Overall I'd say it's been a very good year for good movies, but I'd also say that it has not been a good year for great movies. I found myself struggling again, but far more then usual, to create my own personal rankings of the best picture nominees. I was pretty comfortable with my first choice, but the next two, or three, could have come in just about any order; the same could be said about those on the bottom. I have a feeling that the order of my list won't be shared by many. The critics front runners, and movies I've had friends and family rave about, are not necessarily those at the top of my list.
I should also say, with the advent of high quality original content from the streaming services, I was unable to watch each of the films on the big screen. It's clear that these type of movies are going to get more nominations in the future, but they can be difficult, if not impossible, to find in a theater near you! I haven't missed a best picture nominee on the big screen for probably a decade, until Roma, which was essentially only available on Netflix. While I applaud excellence in movie making, wherever it comes from, I do lament missing the "best" on the big screen.
As usual I'd like to mention a few movies that I enjoyed but were overlooked by Oscar's major categories, or were not the type of movies Oscar would typically recognize at all. So, if you're searching for something to watch/rent, consider these movies.
If you have a daughter and want her to learn a little about the amazing Ruth Bader Ginsburg I strongly recommend On The Basis Of Sex. Last year's documentary about her was also worth watching. In my mind she's as important as anyone who has fought for equality and social justice. Brittany Runs a Marathon was another surprisingly enjoyable movie with a strong female protagonist.
This year three movies pay tribute to musicians in very different ways. I particularly enjoyed Yesterday, honoring the Beatles in a rather unique way. One of the most original plots in quite a while. Blinded by the Light shows just how meaningful and motivational music can be. Bruce Springsteen's music and lyrics give hope to an oppressed Pakistani boy living in England. Finally, in a somewhat atypical biopic, Taron Egerton brings Elton John to life in Rocketman. With all the awards going to Bohemian Rhapsody last year I was a little surprised by how little love the Academy showed this movie. It's not nearly as good but was still enjoyable.
A few heavier and darker movies that I particularly enjoyed this year were Uncut Gems, Dark Waters and Richard Jewel. If you like to think about and discuss religion The Two Popes is quite engaging and thought provoking.
While I'm not typically a huge fan of comedies, this year I enjoyed Long Shot, Booksmart, Good Boys, and Shazam.
I probably mention it every year, but movies are once again just too damn long. Having gotten that off my chest, for better or worse, here is my personal ranking of the best picture nominees. I actively invite debate, agreement, or dissent. While I'd love some accolades, I'm just as happy to be called out.
1) 1917: "War is hell" is made palpable. This film vividly shows the violence, sacrifice, loyalty, pain, loss, and heroism against the backdrop of World War 1 trench warfare. Two soldiers are sent on a suicide mission to get a critical message to a front line unit. If they fail, 1600 will die, including the brother of one of our "heroes". The writing is exceptional, the tenor is dramatic, the acting is spot-on from the mostly unknown leads as well as from the entire supporting cast. Sam Mendes directed one of my all time favorite movies, American Beauty, and once again his direction is first class. However, what makes this film extraordinary is the cinematography. Some of the amazing visuals were almost too stunning and beautiful. A few times I found myself nearly taken out of the action as I sat gaping at the beauty of a particular shot or scene, momentarily forgetting where the action was going. This is not just a technical masterpiece, it's also a mesmerizing story. Quite simply this is the most complete and most entertaining movie, from start to finish, and was therefore my favorite this year.
