Spencer

A near 2 hours mood piece reflecting the frenzied, paranoid, mess, seemingly fractured mind of Princess Diana over those three days during Christmas at Sandringham estate in 1992. Kirsten Stewart was amazing. Together with director Pablo Larraín and writer Steven Knight, Stewart was lost in her portrayal of a princess that vacillated between fragile and on the verge of breaking apart, to strong and sure-footed of what she wants.

The film was undoubtedly excessively and somewhat self-possessed, but like what Larraín did with Natalie Portman in “Jackie”, this was a psychological profile of a famous female at a precarious point in their life as they navigated expectations both from themselves within and from the people - public and private, perceived and assumed - without.

In “Spencer”, dramatically and narratively, nothing much happened. It was a series of moments and vignettes that Larraín et al had crafted to highlight and heighten the inner workings of Diana’s mind and feelings.

And Stewart absolutely nailed it.

Stewart’s mannerisms and voice were similar to Diana, but what made the accolades well deserved was her full bodied immersion into the role. Stewart the rising star was gone, instead we are left with this complicated, fragile, unstable princess yet undeniably strong and loving mother. Her performance was nuanced at the quiet scenes but when the moment required more drama and more frenzied emotions she never overplayed it but raised the heightened display to meet Larraín’s equally discomforting camera work as assisted by cinematographer Claire Mathon.

Mathon’s lensing here was as stunning as her work on the gorgeous “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”. Just as apt was the brilliant, dissonant, disorientating score by Jonny Greenwood.

This film can be divisive because essentially it was a mood piece. More an art installation rather than a true cinematic narrative. Nonetheless, Stewart definitely deserved her Best Actress Oscar nomination and can truly be a dark horse to win the statue.

Belfast

 A feel-good but very superficial crowd pleaser. Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical was pleasant enough but lacked depth and heart. And for a story told from a child’s point of view, it also lacked a child’s innocence and naïveté (thank “Jojo Rabbit”).

The filming was too deliberately organised and ordered that at times it felt emotionally sterile despite what was happening on screen. The most resonant scenes were those set in the theatre, the big dance moment (that was brilliant!) and the final parting shot with Dame Judi Dench. I can see why she was nominated but in all honesty, if only one actress was to be nominated, Caitríona Balfe, should have had the edge.

Balfe was the emotional heart of the film, whereas Dench was more the soul. Ciarán Hinds’ nomination was well-deserved, and although Jamie Dornan got the least recognition, he was actually quite good here too. He definitely looked the part, all 40s Hollywood suaveness.

At a brisk 90-odd minutes, the story went by easily but not always briskly. Branagh’s direction was just too deliberate and mannered, and although Haris Zambarloukous’ black and white cinematography was pretty it was kind of missing the artistic styling of films like “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, “Cold War” and “Roma” which then begged the question, did this film really need to be in black and white? Music was by Van Morrison and the closing, Oscar-nominated, song, “Down to Joy” was lovely, but the needle drops throughout the film was just a tad too frequent and too much.

The film was enjoyable enough and it would definitely strike a chord with most people for its easily relatable relationships, but ultimately I would not have been too upset if Branagh’s Best Director nod had been snubbed for Denis Villeneuve instead.

Benedetta

Paul Verhoeven’s French lesbian nun biopic was equally riveting as it will - was - undoubtedly be divisive. The fact that the film was based on real events makes it even more fascinating. Although the film ran rather long - 131 minutes - most of it was interesting except for a meandering second act where Verhoeven needlessly focused too much on the sapphic aspects instead of deepening Benedetta as a character. We understood her purely on a superficial level but what led her to make the choices that drove the final act was never fully explored. As a biopic, the central character remained as much an enigma in the beginning as in the end (Wikipedia offered more insight).

Virginie Efira definitely had screen presence but her Benedetta lacked that enigmatic charm to fully sell her as a mystic with a personality cult. Daphne Patakia as her lover, Bartolomea, had little to work on, despite a tragic back story, only acting as the narrative demanded it with no consistency or substantive reasons.

Charlotte Rampling was the highlight, a delight to watch as she stole the scenes with each pursed lips and clasped hands, and a slight nod or shake of the head. Verhoeven should put Isabelle Huppert and Rampling together and watch them both chew the sceneries - and hopefully each other - apart.

“Benedetta” was an interesting film for its historical context and entertaining for what it may or may not have been.

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.