Granted that this only required clearing a low bar, but The Promised Land notches in as the best 2024 US theatrical release to date. Mads Mikkelsen always delivers the goods. I did think the movie got a little bloated at certain points and probably could have been 15 minutes shorter and better off for it, but I was happy with what I got. 3.5/5.
I suppose I’ll need to go back and watch A Royal Affair (2012), when Mikkelsen last worked with the same director.
The Ides of March might be my favorite movie about politics. A great secondary part by Paul Giamatti if you are a fan of The Holdovers. Ryan Gosling and George Clooney lead the charge in a fine feather in Clooney’s cap as director.
Past Lives was great. Glad I got to see it
The scene where Arthur see him for the first time and the range of face acting emotions he goes through is wonderful. Just this “Oh shit, hes super good looking. Oh shit, this coule be a real problem. No no, its cool, I trust her its ok. Oh shit though, he is REALLY good looking.”
Fantastic.
Yeah, John Magaro really killed it, he had to convey so much without getting a ton of dialogue. Tremendously well-written character. While I wish Greta Lee had been nominated for an Oscar for lead actress, I also wish Magaro had gotten way more consideration of his own in supporting actor. Seems like he got completely ignored on the whole awards circuit.
I feel like I need to watch First Cow just to see another significant recent role from him.
The Promised Land gets a 4/5 from me. Great performances, beautiful story. Mads Mikkelsen is fantastic.
Ya he is great. Other subtle things in it are so awesome too.
Hard to think of a better scene than this one that is a visual metaphor for an entire movie. It seems like a movie all about dialogue but its actually full of really great visual story telling.
Yeah after mulling it over last night, a couple really great directing/writing pieces came to mind.
Its really beautiful, especially on reflection. A very deserving Oscar nod, and very high on my 2023 list. While it’s likely the nominee I enjoyed the most, it likely also isn’t the best option for best picture.
Oh, one other thing about this scene, when we see this same shot at the end of the movie in their memories, it actually takes place at night instead of in the morning. Its another really cool visual storytelling touch showing us the progress from a whole lifetime still ahead of these two reconnecting, to the twilight of their relationship. Maybe they will meet again, but the darkness of this scene at the end tells you its probably unlikely.
I agree that at the very least Arthur has to be able to pick up bits and pieces of Korean since he has put that effort in.
Really enjoyed Celine Song explaining her process on one of the scenes here:
From the bar sequence toward the end, I’m a big fan of “I didn’t know that liking your husband would hurt this much.”
I’m really hoping it can pull the upset in Original Screenplay to get further recognition. The oddsmakers have it trailing, but haven’t buried its chances entirely. Obviously it’s just an also-ran in the race to actually win Best Picture, and that’s probably just as well for its long-term legacy. Biggest deal was just getting into the field at all and causing a lot more people to see it who might not have.
Agree it winning best picture would be bad for it and her as it would be seen as some kind of upset. I don’t think there is any chance thankfully.
I can’t wait for what she does next.
The Marvels
6/10
Just doesn’t work. The main problem is almost all the conflicts and even locations are from different shows and movies so I didnt know who someone was, why were they angry at someone else, or even why there’s a giant space station above earth. So a lot of ‘huh?’'s. The story like was a shug too.
Brightspots were Iman Vellani and Brie Larson were good with the material they had and the singing planet was at a James Gunn level, but that’s it.
Got this on now and the edge is already there with Greta Lee in the lead. I didn’t recognize her by name, but she’s one of my favorite parts of The Morning Show.
Excruciatingly slow and thoughtful. So a 5/5 if that’s what you’re into.
Thats pretty much how my wife described it as well. I enjoyed the pace though. Some stories dont need car chases, wanton sex scenes and gun fights.
Some stories do, but this wasnt one of them. I appreciated the quiet between sentences in conversation. This is how people speak sometimes.
Right. It’s like they took everything I love about Before Sunrise and made a new movie. It all felt refreshingly authentic.
Enjoyed Past Lives very much.
