š¬ "They're not gonna call..."
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). Welcome to the 30th edition of The Reel!
Estimated reading time: 5m 37s.
I thought getting 5/6 on Wordle would be the most distressing thing Iād see on Monday morning.
(Side note: if you know what āepoxyā means youāre either my Dad or you need to get out more.)
Will Smithās actual slap at the Oscars will surely go down as one of the most outrageous pop culture moments of our time.
It eclipses even āWagatha Christieā for sheer entertainment value (though Will & Chris are slightly more A-list than Coleen and Rebekah), and recalls Abby & Lisaās similarly high-profile exchange on the similarly high-profile X Factor UK:
Of course, there is a serious side to this sensational story. It feels almost redundant to write this, but you actually canāt just hit people? Irrespective of words exchanged (especially when itās literally that personās job to jibe and rile).
That said, Iām not saying I agree with him, but if anyone slagged my (imaginary) wife for, say, her immense fortune, or royal heritage, or athletic build, or jetpack collection, I donāt know what Iād do.
Time for some reviews!
This week:Ā Ā Oscar winners, losers, sinners and bruisers.
š¾Ā I choose Dog Power, in defence mode.
The Power of the DogĀ (2021), film, directed by Jane Campion.
I have a fantasy I sometimes play out in my head of meeting Benedict Cumberbatch in person and just saying: āBenedict Cumberbatch? More like Benedict Cumberbitch.ā
I donāt know why, because I actually quite like him as an actor and he seems like a lovely man.
But some opportunities are too good to pass up.
Cumberbitch-I mean-batch is the star of the show in the excellent The Power of The Dog. Pipped to the Best Picture post by this yearās winner CODA, this western drama won Best Director for Jane Campion, and stood a very good chance at Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for Cumberbatch-I mean-bitch-wait no-batch.
Cumbo and Jesse Plemons play brothers in charge of a ranch; their complex relationship is strained further with the introduction of Kirsten Dunst as love interest Rose, and her son Peter (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee).
A slow burner, itās not until Peterās introduction that the film finds its emotional core, and its intentions are slowly revealed. Slightly heavy-handed at times and overly subtle at others, The Power of the Dog is not perfect, but itās a very very good little boy yes it is, whoās a good boy? Whoās a good boy? Good boyyyy.
Look out for:
Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst are married in real life, and, just like in the excellent Fargo Season 2, their chemistry is palpable. George and Roseās relationship is as sweet as it is fragile; a particularly tender sequence involving dancing in the mountains moved this reviewer greatly. š„
If you liked this:Ā Ā
Smit-McPhee stars in the painfully overlooked 2015 western Slow West, alongside Michael Fassbender (cāmon Ireland) and Reel favourite/consummate villain Ben Mendehlson. Lively and engaging in a genre where itās difficult to feel fresh.
Rating:Ā āāāā
āļøĀ Wife of a Preacher Man.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021), film, directed by Michael Showalter.
Behind every great man, as they say, is a great woman.
As heteronormative as that sounds today, certainly does it ring true for Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye, the subjects of this by-the-numbers biopic.
Jessica Chastain deservedly won Best Actress for what looked like a stressful performance as televangelist Faye, who rises from obscurity and religion to fame, riches andā¦ more religion, alongside her husband Bakker (played ably by Andrew Garfield).
The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a little too effective in chronicling this journey ā it is mostly just a sequence of events, terrifically acted and competently assembled. There is huge potential with this story, but probing questions around its interesting themes are lacking.
Is it bad that I was actually quite compelled by the clips of their sermons?
Bring some of that into the Catholic Church, I say!
Entertain the people! Get those bums on seats!
Or at least somebody slap someone, for goodnessā sake.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a good watch, but the snub for Best Picture nomination makes sense.
Look out for:
Oh my transformation! It must be difficult to have facial prosthetics on your actors that you donāt want noticed, while the characters they play wear distinctly garish makeup. Chastain and Garfield are never less than believable throughout, which is testament to the š hair & makeup design.
If you liked this:Ā Ā
The Righteous Gemstones takes a comedic approach to the topic of televangelism, but preachers in general have long been cinematic fodder (in a mostly morally questionable capacity). Check out Robert Pattinson in 2020ās The Devil All the Time for a recent example of sinister sermon-sellers.
Ratings: āāā
ā© Quickies
Short and snappy reviews for a short and snappy time:
The Lost DaughterĀ (2021, film, dir. Maggie Gyllenhaal): āāā
Olivia Colman is seen by some as Britainās Meryl Streep, but let me point out that she has less Oscar nominations (3) than our own Saoirse Ronan (4), let alone Meryl (21!). This film is gripping at times and a fascinating meditation on motherhood, but the ultimately aimless plot and low stakes fail it in the end.
Licorice PizzaĀ (2021, film, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson): āāāā
Oh how this flirts with five stars! I know how you must covet that rating from The Reel, celebrated filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, but better luck next time! Customary humour and drama from one of Hollywoodās greatest talents, but slightly shy of his brilliant best.
Red Notice (2021, film, dir. Rawson Marshall Thurber): āā
You would be forgiven for not remembering this Netflix action comedy from late last year, starring Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds. Intensely forgettable, despite starring the most beautiful movie star in the world. And Gal Gadotās not bad either! š
š Quote of the Week(s)
Jon Peters: āHow big is your penis hole?ā
Gary Valentine: ā... normal-sized?ā
Jon Peters: āHow do you know that?ā
Jon Peters, notoriously eccentric and aggressive producer, is played with aplomb by Bradley Cooper in Licorice Pizza. Filmmaker/comedian Kevin Smith has an amazing routine about Jon Petersā attempts to make a Superman film in the late 90s ā watch it here.
ā Th-th-thatās all, folks.
Another two weeks down, another text splurge disseminated into the ever-expanding expanse of lāInternet ā thank you very much for reading!
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Thank you very much again, and see you next time!
Gogzibear
xxx
š Previous Reels:
š¬Ā Mar 16 - The Batman, The Green Knight, The Last Duel, Eternals, Pig.
š¬ Jan 19Ā - Donāt Look Up, The Matrix Resurrections, Tick, Tickā¦ Boom.
š¬ Nov 5Ā - Dune, Ted Lasso, This Way Up, 28 Days Later, The Guilty.
š Catalogue:
You can find a list of all film review scores (and opening movie lines!) here.
šļø Podcast:
Iāve also published 10 episodes of a film review podcast Movies (And A Rap) ā you can listen on Spotify here.