Friday
Mar192021
what's on your cinematic mind?
Friday, March 19, 2021 at 7:29PM 
We're all busy with the final couple of days of SXSW at this very moment. What are YOU watching? What's on your mind? Do tell in the comments.
Friday, March 19, 2021 at 7:29PM
Reader Comments (74)
Farley Granger and Cathy O’Donnell in They Live by Night. Swoon.
Another thought. Since Monsoon Wedding has been written about on here, I want to shout out Mississippi Masala, another film she directed starring Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury. Super underrated and available to watch on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp6KGCwA1iY
Wow... Wyatt Russell has something else in common with Kate Hudson. They're both bland as nasty-ass potato salad. I loathe potato salad.
#Notmycap
I thought I'd make room for some of the lesser known 2020 titles on Dekkoo before I say goodbye to 2020 on 4/25, but so far they are pretty mediocre. Perhaps they didn't break out for a reason.
However, I highly recommend these three gay titles, which I've watched this week:
I Carry You With Me
Song Lang (Amazon)
Monsoon (Netflix)
If anyone has 2020 films on Dekkoo they love, I'm ready to prioritize them!
Thinking about much I would probably enjoy a movie that starred Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield in awesome supporting roles.
How do we get Glenn, to lose the Oscar, so she’s not a cultural joke 10 years from now?
Just re-watched Requiem for a Dream - one of my absolute favorite films.
Just watched a movie on Blu-ray that began by flashing the MPA rating, R, on the screen, with the explanation next to it: "...for strong violence including sexual assault, language throughout, some sexual material and drug use."
Isn't this the kind of spoiler that people tend to get upset about? Every parent in the world who has access to Blu-rays and a Blu-ray player has access to the internet and can look up a film's rating before allowing their kids to see it. Now it doesn't surprise me that this particular film has these element in it, but I can imagine lots of examples where a plot twist would be totally ruined by these kinds of explanation: a film that turns on a dime and shocks the viewer with... whatever.
Considering people get mad at critics who reveal plot elements that occur in the first 15 minutes of a film, I just think it's odd that nobody seems to have raised this as an issue.
François Ozon is now 19-0 at les Césars. Lambert Wilson is 7-0.
About to watch Once There Was Brasillia (2017) directed by Adirley Queirós, which will conclude my pandemic film club's dive into the Criterion Channel's Afrofuturism collection. It's been a mixed bag, but several of the 30 features and shorts were revelations.
@ Dan Humphrey
A lot of people would rather be thematically spoiled than triggered...
Catching up on the Oscar nominees.
Who gave a better performance ... Andra Day or Diana Ross? Which film was better? Both movies got rather middling reviews, but the original received five Oscar nods.
Islands by Martin Edralin is a quietly heartbreaking film from SXSW. It is slow, contemplative, part Tranh Anh Hung and Tsai Ming-liang, part mumblecore. The middle-aged (non)actor who played lead is sublime.
Watching Velvet Underground after Citizen Kane worked surprisingly well.
Wishing more films will feature Tom Waits and Will Oldham (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy) as actors.
Just saw Another Round! I want to go drinking with friends! WHEN????
I'm thinking about John Schlesinger's 1985 thriller The Falcon and The Snowman starring Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn. Instead of that superhero thing.
I'm thinking about the 9hr cut of Nashville that Altman was supposedly working on for a TV airing in the late 70s/early 80s. Instead of that other superhero thing.
@Working stiff. People who are easily triggered can go to the CARA website, too.
I don't know... I feel like I've had some amazing film experiences that could have been ruined if I would have seen a ratings card that tipped me off that it was gonna get really dark and violent, but I'm blanking out on what they might have been. I guess any film with a stunningly violent scene or shocking sexuality is going to give away that likelihood in the promotional campaign. I *have* seen a few films at festivals that totally stunned me (wait, this is a horror film? I thought it was just gonna be a nice drama!), but once they're in the theaters, I guess we know, basically, what we're getting, huh?
Dear John,
If Glenn were to finally win an Oscar after having been robbed multiple times, it will further validate an incredible career. If she were awarded for her truly transformative performance, anyone griping ten years from now about it is a truly lost soul who is wasting his/her/their time on this earth.
