Welcome to I Have to Return Some Videotapes! Each month, film buffs Rhianna Mehta and Kevin Maguire will take you through their cinematic journeys with all of their usual insight and humour, as they take advantage of covid-induced indoor time to catch up on their favourite films and explore new ones.

And the Oscar goes too …

This year’s Oscars were honestly a bit of a snooze fest, and we must make a plea to the Academy: please show the clips of the films nominated in all categories. That was the biggest attraction to watching the Oscars from our perspective – getting to see clips from films we haven’t watched yet could inspire us to sit down and give one a viewing. However, we hope this year’s lacklustre event doesn’t deter people from actually watching the films nominated. This year’s Best Picture nominees were directed primarily by a crop of directors who are relatively new to the industry, with fresh perspectives and ideas to tell stories through cinema. We’ve watched 6 out of the 8 movies that were nominated for Best Picture in the past few months, and they are some of the most interesting films we’ve seen in many years (seriously)! This month, in addition to watching this year’s Best Picture winner, Nomadland (spoiler alert!), we also watched a few movies that were nominated for Oscars in years past. We hope you enjoy this month’s recommendations on what to watch, what to skip, and what you may want to give a shot.

If you would like to connect with us further on Letterboxd, please find us at rhirhi19 and Kevin_Maguire. If you want to get a sense of our taste, some of our favourites in each genre, and the way we approach film overall, be sure to check out our appearance on The Generalists.

Monthly Favourites:

Rhianna: The Player (Robert Altman, 1992) We all love a Hollywood ending. Boy gets girl, the bad guys lose, balance and order is restored. The stories we love to see on the big screen are only a handful of the stories that get pitched (and ultimately rejected) to Hollywood executives each year. Here’s a movie pitch for you: Hollywood film producer Griffin Mill begins receiving anonymous death threats, seemingly from a writer who he rejected in the past – but who could it be? Well, if you think that is a compelling pitch, Robert Altman’s The Player is for you. With over 50 celebrity cameos, this is one of the ultimate meta films. What I found so amazing is that Altman’s genuine love for Hollywood shines throughout this movie, while still satirizing and offering valid criticism on the industry. This truly is a masterpiece for anyone who loves cinema, a good “whodunnit”, or a dark comedy.

Runner-up: Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944) I must say, Billy Wilder is quickly becoming one of my favourite directors. Although I refrained from choosing this as my favourite of the month given that I recently wrote about Sunset Boulevard, I do want to bring this film to people’s attention because it is incredible. Like all of Wilder’s films, it’s well-acted, has brilliant dialogue, and is engaging from start to finish. They really don’t make movies like this anymore.

Kevin: Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993) In the words of Samuel L Jackson’s character Arnold, “Hold onto your butts!” this is going to be a long review! You would have to have been encased in amber for millennia to not know what Jurassic Park is. Simply put, it is the best movie ever made. The movie follows a group of people who have been brought to a mysterious island called Isla Nublar, where a new theme park has emerged with a new attraction: live dinosaurs! From the animatronics to the casting to the directing, this movie is flawless. The cast consists of Sam O’Neill’s stoic Dr. Alan Grant, Laura Dern’s badass Dr. Ellie Sattler and the brilliant Jeff Goldblum as the comic relief and voice of reason, Dr. Ian Malcolm. As a tropical storm descends upon the island, things go from bad to worse for these characters when disgruntled employee Dennis Nedry, played by Wayne Knight (AKA Newman), attempts to sabotage the park. With the power down, we are thrown back into the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth. We watch as the characters race against time (and the deadly Tyrannosaurus Rex) to escape the island before they become the next dino-snack. I think every movie-lover has that one film that made them realize the magic of the big screen and this one is mine. The animatronics used in Jurassic Park allow the film to hold up through the years in a world largely moving towards CGI-heavy films. And let us not forget that this movie is responsible for the name of my all time favourite sports team, the Toronto Raptors.

