March Movie Madness: 65, Creed III, Your Place or Mine, Champions, The Lost King, Shazam!

I've watched a series of random movies this month. So whether you're interested in basketball, boxing, dinosaurs, romcoms, English history, or Greek gods, you're guaranteed to find something to enjoy.

65: Adam Driver is fighting dinosaurs. That's basically all you need to know about this movie. I have likened it to Plane, which was another film that came in at a tight 90 minutes, had a simple premise, and didn't bother to add any fluff. Be prepared to watch Adam Driver and his co-star, the wonderful child actor Ariana Greenblatt, struggle to get back to their spaceship as they encounter a number of obstacles in their path, but mostly just a bunch of angry dinosaurs. I got so used to the idea of this film being a one-trick pony where the only danger that could befall these characters was a dinosaur, that something happened towards the end of the movie that I absolutely didn't see coming. It was insanely obvious in retrospect (and my boyfriend - now fiancé! - had been expecting it from the very beginning), but I was charmed by this final hurdle in the path of our intrepid duo. Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, this is a silly and spectacular action adventure, and with that perfect runtime, I cannot complain about it one bit. It served its purpose to entertain, and I am grateful.

Creed III: Directed by Michael B. Jordan, this is the third film in the Creed franchise, so come on, you know what to expect. You're going to get a slick movie about Adonis Creed (Jordan) who is facing a new nemesis, this time in the form of his childhood friend, Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors, currently starring in all the things), and they will have to deal with their feelings both inside and outside the boxing ring. Inside the ring, you can expect some spectacularly choreographed fight scenes where you can feel the force of each punch and are swept away by the blood and sweat. Outside the ring, you can expect some training montages and some light attempts at talking through the emotional beats, but let's be real, this is a boxing movie and these men are only going to work out their issues with their fists. Written by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin, this is a classic sports film that follows the familiar beats and does not disappoint. It is rousing, features some great performances, and is still firing on all cylinders. Bring on the fourth installment.

Your Place or Mine: Netflix appears to now be the place to go to get your romcom fix. This time around, they've presented us with a The Holiday-esque tale, where Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher are two best friends, Debbie and Peter, who live on opposite coasts and end up swapping houses for a week for reasons I won't get into here. But come on, you know what's going to happen to these "best friends" eventually right? There are dalliances with some other people, there's lots of refusal to process their underlying emotions, there's of course a moppet involved, aka Debbie's son, Jack (Wesley Kimmel), who Peter has to take care of for this eventful week. Obviously Peter is a bachelor wastrel who has poor work-life balance and must learn how to reset his priorities, and Debbie is an uptight mom who must learn how to be more chill. And their houses alternately reflect their cool and cozy personalities. Written and directed by Aline Brosh McKenna, this is certainly not a movie you would pay to see in theaters but would happily watch on your couch during a rainy afternoon. Stuffed to the gills with every trope, you won't be surprised by a single thing, but it'll scratch your romcom itch for now.

Champions: Adapted by Mark Rizzo from the Spanish film Campeones, and directed by Bobby Farrelly, this is a sweet little movie about Marcus (Woody Harrelson) a temperamental minor-league basketball coach in Iowa who is forced to coach a team of intellectually-disabled athletes as community service when he is arrested for drunk driving. As you can imagine, this man is the last person you would want to be offering up supportive and positive inspiration to these athletes, and at first, he is horribly out of his depth, with no idea how to talk to these people or connect to them. However, of course, over time, his wonderful team manages to teach him how to be a better coach and build up a rapport with everyone and get them to successfully play some basketball. This movie stars some phenomenal actors and gives everyone equal time to display their particular tics and talents. It is warm and kind, without being too preachy or self-righteous, and manages to strike an affable balance that keeps you engaged for two hours. 

