Month: April 2021

So unlike the ASBOs, where I endlessly trash the Oscars, I will now respect the nominations and say which were most accurate.

Actress In A Supporting Role

I have watched three of the five nominees. I haven’t seen The Father, sorry Olivia Coleman and I haven’t seen Hillbilly Elegy, sorry Glenn Close. Apparently, Amanda Seyfried was in Mank. Sure, whatever. Therefore, the top two were both brilliant options, Maria Bakalova and Youn Yuh-Jung in Borat 2 and Minari respectively.

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Bakalova played Borat’s daughter who he was going to give to Mike Pence to repair relationships with Kazakhstan, but learns of a way that women are treated equally in the US. Youn plays the grandmother in Minari, trying to build a relationship with her grandson who she has never met. She is not a typical grandma and the two have to find some common ground, before her very emotional final act.

Both actresses were brilliant. I thought Bakalova would never get nominated, so was a prime ASBO candidate. For her bravery and courage in her acting, which was convincing to those around her, including a certain lawyer, for such a beginner, she deserves an Oscar and I hope she wins tonight, although I won’t complain if Youn does.

Actor In A Supporting Role

This is a rare category where I have seen all five nominees. Paul Raci was a solid support in Sound Of Metal as Ruben’s death teacher. Sacha Baron Cohen was probably the best part of Chicago 7, although against Eddie Redmayne that doesn’t say much. Leslie Odom Jr was an important part of One Night In Miami, as the whole cast was stellar. However, the top two are both in the same movie.

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Daniel Kaluuya plays Fred Hampton and Lakeith Stanfield plays an informant for the FBI. Both provide interesting performances. Realistically, Stanfield was the lead and should have been nominated as such. However, Kaluuya stole the show and will hopefully win the Oscar tonight.

Actor In A Leading Role

Out of the five nominees, I have seen four of the performances (I haven’t yet seen The Father, Anthony Hopkins). Gary Oldman existed in Mank. I’m not sure why he was nominated over Delroy Lindo, but there you go. Delroy gets an ASBO instead. Stephen Yeun put in a passionate, heartfelt performance in Minari as a Korean immigrant. His starting his farm while trying to provide to his family is an emotional experience, thanks to Yeun.

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Therefore, the top two options for this category are Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) and Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom). Chadwick Boseman plays a trumpeter who wants to be a star. In the movie, he has to face his own demons from the past as well as the structures keeping him down in the present. His monologues and his interactions are intriguing. I couldn’t take my eyes off his performance as he left it all on the screen. Riz Ahmed’s performance was just as pained. He played a drummer who lost his hearing and needed to come to terms with his deafness. While I had some issues with the writing, he was flawless and watching his character develop was well worth it.

This one wasn’t even close. Chadwick Boseman should deservedly win the Oscar.

Best Actress In A Leading Role

I have seen three of the five nominees in this category, having not seen Frances McDormand in Nomadland (I’m waiting for the cinema) or Andra Day in The United States Vs Billie Holiday. Therefore, we have three options. Vanessa Kirby was great during the first 30 minutes of Pieces of a Woman, a film about a woman dealing with her baby dying after its born. However, the rest of the film didn’t wow me.

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Therefore, our top two options are Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) and Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman). Davis plays mother of blues, Ma Rainey, owning each scene she is in. She walks and talks with authority, knowing that what power she has is fleeting. Carey Mulligan plays Cassie, a woman who is out for revenge on men who commit sexual assault. Her performance is rightly angry and powerful. I totally believed in her character.

Both were brilliant, however Mulligan did more. Therefore, I really hope she wins this evening and I reckon she probably will.

Best Animated Film

Over The Moon started so well. The Earth parts were standard Disney, however once they got to the moon it really fell apart. I’m not sure how it got to there, but it got a nomination, so whatever. Onward looked nice, but it was a fairly standard Disney template film. Nothing original or special. Shaun The Sheep Farmageddon was also fine and a sweet homage to many space films. However, there were far too many gags. It was quantity over quality. Also, I just don’t like the sheep that much. Soul had a nice soundtrack and vibe. However, it was also just a standard pixar formulaic template film. It wasn’t bad. However, the best film of the five by a country mile was Wolfwalkers, a movie about two girls who become wolves at night and need to save their herd from an evil king. Unfortunately, not many people will have watched it, however I would recommend trying to. The whole film looked and sounded beautiful.

Best Documentary

Sadly, I didn’t get hooked into Crip Camp. I’m not sure why, maybe I wasn’t in the mood. I just didn’t quite fully get into it. It’s a film about a summer camp for those with disabilities. Time was a powerful, intimate film about the incarceration of African Americans and the effect on those families. While I gained lots out of it at the time, it didn’t stick with me as well as it did the others. The Mole Agent was a really charming film about an 83 year old who is hired to spy in a retirement home. While looking for abuse, he find that many in there are lonely. The film starts one way, but ends another. It was a wonderful watch. Collective is a shocking movie about corruption in the Romanian health care system. It’s an urgent film which shows how greed lead to the death of many following a fire in a club.

