F1 - And with that, I have now seen all the Best Picture nominees this year. I pretty much saved the "worst" for last. That's relatively speaking. F1 isn't a bad film at all. It gets the job done as a very simple and digestible popcorn flick. The F in the title should stand for "formulaic," because that's what the movie is. The story hits on so many damn familiar beats. It's no coincidence that the director behind this, Joseph Kosinski, also did Top Gun: Maverick. Similar main character. Brad Pitt is the Tom Cruise of this film. Whereas Top Gun 2 had a surprisingly emotional component, F1 is just a safe film. But it's also fun, and it sure got me invested in F1 racing. I didn't even know about the team aspect of it, I thought it was as simple as being in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place. Apparently, the movie utilizes a lot of VFX for the racing sequences. Some damn great VFX because I really couldn't spot it. The racing scenes are really cool. The characters are not very detailed, but the cast is very likable. Brad Pitt was the ideal actor for that old dog that still has some fight in him. One gripe with him, though, is his laughing. That was weirdly out of place. It was such a delight to see Kerry Condon and hear her speak in her natural voice. Oh my goodness, I was bummed that her role in Train Dreams was so short. Here, she has more to do, even though I don't like the obvious romance angle her character had to do. Damson Idris was a breakout star for me. I now want him as the next Black Panther. He was basically Glen Powell from Top Gun 2, but I think this guy has a bigger upside than Powell. He's charismatic, has the movie star good looks, and he's got rock-solid delivery. Javier Bardem was great as always. I especially liked his scenes with Brad Pitt. The two have some nice chemistry. Frankly, their chemistry was better than that between Pitt and Condon. I was able to manage the 2-hour and 35-minute runtime well, but it could've benefited from a shorter runtime. Maybe 2 hours and 10 minutes? I would cut maybe 1 or 2 races, there was a point where it got repetitive. The formulaic nature of the movie would also be deflating. On a technical level, the movie is very impressive. It's basically a takeout meal from a Chinese joint. It tastes great, but it doesn't last. Hours after watching it, I tried to recall a funny line, but I don't remember what it was! It's a movie that comes and goes, like an F1 car blazing down a racetrack. That said, it was a little better than I thought. 7.5/10
KPop Demon Hunters - I'm very late to the party with this film. I wanted to see the likely Best Animated Feature Oscar winner. Despite this being my first viewing, it turned out that I was a little familiar with the music in the movie. I recognized a few of the songs, indicating how much exposure the soundtrack has gotten. Of course, the biggest song from the movie, Golden, has been literally everywhere. I'm not a K-pop fan, and I'm not a big fan of musicals. Watching Cats reminded me of that. KPop Demon Hunters was a complete 180. Songs that factor in greatly to the story, lyrics that are solid and not dumb and obnoxious. Singing that's passionate and not an awkward mix of professionals and amateurs. Shit, the choreography in this animated movie is better than the monstrosity that was Cats. It's faster-paced than Cats. There's an actual fucking story! Characters you care about, a villain who isn't a total joke. There are morals, themes, it's a proper film that's nice for all ages. The animation is fantastic, the characters are memorable, the music is pretty infectious and entertaining, and it even boasts some cool action sequences. The voice cast did a fine job, a bunch of Korean actors fitting into their roles smoothly. I knew that Lee Byung-hun was the big bad Gwi Ma, but I didn't know he spoke that much English! Very cool, though, sadly, this is his Oscar-nominated film and not No Other Choice! Anyway, this movie is pretty fun. Shit, I liked it more than 3 of the 10 Best Picture nominees this year: F1, Frankenstein, and Train Dreams. Oh, and this cute and sometimes goofy animated movie had a better romance than F1! It's shorter than F1! It has better music! Yeah, better than the Hans Zimmer score for F1. That score was fine, but it's basically what you expect from Zimmer. The soundtrack also doesn't slap like K-pop Demon Hunters. F1 was a popcorn film. KPop Demon Hunters is visual and audio candy. I much prefer candy to popcorn. And it's entering the Criterion Collection! That's a stamp of quality. 8/10