Find a worthier hobby.
I don't know, Annie. It is kind of a joke that Al Pacino got his Oscar for SCENT OF A WOMAN, but I guess he was happy to finally get one.
She really deserves a Best Actress trophy, not Supporting Actress. She's a STAR, damnit!
@L.T., I think people more say "can you believe he won for that? still one of the best though. Glad they gave it to him." While people are much harder than actresses, I think if she wins it won't be a big deal beyond that.
@Phillip H: I have thought about this. I have such trouble comparing them because they're both performances of their time, in ways that are almost incomparable. I will say, I love how full of life Ross is, making some of the turns the narrative takes more shocking. However, Andra Day is so weary throughout much of the film that her tragedy and fate is always felt. I will say, I did really love Day's toughness. But again, different films, different times, different interpretations.
I never really care who wins the Oscars just who is nominated so I've mentally shifted into 2021. Wonder if big blockbuster films are going to dominate next year as Academy want to celebrate the cinema experience again (Dune, In the Heights, Eternal... whoop)
Saw Minari and... oh, man, is this overrated and baity. The last 20 minutes pissed me off, by the continous cheat, and while everyone is excellent, I just don't get Youn being championed as the best supporting performance of the year, for an easy role for such an accomplished veteran actress... it's Kim who actually elevates their scenes together, thanks to an obvious natural talent and Chung's direction and screenplay. Don't get me wrong, I love that she's nominated, but what's the point of the American industry paying special honor for an easy role to an actress that never worked in Hollywood for starters? I don't think Youn is winning, she would be a worthy winner, if Bakalova was nominated in Lead, but, again, there's no possible comparison between the challenge both roles offered to the actresses and overall performance, objectively speaking, as Bakalova even fooled the secret service in real life.
Haven't seen The Father yet, but my rank of the Supporting Actress performaces...
1. Bakalova
2. Seyfried
3. Youn
4. Close
I went to the theater yesterday to see Zemeckis The witches and to my horror it was dubbed to my naitive language swedish. Imagine someone trying to copy Anne hathaways accent in another language. I managed to live through 35 minuters before i left. Dubbing live action movies is so weird.
Porn equivalents of this year's Oscar nominees:
The (A Bit Of How's Your) Father
Wank
Gonadland
One Night In (My) Amy...
Faeces Of A Woman
Hillbilly Orgy
Ar-Soul
The Man Who Sold His Foreskin
Over The Moon
(Hey, you asked!)
Two thoughts/requests about the forthcoming Oscars.
1. Seeing as how two of the Best Picture nominees occupy the same historical time and place, will anyone at TFE write about them together? For The Trial of the Chicago 7, Aaron Sorkin mentions Fred Hampton in passing, but seems uninterested in exploring him, Bobby Seale, or any other black characters. Similarly, Judas and the Black Messiah has very thinly defined white characters. Can the two be reconciled? And is it weird to see them in the same Oscar lineup, when ordinarily they would be one year apart?
2. Will there a TFE piece on In Memoriam? Any predictions? So many people died this past year that limiting the montage to 40-45 names seems especially cruel. If you included only the ones who were nominated for an Oscar or received an Honorary Oscar, you’d have room for maybe 15-20 more luminaries.
Boseman robbing Hopkins and Glenn being my fifth choice from the field yet, clearly from the mood in the air, going to waltz away with her long overdue Oscar for something aggressively underwhelming.
I just got to "Sound of Metal" - wow. Riz Ahmed is so amazing, Paul Raci is good, and that sound!!!!
The T...
On Close... I am torn... she's overdue, and giving her the Oscar for something subpar, compared to other performances is much in the line of the AMPAS, but when they do anything like that, it's on LEADING, in Supporting they didn't mind to let Lauren Bacall, Burt Reynolds, Gloria Stuart or even Eddie Murphy completely snubbed, just to name a few. That is why I also think Youn isn't winning, because in Supporting they might really prefer Seyfried or Bakalova (specially the latter) for a big number of reasons.