The Lost King: One of my favorite things to do when I travel is watch a movie on the plane that I didn't manage to catch in theaters. This time, I got to watch a British film that came out in October in the UK, but is just now entering limited release in the US, so I felt like I hit the jackpot. Directed by Stephen Frears and written by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, this is the wonderful true story of Philippa Langley (played by the wonderful Sally Hawkins), who was the woman who embarked on the quest to find Richard III's grave, that eventually led to his remains being dug up in a car park in Leicester. I remembered the news stories of Richard III's remains being found, but didn't know anything about this extraordinary woman and her odd fixation on this issue. She was an amateur, yet managed to do extensive research and connect the dots in a way that no other historian had managed. She was also led by a fair amount of intuition and superstition, often hallucinating visions of Richard III, but ultimately, she was vindicated. The movie is a riveting story about a weird and wonderful discovery, the rampant sexism and dismissal encountered along the way, and finally gives Langley the credit she deserves. If you need a cozy English movie to watch this weekend, this is exactly what you're looking for.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods: It's a safe bet that if you liked the first Shazam! you'll probably like this one too. But if you're not into superhero movies, move right along. I particularly enjoy this franchise because it's the only DC property that isn't dark and dour - it's the most Marvel-esque DC movie you will find. It's odd and light-hearted, it references the Fast and Furious franchise, it's just delightful. And this installment adds in Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu as the Titan Atlas's daughters, who are the villains that our intrepid children who turn into adult superheroes when they say Shazam! have to battle against. What's not to love?! There are jokes, plenty of cinematic action sequences, some great production design though the costumes still look a bit weird and low-rent, and a compelling cast of characters who are simply charming and fun to watch for two hours. There are some twists you won't see coming, plenty that you will, and overall, it's a mindless popcorn movie that will deliver your requisite monthly dose of superhero entertainment. This movie is exactly what you need it to be, nothing more, nothing less.

So Much TV: Extraordinary, The Last of Us, Poker Face, The Consultant

Now that the Oscars are done, it’s time for you to catch up on all the TV you missed. I’ve been devouring several new shows that popped up over the past few months and it’s time for you to give them a shot if you haven’t already. 

Extraordinary: A delightful British import created by Emma Moran, this is the story of Jen (Mairead Tyers), a 25-year-old woman who has not discovered what her superpower is, in a version of our world where every human discovers they have some superpower once they turn 18. Needless to say, this is a bit of a bummer. She lives with her best friend, Carrie (Sofia Oxenham), who is able to talk to dead people and has to leverage that for her job in a law office. Carrie's boyfriend, Kash (Bilal Hasna), also lives with them, and he is a bit of a wastrel, a man who can rewind time by ten seconds but wants to be famous and is trying to recruit people with suitable abilities to create a roving band of avenging superheroes. 

This show excels at highlighting how superpowers aren't particularly exciting if everyone has one and that the world just reaches a new equilibrium where you still end up having to use your power to make money at some boring desk job. Jen is a rarity and while she is struggling with her identity and various family dynamics, we see that the issue isn't so much that she never got a power, but that she still has a lot of work to do on herself simply as a person. Extraordinary is hilarious, inventive, features some incredible music choices, and is full of heart. I can't wait to see what happens in Season 2.

The Last of Us: Prestige TV strikes again. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey both got famous on Game of Thrones as supporting characters but now they're taking the lead in the next big HBO hit show. And it is great. Based on the bestselling video game, and adapted for TV by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, this is a story about a world in which a fungal pandemic decimated humanity and now we follow the struggles of the humans who have found a way to survive in this hostile world. Yes, fine, maybe you feel like it's too soon to be watching a pandemic show, but this one is pretty great, serving as a treatise on what makes humanity tick and the beautiful, mundane, everyday things we must cherish before they're gone. 

HBO has clearly invested a lot in this show because the production design is absolutely sublime and the actors are wonderful. The overarching plot concerns Joel (Pascal) and Ellie (Ramsey), two people who are traversing the country and trying to avoid capture. Ellie appears to be immune to the fungus and could provide a cure and Joel needs to get her to the people who could help make this a reality. But along the way, they have a series of adventures, many of which feature cameos from excellent actors, and every storyline feels self-contained and spectacular. It manages to scare and enthrall you all in one go, and I am thoroughly intrigued as to what the next season will bring.

Poker Face: Created by Rian Johnson and starring Natasha Lyonne, this is a murder mystery series that is an ode to Columbo, where each episode opens with a murder and you know exactly who did it, but then we're going to see  how our protagonist, a drifter named Charlie Cale (Lyonne), pieces it all together after the fact and delivers some justice. You don't need me to tell you that if Rian Johnson is in charge, the show can only be absolutely stellar. Each episode is a satisfying mystery, populated with amazing guest stars who are having a whale of a time. But there's also the central through line involving Charlie, who is on the run after the events of Episode 1, and will tie things up in a neat little bow in Episode 10 (though that bow is not so neat by the end of the episode to keep things open for a Season 2).

Peacock has spared no expense in the making of this show. It looks incredible, the scripts are tight, and the tone is funny and engaging, even though it can certainly get very dark and twisty when it has to. Some of the mysteries are a bit more hit-and-miss than others, but overall, there is excellent variety in means, motives, and opportunities, and Charlie finds herself in a variety of weird and compelling situations across the United States. Kudos to the writers, they really found a way to make a show that feels fresh every single time. And I have no doubt the second season will continue to deliver thrills and laughs in equal measure.

The Consultant: This is a fun but twisted show about a mobile game company that is dealing with the fallout when its CEO gets murdered. An enigmatic man named Regus Patoff (Christoph Waltz) steps in, claiming to be a consultant who the CEO had hired to help with the business just days before he died. Elaine (Brittany O'Grady), who was the CEO's assistant, does not trust this man, and she teams up with fellow colleague, Craig (Nat Wolff), to look into this man's credentials. As they investigate, they only find more perplexing and confusing information. And meanwhile, Patoff has taken over the company with gusto, instituting all manner of horrific business practices and ensuring the employees are continually terrified.

Based on a novel by Bentley Little, the series was adapted for TV by Tony Basgallop. It's well-told and bingeable but I'll confess, I was very confused by the ending and had to read some articles to understand what exactly went down. This is a show that is all about the creepy vibes, but ultimately the plot takes a weird turn that I wasn't wholly on board with. So give it a try if you want to watch something funny but also eerily unsettling and if you're a fan of Christoph Waltz being his Waltz-iest. It's an odd but fun ride. Particularly if you share my healthy disdain for consultants.

Delicious Documentaries: The Romantics & Cunk on Earth

I've been having a rough few weeks but Netflix really came through with two short "documentary" series that made me smile. If you're in the need of some uplift, perhaps one of these shows is exactly what you need in your life.

The Romantics: This series is a Hindi movie extravaganza. Purportedly the story of Yash Chopra, the celebrated director who began making movies in the 1950s and had an extraordinary career that spanned decades and essentially defined every era of Indian filmmaking, the series features interviews with a veritable who's who of Indian actors, directors, and the behind-the-scenes folks who were involved in making these movies. And I say "purportedly," because Yash Chopra's son is Aditya Chopra, a man who also became a director and is renowned for the movies he made in the 90s and 2000s that are still an essential part of my childhood and adolescence. So really, this is a documentary about a dynasty, how it came to be, and its dreams for the future. 

I must confess, I never paid much attention to producers and directors of Hindi movies when I was growing up - all I cared about were the actors. So it came as quite a surprise to me as I watched this documentary unfold to learn how much Yash and Aditya Chopra’s movies are some of my (or my parents') favorite films of all-time. And not just as directors but through their film studio, Yash Raj Films. The series pays homage to how this studio came to be and the mentorship that is involved where Aditya is trying to mold new producers, get them to take on the mantle of this immense legacy, and have a stake in their own careers.

This series is created by Smriti Mundhra, the woman behind Indian Matchmaking, who really knows how to craft a compelling narrative for television along with her co-writer Michael Vollmann. This series is only four episodes long, but those first three episodes end with such dramatic cliffhangers that you’ll be smashing that “Play Next Episode” button. And the stellar collection of interviewees offer up varied and amusing anecdotes about the Chopra legacy. I loved that they go in-depth into Uday Chopra’s career - he is Aditya’s brother, and he tried to become an actor, but even with that family legacy behind him, it simply didn’t take. This is a series filled with “nepo babies,” i.e. Indian actors who come from a long line of famous filmmakers and stars. But it’s refreshing to see that audiences can still force a kind of meritocracy onto the screen.

There are also fun tales of actors like Bhumi Phednekar and Ranveer Singh, who had no film connections but made it into the studio via the charismatic casting director, Shanoo Sharma, who is a real hoot. But when we come back to that central father-son dynamic, the story that I find most charming is about a question of costume design. When Aditya Chopra was directing his first film, he wanted an actress to wear a silk sari. His father, who was on set and was always very hands-on about every element of his films, was aghast, insistent that a chiffon sari was the only acceptable material because it would billow in the wind and be much more cinematic. Through this one anecdote, this series brilliantly conveys how these two men approached filmmaking in entirely different ways. Chiffon to silk saris was all it took to herald a new era in cinema.

Cunk on Earth: Oh where to begin? It almost seems foolish to try and describe this show to you, so why don’t you just log on to Netflix and binge the five half-hour episodes? No? You need more? Sigh, fine.

Diane Morgan stars as Philomena Cunk, an earnest British documentarian who is attempting to host a documentary about human civilization from its ancient beginnings to now. But, this woman is an absolute idiot, to put it mildly. This show is a brilliant satire, highlighting what serious BBC documentaries would be like if David Attenborough had done no research, constantly mispronounced things, had various startling opinions, didn’t believe in facts, and said disdainful things to his interviewees. 

Over the course of the series, Cunk interviews many academics on a host of topics, and my favorite part is watching these people either look very shocked or desperately try not to burst out laughing. The best might be a professor of philosophy who, true to form for a philosopher, always gives due weight to Cunk's questions and interprets them in a favorable way that suggests she actually knows what she’s talking about. Much to her own surprise. 

This might be the most joke-dense show I have ever watched. Created by the brilliant Charlie Brooker, every single line of dialogue made me burst out laughing, with jokes that run the gamut from silly puns to visual sight gags. There are silly descriptions like, “Julius Caesar, the most famous Roman, until Polanski” or maps that are meant to show the territory of the invading Mongol Horde that are simply divided into sections that say Genghis and Genghisn’t. And by the end of five episodes, you will be very familiar with a certain piece of Belgian dance music. Oh what a splendidly silly, stupid, and spectacular show!

And the 2023 Oscar Goes To...

Wow. This marks the tenth year I have posted about my Oscar predictions, hopes, and dreams. What a decade it has been. And given that the Academy has seen fit to award the most nominations to Everything Everywhere All at Once, a movie that I declared was 2022's Best Movie in my review back in April, I am feeling optimistic about this year's ceremony. Let's dive right in!

Best Picture: Unlike last year, I am pleased with this year's nominees. Obviously I am rooting for Everything Everywhere All at Once (referred to as EEAAO from here on out), and given the momentum it has going into this Oscars ceremony, I would be very surprised if it didn't comfortably win the top prize. But this is a good crop of films overall and you should genuinely take the time to check most of them out. Obviously my other favorite movie from this list is Women Talking, which was an absolutely soul-stirring tour de force. It seems to have dropped off the radar, but I cannot urge everyone strongly enough to seek it out and contemplate its quiet grace. On the other end of the spectrum, there's The Banshees of Inisherin, which could be renamed, Men Talking. This was a violent, funny, and bizarre movie, but with that Irish setting and Martin McDonagh dialogue, you know you're going to have a poetic and melancholy good time. Then we've got Tar and Triangle of Sadness. Which are two movies that startled and delighted me in thoroughly unexpected ways. I had no idea what I was getting into with either of these films, and was thoroughly expecting to be bored by them. But wow. They both got me good. And ended with quite a bang. Which leads me to The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film that served as a love letter to his family as well as the movies, and had a wonderful final shot that made me delightedly giggle. Then we have All Quiet on the Western Front, which is the traditional Oscar pick, a grim German World War I movie that is wrenchingly told but rehashing a lot of old ground. We also have Elvis, fulfilling our need to honor a musical biopic - this movie was fine, and of course that central performance is great (we'll get to it below), and if you love Elvis and his music, walk right up. And then finally we have the two blockbusters: Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick. I am already dreading having to watch decades of Avatar movies, so that's a pass from me, but Top Gun was a thoroughly entertaining summer movie and is worth your time if you need some mindless good fun. Though you might need to watch it on the biggest screen you can find. 

Best Director: Obviously I want this to go to the Daniels, aka Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert who are responsible for the wondrous EEAAO. I recently listened to them on Marc Maron's podcast, and they are just as fun and sincere as I wanted them to be. The other directors on this list are no slouches either. I wouldn't mind Todd Field winning for his masterful work in Tar, or Ruben Ostlund for his bonkers brilliance in helming Triangle of Sadness. Spielberg already has an Oscar so he can sit this one out, and McDonagh also technically has an Oscar, though that was for an early short film. Of course, it's a travesty that Sarah Polley has failed to be recognized for her work in Women Talking and this is yet again a category stacked only with men. But among those men, the Daniels deserve it the most and would probably give the best speech. 

Best Actress: So we're all agreed on Michelle Yeoh for EEAAO, right? She is sublime, has been steadily working for years, consistently at the peak of her craft, and she is going to walk away with this statue. Her competition is fierce, but she still manages to blow them out of the water. Cate Blanchett's magnificent turn in Tar is the strongest contender for an upset here, but she already has two Oscars so she needs to spread the wealth. Michelle Williams is wonderful and ethereal in The Fabelmans but that is a typical Oscar performance and didn't particularly move me. The same could be said for Andrea Riseborough in To Leslie, and Ana de Armas in Blonde. All these women acted their hearts out and deserve these nominations, but Michelle Yeoh deserves the award.

Best Actor: None of these men have ever been nominated before. So honestly, I would be happy for any of them to walk away with a statue. The favorites appear to be Austin Butler for Elvis, or Brendan Fraser for The Whale. Both are films I didn't particularly care for, but both performances are worthy and deserving (Butler is still talking like Elvis and can't seem to kick the accent - now that's dedication!) But I also have a soft spot for Paul Mescal and Bill Nighy, who offer up quiet but powerful performances in Aftersun and Living respectively. Colin Farrell is great in The Banshees of Inisherin and much like Fraser and Nighy, has steadily been churning out excellent work for years. This is a category that only has winners, and I wish them all the best of luck on Sunday night.

Best Supporting Actress: Both Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu are nominated for their turns in EEAAO and both are equally deserving, though I would argue that Hsu's performance carries much more emotional heft in that movie. I would certainly not be upset if Angela Bassett swooped in with a win for her excellent work in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Hong Chau was good in The Whale, but overall that's not a movie I care to spend more time talking about - she has recently been doing a lot of fantastic work so I hope to see her re-nominated for more sterling achievements in the future. And Kerry Condon is wonderful in The Banshees of Inisherin, serving as the lone female perspective in this island full of Irish madmen. So, not clear on who will win here, but no outcome would be particularly upsetting.

Best Supporting Actor: This should be an absolute lock for Ke Huy Quan in EEAAO. This is an award not only for his magical performance in this film, but a reward for all his work as a child actor that has become a staple of so many people's cinematic memories. This movie singlehandedly revitalized his career and I greatly look forward to the Quanaissance, but for now, give him that Oscar. The other nominees also put in fantastic work: Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan are both weird and wonderful in The Banshees of Inisherin, Brian Tyree Henry is quiet and marvelous in Causeway, and Judd Hirsch is loud and marvelous in The Fabelmans. But none of them can hold a candle to Quan and I cannot wait for his acceptance speech. 

Best Original Screenplay: EEAAO. No contest. There is nothing I have seen in 2022 that is more "original" than that bonkers script. The closest contenders are of course Tar and Triangle of Sadness, who are incredibly worthy nominees. And The Fabelmans and The Banshees of Inisherin were also great. It is certainly interesting that every single one of these movies was written or co-written by the director(s), all of whom also got Best Director nominations. Perhaps that accounts for why these films are so self-assured and masterful. You can't go wrong with any of them, but EEAAO is the one to beat.

Best Adapted Screenplay: This is a rather spectacular category and I find myself torn in many directions. Obviously my #1 pick would be Sarah Polley for Women Talking - I even read the novel and recognized what a phenomenal feat it was to adapt it in a way that made it so wonderfully cinematic. But I am also a sucker for a good murder mystery, and with Glass Onion, Rian Johnson continues to prove what a consummate writer he is, with an ability to generate laughs, gasps, and all-out mayhem. I love Kazuo Ishiguro's novels, and even though he was adapting a Kurosawa film (that was itself adapted from a Tolstoy novella), his adaptation of Living felt like watching one of his novels come to life, languidly building to an emotional crescendo that packed quite a wallop. I haven't read All Quiet on the Western Front, but have heard that Germans have been ridiculing this movie as a poor adaptation of the novel - I found some elements of the script fascinating, but am otherwise neutral on this movie. And a screenplay nomination for Top Gun: Maverick feels terribly silly. That movie was a lot of fun, but the script is not the part I was paying attention to.

That's all for the major categories. I would love for Pamela Ribon and Sara Gunnarsdottir to win Best Animated Short for the hilarious but still moving My Year of Dicks. It would be charming if Jenny Bevan won yet another Oscar for Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, as that movie brought me much joy last year and made me actually care about a dress for two hours. Monika Willi ought to get an award for Best Editing for Tar - that movie was three hours long, yet I truly think it is the art of the editor to ensure you don't feel bored for a second of that runtime. And if Marcel the Shell with Shoes On could somehow win Best Animated Feature (unlikely, but a girl can dream), I would be over the moon. 

That's all folks. It has been a glorious year of cinema and the Oscars haven't done too badly in recognizing movies that truly brought some joy and emotion to audiences this year. It seems poised to be a ceremony that rewards many deserving people and I can't wait to watch all of their speeches and then rewatch all of their movies.

Oscar Catch-Up Part 2: All Quiet on the Western Front, To Leslie, Living, My Year of Dicks

Well, some of these movies were harder to find than others but I finally did it! Nominated for acting, writing, a host of technical awards, or short-form animation, this is quite the collection and there is sure to be something to intrigue even the most jaded Oscar watcher.

All Quiet on the Western Front: A German adaptation of Eric Maria Remarque's 1929 novel by director Edward Berger (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell), this movie is incredibly harrowing and gorgeously shot. There were multiple frames of this film that I would pause and stare at because they were beautiful to behold. But of course, at the end of the day, this is a dark and bloody movie about World War I, and all that beauty fades away amidst all the bloodshed. 

Felix Kammerer plays Paul, a young German schoolboy who is swept up in the patriotic fervor overtaking his country and quickly enlists alongside his other friends who are all turning eighteen. They are shipped off to the front and are filled with naive dreams of what a grand adventure this is all going to be. Their very first day quickly disabuses them of any notion that this is going to a fun boyhood romp, and for the next two and half hours, you will be forced to witness just how hellish war can be. I particularly appreciated the manner in which the movie highlighted the incongruity between the top brass who are negotiating a peace deal versus the actual men who are fighting their bloody war - there is such a discrepancy in the living conditions and realities that these two sets of humans are experiencing, and it wasn't something I had seen emphasized in a war movie before. Because I saw this movie on Netflix, I was able to pause it periodically to give myself breaks, which ultimately probably did the filmmakers a disservice but was of great service to my brain. It's a good movie, but it is also a very typical Oscar movie, grim and bleak and portraying the darkest days of humanity. Watch it if you're a completist, but if you know this genre is not your thing, you probably won't regret giving it a pass.

