Like I did in previous years, I’m slowing things down as we head into the new year. Most of the reviews I’ve written the past couple weeks were written almost a month in advance, and I’ve been spending my time since catching up on all the stuff that has come out this year that I didn’t get around to when they initially released. I expect at least a Part 2 of this come out probably sometime in mid-January while I prepare for my Best of 2020 list, which might come out near the end of January, we’ll see.
Anyways, in these posts, I will give you my quick thoughts on a mix of stuff that old, stuff that’s new, and stuff that may not have even come out yet. I won’t necessarily cover all the films I’ve seen, either because they were so bad, I didn’t feel like wasting my time talking about them *cough* Songbird *cough* or I just didn’t have much to say about them, like Kajillionaire, it’s fine, but not necessarily my cup of tea.
So, here we go!
Nomadland
Chloé Zhao is such an incredible talent. Nomadland is an achingly beautiful film with a deeply human core. There’s been a lot of hype around this, and it definitely reaches those expectations. Hell, in certain respects, it even exceeds them. Frances McDormand delivers a layered, understated performance as a woman living in her van, and taking root in a community of “nomads,” who have a similar living situation while doing odd jobs here and there, and helping each other along the way. While watching this, I was saddened that I couldn’t see it in a theater. Expect this to be on my best of 2020 list, and in all likelihood a bunch of others as well.
The New Mutants
Well, that sure was a whole lot of nothing. After all those delays, reports of reshoots, then reports of reshoots having never happened, to the swift backlash regarding the whitewashing of a traditionally dark skinned Afro-Latinx character, and the unnecessary racist remarks from one of its big characters…you’d really think it’d be a lot more interesting than it actually is. It’s just underwhelming on all fronts, as a comic book movie, as a horror movie, and as a teen movie. I get what they’re going for, and it sounds cool, but it leaves a lot to be desired.
Hillbilly Elegy
I actually didn’t hate this movie as a lot of critics, and folks who are actually from the Appalachian community seem to. Nothing in the film itself seemed to warrant the sort of political baggage that everyone seemed to push onto it. That said, I didn’t like it either. It just registered as a fairly by-the-numbers Oscar bait film, but…not interesting or engaging. I thought the performances were good, even if the material itself was not great. That whole exchange about good and bad Terminators? Yikes! I actually found moments unintentionally funny, but not enough to recommend it on that level. It’s just an overall no from me, dawg.
I Carry You With Me
The feeling of this film was very fascinating to me. On one hand, you can tell that its director and co-writer, Heidi Ewing, has a background in documentaries with its intimate realism, and yet, on the other hand, there is such a dreamy, wistful quality to it. I found this film beautiful and moving, and so lived-in. I know that there’s only so many times you can see a story about the struggle of folks who identify as LGBTQ+, but while we might see some similar beats here, the way it is infused with a story about immigration, and the way we experience memory and connection was something I found deeply effective.
Let Him Go
This is total comfort viewing for me, 100% my cup of tea. One of those elusive movies of the “don’t make them like they used to” variety, a mid-budget, adult drama, and with barely a cast member under the age of 30. It’s a tender, melancholic, and extremely tense; with some really strong early Eastwood vibes. Lesley Manville steals the show as the evil matriarch, but Diane Lane is the soul as a woman stuck in a perpetual cycle of grief that she can’t escape. Kinda shocking that it’s from the guy behind Big Eden, The Family Stone, and Monte Carlo.
Funny Boy
Deepa Mehta has often told stories about individuals coming to terms with their identity in a world that isn’t the most accepting. Funny Boy falls into that too, telling a story about a man’s sexual awakening during a time of social upheaval in Sri Lanka in the 70s and 80s. I found it quite affecting, and with a real sense of place. That said, I’ve also been looking into the complaints from the Tamil community. The grievances they’ve expressed will likely go over most viewers’ heads as they’re watching, like it did mine, but it’s important to educate yourself. Here’s a link to an article that explains it all well.