Never Look Away (Werk ohne Autor - 2018)

I loved this story of a German artist from childhood to adulthood after World War II, struggling with totalitarianism and more. I always like to see the cinematography Oscar nominees, and this was even more than a pretty face. No one wanted to join me, due to its 3:09 running time, so I got to experience the pleasure of watching a movie alone with no one to bring me down. The movie was also nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. Here's the list.

Cai Cohrs is adorable as six-year-old Kurt, whose free-spirited aunt Elisabeth, played by Saskia Rosendahl (blogged in Lore), encourages his artistry. Cohrs is well cast because he looks a lot like Tom Schilling (he had a small part in Woman in Gold, which I didn't mention and don't remember, and his face did not look familiar to me), who plays Kurt from about 19 to 36. Paula Beer (new to me), as Kurt's love interest Ellie, looks a bit like Rosendahl, and does appear naked in several sex scenes. Sebastian Koch (most recently in these pages for Unknown) is indeed a familiar face as Professor Seeband, a Nazi gynecologist. Brrr.

Director/writer Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (directed and wrote The Lives of Others (2006), which had lots of wins and nominations, though none from Oscar, and directed and co-wrote The Tourist (2010)) had several meetings with an actual German artist, Gerhard Richter, who is quite unhappy with this movie, loosely based on his life.

My regular readers may know that occasionally I'll refer to acts one, two, and three. This story has too many sections to number, beginning in 1937 with Elisabeth taking little Kurt to an exhibit of "Degenerate Art" reviled by the Nazis, the 1945 bombing of Dresden, the communistic period in Germany, the dangerous "escape to the West," the hunt for Nazi war criminals, and more.

This is the sixth Oscar nomination for Caleb Deschanel (profiled for shooting Rules Don't Apply) and he still hasn't won. Various German, Poland, and Czech Republic locations are beautifully photographed.

Max Richter's (last blogged for scoring Mary Queen of Scots) luscious soundtrack can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music, among others.

Rotten Tomatoes's critics, averaging 75%, are actually harsher than its audiences at 86. I looked at my watch only a few times, and mostly because it lights up every time I move my hand.

Free Solo (2018)

Jack and I really liked this Oscar-winning documentary about the first and only person to climb the face of Yosemite's El Capitan without ropes, and watched it at home on Molly and Craig's recommendation.

Alex Honnold, a driven young man, does the climbing, part of his Yosemite Triple Crown: El Capitan, Half Dome, and Mount Watkins. Spoiler alert: he didn't die and showed up at the Oscars last month.

This is the sixth feature documentary for co-director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (she made two TV ones as well) and her husband and co-director Jimmy Chin worked on one of hers as also directed Free Solo 360, a short which you can watch on youtube. On my desktop computer I can move the youtube picture around 360° with the trackpad and on my phone I can move it with my finger, but I haven't watched the whole 360 yet on any device.

I'm listening to the feature soundtrack by Marco Beltrami (last blogged for A Quiet Place) on Apple Music and it's also available on Spotify and others.

You don't need us to tell you it's good--Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are averaging 95 and 95%, respectively. It's available for rent on all the usual platforms. I'm afraid of heights, and had to look away at times, but it was worth it!

Everybody Knows (Todos lo saben - 2018)

Ann, Jack, and I really liked this "thriller" about secrets and lies at a wedding in Spain. The acting is fantastic and the three headliners are easy on the eyes, as are most in the cast. I put thriller in quotes because Jack commented that it's the slowest moving [of this genre--he used a different word than thriller, but it's sort of a spoiler] he's ever seen.

Penelope Cruz (last blogged for Murder on the Orient Express) is Laura, mother of two, who has returned from Argentina to her small Spanish hometown for the wedding of one of her sisters. Javier Bardem (most recently in these pages for Skyfall) is her ex-boyfriend Paco, who runs what used to be the family's vineyard nearby. Ricardo Darín (last blogged for Wild Tales--I called him handsome there, too) is Laura's husband Alejandro, who appears after a while.

Iranian director/writer Asghar Farhadi began shooting this before The Salesman (Oscar winner for Foreign Film in 2017), stopped this one to finish The Salesman, and came back to this afterwards. He was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes for this but not for any of the awards that I've been tracking on my list.

Gorgeous photography of the beautiful people and glorious scenery are thanks to José Luis Alcaine (most recently in these pages for I'm So Excited).

17 minutes of Javier Limón's (scoring his sixth feature, though he's contributed songs to others) music can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music, all with lyrics sung in Spanish.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics, averaging 74% are lukewarm and its audiences at 63 are luker. We liked it and are glad we saw it.