Oscar Predictions 2017

Welcome to Oscar weekend! As we get ready for the Academy Awards on Sunday night, let me share my picks and predictions. First, let’s pretend it’s the old days where only 5 films were nominated for Best Picture. My picks would narrow the running down to:

Three Billboards             Get Out                      Lady Bird        The Shape of Water            Dunkirk

Animated Feature: Coco, no doubt.

Production Design: The Shape of Water

Original Score: While I’m always rooting for John Williams, I think this comes down to The Shape of Water and Phantom Thread. Coin toss: Phantom Thread

Original Song: I have so much love for Coco, and I’m hoping Gael García Bernal performs Remember Me and it wins.

Makeup and Hairstyling: After Suicide Squad won last year, no one cares about this category. I’d go with Darkest Hour.

Visual Effects: All these effects are so deserving, why not Star Wars?

Sound Editing: Dunkirk

Sound Mixing: Dunkirk

Film Editing: I’ve yet to see Baby Driver or I, Tonya so this is a shot in the dark: Dunkirk

Costume Design: Phantom Thread

Cinematography: I think this comes down to Dunkirk or The Shape of Water. Coin toss: Shape of Water

Adapted Screenplay: How have I only seen 2 of these? I have no confidence in this pick, Call Me By Your Name

Original Screenplay: It’s hard for me to pick, they’re all so great. Get Out

Director: While I’m rooting for Gretta Gerwig, I think this is going to be Guillermo del Toro’s year.

Supporting Actress: Laurie Metcalf from Lady Bird

Supporting Actor: Woody Harrelson in Three Billboards

Actress: Frances McDormand in Three Billboards

Actor: Will the Academy award Day-Lewis in his final role or finally aknowldege Oldman? I say it’s Gary Oldman’s time

Best Picture: This category has been so unpredictable in the past few years. Sometimes it awards what is culturally relevant, which doesn’t narrow it down very well here. With Hollywood’s involvement in the MeToo movement, I think it will be Three Billboards to take it all.

Thank you for joining me for another Oscar race and wonderful year of film. Have a fantastic Oscar night!

The Post

To be honest, I was not looking forward to seeing The Post, which is surprising since I am usually anxiously awaiting Steven Spielberg’s films. While I do appreciate the genre, there’s just something about films featuring hardworking, honest journalists fighting against the man that doesn’t excite me. Maybe it was Spielberg’s craftsmanship, or Streep’s intriguing character, or the way the events in the film seem to parallel recent news, but The Post has grown on me in two days in ways that All The President’s Men or Spotlight have not in years.

In the film, The Washington Post is at a crossroads. It is being led by a woman, Kay Graham (Meryl Streep) a first for a major newspaper. And a huge story about how the past few presidents, including current president Nixon have been lying to the public about the war in Vietnam has just fallen on their reporters’ desks. The problem is, The New York Times published about this story earlier, and is now being barred by the president for writing more about it. Should The Post risk backlash and even collusion by running their piece?  

The decision on whether to publish or not ultimately comes down to Graham. She realizes all that is at stake, not only the paper’s integrity and jobs, but the how their investors will react and even the possibility of her going to prison. Scenes where Graham laments that she was never really meant to run the paper illuminate the magnitude of this decision even more. The paper was her father’s who passed it down to her husband and after his suicide, Graham had to run it, after years of not being in the workforce.

Streeps performance as Kay Graham humanizes this film as she tries to navigate what is traditionally a man’s role. She feels out of place in her position of power because that’s what she’s been taught to feel. Yet she rises to the occasion well, even if she is secretly second guessing herself at every turn. Streep’s performance is the only other Oscar nomination The Post received besides Best Picture.

One of the most striking scenes is when reporters gather with Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) at his home to start reading The Pentagon Papers. Ben Bagdikian (Bob Odenkirk) brings them in two large cardboard boxes, tied with rope. As the reporters dive in, they realize that none of the over 4000 pages are in any order and all the page numbers have been cut off. They work together for hours, making piles and stacks all around the room and trying to piece these clues together, while Bradlee’s wife brings the reporters sandwiches and his daughter sells them lemonade.

