The Tragedy of Macbeth

Joel Coen’s adaptation of this Shakespeare classic was a stunning study of monochrome cinematography and brutal architecture production design. Led by a stellar Denzel Washington, this was a rather faithful literal translation of the play to the screen. As usual, the Elizabethan English may be challenging to some, but after a few beats you will get into the rhythm, and Shakespeare’s powerful use of the English language still never ceased to amaze. The metaphors, allusions, foreshadowing, alliterations and flow of words were masterful, and the cast did it proud.

Washington was magnetic. His Macbeth embodied a man, perhaps just passed his prime, that had so many layers and contradictions. His fears, ambitions, tyranny, delusions, love for his wife were all on display, and Washington flipped through all the emotions effortlessly as we witnessed the rise and fall of Macbeth. Is he a Tragic character? Or just a victim of his own Hubris?

Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth was a slightly more mixed bag. Her early portrayal of an equally ambitious Queen-in-waiting was more convincing, but her devolution to fear and doubt seemed less natural (especially if one is not familiar with the original text). But, boy, can McDormand serve a look!

The biggest standout was Kathryn Hunter as the weird sisters. She was phenomenal. Although only appearing briefly, her witchy portrayal was utterly terrifying and memorable. Every enunciation of Shakespeare’s famous lines echoed with purpose. And those bodily movements. Brilliant.

Outstanding cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel (pay attention Wes Anderson!). The use of lights and shadows were outstanding. Paired with the gorgeous production design by Stefan Dechant - sharp, angular, brutal and Tadao Ando-esque - the whole Macbeth castle seemed like a whole character unto itself.

“Macbeth” was a challenging film. Enriching and gorgeous, but definitely appealing to a niche audience. Washington may get a Best Actor nomination and the film a Best Picture nod, and hopefully at least two more for Delbonnel and Dechant.

 

Titane

What an exhilarating and exciting film. No wonder it won the Palme d’Or. It was audacious, outrageous, provocative, original, freh, unpredictable, visceral, sympathetic, uncompromising, repulsive, engrossing, challenging and so much more.

It was a cinematic experience.

With a bare minimum of dialogue, director/writer Julia Doucournau crafted an immaculate journey that one never knew how it was going to end; and whether it will end or not.

Leading lady Agathe Rousselle was phenomenal. The make-up team definitely helped, but Rousselle fully inhabited her role. She was haunting and scary and terrifying, but yet beneath that cold, hardened exterior was was a child-like innocence that just needed to be loved. And you believed that.

Coupled with Vincent London who came in at the half-way mark, they made for a fascinating pair. Both so similar in what they desire and they need, but yet possibly so dangerous together.

Kudos to Ducournau for always keeping us guessing as to how the film will end, and when it finally arrived, it was as haunting and tender as when the film started.

The score by Jim Williams echoed the hauntedness of the cinematography by Ruben Impens. Lots of stark contrast juxtaposed with softness, in particular by the repeated motif of flames and fires. Death, destruction and rebirth. The allegories were not subtle.

Regardless, “Titane” absolutely deserved its accolades. However, my Best International Feature Film Oscar vote still goes to “Drive My Car”.

Licorice Pizza

The closest we will get to a Paul Thomas Anderson rom-com. An almost perfect love story with two amazing leads in their feature film debut.

Alana Haim was fascinating. She was irresistibly magnetic and charismatic, effortlessly lighting up the screen and drawing our focus. Cooper Hoffman - so like his father - was perfectly cast as the young charming hustler, exuding an equally effortless screen presence. The chemistry between them was electrifying and absolutely worth the ticket price.

The first 2/3 of the film was brilliant, near perfect. It was funny, smoothly paced, sweet and emotional and so worth the journey. However, the third act was meandering and slightly loses focus. Haim’s character suddenly loses her agency and Hoffman’s character devolved to unlikeability. Thankfully, PTA managed to wring it back at the final moments.

Regardless, the film was beautifully shot as usual by PTA himself and Michael Bauman, and excellently scored by Jonny Greenwood. Both of which were surely going to get Oscar nominations. On top of the likely Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and maybe even Best Director; Haim will be a long shot for Best Actress.

The Worst Person in the World (Verdens Verste Menneske)

Norwegian’s Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film and Cannes’ Best Actress winner was a dark romantic comedy that succinctly captured the wistful, fleeting, uncertainty and unmoored fragility of the Gen Z/Millennials and broadly - albeit sometimes blatantly - juxtaposed it with the more grounded yet still wishful sensibility of the Gen X/Y-ers.

We followed the intriguing and arresting and infinitely charismatic Renate Reinsve through the years, or as Joachim Trier stated in the opening, through 12 chapters, a prologue and an epilogue, as she attempted to discover herself. Inherently, this was a film about her love story to herself. It masked itself as a love story between Reinsve and the men in her life - key of whom was played by Anders Danielsen Lie - as Trier played and mixed with generational expectations, but truly, in the end, we were on a journey hoping that Reinsve’s character figures out what she wants in her life before she fully becomes “The Worst Person in the World”.

Kudos to Trier and Reinsve for managing to tell a story and creating a character who could have been loathsome and unlikeable but ended up being so realistic, relatable and empathetic to. We never really wanted her to fail. We hoped she succeeds. But through the two-hours runtime, we do sometimes wonder if she was worth it. Was this person - this character - worth rooting for? And I think they had achieved it, although the last act may have been too manipulative to feel organic. But, hey, this is a fictional film after all, no?

A stronger contender to make it as one of the nominees come Oscar time. But unlike “Drive My Car”, I doubt it has a chance in the other categories.

West Side Story

 

Never doubt Steven Spielberg. What a stunning remake of the classic. Undeniably gorgeously shot by Janusz Kamiński and expertly updated and adapted by Tony Kushner, this musical film remained emotionally heart wrenching and indescribably catchy. Spielberg captured the electrical energy of the Jets and the Sharks without ever seeming goofy or unrealistic, but at the same time also creating an undercurrent of emotional tenderness that swelled and crested as Tony and Maria’s story threaded through the rhythms and rhymes of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.

And someone give Ariana DeBose her Oscar nomination…or better still, the Oscar…now!! Her “America” was a show-stopping showcase and if Jennifer Hudson and Anne Hathaway can win Oscars, so can DeBose.

Rachel Zegler was a wonderful discovery, all bright-eyed and innocent naïveté. Ansel Elgort had a good singing voice and was a decent Tony but he lacked that dangerous edge; more dreamboat than edgy catamaran. Their chemistry though palpable was not electrifying as it could be.

Mike Faist as Riff and David Alvarez as Bernardo were the other standouts, and Rita Moreno would be another potential oscar nominee just because of nostalgia and she got to sing “Somewhere”.

“West Side Story” is surely going to be another Spielberg Oscar juggernaut, but whether it will do a “The Post” and “Lincoln” and pick up none to a few wins, or hark back to the days of “Schindler’s List” and sweep will be hard to say. Without much acting support, it might end up doing a “Mad Max: Fury Road” and sweep the technicals, although “Dune” might give it a run for that honour.

Being the Ricardos [Amazon Prime]

 

Following The Trial of the Chicago 7, Aaron Sorkin is back - both as a director and a writer - for another very Sorkin-esque outing. That is to say, the film was filled with snappy, witty one-liners and retorts, rhythmic dialogue that volleys back and forth, and of course great, big, actor-showcasing monologues dense with meaning, innuendos, metaphors, foreshadowing and undertone. And thankfully, he found this excellent cast who delivered all that and more! 

Nicole Kidman had never been better in a long time and her Oscar nomination is assured, with a win as a real distinct possibility. Throughout the film, Kidman was lost in Lucille Ball. There was no outright mimicry here, just an assured and nuanced performance that imbued her version of Lucille Ball with an empathetic humanity, depth and complexity. She could be scathing, funny, loving, tender, strong, vulnerable, weak all in the same scene, and she had no problems rolling out Sorkin's lines with the cadence and bite it deserved. 

Same goes for Jarvier Bardem. He was giving a full-bodied, dedicated performance as Desi Arnaz and his charisma just oozed out of the screen, Further, his chemistry with Kidman was palpable and believable, and their repertoire was at times exciting and titillating, and sometimes heartbreakingly devastating. His command of the screen was no less than that of Kidman' and his exhilarating musical performance(s) may lead him to repeat his SAG Best Actor nomination come Oscar time.

Also, kudos to the rest of the cast who were brilliantly supportive in their roles to elevate Kidman and Bardem: J.K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat and Jake Lacy. 

The film itself was decidedly less stellar than the cast and Sorkin as a director still has space to grow. The narrative framing device used to tell the story was interesting but repetitive, still segmenting the story into episodic-like moments and stalling narrative momentum. Further, the film's actual storytelling was also a bit too matter-of-fact, almost like a dramatised fictional docu (if there is such a thing). David Fincher and Sorkin were a great pairing!

But, luckily, as like in Chicago 7, Sorkin was supported by a great technical crew. Cinematographer, Jeff Cronenweth, lensed the film in a warm, familiar glow of domestic bliss punctured by bright glares of the outside world; and Daniel Pemberton's score was reminiscent of the 50s but yet still modern and befitting of the film.

Being the Ricardos will definitely be in the Oscar conversation with Sorkin and Kidman both having a high chance of nabbing their respective trophies for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress. Then again, Sorkin might have to vie with Paul Thomas Anderson for Licorice Pizza, and Olivia Colman for The Lost Daughter. 

The Lost Daughter [Netflix]

A captivating and confident directorial debut from Maggie Gyllenhaal that avoided many of the trappings and tropes typical of first-time directors (there were still some, especially the opening and closing sequences and the flashbacks). Coupled with the fact that Gyllenhaal adapted the screenplay too, this resulted in a film that knew what it was and what story it wanted to tell, and this was no mean feat, given that the protagonist - as played so mesmerisingly by Olivia Colman - was such a complex and complicated character that could have easily been unlikeable. 

By no means, was this an easy film to watch, especially if you have children or are a (new) parent, or just highly empathetic, but Gyllenhaal, Colman and Jessie Buckley have crafted a story that confronted the taboo subjects of motherhood (parenthood) and the associated loss of self, weight of responsibility, parental role and societal expectations. 

This was a film that definitely needed a female director and screenwriter, and Gyllenhaal absolutely rose to the occasion. The female glance (lensed by Helene Louvart) held no sexuality or objectification, despite the setting being at Greek beach resort. Instead, we had an empathetic, almost intimately sensual view of the female body and femininity. Gyllenhaal would definitely get an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay but will be a longshot for a Director nod. 

Of course, the film would also not have succeeded as well as it did without the tremendous performance of its lead actress, Colman. Again, Colman was stunning, but this time round it was a quieter powerhouse performance - more akin to her Queen Elizabeth than her Queen Anne that nabbed her an Oscar. Her emotions - and her tears - just come on so naturally. She had an ease about her character that seemed so natural but yet undeniably skilled and nuanced. It was impossible not to be drawn in to her character - this complex, complicated woman that had so much feelings but yet still vulnerable and amazingly strong. Her Oscar nomination this year is assured and there could be a chance she may repeat her win.

Of the two supporting actresses, Buckley is more likely than Dakota Johnson to possibly get an Oscar nomination. Buckley - as always - was highly engaging and like Colman, gave a full bodied performance that demanded attention and empathy (maybe even sympathy). Johnson, on the other hand, was less convincing in her role as compared to the other two ladies. She seemed to only imbued her character with a singular dimension even though, on paper, the character seemed to have more depth. 

The Lost Daughter was a fantastic directorial debut by Gyllenhaal that portends to possibly greater things to come. All parents, and parents-to-be, should definitely have a watch. It is on Netflix, so no excuse.