Avatar: The Way of Water [IMAX 3D]

James Cameron has gone and done it again!! That was an absolute, mind-blowing, utterly immersive,  cinematic experience like no other. It was exactly how I felt when I first watched Avatar the first time. This was what IMAX 3D is made for! There is totally no other way that this film should be enjoyed: on the big screen, in 3D. IMAX will really show off the scope and the scenes filmed in 48fps. 

Cameron has just propelled himself to the front of the Best Director race. This film is also now, without a doubt, a Best Picture nominee. Even if there were only five nominees, instead of ten, this would be in the race. It also has served notice to Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick as the number one popcorn blockbuster for 2022.

Seriously, Namor and Talocan has nothing - absolutely nothing! - on the Metakayina and Pandora! The visual effects team are a shoo-in for the Oscar. Simply stunning and groundbreaking and mesmerising. All divers will totally get it. The underwater world has never been defined, enhanced, souped-up as realistic as this. The ocean battle was nail-bitingly epic!

As for the story itself, to be honest, we were not really here for that. There was nothing special or groundbreaking about the plot. Every single plot point and "twist" was telegraphed and predictable. But yet, Cameron still managed to have us by the leash as we followed through the simple - really basic - storyline for 3 whole hours. Why? Because the world that he has created was simply amazing and he just immersed us fully into this hyper-realistic, alien world that is being threatened by evil humans (read: White Capitalists)

And boy, these humans are vile and disgusting!

In a clearly demarcated case of good vs evil, it was easy for the audience to root for the Na'vi, but simply just that could be a bit too boring, so Cameron et al wove in some mystic elements, familial drama, internal conflicts, a bit of love and romance, and of course eco-conservatism. 

As for the acting, the performance capture was flawless but only Zoe Saldaña stood out. Sigourney Weaver was a tad distracting and Kate Winslet did not get much to do. Sam Worthington's character had less of an arc this time round, and Stephen Lang chewed his scenes up! The young stars, as the next generation, were really front and center, and they could have had a bit too much teenage angst. 

Then again, nothing could have overshadowed the visual effects and directing.

Undoubtedly, Avatar: TWOW will also scoop up almost every single technical Oscar nomination: Sound (Editing and Mixing) was incredible; Production Design was unbelievable; Editing was essential in the storytelling; Score was by Simon Franglen and it really befitted the film; and Cinematography by Russell Carpenter was just gorgeous and sublime!

Also, please give it up to the fantastic stunt team!! The underrated and undersung heroes of this film (and many others!!)

Avatar: TWOW has done - again - for cinema what Avatar did. It broke cinematic and technical barriers and reset the bar to a higher level.

I think I might just go watch it again! In IMAX 3D!

Bones and All

Through its meandering, and unnecessarily long 130 minutes run time, there were flashes of Romantic poetry and European/Italian romance, but those cinematic beauty were lost amidst a story that tried to do -and tell - too much. 

At its core, Luca Guadagnino's latest Silver Lion-winning film was a teenage love story with a cannibalistic horror bend, and yet he and screenwriter David Kajganich had to squeeze in elements of a horror comedy,  road trip buddy movie, coming-of-age story, all the while whilst trying to build up an urban fantasy myth and backstory. And lest not we forget the familiar strains of family drama and psychological crime thriller. Cutting out three or four of these strands and focusing on a simpler story would have made this film so much stronger.

This thread of young love was previously last explored by Guadagnino in his awards-winning Call Me By Your Name and the subliminally underrated series We Are Who We Are. So we know he has the chops to tenderly navigate the emotionally choppy waters of first/young love. 

And again, he had two great stars - Taylor Russell was charismatic and magnetic and definitely an actress to keep an eye out on, and Chalamet has already proven his chops (although to be honest, he has yet to really establish himself as an actor-actor). But where Guadagnino failed in this case was that firstly, their chemistry was fluctuating and at times absent; secondly, Guadagnino obviously favoured Chalamet who, perhaps unfairly and unconsciously, outshone Russell in a film that was ostensibly her story; and lastly, just not enough time was spent exploring their relationship to each other.

Hey, but at least we had Mark Rylance who dialled the creep-o-meter up to 12 and a creepily fascinating Michael Stuhlbarg in an entirely unnecessary scene of lore building that had no genuine pay off. And of course an almost unrecognisable Chloe Sevigny in an extended cameo as she waits for her next big thing.

The score was by Trent Reznor and Atticus Rose, and for once I struggle to remember any significant/memorable moment from it; cinematography was by Arseni Khachaturan and there were some beautiful lit scenes especially those in the golden/blue hours.

Bones and All will get some indie-awards love, but it will be a long shot for any Oscar glory. I would rather watch all 8 hours of We Are Who We Are again. 

Aftersun

A fantastic film! Easily one of the best films of the year!

Intelligently written and confidently directed by first-time filmmaker Charlotte Wells. Aftersun was an gently told but profoundly affecting story told in the fragmentary kaleidoscopic-like of memory recollection. The last 5-10 minutes were a tour de force of experiential storytelling, packing an emotional wallop without the sledgehammer and drama. Tears were freely wept.

The lean 109 minutes film was a visual and visceral experience of walking through one's mind palace through the fog and haziness of years. Wells had successfully captured through an unique cinematic language, the pain of memory and trying to capture what was lost and whether it had ever been found/had. The film continued to haunt long after the screen had faded to black and the credits rolled and as we ourselves searched our memory for what we had already seen to try to answer the myriad questions that creep in and permeate our thoughts. 

It forced us to question not just the film but also our own life experiences. Truly a formidable storytelling by Wells!

However, Wells storytelling only could have worked with the cast that she had. Newcomer Frankie Corio anchored the film as we wandered through her memories - specifically a summer holiday she shared with her father in Turkey in the early 90s. Corio was luminescent and effervescent and disarmingly charming, and her chemistry with Paul Mescal - as her father - was realistically natural.

Mescal was astounding! A finely tuned, nuanced performance that showed formidable range and depth. The darkness in him only became apparent as the film reached its final third and at the end, as we reconciled what we had just witnessed with the man we first saw in the beginning. 

Of course, this film was not without its fault and the most glaring issues were Wells' tendency to occasionally to squeeze as much directorial debut tropes as possible, and also the unsubtle use of foreshadowing and musical cues.

That said, the music by Oliver Coates were on point, but it was the cinematography Gregory Oke that really stood out as his camera weaved in and out, unobtrusively into our protagonists' private spaces.

Aftersun absolutely deserved all its accolades! But come Oscar time, it may eventually end up being too small. Although with Barry Jenkin as one of its producers, it may very well have momentum and stage some well-deserved upsets in Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Picture!

This is one film that I cannot wait to watch again! 

 

The Menu

From producer Adam McKay who brought us the multi Oscar-nominated satirical comedies The Big Short (skewering the financial/banking sector), Vice (skewering politics and Dick Cheney) and Don't Look Up (skewering climate change), we get this bleakly dark comedic satirical thriller skewering fine dining and foodie culture. 

The Menu, directed by Mark Mylod and written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, may not be as well executed as those aforementioned films (mostly written and/or directed by McKay), but boy was it immensely fun. At a sleek 106 minutes long, this film relentlessly poked fun at not only the foodies and fanboys, but also the chefs and the whole hospitality service industry. This was a non-stop laugh fest as the scathing absurdism of the satire was unfortunately all too familiar and recognisable. 

