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By Hector Valverde
Disney’s Mulan from 1998 is arguably the best of its entire animated collection. It’s a beautiful, lovingly animated story told with a powerful message, one only made better by an impeccable soundtrack ranking amongst the studio’s greats. In 2020, it was only a matter of time before the film got adapted into live action. How has it translated? Well, I just burned $30 on premium VOD to be able to tell you you definitely shouldn’t. [Read more…]
Samara Weaving, Alex Winter, Keanu Reeves, and Brigette Lundy-Paine in Bill & Ted Face the Music (Orion)
By ABQ Live writer Hector Valverde
As one of the first big-name productions finding its way into the wave of re-opening theaters, all eyes have landed on the film to not only cap off the Bill & Ted trilogy, but also give us all a reason to venture out to our AMCs, Regals, Cinemarks, and the like.
Full disclosure, I watched the film on my TV on demand. And while I do wonder if the medium of my viewing ultimately had an effect on my vibe with the film, I found Face the Music an unfortunately not excellent, most bogus experience, dude. [Read more…]
By Hector Valverde
Let’s cut to the chase: Pixar’s latest, Onward, is good. But just how good? Sporting an awesome fantasy world alongside the studio’s patented mix of humor and heart, I’d say Onward happily sits somewhere in the middle tier of Pixar’s body of work. That is to say, it’s an early contender for one of the year’s best films.
Monster University’s Dan Scanlon helms this tale of a fantasy world where magic has long been supplanted by urban technology. Centaurs drive around in cars, the legendary manticore tends bar at a family tavern, and the sorcery of wizards is old, outdated news with the convenience of smartphones and electricity. In the wake of it all, Marvel bros Tom Holland and Chris Pratt voice elf brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot who, on Ian’s sixteenth birthday, receive a wizard’s staff belonging to their late father, along with a rare crystal with the ability to resurrect him for a day.
Eager to meet the father they never knew, Ian and Barley cast the corresponding spell but, in a panic, only manage to bring back his legs. With the 24-hour timer running, the two brothers rush off on a quest to find another crystal and complete the spell to see their father one final time.
The world of Onward is a real treat all around, popping with wonderful creativity that makes the more niche reaches of high fantasy painlessly accessible. Everything about the magical suburban land just clicks, dishing out gag after clever gag from an endless bag of comedy bits drawing inspiration from D&D, Tolkien, and other like classics. The animation itself additionally looks incredible, though the recurring CGI dilemma of detailed, but cartoony character models against jarringly photoreal environments once more rears its head here.
The film could have coasted by on its rich world alone, but its sweet story of brotherly love elevates it with that special Pixar touch. The mature message and resolution at its heart are surprising even for a Pixar film, and Holland and Pratt build the siblings’ relationship with warm, genuine chemistry that you don’t see land very often. As always, bring tissues and prepare yourself for impending waterworks, especially if you’re a brother, sibling, or even part of a tight fraternal pair.
Additionally, a theme/message/critique concerning society’s relinquishment of effort and mastery in the name of convenience lightly circulates throughout the film, though it never quite makes its stamp fully. It’s there just enough to tease further substance but just doesn’t deliver enough to really confirm it. It’s not a big complaint, especially with the film’s world opening itself so naturally for future installments to address these themes, but it’s a little frustrating all the same.
I emerged from Onward smacking my lips from the film’s flavorful world of rocking potential, and I’m already salivating for a sequel. Packing all the ingredients of Pixar magic, it’s another instant classic in the studio’s acclaimed repertoire, and I can’t wait to see more.
Grade: A-
★★★★★
By Hector Valverde
@hpvalverde
Ah, the Dark Universe. Universal Pictures’ disastrous attempts to launch a modern interconnected horror franchise with Dracula Untold and The Mummy (2017) will forever go down as one of the most dunkable failures in recent movie history. Well, the third time’s the charm, I guess, because Leigh Whannell and Blumhouse Productions may have just paved another way forward with their inspired reimagining of The Invisible Man.
Ditching the material of H.G. Wells’ novel and its classic (?) 1933 adaption, this new tale of transparent terror opens to a panicked woman, Cecilia (Elizabeth Moss), running away from her billionaire boyfriend, Adrian, after years of psychological manipulation and abuse. Just as she’s beginning to recover from their traumatic relationship, Cecilia receives news of Adrian’s suicide, along with a $5 million parting gift from him. Though initially eager to move on with her life free from his controlling grasp, uncomfortable bumps in the night leave Cecilia convinced that Adrian’s not only still alive but tormenting her in a newly invisible form.
Along with a riveting score from Benjamin Wallfisch, Whannell breathes new life into this reboot with clever writing and directing that always keeps you at edge. Elizabeth Moss’ raw, all-in performance would be enough to carry the film’s spooky conceit in its own right (Aldis Hodge also kills it in a warm, charismatic supporting role). Still, Whannell takes it a step further by wickedly manipulating his audience’s perception of the events onscreen.
