The Oscar nominations came out yesterday. And, quite frankly, I don’t much care who wins. The Academy Awards are, like many entertainment awards, little more than the industry patting itself on the back. It’s generally good for winning a trivia contest and that’s about it.
But I do write a movie blog, and I have seen most of the nominees for Best Picture. The one exception is one I can watch in the comfort of my own home, Marriage Story on Netflix. Weather forecasts are calling for a lot of snow on Saturday, so I know what I’m probably going to be doing that day. But, in the meantime, here are some thoughts for the other nominees.
Ford v Ferrari
I’m not a sports guy, a car guy, or a race guy. But still, there was a lot to like about Ford v Ferrari It didn’t make me a sports guy or a car guy or a race guy. It did confirm I’m a Christian Bale fan. He’s fantastic in this one. Matt Damon isn’t a bad actor, but he’s no Bale. The result is more of a character study, and for all the title talks about a conflict between a bunch of guys who just love designing and driving fast cars and the company they all work for. That was unexpected.
Should it win? No, but I wouldn’t be upset if it did.
The Irishman
No Martin Scorsese movie is just what it appears to be on the surface. And The Irishman is about legacies and aging. Reuniting Scorsese with DeNiro is always a treat, and this one is mostly about a man who never really questions the violence in his life. And it costs him.
Should it win? Not really. Martin Scorsese got his Best Director and Best Picture awards for The Departed. I really liked this one, despite the length, but Scorsese has made a lot better movies.
Jojo Rabbit
A comedy about a German boy whose imaginary friend is Adolph Hitler? And he learns how terrible the Nazis are? If this came from anyone other than Taika Waititi, this one might have been a real mess. But instead, it’s a movie full of nice moments as Jojo learns Jews are people too.
Should it win? Not really, but it’s mostly because without the comedy, it’s a very standard Nazis-are-bad sort of movie.
Joker
OK, so, here’s the one that loses me. I liked, but did not love, this movie. But outside of Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Arthur Fleck, future Joker, this movie mostly felt very…familiar. Like, I’d seen it before, and it was more of a homage to the works of the likes of Martin Scorsese and many of his contemporaries in the 70s and 80s. It reminds me a bit of Green Book, a movie that didn’t seem particularly revolutionary, but had a really fine performance from a fine actor at its center.
Should it win? No. In fact, this is the only nominee here I feel absolutely shouldn’t even be nominated. Joker was a good movie, but it was nowhere near the year’s best. You know, kinda like Green Book.
Little Women
This may well be the most utterly delightful movie I’ve seen in a long time. How the hell did Greta Gerwig not get a Best Director nomination?
Should it win? This one? Yes. Will it? Probably not.
1917
Much of this movie’s overall success comes from Sam Mendes’s craftsmanship in putting together a movie with hardly any visible edits. Tense, exciting, soulful, and all around a tour-de-force from Mendes. I know why this one got a nod and have no objections to that fact whatsoever.
Should it win? Maybe it’s all the gimmick, but damn, was this one good movie. It could win and I’d have no objections whatsoever.
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
This may be Quentin Tarantino’s sweetest movie, and while it’s not without its violence, it does follow Tarantino’s general forte of showcasing some old genre or style the writer/director clearly loves and doing his own twist on it. This one is a tribute to a long forgotten Hollywood era, and quite frankly, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it got as many nominations as it did.
Should it win? Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is a fine film, and it does fit something the Academy loves. That would be a Hollywood movie that celebrates Hollywood in one form or another. I would not be the slightest bit surprised or upset if it won.
Parasite
This one was my favorite movie of 2019. An excellently-crafted story of the haves and the have nots, a funny comedy and a tense thriller all at the same time. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this one.
Should it win? Yes, but I doubt it will. The Academy will go with something “safe” like it always does.
Well, I should probably check out that Marriage Story movie soon so I can be even more disappointed when the Academy votes something that is clearly not the Best Picture as Best Picture. Such is life.
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