What makes this film so important, and what truly clenched it’s Best Picture nomination, is how this true story resonates with recent news under the Trump administration. The way Nixon and journalists butt heads in the film is very much like Trump’s cries and tweets of fake news at every turn. The Post shows how the government has tried to silence the press before and lost. Spielberg knew that this is the time to make The Post so he made it very quickly. While that rapid production may not have produced one of his best or most memorable films, it has solidified a spot in film history.

“In the First Amendment the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.”

Phantom Thread

There are few things that many women universally love and covet, but Phantom Thread focuses on two: beautiful things to wear and the love of a man. Both can make a woman feel lovely, wanted and desired. However, if anything comes between her and the things or person who makes her feel this way, retaliation is expected.

In 1950s London, Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a renowned dressmaker. When he meets Alma (Vicky Krieps), a waitress, he takes her out and before the night is over, he is making her a lovely new dress. She becomes his muse and lover, well dressed on his arm, living and working alongside him and his ever present sister, Cyril (Lesley Manville). But the novelty of Alma’s presence begins to wane, and she can sense it wearing on Reynold’s and straining his lifestyle.

Alma describes Woodcock’s as a demanding man. He can often be so cold and focused on his work that even someone buttering toast can get on his nerves. At times, the stress gets to him and you can almost see loose ends of his patience fraying. And when his usual schedule is interrupted, he can verbally lash out. But Alma loves him most when he is in a slump, where he curls up in bed and just needs someone to take care of him. She yearns for these few tender moments with him.

The relationship between Alma and Reynolds is very odd. It’s romantic, gothically romantic, but not seem very loving. It can be very professional at times, with Alma helping to make and model dresses. And there is some intangible bond between the two, something that connects Alma’s strong will and Reynold’s fastidiousness in a way that can only work for them. It can leave many baffled.

Phantom Thread is currently holds six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Daniel Day-Lewis is nominated for lead actor, his sixth nomination in the category that could lead to his fourth win. Lesley Manville is nominated for supporting actress in her role as Cyril. Paul Thomas Anderson is nominated for best director for the second time. Composer Jonny Greenwood is nominated for his original score.  And with all the exquisite dresses, it’s no wonder the film is nominated for best costume design.

To be frank, the film is a very slow burn and most of the action is through dress making and dialogue. Yet, I was surprised how captivating I found it. I clung to every gesture and glance between Lewis and Krieps. The drama and tension created between the characters is so intriguing. And best of all, the crowd in the theater seemed just as invested, gasping at an insult and laughing at a snide remark with perfect timing.

“There is an air of quiet death in this house. I don’t like the way it smells.”

Call Me By Your Name

The opening credits of Call Me By Your Name feature images of ancient Greek and Roman statues. They are various depictions of young men, their naked likeness preserved smooth in stone with sensual curves. Anyone who’s seen Michelangelo’s David understands the concept. Throughout the film, our stars seem to take on the likeness of these statues. They often walk around clad in only thin shorts under the Italian summer sun and apricot trees.  It isn’t meant to be arousing or explicit, but a natural depiction of life in its prime.

In 1983, Elio (Timothée Chalamet) is seventeen and spending the summer with his parents in northern Italy. There isn’t much to do besides lounge, swim in the river, bike into town and read. Life here seems like an idyllic paradise away from the rest of the world. Elio’s father is a professor, studying and cataloging unearthed statues. For this task, a student comes to live with the family, Oliver (Armie Hammer). After a rocky start, Elio and Oliver strike up a friendship that slowly becomes more and more intimate and eventually sexual.

Though I mentioned nudity earlier, I would not call the nudity or sex scenes in Call Me By Your Name explicit. The tension and passions expressed between Elio and Oliver are more emotional than primal. During their first night together, the camera slowly pans away out the window, giving our lovers some privacy. Images of their soft curves entwined in the morning, and one scene involving an alternate use for a peach, is as graphic as this story of sexual awakening gets.

Right now, Call Me By Your Name is nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Timothée Chalamet is nominated for best actor in a leading role, his first ever nomination at just twenty-two years old. The film is also nominated for best adapted screenplay and for its best original song, Mystery of Love.

