Category: Movie Reviews

A 2021 Film Journey: Day 86 and 87

On By LaurenDolceVitaIn Movie ReviewsLeave a comment

Sorry about the lack of a post yesterday. I’ve had a back spasm for a handful of days now, and yesterday while attempting to pick up my mail I collapsed and ended up spending most of the day in the ER via an ambulance. By the time I finally made it home it was around midnight and all I could do was pass out. To make up for the missed day, I made it through three features today as my Oscar viewing inches ever closer to its conclusion.

The White Tiger (2021, Dir. Ramin Bahrani)

The White Tiger trailer: Priyanka-starrer explores India's class struggle | Entertainment News,The Indian Express

I have to admit, The White Tiger’s presence among the Oscar nominations perplexes me some. It’s by no means a bad choice, in fact I think the adaptation is one of the better parts of the film. What specifically perplexes me is that as an Indian film it’s quite a bit removed from the Hollywood system, but also not really an arthouse film like what frequently becomes popular from abroad. Instead, director Ramin Bahrani delivers a captivating rags to riches story told from the prospective of a country with a caste system dedicated to making those stories even more unlikely than a capitalist society alone. An interesting story that while I may not go out of my way to suggest, I’m also wouldn’t tell anyone to avoid it.

Tenet (2020, Dir. Christopher Nolan)

Tenet' Release Date Moved Again - Variety

I don’t hate Christopher Nolan. I really don’t, but he does frequently frustrate me. Tenet fits comfortably into the frustrating part of his filmography. In particular, I think that Inception (2010) in particular taught Nolan that his audience loves convoluted screenplays rather than innovative direction, and that misunderstanding has colored his work for the following decade. Tenet is a perfectly fine action film, but Nolan’s head scratching time travel logic is a hindrance rather than a selling point. The film does nothing to engage me enough to care about the intricate logic, and without caring about that all that’s left is some mind-numbing action.

The One and Only Ivan (2020, Thea Sharrock)

The One and Only Ivan' Review: A Gorilla With Heart - The New York Times

And this makes three 2.5-star films in a row for the day. I’m glad I watched so many because I have very little to say about any of these. The One and Only Ivan feels entirely like streaming fodder. The story of a mall circus gorilla voiced by Sam Rockwell is clearly marketed for adults to turn on as unobjectionable viewing content to keep the kids busy. The visual effects of the animals look fine enough, but not especially Oscar nomination worthy. It’s not a bad movie, but there’s just very little of it. You could definitely do worse in putting on noise for your children though.

A 2021 Film Journey: Day 85

On By LaurenDolceVitaIn Movie ReviewsLeave a comment

The week is over, and after multiple consecutive days of films that weren’t quite my cup of tea, so today I chose a film that I hope would be a better fit for me. There are only a handful of films left for me to watch that are Oscar nominated this year and then I’ll be able to move on to more films that are more reliably my speed.

Pieces of a Woman (2020, Dir. Kornél Mundruczó)

Pieces of a Woman' review: Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBeouf star in a drama that presents a home birth gone wrong in grueling detail - CNN

For the second night in a row, my film included the song ‘Untitled 3’ by Sigur Rós; thankfully, that was the only thing the two films had in common. Pieces of a Woman existed to make its viewers miserable, and that, but in a way that’s purposeful and more productive than Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga unfunny attempts at comedy. It’s arguable that Pieces of a Woman actually wades into the genre of misery-porn, but that genre tends to be a guilty pleasure of mine, so no complaints here on the face of it.

The highlight of the films is undoubtedly the labor scene in the first act. The 24-minute single shot is textbook in creating tension. As the camera moves throughout the house without cutting the ensuing tragedy becomes all but guaranteed. While the film dabbles into melodrama with a bit too heavy a hand at times in this moment the film is unimpeachable. The nominated Vanessa Kirby and her costar Sia LaBeouf play off each other wonderfully in this devastating scene. while LaBeouf’s performance devolved into a bit of showy mess after these moments, Kirby proved her nomination was well deserved.

