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THE BEST PICTURE PROJECT
REVIEWING ALL OSCAR NOMINEES (NOT JUST THE WINNERS) IN ONE YEAR.
* Home
* About the Project
* By Year
* Oscar Snubbed Films
* Animation
* October Haunts
* Documentaries
THE FABELMANS
Posted by alysonkrier on January 24, 2023
Posted in: 2022. Tagged: Paul Dano, Steven Spielberg, Michelle Williams, Judd
Hirsch, Gabriel LaBelle. Leave a comment
The film opens on a story I’ve heard before in an interview with Steven
Spielberg. Outside a movie theater in 1952, people are lined up to see the new
Cecil B. DeMille picture, The Greatest Show on Earth. Little Sammy Fabelman (a
fictionalized young Spielberg) is apprehensive about seeing his first movie. His
parents, Burt (Paul Dano) and Mitzi (Michelle Williams) build up his confidence,
explaining how the projector makes still pictures look like they’re moving and
soon little Sammy is witnessing an exciting circus train wreck! It captivates
the boy so much he wants a train for Hanukkah. But after he gets the beloved
train, he wants to recreate the wreck he saw in the movie. Rather than let him
crash the train repeatedly, his mother gives him the brilliant idea to film it
once and then he can watch it happen all he likes. What little Sammy films is
brilliant and the first step to a long love of film.
The film allows us to watch Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle) grow from a little boy
enchanted by the magic he can capture on his family’s little 8mm camera to a
teenager assembling a group of friends to act in his latest film projects and
editing the film alone in his room. I loved scenes showing Sammy and his friends
from Scouts rallying in the desert filming thrilling westerns and epic war
movies. Even better are the reactions from family and friends when Sammy
premiers his films as part of a scouting project. These young teen years feel
like the perfect place for a young filmmaker to learn, grow and just have fun
with this craft.
Yet Sam’s father is always calling film making a hobby. Sam knows that it’s more
than that. His uncle Boris (Judd Hirsch), who makes an unexpected and brief
visit, sees Sammy for what he is: an artist. The advice he has for this young
artist isn’t all that encouraging, “Art will give you crowns in heaven and
laurels on Earth, but also, it will tear your heart out and leave you lonely.
You’ll be a shanda for your loved ones. An exile in the desert. A gypsy. Art is
no game! Art is dangerous as a lion’s mouth. It’ll bite your head off.” From
here out Sammy feels that his art could tear him away from his family, that they
will never understand his passion. But does he want a life half lived? He fears
that is what his mother, once an accomplished concert pianist, has chosen. Later
in the film we see how giving up on dreams may be eating away at her.
To make such a dramatic film about your own upbringing must have been very
daunting to Mr. Spielberg. Like all his films, he handles this family drama with
care and compassion. But I imagine this must have taken a good amount of courage
to bring to film. Through the up and downs, he is not afraid to show the moments
that are less cheery. He doesn’t shy away from hard moments or moments that make
one person look bad. But like many family dramas, the parents are just people,
flesh and blood, no good guy or bad guy, no angel vs demon. The conflicts are
human, delicate, unnerving and yet concrete and tangible. Perhaps it’s a healing
process for Mr. Spielberg, to flesh these out in the sacred light of a theater
over 50 years later.
A powerful moment in the film is when Sam is tasked with filming the senior skip
day at the beach. He’s the new kid, not popular and picked on by some anti
semitic jocks. But picking up the camera again seems to get him out of his
late-teen slump. The film he premiers at prom is a hit, showing off the fun in
the sun, making some kids look like losers and others look like heroes. I think
this is the moment Sam realizes just how much power and influence his movie
making can have. At this moment, I think it scares him a bit and makes him
realize what responsibility he holds behind the camera.
Of course this film is a must-see for any Spielberg fan or aspiring filmmaker.
With its PG-13 rating mostly built on light cursing and bullying violence, I
would let most big kids see this movie if they hold those interests. Seeing
another kid working hands on with an old camera and film can be inspiring. The
family drama and bullying make this uncomfortable for young children. But I
would consider The Fabelmans a great family movie for a film loving family.
“You do what your heart says you have to. ‘Cause you don’t owe anyone your life.
Not even me.”