What truly resonates after Call Me By Your Name is over is this story of first experiencing love on such an emotional level that it can break your heart but not leave you bitter. There is a scene towards the end where Elio gets some of the best advice a young person in his situation can get. I think that scene and that speech is what sealed the film’s Best Picture status.

“How you live your life is your business, just remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. And before you know it, your heart is worn out, and, as for your body, there comes a point when no one looks at it, much less wants to come near it.”

Darkest Hour

Darkest Hour puts the first few weeks of Winston Churchill’s time as Prime Minister under a microscope. It is May 1940, and England’s politics are shaky as Neville Chamberlain is voted out as Prime Minister. Churchill is not the first choice, and has his political enemies, but is appointed next. With the fall of France, it looks as though Hitler and his Nazi army will take over all of Europe. Just across the channel, the entire British army is stranded at Dunkirk and surrounded by the invading German army. If nothing is done, the British army will be completely lost within days. Meanwhile, Churchill’s advisers are pushing for him to surrender to Hitler and attempt to negotiate peace, before it’s too late. How will Churchill pull his country up by its bootstraps, save their army and stand up in the face of doom and tyranny?

Gary Oldman becomes completely immersed in his transformation into Winston Churchill. The flawless makeup done on him makes Oldman completely unrecognizable, I expect that award to be given easily. But just as impressive is Oldman’s acting, fleshing out Churchill not only as a historical figure, but as a man who seems larger than life at times. The fact that Oldman studied Churchill and his mannerisms over a year to prepare for this role shows his dedication to getting it right. I’ve also heard that he tried not to be influenced by other actor’s portrayals of the man and I think it has worked out well. While Oldman’s performance feels authentic, it is also unique compared to other films and shows about Churchill.

A favorite scene of mine was towards the end when Churchill decides to ride the underground to Parliament. He escapes out of his personal car without his driver noticing and immerses himself within the bustling streets and busy people of London. A young woman helps him navigate the underground map and as he enters the train, a once hum-drum commute is suddenly shaken by his presence. But Churchill doesn’t lord his power and prestige over the people he serves, but rather strikes up conversations with everyone around him. He shakes hands, takes names and asks them all, children included, if they should consider negotiating peace with Hitler, or stand and fight. Thankfully, the people of London are much more influential on Churchill than his advisers.

Darkest Hour is currently nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Gary Oldman is obviously in the running for best actor and favored by many. The other four awards compliment the visual details and appeal within the film: best makeup and hair styling, production design, costume design and cinematography.

While some may worry that Darkest Hour is a dry biopic, I assure you that it is not. Churchill’s gusto and antics keep the film light and human even when depicting such a bleak moment in history. The rich cinematography and attention to detail around the film make it a visual treat. And whether you are a history buff or not, you’ll probably walk away from the film knowing a little more about just how close all of western Europe came to collapse in May 1940.

“Nations which go down fighting rise again, and those that surrender tamely are finished.”

The Boss Baby

Once the Oscar nominations were announced, there was a sudden backlash against The Boss Baby. How could such tripe be nominated for Best Animated Feature over popular franchise gems like The Lego Batman Movie or Cars 3? In my opinion, easily, like taking candy from a baby.

You see, Dreamworks’ The Boss Baby isn’t about a baby in a suit hungry for power. Not really anyway. The real story is about an imaginative seven-year-old named Tim and how he processes the news that he is going to be a big brother. As soon as his parents gently ask him if he’d like to have a baby brother, we are launched into Tim’s fantasy about where babies come from, how his new brother would arrive and how it would take over and change his family and his life. And the whole thing would be because of a big conspiracy, where a corporation of babies are competing for love against their rival: puppies.

How silly, right? But the mind of a kid is silly. And it allows the movie to take some very fun and imaginative liberties with what these babies and Tim can do. What would really be a humdrum play-date, turns into a chase scene in the back yard complete with epic exploding fireballs and the Boss Baby being thrown through an upstairs window. Tim’s Gandalf inspired alarm clock becomes a cute sidekick. A puppy product launch involves actually launching a rocket filled with puppies. And my favorite scene is when the brothers sneak onto a plane full of Elvis impersonators headed to Vegas! So many animated films lately strive for realism or draw the line very neatly between fantasy and reality, while The Boss Baby goes for broke and blurs the line in such a fun way that I think it works and adds to the film’s charm.

