Best Picture 2022

This was Everything Everywhere All at Once's award to lose throughout the season, though there was a little bit of the ehhhhh, is it really going to win? Can something else get called on Oscar night? No, lol. But there was that intrigue. It's crazy because this film premiered at the SXSW film festival early in 2022 and created a crazy amount of buzz that just never really died down and kept accumulating and ultimately ended up with an Oscar win. Its staying power was so impressive because most films either can't survive that long or are released in the prime window of late in the year to stay relevant for voters. I am so excited to finally watch this film because it was so beloved and won so many awards. I'm also excited to watch all of the other films except the Avatar sequel if I'm being honest. Don't even care about impartiality. I hated the first one, can't imagine I'll enjoy watching another three hour garbage fest, but maybe I'll be surprised. So let's see what happens in between those two extremes with the other films.

2022 Best Picture

 

Everything Everywhere All at Once

 

This would have never won in a previous year; I am convinced of that. I feel like the changes that the Academy has made in the past few years to diversify and make the Academy younger is directly responsible for a film like this actually winning. This is a fun film and that's undeniable. You can't watch this without a big smile on your face at times muttering what the fuck am I watching. These are the directors who made the Turn Down For What video which is ridiculous (Google it to see what I mean) and the Daniel Radcliffe film where he is a farting corpse (Swiss Army Man). The synopsis for this film isn't any less crazy since it is about a laundromat owner undergoing an IRS audit that defeats a multiverse villain that looks like her daughter with kindness. It's so hard to believe this won but I am happy it did. It's a supremely well made film that makes so much of small budget that you would think it cost way more than it really did. The special effects are so good, which is crazy because the budget was so small but this film made you believe the multiverse existed. The hotdog fingers, the dildos, the everything bagel; all of it looked great and added to how good the film was. The acting is amazing. The film is incredibly directed. It looks great. It sounds great. It's just a great film overall. I'm really happy that this film connected with people for such a long time that it endured and stayed on the Oscar radar. It's so fun and so crazy that I cannot think of another film on par with this one. This is unique in the Oscar pantheon and it feels like it belongs as a 2022 winner. Everyone should see this and see that Oscar isn't the stuffy costume dramas and shitty Oscar bait films anymore. They are truly finding the best films of the year and I hope it continues.

All Quiet on the Western Front

I was a bit hesitant when I became aware of this film because I'm not a fan of remakes and because the original film from 1930 won Best Picture and is an all time film that still holds up to this day with how powerfully affecting it is. But this is not a shot for shot remake. This is an adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's seminal anti-war novel and differs in a lot of ways from the original which assuaged my fears of it being unnecessary and not at all up to the legacy of the original. This film won four Oscars, (Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, and Best Foreign Feature), which tied it with three other films (Fanny and Alexander, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Parasite) as the most ever by a foreign film. This was a well loved and well received film that absolutely lives up to the original's glory. Obviously, this one is in color, but it also has a side plot about the negotiation for an armistice, we never see the main charact Paul go back home, and some of his friends are different. While the changes are totally fine and lend itself to making the story even more interesting, it does change the perceived meaning of the story to one of brave men fighting and dying for detached leaders who don't view them as people, rather as a means to a possible end. In the book and the original film, Paul goes back home and finds it rather difficult to be there as the nationalism is rampant and people like to wave their flags and talk about their heroes who are fighting because it makes them feel good. The assimilating while being back and reconciling what is going on in the trenches versus the song and dance of being home is tough for all in the story. I think it was a good choice to not have Paul return home for this adaptation because it makes them feel more stuck and hopeless in their situation. We see the brutality, but we also see the randomness of what happens which is partially what Remarque wanted to emphasize. It has a lot of common themes and visuals with 1917, which I guess truly shows how insane WWI was. It's as visually stunning as that film was and it deserved its Oscar wins along with the pounding, haunting score that won. A strong contender for Best Picture this year, it may have won in a lesser year like it won BAFTA's Best Film. Worth watching, but please don't watch the dub version. Ugh, watch the subtitled version and hear the actors' voice, it makes the film so much better.

Avatar: The Way of Water

 

I am just going to be honest here, I don't care one bit about this film. I intensely disliked the first Avatar film and likened it a better looking Fern Gully, which a ton of people also did online. It somehow became a cultural thing for a little bit with the blue people and made a billion dollars and was supposedly the reason 3D was going to stick around. Well, here we are 13 years later and 3D was an awful fad to get more money out of you when going to theaters. There are no 3D TVs that I know of and it's certainly never become a thing like I remember James Cameron talking about. Yes, he has done some stunning things in regards to special effects and his team has won a lot of technical awards in the industry outside of the Oscars for pioneering new cameras and processes and techniques for making CGI look even better. But that's all Avatar is to me. It's got a basic and boring story where the stakes never seem to really rise to a level that matters. Characters that are of the stock variety and seem to just fill out a generic type expected for this type of story. And what is weird about this nomination to me, is that no one was talking about it. It had no buzz at all. But it did make over 2 billion dollars and I feel like this is something the Academy just won't ignore. I feel like it made that much because it came out after the pandemic was winding down and folks just wanted to get out to theaters and everyone saw the first one back in 2009, so why not spend over 3 hours watching this one. A lot of the same criticisms of the first one were said about this one: pedestrian story but aesthetically beautiful. And it does look great as a lot of the action moves to the water. But again, the film is overly long and meanders for a while until it's like they realize they have to wrap things up and usher in their ten more sequels. If you cut the run time down to about two and a half hours, it might actually make the film a bit better and the story much more focused. I dislike that they bring back two characters that died in the first film because of convoluted reasons which makes their deaths in the first one so pointless. This again makes the stakes not actually matter if people that die can just come back in various forms, so what are we actually investing into the story for? I need more than just stunning visuals to hook me in especially the second time around. I better not see Avatar 3 nominated if it's just more of the same, Academy.

The Banshees of Inisherin

 

This was a film I was really looking forward to seeing because Martin McDonagh, the writer and director, has made some really fine films in his career. In Bruges is fantastically funny in a dark way, Seven Psychopaths was a bit of goofy fun, and Three Billboards almost won Best Picture just a couple years earlier. The film was nominated for nine Oscars but won zero of them. McDonagh was triple nom'd for Picture, Directing, and Original Screenplay and the rest were mostly for acting. Which is certainly the main draw of the film. Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, and Barry Keoghan all were nominated for the first time, though it feels like Gleeson and Farrell would already have one, and all were very good in their roles. The directing and cinematography and production design are all great to look at, but it is hard to make a remote island off the coast of Ireland look bad in any way. The writing has some very dryly funny moments that I kinda feel like some people will miss or not appreciate. Not that you have to be super smart or anything, just that some of the off handed comments are really funny to me. The story is interesting in that it takes a look at the end of a friendship, or as Farrell put it in an interview, "the disintegration of joy." I think that sums it up nicely as Farrell's character starts off super happy but is quickly confused and frustrated that his longtime friend in Gleeson no longer wants anything to do with him. Gleeson finds Farrel to be dull and only interesting when drunk and wants to write music on his fiddle and be remembered for something. It devolves into something where Farrell starts to hate and look to violence, however unjustified as an answer. I like that it gives you a bit to ponder even though I read a few reviews from people that said they felt the message was muddled and weren't sure if they should take it seriously or as a dark comedy or what. There are some darkly comedic moments, but it is a look at the end of a friendship on a remote island and how mental health can play into that in my estimation. You could also probably go deeper and tie it into the conflicts of Ireland as it takes place during a Civil War, though that is all alluded to offscreen. It's a well made film by a guy the Academy clearly loves with great acting and great visuals. I don't think it was ever really contending for a win but was well liked by Hollywood. Only a matter of time for McDonagh to break through in the big awards (he has an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film from 2006).

 

Elvis

Yep, this is definitely a Baz Luhrmann film. And Baz being the director will probably dictate for some folks just how they feel about the film overall. I personally love his bombastic style that you know from Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge, and The Great Gatsby. All have an indelible style, great music and showmanship, and modernize a non modern story. Though Elvis is absolutely the closest to modern he has done and is a figure that suits Luhrmann's flamboyant style. I love that Baz (I think I should just settle on using Baz instead of going back and forth with his names) used these stylistic graphics when needing to say the place or time and that they blended into the scene of the moment. One controversial thing about the film I remember from the awards season was that some people hated his use of some modern music in pivotal moments of the film like when Elvis goes down to Beale Street to unwind and let off steam. I didn't mind it at all and its true to what Baz does in all of his films, so expecting this to be some normal musical biopic is absurd. And that's another thing about his film is that is one of the most interesting musical biopics we've had since maybe Walk Hard (yeah, the parody film). Musical biopics are usually so by the numbers that you can set your watch to the beats of the story and get the same experience every time. Bohemian Rhapsody sucks. Others before that are just basic. Elvis really tries to set the genre on fire by being purely Baz. One of my favorite scenes is when Elvis gets to Vegas and he starts telling everyone how to play "That's Alright Mama" and he's so hyped up going around to the different sections getting them in tune. I think I would show that to anyone that might be not want to see the film and have them decide on that because it is brilliant acting and directing in one. Speaking of brilliant acting, Austin Butler is phenomenal. He is possessed and obsessed and just flat out magnificent. Dude embodies Elvis in a way I have never seen onscreen before and that has to count for something. He spent literal years in the role, speaking with the accent, in costume, and even with prosthetics to make him look more like Elvis in the later years with the cheeks and chin. But unlike some recent Best Actor winners, this is not a surface level performance. This is Butler pushing his chips all in and giving us an unparalleled version of Elvis. It makes the film and without him, it would probably not exist and if it did, it would be lesser. Playing Elvis is no small feat. Jacob Elordi did it in Priscilla in 2023 and was not at all right for the role. It's hard to get right and he did and I think Baz used that to his full extent. My one big gripe is that the film really zips through Elvis' history and spends a lot more time on his later years than in the more early and formative years which I thought was a bit more interesting because I am not as familiar with that. Also, the framing device of using Tom Hanks' Colonel Parker as a sort of narrator isn't as strong to me. I feel like just looking at Elvis with Parker as another character could work, but I do get that this film is kinda highlighting how much of a charlatan he was and badly he manipulated Elvis. So it works in that regard. But still, this is a very good musical biopic that of course stretches the truth but has a lead that is so compelling you don't really care. We just want to see Butler play Elvis and dance and sing.

The Fabelmans

Not going to lie, I was wary of this film because I was wondering just how interesting Steven Spielberg's childhood was to warrant a two and a half hour film about it. But of course it is Spielberg, so you know he's going to at least tell a good story with great visuals. Unfortunately, this isn't peak Spielberg, though I did enjoy the film overall. The acting is pretty great across the board, especially with the kids and especially the one who plays teenaged Spielberg, Gabriel LaBelle. Paul Dano probably deserved to be nominated for his performance. Spielberg obviously can make a film look great. The issue for me was that this film had some ups and downs when it came to consistency. A lot of the first part of the film with young Spielberg is somewhat dull and boring. It at times felt by the numbers and there wasn't a lot of interesting things going on. The tornado scene was okay, but out of nowhere. I think the film started to pick up once we get to teenage Spielberg as we see him shooting some movies with his friends, we get the wild Judd Hirsch scene, the dancing Michelle Williams at the camp site scene. But still some of it felt like filler to get to individual scenes like those. The film picks up more steam as we get towards the end because there is more tension and things coming to a conclusion and being resolved. And I really wasn't all that invested in the family drama of the mother wanting to be with the father's best friend. It just wasn't compelling enough to get me to care. I did enjoy the David Lynch as John Ford scene and the final shot of the film was so incredibly clever where the camera pans up after the horizon was in the middle of the screen. That was Spielberg filmmaking right there and I loved it. There just wasn't enough of that Spielberg magic in the rest of the film. Some parts really shine, some parts made me wish I could fast forward to something else. I am really hoping that Spielberg can come back with something amazing because the last two films have not been totally up to par or was an unnecessary remake of a classic.

Tar

I am a big fan of Todd Field's other two films, In the Bedroom and Little Children. Both were very adult, as in dramatic and straightforward about tough topics, not racy or anything. Both were incredible and this was Field's first film in 16 years, so I was very interested if I'd like it as much as his other work. The short answer is no, but not because this is a bad film or anything. It's actually probably a masterpiece for Field and is an incredibly well-made film with a highly intelligent and intense script with a career performance from Cate Blanchett. I think it's a rewarding experience for those that sit through the whole two and a half hours and can appreciate this kind of film. I say that because it starts off with credits and then goes into a long interview with Blanchett for an event and finally starts the story like thirty minutes in. But the interview sets up the rest of the film because we see she is this maestro who is at the top of her craft and establishes her power and esteem. The film is essentially about getting canceled for your behavior whether perceived or actual. And we see that a lesbian woman is not immune to the same power trips and abuses that men are. There is a lot to dive into from this film and smarter people than I have already written articles for and against Lydia. The main reason to watch this film aside from Field's directing effort is Blanchett's masterclass in acting. It is amazing to watch and she is in every scene. The film may be tough to get into if you're not a degenerate cinephile like I am, but I think most people would get something out of it. I wasn't a fan of the ending where she goes to the Philippines (I thought it was China until I went on wikipedia, oops) and does a concert for an anime cosplay thing. I get the message that she needs to be conducting and working and music is her life but I felt a stronger ending would have been ending it before that part. So no, I didn't like it as much as his other films, which sounds crazy to say given what I just wrote, but I did like those more. Overall, a great piece of filmmaking and even better acting that will probably be a favorite of those in the best of cinema and top 1000 lists ever in the future.

Top Gun: Maverick

I love that this film was nominated here. To start, let's go back to the 80s. Top Gun was a cultural touchstone that made a ton of money and spurred a nation's need for speed. I kid a little but that was a hugely popular film that was so quotable that people say phrases that they don't even realize came from the film. It had everything you could want in a blockbuster film with big-name, good-looking actors, a great soundtrack, a compelling story, intense visuals we had never really seen before, and just a coolness that it seemed to radiate. Maverick is essentially just a continuation of all of those points. This film hits all the same beats and has mostly the same kind of story. It doesn't matter that it's just Top Gun 2.0 because we like and enjoy all the notes it's playing already. That's what surprised me about this film was that it was very similar, but it still felt fresh and new while absolutely hitting that nostalgia point in our brain without relying solely on the nostalgia to be a good film. It is very much its own thing and viewed on its own terms, it becomes easy to see why everyone loved this one, too. Satisfying story, stunning visuals, well-acted by hot looking people, soundtrack is good and still has a song sung at a piano at a bar, and the coolness factor is still there. Tom Cruise knew what he was doing and wasn't going to give us a subpar sequel. And he didn't. This was a ton of fun to watch and get lost in and just enjoy that a sequel of Top Gun of all films worked as well as it did. There's not a whole lot to get into other than this is what Hollywood wants from its blockbusters and what the Oscars wants from blockbusters: to be highly entertaining and awards worthy to bring more eyeballs to the awards show. We have been getting that lately with this new and improved Academy and I am glad this film was able to be included. And I didn't even mention the shirtless football scene! A great inclusion for this group.

Triangle of Sadness

I love that with the changes to the Academy we are getting more foreign films in this category. Yes, this one is in English and even has Woody Harrelson in it, but it's from Ruben Ostlund who is a Swedish director, so this still has that foreign feel to it (it was his first English language film). It won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and is a very dark comedy about a celebrity fashion model couple who go on a yacht cruise for the super rich. From there, lots of wild things happen so it's best to go into it knowing as little as possible. The film has a lot of twists and turns and is so darkly funny that you kinda feel bad for laughing at some of the absurdity. Spoilers ahead, but the yacht goes through some very turbulent weather and waves and then is attacked by pirates and a couple of the rich and crew are stranded on an island. The power balance shifts to a woman (Dolly de Leon, who many had as a potential Supporting Actress nominee) who cleans bathrooms on the yacht now being in power because she can catch fish and make fire. At the end, we see the island is a resort island and they just happened to land on the side where nothing was. Obviously, it rags on the rich as being clueless and helpless and repulsive. It's very on the nose with what it is saying about the different classes but it never feels too broad or insulting to the audience. But it's also not saying anything too profound, it just likes to poke fun at the social aspects of society as a whole with some political leanings thrown in for good measure. It's fun to watch in a twisted way and some good acting performances. One of which was one of the models, Charlbi Dean, who unfortunately died shortly after it won at Cannes from sepsis from an infection. She was an up and coming actress who had been getting more work and had recently been in the CW comic book show Black Lightning as a very compelling villain. It would have been great to see what she could have done in the future and this film makes me intrigued to see what Ostlund does next.

Women Talking

This just kinda snuck into the Best Picture group without much fanfare and without any hope of actually winning. This is a film written and directed by Sarah Polley who was previously nominated for Away From Her and has been an actress in movies herself. She actually won the Oscar for Original Screenplay for this film. It's a film about a group of Mennonite women (though it is never expressly mentioned they are Mennonite or where they are located) who have been raped for years by the men in the colony who blame it on Satan or devils or whatever. It's based on an actual event that happened in Bolivia. The film is from the POV of all of the women as the men have been arrested and they are left to figure what to do to combat these men and stop getting raped. So then much of the film is the women of three families deciding for all the women whether to leave or stay and fight the men. It's got Frances McDormand in a very limited role, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Ben Wishaw in the big name roles. It's interesting. It's based in 2010 yet the film is shot in this almost kind of sepia tone style that honestly doesn't work for me. It seemed like towards the end the look of the film eased up a bit and you saw some more colors which made no sense. I think that was a huge misstep by Polley to saturate the look. It doesn't give it any gravitas or prestige. Just makes it look like a shitty TV production. She should have known better and I think she does because it was ridiculed online and she still stuck with her praise for it and doubled down on it. Also, it feels a bit overly long even at one hour and 44 minutes. It feels like the women go over the same thing in the barn loft over and over and though it's meant to look like they are debating and challenging each other, it just ends up looking weak. Even the end is a bit disappointing. They decide to leave, spoilers, and it just has no cohesion. They leave but what happens? I feel like I invested a ton of time to only have no payoff. I get what Polley is doing and I respect it, but you need to deliver a compelling story and film and not just tell people to accept it as is. That sounds terrible to Polley, but I mean that the audience should do the least work and the ending should never be suggested unless the ending is cemented. I fully expect someone to call me out on that with multiple examples and I welcome that because I want to see those! It's an interesting film but it flounders in execution and just could be so much better with the talent involved. I won't even get in to why the hell is Wishaw's character still hanging around if he is a man of that colony and would seemingly know what's happening. Too many unanswered questions and I don't get why Polley won a Screenplay award for this.

I love that we are continuing to have a diverse group of nominees in this category. The change to a permanent 10 nominee group has done wonders for the ceremony. We get to celebrate the big blockbusters along with smaller, more quiet films. We get to see more foreign films finally being rewarded and also get to see a wild, out of nowhere film win Best Picture. EEAAO was clearly the winner all season long but it absolutely deserved the win. You will never find another film like this in Oscar history unless the Daniels do something even more crazy and get back to this stage. All Quiet on the Western Front is a great adaptation of a story that already won Best Picture almost a century ago now. I love war films like this and it really was a brutal depiction of what it can be and quite possibly could have won in a weaker year. Elvis was just a lot of fun lead by Austin Butler's terrific performance. I love hearing the songs and see the Baz Lurhmann visuals along with the King. Top Gun: Maverick is what sequels should be. It keeps the soul of the original and tries to recapture all of that with a modernized story. I could watch the fighter jet sequences all day and Tom Cruise knows that, and that is why this formula works so well. Tar is a really well made film that probably is the best work we have seen from Cate Blanchett, which is truly amazing considering all of her output. Todd Field makes elevated, adult themed work, as in more intellectual and pulling no punches, not racy. This is the film that could possibly creep up the list with more watches as it feels like it has more lasting power with the Sight and Sound type of folks. The Banshees of Inisherin was interesting to watch. I don't think this film grabbed me the way it seemed to grab other people who adored it. It's original and thought provoking with some great acting, but it just never fully quite pushed the spot in my brain to make me love it. Triangle of Sadness is a very wild ride that while it may not say anything too deep about its themes and critiques of society, it's fun to see them lampooned in a very dark way. The Fabelmans was so incredibly disappointing. Though I guess I should wonder why we got excited about a film based on Spielberg's childhood anyway. There's not a lot that's interesting about it or the characters. There are some fantastic moments sprinkled throughout the film, but not enough to make this more than a check the box viewing for completing Spielberg's filmography. Women Talking, ugh. The women say the same thing over and over again and there's not any satisfactory pay off. It's short and boring and doesn't feel like it belongs on this list at all. Avatar: The Way of Water, the less I say about this franchise, the better. Overall, a decent collection of different types of films. Probably a bit top heavy for this year compared to some others, but I'm sure everyone can find something they love here. I'm just finally ready to move on from this year.

Oscar Winner: Everything Everywhere All at Once

My Winner: Everything Everywhere All at Once

All Quiet on the Western Front

Elvis

Top Gun: Maverick

Tar

The Banshees of Inisherin

Triangle of Sadness

The Fabelmans

Women Talking

Avatar: The Way of Water

Leading Actor 2022

This was another very intriguing race that was essentially a three headed monster most of the season. Fraser, Butler, and Farrell all seemed to take the lead at various times and, again, we had no idea who would win on Oscar night. The fact that this year had so many categories up in the air was awesome. It's much better to be on the edge of my seat to find out who wins than to know the winner even before the Globes. I am interested in seeing who the winner should be and if Fraser's feel-good story makes a good win or not.

2022 Best Actor

 

Brendan Fraser - The Whale

 

This was another of those feel good stories that this year's Oscars seemed to be all about. Fraser had been sexually assaulted by some guy from the Golden Globes/HFPA in 2003 and along with a divorce and health problems, he stopped getting work for a while and the once top earning actor was now getting bit parts in foreign films or bad movies. Eventually he broke back into TV and started getting more roles which led to this performance and winning an Oscar. I can't say I am one of those Fraser fan boys that seem to be all over the internet and it honestly just feels like a meme, really, but I always enjoyed his work. When he started getting major buzz for this film, I was intrigued because all I knew was that he played a morbidly obese guy who never left his apartment. Would this be exploitative? Would it be pure Oscar bait? Was it a legit comeback? I don't think it's exploitative, but it definitely is baity for sure. And obviously it was a legit comeback. The film is based off a play and besides Fraser and Hong Chau's performances (not as big a fan of Sadie Sink in this as others are) the film is a bit lackluster. We never leave the apartment besides some outside establishing shots and that feels appropriate for a film based off a play. A lot of the film is just him sitting on the couch in his fat suit talking with other people. The performance is strong, though. Fraser had to wear like a 300 pound fat suit/prosthetics and his movement in that thing is convincing. It looks realistic and it provides Fraser with something to act with while struggling to get up off the couch and walk to the bedroom/bathroom. It really is impressive that he makes it look so realistic and learning that he studied with a dance instructor on how to move around at that weight just shows his dedication to the role and that he was all in on this one. Fraser's character is an English teacher for online schooling and is super pleasant and very self aware of his condition and that he is dying from congestive heart failure. Fraser brings a bit of warmth to the character and we see this whenever he interacts with his home health nurse, his estranged daughter, or the missionary who stops by. He exudes empathy and tries to find the good in everyone and that feels right up Fraser's alley. What I liked most about the performance is the times when Fraser eats. Sounds silly maybe, but it's the small bits of acting where his eyes half close and he stares off while eating pizza or fried chicken and we see the power food has on making him feel good. He got fat because his partner killed himself or died somehow and that sent him into a depression he fought with food. But just watch those scenes where he eats and just notice how his whole demeanor changes and he seems to go into another world. That's great, subtle acting that really helps define his character. He has to do a lot of physical acting and also has to act while just sitting on a couch talking to someone and make that interesting, which he does. This film would suffer in lesser hands which is a compliment to Fraser for hard carrying this film and being the emotional center of a rather tepid film. Fraser is extremely likable and will get you fully invested in his dying, obese character. Just wish it was a better film overall that could have better highlighted Fraser's performance. Happy with the win and it was a great moment on an Oscar night that was chock full of them.

Austin Butler - Elvis

There was a very real possibility that Butler was going to win come Oscar night. It was mostly decided that Fraser had it in the bag, but Oscar is Oscar and likes to throw us some eephus pitches at times (if you know, you know). Out of the three headed race, Butler seemed like a lock playing Elvis but of course Frase had the comeback story in his favor. But Butler was transcendent as Elvis. He had the appropriate gravitas and look and accent to pull off being the King during all phases of his life. Butler lived in this character from almost three years because of Covid and delays, so he got immersed in the accent. It's so good and is honestly key to a good Elvis performance. It's a fine line between impersonation and embodiment and Butler knocks it out of the park. He said that he lived in that accent for so long that he had trouble getting rid of it and had to get a dialect coach to find his original voice. Don't know how true that is but if you watch the Masters of the Air series he did right after this film, you can still hear that Elvis voice in some episodes. So it makes since he got the voice down pat. And Butler looks like Elvis. Yes, prosthetics were used in the film to make him look more like the singer in the cheeks and chin, but Butler has the look of Elvis and that helps with fully believing in his performance. Once you get the looks and voice out of the way, Butler has the gravitas and charisma to pull off Elvis. He can dance and sing and damn if he doesn't look cool doing all of that. It's really great stuff and Butler was a Disney kid actor coming up, but I guess transitioned to Broadway and worked with Denzel who recommended Baz Lurhmann to hire him even though Denzel had never met Baz. I mean, that's a ringing endorsement if there ever was one. It's just a matter of time before Butler is back and winning this award. He is currently in the new Dune 2 film and is getting buzz for his character in that, so guy is going to be around for a while and I look forward to what he can do on his own cognition without the spectre of Elvis hanging over him. This is a great performance that would have won in the previous years, but ran into a sob story for voters. Hoping we see him here again soon.

Colin Farrell - The Banshees of Inisherin

I would have loved a win here for Farrell as this is hard to believe is his only nomination by the Academy. It feels like he should have more as he has long been a hearthrob and box office success who has churned out some really great performances in smaller or more dramatic roles. Farrell and writer/director Martin McDonagh have hooked up a few times to great effect. Farrell was fantastic in In Bruges and lots of fun in Seven Psychopaths. It's fitting that he gets nominated for his fellow Irishman with his fellow Irishman in Brendan Gleeson. The story is about Gleeson very suddenly ending his friendship with Farrell. Farrell does a great job at being incredulous, frustrated, motivated, desperate, and eventually violent. All those emotions we feel right alongside Farrell as we try to suss out what's up with Gleeson as Farrell does the same. His character is rather simple, though not village idiot simple. Just a guy who lives a simple life on a remote island with a small community who loves his donkey and his sister and his friend. Part of that has unraveled and we feel for Farrell as he increasingly becomes desperate to fix the friendship that he has no idea what he did wrong with. Even when Gleeson threatens to cut off his fingers whenever Farrell next talks to him, Farrell still tries to see the best in the situation to snap his friend out of it and get back to normal. We feel Farrell's exasperation of the moment and feel his burgeoning loneliness and depression. That's what the film seems what it may truly be about deep down and it's all these characters dealing with loneliness and despair. We also feel the turn when Farrell decides to reciprocate the hardness of Gleeson and attack him and it feels earned. I think Farrell does a great job at just playing this character who is overwhelmed with not knowing how to fix his friendship because he is good guy at his core and can't just let that go. The performance is also hilarious at times, though it's a very dry, understated comedy that Farrell pulls off. Some of his offhand comments absolutely sent me and I imagine that's a result of his great comedic talent and McDonagh writing great material. This is also just a sad performance from Farrell. This dude wakes up one day and his best friend won't even acknowledge him and he spends a whole film trying to figure out why and trying to win him back, so to speak. It's devastating in that regard and Farrell does a great job of balancing all of those aspects of the performance into one cohesive piece of work. I think we all have had friendships end in various ways, but I can't imagine one as brutal as this one. It is incredible work and I do hope the Academy is able to reward him in the future.

Paul Mescal - Aftersun

 

To start off, if you haven't seen this film yet, do yourself a favor and go watch it without knowing anything about it. I think knowing what happens and what the film is about may temper some feelings and emotions this film elicits from the viewer. Having said that, Mescal is phenomenal and perfectly cast. Mescal has quickly become the newest hot actor that seemingly has come out of nowhere to being Oscar nominated and with lots of people online singing his praises and eagerly waiting for his next role. He was in last year's Olivia Colman nominated film The Lost Daughter and he was charming in that one. I started hearing his name super early in the awards race, even before it began, and he just picked up steam on his way to a nom. And I have to give credit to the Academy because this is not your typical Oscar fare and doesn't have any big, showy moments. This is very much a subtle, understated performance that is mostly internalized and filtered through the memory of a little girl. The story is about a woman remembering a holiday to Turkey she took with her dad like twenty years ago. A simple enough story until you realize that she is watching the videos she took on a camcorder trying to see any reason as to why her dad was the way he was and did what he did. We presume at the end that Mescal takes his life and this trip was a last time thing where he could bond with his daughter and leave her with good memories of their time together. None of this is shown or stated in the film, but it's what I think happens. We see the glimpses of pain and sadness in Mescal throughout the film. A lot of it so subtle that it may be interpreted another way at first. It seems in the beginning, Mescal is a normal dad who gets to take his daughter on a holiday, but the little things we notice start to add up. When he can't sleep at night, when he perks up a bit when his daughter says she feels down after an amazing day, his starting to drink more, not going on stage to sing karaoke with his daughter, not wanting to answer his daughter about what he thought he'd be doing at his age when he was young. There's a lot of other moments even smaller than those that allow Mescal to show this internalized sadness and depression. We can see the pain behind his eyes and know there is something else going on inside him, though we never learn any reason as to what or why. Often in the film, Mescal is half out of frame or the lighting is bad from the camcorder and it's like he lets his guard down at times. I love when someone can quietly express emotions or change them up with the smallest of details and Mescal shines at doing that in this performance. He's a father hiding his true self from his daughter but some of that truth slips out. This is a performance that demands to be watched instead of just reading reviews about it because it can be hard to fully describe how great the performance is when it's so low key. I am excited to see more from Mescal in the future and I hope this is the start of many more great performances to come and not a flash in the pan.

Bill Nighy - Living

 

This is an incredible film. I am very disappointed that this didn't make the Best Picture group and didn't get more love overall during the Awards season. The film comes from a great pedigree that includes a story by Leo Tolstoy and is based off the film Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa. This one was written by Kazuo Ishiguro who himself is a Nobel Prize winner in Literature and was nominated for Adapted Screenplay. That's how you know this film was in good hands and it shows. Story and direction and all that is superb, but Nighy is the one who brings it all together and makes this a must watch performance. Yes, this is essentially a career nomination for Nighy, but the performance is deserving enough on its own merit. The best review I read for this film and performance was that it is exquisitely sad, and that simple description nails the entire feel of both film and performance. I have enjoyed Nighy's performances through the years and Love, Actually is one of my all-time favorite films. This is a whole other side to Nighy that we have had glimpses of before, or at least I have in what I've seen of his work, but he plays this character who finds out he is dying of a terminal illness and decides to start living his life with such beautiful restraint and subtlety. In the beginning, he is rather cold and a man that doesn't say much and is very economical with his words, but eventually grows into a man with a purpose and newfound happiness in life. The journey from the start to the end is profoundly engaging to me. Watching Nighy contemplate his diagnosis or go to the beach and sing in a bar until he breaks down or lights up when he meets one of his female underlings who moved on to a new job is so touching because all of those moments are littered with nuanced acting that we start feeling his despair and hopelessness turn into joy and determination. It really is something to watch because I was just expecting a curmudgeonly old man who maybe lashes out before changing for the better in the blink of an eye. But no, Nighy's character runs through a whole gamut of emotions and it doesn't always pay off in a neatly wrapped up moment. So yes, this is an exquisitely sad performance and just may be the best thing Nighy has ever done. Highly recommend not skipping over this one as it might just contend for a win for me.

I honestly don't know what to do with this group. I'll Start with Fraser being my bottom five. I love his comeback and his whole story and all that, but I didn't quite enjoy the performance as much as the others. The Academy loves the fat suit and uglifying yourself, so Fraser had it all right there. I just didn't really get into this narrative as so many others did. Farrell was good and it is surprising that this was his first ever nomination. Enjoyed the back and forth with Brendan Gleeson but didn't see enough to vote for.  The remaining three really have me scratching my head. Butler was so freaking good as Elvis. I don't think many other people could have pulled off that performance and made you believe he was Elvis. In a weak year going up against a Rami Malek, Butler would win easily. No question. But there was Nighy and Mescal. Both had some very understated performances that really blew me away. I cannot believe we got that performance from Nighy. I never knew he was capable of that! I keep thinking about Mescal's performance, though. Like I want to watch it ten more times to see all that he does. I want it as a Criterion offer with awesome features. I was wrestling in my mind about giving Nighy the win because that's probably it for him versus Mescal who could legit win one or two in the future. That's why right now, I'm giving it to Nighy. He deserves it and Mescal may actually win another one in the future. Ask me tomorrow and I'll give to Mescal because he was incredible. I'm finishing this just before the 2024 Oscars and know that it, too, is kinda set in stone with Cillian Murphy. He would be the first Irishman ever to win Best Actor, so maybe I don't feel as bad keeping fellow Irishman Mescal out of the win column. A phenomenal group though. No one here is bad at all and all have a case to be made for a win. Let's get to Murphy's win, now.

Oscar Winner: Brendan Fraser - The Whale

My Winner: Bill Nighy - Living

Paul Mescal

Austin Butler

Colin Farrell

Brendan Fraser

Leading Actress 2022

What a wild ride this race was all awards season! Yeoh and Blanchett were going back and forth all season to where I didn't know which name was going to be called come Oscar night. And that's so exciting when we have no idea who it will be! It gets boring when the same person wins everything and is a matter of formality at the ceremony. There was also the controversy of Riseborough's nomination because of the crazy campaigning on her part, which came from the director of her film and his wife. They launched a campaign that had other well known actors advocating on Riseborough's behalf with the same copy pasted language essentially and it just felt real scummy and wrong. The Academy has had this happen before and has changed rules in response to these efforts like they did for this one. They changed the whole social media campaigning rules as they should have. Her film was barely in any theaters, made very little money as in thousands, not even hundreds of thousands, and set off a racism controversy because her nomination left out two possible black women in Viola Davis and Danielle Deadwyler. So yeah, some really sketchy stuff going on that I hope doesn't happen again. I haven't seen Riseborough's performance yet, but I am wholly interested to see how she does now.

2022 Best Actress

 

Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All at Once

 

This was such a great and historic win. The first Asian woman to win Best Actress and it goes to a legend like Yeoh. I was rooting for her all season long and hadn't even seen her performance, so I'm glad she ended up winning. Having seen the performances now, it's a good showcase of her talents. She's a strong actress with a commanding presence and this film asks her to do a lot of heavy lifting. At first, she starts out as this incredibly busy laundromat owner that is getting audited by the IRS and when events start happening, she is extremely confused just like we the audience are. Once she learns what all is happening, she embraces and accepts her role and we get to see Yeoh play a couple different versions of herself in the multiverse. The one I enjoyed the most is the movie star version and it was funny that they used actual red carpet videos of her in the film. I liked that she also got to have some action and fight scenes since I think that's what a lot of folks know about her and it was just fun to see her in her element being the badass we all know she is. Her character has a great arc where being nice is what ultimately defeats the villain of the story and it felt like Yeoh's performance got stronger as the film went on. It's just a performance that draws you in and keeps you captivated and you realize you are watching something really well done and is unique and just fun. Yeoh's performance is a good winner, and I would say elevates the film, but all the acting is good and the film itself is already elevated so she is just another great component of a Best Picture winner. I'm super happy she won and glad that the performance is good and worth watching and worth winning.

Cate Blanchett - Tar

I kinda wanted to hate this one without ever having seen it. Not because I dislike Blanchett or think she's a terrible actress or anything. No, it's much more petty than that: it's because she already has two Oscars and I just can't get behind awarding three or more unless it's like the greatest performance ever. And boy, does Blanchett try her hardest to do just that. This is a masterclass in acting. Blanchett is the whole focus of the film and is in every scene of the film. It's undeniably impressive work from probably the current best actress working today, assuming Meryl Streep is mostly done and Katharine Hepburn is still dead. Blanchett plays Lydia Tar who is a world renowned conductor and maestro of the Berlin Philharmonic. She is at the top of the mountain peak and excels at her craft and this story shows the downfall of her career. Blanchett is incredible because of what is asked of her to do in the film. There's a scene where she guest teaches at Julliard and it's a long one shot scene where she has to move about the classroom, play some piano, and is dialogue heavy. It's always impressive to me when an actor can do a long scene with lots of intellectually dense dialogue and make it look not scripted or heavily rehearsed. It's fun to watch and the film has a few of those types of moments. Blanchett re-learned how to play the piano, learned how to speak German, and learned how to conduct an orchestra. That is dedication to a role and the craft and it pays off because she looks natural at all of these things in the film. If you told me Blanchett was actually raised in Germany and that's why she speaks German so well (assuming she does, I don't know German), I would absolutely believe you. I don't know if there is another actress out their today that could handle doing this film and making it work. It's why director Todd Field said he would only make the film with Blanchett and nobody else. He'd rather trash his own script than work with some other person in the main role. I honestly think this could get talked about in best ever actress performances and yet I will still give the win to Michelle Yeoh because she already has two Oscars. If this was to be her first, it's a no-doubter. But this is probably the performance of Blanchett's illustrious career and I don't know how she could ever top it. I would like to see her try because that means we will continue getting outstanding performances from her.

Ana de Armas - Blonde

This was an interesting choice for the Academy. It was a very minor surprise that she was actually nominated, but I think it really shouldn't have been much of one. She is playing Marilyn Monroe and there's probably enough of the old members of the Academy that would for this performance just because of that reason. They probably would also want to fuck de Armas and I wonder how much that played into her nomination. The film itself was a bit controversial because it was rated NC-17 and there was a ton of nudity, but honestly nothing very graphic or really titillating. The film is also pretty bad when it comes to the story. It's based off a novel by some woman who basically made up everything we see in the film including all of the rapes and sexual assaults and the abortions and a lot of other things. I just can't get into the story knowing it's all a bunch of distasteful bullshit and how badly it exploits de Armas. She herself said she was cool with all the nudity and trusted director Andrew Dominik (he who directed the utterly brilliant The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and very good Killing Them Softly, films!) but it's hard to watch that film and not feel like she was used in the wrong way. She does an admirable enough job with the performance and looks very much like Monroe with the help of some prosthetics, of course. She tries her best at the breathy, distinct voice of Monroe but her natural Cuban accent slips out so often that it's really distracting at times. Apparently, it was even worse in early screenings and they had to work on it in post production. Her acting is fine, but she mostly just cries and looks terrified or confused and there's just a ton of reacting to something. It's not a fully fleshed out performance because it's just pieces of one that de Armas acts out without anything ever coalescing into something you can really grasp onto. To me, it's mostly style over substance, though I believe that de Armas thought she was doing great work. I'm not hating on her at all, I just think that becoming Monroe in this type of film was a really hard sell. I would have liked to see her work in a more traditional biopic since this isn't even a biopic really. I think she may have been nominated because she's young and hot and nude a lot and maybe to honor Monroe one more time. I don't think her nomination is solely because of her acting, sadly.

Andrea Riseborough - To Leslie

 

Well, here we are finally. The most controversial thing about this year's season was Riseborough getting the nomination. Lots of things going into that which started with a (even still) little seen film that made almost no money all the sudden exploding on social media and heavily backing Riseborough to be nominated. It was criticized immediately for how shady and scummy it felt. The director's wife is an actress and I guess they have lots of friends and coordinated this social media push to get their film out there and to try and ram Riseborough into the nominees by getting the acting branch to vote for her last minute. It rubbed me the wrong way because I hate campaigning so openly like this. For Your Consideration campaigns are fine to me, but I dunno, something about how particular this was handled didn't sit well. I'd rather just let the best rise to the top and not force anyone into the nominees because you have connections. I live in a fantasy world with that belief, but point stands it's not a good look. I have no idea how much influence, if any, that Riseborough had with this so I don't know if this is a Chill Wills situation or not. But finally having seen her performance I can somewhat understand where all this campaigning is coming from and why her director and other actors got behind her so hard. I think that if someone got into the Oscars say 10 years from now and started watching everything they could and got to 2022 and came across Riseborough's nomination and performance, well I think they'd believe it fits right in this group. I think it's a good enough performance that it doesn't feel out of place. Yeah, it's a small indie film but it's got an Oscar winner actor in the film in Allison Janney. It's got Marc Maron, Stephen Root, and even Bubbles (Andre Royo) from The Wire. It's not like this was a bunch of unknown actors from a local community group or something. It's a legit film. It just also doesn't tread on any new ground or do anything unique or different. The story is that Riseborough plays a woman who wins a small lottery in a small town and blows it quickly. Life spirals and she is an alcoholic who can't keep a job or a place to live and is somewhat estranged from her son, who is now 20. It's a story we have seen a million times where someone with an addiction has to try and get their life back together or risk losing everything. These kinds of stories rest solely on whoever is playing the addicted or outcast person. They have to be great to make it interesting and worth watching and I think Riseborough accomplishes that goal. Trying to play a drunk is hard. You have to be convincing without going over the top into histrionics or not being believable enough. Riseborough plays a great drunk/alcoholic and is wholly believable as a woman who has hit rock bottom. She prances around and is in good spirits when finally stealing some cash to get her first drink of the day. She sways and looks tired when at the bar. She sizes up men at the bar and tries to flirt her way into a drink but it all comes across as awkward and painful to watch. She gets angry the more she drinks and moves around and flails about as the night goes on. Riseborough gets all the particulars right and it makes for a more authentic performance and story. We would laugh at times, but we see how put off everyone else is and how much of a fool she's making herself to be. I would say that's the best thing about the performance. The story ends up being almost too good of a feel-good story all neatly wrapped up in the end. Which is why the film itself is just alright, but Riseborough gets us to invest in her character and hope that there is a payoff at the end, that she can overcome her demons and be a normal person again. There are other parts to the performance like when she starts trying to get right at the end or when she is staying with her son but she is really just using him for a place to stay and to steal from. The main draw for this is Riseborough playing the drunk. If you ask me if I think this belongs in this group, I'd say yes. But I have to see the rest of the group and figure out where she fits. This could just be a fifth spot that could go to anyone and would thus be fine getting nominated. I can't be angry at the performance, but I can be disappointed in the way she got here in the first place. After this, I'll be keen to see what Riseborough does next or at least down the road and see if she lives up to being an Oscar nominated actress.

Michelle Williams - The Fabelmans

 

This was Williams' fifth Oscar nomination in her career and probably the least exciting one I've seen so far. It feels like it's only a matter of time before she finally breaks through, but I hope it's for something more challenging. And that's my main issue with this role and performance. She plays the fictional version of Steven Spielberg's mother. It's a good performance. It's a fine performance. It's a performance that Williams could do her in sleep. We know she's a phenomenal actress, but nothing blew me away here and I feel that's where she has set the bar for herself when it comes to nominations. Brokeback Mountain, Blue Valentine, My Week with Marilyn, and Manchester by the Sea all offer up some really juicy, dramatic roles or at least something challenging like being Marilyn Monroe. This performance at least has more to do than just be a mother and wife, I'll give it that. Her character needs to be the center of attention and is a very artsy, somewhat bohemian type of person. She encourages her son who is most like her to make movies and we see that motherly love on display. She gets an added bonus of playing a woman who is in love with another man who is friends with her husband, Paul Dano. Bennie, played by Seth Rogen, is always around and eventually through the film we see that as the family moves west because of Dano's jobs and has to leave Rogen behind, Williams can't handle the separation and is makes her relationship with Dano contentious. That sounds really juicy, but we see it develop and there's no one to really stop her and change her mind. So when it comes to a crescendo, it lands with a whimper. We also see Williams' character be a little quirky with only using disposable plates and silverware, keeping a pet monkey she names Bennie, dancing in a see through nightie in front of her whole family. The character is an interesting woman and Williams is more than up to the task of portraying that bit of kooky. But some of her performance comes off a bit chintzy to me where she is a little too cutesy or too theatrical. It feels like a deliberate choice but it doesn't always work for me and can be annoying at times. That probably speaks more to the character but Williams is the one portraying her. I just don't think it's her best work and the nomination feels more like an afterthought or a nod to Spielberg more than Williams actually delivering something worth voting for.

This was definitely a two-horse race between Yeoh and Blanchett and I'm super glad that Yeoh got the Oscar. Blanchett would have been very deserving but I am not a fan of repeat winners. Simple as that for me. The rest were all pretty mid. Williams has done much better work and honestly I wouldn't have nominated her here. It just felt like a rubber stamp nomination coming along for the ride with Spielberg's film. Then we have to see if Riseborough truly belonged here. She was good, but it's a small, low budget film that most people would not and have still never seen. Obviously that shouldn't truly matter but with how the campaigning went and that it possibly pushed a black actress out of a nomination, I think it really needed to be better than good. Unfortunately, de Armas tries her best in a mess of a film though she has a much tougher job to do than Riseborough. The bottom of this group was a bit rough to watch because none of them really inspired me. At least the top two were pretty great.

Oscar Winner: Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All at Once

My Winner: Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All at Once

Cate Blanchett

Michelle Williams

Ana de Armas

Andrea Riseborough

Supporting Actor 2022

This was Quan's win all the way through the whole process. Not a doubt come Oscar night and it made for such a great Oscar moment and was just an overall feel good story. No one else stood a chance. Hirsch was the surprise nomination of the bunch, much like Judi Dench was the previous year. Everyone thought Paul Dano from the same film would take the spot, but the Academy went the veteran/career nomination instead. Really looking forward to just how Quan stacks up and if he deserved the win.

2022 Best Supporting Actor

 

Ke Huy Quan - Everything Everywhere All at Once

 

To me, this was the story of the awards season that was filled with great stories from the winners and nominees. How crazy and awesome is it that the kid that played Short Round and Data has an Oscar? A legit Oscar at that! You could say oh, this is a sympathy award for someone who left the acting world and spent about twenty years working in stunt coordinating before he came back and won an Oscar. But that wouldn't be truly accurate because Quan gave an actually great performance. Seriously, watching Quan in this film was eye opening because he was so good in the role. It made me think of what could have been if Hollywood would have offered him roles or just had roles for him period, we may have gotten some great performances in those twenty years he was out of acting. Quan plays Michelle Yeoh's husband, but we see that he also is a multiverse jumper looking for the true Yeoh to take on the evil Jobu, who is their daughter. He's great as the supportive husband who is a little frazzled at his wife not stopping to talk with him and listen to him. But where Quan shines for me is as the multiverse jumper because he turns serious and badass and just has this commanding presence that makes you pay a little more attention. I love that Quan got to do some fighting sequences since that was what he was doing for those years he was out of acting and you can see he's really great at it. He also gets to play a kind of suave guy in one of the universes and he comes off really charming and smooth and so we see three different sides or characters of him and he excels in all of them. I want to see more of Quan in the future because he's shown he can play any type of role and he deserves to get more work. So this was an absolutely earned Oscar win and I can't tell you how happy his win made me on Oscar night. One that the Academy got right and I hope it catapults Quan into greater things.

Brendan Gleeson - The Banshees of Inisherin

It feels like Gleeson should already have a nomination before and maybe even a win. Crazy that this is his first ever nomination but fitting that it's for a Martin McDonagh film. Gleeson starred in McDonagh's Oscar winning Live Action Short film and of course was great as a hitman in In Bruges. In this film, Gleeson plays a fellow who gives up on a friendship with Colin Farrell because he finds him to be dull and not good with conversation. There is a lot to think about this film when it comes to friendship, loneliness, depression, and mental health. We don't ever really get to the true source of why Gleeson ends the friendship so abruptly. There are hints that he is going through "despair" as the priest he confesses to puts it. That sounds like depression to me and would make sense when Gleeson goes off on Farrell being nice, but never remembered for it, yet he makes music and everyone remembers Mozart. It's like he is having a crisis in his soul about what his purpose in life is and just going to the pub with Farrell talking about boring things ain't it. What I love about Gleeson's performance is he plays his character like he is carrying this heavy internal dread of what's to come in life. Gleeson is scornful of Farrell and admonishes him at times and tries to make him leave him alone, coming off very cold and distant in the process. Yet we still see a bit of that humanity towards Farrell when he helps pick him up after the cop decks him. It's a very complex and understated performance that Gleeson has to balance in a way that doesn't make him an outright villain. We know there is a lot of turmoil simmering under the surface of his character and Gleeson does a great job of displaying bits and pieces of that so we are left wanting to know and see more of what exactly he's doing. He may be this gruff guy, but he doesn't have to do a total 180 and become this effervescent guy to match Farrell's simple happiness. This is what Gleeson excels at and is what he has been delivering for so long in his performances. I am super happy that the Academy finally recognized him because he absolutely deserved it.

Brian Tyree Henry - Causeway

Henry wasn't really a shock as many had him pegged as a fifth choice below even Paul Dano. But Judd Hirsch got that spot, not that it mattered with the Ke Huy Quan train steamrolling everyone. My guess is most folks haven't even seen this little indie film that starred Jennifer Lawrence, produced by her own production company. It was actually nice to see her in another little indie film going back to her roots because this is where her acting can shine through more so than some of the big budget films she's been in. This is about Henry, though, and he plays a guy that Lawrence meets back in her hometown of New Orleans after she comes home from being blown up in Afghanistan with an IED that has given her a traumatic brain injury. While recovering, she meets Henry who works on her truck and the two begin an unlikely friendship that is bonded by trauma. Henry himself had a traumatic event in his past when he was in a car accident that took his leg and his family (though it's never stated out loud who, if anyone, in his car died; we are only left to infer). This film is a very slow burn that is essentially about dealing with trauma and grief. Henry's performance is a very naturalistic one and I read that he and Lawrence worked on the dialogue together to give it that natural rapport. It stands out in the film because Henry is so laid back and it feels like he was plucked from the streets and thrust into the role because it doesn't feel like any kind of big acting. Which is something this type of role and story would quite easily lead others to do, which is go all super dramatic while rehashing the accident he was in and how it turned his world upside down. We don't get too deep into who either of these characters are, the film just lives in the moment with both of them and how their friendship grows and takes a couple tumbles. It's very much a slice of life story and we get to see Henry using his considerable talents, but the film keeps everything pretty low key. It's a short film, too, at just under an hour and a half and I feel like if Henry's character was more fully fleshed out that it could have stood out even more. I just enjoy how simplistic and modest Henry made the performance feel and I mean that in a good way. It's not a showy effort, but we still do see the effort Henry puts into it and that is what makes me excited to see more of his work going forward. My guess is he will probably be in this space again eventually, as he already has an Emmy and Tony nomination under his belt, too.

Judd Hirsch - The Fabelmans

 

This was totally a career/veteran nomination where it was probably the Academy's last chance to reward Hirsch. This was like Judi Dench's nomination the previous year that kinda came out of nowhere and claimed the fifth spot that probably would have gone to someone from the same film, like Caitriona Balfe in Belfast. Paul Dano was heavily expected to get this spot and he gave a wonderful performance as the stand-in for Spielberg's father in the film. If he was here, it would be a very strong inclusion for the group and you would point to him being here as a no-brainer. But Hirsch is here instead and these kinds of nominations can go two different ways usually. One, they are completely undeserved and they are just getting in on their previous star power or standing within the Academy. Or two, they actually come in, light the film on fire, and then promptly leave. I am speaking of these very short, almost cameo like performances from older actors that we get every now and then. Hirsch essentially only really has one main scene, though it's basically three short scenes together. He is Uncle Boris and comes to the Fabelmans after his sister dies, who is Michelle Williams' mother and she plays Spielberg's mother in the film. Anyway, he bursts into the film, tells stories over dinner, and then has an intimate, somewhat wild chat with the Spielberg character in his room. Then he leaves and that's that. Hirsch comes in looking like a crazy man talking about being a lion tamer and speaks almost half in Yiddish. His one scene in the bedroom is memorable as he explains that his art will always be at odds with his family. Not even a pep talk, just a frank realization that a life in the pictures will be tough. Honestly, though, Hirsch breathes some much needed life into the film. The early parts of the film with the family can be a bit dull at times and Hirsch comes in like this whirling dervish and jolts us awake and is someone you think about after the film is over and long after he left the film itself. So yeah, this is pretty entertaining but it is way too short to be a winner. Not terribly upset that he was nominated, though it did deprive us of seeing Dano nominated. 

Barry Keoghan - The Banshees of Inisherin

 

It's cool to see Keoghan get rewarded here because it feels like he is one of those up-and-coming actors who will be nominated in the future and may even win. He is able to play all different kinds of characters from the Joker to a serious superhero of sorts to the town gom in this film. I learned that gom is Irish slang for idiot or fool and that is his character, the town simpleton of sorts who is constantly showing up in people's business and saying some offensive things but is backed with lots of humanity and sincerity and humor. He's a guy that has no filter and tells it like it is and it gets him in trouble a lot. Keoghan brings an affected quality to the performance where his character is always kinda swaying or looking around or touching his face. Sometimes that doesn't work and feels too put upon by an actor, but Keoghan makes it work well within the film and with the other actors. Some will enjoy the mannerisms and the way he talks, while others may not. I enjoyed the performance as I think it really added to the feel of the film overall with it being set in the 1920s and it shows how dysfunctional the small island community can be. And it has a bit of the loneliness and desperation that the others in the film are dealing with in their own ways, which I kinda think the film is really about along with friendships ending. He awkwardly asks out Kerry Condon's character and she declines and he just accepts it knowingly. He wants to spend time with Colin Farrell's character and just wants to be around people, probably to avoid his abusive cop father. That's where the humanity comes into play for me because this isn't just Keoghan playing a mentally slow character for laughs. He tries to form this role into an actual character and he is very much a less important character than Brendan Gleeson. I enjoyed this performance and I suspect that it mostly came along for the ride with the others, nothing wrong with that. I believe he will be back here and probably sooner than later.

This was a no-brainer from the start and I'm so happy Quan got his Oscar. I am also happy that he had a huge role in the Loki series right after this and is getting roles that he should have been getting those 20 years he was not acting. Hirsch is a token nominee. It's the Academy giving a career nomination and nothing more. He's great in the role but it is so brief, and Paul Dano did so much better work in the film. Keoghan is good in his role and I feel like this guy is trending up. He will be a force to come with possibly multiple nominations in the future. That's how talented he is and how strong I feel about his acting ability. Gleeson just has a meatier role and is a veteran who knows exactly what to do and it's surprising that this was his first ever nomination. If Quan wasn't steamrolling through the awards race, Gleeson probably would have won. Henry is solid and subtle. I love subtle acting a ton and this is good work. This guy just needs a Grammy nom to be an EGOT nominee, which is no small feat. I'm sure we will see him again in these categories. Avery strong year that everyone can enjoy.

Oscar Winner: Ke Huy Quan - Everything Everywhere All at Once

My Winner: Ke Huy Quan - Everything Everywhere All at Once

Brendan Gleeson

Brian Tyree Henry

Barry Keoghan

Judd Hirsch

Supporting Actress 2022

This was a battle of the veteran actresses all awards season long between Curtis and Bassett. And honestly, come Oscar night, I had no idea which name was going to be read out loud. I was cool with Bassett winning because she is such a phenomenal actress and because of her local connection to me. Everyone shaming her for her reaction to Curtis' win is so lame because I know I'd be pissed and looking angry if that was me, so I can't blame her there. Really interested to see the rest of these women as it looks to be a strong category.

2022 Best Supporting Actress

 

Jamie Lee Curtis - Everything Everywhere All at Once

 

I was interested to see what Curtis brought to this film because I remembered reading that this wasn't a very big performance, yet here she is as the winner. Well, I would imagine that Curtis won because she is well known and well liked in Hollywood and is the child of two old Hollywood stars. She may have had a nice speech, but her being a nepo baby is probably why she won the Oscar. The success of EEAAO probably also contributed to it and it's interesting because the success of EEAAO is due in part to Curtis heavily pushing it in Hollywood and hyping up her fellow actors and the directors. The performance is fine. I don't think it's award worthy. This is a career award for her time as a scream queen and putting in a lot of work in the industry, simple as that. She plays an IRS auditor and she is funny and entertaining at times and it's clear she had a lot of fun in the role. I just can't really say much more than that about her performance unfortunately. You aren't going to hate it or anything, but you aren't going to see anything truly great and worth giving an Oscar for. Not the first time this has happened and probably not the last time it will happen. That's the Oscars for you.

Angela Bassett - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

I really thought that Bassett would end up winning come Oscar night, but EEAAO just had too much momentum and wasn't going to be stopped. I don't think Bassett's reaction was wrong or bad or anything, just a woman reacting in the moment as probably most of us would, let's be honest. Bassett is an incredible actress who has been lauded for her small screen and stage work and of course for her big screen career. This is her second Oscar nomination after she was nominated for playing Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It in 1993. It's fitting that she would become the first person nominated for an acting award for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has seen many Oscar winners and nominees play characters in the franchises. Bassett busts through the gate playing T'Challa's mother, Queen Ramonda. She was great in the first film and many people were wanting her to be nominated for that same role. I think she is even stronger in this second film. She gets an Oscar moment when she exasperatingly yells to the other Wakandan leaders that she has sacrificed everything and lost her family protecting the country. It's one of those iconic scenes that will get replayed over and over when discussing Bassett's career and pivotal moments in the Marvel universe. Bassett has to be raw and fierce and strong as Wakanda has lost its Black Panther and she has lost her son while still ruling the country and keeping the rest of the world at bay. She also has to play the frightened, worried, emotionally exhausted woman and mother at the same time. Her daughter, Shuri, gets taken by the sea people (I don't think they are ever named?) and her fear and worry are so palpable. Bassett gets you to step in her shoes and feel what the Queen would be feeling and that's what makes her performance so good. She's tough and vulnerable and Bassett balances all of that extremely well. It's easy to see why people were clamoring for her to win and she definitely elevates this film with Chadwick Boseman no longer around. What's kinda funny and maybe a little pathetic is that the Academy decided to award Bassett this year (the year after she was nominated) with an Honorary Oscar. This lady isn't done giving great performances yet! She's in a hit TV show, just got her second Oscar nomination, and is almost acting royalty with husband Courtney B. Vance. Just odd timing to do it now and almost cheapens the award a bit. I'm sure she's happy, though, and hopefully we will see her back here once more.

Hong Chau - The Whale

I was really intrigued to watch this performance because it was the one that I basically knew very little about since Brendan Fraser was the one getting all the hype. To a lesser degree, there were some folks who were wanting Sadie Sink nominated for her role as Fraser's estranged daughter. And because I had heard that the film itself kinda sucked. So how did Chau end up getting nominated? I think it may be a bit of people watched for Fraser and ended up liking Chau's realistic portrayal of a home health nurse. I also think it just kinda came along for the ride with Fraser and possibly people felt good about nominating an Asian woman in a record year for Asian people at the Oscars. Chau was also in The Menu, which was well received, and had gotten previous Oscar buzz for Downsizing a few years earlier. All that to say it's a good performance that really helps the film be a little bit better but isn't something that grabs you. But it is solid, and Chau does a great job at playing a nurse very familiar with Fraser's condition. She reminds me of many nurses I used to work with when I was in the healthcare field. She has that take no shit attitude and will call anyone or anything out and be very blunt about it. She also cares deep down about Fraser and Chau is good at turning the emotion 180 degrees on a dime like when she has to save Fraser from choking or she gets upset at him hiding that he had a lot of money in the bank. She's fully invested in his health and well-being and Chau makes this look totally effortless in her performance. It's a solid performance in a film that is not all that great with the main draw being Fraser's Oscar winning role. Chau at least can feel like a breath of fresh air in this film and that's because she feels so authentic and real and because the film needs it.

Kerry Condon - The Banshees of Inisherin

 

Condon had a very outside shot to win this for a little bit of the awards season. There was a lot of buzz regarding her performance and if there had been a split from the EEAAO ladies and the Academy didn't want to reward a superhero film, it could have happened. A lot of what ifs and I don't mean to sound flippant about her performance, but it was getting some very good reviews and maybe in a different year could have been a winner. I actually really liked her performance because she felt like the only sane person in the film. That character that the audience can attach itself to and pretend that's how we would act. She is the sister of Colin Farrell's character, and she is called often to reign in his shenanigans and help diffuse any drunken situations, nothing overly bad, just being a good sister taking care of her brother. They live alone together and we gather that she is pretty smart and somewhat stuck on the island taking care of Farrell or at least being the levelheaded of the two. She offers advice on how to deal with things and calls him out on him being stupid. By the end of her performance, we see that the small island has taken its toll on her and leaving is her best option at happiness and not getting sucked into the loneliness and despair that has taken over everyone else. Condon does a great job at playing the straight woman, as it were, reacting like many of us would to the bullshit going on around her. I really enjoy some of the exasperated faces she makes when hearing about whatever new ridiculous thing is going on between her brother and Brendan Gleeson. I think Condon helps temper this film and keep it from going too far off the deep end and is the needed voice of reason. She excels at just being normal and likeable and someone we can almost root for to get away and go be a librarian or whatever the job she accepts is. Sometimes the normal person can be a strong breath of fresh air and that is exactly what Condon is to this film.

Stephanie Hsu - Everything Everywhere All at Once

 

If you watched this film and were asked who do you think could have won the Oscar for Supporting Actress, I think most people would point to Hsu. She has a much meatier role than JLC and frankly she gives a much better performance, too. Hsu plays the daughter of Michelle Yeoh and is also the villain of the multiverse, Jobu. Hsu's character is gay and while her mother seems okay with it to some degree, it causes tension between the two. It feels like a very real mother-daughter relationship and Hsu does a great job of getting us to feel her frustration at her mom. I'm guessing that's why Hsu is Jobu in the multiverse and it allows her to have a lot of fun playing the various characters. She gets to be funny and intimidating and do some action and fighting scenes and hit people with dildos and talk about a bagel that will end everything. It's a fun performance that has more depth than you think it would because Hsu goes all out and turns what could be a campy, goofy performance into something you could give an award for. I enjoyed her performance much more than JLC and wish that she would have gotten more attention for her work. I'm hoping this can springboard Hsu into more films and we can get to see her work, whether in comedy or something more serious. I know I haven't really given a deep critique of her performance but it is good and she was a great part of the Best Picture winning film.

There are going to be years where I just completely disagree with the Academy and what they liked or at least voted for. I feel like JLC won because of who she is and because she hyped this film up nonstop. And that's the only reason. Well, also because they loved the film, so probably just caught up in the hype, as well. Bassett is my winner because I really enjoyed her performance but also because it kinda feels like she should have more than just a token Honorary Oscar. So wild that the Academy would turn around a year later and give her that, almost like a mea culpa. Hsu is the one from that film that makes more sense for a win. She was so fun in that role and just acted circles around JLC. Condon would quite possibly be a winner in a weak year as she was really the anchor point of that film. She kept it from going off the rails and was a huge reason the film worked. Chau is good and a very important piece of her film, but the film overall is pretty weak and I'd rather see Chau in something better. All that said, the main theme of these nominations is that I hope to see all of these ladies in better films and roles in the future that brings them back here. They all are good and deserve to be nominated again in some capacity. We shall see if that happens.

Oscar Winner: Jamie Lee Curtis - Everything Everywhere All at Once

My Winner: Angela Bassett - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Stephanie Hsu

Kerry Condon

Hong Chau

Jamie Lee Curtis

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