The whole awards season belonged to Laura Dern. She swept everything as it was for every acting award this year. It was more of a coronation than anything else and this is more of a does she really deserve it? Let's find out! kind of thing.
2019 Best Supporting Actress
Laura Dern - Marriage Story
This was Dern's Oscar all the way so I was eager to see if it lived up to the hype it built up through the awards season. I've become more of a Dern fan recently. I for some reason didn't like her even though she gave great performances throughout her career and even ran for Academy President. I think it was a bit of entitlement or she's just getting awards love because of her parents. I mean her nomination for Wild was a joke. But I think she is fantastic in this film. She is a smarmy, slimy divorce lawyer in LA who will one minute praise Adam Driver's character for being a brilliant theater director and then tell him how bad of a husband and father he is the next minute. It's those moments that stick out to me like when she is representing Scarlett Johansson and being ruthless but then all the sudden raves about some local diner and their food or greets Ray Liotta with well wishes for his wife and all that. She is cold blooded and merciless and that is quite evident in the court room scenes which is probably where Dern wins her Oscar. It's a polished performance that quickly flips between normal good natured person to a nasty divorce lawyer using every bit of scandalous information to make her client look better. I do think it's a perfect role for Dern as she looks the part of an LA attorney as well as is literally a super nice person in real life. So yeah, this is an earned Oscar that just didn't have much competition this year, sadly.
Kathy Bates - Richard Jewell
This is a frustrating nomination. I like Kathy Bates and think she's a great actress, but there is nothing here that is really worth a vote. This smells like the older Academy members loving Clint Eastwood and going to see his film and noticing that Bates is in it and she's a previous winner so why not vote for her? She's the safe vote. She's an afterthought because members couldn't be burdened to actually watch anything out of their comfort zone. So instead of actresses from The Farewell or Parasite or any of the indie films, the old guys go to the same well they go to over and over and vote for Kathy. Nothing against her but watch this film and ask yourself if it's award worthy. She plays Richard Jewell's mother and is very loving and concerned for him during the events. And that's honestly about it. You can't say she really has an Oscar moment other than her little press conference and even that wasn't all that amazing. Bates could do this role in her sleep and any other actress could have done just as good, if not better. So this isn't a slight against Bates, but the Academy for never branching out and watching all different kinds of films. And yeah, I say that knowing Parasite just won Best Picture, but it had no acting nominations. There were a lot of other very deserving women that could have been here instead of throwing Bates another nomination. It's one of those things about the Academy that I loathe. I'm hoping that this will change in the future but it will probably take a lot longer than it should.
Scarlett Johansson - Jojo Rabbit
Scarlett Johansson with the rare double nomination and the equally rare double nomination with no win to show for it. The 12th time that has happened in Oscar history and 6th time going home empty handed. Clearly the Academy loved her this year and it's very easy to see why. She is way more than just a Marvel superhero and has been delivering some wonderful and varied performances for a while now. In this one, she plays the mother of Jojo who is constantly away, presumably helping Jews or doing something along those lines. When she is home she looks after her son even though he is a staunch Nazi and she hates the war and everything it sands for. She is also hiding a Jewish girl in the walls of the home, so we see she is a very strong person defying her country for what she believes to be right. The performance is a tender, loving, funny one. She plays the motherly role very well but also gives it some much needed familial humor. I enjoyed the scene where she enters the home late and kinda does the robot upon seeing Jojo and then turning and miming opening a door. It's almost blink and you miss it, but that shows her dedication to the humor and the role and it's a sweet, touching, humorous moment. Her standout scene is probably the dinner scene where she dresses up as her husband who is away (we don't know if dead or captured or coward) and scolds Jojo but then quickly talks to herself as both the mom and the dad and then starts dancing. It seems like an on the fly moment we happened to be privy to and it shows her love for her son. Johansson is easily the soul of the film and director Taika Waititi said that he modeled the character after his own single mother and that's why she's so strong and brave and idealistic. It's a good performance that really grounds the film to the real world and keeps it from going off the rails as some kind of ridiculous funny Nazi film.
Florence Pugh - Little Women
I will admit right off the bat that I've never read the book but I have seen parts of the other couple of Little Women films. So I'm no expert on this beloved tale by any means. And I honestly thought that Pugh's character, Amy, was the third youngest daughter for the entirety of the film and didn't learn this until way later. Which is due in part to my biggest gripe of this performance/casting: Pugh looks way older than supposedly being like 12 years old and then a little older in the non-flashback scenes. It really confused me when I learned it after the fact, but the spirit of a child performance is their for Pugh. When she is supposed to be playing the youngest daughter, she acts emotionally and irrationally at times and we see that child like behavior. The good thing is that it's not done in any sort of babyish way or trying to draw attention to a look at me I'm 12 years old type of performance. Pugh just plays it naturally with the emotions and feelings of a child. She acts like a younger sister who wants to come along with the older ones and act impulsively and without thinking of any consequences. I do feel that Pugh shines better when she's playing the older version of her character because it is inherently more believable and we see that growth from when she was a child. She seems wise beyond her years and like a fully grown woman. I did like how Pugh would dominate her scenes, both in the flashback and the present, by just being the character. Young Amy is bratty and immature, but has a strong personality to go along with that. Older Amy is more in control of who she wants to be, aspiring for greatness and not wanting to be merely good. Also not wanting to be a trophy wife. By all accounts, this was a fresh reinterpretation by Greta Gerwig and Pugh of just who Amy was as a character. I think Pugh brought that modern sensibility to the role while still maintaining the classic feel of the young character. She was an enthralling part of this film, more so than the other actresses - including my favorite, Saoirse Ronan. She steals the film and it's because she gives us an honest portrayal of Amy. I would almost rather the film focus strictly on Amy and her trip to Europe and everything after but that's the mark of a good performance. I'm excited to see what else Pugh does as her future is very bright.
Margot Robbie - Bombshell
There's a number of reasons Robbie was nominated here. She had this film and her work in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that caught the eye of the Academy. She's been an up and coming actress who has now established herself as a woman who seeks out interesting roles and goes all out for them. She has her own production company that gave us I, Tonya so she is in tune with many of the Academy members. She also quite obviously is gunning for an Oscar. You can tell she wants one badly and is going out of her way to try and win one. There's also the factor of the older men of the Academy (and probably everyone else, honestly) that just want to fuck her, so they vote for her. In a way, it's just like this film. Actors doing whatever it takes to get an Oscar and members that like them doing so for ulterior motives. Robbie plays a composite character of what a typical Fox News woman would be. She's blonde and thin and hot and bubbly and conservative. But really Robbie is just a plot device in this film used to humanize and personalize the story for us as we go through it with her in a truncated version of events. I don't feel like the performance is exceptional at all. I think her strongest scene is when she's in the office with Roger Ailes and he asks her to lift her dress up higher and higher. Her disgust and confusion and terror and complacency are all swirling around her face and it makes us just as uncomfortable as she is. But I didn't buy this perfect Republican princess would go and sleep with another female coworker. It felt inauthentic to me and it's like her character gets in the way of the film too much. She's supposed to be our conduit to care about what's happening, but I wanted more of Nicole Kidman or the investigation, not Robbie. She's a talented actress but I just wasn't all that into this performance.
Yeah, easy win for Dern who I imagine did have some Academy love because her parents are Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd and she tried to become Academy President two years ago and she's been a huge supporter of film history and all that, so yeah, Dern was winning in a weak year. I say weak year because who else was gonna win? Bates is a distant 5th who should probably never have been nominated. Robbie gets in because the old men want to fuck her. Johansson actually does give us something interesting but she's gone quickly. Pugh is so energizing to her film and the story that in any other year, I'd vote for her. I think if she continues down that path, she'll be nominated again and probably soon. But Dern does smash this one out of the park with little competition. It's no contest and the Academy gets it right no matter the reason they voted. An alright year but at least we got a new winner.
Oscar Winner: Laura Dern - Marriage Story
My Winner: Laura Dern - Marriage Story
Florence Pugh
Scarlett Johansson
Margot Robbie
Kathy Bates
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Friday, February 7, 2020
Best Picture 2018
In writing this now, the day that the nominations for 2019 came out, I still haven't seen most of these films. I have been trying to work on the other years in this project and I've become much less of a movie goer in the last few years. I used to watch everything I possibly could that came out in a year and I tried to finish the nominees before the Oscar ceremony. I'm trying to get back to that way of life but I at least have a year of time to reflect on this list and see if it holds up or not. This winner was not well liked by a lot of people online as a winner. They liked the film but didn't think of it as a Best Picture winning film. I don't know how I'll feel about it but I can't wait to dive in to find out. Going into this race, there really wasn't a clear cut favorite. Roma had some big wins but then so did Green Book. Others were hoping for another film to step up and take the top spot but this is what we got. I'll try to make sense of it all at the end.
2018 Best Picture
Green Book
Okay, I get it. There's a lot to unpack here. So I watch every Oscar night with a rooting interest whether I've seen the films or not. It's only natural. I've read and heard and know about the films and form a favorite or someone to root against. When this won, I was pissed. It's Driving Miss Daisy for this generation! It's a feel good film that doesn't quite capture the current Academy as it is now. Those all accurately apply to this film. I'm not sure it's a good winner, but I completely understand why it won. It's absolutely a feel good film about racism. It's a film that the old, white voters of the Academy can watch and go yeah, I'm that Tony guy solving racism by being a badass and changing gradually. This is a throwback film. And it's one hundred percent about making white people feel okay about their casual racism! The story is about Viggo's Tony who is the stereotypical New York Italian who is very racist and very New York Italian. He takes a job where he will drive this black man who is a piano virtuoso around the South for a concert tour. Along the way this gruff, uncultured man becomes more loving, accepting, and a better overall human. It's a feel good film and one that would have been a big hit 20-30 years ago. I say that knowing it was liked by audiences and won Best Picture. But this film feels so wrong. We get the casual racism in the beginning that is explained as just what Italian families thought about black folk. Then once Tony and Dr. Shirley meet it's like Tony is a neanderthal and Shirley is this patient saint. I dunno, the whole film doesn't sit well with me. There are lots of moments that just come off as insensitive or wrong and it's not me being some sensitive snowflake. If you read the blog, you should know that's not me by now. But this film just seems to have those moments that insults everyone involved. Black, white, Italian, whatever. It's doing so to get it's point across but it's so bad! I can't believe this film won Best Original Screenplay. While Tony is being this dumb as hell Italian, Dr. Shirley is this dumb as hell black guy when it comes to blacks. Doesn't know popular performers of the day like Little Richard. Never tasted fried chicken. Very proper and uptight while Tony is this caveman educating him on these subjects. It just seems like feel good white people solve racism type of junk. Yeah, they are driving around a black man but they educate him on fried chicken and black people music. Eventually the guy who threw out drinking glasses that black people used is now willing to fight random bar people who threaten the pianist. It feels exploitative of everyone involved. I wish I could articulate better just why this film bothers me so much. I think it's the simple approach to racism that does it. This guy who was super racist is made to work for a black man who then sees him as human and stands up for him at times and eventually invites him to his home. It just all feels unearned. And I actually like the film! It's feel good so it hits all those beats that a film goer is looking for. But it's not challenging and it is too convenient. This might be my longest review simply because I don't know how to say I dislike this as a winner while liking it as a movie. I don't like it as an Oscar film but I do enjoy what it has to offer. Whatever. This is not a good win and wish it were more than just a simple look at white people solving racism.
Black Panther
I was going to start this off with a dig at DC Comics having never had a Best Picture nominee and how Marvel is better as a joke, but then Joker was nominated this morning as I write this so there goes that idea. There are a lot of people who don't like this comic book movie being nominated and I actually understand where they are coming from. This is a standard Marvel film story that has some subpar visual effects and a decade plus of build up from the MCU behind it. But I agree with it's inclusion for the simple fact that this was such a cultural juggernaut and finally gave the black community a super hero for them to call their own. It made so much money and was so influential culturally that I do think this will be a film we point to in the future as a possible turning point for the Academy and just Hollywood in general. It's got some great characters and performances but also has some really cheesy dialogue and some characters who don't get the necessary depth to be more than just plot drivers. It has an incredible aesthetic from the dazzling, vibrant production design to the music and score that produced some huge hits. It's unfortunate that the visual effects at times were so poor and laughable because Marvel has the money to do better and to not interrupt our immersion in the action. But I feel you have to take the film as a whole and realize that combined with it's cultural impact, there is no way you could leave this huge money making film that was also highly entertaining off of a Best Picture list. It has a decent villain even if the story is pretty by the numbers and a lead titular actor who helps elevate the material. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and it was the only one I saw before the nominations and even the ceremony. It got everyone to go see it and to bridge all those different audiences together is no small feat. I feel this is a well deserved nomination especially when you go back in Oscar history and see all the films who were nominated simply because they were huge hits at the box office and with audiences.
BlacKkKlansman
Spike Lee has made some incredible films during his career and this is no exception. It also undeniably looks and feels like a Spike Lee joint. That's indicative of who he is as a filmmaker that his best work has a timeless quality to it. This feels like a natural progression from Do the Right Thing and keeps that powerful narrative alive. His film is very political at the seams though the story is a pretty straightforward one about a black cop pretending to be white who infiltrates the local KKK with help from his white cop co-worker. It's a fun historical dramedy that is layered with serious tones of the current political climate and the social upheavals that are going on with the black community right now. Which stays true to what Spike Lee gives us with his film and I'm glad that this film was so well received. I actually really enjoyed his previous film before this one, Chi-raq, which was equally biting about current societal issues. That one didn't capture the public's attention much but this film really took off and I think it's because the story is almost universal. Infiltrating a racist, terroristic, awful group and then tearing them down from the inside is a fantasy I'm sure many have thought about. I think Spike Lee, when he has material that is strong, is one of our best filmmaker's ever. He just has such a unique artistic vision and expression that creates memorable, powerful work that can touch a country's nerve and soul. Spike also gets some incredible performances out of his cast with John David Washington, Adam Driver, and Topher Grace among others. Washington should have been nominated for Best Actor. Period, hands down. He drives the film and carries it with the balance of serious and funny. Grace surprises as a geeky, meek David Duke and Driver was nominated for his great performance. The film has all the typical Spike Lee flourishes with newsreel of current events playing, great music that sets the tone of the film, and some incredibly powerful scenes that juxtapose one another. The scene where an older black man is talking to the Black Student Union about a racist event in the past that killed some men in a horrific way with the scene of the KKK initiating a new recruit is moving and powerful to watch. That's the kind of filmmaking Spike Lee can bring us that touches our soul and makes us contemplate where we are as a people right now - and in the past. And I'm sure the end of the film pissed some people off showing Trump be his usual dumb fuck self and showing the car driving into the crowd at Charlottesville and then showing the upside down American flag. It's imagery that is disturbing but equates evil from the past rearing it's ugly head again in the present. Even if you forgot all the political points in the film, it's still a great story and the acting is amazing to watch. It's just a well done film that will go down as one of Spike Lee's best ever.
