The Official Review Thread of 2020

[anonymous1980]

THE MIDNIGHT SKY
Cast: George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Caoilinn Springall, Demian Bechir, Kyle Chandler, Tiffany Boone, Ethan Peck, Sophie Rundle.
Dir: George Clooney.

After a catastrophic global event, a scientist in a remote Arctic outpost must warn the last manned spaceflight to not return to Earth. I had high expectations from this film. It's got a great cast who do what they do best. It features some great visual effects and production design and a beautiful score from Alexandre Desplat. It has all the ingredients of a great movie...but unfortunately, it's not. It's kind of poorly paced. It's The film feels quite derivative of better films from Solaris all the way up to Gravity and The Martian. It tries for emotion and hope but the resolution feels empty. All in all, it's not a bad movie. It's a mediocre film that's dressed up like a great movie.

Oscar Prospects: Tech only. Visual Effects, Production Design, Original Score seem strong.

Grade: C+

[Sabin]

The three acts of Sound of Metal don’t feel connective enough. The first has the hook, a scuzzy, punk tale of a man who would sacrifice his hearing for his way of life. The second is an idyllic, plotless eden that shows Ruben acclimating to his new life but ultimately trading it for something else, possibly, tragically not worth it. The third... explains his girlfriend’s relationship with her mother? A strong enough achievement but there’s a more potent tale somewhere in there that remains unactivated.

Riz Ahmed’s perennial thousand yard stare does a lot of the heavy-lifting in the second act. Paul Raci is excellent as well, although the more I thought about it, the more I questioned his and the film’s paternalistic bend. He's the kind of guy who gets higher ground-y at someone for trying to fix his roof, as if he doesn't automatically know what to do with himself being a recovering heroin addict whose suddenly lost his hearing.

NOTE: this is a stupid review. I'm going to leave it up. It's connective. I just didn't think it was dramatized enough in an interesting way.

[anonymous1980]

JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Anika Noni Rose, Madalen Mills, Phylicia Rashad, Ricky Martin, Hugh Bonneville, Lisa Davina Philip.
Dir: David E. Talbert.

After ideas for his inventions got stolen by his bitter apprentice, a once famous toymaker's life goes into disrepair. Then 30 years later, he reconnects with his granddaughter. When I saw this on the Netflix lineup, I thought, "What is this?" then I find out it's actually getting good reviews so since it's Christmas, I decided to check it out. And it's...pretty good! It's basically a whimsical, charming old fashioned to an extent Christmas musical fantasy film but featuring people of color front and center. The film is derivative for sure but there are some good visuals and a lot of the songs are pretty good as well as the dance numbers. It's a little too long though. I think this will be some people's favorite childhood holiday film, I guarantee.

Oscar Prospects: I don't know if Netflix qualified this but Original Song is possible.

Grade: B.

[dws1982]

Driveways
Fairly conventional indie, not innovative or revolutionary in terms of narrative or visuals, and a lot of people will dismiss it because of that, but it's very much worth a look, and at 83 minutes, it's not a big time investment. It's essentially just a situation with very little plot--a young boy (Lucas Jaye) travels with his single mom (Hong Chau) to clean out the house of her deceased sister, and while he's there, he (and his mom to a lesser extent) develops a friendship with an elderly veteran (Brian Dennehy) who lives next door. You've seen similar Indies before, but the characters are all pretty well drawn; I really liked that the kid is not weird and doesn't gravitate to Dennehy's character because he's some kind of a social reject; he's just a quiet kid who doesn't know anyone nearby, and you even see as he stays in the town a little longer that he can make friends and find ways to fit in with other kids. Performance are all very solid--Lucas Jaye is a very natural, very un-affected child performer, Hong Chau is doing very quiet, very lived-in work that doesn't get recognized very often (although she did get an Indie Spirit nomination last award's cycle), and Dennehy is truly excellent. The performance definitely has added poignancy in the fact that he died just before its release (although true workhorse that he was, he had several other films in the can that haven't been released yet), but the film also hands him a monologue near the very end that he absolutely nails. Yes, a Supporting Actor nomination would probably have as much to do with sentiment as anything, but on the merits of the performance, it would be fully deserved.

[Sabin]

Straight Up written, directed, and starring James Sweeney is a real charmer. It's a romantic comedy in form (and a little more) between Todd, a 20-ish gay man with OCD with a host of anxieties (sexual and otherwise) leading him to believe he might be straight. He starts a relationship with Rory (Katie Findlay), a struggling actress who played for me like a response to Emma Stone in La La Land, with whom he instantly shares rapport, snappy banter (which feels more ingrained in this universe and purposeful than Juno), and occasionally more as he explores what he is looking for and why and she runs out the clock on dreams she clearly doesn't give a fuck about anymore. I don't know what James Sweeney will do next with his career but this is a fantastically assured, hilarious debut which couldn't have cost more than $100,000 or featured more than 20 locations that finds new, palatable ways to extol the virtues of non-conformity without being cringey. I could see some on this board finding it suffocating but for a brisk 95 minutes I really enjoyed how personal and nuanced this struggles were.

