Little Women

Little Women (Greta Gerwig, 2019)

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Rating: Q=7, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Based on novel, Coming of Age, Classic, Civil War era, Feminism

I was eager to watch this film since the 1994 Little Women version played a big role in my childhood. I never fully identified with one particular character, but really loved them all for their uniqueness. In this early version Christian Bale and Gabriel Byrne were both dream loves...and Winona Ryder's fierce, independent portrayal of Jo March was magnificent, to me. So, I had high hopes for Greta Gerwig's version of the beloved story.

Well, she definitely delivered. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked the way she organized the plot, but it grew on me and eventually I found it fit well. And all the actors were superb, especially Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet. It was a new take on the classic and one I think is perfect for our time.

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1917

1917 (Sam Mendes, 2019)

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Rating: Q=8, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=2

WWI, Drama, Action, Psychological

What a feat, Sam Mendes. This film blew me a way--the story, the setting, and especially the intricate artistry and camera work. The way one long shot (seemingly) makes the viewer feel is incredible. And for me it was frightening. It has the effect of making you feel truly immersed in the action and, in this case, that is the war. When the characters are in the trenches, we are in the trenches. When they are walking or swimming over dead bodies, we are too. The point-of-view shots are so much more intense, the silence is that much more devastating. This film and its story and its characters don't get a break. We go with them on their journey and it is all adrenaline and panic and courage. One of the best war films I've seen.

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Judy

Judy (Rupert Goold, 2019)

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Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Biopic, Judy Garland, Music, 1969, Complex relationships

I have always loved Judy Garland, in fact she was probably one of the first female singers I heard as a young child. Her charm and joyful presence is infectious and her voice was simply larger than life. This story of her final months is revealing and tragic. It shows how her life as a child star in the 1940s led to eating disorders, drug addiction, insomnia, many broken marriages, and depression. Renee Zellweger does a truly impressive job portraying her and singing, too. She so desperately wanted happiness and never failed to stop reaching and dreaming for it.

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Ford v Ferrari

Ford v Ferrari (James Mangold, 2019)

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Rating: Q=7, P=5 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

1966, Car Racing, Le Mans, Complex Relationships, Drama

 This was a total surprise to me and I was even more surprised in how much I enjoyed the story. Car racing? Me? But this film is so much more than a story about Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles and the 1966 Le Mans. It's a story about competition, taking risks, following a dream, doing the so-called impossible, and living every moment to the fullest. It's also a story about the complexity of friendship. Matt Damon and Christian Bale are great together. A very feel-good film.

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Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino, 2019)

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Rating: Q=7, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

1969, Hollywood, Biopic, Nostalgia, Crime

Tarantino has done it again--created a modern day fairy-tale and rewriting of history. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is brimming with energy, color, nostalgia, and an anxious, restless vibe that is both intriguing and worrying. Much of the story feels like an homage or memoir reminiscent of George Lucas's American Graffiti and Woody Allen's Radio Days, both films that I adore. All three films have a radio soundtrack that acts a powerful narrator. All three are slow-paced and deliberate, caring about the details and little moments as much as the main story. And, in a way, Tarantino's film is also a kind of coming of age--it's a film about the end of an era, the end of two men's careers, the start of a very different world. So much meaning, so much going on. And of course, there is some serious darkness and insane moments that make you feel awful and relieved at the same time. How does he do it?

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Jojo Rabbit

Jojo Rabbit (Taika Waititi, 2019)

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Rating: Q=6, P=7 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3

Dark Comedy, Satire, WWII, Drama, Coming of Age

What a strange and compelling film from Taika Waititi--one of my new favorite directors. I was enamored by how a story about a little boy who is a Nazi/Hitler fanatic and who's mother hides a Jewish girl in their attic could somehow be light-hearted and funny. Don't get me wrong, there are moments here that are gut-wrenching and juxtapositions that are truly dark and morbid. But this story sucks you in and makes you think in ways most war films haven't before. And that Waititi chose to make this film today offers another interesting lens. Great film.

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Parasite

Parasite (Bong Joon Ho, 2019)

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Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3

Drama, Dark Comedy, Social Realism, Thriller

I don't know where to start with this film. Bong Joon Ho has made a masterpiece that is so compelling and so unlike anything I've seen before. He takes elements of many genres to create a movie that is entirely one of a kind. There were moments that made me laugh and cringe at the same time. I found myself holding my breath and tensing my legs, too. Parasite shows all the bad in human beings--the awkward, gruesome, and greedy. The entitled, rude, and offensive. Every line and scene is entirely realistic, despite being completely goofy.

This film is important commentary of the out-of-control, capitalistic society we live in. The film shows us how serious the income inequality and class divisions truly are and what it does to the psyche. For a while, we relish seeing the system overturned--it's fun to lie and cheat and steal from those who are lucky to be fortunate enough not to live in a semi-basement apartment that is flooded with sewage every time it rains heavily. It's fun and feels right because no one chooses to be poor. But soon it isn't fun anymore. We see our faults and are reminded (sometimes subtly, sometimes by force) of the bigger picture. Just like the father says, plans never work out.

Go see this film. It is marvelous.

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Joker

Joker (Todd Phillips, 2019)

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Rating: Q=8, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=2

Crime, Drama, Thriller, Psychological, DC Universe

Oh, the depths of the human mind and experience that we are taken to...what a haunting performance from Joaquin Phoenix. To me, this film is about mental health and class struggle. Yes, it is a DC villian's origin story, but it is so much more than that. Joker is mesmerizing and beautifully eerie in so many ways. The cello music mirrors Fleck's descent into madness and chaos, a place that for years he was not allowed to go to because he was "crazy." He's been abused, discarded, lied to, locked up, dismissed, not listened to. His life and the world he inhabits are so full of resentment and anger that just keeps building up. When he breaks, the world breaks, too. This is the best DC film I've seen. Truly disturbing but so poignant. 

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Oscar Dash 2020: The Results

Another wonderful year of film-making! And what a historic Oscars--the first time an international film not in the English language has won Best Picture. So thrilling! Best Picture goes to Parasite!

Click here to view all the winners.

I still plan to watch all the films I haven't yet in the next months. So stay tuned for my reviews!

Oscar Dash 2020

Well, I'm a bit behind since the Oscar nominations were announced back on January 13...but better late then never!

Unfortunately, I haven't seen any of the nominations for Oscars 2020 but I am very excited to watch them all. I had meant to see most of them and still plan to by the end of the year. Don't forget to watch the big celebration on February 9--much earlier than most years. Here are the nominees for best picture:

Ford v Ferrari


The Irishman


Jojo Rabbit


Joker


Little Women


Marriage Story


1917


Once Upon A Time In Hollywood


Parasite


Click here to see pictures and all the other nominations!