Excessive empty space envelops each frame as if to taunt you, filling the screen with an unnerving presence that extends the film’s thrills into a personally-involving nightmare. Turning The Invisible Man into a story about gaslighting was a genius move on Whannell’s part. Though a little modern horror rote at times, his directing worked so well on me I was frequently questioning my and Cecilia’s sanity as the film progressed.
That being said, the narrative lacks that extra insightful thematic touch in the screenplay to push the film beyond a surface level reading. Nothing about gaslighting, abuse, or their toll on the victim and assailant’s psyches is really said beyond the obvious, which is a shame given how openly the material lends itself to be thoughtfully expanded upon. As a simple horror movie, it more than works, but you can’t help but think about how much more The Invisible Man could have been with a little more substance put in.
Additionally, the film slightly screws itself over with an unneeded fourth act/epilogue that carries on well after it reaches its satisfying and logical conclusion. The ending felt like it undid the one bit of narrative substance it earned with a supporting character in the back and, to say the least, left a bad taste in my mouth in how it treated Cecilia.
Inventively written and directed by Leigh Whannell, the high quality of The Invisible Man makes for a solid standalone monster movie with a promising future ahead of it. With bated breath, we’ll see.
Grade: B
70%
By Calgary Maez
DC has had some highs and lows with the DC Extended Universe; with 2019 including some of their highest highs. So how does Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) rank among its predecessors? Like the film’s title: an over-the-top mess.
Birds of Prey stars Margot Robbie as anti-heroine Harley Quinn, who goes through a dramatic breakup with The Joker and now has a target painted on her back by Roman Sionis, A.K.A. Black Mask, who is played by Ewan McGregor.
The lead actor and actress definitely have fun within their roles and have a decent supporting cast, such as Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress and Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary. However, their supporting roles fall short with Huntress’ very limited screen time and Black Canary’s very limited abilities.
Director Cathy Yan tries to take a unique approach by telling the film from Quinn’s point of view, and portrays her overly jumbled thought process. However, this technique doesn’t pay off. The film takes about an hour to introduce all of its characters through heavy flashback scenes and heavy exposition dialogue.
At one point, you forget what the overall plot is because the film juggles all of the characters’ backstories so much. It’s also worth pointing out that it seems as though it’s more of a Harley Quinn spin-off than it is a Birds of Prey film.
The film does have some scenes with great action and funny dialogue mixed within, especially in the third act.
Overall, Birds of Prey feels like a glorified breakup film through the eyes of the psychotic Harley Quinn with members of the actual Birds of Prey mixed in. Although it does have some moments of cool action and funny dialogue, it’s not worth the price of admission because of its poorly written story and messy set-up of characters, accompanied by their poor overall development.
Photos Courtesy of IMDB.
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By Hector Valverde
The Oscars have spoken! But with so many weird selections and searing omissions, just how much can the Academy be trusted? What really were the finest movies, performances, and cinematic exploits of last year? I’ve got you covered with hand-picked selections of the best of the best in film of 2019.
Best Actress
Taylor Russell (Waves)
Halfway into the film’s runtime, Taylor Russell emerges from the sidelines to pick up the entire remaining narrative of Waves on her back. It’s a lot to ask, but she never skips a beat, completing the story about grief, tragedy, and healing with a somber presence full of soft, blossoming hope.
Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story)
Ringing with an arrestingly expressive timbre only matched this decade by her own work in Her, you’d be hard-pressed to find a performance as genuine, poignant, or ranged as Scarlett Johansson’s in Marriage Story. The tenderness of the film’s opening narration alone cements Johansson’s work as some of the best of 2019.
Cate Blanchett (Where’d You Go, Bernadette)
Firing on all cylinders with a manically hot and cold performance, Cate Blanchett is phenomenal in Where’d You Go, Bernadette. Blanchett chugs along at full blast as the film’s titular grouch, feverishly switching between sluggish sarcasm and endearingly maniacal rants at the flip or turn of a dime.
Saoirse Ronan (Little Women)
Little Women has been adapted across the stage and screens dozens of times, yet Saoirse Ronan makes Jo March all her own in her wonderfully vivacious take on the treasured character. Ronan leaves a trail of dazzling sparks as she zestfully inhabits seven eventful years of Jo’s life, impeccably capturing the tumultuous ups and downs of young adulthood with wit, spirit, and emotional depth to spare.
Ana de Armas (Knives Out)
In a film teeming with over-the-top performances from an all-star cast, Ana de Armas anchors everything back down with pure heart and soul. She gives the murder-mystery stakes that truly matter, communicating an investing sense of panic and remorse through the cutting stare of her super-expressive eyes.
Best Supporting Actress
Imogen Poots (The Art of Self-Defense)
An intense, palpable fury seethes through every fiber of Imogen Poots’ being in The Art of Self-Defense. Beaten, resigned, but ready to savagely pounce at the tip of a hat, it’s a brooding portrait of a woman pushed well past her breaking point, as well as one of the finest performances of the year.
Florence Pugh (Little Women)
From her introduction as a bratty pre-teen all the way through her progression into an ambitious but embittered young woman, Florence Pugh goes all in portraying every step of Amy March’s coming-of-age. Against a crowded and very talented cast, it’s an excellent performance that closes out an impressive breakout year for the up-and-coming actress.
Rebecca Ferguson (Doctor Sleep)
Come for the hat, stay for Rebecca Ferguson’s delectably villainous performance. Seductive and menacing, Ferguson chews through the scenery of Doctor Sleep with a sumptuous crunchiness that only gets more interesting as the film goes on.
Laura Dern (Marriage Story)
Laura Dern’s character in Marriage Story doesn’t tell you anything you don’t already know about lawyers, but boy is she great in the role. She’s sleazy, but charming, selfish, yet captivating, and you can’t help but adore the fast-talking hotshot every minute she’s onscreen.
Scarlett Johansson (Jojo Rabbit)
Just a real saint all around, Scarlett Johansson’s Rosie Betzler exudes a loving maternal warmth full of patience and compassion for her confused Nazi aspirant son. Paired with Taika Waititi’s delightful script, Johansson rocks the screen with an effortlessly cool swagger you can’t take your eyes off of.
Best Actor
Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems)
Only one person could pull off the concentrated chaos the leading role of Uncut Gems demands, and that actor is Adam Sandler. A smarmily grinning conduit for the hysteria of the Safdie brothers’ panic attack-inducing film, the Sandman makes the impossible possible by making you root for the year’s most unlikeable protagonist. He also wears the heck out of those glasses, hot damn!
George MacKay (1917)
In a film with relatively little dialogue, George MacKay carries 1917 with a laboriously emotional and physical performance. MacKay brings the human element the war epic requires with devoted focus and nobility. additionally landing all the blocking marks demanded of the heavily technical production with thanklessly tight precision.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Luce)
Unsettlingly two-faced and chilling to the bone, Kelvin Harrison Jr. plays with a fire that maliciously burns through the scenery of Luce. Harrison Jr. is more than a match for Octavia Spencer as the disquieting half of their characters’ firecracker rivalry, perpetually toying with one’s perception of his person in the most fascinating, complex, and moving performance of the year.
Adam Driver (Marriage Story)
In addition to three other great performances in 2019, Adam Driver proves he’s a top-tier actor with his crowning achievement in Marriage Story. Driver chronicles a father’s divorce and ensuing custody battle with thoroughly gutting desperation, masterfully acting through the entire emotional spectrum in one of the truest, most sincere performances ever put on film.
Jonathan Majors (The Last Black Man in San Francisco)
Largely built on observation and a respectful rapport with his co-lead, Jimmie Fails, there’s a beautiful tranquility to this gentle performance from Jonathan Majors. He almost melts into the background of most scenes, subtly building towards a show-stopping conclusion that launches at you straight from his heart.
Best Supporting Actor
Jonathan Pryce (The Man Who Killed Don Quixote)
The word “bizarre” doesn’t even begin to describe the delirious meta narrative of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, and while not technically playing the titular mad knight, Jonathan Pryce does his part one better. Pryce plays a deranged man playing a deranged man with the crazed fervor only a deranged man could muster, subtly cracking peaks at the broken soul inside while nailing the essence of Cervantes’ classic character to a tee.
Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse)
Willem Dafoe is a monologuing monster in The Lighthouse, a salt-beaten curmudgeon who delivers some of the year’s most memorable lines with gruff, unhinged madness. It’s a strange and difficult part to play, but Defoe sells every tricky bit of it; farts have never carried so much rotten gravitas.
Alessandro Nivola (The Art of Self-Defense)
Is he ridiculous? Is he intimidating? How is this man not more in the mainstream? Alessandro Nivola dishes out a wicked deadpan and some of the year’s best comedy in the The Art of Self-Defense, striking a corrosive balance of fraternal male affection and machismo as the film’s beguiling Sensei.
Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit)
In what could have been a cheap joke relying on controversy, Taika Waititi turns in a surprisingly brilliant performance playing—ahem—Adolf Hitler. More accurately, a ten-year-old boy’s projection of the Fuhrer as his imaginary friend. Waititi’s natural disposition for silliness is always a super fun time, but it’s his thoughtful meditation on hate and prejudice that makes this performance something really special.
Daniel Craig (Knives Out)
In a movie full of scene-stealers, Daniel Craig mugs the best and most for the camera as the jib-jabbering ace PI, Benoit Blanc. A fond tribute to Agatha Christie’s detectives of old, Craig galivants across the screen in pure, self-aware delight, relishing every word of his character’s meandering soliloquies in a mesmerizingly smooth southern drawl.
