Friday, February 22, 2019

If We Picked the Oscars 2018



Borrowing a page from Siskel and Ebert from back in the day, we here at Movie Dearest are once again presenting our own version of "If We Picked the Oscars"! These aren't predictions, but what movies, actors, directors, et al that we would vote for if we were members of the Academy. We also chime in with our picks for the "egregiously overlooked" non-nominees in each category as well as what we deem are the "Worst Nominations of the Year".


So without further ado, the envelope please...



The nominees for Best Picture are: Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, Green Book, Roma, A Star Is Born and Vice
CC: This is the strongest lineup in several years with the exception of Bohemian Rhapsody, although that has legit crowd-pleaser cred. After much hand-wringing, I would vote for The Favourite. It memorably and entertainingly combines BBC production values with the bitchiest dialogue since All About Eve, or at least Heathers. The writing, cast, art direction, direction direction, cinematography and costumes add up to one stunning movie.
KH: Considering it is the sole BP nominee in my top 20 of 2018, The Favourite is literally my only choice, but certainly the best one here regardless.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: Can You Ever Forgive Me? I'll be saying more about this one further down...
KH: This award season has been an increasingly exasperating exercise in frustration for me, no more clearly symbolized than in this Best Picture line-up filled with overrated Oscar bait and/or hollow crowd-pleasers instead of such small masterpieces as Can You Ever Forgive Me? and Leave No Trace.

For their final voting, Academy members are asked to rank the Best Picture nominees from #1 to #8, so here are our rankings:
CC: 1. The Favourite, 2. Roma, 3. Vice, 4. Green Book, 5. A Star is Born, 6. BlacKkKlansman, 7. Black Panther and 8. Bohemian Rhapsody
KH: 1. The Favourite, 2. A Star Is Born, 3. Vice, 4. Green Book, 5. Roma, 6. BlacKkKlansman, 7. Black Panther and 8. Bohemian Rhapsody


The nominees for Best Actor are: Christian Bale in Vice, Bradley Cooper in A Star Is Born, Willem Dafoe in At Eternity's Gate, Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody and Viggo Mortensen in Green Book
CC: I regret I haven't seen At Eternity's Gate so can't consider Willem Dafoe's performance but his fellow nominees are pretty fantastic.  Rami Malek makes Bohemian Rhapsody more watchable and moving than it might have been in lesser acting hands.  However, Christian Bale's transformation into former VP Dick Cheney in Vice is nothing short of amazing. Bale, unlike the man he portrayed, gets my vote.
KH: Bradley Cooper's career best performance as the grizzled, fading superstar Jackson Maine stands out among his all-biopic competition.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: While I was not a fan of First Reformed (see below), Ethan Hawke gave an impressive, tightly coiled performance as its troubled pastor protagonist and should have been included here.
KH: Ben Foster was brilliant, once again, in the shamefully not-nominated-at-all Leave No Trace.


The nominees for Best Actress are: Yalitza Aparicio in Roma, Glenn Close in The Wife, Olivia Colman in The Favourite, Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born and Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me?
CC: Glenn Close is the front runner but I loved Melissa McCarthy's tart but compassionate turn as celebrity forger Lee Israel.  She made a hugely unsympathetic person funny, lovable, and even admirable to a degree.
KH: This is a tough choice between Olivia Coleman and Melissa McCarthy (both, coincidentally, playing real lesbians), with the latter ultimately victorious for making me completely forget her usual screen persona.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: Emily Blunt was perfect, not just practically so, in both A Quiet Place and Mary Poppins Returns.  She should have been recognized in this category for at least one of them.
KH: It would be hard to choose between the veritable rawness of Toni Colette in Hereditary and the inimitable charm of Emily Blunt in Mary Poppins Returns.


