From science-fiction epics and western dramas to comedy anthologies and coming-of-age indies, it was another great year in films
It’s a pity though, hot awards season favorites like Paul Thomas Anderson’s coming-of-age smash-hit Licorice PizzaRyusuke Hamaguchi’s Japanese drama drive my car, or Joachim Trier’s Norwegian dark comedy the worst person in the world Indian cinema hasn’t hit the screens – or is a streamer yet – with films already on ‘best of’ lists galore since last year!
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Dune
arrival What may still remain his best and weakest work, but French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s “Unfilmable” sci-fi classic is truly a feat for the ages. The A-listers’ ensemble cast is spectacular, led by a true-blue star turn (one of many) from Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson, who steals the show on more than one occasion. With Zimmer’s fast scores and stunning special effects that guarantee a truly 3D viewing, Dune Is an easy Oscar precursor, and pretty much raises expectations for an impending sequel.
King Richard
A highly watchable sports biopic (let’s admit we’re all suckers for the genre globally), the drama shows how Venus and Serena Williams rose to tennis stardom thanks to coaching from their father, Richard Williams. . Will Smith is exceptionally charming in what is arguably his best role in recent years, while Jon Bernthal hits it out of the park as coach Rick Mackie. While the film plays it too safe at times, it takes just the right amount of laughs, sniffles, and overall healthy vibes to prove it an ace, if there ever was one.
Lets go
In a role as distant as possible from his Oscar-winning performance as the Joker, Joaquin Phoenix embarks on a cross-country trip with his nephew as a radio journalist. It’s poignant, powerful, and heart-wrenchingly deep all at once, and though Phoenix offers undeniable star value, it’s child actor Woody Norman as nine-year-old Jesse who stars in the film. Mike Mills’ simple yet coming-of-age drama is also quite brilliantly shot in black-and-white—which gives it a striking aesthetic—and will be on your mind long after the final scene.
passing
Rebecca Hall made a definite directorial debut with passing Based on the 1929 novel by Nela Larsen. The black-and-white frames echo the themes of ‘Passing’ while beautifully capturing 1920s New York. Starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga as childhood friends whose lives take different turns depending on their choices, the film tackles the tough questions of race, gender, motherhood and jealousy without any gossip.
french dispatch
Wes Anderson’s Magic Tune the new Yorker Like any of his previous work is singular, beguiling and visually grand; An elegant treat served on the most ornate platters by A-list artists that include the director’s favorite collaborator in Bull Murray. Though perhaps not as sentimental as some of his previous works, Anderson’s tenuous feature—a anthology of sorts—is so terrifyingly funny in its big moments that it doesn’t matter. Whether it’s Tilda Swinton’s art critic JKL Berensen, Jeffrey Wright’s food journalist Roebuck Wright or, indeed, Frances McDormand’s Lucinda Krementz (whose ties to student revolutionary Timothée Chalamet’s Zeffirelli), the characters are so wildly inventive and original, that You can’t help but just sit back – and strap in for a long ride.
the green night
David Lowery’s reinterpretation of the 14th-century poem ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ conclusively proves that it is possible to delicately tell an epic tale of knights, giants, games and beheadings. Dev Patel is quite arrested as Gawain, a callow youth and King Arthur’s nephew who takes up a challenge by the Green Knight. Despite all the imaginary elements, the green night Goes for a stripped-down look to tell the story of medieval and modern together.
Annette
Is it a rock opera or a fantasy? Is it a romance, a comedy or a whodunit? French director Léos Carreaux’s English-feature debut is an anti-genre exploration of — among other things — the creativity, envy and modern-day obsession with celebrity. Adam Driver plays a provocative stand-up comic who sweeps a world-famous soprano off his feet (Marion Cotillard). The marriage follows a whirlwind romance and while the arrival of baby Annette (whom no one notices) should have been the opposite of the relationship, it is not. With music from the Sparks Brothers, which argues seamlessly with the narrative, Annette There is an off-kilter pleasure.
wig
Kristen Stewart is riveting in this non-fairy-tale like the tale of a princess in distress. While there’s no dragon guarding Lady Diana in the tower, a 1991 Christmas at Sandringham with the royal family – even though her marriage to Prince Charles is falling apart – isn’t much fun. Directed by Pablo Lahren, whose previous film Jackie saw an important week in the life of Jacqueline Kennedy, wig Shy smiles and looks at the woman behind the beautiful gown. Stewart is a shoo-in as the Princess of Wales, who builds a living, breathing, hurtful and humorous woman within lavish outfits and battles bulimia.
final duel
Adam Driver is as comfortable playing the heir to a fashion empire as he is playing a medieval knight in this Ridley Scott film. Based on the book by Eric Jagger, the film sees Matt Damon playing the role of Carrouge, a French knight with a strange haircut who challenges Jacques le Gris (the driver) to a duel after his (Carrouge) wife kills him. Le Gris was accused of rape. The film is divided into three sections, showing the same event from three perspectives: Carrogas, his wife Marguerite, and Le Gris. Ben Affleck has a supporting role in this cute-looking film with all the funny lines. It replaces the #MeToo lens on the casual Missogini, which is an added bonus.
dog power
Jane Campion’s adaptation of Thomas Savage’s eponymous book won the Silver Lion at the 78th Venice International Film Festival. While Benedict Cumberbatch is phenomenal as conflicted, clogged rancher Phil, Kirsten Dunst is also a revelation as recently married widow Rose, who takes to drinking when life is too much. Campion’s re-invention of the Western looks at the pressures of being a man among men. Jesse Plemons as Phil’s gentler brother George, and Cody Smit-McPhee as Rose’s son — who bears the brunt of Phil’s abrasiveness — round out the cast in this focus on masculinity.
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