My Review of the 2018 Oscars!!
Predictable, Boring, and Montages everywhere
As usual, these thoughts come to you immediately following the Oscars, and are being written from a bedroom of my brother's condo in Las Vegas. Definitely some interesting scenery over here tonight....
Well, Oscar season has come and gone. We're at the end of the journey for 2017's year in film, and this year the journey itself ended up being far better than the destination. While I never expected anything to top last year's Oscars, this year's felt very safe and predictable, as almost every favorite took home their respective categories. Don't get me wrong: I loved The Shape of Water. It was in my top films of the year. But winning over films like Get Out and Lady Bird and Call Me by Your Name and Phantom Thread (though I'll admit that last one is there solely because it's my personal top film of 2017).....really? That's what we're going to go with? The Shape of Water? OSCAR. That's really going to be 2017's poster child film? Is that right? Ugh.... There's very little doubt in my mind that 20 years from now we'll look back at this year's Oscars and do nothing but scratch our heads. The Academy had a real chance to show that they were changing through and through by giving this award to something like Get Out, and it let it slip out of its fingers. Hey: at least it wasn't Three Billboards, right? Don't look at Oscar....he's still mad The Greatest Showman didn't get a Best Picture nod. Ha.
I almost feel bad that I'm dissing The Shape of Water so much. It's an amazing film, don't get me wrong! But.....it just hits all the right notes for the traditional Academy voter, and for a group that is trying to convince people that it's not just a bunch of old white dudes that are out-of-touch with society, handing Best Picture to that film will not go about solving those issues. Is it a more interesting choice than usual? Sure. But we had a very unique list of nominees this year with a lot of films that broke new ground, so within this list outside of the obvious Oscar-bait of something like Darkest Hour, picking something like The Shape of Water feels like a "crowd-pleasing" choice. However, compared to some of the other awards given out, Best Picture seems saint-like. There were two TERRIBLE and out-of-touch decisions made by the Academy Oscar Sunday that were incredibly frustrating, especially in the wake of the #TimesUp movement: Gary Oldman and Kobe Bryant. Two men accused of SEXUAL ASSAULT in some shape or form can now proudly say they've won an Oscar in the height of what's supposed to be a new era. While Dear Basketball was almost laughed at by critics for being nothing but an ego-stroking animated short, the major star power behind it still allowed it to topple the Pixar dynasty and win best animated short, despite Kobe's sketchy past. And Best Actor. UGH Best Actor! WTF are you doing, Oscar?? All the great names in that category, and still you give it to freaking Gary Oldman for his quintessential Oscar-bait performance, all while ignoring his equally sketchy past? Give me a break, guys. That's like Bruno Mars winning Album of the Year at the GRAMMYs over the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Lorde. Oh waaaaaaaait......
I'm also a little frustrated that Lady Bird, the symbolic representation of the #TimesUp movement, walked away empty-handed but I couldn't really figure out a way to incorporate that into the previous paragraph so here's me complaining about it now.
Live shot of me after Lady Bird walked away empty-handed at the Oscars
​That said, there were some bright spots. Frances McDormand EASILY won the night with her powerful acceptance speech. She wasn't my choice for the category, but asking the women of the audience to stand and be recognized and get their projects financed was extremely powerful. (Equally powerful? How few actually stood) It was the highlight of the night for sure. And, once again, the "In Memoriam" was terrific, and Eddie Veddar's cover of Tom Petty's "Room at the Top" certainly gave me some chills. (Pay attention, GRAMMYs) The original songs were all pretty darn good. Sufjan Stevens easily won the night here with his chilling rendition of "Mystery of Love." Though of COURSE his song got cut for time while "This is Me" got to do whatever the F it wanted. Figures. Mary J. Blige and Andra Day were awesome, too. I just wish Common didn't have to rap over Andra Day. Yes, I appreciate his relevant cultural messages, but he is SO pretentious. Day is singing her heart out and then Common has to come in and be all like LOOK AT ME. WHEE. I laughed at Jimmy Kimmel's bit in heading over to the Chinese Theater, (that dude mispronouncing Tiffany Haddish's name was the best part of it) but a LOT of people on social media were rolling their eyes there, so that joke didn't land with most. I can understand why: the Oscars went almost 40 minutes over time, so having a long joke like that didn't help things.
Though, speaking of going over time, I get that this is the 90th Academy Awards, but did we really need 37 film montages? That really seemed excessive, and by the Best Actor/Actress montages, even I was rolling my eyes and yelling at them to get on with it. Many (myself included) just look at that as ego-stroking from the Academy, (they can hide it behind "thanking the moviegoer" all they want, but that's all it was) and making up for it by cutting off the acceptance speech of the Best Picture winner (I couldn't tell which producer that was that got cut off, but boy was he mad that he couldn't say anything worthwhile) is not the way to cut down on time. Cut off a few montages, and let the winners have their moment. (I wasn't a big fan of that Jimmy Kimmel bit about giving a jet ski to the shortest speech, either.) Though, I will say, that #TimesUp tribute was the best moment of the night that wasn't Frances McDormand. Let's get more of those interviews and fewer montages, shall we?
​Let's talk about a few of the winners I was happy about. ROGER FREAKING DEAKINS. That man FINALLY won his first Oscar! Only took the legendary cinematographer 14 tries to do it, but I will not lie I stood up and cheered when his name was called. I was also really happy for James Ivory, who was behind the wonderful screenplay for Call Me by Your Name. Fun fact: James Ivory became the oldest person ever to win an Oscar when he took this award home. And, of course, I was equally happy to see Jordan Peele walk home with an Oscar for his Get Out screenplay. It is so nice that we can now say "Oscar winner Jordan Peele."
I do have to take a second and express disappointment with some of the choices in the technical categories. I was REALLY hoping that Baby Driver would topple the behemoth known as Dunkirk, but at least it lost to one of the best films ever made from a technical standpoint. I was also disappointed with the Original Score category. I loved the score to The Shape of Water, (it was a top 5 score for me) but it was nowhere near as good as Johnny Greenwood's score for Phantom Thread, as well as Hans Zimmer's score to Blade Runner 2049, represented in the category by Dunkirk. But, hey! At least "Remember Me" beat out "This is Me" for Best Original Song, so there's that, right? Finally, we have to talk about possibly the biggest disappointment of the night that isn't controversial: Visual Effects. Are you FREAKING KIDDING ME? Yes, Blade Runner 2049 had some marvelous effects. (Particularly surrounding the character Joi-her sex scene apparently took a year to produce because of the effects) But.....once again, the Planet of the Apes franchise reboot, which is pioneering the art of motion capture right now, walks away without a visual effects award for its efforts. How has that trilogy gone 0 for 3 at the Oscars?? It's mind-boggling to me. Then again I thought Dunkirk had the best visual effects of 2017, so what do I know right?
There's really not much else to say about this year's Oscars. It was just kind of there, and overall it was pretty boring. It was the lowest watched Oscars ever, and frankly I can understand why. However, I'm excited about the future of the business in Hollywood. The year's list of nominees were awesome, and they'll continue to get better. Someone like Greta Gerwig may have walked away empty-handed this year, but there's no doubt she'll be back. As will people like Timothée Chalamet, Daniel Kaluuya, Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, Rachel Morrison, Johnny Greenwood, and Kumail Nanjiani/Emily V. Gordon. They all represent a new wave of talent in Hollywood that the industry hasn't seen in a while. They may not have had their talents recognized this year, but as time goes on this new wave that represents acceptance and diversity and bold new ideas will start to outnumber the old farts that have sat comfortably in their seats of power, voting for the easy and predictable choices for these categories, for years. There's no doubt in my mind that the east wind of new Hollywood is upon us. It's time to bundle up, Academy.
And with that, another year comes to a close. It's been a wild ride here at Enter the Movies. Overall, I felt like 2017 was the strongest year I've seen for film since I started my blog in 2013. I'll be thinking about films like Phantom Thread, I, Tonya, Dunkirk, Call Me by Your Name, and Lady Bird for years to come. As for right now, though, it's about 1:30 AM on the east coast (it doesn't sound as dramatic when I remind you that it's merely 10:30 PM in Vegas. Don't forget I write this immediately following the Oscars ceremony) so my most immediate thought is about how nice this bed I've been leaning on for the better part of 2 hours looks. So, once again, thank you SO MUCH for joining me on this wild ride, friends. Can't wait to see what 2018 has in store for us. DEUCES!
https://s.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/frances-mcdormand-best-actress-oscars-ap-thg-180304_16x9_1600.jpg (Frances)
​https://media.giphy.com/media/3o6Zt59VpAzKf1r7zi/giphy.gif (Greta Gerwig gif)
Oscar Predictions: 2018 Edition!!!!
​By: Joseph Kathmann with a special contribution in the animated features section from Peter Kosanovich
It's Oscar season! My favorite time of year, and I'm glad it's in full swing. This year's batch of Oscar nominees were a pretty solid overall list, (check out my initial reactions here) but now it's time to talk about my favorites within each category. So sit back, take notes, (least with the "who's the favorite" part....the "who deserves it" section doesn't mean much) and enjoy my complete list of predictions for the 2018 Academy Awards!
As usual, this list goes in reverse alphabetical order, (up through the acting/directing/picture awards) and each award has two picks: a "who deserves it" pick, which is my favorite in the category, and a "who's the favorite" pick, which is based off Vegas odds found at this site. Those guys out in Vegas look at who won at the awards shows preceding the Oscars and do have a pretty good success rate, so if you want to win your local Oscar pool, take a look at those. See? Being way too into this has its benefits, right?
Writing: Original Screenplay
Who deserves it: Get Out
Who's the favorite: ​Get Out
Kicking off the list is actually one of the tighter categories to watch at this year's Oscars. In Vegas, Get Out and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri are going at 5/4 and 6/4, and Lady Bird is close behind at 3-1. No film created a national discussion more than Get Out did last year, which is why I think it deserves to win the category. It does have a very profound and deep message on systemic racism intertwined with a pretty good thriller. However, look to see a potential dark horse with Lady Bird, as there's a very real chance Get Out and Three Billboards will split the vote. Just.....not Three Billboards, please? We don't need a story featuring a redemption arc for a racist man to win an Oscar over a film that's literally all about systemic racism.
Writing: Adapted Screenplay
Who deserves it: Call Me by Your Name
Who's the favorite: ​​Call Me by Your Name
No drama here as Call Me by Your Name is currently the heavy favorite to win this category, going at 1/25 in Vegas. It's easily the best adapted screenplay of the year as its story takes you on a whirlwind of emotions with one of the best love stories to be seen in recent years. There are other great screenplays in this category, most notably Molly's Game and Mudbound, but their stories really do pale in comparison to Call Me by Your Name. The film is one of the best movies of the year, and its wonderful screenplay is a big reason why.
Who deserves it: War for the Planet of the Apes
Who's the favorite: ​​Blade Runner 2049
This category is such a dumpster fire this year. The films with the best visual effects, (in my opinion, at least) Dunkirk and The Shape of Water, weren't even nominated for the category for some (likely technical) reason. However, from the films that did get a nomination, it's about bloody time the Planet of the Apes reboot gets a win for its groundbreaking work in motion capture. Please? I mean, I loved the effects for Blade Runner 2049 and all, but.... no film is pushing the boundaries of contemporary cinema more than the Planet of the Apes franchise, and it's about time they get some recognition for it. Vegas currently disagrees, though. Blade Runner 2049 is the current favorite coming in at 4/6, while War for the Planet of the Apes comes in at 6/5. This is the single tightest category at this year's Oscars, so stay tuned!
Who deserves it: Baby Driver
Who's the favorite: ​​Dunkirk
This is a tough one for me. Dunkirk is a rather big favorite in Vegas, going at 1/7 while Baby Driver lags behind at 5-1. But the sound mixing of Baby Driver is what made it so enjoyable! Syncing all the sound/visual effects to music is a result of the final mix/editing, and that was the calling card of Baby Driver. However, there's no doubt Dunkirk is a technical marvel, and its sounds are a big reason why. So, if Dunkirk's name is called over Baby Driver's I won't be mad, but.....if there's one category that Baby Driver could sneak a win in, it would be this one. This or Editing. (More on that later)
Who deserves it: Dunkirk
Here's the category where Dunkirk should, and will, win. Dunkirk is a technical masterpiece, and nowhere is that better featured than in the sounds of the film. The film opens with an exhilarating, but simple, sequence of one of the main characters running towards the beach, and it throws you right into the middle of the action with the sounds of bullets whizzing by and planes flying overhead dropping bombs. The sound editing here is meticulous and deliberate, and easily rises above everything else in this category.
Short FIlm, Live Action
Who deserves it: N/A
Who's the favorite: ​​DeKalb Elementary
I haven't seen the Oscar nominated short films yet (they aren't available online until the end of the month) but Vegas seems to have a pretty good idea of who's going to win this category. In year's past there would be at least two shorts that are in contention, but this year DeKalb Elementary is going at 4/11, while the next closest is The Silent Child at 4-1. From what I've heard, it's no contest. DeKalb Elementary is a tense short film about a school shooting, so it could not be more relevant right now. I look forward to seeing it soon, and you can expect to hear its name called on Oscar Sunday.
These shorts will be available for streaming starting Feb. 27 on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon Video.
Short Film, Animated
Who's the favorite: ​​Dear Basketball
This one is quite surprising, because it seems like every year this category goes to whatever short the juggernaut that is Disney/Pixar conjured up. This year, though, Dear Basketball, which you can watch online right now, is the favorite going at 1/4 with Lou, the Disney/Pixar short lagging behind at 4-1. Dear Basketball is based on the poem Kobe Bryant coined when he announced his retirement from the NBA and is animated by the legendary Glen Keane. Vegas is usually pretty smart about this, but I find it very hard to believe that anything other than the Disney/Pixar short could win this category, though if Dear Basketball does win it would be a career achievement award for Keane, a man who was a supervising animator for classics such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Tarzan, Pocahontas, and Aladdin. Let's dethrone the Disney/Pixar juggernaut with a Disney alum, shall we?
​You can watch Dear Basketball here. All other shorts in this category will be available on Amazon Video, Google Play, and iTunes on Feb. 27.
Who deserves it: Blade Runner 2049
Who's the favorite: ​​The Shape of Water
This is a bit of a tighter category in Vegas as The Shape of Water is currently going 1/4 while Blade Runner 2049 is going 3-1. They are both deserving of this award, but my edge goes to Blade Runner 2049 simply because its set design was a dystopian wasteland versus a fantasy based around the 1950s. But the production design of The Shape of Water is arguably the best thing about that film too, so if its name gets called over Blade Runner 2049 I won't be mad. Both films are true pillars for what great production design can look like, and both are more than deserving of this award. In the words of Jimmy Kimmel, "Why can't we just give out a whole bunch of Oscars?"
Who deserves it: Mystery of Love, Call Me by Your Name
Who's the favorite: ​​Remember Me, Coco
​This is one of the tightest categories at this year's Oscars according to Vegas. "Remember Me" from Coco is currently going at 8/13, while "This is Me" from The Greatest Showman is a close second at 6/4. I'm actually quite surprised by this, as I figured "This is Me" would be a rather heavy favorite for the category when I first heard it. None of them are the best song in the category, though. That honor EASILY goes to "Mystery of Love" which has a decent chance to dark horse here if "Remember Me" and "This is Me" split the vote. I would lose my mind if "Mystery of Love" actually won this category, and the acceptance speech from Sufjan Stevens, one of the most secluded individuals in the entertainment business, would be something to behold. I'm not holding my breath though. "This is Me" is a catchy pop song with a culturally relevant message, so, even though its used in one of the most superficial films of the year, I do still expect to hear its name called come Oscar Sunday.
Who deserves it: Phantom Thread
I love the score from The Shape of Water, but there are two composers on this list that deserve recognition for their achievements within the medium than the Hollywood poster child Alexandre Desplat. Jonny Greenwood's score from Phantom Thread is the best score I've heard in cinema since Junkie XL's score for Mad Max: Fury Road (which, to be fair, wasn't even nominated that year so baby steps, right?) and Hans Zimmer is at the top of his game right now with master scores for Dunkirk and Blade Runner 2049 and he somehow hasn't won an Oscar since The Lion King. (An award he shared with an Lebo M., the man who composed the African choir pieces from that film) But I want to see Phantom Thread win this award just to see Jonny Greenwood's acceptance speech. In addition to the fact that it's my favorite score of the year. That speech would be one for the record books. Vegas, however, does not share my sentiment as The Shape of Water is currently going at 1/6 while Dunkirk lags behind at 11/2. I won't complain.....The Shape of Water's score is pretty freaking great too.
Makeup and Hairstyling
Who deserves it: Darkest Hour
Who's the favorite: Darkest Hour
Hey! This category kind of makes sense this year. Kind of. I still don't know why there are only three films nominated for this category, and of those three there's always one random choice (this year it's Victoria & Abdul) but at least this year there isn't a ridiculous option like Suicide Squad for the Academy to inexplicably hand this award to. The strongest parts of both Wonder and Darkest Hour were its makeup, so I wouldn't be mad to hear either of these films called. Vegas, though, is pretty confident with Darkest Hour as its currently going 1/16 with Wonder far behind at 8-1. It makes sense. Darkest Hour is the big Oscar-bait film of 2017, and the centerpiece of the film is Gary Oldman's performance which was bolstered by the makeup used to alter his appearance. Kazuhiro Tsuji has been in the business for a few decades now with no Oscars to show for it, so if nothing else it'll be nice to see him recognized for his work.
Foreign Language Film
Who's the favorite: ​​A Fantastic Woman
Once more I haven't seen any of the films in this category, (hopefully I can finally change this trend in 2018) and as usual Vegas doesn't have much of a clue, either. A Fantastic Woman is currently going at 8/13, while The Square is close behind at 7/4. It's really anybody's guess on this one....for all I know Loveless will dark horse, or none of the above will win and it'll go to something like On Body and Soul just because. The story of A Fantastic Woman is a culturally relevant one, (it's the story of a transsexual woman trying to get over the death of her boyfriend) but it's pretty up in the air as to who will actually walk away with this one.
The Square is available to watch on YouTube and On Body and Soul is available to watch on Netflix. All other films in this category are still in theaters. Also, if you're going through this category make a note to watch In the Fade, another terrific foreign film that just missed a spot in this category.
If Baby Driver doesn't pull out sound mixing, then this would be the award it deserves to win, as its editing was another big reason why the film was as great as it was. I kind of feel like Dunkirk is the "Goliath" of these categories, which is the primary reason I keep hoping for Baby Driver to win. Just give me one W for Baby Driver, Academy. Dunkirk can win every other technical award. Just one! That's all I ask. But, seriously: the editing to both Baby Driver and Dunkirk is fantastic, and they both deserve to win this award. Vegas is leaning towards Dunkirk at 1/2, but Baby Driver is far closer here than in the sound categories, coming in at 6/4. This is definitely one of the categories to watch at this year's Oscars!
Documentary (Short)
Who's the favorite: ​​Edith + Eddie
This is another category that is hard to predict. Vegas has Edith + Eddie coming in at 2/5, while Heroin(e) is a close second at 5/2. I've only seen a few of these so far, so I won't comment. Both Edith + Eddie and Heroin(e) sound like they are great shorts about relevant subjects, and I'm glad they are being recognized for their achievements. Too bad only one of them can walk away with an Oscar!
Heroin(e) is available to watch on Netflix, Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405 is available to watch on YouTube, Knife Skills is available to watch here, and Traffic Stop is available to watch on HBO. Edith + Eddie is currently not available on streaming services.
Documentary (Feature)
Who's the favorite: ​​Faces Places
Vegas is feeling pretty confident on this one as Faces Places is currently going at 2/7 while the next-closest contender is Icarus at 4-1. I haven't seen any of the documentaries in this category, but I've heard a lot of buzz around Icarus so I'm kind of surprised it's coming in at 4-1. Look to see a potential upset here, especially since the winter Olympics (which Russia was banned from participating in) took place during the voting period for the Academy Awards, so the documentary behind the reason why Russia couldn't participate in said Olympics will definitely be fresh for the voters within the Academy. But we'll see! Faces Places is the favorite for a reason, after all.
Icarus, Last Men in Aleppo, and Strong Island are available to watch on Netflix, while Abacus: Small Enough to Jail is available to watch on YouTube. Faces Places is not yet available on streaming services.
Who's the favorite: ​​Phantom Thread
This is another easy category this year, as Phantom Thread is currently going at 1/10 with the next-closest competitor going at 7-1. It makes sense: Phantom Thread is my top film of 2017, and clothing/fashion takes center stage within the story. The costumes in this film are extravagant works of art, and tell a story in their own right. Just remember this: when Mark Bridges' name is called for his work on Phantom Thread, this is the man who also did the costumes for the CLASSIC known as Fifty Shades of Grey. Something to internally chuckle about. I'm here for you, guys. (Looks at Oscar)
This is it. It has to be. As great as it is to see the first EVER woman be nominated for this category in Rachel Morrison from Mudbound. the time has come for one of the greatest cinematographers in the history of Hollywood to FINALLY win his first Oscar. Roger Deakins has now been nominated FOURTEEN times for Best Cinematography. And finally, in 2018, he should notch his first win. For nerdy people like myself who follow the business obsessively, this potential win makes Leo's first Oscar look like child's play. FOURTEEN NOMINATIONS, guys. OSCAR! How has Roger Deakins NEVER won an Oscar?? It also helps that his work for Blade Runner 2049 may be his best work yet, least to the point that this certainly isn't a "career achievement" award. The cinematography to Blade Runner 2049 is one of the biggest reasons to watch this film, and it's EASILY the best cinematography within the category. Vegas agrees, as Blade Runner 2049 is currently going 1/10, with second place being Dunkirk at 7-1. This award will feel as triumphant to me as Ennio Morricone's long-overdue Oscar win in 2016 for his score for The Hateful Eight. While there are some head-scratchers upcoming in the acting categories, watching Roger Deakins finally walk away with his first Oscar will make it all worth it. He better win this.....
Animated Feature
Who deserves it: Coco
Who's the favorite: Coco
Editor's Note: As usual, this analysis is brought to you by the wonderful Peter Kosanovich!
Peter: So, let's just get it out of the way early. Coco will win. Coco should win! But because it's such a runaway this year, let me just highlight the other movies and a change to the category voting system. Academy nominations are usually determined primarily, though not exclusively, from the various guilds; directors nominate directors, writers nominate writers, etc. So traditionally leaders in the animation field nominate the animated films, but not this year. This year, thanks to a rule change, ANYONE was able to nominate animated films. The reasoning behind this was to increase the number of potential nominees, but because the Academy has shown time and again they do not really care about this category, the result ended up being two movies nominated simply because they were the movies voting members were able to get their kids to sit down and watch: Ferdinand and The Boss Baby. This is a joke and the Academy should be ashamed. On that note, however, take the time to go see Loving Vincent and The Breadwinner! Two stellar achievements in animation!
Joseph: I agree with Peter 100%, but I'll also add that you should watch Your Name. too! Hopefully the Academy reverses the "anyone can select the animated film nominees" rule, because so far it has been a disaster. The Boss Baby? GTFO.
Who deserves it: Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Who's the favorite: ​Allison Janney, I, Tonya
​Ugh! I hate that my second-favorite film of 2017, I, Tonya, may only walk away with one Oscar. I LOVE this movie, but there isn't a specific category where this film rises above the rest out in an obvious way outside of this one. I love Allison Janney. She was my favorite character on The West Wing back in the day, and every time I've seen her since it's made that movie that much better. Well, now there's finally an opportunity for her to walk home with an award she's been worthy of for over a decade, and it's for her best performance since portraying a savvy press secretary in President Bartlet's office. I, Tonya is a phenomenal film, but leading the way is Allison Janney, (and Margot Robbie) and I'm glad Vegas and I agree that she deserves to win Best Supporting Actress. (She's going at 1/7, second goes to Laurie Metcalf from Lady Bird at 5-1) Sadly, though, this is the only time Vegas and I will agree on who should win any of these acting categories.
Who deserves it: Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Who's the favorite: ​Sam freaking Rockwell, Three Billboards
Vegas is saying Sam freaking Rockwell is the rather heavy favorite to win this category. He's going at 1/8, while Willem Dafoe is in second place at 11/2. And if Sam freaking Rockwell's name is called, I won't be mad. Just check out the dude's IMDB page. He's been in almost 100 films, and I'd wager a bet that you've heard of maybe 5 of them, including Iron Man 2 and Three Billboards. If Sam freaking Rockwell wins this, it's the very definition a "career achievement" award. But. It is so hard for me to get behind the character he plays, especially when a character like the one Richard Jenkins plays shares this category. Sam freaking Rockwell plays a racist, boneheaded cop that has a redemption arc by film's end, while Jenkins plays a gay man struggling to find other people that accepts him that gets roped into his roommate's antics. (Also the only person that accepts him for who he is) See the difference? This award is a "career achievement" role? Fine. Jenkins is 70 years old with over 100 credits on IMDB and he's still looking for his first Oscar. Even in this context I think the award should go to Jenkins. But he's going at 20-1 in Vegas, so I won't be holding my breath. Just keep making more films, man! You'll get the recognition you deserve sooner or later. Least the award is going to go to Sam freaking Rockwell!
Who deserves it: Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Who's the favorite: ​Frances McDormand, Three Billboards
Here's where my opinions with Vegas REALLY start to diverge. I like Frances McDormand a lot. I do. And she's great in Three Billboards. But I really don't see how she could win this award over anyone on this list besides Meryl Streep. (OSCAR. Why is Streep nominated again other than because she's Meryl Streep? Calm down, Academy. Streep doesn't need 20+ Oscar nominations) Yet, McDormand is not just the favorite to win this category, she's the HEAVY favorite, coming in at 1/25 with second belonging Saoirse Ronan at 12-1. My pic would be Sally Hawkins. Her performance was top 5 material for me as she managed to display so much emotion and complexity while only being able to use sign language. She's easily the best part of this fantastic film, and the fact that she delivers the performance that she does while be hindered to only using sign language makes it all-the-more impressive. There's one scene in particular involving her and Richard Jenkins where she has Jenkins repeat what she's saying that I thought was the single best movie moment performance-wise for 2017. Sadly, though, she's a long-shot to win this award, coming in at 16-1. Least it should bolster her already distinguished career!
Who deserves it: Anyone other than Gary Oldman
Who's the favorite: ​Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
UGGGGHHH. This is my single least-favorite category at this year's Oscars. Gary Oldman is a HEAVY favorite, coming in at 1/33, and I really have no idea why. His rendition of Winston Churchill is quintessential Oscar-bait: quantifiable acting combined with a thick accent bolstered by great makeup. It hits all the notes the Academy wants to see, and when you add the fact that Gary Oldman has never won an Oscar, it makes for easy rationale to give him this award. But, in this new era of #TimesUp, it will be a damn shame to see the Academy give this award to a man accused of abusing one of his 4 ex-wives. This would make two straight years of the Academy messing up the Best Actor award. (Remember when they gave it to Casey Affleck? Yaaaaaa.....) While I would give this award to Daniel Day-Lewis as he (supposedly) retires from acting with my best performance of 2017, I would honestly prefer anyone on this list be given the award other than Oldman. Daniel Kaluuya and Timothee Chalamet are tied for second in Vegas at 16-1, so I guess I have to root for them. (That would be pretty cool to see!)
Also, I've soured on Oldman in recent months as I've watched his very laissez-faire attitude towards acting come out in various interviews. I guess you can take that approach when you're already a very established actor and paid your dues, but there are thousand of people working 20+ hour days with the dream of being in the position you're in, man. At the very least you could be grateful for it. Oh well. I guess the Academy isn't going to get them all right now are they? I just hope they get some flack for giving this award to Oldman if he does win this.
Who deserves it: Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Who's the favorite: ​Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape of Water
For as much as I hate Gary Oldman being a favorite for Best Actor, I absolutely LOVE everything about this category. There are no wrong choices here this year, and regardless of who wins I'll be cheering. So, I'll let my fanboy come out and say this award should go to my spirit animal Greta Gerwig. What she did with Lady Bird, her directorial debut, was nothing short of amazing, and watching her acceptance speech would be pretty freaking awesome. But, everyone in this category deserves to win this award for one reason or another. Guillermo Del Toro is the rather heavy favorite in Vegas coming in at 1/12 after winning at the Director's Guild Awards and BAFTAs, and the next-closest behind him is Christopher Nolan at 7-1. (A man who has never won an Oscar himself) Del Toro is more than deserving as he is a very distinguished and innovative filmmaker that has never received an Oscar for his accomplishments. While my fanboy side wants to see Greta Gerwig surprise everyone, (including herself, I'm guessing) but I look forward to hearing Guillermo Del Toro's name called Oscar Sunday. Or, how about an upset from Jordan Peele, eh? Paul Thomas Anderson would be awesome, too. Oh, how I love these nominees! You did a good job here, Oscar.
Who deserves it: ​Phantom Thread
Who's the favorite: ​​Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
For as much as I love the Best Director category, I am very worried that Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is going to pull out a very undeserving victory in the Best Picture category. It's a good film, yes, but when I saw it I hardly thought twice about it. I didn't even bother to write a full review on it! Nearly every other film in this category (besides freaking Darkest Hour....why did that get nominated again over I, Tonya, Oscar?) is more deserving of the award, yet Vegas has Three Billboards going as the favorite at 4/5. The Shape of Water, though, is close behind at 11/8. Both of these films have been splitting a lot of the "Best Picture" awards at the previous awards shows, so I think it's really anybody's game right now. I'd even go out on a limb and say there's a very real possibility that Three Billboards and The Shape of Water split the vote and allow a dark horse like Lady Bird (going at 12-1) or Get Out (going at 16-1) to take this award. Honestly, I would go nuts if either one of these took home the Oscar, if not just to hear Greta Gerwig or Jordan Peele's acceptance speech. But, if it were me, I'd give the award to Phantom Thread. It is my number 1 film of 2017, after all. So I'm gonna be rooting for it. Vegas doesn't share my sentiment, though, as Phantom Thread and Darkest Hour are both going at 200-1. Ugh. Those films just have to have the same odds, don't they? Either way, I'll be pretty happy to see basically anything in this category take the Oscar over Three Billboards or Darkest Hour. We did just get a year where Moonlight surprised everyone and took home Best Picture, so can we make it two straight years of upsets? We'll see!
Well, friends, there you have it! My complete predictions for this year's Academy Awards! Hope you enjoyed the ride. While I do have way more fun than I should writing these predictions, I think it's important to remember that, at the end of the day, these awards do not matter. I can barely remember who won Best Actress in 2017, (It was Emma Stone. I remembered after about 20 seconds. I know who won Best Actor because he was accused of sexual harassment and poor Brie Larson, who won for portraying an abused woman the year prior, had to hand him the award. Least Casey Affleck won't be presenting this year!) and I'll be saying the same thing next year. It's all for fun. Just.....don't give the award for Best Actor to Gary Oldman, PLEASE. Let's not go 2 straight years with giving Best Actor to men with questionable pasts, can we? Please? Thank you. Anyway, thanks for reading, guys. Y'all rock! My full recap of 2017 will continue tomorrow with my favorite movie moments of the year, so stay tuned!
​​http://www.oscars.org/sites/oscars/files/styles/news_image_default/public/jimmyannouncement_website.jpg.jpeg?itok=kxquMKR5 (Jimmy Kimmel)
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​https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjQyNjUyMzkwOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODkyOTg1MzI@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,674,1000_AL_.jpg (Faces Places poster)
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTc2MzI2NDE0N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTYwMTY5MzI@._V1_.jpg (Allison Janney in I, Tonya)
​https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMmQzMDcwNmYtN2Y2Zi00OWNiLWEwNmQtMTA0NDAzZDQ2ZGFlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTk1MzcwNTI@._V1_SX1777_CR0,0,1777,999_AL_.jpg (Richard Jenkins in The Shape of Water)
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGM0NzE2MTUtYTk3Mi00YjhiLTgxODEtZjBlZmU1ZWIxNDk0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDg2MjUxNjM@._V1_SX1777_CR0,0,1777,999_AL_.jpg (Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water)
https://s.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/levy-gerwig-ladybird-ht-mem-180202_4x3_992.jpg (Greta Gerwig)
Oscars 2018: Immediate Reactions
A really solid list with just a few faults
We are now in the height of the most wonderful time of the year, better known as Oscar season, and the Academy has finally released their much-anticipated list of nominees. While it is important to remember at the end of the day these don't matter, (the only thing that matters is Enter the Movies film awards, after all! Right? Guys?) and we just get hyped up about the Oscars for fun, I must admit: I'm pretty impressed with this year's nominees. While there are a few glaring snubs (more on those later) I think overall this is a well rounded, diverse group of nominees. Unlike with the Globes, there weren't any major categories that made me throw my arms up in the air and question everything I know about everything. (Oh ya, getting deep over here) The Shape of Water led the way with 13 nominations, which I am ok with. That film has continued to grow on me since I first saw it, and will find itself a deserving place well within my top ten best movies of 2017 list. It's a great film worthy of 13 nominees, and I hope this Oscar love boosts its sales in the process. I wasn't too thrilled that Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri received a bunch of nominations too, but I'm pretty confident that the momentum it has right now through the early part of awards season will wane as we get closer to Oscar Sunday. There have been some issues raised with this film's take on race, and for good reason. I wouldn't be too surprised if Sam freaking Rockwell wins Best Supporting Actor and that's it for the movie come Oscar Sunday. Anyway, let's talk about the winners, losers, and the more perplexing moments of this year's Oscar list!
For those that don't know, this post is just some immediate reactions to the list of nominees. Enter the Movies will continue its coverage of 2017 cinema with more film reviews in the upcoming weeks, as well as a comprehensive look back at the year for film. And look for my annual comprehensive guide to the 2018 Oscars to drop on February 25th, so stay tuned!
Big Winners: Lady Bird, Get out, Music, #MeToo
Let's start with my favorite thing about this entire list: Lady Bird. The little directorial debut from my spirit animal, Greta Gerwig, snagged five Oscar nominations, including Gerwig's (ironically) first ever Oscar nods in both directing and original screenplay. I loved this movie so much, and am beyond thrilled to see it receive some very deserving Oscar love. I'm not going to lie: I may (or may not) have let out a quick scream when I saw Gerwig's name in the Best Director category. Gerwig is an amazing individual, and she is the reason Lady Bird has been so successful. She came from some very humble beginnings in the mumblecore movement and has worked her tail off to get to where she is now, and I could not be more happy for her!
​So how about Get Out, eh? While I wasn't as big a fan of it as others are, I'm still quite happy to see what's ultimately a slasher film run away with four Oscar nominations, including the undisputed surprise of the entire list for me: Daniel Kaluuya nominated for Best Actor. After the allegations against James Franco surfaced, I was quite happy to see Kaluuya receive a Best Actor nod over him. This is a great segue to the #MeToo movement showing up in this list of nominees.....I was quite worried that there would be a mistake somewhere in this list, whether it be the Best Director category being all men, or James Franco being nominated for Best Actor, but the Academy did an excellent job having an all-around diverse group of nominees, and removing (almost) all potential missteps within the individual categories. Hopefully that continues into the Oscar ceremony itself. Also, on this note, thank GOD Ridley Scott didn't receive a Best Director nod over someone like Greta Gerwig. I still scoff at his Golden Globes nomination over someone more deserving like her. Also, speaking of the Best Director category, we can now say "Oscar Nominated Jordan Peele" and I am VERY ok with that. I'm sure he's texting Keegan right now about it.
I also want to highlight the strong music categories this year. While The Greatest Showman's "This is Me" did receive its inevitable nomination for Original Song, (I will be sad if it wins, which it probably will because it's the most popular song on the list) I was thrilled to see Sufjan Stevens "Mystery of Love" from Call Me by Your Name make the list too. I haven't dropped the review of Call Me by Your Name yet, but this film is one of my favorites of the year and "Mystery of Love" was not just my favorite song in film from 2017, it was one of my favorite songs, period. It's a beautiful and touching song. At the very least I look forward to seeing it performed at the Oscars by Stevens! We'll also have performances from Miguel, Common, and Mary J. Blige to look forward to. Those should all be great. Also, I LOVE the Best Original Score category! About the only film with a great score they missed was Blade Runner 2049, but I am very ok with the Academy only giving Hans Zimmer one Oscar nomination. Hopefully that'll increase his chances of FINALLY snagging his first ever Oscar (somehow) for Dunkirk but if Phantom Thread or The Shape of Water get called instead I wouldn't be mad. They all feature mesmerizing scores, and highlight a very strong year for music in film.
Big Losers: Wonder Woman, Hostiles, The Best Actress Category, Ross Lynch
Hey, Academy. How's it going? I have a simple, innocent question for you: Where's Wonder Woman? Go ahead, I'll wait.....I am SHOCKED by the omission of this film that had almost as much audience buzz behind it as Get Out did. The fact that Wonder Woman did not receive a single nomination is easily the biggest loser for this year's Oscar nominees. For anything! C'mon, guys! You mean to tell me that Kong: Skull Island deserved a nomination over Wonder Woman? (More on that in a bit) I'm ok that Patty Jenkins didn't get a Best Director nomination. (Even though she contributed greatly to the film's success) Much as I would've loved to have seen her name in the category, there were just too many other great directors in 2017 for her to be on that list and not feel like there was a snub elsewhere. (Who do you remove for her? Jordan Peele? You couldn't possibly convince me Jenkins deserved to be on that list over Guillermo Del Toro or Christopher Nolan.) But between visual effects and costumes and even something like original score, (I think it's safe to say Wonder Woman's theme is pretty iconic) surely there was space for it somewhere! The Academy definitely needs to take superhero films at least a little bit more seriously.
There was another no-show I was surprised by in Hostiles, mostly because of how desperate that crew was to make it awards eligible for this year's Oscars, but I haven't seen that film yet so I can't really comment about it. But, given that it opened on about 2 screens right before December 31st to be eligible, I wouldn't be surprised if they just couldn't get the "for your consideration" screeners out to the Academy in time. But there was an easy opportunity to give a distinguished Native American actor in Wes Studi a Best Supporting Actor nomination over someone like Woody Harrelson. (Three Billboards did not deserve two supporting actor nominations)
Speaking of acting categories, let's talk about the Best Actress category. Why is Meryl Streep on this list? She's the most nominated person in history, does she really need another nomination she stands no chance of winning for a character that didn't even need to be in the movie it was in? Don't get me wrong: I love Meryl Streep. And she is Meryl Streep in The Post. She's as charismatic as ever. But Best Actress this year was stacked, and giving this final slot to someone like her took away the opportunity for far more deserving actresses to be in the category. This slot could've been given to Gal Gadot for Wonder Woman. This slot could've been given to Jessica Chastain for Molly's Game. But EASILY the biggest snub by Meryl Streep's inclusion is Vicky Krieps for her career-defining role in Phantom Thread. I'm honestly at a loss for words on this one. Krieps puts in a performance as good as Daniel Day-Lewis, who's likely the favorite to win Best Actor because it's Daniel Day-Lewis, but she doesn't even get a nomination? What's up with that? Her performance in Phantom Thread will be in my top five performances of the year, and Meryl Streep's won't even make the cut. Unfortunately though, once again, Hollywood's favorite poster child gets another head-scratching nomination instead.
Speaking of snubs, let's talk about Ross Lynch for a second. I hadn't heard a peep out of the My Friend Dahmer camp this awards season, so I'm honestly not surprised the former Disney star wasn't nominated for his haunting performance as the future serial killer Jeff Dahmer, but this performance has resonated with me as much as any other performance has in 2017, and I wish someone, ANYONE, would give him an award or two for the role. It was something to behold. Oh well.....
Perplexing Moments: Best Animated Feature Category, Best Visual Effect Category, Darkest Hour Snags Six nominations?
What's going on in the animation category? I haven't seen that many animated movies in 2017 (hardly any, actually) but I'm smart enough to know that The Boss Baby does not deserve to be on this list. I laughed about it at the Globes, and I will laugh about it again here. Was the world of animation just that bad this year? It's also voiced by Alec Baldwin, who's been getting himself into trouble recently for saying some pretty stupid things. (He took to his foundation's Twitter account to defend Woody Allen last week for some strange and likely disgusting reason) But The Boss Baby, with it's lovely 52% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Alec Baldwin leading the way, can now call itself "Oscar Nominated The Boss Baby." Yikes. At least Loving Vincent, the world's first fully painted feature film, got a nomination. Hopefully it can beat out the Disney/Pixar powerhouse that represents itself as Coco and take home the Oscar, too.
SPEAKING OF crazy categories that make no sense whatsoever, and films that have no right to call themselves Oscar nominated, the Visual Effects category! Ohhhhhh the visual effects category. Kong: Skull Island is the real head-scratcher here. Even when you remove the fact that it snubbed a potential nomination for Wonder Woman, its effects weren't anything special. Why is it on this list? And why is Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2 on this list over Wonder Woman? I guess the Academy will take Marvel superhero movies seriously, but not DC ones. Also. And this makes even less sense to me. Where's Dunkirk and The Shape of Water? This is dumbfounding. Not only did I assume these two films would make the cut, I assumed they would be the front-runners to win the entire category! The Shape of Water received a whooping 13 nominations and its entire premise is built around Sally Hawkins falling in love with a visual effects-created amphibious creature, but it doesn't deserve a visual effects nomination? Even if it was just some guy in a suit that could light up, then it should be in the Costume Design category over something like Beauty and The Beast. What happened there? And Dunkirk's calling card was its visual effects. How was that not nominated? I guess I just don't know visual effects when I see them.
Finally, let's talk about Darkest Hour. I'm all for Gary Oldman getting his Best Actor nomination, as well as makeup team. Those were inevitable, and I suspect the makeup team will walk home with that Oscar, too. But I was SHOCKED to see this film snag six (SIX?) Oscar nominations. (Hey! That's the score I gave the film too! Coincidence? I think NOT!) Including one for Best Picture. Seriously? Overall, the Best Picture category was pretty good this year. It often has at least one or two head-scratchers since they expanded the field to ten, but this year I couldn't believe that Darkest Hour made the cut for the category while the VASTLY more deserving I, Tonya did not. Where's its six nominations? Oh well. The Academy can't get them all right, right?
Well, there you have it! Hope you enjoyed reading my initial reactions to this year's Oscar nominees. Thanks, as always, for reading and I will be back soon with a look back at 2017 and more Oscars coverage. Sayonara!
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