Who Should Win? Who Will Win?

 

Just a couple of hours until showtime!  And here are my "predictions" in this crazy year.  Recently on the @2MovieJews podcast you can hear me say, "we are right in our opinions if not in our predictions," and in a year like this, I think you can expect some real upsets.

Best Picture:

Should Win: Sound of Metal

Will Win: Nomadland

As you may have read in my reviews of both films, I adored both of these films.  I couldn't stop thinking about Nomadland for days and I agree that is the best film of the year.  But Sound of Metal was so different, so captivating, I would love to see it this kind of totally unexpected recognition.

Best Director:

Should Win: Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

Will Win: Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

This film had a clear vision, unbelievable execution, and was gorgeous to watch in every moment.  I promise this is the last time this Oscars season that I will say this, but I would really have loved to see Regina King be nominated and win this category.

Actress in a Leading Role:

Should Win: Andra Day, The United States vs Billie Holiday

Will Win: Who the hell knows, but if the SAG award history is true to its past, Viola Davis.

I'm not kidding, this could be another 1969 tie for lead actress.  Every actress in the list except Vanessa Kirby has won one of the indicator awards (Golden Globes, SAG, Independent Spirit, etc.). But I'm cheering specifically for Andra Day who did what great actresses in the past have done, that is, completely embody the real life person being portrayed (Sissy Spacek, Coal Miner's Daughter, Renee Zellweger, and others ) and also looking right into the camera and crushing your soul by singing the song (Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls, Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables, and others.). If Oscars history is right, Andra Day takes the gold.  If SAG history is right, Viola Davis takes the gold.  And you can NEVER count out the lead actress from the likely Best Picture winner, so yeah, maybe Frances McDormand takes the gold.

Actor in a Leading Role:

Should Win: Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

Will Win (and I'll be happy about it too): Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Oof, this is literally Chadwick Boseman's last opportunity posthumously, but Riz Ahmed just killed it.  He learned sign language, for goodness sakes.  But Riz will live to win again, and I think Chadwick Boseman will win.

Actress in a Supporting Role:

Should Win: Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy

Will Win: Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari

I'm sorry, I'm just a sucker for Glenn Close and it's a crime that with 8 nominations, she's never won.  But then again, I'm also a sucker for a lifelong actress winning in her advanced age with just a little time left to win.  And Yuh-Jung Youn's portrayal of the sassy grandma in Minari was worthy of recognition.

Actor in a Supporting Role:

Should Win: Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah

Will Win: Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah

In addition to this singular performance, I'd love to see Leslie Odom, Jr. win for One Night in Miami.    But Daniel's performance is so heightened and so impactful, I don't see how he doesn't win.

Adapted Screenplay:

Should Win: The Father

Will Win: The experts say The Father

Here's the thing about screenplay categories.  They almost never award the screenplay to the Best Picture winner.  I've said that it's kind of the consolation prize.  While I also think that Borat is a totally different kind of achievement, this is the first Alzheimers film ever to show us what dementia is like inside the person who is experiencing it.  The total confusion that we feel watching the film while still developing an understanding of what is going on is what I think makes the screenplay a standout.

Original Screenplay:

Should Win: The Trial of the Chicago 7

Will Win: The experts say Promising Young Woman

Hard to say what is going to pan out here because the experts have amazing track records, but I just really love me some Aaron Sorkin.  For safety, I'd stick with Promising Young Woman.

Cinematography:

Should Win: Nomadland

Will Win: Nomadland

I just want you to think about the level of difficulty producing a film that is constantly outside in the elements and inside of a van with crazy lighting.  The exquisite cinematography was practically another lead actor in the film.

Costume Design:

Should Win: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Will Win: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Seriously, do a little googling of the actual Ma Rainey - these costumes took her style and then somehow made the costumes more authentic than the originals.  Plus you know what I always say about costumes and period pieces... and I'm giving it to Ma Rainey over Emma because of the sparkle factor.