However, the key ingredient (hah!) to this film's success was how expertly Mylod et al delivered the expectantly unexpected turns in the story. How the film was going to end was never really in doubt, but how it was eventually going to get there was a delightful cat-and-mouse game of guessing and giving yourself up to just go with the storytelling. 

But, this film would not have worked as well as it did without its tremendous cast! Ralph Fiennes was fiendishly good. He would have made Gordon Ramsay peed in his pants!! By gosh, he was terrifying and yet oddly empathetic. And the other scene stealer was Hong Chau. She has been doing so much fantastic good work since she broke out on Downsizing and Homecoming. 

Of course most people would come to see Anya Taylor-Joy and she really did well here. Reminding us of her haunting debut in The Witch and excellent performance in The Queen's Gambit which seemed to have been suppressed by the Hollywood factory recently. And Nicholas Hoult was hilarious in an unexpectedly darkly comedic role. 

Judith Light and Janet McTeer should have more screen time and things to do. Actually they should have been paired together. That would have been dynamic!

Following the success of Knives Out (and seemingly Glass Onion), smartly written whodunnits or whydoits are excitingly coming back to the big screen!

Without the behind-the-camera pedigree, the on-screen Oscar A-listers and a subject matter that may be alienating, it will be hard for this film to really enter the award conversation, much less the race. Although I do see chances for it in Best Original Screenplay and a long shot for Best Actor. Hong Chau might have a chance to use this film as a bolster to a possible campaign for The Whale. 

She Said

A fascinating, unapologetic deep dive into the investigative journalism of NYT reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey as they worked to bring to light the horrendous details of Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct. 

Based off a screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, director Maria Schrader offered a beautifully layered, touchingly cinematic retelling of a bombshell story that most would have already known the ending. The film was not exploitive and neither did it excessively or over-dramatically sensationalise the story, instead, Shrader et al deliberately humanised the story by offering insights into personal lives of the protagonists - Kantor and Twohey - and the less famous victims of Weinstein. And to that credit, the casting was phenomenal. 

Zoe Kazen was clearly the lead as Kantor and she carried the story with aplomb; and Carey Mulligan as Twohey, in a clearly supporting role, was as engaging and mesmerising as ever. Mulligan is definitely in the run for another Oscar nomination this year. However, both actresses were overshadowed by Samantha Morton and Jennifer Ehle. These two powerhouses played two lesser known victims - Zelda Perkins and Laura Madden - and their scenes were knocked out of the park. In particular, Morton, who only appeared in one scene which immediately after, one was left breathless and in awe, and with a keen realisation that that was why she was cast.

At just over two hours, many people may find it too long just because, in all honesty, this was a rather direct depiction of the drudgery of investigative journalism: chasing down leads, facing rejections, getting doors slammed at your face, etc. There was no over-glamourising of the profession or the hard work that Kantor and Twohey put in. Sure, there were some poetic licenses and magic wand waving for things to happen, but they never really distracted from the truth of the matter. These women worked hard to expose the systemic injustice that kept predators like Weinstein in position.

This story could only have been told from a woman's POV and it showed. The sensitivity in which Schrader et al handled the situations were never exploitive or sensationalise. The women's pain and suffering were upfront and center, they were honest and raw, they were painful yet ultimately hopeful.

The only misstep was the angle in which Ashley Judd was inserted into the movie: as the hero of the story. This film - and the Weinstein story itself - did not really need a hero. If anything, the heroes would have been Twohey and Kantor for chasing down the truth. But yet, they never did seem to accept or portrayed themselves in that role. And rightly so. 

Nicholas Britell's score was gorgeous and he is definitely one to watch out for. His Andor score has been sublime! Natasha Braier lensed the film, and those diner scenes between Kazan and Zach Grenier were sumptuous!

Mulligan is definitely a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination, and possibly a clear chance of winning now that Michelle Williams is out of the running. The film might have a shot for one of the ten Best Picture nods and also possibly Best Adapted Screenplay. 

Oscar season has definitely begun! 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

As Vision said to Wanda, "But what is grief, if not love persevering?" 

This sentiment held true in this Ryan Coogler helmed epic sequel where the grief and mourning of Chadwick Boseman and King T'Challa hung over the whole 161 minutes, and at times threatening to overpower and drown the narrative. 

The plot itself was potentially so rich but an over-reliance on the meditation of grief and how it affects people differently can only work if this was not a typical MCU tentpole where there was no necessity to shoehorn MCU continuity (why did we really need Martin Freeman's and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss' characters?), the mandatory CGI battles, a backdoor pilot for Ironheart, introduce a whole new superpowered culture/people and also a homage to Boseman. 

Too many subplots led to a messy, unevenly paced show that genuinely needed that whole bloated 2.5 hours + to fit everything in, but in so doing, it lost the originality and freshness of the first film that was unbeholden to all these (dead)weight. 

The prologue and the opening sequence set a high bar for the film. A succinct moment of storytelling that involved more showing than telling, but the film just gradually slipped lower and lower from there. 

Similarly, the first action sequence was stellar. Engaging, intriguing and thrilling. But everything else after was rote and anaemic. Except for perhaps the hand-on-hand combat between Danai Gurira's Okoye and the enemy, there were no memorable action sequences. The beautiful grace of the Dora Milaje was unfortunately neutered, and the big climatic final act fight was a boring, flat CGI "spectacle" that lacked urgency or immediacy. 

Even the inevitable fight between our titular Black Panther and Namor was uninspiring.

Speaking of Namor, here we had an antihero, like Killmonger from the first film, who was an antagonist that was grounded in a tangible ideology. But unlike Michael B Jordan, Tenoch Huerta was never given the opportunity to develop his character. There was an attempt to give Namor some complexity in the second act, but it was too rushed and superficial, and by the third act, it seemed all had been forgotten. Similarly, the whole Talokan storyline was shortchanged with their entire introduction rushed through in an expository flashback and a muddled underwater introduction that somehow lacked the wonderment when we first glimpsed the Afro-futuristic Wakanda.

Further, in this film we had two tribes of colour - Indigenous and Black - pitted against each other, indirectly by white colonisers, and Coogler barely mined the complexity of this situation. Instead we spent time being introduced to Riri Williams, which as cool as she was and as well-intentioned the actress Dominique Thorne was, was essentially a superfluous character that lost her individuality once we hit the second act. Her presence only seemed to introduce to the audience Ironheart.

As the new lead, Letitia Wright has a lot on her shoulders and to anchor the film. However, as good an actress as Wright is, she lacked the screen presence to anchor an MCU film. Coogler et al also did her no favour with a character that was annoyingly one note and repetitive for the first two act and was rushed through a character evolution in the third act and the final moments that was unearned and jarring. And Wright just could not do much with what she was given, her grieve for her brother was repetitive and lacked nuance. Yes, we get it! She is angry that she could not save her brother. But is there more depth to that anger? Unfortunately, we never got to explore that because we had to go save Williams, and then go underwater to check out Talokan, and then save Wakanda. Everything that could have been mined was waved off with a title card that said "one year later". All in service to the MCU-mandated story.

On the other hand, we had the gloriously fierce and magnetic Angela Bassett who may the only one who deserve any sort of award recognition, an equally fierce and unexpectedly emotional Gurira, and the luminescent Lupita Nyong'o who was possibly the emotional centre of the whole film with her quiet strength and private grieving. These three women were the MVPs of the film and their screen time together were the best parts of the film. That singular scene between Bassett and Gurira was one of the most powerful scenes Coogler had done. Beautifully intense and achingly honest, these two actresses just owed it. However, one great scene was not enough to salvage this film.

