Here we go again. Oscar time is upon us. The tickets have been bought and the ballots have been cast. Every year I take a few minutes to reflect on the Oscar nominees and humbly offer my opinions on said list. A few years ago, the Academy expanded the number of movies that could be nominated for Best Picture to 10. This year the voters presumably only found 9 movies worthy of the top honor. Just between you and me I think they were overly optimistic by about 1. Last year’s crop was the thinnest I can remember. This year’s crop has a lot of depth. Two masterpieces, a sad clown, a happy Hitler, 2 Scarlett Johannson sightings, a Korean Con Game, Batman and Good Will Hunting racing cars and a clunker mob flick that should have been buried with the real Jimmy Hoffa
This is not what I think is going to happen. Do not use this list to make bets. You will lose your house. These are listed in the order that I would vote for them if I had such a vote. I would love to hear from you and know what you think.
1917
World War I was ironically called the War to End All Wars. Now, frustratingly, it is often called the Forgotten War.
After 119 minutes engulfed in Sam Mendes' riveting look at the nightmare that was WWI you will experience a range of emotions. It is at times exciting, horrifying, jolting, heartbreaking and poignant. The one thing it damn sure isn’t is Forgettable!
Mendes accomplished the sensation the movie was filmed in one or two continuous shots. It is a seamless form of storytelling. The viewer goes from watching the events as a witness. Then, without being aware of the transition, is suddenly experiencing the scene from the POV of the protagonists. There are dozens of truly exquisite aspects of filmmaking throughout the movie. But the true test, which 1917 passes with flying colors, is to use these tricks and techniques to advance the most important part of any film which is the story. There is a camaraderie the viewer feels with the heroes from of the sensation of walking this path with the two soldiers almost as if the viewer is a 3rd member of their band. That does not take away from great acting and a great script but it’s astounding what is achieved through the masterful use of technology and technique.
The scope of the film is magnificent. The attention to detail even more so. Mendes dedicated the film to his Great Grandfather who fought in WWI and told his family of the tales and stories that helped build this script. Grandpa must have been one helluva tale spinner. The authenticity of the two men’s struggle, the soldiers and civilians they meet along the way down to the prodigious rats shines through. Regardless of what unthinkable situation they find themselves nothing seems inauthentic. You can smell the fires. You can feel the mud. You can taste the desperation to survive while all round them are constant reminders of the thousands and thousands that didn’t.
It is a masterful piece of storytelling.
UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD
What is so taking about the movie is the exquisite and exacting nature of every single piece of it is planned, framed and executed. The worry with such exactness is you get a film that is mechanically sound but with no pace or rhythm. But here QT is at the top of his game and visual orchestration of it all is superb. QT takes seemingly unconnected strings of beautiful vignettes and somehow turns them into a cohesive story in the end.
Honestly, there is almost too much to talk about. The music is enchanting. The construction and execution of scenes and shots are exquisite. The casting is beyond great. Right down to the least of parts. If you don’t like Leo or Pitt, I don’t know what to tell you. They are both superb as hyper exaggerated versions of their most cliched selves. Margot Robbie is delightful and whoever decided to cast Damian Lewis as Hollywood Icon Steve McQueen should get a raise.
This is, as it eludes in the title, A Fairy Tale. It is Tarantino’s tale and while Fairy tales aren’t known for their subtlety......neither is the director. While this is one of the most linear story lines Tarantino has ever done it is also one of the least juvenile movies (content not withstanding) he has ever done. There are some flashbacks but as a rule it takes you from point A to point B. Or at least F to Q. It is a departure for the director, but it is a way for him to lull you to sleep and pretend to make you think you aren’t in TarantinoLand. But don’t worry.....I guarantee you will know you were in TarantinoLand when you leave and damned if doesn’t seem to get revenge for the charming Sharon Tate.
JOJO RABBIT
Let’s face it. If you can’t enjoy a whimsical little frolic with the Nazis through war-torn Berlin then what can you enjoy? Not sure there is a better acted film in this year’s bunch. Top to bottom, stellar performances with charm, nuance and passion. Roman Griffin Davis who plays the title character Jo Jo gave an Oscar worthy performance......and he’s 12. Scarlett Johannson inspiring as Jo Jo’s mother trying to raise her son in the middle of Nazi central while still giving him a safe environment to be a little boy. Sam Rockwell plays a closeted, gay SS officer who befriends the boy and Rebel Wilson plays a strangely delightful, yet evil henchwoman for a dying regime. Did I mention that Jo Jo’s imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler......and he’s hysterical.....and he and Jo Jo sort of perform an Esther Williamsesque water ballet? If this all sounds strange, well, it is. But it is also wonderful. The film balances the horrors and ugliness of the reality of the Third Reich by showing it through the eyes and imagination of a beautiful, caring and happy child. It is a narrow path to travel without the movie crashing in the ditch and catching on fire. It is a beautiful story filled with sadness, fear, surprise, humor, whimsy, compassion and love. What else could you ask for? By the way did I mention Scarlet Johannson? 
