Backing Up My Brain

Am I making my kid feel the tension I felt unwrapping my snack in that 2018 movie theater?

Either way, sitting in near silence watching a horror film sounds so relaxing right now.

It’s too early for all this. Bring on the redbull.

What a weird show.

I guess they bumped the nominated songs to the preshow for covid reasons? I think that was a mistake and the should have had the live audience watch safely-taped performances along with us at home. It really seemed monotonous without those breaks.

The internet seems to agree that the change up in the last few awards was premised on an assumption that Boseman would win. I guess that’s the only explanation? What a weird ending.

Even if Boseman had won and they’d ended on some sort of tribute to him, that wouldn’t have excused the rushed memoriam pics. Literally could not even read the names, they went so fast. What a shame. If they’re not going to give it the time to feel like a pause for remembrance, I think they should stop doing it.

I seriously couldn’t have cared less about all the “why movies matter to you” questions and answers that each presenter droned through. That was a big miss for me.

Even more than the songs and some lame presenter jokes, I really missed film snippets or behind the scenes cuts for each nominee. I was so looking forward, for example, to seeing how the (make up? Costumes? CGI?) came together in Pinocchio. How did they do it???

As with everything Sorkin, I loved this. There was so much going on, and I did not know the history going in, but it all came together and clearly. It was also fascinating to watch from this side of the Jan 6 insurrection.

It’s up in a lot of the same categories as Promising Young Woman, though, which I think inches it out in a lot of aspects.

Wow! So good. What a captivating film! The story, the acting, the visuals - all impeccable.

I don’t want to give too much away, do I won’t say too much. I really hope this one nabs some of its categories.

I really enjoyed this, in the intensely uncomfortable way that I usually feel during space movies. Man, that sort of seafaring really takes some guts!

The sound was really good. Lots of interesting layers to it that contributed noticeably to the plot and experience. I could actually hear things, which is rarely true in war movies.

I really enjoyed this more than I expected to.

The animated version is one of the Disney films that I’ve probably seen the least, but the full on lack of singing makes it apparent that this is a huge departure from the shot-for-shot approach of some of the other live action remakes. I hope this trend continues, if Disney’s going to keep up the live action thing.

Ok, so, yes. Davis and Boseman were excellent. The sets, costumes, and makeup/hair were crucial to the transportive experience of the film.

But what in the hell happened there at the end? Man, that was startling and unexpected.

Poetry to Da 5 Bloods’ madlibs. Both had subtle scenes abruptly cut together and asked the audience to tease out the story. Both pose a big question early on and then spend the rest of the time building to the answer. But to very different effect.

Recommended.

As with basically all time travel stories, it is pretty convoluted and not entirely sensical. There’s a character early on who says “Don’t try to understand it.” I took her advice and enjoyed the experience.

The visual effects were mind bending. I look forward to the awards to see the “how they did it” clips.

This was a long slog with basically no reprieve or levity. I guess not unlike their adventure.

The film made some weird and distracting choices: using the same actors for both timelines without even using age modifying makeup, editing in all those little asides and photographs, Paul’s in camera monologue.

There were some plot holes I couldn’t get past, either. (Most egregious: After going to such great lengths to retrieve Norm, it seems they just left the others there?)

Ultimately, I don’t really recommend it.

I am now flabbergasted that we think any new parents ever want to see anyone while they’re in the hospital or anytime soon thereafter.

I actually enjoyed this more than I expected to. Gotcha humor and gross gags aren’t really my thing, but for what it was this one had some funny parts.

Pretty fun movie. Farrell and McAdams were good, but I couldn’t look away from Dan Stevens. Haha.

Lots of the music was catchy, and the nominated song was nice, but obviously it’s the ding dong song that’s going to be stuck in your head, lol.