Category: Oscar Contenders
The Souvenir: Love and other drugs
by Matt Ward
Joanna Hogg doesn’t make life easy on her audience. Subtlety and layers of hidden context abound in her latest feature, “The Souvenir,” a semi-autobiographical drama she wrote and directed about a young film student’s destructive love affair with an older man set in the 1980s. Audiences are shown bits of Julie and Anthony’s time together in a piecemeal, fragmented way that’s part slice of … Read More The Souvenir: Love and other drugs
The Farewell: The value of a good lie
by Matt Ward
Many of the best films are personal, whether they be exact recreations of past events in the lives of those making them or simple adaptations of real life. Writer/director Lulu Wang took a unique cultural moment from her own life for her second feature film, “The Farewell.” “Based on an actual lie” as the film’s title card states, “The Farewell” fictionalizes a pivotal moment … Read More The Farewell: The value of a good lie
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood: Tinseltown fantasy
by Matt Ward
“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” is everything one might come to expect from a Quentin Tarantino film and yet somehow, it’s also nothing like what one might expect from Quentin Tarantino. Reflective of a man who grew up in the movies engrossed in every aspect of filmmaking, Tarantino’s ninth feature ramps up the dialogue and nonlinear storytelling while tempering down his trademark rampages … Read More Once Upon A Time In Hollywood: Tinseltown fantasy
Toy Story 4: To infinity and beyond
by Matt Ward
Children don’t appreciate kids’ movies. Good writing, top notch animation, quality vocal talent to bring characters to life, these things are unimportant to a child. They just want to be entertained. “Toy Story 4,” the latest feature from Disney-owned Pixar Studios, may not be the most entertaining movie. It’s one heck of a piece of cinema though. After Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest … Read More Toy Story 4: To infinity and beyond
Late Night: The headline of my analysis is complacency
by Matt Ward
Most moviegoers will see acting legend on the big screen this weekend as the head of an organization protecting Earth from aliens in the blockbuster sequel offshoot “Men In Black: International.” Where they should be her, however, is the underappreciated gem “Late Night,” a dramedy that sees Thompson as a late-night talk show host about to get the boot from a new network CEO … Read More Late Night: The headline of my analysis is complacency
Rocketman: Fantastical voyage
by Matt Ward
Director Dexter Fletcher’s new film is not a biopic of iconic musical genius Sir Elton John. “Rocketman” captures all the fantasy and majesty of John’s enduring legacy in a unique and magical way, cranking up the tunes in a dream-hazed jukebox portrait that lives and breathes the man’s identity without worrying all too much about historical accuracy. Theatricality and performance reign supreme in a … Read More Rocketman: Fantastical voyage
Us: The terror within
by Matt Ward
Are we our own worst enemy? Jordan Peele’s latest film, “Us,” contemplates deeply personal, introspective ideas through the lens of horror. The film’s main conceit, an ever precarious internal balance between good and evil, is pushed to the surface quite literally as a family on vacation are confronted by ominous doppelgängers of themselves, the violent opposite of their seemingly normal existence. Peele’s second feature … Read More Us: The terror within
Easy rider: Academy rewards safe biopic ‘Green Book’ with Best Picture
by Matt Ward
Newly crowned Academy Award winner for Best Picture “Green Book” is like clanging a cowbell at the end of Shoshtakovich’s seventh. Everyone who doesn’t understand what that means believes it’s perfect. There’s nothing particularly wrong with “Green Book,” a well-acted and competently made film, yet completely ordinary by comparison to other features in the Academy’s Best Picture category. It’s just that a film like … Read More Easy rider: Academy rewards safe biopic ‘Green Book’ with Best Picture
If Beale Street Could Talk: Poetry in motion
by Matt Ward
Intertitles, text at the opening of the film, explain how for celebrated author James Baldwin, “every black person born in America was born on Beale Street, born in the black neighborhood of some American city.” “Beale Street,” he said, “is our legacy.” Within the first five minutes of director Barry Jenkins’ latest film, “If Beale Street Could Talk,” adapted from Baldwin’s 1974 novel of … Read More If Beale Street Could Talk: Poetry in motion
On The Basis Of Sex: A remarkable life made average
by Matt Ward
Every year it seems, Hollywood races out historical docudrama meant to be a rallying cry to remind or influence Americans about a current political topic. Last year, Steven Spielberg rushed through a good, not great feature on The Washington Post’s work on the Pentagon Papers as a defense for freedom of the press amid rampant allegations of “fake news.” That film, “The Post,” felt … Read More On The Basis Of Sex: A remarkable life made average
Vice: Second in title, first in command
by Matt Ward
Three years ago, director Adam McKay broke free from his straight comedy roots with “The Big Short,” a darkly humorous, yet revealing examination of the 2008 U.S. financial crisis. With big banks in the crosshairs, the film was largely an apolitical (or at least bipartisan) thrashing of the series of events that led America to the mortgage crisis and great economic downturn. McKay has … Read More Vice: Second in title, first in command
The Favourite: Three queens and one crown
by Matt Ward
British political and societal dramas are often ripe with stoic, regal performances perfect for awards season acclaim. Films like the Best Picture winning “The King’s Speech” or Gary Oldman’s Oscar-winning turn in last year’s “Darkest Hour” are prime examples of major contenders coming from across the pond. This year provides moviegoers with yet another intricate examination of the British monarchy, but certainly unlike anything … Read More The Favourite: Three queens and one crown
Cinematic Considerations 