It is appropriate that the protagonist of Mexico's Oscar entry, I'm No Longer Here, is named Ulises. Played admirably by Juan Daniel Garcia Trevino, the stoic lead of the story serves as a modern day Odysseus (Ulysses being the Latinized equivalent), on a solo journey to find himself a home thanks to a momentary lapse … Continue reading Follow My Feet – I’m No Longer Here
Every once in a while you come across a completely shameless tearjerker and are actually happy for the maudlin treacle. This is the case with Naomi Kawase's True Mothers, the official Oscar entry from Japan. Over the course of a deliberately paced two and a half hours, the film makes no illusions and no apologies … Continue reading Are You My Mommy? – True Mothers
There's a loving grace with which Italian filmmaker Filippo Meneghetti directs France's Oscar submission, Two of Us (Deux). While the underlying conflict is a tad bit contrived and could easily be solved with an honest conversation with all involved, he creates a grand metaphor for the personal and interpersonal doubt that the two leads feel … Continue reading Loving a Lie – Two of Us
Since the Golden Globe nominations came out today, it's only appropriate that I begin this review by invoking Ricky Gervais. In 2006, Gervais appeared in an episode of The Simpsons in which he is also the credited writer, the first time a guest star ever got the honors. One of the most famous lines of … Continue reading Slow Ride, A REALLY Slow Ride – No. 7 Cherry Lane
Directed by Stephanie Chuat and Veronique Reymond, My Little Sister, Switzerland's entry for the Academy Awards, works with a lot of familiar themes and family melodrama. At times it hints at something poignant, but on the whole it comes up short because of a reactionary lead that can't catch a break. The titular "little sister" … Continue reading Can’t You Find Another Way? – My Little Sister
There are 93 countries and territories that submitted a film for this year's International Feature category. That's a new record, beating last year's record, thanks to three new entrants, including Sudan, which officially throws its proverbial hat into the ring with You Will Die at Twenty, which if nothing else would be the runner-up for … Continue reading Come On, Live a Little – You Will Die at Twenty
Movies about World War I are about as old as cinema itself. In fact, two of the first three films to win the Academy Award for Best Picture used it as a backdrop. It's a conflict that has given us hundreds, if not thousands, of good stories over the years. Hell, just last year 1917 … Continue reading The War at Home – Blizzard of Souls
In 2016, Spotlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture. A captivating look at the sheer grinding work of investigative journalism, the film was rightly lauded for its procedural pace and the almost documentary-style approach taken as the Boston Globe uncovered one of the most pervasive and shocking scandals in modern history. Five years later, … Continue reading Spotlight on Romania – Collective
It's an odd quirk of mine. I love a film with a long title, especially when it's done tongue-in-cheek. It shows that the movie doesn't take itself too seriously, even when dealing with heavy themes or when it's reaching for some prestige. Think Dr. Strangelove; or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the … Continue reading Long Title, Short Substance – Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time
Four years ago, Gianfranco Rosi's documentary, Fire at Sea, was submitted by Italy to compete for what is now called International Feature at the Academy Awards. It didn't get nominated in that category, but it did get a nod for Documentary Feature. History seems to be possibly repeating itself now with his follow-up feature, Notturno … Continue reading Nearly Silent Night – Notturno
I Actually Paid To See This 