Film Editing:

Should Win: Sound of Metal or The Trial of the Chicago 7

Will Win: Conventional wisdom would say The Trial of the Chicago 7

But, the non-linear telling of a story tends to get more attention from the Academy giving The Trial of the Chicago 7 a slight edge.

Makeup and Hairstyling:

Should Win: Pinocchio

Will Win: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Ok ok, I know you're reading this and thinking, "was Pinocchio even a movie this year?"  It was, and no kidding the makeup and hairstyling were a knockout, especially Pinocchio who did look wooden.  But when you take a gorgeous woman like Viola Davis and make her look like she looked in Ma Rainey, with a much more high profile film, it's unlikely that Ma Rainey (with also superb hairstyling, truly) will lose.  PS much like happened in the sound category combining this year, it is often true that the makeup artist carries the hairstyler on his or her back, or visa versa.  With Ma Rainey, you really get both.

Production Design:

Should Win: Mank

Will Win: Mank

The other film that does really deserve recognition for Production Design is Emma, which wasn't nominated at all in this category.  Mank captures the Hollywood of old so perfectly including the Citizen Kane inspired decadence of William Randolph Hearst - I think the oversized nature of the production design will win.

Original Score:

Should Win: Da 5 Bloods

Will Win: Soul

Literally all of the experts I research agree that Soul is the clear winner.  But I do want to pay homage to Da 5 Bloods and its incredible score.

Original Song:

Should Win: Speak Now, One Night in Miami

Will Win: Speak Now, One Night in Miami

Experts are really mixed on this one, with second place going to Husavik from Eurovision Song Contest.  Now, the Academy has a serious past of getting this one completely wrong.  (Diane Warren should have won for Til It Happens to You.). And this category is one that has a history of completely random surprises (It's Tough Out Here for A Pimp from Hustle and Flow comes to mind.). But damn it, Speak Now is saying something so important.  

Best Sound:

Should Win: Sound of Metal

Will Win: SOUND OF METAL

I meant it people.  Want to know what it's like to experience the world as a person who is going deaf?  Watch the film. (Want to know how they did it?  Here's a short doc which explains it.)

Visual Effects:

Should Win: Tenet

Will Win: Tenet

I may not have any idea what the movie was about, but the visual effects were cool.

Animated Feature:

Should Win: Over the Moon

Will Win: Soul

Ok, I know Pixar is going to be the winner and the film was good, but Over the Moon was a full, brilliant, animated musical.  The animation was bright and colorful and magnificent.  Promise me you will watch this film!

Documentary:

Should Win: Time

Will Win: My Octopus Teacher or maybe Crip Camp

Literally 1 expert has picked Time, but I'm telling you now, there is no documentary feat greater than following a story for 20 with unpredictable outcomes.  This movie was a magic trick.  The other two are about split among experts and great prognosticators and my take is that My Octopus Teacher was more stunning and Crip Camp was more satisfying.  (But could I please impose upon you to see The Mole Agent?  It was my sentimental favorite of the 5.)

International Film:

Should Win:  All 5, with Quo Vadis, Aida? being the most important.

Will Win: Another Round

Yes, go back and read the blog post.  I loved Another Round.  But I was blown away by Quo Vadis.  I'd like to boost some attention for Better Days from Hong Kong about bullying.  Please make sure to see it.

Animated Short:

Should Win: If Anything Happens, I Love You

Will Win: If Anything Happens, I Love You

The aftermath of gun violence is portrayed so heartbreakingly.

Documentary Short:

Should Win: A Concerto is a Conversation

Will Win: A Concerto is a Conversation, with maybe maybe A Love Song for Latasha

Sometimes the Academy surprises us and while Concerto is slightly lighter than the others (in a field of very heavy short films), there is something important about Concerto (which you can see in its entirety on YouTube).

Live Action Short:

Should Win: Feeling Through (I sobbed)

Will Win: Two Distant Strangers 

If any film properly honors the best learning for the naive about Black Lives Matter, Two Distant Strangers does. It is beyond timely.  It is beyond important.  But I sobbed watching Feeling Through, so it is my sentimental favorite.