Blue Moon - I'm done with the Best Picture 10, but I wanted to cram in a few more films nominated for Oscars this year. Blue Moon's 2 nominations were Best Original Screenplay and Best Lead Actor for Ethan Hawke. Those are the only nominations it could get. This movie is all about the screenplay and Ethan Hawke's performance. It's a chamber piece movie, only taking place in a bar. Ethan Hawke played Lorenz Hart, a lyricist and one-half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. The opening night of Oklahoma, the first play from Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, premieres, and you see Hart basically cope with that. That's at least how I viewed his nearly 100-minute-long run of chatting. Holy crap, this movie is very wordy, very "writery." It is all about talking. Who better than Ethan Hawke? I know this was a movie he and director Richard Linklater have been wanting to make for over a decade. They held off on it so that Hawke would be the right age. So those two basically prepared for this for many years. It shows on the screen, this movie is so sharp and damn near relentless. You really have to lock in because Hawke talks a lot. It's not fluff, you get a deeper insight into Lorenz Hart as he talks and can understand his personality based on how he interacts with people. There's so much info about the man in this movie, it feels like a biopic. It was a little easier for me to get into this movie, mainly because I love Ethan Hawke. I love watching him wax poetic. He's the kind of guy who would be entertaining just by reading the dictionary. Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke prove how strong their chemistry is in this film, they're very much in sync. The directing is seemingly simple, but it's so sharp as well. It keeps this chamber piece concept engaging. A weaker director would've made this repetitive and boring.
While Ethan Hawke carries the movie, some of the other actors did a damn fine job. Bobby Canavale was a dance partner for Ethan Hawke. Andrew Scott was pretty delightful. He played Richard Rodgers. So his few interactions with Hart are very enlightening. Margaret Qualley was also great. It was weird that the 47-year-old Hart was attracted to a 20-year-old girl, but I gradually believed that the attraction was more layered. Regardless, Qualley was able to keep up with Hawke in her few scenes. I don't really have many complaints about the movie, mainly because I think the movie is as good as it can be, given the deliberate creative decisions. Ethan Hawke could've won the Oscar in a different year. It's at least cool that he finally got nominated for a Best Lead Actor Oscar. He's someone who should've gotten many nominations. He's one of the greatest actors of his generation, and Blue Moon proves that. I should also shout out the makeup and hairstyling for Ethan Hawke, making him look like Lorenz Hart. They also did some camera trickery and stuff to make Hawke really short. Hart was 5'0. Sometimes I can tell how they tried to make Hawke shorter, which can be a little distracting. Anyway, I'll also shout out the music in the movie, it's lovely piano bar stuff. I think this is a movie that actors would love. A masterclass in acting using this movie can be done. 8/10
Cleopatra Jones - Before Black Belt Jones, there was Cleopatra Jones. This was a very fun Blaxploitation film that hits all the right notes for the genre. There's a colorful cast of characters, the acting is sometimes over the top and hilarious, the action sequences are sloppy but fun, and the protagonist is a badass. This isn't a movie to take seriously, it's very lighthearted. Drugs are involved, but when the main villain is a middle-aged white woman named "Mommy," then you know this isn't a movie to have intense conversations over. It was totally up my alley, and especially after watching many Oscar contenders, I needed to bathe in goofy genre nonsense. There are legitimately good things about the movie. The costume design is rather dazzling, which helps in selling the power of certain characters, especially the title character. Some of the stunt work is great! There's a car chase that goes on for a long time, but it steals the movie. Maybe it was too good for a movie like this. Some of the stunts were dangerous, and it's easy to imagine the risk because of how much of a low-budget production this was. The fight scenes were nowhere near the level of a Bruce Lee film at the time, but the effort is most appreciated. Tamara Dobson, who played Cleopatra Jones, embodied all the best characteristics of the film. Full of life, great presence, beautiful, physically daring with the fight scenes and stunt work, enjoyable acting performance, and just easily entertaining for me. Surprisingly, there were some familiar actors in the cast. Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas, Albert Popwell, and Bill McKinney. The latter two were in quite a few Clint Eastwood movies. Bill McKinney played a racist cop here, looking like a total goof. He also walked a little weirdly. Antonio Fargas was in a few Blaxploitation films, and one of his most memorable features is his face. His facial expressions are so ridiculous, accentuating the bottom lip at many points.
Shelley Winters played Mommy, and she was hilarious. One funny feature of Blaxploitation films is continuity errors. Mommy's hair is an example of that, as there are different shades of red depending on the scene. She also repeatedly makes a comment that points to her being a lesbian. Speaking of repetition, one of the henchmen of Antonio Fargas' character kept saying "That's right" in one scene. That had to be a comedy gag. I laughed from that, and now that will come to mind whenever I say "That's right." They kept cutting to the guy saying it, and he's in the same position, with the same delivery. Hell, it could be recycled footage, but it's still funny. Anyway, I like Black Belt Jones more, mainly because Jim Kelly was legit. With that said, there should've been a crossover with Cleopatra Jones and Black Belt Jones. Ah well. 8/10
Super Fly - A Blaxploitation double feature, and the films are very different! Cleopatra Jones was shot in Los Angeles, and Super Fly was shot in New York City. Super Fly came out first in 1972, and I think that's very telling because the movie's less refined than Cleopatra Jones. The filming is rougher, the look of the film is colder, rawer, and grittier. Dreary New York City and sunny Los Angeles. The protagonists are very different. Cleopatra Jones is more or less an altruistic hero, while Priest in Super Fly is a coke dealer who wants to turn a new leaf. Despite wanting to go straight, he's still a bit of a messy person. The editing is rougher in Super Fly, and the stunt work is not as dazzling. The acting is more consistent than in Cleopatra Jones, which isn't necessarily a great thing. In this case, it meant that Super Fly had fewer funnier people. But the occasional, unintentional comedy is hilarious. One of the funniest aspects is the lead guy himself. Ron O'Neal, who plays Priest, was a classically trained stage actor in New York. I think you can tell because he sticks out so much from the others. It's not just his light skin that makes him stick out. His hair sticks out, and surely that was an influence on Snoop Dogg. The fact that there are Super Fly sequels, the one the year after, directed by O'Neal, indicated that he loved playing Priest. I think that can be seen in this movie. It's that passion mixed with his relatively posh background that makes him a very intriguing character. And that's easily the best character in the movie. He carries the movie, though some of the supporting cast are entertaining and hilarious.
The director, Gordon Parks Jr, directed Three the Hard Way after this. That's much more like the fun Blaxploitation films, closer to Cleopatra Jones. And I like that more than Super Fly. This film's more serious nature sometimes doesn't make it very entertaining. The soundtrack is easily the best part of the movie. Curtis Mayfield made multiple bangers for this movie, and it paid off. The soundtrack sold more than the film! I recognized some of the songs, mainly from rappers sampling them, and other movies using them. The 1995 film Friday used some Mayfield songs from Super Fly. The music for the movie is so good that certain scenes that don't even have music stick out badly. Quite a few of those scenes appeared in the second half, making that not as strong as the first half of the movie. The climax was not very action-packed, but I laughed from it. That's enough for me to say the movie stuck the landing. I could also see how the movie influenced Black Dynamite. Some of the characters, the costume design, the music, and the presence of cocaine seem like examples. The cool thing about the Blaxploitation double feature is the music. Both movies have amazing funk and soul music. The only thing Super Fly has over Cleopatra Jones is the music. Oh yeah, there's a montage in the movie that is basically a slideshow of photos. That was so weird, I thought it indicated that they ran out of money. But then it seemed like it was deliberate, a collection of evidence, I guess. Cleopatra Jones had better villains, that's for sure. The "big" villains in Super Fly were not convincing, just corrupt white cops.
Overall, I enjoyed Super Fly. It wasn't as consistently entertaining as Cleopatra Jones, but it's another example of how fascinating the Blaxploitation era of the 70s was. Seemingly at the forefront of that movement was Warner Bros, which distributed both Super Fly and Cleopatra Jones. So WB used to be cool. 7.5/10
Sirat - If only I had watched this last year. The reactions I had while watching this film would've competed with my reactions to The Ugly Stepsister! But yeah, I had some of the biggest reactions so far this year because of this movie! If you haven't seen the movie, please don't watch the trailer. Don't look up the movie because you could risk being spoiled or given a particular impression of it. Just watch it. Don't concern yourself with the narrative. I read one lukewarm review that complained of the narrative. This is a movie where the narrative shouldn't be scrutinized like many films. This film is more about vibes, the experience, than a narrative. Being this open to Sirat paid off because the film was free to assault me with intense sounds, stunning visuals, and some of the most shocking scenes I've seen in a long time. The shock value did wear off a bit toward the end, but I kind of appreciated that because the film was just too much for me. The ending might not seem like a resolution of things, but it was so sobering and felt right. A necessary coming down after the tragic highs the movie took me. The casting in the movie is also cool and could've been an inspired nomination. Most of the cast are real-life ravers. The only recognizable name was Sergi Lopez, who was Vidal in Pan's Labyrinth. Unsurprisingly, he gives the best performance. While I say that, I don't suggest thinking so much about the acting. This is a unique film and should be judged for the overall experience, the emotions it evokes in you. It got intense emotions out of me, and I appreciate that. This is a viable top 10 film of the year for me, but it's just outside my personal top 10. Rewatchability is a little questionable since I'll know what will happen. It's a movie that might be best on a first viewing. Regardless, it's a great film. 8.5/10
The Voice of Hind Rajab - I feel kind of bad for giving the movie a rating, judging it as a film. The purpose of the film and what it achieves make it absolutely necessary to watch. The film does its best to honor the little girl, with realistic and compelling performances from the cast. Certain editing and camera shots made me feel a little disoriented, which I think was meant to make me relate to the characters. I think the film would be better overall if it were a short. But the movie is still very effective. I cried a bit at the end, but that's only because they showed real photos and video. That's more heartbreaking than the dramatization, as well done as it was. While the film is very specific, I think some aspects of the story could relate to other stories where emergency response is horribly delayed. There was one moment before the ending that made me jump a bit in my seat. That moment truly signified the end of Hind Rajab's story. It was overwhelming. Not only is the movie heartbreaking, but infuriating. I wanted to scream at the people to get the rescuers to Hind Rajab. 8/10
Song Sung Blue - This was the last Oscar nominated film I wanted to watch before the Oscars. Kate Hudon was the sole nominee, but she's easily the weakest in the field. Her performance is fine, but it's also very Oscar-bait-y. It doesn't help that the movie in general is very Oscar-bait-y and checks every box for a shmaltzy biopic. I liked the first half of the film. It was very cheesy, but I gradually got into it. The 2nd half was a sharp dramatic turn that's so damn predictable. It was such a pile-on too. Tragedy struck Kate Hudson's character, and on the same day, tragedy struck Hugh Jackman. Shortly after that, tragedy struck Kate Hudson's daughter! It was ridiculous, and it also felt like the movie could've ended just before the 2 hour mark, but they kept going. I might like it on a rewatch. I'm just very bothered by Kate Hudson taking a spot that belonged to many other actresses, such as Chase Infiniti from One Battle After Another. That said, she is kind of the best part of the movie. Hugh Jackman was fine, his enthusiasm made up for questionable acting choices. The singing is also good. Jim Belushi was such a cartoon character, but I let it slide. I let a few other things slide, but overall, it was a mediocre film. 5.5/10
