Family Movie Night with POOR THINGS

POOR THINGS (Digital)

2023 / 142 min

FROM SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

Review by Mr. Bonnie😺

Poor Things is also available on Blu-ray on DVD

In the end, I’m glad I waited as long as I did to watch Poor Things.

Both of my daughters were very interested in seeing it as well, so when it was made available to review, I extended them an invitation. The challenge was picking an evening we were all free and up for a movie. Finally, with the Academy Award broadcasting the next day, I couldn’t wait on them any longer. Since the Oscars are sort of like the Super Bowl for me, it’s important to see as many of the major nominees as possible before the statues are handed out.  

And thank God I ended up watching it alone, because even though both daughters are more or less grown up, I’m still uncomfortable watching movies with them that contain explicit sex or nudity…of which Poor Things has gobs. There are enough naughty bits on display for two Ari Aster movies. 

But like Aster, there’s a twisted rationale behind these scenes, particularly in relation to the themes of female empowerment, sexual liberation and independence. So while graphic and plentiful, I’d stop just short of labeling them gratuitous, though lead actor Emma Stone certainly goes all-in with her character (in more ways than one) and demonstrates a ton of bravery.

Emma cosplays as a croissant.

Now having seen it, did she deserve the Oscar for Best Actress? Perhaps I should reserve final judgment until seeing Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon, but Stone certainly provides a strong case for herself as Bella Baxter, resurrected from the dead by kindly-but-deranged doctor Godwin (Willem Dafoe, in yet another wonderfully eccentric performance). I’m gonna refrain from discussing any more of the plot because I went into the film relatively cold and can attest that much of what keeps Poor Things’ episodic narrative compelling is having no idea what it’s gonna throw at you next (though I will say the whole thing does carry on longer than it needs to).

The film certainly deserved a lot of its other Oscar wins, especially the production design, which is a knock-out. More so than any previous effort by director Yorgos Lanthimos, virtually every shot is an elaborate, imaginative work of surrealist art, alternately oppressive & whimsical, drab & vivid. And even though he didn’t win, Robbie Ryan’s cinematography brilliantly enhances the mood of each scene. I especially liked the use of black & white to reflect Bella’s confinement in Godwin’s house, while her journey of self-discovery is bursting with color. In addition to Stone & Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo and Ramy Youssef are excellent in key supporting roles.

Like every Lanthimos film, Poor Things will be a little too “out there” for some tastes and a twisted breath of fresh air for others. Either way, there hasn’t been another Oscar nominee quite like it. With equal measures of comedy, fantasy, pathos, sexuality and no small amount of cultural commentary, it’s Lanthimos’ most accomplished film.

As for my two girls...they later watched Poor Things on their own. Both liked it, but concurred it wasn't something they needed to experience with Dad.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTE - Possessing Beauty: The Making of Poor Things (running 21 minutes, this features interviews with the primary cast & crew).

3 DELETED SCENES

The Beautiful Ugliness of THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE

THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE (Blu-ray)

2003 / 80 min

FROM SONY

Available at MovieZyng.com

Review by Pepper the Poopy😺

If there was an Oscar category for originality, The Triplets of Belleville would surely have taken home a trophy back in 2003. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature that year, but while Finding Nemo arguably deserved to win, this one had a narrative, aesthetic and tone unlike anything we’ve really seen before…in a cartoon anyway.

The weird-ass story has an elderly woman, Madame Souza, using her meager resources to help her grandson, Champion, achieve his dream of participating in the Tour de France. But during the event, he and two other bikers are abducted by mobsters, who take them to America and force them to compete in backroom gambling houses (with fatal consequences for the loser). With family dog Bruno, Souza follows them to New York. Penniless, she’s taken in by three old ladies who were once a French singing sensation known as Triplets of Belleville. 

The triplets themselves are sort of a subplot, introduced in the film’s first scene by appearing on French television performing their hit song, “Belleville Rendez-Vous” (which was also nominated for an Oscar). It’s a surreal sequence that sort-of sets the tone for the entire film. When they reappear much later, they’re kindly but repulsive old ladies, living in a sleazy apartment building and killing frogs in a nearby marsh to sustain themselves. They still perform, though, with Souza joining their band. And eventually, when Souza learns where Champion is being held, the triplets are more than happy to help free him, taking on local gangsters in an amusing climactic chase through the city streets.

