THIS^^^. The whole thing is so neat and clean. The sets look like sets, the signs look freshly painted. Pleasantly entertaining but safe and bland.
I also don’t think Jamie Dornan is a natural fit for playing ‘poor physical laborer’ certainly not when they did nothing to make him appear as such.
Ruth Negga would've been my personal choice from the 2016 lineup too. Stone's charming but she's a boring winner, Huppert was better in Things to Come that year, and Portman & Streep are good but I feel like these movies (Jackie especifically) lets their performances down Talking about movies letting actresses down, House of Gucci is such a waste. Somehow both not ridiculous nor serious/engrossing enough. Two hours of build up and still none of the characters seem fully formed - this definitely needed more of an actors' director at the helm. Loved Gaggers in A Star is Born but I feel like she was just left adrift here
Fuck, Kirsten, Benedict and Kodi ATE in The Power of the Dog. I was kind of worried Benedict would overshadow Kirsten based on some reviews I'd read that didn't mention her as much but she was properly amazing - I don't know why I doubted my mother like that.
I watched Passing, Power of the Dog and Spencer all in one day and none of them really did much for me nn. Ruth Negga and Kristen Stewart both served great performances but I feel like none of these films really showed their full potential.
I thought the plot of The Power Of The Dog was expertly constructed - woven as intricately as the ropes on display. The movie takes its sweet time to set the scene and lay out the power dynamics between the characters, sure, but it makes the payoff of the last 30-45 minutes all the more rewarding.
But there isn't a pay off. It's all so subtle and vague that it's not at all clear what actually happens. There's loads to admire about it but I found the story telling really frustrating.
I thought The Power Of The Dog was a masterpiece. The landscape looked vast but at the same time suffocating, some shots harked back to classic westerns like Shane and those MGM backlots. Script was pitch perfect, Dunst dug hard and gave me perfection, she plays miserable better than any other actress out there. I wouldn't be mad if it took home best picture, director, actor, supporting actress and supporting actor. It still haunts me days later and a rewatch is in order.
Passing is my film of the year so far (but I generally take 18 months to catch up on all contenders for a year, so make of that what you will). It's not for everyone, granted, but I thought it was a perfect adaptation of an "impossible to film" novella and Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga and Bill Camp are just amazing. So much of the drama (dramatic ending aside) takes place in the characters' heads, which I understand is frustrating for a lot of people but I simply loved that because of how the actors convey it.
The way Don't Look Up and Being the Ricardos lifted their review embargo the same day and got mixed to negative reviews after pundits spent weeks hyping them up...this is how Power of the Dog wins.
King Richard feels like the hundredth movie I liked but didn’t love this hear. Well acted and paced but every scene centering Venus* was magnetic so that fact that the movie wasn’t about her was a glaring mistake. *Serena too but framing her as a goliath in the waiting was really fun.
I mean, I'm gonna watch anything Nicole does but like how bad is it? Is it at least unintentionally funny to watch her do Lucy?
Same, but with Cmon Cmon. It’s been a real 3 star affair for me so far this year. Cmon Cmon, Tik Tik Boom, Spencer, House Of Gucci, Passing, The French Dispatch - all good but not great. Honestly my faves of the bunch are probably Dune and The Last Duel. Holding out hope for The Power Of The Dog!
The Last Duel is surely out of the conversation. Big budget flops never do well. In different circumstances Jodie could have been a contender but the category is stacked. I'm fully prepared to hate Don't Look Up as much as I did Vice.
We were stuck inside last year and the film race was far more exciting with a far better crop. I am holding out for The Power of the Dog as well as it’s the only film this year in the race that has stayed with me. Well that and Pig but there’s not a chance in hell the Academy recognizes that film.
