Tony Dayoub<br />
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I've been wracking my brain all week trying to figure out why I can't come up with a coherent review for this weekend's big hit, <b><i>Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</i></b>. It wasn't until I saw it again this weekend, in an obligatory revisit to take my two young boys, when I came to this conclusion. My thoughts are only as scattershot as the film itself tends to be. <i>Dawn of Justice</i> is Zack Snyder's attempt at jump-starting the DC Extended Universe or DCEU, the filmic counterpart to its rival Marvel's own cinematic franchise the MCU. It is reminiscent of those graphic samplers DC Comics puts out a month before they introduce a major storyline that will snake through its entire publishing lineup. The movie tries to whet the viewer's appetite for future installments, but fails to come up with a satisfying story that can stand on its own. So why not mirror the movie itself in presenting my own disjointed thoughts on the failures (and yes, some minor successes) of this schizoid superhero dirge.<br />
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<b>Ben Affleck's Batman is Somehow Both More Right and More Wrong -</b> With the possible exception of the animated version voiced by Kevin Conroy for nearly 25 years, Affleck's Batman is somehow both more right and more wrong than any version of the Dark Knight presented onscreen thus far. Right in the sense that he seems more agile and more vulnerable, a sharp contrast to the lumbering godlike Superman (Henry Cavill) first introduced in Snyder's <i>Man of Steel</i>. Batfleck is a hulking example of peak human condition in both mind and body, much more so than his Kevlar-sheathed predecessors as played by everyone from Michael Keaton to Christian Bale. This vigilante only armors up to level the playing field when facing off against the Man of Tomorrow in the movie's climactic battle royale.<br />
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Where Affleck goes wrong is in his one-note portrayal of Bruce Wayne, the Caped Crusader's lockjawed secret identity that appears even grimmer than the Batman himself. As much as Superman is a larger-than-life persona the sweet-natured, small-town Clark Kent dons to square off against some outsized, otherwordly villains (like this movie's CGI-generated Doomsday), the real self is Batman with millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne serving as the brilliant disguise. <i>Dawn of Justice</i>'s Wayne is world-weary at the ripe old age of fortysomething, yet spry enough to successfully take down a dozen hostiles in less than 5 minutes or tumble back to his feet after his Kryptonian quarry bounces him around Gotham's abandoned warehouse district in his Iron Bat getup like spam in a can. Even the obvious flirtations coming from Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) are not enough for Affleck to break character, reserving all clever one-liners for Jeremy Irons' grittier take on loyal Wayne butler, Alfred.<br />
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<b>Speaking of Wonder Woman... -</b> I'm excited about <i>Wonder Woman</i>. Now let's hope they don't find some way to fuck it up. I knew nothing about actress Gal Gadot before having seen this film except that she is Israeli, smoldering hot, and had appeared in the <i>Fast & Furious</i> franchise, one series I have so far managed to avoid. Seventies kid that I am, I was fairly skeptical that anyone could step into Lynda Carter's boots. Why, I wonder now? Carter is not exactly a name one associates with the word thespian. But what Carter lacked in that regard she made up for with presence, a necessary pre-requisite for any Amazonian warrior and, on paper, Gadot looked like kind of a lightweight. Boy, was I wrong! Gadot steals every scene she is in. Add that nifty musical motif that sounds like a war cry crossed with the Jimmy Page riff from "The Immigrant Song," throw in an intriguing photograph that shows Wonder Woman looking even more formidable during the height of World War I in devastated Belgium of 1918, and we see one of <i>Dawn of Justice</i>'s small virtues. It knows how to entice us into coming back for more.<br />
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<b>Hey Wait, Lois, What About <i>Man of Steel 2</i>?</b> - My opinion of <i>Man of Steel</i> was definitely a bit off-reservation than most other critics'. I praised the film for its earnestness and anticipated that the destruction that decimated the movie's Metropolis would have some serious repercussions. With allusions to Lex Luthor peppered throughout Superman's tussle with Zod (Michael Shannon), I was sure that the sequel would present us with a Trump-like take on Luthor as a populist, humanity's champion against alien immigrants so to speak. I'm still fairly certain something along those lines was being set up because organically, that is the direction which the story pointed to. Instead, we have much of the <i>Man of Steel</i> cast—Perry White, Jenny Olsen, the now Senator Swanwick, and most prominently, Martha Kent—making contractual walk-ons onto what is already a mixed, overstuffed bag of a film. The two-and-a-half hour running time that is supposed to designate <i>Dawn of Justice</i> as some kind of event movie but is really just a signifier of its cumbersomeness could have been cut by a third had Snyder not tried to make this both a sequel to the Superman film and a launch pad for the Justice League.<br />
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<b>Just Throw Everything in the Blender and Run on High -</b> Know why there are some parts of the movie that are undeniably winning and others that are objectively bad? It's because <i>Dawn of Justice</i> reeks of a film written by committee. Remember there has been some form of <i>Justice League</i> film floating around for decades now, and seeing David Goyer's name in the credits is the tipoff for me. Goyer is the goto script doctor for superhero films, usually brought in to smooth things over in the final draft after a screenplay's dissonant elemnts have been Frankensteined out of separate scripts for the same property. That's why some things work like gangbusters—the scary Batman scene where the cops stumble onto sex trafficking in Gotham; the sequence where Superman flies to Mexico in an instant to save a girl from a burning building; anything Wonder Woman—and some things decidedly don't—Batman's exceedingly ominous nightmares, especially the out-of-context apocalyptic (or is it Apokoliptic) flash-forward; the Super Friends cameos; Doomsday; and anything Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg). The inaugural DCEU movie takes Marvel's way of setting up future films to an extreme. <i>Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</i> spends a lot of its time introducing new elements—big, small, and incoherent—at the expense of successfully fulfilling its own dramatic arc, a misfire that may lock the future of the DCEU franchise it's setting up into a path that is by no means assured.Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-50395930435946014972015-12-07T09:44:00.002-05:002015-12-07T09:44:14.580-05:002015 Online Film Critics Society Award Nominees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSH4LyKkanBdI7r-cT6rDJ0WPI8zCXbH2p7lakZwaqGRehHIk1JsLwYhttUyZT9WatUIsqO9bL9qMdilruMScgcfNxmhSepviVZYHAS9vyBfdSyg68kYRZj9mFd2QxkNGwxEUO2j7dNeJ/s1600/ca2_0702rc_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSH4LyKkanBdI7r-cT6rDJ0WPI8zCXbH2p7lakZwaqGRehHIk1JsLwYhttUyZT9WatUIsqO9bL9qMdilruMScgcfNxmhSepviVZYHAS9vyBfdSyg68kYRZj9mFd2QxkNGwxEUO2j7dNeJ/s320/ca2_0702rc_lg.jpg" /></a></div>by Tony Dayoub<br />
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<a href="http://www.ofcs.org/carol-and-sicario-lead-the-19th-ofcs-nominations/" target="_blank">From the Online Film Critics Society</a> (of which I am a proud <a href="http://www.ofcs.org/tony-dayoub/" target="_blank">member</a>):<br />
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<blockquote><b><a href="http://www.ofcs.org/" target="_blank">The Online Film Critics Society</a> (OFCS)</b> - the oldest and most prominent society for online film critics in the world - recognized the year’s best films with nominations for their 19th annual awards.<br />
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<i>Carol</i> and <i>Sicario</i> led the race with six nominations each. <i>Mad Max: Fury Road</i> and <i>The Martian</i> followed with five nominations apiece. <i>The Revenant</i>, <i>Spotlight</i> and <i>Steve Jobs</i> each received four nominations while <i>Brooklyn</i>, <i>Ex Machina</i>, <i>Inside Out</i> and <i>Room</i> each received three nods.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The Best Picture category includes an eclectic mix of genre-spanning features from animated features to sci-fi dramas to action-packed blockbusters. The nominees are <i>Brooklyn</i>, <i>Carol</i>, <i>Ex Machina</i>, <i>Inside Out</i>, <i>Mad Max: Fury Road</i>, <i>The Martian</i>, <i>The Revenant</i>, <i>Room</i>, <i>Sicario</i> and <i>Spotlight</i>.<br />
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<i>Carol</i>, a new drama chronicling a love affair in the 1950s, received several prominent nominations. In addition to Best Picture, it was nominated for Best Director (Todd Haynes), Best Actress (Cate Blanchett), Best Supporting Actress (Rooney Mara), Best Adapted Screenplay (Phyllis Nagy) and Best Cinematography (Edward Lachman). <i>Sicario</i>, which tells the story of an FBI agent who becomes embroiled in the drug war on the U.S-Mexico border, was nominated in Best Picture, Best Director (Denis Villeneuve), Best Supporting Actor (Benicio Del Toro), Best Original Screenplay (Taylor Sheridan), Best Editing (Joe Walker) and Best Cinematography (Roger Deakins).<br />
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The OFCS has nominated the eventual Oscar winner for Best Picture in eight of the last ten years; matching Oscar winners <i>12 Years a Slave</i> (2013), <i>The Hurt Locker</i> (2009), <i>No Country for Old Men</i> (2007) and <i>Argo</i> (2012), becoming the first major critics group to recognize Ben Affleck’s future Academy Award recipient.<br />
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“This year’s crop of nominees is a rich tapestry of modern world cinema.” The OFCS Governing Committee members John Hanlon, Wesley Lovell and Cole Smithey said. “Our organization has always had a unique perspective in our annual selections and this batch is as compelling and fascinating as ever.”<br />
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The Online Film Critics Society currently consists of 254 members with writers representing 22 countries across the globe. The winners will be announced on Monday, December 14, 2015.<br />
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<b>Best Picture:</b><br />
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<i>Brooklyn<br />
Carol<br />
Ex Machina<br />
Inside Out<br />
Mad Max: Fury Road<br />
The Martian<br />
The Revenant<br />
Room<br />
Sicario<br />
Spotlight</i><br />
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<b>Best Animated Feature:</b><br />
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<i>Anomalisa<br />
The Good Dinosaur<br />
Inside Out<br />
The Peanuts Movie<br />
Shaun the Sheep Movie</i> <br />
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<b>Best Film Not in the English Language:</b><br />
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<i>The Assassin</i> (Taiwan)<br />
<i>Goodnight Mommy</i> (Austria)<br />
<i>Mustang</i> (France)<br />
<i>Phoenix</i> (Germany)<br />
<i>Son of Saul</i> (Hungary)<br />
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<b>Best Documentary:</b><br />
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<i>Amy<br />
Best of Enemies<br />
Cartel Land<br />
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief<br />
The Look of Silence</i><br />
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<b>Best Director:</b><br />
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Todd Haynes - <i>Carol</i><br />
Tom McCarthy - <i>Spotlight</i><br />
George Miller - <i>Mad Max: Fury Road</i><br />
Ridley Scott - <i>The Martian</i><br />
Denis Villeneuve - <i>Sicario</i><br />
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<b>Best Actor:</b><br />
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Matt Damon - <i>The Martian</i><br />
Leonardo DiCaprio - <i>The Revenant</i><br />
Michael Fassbender - <i>Steve Jobs</i><br />
Michael B. Jordan - <i>Creed</i><br />
Ian McKellen - <i>Mr. Holmes</i><br />
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<b>Best Actress:</b><br />
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Cate Blanchett - <i>Carol</i><br />
Brie Larson - <i>Room</i><br />
Charlotte Rampling - <i>45 Years</i><br />
Saoirse Ronan - <i>Brooklyn</i><br />
Charlize Theron - <i>Mad Max: Fury Road</i><br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actor:</b><br />
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Benicio Del Toro - <i>Sicario</i><br />
Oscar Isaac - <i>Ex Machina</i><br />
Mark Ruffalo - <i>Spotlight</i><br />
Mark Rylance - <i>Bridge of Spies</i><br />
Sylvester Stallone - <i>Creed</i><br />
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<b>Best Supporting Actress:</b><br />
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Rooney Mara - <i>Carol</i><br />
Cynthia Nixon - <i>James White</i><br />
Kristen Stewart - <i>Clouds of Sils Maria</i><br />
Alicia Vikander - <i>The Danish Girl</i><br />
Kate Winslet - <i>Steve Jobs</i><br />
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<b>Best Original Screenplay:</b><br />
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<i>Ex Machina</i> (Alex Garland)<br />
<i>Inside Out</i> (Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley)<br />
<i>Mistress America</i> (Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach)<br />
<i>Sicario</i> (Taylor Sheridan)<br />
<i>Spotlight</i> (Josh Singer, Tom McCarthy)<br />
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<b>Best Adapted Screenplay:</b><br />
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<i>Brooklyn</i> (Nick Hornby)<br />
<i>Carol</i> (Phyllis Nagy)<br />
<i>The Martian</i> (Drew Goddard)<br />
<i>Room</i> (Emma Donoghue)<br />
<i>Steve Jobs</i> (Aaron Sorkin)<br />
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<b>Best Editing:</b><br />
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<i>Mad Max: Fury Road</i> (Margaret Sixel)<br />
<i>The Martian</i> (Pietro Scalia)<br />
<i>The Revenant</i> (Stephen Mirrione)<br />
<i>Sicario</i> (Joe Walker)<br />
<i>Steve Jobs</i> (Elliot Graham)<br />
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<b>Best Cinematography:</b><br />
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<i>The Assassin</i> (Ping Bin Lee)<br />
<i>Carol</i> (Edward Lachman)<br />
<i>Mad Max: Fury Road</i> (John Seale)<br />
<i>The Revenant</i> (Emmanuel Lubezki)<br />
<i>Sicario</i> (Roger Deakins)</blockquote>Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-25291665074579714592015-11-06T06:04:00.000-05:002016-03-27T15:47:38.540-04:00Movie Review: Spectre (2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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by Tony Dayoub<br />