Best Cast
Sly, dry, and ever so wry, the cast of Parasite oozes the mischievous energy of a fiendishly fun scam scheme. As push comes to shove, everyone embraces the darkness the film gradually casts with hungry performances that are as seductive as they are sadistic.
What a cast! Not a single part is wasted in Little Women as the loveliest of leading and supporting performances light up the film in wholesome familial joy.
Bringing back a long-missed sense of optimism and glee, Eddie Murphy triumphantly returns to the silver screen as blaxploitation super-star Rudy Ray Moore. Alongside him is a fabulous troupe of first-rate entertainers that seldom leave a quiet moment to catch one’s breath. Look out for a prime comedic performance from a scene-stealing Wesley Snipes!
Rian Johnson’s sharply-written script is brought to life by a fantastic cast exuberantly leaning into the campier side of the murder mystery genre. No shortage of memorable moments from Ana de Armas, Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Chris Evans, and more make Knives Out a consistently entertaining pleasure.
The culmination of one of cinema’s most intricate projects of all time, Avengers: Endgame gives every one of its many, many (many) beloved heroes their due. Well worth its decade in the making, we’ll likely never see another cast as tremendously stacked, packed, or on its game as this one.
Best Animated Feature
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
Just as good as the original, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is a sugary explosion of sweetness with bombardments of side-splitting humor at every turn. The painstakingly rendered LEGO world looks incredible, and the touching narrative about sibling relationships and growing up beautifully ties into the larger story at hand.
We didn’t want it, we didn’t need it, but Toy Story 4 is superb all the same. Pixar’s epilogue to one of the greatest trilogies of all time is funny, thoughtful, and still genuinely surprising after more than twenty years, not to mention tear-jerking.
Stop-motion animation is a sadly dying art form, but thankfully, Laika won’t let it go down without a fight. Missing Link is an exotic visual treat that tickles your eyes alongside your heart, a charming, old-fashioned adventure with a special little something for audiences of all ages.
Best Score
Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow (Luce)
Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow outdo themselves with this one-of-a-kind score. Led by the rattling “Skyhooker” theme, it’s a propulsive musical marvel that perfectly complements the sinister psychological drama in front of it.
Daniel Lopatin (Uncut Gems)
Disco disco, good good! Daniel Lopatin’s awesome synth score is a great musical composition on its own, but as the explosive pulse of Uncut Gems, additionally ramps the film’s frenetic energy up to a wildly beating eleven.
Alexandre Desplat (Little Women)
Rosy as a sunny spring afternoon, the sprightly strings of Little Women pluck through Alexandre Desplat’s score is pure, euphoric bliss. Desplat’s compositions are exquisite food for the soul, soothing to the core like a big, comforting hug.
Randy Newman (Marriage Story)
Marriage Story’s warm melodies are surgically crafted to split your heart in two. Randy Newman’s score trickles in like the tearful cries of a time long past, a bittersweet reminder of two people’s former love and all the memories it has wrought.
Thomas Newman (1917)
Thomas Newman’s score starts soft, tense, reflective, even, slowly building as our heroes’ mission drives the action forward. Though it comes to hit its powerful swells and crescendos, the score doesn’t push grandiose; it’s always respectful and aware of the solemn material it inhabits.
Best Cinematography
Dan Lauststen (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum)
Every punch, gunshot, and swipe of the knife in Parabellum is shot in glorious clarity by Dan Lauststen and the film’s stunt team. The best action of the year demands some of the best camera work to truly shine, and Lauststen is more than up to the task with crystal-clear wide shots that up the bone-crunching ante in long, well-realized takes.
Drew Daniels (Waves)
Drew Daniels uses every cinematic technique in (and out of) the book to create a vivid sensory experience in Waves. Each brilliant shot tells a story on its own, all coming together to make the prettiest film of 2019, hands down.
Jarin Blaschke (The Lighthouse)
A dreadful wave of ambiguity pervades through the imagery of The Lighthouse, something mysterious, something vague. Jarin Blaschke’s hazy monochromatic visuals lull you into an entranced state of terror, depicting the eldritch abstract with bountiful cinematic creativity.
Hoyte van Hoytema (Ad Astra)
The expansive majesty of space is put through a bold new lens in Ad Astra. Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography is vast, frightening, prismatic, and wonderous, a daring venture into the unknown, an introspective, dreamy cruise through the stars.
Roger Deakins (1917)
The man, the myth, the legend, Roger Deakins, himself, has created another masterful feast for the eyes in 1917. Pressingly intimate, the stakes couldn’t be higher as Deakins places you smack in the middle of the battlefield, creating the illusion of two amazingly choreographed long takes by moving and operating the camera in ways that shouldn’t be possible.
Best Production Design
Henrik Svensson (Midsommar)
In an inspired turn for a horror film, the Swedish daymare of Midsommar is bathed in shimmering whites and pastels. Bright colors and flowers adorn every nook and cranny of Henrik Svensson’s lavish production design, a beautiful, but surreptitiously dark play on the idyllic folk countryside.
Nigel Phelps (Detective Pikachu)
The rainy, neon-lit Pokémon wonderland of Ryme City will leave any fan giddy with excitement, as well as anyone else with an appreciation for grimy neo-noir goodness. The film’s richly detailed city and lush, rural locales look fantastic, a chef’s kiss mix of modern Japanese architecture with a slick futuristic aesthetic.
Jan Roelfs (The Current War: Director’s Cut)
Jan Roelfs’ swanky production design captures the distinguished steampunk sweet spot of the late nineteenth century with a cool, captivating glow. The messy sets strewn with luminescent wires, bulbs, and prototypes look great, galvanizing the eyes in the leadup to the film’s dazzling recreation of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
Dennis Gassner (1917)
Against bombs, bruises, and blows, 1917 tells a good portion of its story through its ghostly periphery. Dennis Gassner’s ruinous sets haunt the screen in dilapidated magnitude, speaking the horrors and tragedies of war without even a whisper of a word.
Lee Ha-jun (Parasite)
A substantially different take on the traditional horror movie house, Lee Ha-jun’s luxurious modern architecture could be considered a character in its own right. The custom-built home is a ravishing work of art set in sharp blacks and whites, a piece that impresses all the more as shadows and sunlight creep in through the glass.
Best Costume Design/Makeup
Mike Elizalde (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark)
Makeup artist Mike Elizalde rips Stephen Gammell’s nightmarish charcoal illustrations right off the page and onto the screen with horrifying results. Only practical effects of this caliber could do justice to Gammell’s iconic designs, and the sheer attention, care, and craftsmanship going into every spooky creature never fail to impress.
Judianna Makovsky (Avengers: Endgame)
The contributions of countless costumes, makeup, and special effects designers have created modern mythological icons in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it’s Judianna Makovsky that gets to take the victory lap for the team in Avengers: Endgame. Marvel’s heroes have never looked more tastefully comic book-accurate, and it’s a testament to Makovsky’s vision that she’s able to cohesively weave the appearances of dozens of different characters and genres together so incredibly well.
Jacqueline Durran (Little Women)
The ladies and gentlemen of Little Women have never looked better. From its extravagant dresses down to its humbler attire, Jacqueline Durran’s assortment of period-era clothing handsomely pops with fetching colors and style.
Michael Wilkinson (Aladdin)
If there’s one thing Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin manages to outdo the original in, it’s in its eye-popping visual storm of gorgeous costumes and outfits. Gaudy and flavorful, there’s no shortage of breathtaking design going into every colorful ounce of Michael Wilkinson’s Asian and Middle Eastern-inspired work.
Ruth Carter (Dolemite Is My Name)
The only thing as vibrant as the cast of Dolemite Is My Name is the sweet, sweet costumes their performances are hemmed in. With dapper hats, fuzzy coats, and as many snazzy suits as you could ever ask for, Ruth Carter ensures there’s always at least one piece of wardrobe peacocking onscreen.
Best Special Effects
It wasn’t until well after my screening of Alita: Battle Angel that I realized the movie’s titular character was an entirely CGI creation. Whether it’s in action or dialogue, Alita lives and breathes as much as any real person onscreen, and the rest of the cyberpunk adventure’s robotic creations don’t look half bad either.
Few other films will ever match the sheer spectacle of Avengers: Endgame. Pushing the technical boundaries of what movies can do, often invisibly to the keenest of eyes, the finale to Marvel’s Infinity Saga goes for broke with bombastic, decade-defining action and effects at no expense spared.
The behind-the-scenes framework of 1917 is a top-notch demonstration of cross-departmental synergy. It’s nearly impossible to differentiate between the film’s practical effects and its additional CGI enhancements; the VFX join together with the film’s cinematography, props, sets, and directed to form one seamless cinematic experience.
It’s a small miracle the visual effects teams on Detective Pikachu were able to make the film’s creatures look this good. The huge collection of Pokémon is adapted into live-action with amazing results, each monster and locale bursting with personality, texture, and life.
The landscapes and animals of The Lion King look so convincingly photoreal that Disney couldn’t make its characters look like they could speak. Whether that’s an achievement or folly (or a folly achievement) is up to you.
Best Screenplay
Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won (Parasite)
“Father. Today I made a plan. A long-term plan. I’m going to make a lot of money.”
David Robert Mitchell (Under the Silver Lake)
“I’ve created so many of the things that you care about… the songs that give your life purpose and joy. When you were fifteen and rebelling… you did that to my music. It wasn’t written on a distorted guitar…I wrote it… on a piano…here… in between a blowjob and an omelette. There’s no rebellion. There’s only me… earning a paycheck.”
Anthony McCarten (The Two Popes)
“It’s here, in confession, where we are forced to look at the vastness of our failures, that we finally see the vastness of His mercy.”
Julius Onah and JC Lee (Luce)
“I don’t like tokenism. What’s the difference between punishing someone for being a stereotype and rewarding them if they’re not? One of the two comes with benefits. What you’d call a benefit, I’d call a responsibility I didn’t ask for.”
Greta Gerwig (Little Women)
“Women have minds and souls as well as hearts, ambition and talent as well as beauty and I’m sick of being told that love is all a woman is fit for.”
Best Director
Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood revels in the little things, making a sincere joy out of watching TV, emptying a can of dog food, or a late-night stroll through LA. Tarantino digs in and pulls back with fluid, poetic grace; nine movies and nearly thirty years into his filmmaking career, no one directs a scene like the big Q.T.
Greta Gerwig (Little Women)
In addition to squeezing a sublime set of performances out of her cast, Greta Gerwig’s zealous directing style infuses Little Women with a very special touch. Gerwig’s passion for the material radiates all throughout her film, a personal, cherishing celebration of young adulthood you can tell resonates with her deeply.
Sam Mendes (1917)
On top of maneuvering through an insane series of logistical and environmental challenges, Mendes’ grandstanding presentation tells a stirring tale of heroism and duty. The grueling production of 1917 is almost an afterthought with how smoothly Sam Mendes directs against it all, a testament not only to his vision but also his ambition and grit.
Joe and Anthony Russo (Avengers: Endgame)
Twenty-one movies and eleven eventful years in the making, the creation of Avengers: Endgame is a herculean effort that should by no means have been possible. It’s somehow pulled off by the Russo brothers, who don’t just shoot great action, don’t just juggle dozens of character arcs, and don’t just tell a cohesive narrative. No, Joe and Anthony Russo additionally create an entertaining, sentimental, and thoroughly satisfying finale that marvelously pays off the legacy of everything that came before it.
Bong Joon-ho (Parasite)
Director Bong has once again proven himself a commanding master of cinema with Parasite. Tightly paced and directed, meticulously drawing connections between even the most flitting of details across all departments, it’s the auteur at the top of his game, ‘nuff said.
Best Picture
Reimagined in a fancy new non-linear narrative, Greta Gerwig has lovingly crafted the definitive edition of Little Women. Gerwig’s modern amendments elevate the best aspects of Louisa May Alcott’s novel to greater heights, capturing the jubilant spirit of youth and womanhood with electric performances and storytelling.
Under the Silver Lake
Only describable as the unholy lovechild of Blue Velvet and They Live, Under the Silver Lake is a hypnotic conspiratorial thriller with hair-raising surprises around every corner. David Robert Mitchell’s screenplay and directing are shocking in the best of ways, traversing through a delirious Lynchian underworld I couldn’t get enough of.
Though it’s set during the First World War, 1917 tells a timeless tale of bravery that goes well beyond its genre roots. Sam Mendes and Roger Deakins’ two take epic is a stunning cinematic feat, one whose incredible technical achievements never overshadow the dire emotions of the story at hand.
Atmospheric and unflinchingly straight-faced, The Art of Self-Defense is one eerie, offbeat hoot of a thriller. Riley Stearns’ darkly humorous study of masculinity scores the awkwardest of laughs alongside the awkwardest of drama, astutely commenting on what it means to be a man and the distorted, destructive measures one will take to prove it.
Marriage Story features not one, but two masterclasses in acting from Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. Expertly directed by Noah Baumbach, the thespian duo gives two of the greatest performances of the decade with a gut-wrenching, eye-watering, heart-shattering realism you won’t soon forget.
Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is, simply put, a perfect film. Very likely also the best of 2019. No creative choice passes by without a purpose, every single detail contributing to the film’s commentary on the class disparity in some form or other. With an impeccable cast, a smart screenplay, and a dastardly director at its helm, Parasite is filmmaking at its best: engrossing, entertaining, and cross-culturally artful.
Aged like a fine wine, The Irishman brings Martin Scorsese and his muses back together to pensively mull over the fear, violence, and misdemeanors of their cinematic pasts. Scorsese, De Niro, Pesce, and Pacino give some of their best work ever, thoughtfully reflecting on their legacies by riffing on the gangster stories and archetypes that built their careers. It’s a hefty one at a whopping 209 minutes long, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anything to trim or cut out.
You don’t have to be Catholic or even religious to appreciate the multilingual harmony of The Two Popes. While it does delve into riveting theological discussions concerning faith and the Church’s troubled history, Fernando Meirelles’ charming film is a universal, deeply human story about forgiveness and change anyone should be able to appreciate.
Julius Onah and JC Lee’s subversive exploration of race is also one of the most groundbreaking and impactful of the last decade. Luce fearlessly addresses the belittling effects of tokenism, of being a singled-out stand-in tool for someone else’s gain, with rage and nuance most other films would cower at. There are no easy answers to the film’s rousing narrative, but for the first time in a long time, I felt like my voice was finally being heard.
