‘Call Me by Your Name’ Film Review

Grade: B+

Thinking about Luca Guadagnino’s Oscar-nominated adaptation of André Aciman’s 2007 novel ‘Call Me by Your Name’, I also reminisce about its beautiful set-pieces and Sufjan Stevens’ Oscar-nominated song ‘Mystery of Love’. I also think of the heartbreak that sneaks through in a place you least expect; haunting you long after the credits roll. ‘Call Me by Your Name’ has still stuck with me this week, and as I anticipate the Oscars coming this Sunday, I still think of its impact. I am not saying that this movie is the best ‘Best Picture’ nominee; there are certain moments that feel graphic in nature. To its credit, it is a sweet portrayal of love and friendship.

‘The Shape of Water’ Film Review

Grade: A

As we get closer to Oscar night (March 4 this year), the time for seeing the nine ‘Best Picture’ nominees is slowly, yet surely, reaching to a close. Whether certain films are still being screened a week or two after that fateful event is up to the studios distributing these films, and how comfortable they are booking more screenings after the winners are announced; which is why I am glad to have finally got a chance to see Guillermo Del Toro’s ‘The Shape of Water’. Nominated for thirteen Oscars including Best Picture, ‘The Shape of Water’ is a romantic fairy tale for adults that only the man who directed both ‘Hellboy’ and ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ could come up with. I especially have heard that this has been a passion project of his for quite some time. It may just be another ‘Beauty and the Beast’ tale, only this time, it is an homage to creature features from the fifties (‘Creature From the Black Lagoon’), and a love letter to the golden age of cinema while somehow being drenched in fifties nostalgia.

‘Doctor Strange’ Film Review.

Grade: A

Benedict Cumberbatch dons the levitating cape, a blue mystic outfit, and a Vincent Price hairdo, as Marvel’s own Mystic superhero, Doctor Strange. In the newest Marvel Studios outing (which is reported to tie into ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, and ‘Thor: Ragnarok’) Strange starts off as a real doctor named Steven Strange; (the name isn’t made to sound cool either.) he has a PhD, but what makes him different from the other doctors is his knack for 70’s music, (which turns into a game of Name-That-Tune with him and his colleagues while getting the job done), sarcastic wit, and arrogance which somewhat makes him the jerk of the hospital. It also makes him clash with two of his colleagues; Christine Palmer (Rachael McAdams), the former love of his life; and Nicodemus West (Michael Stuhlbarg), who he gives a ton of guff to.