Oscars Wrap Up!

That's it for another glorious year at the Oscars.  As it did last year, the hostless Oscars worked for me!  Janelle Monae, y'all.  Steve Martin and Chris Rock (who, when they came out I immediately said, "they've both hosted before.  Oscars historian - boom!) and Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig and James Corden and Rebel Wilson and EMINEM.  Great surprises.  The Idina Menzel jokes were amazing.  The midway show rap!  Ok, all of it.  I loved it.  I found it highly entertaining.  

And I loved that they didn't play off the speeches.  Let the people talk (especially when one jerk takes up all 45 seconds and suddenly is like, oh ok, you can talk too.) Did you find that the best of the speeches came at the end when they stopped thanking people and got to the why of making art?  (Marshall Curry!)

Let's go to the awards.

Best Picture:

Well, they called it.  An International Feature film has won the Best Picture Oscar.  It was just too original.  And I'm guessing Bong Joon Ho has one hell of a hangover today.

Lead Actor:

Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) was the most lucid I've ever seen him.  What a beautiful speech and well deserved award.

Lead Actress:

Renee Zellweger, also a lovely speech.  But both Joaquin and Renee need to take my advice, as do all other Oscars nominees.  There are 5 people in the entire world of people who are nominated for your award.  WRITE THE FUCKING SPEECH DOWN.  It would save time, the long pauses, and I can guarantee that when you are writing it down, your heart won't be racing and your ears won't be ringing and you won't be freaking out that you just won an Oscar.  OK?

Supporting Actor:

Of course, Brad Pitt.  Good on ya, Brad.

Supporting Actress:

Laura Dern - and her mom Diane Ladd was there with her!  What an acting dynasty.  She, her mom, and her dad have all been nominated for multiple Oscars.  Take that, Academy.

Director:

Bong Joon Ho - this is when we started to have an inkling that it was Parasite's night.  And each time he spoke, he said such beautiful things.  I bet Martin Scorcese feels like he won something last night too.

Original Screenplay:

Parasite wins again, and I have to tell you... it's not often that the Best Picture also wins a screenplay award.  It's like the voters are saying, "you're both pretty."

Adapted Screenplay:

Jojo Rabbit - Taika Waititi please see notes above about writing down your speech.  This guy who had no words is a writer.  But I loved the movie and the child actors who came to the Oscars looked adorable in their tuxedoes.

Animated Feature:

Well, I would have had at least one more correct if I hadn't gone with my heart, but Toy Story 4 wins.  But please please watch Klaus on Netflix!

Documentary Feature:

American Factory - which again, is on Netflix.  It's a must see.

International Feature:

Parasite, a sweeper! (almost)

Original Score:

Joker - and I just knew that one would win.  That score was incredible.  But they all were.

Original Song:

I'm Gonna Love Me Again... love to see Bernie Taupin win his first Oscar but it really should have been Stand Up from Harriet, don't you think?  Or at least Til it Happens to You from The Hunting Ground (from 2 years back, I'm still mad.)

Sound Editing:

Ford v Ferrari - well, the winner is often the one with the Best Picture momentum when it's relevant, so I thought perhaps it would be 1917, but 1917 didn't have the momentum I thought it did!

Sound Mixing:

1917 - look it up, this award is won a lot by war movies.  It's a fact!

Makeup and Hairstyling:

Seriously Bombshell was a lock.  Now I'm not sure if Charlize Theron is Megyn Kelly or visa versa!

Costume Design:

If you read yesterday's blog, the winner is often the film that is portraying the farthest back in time.  Late 1800's was the winner.

Cinematography:

This is the real reason to see 1917.  I don't know how they did it but that movie was shot in what appears to be real time.  HOW?????

Production Design:

Groovy, baby.  Once Upon a Time in Hollywood wins as everyone thought it would.  I mean, the Ranch!  Manson history buffs will tell you, they must have shot on location.

Film Editing:

Ford v Ferrari - it's worth noting that FvF was only nominated for 4 Oscars and it won 2.  Not a bad night.  ("I have a Ford and I have a Ferrari.  It's no contest."  Chris Rock)

Visual Effects:

1917 - and I'm sorry, NO.  Watch Avengers End Game or even Star Wars.  You're gonna tell me a war movie had better effects?  No way.  I reject.

Documentary Short:

Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you're a girl) is the winner, but I must ask you to watch Life Overtakes Me on Netflix.  If you're not ashamed of how we are holding children in cages after that, you can declare yourself soul-free.

Live Action Short:

The Neighbor's Window - I recommend seeing all of the live action shorts.  They were all excellent.

