Best Picture 2020

This one was Nomadland the entire way through awards season and it made for a pretty boring season. All of the other films on this list are varying degrees of interesting and I'm intrigued to see what stands out. Keeping up with the race meant reading about a lot of people who had their favorite which wasn't the actual winner and the fact that so many people liked a different number of nominees to win and yet Nomadland swept, well is there something to that? Because every trailer I saw didn't look that great, so I'm hoping I'm wrong on a first, brief impression. But also hopeful that the rest are really good films and could be winners.

2020 Best Picture

 

Nomadland

 

There was really no doubt when it came to this film winning Best Picture. This one literally won everything for BP: a Satellite, Golden Globe, Critic's Choice, BAFTA, Independent Spirit Award, and of course the Oscar. One of those clean sweeps and after having finally seen it, I'm kinda left wondering why it resonated with folks so much. It's a well made film by Chloe Zhao who also was nominated for writing, producing and editing the film which was a rare feat in itself and speaks to how much effort she put into this. It's gorgeously shot (but like, how can any competent DP make the open spaces of the West look bad?) and has a really wonderful and simple score. The non-actors add a whole lot of realism to the film and Frances McDormand gives a great performance, as usual. I feel like older folks in the Academy latched onto this because it spoke to them about remembering those we have lost in our journey through life and how healing it can be to just get away for a bit or for a while. Zhao has this very naturalistic style that adds to the overall feeling of the film and McDormand actually working at these places and somewhat sort of living that lifestyle while shooting the film makes it almost feel like a documentary at times. I do think a lot of people will see this minimalist story as boring and I'm not going to deny them that it certainly depends on how emotionally involved you get in the character and the vibe of the film. I just think it's easy to see why such a large amount of people really liked this one and connected to it. And because I haven't even said it yet, it's about McDormand who starts a nomadic, van dwelling lifestyle after her husband dies and the corporate town she lived in was dissolved. Now she is trying to find herself and deal with her traumas. It's a respectful and hopeful film that I'm sure a lot of people can appreciate. Still kinda wild that this simple, short-ish film captured everyone's love to Oscar glory.

The Father

This type of film is always tough to sit through and watch and then root for. It's a film about Anthony Hopkins and his struggle with dementia. A simple plot description but the film itself takes us first hand into the confusion and bewilderment that Hopkins' character experiences and the emotions that he has to deal with and that of his daughter, Olivia Colman has to deal with. Based on a play, it's a rather short film that has a very long lasting impact on the viewer. It's quite visceral in how it shows the effects of dementia to the audience. We are basically Hopkins as we see different characters appear who are supposed to be the same person. For example, Colman is the daughter but we see another woman portray her at times. We see different men come and go who are her husband but have different names or aren't really there to begin with. We experience different locations whether it's Hopkins' flat, the daughter's home, or an assisted living facility. We never quite know where we are, who is real and who isn't, and what exactly is going on in the film. Which is, I'd imagine, what someone going through dementia feels like all the time. And it's a sort of gut punch that Hopkins doesn't know what is real and once he starts believing one reality, it changes up and he's even more confused and frustrated and angry. So it's a rather simple film, but obviously has so much going on in the story and the performance from Hopkins that makes it standout. Hopkins lives up to his Oscar win and Colman does a great job in showing the frustration in losing a loved one to a mind that can't figure out what and who is real. This is one of those films that you watch and realize has great performances, but don't want to watch again because the subject is so heavy and demoralizing like Still Alice and Julianne Moore's Oscar win.

Judas and the Black Messiah

This would make a great double feature with The Trial of the Chicago 7 or even a triple feature if you add in a showing of the BlacKkKlansman. Crazy how the former was nominated in the same year and had some of the same characters with a similar sentiment. This film was characterized by the director as initially trying to be like The Departed inside the counter intelligence world. I get that idea as LaKeith Stanfield's character is infiltrating the Black Panther party of Illinois headed by Daniel Kaluuya. I love how straightforward the film is. It could easily devolve into some white people are awful, the Black Panther's solved every issue ever type of thing, but the story just let's it all play out. I know that sentence will probably rankle a few feathers, but my point is it stays a quality, consistent film throughout with some really fucking good performances from the two aforementioned fellas. The story feels so familiar because of those other films that it probably hits even harder if you haven't seen those films yet or don't know those stories. I felt like the director had great respect for the material and the setting that everything came off well intentioned. Like this could have been flashy with lots of period appropriate music or even modern music and made into like a Scorsese like film, but it just presents the info in the story as is, with warts and all. It's a highly enjoyable film that doesn't matter what color you are because betrayal is universal. Glad it was nominated here because I'm not sure if this gets nominated in previous years, surely not when it was only five nominees. But now folks get to look back on this year and study this film as an Oscar nominee and that's pretty awesome.

Mank

 

This is the kind of film that is right up my cinephile alley. David Fincher directs a script from his late father about Herman J. Mankiewicz, who co-wrote the film Citizen Kane with Orson Welles. This film is as much about Mank as it is Old Hollywood. We have a lot of the old famous players from the time like Louis B. Mayer, Irving Thalberg, William Randolph Hearst, John Houseman, David O. Selznick, Upton Sinclair, and Marion Davies to name a few. The film goes back and forth between Mank maneuvering through the Hollywood system and actually writing the film. To me, the film can be a bit dense and a little tough to keep track of what's going on and when it's happening. I also think that having an understanding of who all those people are above helps with deciphering what all is going on and why this seems like an important film subject. Having none of that knowledge probably makes this film a bit more intimidating and hard to understand. But in saying that, I feel it's a great film to watch if you have the patience and want to see some great acting from Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried. The film is in black and white and shot to look like the old style films and it really does a lot to enhance the feel of the film. The cinematography is amazing, the sound is great, the direction from Fincher is top notch, and the acting is overall superb. It's a great film for old film nerds like myself to enjoy and I feel like it could be a good film to spark an interest in someone about Old Hollywood. Worth checking out either way! 

