This is the third remake of the original 1937 A Star is Born
and like the others really didn’t need to be made. The original and two of the
three remakes including this one are highly rated but I am not sure why. I
should confess that I really don’t like movies about romances between successful
musicians or the troubles they have. In this case Bradley Cooper a burned out
rock musician wanders randomly into a gay nightclub/bar and hears the only female
performer sing and “instantly” sees her as a major talent and falls deeply in love
with her right away. She has given up on her career (stop me if you heard this
plot before) but he encourages her to persist and of course she becomes hugely
successful while he crashes and burns. Yawn. I really like Lady Gaga but as a
singer not an actor and Cooper, who has been nominated for Oscars in the past, really
does nothing for me in this film. Still somehow A Star is Born has been nominated
for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director etc not only by the
Academy but also by the Golden Globes and BAFTA’s. So far it has only won for Best
Song and Best Music which may be justified. After all I like Lady Gaga and if her
song wins I will not complain but I will beg Hollywood to stop making and
remaking this stupid movie.
I was not sure I wanted to see this movie. I like Marvel movies
for the most part but they are normally live action while this was not only
animated but not a very traditional story – for example Peter Parker dies right
at the start. The premise of the film is the creation of a new Spider-man, Miles
Morales, the son of a black New York cop and a Latino mother. The villains are
the traditional Marvel baddies like The Kingpin and some variations like a female
Dr. Octopus. The Kingpin has built a device to create a bridge to other dimensions
which draws several spider-men/women into our universe and who team up to train
Miles to use his new powers and save our universe from destruction. I was
prepared not to like this movie but ended up loving it. The animation was
great, the script had humour and paid great homage to the original comics and
to the Marvel live action films that preceded it. Some have suggested it is one
of the best ever super hero movies and I would not disagree. There is even an
animated cameo of Stan Lee. Just perfect. You do have to be a bit of a Marvel
comics fan to get into this one but even if you are not I recommend having a
look. If it is not obvious from this review, I suspect this is a cinch to win
the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. It has already won the Golden Globe and
BAFTA so… not likely it can lose.
Nominees: Bao, Weekends, Animal Behaviour, One Small Step,
and Late Afternoon
The Short film categories are always interesting and a
refreshing break from the feature film categories which this year are, for the
most part not very memorable or have been sullied by the behaviour of the
actors, writers or directors. This year’s nominees for Best Animated Short film
are all very different from each other in style and design. Three are from Canadian
directors and if you are from Toronto you will recognize the skyline in Bao and
Weekends despite both being credited as from the USA. Animal Behaviour comes from the perennially nominated
National Film Board. So comments. With the exception of
Animal Behaviour all the other nominees have some heart-breaking elements to
them which gives them a dimension that some, who are not fans of animated films,
may find difficult.
Lets start with One Small Step which was I think the weakest
of the five nominated films. It’s a story about a young girl from humble origins
that realizes her dream of being an astronaut and going to the moon. The story
about her dreams and her relationship with her father is engaging but there is
nothing very surprising or interesting in the story so while it is pleasant to
watch it is not the winner.
Late Afternoon is more touching as it shows a young woman
helping her mother pack up her belongings. It is clear that the mother has early
dementia and the packing up is the packing up of her life. At first she doesn’t
seem to recognize her daughter but at the end the connection is made making the
film bittersweet. Still I would say more sweet than bitter.
Weekends is about a young boy whose parents are divorced and
he has to deal with visiting his father on the weekends and coping with his
mother as she enters a new relationship. I am not sure the writers and
directors knew what they really wanted to do with the story but the animation
was very interesting to watch. It speaks somewhat to the issue I have with
animated films. This is not the sort of animation you are used to with Pixar or
Disney films but it is still excellent and interesting and evocative of the
theme of the film.
Animal Behaviour is the NFB entry and was a bit of a relief
from the heavier themes of the other films. It is set in a group therapy
session with a dog as the therapist and slug, a pig, a small bird, a cat, and a
female praying mantis. All goes relatively normally until a huge gorilla with anger
issues joins the group. Hilarity follows. I liked it a lot but must admit that
this may have had something to do with having something to laugh at.
Bao is likely the best of the lot although I confess, I
found the story a bit difficult to follow and I am not sure I like the fact
that it is a Pixar production. The animation is exquisite as one would expect
from Pixar and it has a sense of humour but some sort of shocking elements as
well. It focusses on a Chinese family making bao (a steamed bun with a vegetable
or meat filling). One of the bao comes alive and becomes a child that grows up
into its difficult teens. I will not spoil the rest but while it sounds humourous
I would warn you that it has some heavier elements to it. I suspect it will win the Oscar but I think
maybe I would prefer Weekends or Animal Behaviour.
I will start this review with full disclosure. In my opinion
Wes Anderson has not made any bad movies and has made many great movies. This
one is one of his best. The hard bit is assessing his animated features and
comparing them to his live action films but one constant is that none of the
films are conventional.
If you are dog lover this movie will be good reinforcement.
It is set in Japan and a city where the mayor is a dog hater. An epidemic
spreads among the dogs in the city and the mayor uses this as an excuse to
exile all the dogs to an island off the coast that is used as a garbage dump.
The dogs are left to fend for themselves but a young boy – the adopted son of
the mayor – has lost his pet dog to the island and he goes in search of him
gaining the support of a pack of exiled dogs. They explore an immense wilderness
of waste, garbage and processing Meanwhile scientists are working on a cure for
the epidemic and there is a resistance among the young people in the town who
support repatriation. The story is very complex and the film is a wee bit too
long but the animation is superb and the story is ultimately charming and
engaging. I particularly like the personalities of the dogs we meet as
performed by the likes of Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton. Bill Murray and
Scarlett Johansson.
This film is up for a 2019 animation award as Best Animated feature
film. I find it hard to evaluate animated films. They are all so different in
style and design and of course there is the script and acting to evaluate. I feel
like they are not adequately respected by the industry or at least by the academy.
They get their own category but it’s a bit of a nod to a group not to be taken
to seriously. Few are ever nominated for Best Picture and never win. I think
they should be considered for Screenplay, Directing, most of the technical
awards and of course, Best Picture. This ends my short rant.
Movies: Rants and Raves 