Who doesn't dream of getting back at someone or something, like an institution, when you perceive you have been screwed over? In Hell or High Water, that's what Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster) try to do on behalf of their mother as they begin robbing the bank that had her reverse mortgage. The brothers commit these robberies (this is not a spoiler, it's pretty evident from the trailers) and they are pursued by a soon-to-be-retired Texas Ranger, Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and his partner, Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham). There's really no mystery here, and I didn't think it was really a "thriller"; it was a brother movie. The relationship with Toby and Tanner is complicated, Tanner feeling a responsibility and obligation to save the family farm for Toby's sons after spending years in jail. Honestly, I was more interested in the relationship between Marcus and Alberto; Marcus makes comments that most people would consider politically incorrect in the least and very offensive and racist at the worst, but Alberto just laughs at him, and gives it right back to him. It's a joking and brotherly relationship, and you get the feeling they have known each other for too long. Bridges was really good, in a very understated, but good old boy way. He's nominated as Best Supporting Actor, and he was good, but I have not yet seen the other nominees, but a few other movies are getting some additional buzz. I'll keep you posted.
2/11/17 The Lobster, nominated for Best Original Screenplay, 2016
When I mention this movie to my friends, they have never heard of it, and to be honest, I had never heard of it until it showed up on my Oscar list. These one-off nominations can be a mixed bag; sometimes I think I found a gem, other times I don't know why I bother. For The Lobster, I'm kind of in the middle of the road, but the more I think about it, the more I think it was definitely an original screenplay. The movie is set in a dystopian society where being single, or a 'loner' I not only frowned upon, it can get you turned into your favorite animal; David's preferred animal is a lobster. Colin Farrell is David, a recently singled man who is now in a hotel, hoping to find another partner, and soon. Checking into the hotel is similar to checking into a low security prison, strip down to your underwear, turn in all of your property, etc. There are very strict rules, and not following them could be hazardous to your health. Many of the characters aren't given names, but referred to by a predominant characteristic, like Heartless Woman, Nosebleed Woman, Lisping Man (John C. Reilly), etc. The guests have 45 days to find a partner; every day loners hunt other loners with tranquilizer guns, and for every loner tranquilized, the hunter gets to stay an extra day. If you do meet someone and it's determined you are suited, you move to the couples' side of the hotel, and then eventually one of the yachts. After an ill-fated relationship with Heartless Woman, David had to escape, and he makes it to the woods where he meets the leader of the Loners (Lea Seydoux from Blue is the Warmest Color) as well as the narrator, Short-Sighted Woman (Rachel Weisz). Just as the hotel had strict rules, being in the pack of Loners comes with a set of restrictions, including no sexual relationships. David and Short-Sighted Woman find a commonality in their short-sightedness and begin a covert relationship. Love is hard. I was so skeptical when I started to watch this, but I did find myself interested in the story and how it would play out; there are definitely twists and unexpected turns. Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Fillippou wrote the screenplay and Lanthimos directed (he directed Oscar-nominated film Dogtooth); and it has an international cast. I like Colin Farrell and I really liked that he didn't play a tough guy, or a sexy guy; he's an architect, with a little belly, a little shy, and he doesn't have to hide his Irish accent. If you are looking for a different type of movie, something that is rehashed from a television series or a remake of another film, give this one a try. I'm not sure if it has much of a chance for the Oscar going up against La La Land and Hell and High Water.
2/10/17 Kubo and the Two Strings, nominated Best Animated Film, Best Visual Effects, 2016
I have been staring at this movie title for a week and for some reason, I am having a really hard time writing a review, or at least something more than two sentences. I did like this movie and the story and the voice actors (Charlize Theron as the mother/Monkey and Matthew McConaughey as Beetle/Hanzo, Ralph Fiennes as Raiden the Moon King), as well as the animation. The movie was done by Laika, the same production team that did one of my favorite animated films of the past few years, The Boxtrolls, as well as ParaNorman and Coraline. Kubo lives with his mother, isolated from the local village; Kubo and his mother have magical powers; in fact, the movie is filled with magic, and maybe that's why I'm finding it hard to review - telling you too much may ruin the surprise. It has action, suspense, music, danger, and young boy who has to be very brave. This isn't the most in-depth review, but I commend the movie for your viewing.
2/19/17 Note: In the midst of all of these Oscar-nominated movies, several of which I have not yet reviewed, I watched Jack Reacher: Never Go Back as a rental from the library. I don't have the time or energy to do really, but if you're looking for a Tom Cruise action movie, this will do until the next Mission Impossible comes out.
2/18/17 Sully, Best Sound Editing, 2016
I remember watching the Miracle on the Hudson at work, and thinking how cold it must be. I may have also thought "hmm, I bet they make a movie out of this." I have to say that this Clint Eastwood-directed film, starring Tom Hanks as Chesley Sullenberger did not quite capture the drama; it seemed very choppy, using flashbacks and inserting bits of conversation with Sully and his wife, Lorraine (the very underused, in this film, Laura Linney), who had a lot of dialogue that was essentially "What? What? I can't hear you?" "What do you mean?". I thought the last 30-40 minutes were the best, the incident (birds flying into the engines); the landing on the Hudson and the presentation of simulations during the NTSB hearing. There isn't a lot of tension or suspense, unless you have no idea about what happened, but even so, you know most people survive because that's presented early in the film. Oh, and then there were 5-7 minutes spent in Sully's youth where we see him flying. Not one of Eastwood's best efforts. I'm really not sure why or how it was nominated for Sound Editing, but I'm thinking Deepwater Horizon or Hacksaw Ridge, or La La Land will take the Oscar.