2) Joker: While I suspect the key to a great movie is the script, it can argued that a strong director is actually the most pivotal ingredient, merging all the necessary components together. That being said, I'm personally most awed by great acting. Of course all the elements of movie making are important to the process, but I'm fairly consistently drawn to movies with strong performances. Joker is definitely one of those actor driven movies. Joaquin Phoenix, to my mind, is one of a small group of elite actors, consistently bringing honesty, vulnerability and truth to his performance. I may not have loved every movie he's made, but I always enjoy his performances, and this movie is no exception. He plays Arthur Fleck, a wanna be comedian, with severe psychiatric issues. His gritty and inspired performance is simply mesmerizing. It's impossible to take your eyes off him. I was conflicted walking out of the theater, not sure how I felt about it. But it's one of those movies that grow on you over time, creeping in to your thoughts. I was expecting more of a caper movie, with the Joker hatching some evil plot only to be thwarted by a hero in the end. However, this was no typical super hero movie. Instead the Joker's origin story is an exploration in to the anguish of mental illness and it's impact on an individual as well as on society. Todd Phillips is best known as a comedic director, but this dark and intensely personal film, with its homage to Taxi Driver, marks him as a far more versatile director whose future films I'm eagerly awaiting.
3) Jojo Rabbit: When I saw this movie I thought it would be my favorite of the year. It slipped to number 2 after I saw 1917, and ultimately to it's current location. I went back and forth between it and Joker. Ultimately, my brother, who's opinion I respect and who is not easily offended, explained to me why he found it "wildly offensive". Something about "oh those fun loving and misunderstood Nazi's". Clearly we had a different take. It's a movie about a lonely ten year old boy, growing up against the backdrop of World War 2, and Nazi occupation. The boy is part of Hitler youth, wearing his little brown uniform, with the swastika armband. He has an imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler, played hilariously by the film's director, Taika Waititi. His mother, played beautifully by Scarlett Johansson, is a antiwar activist, and is harboring a Jewish girl in the crawl space of their home. In time the boy comes to discover her and they form a complicated friendship. I'm not generally a fan of children actors but these two were tremendous. Given the disturbing premise and the overall terrifying darkness of the film, it was still quite unique and surprisingly hopeful, funny, and endearing. Heart warming and heart breaking at the same time.
4) Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: It can't be argued that Quentin Tarantino is a top notch director and screen writer. His mastery of the English language is peerless, even if at times it can be a bit pretentious or self congratulatory. Put his words in the mouths of some of the greatest acting talent and how could you go wrong?!?! Leonardo DiCaprio play a past his prime television actor and Brad Pitt is his trusty friend, assistant, and stunt double. Margo Robbie is Sharon Tate as the movie loosely revolves around the "Helter Skelter" crimes of Charles Manson. All the leading and supporting actors are hypnotic. I found relative newcomers Margaret Qualley and Julia Butters to be particularly effective. This is also a visually stunning movie with a multitude of story lines; perhaps too many. To me it ended up being a series of fantastic short films; like a collection of skits or vignettes, versus a cohesive story with an understandable arc. I personally enjoyed the scenes in which DiCaprio has a long conversation with a young aspiring actress played by Julia Butters. Ultimately I found this movie to be long on style and a little short on substance, leaving me feeling like "what was the point", which isn't ideal for a 159 minute run time. That being said, I was quite entertained by what is sure to become another Tarantino classic!
5) Ford v Ferrari: I would call this a formula movie....but in a good way. "Good Guys" having to overcome impossible odds to defeat the villain. Recalcitrant and troubled "bad boy" has to be corralled by family or friends, to give a top performance. There is a formula because it consistently works. When you add Matt Damon and Christian Bale to talented director James Mangold, it's bound to do more then just work. I'll admit I have a bit of a man-crush on Bale. He and Damon have excellent chemistry portraying deeply complex characters and give customary top level performances. Not to be overlooked are all of the many supporting cast members who also contribute significantly to the success of this movie. I don't know, or care, all that much about cars and I don't follow racing at all. Still, the movie seemed to have gotten all of the technical aspects of this film right. Overall a beautifully shot, expertly crafted, well acted, engaging, and very entertaining movie.
