Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

In the heated months of 1969, a series of energetic music performances took place in New York during the Summer of Love. 

However, we're not talking about Woodstock. The Harlem Cultural Festival, which took place over six summer Sundays featured Nina Samone, Stevie Wonder, The Fifth Dimension, Sly and the Family Stone, B.B. King and Gladys Knight & the Pips in top form.

Mostly forgotten in time, Questlove (The Roots) has rescued the film footage, most of which has never been publicly seen, and created a two-hour film (Peter Jackson, take notice) showcasing the amazing performances as well as poignant stories from the artists.

Gladys Knight reminisces about the early days of Motown, and Mavis about the sheer awe of singing with Mahalia. Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. of Fifth Dimension who had been called "not black enough," detail the power of their performance that day.

And there's the music. Stevie Wonder on drums (really), David Ruffin solo, and Nina Samone hypnotizing listeners with "Backlash Blues.”

In a nutshell: A lovingly assembled timepiece and an essential look at performers in their prime.

Award potential. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) has been nominated for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards.

Where to see it: Hulu

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

Stream Oscar's Best International Film nominees at home

Japan's three-hour Best Picture contender Drive My Car, popular Norwegian relationship drama Worst Person in the World and triple-threat animated documentary Flee are triple frontrunners for Best International Feature Film (once named Foreign Film) at the 94th Academy Awards.

It’s tough to predict how this race will go, but ultimately movie-goers are the big winner. All five are inspiring films that will take you around the world in human experience — and all are available to stream at home before the Oscars show. Also, lots of cigarette smoking. Here’s what you need to know.

DRIVE MY CAR

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s three-hour Cannes Best Screenplay-winner Drive My Car is up for Best Picture, Best Director and Best International Feature Film. Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi takes viewers on a ride in this quiet-masterpiece featuring Yusuke (Hidetoshi Nishijima) and his driver Misaki (Toko Miura). Raise the seat back, get comfy and keep your eyes on the narrative which shifts between the two effortlessly and memorably.

It’s a long film in four parts, consider watching it as your next binge series.

Where to watch: HBOmax
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD
Norwegian writer-director Joachim Trier (Thelma) perfectly casts Reate Reinsve (Oslo) as Oslo medical student Julie, a magnificent mess who changes career plans too often in her early twenties and may just have similar problems with relationships. Also, perfectly cast are her men— a Robert Crum-style comic-book artist Aksel (Anders Danielson Lie) and Eivind (Herber Nordrum) a married stranger she meets at a party.

If you haven't guessed already, it's a dramatic comedy about a woman on the verge of figuring out who she is. She's unlikely "the worst person in the world" nor is she the "nicest." One thing I can reveal is that she is "funny" in a way we haven't seen since TV's Fleabag.

The whole film is pretty likable too. it delights and generates some solid, rootin-'tootin' laugh-out moments. Until a third arc conversation between Julie and Aksel that delivers a gut-punch about the artifacts of youth that was the most memorable scene of the year for me.

Where to watch: VOD
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

FLEE

Director Jonas Poher Rasmussen's film tells the story of Amin, a young refugee fleeing his home in Afghanistan to Denmark. It's a story of perseverance and hope that will surely impact even the least emotional viewers.

Amin and friend Rasmussen's story is filled with enough suspense to make you forget you are watching an animated film. The animation, of course, hides the identity of the Afghan refugee but serves as a thrilling storytelling device that stretches the format into new directions and will surely push both documentary and animated crafts forward.

A contender for Animated Feature, Documentary and International Feature, which is quite a feat. Flee has already made history and is one to watch before Oscars Night.

Where to watch: Hulu
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

THE HAND OF GOD
Italian auteur Paolo Sorrentino delivers a personal, coming-of-age story set in his hometown Naples. He also delivers a scene that is, well, oh so Italian. Everything here is big and bright and oversized, but it’s quite a trip to go on the trip of one young boy, Fabietto (Filippo Scotti, not Timothy Chalamet), and his own dolce vita.

Where to watch: Netflix
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

LUNANA: A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM

In Pawo Choyning Dorji’s film from Bhutan, a reluctant teacher is assigned to a school that’s an eight-day up the mountains of Bhutan. It is perhaps the most remote classroom in the planet.

Shot high in the remote Himalayas with local villagers and rookie musician-turned-actor Sherab Dorji, Lunana tells the story of a city teacher who finds inspiration through the schoolchildren he encounters. At the beginning of the film, he’d rather be a musician in Australia. By the end, well you’ll likely feel as similarly transformed as Lunana.

Where to watch: VOD
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

Enjoy your trip around the world!

Win your Oscars office pool with this stat-tastic hack

Win your Oscars pool with this stat-tastic help

It's another unique year for Oscars so we’re gonna need some math to help your Oscar office pool. Here's how to win:

Win the Best Director category
Go with whoever won the Director’s Guild of America award. Those winners have matched in 62 of 73 years. It can't hurt that the DGA chose a female director of a Best Picture nominee this year. And it's her finest, most evolved work. And the Oscar goes to... Jane Campion, Power of the Dog.

Win the Best Foreign Feature Film category
Flee is also nominated in Documentary and Animated Feature, And Worst Person in the World is extremely liable, but only one of them is also nominated for Best Picture and Best Director. And the Oscar goes to... Drive My Car.

Win the Best Animated Feature Film category
11 out of 15 PGA-winning animated films also won the Animated Feature Academy Award. it can't hurt that you've heard one of its songs every day of 2022. And the Oscar goes to... Encanto.

Win the Best Actor/Actress/Supporting Actor/Supporting Actress categories
Supporting is a lock. Will late surges for Andrew Garfield and Penelope Cruz cause an upset for actor and actress? It may happen, but your best bet for your money, however, is SAG. The SAG voters are all actors and are the largest block of voters for the Academy Awards. Their picks align with Oscar more than any other. This means Will Smith, Jessica Chastain, Troy Kotsure and Ariana DeBose should polish their speeches now.

Win the Best Adapted Screenplay category
The respected Writers Guild (WGA) chose CODA as did Britain's BAFTA. The USC Scripter Awards, which has accurately predicted this category for 9 of the last 12 years, chose The Lost Daughter, written by Hollywood's well-loved Maggie Gyllenhaal. In a tight three-way race, with Power of the Dog included too, the Oscar is most likely to go to... CODA.

Win the Best Original Screenplay category
The winner category most often parallels the WGA’s winner, which was Don't Look Up, a famously improved film headscratcher. BAFTA chose the brilliant Licorice Pizza, surprisingly over home-court advantage Branagh's Belfast. Does this show a lack of support for Belfast which peaked in December? Or is everyone waiting to award Branagh at the big show? I hope but the math says it's either Don't Look Up (not Adam McCay's best) or Licorice Pizza. The Oscar goes to... Licorice Pizza.

Win the Best Music (Original Song) category
There’s not a lot of math for this category, just remember that all members (not just musicians) vote in this category. Do they want to see Lin Manuel-Miranda get his EGOT or see youthful Billie Eilish and Finneas on stage the same night as the 007 tribute? Either way, a win for audiences. And the Oscar goes to No Time To Die.

Win the Best Music (Original Score) category
This race is most likely between Hans Zimmer's inventive masterpiece for Dune and Johhny Greenwood's (Radiohead) nightmarish compositions for the psychological western, The Power of the Dog. This award most often aligns with the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music, which honored the ambitious Dune score. Zimmer has been nominated 12 times with one win for The Lion King and during voting week, his work was played memorably by a Ukrainian on a piano in the midst of chaos ... and the Oscar goes to Hans.

Win the Best Sound category
Sound Editing has always gone to the loudest, ear-ringing war film or action film and Sound Mixing rewarded the most euphonic sound mixing and would often award craft details in movies such as Whiplash. Last year, for the first time ever, the two awards were combined and rewarded Sound of Metal. The math is fresh. Let's go with CAS Sound Mixing Award-winner, and loud ear-ringing action war film, Dune.

Win the Best Editing category
This is the most unpredictable award of the night. The EDDIE Awards rewarded King Richard. West Side Story took Critics Choice Award. Tick Tick Boom, Power of Dog and Dune all got an ACE. Plus, No Time To Die won BAFTA, in Britain of course. Editors seem to love Tick Tick Boom for technical reasons, but post-nomination, editors plus everyone votes.

I'll rule out all but Power of the Dog, No Time to Die and Dune. Throughout history, this award always has a Sound nomination, as these do. Do long, sequel films have a disadvantage here? Surely voters are tired of checking Dune for everything. You'll have to pick this one on your own. I'll roll the dice for Power of the Dog.

Win the Best Cinematography category
The cinematographer's award (ASC) is a good one to watch — it chose Dune. The Academy membership is broader than ASC's cinematography crowd. It's a little more like The British Film Academy Film Awards (BAFTA). They also chose Dune. The Oscar goes to... Dune.

Win the Best Production Design category
This award, the 2012-renamed “Best Art Direction" award, doesn’t usually match Best Picture (Just 4 times since 2000). The winner of this category often aligns with the winner of Art Director's Guild Award. The AGAs went to Nightmare Alley (Period film), Dune (Fantasy film) and No Time to Die (Contemporary film). And the Oscar goes to... Dune.

Win the Best Visual Effects category
Since the VES Awards launched in 2002, the winner of its top film category has gone on to score the Best Visual Effects Oscar in 10 of the 19 years. The Oscar goes to its winner, Dune.

Win the Best Costume Design category
I can narrow it to two. Fashion fantasy Cruella and Dune each won at the Costume Designer Guild Awards. 

Period pieces (Emma) almost always beat fantasy (Pinocchio) ones. But is Dune, 20,000 years into our future, fantasy or period piece? The math leans to the film with a Best Picture nomination, Dune. The gut leads to the film that is all about fashion, Cruella.

Win the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category

After the MUAHS Awards, the race is wide open with Cruella and Coming To America winning over front-runners The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Dune. During nomination week,  Jessica Chastain took a stand in the debate over not broadcasting this category that I believe will push that makeup-focused film to the top of the four. The Oscar goes to... The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

Win the Best Documentary Feature category (Feature)
Despite the innovations of Flee, it's important to know that all Academy members vote on this award, not just the doc category. Amy, Searching for Sugar Man and 20 Feet from Stardom were all accessible, music-filled docs that recently took the top prize. Few were loved as much as Questlove-directed Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), which has won the BAFTA, the Critics Choice Documentary Award and the Independent Spirit Award. And the Oscar goes to Summer of Soul.

Win the Best Animated Short Film category
Go with either the holiday miracle story of Robin Robin or The Windshield Wiper, where a chain smoker asks "What is love"?

Win the Best Documentary Short category
Go with heralded Queen of Basketball, showcasing Lucy Harris Steward who scored the first basket in women's Olympic history in 1976 and was the first and only woman drafted into the NBA.

Win the Best Live Action Short Film category
Go with The Long Goodbye, produced and starring past Oscar nominee Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal, Flee). The Short Film showcases a British-Pakistani family preparing its home for a wedding celebration until a right-wing march sparks chaos. Check it out; free on YouTube.

Win the show’s running-time tiebreaker.
In 2002, the show ran for four hours and 23 minutes. It's been trending down ever since.  

Here are the timings for the past ten years:
2009: 3 hours, 30 minutes
2010: 3 hours, 37 minutes
2011: 3 hours, 15 minutes
2012: 3 hours, 14 minutes
2013: 3 hours, 35 minutes
2014: 3 hours, 30 minutes
2015: 3 hours, 43 minutes
2016: 3 hours, 37 minutes
2017: 3 hours, 49 minutes
2018: 3 hours, 53 minutes
2019: 3 hours, 23 minutes
2020: 3 hours, 36 minutes

2021: 3 hours, 19 minutes

Tiebreaker question: Which film will win the most awards?
Dune is on track to win 5-7 awards.

Win the Best Picture category

A new two-horse race has evolved. It's Netflix vs. Amazon. CODA has replaced Belfast in the feel-good position against the feel-no-so-good The Power of the Dog. Both have screenplay nominations. 

The case for The Power of the Dog:

• It won best picture at BAFTA, Golden Globes and the DGA. It also won at The Critics Choice  (70% alignment with Oscars). 
• The season long-favorite is the only of the two with an editing nomination, a historical must that has been challenged only in recent years.
• CODA is more glorified Hallmark movie than inventive cinema.
• The Academy is more international than ever, and this film plays much better to that crowd
• Netflix is more seasoned at promoting films than Amazon
• In the complete history of the Academy Awards, no film has won Best Picture without a nomination for either directing or editing, ever. CODA does not have these. But... 

The case for CODA:

• For 10 of the last 13 years, the Producers Guild’s choice for Best Picture went on to claim the top prize at the Oscars. They chose CODA.
• CODA took the best ensemble award at SAG as well.
• The Academy finally has a popular but respected film that could shine over prestigous, crafted artful fare.
• Viewers, the Academy (and the world) would love to see that diverse cast on stage at the Oscars in a historic moment. I haven't heard any news, but sure the producers will stage a performance of Both Sides Now complete with deaf interpreters. If they don't, I should product next year.

Most importantly, math. 

Since 2009, the ranked voting system has been in play for just this one category. Rather than voting for only one movie, voters choose their preferences in order, from the first choice to last. If no candidate or movie wins an outright majority, a runoff occurs. The least popular is eliminated, and any voter who chose that option for the first place is reassigned to their second choice option instead. This process repeats itself until one movie wins. With this methodology, a "perfectly fine" movie can win over a "cinephile best" narrow thematic that is heralded by many yet unliked by some. Power of the Dog may be the most respected, crafted film of the year but many didn't connect. I wouldn't bet money against CODA. 

And the big finish of the night goes to... CODA.

Good luck with your Oscars pool everyone!

The Worst Person in the World

Norwegian writer-director Joachim Trier (Thelma) perfectly casts Reate Reinsve (Oslo) as Oslo medical student Julie, a magnificent mess who changes career plans too often in her early twenties and may just have similar problems with relationships. Also, perfectly cast are her men— a Robert Crum-style comic-book artist Aksel (Anders Danielson Lie) and Eivind (Herber Nordrum) a married stranger she meets at a party.

If you haven't guessed already, it's a dramatic comedy about a woman on the verge of figuring out who she is. She's unlikely "the worst person in the world" nor is she the "nicest." One thing I can reveal is that she is "funny" in a way we haven't seen since Fleabag.

The whole film is pretty likable too. it delights and generates some solid, rootin-'tootin'  laugh-out moments. Until a third arc conversation between Julie and Aksel that delivers a gut-punch about the artifacts of youth. Wowza. I'll never forget that dialogue.

The Worst Person in the World may be about a young twentysomething woman but to me, it plays more like recent comfortable coming-of-middle-age films such as Gloria (2013), Gloria Bell (2018) combined with TV's Fleabag or Catastrophe. This is the third film in the Norwegian director's Oslo Trilogy. However, it stands alone and is one of the best films of 2021.

In a nutshell: Funny, bittersweet and poignant, Worst Person is a very likable film.

Award potential: The Cannes winner is nominated for Best Internation Feature Film at the Oscars.

Where to watch: Currently on VOD

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks

The Batman (2022)

The Batman has the unenviable task of finding something new to offer onscreen following Tim Burton's genre-changing films, Joel Schumacher's bright and comedic crowdpleasers, Chris Nolan's dark and heralded Dark Knight trio, and the most recent Batfleck films that hinted that there is nowhere else to go with Batman. Not to mention a Lego Batman and the camp-tastic 1960s TV and movie series.

What the new, The Batman (2022) got right was finding a new lane for Batman that works — returning Batman to his "Detective" sleuthing days in a psychological thriller more in line with Seven (1995) and True Detective (2014) than Zack Snyder's Justice League (2017, 2021). The car is cool too.

What The Batman got wrong is not stopping after the first two hours. If the film had ended at 2 hours and 7-minutes like Seven, we'd have a film worthy of your ten bucks. That Fincher film introduced us to entirely new characters, unlike the familiar Waynes, Catwoman, Penguin and Riddler, made us care about them and took us on a rollercoaster ride that didn't need coffee to sit through. Director Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Cloverfield) falls into the superhero universe trap that everything needs to be bigger, louder and earth-changing by the end. The last hour is mostly unwatchable.

Yes, Robert Pattison's jawline looks great and Zoey Kravitz looks purrfect in the iconic suit, yet somehow, even with the long-running time, we never get under the masks of any of these characters to know them or root for them. I'm sure they'll get to try again.

In a nutshell: They got so close you could see how a similar film could have worked. A smaller scope would have made The Batman a bigger treat. P.S. Not for kids.

Award Potential: None. Cinematographer Greig Fraser is likely a winner this year for his work on Dune.

Where to watch: In theaters.

The Ten Buck Review: Not worth ten bucks.

The 7 Films To Stream Before Oscar Night

 

 Whether you still love the actual show or not, the Oscars always provide us with a solid list of the year’s best films. However, it’s a lonnnng list given that it is three weeks until the show. 

No worry. Here are the top seven films you need to see before the show to be in the know, have a favorite to root for, and have an opinion on all of the drama… and comedy.

CODA
The Best Picture race is narrowing to three films — CODA, Belfast and Power of the Dog. But only this one is gaining momentum as voters envision the multiple deaf actors on stage for a historical moment of diversity. Another reason it’s a must-watch? Troy Kotsure will win Supporting Actor. One more? It’s the feel-good film of the year.
Where to watch: Apple+

THE POWER OF THE DOG
It may be the feel-not-so-good film of the year, but its artistic craft will take home Best Director, Adapted Screenplay and Score. It could very likely win Best Picture and other Oscars.
Where to watch: Netflix

BELFAST
My favorite film of the year held a top spot for Best Picture against Power of the Dog until CODA took its place in the feel-good position. It will take home Original Screenplay at the very least and is up for a total of 7 Oscars.
Where to watch: VOD, Theaters

DUNE
It would be a spicy little surprise if it took Best Picture but shouldn’t be. It’s on track to win, yes win, all 7 top technical awards: Cinematography, Film Editing, Costume, Makeup & Hairstyling, Production Design, Sound and Visual Effects. Any film with 7 technical wins could surprise as Best Picture in a year without a frontrunner.
Where to watch: HBOMax

FLEE
A contender for Animated Feature, Documentary and International Feature, which is quite a feat. Flee has already made history and is one to watch before Oscars Night.
Where to watch: Hulu

ENCANTO
Unless Flee pulls off an upset that even Bruno won’t talk about, this film will win Best Animated Feature. If its song upsets Billie Eilish’s 007 crooner, Lin Manuel Miranda will enter the EGOT club with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony — it would be a fun moment on the show.
Where to watch: Disney+

DRIVE MY CAR
Nominated for Best Picture and Director, this Japanese Film is a frontrunner to win another big one — Best International Feature. It's a 3-hour ride — consider watching it as a 3-part series. It's worth it.
Where to watch: HBOMax

SUMMER OF SOUL
It’s unclear if Flee will split its love across categories and go home empty or sweep them all. The most likely scenario is that this well-loved film takes the prestigious Best Documentary Feature. You’ll love it.
Where to watch: Hulu

+ Where to find the 10 Best Picture Nominees
Belfast, VOD 
CODA, Apple+
Don’t Look Up, Netflix
Drive My Car, HBOMax
Dune, HBOMax
King Richard, VOD
Licorice Pizza, Theaters
Nightmare Alley, HBOMax
The Power of the Dog, Netflix
West Side Story, HBOMax