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A bravura, single-take shot launches <b><i>Spectre</i></b>, the latest 007 film. Sam Mendes helms this follow-up to his brilliant <i>Skyfall</i>, with cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema stepping into Roger Deakins' big shoes. Van Hoytema certainly announces himself loudly with the shot that propels one of Bond's best opening sequences in some time. The camera snakes through Mexico City during a colorful Day of the Dead festival, first following a thug clad in a light colored suit, before switching over to a masked reveler dressed in a skeletal suit with a top hat whose distinctive walk soon makes it clear we are seeing Daniel Craig's superspy <i>in medias res</i>. Before long, Van Hoytema has taken us through a busy public square, up a palatial set of stairs, into and out of a cramped elevator, into a bedroom and out a window to a balcony where Bond sets up to assassinate the thug in question. For those brief minutes, <i>Spectre</i> soars higher than even <i>Skyfall</i> did. It all goes downhill from there sadly, with <i>Spectre</i> devolving into probably the most conventional of all the Craig flicks (yes, more so than even the unfairly maligned <i>Quantum of Solace</i>).<br />
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Bond films are always measured by different criteria than other films, as the proliferation of lists that accompany any of its releases attest. What are the best Bond women, villains, theme songs, cars, henchmen, etc.? In almost every one of these cases, save for the sequence described above, <i>Spectre</i> is found wanting. Craig continues to be the best personification of 007 since Sean Connery made it his role more than 50 years ago. Both the franchise and the actor benefited from embarking on a journey in a direction where the cinematic Bond had never gone before, inward and backwards to his origin. Beginning with <i>Casino Royale</i>, the three previous Craig films showed us how an unseasoned, reckless British agent slowly became the cool-tempered, lethal double-0 operative we remembered from the Connery days. Each of Craig's films added more pieces to the puzzle, revealing the source of his misogynistic distrust of women, introducing the supporting cast of Moneypenny, M, and Q that would become so significant to Bond. And each inspired its directors to elevate the filmmaking from the merely perfunctory to the occasionally sublime.<br />
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Now <i>Spectre</i> reintroduces the villainous organization that due to decades-long real-life legal wrangling has been largely absent from the Bond films since Connery's last film in 1971 (!). Led by the soft-spoken Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz), S.P.E.C.T.R.E. is soon revealed as the all-encompassing conspiracy behind all of 007's woes in the past three films, sponsoring every villain from <i>Le Chiffre</i> (Mads Mikkelsen) to Silva (Javier Bardem), killing everyone from Bond's first love Vesper (Eva Green) to the first, maternal M (Judi Dench, who makes a pivotal cameo in this one). Oberhauser is known to Bond, a ghost from his long buried past whose cause for a vendetta against 007 and the world order he represents seems ridiculous when <i>Spectre</i> deems it necessary to blatantly spell out the subtextual resentment between the two rivals. This in, of all things, a scene where the villain monologues while the hero is hooked up to some torture contraption not unlike the ones seen in <i>Goldfinger</i> or <i>Austin Powers</i> for instance.<br />
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As for the rest of <i>Spectre</i>'s elements? Sam Smith's title song is one of the dreariest in 007 history. The female characters, Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), Lucia (Monica Belluci) and Madeleine (Léa Seydoux) are all afterthoughts, and that is saying something for a Bond film. Given a little more to work with are Ralph Fiennes as the M who was almost Bond and Ben Whishaw who is quirky with a capital Q as MI6's best quartermaster and gets to do some life-threatening espionage fieldwork. Former WWE champ Dave Bautista makes a strong impression as Mr. Hinx, a S.P.E.C.T.R.E. operative who relentlessly pursues Bond until their chase finally culminates in a train-car brawl inspired by the central setpiece of my favorite Bond film, <i>From Russia with Love</i>. Less impressive, and indicative of how out of step and dated the entire franchise seems when it's trying so hard to be topical, is Andrew Scott as Max Denbigh, a British functionary who wants to mothball the double-0 program in favor of drones and electronic surveillance, a plot point that hasn't seemed fresh since <i>Enemy of the State</i> covered much the same ground back in 1998.<br />
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It's no wonder then that Craig has seemed positively vitriolic in <i>Spectre</i>'s promotional rounds when asked whether he is up for another one of these movies. After all of this time spent revitalizing the character and giving him an inner life absent from everything except Ian Fleming's source novels, all the pieces have finally fallen into place and it's... meet the new Bond, same as the old Bond.Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-74435175615634357592015-10-16T06:01:00.000-04:002015-10-16T06:01:00.215-04:00Movie Review: Bridge of Spies (2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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by Tony Dayoub<br />
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Director Steven Spielberg reunites with Tom Hanks for the cold war thriller <b><i>Bridge of Spies</i></b>. Based on fact, the film details the capture and arrest of Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), an otherwise unremarkable man who was passing on information to our enemies in the most nondescript way, as he painted landscapes in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. James Donovan (Tom Hanks) is a formerly prominent attorney asked to take Abel on as his client in order to give the impression that Abel is getting the best defense there is. When Donovan begins to take his assignment more seriously than anticipated, saving his client from a death sentence, the CIA enlists him to negotiate the release of a downed U2 pilot standing trial in the Soviet Union. The kind of double-play Donovan then chases is a gambit that surprises everyone.<br />
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<i>Bridge of Spies</i> is a throwback in ways both good and bad. Much as he was in his most recent films, <i>Lincoln</i> and <i>War Horse</i>, Spielberg is in classical mode. There is a starchy theatricality to the proceedings, fitting for <i>Bridge of Spies</i>' initial setting of the courtroom. The movie never really pushes past that, however. The same stiffness afflicts the staging of scenes that should feel more dynamic, whether it is in the Soviet kangaroo court where U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) stands trial, or in the secret diplomatic meetings Donovan holds with his counterparts in the USSR or East Germany. Oh yeah, the Stasi wants Abel, too. There is an absurdity to this dry thriller that goes beyond the usual reversals one encounters in the traditional espionage film. <br />
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Sure, Spielberg is playing up the fact that there is a histrionic quality to the events in <i>Bridge of Spies</i>, that every player must play his part. Perhaps that is why the Coen Brothers, Joel and Ethan, were brought in to give a final polish to Matt Charman's script, to give it a strong dose of levity, or at least bring the story's more farcical aspects to the fore. But that only contributes to the artifice. The really interesting story is happening outside of the drawing rooms where Donovan engages with his Russian and German adversaries, out on the streets of Germany where chaos has taken hold as the Berlin Wall is erected. Did I forget to mention that? <i>Bridge of Spies</i> buries its lede even deeper than I ever could, stowing away the most attractive and intriguing element in its tale to concentrate on the verbal and logistical parrying of Donovan as he tries to swap Abel for Powers.<br />
