Age of The Nerd
The annual Oscars are just two, three sleeps away and one of the nine nominated films selected from 2017’s numerous releases will join eighty-nine predecessors as the ninetieth film to be awarded Best Picture by the voting body of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. People will tune in to see if popular, long-snubbed favorites like Gary Oldman and Roger Deakins will finally walk up to the podium as winners or if host Jimmy Kimmel will spend a good portion of the show commenting on any hot button topic with the government or the current state of Hollywood while cracking jokes that Disney/Pixar films automatically win the Animated Oscar on brand name alone, although they really knocked it out of the ballpark this year with “Coco”, or how awards ceremonies only nominate movies people in New York and Los Angeles have heard of (although when visiting family back in Texas at Christmas, there were plenty of Houstonians turning up in droves for “The Shape of Water”, “Lady Bird” and “Call Me by Your Name”).
But what of the nominated films themselves?
Let’s take one final look at this year’s lineup and what, in this “humble” cinephile’s opinion, should be the title announced by the final presenter(s) on Sunday night (barring there isn’t another “La La Land”-“Moonlight” snafu like last year’s legendary blunder).
And, one last time, the nominees are:
Its not that “Darkest Hour” is a bad film. Quite the contrary, it’s a sturdy return to form for Joe Wright after 2015’s “Pan” and another tour-de-force performance from Gary Oldman, sure to win his first Oscar this weekend as British prime minister Winston Churchill after a career of baffling snubs and a sole nomination for 2011’s “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”. But that’s also its ultimate flaw: it’s just a good film with a great performance, equally fine technical achievements and little more, especially when taking the films it’s competing against into account. “Darkest Hour” is the “Oscar bait” nominee, the one that’s mercilessly ridiculed online for wearing a supposed want for awards validation with beaming pride (although those usually bear the now toxic Weinstein brand, something you won’t see on any of this year’s contenders). There also happens to be the coincidental – and unfortunate – timing of release in the same year as Christopher Nolan’s unquestionably superior “Dunkirk”, which means there’s a worthwhile double bill to be had watching the evacuation of the British troops from the beaches play out from the soldiers’ point of view (“Dunkirk”) followed by the government’s (“Darkest Hour”). Come Sunday night, should Mr. Oldman win, that will be “Darkest Hour”’s sole lasting legacy. But in all fairness, that’s certainly not the worst legacy a movie can have.
* also nominated for Actor in a Leading Role (Gary Oldman), Cinematography (, Production Design (Sarah Greenwood), Costume Design (Jacqueline Durran) and Makeup
8. “The Post”
Any other year, Steven Spielberg’s recent docudrama about the reporters, editor and publisher of the Washington Post racing against the clock to get the Pentagon Papers published would take its fair share of licks alongside “Darkest Hour” as “Oscar bait”, solidified by Meryl Streep garnering her record 21st nomination as trailblazing Post publisher/owner Katherine Graham. But Mr. Spielberg and screenwriters Liz Hannah and Josh Singer surpass those “limitations” with the film’s all too relevant message about the importance of the free press’s relationship with the First Amendment and a not so subtle reminder in the closing moments what happens to those who use the office of President as a means to line their coffers or engage in petty behaviors and vendettas. “The Post” couldn’t have come fast enough in this tumultuous political climate and the absurdly divisive view social media currently has on mainstream media and newspapers like the New York Times and, of course, the Post and, for that, it deserves its place as one of Mr. Spielberg’s finest accomplishments. But timeliness and relevance does not a Picture winner make.
* also nominated for Actress in a Leading Role (Meryl Streep). Seriously, that’s it.
7. “Lady Bird”
Greta Gerwig has been on a roll this decade establishing herself as a singular talent in the industry, so it’s only natural “multi-Oscar nominated filmmaker” would be one of her inevitable milestones. Her tribute to her hometown of Sacramento, being an adolescent woman in the 21st century and the tempestuous relationships children have shared with their parents since the dawn of time – in this case, the beautifully complex one between mother Laurie Metcalf and daughter Saoirse Ronan, both rightfully nominated in Supporting and Leading Actress, respectively – grows on you, first as a work of comedic brilliance before becoming an insightful portrayal of what we face at home and high school, genders be damned. Unsurprisingly, it’s also a breathtaking showcase for Ms. Gerwig’s talents behind the camera after a decade of demonstrating them in front of it. But while ”Lady Bird” isn’t one of my personal favorites for what should snag the big kahuna this weekend, it’s a wonderful little film certain to inspire future generations of filmmakers with stories of “love and admiration.”
