Mario's Musings: Oscars Edition
Oscar season passed, and your resident reviewer did a pretty poor job of trying to see all the movies nominated. But I still got a quick review of the Best Picture nominees that I actually DID see thanks to streaming.
Top Gun: Maverick
I’m going to be honest with you: I was never that big a fan of the first Top Gun. I used to always joke with people that I “prefer Hot Shots”. So it’s safe to say I went into this with low expectations… and this film exceeded them. Sure, it’s a sequel to a movie that’s over thirty years old, and somehow Tom Cruise has barely aged in that time especially compared to the other cast members, but it’s somehow a story that was needed.
Goose’s son, who goes by the call sign “Rooster”, doesn’t like Maverick, but not for thinking that he’s responsible for Goose’s death like a lesser story would have. No, he dislikes Maverick because Maverick got his application to the Naval Academy rejected because he was trying to honor Goose’s widow’s wishes of preventing her son from following in his dad’s footsteps. Sure, his dad’s death is also a factor, but it’s not THE factor.
And since we’re here, “Bob” is the best call sign ever. 10/10. No notes.
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once
What if Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was even crazier, more heartwarming, and genuinely fun? This movie hit me in the feelings in ways I wasn’t ready for. Then again, a lot of movies have been doing that since 2021. This earned all the Oscars, but especially Ke Huy Quan. It’s been great to see him having the time of his life right now. Follow his Instagram, it’ll bring a smile to your face. Oh, yeah, and watch this movie. It’s a basic story of a family that’s drifted apart coming back together through the most random sci-fi adventure happening around them.
Elvis
I’m musically illiterate. If you had told me that Elvis Presley had never done a world tour, let alone left the United States outside of when he had to serve in the army, because his manager was a Dutchman living in the US illegally and cosplaying as Foghorn Leghorn, I’d think you were pulling my leg. It’s not just crazy, it’s TRUE. And that’s why Baz Luhrmann was the perfect director for this, he does his usual “be at an eleven at all times” style that he always brings to his films. If you love the King, you’ll love this.
All Quiet on the Western Front
I watched this thinking the audio sync was off because occasionally the dialogue wouldn’t match the lips of the actors. The joke was on me when I realized halfway through that I had the movie playing in the English dub and not the traditional German in which it was filmed. Live and learn, I guess. I had some issues with some changes from the book, but nothing that dinged my thoughts on the movie too much, as it perfectly captured the horrors of World War I, visually and through the soundtrack.
Yeah, I only watched four of the ten. Sorry about that. But I got to see Ke Huy Quan and Harrison Ford hug on stage and that’s all that matters.