So here we are, 14 months after the last Oscars. There was a delay, but the Oscars must go on! While some thought there wouldn’t be enough to reward, it’s actually been a really strong year, with a solid Best Picture lineup and an excellent acting lineup (including a very diverse array of actors). The absence of a lot of traditional Oscar bait allowed for some interesting movies to make their way to the lineup. I missed the thrill of seeing these movies in the theater, but the qualities of the great ones really shone through.
We have a smaller crew this year, but thanks to my sister and brother-in-law Sarah and Tyler for joining the fun for their 11th (!) year.
Here is our compiled ranking. No big divergences this year! It’s safe to say we are all praying against a Trial of the Chicago 7 upset and will be thrilled if Nomadland wins.
We were also unanimous in our picks for Director and Screenplay.
Director: Chloe Zhao, Nomadland
Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman
Adapted Screenplay: The Father
In the acting categories, Sarah and Tyler matched while I went against the grain!
Actor
Sarah, Tyler: Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
Ben: Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal)
Actress
Sarah, Tyler: Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman)
Ben: Frances McDormand (Nomadland)
Supporting Actor
Sarah, Tyler: Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Ben: Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
Supporting Actress
Sarah, Tyler: Olivia Colman, The Father
Ben: Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Now to our individual write-ups:
Ben
Nomadland: To me, clearly the movie of the year. So sweeping, so humane, and different, not only from your average Hollywood film but also from a typical indie. Director Chloe Zhao combines an amazing central performance by Frances McDormand with real-life nomads to tell a story about those in our society whose circumstances have pushed them into a lifestyle that can be both beautiful and punishing. Chloe Zhao will very likely become the second female Best Director winner, and she is a true poet with an amazing career in front of her.
Sound of Metal: What does a life look like when the thing you value most is taken from you? With an incredible sound design, Sound of Metal immerses the viewer in the experience of Ruben, a heavy metal drummer who suffers sudden hearing loss. Riz Ahmed gives one of the best performances in recent years, and the ending is breathtaking.
The Father: Speaking of immersive… In an utterly ingenious move, the subtly disorienting experience of watching the movie mimics the experience of dealing with dementia. Apart from the stellar central performances by Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman, the editing and set design truly set this movie apart. While there were a couple of very good stage-to-screen adaptations this year (One Night in Miami, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), this was the best of them, using all the tools of cinema to enhance an excellent piece of art. As tough as the subject is, I can’t wait to watch it again for its cinematic craft.
Promising Young Woman: AKA the movie that launched a thousand think pieces. This movie plays so cleverly with genre (revenge thriller...dark comedy....romantic comedy?), it’s hard to know where it will go next. There are also a myriad of ways to feel about Cassie, its central protagonist, and her quest for justice. I loved the slippery script, the clever pacing, and the mix of dark (themes) and light (everything pink and candy-coated in the costuming and design). While I’m still wrestling with the ending (and leaning towards not really loving it), the fact that I’m still thinking about the movie means it accomplished quite a feat.
Judas and the Black Messiah: A vital movie about the past made with remarkable visual style and filled with superb performances by Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, and Dominique Fishback. I tend to be a little bored by more traditional biopics, so I appreciated the “mole” plotline that gives an intriguing entry point to looking at Fred Hampton and his murder by the US government. The only false notes for me were the brief scenes of an overly made-up Martin Sheen as J. Edgar Hoover.
Minari: A personal, heartfelt movie with excellent performances about a Korean-American family in the 1980s moving to rural Arkansas. This is usually the kind of movie I would love, but I’m firmly in the “good, not great” camp. I really enjoyed it, but it also felt like a lot of indie movies I’ve seen before.
The Trial of the Chicago 7: Radical politics and Aaron Sorkin, the master of moderate liberalism (see The West Wing), make for somewhat strange bedfellows. This film has a terrific cast (with Mark Rylance my best in show), but it feels a bit like a star-studded TV movie, complete with the false ending of a stirring speech. Worth watching, but certainly not worthy of a Best Picture nomination. For a more clear-headed look at 60s activism and the toll it took, see Judas and the Black Messiah.
