Fresh Starts Pt. 3: The Cakemaker 🍰
Plus, my final Oscar predictions and the trailer for a new Ned Kelly biopic
☀️ Happy Friday!
Today’s recommendation for a fresh start movie is for those of you with a sweet tooth. Plus, the trailer for a Ned Kelly biopic and my final Oscar predictions. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
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Okay, here’s day three.
Today's movie // Streaming on NetflixThe Cakemaker
Thomas (Tim Kalkoff), a young German baker, is having an affair with Oren (Royal Miller), a married Israeli businessman, who often travels to Berlin for work. After he unexpectedly dies, Thomas travels to Jerusalem where, unintentionally, he ends up working for Oren’s widow Anat (Sarah Adler) at her cafe. Needless to say, he hides his true identity. [Trailer]
Why you should watch it: The Cakemaker is about a relationship, but not a romantic one as the setup suggests. Instead, it’s a quiet and sensitively told story about grief and how different people process it. However, there’s so much more to it. The story covers everything from the complexity of faith and religion to the struggle with sexual identity. However, it doesn’t throw those themes in your face. It doesn’t say as much as it shows.
There’s a warmth to the movie that could be attributed to its longing piano score by Dominique Charpentier or the soft and functional cinematography by Omri Aloni. However, at the center of it all is Ofir Raul Graizer’s empathetic direction and the performances by the entire cast. The Cakemaker is something special. It’s comforting like a sweet dessert.
Directed by Ofir Raul Graizer
Runtime 104 mins
Year 2017
Genre Drama
📺 Buy or rent: Prime Video // iTunes // YouTube
One trailer you should watchTrue History of the Kelly Gang
From Film4: “Based on Peter Carey's novel. The story of Australian bush-ranger Ned Kelly (George Mackay) and his gang as they flee from authorities during the 1870s.”
My take: Justin Kurzel directed the 2015 adaptation of Macbeth (👍) and the 2017 adaptation of Assassin’s Creed (👎). However, the book that it’s based on is great source material and treads closer in tone to his Macbeth, so I’m cautiously optimistic. Plus, George Mackay is an exciting lead — you can see him in 1917.
Directed by Justin Kurzel
Year 2020
Genre Drama
📺 No US release date yet, but slated for 2020.
State of the (Oscars) raceFinal Oscar nomination predictions
The Oscar nominations are being announced this Monday. So here are my 100% accurate predictions for the top categories.
Best Picture: 1917, Jojo Rabbit, Joker, The Irishman, Little Women, Marriage Story, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Parasite
Best Director: Bong Joon-ho (Parasite), Greta Gerwig (Little Women), Sam Mendes (1917), Martin Scorsese (The Irishman), Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
Best Actress: Awkwafina (The Farewell), Scarlett Johannson (Marriage Story), Lupita Nyong’o (Us), Saoirse Ronan (Little Women), Renee Zellweger (Judy)
Best Actor: Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory), Adam Driver (Marriage Story), Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Taron Egerton (Rocketman), Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)
Best Supporting Actress: Laura Dern (Marriage Story), Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers), Florence Pugh (Little Women), Margot Robbie (Bombshell), Zhao Shuzhen (The Farewell)
Best Supporting Actor: Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), Al Pacino (The Irishman), Joe Pesci (The Irishman), Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Song Kang-ho (Parasite)
Thanks for reading! I’ll be back next week with a new theme and a fresh set of recommendations.
Have the best weekend!
Karl (@karl_delo)