There’s nothing hidden about this gem. The Safdie brothers’ film is raw and in your face, a full-on, cacophonous assault on the senses charged forward by Adam Sandler at his best. It’s an uncomfortable ordeal well-worth sitting through, a frenzied rollercoaster ride of hard knocks that spectacularly crash into the most perfect ending of 2019.
Agree with these selections? Disagree? What were your favorite movie things last year? Leave your thoughts below! For more current film and television reviews, follow Hector Valverde on Twitter @hpvalverde.
By Hector Valverde
There’s always that one sad movie that gets left out or forgotten in the cascade of prestigious releases rushing to score Oscar nominations at the end of the year. Despite featuring a great cast and a compelling story, Just Mercy is only a mediocre film that gets left in the dust of other, much better movies.
Just Mercy follows the real-life case of Walter McMillian, a black lumberjack put on death row after being wrongfully accused of killing a white woman. After moving to the Deep South to represent convicts without resources, newly graduated lawyer Bryan Stevenson fights to repeal McMillian’s sentence before his execution.
Michael B. Jordan (Stevenson) and Brie Larson (his assistant Eva) are wasted; they’re given the bare minimum amount of personality to pass as characters despite being billed as a big selling point for the film. Meanwhile, Jamie Foxx gives a halfway decent supporting performance as McMillian, but his solid work is mostly lost in a boring, uninspired, blatantly obvious piece of Oscar-bait that seldom bothers to differentiate itself from other similar work.
From its cookie-cutter characters down to its story and general narrative, everything about Just Mercy has already been told dozens of times in significantly more interesting and affecting films; there’s not a lot of moving substance or emotion in its storytelling to compensate. The end stinger paying tribute to the people behind the true story hits harder than anything else preceding it, mostly because the majority of the film goes for the easiest, most overused tropes and emotional appeals in the melodramatic-handbook.
Despite having good intentions and more than solid material to tell a moving, sadly timeless narrative about racial injustice, the film instead comes across as preachy with its forced and lame attempts at greater thematic depth. It’s a shame, too, because writer and director Destin Daniel Cretton has previously proven himself with great work in his two excellent collaborations with Larson, Short Term 12 and The Glass Castle.
Grade: C
For more current film and television reviews, follow Hector Valverde on Twitter @hpvalverde.
By Hector Valverde
There’s a brilliance to the simplicity with which Sam Mendes crafts his WWI epic, 1917. Mendes juggles some of the most impressive technical demands put into cinema in the last decade. The simple solemnity the story is told with batters the screen and soul with an affecting resonance that lingers long after the credits have rolled.
George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman lead as Lance Corporals Will Schofield and Tom Blake, two British soldiers tasked with delivering a critical message to another battalion across occupied northern France. Traversing through no man’s land at the mercy of enemy troops and the elements, Schofield and Blake race to call off an attack on German forces that would undoubtedly result in failure and over 1,600 allied deaths—Blake’s brother among them.
Everything in 1917 comes together to create an incredible cinematic experience that won’t be soon forgotten. MacKay and Chapman are excellent as young heroes; their sincere rapport and sense of friendship seamlessly extends onto the battlefield in a moving story about duty and purpose.
The legendary Roger Deakins’ cinematography—meant to look like two continuous long takes—is extraordinary. He moves the camera in ways and into places one would never think possible. The cinematography is graceful and flawless alongside Mendes’ urgent, high-octane direction and the huge, expansive practical outdoor sets. The film doesn’t even let you have a moment to think about how they pulled everything off—complete and total immersion fully take over. The clear-cut, single-minded simplicity makes the film’s narrative a thoroughly investing and engrossing watch, even more so as the creative team pushed cinematic limits to new heights.
Additionally, it’s a testament to Mendes’ vision how impactful the film’s punches hit. 1917 is directed with tonal expertise, grounded by the weight of its characters’ mission. When the film goes big, its moments never feel grandiose or like spectacle, just unnerving and dire. As dozens of corpses quietly bob in the water and the empty presence of a long-destroyed town takes over the screen, Mendes neither glorifies nor brings showy attention to these grim remnants. Simultaneously telling a story about the horrors of war with a universal touch that transcends beyond its historical and genre roots masterfully.
2019 movies feature a packed crowd in the acting categories, but the two leads stand out as some of the best of the year. Particularly the ever-dynamic and furiously dedicated MacKay, who is forced to inhabit the sparsely populated wastelands on the screen by himself for the majority of the film.
Cold and level-headed, 1917 is the war movie to end all war movies. On top of returning a long-unprecedented technical scope to the big screen, Sam Mendes’ film is a powerful portrait of family, bravery, and duty in the face of all the casualties war reaps.
Grade: A
For more current film and television reviews, follow Hector Valverde on Twitter @hpvalverde.
