The Pics
Elvis
- I cannot believe this movie was nominated for best picture. All year assumed all of the Oscar buzz about this movie was just click-bait. Whoops.
- The framing of the movie - recounting Elvis's life from the perspective of his craven manager - didn't work for me. In theory, I think telling the story from the perspective of supporting characters can be interesting. When the movie started, it immediately reminded me of Citizen Kane, a movie that I cherish. For me, the genius of Citizen Kane is the way each new narrator peels away another layer from the mystique of the titular enigma. Unfortunately, this device is misguided for a movie which tells Elvis's story in a very linear manner and mechanical manner. Colonel Parker perspective never made me view Elvis or his story differently, and the movie never succeeds in making him a compelling character in his own right.
- I thought the debut of Elvis's (in)famous hip gyrations was depicted quite well. In particular, I think Baz Luhrmann deserves a lot of credit for directing all the actresses in the scene. None of the teenage girls in the audience came to that concert planning to release budding sexual tension; instead, Elvis (unwittingly) summoned the holy spirit, serving as an outlet for feelings that they never knew they possessed. The shrieking felt truly involuntary.
- To its credit movie acknowledges how much Elvis borrowed and profited from the Black gospel music. But the movie asserts that the Black community viewed this relationship completely uncritically, and if anything was honored to have a white man bring their music to the mainstream. Perhaps this is true, but it feels dubious.
- I appreciate that Austin Butler manages to go beyond doing an impression of Elvis - he really captured the physicality of the legend. Unfortunately, I don't think this script gives him much chance to capture Elvis's interior.
- This is the absolute worst performance of Tom Hanks's career. His speech pattern is way too goofy for a supposedly sinister villain, and his accent changes in every scene.
Top Gun: Maverick
- While I admire the cultural impact of the original Top Gun (I actually had the pleasure of watching it on the deck of the USS Midway in San Diego), I've always thought the movie itself was pretty cheesy and forgettable. I feel the opposite about new Top Gun: I don't think it will ever attain the same cult status, but I think it's a genuinely excellent movie.
- One of my issues with the original Top Gun is that Maverick's character arc feels unmotivated. His issue is that he's too reckless; but the incident (Goose's death) that teaches him to be more careful had little to do with his recklessness. Top Gun: Maverick doesn't have this problem. Rooster and Hangman's opposing viewpoints are all clearly defined, and the way they manage to meet in the middle feels like a natural consequence of what they experience during training.
- The other way I think this movie improves on the original is its understanding of the heist formula. It's really important to explicitly detail how the heist is supposed to go, in order to create suspense when something goes wrong. This movie invested a lot more time in world-building - by the time the mission came we know exactly who the enemy is, what the team is trying to accomplish, and why it's so important.
Nope: Jordan Peele's first big swing and miss. I appreciate the metaphor (Hollywood chews people up and spits them out). But there were so many scenes where I simply couldn't understand the basic details of what was happening.
Triangle of Sadness
- I appreciate (and generally agree with) the movie's central thesis: the qualities that afford power and privilege in our society (physical beauty and unscrupulousness) aren't actually correlated with the abilities that allow us to build and maintain a functional society. I just think this movie was unbearably heavy-handed, and lacking in novel insights.
- I know that this isn't a fair way to analyze any movie - but Triangle of Sadness simply didn't feel very fresh or interesting in a world where Parasite exists.
The Fabelmans
- Last year I compared Steven Spielberg not winning best director with Michael Jordan getting snubbed for MVP. Taking the analogy one step further, this movie is Spielberg's version of The Last Dance - (one of) the GOAT(s) celebrating his journey to immortality.
- It's easy to imagine a lesser version of this movie drawing overly broad contrast between Sammy's parents - the artist vs the engineer. Burt could have easily been written to be overly rigid and analytical to the point of being emotionally detached, while Mitzi could have been put on a pedestal. Spielberg took an infinitely more nuanced approach and refused to get trapped by archetypes.