* also nominated for Directing (Greta Gerwig), Actress in a Leading Role (Saoirse Ronan), Actress in a Supporting Role (Laurie Metcalf) and Original Screenplay (Greta Gerwig)
6. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
In the last few weeks, mainly after victories at the Golden Globe and BAFTAs, Martin McDonagh’s astoundingly acidic film – so acidic, it even defies what precise genre it is – has come under heavy backlash over the handling of police brutality and Supporting Actor nominee Sam Rockwell’s absolutely hateful yet potentially redeemable police officer who comes to question his character in the wake of a vengeful mother (Actress nominee Frances McDormand) and her obsession to bring the man who raped and murdered her daughter to (any form of) justice, throwing the sleepy Missouri hamlet into anarchy through the eponymous three billboards accusing the cops – and the terminally ill chief (Woody Harrelson, also nominated for Supporting Actor) – of staggering incompetence. While the idea behind the backlash is understandable, it’s ultimately an unfounded one as anyone who knows Mr. McDonagh’s writing knows his stories aren’t about what can be done to solve touchy social topics, but the good and heinous acts people experience and demonstrate in their daily lives. If “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” were to win this Sunday night, and it possibly can with the guild support it has received in the last month, it would certainly be the darkest exploration of middle American society to snag the big prize since the Coen Brothers’ “No Country for Old Men” ten years prior. It certainly gets you talking, no matter your view.
* also nominated for Actress in a Leading Role (Frances McDormand), Actor in a Supporting Role (Woody Harrelson & Sam Rockwell), Original Screenplay (Martin McDonagh), Editing (Jon Gregory) and Original Score (Carter Burwell)
5. “The Shape of Water”
Of all the touchy romances competing for Picture this year (three, to be precise), one can’t help but appreciate the humor that the one that generally escaped harsh scrutiny was the one between a mute cleaning woman (Actress nominee Sally Hawkins) and a mythic aquatic beast (Doug Jones) in 1960s Baltimore, but what else would you expect from Guillermo Del Toro? The famed Mexican auteur loves subverting what audiences expect from fairy tales and monster stories, something he does with ease and relish with “The Shape of Water”. One of the most recognized films of the year, from the festivals of Venice to the voters of the Producer’s Guild, Mr. Del Toro’s modern fairy tale is truly magical in every sense of the word. The world he and his team of designers and performers bring to life is a visual and emotional wonder from start to end and certainly wouldn’t be too undeserving were it announced as Best Picture. One side note, to voice a personal bias, as lovely as Dan Laustsen’s cinematography and Paul Denham Austerberry’s production design are, one hopes the Academy will not award them at the expense of Roger Deakins’ and Dennis Gassner’s (superior) work on Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner 2049”.
* also nominated for Directing (Guillermo Del Toro), Actress in a Leading Role (Sally Hawkins), Actor in a Supporting Role (Richard Jenkins), Actress in a Supporting Role (Octavia Spencer), Original Screenplay (Vanessa Taylor & Guillermo Del Toro), Cinematography (Dan Laustsen), Editing (Sidney Wolinsky), Production Design (Paul Denham Austerberry), Costume Design (Luis Sequeira), Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Original Score (Alexandre Desplat)
4. “Phantom Thread”
Speaking of unique romances that get under audience members’ skin, who’d have thunk Daniel Day-Lewis’ declared “final performance” – also a reunion with his “There Will Be Blood” director Paul Thomas Anderson – would be a dressmaker wound tighter than a drum that learns to embrace, through the most uncouth methods, the power of submission in a relationship? “Phantom Thread” is a magnificent and unforgettable achievement from Mr. Anderson, an elegant, macabre and side-splitting depiction of fluctuating power dynamics in a relationship between Mr. Day-Lewis’ Reynolds Woodcock and newest muse Alma (Vicky Krieps) set against the lush backdrop of 1950s London’s fashion epicenter (just don’t call any aspect of it “chic”). That it was able to go from barely visible among the guilds, apart from Mr. Day-Lewis’ performance, Mark Bridges’ awe-inspiring costume work and Jonny Greenwood’s magnificent score, to a surprise Picture and Director nominee – also garnering a much-deserved Supporting nomination for Lesley Manville as Day-Lewis’ sister – truly reflects how intoxicating the experience of “Phantom Thread” is.