Chick-Fil-A's secret ingredient.

Whimsical, weird and often grotesque, The Triplets of Bellevue is fairly light on characterization and plot (the latter is sometimes set aside for strange sequences of Bruno’s dreams or the Triplets’ sickening eating habits). But it’s brilliantly animated, sometimes reminding me of a stylistic mash-up of Studio Ghibli and Heavy Metal (along with a smidgen of CGI in some scenes). The characters themselves - even the minor ones - are cleverly conceived, their appearance and movements reflecting their roles in the story. Speaking of which, the film is nearly free of dialogue, the narrative largely driven by expressions, action and Benoît Charest’s evocative score.

At first, there doesn’t appear to be any overt effort to engage the viewer on an emotional level. With the exception of Bruno the Dog, the characters seem fairly aloof. But as the story unfolds, Souza’s fearless resolve is ultimately kind of touching. The Triplets of Bellevue is sometimes aesthetically abhorrent, but as animated features go, there hasn’t been anything else quite like it.

Previously released on Blu-ray in 2017, this new version features slightly upgraded picture and sound, along with vintage bonus features, as well as a new teaser for director Sylvain Chomet’s next film.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - The Making of The Triplets of Belleville; The Cartoon According to Sylvain Chomet.

THE MAGNIFICENT LIFE OF MARCEL PAGNOL TEASER -  This is a teaser trailer for Chomet next animated feature, due in 2025.

SELECTED SCENES WITH COMMENTARY - 3 scenes with commentary by director Sylvain Chomet.

MUSIC VIDEO - “Belleville Rendez-Vous”

TRAILER

A STAR IS BORN: Is This The Best Version?

A STAR IS BORN (Blu-ray)

2018 / 136 min

FROM WARNER BROS

Available at MovieZyng.com

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😺

Approaching remakes is sort of a funny thing. Most of us have a tendency to be fairly close-minded when it comes to remakes of certain films, especially iconic ones. In general, I’m not opposed to remakes, never feeling they tarnish the legacy of the original, even when the new version sucks.

Then there are those films that seem to be remade every generation or so, like A Star is Born. Regarding these, I think we have a tendency to assess them based on whichever previous version we’re most familiar with. I never watched the original 1937 film and didn’t see the 1954 version (generally considered the definitive one) until much later in life, meaning my basis for comparison has always been the 1976 Barbra Streisand vanity project.

2018’s A Star is Born is Citizen Kane compared to that one. Granted, that ain’t saying much, but character-wise, it compares favorably to the James Mason/Judy Garland version. A country-rock star on a path of self-destruction, Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) is both sympathetic and exasperating, while the singer he discovers and falls in love with, Ally (Lady Gaga), is likable and relatable. The narrative does a great job making us care about these two, especially as Jack’s substance abuse spirals toward its inevitable conclusion.

"Ally...'alot' is not a word."

The performances are uniformly excellent, especially Cooper and Gaga, who are supported by great turns from Sam Elliot as Jack’s beleaguered older brother and - believe it or not - Andrew Dice Clay as Ally’s congenial, encouraging father. Though it’s his first film as a director, Cooper (who also co-wrote) displays the skills of a veteran, especially with the numerous music sequences. And despite its length, this is the only version of A Star is Born that doesn’t feel longer than it needs to be, which is a good thing considering it’s never been the most uplifting story to hit the screen.

But is it the best version? I dunno…it’s probably unfair to compare this one to the 1954 film. Other than the basic story and themes, they’re apples and oranges. With its contemporary aesthetic (and some truly great songs), perhaps it’s better to say this is the best remake of A Star is Born that’s possible today. If nothing else, it makes the 1976 version look like a slab of shallow, dated tripe (not that it was ever anything else). 

This is a re-issue of the Blu-ray first released in 2019. There are no technical upgrades or additional new supplementary material.

EXTRA KIBBLES

THE ROAD TO STARDOM: MAKING A STAR IS BORN - The pretty interesting 30-minute doc featuring a lot of behind-the-scenes footage (including Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, who helped shoot a scene!) and a casual round-table discussion with the main cast.

JAM SESSIONS AND RARITIES - Rehearsal footage of the music performances.

4 MUSIC VIDEOS

MUSICAL MOMENTS - A compilation of music scenes from the movie.