With still a couple of hours until the broadcast, here is the podcast episode we did on the Oscars this year, just a quick 30 minutes to orient you to what you are going to be watching tonight, with no prerequisite of having seeing any of the films. I  recommend you subscribe as we have some incredible episode themes coming up, including movies we love that everybody hates.  See if you disagree!

The Midnight Sky - 1 nomination

 

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Matt Kasmir (as Matthew Kasmir) 
Chris Lawrence (as Christopher Lawrence) 
Max Solomon 
David Watkins 

The Midnight Sky follows Augustine, one of the few survivors of a global apocalypse and a scientist who has devoted his career to finding other inhabitable planets.  He refuses to evacuate his station with the rest of the population, and in so doing, he discovers a young girl who was inadvertently left behind.  He realizes that there is an astronaut crew in space (also looking for inhabitable planets) and that they are in the process of heading home.  His signal is too weak to reach them so he and the girl must set out to another station to desperately warn the astronauts of the futility of coming home.  

And, there is plenty of drama in space. Both technically (having to venture out of the ship to do some critical but dangerous repairs), and interpersonally once they realize that their loved ones are likely not alive back home and they are humanity's last chance for survival.  Plus, spoiler alert, mission specialist Sully turns out to have a much closer relationship with Augustine than he first suspected.

While I like the film well enough, it is a pretty slow story and definitely not what I would call an action packed sci fi film.  In fact, the science fiction is much more backdrop than genre.  It is, to borrow a phrase, set decoration but hardly the crux of the film.  While it probably should be viewed on a big screen because of the visual effects, it's good enough for a streaming service and maybe not good enough for the price of a ticket.

Watch the trailer here.

ONE MORE DAY UNTIL THE 2021 OSCARS!

And don't forget to take a listen to our mini episode on @2MovieJews - and while you're at it, why not subscribe?

Here's a link to our episode! 

Greyhound - 1 nomination

Best Sound
Warren Shaw 
Michael Minkler 
Beau Borders 
David Wyman 

Tom Hanks plays Captain Krause, a new US Navy commander in World War 2 attempting to cross an unprotected piece of the ocean, the "Black Pit," bringing much-needed supplies to allied troops in Europe. The ship is part of a caravan of allied ships and they are of course attacked by German submarines.  Captain Krause has incredible instincts for battle and is the perfect commander - tough, kind, appreciative, knows the names of his crew, and maybe a little too perfect for a character.  (When the crew successfully defends the ship and blows up a German submarine, Captain Krause refuses to celebrate because the Germans who died were also souls in the world... what a beautiful and probably unrealistic portrayal - a little too goody goody for my taste.). The film has the requisite super kind kitchen crewman with the super special relationship with the Captain killed in battle, and with some exceptions, is basically a series of naval battles with submarines.  I mean A. LOT. OF. BATTLES. which are no doubt based on the true story but making the film less than engaging.

On the other hand, the sound is noticeably magnificent, even for an amateur like me who probably normally couldn't tell the difference.  As I have noted in prior years, war films do very well in the sound category because of the many layers of sound required in every scene.  Now that Sound Mixing and Sound Editing have merged into one category, you can easily imagine the layers of dialogue, booming sound effects, music, and ambient sound all layered into the major moments of the film.  But, the movie isn't good enough to be labeled "Academy Award nominee," and I don't really recommend it.

Watch the trailer here.

We're just two days away from the Oscars, so you still have time to download and listed to our 2 Movie Jews bonus episode on the nominees!  Here's the link or you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. 

