Aftersun, Poker Face, and Andrea Riseborough

Looking back and stumbling forward, plus why the 'To Leslie' Best Actress nomination is fine

and

Jan 31, 2023

Hello!

On this week’s episode of Criticism Is Dead, we discuss Aftersun and Poker Face, a film and a series that use perspective to conceal and reveal pieces of the puzzle.

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04:44 The father-daughter drama Aftersun, available VOD, is a feat of subtle, naturalistic acting.

For a debut feature film, Aftersun is impressive. It revels in ambiguity, both thematically and technically, thanks to the creative choices when it comes to camerawork and editing. As mother-daughter heads, we appreciate this moving portrait of a girl and a father who loves her to tears. But, although a lot of things were working, not all of it quite gelled together for us emotionally. There’s something about it, whether it’s its tonality or pace or that artful ambiguity, that didn’t quite cohere or touch us as much as we both thought it would. But we might be alone in this: Plenty of other people loved this, and you might, too.

20:38 Poker Face, streaming on Peacock, is an utterly fun “howcatchem” procedural.

The “howcatchem” is an inversion of the “whodunnit”: a mystery that does not obscure who has done the crime, or how, but focuses on how the detective then figures out what happened. This is a good choice for Poker Face, both in terms of the state of the contemporary murder mystery viewer, as well as the state of Rian Johnson, whose Glass Onion left something to be desired when it came to whodunnit subversion. The resulting series is a delightful romp, brimming with eccentric characters and settings, intricate puzzle pieces, and some genuine warmth. If we compared the Knives Out films to Scooby-Doo, then this is even more Scooby-Doo, in the best way possible.

33:31 Plus, culture notes about Andrea Riseborough’s Oscar nomination and what does (and does not) set it apart from other awards campaigns.

TL;DR.

Bonus etc.

More on the Oscars:

Gina Prince-Bythewood @GPBmadeit

It's not just the Oscars that fail Black women. It's the entire awards ecosystem

latimes.comIt’s not just the Oscars that fail Black women. It’s the entire awards ecosystemFrom critics groups to the guilds to the Academy Awards, Hollywood’s highest honors continue to overlook Black women — eight years after #OscarsSoWhite.

We know you all saw this but just in case:

HBO Max @hbomax

This is a chessboard, and every move is crucial. Season 4 of #Succession premieres March 26 on HBO Max.

Tár:

Will Sloan @WillSloanEsq

In TÁR, Lydia Tár is obviously working with a lot more intellectual firepower than that well-meaning but shallow student is, but she's also blinkered in a different way, is pointlessly cruel, and is insulated by power. There, I've explained the movie, no further debate needed.

Props to Sally Rooney and Paul Mescal and Normal People (both versions) for pulling off this characterization and portrayal:

Bolu Babalola 🍯&🌶 @BeeBabs

The thing about Connell is that he made mistakes and was an idiot at times but he was also kind and vulnerable and soft and when he was an idiot, it was not excused but was explored and I liked the space to explore that complexity in male romantic leads

ً @wrathsemilia

do y’all ever think about connell’s email to marianne when she’s at her lowest and on a destructive path and just…cry https://t.co/IjuMop8WK5

Yes, we are watching The Last of Us:

esme @killbiill

HBO hit the jackpot with him

Bringing this back!!!!

Tyre Nichols memorial fund.

That’s it for now. Thank you and see you next week!

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Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to criticismisdead@gmail.com.

Some credits:

Music: REEKAH
Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu

Criticism Is Dead