If you missed it, check out some recommendations from the winners at the Golden Globes. Whether the HFPA awarded things as a knee-jerk reaction to its most recent criticisms or not, some solid films and performances were lauded, nonetheless.
This week features a couple heavyweights at the top, with some rewatches that might have escaped your view the first time around. And only 21.5 days or so until Godzilla vs. Kong releases on HBO Max.
New and noteworthy…
Minari
Fresh off a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Feature (despite being an American production, set in America), Minari is one of the best films of the last few years. A small film about Korean immigrants trying to carve their existence out of the Midwest landscape. A beautiful ensemble performance led by Steven Yuen and Youn Yuh-Jung, Minari will stay with you long after the credits roll. Trailer. 115 mins. Rent on Amazon / YouTube ($19.99) or the A24 Screen Room, it’s worth the money.
Read David Sims’s piece at The Atlantic.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
A festival darling in 2020, Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a heartbreaking story of a teenager in Pennsylvania who navigates her own emotions, societal expectation, and the state healthcare system, as she tries to get an abortion. Realistic, often mundane, and many times crushing, the film is as much a statement on women’s health, as it is choice, self-care, and friendship. Trailer. 101 mins. Stream on HBO Max.
Read an interview with director Sidney Flanigan at Vogue UK.
The Nice Guys
Billed as a buddy comedy, The Nice Guys has a bit darker streak than its 1970s effervescent branding would have you believe. Ryan Gosling as a down-on-his-luck PI has big time divorced dad energy, as he teams up with Russell Crowe’s enforcer to search for a kidnapped Margaret Qualley. It’s stylish and a heck of a lot of fun for those looking for a night to escape. Trailer. 116 mins. Find it on Hulu.
Spotlight
You may have dismissed Spotlight as adult Oscar bait (which it was, it won Best Picture), but for good reason. A journalistic procedural at heart, it follows the true story of the Boston Globe’s Spotlight division as they unravel the systematic abuse and concealment by the Catholic Church. Anchored by very strong performances from Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton and Rachel McAdams, it’s worth a revisit. Trailer. 128 mins. Find it on Netflix.
Spirited Away
Considered by many to be director Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece, Spirited Away was the gateway to Japanese cinema for many Western viewers in the 2000s. Featuring a Miyazaki staple—a plucky young girl—it tells a story of a girl lost in a fantastical world as she tries to save herself and her parents before being swept away to history. Layered and visually gorgeous, the iconic film holds up, 20 years later. Trailer. 125 mins. Watch on HBO Max.
Read Nigel Andrews’s review for the Financial Times at the time of its theatrical release. It’s worth the read.
TV’s weekly slot
Ted Lasso
The conceit is laughable: an American college football coach is hired to run a Premiere League squad in London. The sight gags and fish out of water stuff is all fun and good, but the heart of Ted Lasso is star Jason Sudeikis’s positivity, curiosity and warmth. It’s if Leslie Knope and s Southern gentleman were blended together. In a year full of horrors, Ted Lasso’s empathy and optimism really hit home. Trailer. 10 episodes. Stream on Apple TV+.
Read Miles Surrey’s thoughts at The Ringer.
Shoutout Letterboxd for helping the film community keep track!
For last week’s recommendations, check it out here.