Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

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

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

Best Achievement in Sound Editing - Matthew Wood, David Acord

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's the trailer:

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:

Joker - 11 nominations

Best Motion Picture of the Year - Todd Phillips, Bradley Cooper, Emma Tillinger Koskoff

Best Achievement in Directing - Todd Phillips

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Joaquin Phoenix

Best Adapted Screenplay - Todd Phillips, Scott Silver

Best Achievement in Cinematography - Lawrence Sher

Best Achievement in Costume Design - Mark Bridges

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling - Nicki Ledermann, Kay Georgiou

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) - Hildur Guðnadóttir

Best Achievement in Film Editing - Jeff Groth

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing - Tom Ozanich, Dean A. Zupancic, Tod A. Maitland

Best Achievement in Sound Editing - Alan Robert Murray

Do you see that movie poster at the top of this page?  That is the moment that Joaquin Phoenix won his Oscar.  He has been nominated 4 times and he has been excellent in every film.  He came very close with Walk the Line, but this is the role that is going to take him past the finish line.  One of very few times that two different actors will have won Oscars for the same role (Heath Ledger won in 2008 for playing the Joker in The Dark Knight).  Don't worry my Oscars babies, I've found the articles with the all the trivia of others who have done it, see the bottom of this blog post.)

Joker is a dark film.  Phoenix lost over 50 pounds to play this role, to make the character of Arthur Fleck (A-fleck, isn't he supposed to be Batman? Haha) weak and easy to pick on.  Fleck has a strange disorder in which he laughs at tense moments and he carries around a little card to explain his affliction to strangers when Fleck seems to be behaving inappropriately.  Arthur lives with his mother, is trying to make it as a stand up comedian who is obsessed with a version of The Tonight Show, and he moonlights as a hospital clown.  As his life begins to spiral, Fleck morphs into a man who will not accept the cards he has been dealt and becomes a sociopathic monster.  Joker captures the origin story of the villain, and also, a small glimpse into the origin story of Batman himself.

This is another instance of a film capturing a ton of awards without being taken up by mostly acting nominations.  That means that this film is being lauded primarily for the craft of making it, and there is no question that Joker earned every nomination in the list.  The character of the Joker first appeared in Batman comics on April 25, 1940, so there must be something very compelling to allow this character to appear and reappear in shows, comics, and films over and over again.  We now have three iconic Joker performances - Jack Nicholson (Batman, 1989), Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight, 2008), and Joaquin Phoenix (Joker, 2019).  Each a powerhouse performance set in a solid film.  I walked away awestruck by this film, and if you have the time, it's worth the watch.

If you loved Joker, my guess is that you'll love Batman: The Definitive History of the Dark Knight in Comics, Film, and Beyond, by Andrew Farago

Here's the trailer:

OSCARS TRIVIA ALERT!

Two different actors for the same role:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/24122/quick-10-10-pairs-actors-oscar-nominated-same-role
The same actor for the same role in the same movie, but two Oscars:
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-classic-hollywood-harold-russell-20161130-story.html

1917 - 10 nominations

Best Motion Picture of the Year - Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Callum McDougall

Best Achievement in Directing - Sam Mendes

Best Original Screenplay - Sam Mendes, Krysty Wilson-Cairns

Best Achievement in Cinematography - Roger Deakins

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling - Naomi Donne, Tristan Versluis, Rebecca Cole

Best Achievement in Production Design - Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales

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

Best Achievement in Visual Effects - Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler, Dominic Tuohy

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing - Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson

Best Achievement in Sound Editing - Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate

Another thank you to IMDB for this, you've saved me a ton of time!

Welcome to one of my favorite movies this Oscars cycle.  Every now and then I have friends who say to me, I have time to see 3 films from the nominated list, which ones should I choose?  Friends, THIS IS ONE OF THE THREE.  You see those 10 Oscars nominations?  Here's something that should stand out to you - there is not a single acting nomination.  There are 23 total award categories and this film is eligible for 16 of those (for example, it couldn't be nominated for Animated Feature).  If you remove the four acting awards, that means of 12 categories for MAKING this movie, 1917 captured nominations for 10 of those 12.  This should tell you something.

