Finally watched “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and it was very different from any other Oscar winner I’ve seen, very clever, and surprisingly moving.
I think many who’d seen EEAAO found these Oscars to be awesome precisely because they gave a different kind of a movie the limelight.
As an older millennial who saw the Matrix in the cinemas and kinda considers that a culturally defining moment for me and those my age, and, I’d figure, that it more or less captures the vibe of that moment — cyberpunk tech chic, 90s was peak western civ (?!), thought control is bad … freedom and conspiracy theories good (?), the apocalypse is in the distant future, you can actually fight the system and at least nearly win your freedom — the similar-ish way in which EEAAO made a statement to and for the present and the way it in some ways similarly captures this moment … was wonderful to see TBH. Like, at some point in the movie, it didnt’ matter to me whether I liked it or not, I was just happy that it existed and people were seeing it. When it won the Oscars, I felt the same way.
Also … am I way off base about linking in to the Matrix? Has anyone written up something about them together in anyway?
On my side, I would say the Truman show.
A classic, but it was the first time for me, and I really enjoyed it, it aged very well.
Great movie! As long as I can remember my family’s had it on VHS (then DVD), I must have seen it dozens of times over the years. Obviously I think it holds up lol but nice to hear it actually does.
Yes Man is my other favorite Jim Carrey movie, probably in part because he plays it somewhat serious too (though not as serious as Truman Show). It got middling reviews but I enjoyed it quite a bit - the comedy is a little more subtle than what you expect when you hear the premise and lead actor, but it works, and the romance elements are nice in it too. No masterpiece but worth a watch if you’re in the mood for something light and fun.
Devil’s advocate. Truly Keanu Reeves in his prime, riffing with a fantastic Al Pacino. The movie still haunts and fascinates 26 years later. The cinematography is impeccable.
Keanu’s accent in that is the worst southern accent I think I’ve ever heard. His emotion is excellent, but that always takes me out. Like, I’d rather watch Lucas Black and his southern accent from Tokyo Drift.
I’m not a native English speaker, so it doesn’t faze me at all. Honestly I didn’t even notice. I’ll check again and pay attention to his accent next time.
Asteroid city. Full disclosure I love pretty much every Wes Anderson movie, so it was kind of a no brainer that I’d love it. I feel like it’s more of an Anderson movie than the last few were though. It felt so much more like the royal tenenbaums or moonrise kingdom than the more recents like French dispatch did.
I love it for unintentionally being a huge middle finger to the Wes Anderson like AI generated videos. That, while aesthetically pleasing, completely miss the point of what a Wes Anderson movie really is and what its subtext is implying. In a way Wes Anderson outs-parodies all his critics by making the most Wes Anderson movie ever.
Jacob’s Ladder (from 1990)