I just saw Phantom Thread, and.... I guess? It sure was beautiful to look at.

I just saw this and goodness, I loved it a lot. It's an exquisite jewel box of a movie containing multitudes of surprises. I've heard it being compared to early Hitchcock, especially Rebecca, which seems right on the money. It even has its own Mrs. Danvers! Except I found the two women in Phantom Thread a lot more complex and interesting.

The other movie that came to my mind after watching this was the Maggie Gyllenhaal/James Spader BDSM romance, Secretary. I wouldn't say the movie was overtly kinky, but it skirts around the edges and is explicitly about shifting power dynamics among its characters. It's twisted as fuck and also surprisingly funny.

Oh, wow: Sorry to Bother You is a bananas satirical comedy about code-switching and exploitative capitalism

Sorry to Bother You consciously borrows on the fantastical style of Michel Gondry to become something all its own. It would be pointless to describe the rest of the plot, because a lot of the joy of the film comes from the element of surprise. Sorry to Bother You deliberately runs off its rails and then out of the railyard entirely.

Sorry to Bother You premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and is awaiting distribution.

Watched Icarus on Netflix on Saturday and then Coco at the theater Sunday. Both very good.

My thoughts on the Oscar noms: [link]

tl;dr Really happy for Gerwig and all the other women nominated in categories that often don't have them, bummed that The Florida Project didn't get more love, and mostly happy I don't have to sit through a lot of crapage for my traditional Oscar blitz.

Reactions on Twitter have been fairly predictable, with the most surprising actually being a local critic I know wondering if Spielberg is now the most under-appreciated of our Great American Directors. I mean, come on!

Hey, I've seen every single Best Picture nominated film! All Hail TIFF, etc. I'm overall reasonably happy with the noms - lots of different films being acknowledged in varying categories and some unexpected pleasures (Leslie Manville for Phantom Thread, yay!) I, too, would have liked more love for The Florida Project. I feel like The Darkest Hour was perfectly solid but not exceptional? I mean, Gary Oldman would probably win Best Actor and I'd be OK with that, but his performance is the only remarkable thing about it.

(The Best Actor category must be pretty weak because while I have not seen it, I heard Roman J Israel Esq was... not a good film.)

I am REALLY happy that both Gerwig and Jordan Peel got Best Director noms. Would have liked to have seen Sean Baker there, but I'm flush in the Phantom Thread spell right now so can't be too sore about PT Anderson being up there.

The ones I'm really rooting for to win: Willem Dafoe for Best Supoorting Actor, Roger Deakins for cinematography for Blade Runner 2049 (whatever my issue with the movie, it was the most singularly visually stunning movie of 2017), and Jonny Greenwood for Phantom Thread score.

I haven't seen anything but Get Out, really, but in terms of Oscars, I feel like even Meryl Streep would agree she maybe doesn't deserve a nomination every year. (And I say that loving her completely.)

Also, nothing for Wonder Woman? Not costumes, even?

The Best Actor category must be pretty weak because while I have not seen it, I heard Roman J Israel Esq was... not a good film.

I would say this has been true for the last ten years at least (in that the actress category is often far more competitive, with more "deserving" performances than the actor category). It is probably more obvious this year because (for once) female-led films are more prevalent among the nominees in general.

Off to see The Darkest Hour...

I really wanted to go see The Shape of Water after work tonight, but it's not showing on my side of the straits. Pout.

It is probably more obvious this year because (for once) female-led films are more prevalent among the nominees in general.

t nods Both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories this year have much more interesting and varied performances than the respective male counterparts. Which is GREAT.

On a non-Oscar news, the adaptation of Nick Hornby's Juliet Naked just premiered in Sundance and it's reportedly great, which makes me happy: [link]

It's been eons since I read the book, but the casting seems spot on. I mean, Chris O'Dowd and Ethan Hawke - OF COURSE. And I love Rose Byrne when she plays comedy.

Also, nothing for Wonder Woman? Not costumes, even?

I'd like to have seen noms for Wonder Woman in Production Design (I thought its was clearly better than Dunkirk's) and Cinematography. All of the Costuming contenders are really good in that respect though, so I'm not sure whether or not it deserves one of the slots.

I also feel like Patty Jenkins ought to get some sort of special award for swimming upstream against the waterfall of DCEU crappiness and MRA backlash with an excellent, uplifting movie on her shoulders.