Runner-up: City of God (Fernando Meirelles & Katia Lunn, 2002), Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)

Least Favorite:

Rhianna: Love and Monsters (Michael Matthews, 2020) I really wanted to like this movie, and I tried to be open-minded. This is not a movie I would ever choose to watch myself, but I was excited to watch something imaginative and funny. However, I personally got nothing out of this film. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which cold-blooded animals have mutated into large monsters due to a chemical fall-out, and have killed off most of humanity. The few survivors have to resort to living in underground bunkers. After living in a bunker for seven years, Joel, played by Dylan O’Brien, decides to go on a journey to reunite with his girlfriend from the past who is living in another bunker. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel any sense of adventure, fun or entertainment from this movie at all. I think this is because this is not my style of humor, with jokes often centered around Joel's incompetence as a hero, which made the jokes and frankly the entire movie feel awkward. I just don’t think this movie is for me.

Runner-up: Natural Born Killers (Oliver Stone, 1994) This movie was disappointing. Another film that I wanted to love, but it just didn’t come together. More than anything, this film is all style over substance. If the movie had a more clear point of view on some of the themes presented (such as the relationship of violence and media or the deceptive portrayal of the nuclear family), it would have been much more satisfying.

Kevin: Blast from The Past (Hugh Wilson, 1999) I love Brendan Fraser and I love the concept of this film. However, this is where my love for this movie ends. With a stellar cast that also includes Christopher Walken and Sissy Spacek, I expected so much more out of this film. The movie centers around a family who has been living in an underground bomb shelter since the 1960s, and are forced to re-enter society during the late 1990s. From the dated jokes and lack of chemistry between the actors, there was nothing enjoyable about this movie. Even the use of the character names Adam and Eve seemed hackey. This movie needs to go back into the bunker for another 30 years.

Runner-up: Natural Born Killers (Oliver Stone, 1994), Love and Monsters (Michael Matthews, 2020)

Biggest Surprise:

Rhianna: Shiva Baby (Emma Seligman, 2020) This is an achievement in second-hand embarrassment. The plot seems to thicken further in every minute of this film, while still managing to drop side-splitting jokes. The film revolves around a Jewish funeral service that is attended by our main character, Danielle, and her parents. While at the service, Danielle discovers that her sugar daddy and ex-girlfriend are also in attendance. Well, I certainly haven’t encountered anything remotely this complicated in my life, yet this film felt extremely relatable. Being a young adult and exploring all that comes with it, relationships, sexuality, embarking on your career, is what makes this film resonate with me, despite the hyperbolic situation. Trust me, although I felt an extreme amount of cringe while watching this, I'm still ready to watch it again.

Runner-up: Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975) This isn’t your typical music film; it’s not focused on providing the audience with engaging musical performances as we’ve seen in A Star is Born or La La Land. Rather, it’s a film that explores the relationship of the music industry with celebrity and politics. Robert Altman masterfully pulls back the curtain to reveal how messy and harsh the music industry could be (and probably still is). Although this was not the happy romp I was expecting, the dynamics at play make this a must-see film.

Kevin: Possessor (Brandon Cronenberg, 2020) What a first impression from Brandon Cronenberg! In this alternate reality the audience follows assassin Tasya Vos, who takes control of others’ bodies to execute hits. Things go wrong for Tasya, played by Andrea Riseborough, when she enters the body of Christopher Abbott’s character, Colin Tate. While normally being able to sever the connection with the host by forcing them to commit suicide, Tasya cannot get Colin to pull the trigger. Now trapped in Colin’s body, Tasya must attempt to escape before her entire world is destroyed. The direction, acting and the special effects make for a great addition to the sci-fi/horror genre. If you’re a fan of either one, you have to give this movie a try!

Runner-up: Shiva Baby (Emma Seligman, 2020), Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud, 2007)

Coming Attractions:

For May, we decided to stop renting movies and only watch movies available for free on the streaming platforms we subscribe to: Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and Crave. Being limited to the selection available currently on these platforms usually means we spend an hour deciding what to watch, but we’re up for the challenge. One benefit to streaming from these platforms only, aside from saving $20 a week from rentals, is being able to revisit some wonderful movies we’ve seen already. We are looking forward to sharing our May recommendations and where to watch them next month!