I hope My Octopus Teacher wins. It’s a film about a depressed man videoing an Octopus for a year. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a brilliant wathc. It’s interesting and emotional as you really care about the octopus and the bond they forge.

Best Picture:

I have seen six of the eight best picture nominees. Here are the rankings (Note, I have not seen The Father or Nomadland.

6) Mank

A film about how Citizen Kane was written. It’s as boring as it sounds. It was technically good, but I was just waiting for it to finish. Review: Mank

5) The Trial Of The Chicago 7

A film about seven people who were arrested for leading riots, it is primarily an okay courtroom drama. It had plenty going for it, such as Aaron Sorkin writing it and a high brow band of actors. However, it ended up being just very okay. If you want a good courtroom drama which is similar, watch Mangrove. Review: The Trial Of The Chicago 7

4) Sound Of Metal

The premise was good, the acting was good, the writing was fine, although some of the timing was abrupt and the film lost its way in the third act. However, on the whole I was impressed. I can’t wait to see it on the big screen with full on surround sound. Review: Sound Of Metal

3) Promising Young Woman

If any of the top three films win best picture, I’ll be satisfied. On reflection, PYW stuck with me more than any of the other films on this list. It was a well made rape revenge thriller which I reckon will win a significant number of awards tonight. Brilliant. Promising Young Woman

2) Judas And The Black Messiah

Judas And The Black Messiah is a film about the treatment of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton by the FBI in the 1960s, focussing on someone who is forced to spy on him. The acting, production design and script were all brilliant. Will it win Best Picture tonight? Probably not, but it wouldn’t have been a bad shout and Shaka King should have had a best director nomination. Review: Judas And The Black Messiah

1) Minari

If the Oscars have any sense, they’ll defy the odds and award best picture to Minari which is the saddest and sweetest film of the year. A family of Korean immigrant chicken sexers build a farm. The father needs to succeed, the mother worries about the effect on him and their ill son. Then grandmother moves in and the film looks at the identities of immigrants. The whole film is slow, but absolutely fantastic. It’s one of my favourites of the year and I will be smitten if it wins. If not, they can sleep easy knowing they win on this list. Review: Minari

Other Awards:

Cinematography: Mank (Beats Judas, News Of The World and Chicago 7; haven’t seen Nomadland)

Costume Design: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Beats Mank & Pinocchio; Havent seen Emma or Mulan)

Directing: Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) beats Lee Isaac Chung, Minari and David Fincher, Mank; Haven’t seen Another Round or Nomadland.

Editing: Trial Of The Chicago 7 (Beats Promising Young Woman and Sound of Metal; Haven’t Seen The Father or Nomadland)

International Film: Better Days (HK) beats Collective (Romania); Haven’t seen Another Round, The Man Who Sold His Skin or Quo Vadis Aida

Make Up or Hairstlying: Pinocchio beats Mank and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Haven’t seen Hillbilly Elegy or Emma)

Music: Soul beats Da 5 Bloods, Mank, Minari and News Of The World

Original Song: Speak Now (One Night In Miami) beats Fight for You and Kear My Voice. Haven’t seen The Life Ahead of Fire Saga.

Production Design: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom beats Mank, News of the world and Tenet; Haven’t seen the father

Sound: Sound Of Metal beats Mank, News of the World and Soul. Haven’t seen Greyhound.

Visual Effects: Tenet beats Love and Monsters; Haven’t seen The One And Only Ivan, Mulan or The Midnight Sky

Adapted Screenplay: One Night In Miami beats Borat 2 and The White Tiger. Haven’t seen Nomadland or the Father.

Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman beats Judas, Minari, Sound of Metal and Chicago 7.

The Count:

3: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; Promising Young Woman

2: One Night In Miami

1:

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm:
Judas And The Black Messiah
Wolfwalkers
My Octopus Teacher
Minari
Mank
Trial Of The Chicago 7
Better Days
Pinocchio
Soul
Sound Of Metal
Tenet

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the 2021 ASBO Awards with your hosts Mrs Bold and Mr Italic!!!!

It’s been quite a year with COVID and that

I’ve worn a mask with my designer hat

I’ve self isolated in my 12 bedroom flat based in a steeple

See we’ve suffered like ordinary people…

I haven’t been able to go get my pret

I haven’t allowed my butler to clean yet

Nor have I been able to go to a movie

I haven’t had a holiday at the Louvr-ie

We have suffered like everyday guys

Having to go online for our Tiffanys buys

I’m running out of lines so it’s time let’s go

To find out the winners of the 2021 ASBOs.

Yes, thank you for joining us. To present the awards, here is Joe

Thank you, thank you. It’s been 14 months since I last posted the ASBO awards, where the film Monos won best picture, despite not getting a single Oscar nomination. Burning won the year before that, with Stephen Yeun starring (He’s nominated for his own Oscar this year). I’m not going to discuss the past 14 months, because who cares. There have been some great films and great performances though.

Riz Ahmed makes history as the first nominee for both an Oscar and an ASBO in the same category. In Mogul Mowgli, he plays an Indian rapper who suffers a degenerative disease. Kingsley Ben-Adir was a suprise snub as his calm collected performance as Malcolm X in One Night In Miami was totally overlooked. Sope Dirisu is one of the rising stars in film right now, and his leading role as an Asylum Seeker in horror film His House as he deals with being stuck in a haunted property facing his choices that he made when fleeing war-torn Sudan. As negative as my review of I’m Thinking of Ending Things was, the acting certainly was good. Jessie Plemons also had a brilliant year, featuring as a detective in Judas And The Black Messiah. His fearsome and intriguing performance in ITOET certainly was better than the script he was given.

However, there can only be one winner and that has to be Delroy Lindo in Da 5 Bloods. Playing a Vietnam veteran who has no connection with his son and is racked with guilt from the war, Lindo’s character leads his old squad to find the hidden gold. His descent into madness is intriguing to watch. He is the best part of a rather fantastic movie and it’s truly shocking he wasn’t recognised by the Oscars. Well done Delroy, you win the first ASBO of the year. (Read my summary of Da 5 Bloods here)

Now this is a tight category. Without patting my own back, I think the ASBO committee has done a good job at choosing six stellar nominees. Do we go for a playwrite who turns to rap in a midlife crisis (Radha Blank), an actress so good that she makes talking about literature in a car for 40 minutes somewhat tolerable (Jessie Buckley). How about an eight year old girl who has the world turn on her as it can’t control her temper? That’s Helena Zengel in the fantastic German film System Crasher, which despite it having only one ASBO nomination is essential viewing. Kelly O’Sullivan sensetively looks at issues for normal women in Saint Frances with such grace. Roxanne Scrimshaw was fantastic as a woman trying to come to terms with the fact her best friend may have killed her own child in the tragically underseen Lynn + Lucy. Not bad for a debut actor who auditioned when she saw the role advertised during her job at ALDI.

Scrimshaw and Zengel will be pipped at the post by Wunmi Mosaku. Playing a grieving mother in His House who seemed to have lost her daughter in the English Channel when immigrating to England, Mosaku really brought heart to the role. Both her and Sope Dirisu were fantastic and I really can’t wait to re-watch the movie. Well done on your ASBO Wunmi.

This years nominees have not one, but two posthumous nominations. Chadwick Boseman for Da 5 Bloods could’ve been anyone from that movie because it was such a great ensemble cast. However, the film was a sweet way to say goodbye to him, before Ma Rainey was even better. Brian Dennehy in Driveways provided a friend for a boy who had moved next door with no friends. The film was wonderfully subtle and understated and his performance was a key part of it. Minari was wonderful and eight year old Alan Kim totally understood the film and his performance with Yong Juh Yoon was truly snubbed. In Better Days, Jackson Ye played a love interest who swore to protect his girlfriend. His troubled performance was fun to watch. Apparently, he’s a big deal in China, so if I gave him an ASBO maybe this would open up London’s third best film blog to a new market. Bill Murray’s character in On The Rocks was at first fun and charming, however he had a deeper layer of sadness and loneliness.

This was so close again, especially with Dennehy providing such a wonderful performance. I’m going to have to give the award to Yi-Wen Chen in A Sun. The Taiwanese film is about a family where one son goes to jail and the other lives under the pressure of a highly expectant father, played by Chen. Chen’s grief and anger are palpable and in a film with a few good performances, he stands head and shoulders above the rest. You can watch his performance in this film on Netflix. Congratulations Yi-Wen on winning the third ASBO of the year.

Throughout ITOET, only one scene was genuinely good and that’s the dinner scene. 90% of that wasn’t due to Charlie Kaufman’s boring dialogue, but due to Toni Collette’s fantastically unnerving performance. How did such great performances lead to such boring movies? Both Kosar Ali and Ashley Madekwe were exceptional in British independent films Rocks and County Lines. Ali played the friend of a girl abandoned by her parents. Madekwe played the mother of a boy who transported drugs across the country. My runner up for this catergory was Nicola Burley in Lynn + Lucy who plays a mother ostracised by her own community and best friend following the death of her baby.

This years winner is Essie Davis who had a fantastic year. I could have nominated her for her role as the mother in Babyteeth, yet her role in The True History of the Kelly Gang as Ned Kelly’s mother stole the show. She was cold, hard and manipulative. The most interesting character to watch on the screen, I really enjoyed the scenes with her in, despite being somewhat cold to the rest of the film. Well done on your ASBO Essie. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it with pride. You can watch Essie in The Kelly Gang on Prime.

Following on from Weathering With You, this year we have two options for the animated ASBO, because I didn’t watch Croods new age. Josep is a film about a Spanish artist in a French concentration camp trying to get by. It’s a solid film which had very little attention around it. However, I’m giving the ASBO to Away, a Latvian film all if which was made by one person, from the story to the animation to the soundtrack. A silent movie, the cell shading looks like an indie video game and the whole film was charmingly hypnotic. Well done Away, you’ve won Latvia’s first ever ASBO.