The nominees for Best Supporting Actor are: Mahershala Ali in Green Book, Adam Driver in BlacKkKlansman, Sam Elliott in A Star Is Born, Richard E. Grant in Can You Ever Forgive Me? and Sam Rockwell in Vice
CC: The wonderful Richard E. Grant has consistently delighted me since he played a wackily megalomaniacal villain in 1991's Hudson Hawk.  I would vote for him not only for Can You Ever Forgive Me? but his entire body of work to date.
KH: As gay grifter Jack Hock, Richard E. Grant was brilliant and hilarious, and brilliantly hilarious, as always.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: While I wasn't as enamored by Black Panther as most, Michael B. Jordan was dramatically and physically imposing as its morally complex antagonist.
KH: Oh, if only it were the days when performances like this were nominated than Hugh Grant's high camp turn as the villainous thespian Phoenix Buchanan in Paddington 2 surely would have made the cut.


The nominees for Best Supporting Actress are: Amy Adams in Vice, Marina de Tavira in Roma, Regina King in If Beale Street Could Talk, Emma Stone in The Favourite and Rachel Weisz in The Favourite
CC: As good as all these performances are, I would go with Amy Adams as Dick Cheney's suitably Lady Macbeth-like wife, Lynn.  It is time for Adams to be honored with the gold after five nominations.
KH: As a fiercely protective mother who would go to great lengths (such as: Cuba) for her family, Regina King reigns.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: Linda Cardellini, perhaps best known as Velma in the live-action Scooby-Doo movies, was terrific as the yearning but patient New Yawk housewife in Green BookClaire Foy was also terrific in a similar role in First Man.
KH: As a devout Christian mother who finally sees the light regarding her gay son, Nicole Kidman was the best thing about Boy Erased.


The nominees for Best Directing are: Alfonso Cuarón for Roma, Yorgos Lanthimos for The Favourite, Spike Lee for BlacKkKlansman, Adam McKay for Vice and Paweł Pawlikowski for Cold War
CC: I wasn't as impressed as others by Yorgos Lanthimos' earlier films (The Lobster, Killing of a Sacred Deer) but he won me over with his handling of the saucy, sassy and sexy royal goings on in The Favourite.
KH: I've been a big fan of Yorgos Lanthimos' darkly skewed work to date (starting with the Oscar nominated Dogtooth), so his crossover success with The Favourite is well deserved... and deserving of the Oscar.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: Damien Chazelle became the youngest-ever winner of the Oscar for Best Direction two years ago for La La Land, but he exceeded himself with the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man.  It was my choice as Best Film of 2018 but only scored a few Academy Award nominations in technical categories.  It is one of the most visceral and haunting movies I've ever seen thanks to Chazelle's craft.
KH: There were no finer examples of excellent direction last year than the work of Marielle Heller in Can You Ever Forgive Me? and Debra Granik in Leave No Trace.


The nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay are: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, BlacKkKlansman, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, If Beale Street Could Talk and A Star Is Born
CC: The compassionate, frequently hilarious yet deeply moving Can You Ever Forgive Me?.
KH: The Writers Guild Awards got it right: Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty's finely crafted adaptation of the Lee Israel memoir Can You Ever Forgive Me?.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: 1964's Mary Poppins was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay but not its past due 2018 sequel. Times were more innocent back then but Mary Poppins Returns (screenplay by David Magee, story by Magee, Rob Marshall and John DeLuca) went somewhat deeper and is virtually as accomplished as the original.
KH: And the USC Scripter Award got it right as well: Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini's adaptation of the novel My Abandonment by Peter Rock into the film Leave No Trace.


The nominees for Best Original Screenplay are: The Favourite, First Reformed, Green Book, Roma and Vice
CC: The Favourite, perhaps the finest historical dramedy since 1963's Tom Jones (which incidentally starred the great Albert Finney, who passed away earlier this month).
KH: Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara's wryly sardonic script for The Favourite naturally gets my vote.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: Bo Burnhams's debut feature Eighth Grade hit the transition from pre-pubescence to adolescence on the nose as no film before it has.
KH: Once again, the Writers Guild Awards got it right with Bo Burnam's Eighth Grade, which somehow was totally ignored by the Academy.