Close has this year "Swan Song", the film debut of Oscar winner for Short Film, Benjamin Cleary and starting Akwafina, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris and herself. And has "Sunset Boulevard" on store, which looks on paper as a lilely nom and golden chance to have her win he Oscar in LEAD. So I don't think they will feel there's an urge to give her an Oscar for Hillbilly Elegy, at all.
It is a narrow race, though, and anything goes. I feel that the order at this moment is...
1. Bakalova. "It Girl", Smashing breakthrough. Precursor sweeper along Youn. The movie has overperformed in Guilds, so there's a clear support for it, and there are also political reasons why so many want her to win. Against, only the traditional bias against comedy.
2. Youn. The most rewarded of the candidates. In a Best Picture nominee. Against: why would they honor her in front of Close?
3. Colman. Best Picture nominee, heavily buzzed... Against underperformed in precursors and recently won in Lead.
4. Close. Nominated almost everywhere despite the bad reviews for the film. The film is exactly what the conservative side of the AMPAS would love (on that, she will split votes with Minari's Youn). Against. general consensus, that it would be embarrassing to give her the Oscar for THIS.
5. Seyfried. Best Picture nominee and nomination leader. The film really appeals to the soul of the AMPAS members, and is relatable to the acting branch. Against: she lost steam and the role is more challenging that it seems on the surface, isn't as showy as Youn, Close...
Any of the 5 can win, but I'd say that overall is Bakalova vs. Youn.
Annie Starke is a Three Artful alt account confirmed. :D
Jesus Alonso - I hope you're right, but i have the sinking hunch that the Against column for the other four will be stronger felt by the voting body than Close. I agree with you on her clear opportunities in the near future, but I just think they'll be lazy and give it to her now.
Facing that under these circumstances, Glenn's Oscar would be a miracle...
Fő you think seriously Sunset Boulevard will be ever made??? On IMDb, it is pre-production since almost two years...
Sorry, I mean: Do you think...
Geri --- and IMDb page construction timeline isn't even the whole story since they've been talking about it since at least the late 1990s. I personally don't think it will ever be made or, if it is, they won't cast Glenn Close who is 74 years old since by the time they get to it she'll be 80. (Gloria Swanson was 50 in the original). And the storyline kind of demands that you can accept that this older woman would think she would be having a big comeback with a killer leading role. How many 80 years old get a big second act in their career? I can only think of 2 in my lifetime... Jessica Tandy and Christopher Plummer both in roles designed specifically for the age they were.
It's reminding me of when Barbra Streisand kept trying to get Gypsy off the ground despite being in her 70s and the Gypsy role clearly being designed for a woman in her 30s or 40s. I am obviously ALL FOR older actresses getting great roles (there are so many actresses of Glenn's age that I miss that I wish would come back to the movies!) but we need more screenplays about 60-80something women rather than trying to fit astonishing actresses into roles where people will only complain about their age (like people did with Burstyn playing the mother of a 30 years old this year.) instead of marvelling at their gifts.
Brevity -- that's a good idea! (the Judas & Chicago thing). We won't be doing an In Memoriam piece as we never have and personally i dont like speculating about that. I get sad enough writing the obits!
Niklas83 -- REALLY? how strange. Is it just because it was a family movie? I lived in Norway many many years ago and I dont remember any dubbing except for animated movies. (dubbing is such a curse for live action. ugh)
What Amanda Seyfried will wear to the Oscars.
@Brevity I think what links the 2 movies that Chicago 7 takes a tragedy and tries to put a fake positive spin on the corrupt legal system. I would also say that Sorkin is bad at developing the white characters as well but is out of his depth with the black characters.
As for Judas, I feel I would rather know more about Fred Hampton and the Party. I personally don't need to know how the FBI feels or that they have a dog at home or like ham sandwiches. I don't want them humanized is my point. They already got away with murder.
I can't get over the fact that there are only six Oscar categories in which I can watch all nominees legally in the UK (Animated Film, Costume Design, Documentary, Cinematography, Makeup/Hairstyling and Original Song). Not to mention only 2 out of 3 Best Picture nominees at the BAFTAs, which is just pathetic.