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Like the film reviewed on this site yesterday, <i>Bridge of Spies</i>' secret weapons are the performances of its two leads, Hanks and Rylance. Hanks is his usual stolid self, channeling Gregory Peck as he delineates Donovan as a sort of cold war Atticus Finch. He fends off the bullying of his peers and indeed the nation to stand up for the rights of his treasonous charge in order to prove that even spies possess human rights. The scene-stealer here is Rylance as Abel. Quiet and unassuming, Rylance's performance is one of stillness, drawing attention to the thought processes illustrated so hauntingly in the actor's eyes. A running gag in <i>Bridge of Spies</i> involves Donovan frequent marveling at Abel's imperturbability. Donovan will ask Abel something like, "Doesn't that make you angry?" and Rylance does more with his three-word response, "Would it help?" than any over-emoting could ever achieve.<br />
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It's unfortunate then that these two actors, at the top of their form, cannot save <i>Bridge of Spies</i> from feeling like a bit of a slog. Spielberg had all the right pieces on the board, they just needed to be arranged differently. Trite as it may sound, <i>Bridge of Spies</i> might have come closer to succeeding as an analogy to chess rather than theater. Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-16770852948634345662015-10-15T05:51:00.000-04:002015-10-15T05:51:22.030-04:00Movie Review: Beasts of No Nation (2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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by Tony Dayoub<br />
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There is a sense that Netflix is venturing into new territory with this week's release of Cary Joji Fukunaga's <b><i>Beasts of No Nation</i></b>. Fukunaga, whose greatest claim to fame so far is the much lauded first season of HBO's <i>True Detective</i>, trains his focus on the plight of African child soldiers, measuredly delivering his message by placing us in the shoes of Agu (Abraham Attah) as he comes of age in the war-torn jungle of some anonymous country. There he falls under the spell of the charismatic Commandant (Idris Elba), a nameless fighter who resembles pretty much every megalomaniac ever. And therein lies the problem with the film.<br />
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If <i>Beasts of No Nation</i> feels a little predictable it is because it follows the same basic outline as Conrad's <i>Heart of Darkness</i>, or at least the latter half of <i>Apocalypse Now</i>, where the protagonist is simultaneously drawn to and repulsed by the unhinged but mesmerizing Kurtz. The Commandant is similarly appealing, offering nuggets of half-baked philosophy to the impressionable Agu, who has just recently lost his father and older brother. The Commandant preys on Agu's search for a new male role model to first gain the boy's trust, then his loyalty, before directing him against his enemies the way one would point a gun. And like the source material it derives its plot from, <i>Beasts of No Nation</i> shows us how the Commandant's paranoia and inability to compromise ultimately prove to be his undoing.<br />
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Appropriately, Elba is both charming and ghoulish as the "freedom fighter," playing up his physicality to give us a lion of a man to whom leading men of any age comes very easily. However, Elba is best when the Commandant is placed in situations where his strengths are ineffectual, his violent streak unnecessary. When he is called in by the Supreme Commander, he brings a small entourage of his pubescent warriors—who follow him like some twisted pied piper—to the meeting. Forced to wait all day and into the night as nebbishy money men stream in uninterrupted for an audience with the leader, the Commandant begins to look like a lethal, caged animal in sharp contrast: coiled in the corner playing dead, but ready and itching to strike.<br />
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His leader's flaws all begins to dawn on Agu very gradually. But not before he devolves into an executioner himself. <i>Beasts of No Nation</i>'s most devastating moments are the ones where Attah so convincingly imparts Agu's state of mind as he transforms from an at-risk innocent into a trigger-happy warrior. At one point, his death squad runs across a woman and her daughter hiding in a closet. She so resembles the mother and sister Agu was separated from that he momentarily believes it's really them. The fear in the woman's eyes, so unfamiliar to Agu, breaks him from his reverie. But watching one of his squad rape her then causes a kind of cognitive dissonance, pushing Agu to erase the image altogether in the most savage of ways. Despite Agu's fatal instincts, Attah never lets you forget that this boy was a gentle soul before he was conscripted into the Commandant's cruel service, brainwashed into fighting for a "cause" that increasingly starts to look mercenary.<br />
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Adding to the sense of deja vu inherent in <i>Beasts of No Nation</i> is its familiar imagery and score. Fukunaga was strongly influenced by another movie about young men trying to keep their grip on their humanity in a faraway jungle, Malick's <i>The Thin Red Line</i>. Scenes of the weary children frolicking in the ocean while the war continues not so far away are quite reminiscent of Malick's film, especially with Dan Romer's synthesized score playing over the scenes. It's not a bad movie to emulate, but it contributes to the feeling that the viewer has traveled down this path before. What ultimately makes <i>Beasts of No Nation</i> worthwhile are the two performances at its center. Elba is a formidable enough presence. Attah not only holds his own onscreen with Elba, the young actor occasionally eclipses him. That alone pushes <i>Beasts of No Nation</i> past its mundane template.Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-10936873780020181122015-10-09T12:08:00.000-04:002015-10-09T12:31:47.024-04:00Docs x 2: Finders Keepers (2015) and Winter on Fire (2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WobI_AOzidKsqu8xOUV-1C51zG0kGFvoGTTD5_wwYyqPGjBXHwCnlpadQYN7NYsyug68hGNZOtMXw55KLLOIPpdCywfcDmICiXrxvnrWuwibsEjeLp5LYwnnSMIf3pf-SiSg0iyArtyv/s1600/WOF1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WobI_AOzidKsqu8xOUV-1C51zG0kGFvoGTTD5_wwYyqPGjBXHwCnlpadQYN7NYsyug68hGNZOtMXw55KLLOIPpdCywfcDmICiXrxvnrWuwibsEjeLp5LYwnnSMIf3pf-SiSg0iyArtyv/s400/WOF1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
by Tony Dayoub<br />
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Two wildly different documentaries worth your time go into wide release today. One is <b><i>Winter on Fire</i></b>, a sober chronicle of the early days of the unrest in the Ukraine that bows exclusively on Netflix today. But first, let's take a look at the gonzo, stranger-than-fiction story recounted by the far more intimate <b><i>Finders Keepers</i></b>, now playing in theaters (including Atlanta's Landmark Midtown Art Cinema) nationwide and available on iTunes and On Demand.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidal7qTtXp-4oel28P-3IINwh3BFtn5w-c-2cuet9zPE15B-5N45IvS-2-Q7do_drGfkyCknB4RyLy0GAmwzkMVXz-uIZc2Nen7iXhQ08DTPLZ3aheQsTsUnx5dbVnNNo-SwD0rIkow_ox/s1600/40star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidal7qTtXp-4oel28P-3IINwh3BFtn5w-c-2cuet9zPE15B-5N45IvS-2-Q7do_drGfkyCknB4RyLy0GAmwzkMVXz-uIZc2Nen7iXhQ08DTPLZ3aheQsTsUnx5dbVnNNo-SwD0rIkow_ox/s400/40star.jpg" /></a></div><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Finders Keepers</span></i></b><br />
