The production design and cinematography nominations were worthy ... it is a beautiful film to look at (although I haven't seen it in black and white). I thought it was fortunate to get a best picture nod, but then again, it's a weak year for films. King Richard, to me, played like an old movie of the week. Enjoyable fare, nothing more. Like Nightmare Alley, Power Of The Dog is beautiful to look at but it's a bit of an arthouse slog. Being The Ricardos has achieved a favorable audience but I'm not in it. How can you have a movie about I Love Lucy and not have a single laugh? Inside old Hollywood stories appear to be fashionable and they often work, but this bored me. Some of the dialogue was odd, too -- somehow, I don't think a line like "you're going to be my firewall" would have been spoken in the 1950s.
Belfast, nothing more than enjoyable fare. I still remember Cal as the real movie of Belfast's internal strife. CODA was good, entertaining, funny at times but a bit light of foot. I found Don't Look Up to be a solid satirical swing particularly on second viewing, but it's no Dr. Strangelove. Haven't seen Licorice Pizza, but I'm a PTA fan so I'm sure I'll enjoy it ... and I still have records I bought at SoCal Licorice Pizzas! Haven't seen Drive My Car, either, but it has good word of mouth.
Haven't seen Dune. Actually, I did re-watch the kooky David Lynch version and enjoyed it. I'll force myself at some point. West Side Story? I'm sure it's fine, but give me the original. Same with Nightmare Alley, by a light year. Why do they insist on remaking classic films? Why don't they remake bad ones and try to make them good. C'mon, someone take another crack at Heaven's Gate or Ishtar.
Sad to say, for my money, television has become so much better than the movies in these times.
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