The Zone of Interest

THE ZONE OF INTEREST
2023 | Dir. Jonathan Glazer | 105 Minutes

"This is our home. We’re living how we dreamed we would."


Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Höss and his family live happily in a picturesque house next to the concentration camp.

Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest is a sobering examination of infuriating complicity. Adapting Martin Amis's 2014 novel of the same name, Glazer provides the bare minimum in terms of narrative. The most significant drama that unfolds concerning its central characters is a woman's frustration at the suggestion of having to relocate her family due to her husband's promotion, the most unremarkable of conflicts if it were not for the horrific context. What makes the picture overwhelmingly unsettling is what the scenes of seemingly ordinary domesticity illustrate, that it was so easy for Nazis to carry on with their lives unbothered by the genocide they were committing just next door, in this case quite literally. The film is incredibly difficult to watch by design.

A technical masterwork in terms of subtlety and suggestion, The Zone of Interest utilizes the medium of cinema in ways that very few films do. The camera is consistently positioned to imply the horrors of Auschwitz are occurring just out of frame, with the majority of the feature made up of mundane moments at the commandant's house. The most notable shift in style are the night vision scenes featuring a young Polish girl sneaking food into the concentration camp under cover of darkness, the sole presence of resistance represented in the picture. What the audience doesn't see, the audio design forces them to hear. The sound of gunfire, shouting, crying, and screaming, while sometimes only coming through softly, is consistent and incessant. Though the production hired Mica Levi to compose music for the film, Levi's score is seldom used, which only highlights the nightmarish soundscape underscoring the proceedings.

Christian Friedel plays Rudolf Höss as a hardworking family man and loyal servant to his government most convincingly, one would almost forget the detestable nature of his gruesome work if such a thing were impossible. As Höss's wife Hedwig, Sandra Hüller is so believably smug and casually hateful that the woman she portrays somehow becomes even more despicable than Höss himself, a testament to Hüller's immense talent.

With The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer delivers a viewing experience that is most appropriately deeply unpleasant. While it is a film that is totally devoid of escapism and entertainment value, it is a work of tremendous value that must be preserved and studied. Masterfully encapsulating exactly what complicity to the evil of fascism looks like, it makes a powerful statement on the banality of evil. 


FRAGMENTS
- Sandra Hüller also appears in 2024 Best Picture Academy Award Nominee Anatomy of a Fall

- While I greatly admire The Zone of Interest and its purpose as the film, I don't think I'll ever want to watch it again
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Poor Things

POOR THINGS
2023 | Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos | 141 Minutes

"I have adventured it and found nothing but sugar and violence. It is most charming."


Brought to life by a mad doctor, Bella Baxter is a young woman who perceives the world with the innocent mind of a child. Strongly desiring life experience and knowledge, Bella ventures into the world on a journey of self-discovery while challenging societal norms at every turn, particularly ones pertaining to women.

A wildly entertaining adaptation of Alasdair Gray's 1992 novel, Yorgos Lanthimos's Poor Things is a hilarious, sharp, and engaging fantastical comedy loaded with critical observations on gender-based inequity and double standards. Philosophically perceptive and perfectly-paced, the thought-provoking narrative also features an overabundance of off-color comedy but also a whole lot of heart. Throughout Bella's odyssey, she is never robbed of her agency despite the bizarre circumstances surrounding her existence and the best efforts of some of people in her life, and much of the picture's humor derives from the novel manner in which Bella approaches and resolves the various challenges she encounters.

Visually inventive and unconventional, Poor Things is immensely appealing aesthetically. Utilizing stark monochrome and lush color photography, warped fish-eye lenses, and surreal outlandish special effects, the picture is an entertainingly disorienting feast for the eyes. To say that the style of the film's production design is heightened is putting it mildly, as it features fun over-the-top period costuming and a radical variety of beautiful sets.

