My Oscar Nominations- 2019 Edition

Here we are again.  While I’m more pleased with the Academy than usual (well, in terms of the nominees, not their plans for the show), mostly because of Black Panther‘s momentous nomination for Best Picture, I would still have made plenty of different choices about which films and elements are up for the big awards this year.  The format is still the same as the last two times I’ve done this, I’ll give a brief summation of my thoughts on the films that I feel should be up for Best Picture along with the other categories I think they should be up for before reviewing everything and adding in any nominations for non-Best Picture films in the master list.  Again, I can’t see everything and I’ve only considered films I have seen.  I’d say the most noteworthy films I missed are Bohemian Rhapsody and Roma.

Best Picture Nominees:

Black Panther:  Marvel Studios started a momentous tenth year with the release of its most culturally significant film yet.  Rightfully celebrated for multiple factors such as its excellent, predominantly black cast (a first for both Marvel and the superhero genre as a whole) and the way in which it blends important political debate about with very personal emotional storylines for many of its characters, Black Panther tapped into the zeitgeist in a way few films ever do.  Anchored by terrific performances, especially the stoic nobility from Chadwick Boseman and swaggering rage of Michael B. Jordan, it’s the rare kind of film that cements itself as a cultural milestone immediately.  The story of T’Challa taking his rightful place on the throne of Wakanda is just as funny as it is thrilling, just as heartfelt as it is ideologically significant, and it’s told pretty much perfectly.

Other Nominations Black Panther Deserves:

Best Director- Ryan Coogler

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role- Chadwick Boseman

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role- Michael B. Jordan

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role- Danai Gurira

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role- Letitia Wright

Best Adapted Screenplay- Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole

Best Cinematography- Rachel Morrison

Best Film Editing- Michael P. Shawver and Debbie Berman

A Star is Born: Bradley Cooper makes an impressive directorial debut with this fourth remake of the classic film.  Cooper, pulling quadruple duty by directing, writing, producing, and acting in one of the lead roles, and company update the classic Hollywood tale as a vibrant and emotional love story that succeeds thanks to a down to Earth perspective on the celebrity experience and the powerful performances of Cooper and Lady Gaga, in her cinematic debut.  This is a very familiar story made striking because of its devotion to character and realistic depiction of addiction.  While workmanlike in dialogue heavy moments and other quiet scenes, Cooper’s direction shines for its ability to capture the feeling of being on stage, aided by strong cinematography from Matthew Libatique.

Other Nominations A Star is Born Deserves:

Best Director- Bradley Cooper

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role- Bradley Cooper

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role- Lady Gaga

Best Cinematography- Matthew Libatique

Leave No Trace:  Both a heartbreaking call to action in regards to social problems such as the treatment of veterans and homelessness and a character study focusing on a unique perspective on a parent-child relationship, Leave No Trace was quietly the most moving film of 2018.  Ben Foster stars as Will, an Iraq War veteran whose PTSD is so severe that he can no longer live in normal society, choosing to raise his daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie) in a Portland park.  While other factors such as Debra Granik’s direction deserve praise, the film is mostly notable for its restraint.  Technical flourishes are rare, allowing the film to draw its significant emotional impact from the powerful story (adapted from Peter Rock’s novel My Abandonment) and the perfect, haunting performances from Foster and McKenzie, which are two of the strongest turns in any film all year, regardless of category.

Other Nominations Leave No Trace Deserves:

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role- Ben Foster

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role- Thomasin McKenzie

Best Adapted Screenplay- Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini

 

Eighth Grade:  Bo Burnham’s impressive directorial debut is a startlingly accurate portrayal of modern adolescence.  Kayla Day (played in an excellent, star making turn from Elsie Fisher) is, like a lot of people her age, a bit of a mess.  She makes YouTube videos giving life advice to others her age even though she herself suffers from crippling social anxiety (which Fisher does an especially impressive job of depicting) and often does precisely the opposite of what she advises.  The film follows Kayla through her last days in middle school as her many issues, including living with a single father (an appropriately overwhelmed Josh Hamilton), trying (and often failing) to make friends, and experiencing the beginnings of adolescent sexuality, threaten to boil over.  Writer-director Burnham does an excellent job capturing the fundamental strangeness of middle school while also addressing the complications social media poses for the already difficult task of growing up, and Fisher and Hamilton ensure that the audience is highly invested in both Kayla and her dad, Mark.  Easily the most relatable film of the year, Eighth Grade manages what a lot of coming-of-age films struggle with, capturing both the horror and wonder of being a kid simultaneously.

Other Nominations Eighth Grade Deserves:

Best Director- Bo Burnham

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role- Elsie Fisher

Best Original Screenplay- Bo Burnham

 

BlacKkKlansman:  Master filmmaker Spike Lee adapts a truly outrageous real-life tale into one of the most striking and significant films in years.  John David Washington plays Ron Stallworth, a black detective with the Colorado Springs Police Department who infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan through a series of phone calls, partnered with Philip “Flip” Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to take the deception further.  While the film has some uncomfortable, but also very funny, humor, the message it sends is anything but amusing.  In many ways Lee’s mission in making BlacKkKlansman seems to have been the same as Stallworth’s: to expose the extent to which evil and hatred have corrupted America.  It’s a task the legendary director accomplishes with devastating, pertinent affect.  Bolstered by the excellent performances of Washington and Driver, BlacKkKlansman is a damning depiction of the state of race relations in America that highlights how little progress the country has really made in defending black civil rights, stopping along the way to shine a light on how the film industry in particular has a history of ignoring examples of prejudice in favor of supposed “artistic” merit.

Other Nominations BlacKkKlansman Deserves:

Best Director- Spike Lee

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role- John David Washington

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role- Adam Driver

Best Adapted Screenplay- Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, and Spike Lee

Best Film Editing- Barry Alexander Brown

 

Bad Times at the El Royale: Drew Goddard’s neo noir is an excellent exercise in old-school suspense and mystery.  Seven strangers meet at the mysterious El Royale hotel on the border of California and Nevada.  Their attempts to uncover the secrets of the hotel as well as their pursuits of their own hidden agendas quickly devolve into a battle for survival.  It’s a thrilling, vibrant crime story in the vein of Tarantino with some excellent performances, including the second great role last year for Chris Hemsworth, a powerful turn from theatre actress Cynthia Erivo, and the unexpected pleasure of relative unknown Lewis Pullman.

Other Nominations Bad Times at the El Royale Deserves:

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role- Cynthia Erivo

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role- Lewis Pullman

Best Original Screenplay- Drew Goddard

Best Cinematography- Seamus McGarvey

 

Green Book:  Perhaps the most traditionally Oscar-baity entry on this list (other than maybe A Star is Born) is nonetheless an example of simple dramedy done right.  The true story of the unlikely friendship between black classical jazz pianist Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) and Italian bouncer Tony Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) makes for an idealistic but still touching depiction of how past prejudices can be overcome by forging interpersonal bonds.  The chemistry between Ali and Mortensen also helps elevate what could have easily become a hokey tale.

Other Nominations Green Book Deserves:

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role- Viggo Mortensen

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role- Mahershala Ali

 

The Favourite:  What some are calling Yorgos Larathimos’ most accessible work is still anything but normal, a bizarre fever dream of a costume picture that affectively blurs the line between comedy and tragedy, with elements of psychological horror thrown in for good measure.  Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone are equally chilling as cousins Sarah Churchill and Abigail Masham, who compete to be the right hand (and secretly, romantic partner) of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) in a series of increasingly dangerous manipulations.  Larathimos is somewhat predictably not interested in making a straight forward historical drama, and the result is a film with a tone that is the perfect blend of whimsical, disturbing, and often just downright weird, bearing the mark of a unique auteur.  The performances from the three leading ladies are also highlights of the occasionally self-indulgent film.

Other Nominations The Favourite Deserves:

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role- Olivia Colman

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role- Emma Stone

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role- Rachel Weisz

Best Original Screenplay- Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara

Best Cinematography- Robbie Ryan

 

If Beale Street Could Talk:

Similar to his last film, Best Picture Winner Moonlight, writer-director Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of James Baldwin’s famous novel is another tender, moving depiction of the black experience in America.  The story of Tish Rivers’ (KiKi Layne) desperate quest to free her life-long love, Fonny Hunt (Stephan James) from wrongful imprisonment is sadly probably the most common to real-life tale out of all these films and Jenkins and company bring it to vibrant, touching life.  While eye-popping visuals and a scene-stealing performance from Regina King as Tish’s mother might draw the most attention, this is a film in which everything works together harmoniously to stunning effect.

Other Nominations If Beale Street Could Talk Deserves:

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role- Regina King

Best Adapted Screenplay- Barry Jenkins

Best Cinematography- James Laxton

Avengers: Infinity War:  Marvel’s other big success for it’s tenth year was this exhilarating crossover.  The culmination of the studio’s first decade of inter-connected filmmaking, Infinity War was always going to be an unprecedented event in cinematic history, regardless of it’s individual quality.  But the fact is it’s also just a really great movie.  Directors Joe and Anthony Russo showed with their Captain America sequels that they know how to bring the best out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and they continue to do so here, thanks in large part to an excellent effort by writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley that manages the grand task of balancing a massive cast of lovable characters (played by one of the most widely talented ensembles in the history of film).  On the surface the film appeals through it’s massive spectacle, with some truly amazing superhero action sequences created by the Russos’ confident, fluid direction, and stunning visual effects, but the story of the fractured Avengers’ battle with the Mad Titan Thanos (Josh Brolin, in a mesmerizing motion-capture performance as the franchise’s ultimate villain) also boasts an intelligent, moving study of sacrifice and the idea of ends justifying means.  The film also manages to serve as an actor’s showcase for many of the cast, despite the need to spread screen time so widely.  Newer characters like Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man shine brightly but it’s two of the original Avengers who nearly steal the show.  Robert Downey Jr. smoothly alternates between anxiety, despair, and steely determination as Tony Stark’s worst fears are realized and Chris Hemsworth radiates an intense rage as Thor prepares to take vengeance on Thanos, who in the film’s dark intro takes everything from the Thunder God.  It’s hard to imagine a better way for Marvel to celebrate it’s immense success.

Other Nominations Avengers: Infinity War Deserves:

Best Director- Joe and Anthony Russo

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role- Robert Downey Jr. 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role- Josh Brolin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role- Chris Hemsworth 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role- Elizabeth Olsen

Best Adapted Screenplay- Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley

Best Film Editing- Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt

 

Full List of Nominations:

Best Picture:

Black Panther

A Star is Born

Leave No Trace

Eighth Grade

BlacKkKlansman

Bad Times at the El Royale

Green Book

The Favourite

If Beale Street Could Talk

Avengers: Infinity War

 

Best Director:

Ryan Coogler- Black Panther

Bradley Cooper- A Star is Born

Bo Burnham- Eighth Grade

Spike Lee- BlacKkKlansman

Joe and Anthony Russo- Avengers: Infinity War

Christopher McQuarrie- Mission Impossible: Fallout

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Chadwick Boseman- Black Panther

Bradley Cooper- A Star is Born

Ben Foster- Leave No Trace

John David Washington- BlacKkKlansman

Viggo Mortensen- Green Book

Robert Downey Jr. – Avengers: Infinity War

Josh Brolin- Avengers: Infinity War

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role-

Lady Gaga- A Star is Born

Thomasin McKenzie- Leave No Trace

Elsie Fisher- Eighth Grade

Cynthia Erivo- Bad Times at the El Royale

Olivia Colman- The Favourite

Viola Davis- Widows

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role-

Michael B. Jordan- Black Panther

Adam Driver- BlacKkKlansman

Lewis Pullman- Bad Times at the El Royale

Mahershala Ali- Green Book

Chris Hemsworth- Avengers: Infinity War

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Danai Gurira- Black Panther

Letitia Wright- Black Panther

Emma Stone- The Favourite

Rachel Weisz- The Favourite

Regina King- If Beale Street Could Talk

Elizabeth Olsen- Avengers: Infinity War

Michelle Monaghan- Mission Impossible: Fallout 

 

Best Original Screenplay: 

Bo Burnham- Eighth Grade 

Drew Goddard- Bad Times at the El Royale 

Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara- The Favourite 

 

Best Adapted Screenplay: 

Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole- Black Panther 

Debra Granik and Anne Rosselini- Leave No Trace 

Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, and Spike Lee- BlacKkKlansman 

Barry Jenkins- If Beale Street Could Talk 

Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley- Avengers: Infinity War 

Christopher McQuarrie- Mission Impossible: Fallout 

 

Best Cinematography: 

Rachel Morrison- Black Panther 

Matthew Libatique- A Star is Born 

Seamus McGarvey- Bad Times at the El Royale 

Robbie Ryan- The Favourite

James Laxton- If Beale Street Could Talk

Rob Hardy- Mission Impossible: Fallout

 

Best Film Editing:

Michael P. Shawver and Debbie Berman- Black Panther

Barry Alexander Brown- BlacKkKlansman

Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt- Avengers: Infinity War

Eddie Hamilton- Mission Impossible: Fallout

 

 

 

 

 

Arrow “Emerald Archer” Review

I mentioned in my review of the season premiere how, for all its inconsistent quality Arrow deserves credit for constantly challenging itself by experimenting with its storytelling.  That creativity and desire to try new things has continued to characterize the new season so far, with both good and bad results, but it’s with the season’s twelfth installment that the show makes it’s boldest and most fun new creative choice in a while.  To celebrate reaching 150 episodes the show employs filmmaking elements from a genre that I can’t imagine many would really expect to ever be blended into a superhero series: the mockumentary.

The landmark 150th episode, titled “Emerald Archer”, features the immensely fun premise of a camera crew following Oliver Queen and company through both their daily lives and vigilante activities.  The show retcons into existence Jessica Heafey’s unnamed documentarian character, who has been making a film about the rise of vigilantism in the Arrowverse’s America ever since Oliver first began his crusade as the Hood in Season 1 and has received new funding to finish the film since Oliver’s widely publicized outing as the Green Arrow.  Much of the episode is presented as both finished and unfinished footage from the film (complete with narration from Kelsey Grammer), allowing for some delightful cameos from past members of the cast as their characters give their opinions on Team Arrow’s activities past and present.

Arrow‘s always excelled at making milestone episodes, both in the narrative and the show’s production history, special, with the 100th episode, the second part of 2016’s “Invasion!” crossover, being a contender for the title of best episode in the show’s history.  “Emerald Archer” isn’t that good but it’s still an immensely enjoyable installment that makes the most out of its stylistic shift.  I won’t spoil who else shows up but I wouldn’t be able to write this review without highlighting how lovely it is to see Willa Holland and Caity Lotz back on Arrow as Thea Queen and Legends of Tomorrow‘s Captain Sara Lance, respectively.  Even with only as brief screen time as they get for the interview scenes, both actresses imbue the episode with a vibrant energy and love that is absent from the show when they’re not around.

“Emerald Archer” peaks early with a lot of the most fun uses of the mockumentary structure.  As soon as the clock hit 8:00 and the episode began not with a “Previously On Arrow” but with the Warner Brothers films logo I knew we were in for something special.  We’re then treated to stylized uses of footage from old episodes and some of the best interviews. But it’s the episode’s ability to move through a standard episode of Arrow, with all the technical complexity that always entails, while adding additional quirks thanks to the Office-esque style that really makes it shine.  The second of the episode’s major action scenes is one of the most impressive feats the show’s accomplished in a while as the documentary’s cameraman follows Oliver into his fight with the villain of the week, an armored menace hunting down vigilantes.  It’s a very fun sequence, filmed in a mostly unbroken, naturalist manner that captures the show’s usual superhero spectacle in a found-footage perspective that recalls Chronicle in the best possible way.  The second half of the episode shifts a little more into regular Arrow fare; there are more scenes of characters talking in spaces removed from the camera crew and the last, bigger fight is, understandably, filmed in the usual style of coverage.  But there’s still enough of the camera crew following Oliver through SCPD and talking to the rest of the cast to make the whole thing fun and the themes of exploring the effects Team Arrow has had on society makes it an hour that’s quietly touching, especially as Oliver continues to grapple with the latest dark secret of his family history.

Unfortunately the episode is still victim to some of the show’s recent recurring issues.  William’s (Jack Moore) return to the present-day storyline is particularly rough.  The character’s frustration at Felicity for bugging his tablet is understandable in a logical sense but the extreme extent of his anger, especially when we don’t know what’s really bothering him yet (other than Oliver’s inattentiveness while shooting the film, which doesn’t seem to be the main issue), makes him come across as bratty.  Having other members of Team Arrow get deputized is also a slippery slope.  I won’t lie, as much as I have mixed feelings on the show’s recent insistence on a “team work makes the dream work” mentality seeing everyone suited up together for the first time in a while was satisfying (except Curtis.  Seriously, get rid of him already).  But one of the main strengths of Season 7 has been how everyone’s been doing their own thing and working in unexpected pairs.  This has allowed the show to hook the viewer in many different ways, trusting that if someone’s storyline isn’t working for a viewer someone else’s will.  Putting everyone back together at SCPD risks making the show feel cluttered again.  Diggle in particular would probably be best off still being at ARGUS for the most part.  Most problematic is the episode’s brief check-in with the flash forward storyline.  The flash forwards have been pretty disappointing so far and the use of the future time period in “Emerald Archer” highlights why.  Just after an affecting scene of Oliver promising to do things better than he has before we transition to Katherine McNamara’s Mia telling Connor Hawke (Joseph David-Jones), but really us, that it all fails, even if it might take awhile to do that.  Arrow‘s good at putting its characters through the ringer with dark storylines but it also has a bad history of tearing them down pointlessly and not letting them succeed enough.  So far the flash forwards have been pretty much all the latter and it sets the viewer against them, regardless of how interesting their plotlines may or may not be.  Last but not least there’s not nearly enough Laurel.  You got Katie Cassidy Rodgers to come back full time, Arrow!  Use her!

But as is usually the case when Arrow does a special episode the good outweighs the bad.  The mockumentary style choice works exceedingly well, Stephen Amell gives a nice performance that characterizes Oliver as refreshingly optimistic, and by remembering where it’s come from the show gets ready to move forward.