The nominees for Best Cinematography are: Cold War, The Favourite, Never Look Away, Roma and A Star Is Born
CC: The two black & white entries here, Cold War and Roma, are grabbing all the attention. I go for Robbie Ryan's more colorful, classical work on The Favourite.
KH: With Robbie Ryan's use of natural lighting and unorthodox lenses, no other movie looked quite like The Favourite last year... or most other years.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: The visually stunning First Man, shot by the great Linus Sandgren.
KH: Some of the scariest moments in Hereditary are thanks to its DP Pawel Pogorzelski and his expertise with shadows and framing.


The nominees for Best Production Design are: Black Panther, The Favourite, First Man, Mary Poppins Returns and Roma
CC: First Man and Mary Poppins Returns finally get some love here.  However, I would vote for the equally period-perfect The Favourite.
KH: From the inside of a Royal Doulton bowl to the top of Big Ben, not to mention the lovingly recreated Cherry Tree Lane, Mary Poppins Returns delivers the most eye candy.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: Sure, its mostly set in dirty apartments and used book stores but Can You Ever Forgive Me? nails its early-1990's NYC setting.
KH: Crazy Rich Asians' over-the-top wedding alone should have attracted Oscar's attention here.


The nominees for Best Costume Design are: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Black Panther, The Favourite, Mary Poppins Returns and Mary Queen of Scots
CC: Designer Sandy Powell was a busy lady last year, and is nominated for both The Favourite and Mary Poppins Returns.  I would vote for Powell's impressive attention to detail in the latter.  Note that she hand-painted the costumes for the show-stopping, traditionally animated "A Cover is Not the Book" production number.
KH: Can't double nominee Sandy Powell just win for both? No? OK, then her inventive, whimsical frocks for Mary Poppins Returns win by a nose.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: It's hard to believe Bohemian Rhapsody was overlooked here, what with all its 70's and 80's tribute fashions.
KH: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again clothed the likes of Lily James and Cher in fashions from the 70's and today... pretty groovy.


The nominees for Best Original Score are: Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, If Beale Street Could Talk, Isle of Dogs and Mary Poppins Returns
CC: Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman had a tall order when they took on the sequel to one of Disney's most beloved live-action musicals. Their score for Mary Poppins Returns more than rose to the occasion, adding some clever and memorable new songs while wistfully evoking the original's at times. Although only Shaiman is nominated in this category, I expect him to drag Wittman – his longtime partner in music and life – on stage with him if he wins. The pair brought the house down when they won the Tony Award for their Hairspray score and kissed on national TV, which was still pretty scandalous back in 2002.
KH: Marc Shaiman is just missing the "O" from the "EGOT", and his appropriately Sherman-esque melodies for Mary Poppins Returns deserve to earn him the final piece of that showbiz quadruple-crown.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: I love Justin Hurwitz's haunting, minimalist music in First Man. It's a 180 degree turn from La La Land.
KH: Brian Tyler's Crazy Rich Asians score was a wonderful mash-up of Asian influences and big band sounds.



The nominees for Best Original Song are: "All the Stars" from Black Panther, "I'll Fight" from RBG, "The Place Where Lost Things Go" from Mary Poppins Returns, "Shallow" from A Star Is Born and "When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings" from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
CC: Gotta go with Gaga and "Shallow".
KH: I have soft spots for the songs from Mary and Buster, but there's no denying the instantly iconic "Shallow".
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: "A Place Called Slaughter Race" is a simultaneously heartfelt and hilarious mock Disney Princess "I want" song in Ralph Breaks the Internet.
KH: Pick a show-stopper from A Star Is Born ("Always Remember Us This Way", "I'll Never Love Again") or Mary Poppins Returns ("Can You Imagine That?", "Trip a Little Light Fantastic").