Animated Short:

Hair Love!!!!!!!  It was my favorite of all the films in the entire list.  Yes yes yes!

And that's a wrap for another year.  Thanks for reading, thanks for following, I'll see you at the movies!

Who Should Win? Who Will Win?

Today is the big day!  Do I say that every year?  Well, I'm excited to see what happens tonight.  There are several categories that I believe are absolutely locked.  You'll see those below!

Best Picture:
Should Win: Little Women
Honestly, I loved the majority of the top 9 this year, but this one was the most original adapted screenplay, and you know what?  That's not easy for a book that was published in 1868 and has had nine movie adaptations.
Will Win: 1917
I think the compelling story combined with the incredible artistry of the filmmaking will eke it out over the much hyped possible win for Parasite.  It is not often that Best Pictures have no acting nominations, but this will be one of those years.

Lead Actor:
Should Win: Joaquin Phoenix
Will Win: Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)

Lead Actress:
Should Win: Renee Zellweger, with honorable mention to Cynthia Erivo (Harriet)
Will Win: Renee Zellweger (Judy)

Supporting Actor:
Should Win: Joe Pesci (The Irishman)
I loved this performance and he was the best thing about the movie.
Will Win: Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)

Supporting Actress:
Should Win: Laura Dern
Will Win: Laura Dern (Marriage Story)

Director:
Should Win: Sam Mendes
Will Win: Sam Mendes
I do think he is going to pull it out, but look for an upset with Bong Joon Ho.  It's also notable when the "split" happens between Best Picture and Director winners.  But when you make a movie like 1917, I think you get the award.

Animated Feature:
Should Win: Klaus (winner of the Hidden Gem award this year!)
Will Win: Klaus
Ok, I"m going out on a limb with this one.  Toy Story 4 has about equal attention from all of the best Oscars predictors with Klaus.  And I think Toy Story 4 is the safest choice, but I'm just going to go all in on Klaus which was truly one of my favorite of all the nominated films.  You never know, winners surprise us all the time.

Animated Short:
Should Win: Hair Love
Will Win: Hair Love

Adapted Screenplay:
Should Win: Jojo Rabbit
Will Win: Jojo Rabbit
With a very close second for Little Women.  I think little Jojo is going to take the award.

Original Screenplay:
Should Win: Knives Out
Will Win: Parasite
This award often goes to the movie that could have been the Best Picture award winner but just didn't quite make it.  I think Oscars voters split their votes and give one to Best Picture and one to Screenplay as a way of saying, "we liked you both."

Cinematography:
Should Win: 1917
Will Win: 1917
I mean, how did they do that????

Documentary Feature:
Should Win: The Cave
Will Win: American Factory
American Factory is on Netflix and I highly recommend you watch it.  It's very helpful to understanding the global economy.

Documentary Short:
Should Win: Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you're a girl)
Will Win: Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you're a girl)
With very special honorable mention to In the Absence.  Actually, I really enjoyed every documentary short and I highly recommend you watch them.  Life Overtakes Me is on Netflix and it is imperative that you watch this.

Live Action Short:
Should Win: Nefta Football Club (it would be nice to have one with some comedy in it)
Will Win: The Neighbor's Window
And by the way, this live action short is both funny and emotional.

International Feature:
Should Win: Parasite
Will Win: Parasite

Film Editing:
Should Win: Ford v Ferrari
Will Win: Parasite

Sound Editing:
Should Win: 1917
Will Win: 1917
So many technical achievements with 1917, and I think it will pick up some wins here.

Sound Mixing:
Should Win: 1917
Will Win: 1917

Production Design:
Should Win: Jojo Rabbit
Will Win: Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Original Score:
Should Win: Marriage Story
Will Win: Joker
And actually, if you have a chance to listen to the Fresh Air interview with Todd Phillips, it's a great story of the musical score.

Original Song:
Should Win: Stand Up, Harriet
Will Win: I'm Gonna Love me Again, Rocketman
Look, it was a great song from a really good movie.  But I like songs with a strong message.  And I'm still mad Lady Gaga didn't win for "Til It Happens to You," from The Hunting Ground.

Makeup and Hairstyling:
Should Win: Bombshell
Will Win: Bombshell
Guys, she looked EXACTLY like Megyn Kelly.

Costume Design:
Should Win: Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
Will Win: Little Women
The Academy LOVES period pieces.  The further back the time period, the more likely the Oscars win.  Go through the winners and nominees from prior years and tell me I'm wrong. Elizabethan almost always has the best chance.  1868 is the farthest back on this list, so I'm pretty sure it will win.  (PS The Irishman was a movie almost totally costumed in men's suits.  How does it get on this list???)

