Parallel Mothers

Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film is a moving, amusing, slightly predictable, and more political than I had anticipated. There’s a lot to love here, but the greatest joy for me was soaking in the performances, not just from Penélope Cruz, but also Milena Smit. I say it’s predictable, but that by no means indicate that the story doesn’t engage on its own terms. It does, and it leads to some interesting places. Fans of Almodóvar will most certainly enjoy this, as did I.

Sherni

Man, after watching this, I’m reminded even more as to how ineffective Don’t Look Up was as a social satire because Indian filmmaker, Amit V. Masurkar, and his co-writers, Aastha Tiku, and Yashasvi Mishra really nail what makes a strong satire. The setup is very Jaws-like, a small village located by a jungle starts experiencing deaths from a tiger, and the local government’s forest/conservationist department is tasked to capture the tiger alive, while dealing with scared villagers and farmers who need space to herd their cattle and goats, two politicians competing for votes in an upcoming election, and a game hunter with a severe case of blood lust. It’s a terrific film, very compelling the whole way through, and without a dull moment. Vidya Balan carries it tremendously, and the story is one that can connect with folks all over.

Belle

At this point, even if you go in not knowing you can kinda figure when you’re seeing a Mamoru Hosoda film from his fascination with technology and social dynamics, particularly familial ones. Belle might not necessarily break a ton of new ground, but it’s a very well executed riff on Beauty And The Beast with compelling characters, and as if it needed to be said, the animation is beyond stunning. I loved how the film visualized its virtual world, and how it contrasts with the real world. It all builds to a beautiful and emotionally resonant finale. It’s well worth a watch, even for folks who might not be as well versed in anime. FYI, I saw the sub version, so I can’t really speak to the quality of the dubbing that’s advertised in the trailer above.

The Humans

Unlike most of the films on this list, this one is gonna be a no from me, dawg. I get it, at least I’m pretty sure I do, but movies about a family getting together and making each other miserable. They’re usually pretty hollow, and unless they go for comedy, I don’t really get much out of them. There’s good things about this, the performances are solid, and the direction really elevates the bland script. The direction provides the kind of atmosphere that this script needs, but it also doesn’t add much else in terms of insight. I was mostly bored and frustrated. I suppose I can be generous and say they achieved whatever it is that they were going for, but I just could not vibe with it at all. Also throwing a huge side-eye at folks calling this a “horror film.”

Minnal Murali

India’s superhero films have been…let’s say “not great,” but not only did Minnal Murali break that pattern, it also happens to be the first superhero film from the Malayalam industry. What I loved about this was how it captures a lot of what I miss about modern superhero films, and it’s the human connection. Most of the first half is spent developing the characters, their dynamics, and relationships, and the conflict is built around that, making the action in the latter half so much more satisfying. The ending is a touch wonky, but I was so invested by that point that I didn’t mind. If you really want a spicey take, while it ain’t the most polished production, this might be the best superhero film to be released in 2021.

And yeah, that is going to be it. I pretty much have my final list more or less prepared. All I gotta do is get the post itself fully written up, which will take a while. I’m hoping to get the list up by next weekend, but I’m giving myself a February 11th deadline, just to give myself a bit of wiggle room. I’ll put out any updates on my Twitter, so feel free to keep an eye out on there if I have any changes or announcements to make.

Until then, have you seen any of these films? Any catch your interest? Disagree about something? Feel free to give me your thoughts in the comments!

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