Kramer” but indie like “Stranger Than Paradise”) and “Passing” (the only film where black-and-white makes more thematic sense than “Belfast”).Ĭould one prevail at the Oscars? It’s an uphill battle as we haven’t had a black-and-white Best Picture winner since “The Artist” (2011). “Belfast” and “Macbeth” lead a resurgence of black-and-white Oscar contenders with “The French Dispatch” (Wes Anderson’s preciousness is niche compared to “Belfast”), “C’mon C’mon” (emotional like “Kramer vs.
It’s ironic that Branagh will be competing against the black-and-white “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” a Shakespeare adaptation similar to Branagh’s Oscar nominations for “Henry V” (1989) and “Hamlet” (1996) directing himself like Sir Laurence Olivier.
To create this visual look, Branagh reunites with his “Thor” cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos. Kennedy and Joe Biden.Īlas, we aren’t as advanced as we think, which makes Buddy’s untainted childhood perspective all the more valuable. It also explains why the film is shot in black-and-white, separating the nostalgia of our youth from the color images of adult bookends, opening with present-day Belfast and dedicating the final images to “the ones who never left.” To this day, we’ve still only had two Catholic presidents: John F. Eric Clapton), the film’s on-screen political commentary paints a powerful religious turf war that’s extremely relevant today as lawmakers mock their elected Muslim colleagues. While there’s been behind-the-scenes chatter about Morrison’s recent conspiracy theories (i.e. The song also feels like an outlier on a soundtrack filled with the music of Belfast-native Van Morrison, including eight classics and one new song. Through it all, there’s only one scene that feels forced as Buddy’s parents sing karaoke to “Everlasting Love,” which made for an exuberant movie trailer, but feels odd after the tragedy of the preceding scene. It’s most self-reflexive when Buddy goes to movies, singing along to “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “The Ballad of High Noon.” These scenes are not only catnip for cinephiles who get the references, they show the magic of moviegoing like “Cinema Paradiso” (1988), providing a family-friendly escape from the social and political upheaval around them. They don’t know he’s there, just like they don’t know the camera is there, telling the story from Buddy’s perspective. Even when we’re not in his P.O.V., the camera follows Buddy as he hides around the corner of the dining room to watch his parents discuss taxes. He’s occasionally led astray by his troublemaking cousin (Lara McDonnell) for delinquent scenes that recall Francois Truffaut’s “The 400 Blows” (1959), but he is a sweet boy with a good heart.īuddy is clearly Branagh’s conduit, often putting the camera at the eye-level of a child. Their aging romance is so sweet that you will turn to your spouse and say, “Let’s grow old together like them.” In a world of grownups telling Buddy what to do, Pop consistently asks the boy, “What do you want?”Įnter child actor Jude Hill, who personifies adorable as he tries to get good grades so he can move up to the front of the class to sit next to his childhood crush. Still, it’s Buddy’s grandparents who steal the show thanks to Judi Dench (“Shakespeare in Love”) and Ciarán Hinds (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”). Ferrari” (2019) with a touching closing scene receiving a racetrack gift from Matt Damon. The cast is exceptional from top to bottom, including the most glamorous parents you can imagine, including Jamie Dornan, who sheds his “Fifty Shades of Grey” kinkiness to play a hardworking father, and Caitriona Balfe, who was great as Christian Bale’s wife in “Ford v. Business & Finance Click to expand menu.
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