Tag Archives: Selena Gomez

2024 Films, Adriana Paz, Drama, French, International, International Drama, International Musical, Jacques Audiard, Karla Sofía Gascón, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, LGBTQ+ International, Musical, Musical Drama, Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña

Emilia Pérez-2024

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Emilia Pérez-2024

Director Jacques Audiard

Starring Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez

Scott’s Review #1,455

Reviewed December 15, 2024

Grade: A

Emilia Pérez (2024) is a brilliantly unique film that uses musical numbers to tell the riveting story of a transgender Mexican crime lord, her transition from male to female, and her difficult separation from her family.

Jacques Audiard, most known for A Prophet (2009) and Rust and Bone (2012), directs this unique and brave film.

Boldly featuring transgender actress Karla Sofía Gascón in the title role, the film showcases her talents and a needed burst of transgender representation in cinema.

The film also defies genres and expectations. Is it a crime thriller? A musical? An LGBTQ+ film? It’s a bit of each with an operatic spin.

On paper, it might seem jarring to watch a film about a Mexican drug cartel set against musical numbers, but I was immediately captured.

Emilia’s character is a feared cartel leader who enlists a lawyer, Rita (Zoe Saldañato), to help her disappear and achieve her dream of becoming a woman while whisking her clueless wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and children off to snowy Switzerland.

While officially French, Emilia Pérez feels Latin since it is set mainly in Mexico, and most of the film is in Spanish.

The film follows several women’s journeys in Mexico through liberating song, dance, and bold visuals, each pursuing their own happiness. Emilia is center stage, and Rita, Jessi, and Emilia’s later love interest, Epifanía (Adriana Paz), also have their own stories, giving it an excellent ensemble feel.

Rita is an unappreciated lawyer stuck in a dead-end job, Jessi wants to move on from her presumed-to-be dead husband, and Epifanía intends to move on from her abusive husband.

Audiard makes it clear that the women cannot escape the drug cartel world even though they’d like to. Emilia even champions a movement to identify the victims of cartel-related deaths, attempting to give back to others with her new life.

Emilia Perez is a significant victory because it’s so different, and that word kept returning to me. Rather than a straightforward transgender story, it mixes many other genres and creative song and dance numbers.

Could Broadway be in its future?

Each musical number is excellent, but two themes resonate most and support the story best.

When Emilia, now pretending to be her children’s long-lost aunt, puts her son to bed, he confesses he still recognizes her scent (“Papá”). She quietly weeps, knowing he will never see the truth.

The other theme is merged into three musical numbers. After meeting with doctors in Bangkok (“La vaginoplasty”) and Tel Aviv (“Lady”), Rita finds a surgeon who agrees to perform the procedure on Emilia after hearing Manitas’ recollections of gender dysphoria during childhood (“Deseo”).

The numbers explain the transition procedure in graphic detail while reminding the audience of the powerful emotional toll the transition takes on a person.

The film’s final chapter is an energetic and classic crime thriller with a major reveal of the truth to a significant character. A deadly car chase scene culminates in a fiery explosion and a reminder that rarely can anyone leave the drug cartel circuit alive.

The release of Emilia Perez in the year 2024, when there is current United States legislation to limit or exterminate transgender rights altogether, is a powerful reminder of why it’s essential to showcase a film like this.

Fortunately, the film’s slew of year-end award nominations has increased viewership and, thus, awareness of this critical topic.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director-Jacques Audiard, Best Actress-Karla Sofía Gascón, Best Supporting Actress-Zoe Saldaña, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Original Song-“El Mal,” “Mi Camino,” Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound, Best International Film

2012 Films, Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Animated, Children, Comedy, David Spade, Fran Drescher, Genndy Tartakovsky, Jon Lovitz, Kevin James, Molly Shannon, Selena Gomez, Steve Buscemi

Hotel Transylvania-2012

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Hotel Transylvania-2012

Director Genndy Tartakovsky

Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James

Scott’s Review #418

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Reviewed June 18, 2016

Grade: C-

Hotel Transylvania is a 2012 animated comedy film about an overprotective Dracula with a teenage daughter fascinated with the human world.

