Damien Chazelle has made three major films now that have embedded themselves into American culture. Chazelle is the only American born director to win Best Director since 2009 — and what that says is that he has, in a short time, blown the roof off the joint in a way only non-American born directors have been able to do in recent years. How has he done it? It’s partly because he’s a director who takes risks. He does this visually — he thinks in images, which all great directors do — but he also makes his films come alive with the rhythm of a musician, specifically a jazz musician. Other directors do this, especially those who have their roots in music like Chazelle does (Fincher, Scorsese, Spike Lee) so that each pulse of the movie, each edit, how the sequences rise and fall, slow and speed up is tied to the same through-line that harmonizes sight, sound, rhythm. These things come together and build until there is that moment where he literally takes your breath away. All three of his films have that moment — Whiplash, La La Land and now, First Man. I don’t get, from the reviews I’ve been reading so far, that many people who cover film got this or fully appreciate it. But over time, this thing Chazelle does specifically will be studied and remembered, as he will be remembered, as one of the best directors around.
Reading this week’s reactions to First Man, I have to admit feeling some disappointment in critics whose work I usually admire not seeing the movie I saw. Perhaps this is because when I saw it, on the heels of Venice, word on the street was that it was “underwhelming.” If there ever was a word besides “overrated” that should be forever banished from film criticism it’s that. Whenever I hear that word it reminds me of the famous Rilke quote, “If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself, tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches.” This idea that your own expectations should shape your experience of a film is, I think, the wrong way to both watch movies and write about movies.
I’ve seen a few films this year I loved for different reasons. The first half of A Star is Born is some of the most thrilling filmmaking of the year. Roma is unlike anything I’ve ever seen and for its entirety I watched it unable to believe anyone could bring an entire world of the past to life like that. I will watch and rewatch Green Book because I probably haven’t experienced that much joy at the movies in years. BlackKklansman took me places I didn’t think I would go and delivered an ending that has stayed with me all of these months later. There are many more I have yet to see (Beale Street, Widows, Vice) but of those I have seen these ones stand apart as the best from a filmmaking perspective.
Nothing I have seen so far this year has come even close to First Man, both as a movie unto itself and as the third movie in which Chazelle’s signature becomes increasingly clear. I do not feel, even with the score of 90 on Rotten Tomatoes, that he is getting the kind of praise he deserves. I suspect this will be born out over time. How do people not stand in awe of those scenes in the tiny cone of the Apollo space capsule? The marriage of music and visuals as we see Earth from space? And the casual way he takes us into the the claustrophobic lunar module moments before the intrepid astronauts made history.
Chazelle also shows how difficult it was to fund the Apollo missions, how the streets of America were in neglect and no one felt these trips were necessary. “Whitey on the moon” is a song that plays to illustrate the juxtaposition of the government’s inability to address complaints from the black community. Remember, this was in the middle of the Vietnam War. This was 1969, a year after the nationwide turmoil of ’68. After the Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinations, the riots, the election of Nixon. This was right in the thick of the most turbulent time in modern American history. The Apollo 11 mission was one shiny bright spot. It didn’t fix poverty. It couldn’t stop the war. But if its mission was “to complete a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961: perform a crewed lunar landing and return to Earth,” then that can and should be a proud achievement for any Americans who lived through that era.
Maybe now is not the right time for First Man. Maybe not enough people remember or care about Neil Armstrong anymore. For its lack of a shot of the flag-planting ritual, Marco Rubio tried to make it a movie that is ashamed of America, as if. It made me feel proud to be an American living in a country that has produced both a Neil Armstrong and a Damien Chazelle. It’s a movie that never forgets about the people he cared about, and cared about him, on the ground — and a movie that highlights all of the things a trip to the moon couldn’t do anything about — like his own child dying of brain cancer at the age of two, like the racial divide, like hundreds of thousands being carpet bombed in Vietnam.
But the moon landing was a symbol of mankind’s determination, a fulfillment of a vision of a dead president, a promise made and a promise kept. Neil Armstrong made a point of reminding people that the Apollo mission wasn’t meant to show America’s might, to intimate other countries with the shock and awe of technology, space flight and war. Rather, it was a celebration of the best thing that humans can do — use their intelligence to discover ways to reach out into the universe, a celebration of a commitment to science.
Can First Man win Best Picture? Perhaps not. You can put your hot takes on ice, Oscar watchers. And in a way, thank god for that. If I have to hear one more person say “tech awards only” I’m going to lose my mind. I know we can have better conversations than that. We’ll make a deal. I’ll say A Star is Born could sweep and you can have a conversation with me about First Man that has nothing to do with the Oscars.
