Yes yes yes, I don’t really care about the Oscars, and no, I don’t plan on watching them. But I do find myself in an unusual situation this year, where I have seen all of the nominations for Best Picture for this year’s Oscars. I figured why not take a brief moment to talk about these movies and give a brief summary of my thoughts on them and given a general ranking. Also yes, the Gretel & Hansel review is going up tonight. This is a busy time of year. So now let’s get started talking about movies that I liked, movies that I loved, and movies that I would never have seen otherwise!
Ford V Ferrari
Watching douchebag car bros measure dicks for 2.5 hours? Hard pass. I could have not watched the movie and give the same review that I am right now. Strong direction and editing, but the central plot and characters are such a turn off for me that it just ruins everything. Maybe it’s because I’m not a car guy but I just hated everyone in this movie and wanted it to be over as soon as it started.
The Irishman
If this movie were about the rise and fall of Jimmy Hoffa, played brilliantly by Al Pacino, then I think I would have loved it. Unfortunately, it is not. That great performance and interesting story is smack dab in the middle of a mobster story that we’ve all seen before. Not enough new material to justify a 3.5 hour runtime. Sure, there’s some great filmmaking here, it is a Scorcese film after all, but I’d rather just watch one of the other great gangster movies he’s directed with this same cast.
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
One of the most frustrating on this list. A lot of great performances, a lot of great scenes, but I don’t think it added up to anything by the end. The last 30 minutes were cringeworthy and the more I think about it the worse this movie gets. Also, having a sequence making fun of Bruce Lee is unforgivable. I did really like one sequence in the middle of it though, where the movie turns into a horror film for one sequence. I’m really hoping that Tarantino eventually makes a straight up horror movie because that would probably be very good.
Marriage Story
I had 0 interest in a movie about a messy divorce. But I am glad I ended up watching this. This is more a showcase of performances than anything else, and, as that, it succeeds beautifully. Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver capture the painful normalcy of the situation perfectly, giving what I would say the technically best performances of just about any movie on this list. Something unexpected that I enjoyed about this movie is that I expected this to be far more melodramatic than it was, with a lot more anger and intense emotion. The subdued nature of the writing makes everything much more believable and human that it otherwise may have been. I don’t find the subject matter that interesting but the performances elevate it and make this a worthwhile film.
Little Women
I know I am starting to sound like a broken record here but the source material here did not excite me. That being said, this is the best possible movie that I could see being adapted from that source material. Excellent direction, performances, and cinematography made this a surprisingly enjoyable watch and I am a bit miffed that Greta Gerwig was not nominated for Best Director. This is one of those interesting movies that I can recognize was not with me in mind, so I can completely understand why a lot of people liked it more than I did and would want it to win best picture. Not my personal favorite, but definitely no hard feelings if this wins.
1917
All around great performances, impressive technical filmmaking, a slew of surprises and turns, and an important message about the power of human connection make this a standout war movie. The ‘looking like 1 continuous shot’ style transcends the gimmick it could have been and kept this weird uneasiness in the pit of my stomach the whole time. What really impressed me was the restraint shown by the filmmakers. There were a lot of easy ways that drama could be injected into what is happening but there’s an intense focus on human connections that give every scene real weight. I understand that this movie has already won many best picture awards. I’m not in love with it, but I get why it has made such an impact, a reasonable choice for best picture.
Joker
Featuring the most stunning male performance from this list, Joker has proven to be a shockingly (undeservedly in my opinion) controversial film. Sure, I don’t think Joker would work if anyone but Phoenix was front and center, but because he is everything works for me here. With strong filmmaking and good performances from Robert De Niro and Zazie Beetz, there’s a powerful emotional core to this satire on wealth, power, and mental illness. If Phoenix doesn’t win best actor I am going to be stunned. Honestly, I’m pretty surprised this was even nominated for best picture. I really enjoyed it, but I don’t think this is the kind of movie that can win best picture. Would be a shocking upset.
Jojo Rabbit
What a surprise Jojo Rabbit was! A hilarious dark comedy that expertly skewers Nazism specifically (and hate groups more generally) while never losing sight of the grim reality that the film is set during. Taika Waititi is side-splitting as an imaginary-friend version of Hitler, Roman Davis captured an impressive range of emotions for the young Jojo Betzler, and Scarlet Johansson combines humor with warmth and emotional turmoil. Funny, heart wrenching, and ultimately a hopeful reminder that new generations can stop falling into the pitfalls of their predecessors, I would be pleasantly surprised if this were to win best picture.
Parasite
Every internet nerd reviewer is losing their minds over Parasite so I guess I’ll join in. If Parasite does not win I am going to be furious. This genre bending crime drama/comedy/thriller features amazing performances, a plot that I could never predict, perfect satire on the politics of inequality, and some shockingly funny sequences. There are so many moods and tones that are played with and each one feels like a completely natural next step which is effortlessly glided into. Parasite is a masterpiece of filmmaking and I hope it wins and leads to more wide releases of foreign films.
So there yo have it. Two things before I go 1) My favorite movie of last year The Lighthouse was not nominated for Best Picture, so I am already less invested and 2) Now that this is posted I can stop talking about the Oscars! Yay! Time to get back to movies I actually want to talk about!
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