Bohemian Rhapsody
I thought about how to start this one off a lot and I didn't want to start off by saying this was terrible. But I do want to start off by saying I don't think this is a Best Picture quality film. At all. I feel it's not only a by the numbers musical biopic but it suffers from some atrocious pacing. Now before I get into everything, I must say that this was directed by Bryan Singer initially. He got called out for his reprehensible sexual misconduct and the film was finished by Dexter Fletcher. Most of it was filmed before he came aboard but it still feels incredibly disparate in tone throughout the film. The other thing I wanted to talk about was the Best Editing Oscar win for this film. It's my impression that films send in a sizzle reel for of their best work and only those scenes are judged and not anything else by the Editing committee (I don't for sure know this but I think I read it somewhere). I say this because a particular scene in the film has so many edits that are so quick and bad, that everyone made fun of the film and that scene even before it won the Oscar for Editing. Then the spin became well the film was a mess and had to be saved through editing and all the editing folk voted for it and then everyone at large voted for it because the editor saved the film. I reject the notion for that and do think everyone else voted for it because of the mess, so it's a disaster and a completely undeserved win for Editing in my opinion. So that's where we are coming from even before getting into the film for real. I don't like the first two hours. I'm not a big fan of Rami Malek's mimicry of Freddie Mercury because that's what it is. The beginning and a little beyond is just disjointed and jumps around too much and doesn't hit all the good songs we know from Queen (a pretty lame criticism, I know, but still we want to see and hear how those hits developed along with how the band starts out). And from what I know is that the two members of Queen minus the bass player were who drove this film and wanted equal screen time and had to approve everything that happened. So it definitely doesn't go in depth and doesn't make them look bad at all and probably contributes to that awful editing that somehow got nominated. This is a bad to mediocre film for most of it's run time. It has no business being Oscar nominated in Best Picture. It denied other films the chance to be here and that pisses me off. The saving grace of the film is Rami Malek and the Live Aid sequence at the end of the film. It's abso-fucking-lutely amazing and just a sequence that blows me away. That's what this film should have been and not cherry picking moments while whitewashing everything about Freddie. Give us more depth and more insight into Freddie and their iconic moments. This really shouldn't have been nominated but people seemed to love it and they especially love Queen, so here it is.
The Favourite
Yorgos Lanthimos is an unbelievable talent. His films have such a vibrancy to them that watching his work is exhilarating. His stories are unique and interesting and well told and a breath of fresh air in a stale environment. Now, this wasn't one that he and his usual writing partner wrote themselves, but it still feels like a Lanthimos film. It is riotously funny. There were so many times where I was laughing out loud at something someone said or a slight visual gag, just wonderfully hilarious. And the humor is savage than people just telling a joke. It's the way Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz trade verbal barbs that come off as pleasant or courteous to one another. It's in how Nicholas Hoult is so drolly sarcastic as the leader of the opposition party. It's in how the politicians when arguing in front of Queen Anne, are told to leave and have to walk backwards in their big wigs which is an absurd sight. There's a lot of slight, biting humor that makes the film work so well. It's not a stuffy period piece. It feels vibrant and current and is very easy to watch. The directing is so good, as well. I love the kinetic movement of the camera throughout the film. I enjoy the fish eye lens look that pops in every now and then. The costumes and hair and makeup and set design are all fantastic. It's a film that looks amazing in every way and is a hoot to watch. And that's before you get to the acting which is tremendous from the three female leads. The story itself is almost inconsequential. You don't need to know about British history or anything like that. It's more of a simple story of two women fighting to be the real power behind the figurehead. This is simply a well made film that benefits from the expansion of the Best Picture field. I feel like a film like this would have had a tough time in the past to be nominated here and reach a wider audience, so it's nice to see it get it's due. This is the kind of work that gets me excited about film and I can't wait to see what Lanthimos gives us next.
Roma
I almost feel like me writing about this gorgeous film is going to do it a severe disservice and not do it justice at all. This is instant classic film that is going to make all those best film in history type of lists that some publications do every ten years. Roma is a masterpiece and that is saying something considering Alfonso Cuaron has made some of the best recent films we have seen. It's also even more impressive that Cuaron not only wrote, produced, and directed it, for which he won Best Director for the second time, workbut edited it and did the cinematography for the film. He did everything for this film and became the first person ever in Oscar history to win Best Director and Best Cinematography in the same year. Quite an astonishing achievement and shows just how much this black and white film was a labor of love for him. The story is based off the memories of his childhood and of his own housemaid so that makes the black and white cinematography even more important to get right. Cuaron said that the film was like having the ghost of the present go back and observe the past and the film has that kind of quality to it. A lot of the shots are established from far away and we watch the action go on in the frame with maybe some panning left or right. We rarely see anyone close up in the film and these stylistic choices really help to add to the nostalgic factor of the memories we see. Cuaron gets some brilliant acting out of his first time actress Yalitza Aparicio where less is more for her. And the film has a languid pace at times that we slowly move on in some scenes, again adding to the feel of the film that Cuaron is going for. The languid pace is absolutely not a bad thing as it helps the film focus on certain moments as if we/Cuaron are remembering major details from the past which can always focus on the important and traumatic. If the Academy voters didn't have such a hatred for streaming service films, this would have no doubt been the winner. But I think there was a push back from voters that don't like that the way films are shown and brought to the world via companies like Netflix. It's a bullshit, petty argument that comes off as racial and isn't a good look for the Academy and denies a film a possibility to win a well deserved award. But even with that, this film is a straight up brilliant piece of art from Cuaron and will probably be the most remembered and revered film from this list in 20 years or so.
A Star Is Born
I have said it before in the reviews for this film and in his previous history with the Academy, but I'm a huge Bradley Cooper fan. I think he's such a versatile actor and now with this film, he has shown that he can be a marvelous director, too. First of all, he takes a film that has been done a few times in the past to varying degrees of Oscar success by people such as Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland and Janet Gaynor and puts his own modern spin on the tale. He updates the classic story and doesn't just rehash the old ones scene for scene. Second, he gets unbelievable performances out of himself, but also his costar Lady Gaga and Sam Elliott (not to mention Dave Chappelle). He and Gaga have undeniable chemistry that really lifts the film into a higher gear and the songs are all super catchy and some have become big hits. Third, he directs the hell out of this film. He gets some great concert footage of the songs and also just puts a bit of flair into some of the shots and camera movement/placement that we see. It's great for a first time outing and I'm beyond excited to see what he can do next. The film was, for a short time, considered the favorite to win before all the others landed and I think if this had come out a little later, it might have had the momentum to win it all. I just think it's such a tremendous all around film and one of my personal favorites for the year. Maybe some of my criticisms would be that Cooper's character is too charming and nice even though he is a disaster when he's drunk but I think that's just a choice Cooper made when portraying his musician. I struggle to really think of anything valid for me to nitpick on other than we have seen this very story so many times before. It's just that Cooper and company do such a good job with their interpretation that I can forgive we are watching this film for the fourth time in Oscar history. It's great and very well could end up my winner.
Vice
Before I watched this, I knew that it was from Adam McKay of The Big Short (and a million comedies you know) and knew it would have that fun, biting, satirical look at true political evil. But this is a really well done film that pulls off a lot of the same tricks as the above mentioned film and has even more fun. You still have some cutaways to say Naomi Watts as a Fox News boilerplate blonde news anchor talking about legislation being vetoed that gave rise to Fox News and the political extreme right leanings of much of America. You've got the fake ending 50 minutes into the film where it says Cheney stood by his gay daughter and retired to the private life and was in good shape. Or the Shakespearean dialogue about being W's running mate. Brilliantly funny and satirical in nature, putting a spin on just how absurd our political history is and why we have ended up with an Orange muppet in office currently. This is helped along because of Christian Bale's brilliant transformation into an awful human being who got to orchestrate all kinds fraud on the American public from the Vice President's seat. It's sad that a movie like this is the one to sum up all the awful things that went on and how it all happened for people to notice. And it's currently happening again because Conservatives are the scum of the country! Anyway, political bullshit aside, the film is so well made and has a great performance from Bale as well as all the other actors playing our country's leaders. Is it super liberal and probably threw off a lot of the conservative Academy voters? Oh yeah, no doubt. Will anyone that watches Fox News ever watch this? No. So it speaks to an audience that will agree with it but it won't ever see the eyes it needs to. I look forward in 2 to 6 years when McKay lampoons and satirizes Trump and we all laugh and then it happens again. Because it will unless we do better and wake up and stop electing idiots to office. Off my soap box but whatever, go see this film.
There are so many great films in this category this year. This is why I'm so happy that the Academy expanded the field to up to 10 total films. It allows all kinds of different films and genres to get in. Now, it's also back to the old Academy ways of rewarding bullshit over actual masterpieces, but maybe we will get there one day. It's also shitty that voters were openly hating the idea of a Netflix film winning Best Picture. How absurd! Who cares who makes it? You should be celebrating great films and not getting pissed because someone can watch it in their home instead of going to an overpriced movie theater. Bohemian Rhapsody has no business being on this list. It's bad in almost every musical biopic way. It's got one good scene at the end and a decent, but unbalanced performance from Rami Malek. Just not my cup of tea and I love the band and their songs a lot! Green Book has no business being a Best Picture winner. It's the reverse Driving Miss Daisy and I hate the convenient, feel good, white people solve racism crap that this spews out. I like the actors but this is an uneven film that wants to be everything and ends up being nothing. Black Panther is just happy to be here. It's an entertaining film that was a cultural juggernaut and I am happy it's on this list. Vice is that cool Adam McKay style film where we dive deep into something serious in a different kind of way that explains things simply and with lots of humor. BlacKkKlansman is one of the best films Spike Lee has done over his storied career. I actually wish it was a little longer to let the film breathe a little but it's still very good. John David Washington makes the film what it is with his performance. The Favourite is hilarious as hell and a gorgeous looking film. A Star Is Born is such a well constructed film from the songs to the acting to the chemistry and the spirit of it all. So well done from Cooper. Roma, though, is a damn masterpiece from Alfonso Cuaron. It's brilliant and nostalgic and dreamlike. It makes you feel a certain way that other films don't It's the one film from this list that will be hailed as an all time classic that makes those best film ever lists. And the Academy fucked up and gave the win to a film that's not even half the film Roma is. All because they are mad at Netflix for being different. What a joke. It was a pretty good year, though, and I'm ready to move on.
Oscar Winner: Green Book
My Winner: Roma
A Star Is Born
The Favourite
BlacKkKlansman
Vice
Black Panther
Green Book
Bohemian Rhapsody
2018 Best Picture
Green Book
Okay, I get it. There's a lot to unpack here. So I watch every Oscar night with a rooting interest whether I've seen the films or not. It's only natural. I've read and heard and know about the films and form a favorite or someone to root against. When this won, I was pissed. It's Driving Miss Daisy for this generation! It's a feel good film that doesn't quite capture the current Academy as it is now. Those all accurately apply to this film. I'm not sure it's a good winner, but I completely understand why it won. It's absolutely a feel good film about racism. It's a film that the old, white voters of the Academy can watch and go yeah, I'm that Tony guy solving racism by being a badass and changing gradually. This is a throwback film. And it's one hundred percent about making white people feel okay about their casual racism! The story is about Viggo's Tony who is the stereotypical New York Italian who is very racist and very New York Italian. He takes a job where he will drive this black man who is a piano virtuoso around the South for a concert tour. Along the way this gruff, uncultured man becomes more loving, accepting, and a better overall human. It's a feel good film and one that would have been a big hit 20-30 years ago. I say that knowing it was liked by audiences and won Best Picture. But this film feels so wrong. We get the casual racism in the beginning that is explained as just what Italian families thought about black folk. Then once Tony and Dr. Shirley meet it's like Tony is a neanderthal and Shirley is this patient saint. I dunno, the whole film doesn't sit well with me. There are lots of moments that just come off as insensitive or wrong and it's not me being some sensitive snowflake. If you read the blog, you should know that's not me by now. But this film just seems to have those moments that insults everyone involved. Black, white, Italian, whatever. It's doing so to get it's point across but it's so bad! I can't believe this film won Best Original Screenplay. While Tony is being this dumb as hell Italian, Dr. Shirley is this dumb as hell black guy when it comes to blacks. Doesn't know popular performers of the day like Little Richard. Never tasted fried chicken. Very proper and uptight while Tony is this caveman educating him on these subjects. It just seems like feel good white people solve racism type of junk. Yeah, they are driving around a black man but they educate him on fried chicken and black people music. Eventually the guy who threw out drinking glasses that black people used is now willing to fight random bar people who threaten the pianist. It feels exploitative of everyone involved. I wish I could articulate better just why this film bothers me so much. I think it's the simple approach to racism that does it. This guy who was super racist is made to work for a black man who then sees him as human and stands up for him at times and eventually invites him to his home. It just all feels unearned. And I actually like the film! It's feel good so it hits all those beats that a film goer is looking for. But it's not challenging and it is too convenient. This might be my longest review simply because I don't know how to say I dislike this as a winner while liking it as a movie. I don't like it as an Oscar film but I do enjoy what it has to offer. Whatever. This is not a good win and wish it were more than just a simple look at white people solving racism.