- Look no further than the opening scene, when Sammy's parents are hyping him up for a trip to the movies. Mitzi is enamored with the idea of movies - but so is Burt! While Mitzi is enamored by the dream-like qualities of the stories, Burt is captivated by the scientific marvel of create a "moving" picture - but he's still emotionally connected to the experience.
- Burt's constant dismissal of moviemaking as a mere hobby is presented very fairly. It's made clear that it comes from a place of genuine caring. For one, we see that his dismissal is due to wholly practical concerns about the long-term viability of a career in such a cutthroat industry. The sincerity of these concerns is buttressed by the fact that Burt does show a genuine interest in the movies that Sammy does produce. On the other hand, you can see how devastating this lack of confirmation can be from Sammy's adolescent perspective.
- One of my favorite scenes was when Burt asks Sammy how he simulated the sounds of gun shots in one of his movies, and Sammy explains how he poked holes in the film. Burt is glowing with pride as he declares that Sammy is starting to think like an engineer. The best part is Sammy realizing how his dad has influenced his moviemaking, with equal parts intrigue and begrudgement.
- There's no doubt that Mitzi provides artistic guidance and freedom that Burt never could - but Spielberg grapples with the challenges that result from her unstable emotions.
- The other thing a lesser movie would have done would be for the young prodigy to see his first movie and immediately get addicted to filmmaking. Instead, Sammy can't stop having nightmares about the train crash from The Greatest Show on Earth, and filming a re-enactment is a last-ditch attempt at an exorcism. It is absolutely fascinating to learn that Steven Spielberg has always viewed movies as less of a passion and more of a form of therapy.
- While reviewing film from the family camping trip, Sammy can't avoid the harrowing realization that his mother is having an (emotional) affair with Sandy. In a roundabout way, this actually reminded me Princess Mononoke and The Incredible Hulk. Like Ashitaka and Bruce Banner, Sammy's superpower is both a blessing and a burden.
- It has never been much of a secret how much Spielberg's childhood has profoundly influenced his movies, but there are still some delightful easter eggs in here. Learning about the engineering side of Spielberg's mind gives me new perspective and appreciation for so many things - like the construction of the toy shark in Jaws, the design of the set pieces in Indiana Jones, and the puppets in Jurassic Park.
- A few years ago the AV Club polled its surveyed with the following question: if you could re-make any movie with a different director, what would you choose? At the time I said I would want to see Wes Anderson's version of Inception, because of his fascination with designing geometrically pristine architecture in service of creating a dream-like atmosphere. But after seeing The Fabelmans emphasize that "movies are dreams...that you NEVER forget", and knowing Spielberg's track record with action capers, I kind of want to see how he would have made Inception.
- Overall, this was my favorite movie of 2022. If I had to re-do my list of favorite Spielberg movies, I would slot The Fabelmans (as well as Catch me if you Can) in between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Lincoln.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
- The version of ourself that we manifest, and universe in which that manifestation exists, is one of uncountably many. Everything we experience, good or bad, is a literal miracle, because it has probability 0 in the event space of the multiverse. And that is what gives life meaning.
- I cannot recall the last time I saw a movie that was this open to interpretation - and I mean that in the best way possible. It's not open due to laziness or indecision - it's open because it truly does invest in giving evidence to support a variety of interpretations. The mental health metaphors didn't register with me me until I was driving home from the theater - and that kind of slow burn is delightful.
- The Fabelmans is my favorite movie of the year, but Everything Everywhere is the best movie that I saw, and I think it should win all of the awards (including best director).
The picks
I fully expect EEAAO to sweep through the awards. It is the only movie that seems to have fully captured the zeitgeist. This movie has been the first one to come up in pretty much every Oscars conversaion I have had, and I have yet to talk to anyone who didn't think it was an excellent movie.
I did not watch the new version of All Quiet on the Western Front. To make up for it, this year's top ten list will be my favorite war films. This means films focused on the experience of the soldiers - not the civilians or politicians.
- Letters from Iwo Jima
- Three Kings
- Inglorious Basterds
- Dunkirk
- Edge of Tomorrow
- Lawrence of Arabia
- Saving Private Ryan
- Apocalypse Now
- Glory
- The Bridge on the River Kwai
