Film 2355 - Babygirl

Intro: We were really curious to watch this movie after hearing about it so much and in such good terms. Also, we thoguht it would have played a bigger role during the awards season.

Film 2355: "Babygirl" (2024), Halina Reijn
Watched on: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh, Debbi
Thoughts: "Babygirl" is one of those movies that is all about sex, but not sexy or sensual. So you're watching a film about people having sex, about BDSM, sexual tension, control, but it never really gets you there. You see it, but you don't feel it. And it's a bit strange considering how much it revolves around these themes.
That said, it's not a bad movie, I actually enjoyed it enough. Nicole Kidman gives a brave performance - I like that choses to work with a female director at least once a year - and Harris Dickinson should definitely be a bigger star by now. In a way, he is the movie.
Ps. I know it's silly, but once you notice how big Nicole Kidmsna's earlobe are, you can't unsee it. For the rest of the movie.
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Sophie Wilde, Antonio Banderas.
Box Office: $64.3 million
Worth a watch?: Bob Dylan's fans should really enjoy this movie. Not my favourite biopic or musical, but still a good film. Similar titles would be "Walk the Line" and Ray". For something a bit more fast-paced, "Dreamgirls", "8 Mile", "Elvis", "Better Man", "Rocketman" or "Judy".
Awards: Nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. Nicole Kidman won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival 2024.
Key word: Intern.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2354 - A Complete Unknown

Intro: Getting ready for the Oscars means to watch as many nominated movies as possible. And this year we were very committed.

Film 2354: "A Complete Unknown" (2024), James Mangold
Watched on: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh, Debbi, Elias
Thoughts: Biopics can be a hit or a miss, but I have to admit I enjoyed this movie enough. I say enough not because "A Complete Unknown" isn't a good movie - au contraire - but mainly because I don't know Bob Dylan's music that much and. And considering this is both a biopic AND a musical, not knowing any of the songs didn't help.
Again, I don't know Dylan's story, so I can only judge what I saw here, which isn't that pretty at times: it seems like the famous singer was a bit of a prick here and there (I mean, we all are in our own different ways) and I wasn't expecting to witness this side of him. His relationship with the two main female lead here isn't great, there's a lot of cheating and putting himself (and his music) first in the name of greatness.
That said, I particularly enjoyed the actors' performances. Timothée Chalamet really is one of the greatest (see his SAG speach which brought him so much controversy) and Monica Barbaro is phenomenal playing Joan Baez. Extremely well deserved Oscar noms for these two. I admit I was rooting for Chalamet to win. Althought this isn't my favourite movie by any means, of the 5 nominated performances (I watched only 4 so far), his was the one that impressed me the most.
Overall I liked "A Complete Unknown", not necessarily a movie that fits what I'm usually looking for in a film, still I enjoyed the watch.
Ps. It's silly, I know, but once you notice Chalamet's nails you can't unsee them.
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fogler, Scoot McNairy.
Box Office: $132 million
Worth a watch?: Bob Dylan's fans should really enjoy this movie. Not my favourite biopic or musical, but still a good film. Similar titles would be "Walk the Line" and Ray". For something a bit more fast-paced, "Dreamgirls", "8 Mile", "Elvis", "Better Man", "Rocketman" or "Judy".
Awards: Nominated for 8 Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Lead Actor (Chalamet), Supporting Actress (Barbaro), Supporting Actor (Norton), Adapted Screenplay, Sound, and Costume Design. 6 BAFTA nominations for Best Film, Actor in a Leading Role (Chalamet), Actor in a Supporting Role (Norton), Adapted Screenplay, Casting, and Costume Design. 3 Golden Globe noms in the Drama category for Best Picture, Best Actor (Chalamet), and Supporting Actor (Norton).
Key word: Folk.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2353 - The Thin Red Line

Intro: Ages ago when I was still a teenager, I tried to watch this movie. I heard great things about it and I wanted to know what all the fuzz was about. 20 minutes in and I stopped. I remember thinking it started so slow, I felt I wasn't sure I could finish it. Decades have passed and, for watherver reason, a few weeks ago I remembered about this movie, remembered how I gave up when I tried to watch it the first time, and felt now it was the right time to give it a go.