[anonymous1980]

FAREWELL AMOR
Cast: Ntare Mwine, Zainab Jah, Jayme Lawson, Nana Mensah, Marcus Scribner.
Dir: Ekwa Msangi.

An Angolan immigrant finally reunites with his wife and daughter in New York after being separated for seventeen years. They struggle to reconnect with one another as a family. This is the debut feature from writer-director Ekwa Msangi. It is a wonderful little drama that takes a glimpse into the lives one immigrant family as they adjust to their new lives both in the place where they live and with each other. This is a very lovely film that feels authentic and honest as well as eye-opening. It also features a lovely cast who give great performances. It's nice to see new voices give light to stories like this. I'm looking forward to seeing more from this filmmaker. This one is on MUBI. I recommend checking it out.

Oscar Prospects: It's very small so doubtful. Perhaps she could contend for a longshot Screenplay nod?

Grade: B+

THE LIFE AHEAD
Cast: Sophia Loren, Ibrahima Gueye, Renato Carpentieri, Abril Zamora, Babak Karimi, Massimiliano Rossi.
Dir: Edouardo Ponti.

An aging former prostitute and Holocaust survivor begrudgingly takes in an orphaned 12-year-old Senegalese Muslim boy. Of course, the two eventually bond. I just realized that this is the fourth film about an African immigrant in a Western country I've seen this year. They were all very different and unique in their approaches and angles on the subject matter. This one is probably the most "Hollywood" among them since the narrative is probably the most conventional and it's the one that will tug on your heartstrings the most. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But some might turn their nose up on it. It would be hard to turn your nose up on this because Sophia Loren is excellent, as always. She hasn't lost it despite not working much the past decade and she's aged gracefully. She's matched by Ibrahima Gueye, who's a natural through and through. Yeah, it's formulaic, old-fashioned and far from perfect but it's still a pretty good drama.

Oscar Prospects: Sophia Loren is a contender for Best Actress. It's also a contender for Best Song (Diane Warren co-wrote the end credit song).

Grade: B.

[mlrg]

MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM might be one of the worst directed films I have seen in recent times. Everything in this film is absolutely dreadful. It’s rushed, badly edited, no character arc and plain dull.

Chadwick Boseman’s performance is a masterclass of overacting, over expression and ham. Compared to this, Al Pacino’s Oscar is a subtle performance.

Terrible.

[anonymous1980]

MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM
Cast: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Jonny Coyne, Jeremy Shamos.
Dir: George C. Wolfe.

Based on the August Wilson play, this is about one of legendary blues legend Ma Rainey's recording sessions and tensions between her and between members of her band including a young trumpet player. Yes, the hype is real. Chadwick Boseman is truly outstanding in this role. I think he would've been in strong contention for an Oscar nomination even if he hadn't passed away and even if this was a regular, pandemic-free movie year. Viola Davis is similarly great, playing the type of role I don't think I've seen her play before. She's playing different notes here and she also knocks it out of the park. They're supported by an excellent ensemble with Colman Domingo as the standout. As for the film itself, there are times when it's clear it's based on a play yet director George C. Wolfe still manages to make it feel big and cinematic. I mean, it's not a perfect film but an excellently acted solid drama.

Oscar Prospects: Picture, Actor, Actress and Makeup & Hairstyling are givens. Strong chance for Production Design, Costume Design, Adapted Screenplay. I sure would like to see Colman Domingo sneak in for Supporting Actor.

Grade: B+

[Big Magilla]

SOUND OF METAL
Cast: Riz Amed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Mathieu Amalric.
Dir: Darius Marder.

I initially had trouble watching this when it first became available on Amazon Prime, but forced myself to sit through it after the Boston Film Critics awards.

Having had severe hearing loss problems due to infections in both ears four-five years ago and having to see an ENT doctor every three months since for various procedures, this was not something I was looking forward to, but having seen it, I recommend it to everyone.

I have a neighbor who had cochlear implants but refused to use them. Now I can understand why. The distorted sounds that they produce is not a fix as is made abundantly clear by what happens to Ahmed's character in this.

Ahmed is definitely a strong contender for Best Actor as the former musician learning to accept the profound changes in his life brought on by his hearing loss. Paul Raci as his tough love mentor is also award-worthy and could end winning more than just the Boston Film Critics award for Best Supporting Actor.

[anonymous1980]

I'M YOUR WOMAN
Cast: Rachel Brosnahan, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Arinze Kene, Frankie Faison, Bill Heck, James McMenamin, Marceline Hugot.
Dir: Julia Hart.

Set in the 1970's, a woman and her baby is forced to run after her criminal husband betrays his business partner. I don't know if this was the intention of co-writer-director Julia Hart but to me, this film answers the question: Whatever happens to the wife/girlfriend of that 1970's criminal anti-hero? We find out. Much like the 1970's, this is a slow burn thriller but somehow you're still gripped and you're just as in the dark as the protagonist as to what exactly is going on. It's mostly effective thanks to an excellent central performance from Rachel Brosnahan (not a trace of Mrs. Maisel!) It's not perfect but it is a very solid neo-noir thriller that puts a fresh spin on a well-worn genre.