A 2021 Film Journey: Day 84

On By LaurenDolceVitaIn Movie ReviewsLeave a comment

There comes an unfortunate time in each year’s Oscar watching at which point I have to watch the films nominated exclusively for best song. While I’ve been unimpressed by quite a few of the films that I’ve watched in the past few days, these films aren’t meant to have any cinematic value, rather just an impressive song. One of these years I’m just going to give up on this category, but it’s not going to be this year.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020, Dir. David Dobkin)

Song From Eurovision Film in iTunes' Top Ten

Why was this movie two hours long? While yesterday I mentioned that I’ve become less cynical when it comes to child centric entertainment, I still have little patience for Will Ferrell and his overly broad comedies. Watching this movie was a trying experience. Will Ferrell is 53 years old and his manchild persona has only gotten more cringeworthy with age. He’s always loud and awkward and prone to misunderstandings, and that’s the joke. It attempts to approximate a fish out of water style of humor, but there’s no reason for a Will Ferrell character to be a fish out of water. It’s just grating and comes across as a little mean.

I don’t have much to say about the film in general. I know that some people like movies like this, but I can’t find any entertainment in it. Even the song for which the film received it’s nomination frustrated me. Molly Sandén who sang for Rachel McAdams has a genuinely great voice, but I was a little isillusioned to learn she’s Swedish. The film couldn’t cast Icelandic actors or singers. Even more frustrating than that, was Will Ferrell’s unimpressive singing voice featured prominently in the song. Nothing worked for me. If I can say one good thing about the film, at least the film about a fictional Icelandic band had the decency to include ample Sigur Rós music.

A 2021 Film Journey: Day 83

On By LaurenDolceVitaIn Movie ReviewsLeave a comment

Today followed in yesterday’s footsteps. I’m feeling much better than I did over the weekend, and today I managed to watch a short in addition to today’s feature and finish off two Oscar categories in the meantime. Additionally, the film list for SIFF came out today and I’m getting excited. I’m going to spend some time figuring out what my writing will look like that week. I’ll likely be pausing this series to focus entirely on that.

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2020, Dir. Will Becher and Richard Phelan)

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon' Review: A Wild and Woolly Caper - Variety

When I watched the first Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015, Dir. Mark Burton and Richard Starzak) I remember being rather ambivalent towards the film. The film wasn’t created for me, but 5 years ago I tended towards being a curmudgeon. With more accepting eyes I feel more positive about the sequel, though I admit it still isn’t for me.

The stop motion in the film was wonderful and the dialogue free action works well for the slapstick comedy. The entire package was reminiscent to comedy staples from the silent era. All that said, the very young target audience left the film with little complexity or depth to hold my undivided attention. While better than the sinical cash grabs of many child focused media, the simplicity was still undeniable and a bit of a hinderance. A good film but not one that serves much of a purpose outside of its intended audience.

Hunger Ward (2020, Dir. Skye Fitzgerald)

HUNGER WARD - DOC NYC

I don’t have a ton to say about this short. If there were any doubt that constant war in the Middle East has led to countless humanitarian crises, one would only need to watch the films in this Oscar category over the past few decades. I feel like each year there’s at least one of these, and while the message is always important, they tend to be so stylistically similar that they blend together almost immediately after watching them. They feel more like an extended news story than a piece of art; they are useful at telling depressing facts, but only the fact is remembered not the film.

A 2021 Film Journey: Day 82

On By LaurenDolceVitaIn Movie ReviewsLeave a comment

Today was a slightly better day for me than the prior two. I’m still feeling largely run down by everything but sitting down to watch a movie felt much less arduous today, so I’ll take my win. While I may be feeling a bit better, time still eluded me, so in the service of getting to bed at a reasonable time, it will be another short entry about an Oscar nominated film for me today.

My Octopus Teacher (2020, Dir. Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed)

Jackson Wild Talk - Jackson Wild: Nature. Media. Impact.

After multiple days of running into films the followed the traditional Oscar bait formula to a T, it was nice to watch a film that was at the very least unique. I also have a personal penchant for stories of people taking to nature as a means of self-reflection having done so myself, so My Octopus Teacher should be right up my alley. However, while I didn’t dislike the film, there are a couple of things keeping me from endorsing the film outright.

