M&Y – 2018: A Love Odyssey

December 8, 2019December 8, 2019

Marriage Story (2019)

Yes, we’ve all been there, a separation can be difficult, and this has been shown in movies multiple times. A divorce however, with all its legal intricacies, is a different beast, especially when kids are involved. This movies does a great job of showing a flawed couple going through this and how they both try to do what they think is best for their kid and future. What is particularly impressive is how the movie does not show any bias between which parent is the most at fault. They are both equally responsible for their failing relationship, and it’s hard to watch how they unwillingly fall into legal and bitter arguments over the course of the movie.

December 5, 2019December 5, 2019

Oscars 2010: A Restrospective

The 2010 ceremony took place on Sunday, March 7, 2010, and was hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. It was the 82nd Academy Awards and celebrated the best films released in 2009. You can see the list of all winners and nominees here.

Honestly, I have to say that while it made sense on paper to invite veteran host Steve Martin along with newcomer Alec Baldwin, the duo ended up being quite forgivable without many highlights coming from their speeches and monologue.

December 4, 2019December 4, 2019

The Farewell (2019)

This film shares a deeply personal story of writer/director Lulu Wang where a Chinese family hides the cancer diagnosis of their grandmother from herself. We discover through the eyes of Chinese-American Awkwafina in a refreshingly non-comedic role the differences between the eastern and western philosophy about health, family and death. The film shows the pros and cons of the two philosophies and does not dare choose for you which one is best. While this is a good setup for a film, it does make for a simple, quiet film without many twists and turns or bangs.

December 3, 2019December 5, 2019

Oscars 2009: A Retrospective

As a new year comes to a close and another Oscar season is just around the corner, I wanted to take the time to remember and share my thoughts on the last 10 years or so of Oscars. We can see how well some winners have aged and talk about shockers that still have us shaking our heads years later.

The 2009 ceremony took place on Sunday, February 22, 2009 and was hosted by Hugh Jackman. It was the 81st Academy Awards and celebrated the best films released in 2008. You can see the list of all winners and nominees here.

December 2, 2019December 4, 2019

Parasite (2019)

Veteran director Boon Joon Ho (The Host, Okja) wows international audiences with this comedic-drama-horror-thriller hybrid that sucks you in despite the very Korean feel. The first half is outstanding at building characters and immersing you in their fraudulent world, really a masterclass of film making. The ending does go back to its Korean drama roots with an extremely melodramatic sequence that slightly breaks the suspension of disbelief, putting this film just short of a perfect score in our book.