Black Panther
I was going to start this off with a dig at DC Comics having never had a Best Picture nominee and how Marvel is better as a joke, but then Joker was nominated this morning as I write this so there goes that idea. There are a lot of people who don't like this comic book movie being nominated and I actually understand where they are coming from. This is a standard Marvel film story that has some subpar visual effects and a decade plus of build up from the MCU behind it. But I agree with it's inclusion for the simple fact that this was such a cultural juggernaut and finally gave the black community a super hero for them to call their own. It made so much money and was so influential culturally that I do think this will be a film we point to in the future as a possible turning point for the Academy and just Hollywood in general. It's got some great characters and performances but also has some really cheesy dialogue and some characters who don't get the necessary depth to be more than just plot drivers. It has an incredible aesthetic from the dazzling, vibrant production design to the music and score that produced some huge hits. It's unfortunate that the visual effects at times were so poor and laughable because Marvel has the money to do better and to not interrupt our immersion in the action. But I feel you have to take the film as a whole and realize that combined with it's cultural impact, there is no way you could leave this huge money making film that was also highly entertaining off of a Best Picture list. It has a decent villain even if the story is pretty by the numbers and a lead titular actor who helps elevate the material. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and it was the only one I saw before the nominations and even the ceremony. It got everyone to go see it and to bridge all those different audiences together is no small feat. I feel this is a well deserved nomination especially when you go back in Oscar history and see all the films who were nominated simply because they were huge hits at the box office and with audiences.
BlacKkKlansman
Spike Lee has made some incredible films during his career and this is no exception. It also undeniably looks and feels like a Spike Lee joint. That's indicative of who he is as a filmmaker that his best work has a timeless quality to it. This feels like a natural progression from Do the Right Thing and keeps that powerful narrative alive. His film is very political at the seams though the story is a pretty straightforward one about a black cop pretending to be white who infiltrates the local KKK with help from his white cop co-worker. It's a fun historical dramedy that is layered with serious tones of the current political climate and the social upheavals that are going on with the black community right now. Which stays true to what Spike Lee gives us with his film and I'm glad that this film was so well received. I actually really enjoyed his previous film before this one, Chi-raq, which was equally biting about current societal issues. That one didn't capture the public's attention much but this film really took off and I think it's because the story is almost universal. Infiltrating a racist, terroristic, awful group and then tearing them down from the inside is a fantasy I'm sure many have thought about. I think Spike Lee, when he has material that is strong, is one of our best filmmaker's ever. He just has such a unique artistic vision and expression that creates memorable, powerful work that can touch a country's nerve and soul. Spike also gets some incredible performances out of his cast with John David Washington, Adam Driver, and Topher Grace among others. Washington should have been nominated for Best Actor. Period, hands down. He drives the film and carries it with the balance of serious and funny. Grace surprises as a geeky, meek David Duke and Driver was nominated for his great performance. The film has all the typical Spike Lee flourishes with newsreel of current events playing, great music that sets the tone of the film, and some incredibly powerful scenes that juxtapose one another. The scene where an older black man is talking to the Black Student Union about a racist event in the past that killed some men in a horrific way with the scene of the KKK initiating a new recruit is moving and powerful to watch. That's the kind of filmmaking Spike Lee can bring us that touches our soul and makes us contemplate where we are as a people right now - and in the past. And I'm sure the end of the film pissed some people off showing Trump be his usual dumb fuck self and showing the car driving into the crowd at Charlottesville and then showing the upside down American flag. It's imagery that is disturbing but equates evil from the past rearing it's ugly head again in the present. Even if you forgot all the political points in the film, it's still a great story and the acting is amazing to watch. It's just a well done film that will go down as one of Spike Lee's best ever.
Bohemian Rhapsody
I thought about how to start this one off a lot and I didn't want to start off by saying this was terrible. But I do want to start off by saying I don't think this is a Best Picture quality film. At all. I feel it's not only a by the numbers musical biopic but it suffers from some atrocious pacing. Now before I get into everything, I must say that this was directed by Bryan Singer initially. He got called out for his reprehensible sexual misconduct and the film was finished by Dexter Fletcher. Most of it was filmed before he came aboard but it still feels incredibly disparate in tone throughout the film. The other thing I wanted to talk about was the Best Editing Oscar win for this film. It's my impression that films send in a sizzle reel for of their best work and only those scenes are judged and not anything else by the Editing committee (I don't for sure know this but I think I read it somewhere). I say this because a particular scene in the film has so many edits that are so quick and bad, that everyone made fun of the film and that scene even before it won the Oscar for Editing. Then the spin became well the film was a mess and had to be saved through editing and all the editing folk voted for it and then everyone at large voted for it because the editor saved the film. I reject the notion for that and do think everyone else voted for it because of the mess, so it's a disaster and a completely undeserved win for Editing in my opinion. So that's where we are coming from even before getting into the film for real. I don't like the first two hours. I'm not a big fan of Rami Malek's mimicry of Freddie Mercury because that's what it is. The beginning and a little beyond is just disjointed and jumps around too much and doesn't hit all the good songs we know from Queen (a pretty lame criticism, I know, but still we want to see and hear how those hits developed along with how the band starts out). And from what I know is that the two members of Queen minus the bass player were who drove this film and wanted equal screen time and had to approve everything that happened. So it definitely doesn't go in depth and doesn't make them look bad at all and probably contributes to that awful editing that somehow got nominated. This is a bad to mediocre film for most of it's run time. It has no business being Oscar nominated in Best Picture. It denied other films the chance to be here and that pisses me off. The saving grace of the film is Rami Malek and the Live Aid sequence at the end of the film. It's abso-fucking-lutely amazing and just a sequence that blows me away. That's what this film should have been and not cherry picking moments while whitewashing everything about Freddie. Give us more depth and more insight into Freddie and their iconic moments. This really shouldn't have been nominated but people seemed to love it and they especially love Queen, so here it is.
The Favourite
Yorgos Lanthimos is an unbelievable talent. His films have such a vibrancy to them that watching his work is exhilarating. His stories are unique and interesting and well told and a breath of fresh air in a stale environment. Now, this wasn't one that he and his usual writing partner wrote themselves, but it still feels like a Lanthimos film. It is riotously funny. There were so many times where I was laughing out loud at something someone said or a slight visual gag, just wonderfully hilarious. And the humor is savage than people just telling a joke. It's the way Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz trade verbal barbs that come off as pleasant or courteous to one another. It's in how Nicholas Hoult is so drolly sarcastic as the leader of the opposition party. It's in how the politicians when arguing in front of Queen Anne, are told to leave and have to walk backwards in their big wigs which is an absurd sight. There's a lot of slight, biting humor that makes the film work so well. It's not a stuffy period piece. It feels vibrant and current and is very easy to watch. The directing is so good, as well. I love the kinetic movement of the camera throughout the film. I enjoy the fish eye lens look that pops in every now and then. The costumes and hair and makeup and set design are all fantastic. It's a film that looks amazing in every way and is a hoot to watch. And that's before you get to the acting which is tremendous from the three female leads. The story itself is almost inconsequential. You don't need to know about British history or anything like that. It's more of a simple story of two women fighting to be the real power behind the figurehead. This is simply a well made film that benefits from the expansion of the Best Picture field. I feel like a film like this would have had a tough time in the past to be nominated here and reach a wider audience, so it's nice to see it get it's due. This is the kind of work that gets me excited about film and I can't wait to see what Lanthimos gives us next.
Roma
I almost feel like me writing about this gorgeous film is going to do it a severe disservice and not do it justice at all. This is instant classic film that is going to make all those best film in history type of lists that some publications do every ten years. Roma is a masterpiece and that is saying something considering Alfonso Cuaron has made some of the best recent films we have seen. It's also even more impressive that Cuaron not only wrote, produced, and directed it, for which he won Best Director for the second time, workbut edited it and did the cinematography for the film. He did everything for this film and became the first person ever in Oscar history to win Best Director and Best Cinematography in the same year. Quite an astonishing achievement and shows just how much this black and white film was a labor of love for him. The story is based off the memories of his childhood and of his own housemaid so that makes the black and white cinematography even more important to get right. Cuaron said that the film was like having the ghost of the present go back and observe the past and the film has that kind of quality to it. A lot of the shots are established from far away and we watch the action go on in the frame with maybe some panning left or right. We rarely see anyone close up in the film and these stylistic choices really help to add to the nostalgic factor of the memories we see. Cuaron gets some brilliant acting out of his first time actress Yalitza Aparicio where less is more for her. And the film has a languid pace at times that we slowly move on in some scenes, again adding to the feel of the film that Cuaron is going for. The languid pace is absolutely not a bad thing as it helps the film focus on certain moments as if we/Cuaron are remembering major details from the past which can always focus on the important and traumatic. If the Academy voters didn't have such a hatred for streaming service films, this would have no doubt been the winner. But I think there was a push back from voters that don't like that the way films are shown and brought to the world via companies like Netflix. It's a bullshit, petty argument that comes off as racial and isn't a good look for the Academy and denies a film a possibility to win a well deserved award. But even with that, this film is a straight up brilliant piece of art from Cuaron and will probably be the most remembered and revered film from this list in 20 years or so.
A Star Is Born
I have said it before in the reviews for this film and in his previous history with the Academy, but I'm a huge Bradley Cooper fan. I think he's such a versatile actor and now with this film, he has shown that he can be a marvelous director, too. First of all, he takes a film that has been done a few times in the past to varying degrees of Oscar success by people such as Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland and Janet Gaynor and puts his own modern spin on the tale. He updates the classic story and doesn't just rehash the old ones scene for scene. Second, he gets unbelievable performances out of himself, but also his costar Lady Gaga and Sam Elliott (not to mention Dave Chappelle). He and Gaga have undeniable chemistry that really lifts the film into a higher gear and the songs are all super catchy and some have become big hits. Third, he directs the hell out of this film. He gets some great concert footage of the songs and also just puts a bit of flair into some of the shots and camera movement/placement that we see. It's great for a first time outing and I'm beyond excited to see what he can do next. The film was, for a short time, considered the favorite to win before all the others landed and I think if this had come out a little later, it might have had the momentum to win it all. I just think it's such a tremendous all around film and one of my personal favorites for the year. Maybe some of my criticisms would be that Cooper's character is too charming and nice even though he is a disaster when he's drunk but I think that's just a choice Cooper made when portraying his musician. I struggle to really think of anything valid for me to nitpick on other than we have seen this very story so many times before. It's just that Cooper and company do such a good job with their interpretation that I can forgive we are watching this film for the fourth time in Oscar history. It's great and very well could end up my winner.
Vice
Before I watched this, I knew that it was from Adam McKay of The Big Short (and a million comedies you know) and knew it would have that fun, biting, satirical look at true political evil. But this is a really well done film that pulls off a lot of the same tricks as the above mentioned film and has even more fun. You still have some cutaways to say Naomi Watts as a Fox News boilerplate blonde news anchor talking about legislation being vetoed that gave rise to Fox News and the political extreme right leanings of much of America. You've got the fake ending 50 minutes into the film where it says Cheney stood by his gay daughter and retired to the private life and was in good shape. Or the Shakespearean dialogue about being W's running mate. Brilliantly funny and satirical in nature, putting a spin on just how absurd our political history is and why we have ended up with an Orange muppet in office currently. This is helped along because of Christian Bale's brilliant transformation into an awful human being who got to orchestrate all kinds fraud on the American public from the Vice President's seat. It's sad that a movie like this is the one to sum up all the awful things that went on and how it all happened for people to notice. And it's currently happening again because Conservatives are the scum of the country! Anyway, political bullshit aside, the film is so well made and has a great performance from Bale as well as all the other actors playing our country's leaders. Is it super liberal and probably threw off a lot of the conservative Academy voters? Oh yeah, no doubt. Will anyone that watches Fox News ever watch this? No. So it speaks to an audience that will agree with it but it won't ever see the eyes it needs to. I look forward in 2 to 6 years when McKay lampoons and satirizes Trump and we all laugh and then it happens again. Because it will unless we do better and wake up and stop electing idiots to office. Off my soap box but whatever, go see this film.
There are so many great films in this category this year. This is why I'm so happy that the Academy expanded the field to up to 10 total films. It allows all kinds of different films and genres to get in. Now, it's also back to the old Academy ways of rewarding bullshit over actual masterpieces, but maybe we will get there one day. It's also shitty that voters were openly hating the idea of a Netflix film winning Best Picture. How absurd! Who cares who makes it? You should be celebrating great films and not getting pissed because someone can watch it in their home instead of going to an overpriced movie theater. Bohemian Rhapsody has no business being on this list. It's bad in almost every musical biopic way. It's got one good scene at the end and a decent, but unbalanced performance from Rami Malek. Just not my cup of tea and I love the band and their songs a lot! Green Book has no business being a Best Picture winner. It's the reverse Driving Miss Daisy and I hate the convenient, feel good, white people solve racism crap that this spews out. I like the actors but this is an uneven film that wants to be everything and ends up being nothing. Black Panther is just happy to be here. It's an entertaining film that was a cultural juggernaut and I am happy it's on this list. Vice is that cool Adam McKay style film where we dive deep into something serious in a different kind of way that explains things simply and with lots of humor. BlacKkKlansman is one of the best films Spike Lee has done over his storied career. I actually wish it was a little longer to let the film breathe a little but it's still very good. John David Washington makes the film what it is with his performance. The Favourite is hilarious as hell and a gorgeous looking film. A Star Is Born is such a well constructed film from the songs to the acting to the chemistry and the spirit of it all. So well done from Cooper. Roma, though, is a damn masterpiece from Alfonso Cuaron. It's brilliant and nostalgic and dreamlike. It makes you feel a certain way that other films don't It's the one film from this list that will be hailed as an all time classic that makes those best film ever lists. And the Academy fucked up and gave the win to a film that's not even half the film Roma is. All because they are mad at Netflix for being different. What a joke. It was a pretty good year, though, and I'm ready to move on.
Oscar Winner: Green Book
My Winner: Roma
A Star Is Born
The Favourite
BlacKkKlansman
Vice
Black Panther
Green Book
Bohemian Rhapsody
Leading Actor 2018
The names on this list are all strong actors and it made for a pretty great awards season for this category. The race was ultimately between Malek and Bale, with Cooper starting strong but fading early on. Viggo and Dafoe were glad to be there and probably very deserving, too. But obviously Malek came out on top and it's one of those wins I've questioned. I haven't seen it yet, but I wonder if it truly deserved to win. I guess I'll have to watch to find out.
2018 Best Actor
Rami Malek - Bohemian Rhapsody
I don't want to talk bad about Rami, but I was way less than enthused about this film. Okay, I really disliked it overall. This is not a Best Picture quality film. It's a film that produces a Best Actor winner, sure, but not an Editing win and a Picture nomination. I can't wrap my head around those things but we are here for Malek. I like Rami! I think he's such a talented actor and I enjoy his TV work and was actually happy that a young man like him won. But having watched his performance, I have my complaints. I did not like the first part of this film at all. There was nothing redeemable about it. Malek is uncomfortable as Freddie Mercury and the fake teeth are front and center. It's like watching someone be super uncomfortable with new braces or false teeth or something. Constant attention is drawn to his teeth and we don't need that, since we see it already. So Malek is hamstrung by that in the beginning, not to mention the direction and editing and story and dialogue all suck hard in the first half. It just does and there is nothing Malek can do to combat that. But the film does start to have more for Freddie to do even though we don't get to learn as much as we want about his personal life. Okay, he bangs a chick and eventually marries her. I know Freddie to be gay and this big hero of gay rights, died of AIDS, all that. Why the hell was this part of his life that most people probably didn't realize/know just brushed aside? That's what I mean by hamstrung. Rami is dealing with that kind of thing throughout the film. Rami/Freddie doesn't really get to shine until the middle of the film when we see him doing songs and then eventually exploring his sexuality. This film needed to explore all of that way more in depth and continue with it. This is the Cliff Notes version of Queen and Freddie Mercury. Now, Malek does a great job lip syncing, which I do have a problem with. I don't like lip syncing but I know no one is going to match Freddie Mercury even if they tried for years. Malek matches Mercury's energy to a T. And as the movie goes on Mercury and Malek become way more synonymous. I feel like there needed to be way more editing or re-shoots for the first hour or so because it didn't really gel. But by gods, Malek is perfect in the Live Aid scenes. Just absolutely perfect. He ramps up the intensity and dances and prances and sings and plays piano just like Freddie does and you can tell that was a focus of all his energy. I just wish that energy would have been applied equally to the rest of the performance and film because I know both could be better. I'm not a fan of this win based off of the performance, but I'll keep an open mind in case no one else supplants Malek.
Christian Bale - Vice
This is one of those transformative type of roles and that's exactly what Bale excels at. He's done it his whole career with gaining a ton of muscle for the Batman roles to losing a ton of weight for The Machinist or The Fighter to getting fat for American Hustle or this film. Bale is one of those actors who has no problem going method and becoming and embodying whoever the character he is portraying. It's impressive and has given us some of the best acting of his generation. Bale was the only other serious contender for the win here and even though Malek swept everything, I was rooting for Bale on Oscar night because I think he is such an amazing actor. I feel he deserves a Best Actor Oscar to go along with his Best Supporting win. Obviously he plays Vice President Dick Cheney in this film and there are times if you pause the film you will not be able to tell the difference. Kudos to the makeup team but also to Bale to fully embody this heinous man. I also like how Bale can capture that arrogance and importance of a man so disliked by a huge portion of America. I also like how Bale can imbue this dickhead with some legitimate humanity when it comes to his gay daughter or getting caught for a DUI. He wants and craves power, but his wife is the driving force that pushes him to achieve all that he can. I just love all the choices that Bale makes for the voice and the look and the mannerisms that make his Cheney a complete character. It's easy to make this character into a shitty, evil version of the man we know, but at least Bale tries to give Dick some depth. Even still, it is mostly an interpretation of an already established person, which we see from the winner in this category as well. I think it will be left up to who you think pulls off the real version the best.
Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born
Ah man, I've become such a big Cooper fan because of roles like this. He just transforms into someone else entirely and gets you to forget he's Bradley fucking Cooper. He can play all kinds of roles so it's a pleasure to watch him dive into an alcoholic musician type and absolutely nail it, which is a weird sentence to write. But he is really incredible as this singer who is struggling with alcoholism who meets a beautiful woman who is even more talented than he is. This is a film that's been remade so many times now yet Cooper was able to modernize it as the director and bring some otherworldly truth the to the character as the actor. It's equally impressive that he sang and even played guitar for the film. Those concert scenes are real and his voice is so good that I would love a full album from Cooper. That's dedication to the craft and the character and makes the film seem much more personal and real. His chemistry with Lady Gaga is undeniable and off the charts. It makes their relationship feel like we are fly on the wall in the real world watching it all unfold. His relationship with his brother, Sam Elliott, is also very authentic, probably because Cooper modeled his gruff, mumbly voice off of Elliott's. It's these little things that add up to make a performance become so damn good. His character, while being an awful alcoholic, is still charming and lovely and a guy you'd want to be around or with. So that makes the ending even more tragic and heartbreaking and it all feels so earned and just hits you even harder because we, too, fall for this man even with all his troubles. I think Cooper is brilliant and this is another amazing performance from him. It's a shame he wasn't rewarded for it but I hope in the future he finally gets his due.
Willem Dafoe - At Eternity's Gate
I feel like Willem Dafoe should be considered for some other award and not an Oscar for this work. Why do you say that? Because this performance is so far removed from the rest of this category. It's true! The rest act in normal Hollywood films and then we have Dafoe in a Julian Schnabel film. We know he is brilliant and dedicated but at this point, we expect this from Dafoe. How insane is that, that we expect Willem Dafoe to deliver these brilliant, undefinable pieces of acting. Because that's what Dafoe gives routinely and we just go on debating about Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio or George Clooney or something like that. The point is that Dafoe embodies every character he becomes. I saw The Lighthouse with Robert Pattinson and they were both brilliant. It feels like the Academy and Hollywood were inching towards rewarding Dafoe for his brilliance and then backed off, meaning it felt like they were ready to finally reward him but they haven't yet. A lot of the credit can go to Schnabel for his directing style that evokes a lot of emotion. But Dafoe melds the directing and acting into this sublimely melancholy work of art. If you have never seen a Julian Schnabel film, go watch The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. It's amazing for one, but also because it's themes are the same that define this Vincent van Gogh piece. It's extreme closeups that mimic the character's point of view. It's moving camera work that represents the character's thoughts. It's the luscious, hazy cinematography that defines the dreamlike world in which van Gogh exists. It's so damn good and yet no one will have ever watched it. I can see this performance as one of those that we look back on in 10 years as a wait, what was that film again? It feels destined to be one of those completely forgotten nominees that someone in the future looks at and goes oh yeah, Willem Dafoe was nominated for that random ass film. But he's so good in the role. The conversation he has with Mads Mikkelsen who is a priest deciding if Dafoe is worthy of getting out of an asylum is a thing of beauty. I want to watch their discussion over and over because it's acting at it's finest quality. This performance is not as showy as the others, but still demands one to watch it so they can experience acting at it's most definable core. I wasn't sure what to expect going in but I love this performance. It may not even end up my winner, but I hold a special place for it knowing it will probably transcend the years to be one of Dafoe's greatest accomplishments.
Viggo Mortensen - Green Book
It's crazy to me that Viggo is over 60 years old because he doesn't look that old to me at all! I'm a big fan of Viggo's work and he's been mostly over looked by the Academy through the years but has finally gotten some love the last couple years. It's also quite evident that the Academy loved and adored this film because Viggo and Mahershala Ali were nominated. I say that because I'm not wild about either performance no matter how good the actors are. I've already talked about Ali, but some of the same problems exist in Viggo's performance, too. It doesn't really wow, especially considering that Viggo (and Ali) can and have given us way better work. This role and character is a very broad comedic one and Viggo plays it that way the whole film. He's like a big, dumb, casually racist Neanderthal who eats a ton and through the interactions with Ali, becomes a better person. This is some easily digestible feel good pap and while Viggo is good in the role for what is asked of him, it doesn't pop off the screen to me. I actually am more interested in when Viggo's character turns into a badass and becomes a sort of protector of Ali. It's like you can see the Eastern Promises character start to come alive in Viggo and that aspect is inherently more interesting than the buddy movie formula we get. The film goes back and forth between comedy and serious drama and I think it can be hard to balance the same character between those two sides of the film. While watching this performance, I found myself thinking back on all of Viggo's amazing work in his career and wishing this one could manage to muster up any semblance of those other performances. I think Viggo is great but this performance is too broad and unexciting for me to really care about.
Wow, this was a fucking tough one to figure out! I don't agree with the Academy at all and didn't really like Malek's win. The performance feels so unbalance to me and it's only saved by that awesome Live Aid end scene. But I felt Viggo was even worse. I love him as an actor but that was such a broad, uneven performance. It's not his typical strong, nuanced work that has depth. Just a huge miss for me. Bale is next for trying to do something interesting with Cheney and hitting on it for the most part. He really tries to become the man and get inside him and show us who he is. It's good work, but these other two are just leaps beyond him. I honestly couldn't really figure out who to give the win to. Cooper is so good in his role and I love that he actually sings and plays guitar and matches his accent to Elliott and has amazing chemistry with Gaga while portraying this doomed alcoholic musician. It's incredible work and Cooper deserves an Oscar someday. But Dafoe really wowed me. I have loved a lot of his work and he's been knocking it out of the park recently, but this was some truly inspired acting. That might go down as some of the best acting ever, certainly of his career. It's so good and I hope more people get the chance to check it out. This year is top heavy. The ones on top are sooo good. The ones on the bottom are so disappointing. I don't like Malek's win but it's cool he won it, if you understand what I mean.
Oscar Winner: Rami Malek - Bohemian Rhapsody
My Winner: Willem Dafoe - At Eternity's Gate
Bradley Cooper
Christian Bale
Rami Malek
Viggo Mortensen
2018 Best Actor
Rami Malek - Bohemian Rhapsody
I don't want to talk bad about Rami, but I was way less than enthused about this film. Okay, I really disliked it overall. This is not a Best Picture quality film. It's a film that produces a Best Actor winner, sure, but not an Editing win and a Picture nomination. I can't wrap my head around those things but we are here for Malek. I like Rami! I think he's such a talented actor and I enjoy his TV work and was actually happy that a young man like him won. But having watched his performance, I have my complaints. I did not like the first part of this film at all. There was nothing redeemable about it. Malek is uncomfortable as Freddie Mercury and the fake teeth are front and center. It's like watching someone be super uncomfortable with new braces or false teeth or something. Constant attention is drawn to his teeth and we don't need that, since we see it already. So Malek is hamstrung by that in the beginning, not to mention the direction and editing and story and dialogue all suck hard in the first half. It just does and there is nothing Malek can do to combat that. But the film does start to have more for Freddie to do even though we don't get to learn as much as we want about his personal life. Okay, he bangs a chick and eventually marries her. I know Freddie to be gay and this big hero of gay rights, died of AIDS, all that. Why the hell was this part of his life that most people probably didn't realize/know just brushed aside? That's what I mean by hamstrung. Rami is dealing with that kind of thing throughout the film. Rami/Freddie doesn't really get to shine until the middle of the film when we see him doing songs and then eventually exploring his sexuality. This film needed to explore all of that way more in depth and continue with it. This is the Cliff Notes version of Queen and Freddie Mercury. Now, Malek does a great job lip syncing, which I do have a problem with. I don't like lip syncing but I know no one is going to match Freddie Mercury even if they tried for years. Malek matches Mercury's energy to a T. And as the movie goes on Mercury and Malek become way more synonymous. I feel like there needed to be way more editing or re-shoots for the first hour or so because it didn't really gel. But by gods, Malek is perfect in the Live Aid scenes. Just absolutely perfect. He ramps up the intensity and dances and prances and sings and plays piano just like Freddie does and you can tell that was a focus of all his energy. I just wish that energy would have been applied equally to the rest of the performance and film because I know both could be better. I'm not a fan of this win based off of the performance, but I'll keep an open mind in case no one else supplants Malek.
Christian Bale - Vice
This is one of those transformative type of roles and that's exactly what Bale excels at. He's done it his whole career with gaining a ton of muscle for the Batman roles to losing a ton of weight for The Machinist or The Fighter to getting fat for American Hustle or this film. Bale is one of those actors who has no problem going method and becoming and embodying whoever the character he is portraying. It's impressive and has given us some of the best acting of his generation. Bale was the only other serious contender for the win here and even though Malek swept everything, I was rooting for Bale on Oscar night because I think he is such an amazing actor. I feel he deserves a Best Actor Oscar to go along with his Best Supporting win. Obviously he plays Vice President Dick Cheney in this film and there are times if you pause the film you will not be able to tell the difference. Kudos to the makeup team but also to Bale to fully embody this heinous man. I also like how Bale can capture that arrogance and importance of a man so disliked by a huge portion of America. I also like how Bale can imbue this dickhead with some legitimate humanity when it comes to his gay daughter or getting caught for a DUI. He wants and craves power, but his wife is the driving force that pushes him to achieve all that he can. I just love all the choices that Bale makes for the voice and the look and the mannerisms that make his Cheney a complete character. It's easy to make this character into a shitty, evil version of the man we know, but at least Bale tries to give Dick some depth. Even still, it is mostly an interpretation of an already established person, which we see from the winner in this category as well. I think it will be left up to who you think pulls off the real version the best.
Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born
Ah man, I've become such a big Cooper fan because of roles like this. He just transforms into someone else entirely and gets you to forget he's Bradley fucking Cooper. He can play all kinds of roles so it's a pleasure to watch him dive into an alcoholic musician type and absolutely nail it, which is a weird sentence to write. But he is really incredible as this singer who is struggling with alcoholism who meets a beautiful woman who is even more talented than he is. This is a film that's been remade so many times now yet Cooper was able to modernize it as the director and bring some otherworldly truth the to the character as the actor. It's equally impressive that he sang and even played guitar for the film. Those concert scenes are real and his voice is so good that I would love a full album from Cooper. That's dedication to the craft and the character and makes the film seem much more personal and real. His chemistry with Lady Gaga is undeniable and off the charts. It makes their relationship feel like we are fly on the wall in the real world watching it all unfold. His relationship with his brother, Sam Elliott, is also very authentic, probably because Cooper modeled his gruff, mumbly voice off of Elliott's. It's these little things that add up to make a performance become so damn good. His character, while being an awful alcoholic, is still charming and lovely and a guy you'd want to be around or with. So that makes the ending even more tragic and heartbreaking and it all feels so earned and just hits you even harder because we, too, fall for this man even with all his troubles. I think Cooper is brilliant and this is another amazing performance from him. It's a shame he wasn't rewarded for it but I hope in the future he finally gets his due.
Willem Dafoe - At Eternity's Gate
I feel like Willem Dafoe should be considered for some other award and not an Oscar for this work. Why do you say that? Because this performance is so far removed from the rest of this category. It's true! The rest act in normal Hollywood films and then we have Dafoe in a Julian Schnabel film. We know he is brilliant and dedicated but at this point, we expect this from Dafoe. How insane is that, that we expect Willem Dafoe to deliver these brilliant, undefinable pieces of acting. Because that's what Dafoe gives routinely and we just go on debating about Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio or George Clooney or something like that. The point is that Dafoe embodies every character he becomes. I saw The Lighthouse with Robert Pattinson and they were both brilliant. It feels like the Academy and Hollywood were inching towards rewarding Dafoe for his brilliance and then backed off, meaning it felt like they were ready to finally reward him but they haven't yet. A lot of the credit can go to Schnabel for his directing style that evokes a lot of emotion. But Dafoe melds the directing and acting into this sublimely melancholy work of art. If you have never seen a Julian Schnabel film, go watch The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. It's amazing for one, but also because it's themes are the same that define this Vincent van Gogh piece. It's extreme closeups that mimic the character's point of view. It's moving camera work that represents the character's thoughts. It's the luscious, hazy cinematography that defines the dreamlike world in which van Gogh exists. It's so damn good and yet no one will have ever watched it. I can see this performance as one of those that we look back on in 10 years as a wait, what was that film again? It feels destined to be one of those completely forgotten nominees that someone in the future looks at and goes oh yeah, Willem Dafoe was nominated for that random ass film. But he's so good in the role. The conversation he has with Mads Mikkelsen who is a priest deciding if Dafoe is worthy of getting out of an asylum is a thing of beauty. I want to watch their discussion over and over because it's acting at it's finest quality. This performance is not as showy as the others, but still demands one to watch it so they can experience acting at it's most definable core. I wasn't sure what to expect going in but I love this performance. It may not even end up my winner, but I hold a special place for it knowing it will probably transcend the years to be one of Dafoe's greatest accomplishments.
Viggo Mortensen - Green Book
It's crazy to me that Viggo is over 60 years old because he doesn't look that old to me at all! I'm a big fan of Viggo's work and he's been mostly over looked by the Academy through the years but has finally gotten some love the last couple years. It's also quite evident that the Academy loved and adored this film because Viggo and Mahershala Ali were nominated. I say that because I'm not wild about either performance no matter how good the actors are. I've already talked about Ali, but some of the same problems exist in Viggo's performance, too. It doesn't really wow, especially considering that Viggo (and Ali) can and have given us way better work. This role and character is a very broad comedic one and Viggo plays it that way the whole film. He's like a big, dumb, casually racist Neanderthal who eats a ton and through the interactions with Ali, becomes a better person. This is some easily digestible feel good pap and while Viggo is good in the role for what is asked of him, it doesn't pop off the screen to me. I actually am more interested in when Viggo's character turns into a badass and becomes a sort of protector of Ali. It's like you can see the Eastern Promises character start to come alive in Viggo and that aspect is inherently more interesting than the buddy movie formula we get. The film goes back and forth between comedy and serious drama and I think it can be hard to balance the same character between those two sides of the film. While watching this performance, I found myself thinking back on all of Viggo's amazing work in his career and wishing this one could manage to muster up any semblance of those other performances. I think Viggo is great but this performance is too broad and unexciting for me to really care about.
Wow, this was a fucking tough one to figure out! I don't agree with the Academy at all and didn't really like Malek's win. The performance feels so unbalance to me and it's only saved by that awesome Live Aid end scene. But I felt Viggo was even worse. I love him as an actor but that was such a broad, uneven performance. It's not his typical strong, nuanced work that has depth. Just a huge miss for me. Bale is next for trying to do something interesting with Cheney and hitting on it for the most part. He really tries to become the man and get inside him and show us who he is. It's good work, but these other two are just leaps beyond him. I honestly couldn't really figure out who to give the win to. Cooper is so good in his role and I love that he actually sings and plays guitar and matches his accent to Elliott and has amazing chemistry with Gaga while portraying this doomed alcoholic musician. It's incredible work and Cooper deserves an Oscar someday. But Dafoe really wowed me. I have loved a lot of his work and he's been knocking it out of the park recently, but this was some truly inspired acting. That might go down as some of the best acting ever, certainly of his career. It's so good and I hope more people get the chance to check it out. This year is top heavy. The ones on top are sooo good. The ones on the bottom are so disappointing. I don't like Malek's win but it's cool he won it, if you understand what I mean.
Oscar Winner: Rami Malek - Bohemian Rhapsody
My Winner: Willem Dafoe - At Eternity's Gate
Bradley Cooper
Christian Bale
Rami Malek
Viggo Mortensen
Leading Actress 2018
I know some people saw this as a bit of a shocker on Oscar night, but if you were paying attention to awards season this wasn't all that surprising. The race was between Colman and Close for most of the season with Gaga starting strong but fading early. Colman had a few wins coming into this so it wasn't much of a surprise and probably years down the line will cement itself as the right pick. Trying to get Close an Oscar for anything she does just feels wrong on the surface, though I say this having not seen any of these performances. Aparicio is just glad to be there and McCarthy has become a darling of the Academy for a comedic actress going dramatic. It's an interesting list, so let's get into it.
2018 Best Actress
Olivia Colman - The Favourite
I wasn't totally sure of what to expect from this performance. I knew Colman from some TV work and an indie film a few years ago called Tyrannosaur. And then you look at her wiki page and see she's been in a bunch of great films and is doing lots more TV work and is a phenomenal actress. But going into this film, I thought she was going to be this uproarious, funny, active Queen. I say active because I thought she'd be on the move in the film, but she's not. I'm not smart about British history and don't know who Queen Anne is but now I know she was this depressed, sad, lonely, diseased woman. In the film, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz are vying for her love and trust and affection. They really just want to be the true power behind the throne and the Queen doesn't understand or see that. She's a bit oblivious and doesn't seem to enjoy being a leader. She likes her rabbits and her younger women and not much else. Colman put on a bit of weight for the role and looked very frumpy. The Queen had gout and I feel like at the end of the film she had a stroke or at least mumbled and had a vacant look in her eyes. I think Colman played her part extremely well. She has to look frumpy and dumpy, throw tantrums when she doesn't get her way, wail depressingly because she's sad and lonely and can't have kids. She's like this manic depressive person, just up and down all the time. Colman also gets to have some comedic moments of her own, often more subtle than overt. I like the scene where she addresses the Lords and one of them thanked her for not doing what she was just about to do which made her panic and then faint. She later said she didn't know what else to do so she just collapsed. It's that darkly funny physical comedy that is ever present throughout the film but allows Colman to show off more than being simply morose and glum. My one issue is that this performance and role feels more like supporting than lead to me. I know that the other two ladies are fighting over Colman's power and that she is the Queen, but it feels like she takes a back seat at times to the others. You might say all three are co-leads but this doesn't feel like her film even if it's about her. It's still very strong work, even if I was expecting something different. I suspect I'll come to like this performance even more over time after it settles into my brain. But overall I'm happy with her win and feel like I will agree with the Academy.
Yalitza Aparicio - Roma
I love nominations like this one. Aparicio was a first time actress who decided to try out for an open casting call because she was waiting for test results before starting a teaching career. It's great that a native Mexican actress can be an Oscar nominee because she did do an amazing job with her character in the film. Roma is a film that demands a naturalistic performance. It doesn't need someone "acting" because it would stick out so badly. It needs an Aparicio because she lends that authenticity to her character. She plays a housemaid for a wealthy family who we see has some problems, but also Aparicio encounters her own issue when she gets pregnant by a guy who immediately leaves her. She rings true as a maid and as a loving caretaker of the children and as a good friend to the other maid. Her performance is one that doesn't have much extensive dialogue which is probably for the better as she gets to act with her body and her looks and demeanor. So when she does say something, it usually hits harder because the emotion is earned. She's such a sweet woman who just wants to provide for the family that provides for her and she wants love. She's the calm in the chaos around her even when it involves herself. As a first time performance it truly is wonderful work to watch. She looks right at home on the screen but also as the character. She exudes warmth and has this quiet strength about her. Aparicio may never do anything like this ever again, only time will tell, but this is very good introduction to the world and is such a real, raw performance that I'm excited to see what she does next, if anything. I definitely feel like she belongs on this list and she holds her own against the other women in this group. It's just a great, solidly quiet performance for a woman who tried out simply because she was bored one day.
Glenn Close - The Wife
Poor Glenn. This was her 7th Oscar nomination and by all accounts was probably her best shot at finally winning. It was between her and eventual winner Olivia Colman and she didn't quite make it. Even today as I write this, I have no idea what the film is about and I feel like not very many people actually saw this one. It's a short film, coming in at just over an hour and a half, but feels much longer. It's a story about a long suffering wife - but with a twist. Her husband has just been informed he's going to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. We then learn that he was unfaithful a few times and he was the dominant force in the marriage and part of the reason she, who was a promising young writer, stopped writing. I think you can guess the twist already and I figured it out pretty quickly in the story. It's telegraphed and then revealed eventually and then you understand even more where Close's resentment truly springs from. The role and film and performance is definitely Oscar bait and it's unfortunate that her two most recent nominations are for that kind of role. But unlike in Albert Nobbs, this is a good performance that doesn't take the Oscar bait qualities to extreme heights. She is obviously uber talented and she can act with such ease and make it all seem so effortless. She does that for this performance but it still feels like it's lacking something. Maybe it's a heart or soul to the performance but it feels calculated to hit certain beats and measures at specific points and doesn't arrive with much feeling. The role and film remind me a ton of Julianne Moore in Still Alice and Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years, though with less emotional impact than either one. I want a Glenn Close nomination to have a quality other than being great acting work and looking for an Oscar. I know that sounds a bit weird because obviously you need great acting work to win, but you get my point that there needs to be something more to her performances than what she's given us the last two times out.
Lady Gaga - A Star Is Born
I don't really know if we can call this a first time acting performance as Gaga had done some TV work and basically been playing Lady Gaga for years. But this was for sure the role she was born to play as her story and her characters' journey are very similar. Yes, Gaga is a brilliant singer, songwriter, musician, entertainer. But she nails the homely small town working girl who has a dream part of the character just as much as all the singing and performing ones. Which is to me why her performance works so well for the film and just on a purely acting note. Yeah you can be an entertainer and sing but can you hit those emotional beats and allow those real moments in the film to land with the viewer. She does. Easily and brilliantly. It helps that she and Bradley Cooper have incredible and undeniable chemistry throughout the film. The moment they first meet is cute but also feels so real and relatable. She's a nervous, awestruck mess backstage when they are talking and he's been so charming. Those moments are terrific to watch in part because Gaga is so good in those small, quiet moments where her character has to be real and authentic. Of course, she's also amazing in the scenes where she is performing her songs, too. Those are just as important to the character and the film and it helps that she's actually singing and performing and actually helped write super catchy songs. She deservedly won an Oscar for Best Song and gave one of the best, if not the best, song performances on the telecast with Cooper that's ever been done. She does well as an actress though and you see that it moments where she has to stand up to Cooper's drinking and in her enabling him and in her heartbreak. She has to hit all those acting notes and does a great job at it. I was impressed after being worried that she wouldn't be able to hang with Cooper. She will be in play as a possible winner for me because I did enjoy her performance so much.
Melissa McCarthy - Can You Ever Forgive Me?
This always felt like an afterthought when following the awards race this year. This was Glenn Close's year to win pretty much from the start, although Lady Gaga had her brief time at the top. Then Olivia Colman came into the picture and made the race competitive and ultimately won the Oscar. But Aparicio and McCarthy were the ones who came along for the ride, just happy to be there, more so for Aparicio. So McCarthy was kind of like the well, we have four nominees and McCarthy was in a drama film, let's just vote her in for the fifth spot. No one talked about this film or this performance and I'm sure all those that love McCarthy's comedy wasn't scrambling to find this in a theater near them to watch her play an alcoholic writer. But that's unfair to McCarthy, who it's obvious that the Academy really loves. She is a talented dramatic actress and uses her frumpy, chubby look to help aid in delivering authentic performances. I say that because Julianne Moore was actually cast first but had creative differences and so McCarthy came into the role. Moore would have taken this performance in a different direction I feel like, so having an uglified McCarthy just works better. But the performance is more than just looks. McCarthy has to inhabit a character that is so insular and sad and pathetic and averse to human interaction and just a miserable person overall. So when she does become friends with Richard E. Grant's character, it makes it feel more authentic and gives her some humanity. Two poor souls can connect and appreciate each other even when their lives are at the lowest point. The story is about McCarthy who is down on her luck as an alcoholic writer who decides to forge correspondence of famous people and sell them to book shops and collectors. An interesting story but this is a character driven piece and a look into the life of a sad, depressed person who pushes everyone away. McCarthy does a great job of becoming that person and she and Grant have a great working chemistry together so that all we really care about in the film is their two performances. There isn't a lot of range that McCarthy has to show but I wouldn't call this a one note performance exactly. It's good work but it does feel like it's missing that Oscar moment or quality to it. The kind of performance that gets nominated but not thought about too much. I feel like comedians really shine in these types of performances where they have to play these lonely, pathetic individuals who feed off being miserable. There's a fine line between that aspect and comedy and makes it easier to transition to playing these dramatic type of roles. Anyway, it's a good role for McCarthy and her nomination is fine. I do feel like this will be a forgotten performance of hers since t wasn't seen by many people. Who know, maybe this will be a hidden gem for someone doing this project in twenty years or so.
I am kinda glad Close didn't win this year. Her performance just feels like Oscar bait from an actress who could do that work in her sleep. I'd rather she win for something amazing that challenges her and isn't so predictable and boring. Aparicio is up next mostly because it's her debut and because her strength is not in doing a lot of acting. It's her face and body language and the silent moments where she shines, which is a smart move from her director to not make her do too much. McCarthy is up next because she gave a pretty good dramatic performance. And I actually kinda like the film. It's grown on me a little since watching and I gave Grant my win in Supporting Actor. It's one more people would need to see but I think it was a perfect role for her. Gaga comes in second. I thought about giving her the win because I just adored her and the film, but she gets the Oscar for Song and that's a good enough trade off for me. Colman is great and I like all her other work that she's done lately not that that matters here, but I will agree with the Academy. It's good stuff and I'm glad she won over Close, as petty and shitty that is for me to say. It's the truth, though! Earn the win, don't just do Oscar bait crap. Anyway, pretty good year overall and I'm happy with that.
Oscar Winner: Olivia Colman - The Favourite
My Winner: Olivia Colman - The Favourite
Lady Gaga
Melissa McCarthy
Yalitza Aparicio
Glenn Close
2018 Best Actress
Olivia Colman - The Favourite
I wasn't totally sure of what to expect from this performance. I knew Colman from some TV work and an indie film a few years ago called Tyrannosaur. And then you look at her wiki page and see she's been in a bunch of great films and is doing lots more TV work and is a phenomenal actress. But going into this film, I thought she was going to be this uproarious, funny, active Queen. I say active because I thought she'd be on the move in the film, but she's not. I'm not smart about British history and don't know who Queen Anne is but now I know she was this depressed, sad, lonely, diseased woman. In the film, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz are vying for her love and trust and affection. They really just want to be the true power behind the throne and the Queen doesn't understand or see that. She's a bit oblivious and doesn't seem to enjoy being a leader. She likes her rabbits and her younger women and not much else. Colman put on a bit of weight for the role and looked very frumpy. The Queen had gout and I feel like at the end of the film she had a stroke or at least mumbled and had a vacant look in her eyes. I think Colman played her part extremely well. She has to look frumpy and dumpy, throw tantrums when she doesn't get her way, wail depressingly because she's sad and lonely and can't have kids. She's like this manic depressive person, just up and down all the time. Colman also gets to have some comedic moments of her own, often more subtle than overt. I like the scene where she addresses the Lords and one of them thanked her for not doing what she was just about to do which made her panic and then faint. She later said she didn't know what else to do so she just collapsed. It's that darkly funny physical comedy that is ever present throughout the film but allows Colman to show off more than being simply morose and glum. My one issue is that this performance and role feels more like supporting than lead to me. I know that the other two ladies are fighting over Colman's power and that she is the Queen, but it feels like she takes a back seat at times to the others. You might say all three are co-leads but this doesn't feel like her film even if it's about her. It's still very strong work, even if I was expecting something different. I suspect I'll come to like this performance even more over time after it settles into my brain. But overall I'm happy with her win and feel like I will agree with the Academy.
Yalitza Aparicio - Roma
I love nominations like this one. Aparicio was a first time actress who decided to try out for an open casting call because she was waiting for test results before starting a teaching career. It's great that a native Mexican actress can be an Oscar nominee because she did do an amazing job with her character in the film. Roma is a film that demands a naturalistic performance. It doesn't need someone "acting" because it would stick out so badly. It needs an Aparicio because she lends that authenticity to her character. She plays a housemaid for a wealthy family who we see has some problems, but also Aparicio encounters her own issue when she gets pregnant by a guy who immediately leaves her. She rings true as a maid and as a loving caretaker of the children and as a good friend to the other maid. Her performance is one that doesn't have much extensive dialogue which is probably for the better as she gets to act with her body and her looks and demeanor. So when she does say something, it usually hits harder because the emotion is earned. She's such a sweet woman who just wants to provide for the family that provides for her and she wants love. She's the calm in the chaos around her even when it involves herself. As a first time performance it truly is wonderful work to watch. She looks right at home on the screen but also as the character. She exudes warmth and has this quiet strength about her. Aparicio may never do anything like this ever again, only time will tell, but this is very good introduction to the world and is such a real, raw performance that I'm excited to see what she does next, if anything. I definitely feel like she belongs on this list and she holds her own against the other women in this group. It's just a great, solidly quiet performance for a woman who tried out simply because she was bored one day.
Glenn Close - The Wife
Poor Glenn. This was her 7th Oscar nomination and by all accounts was probably her best shot at finally winning. It was between her and eventual winner Olivia Colman and she didn't quite make it. Even today as I write this, I have no idea what the film is about and I feel like not very many people actually saw this one. It's a short film, coming in at just over an hour and a half, but feels much longer. It's a story about a long suffering wife - but with a twist. Her husband has just been informed he's going to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. We then learn that he was unfaithful a few times and he was the dominant force in the marriage and part of the reason she, who was a promising young writer, stopped writing. I think you can guess the twist already and I figured it out pretty quickly in the story. It's telegraphed and then revealed eventually and then you understand even more where Close's resentment truly springs from. The role and film and performance is definitely Oscar bait and it's unfortunate that her two most recent nominations are for that kind of role. But unlike in Albert Nobbs, this is a good performance that doesn't take the Oscar bait qualities to extreme heights. She is obviously uber talented and she can act with such ease and make it all seem so effortless. She does that for this performance but it still feels like it's lacking something. Maybe it's a heart or soul to the performance but it feels calculated to hit certain beats and measures at specific points and doesn't arrive with much feeling. The role and film remind me a ton of Julianne Moore in Still Alice and Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years, though with less emotional impact than either one. I want a Glenn Close nomination to have a quality other than being great acting work and looking for an Oscar. I know that sounds a bit weird because obviously you need great acting work to win, but you get my point that there needs to be something more to her performances than what she's given us the last two times out.
Lady Gaga - A Star Is Born
I don't really know if we can call this a first time acting performance as Gaga had done some TV work and basically been playing Lady Gaga for years. But this was for sure the role she was born to play as her story and her characters' journey are very similar. Yes, Gaga is a brilliant singer, songwriter, musician, entertainer. But she nails the homely small town working girl who has a dream part of the character just as much as all the singing and performing ones. Which is to me why her performance works so well for the film and just on a purely acting note. Yeah you can be an entertainer and sing but can you hit those emotional beats and allow those real moments in the film to land with the viewer. She does. Easily and brilliantly. It helps that she and Bradley Cooper have incredible and undeniable chemistry throughout the film. The moment they first meet is cute but also feels so real and relatable. She's a nervous, awestruck mess backstage when they are talking and he's been so charming. Those moments are terrific to watch in part because Gaga is so good in those small, quiet moments where her character has to be real and authentic. Of course, she's also amazing in the scenes where she is performing her songs, too. Those are just as important to the character and the film and it helps that she's actually singing and performing and actually helped write super catchy songs. She deservedly won an Oscar for Best Song and gave one of the best, if not the best, song performances on the telecast with Cooper that's ever been done. She does well as an actress though and you see that it moments where she has to stand up to Cooper's drinking and in her enabling him and in her heartbreak. She has to hit all those acting notes and does a great job at it. I was impressed after being worried that she wouldn't be able to hang with Cooper. She will be in play as a possible winner for me because I did enjoy her performance so much.
Melissa McCarthy - Can You Ever Forgive Me?
This always felt like an afterthought when following the awards race this year. This was Glenn Close's year to win pretty much from the start, although Lady Gaga had her brief time at the top. Then Olivia Colman came into the picture and made the race competitive and ultimately won the Oscar. But Aparicio and McCarthy were the ones who came along for the ride, just happy to be there, more so for Aparicio. So McCarthy was kind of like the well, we have four nominees and McCarthy was in a drama film, let's just vote her in for the fifth spot. No one talked about this film or this performance and I'm sure all those that love McCarthy's comedy wasn't scrambling to find this in a theater near them to watch her play an alcoholic writer. But that's unfair to McCarthy, who it's obvious that the Academy really loves. She is a talented dramatic actress and uses her frumpy, chubby look to help aid in delivering authentic performances. I say that because Julianne Moore was actually cast first but had creative differences and so McCarthy came into the role. Moore would have taken this performance in a different direction I feel like, so having an uglified McCarthy just works better. But the performance is more than just looks. McCarthy has to inhabit a character that is so insular and sad and pathetic and averse to human interaction and just a miserable person overall. So when she does become friends with Richard E. Grant's character, it makes it feel more authentic and gives her some humanity. Two poor souls can connect and appreciate each other even when their lives are at the lowest point. The story is about McCarthy who is down on her luck as an alcoholic writer who decides to forge correspondence of famous people and sell them to book shops and collectors. An interesting story but this is a character driven piece and a look into the life of a sad, depressed person who pushes everyone away. McCarthy does a great job of becoming that person and she and Grant have a great working chemistry together so that all we really care about in the film is their two performances. There isn't a lot of range that McCarthy has to show but I wouldn't call this a one note performance exactly. It's good work but it does feel like it's missing that Oscar moment or quality to it. The kind of performance that gets nominated but not thought about too much. I feel like comedians really shine in these types of performances where they have to play these lonely, pathetic individuals who feed off being miserable. There's a fine line between that aspect and comedy and makes it easier to transition to playing these dramatic type of roles. Anyway, it's a good role for McCarthy and her nomination is fine. I do feel like this will be a forgotten performance of hers since t wasn't seen by many people. Who know, maybe this will be a hidden gem for someone doing this project in twenty years or so.
I am kinda glad Close didn't win this year. Her performance just feels like Oscar bait from an actress who could do that work in her sleep. I'd rather she win for something amazing that challenges her and isn't so predictable and boring. Aparicio is up next mostly because it's her debut and because her strength is not in doing a lot of acting. It's her face and body language and the silent moments where she shines, which is a smart move from her director to not make her do too much. McCarthy is up next because she gave a pretty good dramatic performance. And I actually kinda like the film. It's grown on me a little since watching and I gave Grant my win in Supporting Actor. It's one more people would need to see but I think it was a perfect role for her. Gaga comes in second. I thought about giving her the win because I just adored her and the film, but she gets the Oscar for Song and that's a good enough trade off for me. Colman is great and I like all her other work that she's done lately not that that matters here, but I will agree with the Academy. It's good stuff and I'm glad she won over Close, as petty and shitty that is for me to say. It's the truth, though! Earn the win, don't just do Oscar bait crap. Anyway, pretty good year overall and I'm happy with that.
Oscar Winner: Olivia Colman - The Favourite
My Winner: Olivia Colman - The Favourite
Lady Gaga
Melissa McCarthy
Yalitza Aparicio
Glenn Close
Supporting Actor 2018
It's weird how set in stone the Supporting categories were for this awards season. Ali was the presumptive leader almost from the start and never really relinquished his lead. By Oscar night it was a foregone conclusion that Ali would win his second Oscar in just three years. There was some hope that Elliott could get a veteran win but he was the only real competition. Rockwell had just won the year before and Driver and Grant were just happy to be there. I hope that when I do watch them all, the competition will at least be a little closer than just a runaway favorite.
2018 Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali - Green Book
So I was definitely unsure if this was an earned second win or just a win because he was well liked and had won before. I'm not a big fan of the film as a whole but I do like his performance. He plays Dr. Don Shirley, a piano virtuoso who happens to be black and embarks on a concert tour in the Midwest and Deep South. Ali plays the character as this sophisticated, holier than thou kind of guy. We first see him in sort of regal African garb sitting on a throne interviewing a white man to be his driver. He's cool, calm, collected at all times because he's been trained to be that way. He's on an even keel always and rarely gets excited or heated or deviates from being the same. He tolerates Tony and tries to educate him but also gets educated about black culture from a white man which seems inherently wrong. He's also gay and tries to step out and get some but is found out and arrested and beaten. There is a lot to this character that really goes unexplored. This gay aspect is only alluded to in one scene that makes Tony look tolerant and that's it. Never mentioned after that. I commend Ali for creating this character that is so proper and robotic at first but eventually melts into an actual human being. Yes, he and Viggo have great chemistry which is important to make the two seem friendly. Their burgeoning friendship is what makes the film fun to watch even if the whole shtick of becoming more tolerant and all that is a bit cheesy. Ali is fine in the role but it never really captured me as being the best overall. It's something you watch and know is a good performance from a great actor but just doesn't wow like a winner should. Ali's first win blew me away with how powerful his acting was and how he created such an interesting character. This character and performance feels a bit more milquetoast than anything truly interesting. Yeah, Dr. Shirley is an interesting guy but the way he is written in the film makes him seem like an alien. It is enjoyable and there are way worse winners and nominees throughout the years but this feels like the Academy going back to the same well again out of comfort. A decent performance but nothing to really get too excited about.
Adam Driver - BlacKkKlansman
Adam Driver is a guy you've seen everywhere and is immensely talented. More talented than you'd assume a Star Wars character to be. But it seems like he is becoming a hot commodity in Hollywood and elsewhere and that's what really defines him as an actor. He's won Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. This is his first of two straight Oscar nominations. He was recently nominated for Best Actor at the Tony Awards and is an indie darling as much as he is a bonafide movie star. He's got a couple Emmy nominations under his belt so all he's missing is a Grammy nomination, which I'm sure will come down the line. He's amazingly talented and you can see why. He melts into his role yet still keeps them distinctly his own. That's a fascinating quality for an actor to make you forgot about them but still recognize it's his work. In this film, Driver plays an undercover cop who is the white face that infiltrates the KKK for John David Washington's black voice who initially sets everything up. It's a really great film and Washington owns his role, but Driver does some great work in support of him. We don't really get too in depth in who Driver's character is besides a brief scene where he talks about his Jewish faith. But we do get a character who balances the serious with the comedic expertly and doesn't go over the top with either one. Driver has perfect comedic timing and it helps buoy this character. He never overshadows Washington, though, which I think is important to make the film work so well. He's supporting character that shines when he needs to and steps back when he's not needed at all. This is the kind of performance you watch and think is a perfect first time nomination for someone that is bound to win an Oscar at some point in his career. And the beautiful thing about Driver is that he takes on risks in his role and with the projects he takes on and who he works with. He kinda does what he wants and makes good art and isn't looking for the fame and the awards. He just goes out there and delivers incredible performances in everything he does and the Academy has finally taken notice. I can't wait for what else this man does in the future.
Sam Elliott - A Star Is Born
There was a lot of hope that Elliott could actually win an Oscar because so many people adore him as an actor and a person. Obviously he didn't win but it was great that he did get nominated because it just feels right for him to be here. His role is rather limited and short but he still is able to impact the film in an emotional way. He plays Cooper's older brother who raised him and gave up a music career to do so. Now he is the manager of Cooper and covers for him when Cooper shows up drunk. It's a very loving brother role that has these tough, no bullshit moments. He gets punched by Cooper but also stands up to him and calls him out on his alcoholic behavior. He enables him but then quits to take another job. Elliott seems to just pop in at the right moment to spark a confrontation or give some fatherly/brotherly/human advice to Cooper about not screwing everything up. Then he has his Oscar scene where he cries with Cooper and it's super emotional and feels real and also shows that Elliott can do more than be this tough Southern cowboy type with a thick drawl. That's what I really liked about the performance is that it's not exactly to type and Elliott gets to play a real person and not just a caricature that we can sometimes come to expect from him. It's a short but perfectly supporting role and one that Elliott nails wonderfully. I really enjoyed it but understand why he didn't win.
Richard E. Grant - Can You Ever Forgive Me?
I didn't know who Grant was before this nomination but I did find out he was in an indie film years ago that has become sort of a cult favorite called Withnail and I. It looks interesting and I'll check it out eventually and that's what I like about this project - discovering new films and actors. Now, he's an older guy and that indie film is from 1987, so Grant isn't exactly new, but you get what I mean. Grant is one of those quintessential British actor types. He reminds me of a Bill Nighy or Steve Coogan type of actor with his boozy, witty charm and carefree, irreverent demeanor. His character is a writer or artist type (he runs in the same social circle as McCarthy's character but I never could figure out what he does) who is down on his luck and runs into McCarthy. They form an unlikely friendship of two melancholic alcoholics who start forging letters from famous people and selling them to collectors. The film is really more about the two performances of Grant and McCarthy and their friendship and look at their sad, insular lives. There's a dark wit to them both as they delight in their sad state of affairs and feed off each other's desperation. Grant has an effortless charm to his performance that endears him to us. He's a gay man who is constantly drinking or doing drugs or trying to get laid. But his earnestness in wanting a friend in McCarthy is a touching thing to watch because we can identify with him in just wanting a friend. We all do, even if that friend is mired in misery like we are. This is a strong performance because it's not showy, it's just good acting. Grant was really the only other choice acting wise to possibly win. I'll have to finish the category but he may just have my vote when this is all done.
Sam Rockwell - Vice
Rockwell had just won the year before so this nomination was very much in the Academy's wheelhouse of nominating someone who had just won for whatever they did next. It's happened many, many times in Oscar history and this is just another iteration of that. Not to say Rockwell is bad, because his George W. Bush is very funny and is a good performance overall. It's just that it felt like he was going to get nominated no matter what he did because that's what the Academy does. Anyway, he does play W and at times looks nothing like the man and at other times looks dead on. I get that his portrayal was supposed to come off as treating Bush like a frat boy or just here to have a good time because that parodies what we know of the man as a doofus who somehow came to power backed by some truly awful people that started some wars that killed many. Run on sentence aside, Rockwell does well with the material and is hilarious at times as Bush, which is all you can really ask from him. That should end the review because it sums it up perfectly. But I do feel like Rockwell does do a good job with the material and the role. I want to point out that yeah, he probably was nominated for the reason I stated above but if you take it on it's own and someone in the future is watching this in reverse...well, maybe it will have a better look than just automatic nomination. I dunno, it's a good supporting nod but there was probably better acting this year but this is what we got.
I gotta say, I'm not the biggest fan of Ali getting his second Oscar for that role and performance. I think the performance is fine, if a little put upon, but it could have been better. I think he's middle of the pack here and really shouldn't have won. Just goes to show that the Academy has favorites and likes certain films. Rockwell is last because he had just won the year before and is nominated for playing W. Bush. I'd rather he not even be nominated to get someone else on here but the Academy loves rewarding those who already have won. Driver is next because really John David Washington is the star of that film. It feels like the Academy anointing Driver as the next big thing, which is true and they want to recognize that with nominations. That's fine. He deserves to be here. I put Elliott second because it would have been awesome if he won and because he was very good in a way we haven't really seen from him before. It was nice to see a different side to him. Grant is my winner, though. I really enjoyed his performance and felt he helped elevate that film. Now I want to see more from him but it seems we might not get that, which is a shame. So I'm glad we got this at least. Would have really liked a new winner as I can't stand multiple winners now. Spread the love! Give other people their time to shine unless of course the performance is just too amazing not to reward. Ali didn't fit that this year, no matter how nice and gracious he always comes off. A good year, but not an amazing year. We could have done better.
Oscar Winner: Mahershala Ali - Green Book
My Winner: Richard E. Grant - Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Elliott
Mahershala Ali
Adam Driver
Sam Rockwell
2018 Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali - Green Book
So I was definitely unsure if this was an earned second win or just a win because he was well liked and had won before. I'm not a big fan of the film as a whole but I do like his performance. He plays Dr. Don Shirley, a piano virtuoso who happens to be black and embarks on a concert tour in the Midwest and Deep South. Ali plays the character as this sophisticated, holier than thou kind of guy. We first see him in sort of regal African garb sitting on a throne interviewing a white man to be his driver. He's cool, calm, collected at all times because he's been trained to be that way. He's on an even keel always and rarely gets excited or heated or deviates from being the same. He tolerates Tony and tries to educate him but also gets educated about black culture from a white man which seems inherently wrong. He's also gay and tries to step out and get some but is found out and arrested and beaten. There is a lot to this character that really goes unexplored. This gay aspect is only alluded to in one scene that makes Tony look tolerant and that's it. Never mentioned after that. I commend Ali for creating this character that is so proper and robotic at first but eventually melts into an actual human being. Yes, he and Viggo have great chemistry which is important to make the two seem friendly. Their burgeoning friendship is what makes the film fun to watch even if the whole shtick of becoming more tolerant and all that is a bit cheesy. Ali is fine in the role but it never really captured me as being the best overall. It's something you watch and know is a good performance from a great actor but just doesn't wow like a winner should. Ali's first win blew me away with how powerful his acting was and how he created such an interesting character. This character and performance feels a bit more milquetoast than anything truly interesting. Yeah, Dr. Shirley is an interesting guy but the way he is written in the film makes him seem like an alien. It is enjoyable and there are way worse winners and nominees throughout the years but this feels like the Academy going back to the same well again out of comfort. A decent performance but nothing to really get too excited about.
Adam Driver - BlacKkKlansman
Adam Driver is a guy you've seen everywhere and is immensely talented. More talented than you'd assume a Star Wars character to be. But it seems like he is becoming a hot commodity in Hollywood and elsewhere and that's what really defines him as an actor. He's won Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. This is his first of two straight Oscar nominations. He was recently nominated for Best Actor at the Tony Awards and is an indie darling as much as he is a bonafide movie star. He's got a couple Emmy nominations under his belt so all he's missing is a Grammy nomination, which I'm sure will come down the line. He's amazingly talented and you can see why. He melts into his role yet still keeps them distinctly his own. That's a fascinating quality for an actor to make you forgot about them but still recognize it's his work. In this film, Driver plays an undercover cop who is the white face that infiltrates the KKK for John David Washington's black voice who initially sets everything up. It's a really great film and Washington owns his role, but Driver does some great work in support of him. We don't really get too in depth in who Driver's character is besides a brief scene where he talks about his Jewish faith. But we do get a character who balances the serious with the comedic expertly and doesn't go over the top with either one. Driver has perfect comedic timing and it helps buoy this character. He never overshadows Washington, though, which I think is important to make the film work so well. He's supporting character that shines when he needs to and steps back when he's not needed at all. This is the kind of performance you watch and think is a perfect first time nomination for someone that is bound to win an Oscar at some point in his career. And the beautiful thing about Driver is that he takes on risks in his role and with the projects he takes on and who he works with. He kinda does what he wants and makes good art and isn't looking for the fame and the awards. He just goes out there and delivers incredible performances in everything he does and the Academy has finally taken notice. I can't wait for what else this man does in the future.
Sam Elliott - A Star Is Born
There was a lot of hope that Elliott could actually win an Oscar because so many people adore him as an actor and a person. Obviously he didn't win but it was great that he did get nominated because it just feels right for him to be here. His role is rather limited and short but he still is able to impact the film in an emotional way. He plays Cooper's older brother who raised him and gave up a music career to do so. Now he is the manager of Cooper and covers for him when Cooper shows up drunk. It's a very loving brother role that has these tough, no bullshit moments. He gets punched by Cooper but also stands up to him and calls him out on his alcoholic behavior. He enables him but then quits to take another job. Elliott seems to just pop in at the right moment to spark a confrontation or give some fatherly/brotherly/human advice to Cooper about not screwing everything up. Then he has his Oscar scene where he cries with Cooper and it's super emotional and feels real and also shows that Elliott can do more than be this tough Southern cowboy type with a thick drawl. That's what I really liked about the performance is that it's not exactly to type and Elliott gets to play a real person and not just a caricature that we can sometimes come to expect from him. It's a short but perfectly supporting role and one that Elliott nails wonderfully. I really enjoyed it but understand why he didn't win.
Richard E. Grant - Can You Ever Forgive Me?
I didn't know who Grant was before this nomination but I did find out he was in an indie film years ago that has become sort of a cult favorite called Withnail and I. It looks interesting and I'll check it out eventually and that's what I like about this project - discovering new films and actors. Now, he's an older guy and that indie film is from 1987, so Grant isn't exactly new, but you get what I mean. Grant is one of those quintessential British actor types. He reminds me of a Bill Nighy or Steve Coogan type of actor with his boozy, witty charm and carefree, irreverent demeanor. His character is a writer or artist type (he runs in the same social circle as McCarthy's character but I never could figure out what he does) who is down on his luck and runs into McCarthy. They form an unlikely friendship of two melancholic alcoholics who start forging letters from famous people and selling them to collectors. The film is really more about the two performances of Grant and McCarthy and their friendship and look at their sad, insular lives. There's a dark wit to them both as they delight in their sad state of affairs and feed off each other's desperation. Grant has an effortless charm to his performance that endears him to us. He's a gay man who is constantly drinking or doing drugs or trying to get laid. But his earnestness in wanting a friend in McCarthy is a touching thing to watch because we can identify with him in just wanting a friend. We all do, even if that friend is mired in misery like we are. This is a strong performance because it's not showy, it's just good acting. Grant was really the only other choice acting wise to possibly win. I'll have to finish the category but he may just have my vote when this is all done.
Sam Rockwell - Vice
Rockwell had just won the year before so this nomination was very much in the Academy's wheelhouse of nominating someone who had just won for whatever they did next. It's happened many, many times in Oscar history and this is just another iteration of that. Not to say Rockwell is bad, because his George W. Bush is very funny and is a good performance overall. It's just that it felt like he was going to get nominated no matter what he did because that's what the Academy does. Anyway, he does play W and at times looks nothing like the man and at other times looks dead on. I get that his portrayal was supposed to come off as treating Bush like a frat boy or just here to have a good time because that parodies what we know of the man as a doofus who somehow came to power backed by some truly awful people that started some wars that killed many. Run on sentence aside, Rockwell does well with the material and is hilarious at times as Bush, which is all you can really ask from him. That should end the review because it sums it up perfectly. But I do feel like Rockwell does do a good job with the material and the role. I want to point out that yeah, he probably was nominated for the reason I stated above but if you take it on it's own and someone in the future is watching this in reverse...well, maybe it will have a better look than just automatic nomination. I dunno, it's a good supporting nod but there was probably better acting this year but this is what we got.
I gotta say, I'm not the biggest fan of Ali getting his second Oscar for that role and performance. I think the performance is fine, if a little put upon, but it could have been better. I think he's middle of the pack here and really shouldn't have won. Just goes to show that the Academy has favorites and likes certain films. Rockwell is last because he had just won the year before and is nominated for playing W. Bush. I'd rather he not even be nominated to get someone else on here but the Academy loves rewarding those who already have won. Driver is next because really John David Washington is the star of that film. It feels like the Academy anointing Driver as the next big thing, which is true and they want to recognize that with nominations. That's fine. He deserves to be here. I put Elliott second because it would have been awesome if he won and because he was very good in a way we haven't really seen from him before. It was nice to see a different side to him. Grant is my winner, though. I really enjoyed his performance and felt he helped elevate that film. Now I want to see more from him but it seems we might not get that, which is a shame. So I'm glad we got this at least. Would have really liked a new winner as I can't stand multiple winners now. Spread the love! Give other people their time to shine unless of course the performance is just too amazing not to reward. Ali didn't fit that this year, no matter how nice and gracious he always comes off. A good year, but not an amazing year. We could have done better.
Oscar Winner: Mahershala Ali - Green Book
My Winner: Richard E. Grant - Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Elliott
Mahershala Ali
Adam Driver
Sam Rockwell
Supporting Actress 2018
This was Regina King's award all the way through the awards season. She won basically everything and Oscar night was more of a formality. You had two previous Oscar winners from the same film splitting the vote and a foreign film nominee who came out of literally nowhere to get a nomination. Marina de Tavira literally had no precursor nominations from anyone so her inclusion was a huge surprise. She wasn't going to win, though, and it was basically up to Adams to try and beat King. But she mostly seemed to just come along for the ride with her film which she has done a few times now with her nominations. So, easy win for King. Now I just have to actually watch them and see if I agree.
2018 Best Supporting Actress
Regina King - If Beale Street Could Talk
This was Barry Jenkins' follow up film to Moonlight and it carries on his luscious cinematography and moody interpersonal dramatic style. This film is more melodramatic and follows in the footsteps of Douglas Sirk with the languid pace and lingering shots of the main character as the moody score plays on top of it all. It's a well done film and visually beautiful. I had issues with some of the acting and with how the dialogue seems unnatural. King plays the mother of the main girl whose husband is falsely accused of rape and ends up in jail. The girl becomes pregnant and the film is about their situation and trying to get the guy out of prison. So King is the strong, protective mother character and while she doesn't get many scenes, she does make great use of her time on screen. I felt like King stood out because she felt like the most natural character in the film. She speaks normally and doesn't talk in the prose from the James Baldwin novel the film is based on. And her character has a singular mission to protect her daughter and fight to keep her world from collapsing around her. So she has this protective mother role and that's all she has to do. I would have liked more depth to the character and even the story as a whole because I feel it probably doesn't quite live up to Baldwin's novel. But King brings an intensity to the role you'd find in a mother determined to help her child and we see that the scene where she appeals to the guy in prison's mother about not cursing her grandchild. It's sincere and from the heart and makes you instantly on King's side. Her other big scene is when she goes to Puerto Rico to confront the woman who is accusing her son-in-law of rape. It's heartbreaking and intense and you feel for both women in the moment. But at the end when the woman starts screaming and is taken away, you feel King's desperation as she mutters fuck! because she knows she may have screwed up the chances of getting him out of trouble. I think it's strong work from King and seems very deserving to me. I'm happy she won and I'll figure out if she is indeed my clear cut winner, too.
Amy Adams - Vice
Poor Amy! She just can't catch a break when it comes to winning. For most of her performances it seems like she is being swept up along with the film as a whole and gets nominated that way. So she just comes along for the ride and doesn't get a proper look and here we are sitting at her 6th (!) nomination without a win. Other than her first nomination for Junebug, you could say she got carried into a nomination because the films were heavily liked and got lots of acting nominations. That's not denigrating Adams by any means, it's just that she has been incredible in so many ensemble films that do well at the Oscars and she hasn't been the winner. I don't think she campaigns, at least much, and others do and so she goes by the wayside. She's an amazing actress and probably should have won one Oscar by now. I loved her in Arrival and The Master and those would have been good wins. In this film, she plays Dick Cheney's wife, Lynne. She is sort of the driving force behind him. She spurs him into action and kicks his ass when he needs it after getting a DUI or having a heart attack or whatever it may be. She looks the part, plays the character perfectly when it comes to accent, and just delivers her routinely strong performance. I would say it stands out in the film because she does have such a domineering presence but the film forgets her as soon as she isn't on screen and Adams doesn't do enough to keep her memorable once the focus is back on the historical moments. So she's good as usual, but not good enough for the win, especially having already seen the winner and knowing King does a great job.
Marina de Tavira - Roma
When nominations were announced, this one was the big shocker of the morning for the acting categories. Marina de Tavira had not shown up anywhere else for any of the precursor awards or even critics groups. She was just nowhere to be found and then bam, here she is nominated for an Oscar. It's clear that she came along for the ride with Roma and clearly there was a lot of lover overall for the film. It's good then that de Tavira doesn't just come along for a nothing role. She plays the wife/mother in the film and is the employer of Yalitza Aparicio's character. As the story unfolds, we see that de Tavira's relationship is not as wonderful as it seems and her husband is always gone and then we see it's because he's seeing other women. de Tavira has a couple strong acting moments in the film, namely when she is on the phone with her cheating husband and comes out of her room and finds one of her sons listening in and she slaps him and then immediately starts crying and consoling him and then yells at Aparicio for letting him listen. It's this rapid fire emotional outburst that is impressive and adds to the film overall. There's a couple other good moments for de Tavira who does what is needed from her character and does it very well. It's a natural performance that serves the film wonderfully and is great that she was recognized by the Academy. She was never going to win but it's nice to just have someone different on this list for once, someone that would normally always be overlooked. She may not be amazing and a sure thing winner, but she gives a strong performance in a great film.
Emma Stone - The Favourite
It's great that we got the double nominees back to back so this will actually flow well together a be a bit more cohesive. I'll start off by saying I don't really see these two as supporting actors in this film. If anything, they are both co-leads, as the film is about their rivalry and their striving to be the real power behind the throne. Stone is a cousin to Weisz's character but her father lost her as a bet in some game, if I'm not mistaken. So she goes to the palace to work as a maid before inserting herself into the Queen's life and helping her with her gout. Then it becomes a game for the two to see who can win the Queen's affection and trust, which Weisz has had for awhile now. Stone is very good in the role. She excels at those roles where she's at the bottom and/or not considered pretty or talented or whatever. Then she becomes some kind of force and is this beautiful, confident woman who is determined to succeed. Stone and Weisz's back and forth as the film goes on is great to watch as both women are such incredible actors and watching them being snarkily savage to each other in the nicest way possible is hilarious. Their dialogue and the way they deliver it in such nonchalant ways while actually tearing each other down is something that takes finesse to come off as intended. They both clearly have a lot of fun with their roles and then throw Olivia Colman in the mix and all of their scenes together is a hoot. You are just waiting for the next savage take down masked as a compliment. It's also about their physical comedy and timing like Stone walking down a hallway saying Fuck!. A lot of it is in how they move a certain way or how they walk or pausing before saying something funny. Both are fantastic at doing all of that kind of comedy and keeping it from being such a ham fisted, broadly obvious thing. I think it's good work that they both had fun with and enjoyed immensely which in turn made their performances that much more believable and better for the audience.
Rachel Weisz - The Favourite
I think Stone had more of an upper hand with this kind of role because she came from somewhat of a comedy background. Weisz has always been a serious actor to me, but can also shine in other ways, as well. Weisz is already the confidante of the Queen. She is also her lover and in turn the real power behind the throne. As Queen Anne is in the throes of depression and seemingly overburdened with having to lead, Weisz is the one who makes all the decisions and guides the Queen in what to do. Then enters Stone and the two are cordial at first but then the claws come out and it's game on. Both are hilarious and see above for most of what can be said here for Weisz. Both are very similar in this film, though Weisz is more serious and dignified. I think she also does a great job in the role and feel like the two actors probably split the vote. Plus, they both already have their Oscars, so this was just two (or three with Colman) women having a grand old time acting together in a savagely funny film. I slightly like Stone better because I think the film gives her more to do as the one who is plotting and conniving her way into Weisz's role. But Weisz is strong in the role and is able to stand on her own and gives a good performance herself. Both are good and even though it doesn't really feel supporting, I'm cool with the double nomination.
This was a foregone conclusion for the whole awards season and in the end I feel King was the right pick. It has that right amount of intensity and tenderness that a motherly role like that should have. I'll stick with the Academy on this one. Adams is just along for the ride and happy to be nominated. I didn't think it was amazing and kinda wish someone else took her spot to be honest, but it was still fine overall. Marina de Tavira would be next simply because she doesn't get all that much opportunity to shine. She has some good scenes but doesn't quite have the same impact as the others. The rest is the women from The Favourite. They have a ton to do in the film and make the most of it. I like Stone a bit more than Weisz, but both are good. Both had also won already, so I'm glad they probably split the vote and allowed King to win. This was a decent year with some very good films represented here. I like the minority representation as it doesn't feel forced and all of these women are very good actresses. A decent year for a category that can often disappoint.
Oscar Winner: Regina King - If Beale Street Could Talk
My Winner: Regina King - If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone
Rachel Weisz
Marina de Tavira
Amy Adams
2018 Best Supporting Actress
Regina King - If Beale Street Could Talk
This was Barry Jenkins' follow up film to Moonlight and it carries on his luscious cinematography and moody interpersonal dramatic style. This film is more melodramatic and follows in the footsteps of Douglas Sirk with the languid pace and lingering shots of the main character as the moody score plays on top of it all. It's a well done film and visually beautiful. I had issues with some of the acting and with how the dialogue seems unnatural. King plays the mother of the main girl whose husband is falsely accused of rape and ends up in jail. The girl becomes pregnant and the film is about their situation and trying to get the guy out of prison. So King is the strong, protective mother character and while she doesn't get many scenes, she does make great use of her time on screen. I felt like King stood out because she felt like the most natural character in the film. She speaks normally and doesn't talk in the prose from the James Baldwin novel the film is based on. And her character has a singular mission to protect her daughter and fight to keep her world from collapsing around her. So she has this protective mother role and that's all she has to do. I would have liked more depth to the character and even the story as a whole because I feel it probably doesn't quite live up to Baldwin's novel. But King brings an intensity to the role you'd find in a mother determined to help her child and we see that the scene where she appeals to the guy in prison's mother about not cursing her grandchild. It's sincere and from the heart and makes you instantly on King's side. Her other big scene is when she goes to Puerto Rico to confront the woman who is accusing her son-in-law of rape. It's heartbreaking and intense and you feel for both women in the moment. But at the end when the woman starts screaming and is taken away, you feel King's desperation as she mutters fuck! because she knows she may have screwed up the chances of getting him out of trouble. I think it's strong work from King and seems very deserving to me. I'm happy she won and I'll figure out if she is indeed my clear cut winner, too.
Amy Adams - Vice
Poor Amy! She just can't catch a break when it comes to winning. For most of her performances it seems like she is being swept up along with the film as a whole and gets nominated that way. So she just comes along for the ride and doesn't get a proper look and here we are sitting at her 6th (!) nomination without a win. Other than her first nomination for Junebug, you could say she got carried into a nomination because the films were heavily liked and got lots of acting nominations. That's not denigrating Adams by any means, it's just that she has been incredible in so many ensemble films that do well at the Oscars and she hasn't been the winner. I don't think she campaigns, at least much, and others do and so she goes by the wayside. She's an amazing actress and probably should have won one Oscar by now. I loved her in Arrival and The Master and those would have been good wins. In this film, she plays Dick Cheney's wife, Lynne. She is sort of the driving force behind him. She spurs him into action and kicks his ass when he needs it after getting a DUI or having a heart attack or whatever it may be. She looks the part, plays the character perfectly when it comes to accent, and just delivers her routinely strong performance. I would say it stands out in the film because she does have such a domineering presence but the film forgets her as soon as she isn't on screen and Adams doesn't do enough to keep her memorable once the focus is back on the historical moments. So she's good as usual, but not good enough for the win, especially having already seen the winner and knowing King does a great job.
Marina de Tavira - Roma
When nominations were announced, this one was the big shocker of the morning for the acting categories. Marina de Tavira had not shown up anywhere else for any of the precursor awards or even critics groups. She was just nowhere to be found and then bam, here she is nominated for an Oscar. It's clear that she came along for the ride with Roma and clearly there was a lot of lover overall for the film. It's good then that de Tavira doesn't just come along for a nothing role. She plays the wife/mother in the film and is the employer of Yalitza Aparicio's character. As the story unfolds, we see that de Tavira's relationship is not as wonderful as it seems and her husband is always gone and then we see it's because he's seeing other women. de Tavira has a couple strong acting moments in the film, namely when she is on the phone with her cheating husband and comes out of her room and finds one of her sons listening in and she slaps him and then immediately starts crying and consoling him and then yells at Aparicio for letting him listen. It's this rapid fire emotional outburst that is impressive and adds to the film overall. There's a couple other good moments for de Tavira who does what is needed from her character and does it very well. It's a natural performance that serves the film wonderfully and is great that she was recognized by the Academy. She was never going to win but it's nice to just have someone different on this list for once, someone that would normally always be overlooked. She may not be amazing and a sure thing winner, but she gives a strong performance in a great film.
Emma Stone - The Favourite
It's great that we got the double nominees back to back so this will actually flow well together a be a bit more cohesive. I'll start off by saying I don't really see these two as supporting actors in this film. If anything, they are both co-leads, as the film is about their rivalry and their striving to be the real power behind the throne. Stone is a cousin to Weisz's character but her father lost her as a bet in some game, if I'm not mistaken. So she goes to the palace to work as a maid before inserting herself into the Queen's life and helping her with her gout. Then it becomes a game for the two to see who can win the Queen's affection and trust, which Weisz has had for awhile now. Stone is very good in the role. She excels at those roles where she's at the bottom and/or not considered pretty or talented or whatever. Then she becomes some kind of force and is this beautiful, confident woman who is determined to succeed. Stone and Weisz's back and forth as the film goes on is great to watch as both women are such incredible actors and watching them being snarkily savage to each other in the nicest way possible is hilarious. Their dialogue and the way they deliver it in such nonchalant ways while actually tearing each other down is something that takes finesse to come off as intended. They both clearly have a lot of fun with their roles and then throw Olivia Colman in the mix and all of their scenes together is a hoot. You are just waiting for the next savage take down masked as a compliment. It's also about their physical comedy and timing like Stone walking down a hallway saying Fuck!. A lot of it is in how they move a certain way or how they walk or pausing before saying something funny. Both are fantastic at doing all of that kind of comedy and keeping it from being such a ham fisted, broadly obvious thing. I think it's good work that they both had fun with and enjoyed immensely which in turn made their performances that much more believable and better for the audience.
Rachel Weisz - The Favourite
I think Stone had more of an upper hand with this kind of role because she came from somewhat of a comedy background. Weisz has always been a serious actor to me, but can also shine in other ways, as well. Weisz is already the confidante of the Queen. She is also her lover and in turn the real power behind the throne. As Queen Anne is in the throes of depression and seemingly overburdened with having to lead, Weisz is the one who makes all the decisions and guides the Queen in what to do. Then enters Stone and the two are cordial at first but then the claws come out and it's game on. Both are hilarious and see above for most of what can be said here for Weisz. Both are very similar in this film, though Weisz is more serious and dignified. I think she also does a great job in the role and feel like the two actors probably split the vote. Plus, they both already have their Oscars, so this was just two (or three with Colman) women having a grand old time acting together in a savagely funny film. I slightly like Stone better because I think the film gives her more to do as the one who is plotting and conniving her way into Weisz's role. But Weisz is strong in the role and is able to stand on her own and gives a good performance herself. Both are good and even though it doesn't really feel supporting, I'm cool with the double nomination.
This was a foregone conclusion for the whole awards season and in the end I feel King was the right pick. It has that right amount of intensity and tenderness that a motherly role like that should have. I'll stick with the Academy on this one. Adams is just along for the ride and happy to be nominated. I didn't think it was amazing and kinda wish someone else took her spot to be honest, but it was still fine overall. Marina de Tavira would be next simply because she doesn't get all that much opportunity to shine. She has some good scenes but doesn't quite have the same impact as the others. The rest is the women from The Favourite. They have a ton to do in the film and make the most of it. I like Stone a bit more than Weisz, but both are good. Both had also won already, so I'm glad they probably split the vote and allowed King to win. This was a decent year with some very good films represented here. I like the minority representation as it doesn't feel forced and all of these women are very good actresses. A decent year for a category that can often disappoint.
Oscar Winner: Regina King - If Beale Street Could Talk
My Winner: Regina King - If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone
Rachel Weisz
Marina de Tavira
Amy Adams
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