It doesn’t end well.
The story of Mary Stuart, who left France for her native Scotland in 1561 to take her place on the throne and simultaneously threaten the throne of Elizabeth I, is filled with deceit, lust, religion, power plays and double-crosses. Everything you want in a royal treatment — almost.
Compared to gushy Elizabeth (1998), the film proves too small. Compared to the The Favourite, the recent, inventive, rollicking take on Queen Anne, it seems quite old fashioned. So, it's a film that is neither grand nor bad, simply a solid period piece with few surprises, including the obvious last scene.
What does earn your ten bucks is Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie as Mary and Elizabeth. They are each sensational in their roles of 16th Century frenemies. It's a blast to see history through their performances.
In a December when a dozen of the year’s best films are on screen, and despite the luscious, cinematic shots of Scotland, this film is not as big as the story — something just seems missing. For this, I’d look to first-time film director Josie Roarke who comes from the national theatre/playhouse world. A pretty strong debut, but it's just not the movie of the year I'd hoped for.
In a nutshell: It may not be one of the year’s ten best, but it's worth ten bucks.
Award potential: Potential Academy Award nominations for Best Actress Saoirse Ronan, Best Supporting Actress Margo Robbie and Best Costume for designer Alexandra Byrne (Elizabeth: Golden Age).
The historically inaccurate meeting of the two Queens ( Eyes will roll where heads should have) should keep it out of the Best Screenplay category as well as Best Picture. Leave that stuff for on stage theatre, folks.
The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks.
Run to Roma in the theaters — or watch it at home?
Roma, the number one best film of 2018 according to Time magazine, The New York Times, Rolling Stone and countless others, was released in theaters this week. Somewhat surprising and definitely reflective of the times, Roma will debut on your home Netflix the following Friday, December 14.
This scheduling begs a tricky question: Should “the best film of the year” be seen at home or in the theater?
Your decision should take a few items into account including the director — and your screen at home. Writer, director and cinematographer Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity, Y Tu Mamá También, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) has assembled a stunning film with meticulously shot images and precise sound design that may lose some impact on a laptop with headphones, but should screen well on home theater screens with a quality home theater audio system. The wonder of this film is in the small details, so you’ll need either a theater screen or a home screen that delivers.
In favor of watching at home, I should note that Roma is an intimate and personal story, told from the point of view of Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a 1970s housekeeper to a middle class family in Mexico City. Similar to a Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Before Sunrise) film, there is very little plot. It’s a story told through the senses and a series of moments in life. Items that are usually in the background are in the foreground here — not unlike the 1970s housekeeper experience.
I would also factor in your ability to watch a black and white film — in Spanish — at home. I didn’t love Roma above all pictures this year, but I felt as if I was invited to see a moment in time in a world I won’t soon forget. Don’t miss out on this if you’re apt to multitask or snooze on the couch.
The decision? If you live a city with art-house theaters, have a MoviePass and want to fully enjoy one of the strongest movies of the year, then the effort to experience Roma in the theater will surely pay off. If the holidays have cut into your free time, the quantity of quality movies in the theater in December have cut into your budget, you're iffy on art-house foreign films in general, or you just can’t wait, I believe watching it at home will be rewarding as well.
In a nutshell: The only poor choice is to miss out on Roma completely.
Award potential: Did not qualify for Golden Globe Best Picture and doesn't fit the model for the SAG Best Ensemble award, but is a front runner for Oscars Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film — unless the Netflix association has a backlash.
Yalitza Aparicio is on many Best Actress prediction lists, but it's a competitive year to reward a non-showy newcomer in a Spanish-speaking film. She may get overlooked with both Oscars and SAG.
Roma has already won both the L.A. critics and New York Film Critics Best Picture awards, BIFA's Best International Independent Film award and the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks — in the theater or towards a monthly Netflix subscription.
The SAG awards match Oscars' selections more often than the Golden Globes, yet the inexplicable, kooky Hollywood Foreign Press Association's awards get all of our attention.
The 90 members of the HFPA have just one overlap with the 9,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars). Yet, somehow a Golden Globe nod provides a positive impact on both Academy voters and Oscars campaigns. An omission tomorrow could hurt a film on the border, such as First Man, Eight Grade or Mary Poppins Returns.
That said, here's what's going to happen tomorrow:
Best Picture, Drama
A Star is Born
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
If Beale Street Could Talk
Black Panther
In the past, subpar films like Matt Damon's The Martian
will enter the Comedy/Musical category to secure a slot. However, this
year the race for one of the five drama slots are going to be more, well,
dramatic.
Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born, Blakkklansman and Can You Ever Forgive Me?,
despite their obvious musical or comedy elements, have each been
submitted (by their respective studio) in the drama category. The HFPA
may vote however they want.
Most predictions have First Man
in the top five but I think this group may be wowed less by an artful,
solemn treatment of an American astronaut and more by a glossy
celebration of an international rockstar, so I bumped up the Queen
biopic. Roma is not eligible.
Spoiler: First Man
Shocker: Melissa McCarthy’s Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Best Picture, Comedy or Musical
Eighth Grade
The Favourite
Green Book
Mary Poppins Returns
Vice
The romantic film of the year, Crazy Rich Asians, is at the top of most GG prediction lists but it’s light on comedy and musical. I’ve replaced it with Green Book which is peaking at nomination time
Spoiler: Crazy Rich Asians
Shocker: The well reviewed, kiddie sequel Paddington 2
Best Actress, Drama
Yalitza Aparicio, Roma
Glenn Close, The Wife
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Saoirse Ronan, Mary Queen of Scots
Spoiler: Nicole Kidman, Destroyer
Shocker: Julia Roberts, Ben is Back or Maggie Gyllenhaal,The Kindergarten Teacher or Toni Colette, Hereditary
Best Actor, Drama
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
Rami Malek, Bohemian RhapsodyI
Hugh Jackman, The Front Runner
Ryan Gosling, First Man
Spoiler: Steve Carell, Beautiful Boy
Shocker: John David Washington, BlacKkKlansman or Willem Dafoe, Eternity’s Gate or Lucas Hedges, Boy Erased
Best Actress (Comedy or Musical)
Emily Blunt, Mary Poppins Returns
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade
Kathryn Hahn, Private Life
Constance Wu, Crazy Rich Asians
Shocker: Voters placing Melissa McCarthy, from Can You Ever Forgive Me? in this category instead
Best Actor (Comedy or Musical)
Christian Bale, Vice
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Poppins ReturnsViggo Mortensen, Green Book
Robert Redford, The Old Man and the Gun
Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool 2
Shocker: Henry Golding,Crazy Rich Asians, or Nick Robinson Love, Simon
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Vice
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
Michelle Yeoh, Crazy Rich Asians
Spoiler: Nicole Kidman, Boy Erased
Shocker: Margot Robbie, Mary Queen of Scots
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Timothée Chalamet, Beautiful Boy
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Elliott, A Star is Born
Michael B. Jordan, Black Panther
Spoiler: Sam Rockwell, Vice
Shocker: Nicholas Hoult, The Favourite or Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman
