What Movie Did You Watch, Pt. 1: Starting Over

[eurocheese]

I think Randolph is excellent, but she's probably sweeping because McAdams' movie was too small, Cruz's movie came out too late and The Color Purple didn't have enough momentum to propel Danielle Brooks to the top. I'm absolutely biased though - The Holdovers was my favorite film of the year and I'd hand Randolph and Giamatti Oscars in a walk.

Best performance of the year: Sandra Huller in Anatomy of a Fall, and it's not close.

[NUguy514]

I watched Maestro last night so that you all don't have to.

You're welcome.

[misplaced validity]

(01-14-2024 08:41 AM)NUguy514 Wrote:  I watched Maestro last night so that you all don't have to.

You're welcome.

I've heard you learn a lot about Bradley Cooper from it, though I think I already know I fear.

[NUguy514]

(01-15-2024 01:54 AM)misplaced validity Wrote:  

(01-14-2024 08:41 AM)NUguy514 Wrote:  I watched Maestro last night so that you all don't have to.

You're welcome.

I've heard you learn a lot about Bradley Cooper from it, though I think I already know I fear.

Yeah, you learn nothing about Cooper you didn't already know.

[emmygrammyoscartony]

MAESTRO
LOL. All I can do at this point is just laugh. When the fuck is Bradley Cooper going to win a god damn Oscar for acting? On one hand, I am kind of glad that all of the boxes this checks as typical Oscar bait is not winning, but then again, he is just so damn good at it. Fuck! Also, there is absolutely NO comparison to Cooper's work here and Murphy's subpar work. I just can't. And as much as Cooper floored me (again!) with his acting, Carey fucking Mulligan comes in and (again!) proves why SHE is among the best of her generation and gives a performance for the ages. As much as I was impressed with Cooper, Mulligan FLOORED me. Her entire last act was truly mesmerizingly haunting. "An Education" showed us she was a star, and her films throughout the years up to "Promising Young Woman" showed that she was staying, and I feel like this performance will cement her as one of the greats of her generation. She is a fucking masterful actor, and I hope she gets in.

That is not to say this was a great movie. The writing was, by far, the weakest part of the movie. I understood that Felicia was his inspiration and muse, but I felt like there was so much of Bernstein that they could have really delved into but that the script stopped it just when it was about to happen. There were a few scenes that will be among my favorites of the year. ***MINOR SPOILERS*** Thanksgiving fight, conducting Mahler, and the doctor's office ***END SPOILERS*** The directing was beautiful, but the acting is what is the standout for this movie. A powerhouse in acting.

I think this will get in Actor, Cinematography, Makeup, and Sound. I actually think it has been losing a substantial amount of buzz and will miss out on Picture, Director, Actress, and Screenplay.

[NUguy514]

(01-16-2024 01:30 PM)emmygrammyoscartony Wrote:  When the fuck is Bradley Cooper going to win a god damn Oscar for acting?

If there is any justice in the world, Bradley Cooper will never win a competitive Oscar in any category, especially acting.

[emmygrammyoscartony]

I completely disagree. I think he is the greatest actor working today. I get why people do not like him and his style, but he has floored me three times with performances.

[Brad]

The Zone Of Interest - caught this last night and it’s one to mull over. There’s not a great deal of narrative here, it’s more of a fly on the wall experience watching this family existing in a home on the other side of the wall from Auschwitz, in a world where they are completely unbothered by the atrocities happening just feet away, with the sounds of screams and gunfire permeating every moment of their lives. It doesn’t tell you what to feel about it, but it certainly has parallels to now. It definitely sticks with you after you leave the theater. I can see why Hüller was in the conversation, but I don’t think it’s a huge snub that she’s not nominated for this. I think her work here simply bolstered her Anatomy nomination.

All Of Us Strangers - in a just world, this would have been more strongly in the conversation. I would have stood behind nominations for Scott, Mezcal, and Foy along with noms for Andrew Haigh for directing and screenplay (Bell is great too, but if MescalI is the clear supporting performance to have stood behind). Damn, this one was the punch in the gut I’ve been looking for all year. I think Haigh has a real knack for crafting dialogue between characters. That was something that I felt with both Weekend and 45 Years, and the same is true here. The conversations between Scott and the other three characters just conjures so much pure emotion but always feel genuine and relatable. I avoided reading too much about this one, so I really wasn’t prepared for the conclusion, but I’m pretty sure this is going to be my #1 film of the year.

[Brad]

Passages

I think I tackled all of the nominated films that interest me, so I’m now trying to poke around and hit some of the more obscure titles the Academy often misses. This felt like a good one to start with, but it’s a nope for me. It’s one of those movies where the entire narrative is built around one irritating and grating personality and every conflict is based on the other characters putting up with it. The acting is good, and it was nice to see Adéle Exarchopoulos in something again, but I just couldn’t drum up the interest to care where this went.

[ash]

(02-15-2024 10:16 PM)Brad Wrote:  Passages

I think I tackled all of the nominated films that interest me, so I’m now trying to poke around and hit some of the more obscure titles the Academy often misses. This felt like a good one to start with, but it’s a nope for me. It’s one of those movies where the entire narrative is built around one irritating and grating personality and every conflict is based on the other characters putting up with it. The acting is good, and it was nice to see Adéle Exarchopoulos in something again, but I just couldn’t drum up the interest to care where this went.

Oh no! I really liked Passages. I can definitely understand not wanting to spend much time with a film built around someone like Tomas. But I found it to be so interesting and such an accurate portrait of having to interact with a toxic narcissist. I wrote a very long post on Letterboxd about this film and narcissism and my experience with it.

In short, Tomas feels as if he can do whatever he wants to whomever he wishes, feels no remorse, comes crying back, and for reasons you can never explain but totally relate to if you have been in the orbit of a narcissist, you bring them back into your life. And if you don’t, no worries, they will just pedal away and find someone else they can manipulate for however long they can.

The film hit me really hard because I have dealt with more than my fair share of narcissists. And I’m talking real narcissists, not just selfish people. The level of toxicity of off the scale. This film reminded me that I made good decisions cutting these people out of my life. Otherwise they will just boomerang back around and make my life miserable.