Fjord

This is quite a complex film, and while I understand how some people that have been critical of the politics of the film came to that conclusion I think they missed what made this film really great.

This is the type of story that begs you the audience to throw away your own belief system for a moment to hear out a story that in reality you might ignore, and what I think is so bold about writer and director Christian Mungiu’s vision is that he easily could have made this family perfect victims, but instead he made them quite complex.

This is a fantastic screenplay with expert directing, there are multiple shots throughout the film that tell an entire story within themselves.

Both lead actors have been getting some award buzz for their performances in the film, and personally I think they both deserve it. The first impressive thing is they are both acting in at least two different languages, three for Sebastian Stan although he has very little Norwegian. Even though both of these actors are bilingual, I still find it impressive to be switching between the two effortlessly.

Just for transparency Sebastian Stan is my favorite actor, so I do recognize my bias toward him, but given how familiar with him I can I tell you this performance is nothing like any of his other performances. Stan’s performance is much more subtle than fans are used to from him. He carries himself with clear restraint throughout the film, as his character is having to hold back a lot of emotions, in fact he really only expresses his emotions once in the film alone and with his back turned to the camera, which to me was a very powerful moment. To be able to play that level of frustration clearly without outward expression is very impressive to me.

Renate Reinsve I am slowly becoming more and more familiar with after her starting to do American pictures, and from her Oscar nominated performance last year in Sentimental Value, and I really have become a fan of her. She has a very authentic feeling to her acting and that is on full display in this film as well. She shows more outward emotions throughout, and the pain is always so clear when she is on the screen. She also is having to hold back multiple times throughout this film, and as I said with Stan’s performance I find that be very difficult to show authentically, and she has so much range throughout the film excellent performance from her.

These two together make for a great acting duo, and I really hope we continue to see them working together in the future because their chemistry is excellent!

Overall, I really enjoyed this one, and I really hope when award season picks up this snags even more awards than Palme d’Or, in my ideal lineup this is absolutely a best picture nominee.

Wildwood

I was expecting to like this film, but this really wowed me. It had everything I have come to expect from a Lakia studios film and then some.

The visuals are nothing short of breathtaking. I am in awe at how they were able to capture this story filled to the brim with action and adventure in the stop motion format. I truly have not seen anything like the climax of the film, and I want to applaud all these artists at achieving their vision.

The characters of this story are all really well done I found myself caring for every character, I especially loved the villain of the story and just how complex she is. The story really helps you understand where she is coming from and provides so much empathy to her character while never downplaying the negativity of her actions, it’s fantastic character writing.

The plot itself could be seen as simplistic, but I think that’s what makes it work so well. They take this story and focus on elevating the characters and world around them so that it feels larger than anything you’ve ever seen.

Speaking of the world building this is not only a beautiful looking fantasy world, but fun fleshed out world. I really liked the politics of this universe, and it’s clear they spent a lot of time fleshing that out behind the scenes. I also love that it feels so whimsical, this story could easily just sink into dread, but keeping these moments of whimsy throughout keeps it lighter but also adds so much to the world.

I found myself tearing up, which I will say I actually rarely do at films, and this is not a particularly sad film so don’t fret about that, but I was really moved by these characters and their unconditional love for one another.

This is without a doubt the best animated film I’ve seen this year, and I’ve really enjoyed the films Pixar has put out, but it is not even close in my mind. This is one of my favorite films of the year as whole.

Clayface

I was excited for Clayface! I am a big fan of comic books, and I have been really enjoying the DCU so far, so I was very excited to see what this universes Gotham would look like. I was absolutely not disappointed.

I already was so thrilled they went the horror route with this character because Clayface as a character can go two ways super silly or full-on horror, and horror was the much better decision. I also think Clayface was a super inspired pick of all of Batman’s rogue gallery.

The body horror was pretty solid! I will say this film is much better suited for horror fans than fans of comic book movies, so if you are squeamish this one might not be for you. As a horror fan myself I really enjoyed the horror aspects and really respected it actually going that mile instead of doing horror lite.

I think my main criticism of the film is the romance of the movie. I don’t care about it being unsavory and stimming from cheating. This is a villain. However, I wish the romance plot ended a bit differently.

While I get fans were probably expecting a bit more from this film in regard to the overall universe. I do not mind that we did not get a Batman reveal yet. This helps flesh out the villains, and Gotham as whole before we introduce the man who is going to take all the attention away.

The cast all do a great job! I was really only familiar with Naomi Ackie, and she was great as always, I really enjoy watching her. Tom Rhys Harries does an excellent job with this demanding role, and I am looking forward to whatever is next for these characters and this universe for sure.

This film may seem a bit lackluster next to these two, but I do think it is a solid blockbuster that is absolutely worth the watch.