The premise sounded interesting to me- a gothic, spooky feature and the animations are very well done- bright, colorful, and unique, but the plot is way too predictable and the story as safe as they come.

Despite the dark mood of the film, there is nothing remotely scary about Dracula or any of the other characters. Rather they are completely cliched and quite amateurish.

The target audience is age 10 and under and parents might find themselves bored. I am not a parent and I was bored to tears at one point.

It is too cutesy for my tastes.

Save for the impressive animations, Hotel Transylvania (2012) is completely mainstream fare and forgettable filmmaking.

A great story achieves mountains and this one lacks.

2015 Films, Adam McKay, Anthony Bourdain, Billy Magnussen, Biography, Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Finn Wittrock, Jeremy Strong, Margot Robbie, Marisa Tomei, Max Greenfield, Melissa Leo, Ryan Gosling, Selena Gomez, Steve Carell, Tracy Letts

The Big Short-2015

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The Big Short-2015

Director Adam McKay

Starring Christian Bale, Steve Carell

Scott’s Review #369

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Reviewed January 10, 2016

Grade: A-

The Big Short (2015) is a confusing film and is its intention and also its genius.

Throughout some of the film, I was uncertain how much I liked it (or got it) and found many of the characters unlikeable, but at the conclusion, I realized that is exactly what the filmmakers intended is a clever tactic and makes The Big Short a success.

On the surface, the film has some humor but a very dark story at its core and left me a bit depressed and terrified at the conclusion.

I am happy that the film is receiving accolades and is the “thinking man’s” hit movie of the season.

To attempt to summarize the film, the film begins in 2005, approximately two years before the financial crisis of 2007-2008.

Eccentric hedge fund manager Michael Burry (Christian Bale), realizes the U.S. housing market is unstable and predicts a crash.

He attempts to profit by betting against the market, a move laughable to all around him, especially the banks who anticipate a windfall at Michael’s expense. Trader and fellow market managers, Jared Vennett and Mark Baum (played by Ryan Gosling and Steve Carrell) catch wind of Michael’s theory and try to get in on the action.

There is a sub-plot involving two younger investors also attempting to profit through the guidance of a retired banker (played by Brad Pitt).

The financial collapse is a tender subject and certainly no laughing matter, especially since it is so recent and affects many people.

The Big Short is touted as a comedy, which is strange. I found the audience didn’t know exactly what to laugh at or when. The film’s “laughs” were cynical, witty, and sometimes wicked. Many people do not get this type of humor.

In real life, people were kicked out of their homes and lost their jobs, pensions, etc. and it was all the result of greed, which The Big Short hammers home.

Several scenes include frat-boy investor/trader types getting rich by enabling almost anyone to afford a new house. Little did these people realize that there was a catch.

The film paints a jaded picture of Wall Street. The rich get richer at the expense of the middle class and the poor. It is an age-old sad tale.

Performance-wise, Carrell and Bale are the standouts. They both play characters who are damaged. Bale’s Michael is socially awkward, and has a false eye, but is also a genius. Carrell’s Mark is angry, grizzled, and is in therapy as a result of his brother’s suicide.

Both actors are great and have developed into worthy, credible acting talents. Worth mentioning, are small, but meaningful roles by Melissa Leo and Marisa Tomei.

The Big Short is shot interestingly, and highly unusual. From time to time, the action will stop and a famed celebrity (Selena Gomez, a world-renowned chef, or a model in a bubble bath) will explain the events, thus far, or give some review.

Also, more than once the actors will turn to the camera and speak directly to the audience. A personal touch that I found effective.

In the end, not much in life has changed, which is the message, and a frightening one. As one character brilliantly puts it “people will go back to blaming the poor and the immigrants”, which is a sad message.

After millions lost everything, not much has changed in the world and The Big Short makes that very clear. The people responsible have gotten away with crime, the banks bailed out, and a new scheme is undoubtedly in place.

It’s a sad world.

The Big Short (2015) is a gritty, harsh look at reality and a terrific film.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Adam McKay, Best Supporting Actor-Christian Bale, Best Adapted Screenplay (won), Best Film Editing