🍿#10: Nomadland
The best trailers of the week, my full review on 3X Oscar-winner Nomadland and an Indiana Jones/Star Wars crossover...
“I never realise how much I like being home unless I've been somewhere really different for a while.”
~ Juno, 2007
Double digits, we did it!
Salty Popcorn turns 10! In terms of issues, that is…
Here’s a fun fact, by the 13th issue of Salty Popcorn, we’ll be halfway through 2021, crazy right?
I’ll be honest with you, I’ve always faced commitment issues with projects in the past (shout out to Shoot The Director) and a small part of me is surprised I’ve managed to stay invested in SP for this long.
Of course, having an audience helps. You guys keep me accountable, it’s safe to say that without you Salty Popcorn wouldn’t have made it this far. For that, I want to thank you for continuing to read and share this newsletter. Your support keeps me going.
An extra special thank you to the people that pay for Salty Popcorn. There’s only a few of you but your numbers are growing and I can’t tell you how much that means to me.
In other news, I put a bet on the Oscars last week and you know what? I lost £20. I didn’t choose films that I really thought would win, but rather the films with the best odds that still had a good chance, including:
Lee Isaac Chung (Minari) for Best Director || Odds: 20/1
Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) for Best Actor || Odds: 16/1
Promising Young Woman for Best Picture || Odds: 20/1
For a potential payout of £400, I don’t think they were bad choices… Of course, they would have been better if I won.
I think one of the biggest surprises from last week’s Acadamy Awards was Anthony Hopkins winning Best Actor (not that he was there to accept it). This one seemed to have even surprised the bookies as his odds were 7/1, compared to Chadwick Boseman’s 1/8.
Tell me, were there any wins that surprised you last week? Or, more importantly, were there any snubs that you’re still reeling over? Let me know in the comments below.
Got any thoughts on this week’s issue of Salty Popcorn? Let us know below!
Upcoming Releases
My Salinger Year
UK: 21 May // USA: 5 March
Based on the memoir My Salinger Year, by Joanna Rakoff, this screen adaptation follows Rakoff (Margaret Qualley) as she works as the assistant to Phyllis Westberg (Sigourney Weaver), the literary agent of J. D. Salinger.
Based on the trailer, and its rating on IMDB (6.3), I reckon this film will be a fairly easy watch - I doubt it will blow anyone away, but it looks enjoyable enough. The book, however, is meant to be fantastic according to my unofficial sub-editor.
The Killing of Two Lovers
UK: 18 June // USA: 14 May
David (Clayne Crawford) desperately tries to keep his family of six together during a separation from his wife (Sepideh Moafi). But when they both agree to see other people, he struggles to come to terms with her new relationship.
Fact of the week
In belated celebration of Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you), I thought I’d dig up this little gem where R2-D2 and C-3PO make a cameo appearance as hieroglyphs in Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Does this excuse the extraterrestrial twist in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? No, no it does not.
Hopefully, Indy 5—currently scheduled for release in July 2022—will make up for the mess of the last film.
Review: Nomadland
Star rating:
4.5 (out of 5)
Worth a watch?
Yes
Where to watch:
USA: Hulu
UK: Disney+
Blurb:
After losing everything in the Great Recession, Fern (Frances McDormand) embarks on a journey through Western America, as a modern-day nomad living in a van.
Nomadland won three of the six Academy Awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture, Best Actress (McDormand) and Best Director (Chloé Zhao - the first Asian woman, and second woman ever, to win the award).
The review (NO spoilers):
Perhaps one of the most fascinating things about Nomadland is that almost the entire cast, are real people. They’re nomads and locals, and few of them were aware of Frances McDormand’s fame while filming.
This layer of authenticity puts Nomadland somewhere in between being a drama and a documentary. The effect that this has on the film is inspired, as Steve Rose wrote in The Guardian: “It reveals truths purely fictionalised stories could not.”
Through this, we get a subversive glimpse of how the other half live. When I think of ‘America’, I think of “beautiful” people in city apartments or big suburban houses with two kids and a labrador. I don’t see the baron towns and rugged landscapes of this film, or if I do, I think of roadside bars, motorbikes and cowboys - not the people in this film.
It’s interesting because Nomadland doesn’t try to make any statements in regards to how you should live your life. It doesn’t say that life on the road is better than the typical 9-5, a house and a family or vice versa. It simply documents and appreciates the beauty of a nomadic lifestyle and to that extent, Nomadland is a work of art.
The cinematography is stunning. Every shot blends beautifully with Ludovico Einaudi’s classical score as the soft notes of the piano compliment everything we see on screen.
Of course, art is subjective and although it may not be to everyone’s taste—as I can think of a few people that wouldn’t enjoy it—I think everyone will at least appreciate it.
If you’re in the mood for a drama with a thick plot, then you’re not in the mood for Nomadland. It can be a bit slow at times but don’t mistake it for something that’s arty for art’s sake. This is an unpretentious and beautiful film, with moments that will move you.
If you liked Nomadland…
Into the Wild
2007 | UK: Amazon Prime // US: Netflix
Into the Wild is based on the true story of a young graduate, Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsche), that gives up his possessions and hitchhikes across America.
This film has more of a blockbuster appeal to it than Nomadland, so it’s likely to entice a wider audience. Although I think most people have seen this by now, if you haven’t you should add it to your list.
In the next issue:
Minari
UK: 17 May // USA: 12 February | Watch the Trailer
The Critic’s Cut 🚨SPOILER ALERT🚨:
On the surface, Nomadland is a film about a woman living and travelling across America, but on a deeper level, it’s about loss and grief.
Throughout the film, the most dramatic scenes are the ones where Fern loses something, whether that be her beloved collection of plates, the near loss of her van or her friend Swankie.
As the film draws to a close, it circles back to the loss of her husband, her house and her old life. A life that, from an outsider’s perspective, wasn’t particularly special or glamorous, but a happy life nonetheless.
It’s only when Fern starts to talk about her loss openly with Bob that she begins to let go of that life. She drives back to Empire, gives away the belongings that we saw her putting into storage in the beginning and revisits her old home.
For me, it felt like a final goodbye and marked the moment that she truly accepted her new life.
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