Escaping to nature in the midst of an internal crisis is a well tried trop for a reason. A combination of an escape from obligations with peace, quiet, and solidarity is a perfect mixture for a self-reassessment. In this way, nature acts as a catalyst rather than the literal solution. And there in lies what doesn’t quite sit with me in My Octopus Teacher. Craig Foster mentions his struggles with fatherhood, but the film let’s his struggles with reality take a back seat to his relationship with the octopus. This flipped perspective on the formula leads to some awkward conclusions. By choosing to exist in natures literal healing properties rather than implying metaphor, the extreme personification of the mollusk comes across as Craig imposing himself on the wild creature rather than a meditative experience. I was frequently taken aback form the film as Craig appeared to be terrorizing his supposed teacher. While I commend the film for trying a new framing of their documentary, this deviation away from symbolism distorted the message in an unproductive way.

A 2021 Film Journey: Day 81

On By LaurenDolceVitaIn Movie ReviewsLeave a comment

Anxiety continued to rule much of my day today. It’s been pretty constant the past two days, and everything has felt like a bit of a chore, but tonight at least, I made sure to watch a feature film. I once again decided to stick with the Oscar nominations to save me the indecision.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021, Dir. Lee Daniels)

The United States vs. Billie Holiday': Andra Day è la leggenda del jazz nel primo trailer | Awards Today - news, trailer, recensioni, cinema, serie tv, oscar

I realize I’ve been a bit of a broken record about the genre, but filmmakers really need to stop following the same, tired biopic formula. The United States vs. Billie Holiday is another victim of tired style. While the film makes some attempt at being more thematically concise by focusing on Holiday’s tumultuous relationship with the Federal Department of Narcotics. Even with a specific part of Holiday’s life in mind, the film felt bloated with other details of the singer’s life muddying the message.

Thankfully, despite the film’s other shortcomings, the one category it was nominated in, Lead Actress for Andra Day as Holiday, was genuinely great. The role’s range from Holidays electric stage performance and heroin fueled stupor gives Day a lot to work with, and she doesn’t back down from the challenge. Her encapsulation of the enigmatic singer is a highlight in an otherwise lacking film.

A 2021 Film Journey: Day 80

On By LaurenDolceVitaIn Movie ReviewsLeave a comment

My plan to take a break from Oscar nominated films for the day didn’t quite pan out today. In fact it’s somewhat miraculous that I’m getting this post up today at all, and it’s arguable that what I did manage to make it through doesn’t really count. Most of my day today has been consumed by crippling anxiety that’s kept me more or less bedridden all day. So, while I only managed to stumble my way through a pair of animated shorts, I’m going to be considerate with myself and admit that I did the best I could all things considered.

Genius Loci (2020, Dir. Adrien Merigeau)

Genius Loci (2019) - Trailer - YouTube

This was an apt viewing today given my current state of mind as Genius Loci uses it’s medium to capture what it feels like to exist in the world with debilitating anxiety. No matter how familiar a location may be, when suffering from serious mental health issues, everything can seem foreign and foreboding. The cubism art style exhibited throughout the film enhances the feeling of terror from having so little control over reality. The film perfectly captures the way an unhealthy brain distorts life. The film may be short on narrative scope, but in visuals and motif is speaks volumes.

Yes-People (2020, Dir. Gísli Darri Halldórsson)

Yes-People (2020) directed by Gísli Darri Halldórsson • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

If the choice in art movement contained hidden depths for Genius Loci, Yes-People’s overly rounded CGI was a much more simplistic choice. The short is extremely simplistic (containing only Icelandic words for yes and no as dialogue), and the low detail large-shaped art style works with the simple premise. Simplistic in style doesn’t mean there’s nothing of substance present though. Through little peeks in people’s everyday lives, Yes-People leaves the word “yes” meaningless as it applies to both happy and depressed moments. While I personally lean more towards the former short, Yes-People is a solid blend of comedy and melancholy with the appropriate art for its message.

A 2021 Film Journey: Day 79

On By LaurenDolceVitaIn Movie ReviewsLeave a comment

Saturday means I’m back to watching double features with my extra time. Unfortunately, I feel like I’ve already reached the point in my Oscar viewing where it becomes a slog of overly sentimental films that are the Academy’s bread and butter. After today’s viewings, I only have 15 features left to watch in the next month, so even with taking some time off in early April for the Seattle International Film Festival, I can definitely afford to take some Oscar breaks. I’ll likely plan on exercising that option tomorrow.

News of the World (2020, Dir. Paul Greengrass)

News of the World' Review: Tom Hanks Does the Strong, Silent Type - The New York Times

A decade ago, News of the World would haven been all but guaranteed a best picture nod. A solid western staring Tom Hanks and leaning heavily into sentimentality is the perfect recipe for Oscar bait. And while the film was good enough, I’m much happier with this year’s batch of nominees reflect more diverse and ambitious filmmaking that I’m glad to see as a change of the guard.

While I anticipated News of the World being a throwback Oscar bait film, I didn’t anticipate how uninspired of a reunion between Hanks and director Paul Greengrass it would be. Hanks is still capable of being one of the best working actors, but it’s not a given. For Hanks to live up to his potential, he needs a role that can push him. In Captain Phillips (2013), their prior film together, Greengrass pushed Hanks into one of the stronger performances of the latter part of his career. In News of the World, Hanks just plays a version of his real-life persona of the worlds grandpa. It’s not bad, it’s just a bit of a waste of Hanks’s talent.

Mulan (2020, Dir. Niki Caro)

Mulan (2020) is Disney's Worst Remake Yet | by Maxance Vincent | Cinemania | Medium

I’m going to be blunt; Mulan is a fine movie, but it has absolutely no reason to exist. I passed on watching this film when it came out, because after the atrocious remake of The Lion King (Dir. Jon Favreau) from 2019, it was clear that Disney was taking the term remake way too literally. The music and Eddie Murray may be missing from this version, but this new version does nothing to differentiate it outside of what’s missing.

A 2021 Film Journey: Day 78

On By LaurenDolceVitaIn Movie ReviewsLeave a comment

I’ve finally made it through the end of the week. This week was quite the slog, and this post is coming out way too late, but here we are. Tonight’s viewing sent me down one of the two categories in this year’s Oscars that I’ve as of today seen no entries in (the other being narrative short): visual effects.

The Midnight Sky (2020, Dir. George Clooney)

The Midnight Sky' Review: George Clooney's Sodden Dystopian Drama - Variety

I feel like I’ve been rather negative for the last few film entries, but unfortunately, I need to once again tonight. The Midnight Sky split the difference between cerebral arthouse science fiction and commercially friendly science fantasy and in doing so created a film that’s not for anyone. Aside from two intense sequences, the film leans closer towards the more introspective side, but the themes are too blunt and under formed to succeed otherwise.

The crux of the films issues comes from the two stories. While the two do have a clearly defined connection and attempt to share themes, both are significantly underdeveloped to the extent that the thematic connection is lost. Too much of the film’s runtime is caught up in conveying what happens as part of the story, that the characters’ why are ignored. I don’t need the science explained, but a movie like this needs motivations and personal demons to be clearly expressed for the metaphor to work.

A 2021 Film Journey: Day 77

On By LaurenDolceVitaIn Movie ReviewsLeave a comment

This week has been a long one, and there’s still somehow one day left. I think this week’s exhaustion stems back to Sunday’s time change.  All this is to say that today is another short entry for me, but hopefully I’ll be back in the swing of things this weekend. While yesterday marked the last film in the international feature category, today’s film was also an international offering; only this time it’s nominated for documentary feature.

The Mole Agent (2020, Dir. Maite Alberdi)

The Mole Agent | American Documentary

As a narrative the premise behind The Mole Agent is primed for farce. An elderly man, Sergio Chamy, is conscripted by a private investigator to go undercover in a retirement home to keep tabs on another resident. Sergio initially bumbles with technology but is eventually able to understand things well enough to enter the home and begin spying on his target. Once in the home, he quickly becomes the most popular man there and must balance his spying activities with being a convincible resident.

I specifically called out that the premise would work as a narrative because the same story viewed through a lens of reality is exploitative and sleezy in a way that strips the film of much of its joy. Sergio seems lucid enough, but it is hard to look at the women he records and emotionally manipulates as anything but victims. One of the residents falls in love with the conman and is turned down unceremoniously by a man who has no intention of remaining at the facility once his job is complete, and all of them are constantly recorded without the purpose being known. There are extended scenes with residents clearly suffering from dementia that could not have been consented to. Everything about the film just made me feel too dirty to enjoy.