DesertTalkies Film Reviews!

 Oh. My. God. The Oscar nominations are in, and I wasn't wrong when I said that these may be the most competitive and surprising Oscar nominations I have ever been alive to witness. Wow! There were so many jump scares: I was shaking as I was watching the live coverage. Here are my thoughts on what, in my opinion, are the most important categories.  BEST PICTURE: Most of the nominations were as I expected: The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fablemans, Everything Everywhere All At Once and Elvis. Seeing 'All Quiet on the Western Front' in the running was surprising for me: I don't know how long critics will continue enjoy World War films: it feels like people are flogging a dead horse. Whilst the event was very significant and saddening, it is ridiculous that movies surrounding the event are still held to such acclaim. I was not expecting 'Triangle of Sadness' to be nominated: I now need to watch that film. Having 'Tár' and 'Women Talking' nominated wa...

 Oscar nominations are coming in three hours, and I have no idea what to expect. There are so many films that could be nominated, and I feel as if this years races for Best Actor, Actress and Picture are the most competitive that they have been in years.  For me, the BAFTA obsession with 'All Quiet on the Western Front' is not representative of how the Academy will react to the film: I feel as if World War films are always much more popular and poignant for European and the British audiences than they are for other ones.  Having seen Tár (review coming soon), I hope that it gets nominated for 'Best Picture'. However, I have a suspicion that the Academy's trends of not having films nominated for both Best Actress and Best Picture will prevail. Cate Blanchett performed better than the other actress featured this year, maybe except for Michelle Yeoh, and so I feel like she will get a Best Actress nomination.  I'm hoping for Joyland in the 'Foreign Feature' ...

  FOR SAMA [2019] Featuring: Waad & Hamza Al-Kateab Directed & Produced by Waad Al-Kateab Language: Arabic  Is anybody looking for a riveting and incredibly moving documentary? If so, look no further! This was a product of mindless scrolling on Netflix in the wee hours of the morning: I put on a random documentary without even reading the description. I never thought that this documentary would have such a significant influence on me.  I have always been interested in Middle-Eastern affairs, such as the Arab Spring in 2011 and the conflict taking place within Syria. There is very little coverage of Arab affairs in the country where I live, and so seeing this documentary was incredibly insightful.  The world sees Syria as a conflict of numbers: we hear how many people are migrating, and we hear how much of the country’s infrastructure has been destroyed. However, we seldom get to see the human experience behind the conflict in Syria. What made this documentary...

  LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON [1957] Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Gary Cooper, Maurice Chevalier Direction by Billy Wilder, Story adapted from ‘ Ariane, jeune fille russe’ by Claude Anet Language: English We all have comfort movies that we watch on long flights. Unfortunately, the airline that I was flying on did not have that movie onboard. So, to pass the time, I put ‘Love in the Afternoon’ on. I have never been so impressed by a movie which I saw for the first time on a plane. Having never seen an Audrey Hepburn film before, I was always confused as to why people held the actress in such high regard. Now I know why! She truly is a timeless star.  I can only wish that love stories could be so interesting and pure nowadays, but alas they were a luxury reserved to Hepburn’s era. The movie was just so romantic, from the setting in the city of love to the music. As I grow older, I have started to notice how love in modern cinema has degenerated to such a low standard: it makes me yearn f...

  BROOKLYN [2015] Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters Direction by John Crowley & Original Story from ‘Brooklyn’ by Colm Toibin Language: English I was originally dragged to see this film as a ten-year old in the cinema with my parents. I did not fully understand the movie at the time, but something definitely resonated with me. Flash forward to years later, where I was mindlessly scrolling through Netflix. I noticed that Brooklyn was on my ‘Recommended’ section, and I am so glad that it was. Having watched the movie years prior, I wasn’t distracted with the storyline, and could instead notice the little bits and details which really propelled the movie to A-tier status. I am a huge fan of period pieces, and I think that it is pretty safe to say that this production absolutely did not let me down.  Immigration to America in the 20th century is something often studied very objectively: we never see the human experience behind the mass migratio...

  DIL TOH PAGAL HAI [1997] Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor  Direction by Yash Chopra & Screenplay by Aditya Chopra Language: Hindi I often hear my parents talk of the ‘good old days of Bollywood’, also known as the Bollywood of the 1980s and 90s. I found myself wondering what that old Bollywood looked like, before Shah Rukh Khan sold out for the cash (you can tell how I feel about his recent projects), and when Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor were the two ladies ruling Indian cinema. I will tell you this much: I was not disappointed.  What made this movie so different to other Bollywood films at the time was the subject matter: although the movie was an almost typical love story, the fact that it was set with the backdrop of dance and music made it more interesting to watch. For once, it wasn’t only family drama that dictated the story, but it was dancing that did.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. In most cases, Shah Rukh Khan ...

  BELFAST [2021] Starring: Catriona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench, Ciaran Hinds & Jude Hill Direction & Screenplay by Kenneth Branagh Language: English I’m going to start this film off by saying that this film was ROBBED of the Oscar for the Best Picture category (no hate to CODA, but this movie was better). It is rare to see any black and white film in theatres today, and I am glad to see that they are making a return. Normally, black and white films put me straight to sleep: sometimes augmented visuals and colours are needed to compensate for mediocre performances. However, this movie was compelling, and the acting performances were completely first rate. (On that note, Catriona Balfe was also ROBBED of an Oscar nomination). Firstly, what resonated with me the most was the setting in which the film was set. The backdrop of violence and uncertainty meant that the viewer is always on edge, a feeling that is simultaneously anxiety inducing and thrilling. Not to mention tha...