Minari

 

I feel like this was the most exciting film I wanted to watch going into the Oscar race, maybe along with Sound of Metal. My history is one of living in Arkansas while very young and having grandparents that had a farm there. This film is about Korean immigrants who, after other stays in the US, move to Arkansas to start a farm. I think I was irrationally excited to see a farm in Arkansas from the 80's and to see if it resonated with me. The film did indeed, even if it had nothing to do with my experience. Steven Yeun, in a brilliant performance, moves his family to Arkansas from California to start a farm. Family drama ensues with his wife, and his mother-in-law arrives to help out. Youn Yuh-jung is the mother-in-law and infuses the film with some life as she leaves her mark on the story. The wife doesn't like the trailer they live in and is just overall pretty negative about the whole thing while Yeun and Yuh-jung try to make her feel at home. The film is beautifully shot and I love that racism is not a factor in the story. That sounds weird, but I love that it focuses on their struggle with the farm and personally and not because Billy Bob wants to kill them or something. I love, too, that this is based off director Lee Isaac Chung's personal experiences with his family in Arkansas. It being true to life lends it some airs of being legit. Love this film a lot and I am grateful to see it do well with the Academy.

 

Promising Young Woman

While watching this film, I totally forgot it was nominated for Best Picture. I was thinking to myself I can't believe this landed a Best Director and Best Actress nomination and Best Original Screenplay win and didn't get a BP nod. Well it did, and I am honestly glad it did because this is such an interesting and subversive film. It starts off having you think that this is going to be some female serial killer horror type film and then opens up into this revenge story of sorts for a woman traumatized by her best friend getting raped, dropping out of med school, and killing herself. Carey Mulligan's character searches out men who take advantage of her in bars when she pretends to be drunk to expose their nice guy hypocrisy and eventually is able to get revenge on those responsible for the rape and trauma. It's a really dark comedy slash tragedy. Mulligan balances on that fine line masterfully as she has moments of comedic greatness, romantic sweetness, and tragic hopelessness. This was Emerald Fennell's directorial debut and she got a BP nod and a rare female director nom and won a writing Oscar. Pretty great for the actress who played young Camilla Parker-Bowles on The Crown (she was/is an actress in lots of British things). The film does look great and I like how the focus is always on Mulligan and how she looks and feels. This is probably a film that wouldn't have gotten into this category in previous years without the Academy getting more diverse and younger. Because what old, or not old, white guy wants to be confronted with his own toxic behavior? And in a revenge fantasy sort of way to boot? It's absolutely worth a watch because I feel Mulligan should have won the Oscar for this performance and because it's highly entertaining.

Sound of Metal

This was one of the films I was most excited to watch because the premise was really intriguing to me. It's about Riz Ahmed's character who is a metal drummer who starts losing his hearing and has to deal with that new reality. I actually thought it might dive a bit more into the music side of the idea, but the music part was really mostly an afterthought or at least not as central to the story. Him being a drummer and musician is important, yes, but not the actual music which was not really very good at all. That was a bit disappointing because I am a fan of all different types of metal. Anyway, the story is more focused on his relationship with his girlfriend/singer (Olivia Cooke, who is amazing and would have been in my Supporting Actress nominees) and him dealing with becoming deaf and what that entails. He goes to a shelter/rehab facility for deaf addicts and meets Paul Raci's character who essentially teaches him how to be deaf and be okay with being deaf. I loved this film because of Ahmed's performance (and Raci and Cooke, too) and with how the film portrayed sound. We experience long moments of utter silence, we hear the loud noises of deaf people "talking" at a dinner table as they sign and have conversations and eat loudly, we hear the warped sound of the cochlear implant once it is activated and how disorienting it feels. The film won the Oscar for Editing and Sound and those moments where the film puts us in the deaf world are incredible and allow us to immerse ourselves in the story and better relate to what Ahmed is going through. It's brilliant and really elevates the film into something better. I also like how the ending isn't absolute and feels more like a beginning as Ahmed accepts being deaf, which is how I took it, because it feels more open to interpretation and to think about what comes next for Ahmed. This is a great look into the deaf community, even just this tiny slice of life peek into what one person experiences. Really wish this film had done better, but two Oscar wins is pretty impressive and I'm glad I got to watch it.

The Trial of the Chicago 7

I was really worried that this film would be such a treacly, polished film that it would be hard to treat it seriously. But I was pleasantly surprised that this was such an earnest film that wasn't just some propaganda type of thing. By that I mean, it's easy to see that this is an Aaron Sorkin film and to maybe assume it exaggerates a left leaning issue. I am happy to say that it actually dials back just how egregious the judge acted and what he did to Bobby Seale in that courtroom. Sorkin felt like I just explained, that people would look at how that judge acted and think this was some over the top leftist propaganda crap. But that judge, played brilliantly by Frank Langella, was worse than we could have imagined. The film is obviously a trial film where eight different people from various groups who protested the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago were arrested for trumped up charges. It became seven after Bobby Seale, a founder of the Black Panther party, was removed from the trial to stand for his own separate trial because of his treatment and the fact that he had nothing to do with anyone else in the group. The film has a great pace to it, which is to be expected of Sorkin flicks, but it flows so well and weaves in flashbacks to great effect to help us understand who everyone is and why they are here. The acting is all around fantastic with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Daniel Flaherty, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Noah Robbins, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, and Jeremy Strong. I stole that list from Wikipedia but it shows the insane cast and how great they all are. Cohen was nominated in Supporting Actor, but honestly, almost any of those names could have replaced Cohen or another actor in that category. Rylance is my favorite and I even think Redmayne is good, shocker I know given my hate of his previous win! A good film that highlights a moment in our history that is just completely fucked up. Wish this was the last film to do that.

This is a very solid group of nominees, but I am actually struggling to come up with a winner. Like I said in my opener, a lot of people had different films they considered to be their favorite and I see why that was true. What I do know is that I find Nomadland to be my least favorite. I see why it won and it's a beautiful little film, but it never grabbed me and I never felt invested in the characters or story. Simple as that. The Father has great acting and a hard story to tell, but it also is a film I'll probably never watch again because it's not really fun or exciting in any way in telling it's harsh truth. Promising Young Woman is a film that would never have made it into the BP race in previous years without the expansion to 5-10 films. And this film is mostly about Carey Mulligan who carries it hard. Without her, the film would go nowhere. Minari was great to watch, but that film is also buoyed by Youn Yuh-jung who adds a spark to a film that otherwise could have been depressing and glum all the way through. The four films left are the ones I would enjoy watching again and again through the years. The Trial of the Chicago 7 has great flow, loads of great acting, and was incredibly interesting to watch a historical moment I didn't have much knowledge on. Sound of Metal has great acting and a story that just hits all the right emotional buttons for me and is, at the end, somewhat hopeful. Mank is a great old Hollywood film carried hard by a brilliant Gary Oldman. A great film for us film nerds, it's got a lot of humor to it and I enjoy the overall feel of the film. Judas and the Black Messiah has had the most lasting scene for me where Daniel Kaluuya's character shouts I am...a revolutionary! over and over. It still pops into my head all the time and I have to say it myself. An absolutely solid film with great acting and a very intense story. I guess it is my winner for now, but I could easily switch it out with Mank, as I think those two are the tops from this group. So a really solid group of nominees without an obvious winner, but that's okay for me. I'll take that over a couple stinkers any day. Excited to move on and get closer to the newest Oscar year.