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A gruesome discovery by junk dealer Shannon Whisnant shakes his small community of Maiden, North Carolina. But not in the way you might think. The entrepreneurial Whisnant bought a smoker in an auction of repoed items found in delinquent storage units. When Whisnant got home and opened the smoker once belonging to John Wood, he found something else that once belonged to the man... his amputated, embalmed leg. Thus begins one of the strangest all-American tales you'll yet hear, one that encompasses all of the qualities that, for better or worse, make us so unique: capitalism, individualism, celebrity, redemption, and a whopper of a story to tie it all together. Wood, a former rich kid who has fallen on hard times, had his leg amputated after surviving a plane crash that killed his larger than life father, and the guilt and unresolved feelings Wood deals with on a daily basis lead him to drugs and misfortune. The working-class Whisnant has pulled himself up by his bootstraps, never met a deal he hasn't wanted to broker, and harbors dreams of becoming a celebrity in just about any way available to him.<br />
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Directors Bryan Carberry and Clay Tweel pit the two men against each other, with each vying for our sympathy and our disdain at various points in this Sundance darling. Just when you think you feel sorry for Wood's unfortunate run of bad luck, you find out how much turmoil his addiction issues have caused for his loved ones. About the time you start forgiving Whisnant for his unbridled crassness and learn to love his kooky optimism, you begin to wonder about the toll his fixation on being famous is taking on his supportive wife. <i>Finders Keepers</i> uses both men's strained relationships with their dads and the class resentments each have for the other to showcase what makes America both wonderful and scary, and the freakshow becomes strangely touching.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidal7qTtXp-4oel28P-3IINwh3BFtn5w-c-2cuet9zPE15B-5N45IvS-2-Q7do_drGfkyCknB4RyLy0GAmwzkMVXz-uIZc2Nen7iXhQ08DTPLZ3aheQsTsUnx5dbVnNNo-SwD0rIkow_ox/s1600/40star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidal7qTtXp-4oel28P-3IINwh3BFtn5w-c-2cuet9zPE15B-5N45IvS-2-Q7do_drGfkyCknB4RyLy0GAmwzkMVXz-uIZc2Nen7iXhQ08DTPLZ3aheQsTsUnx5dbVnNNo-SwD0rIkow_ox/s400/40star.jpg" /></a></div><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Winter on Fire</span></i></b><br />
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From Maiden we move to Maidan... Maidan Nezalezhnosti, that is. That's the main square in Ukraine's capital of Kiev and the flashpoint for the revolution that occurred their in 2014. Director Evgeny Afineevsky takes us through all 93 days of what started as peaceful student demonstrations that gradually became violent, eventually leading to over 100 deaths, more than 60 disappearances, and nearly 2000 people injured. Led by a generation that had come of age during a time where only democracy was known in their country, the revolution would soon inspire Ukrainians of all ages protesting President Viktor Yanukovych's increasingly corrupt government and their slow lean towards favoring a relationship with Putin's Russia over joining the European Union. The unrest would eventually lead to Yanukovych's ousting, but not before taking a toll on the beautiful square and Kiev's spirited people.<br />
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Using a blend of original footage, found footage, and traditional talking-heads-type interviews, Afineevsky easily encapsulates the sprawling messiness of the situation into a potent but digestible depiction of the complicated events that would soon give way to Russian retaliation in the form of the annexation of Crimea. Afineevsky perfectly captures the indomitability and sardonic resourcefulness of the Ukrainian people in one brief passage when the protesters take to the streets wearing pots on their heads after Yanukovych bans helmets and other protective headgear hoping to break up the demonstrations. Violent and at times graphic, <i>Winter on Fire</i> is a powerful illustration of the beauty in people that can shine through even the most harrowing of circumstances.Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-84553193653550330842015-10-01T23:59:00.000-04:002015-10-01T23:59:00.173-04:00Movie Review: The Martian (2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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by Tony Dayoub<br />
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News this week that liquid water has been discovered on Mars and that actor Matt Damon has repeatedly lodged his foot in his mouth (discussing whether gay actors should come out of the closet or not) almost begs for some kind of bad joke about outfitting a spacecraft and exiling the actor to the red planet ASAP. At worst, the news kinda overshadows promotional efforts for Damon's latest, <b><i>The Martian</i></b>, based on the novel by Andy Weir. At best, the two soundbites—one overwhelmingly positive, the other decidedly not—cancel each other out and give way to more discussion about this unlikely crowd-pleaser. I'm hoping for the latter, because <i>The Martian</i> fully deserves to be appreciated as a front-runner among the top films of the year.<br />
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In this latter-day <i><a href="http://www.cinemaviewfinder.com/2011/01/blu-ray-review-robinson-crusoe-on-mars.html">Robinson Crusoe on Mars</a></i>, Damon plays astronaut Mark Watney, a botanist left behind on Mars after his crew believes he is impaled by an antenna during a terrifying dust storm. This early setpiece is about the closest <i>The Martian</i> comes to pandering to the audience's desire for the conventional thrills offered by a typical suspense film. From there, director Ridley Scott (<i>Blade Runner</i>) pulls back to a more cerebral vantage point to observe how Watney uses his skills and engineering expertise to "science the shit" out of his predicament, as he puts it.<br />
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Rather than cut the viewer off from the rest of humanity as, say, <i>Cast Away</i> did, <i>The Martian</i> rigorously leads us through all of the micro-communities involved in bringing Watney back home, from the administrators and tech-heads at NASA (represented by Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kristen Wiig, Sean Bean, Mackenzie Davis and Donald Glover) to the dispirited crew that inadvertently stranded Watney (Jessica Chastain, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan and Aksel Hennie). While adhering almost obsessively to scientific accuracy, Scott cuts back and forth between Watney and his remote support systems to show the cooperative effort needed to get the astronaut back home and ends up delivering what may be his most humanist film yet.<br />
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For many reasons, this is no small feat. Given how little our culture seems to respect the facts of science, and given that Scott is a director with a dispassionate eye, one of the biggest surprises <i>The Martian</i> holds is just how emotionally stirring it is. One is struck by how much information one learns while watching the movie, from plausible ways a talented botanist could jury-rig a makeshift garden to believable mathematical methods an interstellar castaway could use to develop a way to communicate to his far-off home planet. Scott finds a way to make it all dynamic, mixing traditional camerawork with found-footage-type POV shots to disrupt a narrative that could easily fall into a languid, droning kind of slowness.<br />