By Nichole Harwood and Hector Valverde
American actor Lou Ferrigno headed down to New Mexico for the January 2020 Albuquerque Comic Con. While in New Mexico Ferrigno was sworn in as a deputy for the Albuquerque Sheriff’s Department at a ceremony at the Albuquerque Convention Center by Socorro County Sheriff William Armijo. In an exclusive interview with ABQ-Live the Magazine in partnership with Z106.3, Ferrigno opened up about what he loved about Albuquerque.
“I do Comic Cons all over the country, but what I like about Albuquerque is that it’s more like a second home to me,” Ferrigno said.
While in Albuquerque, Ferrigno enjoyed a bit of light-hearted fun, including judging a Baby Yoda competition popularized by the television series “The Mandalorian”. While the actor hasn’t seen the television series he said he was delighted to hear of the series success. In addition, Ferrigno said he is close friends with the lead actor from the series, Carl Weathers.
During the interview, Ferrigno opened up about his career, both past, and future. Ferrigno said his favorite role was starring in the hit movie “I Love You Man”. With a laugh, Ferrigno admitted that he is currently going through the process of moving into a new home, and sees the parallels from the movie to his current situation in dealing with realtors. As for Ferrigno’s future? Along with a few movies, he looks forward to starring in the comedy act “Guest House” with Billy Zane and his son.
Ferrigno said he has deep ties to Albuquerque. Ferrigno’s father Matty Ferrigno traveled to New Mexico 50 years ago to buy land. Upon returning home from the Land of Enchantment, Ferrigno said he remembered his father talk about Albuquerque’s unique fashion and people.
“I remember he had this necklace,” Ferrigno said. “It looked like two pieces of shoelace and had traditional New Mexico decorations. So, growing up, I’d heard a lot about New Mexico. And now the fact is that I really just like the people here.”
As an adult, Ferrigno said he was honored to be deputized in the land he heard about as a child. After fifteen years of being a deputy sheriff, Ferrigno can now add New Mexico to his list of states he is deputized in.
“I want to show officers in a positive light. Being an officer is about protecting life and property – because once you’re in the uniform, it’s not how you think it is: it’s a very dangerous situation,” Ferrigno said. “That’s why I want to be a real-life hero like my father the NYPD lieutenant.”
From all of us here at ABQ-Live we would like to congratulate Ferrigno on being deputized here in New Mexico and thank him for interviewing with our local publication. We look forward to seeing more successes from him on and off the big screen!
Photos by ABQ-Live Photographer Joe Calderon
To learn more about Lou Ferrigno follow him on Instagram @theofficiallouferrigno!
By Hector Valverde
I’ve never read Little Women or experienced any of its numerous adaptations across the stage and screens. I also never plan to now, because Greta Gerwig has made an almost, if not outright perfect film in her warm, emotional, masterfully moving update of Louisa May Alcott’s seminal coming-of-age novel.
Photo Courtesy of IMDB
With the one of the best collective cast I’ve seen in ages, Little Women chronicles the lives of Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Meg (Emma Watson), Amy (Florence Pugh), and Beth March (Eliza Scanlen), four young sisters keeping up their household while their father fights for the North in the American Civil War. When they befriend their wealthy neighbor, Laurie (Timothée Chalamet), their lives are changed forever, diverging across seven years as the girls reach adulthood and take their individual paths to fulfill their dreams and ambitions.
Expertly directed by Gerwig, everyone in the film is incredible. As Jo, Ronan rocks the piece with the lovely vibrance of young adulthood, impeccably measuring head-first spunk, drama, and heart in one of the best, most well-rounded performances of the year. Anchoring and tying together the film’s emotional conceits through her work, Ronan’s only ever better when paired with Chalamet’s Laurie in a sweeping rollercoaster of joyous vibrance and chemistry.
Pugh is additionally amazing as Amy, wrapping up her breakout year with her most polished and dynamic performance yet, and though they get a little less to do, Watson and Scanlen are also nothing short of great as the other two March sisters. That’s to say nothing of Laura Dern and Meryl Streep’s lovely supporting roles as the March’s two-generational matriarchs. It’s going to be rough singling out a single performance to push for come awards season.
If there’s one silly complaint to give to Little Women, it’s that the primarily non-American cast notably slips into their native accents on occasion. That and the fact that there’s some much-needed suspension of disbelief to buy that the full-grown actresses are playing blossoming teenagers—children, in essence—for much of the movie’s seven-year flashbacks.
Again, it’s less than a trifle of a criticism given just how phenomenal the craftsmanship everyone puts into the film is. There’s never not an array of beautiful costumes decorating the amazing performances on screen at any time, Alexandre Desplat’s score is warm and evocative, and the cinematography is lush at every turn.
And while the source material itself is gratifying food for the soul, it’s Gerwig that really makes the film something special in every single scene. The obvious love and passion the director feels for the material is tangible in every intimate minute, laugh, and heart-to-heart within the film, giving Little Women that extra cherry kiss on top that elevates the piece to pure, blissful perfection.
Grade: A
For more great movie reviews, follow Hector Valverde via Twitter @hpvalverde.
