Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

Sabin wrote:Critics across the board agree that The French Dispatch is a Wes Anderson. Print critics are warmly positive. Twitter crix seem delighted.

Peter Bradshaw gives it four stars/5.

His new film, The French Dispatch, long delayed by Covid, has on the strength of the extensively picked-apart trailer, been condemned as more of the same. To which I can only say … sure, yes, more fun, more buoyancy, more elegance, more marvelously eccentric invention, more originality. It might not be at the very zenith of what he can achieve but for sheer moment-by-moment pleasure, and for laughs, this is a treat.It's a Wes Anderson film!

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/j ... r-magazine

Todd McCarthy likes it fine.

If Wes Anderson hasn’t already been ordained as the king of twee, he certainly will be with The French Dispatch. There can never have been a film so entirely marked and dominated by preciously perfectionist compositions, arcane detail, meticulous camera moves, ornate décor, historical and design minutiae, styles of typography, precision diction, arch attitude, obsessive attention to cultural artifacts and loyalty to Oscar Wilde’s notion that art needn’t express anything other than itself. This is Anderson in full flower, one that only grows in a rarified altitude. As such, it will provoke the full range of reactions, from the euphoric among pure art devotees to outright rejection by, shall we say, those not on speaking terms with ultra-refined tastes.It's a Wes Anderson film!

https://deadline.com/2021/07/review-the ... 234790664/

Eric Kohn of IndeWire gives it a B+.

It’s hard to imagine another living filmmaker with a style as instantly recognizable as Wes Anderson, a feat that works against him no matter how expansive his approach. “The French Dispatch” doubles down on it, with a freewheeling triptych of stories that make the case for his appeal by amplifying it.It's a Wes Anderson film

https://www.indiewire.com/2021/07/the-f ... 234650346/

I created a stand-alone thread for the film (including the two Hollywood trade reviews), thinking it's more likely to become a contender (one we'll all comment on at some point), and would otherwise get lost in this thread.

You might want to move these over to there.

How about those Dodgers?

And, by contrast, a LOOOONG movie, also getting a strong reception -- Drive My Car. (Neither this nor Bergman Island seem likely to break mainstream, but they could definitely be award contenders.)

https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/d ... 235016509/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 234980492/

We have a frontrunner! (also, so nice to be talking about movies again)


David Ehrlich gives it an A-
https://www.indiewire.com/2021/07/bergm ... 234650205/

Five stars from the Telegraph.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2021/ ... -dazzling/

Owen Gleiberman likes it but falls short of loving it.
https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/b ... 235016841/

Sabin wrote:

dws1982 wrote
Just read on Twitter that Sean Penn's Flag Day was met with a hostile reception at its press screening.

IndieWire gave it a “B” and both Peter Bradshaw and Owen Gleiberman really liked it.

Yeah, the reception seems much more mixed than the all-out negative initial Twitter report indicated.

dws1982 wrote
Just read on Twitter that Sean Penn's Flag Day was met with a hostile reception at its press screening.

IndieWire gave it a “B” and both Peter Bradshaw and Owen Gleiberman really liked it.

Just read on Twitter that Sean Penn's Flag Day was met with a hostile reception at its press screening.

Mothering Sunday: another film with a somewhat mixed reception -- though the promise of hot sex, plus Josh O'Connor, might bring it some mainstream success.

https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/m ... 235015728/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 234979434/

Mister Tee wrote:So, Paul Verhoeven made a movie about lesbian nuns, and, you won't believe this: it turned out kind of porn-y.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 234979867/

https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/b ... 235015529/

If Verhoeven had made this 40 years ago I can easily imagine Charlotte Ramping in the lead role. No chance here of an Oscar nod for her. Her supporting role sounds bland.

Mister Tee wrote:So, Paul Verhoeven made a movie about lesbian nuns, and, you won't believe this: it turned out kind of porn-y.

Feel like Verhoeven is a good illustration of the old "when someone tells you who they are, believe them" adage.

So, Paul Verhoeven made a movie about lesbian nuns, and, you won't believe this: it turned out kind of porn-y.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 234979867/

https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/b ... 235015529/

I loved Reprise and had it very high up on my 2008 list. I cannot wait for this.

To back up your point about the committees vs. the countries, Reprise did not even make the short cut for Best Foreign-Language Film in 2006. It's always a bit odd looking back because with one or two exceptions, very few of us in the U.S. actually know how great many of these films are until the following year or two when they actually secure distribution or finish their festival run. Today, it looks blazingly obvious that Reprise should have at least made the short list let alone the final five (I have not seen After the Wedding, Days of Glory, or Water but these aren't terribly obscure films). It was obvious at the time though that Volver was a major snub, probably the biggest snub of the shortlist era.

Having been a fan of Trier since Reprise, I'm hopeful about this one: The Worst Person in the World.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 234979400/

https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/t ... 235014608/

After reading the reviews and seeing some clips, it looks to me like how much you like the film may depend upon how much you like the band Sparks and their music. Since 95% of America probably has never even heard of Sparks, that may be a problem.

So, how to describe Sparks' music? I'd call them Bizzaro Queen. You all know "Bohemian Rhapsody", which is mostly straightforward balladry and hard rock, with a deeply weird excursion into operatic vaudville. Now, imagine a band whose songs were mosty operatic vaudville with occassional excursions into standard rock. That's Sparks, basically a stylistic inversion of Queen's music: camp with some rock thrown in here and there. They're clever, creative, but unfortunately very silly. They're extremely European sounding. (I'm always shocked to be reminded that they're American.) Frankly, I think they're unlistenable.... with one exception. In the late 70s-early 80s, they tried their hand at New Wave, and they turned out to be a pretty good new wave band. Give the song "Cool Places" a try (with Jane Wiedlin! Yeah!)

It’s getting better reviews elsewhere (see the Guardian, Indiewire, Vulture, the LA times), though all give caveats about its weirdness and artifice. Some are loving Driver’s performance. This will likely appeal only to the artsiest crowds. I’m all in for seeing it, and will reserve judgment until I do.