* also nominated for Directing (Paul Thomas Anderson), Actor in a Leading Role (Daniel Day-Lewis), Actress in a Supporting Role (Lesley Manville), Costume Design (Mark Bridges) and Original Score (Jonny Greenwood)
3. “Get Out”
It’s already been a year since Jordan Peele’s zeitgeist horror satire about a black photographer (Actor nominee Daniel Kaluuya) goes to meet his white girlfriend’s (Allison Williams) wealthy family (Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener and Caleb Landry Jones) and learning their sinister practices gathered near unprecedented critical support, set box office records ablaze and became a Marvel-level cultural phenomenon people still reference on a daily basis. One can’t walk the streets of Hollywood without seeing the haunting “For Your Consideration” advertising outperforming its competition three to one. It’s been almost twenty since a horror movie garnered the kind of attention “Get Out” has received (the last was M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense”). There’s also something serendipitous about “Get Out”’s Oscar run coinciding with the recent Criterion Blu-ray upgrade of Jonathan Demme’s “The Silence of the Lambs”, which also swept the “big 5” Oscars a year after its original theatrical run twenty-seven years prior. Regardless of what came before or what follows, “Get Out” is a trailblazer as a relentless satire with plenty of thrills and chills to spare and certainly a film that would be a welcome choice for Best Picture from the usual “fuddy-duddy” selections.
* also nominated for Directing (Jordan Peele), Actor in a Leading Role (Daniel Kaluuya) and Original Screenplay (Jordan Peele)
2. “Dunkirk”
Christopher Nolan finally got his first Directing nomination. If there’s anything his psychological war thriller about the evacuation of British and French troops stranded at Dunkirk will be remembered for – that is, if one were to take away the pulse-pounding dogfight sequences lensed by nominee Hoyte Van Hoytema in IMAX, Lee Smith’s precisely tuned masterclass in editing and pretty much every other laudable aspect, of which there are many – it’s that, after sixteen years, two writing nominations and numerous misses (search online to see how many people are still “up in arms” over his failing to garner Directing nominations for “The Dark Knight” [and still miffed that lost its presumed Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay nominations to Stephen Daldry’s “The Reader”] and “Inception”), Mr. Nolan has finally gotten Academy recognition for his meticulous direction. That it’s for a World War II film, something Kate Winslet once joked on the TV series “Extras” is a “guaranteed Oscar” (although her tasteless yet accurate comment was geared more towards the Holocaust than WWII itself), seems a bit obvious, but much like Quentin Tarantino and “Inglourious Basterds”, credit on Mr. Nolan’s part for subverting the tropes of the war film to explore the experience as an unparalleled nightmare. Let’s hope this isn’t the last time Mr. Nolan’s talent gets recognized by the Academy.
* also nominated for Directing (Christopher Nolan), Cinematography (Hoyte Van Hoytema), Editing (Lee Smith), Production Design (Nathan Crowley), Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Original Score (Hans Zimmer)
And finally, my personal choice for what should win Best Picture 2017…
- “Call Me by Your Name”
Sometimes, the best isn’t what “changes the game” or challenges what came before. It could be the simplest story with the deepest heartfelt impact, all of which define “Call Me by Your Name”. Luca Guadagnino’s sumptuous tale of romance between musical prodigy Elio (Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet, giving not only the performance of 2017, but a taste of what we as moviegoers should come to expect in the future) and his father’s visiting student Oliver (Armie Hammer, never more charismatic and vulnerable – and unfortunately snubbed in Supporting Actor, but that’s a discussion for another time) during a life-changing summer for both in 1980s Northern Italy transcends the very idea of film as a medium. Even more refreshing is that, despite being a romance between two men at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, the enemy of the story isn’t disease (Jean-Marc Vallée’s “Dallas Buyers Club”) or intolerance (Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain”), but simply time’s heartbreaking inevitability that all things must end, even love. In short, it isn’t a film with a message. It’s simply a slice of life we’ve all lived that also manages to join the ranks of “The Tree of Life”, “The Social Network” and “Mad Max: Fury Road” as one of the finest achievements of the decade, perhaps even the current century. And that’s why it should win Best Picture, though it ultimately won’t.
* also nominated for Actor in a Leading Role (Timothée Chalamet), Adapted Screenplay (James Ivory) and Original Song (“Mystery of Love”)
Reflecting on these nine films this last time before the final hoorah of Hollywood pomp and circumstance culminating in another year of guessing what films of 2018 will join this year’s winners, the great takeaway of this year’s Best Picture lineup is the majority of the nominees this year aren’t just the standard film with great performances and photography and an idea about how the world can be bettered through select gestures and behaviors. Be it romance or survival or understanding what direction things are going in, they’re just great films period that seamlessly blend in with the legends that came before. And now’s the time for a new legend to join the club.