The nominees for Best Film Editing are: BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, Green Book and Vice
CC: I was impressed by the whiplash editing in Vice as it veered from serious political drama to comedy to all-out satire.
KH: I concur, Vice it is.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: How did First Man...
KH: ...and A Star Is Born not make this final cut?


The nominees for Best Sound Mixing are: Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody, First Man, Roma and A Star Is Born
CC: As much as I loved all the Queen tunes and concert footage in Bohemian Rhapsody, I would go with First Man.
KH: A Star Is Born, not just for the obvious work with the music and songs, but also the effective depictions of Jackson Maine's substance abuse.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: How did the hyper-heroic and suitably-loud Avengers: Infinity War get overlooked here?
KH: Musicals usually fare well in this category, so where's Mary Poppins Returns?


The nominees for Best Sound Editing are: Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody, First Man, A Quiet Place and Roma
CC: Since this is the only nomination garnered by the very effective thriller A Quiet Place, I would vote for it with its sound-sensitive monsters.
KH: With or without it, A Quiet Place was all about the sound.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: Avengers: Infinity War redux.
KH: Another popular superhero fest, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.


The nominees for Best Visual Effects are: Avengers: Infinity War, Christopher Robin, First Man, Ready Player One and Solo: A Star Wars Story
CC: The other nominees in this category are bigger and flashier (not to mention more expensive), but I adored and totally believed the CGI versions of A.A. Milne's beloved Winnie the Pooh and friends in Christopher Robin. I'm so happy it was nominated here.
KH: If it was just the impressive Thanos, than I'd go with Avengers: Infinity War, but then there's scenes like this. And don't get me started on the muddy, ugly Ready Player One. So I too will go with the entirely believable childhood toys of Christopher Robin's childhood days.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: Disney's artists also scored big with Mary Poppins Returns, turning Meryl Streep upside down and setting the entire cast afloat for the finale. I especially liked the dolphin that pops up in the bathtub ("No, not yet") during the delightfully nautical "Can You Imagine That?" number.
KH: A far cry from Disney's high-flying nanny and cuddly stuffed animals: Hereditary's host of decapitated bodies.


The nominees for Best Makeup and Hairstyling are: Border, Mary Queen of Scots and Vice
CC: Christian Bale's transformation into Dick Cheney was frighteningly effective in Vice.
KH: The impressive transformations in Vice were only surpassed by the seamless creations of the trolls in the Swedish film Border.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: Mary Poppins Returns, if primarily for Meryl Streep's appearance as cousin Topsy.
KH: Nicholas Hoult's wigs: three words that prove that The Favourite should have been recognized.


The nominees for Best Animated Feature are: Incredibles 2, Isle of Dogs, Mirai, Ralph Breaks the Internet and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
CC: I love Isle of Dogs. Is that redundant?
KH: The new adventures of Ralph and Spidey are faves, but Wes Anderson's wacky Isle of Dogs was wildly original and thoroughly entertaining.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: Actually, the Academy seemed to nail this category for once.
KH: Does Paddington 2 count?


The nominees for Best Foreign Language Film are: Capernaum (Lebanon), Cold War (Poland), Never Look Away (Germany), Roma (Mexico) and Shoplifters (Japan)
CC: Alfonso Cuarón's lovingly autobiographical Roma gets my vote.
KH: I have yet to see the Lebanese and German contenders, and was mostly underwhelmed by the Polish and Mexican front runners, which leaves Hirokazu Kore-eda's brilliant Shoplifters, which would have been my pick no matter what.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: It wasn't officially submitted for consideration but Finland's A Moment in the Reeds is both a great foreign language film and one of the best gay-themed films in several years.
KH: I was mesmerized by the tense Danish thriller The Guilty; Jake Gyllenhaal, you have a lot to live up to.


The nominees for Best Documentary Feature are: Free Solo, Hale County This Morning, This Evening, Minding the Gap, Of Fathers and Sons and RBG
CC: All hail the RBG!
KH: There's no stopping the Notorious RBG.
Egregiously Overlooked:
CC: Won't You Be My Neighbor?  WTF?
KH: The twisty strange-but-true Three Identical Strangers was robbed.