Mank: This movie, about the screenwriter of Citizen Kane, ironically suffers from… a weak script. The production design elements are stellar, and the actors solid, but they don’t tell an interesting story, and this is coming from me, who loves old Hollywood and Citizen Kane. I’m not quite sure why you would tell this story and only make Orson Welles a minor character, but that’s what happened. While attempting to pay homage to Hollywood classics, this can’t hold a candle to them.
My picks:
Director: Chloe Zhao, Nomadland
Actor: Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal. I wish it could be a 3-way tie (with Anthony Hopkins and Chadwick Boseman), but I keep coming back to Ahmed’s expressive face.
Actress: Frances McDormand, Nomadland This is an absolutely terrific category, and I’m fine with anyone winning. In the end, I went with McDormand because she’s one of our greatest actresses and she’s never been better.
Supporting Actor: Paul Raci, Sound of Metal. A very tough choice over the men of Judas and the Black Messiah, but I ended up going with Raci, who embodies the true soul of his movie, and may be the only true SUPPORTING actor in this category.
Supporting Actress: Maria Bakalova, Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm. For providing us the funniest performance of the year, along with one of the biggest political stories of the year in her face-off with Giuliani!
Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman
Adapted Screenplay: The Father
Sarah
Nomadland
While I can appreciate a traditional or even showy and snarky take on political and economic events (like the Big Short), a movie like Nomadland speaks volumes about the impact of the great recession without hitting you over the head. Frances McDormand perfectly portrays someone that I feel like I’ve met so many times- no-nonsense/no-frills, just gets to work doing what needs to be done. I love how nuanced the movie is in showing the difficult life of people on the road without pity, in addition to the joys and beauty that come along for the ride.
Promising Young Woman
What a trip! This is one I really wish I could’ve watched in the theater just to experience with other people. I can understand why this movie is divisive in its tone, but I loved it, from the bubble gum color scheme, cast of familiar “Nice guys” (and nice ladies, Hi Tammy Taylor!) from beloved tv shows, and twists and turns that kept you guessing.
The Father
I didn’t know much about this movie going in other than it was a kind of sad movie about dementia. Anthony Hopkins was incredible as you could see the different facets of who he was in his past life and then his breakdown at the end. There is a famous book about Alzheimers called the 36 hour day, and the direction, writing and acting in the movie really nail that sense of disorientation and odd sense of time. Olivia Colman is also excellent as she shows her grief for her father while he is still alive. She also emobides the challenges of being a caretaker, from the fantasies of killing him to the forced cheerfulness and hope that this hired caregiver will finally be the one to make things OK.
Sound of Metal
Such a unique movie- Riz Ahmed is amazing as you accompany him on the trauma and grief of losing his hearing and then learning how to adjust to his new life. This one really stuck with me. Also, is there any way this won’t win for best sound? Amazing!
Judas and the Black Messiah
Most of what I knew about Fred Hampton I learned from watching “The Murder of Fred Hampton” documentary a few years ago, and I hope with Judas and the Black Messiah, more people learn about his part in history, and how we can clearly see the connections and ramifications to events continuing today. Daniel Kaluuya gives an amazing performance as well as Dominique Fishback- she was great in Show me a Hero and The Deuce, and I hope to see her in more movies. She really captured showing the personal toll that activism takes on loved ones and the complicated sacrifices made for a cause. I really like Lakeith Stanfield as an actor, but I didn’t quite get as much as I would’ve liked in terms of character exploration- I’m not quite sure if this was due to script or acting.