Every year there is usually at least one movie that reminds me why I love movies. This movie is that movie. Even watching the clips back I think, man, I have to go see it again. And then again. And again after that. I know that Oscar movies must be movies for everybody. I also know that First Man isn’t a movie for everybody. But for those space geeks and cinema geeks out there, it is a movie for us. Go see First Man. Ignore the noise and go see for yourself. I get why people are drawn to movies that deliver the kind of emotional swoon they all need right now. First Man isn’t that movie. But from a filmmaking perspective, from an artistic perspective, wow. Just wow.
I loved it. One of my favorite movies of the year without doubt. I found it tremendously moving in both its intimate and epic scope. And at this point I’d give sup. and lead acting Oscars to Claire Foy and Ryan Gosling (yes, even over the brilliant Bradley Cooper Jackson Maine performance).
Damien Chazelle has done it again. Brilliant directing. This is not an action film, rather a character study of an insular man who had difficulties dealing with all the death around him. Chazelle’s team of Cross, Sandgren, and Horowitz all do stellar work here as well. This is Ryan Gosling’s best performance to date, and Claire Foy will definitely be nominated as well. This is in a different league than ASIB. Doesn’t have the emotional wallop of Black Klansman, but this is a fine piece of moviemaking.
The “emotional wallop of BlacKkKlansman” you say? A movie that spends its entire running time as a near comic buddy caper movie of cartoon villains who actually dance and jump around to Birth of a Nation? And then clumsily tacks on horrifying news reel footage tonally out of step with the entire rest of the movie? I can get that “emotional wallop” on CNN. And I agree with you — A Star is Born is in a completely different league.
I thought it was wholesome and enjoyable fun! A bit psychologically faux plus I already addressed my annoyance at how it was shot and Goslin’s performance. Perhaps Chazelle’s best to date. (B-/B)
Now PLEASE somebody inject Ad Astra into my veins before this year ends.
p.s. I hope everyone here has seen The Right Stuff. If you haven’t you’re cancelled until you rectify.
Also see it on IMAX. I don’t say that often. It actually has some formal ambitions worth the surcharge. Ill expand on this later…maybe…I mean if I remember to…
p.p.s. Although not in my top 5 of the year I suppose I won’t be scandalized if the branch nominates this score.
Watching this movie this morning, I finally realized what is my general problem with Chazelle’s films but why I also really find them to be quite exceptional. His films are beautifully made but the drama in them feel at points incredibly dull. But still I for example adore La La Land almost as if it had no flaws.
I’ve always been baffled by it but halfway through this movie it came to me: Chazelle has a tendency to make his films basically one held note: from scene to scene the tone rarely seems to change and it all lacks actual nuance and freshness. Whiplash is perhaps the most perfect example: it seems so stuck in its own headspace that it loses all understanding of its characters and ideas.
But what makes me still feel very passionately about these films is that eventually they always find a way to break out and in those scenes and sequences the films soar to exceptional heights. Whiplash ferociously rips itself to glory in its last scene, La La Land is a different movie when there’s music involved and First Man can be split in two halves: one is the opening scene and the closing sequences and the other is the rest of the movie. But like always those 20-25 minutes of First Man actually make the movie exceptional
I’ve just seen it. Meh. Damien Chazelle was so obsessed to make the most realistic and technically perfect film that he forgot all the emotion and connection with the viewer.
It is a good film. Visually astonishing. But it lacks soul.
I’ve noticed, from Australia at least, that First Man is not receiving favourable reviews from international reviewers. I, personally, was not a fan. I found it distant and fuelled by cinematography that worked against the film when it didn’t need to. Yet, a lot of the reviews from America have been quite favourable. I wonder if this is a purely American film that will succeed with American audiences, and stumble with international audiences?
So having just seen first man, I am so impressed with it and totally agree on Chazelle’s visual style and use of music – whiplash remains one of my favourite films of this decade partly for this reason and he’s managed to hold onto his style despite being brought into the studio machine.
However, the thing I don’t see many people talking about is how hard first man is to watch (intentionally). As much as it was made to celebrate Neil Armstrong and his accomplishment the film spends most of it’s running time putting you in the middle of the consequences of aspiring to reach the moon. The space scenes are anything but beautiful eye candy, they are jarring, visceral, hard to watch and incredibly impressive as they try to put you there in space being thrown around as things to wrong.
And life on the ground is not much easier to watch, Armstrong is portrayed as a very driven but very troubled person – he’s been through and is constantly going through a lot of shit and it takes such a toll on him and his personal relationships and like the scenes in space or plays out to put you right in the middle of that. The use of a very obviously handheld camera actually really helps with this -it’s something I so often hate but is employed for the perfect effect here. And none of it would work if Claire Foy wasn’t absolutely incredible.
So I agree it’s an incredible piece of art and the visual style mixed with the musical timing as Sasha eluded to is perfect but not in a fun, light, easy way but in a really tough way. I feel like people need to know that going in – don’t go to this looking for an uplifting piece of escapism because that is not what this is. If a lesser filmmaker had been in charge that’s probably what we would’ve got but Chazelle, at least for now, is still making films that have his distinct fingerprint on them and for that I’m really grateful.
