Month: July 2022

Posted on 2022-07-31 | No Comments |

5 Broken Cameras (2011)

Purchasing a camera after the birth of his fourth son, Emad Burnat slowly began using it, and the four that later replaced it in succession, to film his village’s nonviolent resistance to the encroaching illegal Israeli settlements. Similar to the journalists in Burma VJ, Burnat’s work attempts to document the attacks of violence and coercion laid on the protestors by a military that is also willing to go to great lengths to see that the recordings cease to exist. Almost easy to dismiss as simply home movies made by a father, it’s a powerful testament to one part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as witnessed by those whose lives are most gravely affected by the liberties that one side continues to take.

Oscar Nomination: Best Documentary, Features

Posted on 2022-07-31 | No Comments |

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)

Mirroring the rise of fascism in the Muggle world at the time, Gellert Grindelwald, portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen in this installment, is acquitted of all charges against him and for some reason, allowed to rise to the candidacy of Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, a move that is fought to extremes by Jude Law’s Dumbledore and his compatriots. While I generally find the extension of the Harry Potter universe beyond the original books to be worthy of much eye rolling, I still find the world building enthralling despite the many flaws of its creator. It’s a bit strange to me that the love affair between Dumbledore and Grindelwald has taken prominence in this series with many of the characters from the original film falling to minor supporting characters, but I’ll probably continue watching these as long as they keep making them.

Posted on 2022-07-31 | No Comments |

Children of Paradise (1945)

In the theatrical world of Paris’s Boulevard du Crime, unattainable courtesan Arletty encounters and forms relationships with four men of vastly disparate backgrounds and demeanors. Notable for being filmed during the Nazi occupation of France, it’s an incredibly sweeping epic that somehow never feels like it’s overstaying its more than three hour runtime as it details the intrigues of the five characters’ entwined lives. In a role inspired by the famous mime Jean-Gaspard Deburau, Jean-Louis Barrault is beautifully melancholic, bearing witness to the virtues of mime as an art form in ways I never knew possible while also portraying the desperate heartbreak of a love that, even when unrequited, won’t die.

Oscar Nomination: Best Writing, Original Screenplay

Posted on 2022-07-31 | No Comments |

Eyes Without a Face (1960)

After she was horrendously disfigured during a car accident, Édith Scob’s doctor father Pierre Brasseur, with the help of his dedicated assistant Alida Valli, vowed to restore her face by kidnapping young women to serve as involuntary donors. A fascinating bit of body horror, it obviously has a lot in common with The Face of Another. Édith Scob projects an engrossing sensitivity as a deeply damaged individual that is extraordinary for the fact that she spends the majority of her time behind a mostly immovable mask that only allows for expression through the eyes.

Posted on 2022-07-30 | No Comments |

Roommates (1995)

Following the deaths of both of his parents, D.B. Sweeney moved in with his 77 year old grandfather Peter Falk. What follows was thirty years of off and on living together through life’s ups and downs. The posters for this make it look like it’d be an intergenerational version of The Odd Couple, but it’s far from that. It’s mostly a maudlin portrayal of the difficulties of life that is only buoyed by a great performance by Falk and a criminally small appearance by Julianne Moore.

Oscar Nomination: Best Makeup

Posted on 2022-07-30 | No Comments |

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

Banking on his real-life reputation, Nicolas Cage plays a version of himself, an aging struggling actor and divorced father who is so desperate for a paycheck that he agrees to a vague invitation to be a paid celebrity guest to billionaire Pedro Pascal. Unexpectedly, he finds himself in the middle of a drug cartel’s power struggle and he must use skills learned during some of his most iconic roles to survive. I love actors who are willing to poke fun at their public perception and this is wonderfully entertaining because of it. The scenes with Cage and Pascal are delightful as Nick’s apprehension gradually builds to friendship and affection for this unknown entity.

Posted on 2022-07-30 | No Comments |

Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2005)

A deathbed promise has lonely baker Robert Carlyle attending a dance class run by Mary Steenburgen to search for John Goodman’s childhood sweetheart. A very uneven bit of filmmaking that is only sold on its performances, it seems that the story is made of a half dozen ideas cobbled together incongruously. The one clever piece that it has going for it is working in director Randall Miller’s much earlier short film which allows Elden Henson to portray two characters at vastly different ages.

Posted on 2022-07-29 | No Comments |

Black Hollywood: They Gotta Have Us (2014)

The history of Black faces in film is presented in this miniseries by many who have spent their lives working in the industry. A fantastic companion to Donald Bogle’s Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies and Bucks, it didn’t offer a lot that I hadn’t read about in that book but offered much deeper context through visuals and the voices of those who have experienced it. I had this on my Netflix list for a long time and I’m glad, and sad, that it’s impending removal pushed me to finally watch the series. There are some actors and directors, such as Sidney Poitier and Spike Lee, who I would have loved to see rather just heard talked about, but those that are featured offer quite a breadth in eras and knowledge. I would love to see the series expanded past these three episodes.

Posted on 2022-07-29 | No Comments |

Hope and Glory (1987)

One British family’s experiences during World War II are told through the eyes of 10 year old Sebastian Rice-Edwards. I’m generally more interested in what average people experience during wartime over the actual battles and this film delivers in that regard. Though the various members encounter almost every obstacle possible, the story still maintains a natural bent as to what an ordinary family might have witnessed while under siege. With some fantastic acting and visuals, the story maintains a sense of humor and wonder at the novelty of the experiences without dismissing the dangers and terror that existed.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Director; Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen; Best Cinematography; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration

Posted on 2022-07-29 | No Comments |

The Boxtrolls (2014)

In the hilltop town of Cheesebridge, the human denizens fear the Boxtrolls, humanoid creatures who wear discarded boxes for clothing, who are rumored to have kidnapped a baby. Instead it’s the underground-living, peace-loving Boxtrolls, and the orphaned boy whom they have raised from infancy, who must fear the human Snatchers who are swiping trolls for nefarious purposes. An ugly bit of stop-motion animation distracts from a fairly charming albeit predictable story. Narratively, it reminds me a lot of Aardman productions, especially in its somewhat silly comedy parts.

Oscar Nomination: Best Animated Feature Film of the Year