SO I WAS ON A PODCAST…
Posted by alysonkrier on December 21, 2022
Posted in: Epilogue. Tagged: animation, cinema, Cinema in Seconds, film,
podcast, stop motion animation. Leave a comment
Last week a couple old film blogger friends, Ian and Dan, invited me on their
podcast. It’s called Cinema in Seconds. The premises is that they each pick a
very small moment in a film, then discuss why it’s such a significant moment in
the film. Honestly, it’s a fascinating concept for any film fan you’ll enjoy
hearing their discussions.
Anyway, they invited me onto their animation episode! I was thrilled and racked
my brain on what exactly to discuss. Animation is such a wide genre, the
possibilities were endless. In the end, I decided to go with an example of early
classic Disney animation, Bambi, and some of the newest and finest examples of
stop-motion animation, ParaNorman. We also discussed moments from The Lion King,
The Prince of Egypt, The Snowman, and Batman and Mr. Freeze: Subzero.
Thanks again to Ian and Dan for the fun opportunity! I had a blast catching up
and discussing animation with two great film friends. Listen to the episode
below:
THE FINAL DESTINATION SERIES
Posted by alysonkrier on October 28, 2022
Posted in: October Haunts. Tagged: final destination, horror, Horror movies,
movie review, movies. Leave a comment
Recently, I decided to dive into a horror saga I neglected over the years. The
Final Destination films, spanning from 2000 to 2011, each tell a story of a
group of people who escape a horrific, multi-casualty accident because one of
them sees a premonition of minutes before. In the original, it’s a plane
exploding just after take-off, another is a huge interstate pileup. They get
more epic down the line. And of course I remember the commercials and previews
and as a teen and young adult. Sadly, I wrote them off. Until now. I was
captivated and loved the first film so much I couldn’t wait to dive into the
sequels. To put it bluntly, The Final Destination movies are a Rube Goldberg
machine of death. I can’t look away and I love it.
#1. Final Destination (2000): I was surprised how much I genuinely enjoyed the
first Final Destination film. The element of suspense is used well and the
initial plane crash scene is well done and believable. I love that this really
establishes the whole “death has a design.” theme for the series. You feel
genuine suspense and terror as death creeps closer to each survivor. Maybe it’s
the greasy faces, baggy clothes, gravity defying bangs, but I really enjoyed
seeing a horror movie with teenage characters that actually looked like the
teenagers I grew up with. Favorite death: beheaded by scrap metal.
#2. Final Destination 2 (2003): This film features the infamous log-truck
accident, which is basically what I imagine every time I have to merge onto
I-465. Tony Todd (aka, candy man) is back with a great cameo. And I enjoy the
cop trying to help the protagonist and the wild array of freak accident deaths.
Favorite death: surprise airbag deployment.
#3. Final Destination 3 (2006): The third movie goes off the rails in every way
possible. Literally. A roller coaster accident sets the events in motion. But
what makes this movie stand out from the others is that pictures hold the clues
to each death. There are lots of crazy, high speed, intense, death scenes.
Sometimes it’s a bit over the top. And honestly, this movie is kinda bad, but so
bad that it’s good. Still a very fun horror movie. Favorite death: brain sliced
apart by a car engine.
#4. The Final Destination (2009): Ok, I’ll admit, this one is the worst of the
bunch, but it’s still enjoyable. I mean, a Nascar race disaster setting
everything off? And later one guy gets his guts sucked out of his butthole and
spewed all over the public pool? It’s so bad, it’s laughable. And the obvious 3D
gags are hilarious. Favorite death: getting diced on the fence.
#5. Final Destination 5 (2011): As bad as #4 was, I think the creators here for
Final Destination 5 knew to pull back on the laughable effects. Here, a bridge
collapse sets everything in motion and instead of focusing on teens, it’s a
group of young adults. Maybe this is to bring the original 2000 audience back?
It works, and one of the big hooks now is that one of the survivors tries to
murder his way out. Fun! And honestly, the big twist at the end, pulling the
whole series together, makes watching all the movies totally worth it. Favorite
death: acupuncture nightmare.
What really sets the Final Destination series apart from other horror franchise
is that instead of relying on a recurring character/monster, it’s a reoccurring
chain of horrific freak accidents. And while far fetched or unlikely, we see how
these horrifying moments can happen in real life. No two deaths are the same.
