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Sunday, February 9, 2020

Family v Family: Oscars Story


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.

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RankMovieBenBarbKevinSarahTylerJasonAverage
1Parasite1131111.33
2Once Upon...3313422.67
3Little Women2422373.33
4Marriage Story4554654.83
5 (tie)Jojo Rabbit6765285.67
5 (tie)19177946535.67
7Joker8278846.17
8The Irishman5887766.83
9Ford v Ferrari9699998.50



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



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