 

Tenet - 2 nominations

 

Best Achievement in Visual Effects Andrew Jackson  David Lee  Andrew Lockley  Scott R. Fisher

Best Achievement in Production Design Nathan Crowley (production design)  Kathy Lucas (set decoration)

How I would love to be able to summarize this movie for you.  There's something with international espionage and trying to save the world.  Tenet is the organization trying to save the world, and the recruited agent literally named, "The Protagonist" learns about time manipulation and needs to identify who is trying to destroy the world and how... I think.  Frankly, I watched the whole film intently and I still don't really know what to say about it.  It's not that the film is unfollowable, but being able to describe it in the aftermath is almost impossible without some sort of degree in some advanced science subject.  The film is a journey and while you watch it, there are many moments that you feel like you missed a leg of the trip.

If you're a big fans of big visual effects films, I think you'll like this one.  It's exciting and action packed, but good luck explaining the film to others after you see it.  I think this is the first time in the history of the blog that I literally have no idea how to describe a film to you.  Will you be able to follow it while watching?  Maybe.  My favorite thing is to talk about movies with other people, and I just couldn't even start with this one.  Best of luck.

Watch the trailer here.

The Life Ahead - 1 nomination

 

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)
Diane Warren (music by/lyric by) 
Laura Pausini (lyric by) 

For song "Io Si (Seen)"

Mama Rosa is a Holocaust survivor running a sort of day care for local children of working women (generally, prostitutes).  She meets Momo, a Senegalese 12 old boy who is living with Rosa's doctor as a foster child when Momo robs her.  The doctor implores her to take in Momo and he pays her to do it.  Momo has a tough life working for drug dealers, with the wrong kind of influence in his world.  Over time, Rosa and Momo develop a strong bond and they both become better people thanks to this important relationship.  Rosa makes Momo promise that she will not die in a hospital, and when she is taken there for a health incident, he sneaks her out and hides her in the basement, where he dotes on her and cares for her as though she was a member of his own family.

The Life Ahead is a very sweet film and Sophia Loren still has her chops.  The song, which you can hear here, is beautiful and represents Diane Warren's 12th Oscars nomination with no wins.  I don't think this year will break her losing streak (and frankly, she should have won for Til It Happens to You, which she wrote for a documentary called The Hunting Ground), but you can see why Warren continues to earn accolades for her compositions.

Watch the trailer here.

Quo Vadis, Aida? - 1 nomination

 

Best International Feature Film - Bosnia and Herzegovina

Aida is an English translator working for the UN when the Serbian army invades her small town.  All of the Bosnians in town flee to the UN camp, which has very limited capacity to protect people from those who are attempting genocide.  Aida manages to get her husband and sons inside the camp, and then the rest of the movie is a very tense standoff with the Serbians.  The Serbians agree to evacuate some of the people (though it's unclear that those people on the buses are actually going to be safe and survive), and meanwhile they separate the men from their families.  Aida tries desperately to get her family to safety with the UN employees, none of whom are willing to take the risk of sneaking out men who are not actual employees of the organization.

The desperation of this film is palpable.  Watching Aida run back and forth throughout the camp, doing her best to keep her family safe, and wrapping your head around the utter impotence of UN troops... the film is painful to watch.  Aida is frantic for most of the movie, and we are frantic with her.  An utterly effective portrayal of the horrors of genocide and the frustrations of being powerless to fight back, this sums up Quo Vadis, Aida?  It is absolutely worthy of its nomination.

Watch the trailer here.

The Man Who Sold His Skin - 1 nomination

 

Best International Feature Film - Tunisia

Sam Ali is a Syrian who crashes art openings with his friend to scam the food.  At one of these events, he meets the most successful artist in the world who tenders a proposition - in exchange for resettlement to Turkey (where Ali's former girlfriend now lives), the artist can produce a piece of artwork in tattoo on Sam's back.  Sam agrees to travel the world and sit in museums for people to come and see the art, and even agrees that the art can be sold to owners, which obligates him several times a year to visit the purchasers and to sit for them, as well.  The art is political - it is a travel visa which he could never get were he to try in regular life.  The artist is making a point that when a person becomes a commodity, he has travel rights he could never get when he was just a mere person.  The film is commentary on freedom, dignity, and ownership - if the person enters into the contract freely, is living in 5 star hotels and eating caviar for room service, is he free or is he a slave?