2/18/17 La La Land, nominated Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, 2016
La La Land is the critics' favorite, it seems, and I'm not prepared to rain on everyone's parade...well...I enjoy Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, but I'm hot and cold on musicals, so I didn't run out to see it. Even now, after having a lunchtime discussion about it, I'm less sure how I feel. I think what makes this so different and original, and I do think it was original, is that we don't get a lot of original musicals (or even quasi-musicals), they come from Broadway or they're remakes, and I think it hit the spot for a lot of people. Damien Chazelle (who wrote and directed Whiplash) wrote and directed La La Land and infused it with his sense and sensibility of jazz. Ryan Gosling is Sebastian a jazz musician/fan/historian who is trying to make a living in Los Angeles playing his kind of jazz, but often finds himself in the position of playing below his standards for practical reasons. Emma Stone is Mia, a struggling actress/barista, who is close to giving up her dream. The two meet and have a rough start, but after another chance meeting where Seb is forced to play the hits of the 1980s like "I Ran" by A Flock of Seagulls. They fall in love and are each other's biggest fans, supporting one another in their different endeavors, until it gets a little more complicated and stressful, and then, you know, they figure it out, or not. Divulging much more might ruin it if you haven't seen it yet. I liked this more than I did Arrival, but not as much as I did Fences; Gosling and Stone were tremendous, dancing, singing, and Gosling playing jazz piano, but I wasn't moved the way I was by Denzel Washington in Fences. The production design and costume design were both top-notch, and Chazelle and his team paid homage to Hollywood. Take this review for what it's worth, my opinion. It's good, delightful, and original, and it will shock the odds making world if it doesn't win most of its nominations. Hidden Figures and Fences (reviewed soon) are my two picks.
2/18/17 Arrival, nominated Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, 2016
I didn't race out to see Arrival when it was released; I probably would have waited for DVD, if I saw it at all. When it landed on The List, I knew I was going to have to watch it. Science fiction is not one of my favorite genres, and I rarely see sci-fi in the theaters. I was really underwhelmed with Arrival (and I really love Amy Adams); I thought for a science fiction film, the effects were pretty lackluster. It had an interesting premise: communicating with extra-terrestrial beings who use symbology instead of words, written or spoken; but it was the element of time travel that really lost me. Amy Adams plays Louise Banks, a linguist who seems to be fluent in every language known to man; Jeremy Renner is Ian Donnelly, a theoretical physicist; Forest Whitaker is Army Colonel Weber; and Michael Stuhlbarg is a government agent (if you think you have been seeing Stuhlbarg all over, you have: Dr. Strange, Trumbo, Steve Jobs, Transparent). These strange pods land in several countries around the globe, and while the countries intend to share information, they seem to have different methods of gathering and analyzing their information; are the pods there to help or harm the world? Due to some misunderstanding and misinterpretation, the world is led to the brink of disaster. I didn't care. I thought this is something my dad would have liked; he would have read the short story; and when I said I didn't like it, he would have given me a few examples of what I missed. The movie was directed by Denis Villeneuve, who also directed Sicario, which coincidentally I didn't like either. He and his cinematographer are fond of very dark sets, low lighting (I get it: they were in a windowless enclosure, but it's not fun to watch), I am not sure how this gets a nod for Best Production Design. If you're a fan of sci-fi, you are probably disagreeing with me, and that's fine. I'm happy to leave it to you.
2/18/17 A Man Called Ove, nominated Best Foreign Film, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, 2016
A Man Called Ove combines bittersweet drama with injections of humor, some dark, some life-affirming; reminiscent of one of my favorite films from last Oscar season The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, and what a coincidence, it's also nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling by the same team, Eva von Bahr and Love Larson. Ove is recently widowed, and still reeling from the loss of his beloved wife, Sonja, and between failed suicide attempts, he harangues neighbors for violations of the neighborhood code. On one such day, he meets Parvaneh, who is Iranian, her husband Patrick and their two young children, and he is less than impressed when they run over his mailbox. Parvaneh tries to make amends and to make friends, but Ove is prickly and not interested in getting to know them. The movie is essentially about how Parvaneh breaks through Ove's tough exterior, but also takes us into Ove's past, and his close relationship with his father and his marriage to Sonja. While Ove has always been a rule-follower, but to him, he's trying to do the right thing, like his father. Over time, Parvaneh and Ove form a bond, almost father/daughter, in fact, her little girls call him 'grandfather'. Ove chooses the world of the living, and you have to think his wife would have been proud. The movie is based on the book of the same name, which I have not yet read, but I recommend the movie. This is where I tell you not to be turned off by a foreign film that you have to read; the story carries you and you will probably forget you are 'reading'. I haven't seen the other foreign films, but have heard really good things about the German film, Toni Erdmann. It's up against Suicide Squad and Star Trek Beyond for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and I have to go with Star Trek Beyond for this one.