The nominees for Best Documentary Short Subject are: Black Sheep, End Game, Lifeboat, A Night at The Garden and Period. End of Sentence.
CC: I've worked with the dying on hospice for many years so am partial to the courageous End Game.
KH: I was greatly impressed by the tenacious women of Period. End of Sentence., the only "feel good" contender here that nevertheless earns every good feeling it elicits.
Egregiously Overlooked:
KH: The title of My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes alone would have brought some levity to this predominantly somber bunch.


The nominees for Best Animated Short Film are: Animal Behaviour, Bao, Late Afternoon, One Small Step and Weekends
CC: The adorable, dumpling-themed Bao both touched me and made me hungry.
KH: The bittersweet Late Afternoon is easily one of my favorite nominated films this year, short or otherwise.
Egregiously Overlooked:
KH: DreamWorks' Bilby (which will screen theatrically with the newest How to Train Your Dragon later this month) is a cute and funny adventure through the wilds of the Australian Outback.


The nominees for Best Live Action Short Film are: Detainment, Fauve, Marguerite, Mother and Skin
CC: Marguerite is the only one I've seen but it is lovely and worthy of my vote.
KH: From a batch of nominees that has become infamous for its bleakness, the grim and gritty Fauve is the one that haunts me still.
Egregiously Overlooked:
KH: The Hungarian comedy Chuchotage would have injected some needed levity into this category this year.


And now for our own special category of dishonorable mention, the Worst Nomination of the Year:
CC: Best Original Screenplay for First Reformed. I'm a longtime fan of writer-director Paul Schrader and this is his first, overdue Oscar nomination. Normally I would applaud him but I was frustrated by this baffling, religio-environmental drama that plays like a mashup of Schrader's scripts for Taxi Driver and The Last Temptation of Christ.  His underrated, 1982 remake of Cat People was better than this.
KH: This year I'm going straight to the top and call out the Best Picture nomination of Bohemian Rhapsody. There are so many things wrong with this long-in-the-works Freddie Mercury biopic, both onscreen (those teeth!?!) and behind the scenes (yeah, I'm not going to touch any of that), and yet it somehow kept on getting attention this award season, one perplexing nomination after another, until this. An Oscar nomination for Best Picture. To paraphrase the Queen title tune: "Is this the real life, or is it just fantasy? Oh, mamma mia. Just let me go..."

And so the final march to Oscar glory begins. Tune in to the Big Show this Sunday to see who wins, as well as which nominees are rocking the best (and worst) gowns, hottest escorts and most heartfelt acceptance speeches.

By Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine, and Kirby Holt, creator, editor and head writer of Movie Dearest.

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Dearest Review: Short Cuts 2019, Part 3: Oscar's Documentary Short Subject Nominees


 

ShortsTV once again presents this year's Academy Award nominated animated, live action and documentary short films at a theater or streaming service near you. These special programs are usually the only way for most movie fans to see all of these otherwise illusive short film nominees that can make or break your office Oscar pool. In the last of three parts, Movie Dearest takes a look at this year's five nominees for Best Documentary Short Subject.


Unlike the bumper crop of contenders for the Documentary Feature category (where such high profile hits as Won't You Be My Neighbor? and Three Identical Strangers couldn't even make the final cut), the pool of Documentary Shorts must have been a shallow one considering this mostly average slate of nominees. The largely familiar subjects and/or lack of innovative approaches makes this year's finalists a weaker field than recent years. And a somber one as well, which is good news for the lone "inspirational" nominee as "overcoming adversity" narratives are often the victors here.

In addition to my reviews and video links, I've suggested a similarly-themed Oscar nominated feature film to pair with each short film nominee to create your own Academy-sanctioned double feature. Bring on the popcorn!

And the nominees are...



