Sharing my love of all things Oscar. I see all the movies with nominations so you don't have to - and I do my best to research and help pick the winners. Subscribe, share your comments, and feel free to share with others. Follow me on Twitter @JodiBee.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Kate Hudson
Based on a true story, Song Sung Blue tells the heartwarming and equally heartbreaking story of Mike and Claire - otherwise known as Lightening and Thunder - who reinvent the celebrity impersonation genre building a following for Neil Diamond “essence.” They create such an outstanding stage show in Milwaukee that they make a name for themselves and get invited to open for Pearl Jam (which apparently, did actually happen!) As their stars are on the rise, tragedy strikes Claire as a car plows into her while she is just standing in front of the couple’s home, thrusting her into a deep depression as she battles her way back to normalcy.
Kate Hudson garnered her second Oscar nomination, this time for actress in a leading role and boy does she deserve it. It’s stunning that Hugh Jackman wasn’t recognized because the pair make the film what it is, and one without the other is like peanut butter without the jelly - good on its own, no question, but the magic that happens when together makes the whole better than the sum of its parts. I don’t know what it is that put her over the top without him, but the most important thing about Song Sung Blue garnering the single nomination is that I at least get the opportunity to invite you to see the film. If it does nothing more than remind more people that Neil Diamond’s music is so much more than Sweet Caroline (and hello Sulemon!), then the movie has more than done its job.
Adapted Screenplay, Screenplay by Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green; Story by James Mangold
Logan/Wolverine is one of the last known mutants alive. Professor X, the leader of the X Men, is slowly dying and Logan is caring for him. Along the way, he discovers that there is a young girl who is not only a mutant, she appears to have similar but enhanced powers to the Wolverine; she also has incredible healing powers and knives that emerge from her hands like he does but in addition, she also has knives that emerge from her feet. A kind woman busts her out of a secret facility building and exploiting mutant children, and seeks out Logan to help protect the girl. All of these children seem to be victims of a plot to use them as weapons. Logan's mission becomes clear - move this girl and the other children to safety, out of the hands of the people who would exploit them.
Logan is an excellent film, maybe one of the best of the X Men series. Hugh Jackman is wonderful, as always, but what makes him so good is that he is the Wolverine we know, but the more worn down version of this character. Professor Charles Xavier is also different than the person we have grown to know and love, as he is more vulnerable if not less wise.
I was surprised to see Logan nominated as an Adapted Screenplay, or frankly, to be nominated at all. But I think what got this film to the top 5 is that the character arcs of people who have been so familiar to us through 9 X Men films that have featured these characters (there are actually 10 X Men films, if you count Deadpool, but neither Professor X nor Wolverine appear in that film) have evolved, have grown tired, have become different people than just the cookie cutter Wolverine and ProfX that we have always known. The story of the end of a superhero's life has a totally different tone to the rest of them, even with all of the regular and expected action scenes.
I loved this film, I was moved by the ending in particular.
Original Song, "This is Me," Music and Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
The Greatest Showman is likely the very loosely based story of P.T. Barnum, his vision, and the development of his circus. The originator of the phrase, "a sucker is born every minute," this must be the highly polished version of Barnum's life and success. Full disclosure, other than this quote, and the legend that Barnum posted, "this way to the great egress" as a way of keeping people from lingering too long in his exhibits (most people didn't know that egress is a synonym for exit, and so they would go through the curtains expecting another exhibit, and what they found was that they had left the tent, and if they wanted to come back, they had to buy another ticket), I know very little about the actual PT Barnum. But I really WANT this to be his story.
You know who is actually the greatest showman? Hugh Jackman, that's who. I loved every second of this film, filled with all big song and dance numbers (shame on you Original Score category), lots of amazing choreography, fantastic costumes (shame on you Costume Design category), big gorgeous sets (shame on you Production Design category), and a fantastic cast who brings this story to life.
I loved it, loved it, loved it. I would have stayed and watched it again right after the first showing. After the song, "This is Me," I turned to my husband and said, "that's the winner" before I even knew what else would be nominated. I hope this song wins. This movie deserves ever so much more love from the Academy. Sad that it didn't get the attention it earned.
"This is Me" is the anthem of our times. I almost don't know what to say about it, because it is uplifting, it is the power song we need right now. We will not be judged. We will not stand down. We will be who we are, and we will be proud. "For we are glorious." You bet we are, Benj and Justin, you bet we are.
I have never done this before, but I love this song so much, I'm sharing the lyrics to the full, powerful song on this blog post. Enjoy.
I am not a stranger to the dark Hide away, they say 'Cause we don't want your broken parts I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars Run away, they say No one'll love you as you are
But I won't let them break me down to dust I know that there's a place for us For we are glorious
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out I am brave, I am bruised I am who I'm meant to be, this is me Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum I'm not scared to be seen I make no apologies, this is me
Another round of bullets hits my skin Well, fire away 'cause today, I won't let the shame sink in We are bursting through the barricades and Reaching for the sun (we are warriors) Yeah, that's what we've become (yeah, that's what we've become)
I won't let them break me down to dust I know that there's a place for us
For we are glorious
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out I am brave, I am bruised I am who I'm meant to be, this is me Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum I'm not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me
Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh This is me
and I know that I deserve your love (Oh-oh-oh-oh) 'cause there's nothing I'm not worthy of (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh) When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out This is brave, this is proof This is who I'm meant to be, this is me
Look out 'cause here I come (look out 'cause here I come) And I'm marching on to the beat I drum (marching on, marching, marching on) I'm not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out I'm gonna send a flood Gonna drown them out Oh This is me
Visual Effects - Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie, Cameron Waldbauer X-Men: Days of Future Past is the next installment of the Marvel comic book series in which robots called Sentinels have been sent with tremendous power to kill all mutants. Mutants living in this current era decide to send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back in time to the 70's to prevent the production of the Sentinels, which appears to be the only solution available to combat the terror they are raining down.
The visual effects in this film are incredibly cool. First, X-Men in general has fantastic visuals because mutants don't exist. (Much like The Hunger games series, it has been overlooked in the makeup category, and it shouldn't have been.) Then, add in the amazing effects produced for the Sentinel robots, and it's easy to see how this film was finally nominated for this category. The Marvel universe films, in general, should be contenders each year for visual effects nominations, and this film is a very deserving for this one indeed.
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