I've been itching to see Matteo Garrone's "Pinocchio" ever since those first beautiful trailers emerged in 2019. The Blu-ray finally came out here in Canada this week and it was a day one purchase for me. What a lovely movie! Garrone's gift for creating sombre but spectacular looking fairy tales (this and the earlier "A Tale of Tales") is just stunning. The film relies much more on makeup and prosthetics than on CGI for its visual impact, which is considerable. I believe the film's been Oscar nominated for both makeup & haiirstyles and for costume design. Richly deserved. Roberto Begnini gives a lovely performance as Gepetto but it's the child performers who really steal the show. Alida Baldari Calabria's genuinely memorable as the wryly benevolent little girl fairy. And Federico Ileapi, only eight or nine when he made it, is a gravely charismatic (and ultimately quite moving) Pinocchio. These talented kids even did their own dubbing for the English language version (also available on the Blu-ray). But I urge you to watch the original Italian one. It really soars.
After the CATS debacle, I don't see SUNSET BLVD happening any time soon, with Close or anyone else.
As always, Jennifer Jones.
And still reeling from birthday girl Glenn Close’s nomination and the dread of having to watch Hillbilly Elegy. Sigh.
Nathaniel although Gloria Swanson was extremely well preserved for her age and the age she was living in, todays older woman read about a decade at least more youthful than their counterparts from the 50's. It's on the edge but Close is still acceptable as Norma Desmond...just. get filming now and don't end up like Barbra and Gypsy.
The problem with Hollywood musicals is that directors/studios spend way too much money making them. There's no reason why you couldn't make Sunset Boulevard on a La La Land budget, with a capable director.
I promise that the $30 million Sunset Boulevard directed by Damien Chazelle or Bradley Cooper would be better than the $130 million Sunset Boulevard directed by Robb Marshall or Tom Hooper.
I'm thinking about the MVP of my covid lockdown, my big screen TV. It has finally gotten the dreaded blue vertical line running through it. I don't think it's repairable so I'll be getting another one eventually/soon. BUT this TV is a 3D TV from that brief moment in time when all things seemed to be 3D.
So I'm going to have to go on a mini 3D binge before the lines get worse. I already watched HUGO in 3D which is a straight up great movie in 3D because it was designed for it. Asa Butterfield is an amazing actor, juvenile or not.
I've also got AVATAR lined up, and then LIFE OF PI. Both of those were also made for 3D, not just a 3D upscale. What else do I need to see? I've got to get my hands on a cheap GRAVITY DVD, but beyond that, is there anything worthwhile to see?
I just watched Promising Young Woman and.........Wow, it really blown me away!!
Its such a BOLD WICKED stylistic & unique Vision!!! The direction, the costumes, the cinematography, the story & of the ACTING,
Cassie is such an unlikable/pricky/complex character, but Carey Mulligan really makes it work!! She made us roots for her and she made us understand all her choices and why she is making them. There is really no point of return for her when she saw the video.
This is by far the most challenging role I've seen so far of all the best actress hopefuls, Carey has to shape-shift across so many tonally different emotional shades/beats of the movie & she NAILS it!!
I really hope Fennell will win the Screenplay & Carey, Best Actress!! It wld be a Just Dessert!
XOXO
Carey & Emerald
;)
That there should be the cinematic equivalent of the CLARENCE DEWRENT or Theatre World Awards. And we should just have a supporting performer festival to celebrate true supporting performances
@Dave in Hollywood
Like, every Pixar film and The LEGO Movie (and its sequels, specially Part 2 and Batman) are must-sees in 3D. CGI 3D is amazing...
Also, Mad Max: Fury Road should be seen at least once, in 3D
Wondering a year after the fact if the James Bond movie No Time To Die will ever be released. Might be ‘old news’ by then after being kicked down the road so long.
Quo Vadis Aida.
Watch it, it'll stay on your mind too
Wishing my Wong Kar-Wai box set were here from Criterion so I could watch it this weekend.
Streep filming Places, Please this summer and trying for that 22nd Oscar nomination!