20 Days in Mariupol

 It turns out I didn't see one of the Documentary Oscar nominees. 

That's changed now that I've seen 20 Days in Mariupol, which doubles as Ukraine's submission for the International Feature Oscar. It also stands as the likely frontrunner considering that a few other favorites such as Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie and American Symphony are absent. Let's see how it is.

Director Mstyslav Chernov chronicles the first 20 days of the 2022 Siege of Mariupol. He and his colleagues with the Associated Press gave the world video evidence of the war crimes committed during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. The film begins in medias res as Chernov and his crew watch Russian tanks fire upon the empty city. It doesn't take much to convey their panic even as the Russian war machine is quite a bit away from them. As the film progresses through the titular days, we see the aftermaths of several bombings, which left people without their homes and/or livelihoods, and even paramedics trying in vain to save several victims. All of it is distilled into 94 harrowing minutes. 

Their reporting pulls no punches. Early on, they spot an older woman fleeing her home to try to find her son. They tell her to head back home, feeling that the Russians won't bomb her neighborhood (they do it anyway, though she lives). Another woman, whose home and beauty supply business were destroyed, tearfully yells at looters. We see relatives of bombing victims weep over their loved ones. People scram when Russian jets fly by; below ground, they try to survive without power. Nowhere it seems is safe. It's just maddening to watch Putin; the Russian State Media and others deny such war crimes not only ever happened but accuse the victims of being actors.

We also learn quite a bit about Chernov and his journalism career. He chronicled the downing of flight MH17, the Russian invasion of Donbas and the annexation of Crimea, among other major stories. His family waiting for him in Kharkiv, which is a bit away from Mariupol, helps us stay emotionally invested in his plight. We're further invested as he struggles to get footage of the invasion, even as short snippets, due to the lack of internet. It's quite rewarding to see his footage used in international news reports throughout the film. It's also rewarding when he and his crew escape Mariupol with a Red Cross convoy. 

Among the few bits of levity in 20 Days in Mariupol is a scene where paramedics have a break and a few laughs between shifts. It's a welcome break from the death and bleakness in the rest of the film. Still, the film wouldn't work if it was anything less than bleak. Its director's personal story is just as compelling as its major story. I wouldn't blame you if you skip out on it, or even see it just once. This was produced for PBS's Frontline series, and as such, it's free to watch on YouTube. So, it's there if you want it. I promise my next reviewed film will be lighter. Look forward to whatever it is.

American Fiction

 That last review was fun, wasn't it? Who's for another?

Unlike my last reviewed film, American Fiction is a film that warrants its Musical/Comedy categorization at the Golden Globes. It also warrants its multiple Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and a surprising one for Best Original Score.

TV Writer Cord Jefferson (Watchmen, The Good Place) adapted his directorial debut from Percival Everett's novel Erasure. Its main character, Thelonious "Monk" Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), is an author and literary professor whose life and career have hit rock bottom. His few books are flops, and he has a hard time getting along with students and faculty. The university board sends him on a sabbatical back to his hometown of Boston for some family time. His timing is tragically unfortunate; his sister, Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross), has a fatal heart attack in front of him, while their mother, Agnes (Leslie Uggams), comes down with Alzheimer's. What now?

Desperate to pay for Agnes's assisted living costs and annoyed by fellow author Sintara Golden's (Issa Rae) heavily stereotypical smash hit, We's Lives in Da Ghetto, Monk decides to write a stereotypically "black" book of his own. He writes the piece, My Pafology, an extremely melodramatic gang story, under the pseudonym of wanted fugitive "Stagg R. Leigh." He and his agent, Arthur (John Ortiz), are quite certain it won't sell. But it sells - even after Monk has them change the title into a certain naughty word - and it sells for a lot. He gets a lot richer when producer Wiley (Adam Brody) gets the film rights. Monk resents his unwanted success, which gets worse when he's tapped to judge a major literary award with his book as a contender.