The blood and gore are not spared. Most adults don’t really worry about Jason or
Freddy coming to get them, but now I do genuinely fear log trucks. And nail
guns. And rocks being slung by a lawnmower. And escalators. And airbags. And and
and….
BODIES BODIES BODIES
Posted by alysonkrier on October 18, 2022
Posted in: 2022, October Haunts. Tagged: Amanda Stenberg, film, horror, Maria
Bakalova, movie review, Rachel Snennott, Thriller. Leave a comment
In Bodies Bodies Bodies a group of young friends have a hurricane party at their
wealthy friend’s parent’s house out in the middle of nowhere. They’re equipped
with flashlights, extra batteries, booze and an array of drugs. As the storm
sets in and the night heats up, they decide to play a game: Bodies Bodies
Bodies. It’s a typical murder mystery party game: one person is the murderer,
they pick off victims one by one when alone. But after the power goes out, they
find a friend with his throat slit. And soon a murder mystery game becomes a
night of survival.
From the moment Sophie (Amanda Stenberg) and her new girlfriend, Bee (Maria
Bakalova) arrive you can feel the tension suddenly set in. Is it because Sophie
didn’t tell them she was coming? Or do they not like Bee? Whatever it is,
playing Bodies Bodies Bodies doesn’t help. And of course, finding a dead friend
means all the shit hits the fan. We see how fake these friendships are, how much
hostility they hold against one another. Eventually anyone left alive is pitted
against everyone else to defend themselves against murder accusations.
At times I found the young women in this movie to be hilariously annoying and
tone deaf. But the thing is, I wasn’t sure if that is the joke. Granted, there
were maybe 4 other people in the theater at 12:30 on a Tuesday, so I didn’t hear
much laughing with me. But much of the time I couldn’t tell if the tone of
certain scenes were supposed to be serious or laughable. Anything with Alice
(Rachel Snennott) was obviously funny. Alice is a mess. She’s hilarious,
matching the bright and loud vibe of her neon glow necklaces and bracelets. The
fact that she invites a man that she met on Tinder who is twice her age to this
hurricane party is worrying, but how she tells us about him after 2 weeks is
“He’s a Libra moon” is hilarious! It tells us all about her priorities.
At some points, the drama feels like the comradery and betrayals of a teenage
sleepover. It’s all fun and games while drinks are flowing, but then the lights
go out. The dark gets to you. The lack of communication and cliques that form
can be isolating. They turn on each other, bring up shitty moments from their
past and poke at small holes in their friendships until they rip apart. It’s an
intriguing look at the dark drama of petty young friendships.
While I enjoyed Bodies Bodies Bodies, I don’t see this film going down in horror
movie history in the kindest light. While I think the way it portrays these
rich, young people is hilarious, it’s kinda sad and embarrassing. There is so
much unnecessary blood and drama over TikToks, pranks, drugs, friendships and
relationships that should’ve ended years ago. When the morning light comes and
the movie ends, it leaves us laughing at the characters, not with them.
“Alice I’m literally just protecting myself ok. Let me remind you, our friend is
dead. So if you could just like, not escalate the situation”
THE BLACK PHONE
Posted by alysonkrier on October 1, 2022
Posted in: 2022, October Haunts. Tagged: Ethan Hawke, film, horror, Mason
Thames, movie review, movies. Leave a comment
The Black Phone hit me hard in my suburban parent gut. The story revolves around
a serial kidnapper the kids dubbed The Grabber. In this quiet 1978 suburban
town, The Grabber takes tween boys walking alone, or right off their bikes in
the middle of their paper route. No one knows what happens to the boys, they
just disappear, replaced with missing posters, their faces plastered all over
the neighborhood. A creepy story like this is enough to scare any parent, so
much so for me that I had an extensive stranger-danger talk with my older boy,
complete with a few defensive maneuvers.
After establishing The Grabber, the quaint town, the harsh realities these kids
face and the sister’s vague psychic abilities, Finney (Mason Thames) is taken.
He comes to in a dark, barren basement, on a grungy bare mattress. There’s a
barred window, a toilet, a locked door and a black phone hanging on the wall.
Finney tries the phone to call for help, but it is silent. His masked captor,
who visits periodically and lingers in a creepy, menacing way, tells him that
the phone doesn’t work. Never has.
But then, once Finney is alone, the phone rings. One of The Grabber’s previous
victims is on the other end. They give Finney cryptic advice and share how they
tried to escape. Each time the phone rings, it’s a different dead boy, in the
order they were taken, trying to help Finney and trying to avenge their own
death. During some calls we even see the dead boy talking to Finney, a creepy
specter giving this horror movie vital visuals to its supernatural element.
As far as horror movie baddies go, Ethan Hawke’s performance as The Grabber is
top notch and one of my favorite performances of his. In Finney’s kidnapping
scene, his casual clumsiness disarms the boy so easily, even we’re drawn in a
bit. Hawke seems perfectly at home being so casually creepy. One of my favorite
moments was when Finney wakes up to find The Grabber just watching him sleep. It
can be hard to create a character behind a mask without using it as a crutch,
but Hawke does an amazing job working with the mask to enhance his menace. I
really hope to find that creepy mask at Spirit Halloween.
I loved The Black Phone and think it is a great new horror film. It boasts a
perfect balance between horrific reality and the scary supernatural. Young
Thames’s performance is believable and makes us root for him against Hawke, who
gives us a creepy character we love to hate. The perspectives between Finney and
his sister round out this movie and perfectly unfold this terrifying mystery
until the very end. Add The Black Phone to your spooky season watch list and
then never walk alone again.
“Wanna see a magic trick?”
FIRE OF LOVE
Posted by alysonkrier on August 24, 2022
Posted in: Documentary. Tagged: documentary, Katia Krafft, Maurice Krafft, movie
review, volcano. Leave a comment
Fire of Love is an incredibly sweet and intriguing documentary about a
volcanologist couple who devoted their lives to studying volcanic eruptions.
It’s established early in the film that Katia and Maurice Krafft were killed in
the 1991 volcanic eruption of Mount Unzen in Japan. The majority of what the
documentary shows us is from their beautiful volcano footage throughout their
careers.
Like all great couples, there is a balance between them. Katia is quieter, more
reflective, studying the geological formations up close and trying to find their
mysteries through photography and writing. Maurice is more grandiose,
documenting the kinetic movement of eruptions and lava flows through film and
out in front of cameras promoting their newest books and documentaries. Maurice
is also more of a daredevil, at one point taking a second-hand inflatable dinghy
out on an acidic lake to collect samples. Katia anxiously stands on the shore,
hoping they make it back before the boat springs a catastrophic leak.
The information presented on volcanoes is minimal, focusing more on spectacular
images captured by the Krafft’s, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s. While these
images may be older, and found on old film reels, they are stunning. The
magnificent views of glowing lava, flowing, spewing and burning are amazing and
never made me question the quality of the Kraffts camera. And it is heroic how
close the Kraffts were willing to get to these active volcanoes, even donning
suits to protect them from projectile rocks and lava that look like something
out of a 50s B sci-fi movie.
For me, the real tragedy of this film is not Maurice and Katia’s death, but the
fact that they could not spend more of their time on earth in volcanoes. Towards
the middle of the film, we are shown their life when they’re not by volcanoes.
The fact that there are still bills to pay by writing books or editing film
feels so mundane when you’ve been in the beating heart of an active volcano.
It’s tragic to think how we all waste so much time on the humdrum money-making
tasks just to survive, when we could be out in the fantastic wilds of nature
truly living.
“Alone they could only dream of volcanoes. Together they can reach them.”
SUMMER 2022 MOVIES WITH MY KID
Posted by alysonkrier on July 23, 2022
Posted in: Epilogue. Tagged: animation, film, kid movies, movie review, movies.
Leave a comment
This summer I’ve been utilizing my one on one time with my older son to take him
to movies. Don’t worry, that’s not all we do, it would be a boring summer. We
also frequent the parks and go roller skating. He’s had fun going to more movies
in the last month than he’s been to in the last two years. He is now vaccinated
and willing to wear a mask when the theater is more crowded. Hopefully my
younger son will be vaccinated and mature enough to join us next year. Anyway,
here are the movies I took my kid to see.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie
We kicked off the summer in bun-tastic style (Get it…cause Bob’s Burgers is all
about those puns!) This was my son’s first PG13 movie in a theater and I think
we picked a good one. Like the show, the movie is pretty tame in the violence,
sex and language department, so great to take an 8 year old with you. Also like
the show, most of the dirty jokes fly right over a kid’s head. The movie itself
was fine, the plot was a little recycled from old seasons, but didn’t feel flat
it the moment. The one thing that really separates the movie from the show is
the choreography. I did not expect so much dancing (of course I expected the
singing!) and it did not disappoint. I would love to see footage of what the
animators were basing these dance scenes off of, especially the scene in the
weird little carnie neighborhood. 3 1/2 out of 5 burgers. Could’ve used more of
Tina’s signature awkwardness and sexy zombies.
Jurassic World Dominion
So when I was eight years old Jurassic Park came out to theaters. I was dying to
see it, but my parents thought it would be too scary for me. Honestly, 8 year
old me might have flipped out and panicked in the theater during the first t-rex
attack, but I still hold a grudge to this day about the injustice of not seeing
Jurassic Park in theaters as a child. Anway, here I am nearly 30 years later
taking my own 8 year old kid to see Jurassic World Dominion.
To be critical, JWD was not great. A lot of scenes seemed clunky or unnecessary.
At times the dinos looked very fake. Other times Chris Pratt had the range and
charisma of a chipped triceratops toenail. However, at times it just felt like
Jurassic Park fan fiction put on the big screen and the JP loving dork in me ate
that shit up. There were a few terrifyingly enjoyable dino-attack scenes, and I
was proud to see my son not afraid of them. If anything scared him, it was those
giant locust swarms. Honestly, they kinda freaked me out too.
Jurassic World Dominion may not be great, but it was a real treat to take my kid
to a big dinosaur movie while he’s still young enough to be into it.
Lightyear
Next, we traveled to infinity and beyond with Pixar’s newest film, Lightyear.
This week, his father had the day off as well, so it was his first movie out
with his father too since Toy Story 4. Besides embarrassing the poor boy as he
tripped over people’s legs in the theater, I think it was a successful mission.
Now honestly, I was a probably more excited to see Lightyear than most moms
hitting the theater with their kids. Buzz has easily become my favorite Disney
character, so to give him an origin story, a new voice and hair… I was eager but
so afraid to be let down. I was not disappointed. Confused at times, my
suspension of disbelief hanging my a thread at one point, but not disappointed.
Honestly, my fan theory since trailers came out was that Zurg was powered by
BuyNLarge and we’d somehow get tied into the WALL-E universe. Spoiler alert, I
was wrong. But it was still fun.
Thor: Love and Thunder
After taking a few weeks away from the movies, we took the kid to see his first
big Marvel movie in theaters, Thor: Love and Thunder. There were some moments
that I worried might be a little too scary for him (Christian Bale made a very
creepy Marvel villain), but he reassured me it was not scary for him at all. We
especially loved the moment when all the kids help fight, Thor style. When he
got home he made himself a Mjolnir out of paper (he’s very into origami at the
moment) and said it was the best movie he’s ever seen!
OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2021
Posted by alysonkrier on March 26, 2022
Posted in: 2021. Tagged: academy awards, Oscar Predictions, oscars. 3 Comments
Happy Oscar weekend, everyone! Congrats on making it through another harrowing
year. I’m so happy to go back to the movie theaters, even if I still wear a mask
during the show (except when shoveling popcorn into my mouth).
Let’s start off with a little game I like to play every year and narrow down the
Best Picture nominees to a top five. I believe this year those top five would
be…
CODA, The Power of the Dog, Belfast, Westside Story and Nightmare Alley
Anyway, thanks for indulging me. Onto my official Oscar night predictions:
Lead Actor: Benedict Cumberbatch or Will Smith seem tied. I would not mind
Andrew Garfield winning, but he seems unlikely. Will Smith for the win.
Lead Actress: Wait, how have I only seen one of these movies? Are movies with
brilliant leading women not worthy of Best Picture or something? Ugh, I
respectfully pass.
Supporting Actor: I’d love to see Troy Kotsur take this, but he seems like a
longshot.
Supporting Actress: Kirsten Dunst. Nuf said.
Director: I would love to see Jane Campion win this, but as long as it’s not
Paul Thomas Anderson I’ll be ok.
Original Screenplay: Belfast
Adapted Screenplay: CODA
Cinematography: All of the nominees are beautifully filmed in their own
spectacular fashion, it’s hard to pick a winner. My dark side wants Nightmare
Alley, but I’m guessing the Academy will pick The Power of the Dog here.
Film Editing: I think King Richard excels here.
Production Design: I think Dune is destined to win this one, even over my
beloved Nightmare Alley.
Costume Design: My black little Disney heart would love to see Cruella take
this, but I think it will go to Dune.
Best Sound: West Side Story
Makeup and Hairstyling: I didn’t see all of these….so why not Cruella.
Original Score: I think Hans Zimmer is well overdue for another win. Dune.
Original Song: As much as I’d like to see Lin Manuel Miranda EGOT, I think they
chose the wrong song to submit. They would have won with We Don’t Talk About
Bruno. Belfast and Van Morrison for the win.
Visual Effects: I was honestly very impressed with Shang Chi’s effects, so I say
they’ll upset Dune here.
Documentary Feature: Flee
Animated Feature: I will lose my f*cking shit if The Mitchells vs the Machines
loses this one! I wish it were up for best picture. Anyway, Disney is playing it
too safe lately and needs to up their game when we’ve got amazing, fun and
visually creative movies like this.
International Feature Film: I think Drive My Car is pretty much a given here.
Best Picture: I really didn’t care which movie won this, until I saw CODA. Now I
will be crushed if anything else wins. I want just a simple, sweet, heartwarming
story about ordinary people to win. Is that so hard? But honestly, as long as
it’s not Dune or Licorice Pizza I’ll get over it. CODA for the big win!
CODA
Posted by alysonkrier on March 25, 2022
Posted in: 2021. Tagged: academy awards, CODA, deaf community, Emilia Jones,
Eugenio Derbez, film, Marlee Matlin, movie review, movies, oscars, Sian Heder,
Troy Kotsur. 3 Comments
The title CODA is an acronym for Child of Deaf Adults. The film follows Ruby
(Emilia Jones) as she navigates her senior year of high school. She wakes up
before dawn to help her dad and brother on their fishing boat, being the only
one that can hear the radio. She often falls asleep in class and she joins the
school choir, possibly because a certain boy signs up for it too. After
stumbling to find her confidence in choir, her teacher, Mr. V (Eugenio Derbez)
discovers that Ruby has a natural talent for singing and offers to coach her in
hopes of getting into Berklee school of music. Ruby struggles to juggle her
music rehearsals with her family needing her.
I love the mother-daughter relationship shown in this film. Ruby’s mother,
Jackie (Marlee Matlin) asks “If I been blind would you want to paint?” She
wonders if this love of music is just a form of teenage rebellion. Later she
also confesses that she hoped Ruby would be deaf as well, so that they could be
closer. This is a very heartfelt and sweet conversation where she tells her
daughter that she was afraid being deaf would make her a bad mom.
Ruby is often put in awkward, embarrassing and hilarious situations being the
only hearing person in her family. Her father, Frank (Troy Kotsur), blasts music
when he picks her up from school, saying “I love rap music, my whole ass is
vibrating.” In an early scene we see Ruby interpreting her father’s sign
language to a doctor. Her father vigorously signs the symptoms of his jock itch,
Ruby tones it down for the doctor, clearly embarrassed. Later in the film, she
and the boy are practicing their duet, only to be interrupted by the sound of
Ruby’s parents having sex, clearly unaware of how loud they are.
While this film has very funny moments, the reality about the family’s situation
is often tender. Ruby confesses that children used to make fun of how she talked
when she was younger, a wound that stifles her confidence in choir, but I love
the way Mr. V uses this information to help Ruby. At times the family seems to
use Ruby as a crutch, relying on her too much. They expect her to be the
interpreter for an interview with the local news, causing her to miss rehearsal
and wearing Mr. V’s patience thin. And the one time Ruby isn’t on the fishing
boat is when her father and brother needed a hearing person the most.
At it’s heart, CODA is about a family navigating two worlds at once. Ruby loves
music and would be a fool not to try to get into Berkely. But she has never done
anything without her family and fears leaving them could be detrimental. The
moment during the choir performance where we see everything from Frank’s
perspective, no sound, but seeing how everyone around him is moved by his
daughter’s singing is eye opening and beautiful. He realizes just how special
his daughter’s musical ability is and that moment in the truck where he feels
Ruby singing moved me to tears. Later, Ruby signing as she sings was absolutely
beautiful.
CODA is nominated for only three Academy Awards, including Best Picture and
adapted screenplay. Troy Kotsur is nominated for supporting actor in his
wonderful role as Ruby’s father. I would love to see him win, I’m sure he would
sign a wonderful acceptance speech. I’m personally saddened that Sian Heder was
not nominated for director. I think the tone and her vision for this wonderful
film should be acknowledged.
I love that films have become so much more inclusive, telling stories of women,
people of color, the disabled and other minorities. Between last year’s Sound of
Metal and now CODA I hope to see more great movies about the deaf community, it
will only help the world to be inclusive and understanding. I sometimes worry
that stories about normal, working class people with disabilities leading
ordinary lives are often overlooked and maybe that is what makes CODA so
extraordinary.
“Let them figure out how to deal with deaf people. We’re not helpless”
DUNE
Posted by alysonkrier on March 24, 2022
Posted in: 2021. Tagged: academy awards, Denis Villeneuve, Hans Zimmer, Oscar
Isaac, oscars, Rebecca Ferguson, Timothée Chalamet. Leave a comment
Let me start off describing my personal experience watching Dune. My husband
came home from a business trip where he watched Dune on his phone on a plane and
was raving about how great it was. First, I condemned him for watching it on his
phone, I’m sure Denis Villeneuve’s vision cannot be properly appreciated on a
four inch screen and with turbulence. Second, my husband insisted we watch that
film together that night, after a full day with the kids and our youngest
fighting bedtime. We didn’t start the film until after 9 pm. I promptly fell
asleep, chalked it up to a long day and promised to give it a good try the next
evening. I fell asleep again the next evening. On the third evening I finally
stayed awake for the film and while I found the visuals very cool, overall I was
unimpressed. Fast forward to Oscar season and I knew I needed to give Dune a
fair watch all in one sitting. Knowing my record, I armed myself with coffee, a
sweet snack and watched it in the middle of the afternoon. I still fell asleep
about three quarters in, while the dragonfly-helicopter was about to crash!
However, I got a better understanding and appreciation of this film. But I do
wonder, did anyone else have a similar narcoleptic response to Dune?
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is based on the sci-fi classic novel by Frank Herbert.
It’s partially a tale of imperialism where people want to control the planet
Arrakis so they can harvest spice on the desert planet. Spice is like fuel and
makes space travel possible. Then there are ideas of destiny and inheriting
power. Paul (Timothée Chalamet) has two birthrights to earn. His father (Oscar
Isaac) is Duke of House Atreides, ruler of Caladan, and his mother (Rebecca
Ferguson) is part of a mystical sisterhood. Through his father he’ll gain
traditional, political power. Through his mother he is learning The Voice, an
otherworldly power. And on his own, Paul must grapple with his visions and gain
the trust of the Fremen, if he is to survive in the wild desert.
The out of this world style and visual effects are where Dune excels. I loved
the array of costumes from sleek uniforms, tactical military gear, bulbous
helmets, mysterious cloaks and wind-whipped flowing gowns. While the space ships
are not in the forefront of this sci-fi film, they make an impact. They are
colossal, often a mix of organic and futuristic. Watching these massive
monolithic ships emerge from the water is impressive. And I especially liked the
dragonfly-like helicopters.
Dune is currently nominated for an impressive ten Academy Awards including Best
Picture, visual effects, sound, film editing, production design, cinematography,
screenplay, costume design, and makeup and hairstyling. And Hans Zimmer is
nominated for his hypnotic original score, his twelfth nomination.
I want to apologise for falling asleep so many times while trying to appreciate
this film. Perhaps it’s the subdued cinematography, everything is earth tones
and not very bright. Maybe it’s the ethereal music, it can be very zen and
relaxing. Perhaps I’m just not the target audience for Dune, I’ve never read the
book and simply did not get into the story. However I did love the stunning
visuals and I would bet money on Hans Zimmer winning an Oscar for his brilliant
score.
“An animal caught in a trap will gnaw off its own leg to escape. What will you
do?”
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