The second film of the day was Call Me by Your Name. It was quite different from Phantom Thread. Oliver comes to stay with the Perlmans as a summer intern to Elio's father in 1983 in Northern Italy. The two seem quite different at first, but the chemistry is there from the get go and the erotic tension builds through the first hour of the film.
This was a beautiful movie from the scenery, the delicious looking food and the acting by Timothée Chalamet and Michael Stuhlbarg. The monologue that Stuhlbarg delivers as he gives advice to Elio is one of the most moving in any film.
Cast
-
Timothée Chalamet
as Elio Perlman
-
Armie Hammer
as Oliver
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Michael Stuhlbarg
as Lyle Perlman
-
Amira Casar
as Annella Perlman
-
Esther Garrel
as Marzia
-
Victoire Du Bois
as Chiara
Director
The concept of freedom of the press vs. the government is just as applicable today as it was in 1971 when the Washington Post under the leadership of Kay Graham and Ben Bradlee decided to publish the Pentagon Papers. The courage that it took is vividly portrayed by Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep as well as Tracy Letts. I remember this time in our history and even the night when the Pentagon Papers were released. A good film and probably an Oscar nomination, but not as complex or intense as Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Cast
- Meryl Streep
as Kay Graham
-
Tom Hanks
as Ben Bradlee
-
Tracy Letts
as Fritz Beebe
-
Alison Brie
as Lally Weymouth
-
Carrie Coon
as Meg Greenfield
-
Bob Odenkirk
as Ben Bagdikian
-
David Cross
as Phil Geyelin
-
Bruce Greenwood
as Robert McNamara
-
Sarah Paulson
as Tony Bradlee
-
Jesse Plemons
as Roger Clark
-
Matthew Rhys
as Howard Simons
-
Michael Stuhlbarg
as Eugene Patterson
-
Bradley Whitford
as Fritz Beebe
-
Zach Woods
as Daniel Ellsberg
-
Pat Healy
as Phil Geyelin
-
Kelly AuCoin
as Kevin Maroney
Director
I really didn't know what to expect from this film, although I had seen trailers and had read the glowing reports in People and Entertainment Weekly. One has to suspend all belief in reality to enjoy it. But what makes this movie so special is the cinematography and the directing of Guillermo Del Toro. Elisa is a mute who mops floors and cleans the toilets with Zelda in the large OCCAM corporation. It is there in 1962 that THE ASSET is brought, a green/blue sea monster from the Amazon. Elisa is drawn to him, gains his trust, and, eventually, offers herself to him. The cold war machinations of Russians vs. the members of the corporation provide the crux of the action in the film. The acting performances are strong, especially Richard Jenkins as Elisa's gay neighbor. I like the movie, but I would not rank it as the best to walk away with the Oscar.
Cast
-
Sally Hawkins
as Elisa Esposito
-
Michael Shannon
as Strickland
-
Octavia Spencer
as Zelda
-
Richard Jenkins
as Giles
-
Doug Jones
as Amphibian Man
-
Michael Stuhlbarg
as Mr. Robert Hoffstetler
-
Lauren Lee Smith
as Elaine Strickland
-
Nick Searcy
as General Hoyt
-
David Hewlett
as Fleming
Director
