In With The New

Hey. What an exhausting week between politics, sports, and entertainment. I feel like we’ve all aged a year.

But at least both the Super Bowl and the halftime show were good, right?!

Let’s talk movies this week - Sundance just wrapped up and the Oscars are looming this coming Sunday the 9th.

Sundance 2020

Last year was the first year I really looked into the film festival circuit and started to figure out how the festival/awards “cycle” works for the film industry. It all starts with Sundance in mid-January and pretty much ends with the Academy Awards sometime in Feb/March (I’m including the awards cycle along with the film showcase cycle).

I’m sure most of us have heard of the Sundance Film Festival as it’s one of the most famous film festivals in the world and it’s right here in the US in Park City, Utah. Tons of famous movie stars and important people attend, but the films screening it are actually all independent films making their debut, with the main events being the narrative and documentary competitions.

Because I like new shit and winners (ideally both!), I’m keeping tabs on what films won the competition and audience awards.

U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary: “Boys State,” Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine

U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic: “Minari,” Lee Isaac Chung.

Audience Award: U.S. Documentary: “Crip Camp”

Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic: “Minari,” Lee Isaac Chung

Notice something there? That’s right! Minari took home both the Grand Jury and Audience awards. It’s definitely on my must-watch list for 2020 (it doesn’t have a release date yet) as yet another festival award-winning film by an Asian-American director (Lee Isaac Chung). Minari stars Steven Yuen as the father of a Korean-American family in the 80s coping with rural Arkansas life and figuring out what the American dream means to them. A24 films has absolutely crushing it in recent years (seriously, check out their film resume, it’s incredible), and 2020 doesn’t seem to be letting up. It’s getting to the point where I’d basically watch any of their films sight unseen.

Oscars 2020

But if you’re looking for actual film recommendations to watch today, the Oscars Best Picture category is what you’re probably wanting to start with. All the other categories are nice, especially if you want to dig deeper into specific genres or talent (or just  want to gamble), but if you don’t watch that many movies each year, then you’ve got a nice cheat sheet on what people have been talking about.

This year’s best picture noms:

FORD V FERRARI

THE IRISHMAN

JOJO RABBIT

JOKER

LITTLE WOMEN

MARRIAGE STORY

1917

ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD

PARASITE

Honestly, they’re all good films - 2019 was probably the best year in the decade for film overall and most of those nominees would be strong contenders to win most other years. I’ve seen all of these and while I feel more passionate about some more than others (Parasite! Jojo!), they’re all worthy of the time it takes to watch them. The most interesting win would be Parasite since it’s both Korean-language and thematically the most avant garde while the most boring win would be 1917, as a pretty standard Hollywood War Movie (though it’s quite a visual spectacle and Roger Deakins is the GOAT cinematographer).

My Top Ten Films of 2019:

I saw an average of four movies each month in the theaters last year (thanks, AMC A-List!) so I’m pretty confident in bequeathing my choices onto you.

Jojo Rabbit was my favorite film last year because it had so much heart - I laughed, I cried, it was just a delight. Critics didn’t love it because they generally wanted something more incisive or intellectually substantive from the Hitler satire. To which i say: 🤷🏽‍♂️. Sometimes you just want to be entertained at the movies.

Parasite was probably the most thought provoking movie and a must-watch. It’s engaging enough as a family caper movie, but the social commentary and beautifully shot imagery will leave a lasting impression on you for days.

Waves had the best soundtrack and use of modern music to underscore a bittersweet story about the modern family - I dare you to find any other motion picture that seamlessly weaves Kanye West and Animal Collective into the narrative. Uncut Gems was a 2+ hour anxiety fest in the best possible way in that it really immerses you in the bullshit that Adam Sandler’s character gets into. (fun game if you have an Apple Watch - see if it warns you about an abnormal sitting heart rate as you watch it!)

In the interest of space I’ll pause the write ups here, but if you’re interested in the remainder, head over to my list on Letterboxd.

While we’re on the subject - Letterboxd is a really cool phone app/social network for keeping track of movies that you’ve seen and want to see with a slick interface. One of my New Years resolutions this year is to diary and write quick reviews for every movie that I see, so if you’re so inclined, check out my profile and feel free to follow along in 2020!

Our Favorite New Song: Celeste - Stop This Flame

Ain’t no one stopping this flame because this song is too 🔥

Celeste is a soulful British singer with a beautiful voice that reminds me of Adele with Nina Simone (you can hear the “Sinnerman” influence in this new song), blending the old with the new in her own way.

I saw her at SXSW last year at a small BBC music showcase and she definitely hits you in the feels - I have a feeling this may be the year she breaks out. Go ahead, hop on board this rocket ship before it gets too far to the moon!

In Conclusion

Humans can be awesome sometimes.