Film 2353: "The Thin Red Line" (1998), Terrence Malick
Watched on: My computer
Language: English
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: I wont' lie, it took all the patience I had in me to finish this movie. Not becuase it's bad - the very opposite - but it's so long (171 min) I wasn't sure I had it in me after a while.
That said, "The Thin Red Line" is extremely well made, I think you can tell that Malick is really interested in nature, a lot of the shots are actually just forest. It really does help you immerse yoursefl in the story, although including all these shots really encreases the runtime of the movie. Once you're at peace with that, you can really focus on the story.
There are a billion characters (and famous actors) in this movie, to the point that sometimes it's overwhelming. I was curious to see how the story would have handled so many storylines, but to be fair most of these famous actors that you read the name of on the poster are just there for a scene or two (George Clooney and John Travolta, for example), so that explains how they managed to secure so many famous names. It's still impressive how many famouse faces from that decade you recognize while watching the movie.
Overall, I really enjoyed "The Thin Red Line". In a way, it's more "poetic" than "Saving Private Ryan", although still very much grounded into reality, it has a way of telling its story differently, often stopping to focus on nature, a detail, a face. I liked this approach, in a way it gives you a moment to take all in, process the cruelty you just witnessed, the horrors of war. Funny enough, the two movies share similar topics and themes, they both faced against each other at the 1999 Oscars ceremony and they both lost Best Picture (still a massive scandal to this day) to "Shakespeare in Love".
Cast: Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, Ben Chaplin, George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Nick Nolte, John C. Reilly, Jared Leto, Tim Blake Nelson, Thomas Jane, Miranda Otto, John Travolta.
Box Office: $98.1 million
Worth a watch?: A tough watch, I won't lie. Definitely not a movie for all occasions or everybody, it handles a heavy topic (depicting a a fictionalized version of the Battle of Mount Austen, which was part of the Guadalcanal Campaign in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War) and it takes its time to do it. I really liked it, but I'm not sure I'd watch it again.
Awards: Nominated for 7 Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Original Dramatic Score, and Sound. Nominated for Best Foreign Film at the César Awards. The movie won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Key word: Bunker.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2352 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Intro: A couple of months ago I was watching a video on YouTube about the Oscars and the youtuber said something like nobody really remembers this movie anymore as it wasn't that good anyway. I cannot disagree more.

Film 2352: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008), David Fincher
Watched on: My computer
Language: English
Watched with: No one
Thoughts: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has had such a massive impact on my life it's hard to explain how much I care for it. Not only it inspired the nickname I use to this day, Bengiamino Bottone, but I remember being obsessed with its soundtrack - I bought the CD - and I still listen to it to this day. Not to mention that my favourite actress Cate Blanchett plays the female lead character, which adds to this movie's appeal (to met).
Rewatching it almost felt like watching it for the first time all over again, as it's been a while since my last viewing. And it was probably my first time watching it in English, so in a way it felt like I was experiencing something new.
A very poetic movie, beautifully shot and, again, Alexandre Desplat's score is so good.
Film 200 - Il curioso caso di Benjamin Button
Film 1151 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Film 2352 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas, Mahershala Ali, Jared Harris, Tilda Swinton.
Box Office: $335.8 million
Worth a watch?: One of my favourite movies, I never get tired of it. It is a bit long for sure, but I never really minded. Always a nice watch.
Awards: 3 Oscar wins for Best Art Direction, Makeup, and Visual Effects out of 13 nominations (Picture, Director, Acotr for Brad Pitt, Supporting Actress for Taraji P. Henson, Original Score, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, and Sound Mixing). 3 BAFTA wins for Best Makeup & Hair, Production Design, and Visual Effects out of 11 noms (Film, Director, Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Costume Design, and Music). 5 Golden Globe nominations in the Drama category (Film, Director, Actor, Screenplay, and Score). 1 MTV Movie + TV Awards for Best Female Performance (Taraji P. Henson). Nominated for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media at the Grammys.
Key word: Aging.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2351 - Conclave

Intro: I'm obviously obsessed with this movie and I wanted to show it to Michael, who didn't have the chance to go and see it at the movies.

Film 2351: "Conclave" (2024), Edward Berger
Watched on: The TV
Language: English
Watched with: Michael
Thoughts: The more I watch it, the more I enjoy it and notice new details, pay more attention to the soundtrack (this wonderful score should have won Volker Bertelmann the Oscar), love Ralph Fiennes' performance even more.
"Conclave" is a great movie, stunningly beautiful, every shot looks like a painting, carefully crafted to please the eyes of the audience. I'm really captivated by this movie, I find it beautiful and smart, its story compelling and entertaining (although I still feel such a shocking ending isn't really necessary here: maybe it works better in the book, I'm not sure it translate well in its cinematic counterpart). And it gives me great joy to see Isabella Rossellini and Sergio Castellitto in such a prestigious production.
One of the best movies from last year, definitely my pick for Best Picture at the Oscar.
Film 2327 - Conclave
Film 2332 - Conclave
Film 2351 - Conclave
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, Carlos Diehz, Lucian Msamati, Isabella Rossellini.
Box Office: $107.6 million
Worth a watch?: I'd watch it another 50 times. "Conclave" is great, perfectly narrated, beautifully crafted, masterfully acted. It's a thriller more than anything else, very political and extremely symbolical. Like an onion, there are multiple layers to peal here.
Awards: 1 Oscar win for Best Adapted Screenplay over 8 Oscar nominations (Best Picture, Actor for Fiennes, Supporting Actress for Rossellini, Original Score, Editing, Production Design, and Costume Design). 1 Golden Globe won for Best Screenplay out of 6 nominations in the drama category (Best Movie, Actor, Supporting Actress, Director, and Original Score). 12 BAFTA nominations and 4 wins for Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing.
Key word: Certainty.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi

Film 2350 - Anora

Intro: I wan't sure about rewatching this movie already, but Michael really wanted to watch it and, to be fair, I couldn't say no. Because, after all, this was one of my favourite movies from last year.

Film 2350: "Anora" (2024), Sean Baker
Watched on: The projector
Language: English
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: It's almost been two weeks and I still can't get over the fact that Demi Moore isn't an Oscar winner "because" of this movie. To be honest, I don't think I'll ever get over it. But let's start from the beginning.
When I watched "Anora" a couple of months ago, all the Oscars buzz and the controversies (about the intimacy coordinator) were there already. After winning at Cannes 2024, it was very obvious that this movie was destined to do really good come award season. So, that I expected. When Demi Moore started winning big, I got really excited, to the point that I didn't give too much credit to the BAFTAs when they rewarded Madison in their Leading Actress category. Usually the BAFTAs are a bit more "artsy" and/or go with British choices, so I didn't feel particularly defeated when Demi didn't win there (still, they rewarded "Emilia Pérez", but whatever). Demi subsequent win at SAG further cemented my idea: she was going to win the Oscar for sure now, seeing that the actors' branch was rewarding her performance a week before the Academy Awards. Boy I was up for a surprise.

With this in mind, I can't honestly deny that my disappointment for Demi's lost chance at winning her first Academy Award comes into play a bit when I'm thinking about this movie. I still think "Anora" is an interesting ride, but it's definitely not my best movie of the year. By a landslide. And, as much as I respect Mikey Madison's performance here - which is great, by the way! - hers is definitely not my favourite performance of 2024. (Who would have thought...)
"Anora" is a very, very loud movie, the dialogue is sometimes screamed at you, which reminded me of the terrible experience I had watching "Uncut Gems": I can take the noise, it's just that everything is too cahotic and frantic and I don't appreciated it.
Furthermore, the story didn't necessarily compelled me, not my cup of tea. The sex workers subject is interesting, but it lost me when the family got involved: I'm not much into movies about mafia, gangsters and similar topics. Not for me.
What I did really enjoye is Yura Borisov's character and performance. He is amazing in the movie, a real scene-stealer for me. At the beginning he's only in the background, but he slowly gains momentum until, in the end, he reveals himself to be one of the few people (possibly the only one) who shows Anora some kindness. I was really impressed by Borisov's portrayal, possibly also because he's not so in your face like every other character of this movie.
So, now that we all know that this is 2025's Best Picture winner at this Oscars, I'll say this (and maybe time will prove me wrong or I will change my mind): "The Substance" is an iconic movie in so many ways and it will forever be remembered as such. I don't know if we can say the same about "Anora".
Cast: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Aleksei Serebryakov.
Box Office: $47.2 million
Worth a watch?: #TeamDemi didn't work so here we are, with a different Best Actress winner, still an extremely impressive performance. Funny enough, the story of "The Substance" came to life on Oscars' night, when Demi Moore lost the chance of a lifetime to a younger actress.
"Anora" isn't my favourite movie, it's been a tough watch to be completely honest, it's a very loud movie and the characters constantly scream at each other. If you like that type of chaos, there's plenty for you here. The sex workers topic is also interesting, but the story quickly shifts to Anora and Vanya's crazy love story, so it's a bit of a missed opportunity there for me. All in all, it's worth watch it to come up with your own opinion about the movie, but I'm definitely going to watch it again soon.
Awards: 6 Oscar nominations and 5 wins: Best Picture, Director, Actress (Mikey Madison), Original Screenplay, and Film Editing (only missed Best Supporting Actor for Yura Borisov). 2 BAFTA wins over 7 nominations (for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Casting) and 5 Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress (Madison), Best Supporting Actor (Borisov), Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The movie won the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Key word: Wedding.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi