For the 10th year, I have some family members joining me to rank the Best Picture nominees. I'm pleased to welcome my mother-in law Barb (for the 10th year!) along with my brother Jason, sister Sarah and brother-in-law Tyler (for the 9th year!) My dad Kevin didn't have time to complete write-ups but was able to send in his rankings.
While there were certainly some glaring omissions in the Oscars this year, this still seems like one of the better crops of Best Picture nominees, with genuine love for many movies on this list. As you can see, Parasite was a clear winner, with a clear 2, 3, 4 as well. I’m sick of being heartbroken on Oscar night, so I can’t quite believe the Academy will agree with us.
There were some clear favorites and some tight races in the
main categories, as well as one tie (Supporting Actor).
Actress
Saoirse Ronan, Little Women: Ben, Sarah, Tyler, Jason
Renee Zellwegger, Judy: Barb
Actor
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker: Barb, Tyler, Jason
Adam Driver, Marriage Story: Ben, Sarah
Supporting Actress
Florence Pugh, Little Women: Ben, Sarah, Tyler
Scarlett Johannson, Jojo Rabbit: Barb
Laura Dern, Marriage Story: Jason
Supporting Actor
Joe Pesci, The Irishman: Ben, Tyler
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood: Barb, Jason
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: Sarah
Director
Bong Joon Ho, Parasite: Ben, Barb, Sarah, Tyler
Sam Mendes, 1917: Jason
Original Screenplay
Han Jan-Win and Bong Joon-Ho, Parasite: Ben, Barb, Sarah,
Tyler
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood: Jason
Adapted Screenplay
Greta Gerwig, Little Women: Ben, Barb, Sarah
Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit: Tyler
Steve Zallian, The Irishman: Jason
Ben
1. Parasite: An unbelievably entertaining movie that’s also
a spot-on metaphor for our current world. It’s a movie that takes vertical
class structures literally and has enormous fun with the metaphors. Very funny,
very thrilling and eventually very moving. The ensemble cast is pitch-perfect,
and the design of the Park’s home is a character in and of themselves. This is
a true modern classic, destined for the all-time lists. In a year when
almost all of our other nominees are focused on the past, this is the most
vital and relevant movie of 2019.
2. Little Women: A perfect match of director, actors, and
source material. Greta Gerwig is a warm, humane director who clearly creates an
emotionally rich environment for actors to do their best work. After Lady Bird
and this, she’s quickly become one of my favorite directors. While staying
faithful enough to the source material, Gerwig’s dual timelines and
highlighting of the feminist values frame the action so that every moment feels
fresh, as if the memories and emotions bouncing off of one another. An
incredible ensemble cast, from roles large (Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh) to
small (Chris Cooper).
3. Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood: (Spoiler Warning). I saw
this opening day and had little idea what to expect, other than that it
involved some actors and the Manson murders. I enjoyed watching the bittersweet
elegy to Hollywood suffused with a sense of swirling dread. What turns out, as
most of you probably know, is that this is the third (after Inglorious Bastards
and Django Unchained) in Tarantino’s revisionist history trilogy. Having
the director play with the tension and then allow Sharon Tate and her friends
to survive is a brilliant move. It allows us to feel happy, yet also brings us
to the realization that our relief isn’t real, just a mood brought on by the
illusion of cinema. I haven’t even
gotten to the three central performances: DiCaprio hilarious and poignant as a
fading actor, Pitt mysterious and magnetic as a stuntman, and Margot Robbie,
filled with the joy of living. Is it perfect? Not quite. While it's not surprising, I do wish
Tarantino filmed his big violent scene with a less comedic tone. But it’s filled
with incredible scenes and true Hollywood magic. It’s bounced around in my head
a lot since I’ve seen it, and it may just be my favorite Tarantino movie.