Visual Effects:
Should Win: Avengers: End Game
Will Win: 1917
This is a hard category to predict but I've scoured the internet full of predictions and most people think that 1917 is going to take the category.  But this one is usually given purely to the one that has the best effects, and so this one could be a surprise!

Ok babies, get on your high heels, tuxedoes, and sparkly dresses.  Tonight's the night!

Corpus Christi/Les Miserables

Best International Feature Film - Poland

This is the story of a young convict who finds a deep attachment to Catholicism in prison.  When he gets out, he won't be allowed in seminary to become a Priest, so he goes to a small town with a job for him.  When he arrives, he tells people that he is a Priest and they immediately put him into their employ at the Church when the regular Priest is incapacitated.  There's a deep hurt in the town as a result of a devastating accident, and this young man does everything in his power to help the families find healing.  But the threat of being revealed hangs over his head.  

This film was lovely.  Make sure you see it - even if it has nothing to do with the Oscars.  I think it was one of the best films nominated this year and while it won't get much attention because there are such high profile International Feature nominees, it deserves a watch.  I guarantee it.

Best International Feature Film - France

On the other hand, I expected to like Les Miserables much much more than I did.  A community terrorized by police abuse and brutality is the central force of this film.  A new member of the force sees the bad behavior of other members of the squad and does what he can to deescalate incidents, but to no avail.  Meanwhile, we see how innocent children get into a crime loop.  The complicated dance of holding people accountable, police behavior, criminal behavior, and how communities lose faith in the system are all portrayed here, but honestly not that well.  I had heard very good things about this movie, but it was overly simplistic and overly complicated at the same time.  I guess that's an accomplishment in an of itself.  

Avengers/The Lion King

Best Achievement in Visual Effects - Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones, Elliot Newman

The Lion King is next in the line of Disney animated films remaking themselves into live action features.  The dialogue is almost exactly identical as the original with young Simba being outplayed by his treacherous Uncle Scar.  Simba's father is accidentally killed in a stampede and Simba runs off into the Savannah where he meets Timon and Pumbaa who teach him a problem free philosophy, Hakuna Matata.  Of course, as with all of these remakes, there is an outstanding voice over cast and at least one new song.  When the Pride Lands fall into the depths of despair due to mismanagement by Scar and his minyan army the hyenas, Simba returns to reclaim his birthright and restore order to the land.  

I've enjoyed most of these updated installments and the visual effects are stunning (spoiler alert, those aren't real lions talking to each other), but if you've seen the animated film, you're good.

Best Achievement in Visual Effects - Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Matt Aitken, Daniel Sudick

Avengers: End Game is the incredibly satisfying conclusion to the Avengers franchise (I mean, perhaps I should say "conclusion," this franchise is hardly at the end of shaking its moneymaker, I assure you.). When we left off the last film, half of the universe had been snapped into oblivion thanks to Thanos who believed that he is the adult doing the right thing to restore order to the world.  And that means lots of our heroes are scarred at the unbelievable amount of loss they experienced when so many of their compatriots vanished.  When the team discovers a way to reset the world, the Avengers assemble once again to restore order, and to finally defeat Thanos and his evil intentions.

Now THIS is a movie you should see (make sure to see Avengers: Infinity War first, of course!). What a pleasure.  What an exciting ride and what a great arc for our many heroes.  Three characters seem to be definitively laid to rest (literally and metaphorically), but this film shows why nobody beats Marvel at the superhero game.  I loved it.

Ad Astra - 1 nomination

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing - Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Mark Ulano

Friends, I have to tell you, I watched this entire movie and I still don't totally understand what it was about.  Brad Pitt (soon to be Academy Award winner, Brad Pitt) plays a talented astronaut Roy McBride who has been given a top secret mission to find his father's (also an astronaut) lost in space mission because it is about to destroy the planet.  He undertakes the dangerous mission with some assistance from Donald Sutherland, who plays another astronaut who knew McBride's father.  There is all manner of space danger, and there are some exciting (yet extremely random) obstacles that must be overcome in order for him to be successful.  Then, more totally random things happen and then the movie is over.

Honestly, this was the most disjointed film of the entire Oscars list this year, and there were so many moments that I had to watch a second time because they had no set up and no context.  They just happened.  

I can certainly see why the film is nominated for sound mixing, there are so many pieces of sound layered over one another, but I'm starting to think that maybe these nominees should come from movies that higher than a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (yes, yes, I know that's an extremely impractical proposal, and impossible to execute).  I'm tired of having to watch mediocre (and in this case bad) movies just because they are technically excellent.

If you loved Ad Astra (and if you did, wow, good for you), I recommend reverting to last year's Oscars and watch First Man.  A much much better space film with more gravitas in the credits roll than this film had in its entire story.

Watch the trailer:

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) - John Williams

Best Achievement in Visual Effects - Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach, Dominic Tuohy, Roger Guyett

Best Achievement in Sound Editing - Matthew Wood, David Acord

Let's give you a little context as to why I already loved Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker before I even saw it.
1. Even seen every single film.
2. I've loved every single film (even 1, 2, and 3) and I'm not annoyed by Jar Jar Binks.
3. I went to an 8:30 a.m. screening of this film before I got on a 16 hour flight.  Did I need more sitting on that day?  No I did not.  Was there any chance I would miss opening week?  No, there was not.
4. I am a tried and true Star Wars fan.  I have nail stickers with Princess Leia on them.  This is not a drill, people.
5. In my first conversation with my now husband, we confirmed that we both were Star Wars fans, and now we are married.

Ok, have I undermined my own credibility on this film enough?  I believe I have.

So this installment puts a lovely little bow on the most recent of the Star Wars iterations.  There were so many easter eggs and just out and out references for the original films that I cried multiple times while watching it.  Ewoks! Tatooine! The X-wing Fighter!  Impressive CGI reproductions of Carrie Fisher, young and old! Surrounded by a really beautiful and compelling story, there was so much bloody red meat in the water for Star Wars fans that there was no chance I wouldn't love it.  It's an against all odds battle of the resistance versus the First Order, and the good guys win, the bad guys lose, and we still have a glimmer of hope that a door was left just open enough for us to hope that there will continue to be more films ever after.

By the way, John Williams is nominated for his 52nd Oscar, 6 of which have been for Star Wars films.  He won for the very first Star Wars and it is likely that he won't win for this one, but his score is magnificent, as always.  I believe only Walt Disney has been nominated for more Oscars than Williams has (59), but John is a very young 88 years old, so let's not count him out.

That's as many spoilers as you're gonna get.  See the movie.  It's awesome.  (Trust me.)

If you loved Star Wars, obviously you have to see them from the beginning.  There is no substitute.

Here's the trailer:

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling - Paul Gooch, Arjen Tuiten, David White

In-Laws, am I right?  (Just kidding, I love my in laws dearly, especially if they are reading this blog.)  Maleficent's daughter Aurora has gotten engaged, and neither family is thrilled about it.  But in laws have to have dinner together, and when Aurora's soon to be mother in law lays a trap to have Maleficent act out and have everyone turn against her, and all the while the mother in law's minion secretly works in a lab to develop a potion that would eradicate all fairy kind, well, let's just say that all does not go well for the two families.  Maleficent discovers that there are more of "her kind" and she comes into her own, but not in the most productive of ways.  The two communities (fairy and human) are being lulled into war, and Aurora's mother in law reveals herself to be a murderous villain (this is not a spoiler).

I was not excited to watch this film.  Though I enjoyed the first one (which was nominated for an Oscar in costume design), I didn't think there was enough there to warrant a sequel.  I was wrong.  I really enjoyed this one!  It was fun - one could say enchanting - and the makeup is impressive.  When movies like these are nominated for an Oscar, I do sometimes think to myself, "say that out loud.  Bad Grandpa, Oscar nominee."  But it is not unusual for "low art" to achieve in the technical awards, and this one is at least good enough to spend the time.  But, I would only recommend it under the following conditions:

1. You saw the first one (Maleficent) and LOVED it.

2. You try to see every single nominated film, as I do.

3. End of list.

Here's the trailer:

The Lighthouse - 1 nomination

Best Achievement in Cinematography - Jarin Blaschke

"At least it will be nominated for Cinematography and I'll have had to see it," I said as the lights came up after The Lighthouse concluded.  My son and his girlfriend had heard about this movie with only two actors (if you can believe it, they hadn't heard of either... even Robert Pattinson! Of course I reminded them about Harry Potter and those vampire ones) in which both struggle to keep their sanity while tending to a Lighthouse on a remote island in New England.  It's a highly stylized film and admittedly, the attention to beautiful detail with the language and the accents is impressive (assuming they are right about those... they sure seemed right).  But as the descent into madness takes hold, the film got less and less interesting to me, exactly the opposite of what all of the directing and screenplay choices were meant to be going, I presume.