6) The Irishman: Martin Scorsese may well be the best living director and it's impossible to understate the many accomplishments and talents of Robert DeNiro. This movie is commonly considered a front runner to win significant awards, including best picture. Al Pacino gives a tremendous performance as Jimmy Hoffa and DeNiro as a mob hitman. However, it was Joe Pesci who stole every scene he was in, as the sweetly terrifying mob boss. It was really great to see him and Harvey Keitel again. I did have a number of "issues" with this movie. Considering how little actually happens, and how slow the pacing is, it was a bit boring and self indulgent. I'm not sure why it needed to be 3 and a half hours long. I also had a problem with the different ages played by DeNiro. The de-aging effects just weren't all that good. I was distracted by the fact that the young man version looked and moved a bit awkwardly, which made it difficult to fully buy in to the character. While it is a fascinating story of loyalty, friendship and "honor among thieves" I found it to be more nostalgic then entertaining, trading more on reputation then achievement. I asked a few friends to quickly recall one scene that stuck out in their memory........ most came up blank. To me, when I think of any great movie, a number of specific scenes come instantly to my mind. Clearly not Scorsese's best. Perhaps it would have fared better on the big screen, but for me it was only available on Netflix.
7) Little Women: This is a lovely little film but I'm clearly not the target audience. It's a well told and well known tale of four sisters struggling to be part of a family, while retaining their own unique identity. The performances of the sisters are all believable and the direction by Greta Gerwig points to a promising future behind the camera. The compulsive attention to detail and the gorgeous costuming do help make this ensemble period piece enjoyable. I also particularly enjoyed the brooding performance of fast rising young star Timothee Chalamet; clearly an actor to watch. On the flip side there is something about Laura Dern that I just don't care for. While she's been in a number of excellent movies, I don't typically enjoy her performances. I also found some of the action to be erratic, jumping around between characters and time lines. Ultimately this movie is good enough, but to me it was a little boring, predictable, "on the nose", lacking depth and nuance. "Family Friendly" just isn't typically my cup of tea.
8) Parasite: This Korean movie is another critic favorite and front runner to win best picture. These past few years I seem to be on a run of rating eventual winners low on my personal list. This movie is so incredibly highly regarded I've come to question my own tastes. I do have to admit to a mild bias against sub-titled movies. Although, this year I did very much enjoy the Spanish language film Pain and Glory. Part of my problem is that I'm most interested in the acting. When you're reading subtitles you often miss the nuances of facial expression, because your eyes are drawn elsewhere. Add to that, you simply can't hear and discern all of the inflections in tone or expression when you don't understand the language. It all just sounds foreign. Perhaps that's why I didn't find the acting to be superior. I also found the movie to be a very slow build for the first two hours, with a somewhat silly and hard to accept premise. I've read that this bit of cinema is a masterful and nuanced depiction of class war. The haves versus the have nots. To me it felt like the have nots were basic criminal con artists. The haves weren't exactly angles but they also didn't seem to deserve what they ultimately get. As the films nears it's conclusion it changes from slow and somewhat boring to absolute mayhem. It goes from zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye, making it feel uneven, almost like two different movies. Again, there are clearly things to like about this movie. It is a fascinating glimpse in to another culture. While visually excellent I still wasn't all that entertained and am not sure what all the hype was about.
9) Marriage Story: This would normally be a film right up my alley. Dark and actor driven. I'm a fan of both Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver and they were both in top form. However, I have to say, I've never been a fan of writer-director Noah Baumbach, and no surprise I didn't care for Laura Dern's contributions. I found the performances of many of the supporting characters, and all of the lawyers involved, to be unbelievable at best. The scenes with the social worker on a home inspection were particularly distracting. To me, this movie felt like a stage play, scripted and rehearsed. Each actor gives long monologues while the other actor waits for their turn to perform. I had a similar feeling and review about Fences, a few years ago. I know a lot of people were touched by this film and the subject matter, but to me it felt manipulative, over wrought and overly dramatic. Having heard and read all the hype, I eagerly anticipated this film, expecting to love it. I did enjoy many parts of it, especially the acting of the leads, and some of the writing/dialogue, but in the end was disappointed.
