Reel Recap: February 2020

Sorry for the delay. This post is mostly comprised of reviews for the Oscar-nominated short films plus The Call of the Wild and The Invisible Man. I've included hyperlinks to sites where you can watch the shorts, and The Invisible Man is available early to rent on various video-on-demand platforms due to the COVID-19 outbreak and resulting theater closures. I suspect The Call of the Wild will make its way online soon as well, whether it be VOD or Disney+.

Reel Recap: February 2020

Brotherhood - Watched February 8, 2020 (Vimeo)

Nominated For: Best Short Film, Live Action.

Synopsis: Mohamed is deeply shaken when his oldest son Malik returns home with a mysterious new wife.
Runtime: 25 minutes
Who should see it? Adults who are interested in watching the Oscar-nominated shorts.

Your mileage on Meryam Joobeur's Brotherhood may vary. I felt that 25 minutes wasn't long enough for me to become emotionally invested in this family, and honestly struggled to get through watching the short due to lack of interest.

Film Assessment: C+

The Neighbors' Window - Watched February 8, 2020 (YouTube)

Nominated For: Best Short Film, Live Action.
Won: Best Short Film, Live Action.

Synopsis: A middle-aged woman's life is shaken up when two younger people move in across the street.
Runtime: 21 minutes
Who should see it? Adults who are interested in watching the Oscar-nominated shorts.

Directed by Marshall Curry with a short story co-written by Curry and Diane Weipert, The Neighbors' Window evokes a modern take on Rear Window. Overall, it's a pleasant watch with an endearing moral and quality production value.

Film Assessment: A

Hair Love - Watched February 8, 2020 (YouTube)

Nominated For: Best Short Film, Animated.
Won: Best Short Film, Animated.

Synopsis: A father tries to do his daughter's hair for the first time.
Runtime: 7 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Who should see it? Families who are interested in watching the Oscar-nominated shorts.

Hair Love is written by former American football player Matthew A. Cherry and co-directed by Cherry, Bruce W. Smith, and Everett Downing Jr. It's well-animated, full of heart and sincerity, and well-deserving of its Oscar win.

Film Assessment: A-

Memorable - Watched February 8, 2020 (Vimeo - No longer available)

Nominated For: Best Short Film, Animated.

Synopsis: An aging painter and his wife struggle increasingly to cope with his advancing dementia.
Runtime: 12 minutes
Who should see it? Those interested in watching the Oscar-nominated shorts.

Bruno Collet's Memorable is probably the most depressing of the nominees. The claymation is impeccable, and it offers an honest depiction of dementia that's harrowing, to say the least. This short will stick with me for a long time.

Film Assessment: B

Dcera (Daughter) - Watched February 8, 2020 (Vimeo Rental)

Nominated For: Best Short Film, Animated.

Synopsis: The bond between a father and a daughter is imperiled by matters that go unspoken and hurts that are slow to heal.
Runtime: 15 minutes
Who should see it? Those interested in watching the Oscar-nominated shorts.

Dcera is Czech writer-director Daria Kashcheeva's second short and, perhaps, the most perplexing of the animated short nominees. The paper mâché-style animation was admittedly impressive, and it's also a downer like its fellow nominees, but the subtleties of Kashcheeva's symbolism were lost in translation. I'd take a rain Czech on this one.

Film Assessment: C+

Sister - Watched February 8, 2020 (Vimeo Rental)

Nominated For: Best Short Film, Animated.

Synopsis: A man thinks back to his childhood memories of growing up with an annoying little sister in China in the 1990s. What would his life have been like if things had gone differently?
Runtime: 8 minutes
Who should see it? Those interested in watching the Oscar-nominated shorts.

Written and directed by Siqi Song, Sister is a heartbreaking examination of China's One-Child Policy. The stop-motion animation's well done, the message tugs on the heartstrings, and Song encapsulates the experience of growing up with a sibling quite effectively. Just like a younger sibling, the short endeared me as it developed and found its voice.

Film Assessment: B

The Call of the Wild (2020) - Watched February 20, 2020 

Synopsis: A sled dog struggles for survival in the wilds of the Yukon.
Runtime: 100 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG (for some violence, peril, thematic elements and mild language)
Who should see it? Families who enjoy adventurous dog movies.

Serving as the fifth iteration of Jack London's beloved adventure novel, The Call of the Wild is directed by Chris Sanders and features a script from Michael Green. It sets itself apart through its extensive use of visual effects. Rather than film a real dog, Sanders implemented a computer-generated version of Buck. While the fur rendering was very lifelike, Buck is clearly a digital creation. This degree of separation never fades and became even more apparent when Buck interacts with real surroundings or people. That said, I understand why Buck needed to be a visual effect. An actual dog wouldn't be nearly as expressive and couldn't feasibly accomplish the required stunt-work. Though you'd suspect Harrison Ford might phone it in here, he actually gives a genuinely moving performance. Filled to the brim with silliness, heart, and a sense for adventure, The Call of the Wild harkens back to old fashioned family-friendly outings of simpler times. You can use as much CGI as you'd like, but it's tough to teach old source material new tricks!

Film Assessment: B-

The Invisible Man (2020) - Watched February 27, 2020 

Synopsis: After staging his suicide, a crazed scientist uses his power to become invisible to stalk and terrorize his ex-girlfriend. When the police refuse to believe her story, she decides to take matters into her own hands and fight back.
Runtime: 124 minutes
MPAA Rating: R (for some strong bloody violence, and language)
Who should see it? Adult fans of horror.

Based on H.G. Wells' novel, The Invisible Man is written and directed by Leigh Whannell. Whannell's adaptation modernizes the premise while maintaining the suspenseful atmosphere of its predecessor. Frequently, the camera lingers on Cecilia and her surroundings for an uncomfortable amount of time. This approach justifies Cecilia's paranoia, as the uneasy feeling she's always being watched by somebody is quickly communicated to the audience. The foreboding ambiance is further intensified by the film's sinister soundscape. Between Benjamin Wallfisch's score and hair-raising sound design, The Invisible Man is almost always audibly unnerving. Most astounding of all, though, is that Whannell made it for a mere $9 M (a relatively small budget for a major Hollywood production). Throughout his career, Whannell's shown himself to be a very economical filmmaker by maximizing the sparse resources at his disposal. Technical merits aside, Elisabeth Moss offers an exceptional lead performance as an anxious individual prone to horrific torture at the hands of her ex. In the role of Cecilia, Moss walked a fine line between hysterical and measured as well as helpless and self-sufficient. As Adrian Griffin, Oliver Jackson-Cohen makes for an appropriately intimidating oppressor. While this may sound like a contradiction, I can assure you that The Invisible Man is a must-see!

Film Assessment: A-