Oscar Winner: Nomadland

My Winner: Judas and the Black Messiah

Mank

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Minari

Promising Young Woman

The Father

Nomadland

Leading Actor 2020

Ugh, this fucking category, man. I hated that they essentially broke protocol or eschewed tradition, however you want to say it, to have this category be the last one announced on Oscar night all because they thought Chadwick Boseman was winning and they could go out celebrating his life and achievement. Yet, Hopkins won because a lot of voters still believe in awarding the best performance and not just because someone died. And Hopkins wasn't even there, so it ended with a resounding thud as the ceremony abruptly ended. No doubt that Hopkins' stature played a part in his win and maybe even the fact that he's getting up there in years. But all I've heard during the awards season and since his win is that his performance is brilliant, so I'm eager to see if that's true or not. Same goes with Boseman's performance, because maybe that should be the winner. Or one of the other three. That's why we watch them all and decide from there.

2020 Best Actor

 

Anthony Hopkins - The Father

 

It was embarrassing and downright stupid of the Academy to push Best Actor to the final award of the night because they thought they would reward Chadwick Boseman and get a tearful family acceptance speech. It was also disrespectful of the other nominees who were in a lose-lose situation. Hopkins didn't bother to come to the ceremony because he thought Boseman was winning based on things like the award getting moved. I am sure there are people to this day who hate Hopkins because he won and who have never actually watched this film or performance. My question going into this was did this performance actually deserve the win? Was this maybe the older folks, the British contingent wanting to reward one of their own one last time? Hopkins became the oldest acting winner ever with this so those questions have merit to me. But the performance is legit and allows you to judge based on performance alone and not just extracurriculars like age or race or popularity or whatever. Interestingly enough, both roles were from plays originally but Hopkins feels more rooted in reality than theater. He is a gentleman suffering from dementia and trying to deal with that reality while his daughter tries to take care of him. It's a remarkable performance because Hopkins has to be able to switch between different emotions and feelings in an instant. One minute lucid and joking around to then becoming excessively cruel with his words because he doesn't want a care taker. Walking around doing daily tasks to looking around in bewilderment at him not recognizing someone or his surroundings. Trying to pretend he knows what's going on when talking to people but stuck in a reality he doesn't comprehend or understand. There's a lot of physical acting in how he looks, how he moves and interacts with the environment, to his eyes doing a lot of acting. It's the work you would expect from a seasoned veteran actor and he doesn't disappoint. It's a heartbreaking gut punch to see him go through this terrible thing and to see his daughter become emotionally fraught by it all. I will still have to see if this ends up my winner, as there are some great names on this list but this is worthy of being an Oscar winner, without a doubt.

Riz Ahmed - Sound of Metal

Ahmed is just one of those dudes where you know he's going to get an acting Oscar some day, or at least it feels like it with the quality of work that he's done. He actually won an Oscar at the next year's awards for a Best Live Action Short, which was pretty awesome to see. It's great to see him get this recognition for acting because he is truly fantastic in this film. He plays a metal drummer who starts going deaf and has to deal with that new reality. Ahmed acts a ton with eyes and looks on his face as we kinda see him processing this huge change in his life. He can be bombastic and trash some equipment in his RV to show his anger and frustration or we can see him embracing the change and drumming on a slide while a deaf boy "listens" to the beat. This is an emotional film and Ahmed traverses all of the different emotions and interactions with perfect balance. It's never too put on and never too internalized, deftly moving between different levels of sometimes the same emotions. He has a co-dependent relationship with his girlfriend/bandmate and it's clear they both used the relationship to switch from drugs/whatever to relying on each other for help. We see those moments from Ahmed's side since she can't stay with him at the shelter and he sneaks away to check up on her music and where she is. We feel that anxiety of wanting and needing to be with her and trying to assimilate into a new community. This is a man torn between two worlds and not being able to make good decisions because of that. We see him become comfortable with the group and helping others and being a productive member of the group but never really comfortable with himself. I actually thought that he was going to hookup with the one teacher lady and be all in with his new community, but kinda glad that cliche didn't happen. It felt more real that he got a cochlear implant and went off to find his girl and reunite, because it's not a happy ending totally and because he is still finding himself despite Raci's character trying to convince him to embrace who he is now. There is so much going on with this character and Ahmed is able to make this tough performance shine and deliver us something raw and real and not a perfectly neat character all wrapped up in a bow. Great work from Ahmed and cannot wait to see what he does next.

Chadwick Boseman - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Everyone thought he was winning, including the Academy who moved Best Acting to the final category of the night only to get blue balled when Anthony Hopkins won and wasn't even there. It was a terrible way to end the night, though I understand they were hoping to celebrate Boseman's life and career in that moment. Boseman was a terrific actor, a perfect Black Panther, and a guy that had an amazing future ahead of him. He was more than just the biopic characters he portrayed early in his career, which were all good, but he was an actor and only just getting to show it off. People thought he would be double nominated in Supporting Actor for Da 5 Bloods, which he was also good in this year. This film was based on an August Wilson play, a prominent black playwright who is considered one of the best black Americans to do it. So with that in mind, this is a very theatrical film. This means that the dialogue comes fast and heavy and the intensity ratchets up at different times. This is perfect for Boseman because he can be that jovial type easily and then careen off into some tense, heated scene where he threatens other band members. Boseman plays Levee, a trumpeter in a band for Ma Rainey. He has written his own music and is trying to get it recorded amid teasing from other band members and shit talking them all the same. Boseman's character goes from lighthearted ribbing with give and take over his new gold shoes and trying to record his own songs to being increasingly pissed off that he is denied or taken advantage of at every turn when trying to just go his own way. To the point that he loses his cool and stabs a band member. Spoilers, but it's wild in the context of the film and feels so theatrical to me. Something unexpected that comes out of nowhere in a play rather than being built up to or foreshadowed in a film. But Boseman is great in the role and brings it the energy that it needs. He calls out everyone including Ma and the white recording studio owners, bangs Ma's eye candy, and goes crazy when someone smudges his gold shoes. It shows Boseman's range and it would have been great to see him do this on stage. Sadly, this is all we are left with so at least he went out on a high note and we can always wonder what if a talented actor like him had given us 50 more years. No doubt he would have won an Oscar continuing on this trajectory.

Gary Oldman - Mank

 

Oldman was still in that window where a previous winner will get nominated if they put in some good work, but his performance here easily stands ahead of that little Academy quirk. Mank is a bit of a complicated, heavy film where your knowledge of film history and knowing Old Hollywood comes in handy and I imagine is tough to follow for an audience coming in blind. Oldman does a fantastic job at navigating such a complex character who, as the title suggests, carries the film. And Oldman does indeed carry the film as his Mank is so effortlessly charming, cunning, and witty. Every line seems to drip with deeper meaning or literary references and you realize just how intelligent the character is and how he could create something like Citizen Kane. The film yo-yo's back and forth between Oldman writing the film while recovering from a broken leg and battling alcoholism in a Mojave retreat and flashbacks of Mank and his career in Hollywood that lead up to now. I think Oldman plays a good drunk here, which can be hard to make convincing and not let get out of control and distract from an otherwise great performance. He  exaggerates it a bit but not the detriment of the performance or the film. Oldman is a chameleon and his career bears this out. His transformation into Mank is wonderful and we can forget that he is British with a superb old school accent. His scenes with Amanda Seyfried are great and really serve to highlight the film the film with them as they have great chemistry and it feels like a paternalistic type of relationship to where you want to see more. If you can get through a film that is a bit dense in subject, you can find a rather terrific performance from Oldman that stands up to the rest of his impressive oeurve.

Steven Yeun - Minari

 

My how far Yeun has come from his The Walking Dead days! He was a force in that show and then once free from TV,  he has blossomed with Burning, a great Korean film, and delivers this wonderful performance. Without Parasite, though, I honestly don't think that Yeun becomes the first East Asian to be nominated in this category, which is absolutely wild. Yeun plays Jacob, an immigrant from South Korea who has had a couple stays in America before settling in Arkansas to work at a chick hatchery but ultimately start a farm for Korean vegetables. Family drama ensues and this is sorta based on director/writer Lee Isaac Chung's childhood so it is grounded in realism. What I love about this performance is just how natural Yeun approaches everything. It's almost entirely spoken in Korean with some English mixed in when interacting with the locals, but Yeun never falls into any stereotypical idea of someone new to a country speaking English. Even with his lone worker who begged him for a job, he has a Korean attitude and accent but it never feels exploitative which I think is due to the director being the driving force of the film. Yeun is very much a father figure and a dominant husband who also listens to his wife but puts his farm first. In saying that, Yeun balances the many aspects of his life in support of his family and farm. Tough when he needs to be, but not overly so. And while hints that he and his wife had way happier times, he treats her with respect but makes it known he doesn't want to be a failure to his family if the farm doesn't succeed. Yeun does a lot of delicate balancing with his character and it works out so well for him. I will say I am honestly surprised the Academy nominated this film and this performance because it just seems like something they would overlook. But the previous year obviously played into this getting seen and I love that Yeun was the recipient of almost a century of people being overlooked. Yeun gives a delicate performance that is absolutely deserving of a nomination and is something you should watch as soon as possible.

I just want to say first that I am not against Boseman at all. Had he won, after watching all of these performances, I'd have been okay with it and enjoyed that his career ended on such a high note. I'd have been even more pumped if Yeun or Ahmed won because both are great actors doing great work. And this is the first Best Actor category to have a majority of the nominees be minorities or not white dudes. Which is pretty cool because it doesn't feel unearned or have any token nominees that shouldn't be here. In saying that Boseman is probably my number five spot because I don't think it's the best even though I said I'd be fine with it winning, because I would. But the others are just all so good. Yeun is fantastic as a man trying to support his family by becoming a farmer and dealing with all kinds of obstacles. Oldman is his normal amazing self giving us a performance that is wryly funny and full of heart and intensity. Ahmed is incredible as a drummer that begins to lose his hearing and is fighting with his addiction and loss of his sense of purpose in life. And Hopkins delivers a heart breaking, tough to sit through in a good way performance about dementia. I think I'll just go with the Academy on this one and give it to Hopkins, but everyone in this category is good to some degree. This year will be tough to top, but let's see what 2021 has for us.

Oscar Winner: Anthony Hopkins - The Father

My Winner: Anthony Hopkins - The Father

Riz Ahmed

Gary Oldman 

Steven Yeun

Chadwick Boseman

Leading Actress 2020

I'm a little annoyed at this win. I have no idea why the Academy felt like they had to rush to reward McDormand for a third time, especially with the last two coming in just the last four years. And this race was a decent one throughout the season. The wins were actually all split between everyone but Kirby in the other major awards groups and Davis had the most, while I would have said Mulligan had the best shot. But then it swung for McDormand and I think her film winning Best Picture probably helped. I'm hoping her performance will hold up to being a good third Oscar winning one because I have a feeling the others will be very good, too.

2020 Best Actress

 

Frances McDormand - Nomadland

 

Okay, so I still haven't seen any of the other ladies yet, but thankfully I don't hate this performance. It's a good, little film about a woman whose husband has died and the town she was living in, which was ran by the company the husband worked for, is dissolved because they closed the gypsum plant at the center of it. So she starts a nomadic, van dwelling lifestyle and we just kinda watch as she interacts with folks and goes from state to state and job to job to survive. I see and get the appeal. She is dealing with her traumas in a way that makes sense to her while still trying to honor her late husband. McDormand is good in the role and she mostly plays a version of herself, which is what she and director Chloe Zhao came up with after trying something else originally. It's a very natural performance helped along by interacting with non-actors throughout the film and not having to actually do a lot of heavy lifting acting wise. It feels more like improv, which is still good, but not something that should have been rewarded with a third Best Actress Oscar, the second within four years. I enjoy the performance and think it worthy of a nomination but McDormand walks around a lot, makes small talk, is filmed doing odd jobs, and that's mostly it. A handful of small scenes where she cites Shakespeare to a young nomad boy, or gets a bit personal with a guy who is like a community nomad leader type. She does much better work in Three Billboards and of course is iconic in Fargo. This one doesn't match up to those and I'm still annoyed they rushed to give her a third win. A good performance but not on a winning level, though I say this without having seen the others so I could be dead wrong (but I don't think I am).

Viola Davis - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Davis was a front runner along with Carey Mulligan for much of the season before Frances McDormand took over and won. She won the SAG award, defeating all of these ladies except Andra Day who wasn't nominated. So there was real belief that she could win her second Oscar and first Best Actress award and make history, which this nomination did itself by making her the most nominated black actress in history. But how is the performance you ask? I actually really enjoyed it. It's Davis doing what she does best which is inhabit a take no shit kinda role. She is Ma Rainey, a successful black singer who comes to a recording studio to cut a record with her band and entourage, so to speak. She's a powerful lady and people make way for her and do her bidding because she is a star. Davis exudes this attitude and confidence of someone who has had to deal with so much as a black woman in the 1920's. When she says go, you go. I like that Davis can bring a little ferocity to the performance in the moments when she needs to put her foot down and get her way or say no or whatever it is. Her accent is great and her bad makeup fully rounds out the character. I think some people may point to this performance as being too short for this category and I can understand that. It clocks in only around like 26 minutes or so, roughly about a third of the film's run time. But besides the young woman she keeps around as eye candy, Ma Rainey is the only female role in the film and of course the film's name is about her. She is the focus or is hovering around the edges even when not on screen, kinda like Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lector. So I do feel like she belongs here and isn't category fraud. I don't quite like the fact that Davis didn't sing the songs, which I get and totally understand it's a very specific sound, but when you play a singer and don't actually sing (minus a barely sung little thing that doesn't really count) I'm going to count that against you. Davis nails the personality of Ma Rainey perfectly and gives a good performance, it might just be too little for me to fully get behind. Definitely worth the watch, though, easily.

Andra Day - The United States vs. Billie Holiday

This performance reminds me so much of Cynthia Erivo from the year prior. Strong, important black woman in history (of varying degrees) with a singular great acting performance coming from a very lackluster to mediocre film. That's exactly what Day is in this performance. The film is not that great and honestly felt like it dragged on way too long even though it's just over two hours. Day is the only reason you pay attention and she claims this film as her own with just a powerhouse performance that dances circles around everyone else involved. This was the second Billie Holiday performance nominated in this category all time, with Diana Ross doing it first in 1972. I enjoyed her debut role which was raw but had obvious talent. I even preferred her version of Strange Fruit. This was also Day's film debut as she was a singer originally, too. I think if you had to make me compare them, I'd take Day's performance in Ross's film as the two better products. Day is good and is a force in the film. I'm glad she was nominated because she really goes all in with the role and makes it something worth watching because Lee Daniels (the director) certainly does not. Like I honestly did not know that Day is an R&B singer first. I thought this was an up and coming actress who had put in some dues to get this role. But no, this was her first just like Ross and Day is easily better and more convincing. And a little more brave, though you can do a lot more things in film in 2020 than in 1972. Day portrays the addicted and out of it part of Holliday's life really well, slurring words, drooping eyes, swaying body. I mentioned something similar in Ross's review, so it really is hard to not compare them both even when I don't mean to do so. This is a solid performance, although it doesn't make me root for it as a winner. I can just recognize she is doing good work and hope that she is able to do more like this and not just be a footnote in Oscar history.

Vanessa Kirby - Pieces of a Woman

 

This was the one nomination that never really won anything but was always on the list of nominees. Kirby plays a young woman who has a homebirth that goes wrong and her baby dies. And so the rest of the film deals with that loss. The homebirth takes over twenty minutes from the start of the film and feels like that is what got the attention of the awards folk. It's not as strong from there and the film is not all that great. Kirby does her best as a grieving mother/woman as we see her deal with an overbearing mother, a too supportive husband who spirals out of control, and her own delusions that having a homebirth was the sane and rational thing to do. Don't understand homebirths and trusting yourself to people who have no medical knowledge and who suggest going to the hospital when things go wrong. She did this to her self and I don't think we really see that guilt in the film. We see her reacting negatively to everyone around her who tries to help and then questions her decisions. Then she stands up for the woman who was in charge of the homebirth and spares her from being convicted of a crime. It's some absolute garbage and the film and performance suffers greatly from that scene. Figures that the writer/director of the film suffered the same thing and thinks homebirth is okay. Totally ready to defend my anti-homebirth stance because it's so dumb but also the performance goes downhill after the birth scene. I think it's that there is a real relationship at first and then they both react as if they are strangers. Then Kirby becomes unlikable despite the writer and director trying to make her into a sort of strong character because she moves on and forgives the homebirth woman. Not a fan of this one, though I understand all it offers and that Kirby is only playing a character and does a great job of inhabiting her. I just don't think it's as strong as it thinks it is and Kirby goes downhill a bit from the very vivid and intense opening. Hoping we get to see more from Kirby in this space because I recognize she is a talented actress and could excel given a better role.

Carey Mulligan - Promising Young Woman

 

Mulligan was the presumptive front runner for most of the season even though the awards were spread out to everyone. I thought it was going to be Mulligan winning and yet McDormand won her third because reasons. Having now seen this film and performance, I understand why people thought it was going to win. I feel like it's the most interesting of the five to me, though I'm sure folks can argue the merits for everyone else being more interesting. But this is a tough role to pull off because it teeters right on that edge of comedy and realism. It's some real dark humor with lots of actual true to life moments that make you uncomfortable. Mulligan has such an unenviable task of making this character who is out getting revenge for her best friend who was raped and then killed herself into a fully fleshed out person who we can connect with. I think Mulligan succeeds at that because she can deliver dark comedy or dark truth on the same wavelength. She effortlessly slips into the drunk woman who trusts anyone only to become that guy's worst nightmare later. She has moments of great comedy just by certain looks and way she says things. She's terrifying at times and could honestly see her pulling off some serial killer horror film vibe. She's caring and warm at times when she needs to be and it just points to how many different characters she has to play, often in the same scene. This was the only performance that I was truly intrigued by right from the beginning and through to the end. It's not just some revenge porn fantasy, since the ending isn't the happiest it could be and because she only tries to scare scumbag dudes straight and not anything worse except for those directly responsible. I think Mulligan is terrific as an actress and probably should re-watch her Oscar nomination for An Education now that I've grown my own education of film and the Oscars. But this is solid and should have been an easy win for her. Will never understand the urgency to crown McDormand so quickly when you can reward a super strong performance like this right now. This is the only performance I'd rather watch again of the five and I think that says everything about this group for me.

Continuing that theme from the last sentence there, this is a disappointing group of nominees because most of them just didn't move me to really get behind them. Honestly, McDormand for a third Oscar winner, doesn't do much for me at all. Too much of her just reacting to things around and playing herself rather than giving us an all-time performance, which is what I feel that should be. Especially when she doesn't do anything exceptional or better than her fellow nominees. Day is good and probably caught lightning in a bottle just the same that Diana Ross did, but she gave it her all and was entertaining and I can't hate on her being in this group. Kirby does have a tough assignment and does well within the confines of the film and the role, but it could have been better. I blame the film more than Kirby who is good and I can see her getting some roles down the line to return here. If not for Mulligan, Davis would have been my winner, even with the short role. Maybe category fraud, but she is large and in charge and a force in the film felt even when not on screen. That's a good performance in my book. Mulligan has the hardest role and I think turns in a great performance that is more understated than maybe it should be. She could have been louder with it if she wanted but I enjoyed what she was able to do and was the only one to really intrigue me for me than a little bit. Some good names, but not the best which speaks to leading roles for women in 2020 and beyond. Kinda sad, but hopeful for 2021 now.

Oscar Winner: Frances McDormand - Nomadland

My Winner: Carey Mulligan - Promising Young Woman

Viola Davis

Andra Day

Frances McDormand

Vanessa Kirby

Supporting Actor 2020

This was Daniel Kaluuya's Oscar the whole way through. He won everything throughout awards season and it made for a very uninteresting race for this category. The only interesting and shocking thing was that LaKeith Stanfield's name was announced on the morning of the nominations. He wasn't on anyone's list and I don't think he was nominated by any other group which made his inclusion so surprising. Especially because the other fifth nominee all season long was Chadwick Boseman and you'd think that the Academy would have loved to double posthumously nominate him. Really interested to see Kaluuya because no one else was even really a thought here besides Boseman.

2020 Best Supporting Actor

 

Daniel Kaluuya - Judas and the Black Messiah

 

Yeah, this was Daniel Kaluuya's Oscar from the jump. And he legitimately deserves it! If alive during this time, we all saw the commercials where he was shouting a call and response of I am...a revolutionary! That is the film in a nutshell but also speaks to Kaluuya's great use of diction and cadence. It feels important and like it has gravitas behind it. And that's the thing with this performance, Kaluuya plays Fred Hampton, a leader in the Black Panther party who uses his oratory skills (at 21 in real life) to help win over lots of different looking and minded folks. Kaluuya is legit fantastic at how he uses cadence and tone to hammer home his speeches and message. I love how the speeches resonate like they are fresh for today and speaking to the audience. I also like how he is a real person underneath as we see him flirt with a random lady who becomes a member of the party. It's gradual and earned and gives his character a bit of an arc and some actual character development. Kaluuya is best at being on the stage giving speeches, but he is also great at the quiet moments between staff, his girl, and when he has to take over and be a leader. When he goes to different folks like the rednecks and the Latinos, it all just works. He has two voices, the big speeches and the normal everyday conversations with the community. This is one of those performances where I think he wins because his grand moments are so good and powerful that you can't forget them. Yeah, he has all the other moments, but we are forever remembering the I am....a revolutionary! call to arms. It's great stuff and I am so glad that Kaluuya got more to do after Get Out because that could have been the highlight of his career, but we got some even better acting here.

Sacha Baron Cohen - The Trial of the Chicago 7

This almost felt like who should represent this absolutely stacked film, okay let's give it to Cohen who also has a great film with his Borat thing and leave it at that. Which is not to say that Cohen is not a good actor, because he is a great dramatic actor and has proved himself of that many times before. I think Cohen really gets the nod here because he has the most Oscar worthy moment where he is on the stand and has the line of I didn't think my thoughts were on trial. I don't think anyone else has a quotable line like that and Cohen played his character to great effect. He was worried about his American accent but I think it was good, though I couldn't place where it was from and his character Abbie Hoffman was from Massachusetts and California so it was a mixed accent. The fact that I am critiquing his accent should tell you that he does a great job with the actual content of the performance. We get flashbacks, or maybe flashforwards because I think that's what they were, of his stand up and it is good. Cohen does a good job with the role and with the film and keeps us invested in everything. It feels like Cohen should have an Oscar acting nomination by now and I'm glad he does because he is a great chameleon of an actor. I have to point out this is his third nomination, as he was nominated for writing both Borat films, which I think also points to how much the Academy likes him and why he was nominated in this film. Never going to be a winner, but a pretty good film to watch regardless.

Leslie Odom Jr. - One Night in Miami...

Leslie Odom Jr. was a double nominee this year as he also was nominated for co-writing a Best Song nominee for this film. Which has happened multiple times recently where someone was nominated for acting and song in the same year, with 2017 being the first time it ever happened with Mary J. Blige. Wild. Odom Jr. plays soul singer Sam Cooke in this film where Jim Brown, Malcolm X, and Cooke all hang out in Miami and then celebrate Cassius Clay's title bout. It's based off a one act play and it feels like a bottle episode of a TV show where everything takes place in one room. That's not exactly how the film goes as there are a few different locations, but the sentiment is the same. The guys all come together and discuss topics of the day and each of their impacts on the black community. It wants to be a lot more intellectual than it really is, so it suffers from a lack of punching power to make these discussions have any emotional impact on the viewer. It's really cool to see these guys all together and butting heads and doing what each does best. But the appeal is mostly these famous people all being portrayed and not the substance of what they say, unfortunately. As for Odom Jr., he is fine as Cooke. I think that he and the actor who portrays Malcolm X, Kingsley Ben-Adir, were the two best of the four guys. Brown and Clay didn't really get to do a whole lot other than look like who they were. I also think that Odom Jr. had the most notable name recognition and is why he was the choice. I wish I could point to some specific Oscar moment, but Odom Jr. is just solidly good throughout with his singing and with showing the passion of Cooke's convictions. A good performance that I can't get too excited about, but a film worth watching.

Paul Raci - Sound of Metal

 

This was a performance I was keenly looking forward to watching. The concept of the film was intriguing, which is about a metal drummer and former addict losing his hearing and dealing with that new reality. Raci plays a deaf man who runs a shelter for deaf addicts, for which he is also a recovering addict. Raci had some character actor credits before this but was mostly unknown. He is a prominent figure in the deaf community, however, as he is a child of deaf adults. So Raci can hear, but is also fluent in ASL as he even had a sort of ASL band in that community. So this character is a very personal one for Raci, including being a Vietnam veteran and a recovering addict in real life. All of that points to how real and honest his portrayal of his character is and how he deals with Riz Ahmed's initial reluctance to integrate and deal with his newfound issue. Raci is a no bullshit kind of guy and the character is the same way, he just lays out the truth and goes from there whether you want to accept it or not. His talk with Ahmed about continuing on with the program in a different role to help others and being disappointed with his decision to get a cochlear implant is very raw and feels entirely authentic. It's like a father trying to help his son only to realize he is still addicted to something else that isn't drugs and needing to cut ties. This is a performance where Raci's real life experiences help shape and form his character into something so wholly believable that we forget he is acting in a film. We feel his passion to help and his disappointment when it doesn't end how he would like it to end. We understand that deaf people don't need to be fixed and Raci hammers that message home that it's okay to be deaf. A wonderfully real performance that has me rooting for it now.

LaKeith Stanfield - Judas and the Black Messiah

 

This was the surprise of the morning when nominations were announced. Probably the biggest one of the whole shebang. Stanfield is basically the lead of the film. He wasn't nominated anywhere that carried weight with Oscar prognosticators but was nominated in lead for like the NAACP and BET awards. Him showing up in Supporting was out of left field and just absolute category fraud. He is the catalyst for the film, as his character is the one that infiltrates the Black Panther's and reports on their goings on to the FBI who are using him. We mostly see the story through his actions. Stanfield is great in his role, no matter if it belongs in this category or not. He starts out as some chump using a fake FBI badge to boost cars and gets recruited that way. He joins the Black Panthers and weasels his way into a position of importance, at first because he just wants money. But later you can infer that he believes in the cause after all the craziness that has happened and wants to further the cause. He is also beholden to the almighty dollar which seems to win out more than loyalty or principal. Obviously, Stanfield is the Judas in the title of the film. He ultimately betrays Fred Hampton in the end and while he gets out of his troubles with the feds, his life isn't a happy one. Stanfield does a great job in playing both sides of his character where one minute he is committed to the cause and the next he is licking his fingers after a steak dinner paid for by the FBI. He is a great rat, who has to play both sides and be convincing at both. I read that Stanfield went to therapy after this role and I get it. To play a man who brought down a black empowerment movement and potentially killed some prominent figures in black history has to take some time to decompress from even when just acting. It's indicative of how good Stanfield has been recently, and while this is an out of left field nomination, I am glad he got the recognition.

This is a somewhat strong group, maybe a little top heavy. Kaluuya is by far the runaway winner. He just seizes the moment and delivers an incredible performance that leaves a lasting legacy. Raci is also phenomenal but not in the grandiose way that Kaluuya is. Raci is more quiet (no pun intended) and father-like in trying to help out Riz Ahmed's character. Raci has lived that performance in real life before so it brings a lot of authenticity to the role and film. Cohen represents his film and possibly could have been changed out for a couple other actors, but he does have the most memorable moment in the film and feels like a good fit to be nominated. Odom Jr. also represents his film, though it's not particularly strong and I suspect that him have a banner year with his music and theater stuff played into being nominated here. Stanfield is great, but he is absolutely a prime example of category fraud. He is the lead of the film easily and shouldn't be here. I love that he got recognition for the role, though. A decent group with an easy, possible all time winner. Ready for the next one.

Oscar Winner: Daniel Kaluuya - Judas and the Black Messiah

My Winner: Daniel Kaluuya - Judas and the Black Messiah

Paul Raci

Sacha Baron Cohen

Leslie Odom Jr.

LaKeith Stanfield

Supporting Actress 2020

Ok, so this race started off with Glenn Close and Olivia Colman fighting it out while their buzz then kinda fizzled out. Basically Close's film came out and didn't do so well and Colman was a recent winner while the other three started getting more momentum. Youn Yuh-jung then pretty much became the front runner as awards season got fully going. Maria Bakalova and Jodie Foster (not nominated, obviously) were early winners. Not a whole lot of intrigue, especially late in the game, but I am eager to finally get to watch these after so long.

2020 Best Supporting Actress

 

Youn Yuh-jung - Minari

 

Apparently Yuh-jung is a well respected Korean actress who jumped at the chance to play for American audiences and was rewarded with a win. No surprise that if you are a highly decorated actress in your home country that you may have some success elsewhere if given the chance. She plays the grandmother to the two young kids and mother to the wife in this film. She comes off as kooky and fun and not like your normal grandma. Yuh-jung is refreshing in that she isn't the typical grandma figure. The kid asks her if she can can cook and she says no, can you? And that solidifies her as a very amusing character but also one who is secure in who she is and is there for the love of her family. She watches wrestling on TV, teaches the kids a Korean card game while swearing, and trying to convince her grandson to give her more mountain water, which I think was Mountain Dew from an earlier scene. She's a hoot and a welcome figure into the film and she is delightful to watch. I started to wonder if this is what everyone fell in love with, because I get it but was there more? Yes, there was. And spoilers for those that haven't seen it yet, she has a stroke. She isn't used much after this, but she does more than just be crazy grandma. She has an arc and she affects the very end of the film by causing the fire that burns down the barn and has a heartwarming scene with her grandkids as she randomly wanders off in the wrong direction. There is a lot to take in about those last few sentences, but that's what makes the performance so good. She changes on a dime and becomes a totally different person. We can see why she was a giant of Korean acting in this performance and I am super glad that we got to experience it for ourselves. Yuh-jung gave a fully realized performance that has you fully invested in her and the family. A great piece of work.

Maria Bakalova - Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

I mean, lol, what the fuck is this? I loved the first Borat film. I remember I was in the Army and me and my buddies went to watch it and just died laughing in the theater, especially when he wrestled his fat friend while naked on the bed lol. Who would have ever thought there would be a sequel and that it would have a performance worth nominating? This film is funny as hell, but is also cringe as fuck, as in I cringe in embarrassment watching these idiots do their thing (the folks Borat is hoodwinking, I mean). Bakalova plays Borat's daughter. Let's just pause to say this is a young Bulgarian actress improvising in a sequel and actually getting the Academy to take notice. That's damn impressive. I am impressed. She fully commits to her role and if you told me that was an actual person and not an actress, I would totally believe it. She deserves the nomination just for being in the same room as Rudy Guiliani as he lays back and unzips his pants like the garbage human being he is. Like I can't believe how convincing she is and how dedicated to the role she is. And it's a challenging role! I imagine she didn't get take after take to get it right and had to be delicate with the other people involved while always staying in character and being believable. You can also call this a co-lead with Sascha Baron Cohen, but given that Bakalova was unknown I get why this was put in Supporting. Bakalova also kinda makes this an emotional film about a father and daughter and not just a political satire film. She has the job of making the viewer invested in a film where Borat dresses up in all kinds of get ups and acts completely ridiculous. It's a great job by Bakalova and I'm glad to see that she has been getting some more roles recently, even if they aren't of the Oscar variety. I'm hopeful that she can do more great work in the future even if it's more comedic work like this.

Glenn Close - Hillbilly Elegy

A lot of people saw this as just another Oscar bait role for Close. She actually received a Razzie nomination which was only the third time ever someone got a dual nomination for the same role. I remember people just tearing this performance and film apart when it came out, but it seems really unfair to Close and the film. Is it Oscar bait? Oh most definitely! But I feel like Close's heart is in the right place. If you look at those pictures at the end of the film, she looks identical to Mamaw. And as someone who has grown up with and around older relatives/folks like her, she is spot on for a southern grandma. She fit the look to a tee. She also fits the personality to a tee with the inventive salty language, the taking care of the grandkids while failing the actual kids. I don't have personal experience with that but have known plenty of people who have suffered through similar family situations. I don't mind this film even though it is absolute Oscar bait and the fact that J. D. Vance is now some piece of shit asshole running for Senator of Ohio and might actually win (update: he did), it's just gross. Hard to really feel for him when he supports garbage ideals. Hopefully he loses and fades into obscurity, can't imagine how Usha feels but I don't know their dynamic. Anyway, this is about Close and this is her eighth nomination without a win. It's a record tied with Laurence Olivier, so not bad company. I actually don't think it's worthy of a Razzie and she does a great job of inhabiting her character. The family of Vance came on set and were blown away by how much she embodied Mamaw which says a lot about her performance. It's not bad at all, just in an Oscar bait film where people who don't know the life will ridicule it as some kind of bad acting. Close is good in the role but she was never going to win because the role just doesn't stand out enough in the film. Hard for me to hate on this one.

Olivia Colman - The Father

 

It's one of those things you see when paying close attention to the Oscars every year and something I have harped on a ton in this blog, but Colman is still in that window after her Oscar win to where she will garner consideration and nominations for solid work. This feels like a nomination because she was a recent winner. Not to say that Colman is bad, but this film obviously belongs to Anthony Hopkins. Colman plays the daughter of Hopkins who is helping take care of her father who is suffering from dementia. It's a heavy subject matter and so you already know what beats the performance should hit. Colman plays the role dutifully with her patience, her frustration, her sadness when her father lashes out at her. There is a bit of a moment near the end where she breaks down crying when talking to her father that probably gets the attention of the voters and is one of those Oscar type of moments. Her work is steadfast and I'd honestly say that if you put this in the Leading category, I might not bat an eye at it. She's in about 40% of the film so it does belong in this category, but she is the main female character. It's solid which is about the best thing I can say. If it wasn't included in this group, that would be okay but it's a good performance from an Oscar darling so here she is. That sounds totally dismissive of her performance but I promise it's not. It plays well off of Hopkins and adds to the sadness of the film and allows Hopkins to shine even more in his role.

Amanda Seyfried - Mank

 

Seyfried has been putting in work since her debut in Mean Girls and it has translated into an Oscar nomination and an Emmy win for playing Elizabeth Holmes, which was a great miniseries. Honestly, as many others have said about this role, this is a perfect pairing between role and actress. She has the look and feel of a Golden Era actress and makes the role feel lived in. When she is delivering lines with sassy comments or some old 30s vernacular, none it feels odd or out of place. She makes it all feel natural and not just like an actress playing pretend and way out of her depth. The best scenes she has are when alone with Gary Oldman's Mank and it feels like Marion Davies is allowed to be herself rather than a trophy wife to William Randolph Hearst who has to always play a certain type of pretty and naive character. It's a short performance at something like eighteen minutes or so, but Seyfried leaves a lasting mark on the film. We want to see more of her and would be okay with more interactions between her and Mank. Really excited at the kind of work Seyfried is doing lately and feel like she will be back again on one of these lists very soon, maybe even winning. A really perfect role for her that was made more interesting by her performance and helped inject the film with a bit of life whenever she was onscreen.

Kind of a surprising group of nominees. You can clearly see the diversity the Academy has been infusing in the past couple years starting to pay off. Close feels like a throw in nominee, one that the old Academy folks rallied around. I don't hate the performance like some because I've seen that type of person in real life before. But it is Oscar bait and won't be among her best of her eight nominations. Colman was a previous winner who is still in her window where as long as she does good work, she will most likely get nominated and did so here. It's a good performance, but not one that should win anything. Seyfried was a standout, perfectly encapsulating her character and making the film better. Could be a mix of the old and new Academy folks going for someone young, but who played a famous old actress. Bakalova is the biggest surprise because she was a complete unknown and in a Borat film. But she did so much with a tough role that she gets rewarded with second place for me. Hope to see her in more stuff down the line. Yuh-jung was awesome to see and clearly a product of Parasite winning and there being more diversity in the Academy. She also knocked her performance out of the park and ingested some life into her film. Great performance that makes me want to search out her Korean work to see how good it is, too. An interesting group, with a great winner that I think will eventually rank towards the top half of winners in this group. On to the next year!

Oscar Winner: Youn Yuh-jung - Minari

My Winner: Youn Yuh-jung - Minari

Maria Bakalova

Amanda Seyfried

Olivia Colman

Glenn Close