LESSON #1: THE OSCARS CAN SURVIVE WITH NO HOST— I couldn’t be more content with the fact that ABC and MPAAS cannot pin down a proper host for the 91st Academy Awards. Maybe this will mean fewer dumb monologues and bits. Maybe the whole dang thing will get done in under three hours. I can’t wait to see how this goes as a test case for no host and tighter schedule of things. Besides, how many Alfonso Cuaron acceptance speeches are we really going to hear (present answer: 3). Be ready for those Oscar nominations on Tuesday after the MLK holiday.
LESSON #2: JAMES WAN IS KILLING IT— Thanks the swimmingly sweet returns of Aquaman, director James Wan has become the second filmmaker after James Cameron to lead a pair of films to surpass $1 billion in global earnings. Cameron, of course, had Avatar and Titanic (two films north of $2 billion, mind you) and Aquaman adds with Wan’s Furious 7. There’s a good chance that young man (42 is a baby in this business) gets to sign his own blank checks moving forward. Studios would be lucky to acquire his services. He is currently without a new directorial effort on the horizon.
LESSON #3: AMERICANS DON’T TRANSLATE FRENCH VERY WELL— More than the year-long-plus delay caused by the fallout of The Weinstein Company, The Upside had been doomed for a while. Dumping it in January was but one more sign. The domestic filmmakers took what was a huge international hit of big time empathy (The Intouchables) and scrambled it with American gags and personalities. Sure enough, it butchers the original and has tanked audiences and critics. The Ringer recently did solid article looking back at Hollywood’s shoddy track record with French comedies. Improvement is needed where filmmakers need to do better or audience just need to find and enjoy the original things, subtitles and all.
LESSON #4: EDDIE MURPHY NEEDS A COMEBACK— At 57, Eddie Murphy is too good and still too young of a celebrated entertainer to be forgotten and relegated to the sidelines. I have long said he needs to put away the family films and go back to his hard-R roots. The announced long-distance sequel for Coming to America could be the springboard for a resurgence. Hustle and Flow director Craig Brewer is an ideal fit to squeeze a little more pulp from the low-hanging fruit. While we’re here, go ahead and get Arsenio Hall back to work next to him. With the pair, it’s only half of a good idea.
LESSON #5: TREAT YOURSELF TO A GOOD SOUNDTRACK— Finally, we’re in Oscar season, so I advise you to soak in the good stuff available this time of year and not the defrosted junk that are called “January wide releases.” Both The Film Stage and First Showing featured articles listing the best scores and soundtracks from 2018 films. Of the year’s releases, I highly recommend If Beale Street Could Talk, Hearts Beat Loud, Mandy, Eighth Grade, Aquaman, A Star is Born, and Creed II. The Film Stage article even imbeds some full Spotify playlists for easy sampling. Make a few clicks and put the earbuds in at work or on the move. Enjoy the Mozart effect!
DON SHANAHAN is a Chicago-based and Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic writing on his website Every Movie Has a Lesson and also on Medium.com for the MovieTime Guru publication. As an educator by day, Don writes his movie reviews with life lessons in mind, from the serious to the farcical. He is a proud director and one of the founders of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle and a new member of the nationally-recognized Online Film Critics Society. As a contributor here on Feelin’ Film now for over a year, he’s going to expand those lessons to current movie news and trends while chipping in with guest spots and co-hosting duties, including the special “Connecting with Classics” podcast program. Find “Every Movie Has a Lesson” on Facebook, Twitter, and Medium to follow his work.