Poor Things is dependent upon leading lady Emma Stone's performance, her second feature collaboration with Lanthimos, and she does not disappoint. Stone confidently plays the part of Bella to perfection, fully committing to all of the character's bizarre behavior at the start of the picture while quickly and convincingly becoming the outspoken voice of reason in an objectively absurd world. Delivering perhaps the funniest performance of his career to date, Mark Ruffalo is delightfully dastardly and eventually quite pathetic in the role of the lawyer Wedderburn. As something of a scientist, Willem Dafoe shows off his range as the complicated physically and psychologically scarred Dr. Godwin Baxter, believably well-meaning but detestable yet pitiable, all the while amusingly burping up utterly disgusting bubbles. Ramy Youssef makes for an effortlessly relatable McCandles, the audience surrogate who cares deeply for the protagonist but is only able to stand by and observe her journey. Though her screentime is limited, Kathryn Hunter gives a stand-out performance as Madame Swiney, fantastic at portraying the seemingly wise and empathetic woman but still the sleazy manager of a brothel.

An excellent off-beat comedy that examines the mistreatment of women through an absurdist lens, Poor Things is equal parts funny and profound. The film's peculiar premise serves as an unlikely springboard for timeless social commentary. Director Yorgos Lanthimos, specializing in his unique brand of satire mixed with sincerity, and star Emma Stone, reliably hilarious and exceptionally versatile, are the perfect pair to bring this story to the screen.


FRAGMENTS
- Supporting players Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott starred in the psychological thriller Sanctuary which was also released in 2023

- Considering the all-around excellence of Poor Things and 2018's The Favourite, here's hoping there will be more Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone comedies to come


MCU CONNECTIONS

- Willem Dafoe (Norman Osborn in Spider-Man: No Way Home)
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Past Lives

PAST LIVES
2023 | Dir. Celine Song | 106 Minutes

"We're not babies anymore."


Childhood friends Nora and Hae Sung reconnect in person after 24 years apart. Although Nora is married and happy with her life in New York City, the pair question destiny and what might have been.

Celine Song's semi-autobiographical Past Lives is a bittersweet film about missed opportunities and the unyielding progression of life. Despite presenting what is ostensibly a love story premise, the picture instead delivers an admirably realistic narrative that alternates between a casually voyeuristic lens and a more intimate perspective. Devoid of misguided grand romantic gestures, the narrative instead portrays a mature relationship between two people with an indelible bond that has lost all romantic potential due to circumstances that are beyond the control of any one person, and it does so with plenty of natural humor and heartfelt empathy.

Past Lives invites the audience to people-watch but not to judge. The picture opens with a conversation between unseen observers as they innocently speculate about the relationships that connect the three leads, while various pairings of people populate the background in scenes that take place in public spaces as if nudging the viewer speculate themselves on the details surrounding the various connections. These moments juxtapose well with the intimate insight the story provides for Nora and Hae Sung's complex and nuanced friendship.

The way that language is used in Past Lives to convey love and kindness is rather ingenious. When Nora and Hae Sung initially reconnect over Skype, the dialogue calls attention to the fact that Nora's Korean is rusty because she exclusively speaks it when conversing with her mother and with Hae Sung, implying that her connection with Hae Sung as at least as strong as her connection with Hae Sung without outright calling attention to the fact. Nora's husband Arthur speaks Korean to her, albeit poorly as she points out to Hae Sung, in an effort to be closer to her, communicating to the audience everything they need to know about how much Arthur is committed to Nora. In one of the film's most amusing scenes, Hae Sung and Arthur try to communicate with one another in the other's native tongue, both earnestly trying to be friendly with awkward mixed results at best. When Nora and Hae Sung have a heart-to-heart in Korean while Arthur is present, the dramatic tension is almost unbearable.

The powerful connection between Nora and Hae Sung is played to perfection by the picture's two leads who share spectacular chemistry. As Nora, Greta Lee is naturally charismatic, delivering an equally funny and dramatic performance. Teo Yoo is incredibly charming and affecting in the role of the lovesick Hae Sung. Playing Arthur, John Magaro is also very impressive, believably embodying a remarkably understanding husband placed in a uniquely uncomfortable position, truly the source of much of film's comedy.

Past Lives is a soulful, profound film that contemplates lost love. The feature authentically depicts the process of two people confronting paths not taken and genuinely moving on. It's a universally relatable narrative that is perfectly captured in this lovely and somewhat melancholy picture.


FRAGMENTS
- Recommending Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to a man who clearly has a crush on you is low-key malicious

- My movie streaming app crashed the moment Nora hugged Hae Sung in the scene after the pair meet in person for the first time since they were kids
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Oppenheimer

OPPENHEIMER
2023 | Dir. Christopher Nolan | 181 Minutes

"We might start a chain reaction that destroys the world."


In 1954, J. Robert Oppenheimer appeals the United States Atomic Energy Commission's decision to revoke his security clearance. A private hearing is held to review Oppenheimer's leadership on the Manhattan Project while scrutinizing his history with members of the Communist Party. In 1957, a Senate confirmation hearing is held for Lewis Strauss to become Secretary of Commerce. Adversarial to Oppenheimer, Strauss quickly finds that the scientific community and history are not on his side.

Adapted from Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin's 2005 J. Robert Oppenheimer biography American Prometheus, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is a sweeping epic charting the rise and fall of a deeply flawed genius. Written and directed by the celebrated auteur, he tells his most personal and contemplative story yet, exploring festering guilt and overwhelming anxiety through the eyes of the father of the atomic bomb. A decidedly unconventional biopic that chronicles the man's career rather than his entire life, the film celebrates scientific ingenuity but also condemns the nuclear arms race in no uncertain terms, a resounding protest against political agendas manipulating and exploiting scientific advancement.

The audio-visual components of Oppenheimer are unmistakably Nolan. Consistent with the director's non-linear storytelling tendencies, the feature interweaves two primary storylines occurring years apart with elegant aesthetic coding, structuring the narrative around an emotional through line rather than a strictly chronological one. Oppenheimer's demoralizing 1954 security hearing behind closed doors, depicting key events through flashbacks as he recounts his fraught education at Cambridge through the Trinity test at Los Alamos and the years that followed in which he used his influence to promote nuclear disarmament, are filmed in color. The events surrounding Lewis Strauss's humiliating 1959 Senate confirmation hearing, with flashbacks presenting his seemingly contentious professional relationship with Oppenheimer, are filmed in black and white. It's a fascinating approach to deliver the impression of a man from both internal and external perspectives, poignantly expressing both his confidence and his insecurity with nuance in the color sequences while conveying his supposed arrogance as perceived by Strauss with incomplete context in black and white. Ludwig Göransson's moody score is appropriately atmospheric, but it is incessant and occasionally more distracting than complementary.

Nolan's strength as a filmmaker are on full display showcasing the scale of the Manhattan Project. The gathering of the scientists, and their interpersonal conflicts and their collective accomplishment are the most engaging parts of the film. Conversely, Nolan's greatest weakness remains his inability to write nuanced female roles. While they serve their purpose as key figures in the protagonist's life, the roles of Jean Tatlock and Kitty Oppenheimer can be distilled down to purely temperamental forces that consistently behave like emotional disasters.

Cillian Murphy is excellent in the lead role, equally superb in portraying the confident man of science and the anxiety-stricken wretch overcome with guilt. As the vindictive Lewis Strauss, Robert Downey Jr. gives one of the very best performances of his career, absolutely convincing as a jealous and spiteful man who relishes in utilizing backhanded tactics for political gain. Making the most of her role as Kitty, Emily Blunt's considerable talent shines through despite the character being drunk and upset for the majority of the picture. The massive supporting cast features memorable performances David Krumholtz as Oppenheimer's lifelong friend physicist Isidor Isaac Rabi, Matt Damon as the amusingly straight-forward General Leslie Groves, Florence Pugh as the bewilderingly mercurial Jean Tatlock, Josh Hartnett as Oppenheimer's conflicted colleague Ernest Lawrence, Dane DeHaan as the hateful Major General Kenneth Nichols, and Alden Ehrenreich as Strauss's conscientious Senate Aide.

Oppenheimer is a monumental cinematic achievement. Despite turning up all of his signature proclivities to maximum output, Nolan's unconventional biopic is never over-indulgent. The film presents a sprawling narrative that leans heavily into the nature of regret and the folly of political division in the atomic age.


FRAGMENTS
- Barbie and Oppenheimer were released on the July 21, 2023 in the United States, creating the cultural phenomenon dubbed the "Barbenheimer" in which moviegoers opted to watch both pictures as a tonally-contrasting double feature, significantly benefitting both films financially

- The fake post-credits scenes for this film circulating around the internet amuse me to no end


007 CONNECTIONS
- Rami Malek (Lyutsifer Safin in No Time To Die)


MCU CONNECTIONS

- David Dastmalchian (Kurt in Ant-Man and Ant-Man and The Wasp, and Veb in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania)

- Matt Damon (Asgardian Actor playing Loki in Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder)

- James D'Arcy (Edwin Jarvis in Avengers: Endgame)

- Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova in Black Widow)
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Maestro

MAESTRO
2023 | Dir. Bradley Cooper | 129 Minutes

"It's so fucking draining to love and accept someone who doesn't love and accept themselves, and that's the only truth I know about you."


Conductor Leonard Bernstein and actress Felicia Montealegre meet at a party and quickly fall in love. As the years pass following their marriage, Leonard and Felicia's relationship becomes increasingly strained due to Leonard's success constantly placing the family in the public eye and his habitual indulgences in extramarital affairs with men.

Bradley Cooper's second feature in the director's chair, Maestro is more the story of a complicated marriage than a standard biopic. A stylish film, the feature sincerely explores the challenges behind some of the most loving romantic relationships. The narrative is only underscored by the musical achievements and occurring throughout Bernstein's career instead of directly focusing on them, placing much more emphasis on the emotional highs and lows of his private life. Most of the picture is seen through the perspective of Bernstein's loving but frustrated wife Felicia, sidestepping the often artificially aggrandizing nature of movies about real life artists.

Maestro is an aesthetically appealing picture. Shifting from one style of filmmaking to another throughout the course of its runtime, the black and white photography gives way to Technicolor and the boxy Academy ratio eventually changes to widescreen. It is an inspired way to present the passage of decades. The film's musical score is made up of Leonard Bernstein's works, perfectly demonstrating the timeless quality of his acclaimed musical works.

Bradley Cooper is impressive as the celebrated conductor-composer, fully committed to the part, even genuinely learning how to conduct an orchestra to convincingly perform a key scene. Although as good as Cooper is in the lead role, the old age makeup is a bit distracting as the picture covers Bernstein's later years, decidedly more exaggerated than the way he mimics the way Bernstein spoke. Giving a nuanced and heartbreaking performance as Felicia, Carey Mulligan is mesmerizing. Mulligan believably embodies a woman whose patience is regularly put to the test by disagreeable actions taken by the man she loves unconditionally, sometimes communicating all of this with just a subtle look.

Maestro is a sweet film about an imperfect relationship. The picture takes a refreshing approach to telling the story of a public figure on film, providing ample emotional insight into the person behind the public image that goes well beyond the standard biographical narrative. Confident aesthetic flourishes and a pair of memorable performances delivered by its leading stars further enhance the feature.


FRAGMENTS
- Miriam Shor also appears in 2024 Best Picture Academy Award Nominee American Fiction

- Martin Scorsese was initially attached to direct Maestro but left the project to make The Irishman, while Steven Spielberg who was approached to direct the film after Scorsese's exit encouraged Bradley Cooper to helm the picture upon seeing an early screening of Cooper's A Star is Born

- It's rather controversial for Bradley Cooper, a Catholic man, to wear a prosthetic nose and play a Jewish man

- Who abandoned Snoopy in the vestibule?


MCU CONNECTIONS

- Miriam Shor (Recorder Vim in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)
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Killers of the Flower Moon

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
2023 | Dir. Martin Scorsese | 206 Minutes

"Evil surrounds my heart. Many times I cry and this evil around my heart comes out of my eyes. I close my heart and keep what is good there, but hate comes and I say I ought to kill these white men who killed my family."


Great War veteran Ernest Burkhart is taken in by his uncle William King Hale, a reserve deputy sheriff who plots to rob the oil-rich Osage Nation completely of their wealth while presenting himself as a friend to the tribe. Per Hale's bidding, Ernest courts and marries an Osage woman Mollie Kyle, and suspicious tragedy after suspicious tragedy befalls Mollie's family shortly thereafter.

Martin Scorsese spends over three hours meticulously chronicling an infuriating criminal conspiracy targeting wealthy Osage Native Americans in the 1920s orchestrated by an insidious villain posing as a friend to the tribe. Plumbing the depths that some men would sink to when they are driven by greed and a false sense of racial superiority, Killers of the Flower Moon is a saga detailing the destruction of a people through murder, financial exploitation, marriage, psychological manipulation, and more murder. Adapted from David Grann's non-fiction book of the same name, Scorsese shifts the focus away from the federal investigation of the crimes, instead placing the nephew of the criminal mastermind front and center. It's a creative decision more in fitting with the auteur's preference for making crime thrillers and gangster movies but the resulting picture, while reasonably engrossing, is somewhat tonally monotonous. 