4. Marriage Story: It’s rare we get a movie that’s
simultaneously this funny and this sad. Adam Driver and Scarlett
Johannson are incredible as the central couple, and they’re surrounded by a
top-notch supporting cast, particularly the three very different divorce
lawyers played by Laura Dern, Alan Alda, and Ray Liotta. While perhaps a bit
more focused on Charlie (Driver), the movie does a brilliant job of giving us
each character’s perspective. This is also a movie of brilliant individual
scenes: the opening, the first Laura Dern scene, the serving of the divorce
papers, ordering lunch in the midst of a negotiation, and Charlie’s Sondheim
song.
5. The Irishman: Yup, this is the 3 ½ hour one, but I had
absolutely no problem with the runtime. It’s another mobster movie from
Scorsese, but one with a very different tone than Goodfellas. As always a filmmaker with theological
concerns, Scorsese expertly portrays the guilt and rot that come with living a
life full of sin. It’s a really good movie for 2 hours, and a great one for 1 ½
hours. Pacino was just a tad broad for my taste, but Pesci and De NIro
(who definitely deserved a Best Actor nomination) are doing some of the best
work of their careers.
6. Jojo Rabbit: When I heard about Taika Waititi’s Hitler
satire, which sounded like a mash-up of Wes Anderson and Life is Beautiful, I
wasn’t sure it would work for me, yet I came away impressed and charmed. There
were a few moments in the middle where the tone felt a bit off to me, but the
funny moments are very funny, and the poignant moments are very poignant. What
sells the whole thing and creates real emotional investment are the great
performances by Scarlett Johannson, Thomasin McKenzie, and Roman Griffin Davis.
7. 1917: I originally thought I’d put this one or two spots
higher. I was really engrossed while watching it, and it truly is a stunning
feat of cinematography. What I realized, though, is that even though I
only saw this movie a few weeks ago, it hasn’t really stuck with me. Whereas I
was tremendously moved and impressed by the interlocking time structure of
Dunkirk, and immediately wanted to watch it again, this feels more “one and
done” to me. A good movie, to be sure, but not an all-timer or one that
deserves to win Best Picture.
8. Joker: A VERY SERIOUS origin story about Joker. Can’t we
have at least a little bit of fun in a comic book movie? The crafts of this
movie, especially the production design and score, are quite strong.
Joaquin Phoenix is perhaps my favorite modern actor, and he gives his all to
this performance. Unfortunately, these elements are all stuck in a fairly
ridiculous script ripped off from the far superior Scorsese movies Taxi Driver
and The King of Comedy. Whereas those movies invited the viewers into a
critical point of view with their protagonists, this movie doesn’t really go
beyond having the viewer feel bad for Arthur and blame the whole thing on
“society.”
9. Ford v Ferrari: Meh. I can’t really muster much energy to
write about this. It’s an hour shorter than The Irishman, yet felt twice as
long. Christian Bale and Tracy Letts are charismatic and the movie is
well-made, yet I couldn’t really care about the stakes of this movie. Dozens of movies would have made more interesting
choices in the best picture lineup. Much less problematic than Joker, but I’m
putting it lower because I was more bored.
Director: Bong Joon Ho, Parasite
Actor: Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Actress: Saorsie Ronan, Little Women
Supporting Actor: Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Supporting Actress: Florence Pugh, Little Women
O. Screenplay: Han Jan-Win and Bong Joon-Ho, Parasite
Adapted Screenplay: Greta Gerwig, Little Women
Barb
I'm so looking forward to another trip to D.C. to enjoy the
Oscars with Ben, Emily, and Elisa. I'm really excited to see Elisa's picks this
year.
Movies:
1. Parasite: Loved this. Such a unique film and intricate
plot that you're never quite sure where it's going to take you. A story of the
haves and the have-nots. A poor Korean family is given a unique opportunity
when their son is asked to tutor the daughter of the wealthy Park family. Layer
by layer they begin to infiltrate the Parks. Just about the time you think you
know where this is heading it takes a monumental turn. It becomes more
terrifying by the minute. Although not sure what is going to happen next, you
have a pretty good idea this is not going to end well.
2. Joker: Not what I was expecting. The dark descent of a
damaged and broken man. Fueled by isolation and bullying he slips further and
further out of control. His maniacal laughter was chilling. I don't think I
would have liked this as much if not for the amazing performance of Joaquin
Phoenix. He scared the hell out of me. I think he is a shoo-in for best actor.
3.Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood: Why did I like this so
much? I think part of it is that this is a period of time I remember so
vividly. 1969. Hollywood, hippies and, of course, the Manson Family. Actor Rick
Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), relevant in the 1950s, finds himself in a
Hollywood that is almost unrecognizable. Brad Pitt as his laid back stunt
double and best friend is a perfect fit.
4. Little Women: I truly enjoyed Greta Gerwig's fresh and
more contemporary adaptation of Little Women. Saoirse Ronan was perfectly cast
as the feisty Jo March. This may be one of those movies that would well be
worth seeing twice to really appreciate it. The many adaptations, all uniquely
their own, makes me want to go back and read the book again.
5. Marriage Story: The sad, albeit much too common,
unraveling of a marriage.
What starts out rather amicably goes downhill fast once the
lawyers get involved. Outstanding performances by both Scarlett Johansson and
Adam Driver. I know people just loved Laura Dern as the cutthroat divorce lawyer,
but she was just too over the top for me.
6. Ford v Ferrari: I liked this more than I thought I would.
I, of course, knew nothing about the Ford/Ferrari feud. Surprisingly, I really
enjoyed the racing scenes. What really made this movie was how well Matt
Damon and Christian Bale worked together.
7. Jojo Rabbit: An interesting story about a young boy
forced to face his prejudices and fears in Nazi Germany. The idea of having
Hitler as his imaginary friend while his mother hides a Jewish girl in her home
results in JoJo having to question all his previous beliefs. Another outstanding
performance by Scarlett Johansson. She's had a busy year. I especially liked
the JoJo/Yorki dynamic. Although taking very different paths, their friendship
never wavered.
8. The Irishman: A powerful cast, by a truly great director.
De Niro, Pacino and Pesci all shine in a story about a Mafia hitman and his
involvement with the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. My only complaint, and a
complaint I have with many movies, was it was way too long. Others disagree.
Luckily this was available on Netflix so we could break it down into three
nights.
9. 1917: Had this not been nominated, I probably would never
have seen it. The story of two young men sent on what seems to be an impossible
mission during World War 1. Two straight hours of watching these men crawl
through the mud, over dead bodies and body parts, dodging minefields and rats
with danger around every corner. That's about it. I know there was a lot of
buzz about Mendes using a single-shot approach, but this was probably lost on
me.
Director: Bong Joon Ho, Parasite.
Actress: Renee Zellwegger, Judy
Supporting Actress: Scarlett Johansson, JoJo Rabbit
Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, Once Upon A Time... in
Hollywood.
Original Screenplay: Han Jan-Win and Bong Joon-Ho, Parasite
Adapted Screenplay: Greta Gerwig, Little Women.
Sarah
1. Parasite: I love movies that play with tone and style to
keep you on your toes, and Parasite does this perfectly! Extremely
original with breathtaking twists and turns, dark humor, and morally ambiguous
situations and characters- I’ve never seen anything like it and can’t wait to
watch it again.
2. Little Women: If pretty much anyone but Greta Gerwig was
doing a reboot of Little Women I would’ve been skeptical, but she was
absolutely the right person for the task. She captured what was already
great from the book and previous adaptations of the classic story of the March
women, while giving the characters extra complexity (especially Amy and Marmee)
and feminist perspectives that felt very modern without being
anachronistic. Beautiful, inspiring, and gave me a pretty consistent
stream of tears for the whole 2 hours.
3. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood: I consider myself
a pretty big Tarantino fan in general, and except for maybe Kill Bill this may
be my new favorite. I really appreciated the more restrained use of the
classic graphic but cartoonish Tarantino violence as one more technique in a
director’s toolbox rather than the main event and as a result, the characters
were a lot more fleshed out and interesting (except for Sharon Tate- I would’ve
liked her character to get more than the surface level treatment). The
scene on Spahn Ranch (and Lena Dunham
appearance!) had me chuckling for hours after.
4. Marriage Story: One of the things I most
appreciated in this year’s nominees (or at least my top 5) as a whole was the
overall lack of heavy handedness on some really tough topics. Life and
humans contain multitudes, and what I loved about Marriage Story was the
portrayal of the humor and daily life that continues in the midst of trauma and
heartbreak. Loved the main and
supporting actors.
5. JoJo Rabbit: Certainly an odd and daring concept, I
can understand why some people might not like it, but this movie really worked
for me. Compellingly combining bright Wes Anderson-esque aesthetics with
arguably the heaviest of subject matters on the nominee list, JoJo Rabbit felt
very..human. Side note, can we get a sequel that is all about the life of
JoJo’s friend Yorki?
6. 1917: It seems a little weird to call a war movie
gorgeous, but 1917 was visually and technically stunning, while also doing
something new with the war genre; to follow 2 young men minute by minute
through the alternating tedium and the devastation of war. At the end
when Schofield finishes his mission but suffers great loss along the way and
many men still die, it reminds the viewer of the moral challenges of war and
the impact on the individual. While I
appreciated a lot about the movie, it wasn’t quite as high on my list because
the characters felt a little flat.
7. The Irishman: For the first part of the movie, I
thought it was fairly enjoyable but a little cliched and not quite sure why it
was made other than because, well, its Scorsese and he could and people would
watch. But after the Jimmy Hoffa character entered the scene, the movie
became much more compelling in the explorations of loyalty, duty, and
relationships. Main critique- it needed
more editing for some of the parts that dragged, (Just because you can make it
that long and audiences will still watch it doesn’t mean you should) and the
lack of development of the female characters, especially Anna Paquin- I get
that her silent stares at her father spoke volumes, but that still doesn’t
explain to me why she had barely any dialogue.
8. Joker: What a movie. My main complaint is
that the movie felt really self-important and into making a “big point”...but
what was the point it was trying to make? That ignoring outcasts leads to
violence and we’re all to blame? That
feels unsettlingly familiar to the cries after mass school shootings for other
students to just be nicer to each other to prevent violence. This felt
especially..for lack of a better term...icky because almost all the women who
ignored or let Arthur down were women of
color (his social workers, his neighbor, the mother on the bus….)
Aside from some concerning messages, my other critiques were
with the logic of the script- Arthur’s extremely cathartic moment on live TV
didn’t feel real to his character or thought processes in the rest of the movie
at all, and it was often confusing what was real and what was his delusion-
which maybe was the point but it felt more like a sloppy script issue than
planned out well.
So why wasn’t it lower on my list? Because it was
still a damn entertaining and compelling movie, and Joaquin’s performance and
true physical and mental embodiment of the character was very
magnetic.
9. Ford V. Ferrari: As I was debating my last 2 slots on the
list, I ended up with Ford vs. Ferrari as last, not because it was necessarily
a worse movie than Joker, but because it just didn’t feel innovative- it seemed
more like a movie that came out 20 years ago (except for the car racing scenes-
I appreciate that they were technically difficult to make, but could’ve been
cut down by about 30 minutes). I thought the performances were pretty
good in particular by Christian Bale, but some of the supporting characters
felt lazy, in particular Lee Beebe who felt like a villain from a Disney
channel movie who ends up losing a drag race to a puppy or a plucky 13-year-old
girl.
Director: Bong Joon Ho- Parasite
Adapted Screenplay: Greta Gerwig- Little Women
Original Screenplay: Han Jin-Wan and Bong Joon Ho- Parasite
Supporting Actor: Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the
Neighborhood
Actor: Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Actress: Saorsie Ronan, Little Women
Supporting Actress: Florence Pugh, Little Women
Tyler
1. Parasite: This was a strong year for best pictures,
and I think it is because the Academy this year was recognizing the daring and
surprising oddballs- the films representing singular visions deftly transferred
to film. The biggest of these successes was Parasite, a movie I knew nothing
about going in to except that it was in Korean. As the intensity ramps up
naturally throughout the film, what I thought I was watching was changing
beneath my feet. I thought I was watching a well-made slice of life documentary-style
story about a loving family required to grift to get by (a la Shoplifters).
Then I thought I was watching a tightly-plotted tense thriller film, which
slowly morphed into a horror film before becoming a witty social commentary. It
takes a strong director to leave you on the edge or your seat because you know
anything can happen, but keep it grounded just enough to keep you caring.
Usually with foreign language films I don’t know how to feel about the acting
and dialogue since so much gets lost in translation, but in this case the
characters all felt full of distinct personality, the acting and storyline
allowing everything to just crackle on screen.
2. Jojo Rabbit: Talk about a risk and a singular vision! The
premise of this movie alone is off-putting and strange, but it works so well on
every level. This is a coming-of-age tale about a boy and a coming-of-age tale
about our world, suffering through a great generations-defining ordeal, all at
the same time. Youth and immaturity operate on simple stories, and while this
can allow for moral clarity and the passion for radical change, it can be
easily manipulated. Fascism requires that immaturity (or “purity”) of thought,
and centering this story on a Hitler Youth is brilliant. In totalitarianism, loyalty
to the party is the most valuable trait while knowledge of the world is
dangerous, so the party creates circles of access in a hierarchical structure
to insulate the devout from reality and those operating in reality from the
true intentions of the devout. The little boys are the only people in the film
who actually believe the party line. The Gestapo responsible for hunting down
Jews know they aren’t really like the fairy tales, the disgraced soldier
running the youth program knows the chance of German victory has disappeared.
His mother “does what she can”, including helping her son grow and mature with
kindness so that he can give up the uniform on his own accord. The little boys
are the perfect party members, assured they are the good guys because they
cannot yet understand the world. I only started thinking about this Hannah
Arendt side of the film afterwards, because during the movie I was too busy
laughing my ass off. Yes, Life is Beautiful used comedy in the concentration
camp to add levity and ultimately even more pathos, but this movie is an actual
comedy, often feeling like Wes Anderson and Mel Brooks teamed up to make a
spoof of The Tin Drum. The farce reaches its peaks with the director playing
imaginary Hitler. These parts are hilarious but also work brilliantly to show
the changing perspective of our young protagonist as things progress.
Reminiscent of the Great Dictator, these scenes play Naziism for the clown it
is. The film makes clear that understanding, caring, and truth are the true antidote
to these violent and immature movements, and that matter now more than ever.
3. Little Women: Being forced to work within many rules and
constraints can often lead to creativity, and the task that Greta set for
herself this time around was full of rules and constraints. It is essentially a
requirement with source material as beloved as this that it has to stay true in
plot and attitude. This film is able to do that while also making many smart
changes to make the story snappy, fun, relevant, and worthy of another
adaptation. The book also follows a long time window, showing many big changes
for half a dozen characters. The film is able to cover so much without feeling
rushed, giving each character their deserved arc (except Beth who doesn’t really
do much in the book either). Ladybird was a personal story in that it was
semi-autobiographical, but I’m sure that Greta has a strong affinity for a
story about endlessly creative women attempting to navigate the rules and
restrictions and burdens placed on them. Expanding the Jo vs. the publisher
parts to become the central framing device was a wonderful way to extract this
fundamental and still incredibly relevant point about the roles we all play in
society.
4. Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood: I’ve been a Tarantino
fan for many years, and I loved this movie both for being so specifically
Tarantino and also for elevating his own work and making something full of so
much surprise and unpredictability. When I first heard he was going to do a
movie about the Manson murders, I was incredibly skeptical, even more when they
started advertising the actor who would be playing Manson. The actual story is
so brutal that even a straightforward film about it would be really hard, but I
was not expecting it to continue his fantasy historical re-writes in line with
inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained. I also loved that the advertising
focus on the Manson actor was just a cinematic redirect, reclaiming the screen
time and narratives for the victims and giving them in film what was taken from
them in reality. Tarantino knows what we expect from him, and this film plays
with those expectations brilliantly to lead to many genuinely funny and
cathartic surprises. The production, acting and screenplay are great. Even though
my favorite scenes (Brad’s investigating Spahn ranch and Leo’s book discussion
with his young co-star) don’t feature Brad and Leo together, they have good
chemistry that keeps the movie buzzing along.
5. 1917: I generally find war movies to be interesting, but
overrated because of their technical difficulties. Knowing about the
pseudo-single shot effect, I was expecting something technically awesome, and
it certainly delivered on that, but I didn’t expect such a bold re-framing of
our war narratives. Most of the war films I find interesting come out of the
Vietnam era, when American media finally realized (or were allowed to show)
that war is not as glamorous as the propaganda machine pretends. In many of
those films, the exploration of evil was central, ranging from “some men on
both sides are evil” to “war makes all men evil” to “evil is necessary for the
good to exit”. This film shows a lot of misery, but no evil. There are a lot of
corpses, but no villains. The stakes for the heroes are incredibly high
(stopping an attack for means certain death for many men), but also incredibly
futile. Following just a few men through a long journey worked really well,
especially with the “single cut”, personalizing the journey while also keeping
the characters just generic enough to be a stand-in for anyone. As the journey
continues, it gets stranger and stranger, and for me it started to take on a
Homeric quality; a long journey of good and bad fortune, with a destination but
no destiny, at the whim of amoral gods with no real care for the fates of
mortals.
6. Marriage Story: Baumbach has made great character
portrait films before, this time he gives us an honest and sad and beautiful
portrait of two people and the world around them. The ending of a relationship
is really only sad if there was something great there to begin with, and
Marriage Story makes it clear these characters really were, and are, in love.
NY-to-LA is a long distance but not that hard of a one to travel, and these two
are so far apart while still being so close. They are individuals though with
ambitions and fears that can’t be summed up with simply “east coast vs west
coast” dichotomy that they feel they must inhabit. There are many moments like
this throughout, where the characters behave not as they want to, which could
lead to reconciliation, but as they feel they are supposed to, which only leads
to more distance. The lawyer scenes are great and heartbreaking; they are the
experts in nastiness pushing the couple away from each other and from their own
true feelings. Divorce is a cliche and a statistic for everyone except the
people in it, and the truth and complexity in this film illustrate that
beautifully.
7. The Irishman: Before watching, and even a while after it
started, I was afraid this movie was going to a Martin Scorces-directed
pastiche of Martin Scorsese’s mafia movies. Instead, it is a director confident
in craft at telling a fun and ruthless mafia story that breezes by even at its
outrageous runtime. He grounds the movie in that comfort zone but then tries
something bold- bringing real character and real heart into it. Even though
he’s using the outlandish (and widely discredited as a “true story”) mafia tall
tales from one hitman’s memoirs, his fiction on top of a fiction on top of a
truth does still find that truth and let it bloom. It is a film about
friendship, loyalty, betrayal, and revenge amongst people attempting to
maximize their power while ultimately having to sacrifice all their humanity to
the institutions that rule over them.
