I used to consider the Oscars religion. Until one night in Utah I was unable to watch and ever since then I haven't. Except for that one night during Covid when they held them at the train station. I wanted to see how that played out.
As for reviews... I don't read them. Because they tell you the plot of the entire film. I want to enter something fresh.
All of which means as the years have ensued I've paid less and less attention to the movie business (I wasn't interested in comic books as a kid, never mind comic book movies as an adult) and have focused all my attention on streaming television series.
However, the elite discussion, the reviews, continue to be about film, when all the action is in extended opuses. We learned this with "The Sopranos," which was superior to anything in the theatre.
As for the moviegoing experience...I hate it. First and foremost because of the hassle, I've got to get there and the films don't start when I want them to. Am I the only person who is time-challenged? I need a whole 'nother life just to consume art.
Felice wanted to watch a standup.
I could cotton to comedy, but desired something with plot.
And "Anora" was billed as a comedy/drama. Which I guess it is. But it was not what I was expecting.
You see "Anora" is now on Hulu. Just a click away.
And I remembered it was nominated for Best Picture, I couldn't remember who won, but we started to watch it and I asked myself...
WHERE ARE THE SUBTITLES?
Oh, they come a bit into the movie, when Russian is spoken. But it wasn't long before I realized "Anora" was an American production. Because of the locale, if nothing else.
Oh, there are strip clubs all over the world, and I've seen foreign series where they've played a big part, but when they showed Anora's residence right back up against the train tracks, this was clearly New York.
Now your mind won't drift when you watch "Anora."
And I'd love to tell you the movie is fantastic, it is not, but it's definitely very good.
One thing that comes clear as you're watching is this is the kind of movie Hollywood used to specialize in, prior to the blockbusters of "Jaws" and "Star Wars," never mind the Marvel movies. There are none of the usual tropes...the car chases, the shoot-'em-ups, no, "Anora" is original.
And I did not recognize Mikey Madison from "Better Things." Which never got its due because it was on a secondary cable channel and the public was not primed for this and...
Madison as Ani/Anora is almost scary. She's a stripper, but I wouldn't say she's got a heart of gold. On one level she's desperate. On another, it's all about the Benjamins, it's great to watch her negotiate.
Furthermore, "Anora" gets the strip club reality down pat. The customers are marks. The strippers feign interest for dollars. If you don't know someone who was convinced that a stripper truly loved them, that they'd made a connection which would survive outside the club, you've never met a man who went to a strip club.
But Ani/Mikey has got a code. Which she will not waver from. And she will speak truth to power all day long. Because when you've got nothing to lose, why not?
And then there's Karren Karagulian as Toros, the desperate priest.
Boy do they nail this. Everybody's got to serve somebody, and Toros serves the Zakharovs back in Russia. And if he doesn't get it right, if he doesn't deliver, he doesn't even want to contemplate the consequences.
As a result, Toros doesn't care about collateral damage. Middle class denizens consider the law, the cost of items, Toros is above all that, because he knows that the law is no competition for the criminals he reports to and everything is replaceable, especially when you're an oligarch.
So deep down inside Ani/Mikey is looking for a way out, and when she finds it she will not let go. Ultimately she does what is expedient, she's got no choice, but up to the last minute she's willing to give the middle finger to those who treat her wrong.
As for twenty one year old Ivan Zakharov... She puts her faith in him. But who can you trust? Are the underclass just playthings for the rich?
Now a truly great film has you wondering when it's done. Pondering the deeper meaning. But I didn't quite feel that.
However, "Anora" is a great ride. Vivid.
But I wish it was a series, because I wanted more backstory, more character development.
And if it had premiered on Netflix...
The press is as out of touch with entertainment as it is with politics. The press can't deal with a show that's available all at once, they need something dripped out. Every week we've got to read about the latest episode of "Last of Us" when there are series on Netflix that far eclipse it in viewership and quality. Ditto with "White Lotus" and "Adolescence," which is the number one visual entertainment of the year so far.
And "Anora" is not "Adolescence," which you can't stop thinking about.
Then again, many more people saw "Adolescence."
"Anora" may have won Best Picture at the Oscars, but it was only number 65 in last year's worldwide gross. It made $59,732,509, of which two-thirds was foreign: $39,258,214. America is sliding in so many ways, the rest of the world can appreciate something deeper, whereas everything in America must be a two-dimensional cartoon.
But if "Anora" had premiered on Netflix, more people would have seen it. And that's the ultimate goal. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. You want to become part ot the conversation, part of the ongoing fabric of the country as opposed to being a blip on the radar screen.
Now you only get one bite at the apple when it comes to attention. There are exceptions, but they are rare. Not one person has e-mailed me about "Anora" since it appeared on Hulu. No one is talking about it. But everybody but the press was talking about "Adolescence" right after it launched (the press caught on eventually, but didn't know how to continue the story, not in the U.S., whereas in the U.K. "Adolescence" impacted the culture at large, there was discussion over whether laws should be changed).
So on one level, "Anora" is a darker "Hangover." With elements of drama, like "Silver Linings Playbook."
But there's a grit and a truth in "Anora" that is absent from those box office successes. The nudity is not superfluous, it's the way it is, you've been there. And Mikey Madison does not seem concerned with negative implications regarding her career in the future. Play hide and seek and Mr. Skin is all over you. Let it all hang out and it's not so special.
I don't want to be one of those wankers who reveals the plot points and ruins the movie. But you should definitely watch "Anora." If for no other reason than to see this is what Hollywood reveres but doesn't make anymore, it hearkens back to what once was.
But even more for the raw experience. The ride. Which is the essence of every great work of art, even if it's more cerebral than action.
"Anora" has a visceral quality absent from almost all of today's successful productions. It all goes swimmingly until you can feel the edge, become engrossed with the edge. And the battle between Anora's fellow stripper, that's life in a nutshell. You're fighting petty little wars with someone at your level who the rest of the world does not give a damn about.
So if you have Hulu, watch "Anora."
If you don't... They're selling great bundles with Disney+, Max and Hulu right now.
Very few people will pay the price of a month of streaming to see one movie before it's available as part of a subscription. Either you go to the theatre, which most people can resist, or you wait until it's part of a service you already pay for.
And the dirty little secret is by time it's streaming...you usually don't care, there's something else you want to watch.
But you should watch "Anora."
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