The first film awards show of the 2019 season, the Golden Globes, just wrapped up its voting period, with nominees announced on December 6th. The ceremony kicks off Oscar season as the first precursor to the big night, and it will be an interesting look at how the races could shake out in major categories. How do I think things will play out?
*NOTE: All nominees are sorted in order of how likely I believe they are to earn their spot.
Continue reading “2019 Golden Globes Nomination Predictions”
Beautiful Boy stars Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet as David and Nic Sheff, in a story about a father trying everything he can to help his teenage son beat drug addiction. Belgian filmmaker Felix Van Groeningen makes his English-language debut, adapting the story from a pair of memoirs written by the father and son duo. The film had a turbulent path to the big screen, spending nearly a decade in development hell and undergoing numerous rewrites and cast/crew shakeups. Does the final result make the difficult path worth it?
I’m on a mission this year to see every film worth watching that came out in 2018. Because so many movies are released annually, that becomes a difficult task, and some films tend to slip through the cracks when they are first released. When I watch them months later, it’s too late for a proper review, but I still want to share my thoughts on some of them, so here are some abbreviated thoughts on a few of the films I caught up on from earlier in the year. (See my previous round-up here.) Enjoy my mini-reviews of The Rider, Lean on Pete, Beast, and Blindspotting! *SPOILERS AHEAD!*
Private Life is a new Netflix Original written and directed by Tamara Jenkins, an indie filmmaker who has received critical acclaim in the past but never broken into the mainstream. It stars Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti as Rachel and Richard, a middle-aged couple trying to conceive their first child. Newcomer Kayli Carter co-stars as Sadie, the couple’s step-niece who agrees to donate one of her eggs for in vitro fertilization. The comedy-drama released with little fanfare earlier this month, but has since received critical acclaim. Is it worth the watch? Let’s find out!
Bad Times at the El Royale is written and directed by Drew Goddard, previously known for his work writing films like Cloverfield, Cabin in the Woods and The Martian. It stars an ensemble cast including Chris Hemsworth, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, and Jeff Bridges. Set on the border of Nevada and California, it follows a group of strangers stuck at the mysterious El Royale hotel for the night.
I had high expectations for this one, enjoying almost all of Drew Goddard’s work in the past. He’s a hot commodity in Hollywood at the moment, currently set to write and direct the new X-Force superhero spinoff on top of other upcoming projects. An original, high-concept story like this one with such a star-studded cast is a rarity in cinema these days, so I was intrigued by the supposed strength of the script that convinced studios to green-light the project. How did the movie hold up?
The Old Man & the Gun (2018) is the latest film from David Lowery, an indie director who made waves last year with his quirky supernatural drama A Ghost Story. It stars Robert Redford as Forrest Tucker, a real-life bank robber and escape artist. Sissy Spacek and Casey Affleck co-star as his love interest and the detective hunting him down, respectively. The film is supposedly Redford’s final cinematic performance as he retires from the silver screen. Was the film a fitting send-off for such a legendary Hollywood icon?
22 July is the newest Netflix release from writer/director Paul Greengrass, following the events during and after the 2011 Norway Massacre. Greengrass is no stranger to thriller-biopics, with previous films like United 93 and Captain Phillips earning critical praise. How does his latest stack up with the rest?
The Sisters Brothers is a western co-written and directed by Jacques Audiard, based on the novel of the same name by Patrick deWitt. It stars John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix as the titular brothers, Eli and Charlie Sisters, two hitmen in the Gold Rush-era West. Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed co-star.
This is a film I was mildly looking forward to after it got positive reviews out of festivals earlier this year. A collection of some of my favorite actors and a quirky-looking plot looked like it would add up to an enjoyable experience. What I got was mostly that, albeit with some tonal inconsistency issues and thematic non-committal.
A Star is Born is the directorial debut of Bradley Cooper and the third remake of the 1937 original of the same name. It stars Cooper and Lady Gaga as an alcoholic rock star and the bar singer he discovers and falls in love with, respectively. It’s a sordid tale of love, addiction, and fame updated for the modern era. Does Cooper’s first stint behind the camera prove successful? Is the chemistry between him and real-life popstar Gaga genuine and earned? Will it scoop up half a dozen Oscars next year as many are already predicting?
Welcome back to Foreign Film Fridays, where I talk about some of my favorite non-English language films! (And yes I know it’s Thursday, but I have a new review planned for tomorrow, so stay tuned!) Today we’re going back to turn-of-the-century Mexico and the breakthrough film for a future Oscar winner: Alfonso Cuarón. Y Tu Mamá También stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna as Julio and Tenoch, two upper-class teens who embark on a spontaneous road trip across Mexico with Luisa (Maríbel Verdú), a woman ten years their elder.
I had this film on my watch list for many years but never got around to it until just last month. I decided to put it on in preparation for Cuarón’s upcoming film Roma, which will be a return to a more grounded examination of his home country, Mexico. This film was well-received but largely passed over for awards consideration, though it did snag an Oscar nom for Best Original Screenplay (a rarity for a foreign film). It was controversial at the time for its explicit sexuality and drug references, perhaps dampening its impact and exposure with many viewers. But setting that aside, this is a masterful work that manages to mask its complexity behind a facade of realism, working on multiple levels at once. For this reason, I didn’t feel comfortable sharing my thoughts on the film until I’d let it sit for a while and then watched it a second time with a better sense of what to look for. And after doing so, I can conclude that this is one of the best films I’ve ever seen, foreign or otherwise. *SPOILERS AHEAD!*
Continue reading “Foreign Film Fridays: “Y Tu Mamá También” (Mexico, 2001)”
Scriptophile 