The Official Review Thread of 2021

[danfrank]

Just watched Summer of Soul after seeing it lauded so much at year’s end. Once I found out what this documentary was about—long-buried footage from the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969—I knew I had to see it. It does not disappoint. In fact I was in heaven watching it. You may get less mileage if you’re not a particular fan of black music from this era. The concert footage is nicely integrated with commentary and other footage of what was going on in Harlem—and the Black community at large—at the time, both politically and culturally. The main attraction though is this incredible concert footage in which all these performers clearly feel they’re participating in something special. There’s also great footage of the crowd and its reactions, as well as great new material in which some of the performers view this footage for the first time in over 50 years. I could watch this over and over.

[flipp525]

Juliette Binoche is quite interesting right now as the documentary editor of the original “The Staircase” documentary in HBO Max’s The Staircase. It’s nice to see her again.

[Okri]

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy asks "Would you like Certified Copy as much if Juliette Binoche wasn't giving one of her best performances?"

No, no I wouldn't. But I have to admit it still works. Or the last two stories do (it's a triptych). The first is a bit of a whiff for me, but I was surprised at just how taken I was with the last one (the simplest but most purely affecting of the three).

[Sabin]

Big Magilla wrote
Cambridge dictionary definition:

Someone's autumn years are the later years of their life, especially after they have stopped working.

Thank you for the correction. I have DEFINITELY not stopped working. I've never worked more. I was simply trying to find humor in my age, which clearly landed on target.

Go see Memoria.

[Big Magilla]

Cambridge dictionary definition:

Someone's autumn years are the later years of their life, especially after they have stopped working.

[Sabin]

Greg wrote
I meant that as a joke about you referring to entering your autumn years, which is often interpreted to mean retirement.

I just thought it meant old age.

[Greg]

Greg wrote
Does this mean you've saved up enough money to retire at 40?

Has anybody? I mean... I guess some people have, although "save" isn't quite the word I'd use for it.

I meant that as a joke about you referring to entering your autumn years, which is often interpreted to mean retirement.

[Sabin]

Greg wrote
What about people who have a big-screen-high-definition TV with a state-of-the-art-sound system at home?

So, Neon has said that they have no plans for home video release because they consider it such a theatrical experience. Even if that weren't the case, I'd be pretty comfortable putting Memoria on a list of films that probably should be seen in the theater. It is entirely possible you will not enjoy this film but if you do, the theatrical experience will be intertwined with it.

Greg wrote
Does this mean you've saved up enough money to retire at 40?

Has anybody? I mean... I guess some people have, although "save" isn't quite the word I'd use for it.

[Big Magilla]

I haven't seen Dune in a theater, but I did see it at home on HBO Max and later on 4K UHD.

Projected on TV, the picture was fine but the sound was merely OK. On the disc, however, both were enhanced. The Dolby Atmos sound was a marked improvement over whatever HBO Max was using.

[Greg]

We had a little bit of a home theater vs. big screen debate last year re: Dune. It's my understanding that currently there is no plan to make Memoria available for home theater in the future, but even if it were, for the love of God, see Memoria in the theater.

What about people who have a big-screen-high-definition TV with a state-of-the-art-sound system at home?

Am I becoming more calcified in my autumn years?

Does this mean you've saved up enough money to retire at 40?

[Sabin]

We had a little bit of a home theater vs. big screen debate last year re: Dune. It's my understanding that currently there is no plan to make Memoria available for home theater in the future, but even if it were, for the love of God, see Memoria in the theater. Beyond featuring Apichatpong Weerasethakul's art installation style of filmmaking, the use of sound is such a major component of the experience. It's about a middle-aged woman who experiences a loud sound that jolts her from sleep unlike anything she has experienced before. She goes on a journey to re-experience and understand this sound, all the while the world around her becomes a bit... odd. I won't reveal anything of these disturbances bumps along the way, but it wouldn't be incorrect to compare this film to an episode of The X-Files. What begins as a journey about the origin of a mysterious sound becomes a bit more vast, layering in the presence of the scientific, the ancestral, and the spiritual. The latter of which is Apichatpong Weerasethakul's prime directive, a story of civilization that has strayed off course... although, that's not quite where it goes. It's about the unknowable.

I didn't quite have the same religious experience had by some, but it certainly approached something resembling the awe experienced by others and I sat rapt during the second half. I should also say that I didn't quite have the ending ruined for me but it was half-spoiled, which is a real shame, so I can't trust my reaction entirely. I didn't quite love Memoria and have the same religious experience had by others, but I'm also just not sure Apichatpong Weerasethakul is quite my jam. I can appreciate how when I watch his films I can feel myself taking them in differently than pretty much any other filmmaker alive, but there tends to be a ceiling. To be honest, I wonder how much of that is my attention span. It's certainly changed over the years, as has my relationship with films. I'm finding myself less and less taken by films that don't quite hit a few boxes that I prioritize above all others. Am I becoming more calcified in my autumn years?

Anyway, whether it's your thing or not, it deserves to be seen.

[Sonic Youth]

Sonic are you busy at work that you have no time to watch movies?

Mostly because of the birth of our daughter. I've been the primary caretaker for much of her life. Also, we've moved several times over the years, and it's difficult to follow the Oscar season when life is so disruptive. And I just don't have the ability to sit still and concentrate for a two hour movie like I used to. I've been listening to lots and lots of music instead. Music has been a greater passion for me, and it continues while film has faded a bit. But I still love coming here and reading what everyone has to say.

[Reza]

Sonic are you busy at work that you have no time to watch movies?

[Sonic Youth]

For the record I saw 8 films this year, which nowadays is a lot for me:
Don't Look Up
Drive My Car
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Flee
Luca
The Power of the Dog
Summer of Soul
tick, tick... BOOM!

I also watched 15 minutes of Being the Ricardos, which was more than enough. I just started watching The Hand of God this morning, but had to cut it off after a few minutes. Hopefully I can see it before the Oscars tonight, but that's looking unlikely.

Not everything I watched was a brilliant work of art, but I found something to enjoy in every film, even "Don't Look Up" which everybody I know (including my wife) hates. Sue me, I liked it. Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield were revelations this year.... just not in the same film. But my favortites were the two documentaries "Summer of Soul" and "Flee" (even though the latter stretches my personal definition of the category "documentary").

Finally, tick, tick... BOOM! turned out to be one of the most poignant movie-watching experiences of my life. I was watching with my family the day after Thanksgiving. During the closing credits - the movie hadn't even finished yet - as we were chatting about the movie, the news broke on my phone that Stephen Sondheim had died. We were all devastated.

[anonymous1980]

Last two films before I close the book, so to speak, on 2021:

ZOLA
Cast: Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Colman Domingo, Nicholas Braun, Ari'el Stachel, Jason Mitchell.
Dir: Janicza Bravo.

This is a film that's based on a viral Twitter thread (and to be fair, also based on an article). A waitress/stripper is befriended by another stripper and is talked into a gig that could earn them more money...which turns out to be a prostitution operation. The best way I can describe this is Spring Breakers with more of a plot. It's a wild and crazy ride...sometimes too wild and crazy for my personal taste. It's a film I admire for its style and audacity but it's not something I would be going wild over or be part of its eventual cult classic status. The performances are good and co-writer and director Janicza Bravo is a talented filmmaker and I'd love to see more of her works.

Grade: B.

THE LAST DUEL
Cast: Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Ben Affleck, Harriett Walter, Martin Csokas, Željko Ivanek, Alex Lawther.
Dir: Ridley Scott.

This is the true story of the last legally sanctioned duel in France between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris when the former's wife, Marguerite, accuses the latter of rape. The film is told through chapters from the points of view of the three main characters a la Rashomon. Ridley Scott released two films in 2021. This is the better one. It actually uses this story to explore some interesting ideas that's relevant today like the #MeToo movement, how women and rape victims are treated, etc. It was a stroke of genius to bring in Nicole Holofcener to co-write the woman's perspective. It gives the film its heft. The performances are quite excellent especially Jodie Comer. As with Ridley Scott, this is gorgeously mounted production the titular duel delivers on the action. It's too bad this bombed. It's a solid picture.

Grade: B+