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:

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood - 1 nomination

Supporting Actor - Tom Hanks

This is not a biopic of Mr. Rogers.  This is a film of a troubled reporter, Lloyd Vogel, trying to deal with his own personal baggage, and the unexpected kindness and friendship of Fred Rogers who he had been sent to profile for an article.  The movie is based on the real life Vogel and his real life friendship with Mr. Rogers, but it is unclear how much - if any - of the details in the film are true.  But it doesn't matter. What is portrayed so beautifully is the essence of Mr. Rogers, and it is done in a way that creatively uses the familiar style of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.  We see Fred at the back end of his career in the later stages of his life, and we even get a glimpse into Rogers' own struggles with anger - remnants of a difficult childhood and how he evolved as a person to deal with his demons.  What Hanks does that is so memorable is embody the epitome of the man who appeared on our television sets.

This is not the story of Mr. Rogers' life.  This is one story of how Mr. Rogers impacted others' lives.  Whether the exact details of narrative are factual or not is irrelevant.  The movie feels true, and it feels true because of Tom Hanks' performance in the film.  We already know that he is a flawless actor.  It would be imprecise to say that this is the first time that he has played a real person, but it's fair to say that this is the first time he truly became (another) real person.  (That scene changing his shoes; it's eerie.)

Of course, without a doubt, there is only one thing to recommend if you liked this film... and even if you didn't like this film (because you didn't think it was enough about Mr. Rogers himself.)

Here's the trailer:

Judy - 2 nominations

Lead Actress - Renee Zellweger

Makeup and Hairstyling - Jeremy Woodhead

Judy captures the biography of Judy Garland later in her career, with her finances crumbling and her life falling apart.  To make money, she agrees to do a cabaret act in London, taking her away from her children back at home.  She has retained her talent, as well as the drug and alcohol addiction very inevitably forced on her as a child of the studio from the age of 14.  She started with diet pills, pills to help her sleep, pills to wake her up - how this woman lived as long as she did is a miracle in itself.  Judy had a lifelong search for love and connection, and yearned to be remembered and loved both on and off the stage.  Sometimes that life leads to desperation and bad choices, and it certainly did for Judy Garland.  This film is a heartbreaking portrayal of Judy's life, based on the stage play of the same name.

While the story is heartbreaking, the acting is breathtaking. This film captures Renee Zellweger at her best, and with the help of the makeup and hairstyling, it's hard to see anyone but the real Garland on the screen.  In fact, I'm a bigger fan of the Judy Garland as portrayed by Renee Zellweger than I am of the original herself (who was a great performer and actually, a mediocre singer.)

This is hardly one of the films that I would encourage you to see if you have time for only 2 or 3 of the films with nominations.  But, that comes with a caveat - if you want to see a film featuring the winner of the 2020 Lead Actress Oscar, this is the one to choose.

As always, I remind you that films are not documentaries and are not beholden to the truth!  Here's a biography of Judy Garland herself (though there are many more).

Watch the trailer here:

Bombshell - 3 nominations

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Charlize Theron

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Margot Robbie

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling - Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan, Vivian Baker

It's hard to know where to begin with Bombshell.  It recounts the story of sexual harassment and assault that appear to have been commonplace under the leadership of Roger Ailes who made Fox News into the voice of conservative Republican politics (and by the way, woe to those who think the problem was solved by simply removing him.  He covered for many harassers).  The movie is based on the widespread reporting and whistle blowing initiated by Gretchen Carlson (who had been a co-host of Fox's early morning show), and corroborated by a reluctant Megyn Kelly.  The film follows three main characters, Carlson who, like the smart reporter she is, documented incidents for years before finally doing something about it, Kelly, the reluctant survivor and company woman, and a young reporter played by Margot Robbie who is in the unenviable position of having to decide whether to capitulate to Ailes for the promise of an advancing career.

