- Marriage Story, from Venice and from Telluride
"“Marriage Story” is the Noah Baumbach movie we’ve been waiting for. It’s better than good; it’s more than just accomplished (...) At once funny, scalding, and stirring, built around two bravura performances of incredible sharpness and humanity, it’s the work of a major film artist, one who shows that he can capture life in all its emotional detail and complexity (...) Baumbach’s brilliant screenplay never falters or hits a wrong note. He has come up with smart, witty, saddened, and searching characters whose ability to articulate their feelings is never less than lifelike, and he writes scenes that are like verbal arias." - OWEN GLEIBERMAN, Variety
"Like Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes From a Marriage — an inevitable influence — this is a tough piece of work, steeped in pain that feels wincingly immediate (it’s based on Baumbach’s own divorce from actress Jennifer Jason Leigh) and unsparing in its willingness to observe, at sometimes startling emotional proximity, good people at their worst. (...) But Baumbach shoots it in a few long takes, the camera slowly closing in on Nicole, and the whirlpool of feelings Johansson conjures — the nostalgia, the churning vulnerability, the currents of shame and self-loathing — is astonishing (...) Charlie and Nicole, on the other hand, are thrillingly complicated, written with a generous feel for the chaos and contradiction of human emotions. (...) The actress makes you feel the clashing impulses and instincts — anger and longing, defiance and guilt, boldness and trepidation — in every step of Nicole’s transition into life without Charlie. (...) But Charlie has had an eclipsing effect on the woman he loves, and Driver delivers a brilliantly inhabited and shaded portrait of a man who’s forced to reckon with that reality." - JON FROSCH, The Hollywood Reporter
It seems to be one of the most widely acclaimed movies of this early Fall film festival season. From Noah Baumbach's direction and screenplay to Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver's bravura performances, Marriage Story is a winning movie from Netflix and it seems impossible not to include it in our Oscar predictions. An old-fashioned drama about a East Coast/West Coast divorce with a lot of detail, heart and emotional complexity, Marriage Story might have the Netflix stamp (and some people don't like Netflix policies!), but it seems to be the masterpiece of an acclaimed auteur!
- Ad Astra, from Venice
"Gray’s command of these tonal and narrative shifts is evidence of a sensibility steeped in classical cinematic entertainments, and grounded in the belief that even a meditative, quasi-Tarkovskian space opera should deliver a good jolt every now and then. (...) Where the picture really comes together is in the final stretch, in which Gray allows the sad grandiosity of his vision to flourish without apology (a development echoed by Max Richter’s lovely score, which shifts from “Tron”-like electronica to more classically moving strings). (...) That picture, like this one, was shot by the brilliant cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, and it, too, was predicated on a grave apocalyptic threat." - JUSTIN CHANG, Los Angeles Times
"Leave any disbelief at the door, though, and you’ll be rewarded with an often gorgeous, soulful sci-fi that’s charged with emotion and bursting with spectacle. It has meaningful things to say about letting go, dads and their sons, and the challenges of reconciling with the past. (...) director James Gray and his co-writer Ethan Gross never lose sight of its intimate heart. They’re aided in that by a terrific, nuanced performance from Pitt. (...) Max Richter’s lovely, understated score fills the vast canvas much more effectively. (...) It’s often thrilling, occasionally improbable, sometimes confounding, but like its director, ‘Ad Astra’ is never bound by the gravitational pull of the ordinary." - PHILIP DE SEMLYEN, Time Out
So, not universally loved, but critics still can appreciate certain aspects of the movie. Some narrative and pace troubles, but it seems James Gray's Ad Astra is visually magnificient and it features some great score from Max Richter! A space odyssey that might pale in comparison to Kubrick's 2001 or Cuarón's Gravity, but a good one that might fare well during the awards season. Of course Brad Pitt's presence will draw attentions too! Ad Astra might have a word to say during awards season.
- Ford v. Ferrari, from Telluride
"The adrenaline of speed and sound are the foundation of exhilaration in James Mangold‘s sensational “Ford v Ferrari” from 20th Century Fox. Classically made in the vein of pure crowd-pleasing excitement as audiences have been accustomed for decades, Mangold constructs a story entrenched within a sport that makes the viewer care genuinely for, even if they usually do not. This is all heightened most notably by the indelible performance by Christian Bale, who turns in one of his most exceptional performances yet (...) Bale tackles the frustration rooted within a man whose passion is so profound and grand, his expectations of other’s respect for it is a hindrance. The cast ensemble pops. Admittedly, Matt Damon’s Carroll Shelby is the weakest written character. (...) Tracy Letts demands attention in his few scenes as Henry Ford II. (...) Marco Beltrami‘s score adds to the impeccable racing scenes while never shying away from drawing a tear or two. It would likely be one of the great travesties in awards history if Andrew Buckland and Michael McCusker are not among the five nominees for film editing. Just calling it all a “thrill-ride” is too simplistic to describe what they achieve. Phedon Papamichael‘s camera work is sensationally fierce while surely there are plenty of visual effects that are likely invisible to the naked eye that deserve just as much credit. What stands above it all is every person that is involved with the sound design" - CLAYTON DAVIS, AwardsCircuit
"It’s hard to imagine a movie called “Ford v Ferrari” working without stellar action on the racetrack, and director James Mangold’s recreation of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race delivers where it counts — in the driver’s seat. (...) Damon and Bale are such magnetic onscreen figures that it doesn’t take much to inject their various arguments, smarmy asides, and high-stakes bets with plenty of intrigue. (...) But when “Ford v Ferrari” eventually settles into a striking recreation of the 24-hour race, Mangold’s expert filmmaking really takes charge: With Marco Beltrami’s score injecting a jazzy energy to the proceedings, the cars zip and twirl and clash ad infinitum — sometimes even erupting into flames — as the competition dwindles, and nothing involving the broader drama at hand can keep up. Bale, wide-eyed and on the verge of psychotic rage behind the wheel, doesn’t need to say much" - ERIC KOHN, IndieWireSo, Ford v. Ferrari is the Oscar player I predicted it to be and it is going to be one of those big contenders virtually for every technical category! Bale seems to deliver another astonishing performance and since the AMPAS has already learned how to love him, I expect him to enter Best Actor "race" easily. What about Tracy Letts? Maybe! Some reviews mention his strong work, so...! If the movie manages to do good at the box-office, expect Ford v. Ferrari to be a top contender for Best Picture and maybe, James Mangold!
- Judy, from Telluride
"Renée Zellweger gives us a heartfelt, studied portrayal of Garland (...) Zellweger rises resolutely to the challenge of playing Judy on stage and off: her eyes crinkle in tandem with a tremulous pout when her feelings are hurt, and sometimes when they are the opposite of hurt, although she is perhaps less convincing with the wide-eyed Garland gaze. Her walk and stance cleverly convey the sense of someone who is only in her 40s but feels older, but is rejuvenated by the electric thrill of being on stage." - PETER BRADSHAW, Guardian
"Zellweger leaves them both standing. She is astonishingly good, not just looking and sounding like Garland, not just nailing the mannerisms, but also giving a performance of startling power and depth. When she sings The Trolley Song, you’d swear you were watching documentary footage. But she also perfectly captures the star’s unpredictability, her vulnerability. Somewhere over the rainbow, maybe there’s an Oscar waiting." - BRIAN VINER, Daily Mail (UK)
It seems to be one of those cases an acting performances saves a whole movie. I wasn't confident about a Renee Zellweger's comeback, but reviews are quite enthusiastic and there's no way to deny her awards potential. There's hope for an Oscar comeback for Zellweger! No matter what, the movie itself got "so so" kind of reviews, so I'm not expecting to hear a lot about Judy besides its leading lady's raved acting turn.
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