It's entertaining to watch as Monk's lie snowballs out of control. It seems nothing can dissuade clueless executives from embracing Monk's new persona. As he puts it, "the dumber I behave, the richer I get" when his first, seemingly unsuccessful meeting with Wiley, nets him $4 million. It's even entertaining when Monk struggles to maintain his persona when meeting with executives. Its best gag is when Monk first writes My Pafology as protagonist Van Go (Okieriete Onaodowan) and his father, Willy (Keith David), materialize in Monk's office to act out a dramatic confrontation ... only to stumble whenever Monk hits a literary roadblock. It may have been one scene, but David and Onaodowan make the most of it.

There's plenty to think about with all the laughs. What we hear from Sintara's book yields, at best, a nervous laugh or two. A TV commercial celebrating black films - with a bleak montage - is rather morbid. Its most profound scene actually comes when we learn more about Sintara; not only does she detest My Pafology as much as Monk, but her book is based on interviews with real people. That reminds me of the climax in A Soldier's Story when protagonist Davenport asks the abusive Sgt. Waters's killer over who gives him the right to judge who's black. They may have different backgrounds, but as Monk points out to an ignorant bookstore employee, the ink is still black.

The film's supporting cast help accentuate Wright's performance. Agnes and Lisa help Monk mellow out from his insufferable genius attitude, even with a quip or two. Lisa specially makes the most of her limited screentime. Monk's neighbor, and eventual girlfriend, Coraline (Erika Alexander), spurs him into becoming a better man, which hits him right when it's too late for them. Agnes's housekeeper Lorraine (Myra Lucretia Taylor) gets a happier subplot as she dates, and marries, security guard Maynard (Raymond Anthony Thomas). Sterling K. Brown, whose performance as Monk's carefree brother, Cliff, earned him an Oscar nomination along with Wright, is a good foil to the star. He doesn't need to say much when Agnes inadvertently offends him.

I didn't really expect Laura Karpman to get nominated for her score, but it's good she got in. Her score makes for easy listening by itself, but each track perfectly accentuates whatever scene they're in. Lisa's funeral is quite moving (even as Cliff chases off an annoying neighbor), while Boston is introduced with a snazzy jazz number. Editor Hilda Rasula's contributions shouldn't be ignored; while Van Go and Willy are imaginary, their confrontation in Monk's office is perfectly tense. How they materialize in Monk's office is as nice a flourish as the film revealing a metafictional twist. See it to believe it.

Overall, American Fiction will leave you laughing and thinking as Monk's literary hoax spirals out of control. It's also great to watch Monk learn to relate better to people; I especially found his relationship with Agnes compelling. As this was produced by Amazon, it will probably make it there in no time, but see it however you can. But don't see it alone; it's fun to hear others' reactions. That's no fiction at all.

May December

It's that time of year again.

The Oscars are about six weeks away, but it's time to plug in this year's contenders into my schedule. The first on my docket is May December, which is currently nominated for Best Original Screenplay, and is one of the funniest films of the year according to the Golden Globes. Your mileage may vary on that placement once I tell you what it's about.

It's 2015. Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) is a method actress who moves to Savannah to study her latest character, Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore). She is the same woman who, while working at a pet shop in 1992, was caught in an inappropriate relationship with her 13-year-old co-worker Joe Yoo (Charles Melton). She and Joe eventually became married with children; their oldest, Honor (Piper Curda), was born during Gracie's prison term, while twins Mary & Charlie (Elizabeth Yu & Gabriel Chung) are about to graduate high school. Elizabeth spends her time studying Gracie's daily life, which includes interviewing a few of her past acquaintances. This immersion not only upends the Atherton-Yoos' lives but threatens to leave Elizabeth lost in character.

Yes, the backstory is basically the Mary Kay Letourneau affair with the serial numbers filed off. I was old enough to remember when the story broke even if I didn't fully understand what happened. I am old enough, however, to comprehend the intricacies of Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik's screen story. Elizabeth embodies some of these intricacies whenever she immerses herself in character. It's hard to tell whether she's just acting or actually Gracie when she rehearses a monologue at the end. It's easy to believe the latter when she talks to Mary's drama class earlier in the film. That makes the ending, when we actually see the movie being made, especially creepy when you think about it.

A few more intricacies are embodied by the titular May December. Joe and Gracie present themselves throughout the film as a loving couple and we believe it despite their uncomfortable backstory. They're such upstanding citizens that people still come to their house for barbecues. We soon suspect - with good reason - that Gracie just treats Joe like one of her kids. Neither of them sees anything wrong with their relationship at least until the climax rolls around. That scene shows Melton's performance at its greatest as we realize that, despite the facade, he's just a kid in an adult body. It's more disturbing when Gracie blames him for starting the affair, which makes it clear she will never see anything wrong with her actions. Yikes.

Amongst their supporting cast, Curda, Yu & Chung are likable as the Atherton-Yoo kids. Honor's first scene is a joyous reunion between her and Mary at the airport, which is easily one of the most enjoyable scenes in the film. DW Moffett makes the most of his screentime as Gracie's first husband, Tom; his and Gracie's son Georgie (Corey Michael Smith) is a chill guy who soon reveals himself as a bit self-serving. Mr. Henderson (Charles Green), Gracie & Joe's former boss, is quite pitiable considering his place is about to close when we see him. There's some great production design for the creepy storeroom where the "lovers" were caught. That's where Elizabeth starts to immerse herself as Gracie; the creepiness is accentuated by Marcelo Zarvos's score (actually adapted from Michel Legrand's score from The Go-Between). Be careful as it gets surprisingly loud during the opening credits.

May December is a lot of things. It's a deconstruction of May December romances, a deconstruction of method acting and an interesting character piece. Do you know what I didn't find it to be? Funny. Yes, the Golden Globes actually put this in the Musical/Comedy category. A lot of its humor probably flew past me as I watched it. I found the trailer for the actual winner, Poor Things, and the next film on my docket, American Fiction, far funnier than this. This is a Netflix movie, but there might be a rare theatre somewhere that's playing it. Perhaps a good-sized crowd can find the humor that I couldn't find watching it by itself. Again, it's a fine film, but look elsewhere if you want a good time.

Anatomy of a Fall

 It's time to finally dissect Anatomy of a Fall, which won last year's Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and just won the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. By that logic, one can deduce that it's the frontrunner for the International Feature Film Oscar, except that France opted for the currently shortlisted The Taste of Things. What other twists can we expect?

Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller) is a novelist living with her family in a Grenoble chalet. She and her husband, fellow writer Samuel Maleski, have a strained relationship ever since their son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), was partially blinded in an accident. When the film opens, Samuel disrupts an interview between Sandra and one of her students, Zoe Solidor (Camille Rutherford), while he plays 50 Cent's P.I.M.P. on full blast. When we finally see him in person, Samuel (Samuel Theis) is dead from a flight out the attic window. Since Daniel was walking his guide dog, Snoop the Border Collie, Sandra is the only possible suspect. That is, unless Samuel actually killed himself.

Director Justine Triet and her co-writer Arthur Harari dissect the case over the course of 152-minutes. I'll say right now that the ultimate answer is deliberately inconclusive, but your own analysis hinges on Sandra and Samuel's bitter relationship. A pivotal trial moment goes back-and-forth in time between the couple's last fight and Samuel's audio recording of the fight (long story) being played in court. Their increasingly violent argument sees them vent their pent-up frustrations to the point either verdict is plausible. In fact, Triet and Harari's Golden Globe-winning screenplay presents enough evidence to sway one either way. After all, Samuel could have fallen on his own, but his head injury suggests someone struck him beforehand. 