To Leslie:  Directed by Michael Morris and written by Ryan Binaco, this movie has gotten infamous due to the unexpected Andrea Riseborough Best Actress nomination that is mired in controversy for potentially dubious campaigning practices. But let's put all that aside and consider the movie itself. Is Riseborough turning in an impressive performance, with a marvelous Texan accent to boot (she is very British in real life)? Yes. Do I think this performance is the best thing I've seen all year? Not particularly. Is it very typical Oscar fare? You betcha.

This is the story of Leslie, a woman who won $190,000 in a lottery. We then pick up her story six years later, to find that she pissed away all that money, is estranged from her entire family, and continues to make extremely poor decisions because she is an alcoholic. What follows is a tale of a woman who returns to her hometown, occasionally tries to get on the right track, but keeps backsliding and is her own worst enemy, until a terribly generous and compassionate man decides to give her a shot. This man is played by Marc Maron, who I obviously love from listening to his podcast every week, but who is definitely doing some questionable accent work. His relationship with Leslie is quite sweet and ultimately, this movie did end up going in a direction I hadn't initially expected. It's a perfectly reasonable watch, but this is the kind of big "ACTING" role that the Oscars love but doesn't quite translate into making the overall movie something magnificent and memorable.

Living: I had to go to my local independent cinema to watch this movie - that's how dedicated I am to the cause. And also how dedicated I am to Bill Nighy, who has never been nominated for an Oscar before. Directed by Oliver Hermanus, with a screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro, who adapted it from Akira Kurosawa's 1952 Japanese movie, Ikuru, this is the story of Mr. Williams (Nighy), a very boring bureaucrat who works for the London County Council in 1953 and seems to be a very plodding, ordinary sort of man. However, when he finds out he has terminal cancer, he decides to shake up his life and find some joy before it's too late.

This is a very sweet movie, very British and melancholy, and also deeply profound about the human yearning for meaning in a rather pitiless existence. Those of us with office jobs will probably relate a little too closely with the plight of Mr. Williams, recognizing in him the tendency to become defeatist drones who just drearily shuffle paperwork from 9 to 5. But his quest to make human connections and find purpose in his final days is rather startling and it is of course impossible not to root for Nighy throughout the entire movie. I do want to be clear - this is a very slow and deliberate film, and it's the cinematic equivalent of reading an Ishiguro novel. It is all vibes, and very British, so steep in it like an Earl Grey tea bag and delight in the experience. 

My Year of Dicks: Best Short Film (Animated) is not a category I pay much attention to. But this year, a number of hosts on pop culture podcasts I enjoy were very excited about their friend Pamela Ribon being Oscar-nominated for writing this hilarious and charming short film based on her 2014 memoir. It is the story of 15-year-old Pam, a virgin who has decided this must be the year she pops her cherry. And in five chapters we meet the various boys she encounters on this quest. Each chapter is told in a slightly different style, always with an over-the-top voiceover from the melodramatic Pam, who thinks that she is the star of a romance novel and talks like a Victorian heroine even though what she wants is decidedly un-Victorian. 

Directed by Sara Gunnarsdottir, this movie offers up wonderful insight into the mind of a teenage girl, the grossness (and then occasional sweetness) of teenage boys, and the awkwardness of parents. It's only twenty-five minutes long but it tells a classic tale in a novel fashion. Ultimately, it is a delicious romcom, and it will make you chuckle and sigh as you think about all of your failed relationships and the voices in your head that don't always give you the best advice. This is a great opportunity to check out an Oscar movie that won't take up all of your time and will make you smile - what more do you need?