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Featured: Predictions for 91st Academy Awards

JD Duran
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Featured: Predictions for 91st Academy Awards

Well, tonight is the night! It’s the Super Bowl of the movie season. It’s the Oscars and the final celebration of 2018 and everything it had to offer in film. The awards season this year has been bizarre, frustrating and somewhat regressive to what we’ve seen the last few years. That said, there are some great films and individuals nominated that are worth celebrating, so hopefully tonight’s ceremony does that justice. At any rate, here are our predictions for this year’s Oscars:

BEST PICTURE

  • Roma
  • The Favourite
  • Green Book
  • Bohemian Rhapsody
  • BlacKkKlansman
  • Black Panther
  • Vice
  • A Star is Born

Brendan
Will Win: Many films have a reason to win the coveted award; Spike Lee is due for his work on BlacKkKlansman, Roma is universally loved, Black Panther has the honor of being the first superhero film up for Best Picture, Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody have the audience support (God help us), and A Star Is Born is classic Hollywood and right up the Academy’s alley. After honoring such great progressive films over the past few years (The Shape of Water, Moonlight, and Spotlight for instance), can the Academy really stoop so low in honoring such pandering films like Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody? This year showed how little brains they have, but they still have ears, and I (optimistically) believe that they have heard the discourse and frustrations among film critics and audiences. Because of that, I think Best Picture is going to Roma, the safest bet of the bunch, and the one that is most consistently in line with the past years’ winners.

Should Win: At this point I’ll take anything that isn’t Bohemian Rhapsody, Vice, or Green Book. Out of the nominees though, The Favourite is my personal preference, but Roma is a close second.

JD
Will Win: This awards season has been quite chaotic with several of these films winning precursors, so it’s hard to say with full confidence, but I think it comes down to Roma, BlacKkKlansman and Green Book. Green Book has surprised many this awards season with some of its bigger wins, but with more nominations and likely wins from Roma and BlacKkKlansman, I’d say it’s a two horse race with those films. As I anticipate Roma to come away with a few wins, the fact that both actresses were nominated (and the Actors are the biggest voting branch), I am going with Roma to win Best Picture.

Should Win: Roma is an all-timer that will come to define 2018 in many respects, so it should win here. Although, if The Favourite or BlacKkKlansman steals it, I won’t lose sleep.

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BEST ACTOR

  • Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
  • Willem Dafoe, At Eternity’s Gate
  • Viggo Mortensen, Green Book
  • Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
  • Christian Bale, Vice

Brendan
Will Win: This is ultimately a two-horse race between Rami Malek and Christian Bale, two performances I personally wouldn’t have even nominated. They both give good performances in bad movies, but I do think Malek does a finer job imbuing Bohemian Rhapsody with at least some pathos and nuance that did not exist anywhere in that film; in some ways, his performance improved that film. Because of that, and the fact that Bale already has an Oscar (winning for David O. Russell’s The Fighter), I think Rami Malek will take it home.

Should Win: Why we aren’t talking about Ethan Hawke in First Reformed or Ben Dickey in Blaze still continues to haunt my dreams; sorry Reverend Toller, but I do not think God will forgive the Academy. Of the nominees, my personal pick would actually be Bradley Cooper.

JD
Will Win: Rami Malek is perhaps one of the seemingly locks of the night. All of the evidence points toward another victory for him, although Christian Bale does have a solid chance. After giving the Oscar to Gary Oldman last year for essentially doing the same thing, you’d think Bale is the logical choice. Of the two, I’d argue he gives a better performance with slightly more nuance, but in the end it’s Malek that wins here.

Should Win: Bradley Cooper. Hands down. At least of these nominees anyway, I agree with Brendan that Ethan Hawke should win in an ideal world, but sadly he is missing. So, of the five nominated, Cooper is my pick. His performance is by far the most intricate, complex and emotionally stimulating. Oh, and he actually does the singing in his film.

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BEST ACTRESS

  • Yalitza Aparicio, Roma
  • Olivia Colman, The Favourite
  • Glenn Close, The Wife
  • Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
  • Lady Gaga, A Star is Born

Brendan
Will Win: We now at least transition to something worth celebrating. I love all these nominees, and was even ecstatic when the Academy went as far as to recognize Yalitza Aparicio (where were you when y’all forgot about Ethan Hawke?). It’s a tight race with regarding the quality of these performances, with all five of them crafting complex characters with effortless nuance, and any one of these women could be a frontrunner in any other year. But this year has a seven-time nominee anxiously awaiting her first win, and that is Glenn Close. We all know how much the Academy loves to reward an actor for their body of work, but Glenn Close’s performance in The Wife would still be a worthy win, and I think it’s going to her.

Should Win: Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me? turned her usual comedic bite into something tragic, a tricky balancing act for someone (Lee Israel) we feel such sympathy for when she’s a character we should ultimately hate. She gave my favorite female performance of 2018, and gets my vote here.

JD
Will Win: This is my favorite category this year. All five of these nominees are worthy and I’ll be happy regardless of who wins. In the end though, I expect Glenn Close to win as Lady Gaga will win for Original Song. Some have argued that it’s a “career” victory, but I’d argue it’s a legitimately great performance that is more than deserving. Olivia Coleman does pose a threat, but I don’t think it’ll be quite strong enough.

Should Win: I’m all in on the Glenn Close train. As much as I love the other four nominees, this is Close’s award.

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

  • Sam Elliot, A Star is Born
  • Mahershala Ali, Green Book
  • Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman
  • Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
  • Sam Rockwell, Vice

Brendan
Will Win: Will Mahershala Ali win this award again, after having already won it only two years ago for Moonlight? Or could Richard E. Grant’s recent social media charms give him the edge? If Grant does pull through, it was either a great example of the optimism we needed this awards season, or simply a great marketing strategy. Either way, I think Richard E. Grant and his charming pathos in Can You Ever Forgive Me? will work in this favor. As long as it doesn’t go to Sam Rockwell, who is only nominated because of a chicken wing and the phrase, “Hot damn!”

Should Win: Sam Elliot didn’t just get nominated because of that one scene in A Star Is Born (you know the one), he got nominated because of a single facial expression. It takes a great actor to convey everything with a glance and a response, and for that he gets my personal vote here.

JD
Will Win: I’m not sold that Ali has this in the bag. As Brendan mentioned, Richard E. Grant has been lovable all awards season and it’s been reiterated in some of the anonymous voter ballots we’ve seen pop up online in the last week. He has a real shot to win this, and if he does win, it’s deserving. Perhaps it’s charming campaign helped overcome Ali’s strong performance in Green Book, but Grant is equally fantastic in Can You Ever Forgive Me?. For that, I’m going with the upset and picking Grant.

Should Win: As much as I love Ali, or that great facial expression by Sam Elliot, Grant gets my vote. He’s not only endearing in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, but he generates a pathos by the end that is striking.

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • Marina de Tavira, Roma
  • Emma Stone, The Favourite
  • Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
  • Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
  • Amy Adams, Vice

Brendan
Will Win: I have to first express my joy seeing Marina de Tavira’s name here, which I honestly did not expect. That aside, it would seem foolish to bet against Regina King at the moment, who has all the statistics behind her. Don’t count out Emma Stone or Rachel Weisz’s respective comedic chops in The Favourite, but I firmly believe Regina King has this one in the bag.

Should Win: I guess the Academy can get a few things right once in a while, as Regina King is a very clear standout among these nominees for me; nuanced, self-reflective, and explosive all at once.

JD
Will Win: It’s really wonderful to see Marina de Tavira, and her partner in crime Yalitza Aparicio, get nominations for Roma. They were big and wonderful surprises. However, this is Regina King’s award to lose.

Should Win: It’s hard to argue against King’s performance. She’s not as heavily utilized as Rachel Weisz or Emma Stone, but when she’s on screen she’s a magnetic presence that you can’t ignore. For my money, I’d go with Stone personally. But I won’t be upset over King winning.

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BEST DIRECTOR

  • Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
  • Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite
  • Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman
  • Paweł Pawlikowski, Cold War
  • Adam McKay, Vice

Brendan
Will Win: Alfonso Cuarón is a technical and storytelling master, all rolled into one. He may have already one this award for Gravity, but the Academy knows a thing or two about technical proficiency behind the camera, and Roma just screams it. However, do not count out Spike Lee’s work in BlacKkKlansman, who has been overdue for a nomination since he missed out for Do the Right Thing.

Should Win: Spike Lee should win just for his facial expression every time Peter Farrelly speaks. But for his sheer craftsmanship in bringing us back to 1970s Mexico, Alfonso Cuarón is the clear choice for me, though I do want to quickly shout out Yorgos Lanthimos for his dark wit in The Favourite, as well as Pawel Pawlikowski’s stark beauty in Cold War, both of whom are not far behind for me.

JD
Will Win: Alfonso Cuarón. Alfonso Cuarón. Alfonso Cuarón. I do think Spike Lee poses a threat here though, and could upset if BlacKkKlansman does go on to win Best Picture.

