By now in February 2020, Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite is one of the most lauded films of the 21st century. It won the coveted Palme D’Or prize at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It’s also one of the rare foreign-language films (it’s Korean) to receive an Academy Award Best Picture. With all of that acclaim, you’d think that Parasite would be a stunning masterpiece.
The most striking aspect of Sam Mendes’ new World War I movie, 1917, is the backgrounds. Rare as it is for the backgrounds to shine brighter than the actors and foregrounds in movies, Mendes has achieved it; I believe that was his goal.
“Are you not entertained?” may be a popular meme, but the question frames my own divided feelings on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Ford v. Ferrari promises a showdown between car companies. It is, partly, and it fulfills the promise of its title in spectacular fashion, with one of the most spectacular racing scenes I’ve ever seen at the movies. But, it’s really a movie concerned with the ideals that those car companies represent.
If your favorite band were suddenly erased from the memory of the world, could you recall their lyrics accurately enough to do them justice on the world stage—and more importantly, would you dare?
There’s no question that whatever emerged from the animators would be good, but could it be great? Did it need to be made, or should the time and talent have been devoted to a new project, a new story?