Bottom line, this is the kind of film that you either love or hate.  If you've seen My Own Private Idaho, this film reminded me of that with some of the posed - stop the scene - moments, and coincidentally, I didn't love that one either.  There is something to be said for the film, there is no denying that it's a rich portrayal of madness, but that's not really my genre, so I don't recommend it.

I've thought a lot about what to recommend if you liked this movie.  I was going to go for Pete's Dragon, also with many scenes surrounding a lighthouse.  But instead, I'm choosing also cinematically beautiful AND descent into madness film, Shutter Island.  (or if you really loved this, go for My Own Private Idaho!)

Here's the trailer:

Live Action and Animated Shorts!

*Sorry Oscars babies, this is another very combined blog post.  Let me know if you like this solution, or if you think multiple posts in one day would be better.  And help me lobby the Academy to stop making the interim period so short!

ANIMATED SHORTS

A daughter and her father have never really found a way to be close and communicate with each other, and the sadness of that divide permeates as his life is winding down.  This wasn't my favorite, but the animation captured the emotion so beautifully, it was very impressive.

My favorite and the likely winner of the bunch, Hair Love finds a dad ill equipped to style his daughter's gorgeous hair, but a #girldad never gives up.  With a bit of help from YouTube and a big scoop of "can do," nothing will keep this father daughter team from making his daughter gorgeous before they go to visit her ailing mom in the hospital.  Many prognosticators are calling it for Hair Love (and I'm one of them!)

A skittish kitty makes friends with a pitbull who is being kept for an underground fighting ring.  He is sweet and abused.  Oy, this one was so hard to watch!  I can't imagine how anyone can do this to these dogs.  But worry not, the kitty knows how to be strong when he needs to, and this unlikely friendship will mean more to both than they ever could predict.

The heartbreaking but beautiful depiction of memory loss, the animation portrays every stroke, every drop of "paint" that goes into making a life, and how hollow people become when the sufferer can no longer fully remember the people in his life.  

A deceptively charming short about the cruelty of China's one child policy and forced abortion.  One man reenvisions his life had he had the sister sibling that his mother was forced to terminate.

LIVE ACTION SHORTS

Brotherhood is the very disturbing story of a boy returning home to his family.  He went to join ISIS in Syria against his family's wishes, and the father in particular is not tolerant of his son's murderous past, nor of his extreme Muslim views.  The son even arrives home with a fully burqa covered very young wife.  The father acts before he knows the rest of the story.

The discovery of pounds of cocaine in the desert by two young brothers prompts the older brother to spy a money-making opportunity.  The younger of the two thinks they have found laundry detergent, and the older one does nothing to change that perception.  But when the savvy brother attempts to make a sale to the local criminals, he discovers that his younger brother has other plans for the product.

A movie that's starts out funny and titillating - a couple with a direct view of their young neighbors' apartment, they find themselves obsessing over their lives filled with sex, parties, dancing, and fun.  They even buy binoculars as they fantasize about the grass-is-always-greener lifestyle of counterparts who don't have children and responsibilities.  As they watch, they discover that the grass is not always greener, and sometimes, the most important thing, is actual human connection.

This short is based on the true story of young teenage orphans held in a detention center in Guatemala.  They are children functionally being kept in cages for their life circumstances - and the girls are regularly raped, beaten, and treated to the worst of living conditions.  After a staged protest that draws the attention of the country, they try to escape but are caught and returned to their locked in lives.  When a fire is set inside the locked room, the guard at the door ignores what is happening and all 41 girls die in the fire.  There is a lesson here about callous disregard for human life.

This thrilling, edge of your seat, short follows a young woman who tells her rapist (who she knows) that she needs to call her sister.  She really calls the police and the operator on the other end of the line must decipher that the woman is in trouble, and figure out where the woman is so that she can send help.  This one is tense and epitomizes what can only be done in a short film.  It was excellent.

Knives Out - 1 nomination

Original Screenplay - Rian Johnson

Oh my gosh I loved this movie so much.  It's funny, it's clever, it plays with the murder mystery genre and it reminds me of one of my favorite books ever, Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.  The movie starts with the death of family patriarch and author/tycoon, Harlan Thrombey, and everyone in the family and the help who were in the house is a suspect.  Benoit Blanc is a private detective who comes to investigate the case and interview each person who apparently has motive and means to have committed the crime.  Thrombey has a very special relationship with his caretaker, Marta, and she knows more than she is letting on, but apparently not as much as she thinks.  There are so many excellent twists and turns in this film that it is worth the over 2 hours (yet ANOTHER Oscars film that is over 2 hours this year).  That's all you get!  Every word I could convey is too close to being a spoiler and it's not worth it to ruin the surprises for you to give you more of the plot in this post.  I went into this film blind and you should too.

So many people ask me to prioritize the film options from the nominees.  I always give you my top 3.  This is not in the Top 3.  But if you're expanding out to a top 10, Knives Out is definitely going to be in that list.  It's everything a murder mystery is supposed to be, and it's everything an entertaining movie is supposed to be.  I LOVED it.  And I think it has a shot at being the winner of the category.  (a shot... Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is another one...)

If you didn't figure it out already, I recommend that if you loved Knives Out, you READ Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie.  You can certainly see the film (the 1974 version with Albert Finney and Lauren Bacall, NOT the 2017 version), but the book is the classic.

Original Song nominees!

Ok Oscars babies.  We've already covered two Original Song nominees - "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" from Toy Story 4 (see Animated Features post) and "Stand Up" from Harriet (see Harriet post).  So today's combined reviews are for the rest of the Original Song nominees.

Rocketman is the biography of Elton John, brilliantly performed by Taryn Egerton.  It was totally different than what I expected as it combined the story and the songs - sometimes performed as regular songs, sometimes performed as dialogue from the characters, and sometimes performed as a music video in Elton's mind.  It was so great, and I am surprised it didn't get more nominations this year.  I had no idea what a complicated life Elton John had lived even though I know every word to every single one of his songs.  It's absolutely worth seeing.  Here's the song via YouTube.

Remember a couple of years back a song was nominated from a Christian themed film but was disqualified for violations of the rules?  Well, congratulations to the Christian film industry for this first nomination to make it to the finish line.  Breakthrough tells the story of a teenager who had an accident on a frozen lake and spent 15 minutes under water.  Certain that there was no chance of recovery, doctors advised his parents to let him go.  But the mom was filled with faith, as was the community, and together they prayed him back to life and a full recovery.  I'm sure there is an audience for this kind of cheesy film, I'm just not it.  If you are one of those people, this is about the quality of a Lifetime movie.  The song is quite pretty though, sung beautifully by Chrissy Metz of This Is Us fame.  Here's the song via YouTube.

Elsa and Anna are back!  And this time they have to save Arendelle from an ancient curse in which their grandfather dealt treacherously with native peoples, and are now paying the price for that offense.  Elsa finds new strength and courage, and more importantly, Anna discovers the truth of the past and makes tough decisions that only a true leader has the courage to make.  Frozen II is no Frozen, but it's a lovely little movie.  The song is also incredible, and all I can say is, "Damn Idina Menzel.  Is anyone entitled to be THAT talented?"  Here's the song via YouTube.

Documentary Features and Shorts

A Note About Today's Blog Post!

Due to the GREATLY decreased time between the Oscars announcements and the show, there are a very limited number of days available to post and share about all of the movies with nominations.  Sadly, that means combining, combining, combining.  So, today, I present to you 10 films - all of the documentary features and the shorts.  This year's crop of documentaries of both lengths were excellent.  Truly not a bad one in the bunch.  There are lessons on cruelty, democracy, the changing nature of business, bravery, and love.  Please try to see a few (many are on Netflix!) - they are worth it.

THESE ARE THE DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

American Factory finds a town in Ohio devastated by the closure of a car manufacturing company that provided the majority of the jobs in the town revitalized by the arrival of a Chinese company that makes glass for cars.  At first, the employees are grateful to have jobs.  But the Chinese model of how you treat employees and what you can expect from them is very different than the United States' model, including the high value placed on safety.  When the Chinese owners begin to take advantage (for much lower wages) and violate safety rules on the job.  The employees begin to discuss forming a union.  So, are the owners the villains?  Or the American employees?  Without any spoilers, we know that whether people work more or less, they will never be as good as machines.

The Cave is an incredible story of a medical hospital in Syria located underground where victims of violence can come for treatment.  The place is run by an incredible woman, which is particularly impressive in a world where women are not meant to be in charge.  These doctors stay in a town that the regime seems determine to wipe out, just to make sure that everyone stranded there can get medical treatment.  It's a task far too big for anyone to have a hope succeeding, and yet, who else will do it if these doctors leave?

The thing about The Edge of Democracy is that it's such a lesson for the United States, and yet, I'm certain that Democrats and Republicans will see this film so differently.  We discover the fragile state of Brazil's democracy in a place steeped in governmental corruption with coups and impeachment trials and scandals, and any American watching this film has got to be at least slightly haunted.

A female documentarian shares her life and her choices with her young daughter as she reflects what it's like to live in Aleppo, Syria.  As part of the resistance in her younger years, she could never have anticipated what it would be like to stay, to fight, to try to resist an oppressive and tyrannical regime with her husband, a doctor who feels he must stay to help.  Having already escaped, her parents try to convince the young couple to escape and emigrate with their young child, but they have a connection to the land and feel they must stay.  This film is part history, part apology, part explanation for the daughter from the filmmaker who knows that this life has been insanity.

Nobody I know who has seen this film thinks it is an actual documentary because of the incredible scenes the filmmakers caught and recorded.  The main character is a woman beekeeper in Macedonia who lives off the land.  She sells her honey at the market, and relies on living in harmony with nature to keep her bees thriving.  When nomadic squatters become her neighbors, they bully her into sharing her production secrets, and they undermine the natural order and affect her livelihood.  They don't care about her, about longevity, they care about making money right now.

Honeyland is also nominated for International Feature!

THESE ARE THE DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

Afghanistan is not a safe place to be a girl, even today when the Taliban are not in power.  Girls are not really supposed to learn, and so these girls who go to school every day are taking their lives into their own hands.  Their mothers see a world of possibility for their daughters because they are getting the education their mothers never could have under the Taliban.  While at school, the girls are also taught courage and grit... and skateboarding!  This is a powerful documentary about bravery and teaching girls to take back their power.

The lives of refugees are just not easy.  Coming from places with governmental corruption and commonplace murder if you displease the regime (or any dangerous people), families have found refuge in Sweden.  But for those coming from extreme danger with their immigration status still uncertain (and in many cases, having been denied asylum), young children are coping with the very strange "Resignation Syndrome."  That is to say, they go to sleep and they don't wake up.  They must be fed through a tube, washed, walked, receive physical therapy - they have simply checked out completely unable to cope with the reality of their uncertain futures that may very well include being sent back home to a place where people actually want to kill them.  There are over 200 children suffering with this syndrome in Sweden, and it is now beginning to appear in refugee centers in Australia.  

St. Louis Superman follows the incredible journey of Bruce Franks who was inspired to run for state representative after the shooting of Michael Brown.  He works to declare gun violence a youth health crisis navigating the tough streets he came from (where his own older brother was shot and killed at the age of 9) and the professional life working the system of government.  Carving out a small piece of justice is Franks' act of leadership in his community, all while being a great dad.

Exploring the lives of a couple married for over 50 years and their history escaping Vietnam.  But they have a secret to their long marriage and to their love story - they have learned how to dance and compete professionally in that world.  This film was so charming and even though their story of their young lives is difficult, immigrating to the United States changed their lives very profoundly.  My husband and I are signing up for dance lessons as a result!  (I want one of those fancy dresses and definitely the shoes!)

In the Absence is the film that is the hardest to shake when you leave the theater.  It retells the story of the Sewell, a passenger ferry in Korea that was sinking for several hours while nobody did anything to evacuate the hundreds and hundreds of passengers on the boat.  In fact, the Captain of the ship was the first to be rescued, leaving an absence of leadership.  Not to mention that the government spent more time trying to get cameras on the scene rather than doing anything.  They even sent away fishing boats who came to try to help rescue passengers.  The haunting moment when one of the teenagers on the boat (videotaped by a phone camera) recounts a story of another disaster when the only people who didn't listen to the instructions given by leadership were the ones to survive... The outraged families and volunteer divers who were involved in the rescue rally the entire nation and help unseat the country's President as a result.

Animated Features

The third installment of the delightful How to Train Your Dragon series is the most touching of the trilogy.  Our heroes Hiccup and his dragon (Toothless) discover that Toothless may not be the last and only dragon of his kind.  He meets another "Night Fury" who they call a light fury.  Hiccup is trying to create a dragon utopia and he learns of a myth that such a place exists.  Meanwhile, the evil and infamous dragon hunter Grimmel is capturing Hiccup's community's dragon pets, and Hiccup must defend and set free those who have been captured and lead them to the safety of the Hidden World.  A truly delightful film.

A severed hand in a lab opens the film - it is trying to escape to find its owner.  Yep, this one starts off weird.  As the movie unfolds, we discover our main character, Naoufel, who is not living his best life.  He meets a girl, Gabrielle, and becomes infatuated with her spunky personality.  He follows her to see what her life is like and ends up on an entirely new life path, thanks to Gabrielle's father, who take Naoufel in as an apprentice.  It's a bit of a strange beginning, but the complexities of choices and relationships ultimately lead us to a place where we understand what happened to the hand, and why it is so important.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER OF THE HIDDEN GEM AWARD! (The Hidden Gem is awarded to a film that I'd never heard of before it was nominated and turns out to be one of my favorites of the Oscars season.)

