Wow, the Oscar noms are out and I’m both underwhelmed and surprised at the same time. How is that possible, you ask? Read on…and if you want a great Oscars Movie Checklist, head on over to the Gold Knight for their awesome downloadable cheat sheet that tells you what you need to watch (and where you can see it) to get ready for the Academy Awards ceremony, held this year on March 12 on ABC.
— this is a post in progress, so check back for updates as I get around to seeing a few more movies —
Best Picture
Should Win: EEAAO
Will Win: EEAAO
SNUBS: I would have liked “The Batman” and “Nope” nominated over “Banshees” and “Triangle.”
Okay, so this year (as is the new usual), they’ve nominated ten movies for Best Picture. A few are worthy of the title, a few are not, and there was at least one great movie left off the list!
I’ve seen Avatar, Banshees, Elvis, EEAAO, and the Fabelmans. Of those, EEAAO is the best film, with Avatar running a close second.
Elvis was your standard and awesome Baz Luhrmann color-fest, filled to the brim with so much stuff to see that you kinda get lost along the way and forget that this movie is about one of the most famous celebrities in history. Banshees was the most depressing movie I’ve ever seen, and The Fabelmans was cute but ultimately pointless.
I haven’t seen All Quiet, Tar, Top Gun, Triangle or Woman Talking. Not excited about any of these except Top Gun. I also heard The Menu is quite good.
MISSING? My top three favorite films of the year were EEAAO, The Batman, and Nope. Disappointed to see The Batman fail to get many nods, but I’m not surprised. It is, in fact, a comic book movie, and the reputation for those has gotten even worse since the Academy’s snub of not nominating “The Dark Knight” kicked off this whole frenzy in the first place of nominating ten movies a year.
Directors
Should Win: The Daniels for “AAEEO”
Will Win: Spielburg for “The Fabelmans”
SNUB: James Cameron for “Avatar: The Way of Water”
I’m a fan of films in general and some genres in particular, but even I have trouble figuring out what to watch sometimes. When I need to pick something, I’ve learned to go by director—often, if you like “The Dark Knight,” you’ll appreciate “Tenet” or “Memento.”
Directors have a huge influence over their films, and they all often have a similar “feel.” Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” this year just felt like a Spielberg film to me, with the lighting and his choices in directing his actors.
So, Best Director? It’s all a matter of taste. I like The Daniels (yes, it’s two guys with the first name of Daniel) for EEAAO.
I haven’t seen Tar or Triangle, neither one of which made a penny at the box office. But I know, I know, we can’t award people who make good movies that lots of people want to see, right?
The Fabelmans was too inside baseball and navel-gazing, though I did love the “behind the scenes” stuff about his early movies. But if he’s REALLY proud of his earliest work, why change all the names?
Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin” was the most depressing movie I’ve ever seen, except for “Irreversible” or “Antichrist.” Why someone would put so much money and effort into something so sad and depressing confounds me.
Best Actor and Actress Nominations
Actor and Actress nominations are always hard to guess. It’s difficult to tell who’s the “favorite” from day to day, and there is always a lot of campaigning going on in Hollywood behind the scenes. I’ll base my predictions on what I’ve seen and who they performed in the films.
Best Actor Should Win: Austin Butler for “Elvis”
Will Win: Brenden Fraser for “The Whale”
SNUB: Paul Dano for “The Batman” (and “The Fabelmans” if you want to get picky)
Austin Butler was excellent in Elvis and carried the film for me, appearing in nearly every scene. Like I’ve said, “The Banshees” was so depressing I wouldn’t award anything to anyone involved, although Colin Ferrell was excellent in “The Batman.” Why couldn’t he have been nominated for that instead? I haven’t seen the other three films.
Best Actress Should Win: Michelle Yeoh for “EEAAO”
Will Win: Cate Blanchett for “Tar”
SNUBS: Viola Davis for “The Woman King” and Danielle Deadwyler for “Till”
Ana de Armas was good in “Blonde,” an absolutely horrible movie. I had to force myself to finish it. “Hey, let’s take a beloved actress from history and torture her for two hours and slightly change her story so we can say it’s fiction.” Yeah, right. We all know what you’re doing—it’s a fantasized version of Marilyn Monroe. We’re not stupid. Michelle Williams was flat in “The Fabelmans” and the worst part of that boring film. Michelle Yeoh was excellent in “EEAAO” and deserves the win. I plan to force myself to watch “Tar” so I can confirm it for sure. There is also some controversy floating around about Andrea Riseborough, a relative no one, being nominated over the likes of well-known actresses like Viola Davis for “The Woman King” and Danielle Deadwyler for “Till.”
Supporting Acting Nominations
It’s the same in the Supporting Actor and Actress categories, but I’ll make my best guesses, basing my predictions on what I’ve seen and who they performed in the films.
For Actor, Ke Huy Quan should win for “EEAAO.” Judd Hirsch’s nomination for “The Fabelmans” is a joke because he only appeared in one scene in the film. Paul Dano also appeared in “The Fabelmans” and was in nearly every scene. Again, Brendan Gleeson is great in everything he does, and Barry Keoghan has a great career ahead of him, but I wouldn’t nominate anyone connected to “Banshees.” I haven’t seen “Causeway” yet.
In the Actress category, Angela Bassett appears for “Black Panther 2,” though I would have put her in the Lead Actress category. Both Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu were excellent in “EEAAO.” Kerry Condon was fine in “Banshees” but the film is radioactive. I haven’t yet forced myself to see “The Whale.”
Best Animated Feature
It’s interesting to see Disney get snubbed so hard in the Best Animated Feature category, something they usually dominate. I’m looking at the list and I don’t see controversial films like “Lightyear” and “Strange World.” Maybe they weren’t entertaining enough. Of the ones I’ve seen, “Puss in Boots 2” is the best. Disney’s best offering for the year was apparently “Turning Red,” another borderline stinker, though I did love the guys from 4Town. “Jessie went to art school.” Not sure what that says about the animation industry, but I know it’s sad.
Best International Feature
Going over the list of Best International film nominations reminded me: where is “RRR?” That was a great film, worthy of being up there with the best picture noms. It was certainly better than “Banshees.” Geez what was up with that dreck? Someone should do a wellness check on all of those people involved in that film. Get them some flowers and chocolate and maybe a vacation—apparently, they need it.
Other Notes
Oscar Night? Someday they’ll figure out how to make the awards ceremony more interesting. Here are a few suggestions: make it shorter and more entertaining, cut down on the preaching, and remember that’s the night is supposed to be about celebrating the films and film industry. It’s supposed to feel like magic, not a parade of whiny rich people carrying gift bags full of free merchandise that most people watching will never be able to afford. Humility goes a long way.