Sandra, if she indeed deliberately killed Samuel, is a masterful actress. She's quite distraught as she calls for paramedics and is especially sympathetic during the aforementioned fight. Most of Sandra's dialogue is actually in English, and her life is naturally made difficult by the language barrier. She spends the film mending her broken life, and Huller's resulting performance is compelling. The same goes for Graner as Daniel, who's as equally sympathetic as his on-screen mother even when he conducts a dangerously irresponsible trial-related experiment with Snoop (the dog lives). Samuel, in what little we see of him alive, is quite pitiable.

Now for a few supporting highlights. The Prosecutor (Antoine Renartz) is just a guy trying to do his job fairly, and is thus, surprisingly likable. Vincent (Swann Arlaud), Sandra's friend and defense attorney, and Marge (Jehnny Beth), a court monitor who looks after Daniel, make for fine moral support. Oh yes, let's not forget Messi, who plays Snoop, who's just a good dog. That specially makes the dangerous experiment quite difficult to watch. 

Anatomy of a Fall is ready for you to stream on-demand. Its intricately inconclusive case will have you talking long after this year's Oscars, of which it's expected to get a few nominations, are over. Just be prepared to make plenty of room in your schedule to see it. As for me, I need to make room for a few other contenders, which includes the actual current frontrunner for the International Feature Oscar. It's not playing yet locally, but I still need to prepare, especially with its subject matter. That's it for now.

Mean Girls

 I was nearly done with high school when Mean Girls, the century's first definitive high school comedy, was released. I feel old knowing that it's considered a definitive high school film, period. There's a new generation ready to experience the film's "fetch" lines in a movie theatre with this remake, which is specifically based on the 2017 stage musical. I missed all the quotes the first time around. What do I think of it now?

Tina Fey (who also reprises her role from the film as math teacher Ms. Norbury) adapted the film, the musical and the film based on the musical on Rosalind Wiseman's book Queen Bees and Wannabees. I haven't read the book for myself, which is probably why I'm curious of its similarities to Cady Heron's (Angourie Rice) life. Who is Cady, you ask?

She's the new girl at North Shore High School, ready to rejoin civilization after being homeschooled in Kenya by her scientist mother (Jenna Fischer). Social misfits Janis 'Imi'ike (Auli'i Cravalho) and Damian Hubbard (Jaquel Spivey) introduce her to the intricacies of modern school life and its various cliques. The titular Mean Girls are the Plastics, consisting of Queen Bee Regina George (Renee Rapp) and her drones, Gretchen Wieners (Bebe Wood) and Karen Shetty (Avantika). Regina takes a liking to Cady, which Janis, Regina's former bestie, decides to take advantage of. 

Janis has Cady infiltrate the Plastics and take them down a peg. Cady commits to the plan once Regina re-steals her ex and Cady's crush, Aaron (Christopher Brinney), at a Halloween party. The plan goes horribly right as Regina is indeed taken down a peg, while Cady becomes the newest Mean Girl. But Regina has a secret weapon, the Burn Book, in which she and the Plastics record all of their school's nastiest gossip. Its contents lead to war, and reconciliation, in that order.

Directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., creators of the FX-series Quarter Life Poetry, make their film debuts here. They bring some inventive flourish to their staging of the musical numbers. That's to be expected when the numbers are mostly all fantasy numbers like in Chicago. To further emphasize this, cinematographer Bill Kirstein widens the aspect ratio during the numbers. The opening goes from a garage to the Kenyan wildlands and whip-pans to North Shore. Regina's Somone Gets Hurt has time stand still between her and Cady after the former flirts with Aaron. The Burn Book's fallout is staged with delightfully silly choreography as the school literally fights it out. The production designers should be commended for their work here.

The songs, by Fey's husband, Jeff Richmond, and Legally Blonde composer Nell Benjamin, are fine, but are hampered by imperfect sound mixing. How imperfect? The overpowering orchestrations make lines like the refrain of Regina's intro song nearly indiscernible. Shouldn't both music and lyrics be equal? A lot better handled, meanwhile, are two jump scares, both involving a speeding bus. Neither you nor the characters will see them coming.

