Why F1 the Movie should win the best picture Oscar

It may not be in pole position, but Brad Pitt and director Joseph Kosinski’s sleek, technically inventive ode to motor racing definitely qualifies for the Academy podium Could, should, would F1 the Movie win the best picture Oscar? Well, we have to be realistic here: F1 is currently a massive outsider, at 200-1 along with The Secret Agent , which has no chance either but for very different reasons. It’s not hard to see why: this is a swaggeringly mainstream film, where tech and branding dwarf the human input, with the film itself acting as a front-end battering ram for a sports organisation desperate to break into the promised land of the US auto racing circuit. (I mean it’s right there in the title.) So even the most reactionary, conservative Academy voter is going to find it hard to mark F1 with their tick. So no, I don’t think it could win. That’s not to say F1 doesn’t have quite a bit going for it. The Oscars, as we know, have historically had a problem with so-called “popular” ...

The Glassworker review – beautiful Ghibli-esque anti-war fable

Pakistani animator Usman Riaz’s dazzling debut owes much to Hayao Miyazaki, founder of Japan’s legendary studio, even if the magic and wonder falls a little short of his hero

Going by the poster, it looks like Hayao Miyazaki, the founder of Japan’s legendary Studio Ghibli, has come out of retirement – again. But this gorgeous hand-drawn film is a Pakistani production, a feature debut from young animator Usman Riaz with some dazzling images up there with the best of Ghibli. (And there is a connection: Ghibli producer Geoffrey Wexler is credited here as a creative consultant.)

The Glassworker is a heartfelt anti-war film set in a bustling fictional seaside town sometime in the early to mid 20th century. Vincent (voiced by Sacha Dhawan as a young man in the English-language dubbed version) is the son of glassworker Tomas, a pacifist who becomes increasingly unpopular in town as the drumbeats of war grow louder. Vincent receives a letter from his friend Alliz (Anjli Mohindra), the daughter of an army colonel. Much of what follows is bittersweet memories of their childhood, beginning with how they met; there are lovely unforced scenes though some of the voice acting here and elsewhere feels a bit flat.

Continue reading...

from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/PV2fchj
via IFTTT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Miracle Club review – Maggie Smith can’t save this rocky road trip to Lourdes

‘I lost a friend of almost 40 years’: Nancy Meyers pays tribute to Diane Keaton

Malaika Arora scolds 16-year-old dancer for inappropriate gestures: “He is winking, giving flying kisses”