Satire is like a tightrope, it’s risky and the performer should know what they’re doing. Any missed step, or slack in the rope, and it will all come to ruin. In Jojo Rabbit, director Taika Waititi keeps the rope taut, the story tight and balances himself in a very risky role, portraying a boys imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler.
In 1940s Germany, ten year old Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) is a big fan of Hitler, the SS and all things Nazi. Propaganda posters plaster his wall as if they were pictures of rock bands and movie stars. He proudly wears his uniform, as if he were a Nazi boy scout and runs through the streets giving everyone a friendly and enthusiastic “Heil Hitler!”
At a Nazi sleep-away camp (which he and the other kids think is the best time, ever) Jojo is singled out by a teenage counselor. He’s asked if he can kill and hands Jojo a rabbit. Jojo freezes and tries to urge the rabbit away only for the counselor to kill it himself and give Jojo a cruel nickname. After some time crying in the woods and talking with his imaginary friend, Adolf, Jojo tries to prove himself. His act of bravery, as hilarious as it is heartbreaking, leaves him scarred, broken and limping after he recovers. Poor Jojo, not ready to hang up his swastika still finds ways to help with the cause, but his thinking begins to change when he finds a Jewish girl hidden in his house.
The way this film lets us laugh at Nazi fanatics is daring and delightful. Some of the ridiculous rumors Jojo has heard about Jews gave me some of the biggest laughs. The way Sam Rockwell and Rebel Wilson lead and mold the young kids into proper Nazi’s worthy of Germany is hilarious. Wilson with her signature awkwardness, drops some of the best one liners. Rockwell’s character is often drunk and may be a closeted homosexual. His design for a new uniform is fabulously ridiculous. And in the end, he’s not all bad. But Wilson’s character probably is.
But this film isn’t all laughs. It makes sure to show us how dangerous this fanatic Nazi mentality is and how it destroys lives and families. The way the town displays traitors hung in the town square is especially heartbreaking. And as the front moves towards the town, war looks less and less glorious to Jojo and the young Nazi boys who were so enthusiastic beforehand.
A surprising aspect I did not expect from this film is the amazing mother-son relationship. Jojo’s mother, played by Scarlett Johansson, tries to give her son a better view on life than what the Nazi’s have been teaching him. She likes to dance, take her son on peaceful bike rides and it’s obviously frustrating when he’d rather recite the Nazi dribble he’s been taught. We can see that she’s part of the resistance, but she cannot share that with her son, for fear that he will tell. I loved the dinner scene between them when they argue, the mother gives her son a startling impression of his father and it ends with them dancing.
Now, all the buzz for Jojo Rabbit really came from Taika Waititi and his hilarious imaginary Adolf performance. What’s important to remember is that Waititi is not playing Hitler the historical figure and possibly worst person to ever live, but Adolf as Jojo imagines him to be, his best friend. Waititi’s performance is childlike, silly and teeters on sweet at times. It’s a daring and risky role to take on, but I think Waititi knew exactly what tone was needed and nails it.
But as we grow up we lose our imaginary friends and become disillusioned by our idols. We start to see the world in color, rather than black and white. The growth is often confusing and painful. And Jojo Rabbit brings us a masterful story about all that, full of laughter as well as tears.
“You’re not a Nazi, Jojo. You’re a ten-year-old kid who likes dressing up in a funny uniform and wants to be part of a club.”
When Vice came up as my brother and I were talking about this year’s Oscar race, he dismissed it. “What do I care about Dick Cheney? That was years ago and it’s just gonna be about how he shot that one guy in the face.” I had to laugh, but I told him he really should check it out. I know my brother isn’t the type to care about politics and wouldn’t want to see some dry biopic about an old man who was vice president when he was in high school, but Vice is far from dry. 
Directed and written by Adam McKay, Vice carries a similar entertaining yet informative tone as his previously Oscar nominated film, The Big Short. The film is a biopic, in that it details Dick Cheney’s life, leading up to and in Washington D.C. with focus on his pushed boundaries and strong hold as vice president to a green and gullible W. Bush (Sam Rockwell). From the beginning of their marriage, his wife Lynne (Amy Adams) pushes him to succeed, rather than be a lineman in Wyoming with multiple DUIs. Instead, he channels that recklessness into systemically seizing power throughout his career. By the end, after multiple betrayals and heart attacks, he feels like a Darth Vader-esk villain complete with replacement parts, destroying his own daughter’s happiness and ominous music. 
Christian Bale has been known for some extreme transformations for his movie roles and Vice is near the top. It’s said that Bale gained forty-five pounds, shaved his head and bleached his eyebrows to pull this look off. In the makeup Bale is nearly invisible and his voice only carries the disguise further. It is uncanny how much he looks like they Cheney I knew on the evening news. I expect this film to win best makeup. It’s a shame we won’t be able to see the well deserved award accepted during the broadcast.
Vice is nominated for eight Academy Awards including makeup, original screenplay film editing and Best Picture. McKay has received his second nomination as director. And Bale received his fourth acting nomination, this time as lead actor. Amy Adams and Sam Rockwell are nominated in the supporting acting categories. 
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.
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. 
The Best Picture Project 