8. Joker: This movie was certainly a risk and an interesting
vision to attempt to meld this classic villain into a 70s film, but I just
don’t think it worked. I thought the Nolan dark Batman trilogy was successful
at its goal of making superhero movies by adding in some gritty reality, but it
doesn’t seem to work so well in the reverse. On the campy 60s Adam West Batman,
one of the running gags was that he would always have the perfect item on his
utility belt for very specific situations. It feels like the writers were
pulling out convenient coincidences from their utility belts to get this story
to work, like the nonsense way that Arthur ends up on DeNiro’s late-night show.
Telling movies with unreliable storytellers is a complicated game to play. I
love when it is done well, but I think in this case, the unreliability of the
narrator is used to hide massive plot holes and add complexity that isn’t
there. Joaquin is great in this movie, and it is filled with cool, tense,
visually iconic scenes referencing the great films of the 70s throughout, I
just wish it added up to something more.
9. Ford V Ferrari: This was a very well-produced,
well-acted, well-directed movie. I found it surprisingly enjoyable but I felt
it was just too long. The racing was neat for a while, but it wasn’t
interesting enough to hold the amount of time it had. I did really enjoy the
character arc of Christian Bale’s racer in this film. I get bored with the
cocky male destroyed by his ego story these days, but in this film Bale flies
(I mean races) close to the sun but guides himself back to earth before his
wings (I mean brakes) melt off, which I found incredibly refreshing. This is
the best movie of the year that feels like it was made by a committee instead
of a person/small group of people with a vision. It’s not bad, but in a year of
more interesting stories by more interesting storytellers that puts this one at
the bottom.
Director: Bong Joon Ho, Parasite
Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Actress: Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
Supporting Actor: Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Supporting Actress: Florence Pugh, Little Women
O. Screenplay: Han Jan-Win and Bong Joon-Ho, Parasite
Adapted Screenplay: Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit
Jason
I think 2020 might be the hardest year I’ve ever had in
rating the best picture nominees. What a memorable and original year in film! I
truly loved all but one film on this list and they feel very interchangeable in
terms of rankings.
1. Parasite: Such a perfect combination of fun, darkness,
and surprises coupled with something really profound to say. We need more
completely original movies like Parasite!
2. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood: I love Tarantino and
this might be one of his best. It’s such a cool film with perfect casting and a
badass ending that turns history on its head.
3. 1917: A true masterpiece of a war movie and destined to
be mentioned with Saving Private Ryan (robbed at the Oscars) and Apocalypse Now
as one of the greatest. It’s not only a technical marvel but a well-paced and
intimate look at the horrors of WW1.
4. Joker: Heath Ledger’s Joker is one of my all-time
favorite acting roles and I love that Joaquin made something new with it. I
appreciate creating a new origin story from a well-known character and taking
an in-depth look into the descent of madness.
5. Marriage Story: I love films about everyday people! This
movie has brilliant turns by all of the major actors and a well flowing script
that keeps the pace in a subject that could have felt like it was dragging.
6. The Irishman: I’m a huge Scorcese fan and it’s hard not
to like The Irishman, as it plays out as an homage to the great director.
Brilliant acting, typical Scorcese style, and a phenomenal cast of the usual
actors make 3.5 hours fly by.
7. Little Women: I’m an outlier with Little Women as I’ve
never read the book nor have I ever seen any of the other versions of the film.
This version is well directed and a beautifully acting adaptation and I really
enjoyed it.
8. Jojo Rabbit: A fun and at the same time a heartbreaking
film about childhood, parenting, and love in times of terrible horror and
tragedy.
9. Ford v Ferrari: A well done and technically superb film,
but for me, not in the same league as the other eight. I’m admittedly not a car
racing or car person, perhaps it’s would have been more interesting if I was.
Director: Sam Mendes, 1917
Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Actress: Saorsie Ronan, Little Women
Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood
Supporting Actress: Laura Dern, Marriage Story
O. Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time...in
Hollywood
Adapted Screenplay: Steve Zallian, The Irishman