And, what a waste of Michaela Coel. Absolute disgrace. 

That brings us to the technical aspect of the first film. The music by Ludwig Göransson was excellent and gorgeously mixed in afro beats with latin influences. And again, Ruth E. Carter's costumes were on point, though more for the Wakandans than the Talokans. Also, Hannah Beachler's production design was astounding and rich, although there were scenes that did looked fat and artificial. Nonetheless, these three artists are likely to repeat their Oscar nominations. Don't count out Rihanna too for an Original Song nomination too for a song that worked well in context, better than as a stand-alone single.

However, cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw's lensing was perhaps not the best for the film. Maybe it was my theatre, but most of the film felt underlit and the underwater world of Talokan appeared muddled and uninspired. Which was such a shame.

Coogler tried to do too much with this film. Undoubtedly, Kevin Feige was to blame too. The three acts of the film should have been expanded to trilogy or even a miniseries, the first part dealing with grief, the second part as an introduction to Talokan, and the third part as the clash between the two cultures. These three storylines ought to be separated to allow them to breathe, but instead we ended up with a messy mash-up that did no one any service (except Feige's pockets).

Decision to Leave (헤어질 결심)

Park Chan-wook's latest is best described as an erotic, noir-tinged crime thriller that lacked sex. Essentially mostly a two-hander between a gloriously enigmatic and magnetic Tang Wei and handsomely dignified yet befuddled Park Hae-il, Park is back with another deep dive into the minds and psyches of seemingly simple yet utterly complex characters but all presented.  

Co-written by Park, Decision to Leave, won him the Best Director at this year's Cannes and it was not hard to see why as this film was filled with extraordinary details - the detailed production design, and the immaculate costume and makeup, especially of Tang and Park's signature directorial flourishes - fancy editing, overhead god-views, unreliable narrators, flashbacks, dolly zooms, etc. In essence, a feast for the eye and the mind. 

This film, though ostensibly a crime thriller, was less of a whodunit or a why-dunit, but an intimate exploration into the minds of two lonely individuals and the complications of their somewhat-forbidden relationship. Park's camera lingered on their body (language) as the spoken word became less important than what was not being said. In particular, Tang's foreign-ness - Chinese in Korea - not only presented an additional air of mystery surrounding her character but allowed her enigma to become a character unto itself. 

However, before you know it, Park swerved hard left and the third act was almost another story. The slow burn of the first two acts quickly cascaded into a crashing denouement, and suddenly emotions were gushing forth and consequences were befalling. Yet, this third act never seemed rushed. It may have been unexpected (although on hindsight, much foreshadowing had been made), but it did not seemed out of place. 

And in the end, the conclusion was as emotionally powerful as it was enigmatic. A fitting end to a story that traded on the simple resonance of complex emotions.

Broker (브로커)

Hirokazu Kore-eda's latest Palme d'Or-nominated and Best Actor-winning Korean film was a simple, beautiful and tender film that explored big and difficult ideas. Similar to his Palme d'Or winning film, Shoplifters, this film was about family, the real biological ones, the chosen ones, the make-believe and the forgotten, and the complicated relationships that bind them together or drive them apart. However, on top of this, writer/director Kore-eda also used this film to explore other thorny and sensitive issues such as human trafficking, child abandonment, adoption vs abortion and parental responsibility. 

Thankfully, Kore-eda handled it all with the humanistic grace and gentleness that highlighted his films and it all never came off as overly preachy or conservative. The characters deftly discussed the complex morality and ethics behind these hot-button topics without forsaking plot and pace. It all flowed naturally and with a sincerity that never felt like an exposition dump leadening the film. 

Further, Kore-eda never forgot the humour. The film was peppered with humour but most of it arose from the naturalistic - and familial-like - chemistry between the cast. It was the friendly jibes between brothers, siblings, father and son, husband and wife, that brought on the levity and smiles. 

However, that was not to say that there was no drama. This was a Kore-eda film after all and there were moments of pain and heartfelt tenderness, but they never rallied into melodrama. Kore-eda, ever the empath, presented such moments naturally and with a sensitivity that felt honest and sincere. 

With all said and done, this film would not be as successful if not for the cast that Kore-eda had assembled. Like the makeshift family they represent, their chemistry evolved over the course of the film till the end where their familial bond seemed seamless.

Leading man, Song Kang-ho easily anchored the film with his everyman charms, but beneath that was a complex character that Song (and Kore-eda) slowly presented to the audience. Unlike a lot of Hollywood films, we are never spoon fed here, but the layers are there and we are trusted to be able to peel and reveal them ourselves.

Gang Dong-won and Lee Ji-eun completed the adults of the family unit and again, these two were complex characters, the latter more so. In particular, Lee, at the end, showed a range and depth that could not have been guessed from the beginning.

Donna Bae led the subplot which in the beginning felt superfluous and tiresome, but - trust Kore-eda - dovetailed beautifully into the main story and film's themes. Bae was as effortlessly engaging as always, and the film's standout moment - an homage to Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia - belonged to her. 

Broker was a beautiful film to watch. It may not be as powerful as Shoplifters but it still offered a tender and gentle, yet emotional, ride that promised hope and faith in humanity. 

Thor: Love and Thunder [IMAX 3D]

A short, just under 2-hours (119 minutes), runtime made Thor: Love and Thunder, a well-paced, tightly constructed and riotously funny, space adventure/rom-com. However, at the same time, the length also resulted in many moments of  plot holes and logic leaps, and also a distinct lack of emotional heft. In particular, the central romance between Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Natalie Portman's Jane Foster, could at times felt rushed and partially unearned. 

Taika Waititi's signatures were all over the film, from the brightly-coloured palette to the almost-cringey/awkward humour - but boy, did we love those goats and their screams! Waititi's New Zealand-accented voiceover, by way of, Korg, was also a perpetual delight. 

On the other hand, the worst of his impulses were also magnified here as with the film's budget, again the juvenile-esque humour, the over-cluttered imagination/set pieces, and the mishandling of the non-children dramatic sequences. Waititi excelled with depicting the emotional landscape of children, but when it comes to adults, his films always seemed to reduce them to binary terms and over-simplifies their relationships.

Visually, the film's biggest standout moment was the shadow realm/planet set piece. That was a stunning piece of cinematography and cinematic moment. Even the action sequence there was also the best of the film, the sequences before and after were generally unimpressive with some scattered standout hero moments (The Mighty Thor and Mjonir and the mass final battle scene), but on the whole was unexciting. 

There were also some CGI issues throughout the film from obvious green-screen sets to mismatched eyelines which was distracting, especially during the slower bits of the film.

Well, at least the needle drops were impressive and on point, and far less grating than what James Gunn did for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. Although they did distract from Michael Giacchino's score which, other than the main themes, felt mundane and generic; almost a perennial problem with MCU films.

Hemsworth, like the other OG Avengers, has now clearly embodied Thor. Even more so after the character reboot from Waititi during Thor: Ragnarok. He clearly relished the comedic (read: himbo-ic) side of Thor and his comedic timing was golden. In addition, Hemsworth also nailed the dramatic moments, especially the final bit, except it was a shame he was relegated to bro-mode most of the time with no need to exude unnecessary drama. Nonetheless, obviously he and Waititi understood each other very well to craft a character that was entertaining and engaging. 

Now we just need to cast Hemsworth in a proper rom-com!

Portman, on the other hand, seemed unsure of the comedy. She, clearly, had no problems with the dramatic beats, but most of her Waititi-jokes did not land as well as they could. However, at least her chemistry with Hemsworth seemed to have improved. She also made a very fine Mighty Thor and perhaps with the right writer/director, her character could have a bigger/better impact.

Tessa Thompson was great too and had some good quips. However, she was shortchanged in terms of character arc/development, but at least she did what she could during her brief scenes.

Christian Bale was terrifying.  His Gorr may not make much sense (see above re: plot holes), but Bale was downright scary at most times but there were moments of empathy and sympathy too. That was acting.

And lastly, shout out to Russell Crowe who was a hoot! He seemed to be having so much fun chewing up the scenery. Orgy!

Thor: Love and Thunder may not be top-tier MCU, and did minimal to both deepen Thor as a character and expand on the MCU's grand plans for Phase 4 and beyond, but, nonetheless, it was a fun and entertaining ride. Fun in IMAX but 3D was not necessary.

As usual, stay for both the mid and post-credits stingers. Both seemed to suggest potential storylines for future Thor films.

The Northman

The Northman was Robert Eggers on 'roids. This is what happens when Eggers get a studio-sized budget. He gets to indulge his whims - extended ritualistic sequences, long shots with a large cast, a large cast of extras to lend further credence of authenticity, and an extravagant, period-specific production design that allowed for gorgeous natural-esque lighting. In all, an immersive and engrossing historical epic. No wonder Shakespeare was inspired by the legend of Amleth to create Hamlet (come on, even Hamlet is an anagram of Amleth).

The film was fantastically anchored by the charismatic and magnetic Alexander Skarsgård with great support from a fearless Nicole Kidman, an equally commanding villain in Claes Bang, an all-in Ethan Hawke and a surprisingly restrained Anya Taylor-Joy. Björk and, Eggers' staple Willem Dafoe, were essentially cameos but, boy, were their moments on screen utterly memorable. 

The story was familiar and has been retold in countless variation, most notably by Shakespeare as Hamlet, but what Eggers did was to boldly imbue and enrich the script, that he co-wrote with Sjón, with both the language and legends of Old Norse. The magical realism and fablistic retelling of the revenge epic was brought to life with a mix of CGI, gorgeous cinematography, haunting score and uncompromising direction. 

Although the film did meander a bit during the second act, but the strong first act lent it enough goodwill to trust that Eggers will bring it home in the third act - a bit of self-fulfilling prophecy to be honest. However, once the final act kicked in, we were in for a ride as secrets spilled and blood were shed. Ultimately culminating in an ending that had the cheesiest SFx of the film and inevitably echoed Star Wars (especially since Obi-wan Kenobi was running on Disney+ too).

Audiences familiar with Hamlet would more or less be aware of how the story of Amleth would end. Therefore, what Eggers did successfully was to make that journey interesting enough to hold the attention. But also, the casting was crucial, and no other actor could have been in that role other than Skarsgård. 

Skarsgård was not only physically imposing and impressive as the bear-wolf (another hah!) savage ex-viking Prince, but he had a silent charisma that demanded attention. As he hunched and hid, somehow Skarsgård managed to look small and unassuming. But when he stands tall and fight, he was fierce, confident and terrifying. 

It was a bit surprising to hear that Kidman was cast as Skarsgård's mother, but that role required a ferocity and nakedness that not many of today's actresses seemed to possessed. Kidman's one main scene was a standout as she was equal measures terrifying, seductive, manipulative, vulnerable and scared.

As aforementioned, the rest of the cast were spot on, and with The Northman, Eggers has shown that he does have an eye for casting the characters that he has created/envisioned.

Undoubtedly this film, like Eggers' previous films, will be more of an art-house/indie favourite rather than to the general audience, because despite the budget and the studio-backing, it was still essentially a film that relied on richly written characters that wrestled more with internal conflicts rather than a Nordic, action-piece that the marketing seemed to want the audience to think it is.

Jurassic World Dominion [IMAX]

Well at least with this film, this double-trilogy is now finally over. Hopefully. 

With each successive film, they have managed to continuously downgrade the good faith and awe generated from the incomparable first film. With each new entry, the spectacle of seeing dinosaurs on the big screen just seemed to slowly evaporate. It could be a consequence of time or the saturation of the modern movie-going experience with CGIs, but undoubtedly it was also due to the lack of realism from the practical effects that made Steven Spielberg's very first Jurassic Park such a wonderous milestone in cinematic history. It almost felt like the dinosaurs' CGI are getting cheaper with every film.

Then of course, Colin Trevorrow's direction is not at the level of Spielberg yet. Granted, Trevorrow had a couple of great scenes. However, those involved mainly the dinosaurs and action set pieces. They were tense, well-framed and exciting. But, the scenes that involved human interactions and dialogue exchanges were flat and lifeless. 

The messy screenplay by him and Emily Carmichael definitely did not help. Too many ideas, too many characters, too much exposition. It was like Jurassic Park meets Indiana Jones meets James Bond meets Taken meets Godzilla. Tonally inconsistent and not even fun while doing it.

The persistent lack of chemistry between Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt did not help. Pratt remained a blank slate here as his leading man character who just so boring and vanilla; Howard at least had a little more emoting to do here. 

Although the addition of legacy characters played by Sam Neil, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum were welcomed - the strains of John William's classic score underlying Neil and Dern's first meet was giddily fun - they were let down by a clunky script, poor direction choices and a huge sense of "why are they even here in the first place?". Goldblum provided some humour playing, essentially, the same act he has honed through these recent years. Nothing new but pleasant nonetheless. 

Music was by Michael Giacchino and it was unimpressive. One of his most rote and unimaginative score. John Schwartzman lensed the film and there were a couple of great shots but sadly not when the film needed it most.

This film was just all over the place and had so many ideas but yet so little conflict to engage an audience. It was almost as if the humans and their concerns were secondary to the spectacle of the dinosaurs.  But even then, the dinosaurs were losing their lustre and allure. And if even that is gone, what more can the Jurassic Era offer?

At 146 minutes long, this film was easily 20-30 minutes too long, and IMAX was definitely not necessary for this. Honestly, nowadays, maybe even wait for it to come to streaming.

Top Gun: Maverick

If there was one reason to go watch a movie in IMAX, Top Gun: Maverick was it. This was one film that deserved to be watched on a big screen, and the high octane, adrenaline-pumping, nail-biting flight sequences/dog fights fully utilised the magnificence of an IMAX screen and the superior surround system offered by an IMAX theatre. Sonic booms and missile launches never sounded more visceral. And above it all, it was simply a highly enjoyable film. 131 minutes just went by. There was humour, drama, pathos, love, romance and nostalgia. Lots of nostalgia. For those thinking of money, it really made the IMAX admission price worth it (the last film to truly did that was Avatar).

Director Joseph Konsinski had assembled an amazing creative team. The excellent music were credited to Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe; the brilliant cinematography (those in-plane shots! WOW!) by Claudio Miranda (who won an Oscar for Life of Pi); the superb editing was by Eddie Hamilton (those mid-air scenes were edge-of-your-seats exciting). And most importantly was the cast led by the infinitely charismatic, he of the mega-watt smile who we sometimes forget can really act, Tom Cruise. 

The story line was basic. It was simple and rote, with a nefarious, ill-defined villain, for us to root against. But it served it purpose. It brought Cruise's Maverick back to Top Gun. It outlined the main conflicts and internal turmoils of our principles, and the rest was up to Cruise et al to deliver the predicted outcomes without being boring (with some help from Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Kenny Loggins and Jerry Lee Lewis).