I can't say why but I didn't expect to like this film.  To the contrary, I suspect it will make my top 10 in 2021 list.  The lead actor delivers a performance that is spellbinding.  The story is activism.  Movies like this (and it's cliche to say it) hold up a mirror to the world and ask if we are living in humane times that we can be proud of.  It's a must see.

Watch the trailer here.

I can't encourage you enough to subscribe to my podcast that I produce with my brilliant and passionate friend, Yechiel Hoffman.  2 Movie Jews.  Here's a link to Apple Podcasts, but we are available on other platforms like Spotify.  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-movie-jews/id1562065108

Better Days - 1 nomination

 

Best International Feature Film - Hong Kong

Chen Nian, a young, timid, high achieving girl does her best to deal with unyielding and relentless bullying from fellow high school students.  Her mother lives in another city doing her best to earn a meager living for them.  She is utterly alone.  When a child at the school commits suicide, the police get involved and work to uncover the culture of intimidation and reveal the total ineptitude of teachers and administrators.  One night as she walks home, Chen Nian rescues a young criminal, Bei, who offers to become her protector.  These two develop an unyielding bond and together they focus on getting her through her national exam (a bit like the SATs) because if they can lift her from poverty, she promises to take him with her out of this difficult life.

For those of us who remember what being bullied feels like, this film is particularly painful.  But this kind of bullying is beyond what most of us have experienced, and it is enraging.  The added powerlessness this poor girl experiences because the lead bully is rich and her parents couldn't care less what she does to others, is also infuriating.  Chen Nian, on a clear path to a better life, is confronted by so many obstacles beyond her incredible grit that the film's horror feels like destiny, even with an ally at her side willing to do anything to help her succeed.

This film hurts.  And the pain is inescapable.  But it is absolutely worthy of its Oscar nomination.  I hope you'll watch it.  If it inspires you to look at your past behavior as a child, or it gives you motivation to wonder how you can actually help as an adult, it will have done its job.

Watch the trailer here.

MORE GREAT MOVIE STUFF AWAITS YOU!  Simply subscribe to my podcast, "2 Movie Jews" most of the places you get your podcasts, like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Another Round - 2 nominations

 

Best International Feature Film Denmark

Best Achievement in Directing Thomas Vinterberg

Another Round opens with the most drunken debauchery by graduating high school students since Animal House.  If this film is correct, drinking in Denmark is not something to be taken casually, it's an activity for professionals, and everybody is certified.  The film follows four friends, all teachers at a school, all of whom have lost their lust for life.  With varying degrees of relationship problems, apathy in the classroom, and a general malaise, they decide to embark on an experiment.  What would like be like if they were just slightly drunk all the time?  They establish ground rules and at first blush, their tipsy lives do improve.  They get more creative in the classroom.  They give more and better attention to their families.  They experience joy for the first time in what appears to be a long time.  

But to be honest, even in the good times, I was holding my breath knowing that the bad times were around the corner.  Alcoholism, poor decision making, and even an added experiment in the other direction - how would life be if they all got the most drunk they could possibly get (hopefully) without dying?  And as the alcohol begins to erode their lives, for at least one of the four friends, the experiment has gone almost irretrievably awry.  In the most admirable decision by the filmmakers, the ending doesn't leave us with a clear commentary on whether the experiment has been successful, and whether the friends are now in a better or worse place.  

As with all Danish productions that rise to the top, this film was absolutely outstanding (though, if I had my druthers, Regina King would have taken Vinterberg's spot in the Directing category.). In fact, I hope you see this film and use it as an inspiration to further explore tv and film out of Denmark.  With all the attention that goes to Hollywood, I have yet to discover a Danish production I haven't liked... with the caveat that likely only the best of their lot gets exported to the US.

Watch the trailer here.

Have you subscribed to my new podcast yet?  It's the blog on steroids!  It's available on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Amazon Music.  Each episode, my co-host Yechiel Hoffman and I explore something we love about movies, and we give you recommendations of what to watch (and what not to), plus we give you where to find it.  We are a no homework podcast!

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

 

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)
Savan Kotecha (music and lyric by) 
Max Grahn (music and lyric by) 
Rickard Göransson 

For song "Husavik"

Two Icelandic musicians with a dream compose a song they hope to send to the iconic Eurovision Song Contest.  For you Americans reading this blog, it's very likely that you've never even heard of this competition, but it is huge abroad.  And for those of you for whom this film is a bit inside baseball, let me tell you that Iceland has never actually won the contest but has come in second twice.  Will Farrell's comedic ability to set a film in an obscure setting and still make it relatable and hilarious stands firm, not to mention the fact that the songs written for the movie are utterly authentic to the contest.  Not only that, but cameos by actual Eurovision past winners (go Netta from Israel! I'm NOT your toy!) make this film even funnier by the moment.

Will Farrell and Rachel McAdams play Lars and Sigrit, and their relationship is put to the test when they get onto the world stage with their song, "Husavik" (meaning, "My Hometown").  With attention and "fame" and experts giving them advice, they struggle to maintain their musical vision and their strong connection.  But in truly the funniest way possible.  I enjoyed the film utterly, and I am certain that nobody on the Eurovision film team ever predicted an Oscars nomination.

You can hear the nominated song here.

Watch the trailer here.

Da 5 Bloods - 1 nomination

 

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) - Terence Blanchard 

4 Vietnam veterans reunite in country after more than 40 years to honor their fallen leader's death and to dig up millions of dollars worth of gold they buried while in service.  One of the soldiers brings his semi-estranged son on the trip and they have varying degrees of PTSD, and this trip is bringing difficult conversations to the surface.  As the trip continues, the group encounters local NGO workers who become their burden, and attracts the attention of local gangsters who want the gold. Now they are in all out war, and this is the second one they've fought while in Vietnam.  Surviving Vietnam turns out to be a twice in a lifetime challenge for each of these men, and not everyone will make it out of the country alive.

This film is Spike Lee at his best.  Yes, the score is excellent (which is nothing new for a Spike Lee Joint), but the screenplay was even better.  The performances were authentic, the discussions difficult, the cinematography was beautiful (and I think snubbed in that category), and the ensemble somehow was greater than the sum of its parts.  In some ways, I'd even say this film is authentically Lee's voice, and yet stands apart from Spike Lee canon.  There is a love among men in this film that I found breathtaking.

Watch the trailer here.

The White Tiger - 1 nomination

 

Best Adapted Screenplay - Ramin Bahrani (written for the screen by) 

Balram, a young ambitious kid from a remote and dirt poor village finds his way to serving a wealthy family as their driver.  He has vision, he has dreams, and he looks to find a way to make himself indispensable to his employers.  He is cunning and not always pure, something I liked a lot about this character - he isn't getting ahead simply by being good, sometimes he has to use his wits and make difficult choices, just like in real life.  The employer has a son and daughter in law (she is from the United States) who are seemingly more progressive - they are superficially uncomfortable with the class divide and want to treat him more like a member of the family.

One night, while driving the couple to and from their date of drunken fun, the son insists on driving and accidentally hits a child with the car.  The family presses Balram to take the fall and say that he was driving when the tragic accident occurs, and for this they promise to compensate him.  This is only the beginning of Balram's troubles, and of his path to success.  But it's not an easy film to watch.  Certainly, there are pieces that are overly simplistic, nonetheless, it's a film I quite enjoyed which I think should get more attention.

Balram's journey is not only from poverty to success, but also from naive to savvy, from innocent to complicated.  The character's journey is so engaging and is at the heart of what makes this a truly successful film.

Watch the trailer here.

The One and Only Ivan - 1 nomination

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Nick Davis 
Greg Fisher 
Ben Jones 
Santiago Colomo (as Santiago Colomo Martinez)

Who doesn't love talking animal movies? 

