Mettel Ray

The Lamb Devours the Oscars 2021 – Film Editing

Here we go again! I don’t think I’ve ever been so aware of an Oscar season before while having technically no interest in it. I’m rooting for my favourites and hope that some history is made but otherwise it’s a strange award season. It’s hard to be excited after a year we’ve had… what’s the point even. Anyway, today I’m looking at five movies nominated for the Film Editing Oscar. While editing is an essential part of film making, I’m not very well versed with this technical side. Though I can tell when the editing seamlessly tells a story that not only surprises but also excites you. There are a few here that have that type of film editing… at least for me.

The Lamb Devours the Oscars 2021 – Best Director

The 2021 Oscar nominees for Best Director are Lee Isaac Chung (Minari), Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman), David Fincher (Mank), Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round), and Chloé Zhao (Nomadland). As of this very moment when I haven’t really dwelled on who should win this category, I have no idea. I only know that while I adore Fincher’s work, Mank is not the movie that should bring him his first Oscar. Also, I’m conflicted to root for a female director here because this could be historic and amazing! But… I think… and I almost feel strange for saying this… I think I’m rooting for someone (slightly) surprising instead.

Thursday Movie Picks: Psychological Thriller

It feels like the only way I can tell the difference between weeks is thanks to Thursday Movie Picks. Days fall into one and the stress of the entire year and a month on top is truly getting to me now. Work is not easy at the moment either which is just an added stress on top. BUT that is not what we are talking about today, we are talking about psychological Thrillers! I for one am not the biggest fan of these movies but when one clicks I love it a lot. Psychological thriller isn’t just something I look out for on purpose though. Anyway, I thought of this theme and I figured I’d pick three movies without even looking at Google for help. So if they don’t really fit the theme… blame the stress. I’m sure it’s at fault somehow.

The Lamb Devours the Oscars 2021 – Best Picture – Sound of Metal

I’ve always struggled with expressing my love and admiration towards things I love. Being critical is always somehow easier and I guess that’s why this is the first time I’m writing about Sound of Metal on my blog. Yes, my 2020 favourite movie and I haven’t mentioned it once here on Mettel Ray. I’ve praised it on Letterboxd though, so at least there’s that. But today I wanted to devour this Oscar nominated movie for Lamb and see how far I can go with praising Sound of Metal.

Thursday Movie Picks: Female Cinematographers

This week was a bit of a difficult theme for me. Not just because there aren’t many female cinematographers in the main stream but because I hardly know cinematographers. It’s a name I don’t pay much attention to, it’s a name that doesn’t get a lot of attention. So this week when I was looking into these movies (very late and close to midnight, again being super late with my post) I wanted a mix of picks for this week. Here are three movies that have female cinematographers working with various projects. By highlighting the importance of these women I’ll not only show stills from their work but also themselves.

Thursday Movie Picks: Amateur Sleuths

Not necessarily leaving it to the last minute but sort of. (I really need to start planning these things ahead of time). So I was a bit stumped by this theme this week because honestly, I’m not very sure how many amateur sleuths movies I know. Probably more that I can think of but apparently not enough to conjure a proper list. Because of this today’s list will be about bad amateur sleuths movies. In other words I’m recommending you stay away from these amateur sleuths if possible. Needless to say all the main characters are amateur sleuthing.

Thursday Movie Picks Oscar Winners Edition: Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress

The titles for these Thursday Movie Picks seem to get longer and longer but I’m not really complaining. It’s just a little ironic. Ironic because yet again I’m only going to talk about two performances. One for Best Supporting Actor and one for Best Supporting Actress. Both these wins are pretty recent so I can easily talk about them. As per usual I left my post writing to the very last minute (add some work scheduling mishap on top of that) and it’s an hour until deadline. I guess I just like to live on the edge.

Hidden Gems: Audrey Hepburn

We are back again and this month we’re making Hidden Gems even more special. You see I started Hidden Gems because I wasn’t doing great with Blind Spot and I wanted something to excel at. So with my Hidden Gems challenge going well I thought I’d push myself a little further this year and combine the two. So Hidden Gems meets Blind Spot – the almost perfect duo. And what better way to marry those two together than to explore the filmography of Audrey Hepburn!?

Thursday Movie Picks Television Edition: Opening Title Sequence

This week has brought me back so many wonderful memories. You see, I used to do these Intro posts where I just put images from the opening title sequence into a post. I did shows as well as movies but like many of my features I didn’t do that long. Though putting together this week’s post did make me smile in the best way possible so who knows, maybe I’ll bring that opening title sequence feature back (but don’t expect anything). Here are three opening title sequences of TV shows that I still remember for their visual appeal and song selection.

Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso: The Unexpected Appeal of the Good Guy

I’m sure I’m not the only one who generally picks a bad guy over the good one. Since I can remember I’ve gravitated towards bad guys in everything: movies, TV shows, books and even in real life. There’s something mysterious and almost dangerous about a bad guy that draws a person in. But when a really good guy, a guy like Ted Lasso, comes along… should an exception be made?