In particular, Gaga's refrains from her inevitable Oscar/Grammy-nominated single, Hold My Hand, were expertly and effectively weaved in and out of the film until her soul-belting moment. 

The cast had great chemistry together with the new pilots being especially well-gelled. 

Miles Teller had a lot of Anthony Edwards' Goose's mannerisms down and he was a surprisingly good second lead. His arc, like most on the show, was simple and predictable, but Teller managed to make his character both empathetic and likeable. 

The standout of the cast was Glen Powell who inherited the Val Kilmer's Iceman role as the handsome, cocky showoff. However, Powell's infectious grin and non-malicious. male-aggro competitiveness will endear him to the audience (both genders alike). 

And speaking of Kilmer, this was a very respectful way to bring him into the film. Respecting both the character and the actor. That scene between just Kilmer and Cruise was powerful in its simplicity and rawness.

Nonetheless, Top Gun: Maverick as the title clearly stated was all about Cruise. Boy, did he deliver. Everything you liked about Tom Cruise was here. We have the action hero, the daredevil stuntman, the emotionally attuned modern man, the loyal brother-in-arms, the cheeky, rule-breaking bad boy with the heart of gold, and of course we definitely did have, Tom Cruise the movie star. There are only a handful of actors like him now, someone who can open a film and hold your attention just by being on screen. He just needs to finally win an Oscar.  

However, to be honest, this film was not without its fault. For all the simple, unequivocal enjoyment that it brought to a movie-going experience, it was also laden with issues. Top Gun: Maverick was also unabashedly a pro-war, military propaganda. It was also misogynistic in its absence of fully realised female characters (maybe then don't have any at all?). If not for Jennifer Connelly, Cruise's love interest would have just been another pretty face. But thankfully Connelly managed to make her somewhat interesting instead of just the  beautiful china vase the screenwriters wrote her out to be. Monica Barbaro was the featured female fighter pilot, but other than allowing the men around her to utter lines that speak of supposed woke-ness and feminism, her character could essentially have been male. There was supposedly another female fighter pilot in the mix, of Asian descent (why are they all POC?), but other than a brief glimpse of her once in a group, there was nary another mention nor appearance. This film basically failed the Bechdel test.

Regardless, and especially because of COVID, Top Gun: Maverick was truly the first film in a long while to prove that cinema is not dead. No, it wasn't Denis Villeneuve and Dune, nor definitely not Christopher Nolan and Tenet that heralded back the box office. It was Cruise (sorry Konsinski).

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Firstly, and foremost, this was undeniably a Sam Raimi film. All of Raimi's signature style and directorial flair were in full force, and that led to a MCU film that was surprisingly unique. No straight up horror, but a fantastical mix up of B-grade horror, some unexpected camp, un-quippy humour, and some very, very cool visuals. Benedict Cumberbatch has grown comfortably into his role as one of the elder statesman of the MCU and Elizabeth Olsen continues to shine as her character evolved and deepened. Although for Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch, her story here was ostensibly a continuation of her arc on WandaVision, and for fans, the payoff was worth it. 

As was for those who watched What If...?

Secondly, this was also a suprisingly short film, at just 126 minutes, this film had a straightforward narrative, and a tight and tidy storytelling. But also consequentially, there was not enough time to allow the emotional arcs for both Stephen and Wanda to develop fully. And without spoiling the film, the latter's arc really was the emotional driving force of the whole film, and although Olsen and Raimi managed to succinctly tell her story, and gave it a satisfying - albeit, predictable - ending, unlike WandaVision, there was just not enough time to allow the catharsis to sink in. 

In other words, no classic line equivalent to "But what is grief, if not love persevering".

Most fans may have been spoilt by Spider-Man: No Way Home which was only so beloved because it was pandering to the fans. From start to the end, that film was utterly almost all fan service. But the MCU has never really been about that, and Doctor Strange just reminded us of that again, i.e. that the MCU (and Kevin Feige) is here to tell a bigger story. Although the crash back to ground from that stratospheric reality can discombobulate most viewers, both fans and casual alike. 

However, Raimi's direction and Michael Waldron's screenplay (last of Loki) reminded us that what the MCU excelled in was using each film to tell a specific story but in a new visual style. In this case, what we have was essentially a story about letting go told in a B-grade, horror-drama style. It was about Strange letting go of Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams - getting a bit more to do here than just a pretty face) and Wanda letting go of her grief that was all-consuming her (WandaVision continuation here).

Benedict Wong continued to be a great supporting actor and addition to (almost) every MCU film. And that 2nd act revelation - priceless! Everybody there! Speechless (and lots of whooping)! Xochitl Gomez as new introduction America Chavez (aka Miss America) was a refreshing breath of youthful energy and spunk - a bit like Peter Parker to Cumberbatch's older, grouchier, Doctor Strange.

Like all MCU films, the cinematography, this time by John Mathieson, remained good but not spectacular. But at least this time, paired with Raimi, there were many stunning visuals. Seriously, that one black and white, wide-angle shot - gorgeously shot, proportioned and framed. The score was by Danny Elfman, and there were some inventive use of music. Although highlights were actually refrains of some scores from movies past. 

Of course, stay for both a mid-credit and post-credit scene. The latter was a very Raimi-esque wink, while the former definitely laid the scene for Doctor Strange 3.

In all, Doctor Strange was a very enjoyable watch with some very cool scenes and moments. A rather mature storytelling that had been simplified for mass consumption, and perhaps not as fun as the best of MCU films, but, otherwise, safely in the top half of the MCU canon.

His House [Netflix]

An excellent horror-house film with a strong political voice that smartly tied in the horrifying immigrant story (war-torn Sudan refugees in this case) with the supernatural tropes of fitting in with a new community. From a narrative point of view, writer/director Remi Weekes' debut had a refreshing take on the genre which kept the film from being stale. The horror elements were used to great effect both to heightened the sense of loss and isolation but also to provide scares. Although, it did kind of wear thin towards the end, but that could also have been the point. That said, the final climax would have made Guillermo del Toro proud. 

However, the strongest factors in Weekes' film were its lead actors. Both Wunmi Mosaku and Sope Dirisu were phenomenal and really translated the immigrants' journey into a beautiful, visceral and heartwrenching story. Especially Mosaku, her third act was a powerful showcase in balancing nuance and excess. The emotional weight of her story was palpable and believable. No wonder she was nominated for a BAFTA Best Actress for this film. 

Dirisu was also no slob. He may have gotten the showier role (in a horror film) but he still imbued his character with a complexity not often seen in the genre. There was a heaviness within him as he wrestled with his past and guilt.

The epilogue was a nice touch if a bit clunky, re-enforcing Weekes' thesis that assimilation into a different (read: white) society can be tougher than facing than the horrors within your own house.

Master [Amazon Prime]

Regina Hall gave one of her best performances in a moody, atmospheric horror film that relied more on psychological terror and actual socio-political racial satire. The real evil, as writer/director Mariama Diallo kept drumming in, was America and its ever pervasive and insidious casual racism. The relentless onslaught of micro-aggressions, colourisms, and white privilege that our Black protagonists have to endure was honestly more shocking and bracing than the actual supernatural terror that may or may not just be in their head. 

Master may lack the satirical elegance of Jordan Peele's Get Out, but it did make up for it in its horror component with its reliance on Zoe Renee's unreliable narrator, New England's history of witchcraft and the winterscape. Charlotte Hornsby's cinematography was effectively used to punctuate the growing senses of dread and the juxtaposition of light and shadows as both a thematic and atmospheric choice.

