Tick Tick...Boom [Netflix]

Tick, Tick…Boom!: Andrew Garfield was infinitely charismatic and magnetic, and is emerging as the true black horse in the Best Actor race. Garfield’s performance anchored the film and it was a mesmerising and emotional showcase for him, and this was crucial to hook in the audience as Lin-Manual Miranda’s directorial debut was uneven. Like most actor-turned-director debuts, the film was visually derivative and unexciting, the predictable story by Steven Levenson did not help too which also led to a pacing issue.

Thankfully, the main cast was stellar. Garfield can consider doing more musicals, and with his raised profile from “Spider-Man”, is definitely a strong contender for Best Actor. He was fascinating to watch with such a range of facial emotions that it was not difficult to empathise with him fully.

Robin de Jesús as best friend Michael had a strong presence and it would have been better if his storyline was reworked more to reflect the contemporary moment. Alexandra Shipp was illuminating and her chemistry with Garfield was palpable. Lastly, Vanessa Hudgens had really good hair (and a good voice).

This film was made for Netflix and hopefully it gets lots of views. However, that also means its Oscar chances are limited. Likely only Garfield with a long shot for Costume, and Hair and Makeup.

Red Rocket

Red Rocket: Sean Baker’s slice of American life was an interesting watch populated by fascinating characters led by a surprisingly effective Simon Rex. However, at 128 minutes it was a tad too long with a middling late first act and repetitive second act, and the story was essentially too thin to hold the audience for that long. It did not help that after a while, Rex himself became rather one note - until the slightly rushed third act. The buzz around him was definitely worthy, but his chances for an Oscar Best Actor nod will surely be slim. The other (mostly) first-time actors that Baker found for the film were quite good but rather inconsistent which sometimes brings you out of the film.

Baker’s direction remained grounded and gritty which suited the rural Texan landscape the film was based in. However, the main story as written by Baker and Chris Bergoch was just slightly too icky especially as they just kept going on and on about it with nary any sort of moral reckoning. Although granted it suited Rex’s character but the girl in question - as played by Suzanna Son - deserved more depth and development to make the plot stronger and more convincing.

Regardless, Baker’s films have always been interesting and generated conversation and “Red Rocket” was no exception. It has a chance for a Best Picture nomination and maybe an Original Screenplay, but it’s greatest awards play will be at the Gothams or Spirits.

King Richard

A crowd pleasing sports biopic by Reinaldo Marcus Green about the little known man behind the two greatest female tennis players of all times. The dramatic irony that Venus and Serena Williams will eventually be the GOATs also helped to propel the screenplay by Zach Baylin especially as their father appeared so entirely unconventional and erratic.

Will Smith, in the title role, gave a fully inhabited performance that was possibly his best in his career, and that will surely careen him to the front of the Best Actor race. However, it was really Aunjanue Ellis who was the unsung hero/star of the film and story. She held the edges of the film together and melded the family with the man. Also, she was so fascinating to watch. The two girls playing Venus and Serena Williams were also equally compelling and seemed to embody their grace and ferocity.

The movie ran slightly long at 145 minutes but the tennis matches were exciting and the family drama done just right for the necessary cinematic pathos and dramatics, hence the length was not often felt. The score by Kris Bowers was also effective in moving the narrative forward, stringing the tension and stirring the emotions during the more dialogue-free moments. That too helped the film to not feel too draggy.

But, the biggest complaint of the film is that, even though it was ostensibly about Richard Williams, an overbearing, eccentric and unconventional coach/father, it ended up belittling the inherent greatness and fortitude of the Williams sisters whilst lifting their father up who was portrayed without any major blemishes or personal faults (alluded to but never really touched on). This ended up making the film a feel good crowd pleaser with no real character depth.

This was a great contrast to Jane Campion’s “Power of the Dog” which was a slow burning, emotionally dense film. Similarly, Smith had the much showier role whereas Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance was a lot quieter but more nuanced.

“King Richards” has the legs for a couple of Oscar nominations, in particular Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Song (Beyoncé!) and Best Screenplay. Hopefully, also Best Supporting Actress for Ellis.

The Power of the Dog (Sydney Moonlight Cinema)

The Best Director race is Jane Campion’s to lose. Although this film was a Netflix release, it really should be watched on a big screen. The cinematography by Ari Wegner was breathtakingly beautiful with stunning New Zealand representing Montana. However, it was Campion’s storytelling that elevated this film to greatness.

The film was essentially a three-handed character drama led by a stellar Benedict Cumberbatch and supported by strong performances from Kirsten Dunst and Kodie Smit-McPhee. Campion’s direction was as assured as it had always been. There was nary any fats through the 2 hours run time with Campion taking a nuanced and thoughtful approach in exploring the inner lives and complexities of these three characters. Every scene and moment served a purpose either as foreshadow or as a voyeuristic dive into the characters’ thoughts.

Cumberbatch gave a powerful performance, intense and fragile at the same time. He gave a highly complex character who could have easily been construed simply as a hypocritical villain such depth and nuance that it was almost natural for us to end up feeling sympathy for him in the end. A sympathy that was laced with empathy, shame and regret.

Dunst also gave one of the best performance of her career. Her character’s evolution was a slow and purposeful development with small, particular changes at each moment - the facial expressions, the body language, the costuming and hair, etc - and Dunst was captivating throughout.

However, the breakout star would be Smit-McPhee. With this role, he had truly proven that he is a young leading man in waiting. In someone’s else hand, his character could easily have been a caricature or a stereotype, but Campion and he have crafted a character that was complicated and complex in his apparent simplicity.

Campion’s partnership with Wegner yielded gorgeous and poetic screen imageries that helped tell the story and set the mood. Coupled with another haunting score by Jonny Greenwood, this film was a feast for the senses.

This film will surely sweep the Oscar nominations and is a sure frontrunner for the Big Three - Picture, Director and Actor.

Don't Look Up (Sydney Moonlight Cinema)

To be honest, the fact that I watched this on a large screen with an audience in an outdoor cinema, under a clear summer night with stars, definitely played a part in the surreal enjoyment of this extremely Adam McKay satirical film. It was the most McKay-ish of his recent films, and he kept the level up throughout the whole 2hours-plus film. That could have been a bit too much. The jokes and gags just kept coming on one after another, and ran again and again. The ridiculous satirical nature of deniers and right-wing ideologists, though rang true and funny in the first half, was exhausting and draining towards the back half.

That said, the ensemble cast was excellent. I forgot what a good actress Jennifer Lawrence used to be when she first started before she got distracted by mediocre-to-bad, Hollywood fluffs. Her comedic timing was brilliant as well her meme-able facial reactions. Leonardo DiCaprio too was refreshing and could be a long shot for a Best Actor nomination. Everybody loves him and he genuinely looked like he was having fun.

Other big-named standouts included Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett, both actresses looked great and really just embraced the satirical hamminess of it all. And Mark Rylance was a treasure as the deadpanned technocrat. Even Jonah Hill and Timotheé Chalamet were acceptably funny as McKay dished Hill out sparingly and kept Chalamet’s peacock showiness to a minimum.

Linus Sandgren’s cinematography and Nicholas Britell’s music were beautiful, with the latter a strong contender for an Oscar nomination.

Editing and original screenplay nominations are almost a sure bet too. Also a top 10 Best Picture nod, buoyed by the amazing cast and the Hollywood-approved, politically correct message.

House of Gucci

There was a good story and film somewhere inside this bloated mess, but it was not what we got. Its historical inaccuracy can be overlooked since it was a movie. However, it was grossly inconsistent in terms of character developments - or lack thereof - and overall tone of the film.

Ridley Scott’s directing remained assured, but he seemed to have lost control with the purpose of the film. Did he want this to be a campy thriller or a serious dramatic biography? Who/what was the focus of the film? Lady Gaga’s Patrizia Reggiani, Adam Driver’s Maurizio Gucci or the House of Gucci itself? This film was utterly confused.

You know you are in trouble if mid-way, I begin to think a Ryan Murphy limited series might have served the story better.

The odd song choices and needle drops also added to the layer of confusion. The songs were either of the wrong period and most times did not suit the tone of the scene, or they were such clichéd choices that it brought you out of the moment.

And to make things worse, we had to content with over 2.5 hours of ridiculous, all-over-the-place, wildly inconsistent accents from all the main actors. Lady Gaga sounded more Euro-Russian with the occasional accent sneaking in; Driver was more consistent with a somewhat Italian accent; Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons were not even trying, with the latter sounding positively British most times; and Jared Leto was just a joke.

Sadly, the acting was also about the same. It was practically like watching different movies. Driver was the only one who seemed to think he was in a serious Oscar-contending drama. Lady Gaga was all gloriously camp and vacant eyes. She had a few good scenes, but only seemed to embodied her character superficially. That could be the fault of Scott and the writers, but was she really Oscar worthy? Pacino and Irons, like their accents, were just phoning it in. Someone really needs to rein Leto in and set him some boundaries.

With ten Best Picture nominees this year, “House of Gucci” might just sneak in, and Lady Gaga might also get a Best Actress nomination. But in my opinion, both do not deserve it.

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.