Killers of the Flower Moon is well-made and appropriately epic given its source material, but it's undeniably too lengthy and marred with pacing issues. The production as a whole is an impressive undertaking to be sure, as Scorsese's production clearly went to great lengths to ensure historical accuracy and cultural authenticity. However, much of the film plays out as a series of gradually escalating atrocities stretching on for far too long before a somewhat disjointed conclusion. The core of the drama is centered on the relationship between Ernest and Mollie, particularly Ernest's internal struggle between doing right by his wife and the Osage or remaining loyal to his uncle, and it's just more frustrating than engaging to witness Ernest inevitably making morally bankrupt decisions at nearly every single turn.

The role of Ernest Burkhart is perfectly suited to Leonardo DiCaprio's strengths as a performer, and he plays the part of a charming but morally-conflicted man nearly buckling under the weight of his conscience so very well. Lily Gladstone gives a heart-rending performance as Mollie, a woman who is both desperate for justice for her family and her people but also staunchly in denial about her husband's loyalty and motivations. Delivering some of his finest work, Robert De Niro is absolutely excellent as William Hale, the self-proclaimed King of the Osage, convincingly putting on a friendly face, even speaking the language of the people, while running a secret campaign to thoroughly pillage the wealth of the Osage Nation with cold menacing precision. The extensive supporting cast features notable performances from Jillian Dion as Mollie's alcoholic third sister Minnie, Jesse Plemons as the soft-spoken lead federal investigator Thomas Bruce White Sr., and Brendan Fraser as Hale's hilariously shouty attorney W. S. Hamilton.

Killers of the Flower Moon is a period epic by way of Martin Scorsese's penchant for focusing on unsavory criminal enterprises. While conceptually enticing, much of the picture comes off as an overindulgent slog, one that is appropriately depressing but perhaps should have spent more time in the cutting room. The whole endeavor would have simply been an immensely appealing but unfortunately flawed picture if it were not for phenomenal nuanced performances from its lead actors.


FRAGMENTS
- Lily Gladstone delivered a brilliant and memorable performance as a guest star on the excellent FX television series Reservation Dogs

- Robert De Niro paddling Leonardo DiCaprio inside a Masonic Temple is sure to be remembered as an indelible fixed point in time in cinema history

- Though it came as a surprise for some that Killers of the Flower Moon didn't receive a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, one could argue that it isn't a very good adaptation of David Grann's book as the narrative is centered primary on Ernest Burkhart's involvement in the conspiracy rather than the federal investigation
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The Holdovers

THE HOLDOVERS
2023 | Dir. Alexander Payne | 133 Minutes

"I find the world a bitter and complicated place, and it seems to feel the same way about me. I think you and I have this in common."


At a boarding school in New England, classics instructor and staunch loner Paul Hunham is charged with supervising the children unable to join their families during the winter holiday break. An unexpected change in plans leaves Mr. Hunham alone with Angus Tully, a clever and defiant teen determined to rebel against the irritable teacher. Through various shared mishaps and experiences, with encouragement from affable cafeteria manager Mary, Mr. Hunham and Angus form an unlikely bond.

Nearly two decades after their lauded collaboration on Sideways, Alexander Payne reteams with Paul Giamatti to deliver The Holdovers, a touching dramatic comedy that perfectly captures the mood and aesthetic of a 1970s coming-of-age picture. Written by David Hemingson, the screenplay is razor-sharp with excellent dialogue, nuanced characters, and themes of social alienation along with a sizable dose of Vietnam War angst, period-appropriate as a throwback to films of the era. At its heart, The Holdovers tells a moving story about a pair of resentful misfits forced to spend the holidays together and they both gradually learn to be more empathetic people. The more viewers learn about Mr. Hunham and Angus, the more invested they become in their respective personal journeys.