6.) Minari
This is exactly the type of movie I tend to love- a quiet, intimate look at a specific family story, that also says something about the larger experience of America or of humanity in general (see Nomadland). I did find the performances very moving and the narrative about the immigrant experience poignant, but there was something about it that just fell a little short that I can’t quite put my finger on- I think perhaps it was just a bit too long or didn’t explore the character of Monica enough to leave me satisfied.
7.) Mank
I’m not exactly scratching my head about why this got so many nominations, because we know Hollywood loves to celebrate movies about Hollywood, but it didn’t do it for me. Mank felt to me like it would’ve been the top contender about 20 years ago. Something about it felt very stale and wasn’t engaging or said much new. I kept getting confused about the supporting characters keeping track of who was who and their motivations. I did think the cinematography was interesting and Gary Oldman’s performance very good.
8.) Trial of the Chicago 7
So, this movie was more entertaining than Mank, but also more frustrating and thus landed in my last slot. I’m a sometimes Aaron Sorkin fan- I like a lot of episodes of the West Wing, but his approach in this movie was just too heavy-handed and inauthentic. The zippy dialogue and actors kept it engaging, but I also have a pet peeve of true stories where artistic liberties are taken for no real value and that damage the legacy of a real person or event. (check out History Vs. Hollywood and the comments about Dave Dillenger)
Actor: Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom)
Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah)
Actress: Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman)
Supporting Actress: Olivia Colman (The Father)
Director: Chloé Zhao (Nomadland)
Adapted Screenplay: The Father
Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman
Tyler
Sound of Metal
My favorite movies this year contained a lot of similar elements; stories that felt real and honest, with great performances that make you forget they are performances at all, telling stories that are uniquely interesting while being universally appealing. Most years many of my favorite films are critically acclaimed but usually too "small" to be Oscar contenders. Maybe because of COVID-19, some of the blockbuster war movies and big-budget period pieces were put on hold, making way for some of these “smaller” films to receive the recognition they deserve. Of these films, I keep thinking back to Sound of Metal as my favorite. Riz Ahmed’s journey through this film is compelling. Not only is he losing access to his livelihood as a musician, but it is safe to assume it is a livelihood chosen out of a passion for music, which is quickly fading from his life. He is also losing a major way in which he interacts with other people and the world, and you feel this anxiety along with him. The journey from denial to acceptance is a messy and realistic one. He finds a supportive community and a new way to live a fulfilling life, but it doesn’t end there. He still takes risks to try to reclaim what he had before, and even though it seems to be an unhealthy path you still root that it will work out as he wants. The audio in this film, which often moves into his perspective, works so well. The moment they turn on the implants and you hear a simulation of what he would hear is heart-wrenching, as he realizes that his “fix” won’t return what was lost. Usually, movies about grief and loss are dealing with a finality that can only be resolved with acceptance. What I find so interesting here is the way that when it is grief/loss over something you consider such a fundamental part of yourself, it can be transformed not just into acceptance but into a new discovery of the self.
Nomadland
It might not make sense to call Nomadland an ensemble cast, as most of the characters only have passing fragmentary parts, but they all make an impact. Some are professional actors but I think many appear on film as themselves. There is a possibility of magic when you put real people in front of the camera instead of actors creating people- you get interesting details that no one would be able to write or plan. The difficulty is getting honest and unforced performances in those situations, but somehow Chloe Zhao is able to do it marvelously. We all know Francis McDormand can act, but she puts in an especially notable performance here for her ability to not stick out, but rather blend in with the rest of the people on down the road and the beautiful landscapes. I know there are some critiques of this film and the non-demonization of an Amazon fulfillment center temp job, but I think those people are considering this to be a political film about poverty, a Nickel & Dimed expose for the new gig economy, but I just don’t see it that way. I see this as a film showing that life can be hard for people on the outskirts of “normal” society, but ultimately as a celebration of those making their own way.
