‘Jojo Rabbit’ Film Review

Grade: A-                                                                                                          

     You would never believe that a movie like ‘Jojo Rabbit’ would ever be made today, let alone become an Academy Award nominee. Its subject matter is portrayed in tasteless form; something that Mel Brooks could make, yet what separates ‘Jojo Rabbit’ from all the offensive satires is its heart to counteract its goofy nature. One moment, we get a parody of one of the most chilling times in WWII history, the next, we get an emotional drama that challenges stereotypes with a tale of an unlikely friendship between a ten-year-old boy training to be a part of Hitler’s army, and a Jewish girl he discovers in his sister’s basement.

‘Parasite’ Film Review

Grade: A

It is that time of year again where I talk about the Oscar nominees for ‘Best Picture’. As always, my favorite time of year is awards season, which gives me the opportunity to catch as many nominees as I can before the big night happens. One of the films I have seen over the weekend was ‘Parasite’, a South-Koran comedy-thriller, of sorts, directed by Bong Joon-Ho (‘The Host’, ‘Snowpiercer’, ‘Okja’). It is a twisted, albeit depraved, look at the clash between the rich and poor; a wickedly brilliant satire that welcomes you into its devilish delights. It doesn’t just shock you, it also makes sure you have a good time until you get there.

‘The Post’ Film Review

Grade: A

Like 2015’s ‘Spotlight’, there is no denying that Steven Spielberg’s newest effort, ‘The Post’; a retelling of The Washington Post’s legal battle with Richard Nixon and the hidden accounts of the Vietnam War, was made for the sake of Oscar nominations. You have four Oscar-winners (Spielberg, writer Josh Singer of ‘Spotlight’, Tom Hanks, and Meryl Streep) collaborating on this project, a limited release in December which eventually opened wide in January, and a politically charged story all going for it. Though admittedly, I believe ‘The Post’ is Spielberg’s best Oscar movie since ‘Schindler’s List’.

‘Lady Bird’ Film Review

Grade: B+

Oscar Season has officially started; which means that ‘Best Picture’ nominees – besides ‘Get Out’ – are returning to theaters for audiences to give a chance to before that fateful day (March 4) comes. I have only got a chance to see both ‘Get Out’ and ‘Dunkirk’ before ‘Lady Bird’ came out. Now with “Oscar Blitz” happening at one of my local theaters, I finally might get that chance to watch all the ‘Best Picture’ nominees that will screen there – starting with Greta Gerwig’s magnum opus ‘Lady Bird’.   

‘Lion’ Film Review

 

Grade: C+

‘Lion’; based on the autobiographical novel ‘A Long Way Home’ by Saroo Brierley; is about his experiences getting adopted by an Australian couple after getting separated from his family via train, and the journey he takes to get back to his hometown of Khandwa, India via Google Earth. This could have felt like an advertisement for Google Earth, but the story behind both the book and movie; directed by Garth Davis (in his feature debut), and starring Dev Patel as Saroo, tells us otherwise. What the film intends to do is inform us of the many missing children in India (as most movies with tragic subjects based on true stories tend to do to keep us aware. Last year’s ‘Best Picture’ winner ‘Spotlight’ did the same with the topic of the Catholic priest sex scandals that occurred in the 90’s). While the film is thoughtful in that aspect, Davis’ direction of the autobiographical film is not by much.

‘Hidden Figures’ Film Review

Grade: A-

Oscar season may officially be over, but there are still a few more films to see. ‘Hidden Figures’- Directed by Theodore Melfi, and based on the non-fiction book by Margot Lee Shetterly about the three female mathematicians and engineers who helped the late John Glenn become the first astronaut to orbit around Earth – was the choice of film to catch in theaters with my best friend on our usual movie night, and surprisingly, it ended up being a great watch. Watching these three women (Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, and Oscar-nominee Octavia Spencer) overcome racial segregation in the early 60’s while becoming the hard-working and tough-willed women that helped them get the job done and make history is satisfying. (As Kevin Costner’s director of the Space Task Group, Al Harrison says after destroying the sign for the ‘Colored Ladies’ restroom “In NASA, we all piss the same color.” – Ridiculous as it sounds, it is true!)

‘Fences’ Film Review

Grade: C

Denzel Washington and Viola Davis bring their characters from the revival of August Wilson’s play to the big screen with Washington directing, and Wilson writing the screenplay. ‘Fences’ is less about racial issues in the 50’s and more about family tension and drama. If you thought living in that particular decade was easy, you should be mistaken. It was as hard for the working man as it was for a person of color; the way Washington brings the character of the God-fearing baseball expert Troy Maxson to life is a testament to a man who believes in hard work and dedication, even if it means becoming bitter to his sons (Russell Hornsby and Jovan Adepo). While Davis proves to be a strong force of nature as Troy’s caring wife, Rose.

‘Room’ Film Review.

Score: 5 out of 5 stars

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Out of all the ‘Best Picture’ nominees of this coming Oscar season (which I’m very excited to see with my friends very soon at the amazing Pix Theatre), ‘Room’ is my pick for the top ranking by far. I didn’t see ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’, and I am waiting to see ‘Brooklyn’ hopefully soon. No other film in this category has captivated me more than this movie. ‘The Revenant’ was an intense look at a man fighting the elements; ‘The Martian’ proved that Matt Damon can enjoy life; ‘The Big Short’ and ‘Spotlight’ almost put me to sleep; but both stories felt real and had clever writing with two very different tones, with ‘The Big Short’ being comedic and ‘Spotlight’ showing us a world of shock; while ‘Bridge of Spies’ didn’t impress me much, but ‘Room’ is something special.

For the first half, ‘Room’ takes place in a secluded shed owned by a creepy man called “Old Nick” (Sean Bridgers), where Joy (Brie Larson in her first Oscar-nominated role) does her best to stay positive with her recently-turned five-year-old curious son, Jack (Jacob Tremblay, in an Oscar-worthy performance snubbed/forgotten by The Academy). Joy and Jack have been held captive by Old Nick for years. Joy was kidnapped at age 17, while her son was born in that shed and only has been taught knowledge of the shed and not the world. During this half, he is bound to ask questions which makes him disbelieve his mother’s stories about the outside world.