These six films have wonderfully stylish cinematography. What is cinematography? I don’t really know, but I guess it’s just the use of camera or something.

Both Forty Year Old Version and Song without a name have a nice black and white style, especially song without a name having many satisfying symmetric shots. Da 5 Bloods deserves an honourable mention for its contrasting styles in its time jumps. My Octopus Teacher and His House both also look wonderful

However, this year the best cinematography goes to The Climb. The use of continuous shots to establish intimacy are brilliant and lead to some fantastically set up scenes. It’s engaging and great to watch. Congratulations on your ASBO The Climb.

Let’s not kid ourselves. I don’t know anything about costume design. Maybe Kelly Gang, maybe The Prom. Sure, whatever. Kelly Gang can have this ASBO.

This year, for the first time, we will be giving out a documentary ASBO. These 4 films all showed interesting stories. I Am Greta showed a child with asbergers turn into the world’s leading climate activist. Welcome to Chechnya showed the shocking treatment of LGBT people in Russia. However, this year is a two horse race between Boys State and Dick Johnson is Dead.

Boys State certainly was a more cinematic spectacle, focussing on a summer camp for wannabe political Texans which was equally concerning and empowering. Dick Johnson Is Dead was a sweet, yet odd film about a daughter coming to terms with the inevitable loss of her father who was developing dementia. Part of this is them creating a video tribute. It was intimate and quietly devastating film making which is an essential watch. I really connected with it and therefore, congratulations Dick Johnson, you win the first ever documentary ASBO.

This year’s five films are all incredibly diverse. Lesotho’s entry, TINABIAR is an understated movie about an elderly woman who doesn’t want her village to be relocated for the wealthy. Bacarau is some Battle Royale-esque bloodbath where people have payed to hunt humans, although the political messages aren’t clear if you’re not native. I’m No Longer Here focuses on a dancing squad member who witnesses a shooting and has to go into hiding. It’s a mature, level headed movie and is available on Netflix. The Mole Agent does have an Oscar nomination, but in the documentary category. It’s a delightful film about an 83 year old who is recruited to spy in an old persons’ home as a resident’s family worries for their mother. It’s a really charming film about loneliness in the end and it’s available on iPlayer. However, this year’s winner is A Sun. The Taiwanese entry was described earlier as it also won best supporting actor. The film focuses on family dynamics, crime and reform. It’s on Netflix and is well worth a watch.

What the heck do I know about Make Up & Hairstyling? Lynn + Lucy for using them to reflect Lynn’s fluctuating social status. Why not.

So the screenplay is the script, so which one had the best script? What a difficult question. They were all great. A Sun showed a deep family dynamic followed by some fantastic twists. Da 5 Bloods showed the effects of racism and war on a group of veterans. Rocks Showed an intimate, real look at the lives of teenage girls in London while His House provided a clever twist on the horror genre showing the terrible experiences of migrants. Lynn + Lucy looked at social status, intertwining it with an intriguing mystery.

Saint Frances was the freshest screenplay of the year, discussing women’s issues in an honest, open way. It intergrated this with comedy and was a deeply human piece of writing. It’s essential viewing to see different people in front of and behind a movie camera. Congratulations on your ASBO Saint Frances.

These films were all great, however the film at the party with music going all night has to win this category. The ASBO for Best Sound goes to… Lovers Rock.

His House takes us from London to Sudan to the Oscan and back with big scary monsters. Sonic The Hedgehog gives us a hedgehog which looks not as bad this time. While I didn’t enjoy Saint Maud, some of it’s later effects were on fire and very memorable. However, I’m going to award the ASBO to Welcome To Chechnya, a documentary about the poor treatment of LGBT individuals in Russia. To protect the subjects, the directors gave them fake faces and I didn’t notice this at all. It’s an incredible feat you can see on iPlayer. You can read about their methods here. Well done to the VFX artists for the film. You did an incredible job.

This is basically, what scenery looks the best. Kelly Gang used a dark rugged Australian look for authenticity. Little Joe used a sterile look in the labs with an ominous purple for the dangerous plants. Pinocchio used a slightly dark background, yet one full of mystery. ITOET used a variety of buildings to create mystery. However, the House of His House really was the third character in the film. Well done His House on the ASBO for best Production Design.

Here we are, best picture. So far, no film has more than 2 ASBO awards (Kelly Gang, His House & A Sun), so it really is there for anyone this year. Let’s look at the nominees

8) Wolfwalkers is an absolutely lovely film. It’s the best animated film this year. It’s about a girl who gets bit by a wolfwalker and becomes one. She then has to save the tribe of wolves. It’s a fun folklore film. It’s on Apple TV. If you have it, check it out. I probably also wrote a world class review.