Should Win: As I mentioned on our own InSession Film Awards, Alfonso Cuarón was my pick for Best Director, so I do think he should win here as well.

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BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

  • Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
  • Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, The Favourite
  • Paul Schrader, First Reformed
  • Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, and Peter Farrelly, Green Book
  • Adam McKay, Vice

Brendan
Will Win: Out of all the nominees, The Favourite is arguably the “most” written film of the bunch, which normally favors well with the Academy. For those reasons, I expect this award to go to Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara.

Should Win: In some ways, I would like to see Green Book win just to catch a glimpse at Spike Lee’s face when it does. But as for the films themselves, despite it being the most heavily written of the bunch, The Favourite emulated such an insultingly comedic snark with dialogue so endlessly quotable; I personally couldn’t see myself giving this award to anything else. But a win for Paul Schrader would at least prove that the Academy has in fact seen First Reformed, and realizes their mistake in not nominating Ethan Hawke.

JD
Will Win: I think this comes down to three films in The Favourite, Green Book and First Reformed. Paul Schrader hasn’t won much this awards season, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he somehow wins this as a “career prize” sort of thing. That said, I expect The Favourite to walk away with the award here as Green Book has found itself in some controversy in recent weeks.

Should Win: The Favourite or First Reformed. It wouldn’t just be a “career” win if you ask me, the script for First Reformed is genuenly terrific and deserving to win. But so is The Favourite. I can go either way.

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BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

  • Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman
  • Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
  • Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, Can You Ever forgive Me?
  • Bradley Cooper and Will Fetters, A Star is Born
  • Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk

Brendan
Will Win: I see this as a two-horse race between BlacKkKlansman and If Beale Street Could Talk, and could honestly see it going either way (nor would I have any issues with that). But because Barry Jenkins has already won this award for Moonlight, and Spike Lee has been overdue for almost 30 years, my money is on BlacKkKlansman.

Should Win: Most of these nominees are very fine scripts, but there is something about the dialogue in Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty’s script for Can You Ever forgive Me? that just so effortlessly balances comedy and pain simultaneously. For those reasons, their work may be my favorite of the bunch.

JD
Will Win: It’s going to be great to finally see Spike Lee win a competitive Oscar.

Should Win: It’s going to be great to finally see Spike Lee win a competitive Oscar.

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BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

  • Lukasz Zal, Cold War
  • Robbie Ryan, The Favourite
  • Caleb Deschanel, Never Look Away
  • Matthew Libatique, A Star is Born
  • Alfonso Cuarón, Roma

Brendan
Will Win: Black and white films go over well in this category, and this year sees a battle of visual beauty between Roma and Cold War. Alfonso Cuarón acted as his own cinematographer on Roma, which leaves me wondering if that will work for or against his favor. On one hand, being such a jack of all trades is no easy task, but on the other hand, if Cuarón were to win Best Director, will that indirectly count as a win in this category too? At this point I tend to think no, and I believe Cuarón will win here for Roma.

Should Win: You cannot argue against the epic smoothness of Roma, but I slightly prefer the simplicity of Lukasz Zal’s work in Cold War; with its boxed-in ratio and grainy filter, the whole film comes off like a lost WWII photo album come to life.

JD
Will Win: While I do think that Alfonso Cuarón is the heavy favorite for this category, I do think that Lukasz Zal has a small chance to upset. Cold War is obviously a liked film since it’s nominated in three different categories and the cinematography is hard to deny. Perhaps it’s closer than the experts think, but Roma still wins here.

Should Win: I echo Brendan above, I may ever so slightly prefer Cold War, but Alfonso Cuarón is very deserving for his camerawork on Roma.

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BEST ANIMATED FILM

  • Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse
  • Ralph Breaks the Internet
  • Incredibles 2
  • Isle of Dogs
  • Mirai

Brendan
Will Win: It may be shocker, but this is the toughest category to predict for me. It comes down to three; Incredibles 2, Isle of Dogs, or Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. Let’s not forget that The Oscars is an ABC production, owned by Disney, meaning Incredibles 2 could be a lock. But we all know the Academy loves Wes Anderson, meaning Isle of Dogs could sneak in too. But Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse has the accolades to support it, plus it’s both innovative and incredibly popular among audiences. For sheer statistics, I’ll go with Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, but don’t count out the other two.

Should Win: Isle of Dogs was not only my favorite animated film of 2018, but I actually think it’s one of Wes Anderson’s best. Therefore, it gets my personal vote.

JD
Will Win: A lot of pundits seem to think this is a lock. And you can’t blame them, Into the Spiderverse has destroyed all season long. But so did How to Train Your Dragon 2 in 2014. The Academy typically doesn’t go for sequels, but there’s a clear Disney/Pixar bias, and both have films competing in this category. Ralph Breaks the Internet I think is equally as deserving too and should be honored for losing to Brave (::throws up thinking about that loss::). I’m still going with Spidey, but I’m not confident like most pundits. Until I see it, I’m dubious, too much of a bias for this category.

Should Win: Ralph Breaks the Internet could win here and I’d love that. But at the same time, Into the Spiderverse was the true best animated film of 2018 and should win.

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BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

  • Cold War
  • Roma
  • Shoplifters
  • Never Look Away
  • Capernaum

Brendan
Will Win: If Roma is in fact the predicted winner for Best Motion Picture of the Year, does it have a chance to win this award too? Or will the Academy attempt to split up their wins as much as possible, which is something they like to do? Given that Cold War is also up for Best Director and Cinematography (and even has the Best Director award from Cannes to boot), I believe the Academy will do their best to spread the wealth and give the award to Pawlikowski’s Cold War. Plus, Pawlikowski has already won this award for Ida five years ago, and familiarity goes a long way.

Should Win: I am all for Roma or Cold War winning, but my heart and soul continues to cry over Hirokazu Korreda’s Palme d’Or winning Shoplifters; easily my personal pick here, and one of the very best films of 2018.

JD
Will Win: Roma.

Should Win: Roma is one of the best foreign films of the decade, let alone from 2018. That said, if Roma does go on to win Best Picture, I’d love to see The Academy awards Shoplifters or Cold War here. The math doesn’t add up, but it’d be cool to reward two different films.

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BEST DOCUMENTARY

  • Free Solo
  • Minding the Gap
  • Hale County This Morning, This Evening
  • RBG
  • Of Fathers and Sons

Brendan
Will Win: 2018 was one of the greatest years for documentaries, and some of the best ones didn’t even make this shortlist of nominees (looking at you Won’t You Be My Neighbor?). But among the best here are Minding the Gap, Free Solo, and Hale County This Morning, This Evening, all of which carry some weight of relevance. Bing Liu’s phenomenal Minding the Gap could strike a more unanimous chord with the Academy, for its depiction of youth, parenthood, and race that is just all too relatable these days. However, Free Solo just feels more top of mind at the moment, given its recent IMAX release and the celebrity status of Alex Honnold.

Should Win: Minding the Gap was one of the most moving film experiences I had all last year. It gets my vote.

JD
Will Win: Sadly (for me), I think this comes down to RBG or Free Solo. Neither film made my personal Top 5 for this category, so I do think there are better deserving docs, but the Oscar will go to one of them. I’m leaning more toward Free Solo.

Should Win: Don’t get me wrong, Free Solo is a very good film, but it’s no Minding the Gap, Hale County or Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (crazy to me that it wasn’t nominated).

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BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

  • Ludwig Göransson, Black Panther
  • Terence Blanchard, BlacKkKlansman
  • Nicholas Britell, If Beale Street Could Talk
  • Alexandre Desplat, Isle of Dogs
  • Marc Shaiman, Mary Poppins Returns

Brendan
Will Win: I feel like Nicholas Britell had this in the bag just from the second the trailer for If Beale Street Could Talk premiered. Out of all the nominee’s Britell’s work feels the most like its own character in its respective film; lush, cautiously symphonic, but never too grand, maintaining its own sense of intimacy just like the film’s two lead characters.

Should Win: See above. Nicholas Britell for If Beale Street Could Talk.

JD
Will Win: Nicholas Britell should win here with the exclusion of Justin Hurwitz (a notion that I cannot fathom at all), but I can’t escape the feeling that Terence Blanchard and Ludwig Göransson are in this fight. This could be closer than what the experts think, but I’m still betting on Britell.

Should Win: Justin Hurwitz for First Man. But since he’s not here (I will never let go of that), Britell should win.

Let us know how our picks stack up against yours! Do you agree or disagree? Let us know and enjoy this year’s Oscars ceremony!

Podcast: How to Train Your Dragon / Isn’t It Romantic – Extra Film

JD Duran
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Podcast: How to Train Your Dragon / Isn’t It Romantic – Extra Film

This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film show, Ryan and Jay discuss the first How to Train Your Dragon and the new rom-com Isn’t It Romantic!

Under the strict orders of JD, Ryan and Jay reviewed the first installment in the beloved adventures of Hiccup and Toothless in prep for the review of the final installment on episode 314. It was a very fun throwback review of a new animated classic, a review that would make JD proud in terms of how in-depth the conversation goes. Isn’t It Romantic ended up being a review that garnered one of the most surprising reactions to a movie from one of the guys in a long time.

On that note, let us know what you thought of these films on social media and enjoy the show! Thanks for listening!

– Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon (11:03)
Director: Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois
Writer: Will Davies, Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
Stars: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera

– Movie Review: Isn’t It Romantic (43:28)
Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson
Writer: Erin Cardillo, Dana Fox, Katie Silberman
Stars: Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Adam DeVine

– Music

Forbidden Friendship – John Powell
I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) – Whitney Houston
The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

We try to make this the best movie podcast we possibly can and we hope you enjoy them. Subscribe today on iTunes, Spotfiy or Stitcher, and please leave us a review on iTunes. You can also find us on Soundcloud, PlayerFM and TuneIn Radio as well. We really appreciate all your support of the InSession Film Podcast.

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How to Train Your Dragon / Isn’t It Romantic – Extra Film

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Movie Review: ‘Happy Death Day 2U’ is different, but the same…but different

Nyle Coleman
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Movie Review: ‘Happy Death Day 2U’ is different, but the same…but different

Director: Christopher Landon
Writers: Christopher Landon, Scott Lobdell (characters)
Stars: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Phi Vu

Synopsis: Tree Gelbman discovers that dying over and over was surprisingly easier than the dangers that lie ahead.

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Here is the problem with sequels, 9 times out of 10 they won’t match the dynamic and magic of the original. Most sequels fall far from the tree, miles sometimes. Which eventually leads to another sequel, usually worse than the second, either purely as a cash grab or because some up and coming writer honestly thinks they can re-capture the brilliance of the first. Now and then though a sequel manages to outshine its predecessor. Happy Death Day 2U falls somewhere in the middle of these two extremes, it is a good film and a sequel that was worth making but not one that will spark any Twitter wars over which was best. It does do what most sequels fail to do: Keep it simple, take the basic formula that made the first smart and enjoyable, and add a dash of new.

Fans of the original will be pleased to see that the follow-up pretty much picks up where Happy Death Day left off. Tree (Jessica Rothe) and Carter (Isreal Broussard) are an item and seemed to have developed a deeper relationship. Of the supporting cast all the familiar faces are back, even Carter’s quirky roommate Ryan (Phi Vu) returns and this go-around he gets a lot more screen time. In fact, the first 10 or so minutes revolve purely around him. This is both good and bad, Ryan’s arc brings new energy to the story but Vu’s performance can be rough at times. There are also some new faces that bring their own comedic spark and help to keep the story from feeling recycled. Performance wise you can expect about the same caliber as the first film which is perfectly fine for this kind of popcorn flick.

As far as the quality of the writing and script go Happy Death Day 2U will surprise you. When I first saw the trailer I was worried that seeing more of the same would feel redundant and make for a dull film but it was actually quite the opposite. Christopher Landon, who both wrote and directed, managed to branch off the original script and keep the story going by providing us some background explaining exactly why Tree was caught in the original’s loop which, as you may have guessed, leads to Tree once again getting stuck but this time in a “new” loop. This ignites a whole new host of problems for Tree and crew. On paper, it may sound unimaginative but Landon’s execution is satisfying and quite clever. He even adds a twist that prompts some serious questions about Life and how each of our decisions can alter our trajectory. At times it can be a very sentimental film in this way.

But again like most sequels, overall it simply doesn’t stand up to the first. The film has some great comedic moments but it can feel forced at times. The explanation for what triggered Tree to start living the same day over and over is built around vague scientific technobabble which always feels like cheating and can ruin some climactic moments in addition to leaving the audience feeling somewhat left out. There are also some plot holes in the film that never really get filled or an explanation offered. It is not so much that these flaws are so awful, it is that they can be so glaring because we have another film to use as a baseline and constantly make comparisons to. On its own the film still isn’t exceptional in any way but because it is a sequel its shortcomings stand out more.

The first Happy Death Day was a fun film that brought a fresh take on the one-day time loop concept. It was a film that really caught me by surprise and came very close to making my top ten for 2017. The sequel was also surprising, I honestly wasn’t sure it would be able to deliver without relying on the same jokes as the first, but it does. It plays on our familiarity with the characters and story arc of the first film but takes its own twists and turns. Where the film harms itself is in trying too hard for laughs. It brings some unnecessary silliness that was not in the original, the scenes are funny but at times can feel cheap and lack that punch that usually comes with clever comedy. Also, Tree’s hysterical behavior which made her character so charming and comical this time around can wear on you and feel overdone. That is the one part of the film that did feel poorly recycled. Still, 2U offers some good laughs as well as some tender moments that kept things feeling new. This year it won’t make it anywhere near to my ten but I still recommend a watch, especially if you were a fan of the first.

Overall Grade: C+

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Featured: South Of The Border – Latin Americana Cinema

InSession Film Staff
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Featured: South Of The Border – Latin Americana Cinema

It isn’t just North of the border, Europe, or Asia that makes the high-quality films we love. It isn’t just Mexico that produces brilliant works and exports film directors to Hollywood. Others have quietly produced over the history of moviemaking stories of realism that reflected the times they have endured or magical works that make it an exotic land. It has been the quiet center of movie production as seen with the Oscar-winning The Secret In Their Eyes and A Fantastic Woman. But they have been from the past decade. In the last century, they all have a beginning, a growth, and are part of the influx of movies to infiltrate major festivals around the world.

Argentina

Way before The Secret In Their Eyes, Argentina had produced a golden age of moviemaking between the 1930s and 50s. Tango-based movies were the musical go-to thanks to the popular Carlos Gardel, who was killed in a plane crash in 1935, solidifying legendary status. Armando Bo Sr. would also break through early and years later; his son of the same name would win an Oscar co-writing Birdman. Thanks to the presence of role actress Eva Peron, her husband, General Juan Peron, movies that portrayed the damage done by greed became a springboard into being elected as President. Sexploitation films also became a box office draw thanks to the comic relief of Jorge Porcel and Alberto Olmedo.

After a dark period of silence due to the brutal junta in the 70s and early 80s, Argentine cinema opened itself up again with films directly relating to the painful recent past, most notably with the Oscar-winning, The Official Story (1985), which told the story of a woman who questions where her adopted daughter came from – the infamous practice of kidnapping infants from mothers arrested by the government and then forcing the mother to “disappear” – and seeks answers. Even with economic and political turmoil, the industry produced thrillers and comedies away from the touchy subjects with Son Of The Bride (2001), The Headless Woman (2008), and Wild Tales (2014).

Brazil

The 1931 film Limite (or “Limit”) was a silent experimental film by author Mário Peixoto, who never made a completed movie afterward and was thought to have been lost to history when the single print of it was found and underwent a painstaking restoration; you can now own it on Criterion’s World Cinema Project as selected by Martin Scorsese. The non-linear plotline of three people on a rowboat whose lives are looked at was ranked as the greatest Brazilian film in history in 2015. “The Brazilian Bombshell” Carman Miranda made a splash in the 1936 musical Alô, Alô, Carnaval, which got her a contract to perform in Hollywood afterward.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDYLLIK999w

Brazilian cinema was ignored by the imports of American and European films, but Brazilian cinema engaged in a Renaissance with the Cinema Novo movement of the 60s and 70s with movies that spoke in detail about the social inequality in the country, as well as protesting the military dictatorship that would last from 1964 to 1985. 1962’s Keeper of Promises became the first film from South America to be nominated for Best Foreign Language film. Maybe the most notable and the most brutal in this era came towards the back end in 1981 with Pixote, a stirring, graphic portrait of a group of underage kids from the city’s slums who struggle to survive in jail and on the streets. Post-dictatorship, Four Days In September, Central Station, and City of God has driven up production, especially for television movies that continue to reflect the social and political themes of the times.

Cuba

The island nation did not have a fully engaged industry until the Revolution that put Fidel Castro in power in 1959 and established the Culture Division of the Rebel Army to produce documentaries and fictional stories, namely social realism. Arguably the biggest director to come from Cuba was Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, who created a style that showed support to the regime while also revealing some of the continuous hardships the country faced years later. Death of a Bureaucrat was a political satire which was followed up with probably his most famous work, Memories of Underdevelopment.

The brilliant stroke of work followed a wealthy individual who stays in Cuba instead of fleeing to America and finds himself alienated from the rest with the dramatic changes of the Revolution. One of his final works before his death was the comedy Strawberries And Chocolate, the story about a flamboyantly gay artist and his relationship with a devoted Marxist who follows the line on gays as degenerates in the late 70s. This surprisingly warm, funny outlook of LGBT life in Cuba and bridging links between opposing views was the first Cuban film nominated for an Oscar.

Other Notables

While the film was a French production, director Marcel Camus captured the carnival life of Brazil’s favelas, the slums, in Black Orpheus, a contemporary and colorful retelling of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. The film, winner of the Palme d’Or, was key in showcasing bossa nova music to the rest of the world. In Columbia, their form of social realism was nicknamed “Pornomiseria,” or porno-misery, which depicted the terrible poverty and human misery in the sixties and seventies, a trend followed by other South American countries all affected by dictatorships and the lack of investment into their local industry. Venezuela has also been fairly successful; Edgar Ramirez (The Bourne Ultimatum, Joy, Hands of Stone), a native, made an acclaimed appearance in Punto Y Raya (2004) while Bad Hair (2013) and From Afar (2015) have won at major international film festivals. Probably, the most noted 21st century Latin film known in the United States is The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), a depiction of Che Guevara’s trip through South America with his best friend that would lay the foundations for his political radicalization in the years that came afterward.

Latin American cinema should not just be recognized through its nominations such as Nicaragua’s Alsino And The Condor (1982), Peru’s The Milk of Sorrow (2009), Chile’s No (2012), and Columbia’s Embrace Of The Serpent (2015). There are layers into all of these countries and more through fiction and documentary. They give us a new view to look through a see a setting we have never seen. All of these works are reflective of their status and are imaginative at times, daring to challenge the authorities and speak a truth.

Follow me on Twitter: @BrianSusbielles (Cine-A-Man)

Podcast: Final Oscar Predictions (Winners) – Chasing the Gold Ep. 9

JD Duran
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0
Podcast: Final Oscar Predictions (Winners) – Chasing the Gold Ep. 9

On Episode 8 of Chasing the Gold, Ryan is joined by Erik Anderson of Awards Watch and Amanda Spears of Gold Derby as they give their final predictions to the 91st Academy Awards, which will be airing live this Sunday!

With the Oscars only days away, so many of the categories are still up in the air including the biggest award of the night, Best Picture. With this being Amanda’s first time on the show and the second appearance for Erik, this episode led to some fun, interesting places and provided a real in-depth conversation on all the various scenarios in which the categories could play out. We couldn’t have been more thrilled to have them on because they are two of the most insightful people that cover the Oscar race and give so many compelling reasons as to why their predictions will come true.

On that note, have fun with this week’s Chasing the Gold and let us know what you think in the comment section below. Thanks for listening!

– Final Oscar Predictions (4:52)

– Music

Shallow – Lady Gaga
The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

We try to make this the best movie podcast we possibly can and we hope you enjoy them. Subscribe today on iTunes, Spotfiy or Stitcher, and please leave us a review on iTunes. You can also find us on Soundcloud, PlayerFM and TuneIn Radio as well. We really appreciate all your support of the InSession Film Podcast.

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Final Oscar Predictions (for Winners) – Chasing the Gold

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Poll: What is your favorite Trilogy Closer?

JD Duran
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0
Poll: What is your favorite Trilogy Closer?

Happy How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World week everyone! This series has been an absolutely delight and we are sad to see it come to a close. But at the same time, we are very eager to celebrate it by reviewing the third installment this weekend on Episode 314. With that as our inspiration for our poll this week, we are asking for your favorite trilogy “closers” in film – aka the third film in a trilogy series.

There are a lot of great films eligible for this list, so choose wisely! Cast your vote now.


Movie Review: ‘Isn’t It Romantic’ is fun, ridiculous and a different kind of romantic comedy

Kate Boyle
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Movie Review: ‘Isn’t It Romantic’ is fun, ridiculous and a different kind of romantic comedy

Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson
Writers: Erin Cardillo, Dana Fox, Katie Silberman
Stars: Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Adam Devine, Priyanka Chopra

Synopsis: A young woman disenchanted with love mysteriously finds herself trapped inside a romantic comedy.

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I’ve said before that I’m not a huge fan of romantic comedies, so normally I wouldn’t run to a theater to see one. I am however, a huge fan of Rebel Wilson so I couldn’t pass up seeing her star in a rom-com while making fun of other rom-coms. Isn’t It Romantic was super fun, hilarious, and just an overall enjoyable movie that lived up to the trailers.

Isn’t It Romantic is about Natalie (played by Rebel Wilson) and her head injury induced journey into the land of romantic comedies. She hates rom-coms, she’s oblivious to flirting or romantic gestures around her, and doesn’t have the best opinion of herself. After getting mugged and knocking herself unconscious, she wakes up in a suspiciously nice emergency room with a suspiciously attractive doctor (played by Lucifer’s Tom Ellis). She runs off to discover the world is better looking, better smelling, she can’t use certain swear words without being interrupted by loud noises, and everyone is weirdly nice to her. She realizes she’s stuck in a PG-13 romantic comedy and in true Rebel Wilson fashion, she isn’t having any of it, saying “it’s like the matrix for lonely women”. Natalie spends the rest of the movie trying to get back to her “normal” life while taking any chance she can get to point out that everything is ridiculous and that romantic comedy stereotypes are lame.

One of my favorite things about this movie was how relatable it is. While Rebel Wilson’s style of comedy may not be for everyone, I think she’s very funny. Wilson finally has a chance to shine in a leading role and I think she easily carries the film. This movie was a great first starring role for her to show off all her go-to humor- physical comedy, snarky comments, and self-deprecation. I spent most of the film laughing because I feel like I would be acting the same way if my life suddenly turned into a cliché rom-com. The supporting cast was also great. Adam Devine is the best friend and loveable coworker Josh. I love Rebel Wilson and Adam Levine together. They were funny as background characters in Pitch Perfect, and I think they are perfectly capable in starring roles. Liam Hemsworth was also funny, he plays Blake, the stereotypical rom-com male lead. Priyanka Chopra, Brandon Scott Jones and Betty Gilpin also give good supporting performances.

Isn’t It Romantic spends most of its 88 minutes poking fun at itself and other rom-coms. It’s filled with references to popular movies from the genre, even using some famous quotes and memorable scenes. There are many campy jokes that in any other movie (without Rebel Wilson to question them) would be too much. For example, a good-looking police officer’s last name is “Hansom”, and birds fly in heart-shaped formations. There are even a few musical numbers, a karaoke bar scene being my favorite.

The only negative comments I have about the film is it does suffer from “lots of the funny bits were in the trailers” but there were enough that were not in them that I didn’t mind. It was also a little predictable at times.

Isn’t It Romantic is a fun, ridiculous, and different kind of romantic comedy. It made me laugh almost the entire time, it has a great cast, and it didn’t have that cliché format that many movies in that genre gear towards. I highly recommend it to anyone that’s a fan of Rebel Wilson and/or is in need of a good laugh.

Overall Grade: B+

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Movie Review: ‘High Flying Bird’ is flashy fun with acute perception

Aaron Charles
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Movie Review: ‘High Flying Bird’ is flashy fun with acute perception

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writers: Tarell Alvin McCraney
Stars: André Holland, Melvin Gregg, Zazie Beetz, Bill Duke

Synopsis: A sports agent pitches a rookie basketball client on an intriguing and controversial business opportunity during a lockout.

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There are few relationships as paradoxical as that between star athletes and the fans that follow them. On the one hand, fans feel that they have an intense connection with these players they adore. On the other, fans have absolutely no idea what the real life of an athlete is like in the slightest.

One of the great triumphs of Steven Soderbergh’s Netflix film High Flying Bird is that it connects its story palpably to the real-life drama that is the life of an NBA star. Its perception into the inner workings of NBA contractual dealings unearths some healthy fodder for the investigative eye that is Tarell Alvin McCraney’s screenplay. Fresh off his Academy Award for penning Moonlight, McCraney stealthily unveils the darkness that resides in the board rooms of NBA offices.

To bring this story to life, Soderbergh utilizes his unique visual flair and active camerawork in support of the flashy characters that dash across the screen. Foremost among them is Ray Burke (Andre Holland), a star agent to some of the game’s best players. Holland also worked with McCraney on Moonlight, and his performance here continues his trend of fine work. As the agent to the most recent #1 draft pick, Erick Scott (Melvin Gregg), his life should be just fine. That is, except for the fact that the NBA is in the midst of a bitter lockout.

The entire cast is fantastic. There’s Zazie Beetz as Sam, Ray’s assistant and Erick’s love interest. Bill Duke brings gravitas to his role as Spence, a coach in a local youth league with his own history of dealings with the NBA. Sonja Sohn is fantastic as the representative for the Player’s Association, and Kyle Maclachlan gives a wonderful supporting turn as one of the team owners.

Even that term “owner” brings about some dark connotations. In fact, the film makes multiple references to slavery throughout its runtime, making those dark connotations impossible to miss. This film will force you to consider the validity in uber-talented players signing over their likenesses and skill sets and only having access to a fraction of the profits that come from them. Here again is where I’ll revert to that paradoxical relationship between fan and player. Most fans wouldn’t shed too many tears for players that are making such large sums of money. But, then again, not all the players are making what the well-known stars make. And, even so, compared to what they could make if the share of revenues were more equitable, it starts to seem much smaller.

Another fantastic choice is to intercut the film’s narrative with actual interviews of real-life NBA stars Karl Anthony-Towns, Reggie Jackson, and Donovan Mitchell. This gives weight to what the film is saying and never lets it feel too far removed from reality.

While the film may not be quite as fun as Soderbergh heist classics like Ocean’s Eleven, it utilizes similar flair to serve its story. It is flashy, stylish, and perceptive; it may also get you thinking far more than you ever have about the livelihood of budding NBA stars and the Machiavellian businessmen who use them to prop up their sport. Roger Ebert famously called movies “empathy machines” and Soderbergh and McCraney utilize that gift of cinema here to fantastic ends.

Overall Grade: B

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Hear our podcast review on Episode 313:

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List: Top 3 Non-Athlete Characters in Sports Movies

JD Duran
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List: Top 3 Non-Athlete Characters in Sports Movies

This week on Episode 313 of the InSession Film Podcast, inspired by High Flying Bird where a sports agent attempts to figure out how to solve an NBA lockout, we thought it would be fun to look at sports movies in a similar way by discussing the best non-athlete characters that make the genre as alluring. They are just as memorable as the players themselves despite less screen time. Anyone whose seen Major League will have no problem remembering “juuuuusssstt a bit out” from the great Harry Doyle. So, this was a really fun topic to explore, and hopefully that comes through in our discussion. That said, here are our lists:

(Note: Please keep in mind that we each had different criteria for our selections)

JD

1) Paddy Conlon – Warrior
2) Ray Kinsella – Field of Dreams
3) Coach Herman Boone / Coach Bill Yoast – Remember the Titans

Ryan

1) Billy Beane – Moneyball
2) Paddy Conlon – Warrior
3) Annie Savoy – Bull Durham

Vern

1) Rocky – Creed
2) Cassidy – The Wrestler
3) Brooke Cavendar – Whip It

Honorable Mentions (Combined)

Dickey Eklund – The Fighter
Ivan Drago – Creed II
Harry Doyle – Major League
Charlene Felming – The Fighter
Jimmy Dugan – A League of Their Own
Jerry Maguire – Jerry Maguire
Paulie / Mickey – Rocky
Sheryl Yoast – Remember the Titans
Gordon Bombay – The Mighty Ducks
LaVona – I, Tonya
Frankie Dunn – Million Dollar Baby
Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris – Million Dollar Baby
Bailey Pruitt – Mystery Alaska
Jack Lengyel – We are Marshall
Herb Brooks – Miracle
Jake Shuttleworth – He Got Game
Brian Clough – The Damned United
Chubbs – Happy Gilmore
Lou Brown – Major League
Leslie Wright – Just Right
Joe Gould – Cinderella Man
Tom Smith – Seabiscuit
Charles Howard – Seabiscuit
Tony D’Amato – Every Given Sunday
Gene Hackman – The Replacements
Gene Hackman – Hoosiers
Patches O’Houlihan – Dodgeball
Charles Bilingsley – Friday Night Lights
Billy Bob Thorton – Bad News Bears

Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. There are many, many non-athlete characters in these films and there’s a good chance that we missed out on a few selections that could make your list. That being said, what would be your Top 3? Leave a comment in the comment section or email us at [email protected].

For the entire podcast, click here or listen below.

For more lists done by the InSession Film crew and other guests, be sure see our Top 3 Movie Lists page.

Podcast: High Flying Bird / Top 3 Non-Athlete Characters in Sports Movies – Episode 313

JD Duran
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0
Podcast: High Flying Bird / Top 3 Non-Athlete Characters in Sports Movies – Episode 313

This week’s episode is brought to you by the InSession Film Store. Get your IF gear today!

This week on the InSession Film Podcast, The Vern from Cinema Recall joins us as we review Steven Soderbergh’s latest film High Flying Bird, which is available now on Netflix. We also discuss our Top 3 non-athlete characters in sports movies and JD gives a few predictions for the Oscars that will be airing this Sunday. Finally, we offer some brief thoughts on the James Cameron-produced Alita: Battle Angel that hit theaters over the weekend.

Big thanks to Vern for joining us once again, he’s always a pleasure to have on the show and this time was no different. We had a lot of fun talking Soderbergh, the Oscars, whatever Alita was supposed to be and sports movie characters. A full show, and because it’s JD and Ryan together, it was a long show – but hopefully one you enjoy as much as we did.

That said, check out this week’s show and let us know what you think in the comment section. Thanks for listening and for supporting the InSession Film Podcast!

– Movie Review: High Flying Bird (6:28)
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writers: Tarell Alvin McCraney
Stars: André Holland, Melvin Gregg, Zazie Beetz, Bill Duke

– Notes / Alita: Battle Angel / Oscar Predictions (49:44)
Originally Vern was scheduled to join us to discuss Alita, and while we thought High Flying Bird would garner a deeper discussion, we still wanted to honor Vern’s request to talk about Alita. So, we did offer a few thoughts on its potential and major flaws. JD also wanted to give a few Oscar predictions as we lead into the 91st Academy Awards coming this weekend.

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RELATED: Listen to Episode 308 of the InSession Film Podcast where we discussed our Top 10 Movies of 2018!

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– Top 3 Non-Athlete Characters in Sports Movies (1:23:12)
Inspired by High Flying Bird, which focuses mostly on a sports agent trying to figure out to solve an NBA lockout, we thought it would be fun to look at sports movies in a similar way by discussing the best non-athlete characters that make the genre as alluring. They are just as memorable as the players themselves despite less screen time. Anyone whose seen Major League will have no problem remembering “juuuuusssstt a bit out” from the great Harry Doyle. So, this was a really fun topic to explore, and hopefully that comes through in our discussion. That said, what would be your Top 3?

Top 3 Sponsor: First Time Watchers Podcast

– Music

Runnin’ – Mike WiLL Made-It, A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, Nicki Minaj
High Flyin’ Bird – Richie Havens
Love And Happiness – Al Green
The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

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InSession Film Podcast – Episode 313

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Next week on the show:

Main Review: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Top 3: TBD

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Interview: Stephen Merchant, director of ‘Fighting With My Family’

Nguyen Le
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Interview: Stephen Merchant, director of ‘Fighting With My Family’

Families fight. Paige’s family does it with a capital ‘F.”

Saraya-Jade Bevis, or Paige’s off-stage, or real, name, is a wrestling wunderkind. Born into a household that hustles for the tussles, she overcame great challenges to become the youngest Divas Champion in the history of the WWE at 21 years old. Fighting With My Family is the second production focusing on her origins and ascent; the first being a 2012 documentary on which Fighting With My Family is based.

Our own writer Nguyen Le found the film to be “a cracking diversion with magnetic performances, especially from Florence Pugh and Jack Lowden, as well as pleasant laughs.”

He also recently had a brief sit-down with Stephen Merchant and talked about his experience being the production’s skipper, receiving input on humor from Dwayne Johnson (he also got the production one hour to shoot at an actual WWE show) and meeting the real family of fighters. Read on!

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(From left) Director Stephen Merchant, actor Florence Pugh and actor Dwayne Johnson on the set of Fighting With My Family | Robert Viglasky / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures

Nguyen Le from InSession Film: Before I begin, please allow me to say that I love you as Wheatley.

Stephen Merchant, director: Thank you!

NL: No, thank *you.* Onto the film — I have a feeling that we haven’t heard all of the Harry Potter jokes?

SM: We shot a scene where we had a Harry Potter joke, then we shot that scene with Dwayne and then he started ad-libbing Harry Potter jokes. Now we had loads of Harry Potter jokes, but you don’t say to The Rock, ‘Yeah, we don’t want any more Harry Potter jokes,’ so we had a lot of them, which we stuck in the movie.

NL: Appreciate you. Now this is the first time, feature film-wise, that you are credited alone as a director. How does it feel flying solo?

SM: When you’re co-directing, co-writing or have allies like that, it’s a great security blanket because you got someone who is on exactly the same wavelength as you, the same agenda as you, which makes the story work and the movie work. Whereas you’re on your own, you have a great support network — the dp, the producers — but they all have a slightly different role to play. That’s the biggest and toughest challenge of this — if I’m watching something and I don’t think the scene is quite working or asking “Should that character be doing that?” I got no one to turn to and I just had to figure it out myself.

But the mechanics of it are the same — deciding where the camera goes and do you think the actors are doing a convincing performance. That hasn’t changed.

Jack Lowden (left) stars as Zak Knight and Florence Pugh (right) stars as Paige in Fighting With My Family, directed by Stephen Merchant | Robert Viglasky / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures

NL: Still, you’re on newer grounds, which I thought was similar to Paige’s journey to break away from what she’s known.

SM: Oh, right! When I was young, I was growing up in Bristol and had aspirations to do comedy, direct things. And then moving to London for the first time, which is only about two hours away, but that felt like Paige going from Norwich to Florida. It felt a world away! London is where I met Ricky…

NL: Right.

SM: That was the thing that felt the closest parallel for me when I saw this documentary about her life: just someone who’s pursuing this dream, coming from this working-class background and sort of shooting for something in show-business.

Florence Pugh (left) stars as Paige and Jack Lowden (right) stars as Zak Knight in Fighting With My Family. | Robert Viglasky / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures

NL: Thank you. I’d like to know your approach in making sure the comedy and the drama jostle properly? That there’s a balance between the tones?

SM: The thing that I kept going back to was, “Let’s be true to the story and to these people, let’s not force them into situations for the sake of it.” Even in the broader moments like when the father [played by Nick Frost] threw the bowling ball and hit the other guy with the trash can — I’ve seen them do that stuff! I’ve seen them do it in the ring! So I’m like, “Well, this doesn’t seem like a crazy stretch.”

The bulk of the embarrassing dinner [sequence] was one of the stories [Paige’s family] told me the first time I met them. They told me how they met the parents of Zak’s girlfriend, who were really uptight and conservative. So they walked in, and Julia — Paige’s mother — just saw this very prim woman coming in, immediately grabbed her boobs and “Hiiiiiii!” I was like, “Wow, what?” but that was her way of breaking the ice. I didn’t put that in because I thought that’d be too crazy!

Lena Headey (left) as Julia Knight and Nick Frost (right) as Ricky Knight in Fighting With My Family. | Robert Viglasky / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures

NL: Oh my goodness…

SM: So to me, and it was like The Office as well, it’s being true and being authentic to the moment. When it’s sad, it’s sad. When the moment gets dark, you let it happen. Natural humor that bubble up? Then do that, but don’t try and jam it in one way or another. But we kind of refined it in the editing to get that balance right. We wanted to give it a movie shape and scale, we didn’t want it to be so gritty and depressing, which it could have been, I think, had we gone the wrong way.

NL: Before we go, I’d like to praise Tessa Blanchard, Florence’s stunt double. She’s a pro in the field and she’s even younger than the real Paige!

SM: Yeah, she did an amazing job! Florence did a lot of her own as well!

NL: Fantastic. Thank you for coming to H-town, Stephen.

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Podcast: Cold Pursuit / The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot – Extra Film

Brendan Cassidy
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Podcast: Cold Pursuit / The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot – Extra Film

This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film show, we welcome Mr. Jay Ledbetter back after being off for two weeks, as he and Ryan tackle the latest Liam-Neeson-With-A-Gun flick Cold Pursuit, as well as the ridiculously titled The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot, starring Sam Elliot.

What better way to welcome Jay back to the show by reviewing films that are very much up his alley, especially with one that more-or-less deconstructs the revenge thriller drama (which Liam Neeson himself has become synonymous with these days). It certainly led to a fun and refreshing conversation; if only those sensibilities carried over into a film that warranted its ridiculous Hitler and Bigfoot themed title.

Let us know what you thought of these films on social media and enjoy the show! Thanks for listening!

– Movie Review: Cold Pursuit (8:00)
Director: Hans Petter Moland
Writer: Frank Baldwin
Stars: Liam Neeson, Laura Dern, Micheál Richardson

– Movie Review: The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot (38:49)
Director: Robert D. Krzykowski
Writer: Robert D. Krzykowski
Stars: Sam Elliot, Aidan Turner, Caitlin FitzGerald, Larry Miller, Ron Livingston

– Music

Cold Pursuit (End Titles) – Dan Carey
Cast Your Fate to the Wind –  Vince Guaraldi Trio
The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

We try to make this the best movie podcast we possibly can and we hope you enjoy them. Subscribe today on iTunes, Spotfiy or Stitcher, and please leave us a review on iTunes. You can also find us on Soundcloud, PlayerFM and TuneIn Radio as well. We really appreciate all your support of the InSession Film Podcast.

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Cold Pursuit / The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot – Extra Film

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Featured: Robert Bresson – Fables And Morals

InSession Film Staff
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0
Featured: Robert Bresson – Fables And Morals

There are plenty of names out of the melting pot of French cinema after the war that sticks out with massive importance but Robert Bresson is in a league of his own. Jean-Luc Godard said of Bresson, “He is the French cinema, as Dostoyevsky is to the Russian novel and Mozart is German music.” In his career, Bresson followed the similar themes and structure to storytelling, creating a unique style that defines him very much like an auteur among film directors. Diary Of A Country Priest, A Man Escaped, Pickpocket, and L’Argent are some of his masterpieces that would set the tone for any first-time Bresson watcher. Some of his features include the following.

Minimalism

Compared to the French New Wave and its flash, Bresson reduced the mise en scene to a simple image and transition, keeping precision on lack of camera movement, use of non-professional actors, and not studying the characters too much. Everything was tedious and almost micromanaged from beginning to end, calling actors “models,” and reduced the dramatization that would be usually seen. The performance of an actor was stripped down where the emotions were internalized but an audience can still figure it out. A music score was sparse. He did not want to make it the hook to a sequence. The cinematography was also not flashy, simplified in image and background. It is why many of his works are relatively short for a full-length feature. The downside was that his approach was non-commercial and getting support for his work was hard to find.

Lonely Figures

His protagonists tend to be just the singular person who has to survive the ordeal. A Man Escaped is a true story about a French resistance member who is imprisoned and plans his painstaking escape with the danger of execution at any corner. Pickpocket features a petty thief who wanders Paris stealing money while being aware that he will be caught in time. Au Hasard Balthazar and Mouchette are moving tales about a donkey separated from its owner and a teenage girl living in a home hounded by tragic circumstances. The leading characters are living fables of society’s best and worst and they carry the message in their actions with nothing else being said. It could be even reflected on Bresson himself, who was known to be somewhat isolated from the rest of his crew, leaving them to their job while hardly anyone talked to him during the entire shoot. It is reflected by the fact that he rarely gave interviews about his work.

Inner Catholicism

Bresson was a Catholic who once explained, “There is the feeling that God is everywhere…When I see a tree, I see that God exists. I try to catch and to convey the idea that we have a soul and that the soul is in contact with God.” Using his Catholic upbringing as the backbone to his stories, Bresson consistently used themes of redemption from corruption, the plight of the poor, and the morals of evil that lay around. Humans are sinners that are lost in this world but others are victims with no escape route. The travel is long with every possible change of fate along the way, leading to that person’s freedom or total downfall. While L’argent, his last film, brings a tragic climax, A Man Escaped is self-explanatory on what the ending will be for the prisoner of war.

In a fifty-year career, Bresson only made 13 feature-length films. His meticulous method of breaking down the essentials of a story. A man who could have been thrown away in the 1960s, he would be seen as a living master of the cinema with haunting, moving, spiritual stories that are just some of the basics of human dignity. The New Wave would highly praise his work as well as other directors such as Andrei Tarkovsky, Paul Schrader, Michael Haneke, and Jim Jarmusch. Bresson was poetic and philosophical and made understandable morality tales for secular audiences to enjoy. Per French writer/director Alain Cavalier, “In French cinema, you have a father and a mother: the father is Bresson and the mother is [Jean] Renoir, with Bresson representing the strictness of the law and Renoir warmth and generosity. All the better French cinema has and will have to connect to Bresson in some way.”

Follow me on Twitter: @BrianSusbielles (Cine-A-Man)

Movie Review: ‘The Prodigy’ is trite and unmemorable

Kate Boyle
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Movie Review: ‘The Prodigy’ is trite and unmemorable

Director: Nicholas McCarthy
Writers: Jeff Buhler
Stars: CTaylor Schilling, Jackson Robert Scott, Colm Feore, Paul Fauteux

Synopsis: A mother concerned about her young son’s disturbing behavior thinks something supernatural may be affecting him.

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The “creepy child” horror genre is nothing new, but it’s still an effective way to spice up a scary movie and give an entire auditorium full of people nightmares. The Prodigy pulls ideas from its successful predecessors while trying to inject new ideas in the film.

The Prodigy focuses on an eight-year-old boy, Miles, who is behaving strangely. He’s having violent outbursts, having weird dreams, talking in his sleep in weird languages, and just being generally creepy all the time. After a number of incidents his parents decide it’s time to get him checked out and see if Miles just needs therapy or there’s something more nefarious going on.

Jackson Robert Scott, who plays Miles, does a good job at portraying the creepy kid without being too cliché. I just hope he isn’t scarred for life for acting in this movie. He was believably disturbing and terrifying, and probably the best thing about the film. Taylor Schilling (known for Orange is the New Black) plays his mother, Sarah, also does an okay job but in the end, I didn’t really care what happened to her character. I spent most of the movie yelling at her for not realizing there was something seriously wrong with her kid. She was kind of a spaz or oblivious most of the time, I understand that a mom never wants to see the worst in her kid, but she was so in denial it was annoying. Her husband, played by Peter Mooney, was a much better judge of character but wasn’t around enough to be of use. The film mostly focuses on the relationship between Miles/Creepy Miles and his mother. Another decent character in the movie was one of the therapist characters, Arthur Jacobson (played by Colm Feore). He didn’t have a huge role in the film, but he had an important bit and it was done well.

Some positives for the movie were the score. Music is usually a big factor for me in horror movies and if it doesn’t work it ruins the whole film. Joseph Bishara, known for The Conjuring and Insidious series, did a good job setting the ominous and creepy tone for the film. I also liked that they tried something new with the “possessed kid” shtick. Without giving away the plot, it’s not a rip off of The Exorcist or other demon related horror movie. The only other time I’ve remember this kind of “possession” used or mentioned was in an episode of Criminal Minds, so it was a nice change. Another highpoint for me was a fellow theatergoer who happened to make loud comments about a cat on screen or when a character made a bad decision. Normally this would annoy me, but his perfectly timed “Kitty!” or “Uh Oh” while the rest of the theater was dead silent just added to the film.

This movie had a lot of negatives for me. One example was continuity issues. A prominent feature of Miles’ character is his heterochromia; he has one bright blue eye and one hazel. In many scenes it looked like Miles had two brown eyes. At first, I thought this might be a clever plot device or hint at if it’s good Miles or bad Miles, but it ended up either being bad editing, lighting, or a mix of the two. This movie was very dark, lots of running around the house at night without turning on any lights so it was hard to see what was going on at times. Side note – WHY do characters insist on saving electricity in a horror movie?!? Just turn the lights on people! It will save your life. Another negative for me was this had a lot of cliché horror bits in it. A dog that immediately senses that something is wrong, and no one pays attention to, annoyingly oblivious characters, and the film mostly relies on jump scares. Even the opening credits seemed like they were ripped off (or payed homage to) The Omen or The Exorcist with that drippy red font. The film really felt like a two-hour long episode of Criminal Minds with a paranormal twist.

Overall, The Prodigy wasn’t a bad film, but it wasn’t great either. It’s full of jump scares and tense moments, so it does its job as a horror movie. However, there isn’t any benefit to seeing it in a theater, and will be as satisfying at home should you decide to seek it out. I recommend it to fans of the genre who are just looking for something new to watch, but it’s nothing super special or memorable.

Overall Grade: C

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Poll: What is your favorite basketball movie?

JD Duran
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Poll: What is your favorite basketball movie?

This weekend on Episode 313 we’ll be discussing Steven Soderbergh’s latest film High Flying Bird, which hit Netflix last weekend. Using that film as inspiration for our poll this week, we’re simply asking for your favorite basketball movie. There’s some great one’s over the years, some not so great, but enough to have an interesting conversation on the sub-genre.

That said, cast your vote now!


Featured: The Best Foreign Language Film Oscar Winners (And Losers)

InSession Film Staff
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Featured: The Best Foreign Language Film Oscar Winners (And Losers)

We’re in the thick of it now. The Oscars. Nominees already announced. Mexico’s Roma is the obvious favorite, but it could be Poland’s Cold War in an upset; Germany’s Never Look Away, Japan’s Shoplifters  and Lebanon’s Capernaum fill in the rest of the nominees. The previous award shows adding onto the trail for every film to pick up a coveted golden man on a black base. While it is a global event, most of the winners and nominees tend to be from English-speaking countries. For non-English speaking films, they gun for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film.

Dozens of countries submit what they think is the best film they have to offer of that year. Italy holds the record for 14 wins while France has the most nominations at 37. Israel has the most nominations, 10, without having won, and Portugal has the most submissions, 34, without getting nominated. Federico Fellini and Vittorio De Seca, both Italian, have four wins each. They have been around since 1947 and sometimes, their nomination and win also spills over to the other major categories, including Best Picture.

Here is my personal best-of-winner list; don’t @ me if I omit a winner or the ranking seems under or overinflated, it just means it wasn’t that good or it is overrated. With that, here are my Top 25 of Best Foreign Language Film winners:

  1. 8 1/2 (1963, Italy, dir. Federico Fellini)
  2. The Virgin Spring (1960, Sweden, dir. Ingmar Bergman)
  3. Rashomon (1951, Japan, dir. Akira Kurosawa)
  4. Amour (2012, Austria, dir. Michael Haneke)
  5. Day for Night (1973, France, dir. Francois Truffaut)
  6. Mon Oncle (1958, France, dir. Jacques Tati)
  7. La Strada (1956, Italy, dir. Federico Fellini)
  8. Fanny And Alexander (1982, Sweden, dir. Ingmar Bergman)
  9. Son of Saul (2015, Hungary, dir. Laszlo Nemes)
  10. Z (1969, Algeria, dir. Costa Garvas)
  11. Bicycle Thieves (1949, Italy, dir. Vittorio de Seca)
  12. The Secret In Their Eyes (2009, Argentina, dir. Juan Jose Campanella)
  13. A Separation (2011, Iran, dir. Asghar Farhadi)
  14. Amarcord (1974, Italy, dir. Federico Fellini)
  15. Ida (2014, Poland, Pawel Pawlikowski)
  16. The Lives Of Others (2006, Germany, dir. F.H. von Donnersmarck)
  17. All About My Mother (1999, Spain, dir. Pedro Almodovar)
  18. Babette’s Feast (1987, Denmark, dir. Gabriel Axel)
  19. Black Orpheus (1959, France, dir. Marcel Camus)
  20. Indochine (1992, France, dir. Régis Wargnier)
  21. Tsotsi (2005, South Africa, dir. Gavin Hood)
  22. A Fantastic Woman (2017, Chile, dir. Sebastian Leilo)
  23. Nights Of Cabiria (1957, Italy, dir. Federico Fellini)
  24. Cinema Paradiso (1989, Italy, dir. Giuseppe Tornatore)
  25. A Man And A Woman (1966, France, dir. Claude Lelouch)

Honorable Mention: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Taiwan, dir. Ang Lee)

Then, there are the losers and obviously, there are more of them than winners. Some you would wonder why it didn’t win, which will be listed; there were great foreign films that didn’t get this nomination (Talk To Her, Three Colors: Red, Ran) but were nominated in other categories. They will not qualify for this list, but the number of top nominees and their greatness from the past is undeniable and with high standing. Like a number of the winners, some are legends of the camera with a few making the jump to Hollywood later on.

  1. The Battle of Algiers (1966, Italy, dir. Gillo Pontecorvo)
  2. The Emigrants (1971, Sweden, dir. Jan Troell)
  3. Au Revoir, Les Enfants (1987, France, dir, Louis Malle)
  4. Amelie (2001, France, dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
  5. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006, Mexico, dir. Guillermo del Toro)
  6. Loves Of A Blonde (1966, Czechoslovakia, dir. Milos Forman)
  7. The Last Metro (1989, France, dir. Francois Truffaut)
  8. Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown (1989, Spain, dir. Pedro Almodovar)
  9. Paradise Now (2005, Palestine, dir. Hany Abu-Assad)
  10. Seven Beauties (1975, Italy, Lina Wertmuller)
  11. The New Land (1972, Sweden, dir, Jan Troell)
  12. The Fireman’s Ball (1968, Czechoslovakia, dir. Milos Forman)
  13. Placido (1961, Spain, dir. Luis Garcia Berlanga)
  14. Before The Rain (1994, Macedonia, dir. Milcho Manchevski)
  15. Incendies (2010, Canada, dir. Denis Villeneuve)
  16. Central Station (1998, Brazil, dir. Walter Salles)
  17. The Bridge (1959, West Germany, dir. Bernhard Wicki)
  18. The Burmese Harp (1956, Japan, dir. Kon Ichikawa)
  19. Farewell My Concubine (1993, Hong Kong, dir. Chen Kaige)
  20. Downfall (2004, Germany, dir. Oliver Hirschbiegel)
  21. Amores Perros (2000, Mexico, dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)
  22. Salaam Bombay! (1988, India, dir. Mira Nair)
  23. Strawberry And Chocolate (1994, Cuba, dir. Tomas Guiterrez Alea & Juan Carlos Tabio)
  24. Raise The Red Lantern (1991, Hong Kong, dir. Zhang Yihou)
  25. Cyrano de Bergerac (1990, France, Jean-Paul Rappeneau)

Honorable Mention: Waltz With Bashir (2008, Israel, dir. Ari Folman)

Sometimes, it is good to lose because you don’t get picked apart as time goes by. A number of the winners listed have stood the test of time while plenty of the losers seem to age well. Foreign cinema should not be looked upon as just a film, not in the English language, but a film that should be held to the same standard as an American film. Many complain that they don’t want to read subtitles; I have an announcement: you watch the action while reading the subtitles at the same time. Even Academy members can’t stand foreign films, but here is the bitter truth: they tend to be better than American and British ones. The Academy definitely looks beyond for worthy nominees and even winners in their leading competitive categories, but with Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma, no film has yet to break the barrier and win the big one.

Follow me on Twitter: @BrianSusbielles (Cine-A-Man)

List: Top 3 Non-Disney Animated Films (From Our Childhood)

JD Duran
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List: Top 3 Non-Disney Animated Films (From Our Childhood)

This week on Episode 312 of the InSession Film Podcast, inspired by The Lego Movie 2 and suggested from Patron Steven Keller, we discussed our favorite non-Disney animated films from our childhood. This was simultaneously very nostalgic, but also somewhat challenging as we had to recall films from a specific period of time and some of them we haven’t seen in quite awhile. However, it was really fun to go back and think about some of the more underseen or under-talked about gems from our childhood. Big thanks to Steven for the suggestion! That said, here are our lists:

(Note: Please keep in mind that we each had different criteria for our selections)

JD

1) The Iron Giant
2) The Land Before Time
3) The Transformers: The Movie

Brendan

1) Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
2) Antz
3) Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer

Ryan

1) The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
2) FernGully: The Last Rainforest
3) Thumbelina

Honorable Mentions (Combined)

Charlotte’s Web, Anastasia, The Secret of NIMH, An American Tale, An American Tale: Fievel Goes West, All Dogs Go to Heaven, The Brave Little Toaster, Balto, The Prince of Egypt, The Last Unicorn, Watership Down, The Rugrats Movie, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Hey Arnold!: The Movie

Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. As mentioned above, this category is rich in material to sift through and we barely scratched the surface of all that is available. So, there is a chance we are missing some directors and actors that would be on your list. That being said, what would be your Top 3? Leave a comment in the comment section or email us at [email protected].

For the entire podcast, click here or listen below.

For more lists done by the InSession Film crew and other guests, be sure see our Top 3 Movie Lists page.

Podcast: The Lego Movie 2 / Top 3 Non-Disney Animated Films (From Our Childhood) – Episode 312

JD Duran
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Podcast: The Lego Movie 2 / Top 3 Non-Disney Animated Films (From Our Childhood) – Episode 312

This week’s episode is brought to you by GoDaddy. Sign up today and save 30% on your order!

This week on the InSession Film Podcast, Ryan Terry from RLTerryReelView.com joins us to discuss The Lego Movie 2 and our Top 3 non-Disney animated films from our childhood! JD also gives his thoughts on the Peter Jackson documentary They Shall Not Grow Old.

Big thanks to Ryan for joining us on the show this week, it was a pleasure to finally get him on the show. As you’ll hear in the episode, JD was also able to catch up with Ryan at Disney World over the weekend to make Ryan’s appearance here all the more ironic and fun.

That said, check out this week’s show and let us know what you think in the comment section. Thanks for listening and for supporting the InSession Film Podcast!

– Movie Review: The Lego Movie 2 (5:05)
Director: Mike Mitchell
Writers: Phil Lord (screenplay by), Christopher Miller (screenplay by)
Stars: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz

– Notes / They Shall Not Grow Old (47:54)
JD was not able to be on Extra Film, but he did catch up with Peter Jackson’s historical restoration project They Shall Not Grow Old and had some thoughts on the film he wanted to share.

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RELATED: Listen to Episode 308 of the InSession Film Podcast where we discussed our Top 10 Movies of 2018!

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– Top 3 Non-Disney Animated Films (From Our Childhood) (1:01:41)
Thanks to a suggestion from Patreon supporter Steven Keller, we discussed our favorite non-Disney animated films from our childhood. This was simultaneously very nostalgic, but also somewhat challenging as we had to recall films from a specific period of time and some of them we haven’t seen in quite awhile. However, it was really fun to go back and think about some of the more underseen or under-talked about gems from our childhood. Big thanks to Steven for the suggestion! That said, what would be your Top 3?

Top 3 Sponsor: First Time Watchers Podcast

– Music

Catchy Song – Dillon Francis
Everything’s Not Awesome – The Lego Movie 2 Cast
The Great Migration – James Horner
The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

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InSession Film Podcast – Episode 312


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Next week on the show:

Main Review: High Flying Bird
Top 3: TBD

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Movie Review: ‘The Lego Movie 2’ isn’t as awesome as the first, but that’s okay

JD Duran
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Movie Review: ‘The Lego Movie 2’ isn’t as awesome as the first, but that’s okay

Director: Mike Mitchell
Writers: Phil Lord (screenplay by), Christopher Miller (screenplay by)
Stars: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz

Synopsis: It’s been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are facing a huge new threat: Lego Duplo invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than they can rebuild.

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When the slogan of your movie franchise is “everything is awesome,” everything must maintain its awesomeness in order to conform to your previously established paradigm. In other words, the sequel must also be awesome. While The Lego Movie 2 does not equal the excitement and well-packaged fun of the first, it exists as a worthy follow-up and hangs on to the heart and soul of the franchise.

It’s been five years since the events of The Lego Movie. Strange DUPLO aliens have brought the citizens of Bricksburg to the brink of extinction. Now living in a dystopian society, a mysterious figure arrives and promptly kidnaps several of Emmet’s (Chris Pratt) friends, including Lucy/Wyldestyle (Elizabeth Banks). Emmet sets off on his rescue mission to save his friends, but along the way meets allies and enemies who test him at every turn.

The surprises of the original film are somewhat tempered, as we as an audience understand the connotations to the strange words and locations the characters mention. However, as one pieces together the subtle clues, the film still manages to wriggle out of those assumptions and delivers a few unseen gems that astound. This is the struggle of the sequel. Once an audience is educated in the language and laws of the filmic world, then the stakes are raised on how much can remain hidden from the audience’s expectations. Writers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are keenly aware of this and manage to keep the audience guessing, which makes the film immensely entertaining for adults as well as children.

The themes of The Lego Movie 2 are deeper and more complex than those of the first film. Cynicism, masculinity, the ability to change, and empathy are all tied into an extremely entertaining popcorn movie. The jokes and the visuals come pretty fast, as they did in the first film, but this time the weight of the action and characters seems to threaten to crush everything that’s awesome. However, this never happens as the film deftly manages to be both subtly serious and outrageously silly. The deeper themes allow adult audiences to ponder the serious complexities, while kids will delight in the fever dream of colors, sounds, and musical numbers (and there are several well-timed numbers). This balance really helps when the perceived rules are thrown out the window and the film goes on to defy physical and temporal boundaries. Because of the trust and care instilled in the first half of the film, the audience accepts these breaks from reality, only due to the lack of reality inherent in the rest of the film. In other words, we accept the rules and understand the brittleness of the rules, but don’t seem to care at all when and if they are shattered.

In short, The Lego Movie 2 is a fantastic romp in a world of childhood dreams that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. The all-star voice cast is superb, and the writing is top notch. The film plays with expectations and subverts those expectations to the delight of all, even as it tackles complicated themes. While not being the original, The Lego Movie 2 still manages to blaze a trail of its own, and deservedly takes its place in this brilliantly engineered franchise.

Overall Grade: B

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Hear our podcast review on Episode 312!

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Podcast: They Shall Not Grow Old / Of Fathers and Sons – Extra Film

Jay Ledbetter
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Podcast: They Shall Not Grow Old / Of Fathers and Sons – Extra Film

This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film show, Ryan and Brendan a pair of war documentaries that have made waves in the film community: They Shall Not Grow Old and Of Fathers and Sons.

They Shall Not Grow Old sees Peter Jackson once again pushing the boundaries of filmmaking technology, taking old footage of World War I and transforming it into something more akin to the documentaries we are used to, today. The film has been colorized and the audio has been manipulated to feel completely true to life. But do these techniques make for a satisfying film experience or is it just an anomalous technology exhibition?

The second film covered in the episode is the hard-hitting documentary from Syrian filmmaker, Of Fathers and Sons. The film has garnered mainstream attention after receiving an Oscar nomination. The film follows a jihadist family in Syria, making for some truly devastating sequences. It is a bleak, harrowing tale, but also an insightful one.

Let us know what you thought of these films on social media and enjoy the show! Thanks for listening!

– Movie Review: They Shall Not Grow Old (8:15)
Director: Peter Jackson

– Movie Review: Of Fathers and Sons (34:43)
Director: Talal Derki

– Music
Over There – George M. Cohan, Arthur Fields
Swimming –  Karim Sebastian Elias
The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

We try to make this the best movie podcast we possibly can and we hope you enjoy them. Subscribe today on iTunes, Spotfiy or Stitcher, and please leave us a review on iTunes. You can also find us on Soundcloud, PlayerFM and TuneIn Radio as well. We really appreciate all your support of the InSession Film Podcast.

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Serenity / The Standoff at Sparrow Creek – Extra Film

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