I’m glad that a talent like Chazelle is taking risks and not resting on his laurels. American cinema is too often conflated solely with Hollywood and it’s great to see someone push the boundaries of what we think cinema is.
So a thread about a movie that is not ASIB. And the conversation is forced into talking about ASIB. This is how this is going to go?
Another thing, both Chazelle and Cuaron won Best Director for their previous films. Now I would say that is a big drawback for their chances, but obviously Iñárritu proved you could win back to back with Birdman and The Revenant. Still, I think it’s very hard to do which is why I don’t think either of them are the front runners. I would say Jenkins is, but I read his film is kinda shot like a play, the same way Fences was, so I think the front runner is clearly Bradley Cooper. Even if the direction isn’t the strongest thing about the film, Cooper is the maestro behind the whole thing and isn’t that what directing is all about? Bringing all the aspects of the film together? Anyone can sign into a film to direct that already has a cast and script and everything else in place like Ridley Scott does every year, but Cooper was there for this things inception. He cast Lady Gaga, he wrote the script, he organaized the window of opportunity to film the concert scenes at Glastonbury and Coachella instead of doing something smaller scale or digitally like Bohemian Rhapsody did. The BS about winning for your first feature is just that considering Kevin Costner won for Dances With Wolves and just last year two directors (Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig) were nominated for their first films. I see a lot of people saying they will “award” Cooper’s work as a whole with Best Actor, but I think not only does the work as a whole (including his acting and writing) fit Best Director better, I honestly think there is less competition in the director race.
You heard it here first folks.
You are so right about Ridley Scott lol
I agree , Cooper is multi talented and could easily win BD or BA , or maybe both ..If you think that Roma is not winning BP then it becomes increasingly unlikely that Cuaron wins BD ..this is not Gravity propped up with a load of Tech awards ..he’s not going to win BD with just BFF and Cinematography IMHO
Your description of Chazelle’s movies are exactly how I feel about Chris Nolan’s, especially the way he pairs music with his visuals. I mean Inception’s trailer alone forever changed the way trailers have been made. And yet the Academy just doesn’t give him the credit he deserves. The dude has delivered masterpiece after masterpiece (The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk) and I’m said to say he might be fed up with it all seeing as he has yet to announce his next project. It’s worrying because he has made a film every two years like clockwork up until the three years that separated Interstellar and Dunkirk. Well seeing as we are already over a year out from Dunkirk’s release and he hasn’t even mentioned his next film, even if he announced it tomorrow, it wouldn’t hit theaters until 2020 at the earliest. But my guess is we won’t get another film from him until 2021 which would make it fours years after Dunkirk. I bet we get another Chazelle movie before then.
Looks dope. Can’t wait to see what will undoubtedly be Chazelle’s 4th home run.
I am sorry but I just think this looks so boring and sterile. I’ll see it and hopefully I’m wrong.
I also think this won’t do that well at the box office. We’ll see.
“‘Underwhelming.’ If there ever was a word besides ‘overrated’ that should be forever banished from film criticism it’s that.”
Tell that to everyone on this site throwing that exact word around about A Star Is Born.
When did AD commenters become thought of as film critics? Except for maybe some that actually are.
Bingo.
One of the few perks of admin is the ability the search the comment database for keywords.
Since June, readers have said the following 5 things are “underwhelming”:
• Annihilation
• The trailer for Mary Queen of Scots
• The trailer for On the Basis of Sex
• Recent trailers in general
• This years’s male actor categories
That’s it.
Nobody in the past 6 months on this site has ever said that A Star is Born is underwhelming.
Want me to search for “defensive”? 🙂
“I guess I walked away a little bit underwhelmed thanks to the crazy hype”
“Here’s another opinion in the LA Times of someone underwhelmed.”
Those are both from one very quick search I did on one page of comments from just one article about ASIB, without admin access. Such a pedantic search also clearly wouldn’t yield any results for synonyms like “disappointed” or “let down” or “didn’t live up to the hype.”
Hope you are doing well. You remain my hero.
Speaking of comments database Ryan, is there a way we could still access the comments from articles from the past years particularly before Awardsdaily transitioned to Disqus (2012, 2013 as I have tried looking for them recently like last week)? Before, I used to see them if I cancel the loading of the page but now it doesn’t work anymore. If we search articles through keywords, there’s still the number of comments posted on the articles but they’re gone once the page fully loads.
I ask this and I hope you could do something about it and bring them back because it would be great to be able to look back on how discussions here at Awardsdaily before and throughout the years and reference those comments and I think it could also improve the discussions of films, filmmakers and awards race this year and in the future.
No one who has any knowledge of an art form calls something overrated. The word is meaningless.
The word “overrated” is overrated.