WITH the notion of ‘awards season’ upended by the pandemic, more and more talent is heading to the streaming to get their projects out in front of the most eyes possible. Netflix, with its global reach, has become a destination for critically acclaimed fare that once dominated the cinemas.
These three movies show the range of what’s available, from a biting satire about the end of the world, to a slow burn Western drama, and a musical drama about the sacrifices it takes to be a working artist. They’re all up for Academy Awards.
Don’t Look Up
Writer-director Adam McKay spent most of the 2000s making some of the funniest and most successful American comedies – often with fellow Saturday Night Live alum Will Ferrell – such as Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers.
However, with 2015’s The Big Short, which earned him an Oscar for best adapted screenplay, McKay has pivoted towards more serious matters – albeit with a comical slant.
With Don’t Look Up, McKay takes aim at the political class, business leaders, as well as the media and other elements of society, in a broad satire that voices his frustration – bordering on rage – over the collective inability to tackle climate change.
To make the crisis more obvious, the movie replaces climate change with a ‘planet-killer’ comet that is hurtling towards Earth, with impact just over six months away. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence are the two scientists who discover the comet, who are then taken to Washington DC where they will have to warn the president and the rest of the world about what’s coming.
Unfortunately for them, no one seems to care.
The cast is loaded with star power, with Meryl Streep playing a Trumpian US president, Jonah Hill as her buffoonish son/chief of staff, Cate Blanchett as an amoral news anchor who doesn’t care about anything or anyone, Ariana Grande as a pop star whose love life beats out impending apocalypse as a trending topic on social media.
Outside of DiCaprio and Lawrence, the vast majority of the characters are pretty one-note and cartoonish. There’s really not a lot to most of them and the choices they make are predictable after a certain point.
McKay’s frustration with the entire system is apparent in every scene, and if you’re someone who cares about the future of this planet, you probably agree with him. It’s hard to look at the big picture and not surrender to the futility of it all. It seems as if those at the top have no interest in tackling climate change – seemingly fine with reaping profits as the world burns.
The big issue with Don’t Look Up is that it’s the ultimate example of ‘preaching to the choir.’ Progressives and liberals who will eat up this movie already believe in climate change and want more done to slow it down. Conservatives who don’t believe climate change is even real don’t want to be lectured to by Hollywood, while business leaders are too busy counting their money.
Movies, especially those about important topics, need not be subtle and clever – being blunt and direct is sometimes the best way to reach audiences. Don’t Look Up is unsubtle as they come and tells obvious truths. It doesn’t offer much in the way of hope, but maybe that’s what people need to hear.
The Power of the Dog
With lockdown-stricken New Zealand passing for 1925 Montana, The Power of the Dog is Jane Campion’s first movie since 2009. She had previously won the Oscar for best screenplay for her film The Piano in 1994.
Featuring strong performances by Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee, the film tells the story of how a life lived in repression can be isolating, corrosive and ultimately destructive.
Mostly set in an estate on the outskirts of civilisation, this neo-western contrasts beautiful vistas of nature with very lonely people. Accompanied by the spare, meditative and era-appropriate score by Jonny Greenwood, it paints a picture of frontier life that is caught between the past and the future.
Cumberbatch has been rightfully receiving a lot of praise for his performance as the simmering Phil Burbank, a cowboy who runs a ranch alongside his brother George (played by Plemmons). Outside of the accent, which sounds a little too close to his Doctor Strange voice, it is a complicated and multi-layered performance.
Phil is a man with many secrets, and Cumberbatch knows how to suppress those feelings, while hinting at the storm within. For the most part, it is not a loud or showy performance – it’s very internalised – which is perfect for the character, who is himself hiding a secret or a deep wound of some kind.
Dunst, plays Rose, a widower who weds George – to the consternation of Phil. Treated poorly by her brother-in-law and now living in the middle of nowhere, she becomes unmoored. The only thing keeping her afloat is her son, Peter (Smit-McPhee), an ‘odd’ sort who doesn’t fit in with the performative masculinity of the Wild West.
Peter’s relationship with Phil forms the narrative crux of the movie, and this is where the cycle of repression comes in. The film interestingly tangles with toxic masculinity, especially considering it is based on a book from the 1960s. Phil puffs himself up, presenting himself to be something he isn’t, and finding out why is slowly revealed throughout the movie.
Tick, Tick… Boom!
As the film directorial debut of Lin-Manuel Miranda – the mind behind Hamilton and the face of modern Broadway – Tick, Tick… Boom! tells a story very close to his heart.
Based on a true story, it’s set in New York City in 1990, and follows aspiring playwright Jonathan Larson as he juggles the realities of life – paying rent, managing friendships and relationships – while pursuing his dream.
He’s spent most of his adult life writing plays but has nothing to show for it. His best friend has moved on to a well paying ‘real’ job. His girlfriend is thinking of taking a job away from the city, giving him an ultimatum. Should Jonathan continue making his art, or should he move on?
Tick, Tick… Boom! asks a lot of questions about the value of art in society, and shows the difficulties of making a career in the arts. Its title refers to the notion that we’re all facing a ticking clock – that life is short and we don’t have a lot of time to make a mark on the world.
As a musical drama, the movie is a highlight reel for its talented cast, with Andrew Garfield commanding the screen in a charismatic performance. He sings, he dances, he plays the piano. If you’re only used to seeing him in Spider-Man movies, you haven’t seen anything yet. It’s no surprise he’s campaigning for a Best Actor Oscar.
If anything is confusing about the movie, it would have to be the numerous framing devices or its jumps in time and perspective. At times we’re with Jonathan as he performs a play (titled Tick, Tick… Boom!) about his past experiences, which forms the bulk of the movie. Sometimes it’s as if there’s a play within a play with all the tangents.
There’s also an element of magical realism where realistic dramatic sequences transform into song and dance numbers, with the sets opening up and seemingly normal bystanders breaking into song. Some songs are catchy, while others are deeply emotional. A lot of that is to the credit of the actors who bring the performances to life.
Ultimately, Tick, Tick… Boom! toes the line between being sad and hopeful. It doesn’t sugarcoat what it’s like to be an artist, showing that there are sacrifices to be made and plenty of struggle involved. That just because you’ve worked hard on something doesn’t necessarily mean people will appreciate it.
But if your work does see the light of day, and if it affects people on an emotional level, then there is no greater reward. – The Vibes, January 29, 2022
