Bombshell reviews

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Sabin
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Re: Bombshell reviews

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Precious Doll wrote
Sabin wrote
It's cheesy and one-dimensional even by made for TV movie standards.
And that is Jay Roach is one sentence.
The best way I can describe Bombshell is it is the most unexamined film of the year to the point where I don't think people leaving the film with a positive impression of the MeToo movement. The decision to move against Roger Aisles come largely from a place of career pragmatism, which is counter-productive to what any MeToo film would *want* to be about.


Didn’t mention but:

Theron is assured a nomination. If the film gets into the Best Picture hunt, a win might be in the cards.

Margot Robbie will probably be nominated. It will largely be bc of her year and how hot her career is. She has a strong arc of going from true believer to survivor, but she plays this composite character so cheerily all-American and apple pie that I found her mostly annoying. It doesn’t help that her character doesn’t *seem* real the way Robbie plays her. She’s an unexamined bag of contradictions we’re just supposed to accept, presented in Robbie’s over the top manner. Her scene with McKinnon actually hurts the film bc it teases something so interesting.

I can’t imagine why Kidman would be nominated other than checking her name. Her makeup does all of her acting for her. To be honest (as Gretchen Carlson) she just seems more frozen faced than usual. Her characters moved also seem more pragmatic than emotional.

John Lithgow has a chance if only for his makeup and bc he’s doing so much acting, although he’s a good example of what the film is doing wrong. His Aisles is errant, loud, a bully, a true believer, manic, weak, even a little sympathetic. I don’t mind ambiguity at all but the film has no idea what to do with this character. And he’s never convincing as Aisles. He’s always Lithgow in makeup.

Kate McKinnon probably doesn’t have a chance but she’s the only character in the film you’d ever want to spend any time with. As a closeted lesbian and Democrat, she’s the only character with a modicum of good humor and awareness. A nomination isn’t in the cards but thanks are due for helping to keep this affair afloat. In fact, her character is so interesting that when she makes the decision to look after herself, you don’t believe it bc her character is so wonderful.

The score is very interesting as well.
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Precious Doll
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Re: Bombshell reviews

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Sabin wrote:It's cheesy and one-dimensional even by made for TV movie standards.
And that is Jay Roach is one sentence.
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Sabin
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Re: Bombshell reviews

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There's a lot one could write about this movie... but it just doesn’t work. It's cheesy and one-dimensional even by made for TV movie standards. I was never much of a fan of The Big Short but at least Adam McKay understood that he needed to do something to off-set the intentional obviousness of Charles Randolph's script (if we're going to be charitable) where everyone is essentially playing a mouthpiece. Adam McKay would have at least staged this like the unbelievable horror show that Fox News is. Jay Roach just shoots it like, yes, these are real people. But nobody talks like a real person or acts like a real person. I wanted to throw my hands up in the air and say "We get it!" after five minutes.

It’s also guilty of trying to do too many things and feels unfocused. What should feel like an expose of sexual harassment feels like a hodgepodge of #MeToo era preoccupations. I don't mind that juggling act if you can pull it off, but I don't think Bombshell does. For example, Kelly's character pivots quite strongly from her Trump storyline (in and of itself quite interesting) to being called upon to come forward and speak of her years prior sexual harassment so quickly that it feels... honestly, somewhat counterproductive to the film's message. I’m willing to give it some credit for this being an intentional choice, as if it’s a whirlwind day gone out of control, but another director would have helped considerably.

Charlize Theron looks and sounds uncannily like Megyn Kelly but she misses something crucial about her appeal. She plays her soft-spoken and introspective. Kelly has a firecracker temper that manifests in prosecutorial bursts. Here she seems as demure and harmless as Greta Gerwig in Greenberg.
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Re: Bombshell reviews

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Big Magilla wrote:OK, but this isn't a review, it's the reaction of Variety's awards columnists.

Theron could easily break into the weak Best Actress race, but I doubt she'll overtake Zellweger for the win. The supporting actress race is even weaker so I suppose several of the many supporting actresses in the film could squeeze in there - Allison Janney as Susan Estrich and Alanna Ubach as Jeanine Pirro were singled out by Jeff Wells on Hollywood Elsewhere.
According to their awards website, only Theron, Kidman, Robbie, and Lithgow are being pushed. That could change though!
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Re: Bombshell reviews

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Big Magilla wrote:OK, but this isn't a review, it's the reaction of Variety's awards columnists.
Right... thanks for the correction.
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Re: Bombshell reviews

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Re: Bombshell reviews

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OK, but this isn't a review, it's the reaction of Variety's awards columnists.

Theron could easily break into the weak Best Actress race, but I doubt she'll overtake Zellweger for the win. The supporting actress race is even weaker so I suppose several of the many supporting actresses in the film could squeeze in there - Allison Janney as Susan Estrich and Alanna Ubach as Jeanine Pirro were singled out by Jeff Wells on Hollywood Elsewhere.
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Bombshell reviews

Post by HarryGoldfarb »

A very enthusiatic review from Variety... Theron and Kidman singled out for nods.

https://variety.com/2019/voices/in-cont ... 203369253/
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