Though shot digitally, the post-production work on The Holdovers convincingly makes the picture resemble a film from the 1970s. Perfectly complementing the visual aesthetic are the inspired audio choices. The feature's mono sound mix immediately evokes a feeling of coziness and soundtrack includes memorable needle-drops such as Damien Jurado's "Silver Joy" playing halfway through opening title sequence, and Labi Siffre's "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying" prominently featured in a montage of Angus wandering the campus alone in the middle of the night and at the very end of the picture.

Playing mean old Mr. Hunham in a complete showcase of his full range as a seasoned character actor, Giamatti gives one of the best performances of his career - hilarious, tragic, and incredibly moving. Perhaps the cast's most impressive asset is breakout star Dominic Sessa as Angus, a soulful and charismatic young performer who more than matches both Giamatti's frantic energy and his pathos. In the prominent supporting role of Mary, a naturally amiable but amusingly straight-forward woman in the midst of grieving the loss of her son, Da'Vine Joy Randolph is truly excellent, bringing incredible warmth and subtlety to make the character completely her own.

Exploring loneliness, grief, and unlikely human connections, The Holdovers is a heartwarming picture that's authentic in setting, tone, and emotion. Featuring well-rounded, flawed, but immediately lovable characters, a snappy screenplay, and a superb story that promotes empathy but still carrying a humorous bit of an edge, it is a real gem of a film. There is a timeless quality to feature, and it may just become an offbeat holiday classic for many cinephiles.


FRAGMENTS
- Unquestionably my favorite film released in 2023, immediately one of my favorite films of all time

- The vintage Universal Studios logo, and the retro style Focus Features and Miramax logos opening the film are a nice touch

- I've been a big fan of Paul Giamatti's since American Splendor though I fully acknowledge that he sometimes ends up in some pretty bad roles (such as the rather embarrassing take on the Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2) though the triumph of his role in this film more than makes up for those questionable parts

- The illusion of the 1970s setting was nearly perfect for me until the shot of the China Trade Gate at the entrance of Boston's Chinatown showing the Hot Pot Buffet restaurant which opened in 2010

- During the scene in which Angus explains his father's condition, a woman sitting one or two rows behind me at my screening started to weep which immediately made my eyes tear up
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Barbie

BARBIE
2023 | Dir. Greta Gerwig | 114 Minutes

"Being a human can be pretty uncomfortable. Humans make things up like patriarchy and Barbie just to deal with how uncomfortable it is."


When Barbie suddenly experiences an existential crisis, she must leave Barbie Land and enter the real world to find the root cause of her troubling thoughts. Tagging along, Ken discovers patriarchy and returns to Barbie Land to reshape it into a world ruled by Kens. Barbie and her human allies must work together to save the other Barbies and restore Barbie Land while Barbie works out her issues.

Written and directed by Greta Gerwig, Barbie is a phenomenal film that thoroughly deconstructs Mattel's flagship fashion dolls. The narrative capitalizes on the original intent of the product as totems of girlhood aspirations, but also, on a deeper level, it recontextualizes the toys as symbols of the immortal ever-evolving nature of ideas. The inadvertent introduction of patriarchal notions into Barbie Land, an unexpected byproduct of Barbie's odyssey into the real world, serves to escalate the conflict brought on by Ken's unrequited feelings for Barbie and humorously places fragile masculinity under a microscope. However, not every idea featured in the picture works. A notable misstep is the corporate subplot featuring the all-male group of Mattel executives that doesn't quite add up to very much either comedically or thematically. All in all, for what could have been a shallow feature-length toy advertisement, Barbie contains a multitude of ideas and makes a stirring statement for female empowerment.

On a technical level, Barbie is truly marvelous. The fully-realized Barbie Land sets are a sight to behold, as are the meticulously-designed costumes for the various characters that authentically replicate actual Mattel dolls and playsets. Hilariously, Gerwig takes the opportunity to deliberately call attention to infamous poorly-received and discontinued products. The various song and dance numbers are very funny and executed with gleeful panache featuring incredibly clever songwriting and brilliant choreography. 