For my growing family, The Boss Baby has become a favorite lately. It came on Netflix not long after my husband and I told our three-year-old that he’s going to be a big brother. While he has his own questions and worries, watching a story about a kid learning to love and accept the new baby, and his new role as a big brother is helpful. Sure, they have a rocky start, as I expect my son and his future sibling will, but my son always ends the movie with his hand on my belly, asking if the baby can feel him yet. It’s helping him bond already and the film’s message about love is strong enough that a three-year-old gets it.

Sure, The Boss Baby isn’t some cutting edge animated masterpiece, but to write it off as a running Alec Baldwin baby in a suit gag doesn’t do it justice. It’s a cute, surprisingly smart, film about love that families, especially growing families, can enjoy together.

“This is not about Lamb-lamb!”

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

In the midst of the MeToo era, Three Billboards is a resounding battle-cry for those seeking justice. In the film, Mildred (Frances McDormand) pays for three old billboards to display a message calling out the local police department to find the man who raped and murdered her daughter seven months ago. It’s a bold message with huge black letters on bright red. And even though the billboards are on an older road that hardly anyone travels down, word about them travels fast.

Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) addresses Mildred head on, after the billboards call him out by name. He visits Mildred and explains that he and his officers have been working on the case and doing all they can, but they just can’t find a DNA match. Mildred won’t be satisfied until the culprit is found. Complicating things for Willoughby is the fact that he has cancer and everyone knows it, but he works hard to not let it affect his work. The two butt heads and can act like fierce adversaries, but are ultimately on the same side.

The billboards make Mildred and her family targets. Men come into Mildred’s work to intimidate her. Kids throw things at her car as she takes her kid to school. But Mildred doesn’t scare easily and doesn’t back down. In fact, when people try to destroy the billboards, she retaliates, fighting fire with fire.

To put it mildly, Mildred is a force to be reckoned with and you do not want to get on her bad side. At first glance, she may not look like much, just a middle aged woman in coveralls, no makeup and her hair in a short messy bun. This is also her look out at the fanciest restaurant in town. But then she opens her delightfully foul mouth and shows us just how she doesn’t give a f-ck and will put anyone in their place. Police officers, the local priest, kids at her son’s school, the tv reporter live, she’ll call them out and leave everyone with their mouths agape in shock. Even alone, with her guard down a bit and talking to her bunny slippers, she’s still got that rough edge that I love. McDormand has the award for best actress in the bag.

The film is also nominated for a total of seven other Academy Awards, including best actress and Best Picture. Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell are both nominated in the best supporting actor category for their very different roles in Ebbing’s police force. Three Billboards is also nominated for original score, film editing and original screenplay.

Three Billboards is easily one of the best film I’ve seen all year. The story is captivating and keeps the audience interested until the very end. While none of the characters are purely good or evil, they are all so fleshed out, full of truth and entertaining. By the end of the film, I was truly invested in Mildred, her family, Willoughby, his family and even that screw-up officer accused of torturing black people. Three Billboards is a captivating, smart movie everyone, who can stand a lot of cursing, should see.

“Yup, still no arrests. How come I wonder? ‘Cause there ain’t no God and the whole world’s empty, and it doesn’t matter what we do to each other? I hope not.”

Get Out

Since it was released to theaters in March of 2017, Get Out has been wowing audiences. I knew this was the sort of film full of surprises, so I made sure to avoid any spoilers until I was ready to see it and only knew how it was described to me: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner turned into a horror movie. That sums it up pretty well, but there is so much more to Get Out.

Writer and rookie director Jordan Peele has created here is a film full of rich symbolism about 21st century racism. While the big R word can scare some people away, don’t let it deter you. The racism in this film lingers in the air like humidity making the characters sweat. Is this feeling of dread just the socially awkward bumps in the road or something more sinister? Using this idea, the film becomes very entertaining and wonderfully suspenseful.

