Yes No Maybe So: "The Zookeeper's Wife"

No matter how many times we hear the story of World War II and The Holocaust it seems like we're still susceptible to forgetting their lessons. But at least filmmakers and novelists around the world tried to warn us to never forget. In our current climate where hate crimes are skyrocketing and a demagogue prepares to ascend to his throne after blaming our nation's problems on immigrants, how painful is it going to be to watch World War II movies?

Oh look here's another one...

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America, The Damned Thing

by Jason Adams

Nocturnal Animals is a strange little beast. I find myself tempted to call it the "Gay Straw Dogs" (gay in spirit if not in character) but that's not quite right - it is very much its own fascinating thing; it is very much the work of one man, one artist, grappling with his own art and the idea of himself as an Artist. And our idea in turn of him as an Artist. So much so that there's a discussion of Art and the Artist both framed by the film's structure - that of a "reality" where Amy Adams is reading a book and then a "fiction" inside the book itself - and by the film itself; that is to say that two characters actually sit down and have a conversation about what it means to be an Artist, to be critiqued, and to put one's self out into the world for that sort of judgement, bare-assed and vulnerable.

I think the most telling bits in the film comes early...

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Colin Farrell is nauseated by his new film

Colin Farrell is reteaming with his The Lobster director Yorgos Lanthimos for The Killing of a Sacred Dear. Filming has just ended on the movie and we probably should not expect it for at least another year. It has this cryptic logline:

A teenager's attempts to bring a brilliant surgeon into his dysfunctional family takes an unexpected turn.

Farrell is the surgeon, Nicole Kidman plays his wife, Alicia Silverstone is the teenager’s mother.

Farrell and Kidman on set

Farrell recently gave an interview to Business Insider, ostensibly to promote this week's Fantastic Beasts,  in which he told us exactly how he felt after reading the script for The Killing of a Sacred Deer:

I’ll wait to see what the film is, but it’s set in a contemporary world, in America, there are hospitals and diners, parks, things that we will recognize and experienced ourselves but yet there’s this similar kind of uneasiness through all the interactions and all the things that take place. It was unnerving reading the script. I kind of felt nauseous after reading it.”

Knowing and loving Lanthimos’ warped sense of the world that he showed not only in The Lobster but also in his first international hit Dogtooth (2009), we are very intrigued. Specially after reading more of what Farrell said:

I can say it’s — ugh, God — it’s eerier than The Lobster. It felt pretty bleak to me. I mean, when I read the script it was extraordinary and to work with Yorgos again was amazing…There are so many interpretations that this film could be approached from. But Yorgos is so specifically minded, he’s so clinical in his direction of the film. He’s really a master I feel, I really do.

Are you intrigued by news of this film?

Oscar Hunches?

We're nearing the home stretch. I plan to jam in about five screenings this weekend (Fences, Hidden Figures, Live By Night and whatever else comes up) before updating the charts so plan on seeing those chart updates across the board on Sunday evening. 

Any strong hunches about the upcoming race you want to share?

Guest Column: What if the US Voted like the Academy?

Dear Readers, We've nearly climbed out of our depressive hole that we fell into with last week's General Election, so while we struggle with those last few panting breaths to do so, I thought I'd turn the time over to a faithful reader Evan Stewart who has a "what if" scenario for us to contemplate. Hey, anything to distract us from the reality of the situation, right !? Consider this an exorcism of the election and also a perfect way to turn back to the Oscar race! Here's Evan!  -Editor

Like most Americans, I’ve spent the past week or so processing the results of Tuesday’s election, which has produced one of the biggest upsets in the history of American politics. My Facebook feed has been littered with posts urging for the repeal of the Electoral College, usually written by liberals upset that for the second time in sixteen years the candidate that earned a plurality of votes will not occupy the Oval Office. In going through the arguments for and against the Electoral College, I was pointed to a series of videos highlighting the problems with the “First Past the First”  (also known as the "Majority Rules" voting system). And in doing so, I’ve come to the conclusion that a better solution than a straight national popular vote might be for the U.S. to adopt a ballot that is similar to that of an institution very close to our hearts: the voting system that the Academy Awards has used to select its Best Picture since 2009.

What if the U.S. voted like the Academy?... 

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