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Finch (2021)
Finch (2021)
2021 | Drama, Sci-Fi
9
7.3 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Very Effective
There are times when there is a “Perfect Storm” of film material, performance, mood, style and execution of said material and the headspace that I am in when I sit down to view the movie that elevates a film viewing experience above the norm.

Such was my experience when I sat down and watched the Tom Hanks Post-Apocalyptic film FINCH on AppleTV+. On paper, it looks like a run-of-the-mill “last few survivors on Earth struggle to remain alive” film, but - in my experience - it was much better than that.

Starring Tom Hanks as loner scientist Finch, who is scraping by in the remains of St. Louis with a dog and 2 robot helpers - robots of his own creation. When conditions in St. Louis worsen, Finch must pack up (with his 3 companions in tow) and head to a place where he thinks that life might be better - San Francisco.

Pretty standard “road movie” stuff, right? But in the hands of an Actor like Hanks, Emmy Winning GAME OF THRONES Director Miguel Sapochnik, a script by Craig Luck and Ivor Powell that digs into the humanity of Finch (and the situation) and some top-notch Computer animation of the Robots (especially “Jeff” voiced by Caleb Landry Jones), this film elevates itself above the norm.

There are not too many actors who could hold the attention of an audience for 2 hours speaking with 2 robots and a dog, but Hanks manages to do this - and do this very well. He brings his basic decency to the fore and makes us root for him from the start.

The surprise for me was the voice work of Caleb Landry Jones (GET OUT) who matches Hanks beat for beat and brings the same level of decency to his character. It is a testament to Jones’ work in a Motion Capture suit - and the “mo-cap” (Supervised by Scott Stokdyk) that makes the audience see and feel emotions on the face of the robot that just aren’t there. It’s that good.

Director Sapochnik really moves the film at the correct pace as he stops for the humanity, but doesn’t dwell on it too long - and, thus, avoids making the film too sentimental and mawkish. It is a delicate balancing act that this film walks very well.

Probably the biggest movie-going surprise of the year for me. A film that, at this point, will end up in my Top 10 of 2021.

Yes, I am as surprised as you are by this.

Letter Grade: A

9 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
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Lenard (726 KP) created a post

Jan 12, 2020  
Final Oscar Nomination Predictions
This has been a weird year where it seems like you cannot base the BP noms on an equitable studio split or traditional metrics. I do not think there will be 10 and there is a good chance that only 8 will get nominated again, but I have no idea which film will be snubbed so here are the predictions for 2020.

BEST PICTURE
1917 (Universal)
Ford v Ferrari (Fox)
The Irishman (Netflix)
Jojo Rabbit (Fox Searchlight)
Joker (Warner Bros)
Little Women (Columbia)
Marriage Story (Netflix)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Columbia)
Parasite (Neon)

BEST DIRECTOR
Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
Sam Mendes, 1917
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit

BEST ACTOR
Antonio Banderas, Pain & Glory
Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Taron Egerton, Rocketman
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker

BEST ACTRESS
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Lupita Nyongo, Us (here is where preferential balloting is good)
Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Renee Zellweger, Judy

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jamie Foxx, Just Mercy
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (His speech solidified his nom)
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Florence Pugh, Little Women
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell (my longshot, but ScarJo is not respected in Hollywood)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
Rian Johnson, Knives Out
Bong Joon-ho & Han Jin-won, Parasite
Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie, Uncut Gems
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
People talk about a lack of female direction nomination, but screenplay is just as void.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Greta Gerwig, Little Women
Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes
Todd Phillips & Scott Silver, Joker
Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit
Steven Zaillian, The Irishman
I wish there was room for Lorene Scafaria.