I realize there is no way to talk about this film without raising the hackles of both sides of the political divide.  There are those who would only believe a woman claiming sexual harassment if there is some sort of documentation (video, audio recording... and let's face it, even when some of these folks hear an audio recording of an assaulter confessing his crimes, that still isn't enough)... as though this is the standard they hold for all crimes.  (Do they only send people to prison for other crimes when there is absolute documentation?  I think not.)  And again, I remind you that no narrative film is a documentary and therefore, if Bombshell spoke to you, it's important to read the accounts of the facts (if you believe Ailes' accusers as I do), rather than retelling the narrative of the film as gospel truth.

But this film was outraging in the best of ways.  Finally, the story is told through the eyes of the women experiencing inappropriate and illegal behavior, rather than through the perpetrators'.  The most important moments of the film are those that speak precisely to the common arguments made by idiots.  "Why didn't she report it?"  You mean, report the bad behavior to the people perpetrating it?  "Women aren't idiots," say Megyn Kelly.  "Why didn't she leave?"  Ah yes, SHE has to leave, you know, the one not doing anything wrong, just showing up and working hard every day.  She gets to be further punished.  The best part of this film is that it is told through the lens of a conservative woman, NOT a feminist (I mean, she still wants to be paid what she is worth regardless of her gender, she still wants to be able to make and own her choices, she still wants to have access to the same successes as men are allowed to pursue... but definitely not a feminist.  As though those things aren't just the friggin' definition of feminism.  But I digress.)

The thing that troubles me so much is that this whole real life experience and the film will just have no impact among the people who just believe what they believe.  But the acting, the story, the entirety of the film was outstanding and comes just at the right time in history.  Feel free to fight me.  I AM a feminist, and this film spoke to me.

It is worth mentioning that this is first time that Charlize Theron has ever used prosthetics (including her Oscar winning role in Monster), and it was highly successful.  The incredible work made her look like a bang on facsimile of Kelly, herself.

If you're interested in knowing more, Megyn Kelly talks more about it in her book Settle For More.

Watch the trailer here:

Harriet - 2 nominations

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Cynthia Erivo

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) - Cynthia Erivo, Joshuah Brian Campbell, For song "Stand Up"

The life story of Harriet Tubman, a leader in the underground railroad, is beyond compelling.  This woman was strong, brave, and was the only woman ever to lead a battalion of African American union soldiers.  She credited some of her success to being able to hear divine instructions, thereby avoiding those who would capture her and those who she led to safety only to return them to slavery, or terrible punishment.  The characters that surround Harriet are strong; people with a strong moral compass who do not need to have been born into slavery to know that they must get involved and do the right thing.  They judge what's right and wrong by that standard in and of itself.  They don't sit idly by and decide, "this doesn't affect me and therefore it is not important, and therefore it is not really a problem for someone else."  They put their own lives in danger, and Harriet, time after time, becomes a hero for not taking her rightful rest after having escaped, but inexplicably going back to help others as she was helped.  If there is any take away from Cynthia Erivo's brilliant performance, and from the beautiful song that she co-wrote and performed, it is this: one may never say that the politics of the day don't affect me personally and therefore are unimportant.  We must always "Stand Up."

Please enjoy the Academy Award nominated song:

There are innumerable biographies of Harriet Tubman, and I must admit that I haven't read one since elementary school.  But you know my admonition.  If you loved the film and you want to know the real story of her life, don't rely on the fictionalized version.  One highly reviewed version of Harriet's life is Harriet Tubman: Bound for the Promised Land.  I assure you that there are several others.

Watch the film trailer here:

The Two Popes - 3 nominations

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Jonathan Pryce

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Anthony Hopkins

Best Adapted Screenplay - Anthony McCarten

The Two Popes begins with the election of Cardinal Ratzinger to become Pope Benedict, and his church embroiled by child molestation scandals, slowly losing relevance to young Catholics everywhere.  (This, not uncommon to any religion, as younger people are more connected to spirituality and less connected to institutions.  My commentary, not the film's.) . He decides that he would like to resign, which is very rare indeed; most Popes don't live to see their successor.  He confides this desire in Cardinal Bergoglio, a priest who Benedict considers far too liberal but potentially the right man to lead Catholics through worldwide change, and who has come to see the Pope to resign his role and retire.  The film is a conversation and also, a look back to Bergoglio's life, how he decided to become a priest, and his rise during a tumultuous time in Argentina.  They share their demons with each other, and work to hear each others' confessions as they take ownership for their biggest transgressions.  

I've done a lot of reading about these two actual Popes since I saw the film, and this is one of those movies that seems to get a large majority of its facts wrong about each of these men, so a reminder that narrative movies are not documentaries.  (While I have not fact checked this article, I thought this the best of the pieces I read explaining the real history versus what is depicted in the film: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/12/the-two-popes-real-story)

But we are not meant to watch fictional films and expect to learn history.  We watch them for entertainment, for character study, for overcoming obstacles with satisfying resolutions - and if those are the jobs of a film, The Two Popes scores on all counts.  Both actors are outstanding as they always are (this is Pryce's first Oscars nomination.... say what?) and Hopkins' 5th (he won for Silence of the Lambs).  Neither will win his category, but the acting in the film is the centerpiece of the experience, there isn't a lot of flash or folly, the film is primarily two aging men flawlessly holding the attention of the audience for a few hours.

The film is based on a play, and obviously I'm in no position to recommend seeing that.  So, for more information on the child molestation cases against the Catholic church, I'd like to recommend another Oscars nominated documentary called Deliver Us From Evil.

It was an excellent documentary, and relates tangentially to this film.  (and I'll bet you haven't seen it!)

Watch the trailer:

Pain and Glory - 2 nominations

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Antonio Banderas

Best International Feature Film - Spain

Pain and Glory is an exquisite film about a famous movie director who recalls the key moments of his life, those that shaped everything he knows about himself in the present day.  Antonio Banderas is nominated for playing Salvador Mallo, the man who is about to celebrate a significant anniversary for his most enduring film, SABOR.  (This is inexplicably the first Oscars nomination for Banderas.) This means reconnecting with the wild lead actor, a man with whom he had a terrible falling out, who turns Mallo onto the "wonderful world" of heroin addiction.  All the while, he is suffering from a series of very serious ailments, including chronic and severe back pain.  Alone and depressed, he thinks about the history of his life, when he began to discover his homosexuality, what his life was like with an absent father and living in an underground cave as an apartment, and all of the key moments in his autobiography, happy and sad.

The film is more than a character study, it's touching, it's engaging, and Banderas is magnetic. We feel his pain inside our own bodies; both the physical and the emotional.

Almodovar's films are powerful, and I have yet to see one I haven't liked.  Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is wonderful, but for today I'll recommend Talk to Her for which Almodovar won an Oscar for Original Screenplay.  All About My Mother is another of Almodovar's films to have been nominated for the International Feature award, which it won in 1999. When you have finished that film... just watch everything he's made.  I'm a fan.

Watch the trailer:

Parasite - 6 nominations

Best Motion Picture of the Year - Sin-ae Kwak, Bong Joon Ho

Best Achievement in Directing - Bong Joon Ho

Best Original Screenplay - Bong Joon Ho, Jin Won Han

Best International Feature Film - South Korea

Best Achievement in Production Design - Ha-jun Lee, Won-Woo Cho

Best Achievement in Film Editing - Jinmo Yang

This film was the wildest film I saw last year.  It starts off simply enough, the son of an impoverished family finds a job as a tutor for a wealthy family's child.  Seeing opportunity in the household and a fragile mom managing it, the tutor begins to sabotage other household employees and recommending her own family members into those roles.  When the wealthy family takes a vacation, the poor family housesits together and discovers some unexpected surprises left behind by one of the former employees.  When the situation begins to spiral out of control, it's shocking what the desperate people trapped in the house will do to protect themselves.  That's all I can tell you without completely spoiling what makes Parasite shockingly original and like nothing any of us have ever seen before.