The opening scene sets the tone for this film quickly. We see a young black man walking down a suburban neighborhood sidewalk. He’s talking on his phone about how out of place he feels there. As soon as he hangs up, a white car starts following him, it is obvious. The young man turns around, not wanting to cause any trouble and a few seconds later, a man puts him in a headlock and throws him in the back of the car. It all happens so quickly, it comes as a shock. But the message is clear: simply being black in a white neighborhood is dangerous.

The cast sets up the premise quickly. We have our star, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a photographer who is about to go out of town with his white girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), to meet her family. His friend, and bit of comic relief, Rod (LilRel Howery) , is watching his dog. Rose’s family live in a beautiful house on a secluded lake and her parents both seem like picture of progressive, educated upper class white folk. Rose’s father gushes over Obama, seems like the thing to say to his daughter’s black boyfriend, right?

It turns out, this weekend is the annual big party the family throws, just like Rose’s late grandparents did. What was already a awkward weekend for Chris looks like it’s about to be cranked up to ten, and then a serious turn takes this story from stressful to downright scary. I dare not ruin such a perfect movie moment.

Another early scene that becomes full of symbolism is when Rose and Chris hit a deer while driving to the parents’ home. First of all, dead animals are a huge bad omen and often show up in the start of horror movies, but this one holds a lot more weight than the dead armadillo from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Chris goes to check on the deer, while Rose is more concerned with the car. It’s a doe, dying on the side of the road. Later, we see how this mirrors a painful memory for Chris that he reveals in a weak moment,  just before the big turn of the story.

Get Out is nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture. Jordan Peele has earned his first nomination for best director, for the first feature film he has ever directed! Daniel Kaluuya is nominated for lead actor for his spellbinding performance that drives this film. Get Out is also nominated for original screenplay, also written by Peele.

There is so much I want to discuss about this movie, but so much that I don’t want to spoil. Honestly, seeing Get Out spoiler free makes it so amazing, you will never see some of these twists coming. I imagine just being black in a room full of rich white people can be scary, but you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Get Out is a horror film that feels fresh and suspenseful until the very end. You don’t want to miss out.

“Oh, white girls. They get you every time.”

Lady Bird

I had a writing professor once tell me that the best autobiographical stories are not written the day after the event. It is best to wait and let it age, like a fine wine. She suggested about ten years, maybe more. In Lady Bird, director and writer Greta Gerwig tells a coming of age story about a girl in her senior year at a Sacramento Catholic high school in 2002. It may not be autobiographical, but the viewer can easily assess that some of the tale is inspired from life. For me, and perhaps others who left high school in the early 2000s, Lady Bird is one of the first coming of age stories from my generation about my generation and told so well and authentically that I just want to personally thank Gerwig for this wonderful film.

Christine is such a strong willed teenager that she has renamed herself Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan). She also rolls out of a moving car when her mother (Laurie Metcalf) starts bashing her big college dreams over her grades. The neon pink cast that results is a constant reminder of her style: brash, defiant, but not invincible.

The story unfolds along Lady Bird’s senior year of high school. She has friends, joins clubs and finds a boyfriend only to toss them aside later in her attempts to find her true self. The things that really matter are never truly lost. It’s a rollercoaster of a year for our Lady Bird, like watching a whole high school career of angst shoved in one sitting. And then there is the added pressure of applying to colleges.

Lady Bird has big hopes of going to college on the east coast, far away from her suburban Sacramento life that she claims has no culture. Her family is not the most well-to-do, and even jokes with some friends that she lives on the wrong side of the tracks. With her father’s help, and behind her mother’s back, she applies for financial aid and to her dream schools. It’s a big, bold step in her preparation to leave the nest.

Lady Bird attends a Catholic high school, though it appears she doesn’t practice the religion herself. In fact, there is a great scene where she pulls a prank on a nun and another where she ruins an assembly on abortion. Nonetheless, there are times when the Catholic influence is apparent in both positive and negative ways. A poignant scene where her mother is so upset she won’t even speak to Lady Bird, she apologizes and pleads in the kitchen at her mother, “I know I’m bad. I know I’m not good enough. I’m sorry.” I’ve never seen a more realistic depiction of Catholic guilt. Both Ronan and Metcalf nail the love and tension in this scene, as they do in the whole film.

Lady Bird has been nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Greta Gerwig is nominated for best director, the first woman nominated since 2009. Our leads, Ronan and Metcalf are nominated for lead and supporting actress. Lady Bird is also nominated for original screenplay. Though I realize the field is very thick this year, I personally hope Gerwig wins for director. I hope this not just because she is a woman and a bit of an underdog in this category, but I truly think she directed an amazing, poignant film and deserves the win.

What makes Lady Bird such an amazing film are the wonderfully talented actors and the authentic storytelling. Saoirse Ronan leads the film with such vigor, she becomes the defiant, half-bloomed Lady Bird with natural ease. And Laurie Metcalf butts heads so perfectly with her that the two together are a perfect mother-daughter storm on screen. The story they, the other fine actors and Gerwig tell is a unique coming of age story that resonates with so many, especially young women.

“People go by the names their parents give them, but they don’t believe in God.”

The Shape of Water

Guillermo del Toro is the kind of director that can bring the most strange and implausible scenarios to life with such detail and beauty that we wholeheartedly believe in them. He is the sort of visionary that can manipulate our suspension of disbelief perfectly for his ideas. In The Shape of Water, he has created a story where a mute woman falls in love with an amphibious creature and against all odds, tries to save him from his captors. Saying the premise out loud can sound silly, but seeing it, I fell for it, hook, line and sinker.

Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is a night shift custodian at a government facility in the 1950s. When a new, highly sensitive asset arrives, it fascinates her. It’s endearing watching her spend her lunch break at the edge of the creature’s tank, sharing her hard boiled eggs with him and even bringing her record player to bring him music. He responds with a simple, animalistic charm that grows on us, as it does on Elisa.

However, it is not all picnics and jazz in the creature’s tank room. Some of the men in charge of the creature are cruel, especially the power-bent Strickland (Michael Shannon), who seems to be the embodiment of white, male aggression and arrogance. He becomes a villain we love to hate but can also genuinely fear. He tortures the poor creature repeatedly with a cattle prod, especially after an incident where the creature bit off two of his fingers.

The film quickly turns into a collaboration of underdogs against Strickland and those who want the amphibious man destroyed. We have Elisa, a mute woman desperate to save her new friend. She enlists the help of her friend and neighbor, Giles (Richard Jenkins), a homosexual commercial artist who longs for his youth. Elisa’s friend and witty co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) accidentally gets caught up in the mess. And they also find an unlikely alliance from one of the scientists studying the amphibious man. These likable and diverse characters shape the film perfectly. I especially love how due to the main characters being mute, Zelda and Giles are given a step up to do the majority of the dialogue in a time where they’re voices are more likely to be silenced.

The Shape of Water has racked up an impressive thirteen Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Guillermo del Toro has earned his first nomination for best director, a well overdue in my opinion. Sally Hawkins is nominated for lead actress. Octavia Spencer earned her third nomination for supporting actress. Richard Jenkins has earned his second Oscar nomination, this time for supporting actor. The film is also nominated for original screenplay, cinematography, costume design, sound editing, sound mixing, film editing and production design. I seriously doubt this film will go home empty handed.

I will admit that I saw a few major plot points and surprises coming, but it did not detract from my enjoyment of the film. The way del Toro plants hints along the way, like a quick wink of the eye, I don’t think he minds us suspecting a few things if we can pick them up. But I don’t dare spoil anything here.

Overall, The Shape of Water is a wonderful, beautiful and smart film that gladly invites us into del Toro’s fascinating imagination. Visually, it’s lovely and another feat for del Toro and his team. The array of acting talent is superb and matches the great writing. If you’re skeptical if you could ever lose yourself in a love story between a mute woman and something that looks like the Creature from the Black Lagoon, you might just be in for a big surprise.

“Unable to perceive the shape of You, I find You all around me. Your presence fills my eyes with Your love, It humbles my heart, For You are everywhere.”