88th Annual Oscar predictions

88th annual Oscar Predictions 

 Full disclosure for this year, in that I considered this a rather lackluster year for Oscar level movies.  This is probably the first year I haven’t seen them all and given the hysterical levels of hype given ‘La La land’ (a good movie, but hardly deserving all the nominations), I had a hard time motivating myself to see all the others.  Don’t get me wrong, I thought there were many good performances, but few stood out to me this year.  That being said, most of my picks will be based on buzz and politics.  We’ll see how I do:

Actor in a Leading Role: This is a challenging one.  I think the early favorite was Casey Affleck, but I’m sensing a third Oscar for Denzel

Casey Affleck in "Manchester by the Sea"

Andrew Garfield in "Hacksaw Ridge"

Ryan Gosling in "La La Land"

Viggo Mortensen in "Captain Fantastic"

Denzel Washington in “Fences”  The Projected Winner

Actress in a Leading Role: The early money was on Natalie Portman, but ‘Jackie’ was so lackluster and I don’t think Portman’s turn in that role was that impressive.

Isabelle Huppert in "Elle"

Ruth Negga in "Loving"

Natalie Portman in "Jackie"

Emma Stone in "La La Land”  The Projected Winner

Meryl Streep in "Florence Foster Jenkins”

Actor in a Supporting role: This is one of the few categories where I think each person nominated deserved the award… but it can only go to one. Mahershala Ali is the up and coming ‘it’ guy and this was his best performance to date. I love this guy. Also, they have to find a way to honor ‘Moonlight’ somehow.

Mahershala Ali in “Moonlight" The Projected Winner

Jeff Bridges in "Hell or High Water"

Lucas Hedges in "Manchester by the Sea"

Dev Patel in "Lion"

Michael Shannon in "Nocturnal Animals”

Actress in a Supporting Role: This is the category I am most ambivalent about.  My first instinct is to go with Octavia Spencer as she has one of those cool first names, but no one does drama better that Viola Davis.  However, I would like to see Naomie Harris win. 

Viola Davis in “Fences" The Projected Winner

Naomie Harris in "Moonlight"

Nicole Kidman in "Lion"

Octavia Spencer in "Hidden Figures"

Michelle Williams in "Manchester by the Sea”

Best Picture:  This one is a slam dunk, which makes me a little sad.  Hollywood never gets tired of honoring itself and this musical is a throwback to Hollywood glory days.  Way overhyped movie, but it has all the mojo.

"Arrival"

"Fences"

"Hacksaw Ridge"

"Hell or High Water"

"Hidden Figures"

"La La Land” The Projected Winner

"Lion"

"Manchester by the Sea"

“Moonlight"

Best Director: And everyone is raving about Damien Chazelle, the 31 yr old wünderkind.  My personal favorite would be Denis Villeneuve, just because he rocks, but Mel Gibson probably deserved it.  However, because of his being on the ‘outs’ with the Hollywood community, I doubt he has a chance (I’m amazed he was even nominated)

"Arrival" - Denis Villeneuve

"Hacksaw Ridge" - Mel Gibson

"La La Land" - Damien Chazelle  The Projected Winner

"Manchester by the Sea" - Kenneth Lonergan

"Moonlight" - Barry Jenkins

So, let’s see how I do…

John Wick: Chapter 2

       Before the first ‘John Wick’ came out, the buzz was that it was a generic B-action film that marked how far Keanu Reeves had fallen from his prime years as a movie star.  It turned out to be everything the critics expected, but one thing the critics didn’t expect was that it was so well done for its’ genre and delivered such unapologetic non-stop visceral action, that it became the sleeper hit of the season. At its’ core, it was the simplest and most basic shoot-em-up revenge film one could imagine, but the talented choreography and a grey and somber filming palette was mesmerizing to behold.  Of course, with such success, the studios demand a sequel and instead of running from its’ B-movie origins, ‘John Wick: Chapter 2’ raises the stakes even higher by fiercely embracing it.

Once again, John Wick (Keanu Reeves)is trying to find a way to stay in retirement from his assassin past.  Unfortunately, in the shadowy underworld of assassins, there are rules and obligations that must be honored.  When the mysterious Santino shows up one day and lays down a blood marker to John Wick which basically is calling in a past debt where the possessor can demand any favor he requires from the recipient, John Wick tries to say ‘No’, but the consequences in the society of assassins for not honoring a blood marker is catastrophic.  After realizing that he cannot escape his ‘obligations’, John Wick comes out of retirement with the intent of this being his last foray into the secret underworld.

The plot points of the movie in both the original and the sequel are not as interesting as the secret underworld that Director Chad Stahelski creates and explores.  It’s a secret world right under our noses that seems eerily familiar, yet gothic and cultish at the same time.  A world where assassins can escape their violent world for momentary respite in ‘hallowed’ spaces.  They are obliged to obey rigid laws of civility with dire repercussions should they violate even the smallest norm or charter.  Presiding over this assassin’s member’s only club is Winston (Ian McShane), a king like hotelier who runs his Barony with civility and culture, with the underlying sense of dread should he be crossed.  In a world of short life spans, Winston has a long history with John Wick.  Even though we feel that Winston is secretly on John’s side, we know that his first priority is neutrality and maintaining the sanctity of the underworld society he has helped create.

Much of the charm of the movie is seeing how this movie adepts what would normally be the rules and regulations of a Mason’s Society to this violent underworld of killers, but let’s face it, people are coming to see the non-stop mayhem and John Wick delivers.  I thought it couldn’t get more violent than the first but I was wrong.  The violence is video game style violence that makes one wince, but never crosses the threshold of believability.  Keanu is still believable as an action hero and his box office reputation remains intact.  If you go expecting no more than just a well choreographed action film, then you will have a great time.   Don’t try to seek out more than that.  

I give this film ** 1/2 stars

John Wick 2 Trailer

Split

           M Night Shyamalan has had a tumultuous ride in his Hollywood career.  The prolific and stylized Director shot out of the gate with the now classic ‘Sixth Sense’.  While he has made several worthy films since (most notably ‘Unbreakable’), his star power has fallen considerably with each box office disappointment.  In the last several years, he has taken on Hollywood big budget projects, such as ‘The Last Airbender’ and ‘After Earth’, whose disappointing critical and box office returns have made him all but unemployable at the major studios.  Like it or not, M Night was meant to be an Indie film maker and ‘Split’ marks his return to his passion for writing and directing his own projects.  I won’t say this is his greatest work, but it marks his return to form and provides a fantastic Film Noir experience so lacking in today’s cookie cutter cinema.  I have an issue with the marketing of this film as trailers and advertising seems to be going for the teenage slasher film market.  I would put this in the “psychological thriller” genre, with a performance by James McAvoy that was so good that I’m offended he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar.

The film starts with three teenage girls being kidnapped by a stranger named Dennis (James McAvoy).  Two of the girls are part of the popular crowd, but the third is a quiet outsider named Casey  played by Anya Taylor-Joy.  After being drugged, the three wake up in a dungeon like room confronted by their kidnapper, whom they soon discover suffers from multiple personality disorder.  “Dennis” has 23 distinct personalities and McAvoy gives what should have been recognized has an Oscar winning performance as he cycles seamless between his personalities.  The ability of a Scotsman like McAvoy to perfectly capture regional American accents is impressive which only leads to the horror of the  unpredictability of his character. The focus is on Casey, who reacts atypically to the kidnapping and she becomes the character the story explores the most through flashbacks that increasingly make more sense as the film unfolds.  Her strategy, if thats what it can be called, is acceptance of the kidnapping rather than the resistance demonstrated by the other two.  

On the other side of the film is the exploration of Dennis’ relationship with his psychiatrist  Dr Fletcher (played innocently and sympathetically by Betty Buckley).  She receives constant cries for help in her e-mail box, which Dennis always denies when they actually meet.  He plays it off as just feeling low and overwhelmed at the time.  Dennis has been Dr Fletcher’s case study of Multiple Personality Disorder and, while she is sympathetic, she definitely has a vested interest as she sees her patient as making or breaking her career.  She understands, despite Dennis’ protestations, that there is a war going on among Dennis’ personalities for who will become the dominant personality.

Like him or not, M Night is a master at cinematography.  While his dialogue is smart, he definitely takes his time with the story.  I find it an effective way to build tension, but I can see where some would be impatient with his pace.  The beauty of his ability to frame a scene is sometimes breath taking if one is into that sort of thing.  His strategic use of color to influence the mood of a scene and even in some cases to propel the story forward is a pleasure to observe. He utilizes the entire frame shot to make a statement that is sometimes more important than even the dialogue to move the story forward.  It’s as powerful as I’ve seen from him since ‘Unbreakable’

For those of you who like stories grounded in realism, M Night takes a departure in the third act to the fantastical as the tensions between the personalities build towards the culmination of a consolidation of all the personalities cryptically referred to as ‘The Beast’.  The race to discovery and escape against the arrival of ‘The Beast’ is excruciating.  This is where M Night shines as he doesn’t rely on action or CGI to build suspense.  

This film won’t make a lot of money at the box office, but it is a welcome return to form for M Night.  I can see smaller budget, targeted films being an effective niche for him. I welcome this type of film making as not every film has to knock the box office out of the park to be worthwhile.  Actually, I find the opposite as true art happens more often without Corporate interference than not.  M Night is gifted and I think his long term contribution to the cinematic art form is better suited in this format.  I will repeat my caution to Corporate marketing teams that I often have:  Do not market a film as a different genre than it really is.  You will disappoint audiences who come expecting something else.  ‘Split’ is several steps above the horror flick it is promoted as.  I feel the teen crowd would find this boring where as cinemaphiles, who would pass this over due to the trailers, would truly enjoy this.  As always, M Night gives us a trademark twist ending that will delight longtime fans of his.  I recommend this film to those who are nostalgic foe M Night’s return to his former mojo.

I give this film *** stars

Split trailer

Moonlight

I have many thoughts yet no easy way to review ‘Moonlight’.  It is a small underdog of a film that has been getting over the top reviews and a lot of Oscar buzz, which sometimes sets off red flags with me.  While I think that many of my fears were well founded in that this film, due to its’ story line, was being pushed and heralded too much to be great, I will say that it has stuck with me for days and I find myself examining it more and more.  

The film is divided into three parts in profiling the life of a young African American child named Chiron living in the Miami projects.  Pre-adolescence, mid-teen, and young adult periods are the time periods chosen as we follow this small, shy child struggling to make it in the world. He lives with his single crack addicted mother in slum housing. She loves him, but cannot get past her personal demons to be the parent he needs.  His only partial parental-like guidance is from the local drug dealer Juan (played by my rapidly-becoming-favorite Mahershala Ali).  Juan senses Chiron’s neglect and vulnerability and seeks to take him under his wing with the help of his girlfriend Teresa (played by a surprisingly low key, yet still beautiful Janelle Monáe).  Rarely being able to spend nights at home, given his mother’s promiscuity and addictions, Chiron finds sanctuary and guidance  in Teresa’s home from the bullies who sense that he is ‘different’.  Juan is anything but an angel, but Chiron’s innocence sparks his paternal instinct and Juan does the best he can in providing guidance given the circumstances. Chiron’s sole friend is his Cuban American classmate Kevin (Shariff Earp). Chiron struggles to fit in and is grateful for Kevin’s friendship and sometimes protection.  He struggles equally with trying to understand their closeness and his constant desire to be a part of his life.

With this backdrop, it seems that Chiron’s life is predetermined for failure.  He has no real guidance or role models as he begins to slowly understand his feelings of homosexuality.  In fact, he withdraws even more into himself as who he is would never be accepted in the world he lives in.  Writer/Director Barry Jenkins uses a minimalist approach with the story and dialogue and the three actors who play Chiron throughout his development hardly speak.  Jenkins uses lingering camera shots on Chiron’s face as he encounters his challenges in life.  While the actors are wonderfully expressive, Jenkins leaves it up to us to draw out whatever empathy or meaning we can.  There is little judgement or blatant advocacy, rather merely a portrait of personal awaking in an environment that does not welcome it.

I can’t recommend this film to everyone.  I especially don’t recommend it to people planning on waiting for it to come to video as the slow and deliberate pace does not lend itself to home viewing.  If you enjoy independent film making from promising young Writer/Directors, then this is your type of film. Don’t expect to leave with an earth shattering message or anything other than an appreciation of the effort it took to put this story on film.  I’m grateful to Barry Jenkins for giving us this portrait of a person’s life because, as I said, I can’t say I loved the film, but it has lingered with me for days afterwards and, to me, that is a sign of successful art.

I give this film ** 1/2 stars

Moonlight Trailer

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ is aptly named.  This is not a sequel or a prequel to the current Star Wars storyline, rather a supplement. It’s a film smaller in scale which, in some ways, gives it greater impact.  It tries to set itself apart from the main Star Wars universe by not adopting things such as the credits story line scroll or even the iconic Star Wars music by John Williams.  In all honesty, I did miss those iconic touches, but it in no way takes away from the integrity of the film.  In further honesty, I have to confess I was never the biggest Star Wars fan, even though I am well versed in the mythos and characters in the Star Wars universe.  While I find the movies fun, to me it was always special effects and fight scenes at the expense of story.  What spartan and basic story it does possess is powerful, but usually, the endless fight scenes failed to impress me.  Rogue One is no different in terms of action over story, but where this film did impress me is the quantum jump in the quality and beauty of the film.  The second trilogy never really impressed me in terms of their level of special effects over the original trilogy.  Rogue One is a visually rich film and the beauty of many of the planets and locales are breathtaking.

Most people remember the plot of the first Star Wars where the Evil Empire have developed a moon sized Deathstar to wipe out the Rebellion and completely conquer the galaxy.  Princess Lea of the Rebellion loads the plans to defeat the Deathstar into R2D2 and tasks the droid to transport the plans to the Rebellion after she is captured.  A comment was made in the film that many good men died to acquire these plans.  This is the basis of ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’:  How a group of brave men and woman infiltrate the Empire and steal the plans to save the universe.  The central character revolves around Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), the exiled daughter of the man most responsible for the creation of the Deathstar, Galen Erso (played by favorite Mad Milkkelson). After being traumatically separated from her parents, she is taken under the wing of extreme dissident Saw Gerrera (another favorite Forrest Whitaker).  When her true identity is discovered she is rescued by the Rebellion and she is teamed up with Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), this film's swashbuckling version of Hans Solo. She is assigned to a Rebel ship, code named Rogue One with the mission to retrieve the plans that contain the key to destroying the Deathstar.  Joining them is the delightful droid K-250, who is continually exacerbated with his human companions and a variety of other rag tag assemblings. Most notably is the blind Jedi Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen) who has some of the coolest scenes in the film

Director Gareth Edwards is able to find his own voice in the Star Wars universe while at the same time keeping the magic that Star Wars fans will love.   By focusing on a smaller story, we feel that we get a perspective of the Star Wars Universe that we never had before.  Of course, by the third act, non-stop blaster and saber fights commence.  Monotony and tedium would have set in for me, but the sheer beauty of the film and breathtaking scenery kept me engaged and enjoying the film.  I have to say this film deepens my appreciation for the universe created in Star Wars even if does not increase my love for it. This film is a worthy interlude to the Star Wars universe even as I look forward to getting back to the story line. Hats off with respect.

I give this film ** 1/2 stars

Rogue One Trailer

Arrival

        I’m going to warn in advance that there are some spoilers in this review as it is difficult to review without talking about the nature of the film which unfolds slowly throughout. To call this film  science fiction is to do it a disservice.  The science fiction is there to be sure, but it’s merely a vehicle to deliver a highly introspective and existential story as it profiles a woman’s life.  Denis Villeneuve delivers another great Director performance with visuals and story that are in no hurry to unfold and work in perfect harmony.  This won’t be a blockbuster and it probably won’t be noticed by the majority of movie going audiences, but if you are someone who enjoys impressive filmmaking then I highly recommend ‘Arrival’

The premise of the story is that twelve mysterious hemiglobe shaped spaceships arrive at random locations around the world.  Global panic ensues. Respective governments make contact with the alien creatures, but communication is impossible given the vast differences between the two creatures. The head of the U.S. government task force, Colonel Weber, (Forrest Whitaker) reaches out to Dr Louise Banks (Amy Adams), a top level linguist, in order to find some way to communicate with the aliens to determine their intentions. Along with a theoretical physicist, Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), a team enters the space ship to attempt to learn how the aliens communicate. This is where Villeneuve demonstrates his aptitude for science fiction in giving us hectopod shaped creatures who communicate through inky mists.  An angle that could go horribly wrong under a lesser Director, but Villeneuve is able to fill us with a sense of wonder as these two species attempt to communicate with each other.

So, with this science fiction backdrop, the story of Dr Louise Banks becomes the focus of the film.  Through visions that Louise seemingly randomly has, we see her life unfold before us.  Early on, we realize she has suffered through the death of a child and we feel her pain.  Her visions of her relationship with her daughter are both intimate and poetic.  In a non-linear fashion, we have the arc of Louise’s daughter’s life laid out before us from birth to deathbed and the emotions that Louise experiences at each point.  We feel her pains and joys as the film slowly unfolds and her life story starts to take focus albeit it in a mysterious fashion. This is the center of the film even as Ian and Louise begin to understand the nature of the alien language.  

I’ll stop there in describing the film as anything else would be giving away too much.  Instead I’ll focus on Villeneuve’s artistic vision.  This film is the antithesis to a film like ‘Independence Day’.  It’s an exploration… a quest and Villeneuve feels no obligation to get you anywhere in a hurry.  Instead he seeks to create visual poetry and prose on the screen in order to advance the story.  Part of the joy is getting there with him even if it doesn’t seem like a straight line.  He existentially explores our perception of life and linear perception of time in a way I’ve rarely seen outside of authors like Alan Moore or the vastly underrated film ‘Cloud Atlas’ by the Warkowskis.  Villeneuve explores our human limitation of perceiving time in a linear fashion and our capacity to one day rise above that.

If you go to this film expecting a science fiction story I feel you might be disappointed.  In fact, by the end of the film I felt that the alien arrival was one of the least important aspects of the story and the resolution of that story line was highly unsatisfying,  I find it hard to otherwise classify this film, so I’ll just call it a profile of one woman’s life.  In seeing the choices she made, we question ourselves and the choices in our life.  Looking back on your life, would you make the same choices you made?  Even the ones that caused you pain?  Or would you be able to appreciate the beauty of your life taken as a whole and appreciate the arc it took.  It’s rare to find a science fiction film that causes you very human introspection, but I’m glad I found this one.

Arrival trailer

Doctor Strange

          Many people believe that superheroes are their own genre.  While that may be true, I think it’s overly simplistic as under the overall ‘superhero’ umbrella, there are as many genres as one would find in all other movies.  We find everything from the comedy of a ‘Deadpool’ to the dark political thrillers of a ‘Captain America: Winter Soldier, to the fancifulness of Thor all under the title of a “superhero movie”.  Whatever your proclivities are, there is a superhero to fit them.  ‘Doctor Strange' is a foray into the world of magic and mysticism in the super hero world, which we have not yet truly seen in the Marvel onscreen offerings.  Fanboys have been wanting to see Doctor Strange come to life on the screen for a longtime (one doesn’t count the embarrassingly bad TV movie from 1978).  Marvel has once again proven it’s ability to make a crowd pleaser and ‘Doctor Strange’ is a welcome addition to the annals of the Marvel onscreen universe. In addition, Marvel demonstrates their ability to perfectly cast their roles and Benedict Cumberbatch is an inspired choice as he embodies the essence of Doctor Strange by the end of the movie.

I was a fickle fan of the Doctor Strange comics growing up.  Created in the psychedelic era of the 1960’s by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Doctor Strange was a mind bending psychedelic trip into other dimensions fueled by Steve Ditko’s LSD visions (that’s what artists did at the time).  At its’ worst, Doctor Strange was just weird (fitting given his name), but at its’ best, it was an exploration of other realities and thought provoking concepts.  While I was not a follower per se, some of the most moving and epiphany producing stories of my youth came from the pages of this comic book series.  That is what art is about and for that Steve Ditko has my utmost respect.

Marvel did a fantastic job transferring the pages to the screen.  Director Scott Derrickson pays homage to Ditko’s 60’s 

psychedelic visions in creating other dimensions and universes directly from Ditko’s storyboards as well as grabbing inspiration from more main stream artists, such as MC Escher, during some of the spectacular battle scenes.  Everything you’ve heard about the visual power of this movie is true and the film could be enjoyed on that merit alone.  However, what makes Marvel successful is that, despite the fanciful premises, their films are character driven and  inhabited by flawed human beings (mostly human).  Benedict Cumberbatch captures the arrogant Doctor Strange persona in much the way Robert Downey Jr did with Tony Stark: He is able to take an arrogant, narcissistic, and abrasive character and make them engaging and sympathetic.  No easy task and a credit to both the writing and the acting.  

The story is standard super hero fare which involves a tragedy, in this case the famed neurosurgeon Doctor Strange losing the use of his hands after a horrific car accident.  Given that his entire egotistical self image is tied to his greatness as a surgeon, he spends every last resource he has searching for a way to restore his hands.  A chance encounter leads him to Nepal in search of the mysterious ‘Ancient One’ (a politically controversial casting of Tilda Swinton, but she owns the role) in hopes of a non-traditional cure. Rescued from a Nepalese gutter by Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a skeptical Doctor Strange is introduced to a world beyond the comprehension of his scientifically trained mind.  Although, in the Marvel world, magic is just science that has not yet been discovered.  What follows is the standard teacher/pupil training montage for which I’m a complete sucker. 

While never fully explained why the Ancient One would choose such a narcissist as Strange into her order, it is apparent that she sees strength in him.  The film’s villain, Kaecilius (Mad Mikkelson) embodies Marvel’s weakness for having mediocre villains, but being the wonderful actor that he is, Mad is able to embody his character with the appropriate level of sinister.  Kaecilius has given himself to the Dark arts and worships a Dark Lord named Dormammu who promises eternal life.  If it sounds a little Star Warsy, just remember that Doctor Strange was created a full decade before Star Wars and George Lucas was a big comic book fan.  Rounding out the cast is a modernized version of Wong.  In the comic books, Wong was Doctor Strange’s faithful manservant, embodying all the Asian stereotypes one would imagine. In this version, Wong (coincidentally,  played by British actor named  Benedict Wong [hmm, two Benedict’s in the same cast])) is more of Strange’s guide and drill sergeant on his journey to mastering the mystic arts.

Despite all this, this film is a standard ‘origin’ movie which the critics predict everyone is getting tired of. I would disagree as the box office receipts prove.  There are untapped heroes and genres still out there and while sometimes it’s refreshing to see a hero just dropped into a film fully formed (eg: Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War), there is something inherently gratifying about seeing the creation of a hero.  ‘Doctor Strange’ deals with dark and mystical forces, but in the tradition of Marvel, never loses its’ fun and humor when needed.  I won’t say this is the best film Marvel has produced, but I am definitely glad it was made.  It expands the Marvel Universe to introduce us to other dimensions and multi-verses only briefly hinted at in films like Thor and Ant man. This is another fun time at the movies

I give this film *** 1/2 stars

Doctor Strange