This is South Korea's first success in the International Feature category, and boy did it score big.  It could very possibly become the first ever to win the Best Picture award (it has some stiff competition in 1917).  I'm not sure that I would call this film the Best Picture, but without a doubt, it deserves to be in the Top 5.  I loved it, and I have yet to talk to anyone who didn't.  This is another one of those rare times when a Best Picture nominee has NO acting nominations, and that speaks to the quality of the film making here.

Bong Joon Ho is also the writer of another weird film that was utterly engaging, Snowpiercer.  If you liked Parasite, I think you'll also appreciate the genuine originality that came with this other film.

Watch the trailer:

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood - 10 nominations

Best Motion Picture of the Year - David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino

Best Achievement in Directing - Quentin Tarantino

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Leonardo DiCaprio

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Brad Pitt

Best Original Screenplay - Quentin Tarantino

Best Achievement in Cinematography - Robert Richardson

Best Achievement in Costume Design - Arianne Phillips

Best Achievement in Production Design - Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing - Michael Minkler, Christian P. Minkler, Mark Ulano

Best Achievement in Sound Editing - Wylie Stateman

Quentin Tarantino adores revisionist history with a masturbatory, satisfying, happy ending.  Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained, and now Once Upon a Time are all "what if" films that re-envision what could have been "if only..."  This one is a complicated one to describe because there are multiple plots spinning throughout the film.  Primarily, Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is focused on the next chapter of his waning career with his sidekick, stunt man, and boy Friday, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt).  In the house next door, Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate have just moved in.  Their stars are on the rise (though we know in the real world, Tate never really took hold in any significant way).  Finally, we also catch a glimpse of the goings on at the infamous Spahn Ranch where Charles Manson and the members of "the family" also reside.  Cliff gets tangled up with one of the disciples and he can clearly sense that this place is populated by a group of hippies who aren't quite all there.  I won't spoil the film's climax, I'll only add that when I'm not obsessing about the Oscars, I'm reading books (or watching films or listening to podcasts...) about cults.

The thing is, my history with Tarantino is hit and miss, and Once Upon a Time was a big big hit for me.  I'm not sure if it would make my Top 5 of the Best Picture nominees, but I can say I was engaged every minute of this long film.  (yet another Best Pic nominee that is over 2 hours!) . The performances were excellent and it was worth watching.  I wish I could summarize the film for you - I can't and I don't want to - I want you to watch it and enjoy it, and know that the day you watch it, you'll have a very satisfying ending in front of your nose.  Maybe the most satisfying resolution of all of the nominated films.

With that, I of course want to recommend the book Helter Skelter - the real account of the Manson family written by the lead prosecutor for most of the characters who appear on screen.  This fascinating real account of the murders, the trials, and the outcomes is excellent.  I couldn't put it down when I read it.

Watch the trailer:

Marriage Story - 6 nominations

Best Motion Picture of the Year - Noah Baumbach, David Heyman

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Scarlett Johansson

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Adam Driver

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Laura Dern

Best Original Screenplay - Noah Baumbach

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) - Randy Newman

Marriage Story could just as easily be called "Divorce Story," except that it couldn't.  Let me explain.  At first glance, the film is about a couple who have come to the end of their marriage, but don't hate each other.  They want to act like grown ups and people who care about each other and their son, and they walk the tightrope between being true to that goal, and listening to their lawyers who have seen the worst in people and don't trust anybody.  These family lawyers are sharks, and they want their clients to behave as though the other is working clandestinely to screw their former spouses.  There are so many moments in the film that are powerfully  resonant, whether you have been through a divorce or not.  Small slights, annoyances, and aggressions that undermine each individual's call to his or her better nature, and each person's trust that the other will continue to be committed to their common goal to be decent through the worst of the separation.  These are behaviors that both spouses recognize as insidious as they do them!

Marriage Story hurts.  There is no good guy, there is no bad guy.  How frustrating to observe the deterioration of a marriage without severe animosity.  How hard not to have a protagonist nor an antagonist.  There is no one to root for and no one to root against.  That's a ballsy film.

Every actor in this film is wonderful, particularly Alan Alda who was not nominated.  Laura Dern is likely a lock for the win.  If I'm being honest, I would have happily taken Adam Driver out of the Best Actor competition in favor of Eddie Murphy for Dolemite is My Name, or Taryn Edgerton in Rocketman.  But Driver is on a sharp rise in Hollywood and his talents are clear.

I would be remiss for my fellow Oscars nerds if I failed to acknowledge that this is Randy Newman's 22nd Oscars nomination (he's won twice).  Newman is brilliant at creating songs and scores for film, and this score is no exception.  Though I don't believe that he will capture this one, I can say that his work is worthy of the top 5.

For a good juxtaposition of a divorce movie where there is a clear good guy and bad guy (sort of), you can watch Kramer vs Kramer, the Best Picture winner for 1979.  It won 5 Oscars, and I think was the first of the modern divorce tales in the Oscars mix.

Watch the trailer here:

Little Women - 6 nominations

Best Motion Picture of the Year - Amy Pascal

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Saoirse Ronan

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Florence Pugh

Best Adapted Screenplay - Greta Gerwig

Best Achievement in Costume Design - Jacqueline Durran

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) - Alexandre Desplat

According to IMDB.com, there have been 8 versions of Little Women (7 films, 1 tv mini series), the first of which premiered in 1918.  In fact, this is not the first time that Little Women has been nominated for Best Picture (1933), nor the first time that Little Women has received multiple Oscar nominations (1933, 1949, 1995).  Every single major film version has also starred the premier actresses of the time in the roles of Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth (and Marmie) - we're talking the likes of Kathryn Hepburn, June Allison, and Winona Ryder.  And yet, with all of the similarities among all of the tellings, this was a truly new, innovative telling of Little Women, and as a die hard fan of the book, you can imagine how nervous I was to see the movie.  (I loved this book so much, I was the only person I knew as a child who also read Little Men.)

I needn't have worried.  This film was true to the book and yet entirely new.  You will fall in love with Alcott's characters and embrace Greta Gerwig's interpretation of them.  Meg's heart, Jo's fiery determination and earnestness, Amy's growth, and Beth's unyielding kindness.  But Gerwig focuses more on the characters in their adult journeys than their childhood, which gives us more empathy for the self-centered Amy, and a more realistic view of Jo's flaws.  There are no truly good and truly bad sisters (ok, except for the too-good-for-this-world, Beth), and this shift makes Little Women a more mature version of the story - and the narrative is far better for it.

With his 10th Oscars nomination, Alexandre Desplat crafted a musical score that is beautiful and true to the time in which the film is set.  The costumes are magnificent (and we know the Academy loves period pieces).  I can't say enough good things about this film, and Greta Gerwig has to be lauded for this beautiful achievement.  (I know that many are very upset that she didn't receive a directing nomination, but I will point out that if we go "by the numbers' - there are 5 men nominated for Best Director.  Of those, 4 of their films each received 10 or more Oscar nominations.  Only Parasite received the same number of nominations as Little Women, and one could argue that since Director is one of Parasite's noms, a side by side comparison has Little Women at 6 nominations, and Parasite at 5.  If we are going to go by the "who is responsible for all of this greatness" rule for nominating a Director, we'd have to knock out Bong Joon Ho from the category.  And I think what ultimately won him that 5th spot is how different Parasite is from anything anyone has ever seen.  Having said this, if we could get more women into directing roles, I suspect their films would also be garnering the long list of noms that those other films did.  Sadly, this controversy is not so simple.)

Of course referring you to source material is an easy task for this blog post, and here you are with the wonderful book Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (by the way, she wrote 4 novels with these characters - Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men, Jo's Boys).

But while I'm at it, I'd like to recommend another film by Greta Gerwig.  She came on the scene like gangbusters with Lady Bird, but going back a little further, you should see another film she wrote and starred in called France Ha.  It's a coming into your own voice story, and Little Women is certainly another stop on Gerwig's brilliant journey as a writer and director.  Give this one a watch.

See the trailer: