It’s like… almost impossible to put into words how much I love this movie and all that it’s about, and how much it means to me already lol? Had to watch it one last time before my digital screener expired, but also because I needed a refresher before I write my rave review coming at the end of this week when that embargo breaks and I can’t wait to flood everyone’s feed with Babylon fever 🥰🤗😌
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is finally available to stream on Netflix, so here are my thoughts on why it’s one of the most successful feats of adaptation I’ve ever seen, and how it can bring about more respect for animation as an artform 🥰
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Despite a strong start and a cool concept, Strange World fumbles the bag after its first act and never digs deeper into its characters or themes beyond the surface level. The dialogue is dry, the plot is plain, and the overall journey is kinda joyless. Nice to look at though, I guess? (And I hate that such authentic LGBTQ+ representation isn’t in a better film.)
Avatar: The Way of Water is an awe-inspiring blend between a nature documentary and a blockbuster - a thrilling three-hour-long travelogue through the oceans of Pandora with deep feeling in its foundation and an unspeakably epic third act that will leave you breathless and in tears.
It’s just so rare to watch a blockbuster that’s both formally ambitious and full of authentic emotion. This is no “empty” epic - as James Cameron once again revolutionizes VFX, he’s also sharing a…
A Man Called Otto is an old-fashioned crowdpleaser to its core, but it still mostly worked for me? Sure, the storytelling is a bit simplified, but it balances its humor and heartbreak beautifully, Tom Hanks is a hoot, Mariana Treviño steals EVERY scene (Best ing Actress nomination when), and there’s even some shockingly solid trans representation with a ing character (which feels like a first for a major studio movie?).
Some will still say it’s corny and cliché, but it’s so earnestly charming nonetheless and really won me over by the end. With a heart this huge, it’s hard to go wrong.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish will remind you of the DreamWorks Animation classics of the early 2000s - the ones many of us grew up with. Though this sequel was 11 years in the making, it’s as action-packed and emotionally affecting as the original, with even more arresting artistry. Gonna be a HUGE hit over the holidays.
(Also… THOSE LAST TEN SECONDS SENT ME INTO OUTER SPACE HSJSJSKSJS)
Babylon is the most that any movie has ever movie’d. Damien Chazelle’s vibrant vision of 1920s Hollywood completely captures the cacophonous chaos of the era, Margot Robbie turns in a towering powerhouse performance that may be her best yet, and in the dynamite and dashing Diego Calva, a star is born.
Yes, it’s A Lot™️ - three hours of opulent sensory overload - but there’s a method to Chazelle’s madness that’s mystifying to witness. It’s all fun… until it’s not.…
The Whale struggles to adapt from the stage to the screen, oftentimes coming across as artificial instead of authentic, and Darren Aronofsky was so clearly not the right choice to direct this subject matter, lacking the sensitivity and subtlety it demands.
Brendan Fraser’s performance remains powerful - at points - and Sadie Sink stuns in a sharp ing turn, but the commanding Hong Chau was by far and away my MVP, as the cast member who most transcended the film’s…
I guess I’m one of the few who loved Empire of Light, as I fell hard for this deftly directed romantic drama, elevated by two of the most tender performances of the year courtesy of Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward. It’s a simple story, and maybe it bites off a bit more than it can chew, but it’s just so sincere - and so soulfully shot and scored.
A good old-fashioned prestige pic aimed squarely at adults, and I ate it up. It doesn’t aspire to change the world or anything, but it doesn’t need to!
Wrote about two of my favorite films of the year, Women Talking and She Said - which also happen to be two of the most important films of the year as well, in my opinion - and why it’s essential for the industry that they be uplifted this awards season and not diminished by superficial critiques.