Black Sheep, Ed Perkins and Jonathan Chinn (UK, 27 minutes).

Meet Cornelius Walker, a black man who spent his youth going to extreme lengths to "fit in" with his racist friends. Winner of several film festival awards, this vivid personal history is brought to life through well-crafted reenactments depicting Walker's physical transformation, which even he is shocked by in retrospect. Walker is undoubtedly a charismatic subject (and his story just screams to be fully dramatized), yet Black Sheep comes up short in the end by, curiously, leaving out how his survival plan ultimately played out.

Watch trailer.
Dearest Rating: 7/10
Pair it with: Documentary Feature nominee Hale County This Morning, This Evening, another intimate study of the modern black experience.



End Game, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (USA, 40 minutes).

An intimate look inside San Francisco’s Zen Hospice Project and UCSF’s Palliative Care Program, where several terminal patients are faced with the choices that must be made as they are nearing the end of their lives. From the long-running directing duo behind the Oscar winning Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (as well as such essential gay docs as The Celluloid Closet, Paragraph 175, etc.), this Netflix documentary short doesn't live up to their past work; it feels like the first draft of what would be a more fully-realized feature.

Watch trailer.
Dearest Rating: 6/10
Pair it with: Granted, the title may sound a tad too on the nose here, but the biopic At Eternity's Gate does deal with the final days of famed painter Vincent Van Gogh's life.



Lifeboat, Skye Fitzgerald and Bryn Mooser (USA, 34 minutes).

Volunteers from a German non-profit humanitarian group search the Mediterranean Sea to rescue Libyan refugees who have fled from their country in dangerously overcrowded rafts. The second installment of the filmmakers' trilogy of short films exploring the global refugee crisis, Lifeboat does have an important story to tell. However, its impact is reduced if one has seen the feature Fire at Sea and/or the short 4.1 Miles, two Oscar nominated docs from two years ago that covered similar ground in much more immediate fashions.

Watch trailer.
Dearest Rating: 6/10
Pair it with: Like these refugees who are seeking a better life, the young protagonist of Capernaum (Lebanon's Foreign Language Film contender) is fighting against the life that was imposed on him.



A Night at The Garden, Marshall Curry (USA, 7 minutes).

On February 20, 1939, an American Nazi rally is attended by 20,000 people in New York City's Madison Square Garden. This one is a puzzlement to me. There is no doubt that what we see is powerful, and terrifyingly similar to certain modern-day political rallies (which is probably why it has made it this far at the Oscars). But it is literally just archival footage, with no commentary other than a three-sentence title card at the end. Frankly, it just doesn't seem it deserves to be here considering how little actual filmmaking was involved in it.

Watch trailer.
Dearest Rating: 5/10
Pair it with: Needless to say it is not much of a stretch to go from Nazis to the KKK, therefore: BlacKkKlansman.



Period. End of Sentence., Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton (USA, 26 minutes).

In India, female menstruation is looked upon as taboo and less than 10% of women use feminine hygiene products. We meet a group of women who, fed up with the stigma attached to this natural act of human biology, learn how to manufacture and sell sanitary pads. Sponsored by the Pad Project, this AFI Fest Award winner from Netflix refreshingly focuses on the solution rather than the problem, and the result is a joyous salute to its inspiring subjects, women helping women by making their lives better in a basic but profound way.

Watch trailer.
Dearest Rating: 8/10
Pair it with: A female empowerment doc? You won't find a better match than RBG.


Coming soon: A Movie Dearest annual tradition: "If We Picked the Oscars".

Reviews by Kirby Holt, Movie Dearest creator, editor and head writer.

Monday, February 18, 2019

Reverend's Reviews: Men of the Moment



After a five-decade career on the screen, Sam Elliott is currently enjoying his first Oscar nomination. The 75-year old actor has played memorable roles in such films as Mask, Tombstone, Hulk, The Hero, Road House and Lifeguard (wherein he memorably wears little more than a Speedo). He has finally been honored by the Academy and other awards-giving groups for his turn as Bradley Cooper's older brother/surrogate father in A Star is Born.