Promising Young Woman
Last year we got Joker, which was a poor and shallow imitation of Taxi Driver that had little to say, especially in comparison. Watching Promising Young Woman, I couldn't help but think of Taxi Driver, and how this film is actually in a very interesting conversation with that one, sometimes as a reflection and sometimes refutation and critique. Half a century and massive ideological canyon separate Mulligan’s young woman from Deniro’s young man, but they share that drive that makes them both decide to take what they see as the sickness of the world on their shoulders. Carey Mulligan’s Jodie Foster is never seen- a friend who was victimized and ultimately took her own life before the film starts. As both those films progress, we are rooting not so much that the protagonists will solve the ills they see in the world (as we know the problems are too big for them to fix), but rather that they cool it with the hero fantasy, seek out help for the emotional issues that are driving them, and everyone just goes home before someone gets hurt. Of course the way in which our promising young woman actually sees the world and attempts to fix it is almost a complete inversion of the violent Travis Bickel. I loved all the scenes of her confronting the men and women perpetrators of sexual violence, and the clever ways she is able to force them to reckon. There is a scene with Alfred Molina that other directors maybe would have cut for time, but I’m glad it was included as it made it clear that her goal is not “revenge”, but rather she is looking for acknowledgment of past crimes, reconciliation, and ultimately justice. It’s a subtle but important difference, but this film is built on subtle but important differences, and the best part about it is the way it keeps you thinking afterwards.
Minari
Another movie I knew very little about going into it, but I had a strong hunch while watching that the story of the film was heavily biographical, and the character of the little boy was the stand-in for the film creator. It turns out that was the case- they didn’t end the film with the “real picture in the credits” cliche, but they could have. In this case, the realism and personal nature matter, as it lends that specific feeling of a story being both too normal and too weird to be made up. How that story was told, or what part of that story was told, was one of the more interesting aspects to me. It was not exactly told from the perspective of a child (like say, Beasts of the Southern Wild), but instead felt like it was based on the story handed down through the family in conjunction with childhood memories; focusing on some minor details and sweeping away many others. In an era where hate crimes against Asian-Americans and immigrants is on the rise, the subtle to non-existent racial tension in this film is noticeable. Who knows how accurate that part really is, but it certainly seems to fit the family-history storytelling; the family made it through many hardships, and some of those less tangible obstacles they likely faced can fade away with retelling. At the same time, being able to tell a story with such cultural diversity without having to make the central conflict about antagonism to that diversity is refreshing; it allows the film to tell an interesting, personal, and yet universal story of an American family.
The Father
I didn’t know this was a play but it quickly became clear while watching. Not a story that required large set pieces or many characters, but a simple story about an old man losing track of his watch, his time, his memories, and his sense of self. Anthony Hopkins is great in the way he shifts between cogent and intelligent to confused and embarrassed. He can shift from incredibly charming to incredibly ruthless, like Hopkins’ Hanibel Lecter free from his restraints. The film itself works like a sad Memento, imbuing the audience with the same ailment the main title character suffers from, and making it part of the storytelling. There was a point where, even though I knew that he was suffering from dementia, the narrative rules themselves weren’t established, and I myself became suspicious and confused, thinking that maybe this was a story about a vulnerable old man being scammed out of his apartment. As it progressed, and Anthony’s (both the character and the actor’s name) confusion progressed, the story takes on interesting surrealism elements, almost feeling at moments like a Charlie Kaufman story. Through all of this the film still stays grounded by the great performances of Hopkins and Colman and becomes an amazing experimental exercise in sympathy and grief.
