With the Oscars broadcast being constantly updated, and the nominees announced earlier, and earlier, it won't be long before things are backed up into the preceding year. That is my first observation, because, I have to confess, I have not been the good little moviegoer of yore that I used to be, and need to catch up on things. Like "Three Billboards, Outside Ebbing, Missouri."
Of course, as always, what is overlooked is sometimes more interesting than what made the cut!
I am telling you, the parrot in "I, Tonya!" deserves a nomination! The way it stole the scene from Allison Janney, sitting on her shoulder, eyeing the oxygen tank, it was a hoot! Depending on its gender, that bird should have received a Supporting Actor or Actress Nomination.
If in the feminine category, it would have to compete with the two who are going to duke it out--Janney, and Laurie Metcalf. I saw both those films--Lady Bird," and "I, Tonya," and both were superb. Janney's rendering of American White Trash was both funny and sad, while Laurie expressed the embitterment of the entireity of today's working class.
The parrot should be in there, somewhere, but even in the other category--Christopher Plummer? How does one compete with that? And listen, all you bitches who are ragging on him--stop it! He stepped in for Kevin Spacey, whose footage made him look grotesque and pasty. Plummer not only pinch hitted, he did a better job than Spacey, being the right age, and, face it, girls, a better actor! Spacey's loss is this film's gain; why the producers did not just go with Plummer in the first place is beyond me.
MERYL. When Oscar comes calling, that Divine name is always heard. I kinda feel sorry for MERYL. Not because she isn't the most brilliant actress on the planet, which she is; not because no one, including she, really expected a nomination for "The Post," but, because, I am sure, the minute MERYL heard she was nominated she said, "Oh, shit! Now, I have to go out, and find another gown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" We love you, MERYL! No matter what you wear!
I was appalled by the lack of nominations--none!!!!!!!!!--for Todd Haynes' wonderful, visually stunning, "Wonderstuck." With a luminous performance by Millicent Simmons as the young Rose, and Julianne Moore as the elder. Simmons should have been in the running, or else dig out those juvenile Oscars again, and, with Hayley Mills on the continent, let her present, as the award's last winner, the present day award, to Simmons, whose performance was remarkable for a child. I was with her every step of the way.
Thankfully, "Wonder Wheel," got nothing, though I would not have minded if Juno Temple got nominated; she brought something alive and fresh to a film as rotted as three day old fish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My David keeps bugging me about "The Shape Of Water," and I keep saying, "When do you want to go?" Still have not seen it. As for "Call Me By Your Name," I have not seen it, but I did read the book, and I don't see what all these queens are slathering over. It is as insulting to gays as a film could be, and is not the groundbreaker "Brokeback Mountain" was. Give me Ethel Merman, in "Call Me, Madam," instead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gone are the days when the Oscar nominations were exciting. Sadly, gone are the days when there seemed to be movies made to get excited over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But, you know I will be watching, dolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just can't this year: these have to be the dullest, most un-earned nominations of the past decade. Other than wishing Allison, Laurie and Margot well, I couldn't care less about any of it.
ReplyDeleteGuillermo Del Toro has done some brilliant work, most notably "Pan's Labyrinth" (an enthralling examination of an abused child sustained by her inner dream life). But "The Shape Of Water" is one of his colossal misfires: it isn't exactly bad, but its far FAR from awards-quality. Its essentially "Beauty And The Beast", updated to 1957 California, swapping Beauty for plain-jane Sally Hawkins and the furry Beast for a non-descript, unengaging CGI Creature From The Black Lagoon knockoff. Throw in a soupcon of (body double) nudity and a cliche, moustache-twirling military villain, and there you have it: a turgid mess that's inexplicably come within one nomination of eclipsing West Side Story. Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer are all good in it, but merely good: what you'd expect ANY competent actor to do with such paper-thin material. There is ZERO here to merit Oscar recognition- the cinematography is nicely baroque, but again thats a Del Toro trademark and nothing exceptional.
As for Meryl: she needs to shut the fuck up and take a sabbatical for a year. In less than twelve months, her non-stop ill-considered yapping has shattered my 30-year love affair with her talents. Its been terribly depressing to realize she's just another loudmouth hypocrite who speaks first, dissembles later, then tries to sweep all her contradictions under the rug. Why in holy hell she had to choose the twilight of her career to undermine her own rep is beyond me. If she wins for her empty performance in "The Post" it will be a slap in the face to the other nominees, any of whom deserve it far more than this tiresome, scolding, misinformed school-marm. Katherine Graham must be rolling in her grave at the prospect this overly-mannered, SNL-esque parody impersonation by Streep would be memorialized.
If I have to choose, Margot Robbie should win Actress but won't: it'll either go to Queen Streep or most likely Sally Hawkins if the inexplicable momentum of "Shape" continues. Both Allison Janney or Laurie Metcalf deserve supporting, but they'll cancel each other out and the hungover "OscarsSoWhite" crowd will hand it to Mary J. Blige as a totemic door prize (at least she also gave a deserving performance).
Don't really care about any of the men. Gary Oldman probably deserves it, but since he refuses to demonize and politicize with every breath he's already been told to stay home by the Academy. Christopher Plummer should be shut out entirely on principle: he turned down the role THREE TIMES before they stunt-casted Spacey, then held the production up for ransom before agreeing to replace him. Also, Ridley Scott needs to be knocked down a peg: he spouts criticisms to every other director for spending too much, but then saddles his own guaranteed-flop drama with an additional $20 million in debt just to prove a point with Spacey? Puh-leaze, Mary: some of us still remember your "Prometheus" abortion.
There's only one awards I remotely care about: cinematography and sfx had damned well go to "Blade Runner 2049" (the movie of the year as far as I'm concerned, its a crime Denis Villeneuve wasn't nominated for director). You know it was a terrible year for movies if the most engrossing, dramatically-compelling flick is a $150 mill sci-fi parable starring Ryan Gosling).
ReplyDeleteI really did not expect Meryl to
land a nomination. It looks like a
redo of what she did in "Iron Lady."
Which is not one of her more interesting
performances. And this, coming from a
Meryl worshiper.
Where was Melissa Leo?
Lucas Hedge?
The Oscars were better when better movies were being made.