Best Picture 2021

This was an interesting awards season for sure. CODA premiered at Sundance in January and became the little engine that could and survived all season to end up winning. But during the season, it didn't seem like much of a contender until it won SAG and then the PGAs. Before that, it looked like it would go to The Power of the Dog, but it faded for some reason. It was actually exciting to watch and we didn't really know who would win until the winner was read out. And CODA ticked off a bunch of firsts or rare feats such as: first Sundance film, first film from a streaming service (Apple TV+), and the first predominantly deaf cast to win BP. It was the 6th film without a Best Director nomination and the fewest nominations since 1932's Grand Hotel to win BP. Some crazy stats that are directly influenced by the newer, more diverse Academy from the last couple of years. It feels like the Oscars are changing for the better, hopefully that continues to hold true going forward.

2021 Best Picture

 

CODA

 

I see why this won Sundance and gained so much momentum that it became a Best Picture winner. This is a hilarious film that is a crowd pleasing coming of age film that will be a tearjerker at times. Just read that back and realize it hits a lot of emotional notes and can easily get the vote of people throughout the Academy. So the film is about a girl (Emelia Jones, who I maybe would fight for a Best Actress nomination if I was feeling feisty) who is hearing but comes from a family of deaf people, hence the title (child of deaf adults). They are fishermen out of Massachusetts and are struggling. Ruby also loves to sing and can at any time because her family can't hear her. She has a crush on a boy (played by the kid who starred in Sing Street which is absolutely fantastic, by the way) who signs up for choir, so she does as well. There are family issues about not bringing in enough money, Ruby needing time to focus on choir and not being able to interpret for them, and just normal school age drama. The draw is Ruby's interactions with her family which is Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur as her mom and dad. There's so much humor from them and how they live and how they respond to Ruby that makes you crack up laughing. We become invested in Ruby succeeding at singing and also getting into college and getting with her crush and balancing her family issues. There's a lot going on but it's such a feel good film and such a likable journey that it's so easy to get caught up in the film and laugh and cry and get angry at what goes on. It has that universal appeal and I feel like that is why it won Best Picture. So many people probably loved it and wanted to reward a predominately deaf cast that they gave it a win. Is this an amazing BP winner on par with like Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, or No Country for Old Men? No, of course not! This would probably rank in the bottom half or third of BP winners, but is a wholly enjoyable film. It's easy to root for which is probably why it won and it has the deaf quality going for it, too, to make it easy to vote for. It's honestly nothing amazing and is like a ton of other films, but this was what was nominated and it won. It might not be my winner, but I have to find that out for myself.

Belfast

This film is Kenneth Branagh's ode to his childhood upbringing in Northern Ireland at the start of the Troubles. This kind of film has become the thing for big name directors in the last couple years with Alfonso Cuaron's Roma and Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans. Like Roma, Belfast is (mostly) shot in black and white and looks incredible, as all black and white films should honestly. It tells the story through the perspective of Buddy, who is the stand-in for Branagh's younger self. And let me tell you that Jude Hill is a terrific child actor and if you've followed this blog before, you know I abhor child actors, especially nominations because they are usually pretty awful. Hill is so expressive and appropriate childlike that I don't feel like I was watching some precocious child actor try to be too cutesy. He was a perfect foil for the story and absolutely made it better. This is a very short film by normal Oscar standards today at just over an hour and a half and that is probably my biggest gripe about the whole thing. If this was expanded to two hours, I think it could have gone more in depth with Judi Dench's Granny character, spoke more about the Troubles and how it was effecting the family, maybe delve into Buddy's little romance a bit more. It felt like there could be more done to make this a fuller story. It comes off almost like the fleeting memories of a young child as it darts between fun little short scenes where say Buddy has a talk with his Pops (Ciaran Hinds) about math and girls to a scene where the street is being overrun by rioters wanting Catholics to leave. Yet still I loved the film a lot. Those short scenes help establish the characters and help make this a heartfelt film at its core. There are a rollercoaster worth of emotions as you watch this story play out because it touches on Buddy's budding romance, the terror of the Troubles, family financial frustrations, and childlike curiosities. I also was blown away by the framing and shot compositions in a lot of the scenes. Just exquisite shots where you'll see Buddy's parents arguing on one side of the frame in a doorway and Buddy hiding on the other with like a door jam or wall separating them. Beautiful stuff that is found throughout the film, not just in a couple scenes. I wish I could show pictures of what I mean here! There are other shots where the camera is below the characters pointing up at them and it just feels like we are small and young and looking at these towering figures which are the parents or grandparents and it's really smartly done without being excessive. The more this film sat with me, the more I enjoyed it and wanted to watch it again. Great performances by all the aforementioned actors but also Caitriona Balfe and Jamie Dornan, too. Really great and enjoyable personal film from Branagh that I wish was just a little longer and more filled out, but still a great watch.

Don't Look Up

This absolutely feels like filler, and I'll explain, but this film is so representative of the pandemic and that feeling. Don't Look Up is an unfortunately apt representation of how people are today. So why does this feel like filler, you ask? Because this was the year that the Academy went back to a full ten nominees instead of the possible 5 - 10. And this film feels like it was one of those on the edge of not being nominated versus actually nominating it. This film got four nominations and won none of them. It just kinda seems like the Academy really loves Adam McKay's work, understandable since the Academy has a decidedly left leaning stance with its members, and they've nominated his previous works for Best Picture as well. The film is about some scientists who discover a huge comet is hurtling straight towards Earth and will impact the planet in a couple months. Initially, they get the run around when trying to tell the world and then once believed and used for cheap political points, some people believe it's fake and made up or not as serious as the scientists claim. You can see the parallels to the Covid pandemic and response from various political figures and people in general. I only say it feels like filler because it never had a shot at winning and is the kind of film to look back on in 10 - 20 years and and be like oh yeah, that film was nominated for BP. Not to say I didn't enjoy it, though! It's biting satire with a stacked all star cast and a breezy, hilarious script. The film moves at a good pace and makes you frustrated and disgusted at how people might react in the situation because we lived through exactly that with the pandemic. It's an entertaining film and actually has good special effects for the end of the world scenes. Definitely worth seeking out to watch, just don't expect some kind of high level BP film and realize this is more like a really well made disaster flick and your head will be in the right place to enjoy it more.

Drive My Car

 

I had to sit on this one for a bit after watching and let it digest. I don't think I can give a very good review or put my thoughts down to do justice to this film. It has so many layers that I feel I'd need to watch it like two or three more times to be fully comfortable in talking about it in a coherent way. Hopefully that doesn't scare you off because it is a phenomenal film and it's one of those films that will forever make the greatest films of all time lists that covers world cinema and not just American blockbusters. This is a Japanese film, but it goes a little deeper than that and I'll explain how in a second. But my love for Asian cinema has grown so much recently because of these great films from Japan or Korea (Parasite) or Thailand (shoutout Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives) or Hong Kong (In the Mood For Love, holy shit). There are lots of others but I am now fully experiencing them and the fact that the Academy nominated a Japanese film based on a Haruki Murakami short story, or rather a couple from what I learned, is opening up the world of film to so many folks who just don't have that appreciation yet. So Kudos to the Academy for that. But what about the film itself? Well, like I said it's layered but the gist is a famous actor/director goes to a town to put on a presentation of Uncle Vanya, which is a play by Anton Chekhov. He does this after his wife drops dead suddenly after a brain hemorrhage. That happens about 40 minutes into the three hour film and that's surprisingly when the opening credits start rolling. That first 40 minutes is jam packed full of all kinds of intrigue that made me wonder just where this film was driving me. Hidetoshi Nishijima is the main actor and we see he is a stage actor and his wife a TV writer. We then see that she is cheating on him and he goes for a long drive and comes back and he finds her dead. Now we sort of start the real story which is one that leans heavily into different topics such as loss, grief, love, expression through art, how art can answer or pose questions in our life, solace, regret. It goes on and is why I need multiple viewings to fully grasp everything. Nishijima takes on the play and has a young female driver drive his car which he at first objects to because that's his time to learn his lines and be with his wife as he listens to a recording of her saying lines from his play and he responds as part of his method of learning lines. These two develop a relationship that eventually shows to be more father-daughter, but I definitely at times was wondering if it'd become more or what her deal was because she is processing her own trauma. This on top of the actual play where we see them go through the extensive rehearsals which is multilingual with Korean, Japanese, Mandarin who also speaks English, and Korean sign language as part of the actual play, which is super fascinating to me. There is so much going on and I kept running into the same word when reading reviews about this film which said engrossing, engrossing, engrossing and it truly is. It pulls you in and rewards your patience with a fulfilling story that just has this vibe that I can't explain but it keeps me invested, engrossed maybe? Kidding aside, the acting performances are phenomenal and Nishijima probably should have been nominated in Best Actor and I hate that he wasn't. The story is so dialogue focused that it makes sense it was nominated for screenplay and I am happy that it won Best International Feature. And Ryusuke Hamaguchi absolutely deserved his Best Director nom because this film is gorgeously shot, has so many beautifully framed shots, the story is so complex and rewarding, and the performances are great. This film is amazing and should be a gateway for many people to look into other amazing Asian films like this one.

Dune

 

I love Dune. By that I mean the book (which I admit I didn't finish when I read it in middle school because it was so incredibly dense), the David Lynch film which certain scenes stuck with me for a long time, and the SyFy (though I think it was Sci-Fi Channel at the time) miniseries, both of them! I am well versed in the Dune world, although not anywhere close to the folks who can rattle off the families and history of planets like it's something they studied in high school. I'm a fan, so I was thrilled to see this star studded cast directed by the amazing Denis Villeneuve. This was considered unfilmable because it is so dense in information and because the Lynch version bombed hard. So it was awesome to see a big name take this project on and deliver an Oscar nominated film that made a lot of money and has garnered lots of buzz for Part Two. And that means Part One was never going to win the Oscar because the Academy is never going to reward the first film of an already announced sequel. But what we can do is just take in this marvelous film and enjoy that Villeneuve knocked it out of the damn park. Let me digress for a moment and say how jealous I am of those coming into this film with absolutely no knowledge of Dune as a sci-fi series with a few books, films, miniseries, comics, all of that. I would love to come in completely fresh having no prior knowledge of this world to experience Villeneuve's version. It's got to be incredible and I hope you tell me in the comments if that is your experience. The end result for me is what I have been waiting for a quarter decade. For a story that includes a lot of political intrigue, we don't see those scenes of twenty minutes of political maneuvering or discussing things endlessly about their evil plans. The pace in this film is incredible and we move from one thing to the next without it getting bogged down in scenes that take us out of the world. There aren't galactic senate scenes to halt all progress. This is Villeneuve giving us straightforward sci-fi that everyone can appreciate and love. I do get the criticism that this film is mostly all set up for the sequel and I get that, but feel this film stands on its own just fine. I am beyond excited for Part Two and can see it winning Best Picture if it delivers.

 

King Richard

I didn't go into this film wanting to hate it, but I was a bit apprehensive that this would be a sappy, mediocre Will Smith Oscar bait film that would be entirely forgettable. That was before awards season really got into swing but it kept getting love and decent reviews and made a lot of money at the box office. It's easy to see why as this is a definite crowd-pleaser that hits all the emotional beats you want it to while giving us a pretty good story of how the Williams sisters were raised to be tennis legends. Yes, this is essentially Oscar bait for Smith, but his performance is good and is a toned down version of his usual roles which is a good thing. It's a pleasant film that doesn't really dive very deep into how much of an asshole Richard really was and that's to be expected when the sisters helped produce the film. But I do wish it had gone more in depth with that because we could have got a more complex, nuanced story that was more than just the rise to prominence for Venus. However, the best thing about this film are the girls that play Serena and Venus, Demi Singleton and Saniyya Sidney, respectively. You have to get their casting perfect for this film to succeed and they nailed these roles. Both are exceptional as the sisters and don't feel like they are wooden or awkward or can't act and were hired because of looks or athleticism. They hard carry this film with Smith and are honestly the stars of the film for me. When I say they had to be perfect, they both were. They have similar looks and their tennis game looks legit and we actually see them hitting balls and doing tennis things, not all hidden with edits and camera angles. Also, one of the girls was left handed and had to learn to play tennis right handed to match one of the sisters and that's insane that they learned the game like that just for them and the film ended up better for it because all of the tennis scenes are rooted in realism. And the two are just really likable young women, so it was easy to root for them in the film and become more engaged in the story. So if you're coming for a Will Smith Oscar win, you're probably staying for some great acting from the sisters and a story that is easy to digest and enjoy. It's not an all time film or anything, but I can point to way worse films in this category and I'd say this one is fine being here.

Licorice Pizza

Let's just go ahead and get this out of the way right from the start: this film is a little bit controversial because of the age difference between the two characters and I think it's a legitimate qualm with the film. For some people, it's going to temper how they feel about the film and maybe even outright get them to hate it and I completely understand. The story is about Gary (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman's son, Cooper), a 15 year old who meets Alana (played by musician Alana Haim) at school picture day who is 25 years old. Gary flirts with Alana and asks her out and she does show up to the date later and a very tumultuous relationship begins. Now, if you flip the sexes and make the guy 25 and the girl 15, it comes off super creepy and probably not something you'd want to watch onscreen, especially not in a lighthearted, romantic way. I agree a bit with that thinking as it keeps me from rooting for them and being disgusted by Alana's character. Most other people don't seem to care because this is a Paul Thomas Anderson film and he delivers another well made film. If you can get beyond the icky age difference, the two leads are making their film debuts and they are very raw. This gives their performances a very naturalistic feel, which at times it works really well and others it feels strained and like we are watching people audition. So the two leads are going to be your bellwether on if you like the film or not. It's a slice of life picture set in the mid 70s in California and I guess has a lot of influence from PTA's upbringing and those of people he knows who grew up there. The title comes from a chain of record shops in the area at the time, which I'm sure you were wondering about. The story is decent enough as it goes from adventure to adventure with the two leads like Gary selling waterbeds, or him opening a pinball arcade up, or them getting involved with different sort characters like Sean Penn, Bradley Cooper, and Benny Safdie who all play real people from the area around that time. The music and songs used in the film are pretty great and what you'd expect for a film set in California in the 70s. The components are all there for this to be another PTA classic, but it just falls short with the weird age difference thing for me. Sorry not sorry, we like what we like. Probably the weakest effort from PTA for me personally besides the messy Inherent Vice and hope his next film is back to the level of his other amazing films.

Nightmare Alley

Guillermo del Toro doing what he does best, as usual. This is a neo-noir psychological film that drifts into melodrama and I am here for it. I love those old films where the mystery and tension are so thick you can wrap yourself up in it and the performances are either so overwrought with emotion or such sparingly enigmatic puzzles to figure out. The performances in this film may have more nuance to them, but they echo those of older films in this type of genre. Del Toro said that he didn't remake the 1947 film of the same name, he adapted the book that film was based on. It does make me want to watch the Tyrone Power version right now to see how they line up next to each other. Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, and Rooney Mara are all fantastic as you would imagine and fit into a neo-noir film perfectly. Cooper can play the brooding, mysterious lead to great effect, Blanchett can be the sultry, femme fatale sort of figure, and Mara can play that supporting woman who has her own strengths wonderfully. The rest of the cast is stacked with Willem Dafoe, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn, Toni Collette, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins, and some other folks you'll recognize by face. As you'd expect from a del Toro film, the set and production design are top notch and really add to the overall feel of the film with the carny exhibits and tents with dead babies in jars and all the usual things you'd find at a freakshow. The story is about Cooper who has a sordid past who finds himself at a roadshow carnival and starts working there and learns to be a mentalist and then becomes renowned for it but is essentially just grifting and tricking folks for money. We see how that leads to his downfall but I enjoyed it all the way through the film. A lot of the complaints I read online were that the pacing was too slow and people felt like not much happened, which I completely disagree with. I think this film probably lands differently with people that love the old time neo-noir thrillers and the atmospheric genre films that del Toro is known for. It's runtime is two and a half hours but I didn't feel that length as there was a lot to enjoy in all aspects of this film. This is a great film to grab some popcorn and some drinks and sit back and enjoy the vision that del Toro has lovingly crafted.

The Power of the Dog

This film was your front runner for most of the season and I absolutely thought it was going to win BP even with the momentum CODA had picked up prior to Oscar night. Having now seen it, I understand what everyone saw in this film for it to be the presumptive winner for much of the season. Jane Campion won Best Director for this film and it's to see why she did. It's beautifully shot with so many expertly crafted scenes and shots exquisitely framed. I love the scenes at the beginning and end of the film where we see Benedict Cumberbatch's character walking outside the house with the camera moving through the house as we see glimpses of him through different open windows. It evokes thoughts of The Searchers and that famous doorway scene. Cinematography is fantastic as you'd expect from a Western film shot in New Zealand to be (though the film takes place in Montana). The acting throughout the film is superb with four total acting nominations to show for it. The minimalist score from Jonny Greenwood suits the film so well instead of having these sweeping, epic string symphonies you'd get in other Western films. It really punctuates scenes where a bit of atonal violin adds tension and dread or even the lack of music adds to the feel of the film. The film is almost a slow burn where after an hour and fifteen minutes into a film that is just over two hours long, I wasn't sure exactly where it was heading. It's paced well, though, and the different chapters help it move quickly. It also supposes that the viewer is intelligent and can fill in missing info on their own or just let it ride and not worry about a lifetime of backstory to see where it all ends up. This isn't going to be for some folks, but it grabbed me quickly and I had to watch to see what was going to happen. There's not even a twist or anything at the end, it just ratchets up the tension (and dread, for me) and allows you to fill in the blanks and decipher some hints about motivations. So the film leaves a lot up to the viewer and I think it succeeds in that way because I'm still thinking about the film and what it means or doesn't mean or what the motivations of the characters are. Apparently the book is more explicit in why things happen with more backstory to guide you into understanding what is going on, so I like that this film didn't hold our hand and tell us everything and allowed us to soak in the acting and the story and go from there. Interestingly enough, this was the first film since The Graduate to only win Best Director and no other awards. Not sure this will be iconic as that film still is, but this one is fantastic and right up my alley for an Oscar film. Probably would have made for a much better winner looking back in ten or twenty years, too.

West Side Story

Did this need to be remade? No. Is it lame that Steven Spielberg decided to remake it? Yes. It could NEVER live up to the original. It would be like remaking Jaws or Schindler's List. You can never live up to a timeless classic like this one. The main thing right off the bat for me is that this film doesn't have the edge and sharpness to it that the original does. The original has this feeling of yeah, it's a musical, but the energy and tension is visceral and you feel it all the way through the film. I never felt that in this version. It felt muted and softened and moments like the rumble where Riff and Bernardo are killed don't feel as horrifying or like the gut punch it should be. The cinematography for most of the film is pretty good and a lot of the dance scenes, specifically for America, are vibrant and interesting pieces to watch unfold. But there's a lot of dullness to the film, where it feels like sets and not real life. Yeah, the original had lots of sets, but they felt lived in and meshed well with the outside shots of the neighborhood. Maybe it's because cameras are so much better that we can easily see what looks artificial. But what I really hated about the look of the film are all the damn lens flares. Is this directed by Spielberg or JJ Abrams? It was obnoxious and I can't stand that in films that don't need it. This isn't a sci-fi adventure, it's a beloved musical. Why are all the lights as bright as the sun? The acting is mostly pretty good. None really come close to being better than the original besides maybe Rachel Zegler over Natalie Wood's character. I know some will fight back on that but I did like Zegler a bit more than Wood. Ariana DeBose is very good and easily earned an Oscar win, but Rita Moreno gives arguably the best Supporting Actress performance ever. The rest of the cast are fine, if a bit lackluster. The dancing is not at all up to par with the original, the songs are still as great as ever. The main change is that Moreno plays Valentina who takes the place of Doc from the original. This film felt more like a well made homage than its own unique version of the story. It's like the touring version of the musical with maybe one original member versus the main run from Broadway. It's like the remake of a beloved cultural hit that they tried to modernize a bit fifty years later. Oh, wait. It just feels a bit lesser in every way and it's a shame because it is still entertaining because this is the story and musical we all know and love. It's not bad by any means and this hopefully sparked a love in people for musicals because it makes me want to go back and watch the original again.

A really strong, diverse group of nominees. It's got a little bit of everything and I love the full ten nominees that they changed to last year. I'd rather have more films in the category than wonder why it was only eight films and why they left out such and such films. There still is a little bit of that with the full ten, as I'd put Tick, Tick...Boom! in this group and have it be a top contender. Don't Look Up is entertaining, but it feels like it will be completely forgotten about and mostly already has just a year later. It's definitely the weakest of the group by far. Licorice Pizza is alright but is clearly PTA's worst effort and has a creepy undertone to it that I just can't shake off. King Richard is standard Oscar bait and is an enjoyable film on its own, but the girls really make it worth watching. If not for them, it would just be Will Smith trying hard to win an Oscar, which isn't my idea of fun. West Side Story should never have been remade as it just cannot capture the magic and feeling of the original no matter if it's Spielberg at the helm. It's expertly made and looks great and is very familiar, but it just lacks that edge or something special the first one had. CODA is entertaining and probably should not have won, but I'm okay with it really. It's middle of the pack just because it's such a heartwarming little film. If it wasn't nominated, I don't think we'd miss it, honestly. Belfast is a great little film from Kenneth Branagh and I really enjoyed it a lot. Gorgeous looking with a wonderful story and great acting. Nightmare Alley is a great genre film that throws back to old school film noir and is packed with great talent and is fun to watch. Drive My Car was so surprisingly good that I can't wait to watch a three hour film again to be able to soak in everything it has to say because it is so layered. Highly recommend it. Dune could be a winner, but like the Academy, I'd rather wait and see how Part Two turns out because it just may be Best Picture worthy. Such a great adaptation of the classic book. I guess I'd give the win to The Power of the Dog because it really is fantastic and looks amazing and has an intriguing story and acting to match the story. I think it would have made a good winner that we would look fondly on in the years to come. Overall a very strong year and I'm so happy that we are getting such great films in this category.

Oscar Winner: CODA

My Winner: The Power of the Dog

Dune

Drive My Car

Nightmare Alley

Belfast

CODA

West Side Story

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

Don't Look Up

Leading Actor 2021

Unfortunately, this was Smith's Oscar all the way. It felt like it was predetermined by everyone that he was going to win no matter what even though from what I've heard others gave better performances. This felt like the Academy felt it was his turn or his time to get one. It sucks that the slap overshadowed everything about this night and allowed Hollywood to shot its ass yet again by giving him a standing ovation like an hour later as he rambled on a really terrible acceptance speech. Smith was banned for 10 years from the Academy and didn't get to present at the next year's awards as is tradition. Honestly, good riddance to an absolute garbage person and hypocrite, but I will keep my mind open to his performance in case it actually is deserving. Let's find out.

2021 Best Actor

 

Will Smith - King Richard

 

Yes, Smith was an idiot on Oscar night and everything that happened was beyond absurd and he deserved his punishment. That said, this is about the performance, which I was keenly intrigued about before all that crap went down. He plays the father of Venus and Serena Williams and we see how his overbearing presence shaped them into tennis legends. It was touted as being a major player before the film even came out, though a lot of his roles start out that way and then fizzle once people actually see them. But this one had staying power and I think a lot of that is due to it being a very engaging and likable film. It's easy to root for Venus and Serena even though we know what they become later on. Smith dominates the film, but the girls standout as well. Smith's accent is okay, it's like a mix of Charles Barkley and Mike Tyson at times. But he is effective in the role of the overbearing father who has to have the final say in everything. I like that this performance doesn't rely much on Smith's big smile and his charming personality. Richard is not always the nicest guy and Smith shows that off to great effect. You can also see Smith really settle into the role as the film progresses and he becomes more confident in his Richard and we get some good scenes. There are some corny scenes, which is to be expected from a film told in a positive light with the sisters' blessing about their father since it barely touches on Richard being a piece of shit with multiple other kids in real life. What I like about the performance is that it doesn't feel like Smith just playing Will Smith playing some real life person. The humor and charm is toned down. We don't get a lot of the baity scenes that don't feel true to life but are designed to get Oscars. I like that it's toned down but Smith still elevates the work into something worth watching and paying attention to despite what he's known for. I would have liked if this film and performance took on more of the negative about his life and his approach with his daughters because I feel like that could have wrung even a little bit more of some truly great work from Smith. I feel he's capable of it and though his work here is strong and easily the best out of his three nominations, it could have been so much better. I'd like to have seen more complexity and depth besides a righteous man who thinks his way is the only way and who gets to riff on others while they sit back and take it, but this is a feel good film partly produced by the sisters so I get it. Smith does what is necessary for the role and does it well and ends up creating a crowd pleasing performance that the Academy fell in love with and rewarded. I can't hate on it at all, it's a good watch, it's entertaining, and that's in large part due to Smith.

Javier Bardem - Being the Ricardos

I was very interested in this performance from Bardem because he is a great actor and I've loved his previous three Oscar nominations. He plays the role of Desi Arnaz ,who we have all seen from the I Love Lucy Show, so there is an expectation of the kind of performance we should be getting for that role. But unfortunately this is a massive miss for Bardem. I don't think he was the right choice at all to play Desi. Never mind that there isn't much of a resemblance, Bardem simply cannot match the presence and charisma that Desi exuded on the show. His attempts, if you can even call it that, at matching the higher pitched voice are awful and he doesn't even stick to it for most of the film. Desi was a peppy, energetic force with an expressive face and eyes and Bardem doesn't convey any of that in the performance. It feels like a producer should have stepped in and said this isn't working out, we need to find someone else (Oscar Isaac was an early choice before Bardem). Even the real life portions of the film where we see the behind the scenes machinations, it feels very by the numbers acting for Bardem, which is a shame because it seems like he wants it to work but just can't get it there. The chemistry with Nicole Kidman's Lucy is fine, but it's not anything that sizzles or feels authentic to what we understand their relationship to be like. The crisp, witty writing that Aaron Sorkin is known for falls flat out of Bardem's mouth and it's just an overall disappointing film and performance, neither helps the other. Not sure what the acting branch saw in all three of the performances nominated from this film other than recognizable characters and previous Oscar winners. This is one to skip, sadly.

Benedict Cumberbatch - The Power of the Dog

The race this year was between Will Smith and Cumberbatch and for a time I thought it was going to be Cumberbatch and I would have been ecstatic at that win. But we got a horrible winner and this film just died a hard death only receiving Best Director after being a front runner in a few categories. This is honestly the best I have ever seen from Cumberbatch. I'm a fan of his TV work, his Marvel work, and his other films but this is his peak so far. Cumberbatch plays Phil, a cowboy/rancher who lives with his brother Jesse Plemons who brings home a new wife, Kirsten Dunst, who is widowed and has a son, Kodi Smit-McPhee. Those are all the players in the story and Cumberbatch is this grumpy, tempermental, mysterious guy who apparently was college educated but became a cowboy from following his mentor, Bronco Henry. He has bought into that lifestyle which is Montana in 1925 and is a hard ass and doesn't wash himself for days. Cumberbatch nails the American accent and just has the gruff, lived in feel to his performance. I read that he stayed in character, didn't wash for weeks, and didn't talk to Dunst on set, really going the method route. The performance has a lot of internalized acting, where we read Cumberbatch's eyes, face, or body language to gleam what his intent is in whatever moment. He only explodes a couple times and they hammer home that his character is in charge and that he can be genuinely hurt by others' actions because it directly affects him. Like when the cow hides are sold or given away (wasn't sure if the gloves Dunst got were payment or not) that scream from Cumberbatch was not in the script and was improvised and surprised all the other actors whose reactions are real. That reaction is because he couldn't use hide strips to make the rope for KSM's character who he had developed some camaraderie for (maybe love, but I can't quite tell if the vibes are homoerotic or not) and wanted to finish the rope and also because Dunst one upped him. If you pare it all down, it's a performance where Cumberbatch is wrestling with himself on who he really is. Is he the strong alpha cowboy who everyone follows? Is he a man attracted to KSM and doing things for his attention? Is he trying to be a mentor like Bronco Henry was to him (and I got the vibe that Bronco Henry was more than a mentor)? There is so much subtext that I feel like you have to watch this film like two or three times to fully figure out your thoughts on who these characters are and even then you'll never truly know. It's a great performance from Cumberbatch and it's what I want to see more from him and less of the Marvel shit because he can easily win one of these in the near future. I didn't do this performance any justice so just go watch it yourself and marvel at how good his acting is.

Andrew Garfield - Tick, Tick...Boom!

 

Oh. My. God. This is brilliance. I am not kidding. This film and performance resonated with me like few others ever have. While watching this I kept pausing and saying what the actual fuck, I love this film. I like Garfield's previous work whether as Spider-Man, or a conscientious objector who goes to war, or a televangelist who grifts folks. This guy can play anything you throw at him. I was not prepared for him to knock my socks off as a version of Jonathan Larson, who everyone knows for creating the RENT musical. This film looks into his life before that success while he was trying to get his other musical shown which became tick, tick..boom! That play debuted after he died suddenly in 1996, but he obviously left a huge, gaping legacy that made it wait until the 2000s for his work to gain resurgence. Larson is interesting, but Garfield is beyond perfect and a once in a lifetime connection to Larson. I love unequivocally that Garfield learned to sing for a year before shooting began because you cannot tell me that he didn't have the chops to sing those songs before this film. Dude's voice is perfect for a musical and he matches the style of some white dude creating his own musical. Not a slight, but a very legit compliment. His energy and dedication to the character are second to none and I can't believe that Garfield isn't a musical veteran and that he hasn't sung much before. I do know that Garfield won a Tony Award just before this started filming for Angels in America, so at least he knows the stage. This dude even did the swimming scenes because he was better than the stunt double they hired. What the hell can't Garfield do? I am still blown away that he wasn't a singer and practiced for a year and gave a performance that I am going to consider one of the best ever. Because I feel it is and can be and the film should have been nominated for Best Picture and maybe Best Director. I wish we could have got more out of Larson but this will do.

Denzel Washington - The Tragedy of MacBeth

 

It's actually pretty cool to see Denzel in a Shakespeare play/film, especially as MacBeth. It is also the first time an actor was nominated for a Shakespeare role since Kenneth Branagh in 1989 for Henry V. Obviously, these types of nominations used to be more commonplace, but I think the tide has turned against them because we have seen so many different adaptations on stage and on the big and little screens through the decades that you need to stand out to be noticed and nominated. Or just be Denzel and that will work for you, too. I jest a bit, but if this were anyone else I highly doubt they would have even sniffed any type of awards, let alone an Oscar nomination. This was Denzel's ninth nomination which is absolutely incredible and is testament to his long, illustrious career. It feels like the Academy has been really pushing for him to get his third Oscar in the last couple of years and I understand the sentiment, I just want him to earn it if that's what happens. You should know the story of MacBeth because even if you never read the play in school or watched a version of it, you've seen a remake in some capacity that had a different name since this story has been told over and over forever. Denzel's MacBeth is good and my fear going into these is just how does the actor treat the lines. Denzel has been on stage plenty of times and is no stranger to that kind of acting, so it's only natural that he fits the role of MacBeth just fine. And while his line delivery isn't the most natural and effortless (I like Brendon Gleeson's delivery in this film for comparison), he plays it like a regular performance of his bringing that gravitas to the role and making you invested in his version of MacBeth. The lines also don't sound so foreign coming out of his mouth which is a good thing because some actors can be wooden or a bit awkward with them or feel like they or simply reciting lines with rehearsed movements. The film is gorgeous and filmed by Joel Coen (minus his brother, Ethan) and his work lends a lot of power to Denzel. It's filmed in black and white and has this ethereal sense to the whole thing and so we don't see Denzel in these garish, period piece costumes with elaborate sets. It's a stripped down version of the story that focuses on the characters and the story and that allows Denzel to act the best way he knows how. He's great in the quieter moments and we know he's amazing at the times he has to get loud and be a force. He's really good at making the paranoia seem real alongside Shakespeare's words. It's as good of a performance of Shakespeare that you can expect from Denzel. At this point, though, I need something like this to blow me away and transcend acting to get me to vote for a Shakespeare performance to win. But this is one that Denzel can hang his hat on and be proud of playing.

Okay, so Smith wasn't awful and was his normal Oscar bait self in those types of films he's done throughout his career. It's fine and if it hadn't won, we'd just think of it as maybe belonging in the group but not entirely deserving of the award. I still don't think it should have won and it seems the Academy was desperate to reward him for whatever reason. The less we say about the bizarre events and that weird standing ovation the better. Interesting that this was a minority majority for the first time ever in the category if I'm not mistaken and that is again because of the new look Academy. Bardem is unfortunately so bad that I can't believe he got nominated. Nothing against him, but that was hard to watch. Washington doing Shakespeare is fun to watch, but you have to be beyond amazing or do something never seen before with the role to get any awards traction with these kinds of performances. Cumberbatch came close to winning and probably would have if not for the push to get Smith an Oscar. I think he was strong but not the best of the year. That goes to Garfield who I just absolutely loved. That performance resonated so well with me for whatever reason. I may need to come back down from it a little but it's easily one of the best musical performances ever in my book. It should have won and we should be hailing Garfield as the gifted actor he is. Just brilliant work. A decent group of nominees with the wrong winner. Hopefully 2022 gets it right.

Oscar Winner: Will Smith - King Richard

My Winner: Andrew Garfield - Tick, Tick...Boom!

Benedict Cumberbatch

Denzel Washington

Will Smith

Javier Bardem

Leading Actress 2021

This race was all over the place for a bit. Kidman won the Golden Globes and BAFTA went to someone not even nominated anywhere else (Joanna Scanlan). Chastain did get SAG and I don't think anyone else really contended after that. There was a lot of Cruz love in the anonymous Oscar ballots that always come out before the ceremony in the press, but obviously she didn't win. The others had buzz at different times, so it will be interesting to see how strong this category really is.

2021 Best Actress

 

Jessica Chastain - The Eyes of Tammy Faye

 

This is the same person who was nominated for Zero Dark Thirty (she should have won), so this just shows her absolute range of two opposite ends of the acting spectrum. This was only Chastain's third nomination but it just felt like from the get go that she was destined for an Oscar. She had turned in killer work after killer work and admittedly this may be a weaker year where two former winners were nominated but weren't serious contenders. But no knock on Chastain who does all the heavy lifting in this film where she plays Tammy Fay Bakker, a wife of a televangelist who got caught up in some controversies like every other televangelist. First thing that jumps out to me is that her high pitched, sing song Minnesota accent is adorable but also so spot on. She has this giggly, school girl laugh and just comes off as a very naive young woman in the early parts of the film and Chastain was totally believable in those moments. When she busts out the puppets or is giving her new husband a hand job in the bath, her demeanor is exactly as you'd expect a sheltered but curious Midwestern girl to be. She keeps up the high energy throughout the film except where the story calls for her to be depressed or sad or whatever, but she nails this character and makes it her own. It's also those moments where she turns real and in the midst of her post baby blues she puts on airs and acts like her persona to help reel in a big investor for the religious channel's theme park and hotel. Those moments puncture the film in various places and serve to highlight the range that Chastain can work in and reminds us that she isn't a one note smiley, cheerful, ditsy, ignorant woman. But boy does she excel at playing the made up, big haired, fancy dressed Tammy Faye. The film itself may not be very strong but cannot deny how great Chastain is in this performance. It's wild that she wins the Oscar for this and not the badass woman on the front lines in Afghanistan and Pakistan who gets the job done by any means necessary. A striking performance that I hope leads to more great roles for Chastain because I love watching her work and wouldn't mind a few more nominations out of her.

Olivia Colman - The Lost Daughter

Colman has quickly become the new darling of the Academy and good for her! Pretty much everything she has done recently has been great but I do think she is still in that window where she recently won an Oscar and everything she does after that is considered for a nomination. I will admit that I don't like this film at all and believe it's okay to straight up not like films but can at least appreciate the performances. Colman is fine in the role, but it doesn't feel like something that should have been nominated to me. Colman plays a professor who goes to a Greek seaside town for a working summer. She interacts with other guests and watching them makes her reflect on her own choices as a mother in her younger years. She doesn't do a whole lot besides sit at the beach and watch another family and interact with them, an Irish guy who works at the beach during the summer, and her American landlord who has been in the town for ages; all foreign. She does an odd thing where she helps find a missing little girl on the beach but steals her doll which everyone is looking for for most of the film. Her character has these little funny and awkward moments where she may say something naughty and then immediately back track or wave at someone thinking it's another person and then dash away when realizing it's not who she thought it was. It's a bizarre character that Colman does what she can with, but it never makes much sense to me. We never really understand the motivations for anything other than knowing she was an awful mother when younger through flashbacks that shows also Oscar nominated for the role, Jessie Buckley. They play the same woman, yet are wildly different in tone from each other. I think that is part of the intent, but the two never really feel connected and I don't see Colman in Buckley's performance and I need that thread that connects them in my mind for it to work. I could see this same performance working in like a dark comedy or something if you change up some things like the score and the flashbacks, which means it feels a bit out of place. Like I said already, Colman is fine and not really the issue. I think the source and the film let her down by trying to be too ambiguous about who she is and what's going on in her world. I thought that maybe her daughter was killed or molested or she killed her daughter but it just turned out she was a shitty mother. There's not much for me to grasp onto to claim it's a great performance or something worth watching. I'd rather watch Colman work with a better writer and director than first timer Maggie Gyllenhaal (did not understand her Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination, honestly). Majorly disappointed in this because I know Colman is fantastic and can create amazing things, we were just let down on this one.

Penelope Cruz - Parallel Mothers

Interestingly, this performance had no precursor nominations anywhere other than some local critics groups, but none of the big ones like the Globes, SAG, or BAFTA. So that tells me how much the acting branch loves Cruz to nominate her and how much they seem to enjoy Pedro Almodovar films because his work has been nominated a bunch in various different categories. This was a bit of a wild film, not gonna lie, so I get the appeal of this one. Just the brief description of the story about two mothers giving birth on the same day who bond together and confront motherhood. Sounds innocent enough and that is exactly what I was expecting. Cruz is older and pregnant for the first time but the man is already married but she doesn't regret having the baby. Her hospital roommate is a teenager and scared and regrets the situation that put her there. You'd think they'd bond over the babies and maybe Cruz gains another, older daughter type of thing. Nah, (spoilers ahead, so be advised) she begins to doubt that her daughter is hers and goes to talk with the teen later on and we learn that the teen's daughter died a crib death. Sad, but then we learn that it wasn't Cruz's daughter and the babies were probably accidentally switched in the hospital. Cruz gets close with the teen before telling her and offers her a room in her house and money to nanny the baby. Well, naturally they sleep together intimately before Cruz tells the teen her daughter is actually alive. Drama and tears ensue of course, but this is all with an undercurrent of the guy Cruz slept with being a forensic archaeologist who she is hoping can help get funding to dig where there is a possible mass grave that has her grandfather and others from her small village. I kid you not. It's a very strange combo for a story to film, so needless to say that Cruz has a ton of emotions to work with in her performance. Seems like an actor's dream and Cruz easily rises to the occasion. She's a terrific actress and I have now watched a few of her Spanish performances and I prefer her in her natural language. She runs through the gamut of emotions from being worried and vulnerable, to strong and decisive, to being confused and devastated, sometimes within the same scene. The impressive part is that she never fails to convince us that she is going through any of the myriad of emotions the film pulls from her. It's all done very naturally and normally and we start to ride that emotional roller coaster with her. It's an entertaining ride that I now see why she was nominated and why a lot of the anonymous Oscar ballots that are in various trade publications were saying she was their pick to win. Just know that this is a bit of a crazy ride that can border on melodrama and just enjoy where Cruz takes you.

Nicole Kidman - Being the Ricardos

 

Doesn't this just kinda feel like a no-brainer of a casting for Lucy Arnaz? I think if you tried to come up with anyone else, you really couldn't. It's a dream match, but the film is such a huge disappointment that it's a shame that Kidman didn't get to shine in a film that could match her star power. The film is bad and Aaron Sorkin is mostly to blame. His writing is noticeably poor where some scenes just fall flat and don't have that punchy wit and bite he is known for. He also directed the film which was the wrong move because it needed a different eye and to avoid his stylistic choices. Another poor choice was Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz, who just could not embody Desi at all. I know this is about Kidman's performance, but all that needs to be said to understand that she's the only good thing about the film. I have never been the biggest Kidman fan, but she gets the look and, mostly, the voice down for Lucy. Seems like a low bar to clear but it's not the case for Bardem and others in the film. I love that she has that domineering presence that Lucy commands and she feels like she is in charge and part of the mastermind behind a very successful show. The film is about a single week in the life of Lucy and Desi as they produce and work on an episode while other issues pop up behind the scenes in their personal life. Kidman handles her husband, her co-stars, the studio folks, the press, everyone with a hard headed determination. She can turn and become the Lucy we know from TV and be lovable and funny and engaging. The chemistry with Bardem is okay, but I feel like with a different actor, maybe that love would have been a bit more spicy and palpable which is what I was expecting. It's hard to get super excited for the performance because the film is a mess and you know that in more capable hands with a more accurate cast, that Kidman would have been more of a contender. It's a decent performance that is betrayed by a bad film.

Kristen Stewart - Spencer

 

I don't think a lot of people realize that Stewart has turned into a phenomenal actor and has been delivering great work for years now. It's good to see the Academy finally recognize her with a nomination, as she has already won a Cesar Award (which is the French Oscar equivalent) back in 2015. I feel people still think of her from her Twilight days but she was acting way before that. Her nomination for this film shows that her talent has grown immensely as she takes on the role of Princess Diana in a very un-princess like way. This is a Pablo Lorrain film, so if you have seen Natalie Portman's turn in Jackie, you know what kind of film it is. It's a highly stylized film with sweeping camera motions, dramatic ethereal score, and an intense acting job at its core. Intense best describes Stewart's performance of Diana as she seems to constantly have a grimace or frustrated, exasperated look on her face throughout the film. It's mostly a look at the pressures she faced assimilating and being comfortable in her role within the Royal family. She wants to be an everywoman but has to contend with the traditions and expectations of the private Royal life. Stewart matches the intensity of the film with her performance and she matches the accent and mannerisms of Diana extremely closely. I read an article that asked some worker, maybe the chef that is featured in the film, about how she compared to Diana and said that she was the closest he had ever seen to match her movements and personality. High praise because there have been so many variations of Diana on screen especially recently. But that's what Stewart brings to the performance is that attention to detail and high quality work ethic. I read that she worked on the accent for six months before shooting began for the film and it shows in the performance and makes for such a great piece of work from her. I'm not a big fan of the film overall but Stewart makes it a must see for her performance alone. I know that we will see more of Stewart in the future in these categories and hope to see more great work from her soon.

Maybe not the strongest group this category has ever seen. I don't think Chastain would win in stronger years, but I am glad she did. She just feels like she should have an Oscar because she consistently puts in great work. I keep it as the winner because everyone else already has one except Stewart and she deserves it. Surprisingly, I wasn't really a fan of Colman's work. The performance is fine enough, but it's not nomination worthy and was totally different from Jessie Buckley's version. I wish someone else had been selected here in her place, no slight against Colman, though. Kidman was entertaining as Lucille Ball, the film just kinda stinks is all. Stewart was fantastic in a tough role that has been done to death recently, no pun intended. It feels like we will be seeing her again in this category very soon with everything she's been doing recently. Cruz was actually very good in a film that was pretty wild. The performance could have been total melodrama but she skates that line perfectly and we get an interesting creation out of it. A decent group with intriguing performances. Let's get to 2022 now.

Oscar Winner: Jessica Chastain - The Eyes of Tammy Faye

My Winner: Jessica Chastain - The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Penelope Cruz

Kristen Stewart

Nicole Kidman

Olivia Colman

Supporting Actor 2021

This was a somewhat interesting awards race where Smit-McPhee was getting awards and all the love in the first half before the tide turned and CODA started to gain momentum to its Best Picture win with Kotsur coming along for the ride. I still have to see if he earned the win or if it was a factor of rewarding the first deaf Supporting Actor ever. Everyone else was just happy to be here.

2021 Best Supporting Actor

 

Troy Kotsur - CODA

 

I really enjoyed this film a lot on a personal level. As in, take away my Oscar hat and just let me enjoy a film. It's highly entertaining and is a hilarious coming of age film that is a feel good tear jerker at times. Kotsur plays the deaf father of Ruby, who is the only hearing person in her family and is a teenager in high school who loves to sing. My question from above was does Kotsur bring anything to this performance besides just being deaf. And the answer is yes. He is hilarious and has a distinct personality as any other actor would. He has a deep relationship with his daughter and wants to see her succeed. We see this when he recognizes she is down or not responding in a way that feels right to him. He is supportive and real and just a great character that yes, does rely heavily on the deafness, but he eschews that as a handicap. He is a real person, a real character and we just happen to be reading subtitles like if it was a foreign film. We see his humanity and we see his love towards his family. It's a bit goofy at times like in the doctor scene at the beginning, but I feel like that was set up to endear the characters to us the viewers. Kotsur settles into the role and we get a nice payoff of the family all being lovey dovey at the end and it works. Kotsur isn't a bad winner at all. I enjoyed his performance and feel like it works in the new Academy. I love that a deaf person now has representation and gives a performance that is good to boot. Honestly, can't hate on this one because it's good.

Ciaran Hinds - Belfast

I honestly wasn't sure of what kind of performance I was going to get out of Hinds here because I've seen him in some tough guy or stoic roles, so that's what I was anticipating. But Hinds plays Pop, the grandfather to Buddy who is the representation of Kenneth Branagh from his youth in Belfast. Pop is a sweet, philosophical, heartfelt character that truly loves Buddy and his family. That is the motif of his performance: warmth. Hinds is so good at just embodying that grandpa role and how much patience he has with Buddy. He still has a deep love for Judi Dench as Granny, which I felt should have been explored more, but his effusive love for her and talking about how his heart still skips a beat for her. Honest and cute and that scene just establishes how great he is as Pop. His delicateness with Buddy and encouraging him to do well in math to be seated next to his crush is the same, just the kind of grandfatherly advice you'd want to hear. Everything he does in the film is so good that it's hard to pick a favorite moment. but most touching is when he is in the hospital and asks what Buddy wants and it is so damn sincere that it made me tear up, the hug Buddy gave him after sent me bawling. Yeah, there is a lot of nostalgia probably effecting how the role was formed, but the sweetness of Hinds is undeniable and this might just be my favorite supporting performance in years for just how effective it is at touching a film. Watch Belfast for many reasons, but definitely watch it for Hinds' performance.

Jesse Plemons - The Power of the Dog

It's cool that the kid from Friday Night Lights and Breaking Bad has carved out a nice career for himself as not only a supporting character like he is here, but also in lead which I think we will see this year in 2023 with Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon. Excited for that one and happy that Plemons was nominated here even if his nomination is the weakest of the four acting nominees from the film. Which isn't really a knock against Plemons, it's just that he doesn't get a lot to do like the other three do. Plemons plays Benedict Cumberbatch's brother who seems to be more of a clean cut, businessman type of figure and not a cowboy/rancher type like his brother. The performance is kind of what I expect from Plemons where it is even keeled all the way through, but the fact that he doesn't even raise his voice or get to do much more than confront his brother or others in an explain yourself kind of way is unfortunate. We know Plemons can be great and do way more than just quietly question what's going on and try to keep everything from falling apart and be the fixer. I wanted a lot more from him and that's just who the character is and while Plemons does a great job in doing that, I need more. I crave it! He's such an interesting actor and we know he's capable of more than this. But there are things to like about the performance, don't get me wrong. I love how his acting is internalized in the film. He reacts to his brother calmly though we can kinda see the disdain behind his eyes for how he is acting like in the restaurant scene. He's loving towards Kirsten Dunst's character (his real life wife) and that scene where the hills are a backdrop as she looks around and he stares lovingly at her and says she is marvelous felt real and already seems iconic. It's solid work overshadowed by three other performers getting to do much more and who deliver on it. I am pretty sure we will see Plemons in this space again soon.

J. K. Simmons - Being the Ricardos

 

I never understood this nomination. Yes, this is a previous Oscar winner, but this performance got no traction with anyone else, and yet was rewarded. Simmons plays William Frawley, one of the secondary actors on the I Love Lucy Show. One of the main points of contention is that Simmons looks nothing like Frawley, which I had to look it up because my old TV show knowledge is quite lacking. But Frawley was a bigger, heavier, older man and Simmons is just not that. Simmons is jacked, so I guess they gave him oversized suits to wear to try and look like they cared about any authenticity? The one thing Simmons nails is that grumpy persona which I guess Frawley displayed on and off screen. He hated his onscreen wife in real life and while their animosity in the film is shown, a lot of the jokes and quips fall completely flat. Main reason for that is Aaron Sorkin's writing just isn't up to the level you would expect from him and Simmons can't save an underwhelming character that has nothing to offer outside terrible jokes. For whatever reason, the acting branch loved these performances enough to vote for them to be nominated and I can only assume it's because they were playing real life characters they knew from TV and because all are previous Oscar winners and actually nominating outside the box performances is just too much for them. Obviously, not a fan of this performance or nomination and really wish this spot would have gone to someone more deserving.

Kodi Smit-McPhee - The Power of the Dog

 

This was your initial front runner when awards season kicked off. I thought he could sweep and then all of the sudden Troy Kotsur came out of nowhere and dominated the rest of the awards and won the Oscar. That's the beauty of awards season and why we continue to be invested year in and year out. Smit-McPhee (maybe I should use KSM for brevity) plays the son of Kirsten Dunst's character who ends up marrying Jesse Plemons' character. They go to live with Plemons and are now closer to Benedict Cumberbatch's character who actively torments and antagonizes them. They met Cumberbatch and Plemons when they rode through their town and stopped at their restaurant and Cumberbatch made fun of KSM for being effeminate and making paper flowers that sat on the dinner table. KSM is tall and skinny and has a strange demeanor that Cumberbatch picks up on and makes fun of a lot. There are underlying issues that are never addressed that cause Cumberbatch to act the way he does towards KSM and Dunst and his brother who all bear the brunt of his own personal issues. We see KSM doing odd things like killing a bunny to dissect it, randomly hula hooping outside after being castigated by Cumberbatch, and thumbing the edge of a comb when seemingly nervous. We learn that KSM found his dad hanging dead after killing himself in the midst of alcoholism and see that Dunst is slinking into the bottle to deal with her own issues. The kid has had a hard life and it's easy to write him off as some weirdo, but there is so much more to him that KSM conveys that we don't quite fully grasp until the end. There are scenes like when he walks in front of the ranch hands while everyone is resting and walks to a birds nest and stares at it for a bit while everyone is whistling and calling him faggot before he turns around and sticks his hands in his back pockets and walks back where he came from in almost a confident swagger. It's like he knows what he's doing, the response he elicits, and doesn't care. We don't know if he's gay, though that is my assumption or at least he's confused. That drips from his performance where you can't quite figure out where the story will go with these characters. That also is where KSM excels in just being who his character is, he doesn't waver and he just continues on being his weird self. When Cumberbatch starts being nice to KSM, he becomes more engaging but it also feels like a show to suss out what Cumbatch is up to. In saying all that, you can see how layered and nuanced KSM's performance truly is. There is so much to his character that I feel you have to watch it more than once to fully understand all that he is doing and see that his choices are deliberate. While initially watching, I knew there was more pretense for how KSM acts towards Cumberbatch and it makes sense if you read that *spoilers* (be warned, watch the film first) that KSM played the character as if he wanted to kill Cumberbatch after their first interaction. Which vibes with how his character seems to act and feels like he could become a serial killer. It's a really unique performance that the more you peel back the layers, the more intriguing it all becomes. I genuinely love this performance and it will be tough to decide a winner for me because this is not a typical winner in this category.

This was a pretty good group of nominees. Kotsur being the winner is fine with me and is a great representation for the deaf community. Can't be mad at this win even if I have him right in the middle of the group. Simmons doesn't belong here and his performance feels mailed in, not a fan of it. Anyone else would have been a better addition. Plemons is good, but feels like he could have done more or at least the role could have been expanded on more. Basically, I just wanted more from him. Smit-McPhee was the better of the two choices from the film with a really subtle, nuanced performance that I feel would get better on second viewing knowing where the film ends up. Could have won and been a great winner, honestly. But! Hinds kinda blew me away. Just an outstanding performance full of warmth and love and felt like a real person onscreen. My favorite of the year and I'm sad he didn't ever get any traction because he deserved the Oscar in my opinion. A very good group of guys and ready to move on to 2022.

Oscar Winner: Troy Kotsur - CODA

My Winner: Ciaran Hinds - Belfast

Kodi Smit-McPhee

Troy Kotsur

Jesse Plemons

J. K. Simmons

Supporting Actress 2021

This race kind of sucked because it was DeBose from start to finish and no one else even came close. Dench was a bit of a surprise nomination because almost all of the precursor awards were nominating fellow cast member Caitriona Balfe in her spot instead. It's wild that they decided to give Dench another random nomination over someone who got more buzz than anyone else besides DeBose. Excited to see how DeBose compares to Rita Moreno's win for the same role and how the other nominees stack up.

2021 Best Supporting Actress

 

Ariana DeBose - West Side Story

 

This was DeBose's award basically all season long, but how tough is it to follow in the footsteps  of a legend who won an Oscar that many consider one of the greatest Supporting performances of all time? And then to go out there and win your own Oscar while Rita Moreno is in the same film as you and you have key scenes in the film with her? You gotta give it to DeBose for rising to the occasion and delivering a very good performance in an already iconic role. DeBose was already a Broadway star and well versed in dance, so this wasn't exactly a tough transition for her but you can't just go out there and sing and dance well enough for this one. No, you have to put your own little spin on it and I think Debose succeeds in doing that and not just trying to mimic Moreno's performance from the original. Her "America" rendition is a bit more proud and defiant than Moreno's more sarcastic, sassy take on the song. Her take on "A Boy Like That" is deeply moving and heartfelt by how much anger and sadness she is repressing to try and reach through to Maria. I'd say she also stands out in the confrontation at Valentina's shop where she bravely has to try to talk to Tony while the Jets threaten and attack her. DeBose's performance feels more restrained , yet still full of that Puerto Rican strength, whereas Moreno lets us know how Anita is feeling with her snappy comments. You can't avoid comparing the two because they won for the exact same role. DeBose does her best and gets an Oscar for it, not too shabby I'd say.

Jessie Buckley - The Lost Daughter

I will admit right off the bat that I didn't like this film at all. I understand what it was trying to go for but I felt it was too ambiguous at times and the two versions of the main character, which Buckley plays the younger version of, is too disparate. Buckley's older self is played by Olivia Colman, nominated in Best Actress, and who gives an alright performance but nothing I thought was amazing or award worthy. Buckley gives the better performance of the two versions for me because she has so much more to work with from the role. Her parts are flashbacks where she is a young mother with a husband and two girls working in academia and translating Yeats' poems. We see that she can be a shitty mother by trying to ignore them as they make noise and her husband is on the phone and reluctantly goes to comfort them. By being mean to them, not responding to them when being annoying, by yelling and getting angry at them over little things. You get the feeling that she never wanted to be a mother and question why she ever had them in the first place. None of that is discussed or even hinted at it which is a big flaw of the film to me. Why is she acting like this? Why does she eventually abandon her family for years to go be who she actually wants to be? It's a frustrating film in that regard but I did enjoy Buckley's performance. She plays the overwhelmed and frustrated mother part well and I like how when she goes to a conference and her work and meets Peter Sarsgaard's character she does a complete 180 and her character comes alive. With that affair we see the vibrant, expressive, effusive character that contrasts the dour and haughty persona she has with her kids. And I feel for her exhaustive demeanor with her kids because that obviously takes a toll and it seems to explain her reason to just say fuck it and have an affair and then abandon the family for awhile. Buckley displays all this incredibly well and makes me excited to see more of her work. She seems to be a hot actress at the moment so I think that bodes well for her future chances with the Academy. She was in the just nominated Women Talking, so I have that to look forward to. But again, her performance is nothing like Colman's and it leads to me wanting to see more of Buckley and less of Colman in that I mean just show the flashback scenes as the whole film and go from there. The fact that Buckley had me thinking like that should tell you about the film and her performance. Can't wait to see more even if this one wasn't quite a winner.

Judi Dench - Belfast

This was the surprise announcement on nominations morning because everyone was expecting Caitriona Balfe to get the nod here instead. Both are from the same film and Balfe has hit all the precursor awards before this, so I feel like I can confidently say this is a veteran/career nomination for Dench and nothing else. Before getting to Dench, Balfe did have a lot of buzz as a threat to DeBose and yet was completely absent in the category. But that speaks to how great of a performance it truly is. Maybe there were issues with Supporting versus Lead, but I think they campaigned her in this category. Her role is meatier and she gets to show off way more acting chops simply because Dench isn't in much of the film. Dench plays Granny (Balfe plays Ma) and while she does have that adequate grandparent quality to her performance, there just isn't a lot to it. She adds some good humor to the film and comes off as a deeply loved member of the family. I think her one shining moment is the extreme closeup of her face at the very end of the film, but that's not enough for me to nominate her. Good enough work, but nowhere near the impact that Balfe has on the film. Kinda hard to get excited about this when it robs Balfe of a nomination and who knows if she'll ever get another chance, especially since this was Dench's eighth (!) nomination in her career.

Kirsten Dunst - The Power of the Dog

 

This is Dunst's first Oscar nomination but doesn't feel like she already has one? I guess because she has been acting as a little kid since 1989 and has been in all kinds of different types of films since then, her filmography is fascinating to look through. So I was happy to see she was nominated for this role as a widower who marries Jesse Plemons' character (her real life husband) who tries to assimilate into a different lifestyle and who turns to booze to cope. It sounds like a heavy performance, but Dunst is a supporting character so the focus isn't on her so much as it is her son in the film, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Benedict Cumberbatch. I do feel like it's a very good performance but also feel like it came along with the film, too. Not to denigrate Dunst as she does a great job of navigating a very complex character and a tense story. It's tough as the only real female performance in the film and it's one where she has to play a weary, socially anxious, out of her element, coherent drunk who is terrified of Cumberbatch's character because he torments her and her son. It's a character that could easily be pathetic where you look at her in disdain but she earns your empathy despite her fragility. A lot of what I read is that this performance and character gets better and better on each rewatch and I imagine that to be true. Jane Campion is great at crafting female characters that are much more than they initially appear to be and Dunst is no exception. I like that her performance makes everyone else hit harder or have more meaning behind them. Her son, her tormentor, her husband all benefit from what Dunst creates and are better off for it and so are we. I like that Dunst learned a couple piano pieces and practiced them religiously to get them down and only a bit of one was used in the final film. Apparently she stayed in character while shooting which just shows how dedicated she is to her profession. A good performance helped by the attention the film got which is why I say it came along with the film, but it holds up on its own easily. A great first nomination for Dunst.

Aunjanue Ellis - King Richard

 

Inevitably there are performances that come along for the ride with films that do well in awards season. I do think that Ellis partly came along for the ride as Will Smith basically swept his way to Oscar gold. But Ellis does give a very supporting performance that services the film and Smith well. She doesn't really have a big stand out moment other than the brief scene where she calls out Richard for having other kids/affairs and really holds her ground and doesn't back down when confronting him. It's solid and the rest of the performance is formed around that type of acting. She is the stalwart mother who loves her daughters more than anything and does everything she can to help them succeed, including coaching them. There are brief moments where she shines like when she yells at Smith in the car to not ever leave the girls to walk home on the streets as punishment. Which you can see her good moments are when she steps up to Smith's overbearing father and puts him in his place. It's good work that I'm not sure if the film did alright and didn't have Smith at the center if she would have been nominated alone. It's great that she was and I'm fine with the nomination and performance but don't expect an all time acting job. It's straightforward and simply good work.

Not gonna lie, this is a pretty weak year. The Dench nomination just felt like the Academy wanted to reward her one more time for her career. Balfe would have been such a better pick that would have elevated this group a bit and challenged DeBose for the win, honestly. Ellis just comes along for the ride. She isn't given much to do and has one little scene that comes out of nowhere that was strong but also felt shoehorned in. Dunst puts in good work and it's nice to see her get a nomination finally. Buckley was impressive in her role even if it felt a bit disparate compared to Olivia Colman's performance of Buckley later in her life. Nothing really could compete with DeBose who has a great performance in a tough, iconic role. Really wish this year would have been more competitive, I already know 2022 is.

Oscar Winner: Ariana DeBose - West Side Story

My Winner: Ariana DeBose - West Side Story

Jessie Buckley

Kirsten Dunst

Aunjanue Ellis

Judi Dench