Judas and the Black Messiah
I was excited to hear that the Fred Hampton story, long overdue for his recognition in a major film (and therefore the larger general awareness that comes with it) was long overdue. Daniel Kaluuya was great as the chairman, but I found the choice of framing for the whole film to be a little odd. It was interesting to focus the story on Lakeif's “Judas”; it was a way to introduce us to the world of the panthers and the FBI, but the ambiguity in Bill O’Neal’s role and his feelings about his role didn’t make for an interesting ambiguity in the character as much as it did a muddled drama about “betrayal”. We understand that he was non-political and pulled into this world, but we don’t get much compelling insight into his thoughts. Maybe O’Neal here is supposed to be not so much a real person but a stand in for everyone who stands on the sidelines while others fight for justice, or those who take advantage of justice movements and ultimately impede or doom them for their own selfish reasons. If that was the reason for showing recreations of those real interviews and indulging O’Neal’s own perverted sense of his role, it doesn’t really go far enough to make that point. Ultimately I think they used important and fascinating source material and focused on the wrong drama. Instead of the focus on O’Neal they could have focused more on both Hampton and COINTELPRO; there was plenty more to say. If they wanted a clever title they could have just went with The Assassination of Fred Hampton by the Coward J Edgar Hoover.
Mank
Mank is a real person, with a legendary persona (apparently), but the strangest part of the film is that Mank the character seems to be a bit of an empty vessel. Yeah he is witty and drinks a lot, but it seems like the filmmakers here were more interested in using him as an entry point into the world of old Hollywood and politics instead of trying to create a fully-realized character or plot around him. The plot of his friendship and betrayal of Hearst and Marion Davies is fine, but the whole “sacrificing personal relationships for art” is well-trodden ground. The relationship between him and Welles never really came of much. Maybe the story Fincher really wanted to tell was about the origin of Hollywood mythmaking pervading politics. Mank is used as our witness to the unscrupulous studio system that coordinated to quash a potential revolutionary in Upton Sinclair, and for some reason this whole plot is forced into the film, creating an odd disconnect and forcing Mank the character to appear to take political positions that apparently Mank the real man never did. A movie solely about that subplot, assuming it was more accurately told, could certainly make for a compelling film, and it would certainly be timely. The swiftboating of Sinclair could be seen as the first step in the Hollywood political mythmaking trifecta, followed up by turning a chimp’s costar into the conservative inflection point of the 20th century, and reinventing a failure son of a businessman into a reality star business success and leading to whatever the hell happened over these last four years. It’s hard to see how that is relevant to Mank the man though. If the movie wants to give us a political reason that Mank chooses to attack Hearst, why not focus on Hearst creating false pretenses for war with Spain to sell more papers? I believe that is the most direct reference in Citizen Kane that makes it clear to the whole audience that it is a thinly-veiled critique of Hearst. Did Fincher forget the Maine? The drunken antics and snarky dialogue made for an entertaining watch, but the film never came together for me the way I think it was supposed to.
The Trial of the Chicago Seven
Aaron Sorkin likes to explain things, so I find it odd that he can’t tell a story like this- one that in my opinion the audience expects and deserves an accurate accounting- without taking artistic licenses that undermine the value of telling the story in the first place. Normally a rag-tag team comes together to win a ball game or rob a bank, so it is interesting to see the true history of the Justice Department compiling the rag-tag group in a courtroom in an attempt to take down all the different leftist groups in the country with one fell swoop. The courtroom antics were generally fun to watch (or appalling to watch when it comes to the inhumane treatment of Bobby Seale by the court). Most of the other scenes where they fought about tactics were interesting but a little long, and the actual recreation of the protest itself just felt so fake. Activism is messy, and one thing you can say about this film is that it is kind of messy. Of course it is competently directly, acted, and edited- all the movies on this list are- but beneath that sheen it’s a bit of a mess in what the film is trying to accomplish. The real story is interesting enough that Sorkin could have just tried to recreate the trial alone, but of course he wouldn’t have the restraint to do that because he would mostly be stuck with others words, and it would not give him the freedom for his monologues. Those monologues can be great when he has something interesting to say, but in this case he really comes up short, and should just let the story speak for itself.
Actor: Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya (Judas the Black Messiah)
Actress: Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman)
Supporting Actress: Olivia Colman (The Father)
Director: Chloe Zhao (Nomadland)
Adapted Screenplay:The Father
Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman
