OSCAR FILMS REVIEWS 2023

The list of Oscar Films I watched this year is very small. I have been very busy and lucky to have squeezed these in. Oh to have the privilege of time...

What I have seen I have - mostly - been impressed with. Some categories are going to be very hard to predict this year, but some should be a slam dunk!

Stay tuned for my Prediction blog very soon.

Aftersun

This is a lovely film about a daughter reminiscing about a holiday in Turkey she had with her father when she was 11. It is interspliced with moments from the present and is ambiguous regarding their relationship. The film is a coming-of-age film for young Sophie, played by Frankie Corio, showing wisdom well beyond her years. Paul Mescal is utterly beautiful, as a caring Dad with a whole lot of problems and worries. He spends the holiday trying to give his daughter the best holiday he can, while skillfully hiding some worries and mental health issues. Whilst there is a melancholy feel to the film, it is just lovely and beautiful.

The Banshees of Inisherin

Another gem from Martin McDonagh, set on the stunning island of Inisherin, off the west coast of Ireland. The island is very isolated and the people few. A few threads run through the film, with the main one being the fractured friendship between Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, which escalates over the film. Their performances are great, as are the supporting cast, particularly, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan. Everyone's story has tragedy within, but is shown with dry humour, as only the Irish can.  The landscape and cinematography is stunning, and the animals lovely, especially a donkey called Jenny who steals the film. My only issue was the main storyline seemed a little contrived, but that's just me.

Elvis

I went into Elvis very wary. I love Baz, but he always crosses the line and goes too far, if he had a little more restraint he could be making masterpieces. I am a big Elvis fan, I have been to Graceland, I wanted this to be great, but was worried. Also this is a big life to fit into a film. I still think it should have been a trilogy (called American Trilogy - get it!?) 50s, 60s, 70s. But what Baz did was clever, he picked 2 elements and concentrated on that - the relationship between Elvis and The Colonel and his performances, which is right up Baz's alley. The film was phenomenal, and that is mostly due to Austin Butler's perfect performance. I couldn't believe how spot on he was. He was what pulled everything together. The supporting cast were great and the design and costumes - as always - perfection. And of course, the music was great, how could it not be.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

This is easily my favourite film of what I've seen. It is utterly brilliant, and whilst it certainly pulls it ideas from many films that have gone before it, the way these threads are pulled together are unique. This film made me laugh and cry, but mostly it just made me smile.

Evelyn and Waymond - played by the goddess, Michelle Yeoh and international treasure, Ke Huy Quan - are a married couple who run a failing laundromat and about to undergo an audit. Their teenage daughter, Joy - standout Stephanie Hsu - has just come out as a lesbian and Evelyn's formidable father, Gong Gong - James Hong, remarkable character actor in his 90s - had come to stay with them after many years of being estranged. They head to the IRS office to meet with Deidre - played by the utterly brilliant Jamie Lee Curtis - and that is where things start to happen. 

From here it is diffiult to explain but not too complicated or confusing to watch. Basically there are multiple universes of the characters, fractured from choices they have made in their lives. But the multiverse is being threatened by a monster and Evelyn must detroy the monster to get their lives back on track. And this is where the actors really get to flex their acting chops, from action to comedy to drama, they are simply outstanding. I have already watched this film twice, not because I had to but because I wanted to, and you see so much more on multiple watchings, I will watch again. Michelle Yeoh is fucking phenomenal, as is Jamie Lee Curtis. James Hong - especially for his age - is witty and nimble. Stephanie Hsu holds her own and then some amongst these established actors. But it was Ke Huy Quan who I loved the most, he was the heart and soul of the film, and gets 2 key scenes that absolutely killed me. And that was before I realised who he was. What a great story his is. 

The Fablemans

I am not a huge Spielberg fan, I find his stuff soppy emotional and manipulative. So I was worried about this one, given it was about his family. But I really loved it, the acting was brilliant, Michelle Williams in particular. They nailed that 50s style and showed how a young Steven (called Gabriel in the movie) got into film making. The story has a melancholy feel to it. It begins with the family seeing The Greatest Show on Earth at the movies, and Gabriel becomes obsessed with the train crash scene and asks for a model railway. Once he gets it, he repeatedly crashes it to film it and edit it. And a great career is born. We follow Gabriel and his family through the years and see further influences on his filmmaking, along with dynamics of his family. It ends with him working on a film, using advice given to him by John Ford (played to perfection by David Lynch in a cameo).

Top Gun: maverick

I have no idea why I watched this, it is not my thing, I do not like Cruise, I did not care for the original movie. I have no idea why it is even on a list of best films for the year. I can understand it being up for tech awards. I enjoyed seeing Jon Hamm and Val Kilmer, and the movie would have been all the better for more of them. The fighter scenes towards the end were gripping but that was not enough for me. 

Women Talking

Sarah Polley wrote and directed this very dramatic film, based on a book of real life events. Set in a Mennonite community where the women realise the men have been drugging them to rape them. They spend most of the film talking about what they should do, stay or leave. This is utterly compelling and quite heart wrenching stuff. Initially you have no idea when in time is, when it is revealed it is a true WTF moment. The acting is outstanding, and the story is important and beautifully shot.

The Whale

This was heavy going, no pun intended. Brendan Fraser is remarkable as Charlie, an English Professor who teaches online as he is housebound due to ill health caused from being morbidly obese. Charlie's story unfolds throughout the film, you find out about his failed marriage, his daughter and his boyfriend. The Whale is based on a play and plays out similarly. It has minimal characters, but the actors are great, especially Hong Chau as Charlie's friend and nurse. I guess this is not for everyone, but Brendan's performance must be seen. I have seen him in many dramatic roles in the early 90s and always loved him as a great actor, so was glad to see him return to form. This is a great little film, but you will need tissues!