The achievement of shooting this film is remarkable.  In a way, it feels like you are watching this movie in real time.  Like a camera followed the lead actor around for several hours without any breaks and then put it on the screen.  The editing is that seamless.  I'm actually a bit shocked that the lead actor, Dean Charles Chapman, wasn't nominated (and had no buzz either) because his acting achievement is remarkable.

The story is simple.  Two young British soldiers are selected to run to the front lines to call off a battle which had them walking into a German ambush.  One of the two has a brother in the battalion, providing more incentive for them to get there in time.  The film follows their journey, and the insane obstacles that arise along the way.  It is a story of courage, but what pours through the screen is the difficulty and the exhaustion that comes with accomplishing this task.  Having sat on my butt for 2 hours watching the film, I was sympathetically wrung out when the movie finished.  It's not a typical war movie - you aren't sitting through endless battles and fire fights.  What you do experience is a magnificent telling of one story of World War 1, and the kind of movie making for which the Oscars were invented.

In keeping with my newer habit of sharing source material for films that really turned you on, I must recommend a documentary from Peter Jackson called They Shall Not Grow Old.  Using archival footage and impeccable research, Jackson brings World War 1 to life in ways we have never seen before.  It blew me away, and I'm sorry it didn't make the short list for the documentary category this year.

1917 Trailer:

Ford vs. Ferrari - 4 nominations

Best Motion Picture of the Year Peter Chernin Jenno Topping James Mangold

Best Achievement in Film Editing Andrew Buckland Michael McCusker

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Paul Massey David Giammarco Steven Morrow

Best Achievement in Sound Editing Donald Sylvester

Shoutout/credit to IMDB for making my job a little easier this year and posting the nominees on their site in a copyable format.  Thank you IMDB!

This is the most exciting movie you'll see all year, and especially, in the entire canon of nominated Oscars films this year.  I am not a car racing fan and let me tell you, you don't need to be to love this film.  The performances were excellent, and the movie is based on the true story of Carroll Shelby (car designer) and Ken Miles (driver) trying to bring American cars to the elite level of performance racing with the Ford motor company.  The series of challenges - corporate and physical - that these two overcome to design their perfect car are mind boggling, particularly if you have no frame of reference for the science or the sport.  The movie was over two hours (one of many contenders this year to go long) and I was engaged every second.  The film is an exciting ride!

One area that the movie does address briefly is something I hadn't considered, and that is the human and familial side of these athletes.  Racing is an extremely dangerous sport.  If, like me, you have no experience with racing, you probably also won't have known that the drivers take on a deadly risk every time they get in the car - whether racing against others or even just practicing on the track as they try to make their cars better and better.  Car testing (at least then) required live people to drive them, and if something goes wrong, it can be fatal.  What makes a person decide that driving fast is worth that risk, especially when that person has a family and people to whom he or she is responsible?  It's hard to imagine, and the film does a good job of capturing more than the competition and all the work it takes to succeed, but also, the people who take on that risk with the drivers and car designers.

Sports/action films like these are ripe fodder for both Film Editing and the Sound categories.  For those of you who have been following the blog for years, you've read many times the difference between Sound Mixing and Sound Editing, but I'll give you a brief reminder today.

Sound Editors capture the sounds for the film.  A sound editor once suggested that 98% of the sounds that you hear in a film are added after the scenes are shot.

Sound Mixers take all of the sound elements collected and created by the sound editors, and layer them together so that they make perfect sense to the ear.  So in Ford vs. Ferrari, you'll have the sounds of the cars, the spectators, the dialogue, nature, background sounds, etc.