At a brisk 90-plus minutes, the Master was not demanding but Diallo sure did have a lot to say and did try to say/crammed into it. The decision to partition the film into chapters allowed for the passage of time, but it also resulted in a slight interruption of the narrative flow especially with regard to the breaking psyche of those involved. The film could have been a little tighter, removed some of the less consequential subplots, and focused more on either Hall or Renee instead of trying to balance both their storylines simultaneously.

The third actress in this mix was theatre actress Amber Grey and her role was the lynchpin of the Third Act. Her performance was intentionally opaque and vague, but again, her story - and purpose - was too much weight on a small film to carry. 

Following her turn on Nine Perfect Strangers, Hall is finally getting the recognition she deserved and hopefully with this project, she will start getting more films and shows that allow for her to shine. As for Diallo, hopefully she gets a bigger budget for a tighter film because she definitely has a voice and something to say about America.

Turning Red [Disney+]

Like with all Pixar animations, a ranking of their latest within their canon is unavoidable (well, at least until they gets repetitive and boring and it becomes untenable), but Turning Red lands somewhere in the top half of their repertoire (of 25 films). I hesitate to put it in the top third, cause that means it will be at least in top 8/9,  which is kind of impossible. 

What Turning Red has going for it was relatability. Like all good Pixar films, the story was relatable not only for children but also for the adults watching it. Who cannot relate to the awkward pains of adolescent and puberty? The need to please your parents but yet rebel against them? The joy of hanging out with your friends? The chase /of teeny pop idols? The binging of soap operas? And of course, who does not love a big, fluffy, red panda? Coupled that with a healthy dose of humour and an all inclusive supporting cast, it was hard not to be charmed by this coming of age, fantastical story co-written and directed by Domee Shi. 

Then, of course, also undeniably, the Asian pull is strong in this, from the food, to the traditions, to the anime-like sequences (I see you Sailor Moon!). 

This was ultimately a story about family and the bond between parent and child, and specifically mother and daughter, and in that aspect, some might feel a slight disconnect. Menarche and menstruation (or even in a male context, wet dreams and masturbation) is not as universal as death, purpose in life, joy and depression.

However, what was crucial were the feelings associated with growing up and being a teenager. The frustrations between being your parents' child and being one with your friends. The blossoming feelings for someone else. he fantasies of being with a superstar. Who dares to say that these feelings are unrelatable? Shi chose to center the story on a teenage girl because that was what she and co-writer Julia Cho knows best, and that gave the story an authenticity that so many male-led, female protagonists-driven narratives lacked. 

But one thing that it did not succeed as well as the other top tier-ed Pixar films was its emotional heart. Sure, there were laughters throughout the film, but the emotional core was too well telegraphed. It was beat-by-beat and predictable, as were the feelings that ought to be felt. It kind of lacked that missing ingredient in really good Pixar films that just hit the gut and the mind at the same time. A minor quip, but one that truly kept Turning Red from being great - and possibly from winning next year's Oscars. 

Nonetheless kudos to the voice cast and especially Sandra Oh! She was an inspired choice. An amazing voice actress! She imbued her character with such rich emotional complexities that it was at times heartbreaking. And she just sounds like she was having a blast!

Of course we also needed to add Billie Ellish and Finneas O'Connor to the soundtrack to cash in on the GenZs. Let us be practical on that, but at least their boyband songs sounded appropriately 90s.

Turning Red as a little post-credits stinger, stay to the end! 

The Eyes of Tammy Faye [HBO Max]

Jessica Chastain was fantastic in this otherwise middling, unfocused and vague biographical drama of ex-televangelist, LGBTQ-icon, Tammy Faye Bakker. Not only was Chastain lost in the make-up and prosthetics, she was also fully immersed in her role, giving a full-bodied and unapologetic performance, embracing the voice, the idiosyncrasies, the mannerisms of one Tammy Faye. But if only the screenplay, by Abe Slyvia, managed to support her. 

Chastain and Andrew Garfield had great chemistry together, and Garfield on his own did good work in portraying Jim Bakker, but we never really got to deep dive into either Tammy Faye as a person or their marriage. Consequently, the movie always just felt that much more superficial and lacking in focus. It seemed more interested in painting the broad strokes of the Praise The Lord empire - and they were very broad strokes - than filling in the shades and hues of the people that created the PTL network. 

Regardless, Chastain was indeed very good, and in the footsteps of Charlize Theron in Monster and Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour, the Oscar will be hers to lose (and the SAG Awards and Critics Choice Awards have also kind of cemented that). But unfortunately, just like Renee Zellweger for Judy and Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady, the talented Chastain will get rewarded for a so-so film. 

In Tammy Faye, Chastain avoided the easy route of an all-out impression and mimicry, instead - in some of the film's finer (not finest) moments - Chastain allowed us to glimpse the fragility and naivety that still remained this louder-than-life personality. It is to her credit that Tammy Faye was not just a one-note, two-dimensional character. 

Cherry Jones, as Tammy Faye's mother, was the only other supporting actor that seemed to be able to hold onto her own, and their relationship, as brief as it was depicted in these 126 minutes, was actually a highlight. The evolution and the unspoken love was more so than anything between Tammy Faye and Jim. 

The Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling is almost guaranteed, and barring an upset, Chastain will finally get her first Oscar, ten years after her first nomination.

The Hand of God (È stata la mano di Dio) [Netflix]

 

Paolo Sorrentino's latest film is also one of his most personal. A semi-autobiographical, coming of age story mired by tragedy but punctuated with delightful humour, insightful truths and personal reflections. At times fable-like and at times surrealistic, Sorrentino's camera offered a voyeuristic look into this family and the protagonist - a stand-in for him - as we watch him navigate through this eventful phase of his life.

There is pain, but there was also love. The love amongst the family felt palpable and genuine. This was a small film that felt authentically intimate. It had not been shaped nor moulded to fit the masses, and I doubt it will gain the mass appeal of Sorrentino's other big hits. However, here we have a filmmaker telling a personal story and we should be so fortunate to be allowed a step into this personal space.

In Filippo Scotti, Sorrentino has discovered a star in the making. With his curls and waif-ish men-boy look, comparisons with Timothee Chalamet will be inevitable, but Scotti's Fabietto had more of an innocence to his eyes than Chalamet's Elio, and as the protagonist Scotti's wide-eyed view of the world allowed us - cynical folks - to be simultaneously detached from his experience but also empathetic to it. And that was the power of Sorrentino's storytelling.

The supporting cast were great, especially Teresa Saponagelo and Toni Servillo as the parents, Luisa Ranieri as the enigmatic, tortured Aunt Patrizia and Betti Pedrazzi as the mysterious and cantankerous but wise Baroness.

Diego Maradona's infamous comment of course gave the film its title, but Maradona himself played little role in the story itself except as a placement in time. 

With the Venice Film Festival Grand Jury prize under its belt (and the Marcello Mastrolianni Award for Scotti), it was no surprise then that The Hand of God is also now in the running for an Oscar. But it will be against stiff competition in the International Feature Film category with Drive My Car as the clear favourite.

Flee [Hulu]

 

This was cinema. It was no wonder that Flee became the first film to get simultaneously nominated for Best International Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature and Best Animated Feature.

The animation employed here was a tool to convey a harrowing, hearbreaking and poignantly timely story of escape and freedom. Animation allowed the story to be told but also allowed the film makers to hide Amin Nawabi's true identity - for reasons made clear in the documentary - and to tell an unrestricted and unflinching story. The animation also helped to recreate moments from his past and his memories, but these scenes were never indulgent nor exploitive. Just like a documentary, they were meant to convey and express. 

Flee was not only a story about Nawabi's flight away from politics, war, oppression, intolerance, bigotry, but also from the binds within himself. The guilt of escaping; the guilt of being alive; the guilt of being "different".  This was a documentarial masterclass in empathy. Nawabi's journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance also became our journey of reflection and learning. We are there with him through his childhood in Kabul, through the harrowing months in Moscow, through the arduous and terrifying escapes - yes, plural - to get asylum. 

And it was a brilliant choice to juxtapose the past with the present, which allowed us to see how much he has grown but yet had not. His future has not been set but we - like him - are trepidatious about how it will be. Will he give himself the chance to love, to settle, to be free? Or will he always be trapped by the fear?

Those final few moments of the film were brilliant. They brought tears, laughter, joy and - most importantly - hope. There is not a more timely film right now about our current world's situation. 

Peace.

The Mitchells vs the Machines [Netflix]

Now, my money is on this winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. It had everything, except songs, but then it had that one great sing-a-long momnent, so maybe, it did have everything! It had a great animation style - a brilliant mix of 2D, 3D, computer-animation and hand drawn - it was funny (seriously, a few good laugh out loud moments), emotional and heartwarming (parents and children, siblings, familial bonds), and most importantly it did not dumb down. The themes of being yourself, loving means letting go, acceptance are universal but they were never pandered to the lowest IQ-level. There was still a lot of heart in the story as irreverent, absurdist, fantastical as it was. 

The animation style was amazing. It was Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse but without the comic book vibes, instead it felt more organic to a "human" story. The 2D and hand drawn details just added another layer of familiarity and authenticity to the story.

Sure, the premise of the film was a sci-fi, robotic apocalypse that left only this one, dysfunctional family to save ALL OF HUMANITY from is kind of a trope, but the values it carried was beautifully laid out through the slightly long 114 minutes. Director and co-writer Mike Rianda never beat it into you and never lay it out point-blank. He slowly unfurled the knots within the Mitchells such that the climatic scene was well-earned and the epilogue a sweet, well-deserved ending.

It definitely also helped that Rianda and co-writer Jeff Rowe populated the story with interesting side characters to lighten the mood and bring the laughs. However, they have also sneakily imbued these minor side pieces with learning lessons of their own, e.g. social media envy, self-improvement, doing the right thing, acceptance.

And of course kudos to Rianda et all for having a LGBTQIA+ protagonist but never really making their sexuality a focus of the film. 

As for the voice cast, first of all, cast Olivia Colman as your evil AI overlord Every. Single. Time. She was a hoot and stole everything scene! Abbi Jacobson gave our protagonist Katie a real sense of teenage angst, growth and maturity, and Maya Rudoph continues to be an excellent voice actress following her Emmy-winning success on Big Mouth. And director Rianda seemed to be having lots of fun voicing Aaron and the Furbies.

O.M.G. The Furbies are still scary. Terrifying.

The only complaint I have of this film was that it could have been a little tighter in the middle act and perhaps lose about 10 to 15 minutes. That would have kept the story more streamlined and the pacing to the climax more urgent. Nonetheless, this is most likely another Sony upset for the Oscar. 

94th Academy Awards (Oscars 2022)

A year that started coming back to some sense of normalcy as the pandemic waned. The film fests again was a launching pad for many of what would be the year's biggest award contenders. Sundance had CODA, Cannes had Drive My Car, Venice had The Power of the Dog and Spencer and Telluride had Belfast. Foreign films continued to enchant with Drive My Car, The Worst Person in the World, L'evenement and even Titane picking up accolades and raves throughout. Streaming also had a good year, Netflix dominated with films like The Power of the Dog, The Lost Daughter, Don't Look Up, Tick Tick...Boom and Passing, AppleTV had the big hit CODA and even Amazon is in the running for Being the Ricardos. Musicals tried to connect with the audience but unfortunately as great as they were, films like West Side Story and Into the Heights failed to connect with the pockets of the general public. 

The nominees these years were a good bunch, all very deserving (especially given that that atrocious House of Gucci was mostly snubbed). Sure, as usual, some nods were overlooked - smaller films and less-known names overlooked for the big shiny marquee names. Nonetheless, it was still a good crop of nominees. 

As usual, remember, the winner may not always be the best of the year. Every time, it is about the narrative and sometimes who deserved (to finally) win.

*Winners are highlighted in red. 

BEST PICTURE

Belfast

CODA

Don't Look Up

Drive My Car

Dune

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

Nightmare Alley

The Power of the Dog

West Side Story

Who Should Win: Drive My Car
Who Will Win: The Power of the Dog
Who Could Win: CODA

The Power of the Dog was the most powerful film of the year. It had all the crafts going for it but also a layered, nuanced emotional story anchored by a phenomenal cast that brought layers and complexity to a relatively simple story (looking at you Dune). However, in my heart, Drive My Car was a cinematic achievement. Director Rysuke Hamaguchi spun a short story into a three-hours emotional epic into the human psyche the never - ever - felt wasted and so empathetic. CODA, on the other hand, is gaining steam and momentum for its well-liked cast and feel good sentimentality. Similarly, that also extends to King Richard. The Power of the Dog only has its Netflix-bias against it and of course Jane Campion's recent faux pas. 

BEST DIRECTOR

Kenneth Branagh, Belfast

Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car

Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza

Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog

Steven Spielberg, West Side Story

Who Should Win: Jane Campion 
Who Will Win: Jane Campion
Who Could Win: Steven Spielberg

As above, Campion's biggest obstacle will the HUGE faux pas she made at the Critics Choice Awards. Voters may turn away from her and in that case, Spielberg might be the safest bet. Everybody - but the paying audience - seemed to love and appreciate West Side Story, Hamaguchi may get his rewards from Best Adapted Screenplay and Best International Film, Branagh's Belfast is not as well-received as it thinks it is and Anderson's Licorice Pizza may just be too lightweight for the voters.

BEST ACTOR

Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos

Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog

Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick...Boom!

Will Smith, King Richard

Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth

Who Should Win: Benedict Cumberbatch
Who Will Win: Will Smith
Who Could Win: Benedict Cumberbatch

This is going to be a two-horse race between two very well-liked actors. Smith had a star-making turn in King Richard in which he effectively carried the film throughout. It was a transformative role for him and gave him a whole range of emotions to work with. Cumberbatch, on the other hand, had the more subdued role. Less showy than Smith but equally emotional. Nuanced and layered, sympathetic and detested. But I think Oscar voters will try their best to avoid #OscarsSoWhite again. Washington is barely campaigning and he has already won, Bardem was great and this is his recognition, and Garfield still got years ahead of him to really breakout.

BEST ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter

Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers

Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos

Kristen Stewart, Spencer

Who Should Win: Jessica Chastain
Who Will Win: Jessica Chastain
Who Could Win: Nicole Kidman

Unlike the actors, this is a tough race to call. Essentially a 3 to 4 horse race, sorry Cruz. Interestingly enough, as many have pointed out, none of the Best Actress nominees are in films nominated for a Best Picture. Given that all these five women were phenomenon in their roles, this lead me to believe that the winner will eventually be either the actress that voters most respect, i.e. Olivia Colman, most deserving, i.e. Chastain, or in a movie most actors supported, i.e Kidman. As long as there is no Lady Gaga, I am all for anyone to win this year.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Ciaran Hinds, Belfast

Troy Kotsur, CODA

Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog

J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos

Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog

Who Should Win: Troy Kotsur
Who Will Win: Troy Kotsur
Who Could Win: Kodi Smit-McPhee

Smit-McPhee has been the front-runner in this race ever since The Power of the Dog screened. He gave an intense, indecipherable, meticulous performance that continued to haunt even after the film is over. However, Kotsur is having a late surge, and as the only acting nominee for the well-liked CODA, he may end up getting the award for his hilarious and heartwarming portrayal. And no doubt well-deserved too.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter

Ariana DeBose, West Side Story

Judi Dench, Belfast

Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog

Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard

Who Should Win: Ariana DeBose
Who Will Win: Ariana DeBose
Who Could Win: Aunjanue Ellis

Fantastic performances by all five women here. Although Caitriona Balfe should have gotten that Belfast nomination, even though Dame Dench had that one powerful final scene. Nonetheless, this award is DeBose's to lose. Her Anita was the absolute standout of West Side Story and based solely off America, her performance was seared into memory. Ellis and Dunst will be the close contenders. Both well respected veteran actresses who finally have films that showcased their talents and rewarded them both with nominations.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Belfast

Don't Look Up

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

The Worst Person in the World

Who Should Win: Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Who Will Win: Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Who Could Win: Adam McKay, Don't Look Up

A surprise that Aaron Sorkin was not nominated here. Possibly his spot was taken by Norwegian hit The Worst Person in the World, although it is unlikely to win. Branagh's screenplay for Belfast may have been personal but it lacked the child-like innocence expected from a film told from a kid's POV. This may be the place to reward PTA for a simple screenplay that told a lovely, rather authentic, love story. Don't Look Up might just sneak it as the more politically correct choice - and the voters do love their Adam Mckay.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

CODA

Drive My Car

Dune

The Lost Daughter

The Power of the Dog

Who Should Win: Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe, Drive My Car
Who Will Win: Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
Who Could Win: Sian Heder, CODA

Again, this year seemed to be all about spreading the wealth. My vote goes to Hamguchi and Oe for their phenomenal work in spinning a Murakami short story out to a three-hour epic into the human psyche. However, Gyllenhaal has been sweeping the smaller precursor awards, and that momentum will likely lead her to score her first Oscar. Also, voters do love to reward their actors who triumphed outside acting. Hader remained the dark horse, but if she wins this, I don't see Kotsur getting his award then. 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Encanto

Flee

Luca

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Raya and the Last Dragon

Who Should Win: Luca
Who Will Win: The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Who Could Win: Encanto

Luca has the most heart, but The Mitchells vs the Machines is going to take the big prize here because - as an animation - it was just really well done. Encanto is insanely popular and as the advantage of recency and the catchy soundtracks, but it was, in my opinion, not a very good film (the animation was impeccable as one would expect from Disney). Flee was phenomenal, its animation was used to tell a story that otherwise could not have been told. However,  I think its best chance still lie with Best Documentary Feature. Mitchells had everything going for it, a good story, character depth and development, humour, pathos, innovative animation and design, and plain ol' fun.

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

Drive My Car, Japan

Flee, Denmark

The Hand of God, Italy

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, Bhutan

The Worst Person in the World, Norway

Who Should Win: Drive My Car
Who Will Win: Drive My Car
Who Could Win: Drive My Car

This will be Drive My Car's to lose. Unless it is going to bring home the Best Picture award which is unlikely as it is less accessible that Parasite. Flee's only chance might be Best Documentary and The Worst Person in the World just does not seem to have the momentum.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Ascension

Attica

Flee

Summer of Soul

Writing with Fire

Who Should Win: Flee
Who Will Win: Flee
Who Could Win: Summer of Soul

Unfortunately, this is a blind spot for me, I will go with Flee since I was absolutely moved by it. And it being nominated in three categories should be a feat unto itself. But I hear Summer of Soul is wildly popular.

BEST ORIGNAL SCORE

Don't Look Up, Nicholas Britell

Dune, Hans Zimmer

Encanto, Germaine Franco

Parallel Mothers, Alberto Iglesias

The Power of the Dog, Jonny Greenwood

Who Should Win: The Power of the Dog, Jonny Greenwood
Who Will Win: Dune, Hans Zimmer
Who Could Win: The Power of the Dog, Jonny Greenwood

Dune - for all its narrative fault - was technically brilliant and Zimmer's score was one of the many under-the-line highlights of an otherwise 3-hour slog. Greenwood's tortured score for Power was one of the many memorable moments in a powerful film. Same too for Iglesias' eclectic score for Parallel Mothers and Britell's punchy jazzy track in Don't Look Up. 

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Be Alive", King Richard

"Dos Orugitas", Encanto

"Down to Joy", Belfast

"No Time to Die", No Time to Die

"Somehow You Do",  Four Good Days

Who Should Win: No Time to Die
Who Will Win: No Time to Die
Who Could Win: Be Alive

This is going to be Billie Ellish vs Beyonce and Ellis will take it. If Bruno was around, on the other hand (shhhhh....We don't talk about Bruno!).

BEST SOUND

Belfast

Dune

No Time to Die

The Power of the Dog

West Side Story

Who Should Win: Dune
Who Will Win: Dune
Who Could Win: West Side Story

No more sound mixing and sound editing, and so this again will go to the sci-fi opera epic Dune. Although as a musical, West Side Story has a chance.

BEST PRODUCTION

Dune

Nightmare Alley

The Power of the Dog

The Tragedy of Macbeth

West Side Story

Who Should Win: Nightmare Alley
Who Will Win: Nightmare Alley
Who Could Win: Dune

All five films have stunning production designs, but Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley was really something. From the carnival in the first half to the art nouveau of the second half - and that Cate Blanchett's office (stunning!). Dune might also just take too just for its grandeur and expansive scope of world building.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Greig Fraser, Dune

Dan Laustsen, Nightmare Alley

Ari Wegner, The Power of the Dog

Bruno Delbonnel, The Tragedy of Macbeth

Janusz Kaminski, West Side Story

Who Should Win: Bruno Delbonnel
Who Will Win: Ari Wegner
Who Could Win: Greig Fraser 

As always, my own personal favourite tech category. Delbonnel black and white filming of Macbeth was one of the standout. Those images still resonate. However, Wegner's gorgeous wide-angled lensing of New Zealand and her intimate caressing of the characters within the house are going to get her the award. Fraser might get it with Dune II but he is also getting some love with The Batman.

BEST FILM EDITING

Don't Look Up

Dune

King Richard

The Power of the Dog

Tick, Tick...Boom!

Who Should Win: King Richard
Who Will Win: King Richard
Who Could Win: Don't Look Up

Those tennis scenes itself would surely sewed the win up for King Richard. Although Don't Look Up had some great editing especially towards the climax.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Cruella

Cyrano

Dune

Nightmare Alley

West Side Story

Who Should Win: Cruella
Who Will Win: Cruella
Who Could Win: Cruella

I mean for a film all about fashion, this sure has to be Cruella's to lose.

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Coming 2 America

Cruella

Dune

The Eyes of Tammy Faye

House of Gucci

Who Should Win: The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Who Will Win: The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Who Could Win: The Eyes of Tammy Faye

The unrecognisable transformation of Jessica Chastain to Tammy Faye makes this the undeniable winner.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Dune

Free Guy

No Time to Die

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Who Should Win: Dune
Who Will Win: Dune
Who Could Win: Spider-Man: No Way Home   

Marvel is not going to win this unless they want to appease the fanboys. Dune's VFX was spectacular.