Review: Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun Maverick (2022)
PG-13 ‧ Action ‧ 2 Hours 17 Minutes

Written by Peter Craig; Justin Marks

Directed by ‎Joseph Kosinski

THE CAST

Cast

THE STORY

(In their own words) After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Training a detachment of graduates for a special assignment, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it.

Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.

THE REVIEW

Top Gun Maverick is a film gushing with nostalgia of the first film while providing just enough new story to drive a new tale.  Fans of the original will enjoy the many call backs including bars songs sung, Cruise cruising around on a motorcycle, beach sports scenes, and wise cracking arrogance. 

The film succeeds on many levels, especially as a sequel. It takes the established character we know, shows us how things have been going since we last left off 30 years ago, and then furthers that character’s journey while reminding us of the ghosts of his past.  As a sequel it is nearly perfect. This will likely go down as one of the top sequels ever done.

As an actor, Tom Cruise does a fine job playing the charismatic and rule-pushing Maverick. A man who is haunted by the loss of his best friend in the first film. Someone who seems two of not allowed himself to advance in his career, a sort of atonement or perhaps simply to make the loss worth it. If he can’t be the best, there was no reason for him ever to have pushed the limits that caused the accident.

There’s also an element of the film that is both a good choice and a weakness in the film. The “enemy” in the film is named as “Nato adversary” but they never name a country or allude to what it might be. Which works well in the sense that the film can now play anywhere and will work in any time period, but also kills the stakes for the film. Keeping the enemy faceless doesn’t give depth to the villain, and you need a good villain to make a great hero.

While I liked the film, I am struggling with all the glowing reviews of the film that I’ve read. I thought it was okay, not the best action film in years. The fighter aerials are truly outstanding, it’s not like this film is moving the genre forward in any way. I don’t see other filmmakers using this as a blueprint going forward. If anything, it just used the standard action film formulas that we are used to. The film was somewhat predictable, which I think adds to the comfort feelings we all have with it. It’s very familiar, because we’ve seen this film outline before. Maybe I simply lack the Top Gun DNA that seems to be embedded in most of film lovers. I really, really wish I could like this film as much as everyone else seems to, but I just don’t. I don’t dislike it, but I doubt I’d watch it again on my own.

Overall, Top Gun: Maverick works as a film and is well worth the viewing in IMAX.  You need the optimal film quality to really appreciate Tom Cruise’s hair.

MONICA BARBARO PLAYS “PHOENIX,” JAY ELLIS PLAYS “PAYBACK,” AND DANNY RAMIREZ PLAYS “FANBOY” IN TOP GUN: MAVERICK FROM PARAMOUNT PICTURES, SKYDANCE AND JERRY BRUCKHEIMER FILMS.

THE BEST
BEST things about the film

  1. Action flight sequences. 
  2. Perfect blend of nostalgia of the first film while moving the film forward 
  3. Loved that we dropped into the middle of his love interest’s story and didn’t play the exposition game with us.  They just let it unfold to us and allowed us to discover their past as the scenes unfold.
  4. Tom Cruise’s hair. 

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

  1. Are there no Motorcycle helmet laws in this Top Gun world?
  2. While I think they made a smart move by not identifying an enemy country, it really killed the stakes with them fighting a faceless anonymous enemy. Why should I care. 
  3. Pretty predictable.

THE LESSON

It doesn’t matter how fast you go, you can’t outrun the ghosts of your past.

THE FINAL WORD

Probably one of the top film sequels made.  While I did really enjoy it, I’m a bit surprised at how extreme the praise the film has been. If you were a fan of the original, I think you are in for a real treat.  If you haven’t seen the original, go see it first so you can experience the joy others are getting. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Top Gun Maverick gets a Like It. 

THE TRAILER

THE REVIEWER

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.

Episode 201: Shila Ommi and Apple TV’s Tehran

Shila Ommi from Apple TV+’s show Tehran stops by to talk about the opportunities streaming and Apple TV+ is giving her, her background in Theatre, and she answers our world famous Seven Questions.

Review: Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness  (2022)
PG-13 ‧ Action/Adventure ‧ 2 Hours 6 Minutes 

Written by Michael Waldron

Directed by ‎Sam Raimi

THE CAST

Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, Rachel McAdams

THE STORY

Doctor Strange meets a familiar stranger from another earth. Thus begins an adventure through the multiverse to save an innocent and to save his own earth. 

(L-R): Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer, Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange, and Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

THE REVIEW

Disney is known to keep their films’ major events and plot twists secrets, but for Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness they have taken their secrecy to new levels in that the general description the film’s plot posted all over the internet is not even accurate. 

“Dr. Stephen Strange casts a forbidden spell that opens the doorway to the multiverse, including alternate versions of himself, whose threat to humanity is too great for the combined forces of Strange, Wong, and Wanda Maximoff.”

That’s not even close to an accurate description of this film.

What is? Well, the film starts off straight into action and I can’t even tell you what happens without giving away a major spoiler for the rest of the film. 

What I can tell you is that Disney skated the line with a PG-13 film that they early on called the first horror film in the MCU. The film doesn’t really hit the level of horror, but there are some really chilling and scary moments. I really do wish they had been willing to sacrifice some box office money and make an actual Rated R movie because this movie was ripe for it. Instead of being a horror, it is just the normal Marvel Action film with some horror elements for some sections of the film. 

The film is full of fan service. Some things that they have been clamoring for years. And yes, I think we will get some explanations on how some of the recaptured Marvel properties like Xmen and The Fantastic Four will be integrated into the future.  If you’ve watched the Marvel What If… Series on Disney+, I think you will have some extra enjoyment of this film. 

For me, the film starts off very exciting but then drops off immediately. We then have a very slow build for the duration of the film. In the first 20 minutes I wasn’t even sure I was going to like the film, but then it got better with every passing minute. 

Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

This is a movie that will command a second or third viewing because it has so many Easter Eggs and cameos. I really want to dissect a lot of what we saw. 

The scale of this film is huge. It expands the potential universe in ways that are hard to imagine. It is probably the most interconnected film of any other film. Do not a bring with you to the movie someone who isn’t’ familiar with a good portion of the MCU. They won’t know what is going on a lot of the time and you’ll spend time explaining things and missing out a lot of enjoyable moments. 

Doctor Strange is a flawed superhero. His ego controls him at times. Wanda is very flawed, but that can be expected considering her roots as a villain. Wanda has had so much happen to her and this film is as much about her flaws as it is Doctor Strange.

Is the film good? Yes. Is it the best film yet? No. It has some really interesting moments, we get some better insight into Doctor Strange, realizing that as arrogant and hard to like  as he is at times, we get the best version of Doctor Strange out there.  

THE BEST

Three BEST things about the film

  1. It gets better and better every minute of the film. 
  2. I like that they don’t waste time with backstory and just sump into the film. 
  3. The cameos. So many cameos and easter eggs. 
Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

  1. I can’t imagine someone watching this that doesn’t already know the universe. Not a good introduction movie.
  2. I wish the movie had gone for a Rated R horror. It backs off and it could have been SO GOOD.
  3. Some of the special effects were surprisingly not very good that it took me out of the film for a moment.

THE LESSON

Trusting other people to take control is hard.

THE FINAL WORD

The most interconnected MCU film we’ve had yet. Genre bending, universe expanding, and full of fan service. It is a film that must be seen in a theater. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness gets a Like It.

THE TRAILER

THE REVIEWER

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.