7) Boys State didn’t win the ASBO for best documentary, but got a BP nomination. Why? Because while I thought Dick Johnson provided a better documentary, the Boys State film was a more complete spectacle. It was a fun look into politics with teenage boys all vying to get elected. It was equal parts troubling and empowering. If you have any interest in politics, it’s essential viewing. It’s on Apple TV. You can see my full thoughts here.

6) Saint Frances is a film I talked about in the Best Screenplay category. I don’t have much more to say apart from that it’s really good. It’s an important tale of self discovery and is well worth a watch as it breaks many taboo. You can see why it got a best picture nomination here, before watching it yourself on Netflix.

5) A Sun is a film I’ve also complimented throughout this post. I talked about it in the supporting actor, screenplay and international film categories so go there if you want to see more about it. I didn’t write a review on it sadly, but I fully endorse this Netflix based film.

So any of the top 4 realistically could have won. Part of the reason that Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is in fourth is because it would go against the spirit of these awards to give it a win, especially as it is nominated for FIVE Oscars, just not the Best Picture, which is rather criminal when films like Chicago 7 and Mank both are. The film focuses on a trumpeter called Levee wanting to make it big, however he is part of Ma Rainey’s band and she calls the shots. The film focuses on race and power and is just a fantastic watch. I raved about it previously and yeah, it’s on Netflix.

3) Da 5 Bloods was meant to be a big Oscar contender, but somehow it got totally snubbed apart from for best soundtrack. The film sees five black Vietnam veterans go back to get some treasure and make themselves rich. It becomes an intriguing character study brilliantly lead by Delroy Lindo. It’s on Netflix. Go and see it..

2) Lynn + Lucy is one of the best films I watched last year, and seemingly nobody else has seen it. Lynn & Lucy are best mates, Lucy ends up in an incident leading Lynn to question her, while being influenced by a society addicted to drama. It’s an incredible movie. Trust me and spend the time watching it. It’s available on BFI Player.

The 2021 Best Picture ASBO Goes To…

A great film should make you feel something. Whether it’s fear, love, hope or anger at a system which adversely affects those with whom you empaphise. When an immigrant couple are given a new house in London and a chance to start their new lives in the UK after fleeing war torn Sudan, you think it’s just that. However, moving on from their past traumas is easier said than done. The film does use some standard horror tropes, however it’s smart. It’s so much more than a horror. It becomes a character study and a larger metaphor. Much like Get Out a few years earlier, this film transcends the genre and is better for having one key factor that runs through it… A message.

It is with great honour that the third ASBO best picture is awarded to His House.

Well That’s it for another year.

Yes, so many great movies. We know you don’t want to read past this point so thank you

and goodnight.

There is a lot to unpack in this movie.

Promising Young Woman is one of those films where it’s best to go in not knowing very much as part of the journey is the revealing of the motivations behind the lead character Cassandra. Therefore, I will be only giving a rough overview of the film and revealing details in the first 15/20 minutes.

The film is the loudest movie which can easily be associated with the Me Too movement. It’s a dark rape revenge thriller in which one woman goes around getting revenge on those who take advantage of intoxicated women. Carrey Mulligan plays Cassandra, a thirty year old woman working in a coffee shop who has previously dropped out of medical school. Seemingly disenfranchised with her day life, we wonder how she ended up here. By night she lives a totally different life. She goes to bars, pretends to be inebriated and waits for a man to take her home. Once home, when he tries to take advantage of her, she immediately reveals she’s sober, freaking them out. she writes their first names and adds a tally to her notebook which is pages long, showing the scale of this epidemic.

In this story, we learn why Cassandra acts in this way as she meets someone from her old medical school and plots her ultimate revenge as she’s reminded of why she left there. The film feels like a mix of 13 Reasons Why and The Joker and is significantly better than both.

This sort of film has the potential to go down many routes. Therefore, I will (with help from the BBFC) describe how far the film goes. You don’t see any rape on the screen. However, the BBFC describes it as the following (highlight it to reveal as there are minor plot spoilers:

There are frequent references to sexual violence. There are sequences of sexual assault as men attempt to have sex with a woman who they believe to be inebriated. There are also verbal references to a recording of a woman who was raped by a man at a party, as others watched. It is implied in some sequences that the video is played on a mobile device, but only undetailed audio can be heard. Hopefully with these details, you can decide whether you want to see the movie.

To make such a film is an incredibly difficult balancing act. The fact that Cassandra only talks to these men instead of doing anything more vengeful makes it more approachable to some. However, to others it allows them to get away unharmed. That was the tightrope Emerald Fennell had to walk, and often she got it right as she keeps you on board and intrigues throughout. Sure, we don’t see Cassandra physically hurt anybody early on, however it is still a very real possibility especially when the cases get more personal. I did question whether the ending was the right thing to do, as it felt slightly against the message of the rest of the story. Should she have been more vengeful throughout the whole movie? Would it have made a stronger film? I’m not sure.

The film will no doubt receive a backlash. “Oh, it says all men are bad. The snowflakes have made me sad”. It’s certainly going to make some people uncomfortable, but while most of the men in this story are bad, most of the women are just as toxic and enabling. Alison Brie and Connie Britton’s characters come out of the film just as badly. There is a lot of anger, and it’s aimed at society and is very explicit with its reasons.