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Compare the brainteasing pleasures of <i>The Martian</i> to the more visceral thrills of a movie like <i>Gravity</i>, both films about an astronaut trying to survive alone in space, and you might be surprised which one wins. Scott can be a cold fish with the wrong material, often more interested in the doodads and gadgets layered into the frame to create a kind of verisimilitude than he is in the emotional content of a scene. But the ensemble Scott has brought together here may be his best cast since <i>Alien</i>, a movie which, like <i>The Martian</i>, benefited from having a group of strong character actors essentially competing with each other to divert your attention from one another whenever they were together onscreen. Particular standouts are scenes at NASA, where natural comedians Daniels, Glover, and Wiig seem to gain as much traction from underplaying as their dramatic cohorts Bean and Ejiofor do maintaining their usual level of serious emoting.<br />
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I can understand how some might be wary or intimidated by taking on <i>The Martian</i>. Is it too intellectual to someone looking for something more affecting in the way of drama? Admittedly, for much of the early part of the film, I was worried about my inability to connect with it, too. The moment <i>The Martian</i> turns for me is a representative one, though. Shortly after Watney discovers that the world now knows he is alive, an event that finally gives this lonely spaceman some wind in his sails, Scott launches us into a montage underneath David Bowie's pop-candy gem, "Starman." It's at this juncture—where a tiny glimmer of humor meets a grim survival scenario—that <i>The Martian</i> really soars and never returns back to Earth. It's a moment when <i>The Martian</i> announces its concerns transcend that of one spaceman to encompass all of humanity and, like the starman in Bowie's song, may "blow our minds".Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-17103942483945830312015-09-22T06:12:00.001-04:002015-09-22T06:12:05.518-04:00Blu-ray Review: The Flash:The Complete First Season (2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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by Tony Dayoub<br />
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Spinning off from it's popular sister show, <i>Arrow</i>, <b><i>The Flash</i></b> largely succeeded from escaping <i>Arrow</i>'s long shadow within just a couple of episodes. Where it took nearly its entire first season for <i>Arrow</i> to fully embrace its comic book origins and leave behind the teen soap conventions of its home network, the CW, <i>The Flash</i> arrived fully formed, as its creators confirm in the new blu-ray set's only audio commentary. It has done so by turning its back on the dark, brooding atmosphere popularized by the <i>Dark Knight</i> epics that <i>Arrow</i> emulates. Instead, <i>The Flash</i> feels sunny and optimistic, largely a credit to the enjoyable bumbling geekiness of its nice-guy star, Grant Gustin, and his interpretation of CSI tech Barry Allen. It's a show whose occasional <i>X-Files</i> creepiness never really exceeds <i>Goosebumps</i>-level frights, making it ideal for family viewing, a fact which I can personally attest to (my wife and kids love it as much as I do).<br />
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Series creators Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg do a great job of feathering comic-book lore into the eerie, anthology-like episodes that star other metahumans who gained powers as unique as Barry's super-speed after an accident at S.T.A.R. Labs' Particle Accelerator blanketed the city in some high energy whatchamacallit. The show's Central City offers a panoply of villains with visually interesting abilities that play great onscreen, like Captain Cold, Heat Wave, the Mist, and the Weather Wizard. Kreisberg and Berlanti also pay homage to <i>The Flash</i>'s TV legacy, casting the original 90s Flash, John Wesley Shipp as Barry's dad. His part in Barry's origin, wrongly imprisoned for the murder of Barry's mom, gives the show some emotional heft. Other actors from the character's 90s television incarnation that have made appearances are Amanda Pays and Star Wars' Mark Hamill, both playing older versions of their roles in the previous series. What Berlanti and Kreisberg do right is make it all feel organic to the creepy-cool-pleasant aesthetic balance that <i>The Flash</i> strikes so perfectly.<br />
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Team Flash is equally as quirky and interesting as Team Arrow but also more diverse. Gustin is supported by a strong mix of veteran and novice actors. As Barry's supportive surrogate dad, Joe, Jesse L. Martin (<i>Law & Order</i>) plays another cop. Martin's biggest contribution is the way he grounds some of the more fantastic aspects introduced in each episode. The Arrow never had to deal with a guy that shoots a freezing ray out of his cold-gun or a super-intelligent talking gorilla named Grodd. This allows for some wonderful serio-comic interplay between the show's scientist chorus, strait-laced Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker), wisecracking Cisco (scene-stealer and first-time actor Carlos Valdes), and the sneaky Dr. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh). Valdes' propensity for labelling the show's metahumans with nicknames that match their comic-book counterparts at once pays tribute to and underlines the goofy childishness of its origins. Cavanagh, a likable actor so far confined to playing fairly conventional leading men, is superb as the sinister Dr. Wells, a fascinating character that gradually comes into full bloom over the course of the season as the ambiguously, self-interested antihero one finds in other sci-fi classics; think <i>Lost in Space</i>'s Dr. Smith or Baltar in the more recent <i>Battlestar Galactica</i>. If there is a weak link, it is Candice Patton who as Joe's daughter Iris plays the love interest. I can't think of any flatter more one-note performance on a TV series, except for maybe that of <i>Arrow</i>'s Katie Cassidy as that show's chief love interest, Laurel.<br />
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In a pop culture landscape littered with superhero programs that take themselves way too seriously, <i>The Flash</i> stands out for what its creators call a "blue-sky" sensibility. Here's hoping a larger audience finds it on blu-ray, because I look forward to <i>The Flash</i> zooming into our living room every week for years to come.<br />
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<i>Own it on Blu-ray, DVD &; Digital HD today.</i>Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-49405500064687533252015-09-20T07:18:00.000-04:002015-09-20T07:18:08.884-04:00Movie Review: Pawn Sacrifice (2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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by Tony Dayoub<br />
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The intrigue of a monarch marshaling his forces against an insurgent has been fodder for exciting movies stretching back for decades. When the soldiers are only an inch high and the battlefield is a chessboard the chances of eliciting the same thrills are much, much lower. Fascinating as it is, Edward Zwick's <b><i>Pawn Sacrifice</i></b> misses the mark often enough to keep it from being a full-on masterpiece. On occasion though, this spare biography of tormented chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) and the performances of its dynamic ensemble cast are riveting.<br />
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Maguire's performance could be likened to that of Russell Crowe's fractured John Nash in <i>A Beautiful Mind</i>. Unchallenging but likable enough in his most popular role as Spider-Man, Maguire ferociously plays Fischer as a man whose focus at the chessboard belies his scattered, myopic thinking about life, the world, and his place in it. Maguire uses Fischer's keen intelligence as a kind of violent cudgel, browbeating his family and friends into either devotedly following him or making way as he scorches everything in his path. This, despite the fact that Fischer's general outlook on life seems to mirror his perspective on chess in some very unhealthy ways. He finds intricate patterns of conspiracy where there are none, angrily denouncing a vast, Jewish conspiracy while denying his own Semitic heritage and paranoically asserting that both the American and Soviet governments are spying on him while attending the World Chess Championship 1972 in Reykjavík, a city he eventually returns to for asylum when evading U.S. and Japanese authorities seeking to extradite him later in life. <br />
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Maguire is supported by an array of notable performances. Peter Saarsgaard plays Father William Lombardy, a chain-smoking, foul-mouthed priest who also happens to be a chess grandmaster. Serving as the occasional sounding board, Sarsgaard reveals the irritation and cynicism that accompanies the benevolence of service to a genius who many also consider an alienated sociopath. Lily Rabe plays Bobby's sister Joan, grounding Maguire by delineating the working-class, ethnic roots Bobby Fischer would later turn his back on. Playing Paul Marshall, an amalgamation of advisors, Michael Stuhlbarg salvages what could have been a thankless cipher of a role. Stuhlbarg supplies a quirky stand-in for the viewer whose double-dealing makes us complicit in the elevation of a wounded man to celebrity status at the expense of his fragile sanity. The true standout here is Liev Schreiber as Fischer's Russian competitor, Boris Spassky. Not since John Garfield has someone so pug-ugly offered such breadth of charisma with such facility as Schreiber does here, perfectly getting at the push-pull appeal of the Soviets. And he achieves this speaking mostly in Russian.<br />
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Ultimately, it is very hard to feel the kind of onscreen stakes Zwick (<i>Glory</i>) seems to want us to with a game as cerebral as chess. <i>Pawn Sacrifice</i> comes pretty close to enthralling us as it pursues this elusive goal, thanks to Zwick's usual fine direction of a well-rounded cast to some award-worthy performances. For Maguire, at least, his turn as Fischer may be a career-best.Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-83641923539396102462015-08-09T09:22:00.000-04:002015-08-09T09:25:45.886-04:004 Reasons Fantastic Four Is Anything But<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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by Tony Dayoub<br />
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I take no pleasure in piling on a bad movie, but a lot of us who grew up reading "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine," as <b><i>Fantastic Four</i></b> was sub-titled for many years, are mystified by the fact that not one of its movie iterations has been successful. It shouldn't take rocket science to re-calibrate the property to reflect what made the Marvel Comics' flagship title and a template for the superheroes that would follow. Take one look at director Josh Trank's version, though, and one starts to wonder if even the team's gifted scientist, Reed Richards (Miles Teller), could work out the formula needed to make <i>Fantastic Four</i> truly live up to its name. Here are four reasons <i>Fantastic Four</i> was anything but:<br />
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<b>1. Where are the team's family dynamics?</b> Say what you will about the ill-conceived 2005 version, the one part it did get right was the close, family-like interaction between the members of its team. The Fantastic Four was one of (if not) the first superhero teams to literalize the familial dysfunction inherent in a close-knit group, pairing off Richards' stretchy Mr. Fantastic with the Invisible Woman, Sue Storm (Kate Mara); making the flammable Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan) her bad-boy little brother; and assigning the rock-encrusted Thing, Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell), as the team's lovable, short-tempered "older brother." The 2005 movie emphasized the playful competitiveness between Storm's Human Torch and the Thing, with Storm constantly in pursuit of ways to punk his sensitive teammate. It also underlined the effects the sudden attainment of misunderstood cosmic powers might have on Reed and Sue's fledgling relationship. Trank's new film sabotages this right away, going a little too far afield in establishing the relationships between the characters. An inordinate amount of time is spent on demonstrating why a bruiser like Grimm would befriend a nerd like Reed, only to have the movie cut Grimm out entirely at the critical moment it seems like he should establish rapport with the rest of the team. Undue focus is placed on Sue and Johnny's interactions by re-framing their family as an interracial one [the white Sue is adopted by the African American Dr. Storm (Reg E. Cathey)], an admirable way of instilling diversity into the film that nonetheless distracts because of all of the tangential sibling rivalry issues it stirs up between the two teammates in a way it might not have if the both Storms were simply cast with black actors, eliminating a backstory that never goes anywhere. Reed and Sue just barely get a moment to establish their mutual attraction. And Sue is cut out altogether from the misguided escapade that transforms the team, relegated to a passive metamorphosis that occurs as a byproduct of her monitoring the team from afar. Instead, Sue's transformative opportunity to join the family never happens because someone else replaces her on the pivotal expedition... <br />
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<b>2. ...Victor von Doom.</b> One thing the 2005 movie did get wrong, a mistake inexplicably repeated again in the newest version of <i>Fantastic Four</i>, is the closeness with which Reed's rival Victor (Toby Kebbell) and his frightening mutation into the villainous Doctor Doom is linked to the rest of the team and their respective alterations. Here, Victor is some kind of egomaniacal hacker who is jealous of Reed's easy relationship with Sue. When convenient to the story, however, he's just one of the guys, joining them on the drunken interdimensional jaunt that grants all of them their horrific powers. Victor replaces Sue and is left for dead after the alien world they all end up in seems to come alive and swallow him up in some energy field. It isn't until their return many years later that the team discovers a twisted Victor, still alive but insane, fused with his spacesuit and boasting tremendous telekinetic powers of his own. The grandiose scale of his abilities is effectively demonstrated as terrifying. Doctor Doom's murders are indiscriminate and bloodily swift. His inability to overcome his four rivals' not-as-fantastic talents in short order is somewhat surprising then. It neuters what is one of the most powerful and threatening villain in all of Marvel Comics. The big final battle in <i>Fantastic Four</i> lasts maybe all of 10 minutes, only a few minutes after the movie's big baddie is first introduced. And it skews the comic book's formula all wrong, choosing to...<br />