Review – The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
R ‧ Action/Comedy ‧ 1 Hour 47 Minutes

Written by  Kevin Etten &‎ Tom Gormican

Directed by ‎Tom Gormican

THE CAST

  • Nicolas Cage
  • Pedro Pascal
  • Sharon Horgan
  • Ike Barinholtz
  • Alessandra Mastronardi
  • Jacob Scipio
  • Neil Patrick Harris
  • Tiffany Haddish

THE STORY

(In their own words) Unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, actor Nick Cage accepts a $1 million offer to attend a wealthy fan’s birthday party. Things take a wildly unexpected turn when a CIA operative recruits Cage for an unusual mission. Taking on the role of a lifetime, he soon finds himself channeling his most iconic and beloved characters to save himself and his loved ones.

THE REVIEW

Nicholas Cage is obviously a massive talent. He has what most actors dream of….a distinct voice and style of acting that draws people. 

Above all though, he’s an artist.  I believe that it takes true artistry to be self-reflective and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a great opportunity for Nicholas Cage to be self-reflective and self-deprecating.  Nicholas Cage shows he is not afraid to make fun of himself and how self aware he is of how the public at large sees him.  The film is a clear fictional version of Cage, but clearly painted with a lot of truth. Truths that lesser men may not be able to handle. 

The essence of the story is that a financially struggling Nicholas Cage takes a million dollar paycheck to attend a fans birthday party. While there, he learns that his fan may be a high profile drug lord and the FBI wants his help to save a woman they believe is being held on the estate. 

The results of this are a wonderful, refreshingly original comedy. Cage is a comedic force in the film. It’s a great tribute to Nicholas Cage that will be enriched by how many films of his you have seen, the good and the bad. The film is part buddy comedy, part action comedy, but whatever it is doing, it is consistently funny. 

I love how self aware the film is…, it’s so layered. It’s almost a movie within a movie within a movie. Are we watching what happened or a story told about what happened? 

There are really only two points of the film I didn’t care for. One, is that I think a film focusing on the celebrity of a Hollywood actor shouldn’t have so many other recognizable faces co-starring. I think it takes us out of the film. It constantly reminds me that the story isn’t real because Nicholas cage is pretending he’s talking to an agent when it’s obviously Neil Patrick Harris. Give us unknown actors for these roles. 

The second point is the end of the film. I can’t tell if they just ran out of time, or just weren’t sure how to end it. But I felt as if I was robbed of a solid ending to the film with a little bit of slight of hand. 

Javi Gutierrez’ (Pedro Pascal, left) and ‘Nicolas Cage’ (Nicolas Cage, right) zooming through the mountains of Mallorca, Spain. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate

THE BEST


BEST things about the film

  1. Original
  2. Self-Aware
  3. Pacing
  4. Very funny.

THE WORST

The WORST things about the Film

  1. I don’t feel like we get the ending we deserve. 
  2. I wish other actors in the film were not so well known. I really like the idea of Nick Cage the movie star being amongst all these regular people. But having other semi-stars around him takes away the potential realness feelings of some of the scenes. I really wish the roles played by Tiffany Haddish, Neil Patrick Harris, and Pedro Pascal were played by unknowns, even though they do a fine job. 

THE LESSON

Being a Hollywood star doesn’t mean life is easy. 

‘Nicolas Cage’ (Nicolas Cage) greets ‘Javi Gutierrez’ with a ‘Palm Hold Fist’ salute as he arrives in Mallorca, Spain. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate

THE FINAL WORD

A very funny love letter to Nicholas Cage that could only work being starred by Nicholas Cage himself. It is hilarious, self-aware, and very inventive. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent gets a Love It.

THE TRAILER

THE REVIEWER

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.

Review – Fantastic Beasts 3: The Secrets of Dumbledore

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)
PG -13 ‧ Fantasy‧ 1 hour 42 Minutes

Written by David Heyman

  • J. K. Rowling
  • Steve Kloves
  • Lionel Wigram
  • Tim Lewis

Directed by ‎David Yates

THE CAST

  • Eddie Redmayne
  • Jude Law
  • Ezra Miller
  • Dan Fogler
  • Alison Sudol
  • Callum Turner
  • Jessica Williams
  • Katherine Waterston
  • Mads Mikkelsen

THE STORY

(In their own words) Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the powerful, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts magizoologist Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team of wizards and witches. They soon encounter an array of old and new beasts as they clash with Grindelwald’s growing legion of followers.

THE REVIEW

Returning to the world of Harry Potter created by JK Rowlings is always a treat.  The third film in the Fantastic Beasts spin off franchise welcomes us back to the magical universe as Newt Scamander delights us with even more fantastic beasts as he and his companions, including Dumbledore, set off to foil the plans laid out by the notoriously evil wizard Grindelwald.

I really did enjoy the fim. It is always fun taking a journey in the Wizarding World that Rowlings created. Fans will have a great time continuing this story. The pacing is fast, the characters are interesting, the special effects are surprising and delightful,  and the story is one that really hooked me in for the film. 

That said, overall it feels like a rushed story. The film doesn’t know if it’s a middle act or the end of a trilogy. We have many subplot lines from previous films wrap up as if it’s the end, despite them still having more that could be worked on, but major plot lines are still up in the air.  Originally planned as a 5 part film series before the creator of the world JK Rowlings’ offscreen Twitter antics have somewhat put a damper on the value of the Wizarding World property and potential future. So it may be that they tried to finish off some of the stories prematurely in case they don’t get a fourth or fifth film. 

The other spot hurting the film is the events around the casting of Grindelwald. The first two films the part of Grindelwald was played by Johnny Depp, but because of offscreen events, Depp was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen, which is disappointing on several levels. While Mikkelsen’s take on the role is fine, he is a completely different energy than Depp and it makes his storyline a bit disconnected from the previous. I really would’ve loved to see the chemistry between Judd Law (Dumbledore) and Johnny Depp as we’ve waited for three movies to see them together but are let down with that never getting to happen.

THE BEST


Three BEST things about the film

  1. It’s just an amazingly fun world to get to see people play in. 
  2. The Character’s journeys
  3. Jude Law’s Dumbledore is very impressive

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

  1. It completes too much without finishing the story. Odd to know whether this is the final film or more to come.
  2. Unfortunately Johnny Depp’s presence is missed. Mads Mikkelsen is too big of a change of actor to keep continuity.
  3. A little bit overdone in its comparison to modern day politics. Could have been more subtle

THE LESSON

Never underestimate the ability of the general public to be easily manipulated.

THE FINAL WORD

This visit to the world of Hogwarts is still fun though not extraordinary. It is a fun world to see the world further explored, though from a story point of view the film struggles not knowing if it is the final act or the middle of the story. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore gets a Like It.

THE TRAILER

THE REVIEWER

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.



Review – Morbius

Morbius  (2022)
PG-13 ‧ Action Adventure Drama  ‧ 1 hour 44 minutes


Written by Matt Sazama Burk Sharpless

Directed by ‎Daniel Espinosa

THE CAST

Jared Leto, Adria Arjona, Matt Smith

THE STORY

(In their own words) Biochemist Michael Morbius tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, but when his experiment goes wrong, he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead.

THE REVIEW

The problem with Morbius isn’t so much that it’s bad, it is, it is definitely bad, but that I never cared about any of the characters to have feelings about the story.

Morbius is Sony Pictures latest botched use of a Marvel character. Morbius is sort of a vampire, in that he sucks blood, but mostly his powers are the likes of a bat. He doesn’t appear to have lost his soul or be allergic to garlic or anything. Morbius is one of the characters Marvel sold the license to Sony while needing cash.  At least Sony is consistent in the botching of characters, so you aren’t really surprised at this really, really bad origin story.

The film starts off with two beginnings because they don’t even know how to really start the film. In its second first scene we see Morbius meet his friend Milo when Milo joins the treatment wing he is in. They both suffer from some rare blood disease requiring several transfusions a day. This scene lasts, maybe 5 or 6 minutes, which appear to be unimportant, but really are. In so that throughout the rest of the film they keep speaking of their lifelong friendship and how important of a friendship it is…but they never really showed that, they didn’t show us an important friendship being built. It was just such a weak opening that it set the weak foundation for the rest of the film. 

The film isn’t unbearable to watch, but it is a great lesson in bad storytelling, bad dialogue, bad cinematography, and mediocre acting. If they hadn’t cast Jared Leto the film should have gone straight to on demand. 

And the film doesn’t even end with any sense of fulfillment of the story they tried to tell, just an obvious set up for sequels. 

This film also included the possibly worst post credit scenes done. There’s two of them. If you get through the film you might as well stay for both. 

I could get more into details about why this film is so bad, but honestly I feel like I wasted so much time already with this film, I want my life to move on. This film doesn’t deserve a critics review, it deserves a roast.

THE BEST


Three BEST things about the film

  1. Special Effects
  2. It felt short.
  3. All the lines were clearly heard over the sound. 

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

  1. Had no interest in characters.
  2. Dumb choices after another. Which is bad writing.
  3. There is just no sense to most of it. Even fantasy worlds have rules to follow.

THE LESSON


Don’t experiment on yourself.

THE FINAL WORD

It took a while, but Sony has finally released a film to make Hulk not the worst superhero film ever made. Thank goodness this isn’t part of the MCU.

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Morbius gets a Lose It. 

THE TRAILER

THE REVIEWER

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.

2022 Academy Awards Predictions – Who Will Win Vs Who Should Win.

The 2022 Academy Awards are coming up soon.  I have lots of feelings on most of the categories, but I have a strong suspicion that my picks in the categories won’t always match with the winners.  So here are my picks of who I predict will win vs who I think should win!

Best Picture

  • Belfast
  • CODA
  • Don’t Look Up
  • Drive My Car
  • Dune
  • King Richard
  • Licorice Pizza
  • Nightmare Alley
  • The Power of the Dog
  • West Side Story

Who Will Win: West Side Story

It’s a nearly perfect production of West Side Story and Spielberg is a Hollywood favorite. 

Who Should Win: CODA 

Easily my favorite film of the year. A unique story told really, really well and filled with wonderful performances. 

Best Directing

  • Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)
  • Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)
  • Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
  • Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)
  • Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car)

Who Will Win: West Side Story

Seems obvious. 

Who Should Win: West Side Story

I can’t argue with this one because the director of my best picture choice isn’t even a nominee. And Spielberg put together a crazy good film here.  

Actor in a Leading Role

  • Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos)
  • Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog)
  • Andrew Garfield (Tick, Tick … Boom!)
  • Will Smith (King Richard)
  • Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth)

Who Will Win: Denzel Washington

Shakespeare and Denzel together, the Academy can’t wait to vote for this. 

Who Should Win: Andrew Garfield

Andrew’s performance was brilliant, but I don’t think the academy feels like he’s earned it. 

Actress in a Leading Role

  • Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
  • Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)
  • Penélope Cruz (Parallel Mothers)
  • Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos)
  • Kristen Stewart (Spencer)

Who Will Win: Kristen Stewart

She’s been winning a lot of awards already for this. 

Who Should Win: Olivia Coleman

Her performance was amazing but the film was overall too boring to get through. 

Actor in a Supporting Role

  • Ciarán Hinds (Belfast)
  • Troy Kotsur (CODA)
  • Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog)
  • J.K. Simmons (Being the Ricardos)
  • Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog)

Who Will Win: Troy Kotsur

The Academy loves voting for historical wins (He’s the first deaf actor nominated) and he actually deserves it.  

Who Should Win: Troy Kotsur

His performance was solid. 

Actress in a Supporting Role

  • Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter)
  • Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)
  • Judi Dench (Belfast)
  • Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog)
  • Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)

Who Will Win: Ariana Debose

The Academy will not lose the opportunity to give an Oscar to an actual Latina woman in West Side Story. 

Who Should Win: Aunjanue Ellis

She gave the best monologue of the year in King Richard.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

  • CODA (Sian Heder)
  • Drive My Car (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe)
  • Dune (Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve)
  • The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal)
  • The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion)

Who Will Win: Drive My Car

They will want to give this critics favorite something. 

Who Should Win: CODA

It’s the best story. 

Writing (Original Screenplay)

  • Belfast (Kenneth Branagh)
  • Don’t Look Up (Adam McKay and David Sirota)
  • Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson)
  • King Richard (Zach Baylin)
  • The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)

Who Will Win: Licorice PIzza

They will give into the buzz. 

Who Should Win: Don’t Look Up

I absolutely loved the writing in this. 

Animated Feature Film

  • Encanto
  • Flee
  • Luca
  • The Mitchells vs. the Machines
  • Raya and the Last Dragon

Who Will Win: Encanto

Who Should Win: Encanto

Thanks for agreeing with me, Academy.

Costume Design

  • Cruella (Jenny Beavan)
  • Cyrano (Massimo Cantini Parrini)
  • Dune (Jacqueline West)
  • Nightmare Alley (Luis Sequeira)
  • West Side Story (Paul Tazewell)

Who Will Win: Dune

They want to show they like SciFi even thought they won’t give best picture to one. 

Who Should Win: West Side Story

Fabulous Costumes.

Music (Original Score)

  • Don’t Look Up (Nicholas Britell)
  • Dune (Hans Zimmer)
  • Encanto (Germaine Franco)
  • Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias)
  • The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Who Will Win: Dune

Who Should Win:  Encanto

Sound

  • Belfast
  • Dune
  • No Time to Die
  • The Power of the Dog
  • West Side Story

Who Will Win: No Time To Die

They reliably pick an odd winner. 

Who Should Win: Dune

Cinematography

  • Dune (Greig Fraser)
  • Nightmare Alley (Dan Lausten)
  • The Power of the Dog (Ari Wegner)
  • The Tragedy of Macbeth (Bruno Delbonnel)
  • West Side Story (Janusz Kaminski)

Who Will Win: West Side Story

This will go hand in hand with the WSS sweep.Off chance of Nightmare Alley

Who Should Win: West Side Story 

Documentary Feature

  • Ascension
  • Attica
  • Flee
  • Summer of Soul
  • Writing With Fire

Who Will Win: Flee

Cause it is different. 

Who Should Win: Summer of Soul

 

Film Editing

  • Don’t Look Up (Hank Corwin)
  • Dune (Joe Walker)
  • King Richard (Pamela Martin)
  • The Power of the Dog (Peter Sciberras)
  • Tick, Tick… Boom! (Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum)

Who Will Win: Dune

Who Should Win: Don’t Look Up

International Feature Film

  • Drive My Car (Japan)
  • Flee (Denmark)
  • The Hand of God (Italy)
  • Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan)
  • The Worst Person in the World (Norway)

Who Will Win: Drive My Car

This film is sweeping the critics awards.

Who Should Win: The Worst Person In The World

This film has it all. Funny, touching, and original.

Makeup and Hairstyling

  • The Eyes of Tammy Faye
  • House of Gucci
  • Coming 2 America
  • Cruella
  • Dune

Who Will Win: The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Who Should Win: House of Gucci

Music (Original Song)

  • Be Alive — Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Darius Scott (King Richard)
  • Dos Oruguitas — Lin-Manuel Miranda (Encanto)
  • Down to Joy — Van Morrison (Belfast)
  • No Time to Die — Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell (No Time to Die)
  • Somehow You Do — Diane Warren (Four Good Days)

Who Will Win: No Time To Die

They Love Bond film songs. 

Who Should Win: Dos Oruguitas

Lin Manuel should win all somg awards. 

Production Design

  • Dune (Zsuzsanna Sipos and Patrice Vermette)
  • Nightmare Alley (Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau)
  • The Power of the Dog (Grant Major and Amber Richards)
  • The Tragedy of Macbeth (Stefan Dechant and Nancy Haigh)
  • West Side Story (Rena DeAngelo and Adam Stockhausen)

Who Will Win: Nightmare Alley

Only to try and not give West Side Story everything. 

Who Should Win: West Side Story

Visual Effects

  • Dune
  • Free Guy
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
  • No Time to Die
  • Spider-Man: No Way Home

Who Will Win: Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings

I think this will be a guilt play.

Who Should Win: Spider-Man No Way Home 

It’s visual effects were completely indistinguishable from real life.

About The Author

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.

Review – The Lost City

The Lost City (2022)

PG-13 ‧ Action/Adventure/Comedy ‧ 1 hour 52 Minutes

Story by Seth Gordon, Written by  Oren Uziel; Dana Fox; Adam Nee; Aaron Nee

Directed by ‎Aaron Nee, Adam Nee

THE CAST

Sandra Bullock; Channing Tatum; Daniel Radcliffe; Da’Vine Joy Randolph; Brad Pitt; Oscar Nuñez

THE STORY

(In their own words) Reclusive author Loretta Sage writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named Alan. While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who hopes she can lead him to an ancient city’s lost treasure from her latest story. Determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue her.

Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum star in Paramount Pictures’ “THE LOST CITY.”

THE REVIEW

Let me get straight to it with film because it’s been a while since I’ve been this excited about a comedy. The Lost City is easily the best comedy I’ve seen this year and I honestly can’t imagine enjoying another film this year as much as I did this one. It ls laugh out loud funny, perfectly paced, wonderfully acted, and had the audience I watched the film with absolutely rolling from beginning to end. 

Sandra Bullock returns to this genre that she absolutely owns in The Lost City playing romance novel author Loretta Sage. While I wouldn’t have really considered Channing Tatum as a good pairing for her, this movie showed me that these two need to work together a lot more. The comedic timing and chemistry between these two was flawless.  I don’t think there is another current leading actress who performs physical comedy as well as Sandra Bullock does; from her awkwardness of sitting on a stool to rolling out of a hammock, she finds a way to bring laughter to such simple movements. Her reactions to her circumstances or Channing Tatum’s butt are never too far keeping her grounded in the real world, but stretched just far enough to milk the scene for all the comedy she can. 

Daniel Radcliffe shines as the villain of the film, billionaire Abigail Fairfax. While Radcliffe’s charm makes you instantly disarmed, that only feeds into making his villainous acts a little unexpected and therefore impressive. He’s a wonderful comedic villain, which I wasn’t expecting, and really wants me to see him as a bad guy in a more serious film. 

The Lost CIty is an adventure that I don’t want to spoil. Is some of the plot a little predictable? Yes. Do they take quite a lot of liberties in dealing with plane flight times? Yes. But those minor elements are easily dismissed when you are presented with such a wonderful, well-crafted, fun adventure.  And there are enough unexpected surprises in the film to make up for anything. Also, when predictable moments happen, the comedy that they create out of the situation is superb.

Sandra Bullock and Daniel Radcliffe star in Paramount Pictures’ “THE LOST CITY.”

THE BEST

Three BEST things about the film

  1. Very funny. Extremely. I was shocked at how much I laughed at this film. Probably the funniest comedy of the year. 
  2. Lots of unexpected turns that are also memorable. 
  3. Wonderful chemistry between leads. 

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

  1. Minor issue with ending. 
  2. Some predictable moments.
  3. Lacks logic to timeline of events.

THE LESSON

Don’t be afraid of opening the door and seeing what’s next.

THE FINAL WORD

Easily the funniest film of the year and I find it hard to imagine anyone with a heart and soul not liking this film. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

The Lost City gets a Love It. 

THE TRAILER

THE REVIEWER

ABOUT SILAS

When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.