Oscar season is in full swing and one big contender Green Book is in Kiwi cinemas right now.
The true story already has three Golden Globes under its belt and it looks almost certain to add an Oscar to that haul.
That is something the captivating Mahershala Ali already has, and he could well find himself with another. Opposite Viggo Mortensen, these two fine actors firmly anchor this wonderful true story.
It's the late 1960s and Mortensen is Tony Lip, a working class family man who uses his fists to make a living as a bouncer for hire.
When he gets offered a well-paying pre-Xmas gig as a driver, he wonders what the catch is. When he meets the man he'll be driving, and discovers where they'll be driving to, he finds out.
Ali is Dr Don Shirley, a gifted world class pianist. He is going on a tour of the South and he needs Tony to drive him and protect him.
You couldn't find two more different men if you tried and the filmmakers skirt the obvious, delivering on the central humanity of the story to drive home the racial and cultural messages with heart and grace.
It's just a lovely, lovely watch.
Including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor, there are five Oscar-nominated reasons to see Green Book, not to mention the fact it's just one of those films and stories which is impossible not to connect with and be entertained by.
Mahershala Ali is an understated stand-out.
4 and half stars.
Newshub.
