Happy Friday!
I’ve been working on my new personal project to finish watching every Best Director Oscar winner that I haven’t seen, which seems like a funny project, but it’s very easy to do after watching every Best Picture winner, and there are some really great movies I’ve never seen that fall under that category, some of which I’ll discuss in between some newer releases as well.
Monkey Man (2024, In Theaters)
Dev Patel’s directorial debut! Definitely a debut feature, in that it’s fairly simplistic, but as far as debut films go, I had a great time watching this. Dev Patel is very clearly someone who should have had a bigger Hollywood career than he has had up to this point, and even the journey to this movie’s release seemed to be a lot more troubled than most.
This started its life as a Netflix movie that Netflix got cold feet on, as they worried the movie’s politics would offend too many people, and it got saved by Peele’s production company, who bought the rights and gave it a theatrical run that is only going to benefit the film in the long run.
It’s a fun action film that sort of overstays its welcome by the end, as it feels like it meanders a bit too much, but it’s the kind of movie that will instantly have more of a cultural footprint because it’s not doomed to die in the Netflix algorithm like so many movies. Plus, it’d be a disservice to not experience the scene where Dev Patel takes his shirt of and characters cheer him on in the film with a crowd.
The Quiet Man (1952, DVD)
In the course of watching every best director winner, I’ve also been filling in some blind spots I’ve had when it comes older films, and that’s meant watching more of John Ford’s movies. John Ford is notable as he’s the only person to date who has ever won Best Director 4 times, and while I watched one of them for the Best Picture project, I wasn’t a huge fan of How Green Was My Valley. I did also watch The Grapes of Wrath in the past couple of weeks, which is a pretty spectacular adaptation, and it’s very easy to see his skill as a director, but this was the film where I finally fully appreciated and loved one of his movies.
First, this movie looks incredible, with some incredibly vibrant colors and beautiful landscapes shots. Second, it’s a really fun and charming romantic comedy about an American (John Wayne) who moves to Ireland, falls in love and marries Maureen O’Hara, and has a tough time adjusting to the Irish culture and customs. The two actors have really fun chemistry, and it’s such an easy, enjoyable watch, and I’m surprised that it’s sort of been forgotten more and more over time. It’s possible, because it’s not really anything flashy or over the top, that there’s nothing super interesting to say about it, but it’s a really accessible, fun movie that I think I could recommend to just about anybody. Definitely give this a watch, if you can find it, because I had a lot of fun with this.
A Place in the Sun (1951, Kanopy)
Another one of my blind spots, for the most part, have been Elizabeth Taylor’s filmography. Aside from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which she’s spectacular in, I haven’t seen much of her work, and I was happy to see that this project meant I would watch another of her films, and I was incredibly happy that I watched this. This movie has some incredible performances from everybody, but has some especially electric chemistry from Montgomery Cliff and Elizabeth Taylor. There are aspects of this movie that may not be super surprising or groundbreaking now, as it centers on Montgomery Cliff trying to navigate his feelings for his girlfriend (played by an incredible Shelley Winters) and his infatuation for a young socialite (Taylor), once his girlfriend gets pregnant.
There are some incredibly heartbreaking scenes that play out in the latter half of this film that I’m not going to spoil, even though this movie is 70+ years old, because I think everybody should seek it out, but it’s such an incredible character study above all else that it’s really worth watching. On top of everything else, too, it’s a gorgeous looking film, with amazing costumes by the iconic Edith Head. Initially I was confused how this and An American in Paris didn’t swap their wins, as this feels more like the type of movie to win Picture, with Vincente Minnelli winning director for the technical achievement of An American in Paris, but there’s such a steady, strong hand from director George Stevens throughout this movie, that I completely understand why it shook out the way it did.
That’s all for this week! In two weeks, we’ll finally be at the long-delayed release of Challengers, but you’ll have to wait a little longer to hear my thoughts on that film, since I’m seeing it on 4/27. In the meantime, I’ll keep working at Best Director nominees, and seeking out some newer releases, and I’ll report back on 4/26. Until then, find me on twitter and letterboxd to keep up with what I’m watching. See you then!