Seen in March

Taking it to the streets in One Battle Afer Another.

I don't think that much of the Academy Awards… or at least I didn't think I did. Then I discovered exactly how few people even think about the Academy Awards at all. I certainly wouldn't say it was a hallmark of cinematic excellence, as the focus is very much on the American film industry. Yet, with the expanded "Best Film" category to ten nominees, it does make me realize how few films I've seen in recent years. At the very least, it's a list of stuff to check out. Here's what I checked out.

Michael B. Jordan and Michael B. Jordan in both his roles as Smoke and Stack.

Sinners
Crave
A Ryan Coogler joint that continues a string of films by Black Americans that use the horror genre to explore themes of race in America. This film, on its surface, is about twin brothers in the 1930s who have decided to take their ill-gotten gains from their time in Chicago to open a juke joint back in their Mississippi home. They cut deals with locals, including a clansman sheriff, to get their enterprise off the ground, only to have their business beset by vampires on opening night. But you know, it is the Jim Crow South, so it's really about more than just vamps. It's an extraordinarily looking film, and in one much-talked-about sequence, also illustrates the spirit and lineage that make up American music. It's a wild time with great performances from a charismatic cast, such as Michael B. Jordan, who plays both twin brothers in his Academy Award-winning turn.

Love on the Spectrum S01-02 (Australia)
Netflix
Someone said that what the Great British Bake Off was during the pandemic, this show is the feel-good lift we need during the current news cycle. The premise of this reality-documentary series is simple: follow people who are on the neurodiversity spectrum as they look for love. Yet, it is handled so warmly and respectfully, you'll not only learn about their lives but also about yourself as we all have to navigate a world of sometimes confusing social norms. You'll find yourself rooting for these folks as they face the challenges ahead of them.

Chase Infiniti as Willa, in one of many standout performances.

One Battle After Another
Crave
It is remarkable, given his incredibly well-received movies, that Paul Thomas Anderson hadn't won an Oscar earlier. Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood, The Master, Inherent Vice, and Phantom Thread have all earned accolades for writing and performances, and is the resume that has made Anderson one of the most respected American directors of his generation, but no little gold man statuette. Until now. What is remarkable is how this film captures the fears of an American autocratic administration, veering close to Fascist, deporting thousands of individuals, while walking a line between humour and action film genres. While it depicts the lives of revolutionaries on the run, it doesn't lionize them. It also shows, with almost abrupt, in-your-face casualness, how overt, systemic racism operates. Again, all done with humour and non-stop action. The score from Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood, editing, and cinematography all add to the performances and script that make this film what it is. Leonardo DiCaprio is Bob, a wasted and paranoid activist, on the run with his mixed-race daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti), from a frightening weirdo Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn), who has a love/hate relationship with Black women. Fine performances from Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro, and Regina Hall round out the cast.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Crave
Do you remember the odd, occasional, but enjoyable moments of humour that ran through The Game of Thrones? This show, set a couple of centuries before The Game of Thrones, is about a poor "hedge knight" (a mercenary unaffiliated with a noble house?) named Ser Duncan the Tall who travels to a tournament to make his name and fortune. Eventually, the drama and gore make their appearance, but not without a substantial amount of wit. That's what sets this show apart from its brethren. While it takes itself seriously and respects the world it's a part of, the characters are enjoyably irreverent.

Buckle up, it might get weird.

Bugonia
Prime Video
Another collaboration between Emma Stone and filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos that is a weird, wonderful mind bender. In it, two conspiracy theorists played by Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis kidnap Stone's pharmaceutical CEO under the belief that she is an alien responsible for the collapse of bee hives. While it's listed as a "dark comedy", it is more dark than comedic. The strange twist ending is what makes the entire rest of the film worth it. If you enjoyed other Lanthimos films like Poor Things, The Lobster, or The Favourite, you'll know what to expect. If you hated or, more likely, are unfamiliar with them, you can take a pass on Bugonia.

Hoppers
The latest from Pixar doesn't disappoint. It is a family-friendly, broadly funny film with a slightly odd mixed message: we should try and preserve the natural world while accommodating human progress? Mabel is a college student who, having lost her nature-loving grandmother, is very focussed on saving a small pond from a city development. In the process of fighting the man, Mabel discovers her college professor has developed an "Avatar-like" device for putting human consciousness in a beaver robot (but "it's not Avatar!" is a recurring joke). Let the shenanigans begin.

It really isn't about his mother.

Sentimental Value
Prime Video
Joachim Trier's latest is a Bergman-esque story of family and the failure to communicate. Stellan Skarsgård plays Gustav Borg, an aging, celebrated filmmaker who has come back into his daughter's life just as her mother, his estranged wife, has died. His eldest daughter, Nora (Renate Reinsve), is a respected actor in her own right but suffers severe stage fright and anxiety. Gustav has written a new screenplay, which might be his best, with a role in mind for Nora, but she has no interest in working with a father she sees as having abandoned the family. This film really reminded me of Hamnet in that it portrays an artist who is incapable of really sharing his true feelings except through his work. There are many other moving parts, complications, and complexities that make this one of the most interesting films I've seen in some time. All I'm saying is, if you have any unresolved issues with your father, you may wish you could have made a film with him.