Klaus is a funny, fantastic movie.  Jesper is a spoiled rich kid whose father has had enough of his laziness and shenanigans.  He is sent to the outer reaches of the country, Smeerensburg, where he must complete the task of having the post office he is sent to run process 6000 letters in one year.  Pretty tricky for a town where two families hate each other and live in a constant state of readiness to murder the other half of the town.  Jesper discovers Klaus who lives at the edge of the town and has made and hoarded presents for children in his home.  Over time, Jesper works with Klaus to secretly deliver presents to the children of the town, and rumors spread among the children as to how one might be selected to receive a present.  Each new rumor constructs the story of Santa Klaus.  This film was clever and adorable, and I just loved it.

Sir Lionel Frost can't get the community of explorers and adventurers to believe in his greatness.  As he seeks to prove his theories, he meets Mr. Link, the "missing link" mammal who simply wants to discover his own roots.  In fact, Mr. Link has recruited Frost to help him on his quest, and the two are joined on their adventure by Adelina Fortnight, another dazzling explorer.  I enjoyed the film, though it would rank 5th among the nominees.

The final (?) installment of Woody and Buzz Lightyear, joined by all of their old pals and even some new ones.  Forky has come home with their child - a toy who thinks he is trash (because he is made of a plastic fork and pipe cleaners) and keeps trying to throw himself away.  Woody is not having it and tries to teach Forky how valuable a lovable toy can be to a child.  While he is helping Forky, Woody comes across an old friend who had been given away and landed in a Thrift Shop, where he discovers that not every toy has good intentions, and that some hurts need healing in order to get out of life what every toy wants - to be loved.

In addition to the Animated Feature nomination, Randy Newman is nominated for his 22nd Oscar (PS, this is not the first time that Randy Newman has been nominated for two Oscars in the same year for 2 different movies!  Remember, he is also nominated for Original Score for Marriage Story this year), in this film, his work is nominated for Original Song, "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away."  I don't think he will win this year (he has won 2 Oscars), but this is an adorable song which you can listen to here: 

Richard Jewell - 1 nomination

Supporting Actress - Kathy Bates

Richard Jewell follows the investigation following the bombing at the 1996 Olympics.  The central character, Richard, is an overly zealous security guard for hire.  He's had a difficult history in law enforcement, and has lost a series of jobs for overstepping his grounds.  He gets a job on the security team at the Olympics in Atlanta, and he is in heaven.  One night, he discovers a backpack loaded with a pipe bomb and works with the police to clear the area and save as many lives as he can.  He is lauded as a hero.  Until the FBI gets involved, sees his history, and begins to suspect that Jewell has planted the bomb himself so that he can save everyone and become a hero to the nation.  When an overly aggressive member of the media learns that Jewell is being investigated, she rushes to leak it to the world so that she and her publication will be first in the race to reveal what happened.  In the film, it is portrayed that she seduces an FBI agent to get this information, and if that's not true, I'd like to thank Clint Eastwood for the incredibly sexist portrayal of a woman who can only use sex to get the job done.  (If it's the truth, I'll apologize to Mr. Eastwood; if it's not, he can go screw.  No film would ever portray a male reporter attempting to seduce someone in order to get a story.  I guess that's the only way women can succeed.) . Thankfully, Richard has a relationship with an amazing lawyer who works tirelessly on Jewell's behalf, ultimately proving that the FBI had no case.

Kathy Bates plays Jewell's mother, and boy, is she her amazing, talented self in this film.  She is emotional, subdued, scared, proud, all the things a mother can be in this kind of situation.  I was not thrilled to see it, and only saw the movie because of the Oscars nomination.  After watching the movie, I did agree that she deserves the recognition; she was superb.  (And by the way, the entire cast was excellent.)

The film was fine.  Not great.  Not terrible.  Certainly not Oscars material.  If we are somehow now supposed to believe that this case is the epitome of our law enforcement agencies and the media, I don't buy it.  No question, Jewell's story deserves to be told, and the mismanagement on all ends is undeniable.  But the FBI never gets to tell its side of the story to the public.  The best of this film is that I'm certainly intrigued as to what was real and what was invented to make it an interesting story.  Here's a book I found upon which the movie is based, though I really love to read (though I'll never get to) the account from the FBI.

Here's the trailer: