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oscarupsets · 2 months

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So very excited to present my rankings for the 10 Best Picture nominees ahead of the 96th Oscars this Sunday!

Regular Oscar research aside, I wanted to see Oppenheimer from the first trailer. I bought tickets specifically to see it in 70mm (the only one on this list I paid full price for), and I loved every minute of it. My top pick of the year without question.

I will also admit that I could easily rewatch Killers of the Flower Moon, didn't love Poor Things, and still don't get the hype for Past Lives. Maybe I'm a fake film snob, maybe I didn't appreciate them enough, I don't know 🤷‍♀️ Films can be super artsy and unconventional and still be just ok.

While I do not believe all 10 of these films deserved their nomination, I could not give you specific films to replace them with. I also didn't hate any of them! They all have good qualities, some just aren't my favorite of the year.

At the end I included 4 additional films that I saw this season that I enjoyed enough to write about.

Ratings are current as of 3/8/2024.

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randomrichards · 4 months

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TOP 10 BEST MOVIES OF 2023

10) BEYOND UTOPIA

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Sometimes real life can be scarier than fiction, especially when it comes to tyrannical countries like North Korea as highlighted by the gripping documentary Beyond Utopia. Drawing from real footage, director Madeliene Gavin brings us into a North Korean’ family’s fleeing the country, a Pastor working to get them to safety and a human rights activist’s desperate attempt to save her son.

Gavin gives us a glimpse into the living conditions locals are subjected to in North Korea. You see the propaganda used to demonized “Western Countries” and manipulate its citizens. The Government’s attempt to glamorize their country’s contradicted by the hidden footage of citizens digging through wreckage for any scraps. That pales in comparison to footage of prisoners being tortured.

All of this makes you pray for the family as they stumble across forests in complete darkness with no certainty, they will make it to safety. Thankfully, they have an ally in Pastor Seungeun Kim. Through his non-profit organization Caleb Mission, Kim works hard to ensure the family gets to safety.

Gavin portrays not only the external struggle to escape but also the internal struggle. Even though they’re fleeing the country, the family still believes the anti-US propaganda taught to them. As defector/activist Hyeonseo Lee says “Imagine, waking up one day and realizing that you were born on a completely different planet.” But Lee embodies the hope that they can be deprogrammed.

Beyond Utopia keeps you on the edge of your seat.

9) THE BOY AND THE HERON

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Hayao Miyazaki once again comes out of retirement to create an animated feature destined to become a classic.

The Boy and the Heron highlights Miyazaki’s strength as a visual storyteller. He brings the same creative fantasy ideas that made Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro and Princess Mononoke. This time, he brings us an alternate world of anthropomorphic parakeets, marshmallow like spirits and the titular shape shifting Heron (Masaki Suba in Japanese, unrecognizable Robert Pattinson in English).

As always, Miyazaki and his animation crew lure us into fantasy through their dazzling animation. The Heron’s transformation is animated with slow detail, revealing one human feature at a time. That same detail goes toward the environments, which are animated with rich attention to detail. Whether it’s protagonist Mahito’s (Soma Santoki in Japanese, Luca Padovan in English) home, the underground library or the Gateway to the other side, every background is enchanting.

Miyazaki also has a knack for creating memorable characters. Mahito is not a bland boy hero but a troubled teen repressing his grief over his mother’s death. It gets to a point where he hurts himself with a rock. His personal life along has some engaging characters including his lovingly protective father (Takuya Kimura in Japanese: Christian Bale in English) and a group of nosy old women. And then there’s the Heron, a complicated untrustworthy character with uncertain motivations (at the start of the film at least) or a pyrokinetic girl (Yoshino Kimura in Japanese, Gemma Chan in English).

The film isn’t perfect. Miyazaki takes his sweet time before he gets to the plot, which may turn off some audience members not used to Miyazaki’s structure. The internal logic of the fantasy elements may be difficult to comprehend. Thankfully, that hasn’t stopped many moviegoers from enjoying the film.

At the core of the film is the lessons Miyazaki draws from the classic Japanese children’s book How do you Live? I won’t give too much away. I will say that the journey Mahito gives him an important lesson on accepting tragedy and how to move on with his life.

The Boy and the Heron delivers the enchanting fantasy that has made Hayao Miyazaki’s films so beloved.

8) GODZILLA MINUS ONE

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Godzilla’s film history is quite strange. The iconic Kaiju began as an allegory for the nuclear bomb, bringing destruction and death to innocent people. Then it’s flip flopped between being a source of destruction and being a saviour of humanity while fighting/teaming up with other Kaijus. Now writer/director Takashi Yamazaki takes Godzilla back to its original source material with his surprise hit Godzilla Minus One. This time Yamazaki uses the iconic kaiju as an allegory for World War 2’s aftermath. Taking the place in postwar, the film focuses on a small group of former soldier and locals forced to take on Godzilla as it brings destruction to Japanese towns already devastated by the war.

Yamazaki delivers all the destruction you’d expect from a Godzilla movie, with one gripping action scene after another. One notable standout is a scene where a tugboat tries to get away from Godzilla. Yamazaki draws the original film acknowledging innocents lost and homes destroyed in Godzilla’s wake. He also gives Godzilla regenerative powers to add more stakes.

A frequent problem with most Godzilla movies is the human characters. With rare exceptions, their story arcs are never as interesting as the Kaiju fight scenes. The Monarch-verse is most notable, with the most interesting characters being killed off too early. Yamazaki breaks that cycle by paralleling the Godzilla elements with a realistic depiction of Postwar Japan. The result is a full cast of complex, relatable characters whose struggles to find a life within the wreckage makes the human stories as compelling as the action scenes.

At the centre of the storyline is Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), a kamikaze pilot wracked with guilt for surviving the war and failing to save a crew from Godzilla. Kamiki gives a compelling performance as a man coming to terms with survivor’s guilt. He’s surrounded by an array of engaging characters including Koichi’s minesweeping crew and his embattled neighbour Sumiko (Sakura Ando). Even if you take out Godzilla, their struggles to pick up the pieces of their devastated homes are still incredibly engaging. Through it all is a surprising message about the importance of life.

Godzilla Minus One became a surprise box office hit alongside The Boy and the Heron and both are very deserving.

7) FALLEN LEAVES

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After a single date, Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) accidentally loses his date’s (Alma Poysti) phone number. To make matters worse, he doesn’t even remember her name. This sounds like a premise for a classic romantic comedy but, Aki Kaurismaki is not the type of writer/director who makes Hollywood romantic comedies. In fact, Fallen Leaves couldn’t be more different than said romantic comedies.

Kaurismaki brings his trademark style to create a deglamorized romantic comedy. While other romantic comedies star matinee idols whose characters have posh lifestyles and comfortable jobs, the leads in Kaurismaki’s films are middle aged, downtrodden folks working minimum wage labour. His date Ansa is a supermarket clerk who sorts recyclable plastic. Holappa is a construction worker who can’t keep a job due to his alcoholism. Plus, they live in run down apartments.

While other romantic comedies are filmed in glamorous locations shot with bright colours, Kaurismaki ‘s characters live in a world of run down apartments and seedy bars shot with muted colours. He also shoots at a distance as the leads stare off into sad sack space.

This may sound depressing, but underneath the droll look hides some serendipitous hope and dry humour. In a classic romantic comedy movie, Holappa spends evenings waiting by the movie theatre in hopes of finding Ansa. The journey also forces Holappa to confront his alcoholism. There’s also a delightful karaoke scene involving “Mambo Italiano.”

Kaurismaki’s films have a unique sense of hope. While most films try to reassure the audience that these characters will escape their poor circumstances, Kaurismaki has faith in his character’s ability to endure their circumstances. For Fallen Leaves, he assures the audience that they don’t need a fancy condominium or grand gestures to earn romance. At the film’s core is a belief that middle aged store clerks and construction workers are as deserving of love as the Ryan Goslings and Chris Evans of the world.

6) KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

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Martin Scorsese stares into the abyss that is American History with Killers of the Flower Moon, a biopic about the atrocious Osage Murders and the conspiracy behind it.

A lesser filmmaker would have gone the safe, white saviour direction by making it a crime drama centered on the agents investigating the murders. But Scorsese has always been a filmmaker who examined humanity’s dark side. So, he centres his film on an accomplice; Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), war veteran who marries indigenous local Mollie (Lily Gladstone) whom his uncle William Hale (Robert De Niro) schemes to steal her fortune by murdering her family. While Ernest was worst in real life than portrayed in the movie, Scorsese and DiCaprio still makes a bold move in portraying Ernest as dimwitted moral weakling; a man repressing some guilt but is too easily manipulated to make the right decision.

De Niro delivers another masterful performance as the ultimate cinematic villain. He puts on a front of sympathetic ally for the Osage community but underneath his gentlemanly demeanor, he is a greedy, manipulative psychopath. The way he casually justifies his atrocious murder plot is disturbing. Just as disturbing is how many local authority figures were in on Hale’s plot as Scorsese and co-writer Eric Roth bringing hints through Ernest and William’s interactions. The normalization of white supremacy becomes disturbingly clear in one scene of Klan members marching in a parade.

But the key to the film is Mollie, who serves as a reminder of the human cost of Hale’s evil plot. As one family member after another is killed, Gladstone makes us feel Mollie’s pain. But through her ordeal, Gladstone maintains a sense of dignity for Mollie. It would have been appreciated if there was more of Mollie’s and the Osage people’s perspective. But again, Scorsese is more interested in people’s capacity for evil.

This film plays like a crime drama, but underneath the western demeanor is a horror film about a racist system designed to murder a group of people for the crime of striking it rich while Indigenous.

5) PAST LIVES

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Writer/Director Celine Song begins her directorial debut with a distant shot of Nora (Greta Lee), her husband Arthur (John Magaro) and her estranged best friend Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) conversing at a bar. We don’t hear what they’re talking about, but we do hear unseen strangers gossiping about the protagonists. We hear them assume that Nora and Hae are a couple since they’re conversing the most while Arthur seems to sit by himself. Just from this scene, Past Lives has us under its spell.

At the core of the film is Nora’s relationship with Hae Sung. We first see them as childhood friends in South Korea before Nora’s family moves to North America. Decades later, Nora and Hae Sung reunite via video chats. Their lives have taken different paths with Nora becoming a happily married playwright in New York while Hae Sung has stayed in Korea to become an engineer. In their meetings together, Nora and Hae Sung rekindle the special bond they had.

Most films with this premise centre would lead to Nora and Hae Sung ending up back together in the end (usually after a series of misunderstandings). But Song isn’t here to make a Hollywood romance. Instead, she’s created a mature drama about two people reconciling with the circumstances that led them in different directions. In their conversations, Nora and Hae Sung ponder over the circumstances outside of and within their control that led them to the lives they had now. This leads them to face the dilemma of whether either can leave their current life behind and live together.

The performances achieve the balancing act of being both grounded and engaging. Yoo makes an excellent romantic lead delivering excellent chemistry with Lee. Magaro also deserves credit for his performance as the other man who allows Nora to figure her situation out while secretly hoping he doesn’t lose her in the process. But it’s Lee who makes this move, letting the audience in on Nora’s inner turmoil.

Celine Song’s career has taken a fascinating turn from a staff writer for The Wheel of Time to creating a haunting romantic drama about accepting the paths you’ve left behind.

4) THE HOLDOVERS

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Alexander Payne is an expert in finding comedy in misery. He certainly has lot of misery to work with in The Holdovers, a bittersweet dramedy about Scrooge-like history professor (Paul Giamatti) forced to watch over a rebellious student (Dominic Sessa) abandoned by his parents at their boarding school on Christmas.

This film feels like a time capsule from the 1970s with vintage looking camera work by Eigil Bryld’s cinematography making the snowy background pop. David Hemingson’s screenplay itself feels like the kind of dramedy that would have been made by Mike Nichols or Hal Ashby with its dry comedic focus on character’s inner turmoil over social expectations.

The strength of Payne’s direction is how he makes us feel for the characters even when we’re laughing at their circumstances. Professor Paul Hunham (Giamatti) certainly comes off as a total stick in the mud when he forces the students left behind to continue their schoolwork during the Christmas holidays, but you come to realize this is his way of finding a sense of order as the world changes around him. His student Angus Tully (Sessa) may constantly be at odds with Hunham, and yet he’s the only student passing Hunham’s class. Cook Mary Lamb (Da’vine Joy Randolph) has a tough time opening up after her son’s death. As the film progresses, they start to open to each other, gaining a better understanding of each other’s struggles and force each other out of their comfort zones. Thankfully, Hemingson avoids the shmaltzy ending in favour of a bittersweet ending.

Of course, none of this would work without the cast. A lesser actors would have made Hundham and Angus unpleasant jerks. Thankfully, Giamatti brings a world weariness and masterful comedic timing to Hundham that allows us to empathize with him. Sessa shows a lot of potential in this role, bringing out the pain underneath the snarky energy. But it’s Randolph who gives the film its heart as Mary uses her job to avoid confronting her grief.

In a time that makes many people feel lonely, Payne has created a Christmas movie that celebrates unlikely human connections that empathy can create.

3) OPPENHEIMER

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Nolan’s always been that rare filmmaker with the ambition to combine non-linear structures with labyrinth plotting while still being accessible to a moviegoer. Only Christopher Nolan could get away with making a 3 hour biopic about the theoretical physicist and then intertwin it with a courtroom drama about the senator who launched a smear campaign against him. If that wasn’t enough, he also shot half of it in black and white while making the whole movie on film. Not only does that but makes it a major event that results in a blockbuster. That is the miracle that is Oppenheimer, a compelling character study of the man who called himself the destroyer of worlds.

Half of the film follows J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy)’s journey from an arrogant Oxford student to the man racing against time to create the atom bomb to a physicist torn by the consequences of his action. In the process, we see many moments in Oppenheimer’s life including his attempted poisoning of a professor, his conversation with Albert Einstein (Bill Conti), his complicated relationship with his wife (Emily Blunt) and an interrogation by Roger Robb (Jason Clarke) just to name a few. And through it all, Nolan and Murphy reveal the many layers of this intelligent but conflicted man.

Oppenheimer’s story is intercut Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), a senator who led a secret smear campaign against Oppenheimer over an apparent slight. While Oppenheimer’s section plays like a character study, Strauss’s storyline plays like a political courtroom drama of the 1960s complete with black and white cinematography. This serves as the central structure for the film as Nolan and editor Jennifer Lame intercuts between Strauss’s plotline and moments in Oppenheimer’s life. Downey Jr. truly shines in this performance as he reveals the deep seeded pettiness under Strauss’s polite demeanor.

Nolan balances these storylines with an intricate attention to detail that keeps the film engaging from beginning to end. He also surrounds Murphy and Downey Jr with an endless calvacade of stars including Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek and Gary OIdman just to name a few.

Of course, Nolan is known to avoid CGI whenever he can in favour of practical effects and he certainly keeps this principle with the testing of the atomic bomb, leading to a hauntingly beautiful scene.

Oppenheimer shines as bright as that atomic bomb, delivering an ambitious and haunting look at a man forced to live with creating a means of destroying the world he was trying to save.

2) POOR THINGS

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Yorgos Lathimos closed out 2023 with one of the year’s horniest films. What are the odds it would be a Frankenstein-like satirical epic called Poor Things?

From the moment she is resurrected with a baby’s brain, Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) regards life’s pleasures like a kid in a candy store. And involves sex (even becoming an escort at one point). Meanwhile, many of the men try to seduce Bella only to be driven nuts by her lack of social etiquette and cluelessness. And through it all, Lanthimos mocks and interrogates the ideas of social norms with a Bunuel-esque satirical tone.

Poor Things serves as Lanthimos’ most visually stunning movie. He sets most of the first act in black and white, mostly in mad scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter’s (Willem Dafoe) home. The setting resembles the kind of prim European settings of Luis Bunuel. It’s when Bella is taken away by playboy gambler Duncan Wedderburn (scene-stealing Mark Ruffalo) that the settings truly pop with grand buildings and neon-coloured skies that look like they came out of a Terry Gilliam.

Lanthimos uses these grand sets to sneak in Bunuel-like satire mocking social mores, class systems and patriarchy. Watching the film, I kept being reminded of a film trope that infantilized women that you see from the likes of Lolita, Leeloo from the Fifth Element and most Marilyn Monroe Characters.[1] Some men in Bella’s life seemed to be attracted to (or want to take advantage of) her childlike innocence. But Lanthimos and Stone push the childlike behaviour to its furthest conclusion forcing the men to put up with Bella’s temper tantrums and social cluelessness. That behaviour causes Duncan to become hilariously unhinged as she destroys his life.

It's easy for a maverick filmmaker to find their style restricted when given a bigger budget. Thankfully, Lanthimos maintains his boundary pushing satire even on the most epic stage.

1) SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE

One can only image the pressure of making a sequel to an animated feature as groundbreaking and beloved as Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. Making a sequel already comes with its own challenge with the arduous task of expanding on the pervious material without becoming repetitive or losing the original’s appeal. It’s made more challenging when the first film changed the game of animated film. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse not only meets the challenge head on but has elevated the franchise to create another action packed, side-splitting masterpiece.

Writers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have long demonstrated a mastery with comedic storytelling through Clone High, 21 Jump Street and the Lego Movie. Even apart, they create unforgettable works with Lord co-writing Into the Spider-Verse with Rodney Rothman and Miller creating the criminally underrated series The Afterparty. All this work highlights their mastery of parodying genre tropes while creating compelling storytelling starring unforgettable characters. Joined by co-writer Dave Callaham, Lord and Miller take their boldness a step further by centering the first 15 minutes entirely on Gwen Stacy/Spider-Gwen/the Ghost Spider/Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld). Her story arc would make an excellent movie on its own as she finds herself targeted by her father George Stacy (Shea Whigham), who blames Spider-Gwen for the death of her universe’s Peter Parker (Jack Quaid), not realizing that she and Gwen are the same person. And yet the writing trio manages to make this a compelling story while meshing it with the rest of Miles’ (Shameik Moore) storyline. Directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson also deserve credit for keeping the story focused while delivering pitch perfect entertainment from start to finish.

They all managed to do this while introducing an endless array of memorable characters from the damn near perfect Pavitr Prabhakar/Spider-Man India (Karan Soni) to snarky hologram Lyla (Greta Lee). Even the cameos are unforgettable with he likes of a live action Prowler (Donald Glover), Cowboy Spiderman called Web Slinger and even a Spider-Rex. But the most notable standouts are the villains. Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaacs) starts out like an authoritarian who wants to maintain the status quo. But we come to understand his misguided need to maintain canonical events. And then there’s the Spot (Jason Schwartzman). He starts the film as a walking punchline but as he discovers his ability to travel across universes, he becomes an intimidating threat. And Kudos to the writers for turning a throwaway sight gag from the previous film into a character motivation.

Just as memorable are the gags, which come fast and furious in a variety of forms from easter eggs to one liner. You have Ben Reilly’s (Andy Sandberg) overdramatic moodiness, Pavitr’s calling out Miles over “Chai Tea” or Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya) contradictory philosophy (“I don’t believe in consistency”). They work with every actor bouncing off each other with effortless timing.

And then there’s glorious animation. Directors Dos Santos, Powers, and Thompson along with their animators apply a variety of animation styles for each universe. They use a watercolor style that drips across Spider-Gwen’s universe. Spider-Punk is animated with a collage-like art style. There’s even a Lego universe animated by a 14-year-old. The directors and animators manage to keep a perfect balance of style and substance by using stylizations to enhance the story while delivering some awe-inspiring action scenes. That and the animation is so gorgeous that it must deserves to be in a theatre.

The writers and directors keep all the style grounded with parents and child relationships serving as the emotional core of the film. Miguel’s grief over the loss of his daughter unintentionally causes the destruction of a universe. Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) begins his responsibility as a father to Mayday who has inherited his powers. Of course, at the centre of it all is Mile’s and Gwen’s relationship with their parents. Miles need to hide his Spider-identity puts a strain on his relationship with his parents, forcing to face the dilemma of whether to reveal his identity. Unfortunately, Gwen’s story is more devastating when she’s forced to confront her father about her superhero identity.

Unfortunately, testimonies from former animators recently revealed Lord and Miller had led to a toxic work environment for the animators, forcing them to work 11 hours a day for 7 days a week, even overruling the directors. Consider this review a celebration for the directors and the animators. Hopefully, conditions are much better for the animators of the third film. This praise goes out to those animators who made this masterpiece work.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

ANATOMY OF A FALL

When her husband is found dead in front of their cabin, writer Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller) finds herself charged with murder. We follow Sandra through a traumatic ordeal as every private problem is brought to the public eye and every little detail is scrutinized to make her look guilty. Huller gives a powerful performance as a grieving woman left with the painful task of proving her innocence.

BARBIE

In a summer overwrought with superhero movies and sequels, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie blew up the movie theatres like a pink-coloured supernova. About every element made this movie special from the colourful set pieces to the surprising commentary on the patriarchal society and performative feminism. Margot Robbie shines as a stereotypical barbie going through an existential crisis. Ryan Gosling steals the film as a childlike Ken desperate for Barbie’s attention.

It's not a perfect movie. It’s solution to undoing the Patriarchy is more of a first step than an actual solution.[2] The subplot with the Mattel businessmen gets resolved too easily. Beyond this, it’s still an entertaining movie.

STOP MAKING SENSE

The main reason this one’s not on the list is because this is a reissue of a 1984 concert movie. But it’s hard to leave out one of the greatest concert movies of all time.

Late director Jonathan Demme and David Byrne structured a Talking Heads concert in a unique and engaging manner. They start with a minimalist design by having David Byrne perform “Psycho Killer” alone on a barren stage with only a guitar and a boom box. Byrne manages to hook the audience with such a bare minimum. Then each band member appears on stage after each song. Before long, the one-man show becomes a New Wave orchestra complete with chorus girls, an array of keyboards and three giant screens.

Every band member is on their A game, bringing a lot of energy to all the songs. And let’s not forget Byrne’s iconic giant suit.

[1] Here’s a video that does a better job explaining this trope than I could.

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[2] To be fair, this message could be meant for the younger audience.

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goalofthecentury · 2 years

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hello today im thinking about this house

putting this under a cut because i might end up going on for a bit idk. anyway this is interesting to me specifically because of the last time we see this house (the last picture) - it's when boy is apologising to dynasty, and every time i watch the film it catches me out because of how that shot is framed to make the wall behind her look complete. she's actually just leaning against a doorframe, and that wall is a different part of the house, but it feels like such a deliberate choice to frame it like this. every time we see this house throughout the film, either as part of a scene or as a transition shot, it's following a somewhat major plot point; in order (as above), after alamein abandons boy with his friends / after he takes his jacket back / when boy goes with rocky to apologise to his friends / when boy apologises to dynasty. to go back to this last shot, the "illusion" is only broken when boy goes through what is presumably the front door, and it becomes obvious that there's no wall there at all. compared to the other shots, this angle makes the house look relatively undamaged.

every time we see this house in a scene, there's never any adults around - it's specifically a scene about the kids only. this idea, combined with the various times we see it throughout the film, makes me think it's a) a visual metaphor that runs alongside boy's charcter arc, as well as b) a metaphorical representation of the concept of childhood as it's explored within the film. i think this is most obvious the second time we see the house, but it applies to all four instances. the first time we see it, after alamein leaves boy with his friends, they're using it to play a game of tag - it's one of the only moments of true childhood connection between them all that we see once alamein has returned. the house is obviously delapidated, but it still looks like a house. the second time we see it is a stark contrast to this. it's shot from a different angle, one that allows the sunset to illuminate the gaps in the woodwork, and one that makes the structure as a whole appear significantly less whole. it appears like this after a crucial moment in the film for boy, and represents a changing view of (and relationship with) alamein (especially interesting if we take red, in this case the red of the sunset, to represent a change/an ending). we don't see the house again until the end of the film, when boy is making amends. this is almost immediately following the scenes of boy and his cousins putting the house back together, and after boy finds the finished carving. as taika has said before, the film is about the kids more than its about alamein (or even the kids and alamein); at this point, it's these relationships that are being healed. that's why the house appears healed as well.

tldr; this house is a visual representation of the theme of childhood as it's explored in the film, specifically alluding to the state of the relationships between boy and his friends, and how they are affected throughout

#boy 2010 #wow look coherent and detailed thoughts. once in a blue moon #anyway yeah i sat with this for like a week and finally got it peer reviewed by cricket earlier so here <3 #boy (2010) discussion group

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beneaththetangles · 9 months

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New series we’re covering this week include a historical and science fiction retelling of “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter” from the mangaka behind Spy x Family and the story of a supervillain who loves pandas! We also have reviews of ongoing or completed series, including the latest releases of Villains Are Destined to Die and Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible. Dive in and read our thoughts on these exciting releases!

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Blade of the Moon Princess (Vol. 1) • Boys Run the Riot (Vol. 2) • Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible (Vol. 9) • Like a Butterfly (Vol. 2) • Mr. Villain’s Day Off (Vol. 1) • Silver Spoon (Vol. 13) • Villains Are Destined to Die (Vol. 4)

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agentmmayy · 2 years

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august rotation

sorry for the little delay in posting this! school started up and it’s been hectic, but here’s some of the top songs i had on repeat during the month of august and boy was it a hot month for music

hold the girl- rina sawayama: this song makes my ears orgasm!!!!!!!!!!! the vocals!!!! the BEAT!!!!! the lyrics!!!!! teach me the words i used to know, reach inside and hold you close, i won’t leave you on your own it’s about healing now and healing your younger self and trying not just to hold onto to who you were but to comfort them and hold them close. the entire song is a love letter to your inner child. everything about it sends me through the roof but especially the absolute magical moment between 3:17-3:30 HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!??!!?!?!?!! INSANE. BITING AND RIPPING THINGS AND CRYING!!!!!!!

it gets dark - sigrid: this song is so punchy i LOVE it. it’s about finding your own path and self and making a life and reaching those little pitfalls and stumbles but still having hope and learning lessons through them!! it’s about it getting dark so you can see the stars!!!! definitely a montage-worthy song. could definitely picture myself walking down a street or in a moving vehicle/train/bus at night listening to this

the boys of summer - first aid kit: i love first aid kit so much and honestly? this is how this song was supposed to be sung. no i don’t take criticism. it’s achingly sweet and soft and nostalgic for that last breath of summer august chased away.

out of my head - first aid kit: imo this is their best song to date. they just keep getting better and better. i couldn’t group it with the previous one because of that. it deserves to have its own little paragraph for me to talk about it. the instruments, the vocals, the lyrics. they know just when to pull back and push harder and it makes for suuuuuch a good listening experience. also the harmonies are *pinches earbud wire like pacha* so good. sometimes you DO have to get out of your head to truly see yourself and wonder who you are and where you’re going. stuck inside my dreaming, falling behind shook me. unrelated but i feel like this is a song i’ve heard in the background of my dreams before

shadows - bears den: @preux-chevalier put me onto this song and i haven’t stopped listening to it since. first of all the strings throughout are gorgeous. i’m always a sucker for a violin. second of all- the devotion woven into every line of this is breathtaking. it’s so earnest and loving and yeah i DO want someone who wants me and all my shadows

if it’s not god - maddie zahm: listen. i was attacked. wig? snatched. it captures that wrestling with religion and beliefs you grew up with and finding your own identity and what/how you want to believe. the line in particular what father picks a few just to leave the rest? SCALPED me. holding onto blorbo-ing this for the tags. but the cover art??????????? HELLO???

lucid dreaming - alice kristiansen: this was just rude. still haven’t recovered. never will. it has the rawness very few songs have that just guts me to the core and scrapes everything out without remorse. i had to sit quietly for a bit and just stare at the wall after my first listen. every lyric hits so fucking hard. the entire song is a repeated sucker punch to the stomach. it leaves me winded and aching. i can’t pin point a favorite lyric or else i’d be putting the entire song on this post but this one in particular made me lose my mind: are you tired? are you sleeping? cause i woke up with your ghost again. but the lyrics aren’t the only part doing the heavy lifting in the song because alice kristiansen’s voice is so delicate and the way she sings every line... literally no one else could perform this song as well as she does and that’s that.

the watching silence - michael & michelle: this duo has the most delicious harmonies and songs that simultaneously hurt me and comfort me. the chorus is pure perfection and i’ve caught myself singing it multiple times when it’s stuck in my head

canyon moon - andrew mcmahon in the wilderness: talk about songs that make me get up and dance!!!!!!! i literally can’t help myself whenever i listen to this song and for that reason i simply cannot play it whenever i’m working or in the studio. andrew mcmahon delivers banger after banger and this is one of the best ones. i crank that shit up!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dance away the pain - number one popstar: got read to filth by this. i enjoy how hopeful it is and ofc it’s an absolute bop but a very specific one. as @whatdoyoumeanif said, it has sad twerking and disco ball vibes. the type of song you hear for the last call in an empty karaoke bar

#if it's not god went right onto the eddissy playlist just for chrissy cunningham #wheeeewee #also bestie #the only reason i haven't left a very thick and in depth review is because whenever i try to listen all the way through #i ALWAYS GET STUCK AT CANYON MOON AND PLAY IT LIKE 10 TIMES #not included was august by taylor swift bc like. hello. obviously i had that on repeat and so did you and everyone else #august rotation #monthly rotation playlist #monthly round up #ness listens to music #actually obsessed with rina sawayama thanks #i had lucid dreaming right before why should i worry from the oliver and company sound track on my playlist #and boy did i get whiplash every time

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definitelyblond · 1 year

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Viv’s Fave TV Show Seasons of 2022

1. Love, Death, and Robots - Season 3 (Netflix)

2. Moon Knight - Season 1 (Disney +)

3. The Umbrella Academy - Season 3 (Netflix)

4. Bridgerton - Season 2 (Netflix)

5. Stranger Things - Season 4 (Netflix)

6. Wednesday - Season 1 (Netflix)

7. 1899 - Season 1 (Netflix)

8. Interview with the Vampire - Season 1 (AMC+)

9. The Sandman - Season 1 (Netflix)

10. The Boys - Season 2 (Amazon Prime)

#Vivs List #tv shows #netflix #amazon #amc immortal universe #the boys #the sandman #love death and robots #interview with the vampire #1899 #the umbrella academy #wednesday #stranger things #bridgerton #moon knight #marvel #new years eve #review

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acertifiedmoron · 2 years

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finished The Mighty Thor and like, where do i even start. there is so much wrong with it but it wasn’t all bad either. The art in particular is terrific. I really don’t think the series would be as well received if not for Russell Dauterman’s Art and Matthew Wilson’s coloring. While I think Jane’s cancer situation never really made much sense, the series was able to invoke a lot of empathy from the audience, especially the final issues, mostly because of the art. Which is why the art alone is enough incentive to check this out.

I definitely found the first 10-ish issues collected in Thunder in Her Veins and Lords of Midgard very fun and engaging but I can’t exactly ignore Aaron flanderizing choice characters to create easy conflict and to prop up his faves. Odin being written as a criminally incompetent misogynist irrational idiot was a horrible fucking idea not because it doesn’t respect continuity, but because nobody likes stupid characters. not even stupid villains. unless it’s done for comic relief. except this is very serious business. he’s supposed to be a credible threat, but how am I supposed to take him as one if he doesn’t even deserve minimum audience respect. the Shi’ar are also written like pathetically petulant idiotic children. it’s like, how should I say, senseless character bashing you find in some fics?

the plot started meandering around #15-ish when they more or less dropped the inter-realm corporate warfare and Jane didn’t really make much progress with war of the realms stuff either, that one isn’t even brought up until after #30. if I had read this monthly during its release there’s no way I wouldn’t have dropped it.

and the ending was such a cop-out, at least I felt it was, we basically had Jane and the gods punch it out with the mangog for 6 issues which ends with Jane telling the gods, “be worthy of their prayers”, yeah no shit? Thor had that figured out like 60 issues back right after stopping the godbomb??? that’s all you have to say, after building up the “gorr was right” rhetoric for so long, making Thor unworthy over it, that’s all? what was the point? so you could do the thematic conceit of the God Butcher arc again but had to regress Thor’s character for it first?

It feels plausible that this was written for people who didn’t like the original Thor or his stories. Can Marvel, like, stop doing this. there is nothing wrong with the original character, he just appeals to a more niche high fantasy audience, okay?

#cardinal sin of all HE KILLED THE GOAT #i also read a bunch of reviews from 2016-ish and the super positive ones were like #'never liked thor before this'#'found thor uninteresting before this'#'this is my first thor comic'#and boy haven't i seen that line of thought before #i also don't get all the people saying the entirety of 'god of thunder' run was good no what the hell it was certainly not #anyway this is a jason aaron hate blog now #he also did a garbage story arc for moon knight in avengers #and occasionally talks about wanting to do a full run and no no STAY BACK DO NOT APPROACH #marvel comics #thor #thorposting

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why-so-serious-lucifer · 27 days

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ASTRO: K-pop Discography Deep Dive (Part ONE)

(TW: mentions of death, mental illness, and suicide) This is a special review, so I’m starting with a personal note. I admit I didn’t know much about ASTRO before last year, until Moonbin, one of their members, passed away, but as a ShaWol (SHINee fan) and a huge fan of Jonghyun, who left us in the same way, I decided I wanted to discover who he was outside of one more sad story on my news…

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daniellekiddfilms · 3 months

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My 2024 Oscars predictions

Award season is in full swing and much like many other people working in or interested in the Film industry, I love to shout at the TV screen when the nominee I loved doesn't win their respective award. So bearing all that in mind, here are my predictions for who will win the 2024 Oscars:

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE -

Cillian Murphy - simply because he keeps sweeping all these awards, though I feel like maybe this one should go to Bradley Cooper.

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -

Robert Downey Jr - again I personally think Ryan Gosling for Ken should win but with the sweeps this is most likely, my bets are otherwise on Mark Ruffalo.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE -

Lily Gladstone - it's either her or Emma Stone.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -

America Ferrera - this is the one I mean when I say I will be gutted when she doesn't win but I think she deserves it.

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM -

The Boy and The Heron - Spirited Away v2, though I think Spiderverse is by far the best there.

CINEMATOGRAPHY -

Oppenheimer - another sweep.

COSTUME DESIGN -

Napoleon - with renaissance there's always a demand for accurate costumes. If not this one, then it'll go to Poor Things.

DIRECTING -

The Zone of Interest - I just don't want Nolan to win and am still sad Greta isn't up there.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM -

20 Days in Mariupol - I honestly don't know for this category so it's just a guess.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM -

The Last Repair Shop - no idea, just a guess.

FILM EDITING -

Oppenheimer - another stupid sweep.

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM -

Zone of Interest - if not this, then Society of The Snow.

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING -

Poor Things - probably but I think maybe Maestro should win.

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE) -

American Fiction - John Williams doesn't need it man.

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG) -

What Was I Made For? - Though I'm just Ken should win it, the committees for these things don't like fun, they prefer the slower, more depressive tunes.

BEST PICTURE -

The Zone of Interest - I would love Barbie but it won't happen and I just want to wipe that smug smile off Nolan's face, as if Barbie didn't make triple what Oppenheimer did. A surprise would be nice again this year.

PRODUCTION DESIGN -

Barbie - please? Nah give it to Oppenheimer already...

ANIMATED SHORT FILM -

Letter To A Pig - no clue, but this sounds cool.

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM -

Invincible - not sure why, got a good vibe.

SOUND -

Zone of Interest - its sound is one of the biggest parts of the experience.

VISUAL EFFECTS -

Godzilla Minus One - you can't give it to Mission Impossible, Tom Cruise says there isn't any visual effects and that it's all real. So, this is more process of elimination, though Napoleon has a chance.

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY) -

Poor Things - the other good sweeper.

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY) -

Past Lives - I reckon this has a good chance though Anatomy of a Fall might steal it away.

That's all of them in the order I saw on the Oscars website. Let's see how my predictions hold up, this is the last day of Feb and the ceremony is next month so all the best to the nominees. What changes would you make to my list?

#film #oscars #oscars 2024 #oppenheimer #barbie #zone of interest #anatomy of a fall #poor things #awards season #oscar awards #past lives #napoleon #the boy and the heron #killers of the flower moon #film review #film debate #2024 films #predictions #oscars predictions

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lightyearsandbeyond · 3 months

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Gardens of the Moon review

Late spring of ’95. I was 14, hormones raging, weird place in that I’m a freshman in high school! High school! The big dogs. Turning into a motherf’in MAN (or so a teenager who is no longer a ‘new’ teenager thinks). Turns out Brad Pitt was voted “Sexiest Man Alive” by People Weekly (dude is blessed in that department, great actor too) in 1995. It was April/May when I saw a movie that straight up…

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cinefilesreviews · 5 months

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The 10 Best Movies of 2023

Another year over, another long year of movies ahead of us in 2024. 2023 was an odd year in movies for me. It took roughly 10 months before I saw more than one film that really blew me away. Since that point, though, I’ve seen a number of great ones. I was happy to see a diversity in the types of films in my top 50: a nice mix of genres, a balance between major studios and independents, a good…