Finally, I'm reviving the new addition from last year's blog by reminding you that movies are not documentaries.  The producers have no obligation to the truth and when based on a true story, you can be sure there are characters playing people who never existed (or serve as a single representation of multiple people), and they add in elements to make the movie an engaging story.  So here are two books you might read if you loved the film!

Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans

Ford GT: How Ford Silenced the Critics, Humbled Ferrari and Conquered Le Mans

Here's the trailer of the film:

A Quiet Place - 1 nomination

Sound Editing - Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl

A Quiet Place is a SCARY film.  The world has been overrun by aliens who are determined to kill all beings, and they find you when you make even the slightest sound (let's not even think about how anyone survives without expelling gas for a year).  The Abbott family lives on a farm, and they have somehow managed to keep their family alive and intact, with occasional but dangerous foraging through a nearby town.  Because one daughter is deaf, they are able to communicate without actually talking out loud.  Still, a moment of humanity results in the tragic loss of the youngest child, which could partly be attributed to the oldest daughter's negligence.  It is a crazy world, and this family wants nothing more than to figure out what the aliens' weakness is, and how they can potentially overcome the threat.  Still, their lives are maddening where any dropped glass could spell death for the entire family.  Complicating matters further, Mrs. Abbott is pregnant giving new meaning to a silent birth, and what do you even do with a screaming baby? 

I'm not a big fan of jump-scare films, and admittedly, I watched this movie holding hands with my mother the whole time.  But, it was incredibly clever, very well acted, and even let me practice my own rusty sign language.  I don't think I could watch it again because I'm a big chicken, but for my least favorite genre, I enthusiastically endorse this one.

First Man - 4 nominations

Visual Effects - Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J.D. Schwalm

Production Design - Nathan Crowley (Production Design); Kathy Lucas (Set Decoration)

Sound Editing - Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan

Sound Mixing - Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Ai-Ling Lee and Mary H. Ellis

First Man retells the story of NASA's early years and its attempt to land people on the moon.  It focuses on Neil Armstrong and his balancing of pushing toward a dream and the concerns and demands of his wife and family over that mission's dangerous nature.  There is an incredibly heroic and inspiring story in this film, and it's hard to know how much of what happened in the film is true.  In some ways, this is another film about humans pushing their limits to achieve incredible feats, but people died in the lead up to the success of this NASA mission, and so we have to ask ourselves (as we did in the nominated documentary, Free Solo), was the achievement worth the sacrifice?  First Man contends that indeed it was, and that families who lost astronauts in the name of exploration (um, AMERICAN exploration) did so to serve a greater ideal.

First Man was truly robbed of an Original Score nomination.  The music enhanced the experience of the film magically, and though I usually note that the achievement of a score is to enhance the film without calling attention to itself, in this case, the standout music put the final touches on this movie's magic.

As you know, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing are the stuff of extraordinary war, musical, and science fiction films and First Man is none of those three.  But the technical elements, the dialogue, and the music came together so perfectly in this film, that these nominations were inevitable.  There was certainly talk of other possible nominations, particularly for Claire Foy who played Armstrong's no nonsense wife.  I was truly taken in by it all.

Roma - 10 nominations

Best Picture - Gabriela Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón

Actress in a Leading Role, Yalitza Aparicio

Actress in a Supporting Role, Marina de Tavira

Cinematography, Alfonso Cuarón

Directing, Alfonso Cuarón

Foreign Language Film, Mexico; Alfonso Cuarón

Production Design, Eugenio Caballero (Production Design); Bárbara Enríquez (Set Decoration)

Sound Editing, Sergio Díaz and Skip Lievsay

Sound Mixing, Skip Lievsay, Craig Henighan and José Antonio García

Writing (Original Screenplay), Written by Alfonso Cuarón

Roma follows the life of a domestic worker, Cleo, in the household of a middle class doctor in Mexico in the early 70's.  The family has four kids and a handful of staff working for them.  When the doctor leaves his wife, the family carries on with the occasional getaway, and they bring Cleo along.  It is clear that the family has great affection for her, and she loves them too as she cares for the children as her own.  When she becomes pregnant as a single person, they promise to keep her on, and they take care of her throughout.  There are moments of activity or outings, but the best description of this film is perhaps, "slice of life."  Almost everything that happens is really nothing happening, with the exception of some depictions of political upheaval at the time.