Margot Robbie is perfectly cast in the lead role as Stereotypical Barbie (despite what narrator Helen Mirren says in an audience-rousing one-off gag), giving an exceptionally engaging performance as the doll takes on both an emotional and metaphysical journey. Playing the dimwitted Ken to Robbie's Barbie in his funniest performance to date, Ryan Gosling makes for a superb absurd antagonist fully embodying misguided heartbreak and machismo. As frustrated everywoman Mattel employee Gloria, America Ferrera is particularly excellent, earnestly delivering one of the most entertaining but also one of the most upsettingly accurate monologues ever about being a woman. Standing out from the massive supporting cast are Ariana Greenblatt as Gloria's disaffected teenage daughter Sasha, Kate McKinnon as the wise and bizarre overplayed and worn-out Weird Barbie, Simu Liu as the charismatic rival Ken to Gosling's, Michael Cera as the awkward singular Ken friend Allan, and comedy legend Rhea Perlman as the ghost of Barbie's literal maker Ruth Handler.

Greta Gerwig's Barbie is a metatextual comedy masterpiece that both challenges and celebrates the monolithic toy line. Hilarious, touching, and delightfully weird, this film is a soul-nourishing tonal smorgasbord. Featuring a completely committed star-studded cast and spectacular production design, it's a fun and colorful nearly-perfect ride through and through that's more enlightening than preachy despite being the sort of movie that wears its progressive messages on its hot pink sleeve.


FRAGMENTS
- Barbie and Oppenheimer were released on the July 21, 2023 in the United States, creating the cultural phenomenon dubbed the "Barbenheimer" in which moviegoers opted to watch both pictures as a tonally-contrasting double feature, significantly benefitting both films financially

- Issa Rae also appears in 2024 Best Picture Academy Award Nominee American Fiction

- The Ken actors shared a group text, though Michael Cera, the one Allen, was not included naturally

- Ryan Gosling is a fan of Doctor Who and was elated when he learned co-star Ncuti Gatwa was cast as the Doctor while shooting Barbie

- Shooting on the neighboring soundstages, the cast and crew of Fast X would often visit and hang out on the Barbie Land set

- The use of Matchbox Twenty's "Push" as the song that the Kens would sing "at you" is straight-up ingenious




MCU CONNECTIONS
- Ariana Greenblatt (Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War)

- Simu Liu (Xu Shang-Chi in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)
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Anatomie d'une chute (Anatomy of a Fall)

ANATOMIE D'UNE CHUTE (ANATOMY OF A FALL)
2023 | Dir. Justine Triet | 152 Minutes

"When we've looked everywhere and still don't understand how the thing happened, I think we have to ask why it happened."


A difficult court trial unfolds after a man plummets to his death under questionable circumstances in southeastern France. Suspected of murdering her husband, a German novelist struggles to plead her case to the French court as well as her grieving son.

Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall is an intense courtroom drama that engages its audience by meticulously providing the facts behind the death of an unhappy husband while gradually building an emotionally challenging narrative surrounding the deterioration of a marriage. As the trial continues, it becomes clear that not only is the wife on trial but her relationship with the deceased is subject to judgment as well. The narrative conceit that the key witness for both the trial and the breakdown of a marriage is a visually-impaired child is nothing short of ingenious, as justice in this case is literally blind but with intimate knowledge of the dynamic within the troubled household. By design, Triet offers no definitive answer as to whether the husband died by murder or suicide, but instead appeals to the audience to look past the inconclusive facts and discover their own emotional truth.

Masterfully written, language plays a key part in Anatomy of a Fall, leaning heavily into the film's themes surrounding communication. The narrative draws attention to the German wife and French husband's decision to speak English as a compromise in their relationship, a compromise that has failed spectacularly as illustrated in the sequence playing back a secretly recorded contentious exchange turned violent between husband and wife. This failure to communicate is symbolic of their marriage and presents itself as a major conflict for her in the French-speaking courtroom. By its final act, the picture also heavily implies the husband's failure to communicate his festering depression, as their son is tasked to draw a heartbreaking conclusion based on a cryptic conversation they once shared.

In the complex lead role, Sandra Hüller is spectacular, absolutely sympathetic through and through despite lingering doubts regarding her character's innocence. Young actor Milo Machado Graner gives an emotionally resonant stand-out performance as the legally blind son Daniel, an incredibly tough role to play. Also standing out is the Border Collie Messi who played Daniel's guide dog Snoop, delivering perhaps one of the most affecting film performances ever from a canine actor.

Anatomy of a Fall is as much about the communication breakdown between two spouses as it is about the inherent difficulty in communication between a German murder suspect and the French justice system. Driven by a brilliant screenplay and powerful performances, the picture presents the ending of a relationship put on public display in unsettling invasive detail. It's a feature that demands audience engagement, refusing to provide easy conclusions.


FRAGMENTS
- Sandra Hüller also appears in 2024 Best Picture Academy Award Nominee The Zone of Interest

- Antoine Reinartz who plays the prosecutor bears a striking resemblance to beloved American comedian Paul Scheer

- Anatomy of a Fall won the Palme d'Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, and Snoop actor Messi most deservedly won the Palm Dog Award

- It is patently ridiculous that France submitted La Passion de Dodin Bouffant (The Taste of Things) instead of this film as their entry for the 2024 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
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American Fiction

AMERICAN FICTION
2023 | Dir. Cord Jefferson | 117 Minutes

"Whole soaring narratives about Black folks in dire circumstances who still manage to maintain their dignity before they die. I mean, I'm not saying these things aren't real, but we're also more than this."


Fed up with deeply flawed but profitable portrayals of African Americans and his own lack of recognition, opinionated English professor and struggling novelist Thelonious "Monk" Ellison writes a satirical "Black" novel under a pseudonym to amuse himself. Unexpectedly, Monk's new book is an immediate success despite his best efforts to sabotage its publication. However, as one crisis after another strikes Monk's family, he must choose between his personal sense of integrity and financial stability.

Adapted from Percival Everett's novel Erasure, Cord Jefferson's American Fiction is a razor-sharp comedy that amusingly deconstructs the rather tired and oftentimes ignorant tropes of marketable African American narratives. The picture criticizes representation in media that leans into stereotypes ranging from frustratingly worn-out to outright offensive through the perspective of a talented and outspoken main character. The most intriguing aspect of the story is that the protagonist carries his own unique personal struggles and deep-seated flaws that no broad generalization would be able to capture, and within the specific lies the genuinely relatable qualities of the character.

While American Fiction unfolds from Monk's point of view, the film decidedly does not portray him as an infallible paragon, but instead encourages the audience to question Monk's biases and to think critically for themselves. The writer's pretentiousness and petty judgmental attitude prove to be significant obstacles that he doesn't quite overcome by the time the credits roll. Monk's resentment ultimately costs him his love interest, his inherent bias towards another Black writer is directly challenged by the novelist herself in one excellent scene, he is the last in his family to discover the father he idolized was not a faithful husband, and he ultimately sells out for profit albeit reluctantly out of desperate financial need. While the story's various subplots either lack substantial closure or resolve in ways without completing conventional narrative arcs, the lack of neat and tidy resolution serves to add realism to the picture as a whole as well as reflect ongoing conversations around representation that will never be resolved completely.

In the role of Monk, Jeffrey Wright is brilliant as the frustrated intellectual making bad art on a lark, hilariously balancing charisma and snobbery. John Ortiz makes for an affable pragmatic voice of reason playing Monk's publisher Arthur. As love interest Coraline, Erika Alexander is affable and capably presents a reasonable counterpoint to Monk's resentment for general audiences. Sterling K. Brown delivers an incredibly funny scene-stealing performance as Monk's newly-divorced perpetually drug-addled brother Cliff. The supporting cast also features Tracee Ellis Ross as Monk's humorously sardonic sister Lisa and Issa Rae as the successful novelist Sintara Golden and subject of Monk's ire.

American Fiction dissects the value of flawed representation while cleverly weaving a funny, challenging, and heartbreaking yarn. Rather boldly, the film elects to not offer any measure of resolution. One could argue that its lack of closure imbues the film with invaluable authenticity.


FRAGMENTS
- Issa Rae also appears in 2024 Best Picture Academy Award Nominee Barbie

- Miriam Shor also appears in 2024 Best Picture Academy Award Nominee Maestro

- Always fun to see Keith David in a film however minor the role


007 CONNECTIONS
Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and No Time To Die)


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Sterling K. Brown (N'Jobu in Black Panther)

- Miriam Shor (Recorder Vim in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)

- Leslie Uggams (Blind Al in Deadpool & Wolverine)
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The 96th Academy Awards

My rankings for the Best Picture Oscar contenders of 2024:


* Actual Winner
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