Hello and welcome back to another week here at 1guysmindlessmoviereviews.com. It’s officially Spring Break week. It’s also been a bit since I’ve done one of these. So, in honor of the 98th Academy Awards being last week, here are a few reviews. I chose three Oscar-nominated movies that were up for Best Picture a couple of weeks ago. I was able to watch these in a crash course style just ahead of the awards program.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Train Dreams
Director: Clint Bentley
Writer: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, and Denis Johnson
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, and William H. Macy
The first movie this week is “Train Dreams”. I have to admit, I almost didn’t watch this one because I knew nothing about it until it was announced as a nominee. Then I found out it was on Netflix, so I gave it a try. I really enjoyed this movie. At times, it moved too fast, and time would jump forward quite a bit. However, I loved how it was filmed, and some of the shots looked really good.
My absolute favorite thing about the whole film, though, was getting to hear Will Patton’s voice narrate the whole thing. I’ve heard him read several audiobooks, and he always does a great job. Besides him, the rest of the cast was fun too, though. Edgerton, Jones, Macy, along with Kerry Condon, put on some great performances to drive home the seriousness of the film.
Even though this is primarily a story about love, loss, and finding your way in the world on your own, somehow it still manages to make you smile a little as well as tug on your heartstrings a little bit. I do wish some of the side characters had bigger roles to play. We get a ton of Edgerton’s Robert, but it would have been nice to see the side characters flushed out a bit more.
Overall, this is a good film that is fun to watch, but even better to listen to. It has some pacing issues, but it tries to overcome them with other side characters that aren’t fully open. I’m glad I watched it, but Netflix seems like a good home for this. I give this a 7 out of 10.
The Secret Agent
Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
Writer: Kleber Mendonça Filho
Starring: Wagner Moura
The second movie in my marathon is “The Secret Agent”. I’ve changed a lot as I’ve gotten older. In my past, I would have overlooked this film since it had subtitles. Now, I’m way more willing to give something a shot if I think it looks good. It’s actually sort of nice to watch it, knowing I can’t look at my phone or anything so that I won’t miss a plot point or an important line of dialogue.
However, outside of Moura’s role, I didn’t enjoy this movie as much as I would have liked. The story was well told, but some of the events that take place either don’t make sense or don’t line up with what should be happening. He is supposed to be in hiding, yet he seems to go everywhere whenever he wants.
It was a nice surprise to see Udo Kier in his last ever acting appearance before his death last year. But outside that, there wasn’t much else to get excited about. It didn’t help that it was also way too long for the story it was telling. Some parts were stretched out for no reason.
Overall, Moura’s acting saved this from being a stinker. This had nothing to do with reading the subtitles and everything to do with the pacing and storytelling. I’m not exactly sure why so many people love this movie so much… but then again, I am mindless after all. I can only give this a 5 out of 10.
Hamnet
Director: Chloé Zhao
Writer: Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell
Starring: Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal
The third (and final) film in my marathon is “Hamnet”. I saved the best one for last. It’s a big statement to make when a movie gives everything away in the trailer, yet still somehow makes the movie very compelling and entertaining. Much like the first film in my marathon, this is primarily a love story that turns into a tale of heartbreak and loss.
Zhao did an amazing job, and I thought she should have won Best Director over Anderson (even though “One Battle After Another” was well deserving). She really captured Buckley and Mescal’s long-shot story of love and propelled that into bumps in the road and ultimately the tragedy of death as their son passes away.
As a parent, I can truly believe the anguish in her eyes. I’m glad Buckley won the Academy Award here because her performance as Agnes really was worthy of a golden statue. As good as Mescal was as Will, she did overshadow him a bit.
Overall, even though this has some terrible depictions of death, it’s somehow still amazing to watch. They tell another version of a story most of us have heard about, but they brought such weight to the roles in the process. I almost gave this a 9, but I think I will settle on an 8 out of 10 and be happy with that.
Alright, that’s it for me this week. Now, it’s your turn. Have you seen any of these movies yet? If you have, what is your opinion of them, and do you give them a higher rating than I did? Also, what are your thoughts on the Academy Award winners? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and I will be back here next week with another mindless movie review of some sort.