PARASITE
I read one description of this film where someone called Parasite a modern-day fairy tale. I call it it an amazingly sophisticated piece of film making. It has a lot to say and I am not sure it can be digested it one viewing. It is a social commentary on class and social structure. It is a biting satire about family values. It is a bit of screwball comedy of errors with tragic consequences. It is cautionary tale of coveting your neighbor’s life. But, most importantly it is a painful reminder of just how much of our humanity we can lose when we forget to see the basic humanity in others. It says all this wrapped up in suspenseful, edge of your seat black comedy.
It has been said “Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” Chesterson
If PARASITE is a fairy tale then Ho is showing us if we lose our humanity by not seeing others as human, then we become the dragons ourselves. JOKER
20 years ago, I visited the Holocaust museum in Washington DC. I was blown away by the emotional journey the curators constructed for the visitors to help them, if even just slightly, understand the awful and terrible events they had been entrusted to explain. It is an experience I value and an experienced that changed me but it also somewhere I never feel the need to visit ever again. My 17 year old asked me what I thought about JOKER. Well, I said. Not to be in anyway disrespectful, it reminded me of the Holocaust Museum. I was blown away by the emotional journey of the movie. As burnt out as I am of the comic book world this movie was only tangentially related to that world. The movie was a strong commentary on loneliness and mental illness. Joquin Phoenix was truly exceptional in his descent into madness. You hear of people acting with their entire body? No better example that his performance. The cinematography really complimented and enhanced the rest of the film. It was tiring and emotional…..and I have absolutely no desire to ever see it again. FORD V FERRARI
Great Story - Check Huge Stars – Check Interesting Characters – Check Fast Cars – Check This movie is a bit of a throwback. If it would have been made in the 60s Newman and Redford could have played the roles or Doughlas and Lancaster. It was entertaining as hell. The humor was organic within the story and within the situations. The two main characters were perfectly cast in Bale and Damon. They made the leads people you cheered for even if we may not have liked them in real life. Let’s face it. That is still the true test of any film. Do you care what happens to the characters on screen? You hope they succeed, or you may hope they crash and burn but at least you care what happens to them. If you don’t care, well then......you don’t care.
LITTLE WOMEN
Beyond, beautifully acted. Saoirse Ronan is one of the best actresses in Hollywood. She already has a wide variety of roles under her belt and we have yet to find something she can’t do. It is hard to breathe new life in a story that is so well known and been told so often. But the director Greta Gertwig has proven to be an astoundingly capable director. The movie felt contemporary despite its 1860’s.
MARRIAGE STORY
There is something to be said about really, talented and thoughtful actors portraying the characters envisioned by smart, inciteful writers. MARRIAGE STORY, for unfair comparison drawing purposes, is the 2019 version of Kramer vs Kramer. The similarities are obvious. Both stories are about the divorce of couples with a small child and the devastating effects it has on all involve. Each film has two superb actors and each movie is raw and emotional and sad with some hope in the end. Driver and Johansson have some powerful scenes and the rage and pain the find seems real as does the moments of caring the show even in the worst parts of this horrible process. The dialogue is great but there are several moments where the film crosses from smart and thoughtful to douchey and pretentious. Luckily, those moments are few and far between.
THE IRISHMAN
It is always cathartic to hate at least one of the nominees. This year it is THE IRISHMAN. I started to write a long diatribe about this film and the director and why he felt compelled to make this film. I went on so long because I found so much about this film I did not like. The story has been told countless times by much better films. Many of those better films were made by Scorsese himself. It is slow and meandering with no sense of pace. The technology used to make DeNiro and Pesci look 40 years old didn’t work. It removed some wrinkles, but you never forgot the actors were still in their 70’s. Pacino was the second worse miscast of any actor in any of this year’s nominees. He just tried to “pacinoize” Hoffa and was terrible. The only reason this film was nominated is because of the star power of the Director and the Cast. Not the first time that has happened or the last but don’t let that fool ya. The movie was mediocre at best. Some people might have called this a modest film. Well, it had a lot to be modest about. Well there you go. That’s how I would rank them if I was voting.
