Free Solo
For this week only, best documentary frontrunner, Free Solo, was in IMAX theaters. Now, I was hesitant to spend $20 on a single movie ticket, but I am very happy that I did. Free Solo is really a film that was made for the big screen. The ginormous screen and immaculate quality really made it feel like I was climbing along side of Alex Honnold. The documentary was about the very first, and only, free climb of El Capitan in Yosemite. We got to watch as Alex prepped and trained for a climb where death was the most likely outcome. It was a truly fantastic film.The cinematography was top notch and really added to the story. It captured the might and beauty of El Capitan. This alone could have been a reason to nominate it to the category. On top of this visually stunning piece of art, the story of Alex’s life and finding out how he came to be who he is, was fascinating. Growing up with a father who had Aspergers and a mother who never showed her son any love, really shaped Alex to be an unemotional, fearless and straightforward man. In the film, we even find out that his amygdala, the control center for fear, lacked activity. This is what makes him a perfect climber, he is able to fight through fear to focus clearly on how he can intellectually climb something that should be impossible. Watching Alex conquer El Capitan was just so thrilling. My hands were sweating the entire time and my mother had a hard time watching without covering her eyes with her hands. I heard that RBG is a contender for this award, but I cannot imagine how it could be better than Free Solo. It’s a clear winner.
Minding the Gap
Another film nominated for best documentary is Minding the Gap. The film is about a skater and his friends growing up from adolescence into adulthood. It follows three men: a young father who struggles with alcoholism who has beaten his child’s mother, a black man growing up surrounded by white people who struggles to deal his last encounter with his father before he past away and the filmmaker whose mother allowed him to be beaten by his step-father while she was abused herself. It was an emotional coming-of-age film and pretty impressive that the filmmaker was only 24. Does it stand against giants like Free Solo or RBG? Not a chance.
Black Panther
I am not into superhero films at all. I have no interest in anything Avengers and I do not get why they’re in the process of filming ANOTHER Batman film. I am so glad that I forced myself to see Black Panther. I have seen it many times since I saw it in theaters and I will see it many times in the future. The film is nominated for both Sound Mixing and Sound Editing. There are other contenders that are stronger for this category so I don’t think it will have a chance. It is also nominated for Production Design and it deserves the nomination. Each set was beautiful, colorful and lively. It really captured the spirit of the world of Wakanda. I cannot say for certain because I have not seen all of the films, but I feel like its a strong frontrunner. Another category that the film seems to be a frontrunner in is for Costume Design. The Black Panther suit was designed very well. The rest of the costumes, though, is whats going to give the film the award. The mixture of warrior armor, futuristic elements and African detail in all of the costumes were perfect. Now onto the Score of the film. I absolutely loved it. I doubt it will win, but it in my opinion it deserves to. I am a big fan of characters having their own score. Every time Michael B Jordan came on the screen a powerful, hip hop melody came onto the screen. First of all it made him appear powerful and dangerous. It also showed how his character’s futuristic, new, youthful perspective contrasted Wakanda’s old and primitive way of thinking. There were also beautiful African sounds throughout the score keeping it grounded to the setting. The score kept the film exciting and nailed the themes. Last, but not least, it was nominated for Best Picture. I am so happy the academy gave them this nomination. It was well deserved but definitely does not stand out as a winner for this years biggest award.
Where Have I Watched the Nominees?
I feel like an important thing to mention is where I have watched the nominated films, just to get a better perspective of my mindset while watching or in case you wanted to watch some of them, too. After every blog I'll do a little blurb on where the films are available. I watched Green Book, Star is Born, Black Panther and Free Solo in theaters. Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a Netflix film so I watched it on my television. I rented First Solo from Redbox for $1.99. I watched Incredibles 2 and Ralph Breaks the Internet through Fios on Demand. Finally, I streamed Minding the Gap online. I could not find it anywhere else. :(
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