Elliott's brand new movie is perhaps his most offbeat to date. He headlines as Calvin Barr, the title character in The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot. Proclaiming itself "an American myth" in ads, it is now playing in theaters and is available on VOD. Long retired after assassinating the Führer at the end of World War II (turns out the US and Germany conspired to make Hitler's death appear a suicide), Calvin is recruited in the modern day to hunt down ol' Sasquatch. Bigfoot is believed to be carrying a plague that could potentially wipe out all life on the planet.

The film, written and directed by Robert D. Krzykowski, veers unevenly at times between high adventure, period romance, and reflective philosophical drama. It is highly enjoyable in the end, though, and beautifully photographed by Alex Vendler. Elliott is at his rugged, taciturn best throughout, with handsome Aidan Turner (Kili in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy as well as star of the BBC's Poldark) appearing as the younger Calvin in flashbacks. Actor-comedian Larry Miller is also memorable as Calvin's brother. Miller and Elliott have almost as good a sibling chemistry as Elliott and Cooper do in A Star is Born.

Composer Joe Kraemer provides a John Williams-esque music score. Also of note, this movie's producers include indie filmmaker fave John Sayles plus Oscar-winning special effects guru Douglas Trumbull (2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Blade Runner). While it is early in 2019, The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot is my fave movie of the year so far.


While it wasn't the blockbuster many anticipated it to be, I found M. Night Shyamalan's Glass to be a worthy and exciting sequel to his earlier thrillers Unbreakable and Split. Of course, we didn't learn until the end of Split that it was even related to 2000's superhero origin story that starred Bruce Willis as a man unable to be injured.

Willis and Samuel L. Jackson (as his arch-nemesis, Mr. Glass) both returned for the new film, with James McAvoy reprising his role as Split's multi-personality disorder afflicted Kevin Wendell Crumb. It's great to see Willis and Jackson sparring once again, if briefly, but this movie totally belongs to McAvoy. He portrays all 24 personalities collectively known as "The Horde" (we only saw about half of them in Split) and dazzles during one scene where he switches from one to the other in rapid succession.

Although McAvoy's acting is spellbinding throughout (he plays female characters in addition to males plus at least one gay personality), his in-shape body may be even more impressive. He spends much of the movie in form-fitting hospital "scrubs" but tears his shirt off whenever he becomes "the Beast," Crumb's most malevolent, animalistic persona. McAvoy leaps across rooms, climbs walls, and rampages across the hospital's parking lot. I couldn't take my eyes off him, nor would I want to.

Not all the plot points in Glass make sense, and some dramatic developments (especially those involving Mr. Glass's machinations) seem to happen way too easily. It is a satisfying conclusion, though, to a risk-taking mythic trilogy.


I hadn't heard of gay filmmaker Ohm Phanphiroj until I received press info about a new DVD release showcasing several of his works (more of his tamer shorts can be found on YouTube). Desire: The Short Films of Ohm will be available February 26th from TLA Releasing. Comprised of four sexually-charged tales plus one mini documentary, it serves as a fine introduction to this director's no-holds-barred approach to modern gay/questioning relations.

The Deaf Boy's Disease and The Last Kiss both focus on the same trio of young men dealing with their sexuality but at different points in their lives. The documentary, The Meaning of it All, features Ohm himself conducting interviews – and more, ahem – with various attractive guys while in Atlanta, Georgia. All That I Desire is a somewhat disturbing art installation piece, while The Space Between Us proves to be the best and most affecting of these shorts. In the latter, a middle-aged married man and the 17-year old homeless youth he picks up have an honest getting-to-know-you encounter in a hotel room.

Some of the films suffer somewhat due to amateurish performances, but Ohm has a great eye and also employs sharp time-jumping editing. I'll be following him and his work from now on, and I encourage other gay viewers to do the same.


