The 92nd Academy Awards Ceremony
Dolby Theatre
Los Angeles
Feb. 9th 2020
airs live on ABC starting at 8 pm
Yes, I have been anguishing over the upcoming Oscars far more than I should in light of all the other news: bad apps, impeachment blues, state of the union traumas, but the Oscars have been occupying lots of space in my old brain pan. I ask why… Why are movies any more relevant than they have or haven’t been?
Maybe it’s because this year, I’ve been particularly diligent and managed to at least see all the best picture nominees. Here they are: Parasite, 1917, Joker, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, Little Women, Jojo Rabbit, Marriage Story, Ford v Ferrari and The Irishman. Nearly all the other categories in various production jobs draw on most of these films. I also managed to catch many of the doc nominees and international pictures.
These nominations stir the passion in me for cinema; as much as I love television and watch lots of it, there’s something about the compactness of a film — and seeing it on a big screen — that stirs the juices. Of those Best Picture nominees, Todd Phillips’ Joker — offering a transformative origin story about Batman’s biggest foe — scored 11 Oscar nominations, including best director and actor for Joaquin Phoenix.
Following close behind with 10 nods each are Martin Scorsese’s three-hour + long The Irishman (the third in his mob chronicle) Quentin Tarantino’s ’60s paean Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (and LA ode) and Sam Mendes’ 1917 — a war drama that puts audiences running along side two soldiers in several unbroken takes). All three offer unique approaches to story telling and employed specialized production techniques to make it possible.
Four of the films were backed by Netflix, furthering the streaming service’s effort to change the production and distributions models that have driven the industry.
The others in the Best Picture lineup — Ford v Ferrari, “Jojo Rabbit,” “Little Women,” “Marriage Story” and “Parasite” compete on very contrasting terms. Although there are a few cultural advances in this year nominees, female filmmakers were shut out of the best director race but they made film that deserved to be there. Along with “Joker’s” Phillips, the nominees include Scorsese for “The Irishman,” Mendes for “1917,” Tarantino for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and Bong Joon Ho for “Parasite.”
Both “Ford v Ferrari” and “Little Women” stirred the care factor for telling of success against adversity. With the former, testosterone rules as two men toil to prove their greater worth. In the later, four sisters struggle to be better people and prove that some women can find ways to survive without needing to depend on men.
While both Little Women and Marriage Story address the beginnings and ends in domestic situations, director Greta Gerwig’s rethink of this classic series was touching and ultimately up-tempo — a feel-good film worthy of its nomination. The well written Marriage Story was infused with characters with cleverly defined quirks in this divorce tale — it’s just matters whether you can care about the clash of two self-involved artists’ lives and their discontents.
Violence and death rules in Joker, The Irishman, 1917, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Parasite. Peculiarity defines both JoJo Rabbit and Parasite for very different reasons.
In the end, it depends what you feel drive a worthy film. For joyfulness no other picture provides as much as Little Women. For a fresh take on a very dark subject, JoJo Rabbit (based on a novel as well), proved that it takes a Jewish Maori New Zealander to put Hitler into a comedy. And for unique twists and turns, Parasite makes for a brilliant comic drama.
Not all these films are the best mustered by these veteran directors but some come close. Ford v is nearly as good as James Mangold has created and 1917 is quite a triumph for a guy who made quite the debut with American Beauty. For me, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood provides some the best and not so from master stylist Tarantino.
So what’s the outcome for me? I think 1917 will win; my sentimental favorite is Jo Jo Rabbit. But if I had to recommend any of the films among all the nominees, I suggest you see Poland’s international feature pick, Corpus Christi, and Best Feature Doc contender For Sama. Both offer such insights that it should stimulate anyone to see a film in the theater.