Maria - 1 nomination

 

• Best Achievement in Cinematography

• Edward Lachman

In the time leading up to the Oscars announcement, if you had told me that Maria was going to receive just one nomination - and not for Angelina Jolie - I would have told you that you are nuts. This epic film on the complicated life of Maria Callas, thought to be one of the greatest opera singers of all time, is wonderful. If you are a fan of opera, so much the better but not a prerequisite for enjoying the movie. When we meet Maria at the beginning of the film, she is already rather isolated with her butler and her maid, and she hasn't performed in years. Her health is declining and for reasons unclear to her employees and dear friends, she has agreed to be the subject of a documentary film. At the same time, she is meeting quietly with music conductor Jeffrey Tate to see if her voice is strong enough to maybe perform again. All the while, we are reliving her young life including her tragic affair with Aristotle Onasis and singing for Nazis as a young woman to keep her family safe.

Here's the incredible thing; the Oscars has a history of rewarding those who learn to sing for their movie roles, or those who we simply know as actors who showcase their vocal talents in a film - especially in biopics. Sissy Spacek in Coal Miner's Daughter (won), Gary Busey in The Buddy Holly Story, Renee Zellweger in Judy (won), Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon (won) in Walk the Line... the list goes on and on. But not to nominate Angelina Jolie who learned how to sing OPERA? She was magnificent as an actress (as she almost always is), but when I watched the film, I assumed that the performance was all dubbed. It was not. This is perhaps the most offensive of the snubs this season, just for that feat alone. You should watch it for the same reason.

 

Animated Short Films - 1 nomination each

Here are the nominees for animated short.

 

Yes People

From Iceland, Yes People captures one day with people from one apartment building.  They are shoveling snow, off to work, drinking at home, teaching music lessons by day, and frolicking (or not) by night.  The device, of course, is that the only thing that anyone ever says is "yes" with all of its tones and connotations.  It's quite a funny little film.

Watch the film here.

Opera

I hardly know how to describe this film.  Having watched the film, I almost don't even know what happened in it so I did a little research and reading on it, and the story I read reflects that in the giant pyramid of life from day to night, we humans repeat the same behaviors over and over including racism, terrorism, religion, and war.  That explained the film a bit, but my take away on why it was nominated is that there isn't a part of the giant pyramid image that doesn't have lots of tiny images constantly moving.  When a film needs to be researched understand the story, it doesn't really get my vote.  My guess is that the remarkable part of the film is the extraordinary attention to detail in every tiny part of the screen.

Watch the trailer here.

If Anything Happens I Love You

Parents living in the wake of losing their child in a school shooting is at the heart of this emotional and difficult film.  The title is taken from the last text sent by this family's child (a text that I seem to recall hearing was taken from real events in the Margery Stoneman Douglass High School shooting), and it has parents painfully remembering the carefree and wonderful life they lived as a family before a school shooting took her life.  All I could think throughout the film was that I fully expect someone to call this animated child a crisis actor.  If I were a voter, this would be my choice to win.

See the trailer here and the film on Netflix.

Genius Loci

This is another film for which I had to do a little research, and I'll tell you, what I read didn't line up at all with what I thought was happening when I saw the movie.  It centers are Reine and one night in which she suffers chaotic hallucinations, all pulling her in different directions on the path to self discovery.  I thought these hallucinations represented her struggle with mental health issues, but apparently, I was wrong.  See what you think!

See the film here.

Burrow

Poor little rabbit, he just wants to build himself a nice place to live with all of the normal spaces like his disco/bathroom.  As he burrows down into the ground, he keeps encountering other animals who have set up shop for themselves.  As he works harder and harder to find his space, he learns that what he needs is his space, but also his own very special community.

See the trailer here and the film on Disney+.