I felt a little bit insecure in my lack of appreciation of this film, so I started looking around not for reviews, but for synopses of the film.  Even The Academy couldn't squeak out more than two lines, and IMDB got as far as one.  That's it.  There's not much to describe.  So, you either love a movie where not much happens and there's a small window into one young woman's life, or you don't.  This film is a love letter to Alfonso Cuaron's childhood maid, the film is dedicated to her.  The movie ends (this is not a spoiler, I promise) with Cleo heading up the stairs to do laundry.  Just another day in her life, even following a difficult time for her personally.  There isn't a lot of emotion or gravitas to the film, so I can't quite figure out what all the hype is about.

I will give credit where it's due, the cinematography is absolutely beautiful, and it's worth noting that Cuaron has had other successes (see Gravity's cinematography win, and Children of Men's cinematography nomination - this guys knows how to shoot a film, and/or how to hire people who do.)  

I would so like to say that Roma was wonderful and worth all of these nominations, but even the acting categories - the Supporting Actress barely made my radar and the lead actress has such a flat affect for most of the film that it was hard to connect with her character.  I'm sorry Roma lovers.  It just wasn't for me.

Bohemian Rhapsody - 5 nominations

Best Picture - Graham King
Actor in a Leading Role - Rami Malek
Film Editing - John Ottman
Sound Editing - John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone
Sound Mixing - Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali

"Don't stop me now, I'm having such a good time, I'm having a ball
Don't stop me now, if you wanna have a good time, just give me a call!
Don't stop me now....
Don't stop me cause I'm havin' a good time, havin' a good time..."
- Don't Stop Me Now, Queen

It is the 70's and the young Freddie (soon-to-be) Mercury hooks up with the band to form what was to become a legendary group with songs that came to be known world wide.  Mercury had a voice that could do what most could not, his range was ridiculous and even today, accomplished singers struggle with some of the songs with the very high highs and the very low lows.  Queen's journey from nothing to stardom is a sight to behold, and the film peppered with their truly greatest hits is one of the most fun movie experiences I had this year.  (Full disclosure, I'm a big time Queen fan, having discovered them in college thanks to my friend Craig Stender, who painstakingly sorted through his records to make me an epic mix tape which I still have to this day.)

The movie captures the visionary development of some of our most well known hits - Brian May composing We Will Rock You, Freddie Mercury tinkering with Bohemian Rhapsody and watching the group play with sounds, ideas simple and outrageous play out on screen.  Rami Malek falls deep into the character matching movement to movement with what Freddie Mercury did on stage.  (For about half the movie, you sense that Malek is still getting used to the iconic teeth prosthetic toward the beginning of the film, but he settles into them as the plot progresses.)  Though Malek is getting all the very well deserved attention, worth noting that Gwilym Lee is the reincarnation of Queen guitarist and composer Brian May.  Given that May is still alive, I can only imagine how cool/creepy watching another person inhabit your body must be.

Sound Mixing and Sound Editing categories are generally reserved for (say it with me) war movies, musicals, and movies heavy on visual effects.  But when you layer dialogue, screaming crowds, weather, and lip syncing well, these categories are sure to land on your nominations list.

I was particularly moved by the final scenes of the movie.  Queen's acclaimed and magnificent performance at Live Aid - long after Freddie had been diagnosed with AIDS and they were unclear if his voice would even be able to achieve a shadow of its former glory -  is completely remastered.  I suspect if one were to go on YouTube and put side by side the live performance and the film homage to it, Malek's every gesture would be identical in the split screen.  Though Rami Malek certainly transformed himself throughout the film, it was in this final sequence that I thought, "this guy could win an Oscar."

The movie was good.  It wasn't AMAZING unless you are a die hard Queen fan.  I loved it.  

"I'm a rocket ship on my way to Mars
I am a satellite, I'm out of control.
I'm a sex machine ready to reload
Like an atom bomb, I'm gonna go go go go go explode!
I'm burning through the sky, yeah
200 degrees that's why they call me Mr. Farenheit
I'm traveling at the speed of light, I wanna make a super sonic man out of you..."

Black Panther - 7 nominations

Best Picture - Kevin Feige
Costume Design - Ruth Carter
Original Score - Ludwig Goransson
Original Song "All the Stars" - Music by Mark Spears, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth and Anthony Tiffith; Lyric by Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Anthony Tiffith and Solana Rowe
Production Design - Hannah Beachler (Production Design); Jay Hart (Set Decoration)
Sound Editing - Benjamin A. Burtt and Steve Boeddeker
Sound Mixing - Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor and Peter Devlin  

After the death of his father, Prince T'challa assumes the throne while fending off would-be usurpers from surrounding tribes.  Wakanda is the home of technological advances and wealth unknown to the rest of the world.  It is a land where women warriors protect the kingdom.   

Prince T'challa's genius scientist sister is developing inventions in every realm including impressive medical procedures and tools, life saving technology, and mind blowing weaponry.  Complicating matters, the prince's cousin Killmonger has come to take over Wakanda with a challenge to the throne and family and friends divide their loyalties between the two opposing leaders.  A central question dividing the realm - should Wakanda share its vast resources with the world, or should they maintain a policy of "Wakanda First?"  One thing is clear, even with all of his super powers, the Prince can't succeed without some very powerful friends (spoiler alert: it's the Avengers).  

For those following the blog over the years, you already know that I'm a sucker for all things Marvel.  But this film WAS as special as everyone says.  It was exciting, it was engaging, it was an edge of the seat thrill ride.  But it was also visually magnificent both in production design and particularly with the costumes.  And, if you've been reading the blog, you know that the sound categories often go to three kinds of genres: war films, musicals, and high intensity visual effects movies.  Given that this film is both a war and visual effects film, both categories were sure to pop up.

The original song wasn't my favorite of the category, but you can listen to it below.  (If you are reading this because you've subscribed, I've included a link as videos won't embed in the email version of the blog.)

It is rare for a popular film, and a superhero film at that, to achieve the artistry required for Oscar noms in major categories.  Movies like Black Panther mostly land in the technical categories (and you will see that to be true in future blogs, particularly once we hit the visual effects category.)  To be nominated for Best Picture - I just can't recall another of its kind to have achieved what Black Panther did this year.  Is it worthy of Best Picture?  Maybe, maybe not.  Is it worthy of a watch?  Wakanda forever, baby.

Link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQbjS0_ZfJ0

Sample of the incredible costumes: 

Star Wars: The Last Jedi - 4 nominations

Original Score, John Williams (his 51st nomination, and remember the rabbit hole I went down during Costume Design? John Williams has been nominated against HIMSELF for two movies in the Original Score category 5 times.)

Sound Editing, Matthew Wood and Ren Klyce

Sound Mixing, David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects, Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould

Fans of the blog know that I loved Star Wars: The Last Jedi before I even saw it.  I love Star Wars.  I'm obsessed with Star Wars.  I liked the prequels, I like Jar Jar Binks, I'm just all in on the franchise.  So when I say that this film was excellent (with a few plot holes), I'm certainly coming from a biased point of view, but I'm also being honest when I say that it's a really great film.  

This is the second installment of the recent franchise in which scavenger Rey finds Luke Skywalker and begs him to train her in the ways of the force.  Skywalker is reluctant to get back into the Jedi training game.  Having been scarred by his experience training young Kylo Ren who turned to the dark side and who has become the now powerful sith eager to continue Darth Vader's dream of ruling the galaxy.  Kylo Ren is under the tutelage and leadership of the evil Snoke and uses the force for evil and not for good.