Oscar Prospects: Rachel Brosnahan could've competed in a weaker year but even in this year, she will have a problem getting any traction.

Grade: B+

[anonymous1980]

THE PROM
Cast: Meryl Streep, James Corden, Jo Ellen Perlman, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells, Keegan-Michael Key, Ariana DeBose, Kerry Washington, Kevin Chamberlin, Mary Kay Place, Tracey Ullman.
Dir: Ryan Murphy.

This is the film adaptation of the Broadway musical about a group of Broadway celebrities looking for a good publicity after their latest show gets critically lambasted and decide to take up the cause of a teenage lesbian being prevented from attending the prom with her girlfriend. I haven't particularly liked anything by Ryan Murphy in a long, long while so I was wary of this. But now that I've seen it, I have to say I really, really friggin' enjoyed it. I absolutely love musicals and this is a well-done musical (I would describe as a good episode of Glee) with mostly good songs and well-staged and choreographed sequences. The performances are mostly great. Meryl Streep in particular seems to be having a genuine ball here and it's probably my favorite Streep performance in the past five or ten years. I also hope to see more of Jo Ellen Perlman and Ariana DeBose in the future. I didn't even mind James Corden that much even though he's the weak link. Is it a masterpiece? No. But it is a fun, joyous musical-comedy and we need more of those these days.

Oscar Prospects: This is more of a Globe contender than anything.

Grade: B+

[anonymous1980]

SOUND OF METAL
Cast: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff, Mathieu Amalric.
Dir: Darius Marder.

A drummer for a heavy metal band finds that he is losing his hearing and this totally turns his life upside down. As someone who experienced temporary hearing loss due to both of my ear canals getting irritated and swollen, I could definitely relate to the scenes where the lead character loses his hearing for the first time. The rest of the film is a marvel. It could have easily gone a maudlin route but it turns out to be a compelling and honest depiction of coping and adjusting your life. Riz Ahmed is outstanding. He easily gives one of the best performances of the year. He should be in the awards conversation. Also the inventive sound design which allows the audience to "hear" what he's "hearing" and experiencing enhances the drama. This is one of the best films of the year. Writer-director Darius Marder is a talent to watch out for.

Oscar Prospects: Should get nominations for Picture, Actor, Original Screenplay, Sound and Song.

Grade: A-

[dws1982]

Sound of Metal

Riz Ahmed as a Ruben, drummer and former addict who suddenly begins to lose his hearing. Immersive in portraying what the world might be like for someone in that situation, both in Ahmed's performance and in the sound design (which deserves all kinds of recognition), it's maybe a little less focused when it portrays how it might affect other people (for example, his girlfriend) in his life. Eventually, partially because he's worried about relapsing into drug use, Ruben joins a deaf community which includes a rehab facility run by a man named Joe (Paul Raci, excellent) whose philosophy is that deafness is something to be lived with, not a problem to be fixed, where he learns sign language, and generally how to live with deafness. It also deals with the cochlear implant controversy (as it exists in deaf communities) in an interesting way, although that may be better discovered in the film itself. Worth watching. If you're in the US at least, it's streaming on Prime.

[anonymous1980]

MANK
Cast: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Dance, Lilly Collins, Sam Troughton, Tom Pelphrey, Tom Burke, Arliss Howard, Joseph Cross, Tuppence Middleton, Ferdinand Kingsley, Bill Nye.
Dir: David Fincher.

This is the biopic of Hollywood screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and the struggles and trials he had to go through while co-writing Citizen Kane with Orson Welles. Coming into this film, I was fully expecting to love it, being a hardcore cinephile and a student of film. There's actually lots to love and admire here. The black & white cinematography is absolutely breathtaking. The design elements are beautiful. The performances are flawless: Gary Oldman is at his best here, while Amanda Seyfried is simply divine as Marion Davies. The rest of the supporting cast is great but I thought Arliss Howard as Louis B. Mayer is another awards-worthy standout. The score is outstanding. You can see the scope and ambition of this film pouring through every frame. But, alas, for me, something is missing. That something that would put it over the top so I can love unequivocally and call it a masterpiece. Perhaps I'll warm up to it in a few days or a second viewing but I may not. I really liked this film a lot. I admire it greatly. But I didn't completely love it and that's its biggest flaw and disappointment. Still, a beautifully made drama though.

Oscar Prospects: Should get in Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Actor, Costume Design, Sound, Makeup & Hairstyling. Win worthy for Supporting Actress, Production Design, Cinematography and Score. I think Arliss Howard is a worthy Supporting Actor contender but he's a longshot.

Grade: B+

[Sabin]

anonymous1980 wrote
Ron Howard is definitely not a good fit for this material which maybe could have been served better by filmmakers more suited to it (Someone brought up Debra Granik and Sean Baker).

I think I heard Alonso Duralde say this...

Let's just bite the bullet. It should've been Clint Eastwood. Even though it would've played like the scenes featuring Hillary Swank's family in Million Dollar Baby stretched out to full-length, for better or worse it would've been the right choice. Hillbilly Elegy is a Clint Eastwood movie that just doesn't know it yet.

No, I haven't seen it. Yes, I likely will.