Episode 37 - Spoiler Review: Poor Things (2023)

⚠️ Warning: As said in this episode, "It's not a family-friendly movie. It's not going to be a family-friendly podcast episode." Listener/Viewer Discretion Advised: This episode contains explicit discussions about adult themes and strong language as we delve into the movie 'Poor Things.'

Every year, I go into my Oscar predictions with shaky confidence at best. However, for the 96th Academy Awards for movies from 2023, there was one award for which I had absolute confidence: Best Actress. As soon as I finished watching "Poor Things," there was no doubt in my mind that Stone's performance would not be topped. Stone created a once-in-a-career experience with her portrayal of Bella Baxter in this movie.

On today's episode, I'm joined by my cousin Roya Tavakolian. We had a lot to talk about with this one-of-a-kind movie. From Emma Stone living out what can certainly be imagined as any actor's dream role, to Yorgos Lanthimos navigating us through his world that we see through the eyes of the main character, Bella Baxter. We laugh and joke about parts of this movie, like how Mark Ruffalo is great in his villain (kind of a villain? Not really a villain?) role, and how the movie brilliantly tackles so many themes and ideas in ways that are sometimes subtle and at other times very much in your face.

"Poor Things" is yet another reason why I need to remind myself not to start my "top 10 favorite movies of the year" list too early. It is a standout 2023 movie. It is streaming now on Hulu in the US and is also available for rent and purchase. I can't wait to see more from Lanthimos and Stone soon. Enjoy the movie!

Episode 36 - Review: Ferrari (2023)

After 20 years of trying to get "Ferrari" made (including several actors being attached to the film only to depart shortly after), Mann got his lead cast together with Adam Driver playing Enzo Ferrari (2nd time playing a famous Italian entrepreneur after leading in "House of Gucci") and Penélope Cruz as Laura Ferrari, a standout in this movie. Challenges this movie faced included casting as mentioned, COVID-related production challenges, and challenges with distribution in the States because the original distributor STX Films shut down their distribution and marketing operations, so the film was eventually sold to the distributor Neon for US theatrical release on Christmas Day (awful placement considering other films that would be competing with it around that holiday time).

However, after all of these challenges, this movie shows that Mann has not lost his magic touch at all. He directs a tight, tense, and emotional story about Enzo, Laura, and their legendary company Ferrari. The movie focuses on the year 1957 (just 10 years after the launch of the company). The company is on the verge of bankruptcy and needs to make a big splash if it is to continue. The 1,000-mile race, the Mille Miglia, is the perfect opportunity for Ferrari to win and make said splash. Everything has to go just right. No pressure.

Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz are captivating as the leads. The pacing is perfect. The music by Daniel Pemberton injects the right thrills. Pemberton only had one week to score the movie! He does an incredible job with it. Erik Messerschmidt is the cinematographer who beautifully shoots the movie. He also shot the amazing David Fincher movie "The Killer" that was also released in 2023. For negatives, Shailene Woodley was underutilized in the movie, and that arc was maybe unnecessary. On the other hand, it only seems unnecessary because her character and story seemed rushed and a little underdeveloped, but maybe if it was made as a TV series (watch Mann’s brilliant HBO series "Tokyo Vice") that might be a better format for a longer form story where roles like Woodley’s character could be properly shown.

"Ferrari" is still a very powerful story. It is one of my favorite movies of 2023 and is available to rent and/or purchase on all platforms. Enjoy the movie and thank you for listening.

Episode 35 - SPOILER Review: Oppenheimer (2023)

Two special guests, Papa Hozour and Kathy Garber, join me today to talk about the latest Christopher Nolan epic which seems to be on a clear path to sweep at the upcoming Oscars.

After years of success at Warner Bros, his major minor tantrum over the disaster that was the movie “Tenet” and Warner Bros and its irresponsible rollout, Nolan seems to have found his stride at Universal Pictures taking up this “lower budget” ($100 million) feature and within that budget Universal giving him carte blanche on how to deliver that film. I don’t hide that I don’t exactly see this Director in the best light and yet it is what it is - I absolutely loved the film “Oppenheimer”. Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr, Emily Blunt (doesn’t get talked about enough for this movie) and so many others that make up this amazing cast. No actor (no matter how big or small their scene is) has their screen time wasted in this film. Ludwig Göransson (Composer), Jennifer Lame (Editor), Hoyte Van Hoytema (Cinematographer), Christopher Nolan (Writer/Producer/Director) - the entire team behind the camera also played key roles in catapulting this movie to being a brilliant epic that has endless rewatchability.

“Oppenheimer” is available to stream on Peacock and is available to rent and or purchase on all platforms.