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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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 Posted: 01/24/23 9:02 pm ::: Oscars |
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Let's look at the Best Picture nominees!
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
A classic tale remade as German apologia. Director Edward Berger cuts the early scenes from the book with the teachers goading their students into joining the military students with ridiculous patriotic drivel in favor of scenes of German officials negotiating for peace with obstinate Frenchmen. It's a transparent attempt to show there were "good" Germans.
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
Visually impressive nonsense. This movie looks incredible. It's worth seeing on the big screen in a way many films aren't. The plot is muddled, with cartoonish villains that have wafer thin motivation (if that) for their actions. I like big empty spectacle films, but I wouldn't name one as best picture.
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
A farce that reminded me of classic Laurel & Hardy, with a little body horror. Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell have great chemistry and there are a lot of laughs in this film. There's also real heartbreak and pain in the dissolution of their friendship. A strange and wonderful movie.
ELVIS
Baz Luhrmann can't keep up the first act energy and Tom Hanks is woefully miscast as Colonel Tom Parker, undermining a star making turn from Austin Butler. The idea of telling this story from Parker's POV doesn't work and causes the film to bog down in the second half.
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
The highest of high concept films, flawlessly executed. This would get my vote for Best Picture. It will probably go over the heads of the academy's elderly membership.
THE FABELMANS
This must have been grown in a lab of Oscar bait. It's a movie about a boomer kid who makes movies. At one point uncle Boris tells Sammy people who know they have talent have an obligation not to waste it. Making a film like this is a waste of Spielberg's enormous talents. It's not bad, but many directors could (and have) made a film like it.
TÁR
A star vehicle for Cate Blanchett. The title character is selfish, abusive, exploitative, and somewhat reactionary but is sympathetic nonetheless. Clanchett makes Lydia a fully rounded character with enormous talent and drive but also flaws and blind spots that make it difficult for the viewer to cast her in a simple good/evil dynamic.
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
I didn't care for the original Top Gun. Gung-ho pro-military jingoist claptrap is not for me. This sequel is cut from the same cloth. As such I didn't like it much either. If you liked the original, you'll probably love this.
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS
What in the world do people see in this? The first act isn't bad, although the characters are so detached from reality it's hard to identify with them. Once they board the yacht it all goes downhill, with a whole batch of bad sitcom characters used as the butt of obvious, unfunny jokes.
WOMEN TALKING
Movies, they say, should show and not tell. This film never heard that saying, as it is almost all talk. It's an improvement on the book in that the one man present, who is "taking the minutes" since none of the women can read or write, is marginalized in favor of the titular women talking. The ending has the same issues as the book's however, the conclusion leans too far towards the intellectual over the emotional.
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PUmatty
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 16151
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: 01/25/23 10:44 am ::: Re: Oscars |
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| pilight wrote: |
Let's look at the Best Picture nominees!
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
A classic tale remade as German apologia. Director Edward Berger cuts the early scenes from the book with the teachers goading their students into joining the military students with ridiculous patriotic drivel in favor of scenes of German officials negotiating for peace with obstinate Frenchmen. It's a transparent attempt to show there were "good" Germans.
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
Visually impressive nonsense. This movie looks incredible. It's worth seeing on the big screen in a way many films aren't. The plot is muddled, with cartoonish villains that have wafer thin motivation (if that) for their actions. I like big empty spectacle films, but I wouldn't name one as best picture.
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
A farce that reminded me of classic Laurel & Hardy, with a little body horror. Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell have great chemistry and there are a lot of laughs in this film. There's also real heartbreak and pain in the dissolution of their friendship. A strange and wonderful movie.
ELVIS
Baz Luhrmann can't keep up the first act energy and Tom Hanks is woefully miscast as Colonel Tom Parker, undermining a star making turn from Austin Butler. The idea of telling this story from Parker's POV doesn't work and causes the film to bog down in the second half.
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
The highest of high concept films, flawlessly executed. This would get my vote for Best Picture. It will probably go over the heads of the academy's elderly membership.
THE FABELMANS
This must have been grown in a lab of Oscar bait. It's a movie about a boomer kid who makes movies. At one point uncle Boris tells Sammy people who know they have talent have an obligation not to waste it. Making a film like this is a waste of Spielberg's enormous talents. It's not bad, but many directors could (and have) made a film like it.
TÁR
A star vehicle for Cate Blanchett. The title character is selfish, abusive, exploitative, and somewhat reactionary but is sympathetic nonetheless. Clanchett makes Lydia a fully rounded character with enormous talent and drive but also flaws and blind spots that make it difficult for the viewer to cast her in a simple good/evil dynamic.
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
I didn't care for the original Top Gun. Gung-ho pro-military jingoist claptrap is not for me. This sequel is cut from the same cloth. As such I didn't like it much either. If you liked the original, you'll probably love this.
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS
What in the world do people see in this? The first act isn't bad, although the characters are so detached from reality it's hard to identify with them. Once they board the yacht it all goes downhill, with a whole batch of bad sitcom characters used as the butt of obvious, unfunny jokes.
WOMEN TALKING
Movies, they say, should show and not tell. This film never heard that saying, as it is almost all talk. It's an improvement on the book in that the one man present, who is "taking the minutes" since none of the women can read or write, is marginalized in favor of the titular women talking. The ending has the same issues as the book's however, the conclusion leans too far towards the intellectual over the emotional. |
I have only seen EEAAO, and absolutely loved it. Hoping it wins, not only here, but in at least a couple of acting categories as well (Quan, Yeoh, even Hsu would be great winners).
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Hawkeye
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 726
Location: Houston, TX
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| Posted: 01/25/23 5:17 pm ::: |
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| The new Avatar film just reeks of being Vietnam--much like the first one was Manifest Destiny and Pocahontas. The new one was decent, and could win for other categories, but Best Picture it is not.
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Luuuc
#NATC
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
Posts: 21646
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| Posted: 01/25/23 6:43 pm ::: |
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I've only seen 3.
AQOTWF & EEAAO both get my tick of approval. I'm rooting for the latter - it was a lot of fun.
TG:M was pretty bad, which I knew going in. I chose to christen my new TV with it, and the visuals & audio delivered. No idea what it's doing in the list of finalists though.
Still planning to catch Elvis & Inisherin some time soon.
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pilight
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) it's odd that Top Gun: Maverick made the list.