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<b>3. ...emphasize the horror over the cosmic.</b> One cynical government agent's head explodes inside his hazmat suit. Another more sympathetic character is seemingly burned alive in nearly an instant. Other anonymous operatives are shot through the brain as if by invisible bullets, their brain matter splattering on the walls behind them. How did a comic book known for its soaring cosmic vistas and easy humor become mired in the marshy darkness afflicting Trank's version? Trank cleverly gives each of the four heroes their own Cronenbergian moment in which they must come to grips with their disturbing abilities. But he never really elevates the movie past that into the kind of adventure punctuated by comedy that once made the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby creation so exciting. Some have speculated whether it's in the property's DNA, whether the charms of <i>Fantastic Four</i> are just not translatable onto the screen. Anyone who has seen and appreciated Lee and Kirby's influence on Brad Bird's Pixar animated film, <i>The Incredibles</i>, knows this is ridiculous. More likely the culprit is...<br />
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<b>4. ...studio interference.</b> Trank has been making the promotional rounds for the film. Or anti-promotional considering how strongly he is defending himself as <i>Fantastic Four</i> tanks at the box office. Trank is pushing back the usual way, blaming the studio for stealing the film away from him during editing and producing an incoherent product. One look at the film by even a casual observer shows that he is likely telling the truth. How else to explain how more than two-thirds of the movie is devoted just to the team's origins? What else would justify the precious few minutes the villain appears after the movie has carefully spent so much time building up to his debut? And the movie's jokey denouement is more of a piece with a film like <i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i> than it is with the preceding pitch-black storyline of Trank's <i>Fantastic Four</i>. At 100 minutes <i>Fantastic Four</i> feels like a movie that has been gutted by a studio that panicked after seeing the rough cut turned in by the independent, maverick director they obviously sought in Josh Trank. We'll all have to wait for the inevitable release of the <i>Fantastic Four</i> director's cut before we can really judge what went wrong.Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-25490568481306238142015-07-31T06:38:00.001-04:002015-07-31T06:38:36.637-04:00Movie Review: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0YjE6suNAUzNFxukTdSyNcecTKyuaaKn5wAcj4e3ElbwD4lB62MWzdMIpjaQAZ711xB7HKL2fxRE8ZwltgaH42Fb5rNs4noJVfBRQ4pB6HM5JRhVAkPtgDIGpfyZ5IxFTpPsZYWKDpaP/s1600/MI51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0YjE6suNAUzNFxukTdSyNcecTKyuaaKn5wAcj4e3ElbwD4lB62MWzdMIpjaQAZ711xB7HKL2fxRE8ZwltgaH42Fb5rNs4noJVfBRQ4pB6HM5JRhVAkPtgDIGpfyZ5IxFTpPsZYWKDpaP/s400/MI51.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitL9uoYcsOKZJNggCLMWLjeQWG3WYBq5Rmi90_wyAdvMZJa1XowV__DZuUXj2MKp8ChHrbmsCpvC8XbX-WqGj59-2LmdJfMrAayceWdhDux5qf36wjjeePWnzqY6DjRzQrCTcjyj7JNmRE/s1600/20star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitL9uoYcsOKZJNggCLMWLjeQWG3WYBq5Rmi90_wyAdvMZJa1XowV__DZuUXj2MKp8ChHrbmsCpvC8XbX-WqGj59-2LmdJfMrAayceWdhDux5qf36wjjeePWnzqY6DjRzQrCTcjyj7JNmRE/s400/20star.jpg" /></a></div>by Tony Dayoub<br />
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19 years after Tom Cruise first appeared as super-spy Ethan Hunt in the first entry of the series, <b><i>Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation</i></b> gives us one of the first indications that the box office star is getting a little old for action films. It's not that Cruise isn't capable of pulling off the abundant stunts littered throughout the film, or at least appearing that he does. Five minutes in, Ethan Hunt is hanging off of the side of an Airbus as it takes off, and the camera is firmly planted on a real-life plane's wing, trained on Cruise dangling from the plane's doorway, not some stunt-man. But it's a silly scene, related to the plot in only the most tangential way, as are most of the other stunt setpieces in <i>Rogue Nation</i>.<br />
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What most of these stunt scenes appear to be designed for are to bolster the image of the franchise's star. This is the first time Cruise's boyish visage looks pinched and bloated. Remember, he is pushing 53. Rather than face the prospect of aging head on, the way the <i>Star Trek</i> franchise did, <i>Rogue Nation</i> goes the way the Bond franchise went when Roger Moore began to get long in the tooth: pretend like it isn't happening to protect its hero's image. So rather than stay close to its espionage roots as the more satisfying first and third chapters of the series have, or at least blend the action and intrigue more naturally as the previous <i>Ghost Protocol</i> did, <i>Rogue Nation</i> goes full-on John Woo and mythologizes Ethan Hunt (and by extension, Tom Cruise) just like in the clunky <i>Mission: Impossible II</i>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2gLcurVKcmDc679lDzB2g_m6XfUvP4Oieh_kVBJOB95T44FHrQ5UwHcUI9UU3We8O_PqAnH8rdcgkDKeaZ_rPEVBV_poedIqGQ6qt9v8F9VZfQMF5heYOi2FrmzhxxULHmyBgO-fZzeX/s1600/MI52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2gLcurVKcmDc679lDzB2g_m6XfUvP4Oieh_kVBJOB95T44FHrQ5UwHcUI9UU3We8O_PqAnH8rdcgkDKeaZ_rPEVBV_poedIqGQ6qt9v8F9VZfQMF5heYOi2FrmzhxxULHmyBgO-fZzeX/s320/MI52.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>Taken alone, <i>Rogue Nation</i>'s opening air stunt could just be indicative of this genre's propensity to amp up the action in its pre-credit sequence, a la the 007 films. However, a few minutes later, in the movie proper, we get the traditional scene in which the IMF leader goes to some nondescript locale, a record store in London here, and is provided with a recording laying out the parameters of the mission at hand. Here, an attractive twentysomething hands Cruise the exact record he needs, but not before breaking protocol to ask, "You're really him, aren't you?" It's an aggrandizing bit of business in a movie that continues to come up with dialogue to amplify the myth of Hunt/Cruise every chance it gets. Where earlier <i>Mission: Impossible</i>s worked best when its expert secret agent was put in situations where he might be out of his depth, <i>Rogue Nation</i> seems to presume that Hunt is the only one capable of resolving its conflict, and that you can rest assured he will.<br />
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Jeremy Renner's character, William Brandt, introduced in <i>Ghost Protocol</i> as a more cerebral possible successor to Cruise's Hunt, is relegated here to comic relief and bureaucratic spats with Alec Baldwin's smarmy CIA Director Hunley. Ilsa (exotic new female lead Rebecca Ferguson), a double agent whose skills may possibly outmatch Hunt's, serves the secondary purpose of protecting Cruise's sex symbol image by inexplicably getting all dewy-eyed for the guy from the instant they meet. Well, not so inexplicably since, hey, this is Ethan F-in Hunt, and he can do anything, including escape from a room stocked with a dozen disgraced former agents that may be just about as talented at killing as he is. <i>Rogue Nation</i>'s saving grace is a fine performance by Sean Harris as the baddie that heads up the IMF's antagonists, the mysterious Syndicate. Harris' lean, sharp features and quiet demeanor are a menacing antidote to the freewheeling Cruise's smirky take on his character in this iteration of <i>Mission: Impossible</i>. A thrilling underwater heist midway through <i>Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation</i> also makes it diverting enough to give it a watch, but only if you can ignore the ceaseless mythologizing of Tom Cruise.Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.com1