Cinema and Popcorn

The EE BAFTA Film Awards took place last Sunday (February 19) at the Royal Festival Hall, London, and it didn't bring that much clarity in terms of Oscar predictions. In fact, I must say I consider BAFTA went mostly for the "challengers", while it also carried All Quiet On the Western Front to the top seats of many categories. The German-speaking anti-war movie took home 7 trophies, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Film Not in English Language, besides Best Adapted Screenplay - is Netflix Best Picture Oscar closer than we expect? BAFTA Awards are a reliable Oscar indicator, specially in terms of wins. The Brits clearly loved All Quiet On the Western Front - the movie is splendid, indeed - but is this win also a political message? A movie about the horrors of war, about the lives lost, about how pointless it can be! Could the AMPAS go the same way? The 1930's adaptation took home Best Picture and Best Director back in the time when the Nazi regime was trivi...

AFTERSUN It is a character study. More than a movie, it is a memory put on celluloid and it feels deeply personal. In fact, Aftersun is not a movie to watch, it is a movie to inhabit, because it plays in its own form, in its own voice, without any worries about what audiences might think. It is also beautiful thanks to a beautifully crafted cinematography work by Gregory Oke that assures you always feel you are scoping a very private moment from one (or both) leading characters here. As for the acting, Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio are both tremendous! Mescal proves he is one of the best actors of his generation here - his is an amazing sensibility and self-awareness that allow him to be this emotionally naked and raw on-screen. He embodies the tragedy and the inner sadness and chaos of Calum and deliver it in cinematic magic form! As for Frankie Corio, she delivers one of the best child-performances you'll ever see in years - she is able to match Mescal in what I would call "...

Genre: Comedy; Drama Director: Damien Chazelle Writers: Damien Chazelle Starring: Diego Calva, Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, Flea, Olivia Wilde, Li Jun Li, Max Minghella &  Tobey Maguire It took me a while to understand my own opinion about Damien Chazelle's Babylon and I still can't figure out if I like it more than I hate it. To be clear: Babylon is able to reach brilliance sometimes, but it also can go low, very low. An exciting first act with a chaotic energy and a beautiful last act full of heart and nostalgia aren't really matched by what goes in between. It's a mess, but it is a visually stunning mess with what might well be the richest score I've ever heard since La La Land - Justin Hurwitz did it again! Babylon is composed by four parts: a 30 min prologue that gives you a boost of energy right before the title card pops on-screen and then three acts: the discovery and rise to stardom of Nellie LaRoy & Manny's entrance i...