Meanwhile, back at the resistance, General Leah Organa (Carrie Fisher, and yes, I did cry almost every time she was on screen, what's it to ya?) is doing her best to keep all of our beloved characters focused on overthrowing the sinister First Order.  

There is much more to the story and there are some terrific newcomers into the Star Wars universe.  But one of the most interesting pieces of this film is the connection between our young Jedi hopeful Rey and Kylo Ren.  They communicate across space and when they are finally together, they join forces to fight a brief battle.  And here's one of the most compelling pieces of the film. The two have fought off enemies together, and they realize that the resistance is heading toward a trap spelling certain destruction by the First Order.  Ren says to her, let's forget about all these people, let them destroy each other and then let's start together afresh and make the world the place we want it to be together.  Now, we know that a moral and ethical person like Rey could never accept the destruction of good people fighting the resistance.  But it is easy to see how Kylo Ren can frame this situation as neither good nor bad, and let's just embrace a fresh reality without good and without evil that is just right.  Lots of morally relativistic questions in this proposal, but it goes to show that good and evil are frameworks that depend on the lens that you look through.  What an important idea in the midst of an excellent piece of entertainment.  

I'd have given this film many more nominations if I were the Oscars Czarina, but in the meantime, I highly recommend seeing it.  The visual effects, the sound, and especially the score are among the finest in film this year.  Yay Star Wars!

Baby Driver - 3 nominations

Film Editing, Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos

Sound Editing, Julian Slater

Sound Mixing, Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin and Mary H. Ellis

Baby Driver is about a young guy named Baby (Ansel Elgort) who is in debt to a criminal mob boss named Doc (Kevin Spacey) who puts together teams of criminals to rob banks.  With each score, Baby is the getaway driver (an outstanding one at that), and each take gets him further and further out of his debt.  Baby falls in love with a young night shift waitress, and he becomes determined to leave this life and Doc, as soon as he can.  He is compelled into a big hit and hopes that this will be the final one.  

More than anything else, the standout of this film is the music.  Every song beautifully and expertly matches what is happening in the scene, and even Baby relies on his music to get him through the high speed chases as they escape the crime scenes.  The movie was fine for action but also funny with really well drawn and interesting characters - each band of criminals has enough to them to be highly entertaining.  I doubt that the film will fare well at the Oscars, but will do for a good night on the couch watching a movie with friends and family.

Blade Runner 2049 - 5 nominations

Cinematography, Roger A. Deakins

Production Design, Dennis Gassner (Production Design); Alessandra Querzola (Set Decoration)

Sound Editing, Mark Mangini and Theo Green

Sound Mixing, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill and Mac Ruth

Visual Effects, John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover

Blade Runner 2049 is a hard one to explain and an easy one to enjoy.  As in the original Blade Runner, manufactured people called replicants were created as a slave class to serve humans.  A more obedient group of replicants have been invented, and so there are newer replicants whose job it is to go shut down/kill the older technology.  One of these replicant detectives, Officer K (Ryan Gosling) is sent to a farm to take out an old model replicant, when he discovers the remnants of a woman who died in childbirth - apparently a replicant herself, previously thought to be impossible.

Officer K, meanwhile, seems to have a childhood memory, which would be impossible for a replicant who had no childhood.  He goes seeking answers to the man who was likely the father of the baby, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford, who played Deckard in the original film). Answers to his many questions are found, even if they are not the answers that Officer K hoped for.

I'm definitely a sci fi lover, and this film is fantastic. I liked the original film and I was nervous that this would be a let down.  Other than Star Wars, I'm generally displeased with sequels that come long after the original films.  This one is truly an exception to that rule.  Visually, the movie is stunning and I predicted all five of this film's nominations as I left the theater.  The production design really took my breath away, and if I was an academy voter, this film would have my vote for this category.  It has a good chance but a tougher field for visual effects, as well.  Bottom line, this movie is long and worth every minute.  See it!