now is the awards season of our discontent...
the few things that happened at Flick Filosopher between Monday, April 12th, and Sunday, April 18th, 2021
Another slow week chez Flick Filosopher, which accidentally (or maybe not?) reflected the movie mood of the moment. Films are still being released digitally, but suddenly it feels like there aren’t as many as in recent months. It feels like everything is on pause again while we wait to see whether it’ll be safe for cinemas to reopen — and whether audiences will want to return. (I don’t think I will be comfortable in a theater for a long while still.) Will we have a more normal sort of blockbuster summer? Or will we all still be watching movies at home?
Some small signs of pseudo normality have been returning to the UK, where I live, in the past week: pubs and restaurants have reopened for outdoor dining, and I met friends twice in the past week for a meal and a catchup. Both outings were wonderful… and yet there’s a sense that we’re all holding out breath waiting to see if further loosening of restrictions can safely happen. It’s tough to relax entirely when even this little bit of freedom could be snatched away again.
I thought I’d feel better — less depressed and anxious, more optimistic — once I had a few more options for getting out of the house and away from the same four walls I’ve been looking at for the past year. But… not so much. Not yet.
Maybe after the Oscars — which take place this coming Sunday night — it’ll feel like a new movie year, at least, can begin.
—MaryAnn
PS: I’m still hurrying through those Oscar nominees I haven’t yet seen, and will try to get my usual annual predictions up by the end of this week.
new at flick filosopher, Apr 12–18
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, US/Can, Apr 16
A slow week reflects a relative dearth of new films as we enter a second year of pandemic lockdowns… [get the full rundown]
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, UK/Ire, Apr 12–16
Oscar nominees Promising Young Woman and Sound of Metal finally arrive in the UK… [get the full rundown]
Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts 2021 (93rd Academy Awards) review
I don’t see how the astonishing “Opera,” by Erick Oh, doesn’t win the Oscar for Best Animated Short. This is a stupendous achievement, a cartoon clockwork depicting life, the universe, and everything. [read the review | streaming globally, see review for links]
Tweet of the week…
coming up at Flick Filosopher…
same list as last week, just about *sigh*
Oscar-nominated short documentaries and live-action films
more Oscar nominated features
Cathy Yan’s Dead Pigs, maybe, finally?
doc Own the Room (from the people who gave us Science Fair)
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Netflix’s Moxie and Thunder Force
oh, I’d really love to get to Barb & Star Go to Vista del Mar
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I had no idea that Sebastian Stan was from Romania until now! That reminds me of an odd question: who is or will be the last star (i.e., most recent date of birth) to have been born within the old Soviet empire? Sebastian Stan is a contender, but I think it will be Milanya Vayntrub. She's not quite a "star" yet, but I think she'll get there.