The updated script modernizes the material, both in period and sensibilities, while keeping its most iconic lines. So, yes, Gretchen's obsession with "fetch" is still a thing, but creepy gym coach Carr (Jon Hamm) is less creepy. The cultural modernizations hit the hardest in a few social media montages. We see how easier it is for meanness to spread when Regina's - and later, Cady's - reputations are tarnished. You'll almost want to pity Regina when she's degraded online, at least, until she whips out the Burn Book. Those montages make Ms. Norbury's speech to the student body as relevant now as it was then. 

Now for the cast. Rice makes Cady believable as a naive new student. It's amusingly endearing when she sings about being "Stupid with Love," and her feelings of betrayal during Someone Gets Hurt are beyond palpable. We're initially all for Cady's "Revenge Party" until she fully transforms into the new Queen Bee. Rapp's first number as Regina is a pure showstopper, and her presence never dissipates even after she's dethroned. It's weirdly nice to see the two reconcile at the end. Their fellow mean girls, Karen and Gretchen, are way too likable and sympathetic to be mean. 

Janis and Damian, the film's narrators, give us some funny on-screen commentary. Their Revenge Party number shows the film at its trippiest, while Janis's eleven-o-clock number, I'd Rather Be Me, lets her call out Cady for her meanness in spectacular fashion. Janis's backstory with Regina cements her as the film's most sympathetic character. Ms. Norbury and Principal Duvall (Tim Meadows, again from the first film) make for great voices of reason amongst the faculty. Regina's Mom (Busy Phillips) is overwhelmingly vacuous, but even she has her moment when she blows Cady's scheme wide-open. I actually didn't recognize Lindsay Lohan, who played Cady in the first film, in a surprise cameo until I checked the credits. I think you'll do better than me.

I should wrap this up already. Mean Girls is a good update on a modern comedy classic. Its updates help accentuate the original film's points, the musical numbers are impressive, and its cast is likable. A better sound mix would have made the film better, but as they are, the songs are fine. This was actually produced for Paramount + but was upgraded to theatrical during the strikes. It'll be a while before it gets there, so to quote the film, "Get in [the theatre], loser." There's a good matinee waiting for you. 

The Beekeeper

The Beekeeper is a thriller about taking down cybercriminals. I don't think there has been a simpler hook for a film than what writer Kurt Wimmer and director David Ayer have made for this film. It's a nice distraction as I wait for the last few Oscar movies to play locally.

Adam Clay (Jason Statham) is a humble beekeeper who lives in the widowed Eloise Parker's (Phylicia Rashad) garage. They're pretty close friends, so he is naturally very upset when phishers clean out Eloise's accounts and drive her to suicide. After a natural misunderstanding with an FBI agent - Eloise's daughter, Verona (Emmy Raver-Lampman) - Clay decides to get revenge on the scammers. 

It turns out that, in addition to being a literal beekeeper, Clay is also a figurative Beekeeper, that being the codename for an elite operative who will go to any lengths to protect the innocent. He works his way up the corporate ladder to punish those who wronged Eloise. Meanwhile, Verona and her partner, Matt Wiley (Bobby Naderi), pursue Clay to quell his roaring rampage of revenge. Both quests become complicated when it's discovered that the phishers are funded by Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson), whose mother, Jessica (Jemma Redgrave), is the President of the United States.

We only see Clay and Eloise in one scene together before her fateful encounter. But it's enough to make you genuinely tremble and think "no, don't do it" as she boots up her laptop. David Witts goes above and beyond to make Mickey Garnett, the call center leader who personally swindles Eloise, an utter smug snake who sweet talks her into giving him her credentials while he laughs it up with his employees. That makes it cathartic when Clay blows up his call center, defeats a few goons and sends him down a river. It's a little more cathartic if you've ever fallen for a phishing scam (I almost did). 