Ivan is a gorilla and the star of a tiny circus.  There's a whole family of animals in the show, and the audience continues to dwindle.  Mack (Bryan Cranston) comes up with a wonderful idea and obtains a baby elephant, bringing back ticket buyers and slightly revitalizing the small show.  But the baby elephant reminds Ivan of how he lost his freedom, and together they dream of a future living back in the wild.  The animals work together to help them find this perfect oasis, but the first step is figuring out how to escape their cages.

This is a wonderful children's movie, but it might not be for very young children who are not ready to see or understand an animal dying.  The visual effects are amazing - it really does look like these animals are talking and interacting with each other and with people.  Even as an adult I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I'm not sure that most adults would get all the way through it without a child by their sides.

Watch the trailer here.

BY THE WAY!

I'm delighted to give you the good news... Berman Oscar Blog is now supported by a fantastic podcast about movies!  With my co-host Yechiel Hoffman, we delve into great subjects like the movies that made us love movies, best docs of 2020, unsung heroes of 2020, and so much more!  Subscribe to 2 Movie Jews on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram @2MovieJews - you'll come for the banter and stay for the great movie recommendations.

 

Documentary Features

Much like the documentary shorts, there isn't a bad one in this bunch.  Most of these are available on streaming services, and all are without a doubt worth your time.

 

Time

Entrepreneur, former convict, and mother of 6, Fox Rich is fighting for her husband's freedom.  Convicted of bank robbery, Rob is serving a 60 year sentence partly because he got bad legal advice and didn't take a plea.  This woman, this fierce and brilliant woman, never gives up fighting, never gives up hope, never gives up on raising her kids to become amazing in their own right - she is the person you want in your corner for any and all things.  I have to add that documentary film making like this one is basically a magic trick.  This film follows this woman and this family for 20 years - how did they know that this passage of Time, this doing of Time, this experience of running out of Time... how could they know that it would ultimately become a beautiful and moving story?

My Octopus Teacher

This dazzling film captures the relationship between a free diver (no SCUBA gear) and an octopus who over time, begins to trust the man.  She shows him her underwater world and he falls in love with it and truthfully with her.  Without anthropomorphizing the octopus, we can see that she has great capacity for connection, even with this person who could be a predator.  We watch her life evolve, and we watch his life rebirth.

The Mole Agent

This film is utterly delightful.  A private investigator hires an elderly man to conduct undercover work in a home for the aging.  They have been hired by the daughter of a resident to confirm that nobody is stealing from her mother, or treating the old folks badly.  Our mole must learn how to face time and use technology, and he must build relationships with the other residents so he can scope out what is happening.  What he discovers is that neglect can come in many forms, and not just at the hands of the people working at the facility.

Crip Camp

This is an incredible film that appears at the start to just be a camp for people with disabilities.  But it is so much more, prompting the alumni of the camp to lead a revolution for access, for equal rights, and for using one's voice for positive change.  The leaders of the movement are alumni of the camp and their fight for agency, for dignity, for equality is awe inspiring.

Collective - 2 nominations

Documentary and International Feature Film

When a devastating fire breaks out in a nightclub, dozens of people are killed but many of those who survived die within days later.  What do we come to discover?  A complete lack of regulation and oversight that allows hospitals to use cleaning products that don't clean sufficiently for sterile environments, a health care system with no functional system, and a corrupt government that allows these abominations to continue unchecked.  Ironically, liberals and conservatives will find something to like in this film - liberals will love proving their point of how lack of regulation can cause actual death, and conservatives will love proving their point that governments are not necessarily the answer to improving that reality. 

BY THE WAY!

I'm delighted to give you the good news... Berman Oscar Blog is now supported by a fantastic podcast about movies!  With my co-host Yechiel Hoffman, we delve into great subjects like the movies that made us love movies, best docs of 2020, unsung heroes of 2020, and so much more!  Subscribe to 2 Movie Jews on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Documentary Shorts - 1 nomination each

This is probably the first year in a long time when I can truly say there wasn't a bad documentary short in the bunch.  Heartbreaking in most cases, to be sure.  You will absolutely cry.  With the exception of one film, these films are important, but not necessarily enjoyable.

 

A Love Song For Latasha

Through the lens of her best friend and her sister, this film recounts the senseless murder of Latasha Harlins who was murdered by a convenience store owner who suspected that Latasha was stealing a bottle of orange juice which cost less than $2.  Latasha sounds like a remarkable young woman, straight A student, and all around good kid.  Ironically, people in the neighborhood expected something like this to happen because the owner of the store had a long history of pulling out her gun when teenagers were in the store.  The owner never served a day in prison.

Watch the trailer here.

Watch the short film on Netflix.

Hunger Ward

This film demonstrates how war affects children disproportionately than it does adults.  Children in Yemen are literally starving to death (the child in this poster is 6 years old and weighs 15 pounds).  Hunger wards across Yemen are doing their best to triage the situation, but all of the good intentions in the world don't save kids who never eat.

Watch the trailer here.

Watch the short film on Paramount+.

Do Not Split

This film recounts the violent protests in Hong Kong by pro-democracy citizens.  They are deeply concerned about losing their freedoms, and while Hong Kong has a strong history of peaceful protest, they grow more and more violent as they lose their hold on democracy.  It's interesting to look at this film through the lens of a United States citizen, asking if there are some things too important to not fight for them.

Watch the trailer here.

Watch the film here.

A Concerto is a Conversation

This movie was truly marvelous.  Musical composer Kris Bowers marks the transition of a grandfather who grew up in Jim Crow Florida to a wildly successful career in music.  The conversation between grandfather and grandson is heart warming and happens just prior to Bowers' premiere of his concerto at Disney Hall.  Bowers is also known for his musical compositions for movies like Green Book and When They See Us.  Given that generally the uplifting one in the bunch usually wins, I think this short film has a strong chance of grabbing the prize.

Watch the trailer here.

Watch the film here.

Colette is a 90 year old alumnae of the French resistance during World War 2.  Her brother was captured and taken to a concentration camp, and so she and companion Lucie (a graduate student studying Holocaust history writing a piece on Colette's brother's experience) go together to visit the camp where he died.  Colette must face the ghosts and the pain that she walled off in her brain to honor her brother's memory.

Watch the film here.

In summary, I hope you do take the time to watch these marvelous films.

Pinocchio - 2 nominations

 

Best Achievement in Costume Design Massimo Cantini Parrini

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling Mark Coulier  Dalia Colli  Francesco Pegoretti

Ok, this Italian language film is the exact story you know about Pinocchio.  A poor woodcarver makes a puppet when was he wants more than anything is a son.  What do you know, it was a magical piece of wood and the puppet comes to life.  But this puppet is easily led astray and ends up on many wild adventures on his way to finding Geppeto (played by Roberto Benigni), his father.  Actually, this film reminded me how extraordinarily complicated the story actually is with the caring and wise Jiminy Cricket, the caring blue fairy, the evil fox and cat... by my count there are at least 5 or 6 separate lands and adventures that Pinocchio travels, each time led astray by good intentions but no savvy.  

Interestingly, the central thing I always remember about Pinocchio (and even reflected in the poster) is that when he lies, his nose grows.  Because of this iconic element, I seemed to recall Pinocchio as a habitual liar, and that the purpose of the tale being to teach us that lying is bad.  But if you watch this film, the lying thing is just a quirk and only even happens once in the movie.  The morality tale of Pinocchio turns out to be much deeper than just honesty is the best policy.

I didn't love the film and don't recommend that you go out of your way to see it.  BUT, the costumes and makeup and hairstyling were absolutely spectacular.  I'd call them both shockingly good.  Every now and then in both of these categories, there is a small, totally random film that finds itself with Oscars nominations because of the quality of the craftsmanship.  This year, that film is Pinocchio.

Watch the trailer here.