It’s Time for the #Oscars: Ron’s Rankings plus a Thomas Fire Doc by teen siblings

While I love good movies maybe a bit more than the next person, and while I have eclectic tastes (being the Art Predator and all), for years I have left the serious reviews to my friend Ron Wells, who then shares them with me to publish here as well as a list of ranked and recommended films.

This year, we’ve both been busy and so haven’t posted as many film reviews as I have in the past years, but I’d be seriously remiss if, here on the night of the Oscars, I neglected to post Ron’s Rankings for 2018. See the list of the 91st Academy Awards nominees here.

1. Roma (Foreign/Subtitled/Black and White)

As I’ve noted elsewhere, I think many people will find Roma boring or uninteresting. I did not. Director/Writer Cuaron tells the story of his growing up in Mexico, but does it through the eyes of his family’s nanny/housekeeper whom he ultimately sees as nothing less than heroic. This, in itself, is a fascinating concept. Yalitz Aparicio, who plays “Cleo,” has never acted previously and yet one is easily drawn into her life. The subtext of this film is very feminist in nature, for it is Cleo, the boys’ mother, and other women in the story who show resilience, strength and resourcefulness, while the men fight, lie, cheat, and are irresponsible. I loved this film, though others may not be so thrilled. In glorious black and white.

This trailer is a work of art in and of itself. 

Not to nominate Won’t You Be My Neighbor for an Academy Award was unimaginable. It is a film that everyone should see. Wonderful, heartfelt and a reminder that kindness never goes out of fashion.

1. Still need to see: Sorry to Bother You; On the Basis of Sex; At Eternity’s Gate; Incredibles 2; Spider Man: Into the Spider-Verse; The Grinch.
2.  I liked Hostiles much more than I thought I would. The same goes for Black Panther and Isle of Dogs.
3. I heard the acting in the new A Star Is Born was extremely good, but I had seen earlier versions of this and decided to wait until 2037 when someone will try for a new 100th Anniversary edition of this story because there’s always room for yet another remake (sarcasm intended). Likewise, I didn’t see 2018’s Papillon because, come on, did they really think they could improve on the 1973 Steve McQueen—Dustin Hoffman version. Really?
4. The Wife and Colette: A fictional wife and a real wife do most of the writing of books in each story, and their husbands get the credit and accolades. Yet, this doesn’t bode well for the husbands in the end. Interesting that these two films came out in the same year.
5. Very much appreciated the work of Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me, and Carey Mulligan in Wildlife, both in roles of characters who were not always likable. Especially nice to see Mulligan back on the screen again.
6. Noteworthy: Charles Ferguson’s 4 1/2 Hour documentary on Watergate shows how many things had to fall into place before Nixon’s impeachment became possible. Without the oval office tapes and John Dean’s testimony, things could have turned out very differently.
7. I hope to see the first four films on this list again. For me, they made the year.

 

And now, I’m off to the movies! 

Today, Sunday, February 24, 2019 at 3 P.M The Museum of Ventura County hosts a FREE screening of “From the Ashes Up”, a documentary on the Thomas Fire created by Sierra, 17, and Canyon, 13, a brother and sister duo team,  who directed, wrote and produced.

“On December 4th, 2017, with 15 minutes to evacuate,” writes Sierra and Canyon, “we lost our home and everything in it, to one of Southern California’s largest wildfires in history — the Thomas Fire, which consumed over 1,000 homes and structures in just a few days. This tragic event has inspired us to make a motivational documentary about those deeply affected by the fire and how they transitioned from fire victim to VICTORY, in a short amount of time.”