Statham is quite compelling as Clay. His campaign is excessive, but his time with Eloise and Verona gives him some humanity. He further shows that humanity when he allows the call center grunts to evacuate. He's so compelling that his excessive use of bee-related one liners sound normal. His adversaries include his evil counterpart, Anisette (Megan Le), who challenges him to a destructive battle at a gas station and Lazarus (Taylor James), a mercenary who delivers the film's ultimate groaner. They both make the most of their limited screen times with their bombastic personalities.

A downside to making Garnett so excessively smug is that Derek, petulant brat that he is, almost looks reasonable by comparison. Jessica, meanwhile, has nothing to do with her son's cybercrimes, and is sympathetic even after Clay shoots Derek in the end. Jeremy Irons especially stands out as Westwyld, Derek's retainer and ex-CIA boss, who tries his best to deal with Derek's petulance, even if it means fighting Clay.

What else is there? Clay gets a pretty good fight at a second call center, including a rather inventive and brutal elevator trap for a few goons. Verona spends the film being the Gerrard to Clay's Kimble even before his rampage. Her following him is pretty much standard procedure law-upholding, though a bit understandable (i.e., the gas station fight), and thankfully doesn't drop the ball in her pursuit. There's some surprisingly stellar production design for the two call centers even if both look the same. I think that both centers' purple lighting seals the deal.

The Beekeeper isn't as deep as an actual hive, but at 105 minutes, it gets the matinee job done. Anyone looking for the next John Wick, which some reviews have already compared it to, will find its action sweet as honey. It's another star vehicle for Statham, and I don't think his fans will have it any other way. Onwards to the next review.

Still: A Michael J Fox Movie

 It's a little over a week before the Oscar nominations are announced. I hope that I've seen at least one of the shortlisted candidates for the Documentary Feature Oscar. That lucky film is Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, which premiered on Apple TV + early last year, and which I've gotten to this year because I cancelled that service.

Yeah, I needed to cut back on spending and there was little that I wanted to watch on it. So, let's get going.

Davis Guggenheim actually starts this documentary in media res, when superstar Michael J Fox noticed symptoms of Parkinson's Disease in 1990. From there, we learn about his upbringing in Canada, where he was constantly the shortest kid in his class. He eventually moved to Hollywood, where his fortunes dwindled until he was cast in the sitcom, Family Ties, despite some network reservations. "I can't see that face on a lunchbox," one executive said. He soon became the breakout star, and how he became so is quite entertaining to watch.

As told countless times before, the filmmakers of Back to the Future wanted Fox as Marty McFly, but Family Ties creator Gary Goldberg said no, so they had to make do with Eric Stoltz. Once the filmmakers realized that Stoltz wasn't right for the role, and Goldberg was amiable, Fox finally joined the film. Throughout the film, editor Michael Harte accentuates Fox's life with just the right film clips. This film's recreation of Fox's hectic life filming both projects, complete with ironic commentary from Family Ties, is his masterstroke. You can feel the madness as Fox recounts being shuttled between both sets, getting little sleep, and even getting his characters mixed up. Of course, the film became a smash, and hearing him recount the troubled production makes the success all the more heartwarming.

Throughout the film, we see him in physical therapy, spend time with his family and even record an audio book. I'm only vaguely familiar with Family Ties, so it was quite captivating to see how his on-screen girlfriend, Tracy Pollan, became his off-screen wife. Harte again frames there progressing romance through their characters, Alex P. Keaton and Ellen Reed, and while she didn't last beyond the fourth season, it's quite nice to see them together now. She helped him cope with his Parkinson's diagnosis, which shows with his good spirits even now (he trips at one point walking on the sidewalk and gets up with a good quip). Even him living his life is inspirational for anyone living with a debilitating condition.

What else is there? His early anecdote how the two-year-old him ran out to the candy store is funny. His recounting the death of his father in 1991 is sobering to watch. Harte gets another standout scene as he puts together Fox's daunting workload post Back to the Future. Fox recounting the onset of his Parkinson's Disease is perfectly eerie, which makes his career slump - compare Gene Siskel's glowing review of Back to the Future to his tepid review for the dud, For Love or Money - harsher in hindsight. That's quite a bit to like.

I think I'll renew Apple TV + if there's a bunch of stuff I want to watch. I mean, I can buy Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon on streaming if I wanted to. Anyone sticking around with the service will find Still: A Michael J Fox Movie a strong portrait of a pop culture legend. It will make for a nice hour and half learning experience whether you're familiar with Back to the Future or unfamiliar with Family Ties. Don't miss it. I'm glad I ultimately didn't.

Society of the Snow

Anybody who remembers the films of 1993 might be familiar with Alive, an account of the October 1972 crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 and the drastic measures its ultimately 16 survivors took to survive. While Frank Marshall's film was based on Piers Paul Reed's book, J.A. Bayona's cinematic account of the same disaster is based on another book, Pablo Vierci's Society of the Snow. Let's see how it is.

On-board the ill-fated flight were members of the Old Christians Rugby Team and several of their relations. They were supposed to play their next match in Chile, but instead crashed in the Andes. Twelve out of the forty-five people aboard perished in the initial crash, with more succumbing in the next few weeks. The search for them is eventually called off. As their food and hope dwindled, the survivors resorted to cannibalizing the dead. Eventually, players Roberto Canessa (Matias Recalt) and Nando Parrado (Agustin Pardella) decided to hike to Chile themselves for help.

You might need to take notes to keep up with its enormous cast. Besides Canessa and Parrado, a few standouts include Daniel Fernandez (Francisco Romero) and his cousins, Adolfo & Eduardo Strauch (Esteban Kukuriczka & Rafael Federman), the survivors' de-facto leaders; Javier Methol (Esteban Bigliardi ), the oldest survivor; and Antonio "Tintin" Vizintin (Agustin Della Corte), who joins Canessa and Parrado on their first expedition. Although plenty of names might get lost in the shuffle, it still packs a punch when the deceased are tallied up throughout the film. The biggest punch for those unfamiliar with the disaster is realizing that narrator Numa Turcatti (Enzo Vogrincic) is the film's posthumous narrator.

It might make sense, then, to consider the party a collective protagonist. Bayona and his writing team sufficiently establish them as a likable unit of ordinary people. Gaston Costemalle (Louta), one of the first casualties, fools around with the PA system just before the crash, but his death is still tragic. It's quite harrowing to hear the survivors cry out in agony at night and when the initial search is called off. It's equally relieving to see them crack jokes to keep their spirits up. Their last photograph before they embark makes for a memorable image. The film doesn't dwell on the details of their later rations, though it might be enough to upset a few stomachs.

Roger Ebert commented on his review of Alive that the survivors were implausibly healthy in the end. He might be amazed and, ahem, chilled, to see the craftsmanship of the Oscar-shortlisted Makeup team. It's astounding to see the party go from healthy to frostbitten as their days on the Andes turn to weeks. A few key makeup personnel even won Oscars for Pan's Labyrinth, and they deserve to get on the ballot.

Now for a few other technical notices. Its brutal plane crash helped earn it a spot on the Visual Effects Shortlist, just as Alive did thirty years ago, while the CGI-enhanced landscapes are impressively seamless. There was a reported lack of snow at the Sierra Nevada, standing in for the Andes, which necessitated those additions. Either way, Pedro Luque's cinematography is great. Michael Giacchino's moving score got him shortlisted for Oscar notice as well, but the sound designers weren't as lucky. It's a shame as their work gives the plane crash and an avalanche that buries the wreckage some brutal power.

It's jarring to see the contrasts between Alive and Society of the Snow's approaches to the same subject.  Even watching both of their plane crashes back-to-back shows how far visual effects technology has evolved over thirty years. But I should be reviewing the newer film, shouldn't I? It's emotionally and sometimes physically brutal, but it's ultimately an uplifting true life survival story. This is Spain's entry into the International Feature Oscar race, and all you need to do to find out why is to Netflix and chill. Again, keep notes. 

Ferrari

Ferrari maybe a name associated with speed, but Michael Mann's biopic of its namesake, Enzo Ferrari, took a long time to get to the screen. He first considered it around 2000 but it took until this past Christmas for it to get released. During this time, its screenwriter, Troy Kennedy Martin - who adapted Brock Yates's biography of the man - died in 2009. Was it worth the wait?

In 1957, Enzo (Adam Driver) is at a crossroads. He and his wife, Lara (Penelope Cruz), lost their only son, Dino, the previous year; meanwhile, he and his mistress, Lina (Shailene Woodley) raise their son, Piero (Giuseppe Festinese) in relative obscurity. He and Lara own his namesake company evenly, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Their fortunes might improve if the company wins the prestigious Mille Miglia race. His fortunes might stall if Lara finds out about his other family, which she does. What will she do with the $500,000 dollars she wants from him?

It all starts with a prologue chronicling Enzo's career change from racer to automaker. His racing highlights either impressively insert Driver into vintage newsreels or are just convincing facsimiles. Enzo's formal introduction has him race home from Lina's house to avoid Lara's wrath. By race, I really mean race, as editor Pietro Scalia puts together a sequence so break-neck that you'd think he'll crash. But he doesn't. His mad dash doesn't work as she shoots the wall behind him while his mother, Adalgisa (Daniela Piperno), casually explains what's going on to an associate. What a way to start a movie! 

Its racing scenes are exciting, yes, but they can get shockingly gruesome. An early test drive goes disastrously wrong when driver Eugenio Castellotti (Marino Franchitti) and his car are sent flying by a high kerb. He lands on the road, and it smashes into a wall. You'd think the worse is over, but no, for the Mille Miglia is capped off by another crash with utterly disastrous consequences for the crowd. The visual effects department really pulled no punches to show how brutal racing can get. It thus wouldn't surprise you once you subsequently find out that this Mille Miglia was the last one. 

It may surprise you to realize who the star is. If not for Driver's voice, which isn't the worst Italian accent I've heard, then you wouldn't recognize him as Enzo. The Oscar-shortlisted makeup team’s work is just that good. As for Enzo, “Il Commendatore” isn’t an easy man to like with his cold businessman persona and colder relationship with Lara. He doesn’t even bat an eye when Castellotti’s fatal accident happens. He does get some humanizing moments with his other family and in private, though. Whether or not you can stand his demeanor can help make later lulls in the story a bit more bearable. 

What else is there? Cruz's is much more compelling as Lara; in addition to the aforementioned first fight with Enzo, her way of fending off the paparazzi is certainly memorable. Patrick Dempsey is surprisingly less recognizable as Enzo's ace driver, Piero Taruffi. Franchitti is quite likable as Castellotti, as well as Gabriel Leone as Castellotti's similarly ill-fated successor, Alfonso de Portago. On the technical side, the ill-fated test drive is a strong showcase for the also shortlisted sound designers. Its succession of stopwatches timing the drives is as nifty as Daniel Pemberton's score. Meanwhile, cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt shows us great Italian vistas and perfectly delirious effects. There's quite a bit to like besides its protagonist.

Ferrari is a bit of a slow movie that sometimes feels longer than 130-minutes. I assure you, though, that its approach to auto racing makes its 130-minutes worth it. It's not doing that great in the box-office, so see it soon if you want to see it on the big screen at all. As for me, I got to prepare for my next few reviews as movies pile up in theaters and streaming. Hopefully, there will be a lot before the month is done.