Steve McLean's Postcards from London, now available on DVD from Strand, is one of the most stylish and intellectual gay-themed films to come along in some time. A delayed but more confident follow-up to McLean's 1994 Postcards from America, it deals with art, psychology and cultural literacy, not your typical topics in homo flicks.

Harris Dickinson (hottie star of 2017's Beach Rats) stars here as Jim, an adventurous if naïve young man who moves to London from the provinces in search of "a world full of mysteries and possibilities." He is quickly robbed but subsequently taken in by a group of "raconteurs," art-loving call boys who specialize in providing "intellectual intimacy" to wealthy older men. They teach Jim their ways and he soon becomes the most successful at their trade. Unfortunately, Jim also comes down with a case of rare Stendahl Syndrome, which causes its sufferers to develop a physical aversion to fine art.

The plot of Postcards from London sounds strange on paper, but I assure you McLean makes it work beautifully through his use of neon-lit, painterly tableaus; Caravaggio and Pasolini references; and an interesting mix of pop songs and standards that culminate in a dance number. Dickinson is captivating, with his fellow actors also in fine form and similarly easy on the eyes. Unusual, yes, but well worth checking out.

Reverend's Ratings:
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot: B+
Glass: B
Desire: The Short Films of Ohm: B-
Postcards from London: B+

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film and stage critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Oscar Party 2019


 

The invitations have been sent and the Oscar ballots have been printed, so you're almost ready for all your friends and fellow movie-lovers to gather together on the Big Night for your annual Awesome Oscar Party! All that's left for you to do is... figure out what to feed them!


But fret not, for Movie Dearest is here for you with some great ideas for your memorable, movie-themed menu, each inspired by one of this year's nominated movies.


DRINKS:

Mary Poppins Returns:

Practically Perfect English Tea
 Served in a Royal Doulton Tea Set, indubitably!

 Bohemian Rhapsody:

Bohemian Rhapsberry Cocktail
Magnifico!

First Man:

Tang
Drink up!

Can You Ever Forgive Me?:

Booze.
Lots and lots of booze.

APPETIZERS:

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs:

"When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Chicken Wings"
Yippee-ki-yi-yay...

Mary Queen of Scots:

Scottish Smoked Salmon on Tattie Scones
Yeah, that's a "nae" on haggis.

Bao:


Bao
(duh)

A Star Is Born:

"Shallow" Shallot Dip
"In the shallot, shallot, sha-ha-lot
In the shallot, shallot, sha-ha-lot
In the shallot, shallot, sha-ha-lot
We're far from the shallot now"

TREATS:

Black Panther:

Black Panther Caramel Apples
Wakanda forever!

Isle of Dogs:

Puppy Chow Party Mix
Chief's favorite snack!

Christopher Robin:

Pooh's Honey Snacks
Will cure that rumbly in your tumbly.

Border:

Gummy Maggots
Your troll friends will love 'em.

SIDES:

Roma:

Roma Tomato Salad
Cleo's specialty.

A Quiet Place:

Mashed Potatoes
Think about it.

Avengers: Infinity War:


Thanos' Snap Peas
Of course, half of them disappear.

The Wife:

Walnut Salad
Made by the Hostess but the Host takes credit for it.

ENTREES:

The Favourite:

Lady Sarah's Roast Pheasant
Be sure to remove the buckshot, one wouldn't want to choke to death.

Green Book:


Kentucky Fried Chicken... from Kentucky
Better than those pimento cheese sandwiches, yeesh....

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse:

Spider-Ham Balls
They're spectacular!

Vice:

W.'s Texas BBQ Chicken
Not just for Republicans.

DESSERTS:

Ralph Breaks the Internet:

Pancake Milkshake
The best of both sides of the table.

RBG:

RBG's Lace Collar Cookies
They're supremely delicious.

Incredibles 2:

Apple Jack-Jacks
Num-Num!

Solo: A Star Wars Story:


Your porg friends will love 'em