Category: films
Captain Marvel (2019) – Review
A seismic punch to the MCU.
Cold Pursuit (2019) – Review
Tarantino meets the Coen’s.
The Kid Who Would Be King (2019) – Review
They don’t make em’ like this anymore.
Happy Death Day 2U (2019) – Review
Little call for hurray.
My Oscars 2019 Predictions & Wishes
Will The Academy redeem themselves?
The Oscars are this Sunday. For film fans, it’s the climax of a tumultuous period of whinging, moaning and celebrating; an eclectic season that brings out the very best and worst of modern movie culture – and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Like everyone, I have a who’s who wish list of winners, but the creeping whisperings of reality mean my former naivety isn’t as pure as it once was. Here are the nominees, who will win, a possible alternative and who should win, in my humble opinion.
BEST PICTURE:
- A Star Is Born
- Roma
- BlacKkKlansman
- Green Book
- The Favourite
- Black Panther
- Bohemian Rhapsody
- Vice
WILL WIN: Roma
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: BlacKkKlansman
SHOULD WIN: BlacKkKlansman
BEST ACTRESS:
- Glenn Close – The Wife
- Lady Gaga – A Star Is Born
- Olivia Colman – The Favourite
- Melissa McCarthy – Can You Ever Forgive Me?
- Yalitza Aparicio – Roma
WILL WIN: Olivia Colman
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: Glenn Close
SHOULD WIN: Olivia Colman
BEST ACTOR:
- Christian Bale – Vice
- Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born
- Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody
- Willem Dafoe – At Eternity’s Gate
- Viggo Mortensen – Green Book
WILL WIN: Christian Bale
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: Rami Malek
SHOULD WIN: Bradley Cooper
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
- Marina De Tavira – Roma
- Amy Adams – Vice
- Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk
- Rachel Weisz – The Favourite
- Emma Stone – The Favourite
WILL WIN: Regina King
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: Rachel Weisz
SHOULD WIN: Regina King
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
- Mahershala Ali – Green Book
- Richard E. Grant – Can You Ever Forgive Me?
- Sam Elliot – A Star Is Born
- Adam Driver – BlacKkKlansman
- Sam Rockwell – Vice
WILL WIN: Mahershala Ali
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: Richard E. Grant
SHOULD WIN: Richard E. Grant
BEST DIRECTOR:
- Alfonso Cuarón – Roma
- Pawel Pawlikowski – Cold War
- Spike Lee – BlacKkKlansman
- Adam McKay – Vice
- Yorgos Lanthimos – The Favourite
WILL WIN: Alfonso Cuarón
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: Spike Lee
SHOULD WIN: Alfonso Cuarón
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
- Roma
- The Favourite
- Vice
- First Reformed
- Green Book
WILL WIN: The Favourite
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: Green Book
SHOULD WIN: The Favourite
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
- BlacKkKlansman
- If Beale Street Could Talk
- A Star Is Born
- Can You Ever Forgive Me?
WILL WIN: BlacKkKlansman
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: If Beale Street Could Talk
SHOULD WIN: BlacKkKlansman
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
- Matthew Libatique – A Star Is Born
- Alfonso Cuarón – Roma
- Robbie Ryan – The Favourite
- Caled Deschanel – Never Look Away
- Lukasz Zal – Cold War
WILL WIN: Roma
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: The Favourite
SHOULD WIN: Roma
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
- Terence Blanchard – BlacKkKlansman
- Ludwig Göransson – Black Panther
- Nicholas Britell – If Beale Street Could Talk
- Marc Shaiman – Mary Poppins Returns
- Alexandre Desplat – Isle Of Dogs
WILL WIN: Black Panther
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: If Beale Street Could Talk
SHOULD WIN: If Beale Street Could Talk
BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
- ‘Shallow’ – A Star Is Born
- ‘The Place Where Lost Things Go’ – Mary Poppins Returns
- ‘All The Stars’ – Black Panther
- ‘When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings’ – The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
- ‘I’ll Fight’ – RBG
WILL WIN: ‘Shallow’ – A Star Is Born
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: N/A
SHOULD WIN: ‘Shallow’ – A Star Is Born
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
- The Incredibles 2
- Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
- Isle of Dogs
- Ralph Breaks The Internet
- Mirai
WILL WIN: Spider-Man: Into The Spider Verse
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: N/A
SHOULD WIN: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
- Solo: A Star Wars Story
- Avengers: Infinity War
- First Man
- Ready Player One
- Christopher Robin
WILL WIN: Avengers: Infinity War
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: First Man
SHOULD WIN: Avengers: Infinity War
BEST FILM EDITING:
- Green Book
- The Favourite
- Vice
- Bohemian Rhapsody
- BlacKkKlansman
WILL WIN: Vice
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: BlacKkKlansman
SHOULD WIN: BlacKkKlansman
BEST SOUND EDITING:
- First Man
- Roma
- Bohemian Rhapsody
- Black Panther
- A Quiet Place
WILL WIN: First Man
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: A Quiet Place
SHOULD WIN: First Man
BEST SOUND MIXING:
- First Man
- Roma
- Black Panther
- A Star Is Born
- Bohemian Rhapsody
WILL WIN: A Star Is Born
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: First Man
SHOULD WIN: A Star Is Born
BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
- The Favourite
- Mary Poppins Returns
- Black Panther
- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
- Mary Queen Of Scots
WILL WIN: The Favourite
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: Black Panther
SHOULD WIN: The Favourite
BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIRSTYLING:
- Vice
- Mary Queen of Scots
- Border
WILL WIN: Vice
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: Mary Queen of Scots
SHOULD WIN: Vice
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:
- The Favourite
- First Man
- Black Panther
- Roma
- Mary Poppins Returns
WILL WIN: The Favourite
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: Roma
SHOULD WIN: The Favourite
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
- Roma
- Cold War
- Shoplifters
- Capernaum
- Never Look Away
WILL WIN: Roma
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: Cold War
SHOULD WIN: Roma
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
- Free Solo
- RBG
- Hail County this morning, This Evening
- Of Fathers and Sons
- Minding The Gap
WILL WIN: Free Solo
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE: RBG
SHOULD WIN: Free Solo
What are your thoughts? Who do you want to see win on the big night? Let me know in the comments or send me a tweet.
Cameron Frew – @FrewFilm
Boy Erased (2019) – Review
A challenging analysis of enraging circumstances.
Cam’s Top 10: Taglines Better Than The Movies
Be afraid, be very afraid…
Continue reading Cam’s Top 10: Taglines Better Than The Movies
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019) – Review
Mad Max: Fury Road on LSD.
Once briefly a harmless jingle, inevitably becoming a near-perturbing earworm, 2014 was the year of ‘Everything Is Awesome’, thanks to the blockbusting ultra-animation, The Lego Movie. A wacko concept bound for critical dismissal defied the odds, both charming and wildly exciting, smartly written but hilariously silly. Through the success of a caped crusader’s solo outing and a not-so efficient Ninjago spin-off, we’ve arrived at the sequel, and what a joy it is.
Bricksburg’s time as a utopia is short-lived, after Duplo aliens invade, turning their happy world into a wasteland, aptly named Apocalypseburg. Amidst the turmoil and raised survival instincts is Emmet (Chris Pratt), an optimistic spirit planning out his life with Lucy (Elizabeth Banks) in a place ravaged of hope. However, when General Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz) and Queen Watevra Wa-Nabi (Tiffany Haddish) kidnap the residents, Emmet is forced to buck up his courage, with the assistance of hero-figure, Rex Dangervest (also Pratt).
Lucy, Batman (Will Arnett on predictably brilliant form) and others are taken to the Systar System, where an impending marriage awaits them. The thing that really made the first film work was the fact it was high-concept animation; both visual entertainment and a heartwarming tale for families, a reminder to adults particularly that they were kids once, and as such, they should have some compassion to kids. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who have penned both scripts, very much continue this theme, this time moving on to a brother and sister’s tenuous relationship when it comes to toys.
Whilst in the mix of all the brick-building tomfoolery and dimension-transitions, you never lose sight of where you are or struggle to comprehend the rules of the feature. It’s only when you walk out and try and explain it, you’ll find yourself bumbling around some convoluted explanation. That in itself is a remarkable achievement; doing something narratively bold and keeping in line with a solid message. The lesson this time round isn’t quite as punchy in the emotional department (although it is drawn out in a much different way than the first’s climactic turn), but as you’d expect from Lord and Miller, the jokes are better, thicker and faster.
The gags are amazingly varied and seemingly endless. From a vision of the Statue of Liberty à la Planet of the Apes, to Batman referring to his own three movies in production, to a knock at the earlier film’s female representation, to a wide cast of terrific cameos – Velma, Aquaman, Bruce Willis and, wait for it, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It’s a film that embodies the challenge of make believe and all the strange, imaginative set-pieces that can conjure. Only a small number of the jokes don’t land – Haddish’s villainous royal especially struggles to merge with the rest of the ensemble. But, similarly to the original, the self-referential, uber-meta jabs take form in both zingers and the fabulous, poppy soundtrack. Bringing together a range of artists, including the eagerly-awaited return of The Lonely Island, The Second Part has its very own memorable tune, appropriately named ‘Catchy Song’, with a central, recurring lyric: “This song’s gonna get stuck inside your head!” There’s also the best super-sad twist on a cheery song since Team America.
While Lord and Miller cheekily dissect Hollywood tropes both on and off screen, Mark Mothersbaugh (best known for Trolls) helms the film with a confident hand, helping to orchestrate dazzling, kaleidoscopic action sequences alongside his talented animators. The densely realised visuals are completely bonkers and surreal, but that’s the point isn’t it? The Lego series is an advancement of something as rudimentary as building a tall tower of bricks, an ode to the wonder of the creative side of the brain. And here, among the demented, nonsensically gleeful offerings is Pratt doing a fantastic Kurt Russell impression, skateboarding dinosaurs and Super Mario star-bombs. Name another kids film that riffs on Mad Max: Fury Road and homages 2001: A Space Odyssey while producing something entertaining for the whole family (but particularly the adults).
A surrealist, pop culture tornado that whirls you up and spits you out in a state of post-playtime delirium.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Cameron Frew – @FrewFilm
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