The March of Oscar

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Tar (2022 US) Cate Blanchett stars in this Oscar genre film about composer conductor Lydia Tar. When I was doing my first degree at an arts college in England I was told I needed to go to a class called, "Talking about Talking about the arts". I $h*t you not. That's what this film felt like. Sure Blanchett did a great job and sure it was well packaged but... I never went to that class with of course predictable results. They were pissed. I did finish this and was glad it was over. I now belong to the Marie Kondo school of film. If it doesn't bring you joy.....When I say Joy I mean there is something about it that grabs me. Maybe the characters are likeable and I want them to win. Maybe there is a theme that I can relate to that makes you say, "Yeah I get it" as you nod in agreement through the whole film. It could be messed up as hell like Triangle of Sadness, The Menu or dare I say it Old Boy (Thanks Josh).  The old man was quite likeable, til the end. But there is something there. There was nothing like that here. Tar was just a mean person hiding behind a pretentious snob exterior. The directing was like a scifi writer imaging a soulless emotionless future. Blanchett is in the running for Best Actress and she could win. The film is in the running for Best Picture and it could also win. Find it on Peacock and available to rent on most streaming. Please Like Share and Subscribe.
 

Comments

  1. Erin SnyderMarch 5, 2023 at 10:57 AM

    I liked it but felt there was something missing. If you're approaching a premise like this, I feel like you owe it to your audience to say something substantial. Ambiguity is fine for most subjects, but this strikes me as a topic where posing questions isn't enough. I had a similar reaction to Joker, which weirdly has a lot in common with Tar.

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