95th Oscar Best Picture Nominees - Quick Reviews

At the moment AI can’t spill out exactly what I feel about Palme d’Or (Triangle of Sadness) and all Oscar Nominated films (Triangle of Sadness and more) . Watching the Oscars so far has been a treat for my eyes and a very elite experience. The theme I see the most tucked in this year's Oscars are eliteness, the death of an artist and capitalism and loneliness and war with oneself or others and the making of an artist. The mood this year’s Oscars puts is “winged strokes of utter disbelief” “the gasp that debriefs the power” and “mundane routes to become plutocratic” Well, why do I say that? Because of some of the themes and moods, I tend to reflect after watching these unique works of art. Before I tap into my inputs further I have the urge to go back to 2008 and see those nominations. At the 81st Academy Awards hosted at Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland centre, we honoured the movies that came out in 2008. At that time around we saw 5 nominees and among those Slumdog Millionaire produced by Christian Colson won the Oscar for Best Picture. The curious case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk and The Reader were other nominees. An Indian vulnerability and one side of the coin on the world stage. This year, we have a few more nominees. Although not in the best picture category - among those I enjoyed The Elephant Whisperer a lot.

Prompt - Use the movie titles in the paragraph

Women talking about Everything everywhere all at once had Elvis and Tar stuck in the Triangle of Sadness. Top Gun Maverick appealed to the fabelmans to find their Avatar: The way of water but it turned out that It was all quiet on the western front and then the banshees of Inisherin took over.

Anyway, 10 brilliant nominees for best picture this year. And if memory serves, CODA won last year’s Best Picture. Let’s begin with the short takes-

All quiet on the western front

Why should you watch it? Well, if you want to see how the World War 1 trajectory unfolded and how many lives it took away just to please the higher authority who never got touched by dust. Authoritarian fellas pushing out orders and then seeing thousands of soldiers being martyred just to seize the land size inch by inch. Director Edward Berger doesn’t shy away from showing the gore version of the war. How famished the souls were in the warzone. How untrue the youth’s expectations were. How hopeful they were to fade away in that historic chaos. How women and children were left back just because their men had the compulsion to save the nation from the thoughts and actions undertaken by dumb horses to satiate their egos. We see men running in uncertainty. The arc it covers of the lead character is very good. No plutocrat shall squeeze the energetic youth’s hope ever. If they do so they shall be punished. You should see this German Anti-war film for sure. Streaming on Netflix! Book by Erich Maria Remarque - All quiet on the western front.

Elvis

Why should you watch it? If you are someone who would like another sneak peek into the great life of Elvsis Presley this is the way to go about it. You navigate this movie as an audience through the POV of Colonel Parker. The moment when Elvis and his dad realize that they are broke and his hyper-consumerism has added up to the same we get to know what a loop Elvis has jumped into. Him clutching to his mom’s clothes in her wardrobe after her demise makes us think of how emotional this great artist was. How his lips touch his female audience right in front of his wife. Oh my god! It takes guts to be a spouse to such a pop icon. It takes a village to build such a legacy for sure. We get to see his life from a different perspective. We sympathize with the characters played very well by the cast. The plot takes us from Memphis to Hollywood and while we see Elvis sit right in the middle of “O” of Hollywood and plan on reviving his career it is a great scene to see. Self awareness is so important as an artist and staying truthful to the core makes him feel alive on stage. Some of the dialogues are amazing such as “Now I don’t know nothing about music, but I could see in that girl’s eyes, what she was having feelings she wasn’t sure she should enjoy. Yes. He was a taste of forbidden fruit. She could have eaten him alive”

Avatar - The way of water

James Cameron! That’s why you shall watch this film. An ethereal experience which was worth the wait and tends to melt our hearts with the magic it brings back on the screens. You will scream and wow at every other still in the movie. The ocean and the connection to flora and fauna and how big it is and vast it has always been. Wearing 3D glasses and watching the movie is one of the most cherishing experiences one can have at the theater. Truly, Family is our fortress!

Tar -

Why should you watch this movie? While watching this movie you might feel like this person really exists out there. It feels so realistic and not at all fictional. It is not a biopic! It takes on a tour of an artist who is actually a conductor and making a mark on the stage. She spills out a great variety of philosophical thoughts also triggering the GenZ. She is never afraid to speak her heart out. She is always finding that tune and that rhythm. She is always chasing rhythmic success. Her relationship with success tends to change even after being successful and knowing how being on top feels. She escapes that familiar territory and revives her love of being a conductor as she steps in another nation, China. She is very structured and disciplined. She happens to be a good mother who is caring and puts the bully kids in their place. You see her in rage and being funny as well. The cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister does cutting edge work with this movie.

Everything Everywhere all at once

Why should you watch it? It is a story about an immigrant couple making a living and sorting out taxes. Then later it takes us all on different twists and turns and tends to have a major tone of Nihilism. The props and the wonderful storyline is very captivating and it brings the fun on the screen. We connect with the characters when we see the mother -daughter relationship shared between them. Amazing metaphors in this movie will blow your mind.

The Banshees of InishirinWhy should you watch it? Watch the movie if you keep going back to your so-called friends and assume that they still appreciate your attention but the fact is that they will give up their fingers if you tend to not respect their ignored stance towards you. You know sometimes we don’t realize that our friends back then are not friends now. There is no point to connect at all. It is like we witness how not respecting one's boundary and getting over obsessed leads to emotional and physical destruction. It spreads by disconnecting one from the thing that can be worth persuading. One forgets the self. Self-destructive behaviors become tangible. The people around are destroyed beyond means as well. What is your source of happiness? Friendship? Grown-apart friendship? The nature shots are well captured in this film. Comedy and tragedy comes on screen.

Top Gun Maverick

Great scenes of the air force. Hot lads and hot Max Tom Cruise makes me teary eyed. Great movie for sure!

The fabelmans

It is such a warm and feel-good film. It starts with a young kid getting his first taste of cinema and then trying to replicate the same reel-life shots in real life with his toys. His liking is encouraged and leveraged by his parents. Although his father tends to think of his call as just a hobby, his mother is that artistic kind who wants her son to give all he has got to the cinema. His making of the films and collaborating with folks around is really cool stuff to watch. One might think that his movie making addiction is just a coping mechanism to make sense of the reality. Lovely watch! It is all about the horizon.

Triangle of Sadness

Palme d’Or winner! That’s why you shall not skip it. It is a blend of White Lotus and The Menu which were released recently.This movie was released in September. This movie is segmented into 3 chapters that get us through the entanglements. Elite folks and how out of touch they happen to be are some of the peculiar themes we get to watch. Charlbi Dean, the lead actress, RIP.

Women Talking

Why should you watch it? If you want to dabble into an imaginary landscape of exploring the potentialities of their rebellious nature which is ready to shatter the patriarchal rules and permission. In one scene, a character talks about permission and forgiveness and that dialogue is very thought-provoking. It goes like this -"Perhaps forgiveness can, in some instances, be confused with permission.” This movie is based on the book by Miriam Toews and adapted by Sarah Polley. Great one!

Which are your top picks? Let me know.