The film provides little subtlety in its script, which is for the better. You hear lines of “I’m a nice guy”, “We were young”, “I have to give him the benefit of the doubt”, “An accusation like that could ruin his career”. The sort of lines that are regularly used in these situations. Each one is coolly delivered at the right time. It’s not subtle in its linkages to The Joker either. There is one point where Cassie smears her make up on her face and I wondered if she was about to describe how she “got these scars”.

The casting of the film was impeccable. Carey Mulligan playing this female joker role was inspired. She was angry, cool, calculated and level headed, keeping the audience on side and engaged. It’s the sort of film which you start watching with questions and you learn more about her as you go on. She was helped by an absolutely exceptional script. While in the opening scene, I was worried that the lines seemed far too on the nose and clunky, once the film settled down it got really good. There were some fairly obvious plot points coming amongst the unpredictability. However, I was so in the zone that they didn’t occur to me until just as they were about to happen. The film is angry and rightly so. The script includes a few lines that really are self aware. It’s not just the men who take Cassandra home, it’s everyone else in the wider society. Without plot spoilers, one of the most awful set of lines come from a woman who was in a position of power talking about “the benefit of the doubt”. The list of excuses and reasons for the actions truly are chilling.

Away from this, the soundtrack was incredible. The all female vocalists singing along to some quite punkish music only added to the angry ambience. The version of Toxic which plays before the climax scene is especially noteworthy. this alongside the very bright pink aesthetic make the film stand out in a very crowded market, contrasting the dark undertones that thematically run throughout the film.

I found the film to be highly engaging overall. There were some obvious plot points coming, but I was so engaged I never really noticed them until they hit me in the face. I supported Cassandra and her reasons for revenge as well as her methods. The film looked and sounded amazing and I had a great time.

Summary

Promising Young Woman is an angry film which yells its grievances with very little subtlety. This is by no means a bad thing as Emerald Fennell wrote an engaging, interesting film which was brilliantly executed with a fantastic leading actress in Carrey Mulligan. I won’t have any complaints if the film pulls off a shock win at the Oscars. [Grade: B+]

So often in movies throughout the ages, we have sat in the comfort of knowing that our protagonist shares the same ethics as us. Superman will save people, Han Solo will liberate his people, Oskar Schindler saves many lives in the holocaust. Each one of these people are noble and inkeeping with the human spirit you very much believe is in yourself and everyone. Occasionally you have a film about a villain, think the Joker or Wolf of Wall Street. You can revel in the chaos, however you still have a sense of right or wrong. Occasionally you can have a bad protagonist, think Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over, despite his horrific crimes looking to save his fellow inmates from tyranny. Maybe you’ll have the family of Parasite, both protagonists and antagonists depending on whose perspective you take. The great strength of Judas & The Black Messiah is that the lead character William O’Neil fits somehow into both all of these and also none of these.

Played by Lakeith Stanfield, O’Neil is a petty car thief in 19×0’s America. Very soon he is caught and having impersonated an FBI officer, he is facing six years behind bars. However, he’s offered a deal by an FBI officer, played by ASBO nominee Jessie Plemons. He has to infiltrate and spy on the Black Panther chapter of Chicago, and earn the trust of charismatic and dangerous (according to the FBI) leader Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), a man who believes he can unite all causes for equality. O’Neil becomes the driver and we see him infiltrate the chapter and gain Hampton’s trust.

The most interesting aspect of this is not knowing where O’Neil’s loyalties lie. Is he starting to believe was Hampton says? He seems to admire and look up to the FBI agent. He also seems to have his own back and act selfishly. Until the end, you’re never quite sure how he’s going to act and whether he’ll turn on Fred Hampton or the FBI. For such an ambiguous role, an actor needs to be incredibly talented and Lakeith Stanfield certainly was. His skitishness and relationships with the supporting cast were great. This would of course only be possible if both Daniel Kaluuya and Jessie Plemons were on top form, and thankfully they were.

The two plots of Hampton’s struggles and O’Neil’s conundrum counterbalance one another well, weaving between each other as we see that O’Neil may be the very thing Hampton stands against. One particular scene where Hampton gives a speech sees a silent conversation of facial expressions between O’Neil and the FBI agent in the same room. You can tell what they’re thinking and when the FBI agent speaks afterwards, his words can be devastating and powerful as he looks to manipulate O’Neil.

The whole film is wonderfully tight. The screenplay is on point with the speed of the film remaining bouncy but never rushed. It does feel cruel at times as you see the racism within the police and the corruption in the FBI blatantly there. In the UK we don’t know the story of Fred Hampton, however it’s definitely a fascinating subject which kept me engaged throughout. The one issue I had was that they didn’t quite emphasise how young Hampton was. Daniel Kaluuya brought him alive fantastically, however I never felt like he was 21 as he was when the story was based in real life.

Technically the film was great. It was aesthetically strong and the soundtrack was all on point as well. The narrative was consistent throughout and as I eluded to earlier, it kept you on the edge of your seat as unless you know the history, you’re not quite sure how it’s going to end. It may benefit you to read about the characters before hand and find the William O’Neil interview he did on TV, however I didn’t look for these and had no problem following the plot or the historical context.

Summary

As the film awards season winds down, Judas and The Black Messiah is an essential film to watch. A powerful story crafted well from a technical perspective and acted powerfully by an ensemble who are all on top form give us an engaging watch which deserves all the plaudits it’s getting. [Grade: A-]

[Rags to Riches by Tony Bennet starts]

As far back as I can remember, I’d always wanted to be one of south West London’s top three film bloggers. To me, being SW London’s third best film blogger was better than being Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Even before joining WordPress, I knew it was a website I wanted to join. It’s a website for somebodys on an internet full of nobodies. You could write what you want. You could give Shawshank Redemption a grade F, nobody would give you a ticket. In the summer when you threw someone’s popcorn in the bin as it was too noisy, nobody would ever call the cops. (They may call the police, but that was a different story). Joey Swiftero, he ran the Film Ramble film blog, rating films and giving meaningless awards nobody cared about. It didn’t matter, because it was his blog. He wrote in the same area as Rebel Wilson. Rebel Wilson may have moved slow, but that’s because Rebel Wilson didn’t have to move for nobody.

These were the good times.

*50 film posts later*

[The piano part of Layla by Derek & The Dominos Starts]

Still, I’d never seen Joey so happy. He had no money coming in through this blog, and even after a while, his lukewarn review of Joker thing began to calm down. That morning was the day that Joey was being made. He was so excited. There was a signal, so they’d know when the ceremony was over. We always called each other GoodGuys, like you’ll get on with this person, he’ll be alright. He’s a GoodGuy. We were GoodGuys, WiseFellas. Joey could never be made. Even though he lived in SW London, he had Essex blood. They only allowed in pure SW London people. Joey being made was like we were all being made.

“Oh no”, Bang.

Joey wrote a bad review about cats and the Surbiton Rebel Wilson Fan Club needed revenge. There was nothing we could do about it. Unlike the other movie, Joey got away and found a new place to live. However, only six weeks later, the Surbiton Rebel Wilson Family found him again, meaning he has to move out in a couple of weeks, which is why his blogging output fell recently.

These were the bad times.

That had better have been worth it (Martin Scorcese thinks this blog is true film blog, not just a theme park ride). Long story short, guess whose moving again. But that’s not what this post is about. This post is about one of this years best picture nominees, The Sound of Metal.

The opening scene of the movie has s midway into a heavy metal concert with drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) and his girlfriend and heavy metal singer Lou (Olivia Cooke) making an awful lot of noise, which to the untrained ear, such as mine, is some form of heavy metal. They’re passionate about this stuff and all is well. However, Ruben starts to notice that things are going off with his hearing. He’s having spells where he tunes out. Soon enough, he finds himself unable to hear anything, having lost 75% of his hearing. A former addict, Ruben’s life is in danger of spiralling. However, he joins a residential camp for the deaf community to learn how to deal with his issues, before having to deal with his whole future.

The whole film is strongly lead by Riz Ahmed, who is worthy of his best actor nomination, although it is likely to only be a nomination. Between this film and Mogul Mowgli, he really has had a strong year. To his credit, I felt his anxiety and forgot that the actor himself isn’t deaf. The scene where he says goodbye to Lou before going into the camp was particularly powerful, as were some of the later scenes. Paul Raci as the councillor was very good and Olivia Cooke isn’t getting enough plaudits for her supporting role either.

Of course, one of the most important elements in this film is the sound. It’s about deafness and starts wth loud music. The sound mixing was brilliant. There wasn’t some epic soundtrack. It was minimalist and this worked. It allowed a contrast between the deafness and when Ruben could hear. As the film goes on, the effects only get better. It probably is the best use of sound mixing and effects in any movie I can think of, and if the film does have cinema screenings, I will go and rewatch the film on the big screen, purely for the audio experience. If you’re at home, have the film as loud as you can.

Where I felt a bit let down was some of the timing. The third act definitely became much slower. However, the actions came out of left field, leaving me with a bit of whiplash. Ruben’s actions didn’t feel consistent with the arc we were watching, so a smoother transition towards it would’ve been much more effective. While the third act had a good final pay-off, it certainly would’ve been easier to focus on in the big screen. Therein lies the idea that should be noted before watching the film. It’s good, however it’s much slower and calmer than the trailer and the premise make it seem.

Otherwise, the film is a solid effort. It focuses on one part of film making in the sound and executes that brilliantly. In years to come, this will be the film we look to when looking at effects and mixing. When you watch this film, watch it as loud as you can. You won’t regret it.

Summary

With strong performances and brilliant sound editing, Sound of Metal has plenty going for it, making it a solid enjoyable film to watch. While there are pacing issues and inconsistent character jumps between acts, I was able to get over these enough to get plenty out of the movie. [Grade: B]

Hello, I’m Mr Bold.

And I’m Mrs Italic.

We’re here today to show off the nominees for the 2021 ASBO Awards

Yes, it’s only two weeks until the Oscars ceremony, so that means it’s only two weeks until the ASBOs and this year we’re releasing the nominees early.

As always, any film is elegible for a nomination as long as it wasn’t nominated for an Oscar in that field. This year, we have 14 categories to announce.

One more than the Surbiton Rebel Wilson fan club I note.

*Staring into the camera*

With less big oscar names and a diversity push by the Oscars, this has meant many traditional ASBO winning films have been knocked out of the running by getting themselves nominated for the inferior golden statue.

A shame indeed, however there are many worthy films. The full list of elegible films can be seen here.

Without further ado, here are your first set of nominees for the 2021 ASBO awards:

What an excellent set of actors and actresses.

Yes. Good luck to all of our nominees.

The medium of animation is an incredibly important one in film, having survived for many decades. These film makers have shown that the only limit is their imaginations.

Documentaries allow us to show a raw perspective from our own world. These four films show different corners of the world in an authentic way.

We will now take a short break before announcing the rest of the nominees

Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do

Welcome back to the ASBO 2021 nominees. I’m rather exhausted.

Yes, it’s been a really exciting time reading all of the nominees out and I can’t wait to get through the rest.

The next award nominees are all from the world of film as we celebrate the films not in the English Language

And now for the award we’ve all been waiting for. I must say, I’m really nervous Mr Bold.

Me to, Mrs. Italic. I can’t imagine how all the potential nominees are feeling. Without further ado, here are your nominees for ASBO Award Best Picture 2021:

Well done to all of the nominees. That is all of the nominations for this year. We look forward to seeing you in 2 weeks to find out the winners of the 2021 ASBOs.

Thank you and goodnight.

For those counting, that’s 39 nominees

I actually write this review on 24th February 2021 not knowing when it will be posted. Maybe the film will be released in March as was claimed before a Boris Johnson roadmap. Maybe it’s now delayed until May for when the cinemas re-open. Who knows. In the time since, maybe I have been murdered by my new homicidal manic housemates (I move in 3 days time, so it’s a distinct possibility). Maybe I found a winning lottery ticket on the ground and am a millionaire. Maybe very little has changed, I still write this silly little blog, pretend I have imaginary beef with a fictional Surbiton based rival and have no life. God forbid.

What is certain is that I will still be a fan of Lee Isaac-Chung’s Minari. Set in the Reagan era, a family of first generation Korean immigrants move from Calafornia to Arkansas to make a fresh start. However, what most of the family, apart from Jacob, the father don’t realise is that their home is on wheels. Jacob has bought a big plot of land so that his family can make some money. Far away from a hospital or school, this decision hasn’t sat well with his wife Monica, who is very concerned about their son who has a heart murmur. Alongside the struggle to make the farm work in this small house, we see another story as the children’s grandmother moves in and we see a generational difference as she and her grandson struggle to connect as they basically come from different cultures.

This film was so brilliantly written, I don’t even know where to begin. The characters were mostly multi-dimensional and interesting. Stephen Yuen’s character Jacob was brilliant. His motivations for carrying on no matter how tough everything got were revealed with expert timing and Yuen gave another brilliant movie performance. The grandmother and grandson were both equally great, each one showing their similarities and differences. Their development over the course of the two hours was really intriguing and Youn Yuh-Jung’s acting as the film progressed was brilliant. The wife character was solidly played, however her character was there more as a motivation for Jacob than as her own entity. The daughter was ignored for the most part, having very few lines and very little purpose.

There is a constant focus on new beginnings, whether through the family’s jobs involving chicks or other symbolic gestures or moments. Identities play a strong part as well, considering how they are preserved as a result of immigration. The film keeps grounded in its approach. It doesn’t take any stereotypical tropes you might expect, like the “you’re not welcome here” american lines. Everyone wants one another to succeed in a refreshing, authentic way. Instead the struggles are within the family, whether Jacob trying to support his family or the family trying to get along.

While the story is simple, it certainly is emotional. I laughed out loud at multiple points and at one point I was on the verge of tears. The family is immediately shown as lovely, meaning you wish for them all to succeed passionately from the first 10 minutes. The highs and lows are mixed in together. Whenever there is a happy moment, there is an equally sad one moments later, however the film is ultimately one of hope.

I must also give a great mention to the soundtrack. Put together by Emile Mosseri, this piano/choral mix was so hypnotic and almost dreamlike, reflecting the American Dream that the family are chasing. The film was brightly and naturally coloured keeping up the ideas of hope and the feeling of authenticity. The home felt small at first, however as everyone adapted it seemed to naturally open up. It was all put together brilliantly.

Summary

I can already guarantee that Minari will be one of the year’s best films. A brilliant authentic script and some great grounded performances elevate the film. A primarily understated character piece, this film truly is a masterpiece. [Grade: A]