The Father – 10
Anthony Hopkins won his second Best Actor Oscar, in a huge upset over Chadwick Boseman, for his portrayal of a an elderly man in the throes of dementia. The screenplay also won a well-deserved Academy Award, as it plays with his life the way Christopher Nolan plays with time. Olivia Coleman plays the daughter trying to care for him.
I didn’t realize until late in the movie how bad his dementia was, to the point that his life was almost a hallucination, and his memory was not only playing tricks on him, but playing tricks on us. As I age, and not only does my memory suffer, but my proficiency at Jeopardy and trivia fades, movies like this are the real horror movies. How bad can things get? At 28, 38, or 48 I probably would not have been as moved as I was just days from turning 68. I also have to confess that I had to go a you tube video to explain the movie. I find myself doing that more and more.
As for Hopkins’ Oscar win, my comment is this. He is brilliant, but I can’t help but think that any number of actors could have been as effective in this role. Boseman’s performance was one that I just couldn’t see anyone else doing as well. That’s my two cents.
The Mole Agent – 9
A great companion piece to The Father, this is a Chilean film that got an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary, although I found it hard to believe as a documentary. The film centers on 85 year old Sergio who is recruited to go undercover in a nursing home to investigate abuse. It’s a wonderful story and the filming is so realistic that it just doesn’t play like a documentary. It’s almost too good.
What Sergio finds is a world of loneliness and family abandonment. If you’re old, but feeling like you’re going to hang around for a long time, The Father and The Mole Agent combine for a double feature that will give you a whole lot more questions than answers about how you can script your twilight years.
Minari – 10
This Oscar nominated film is the story of a Korean family who moves from California to Arkansas in the 1980’s to try to raise Korean produce on a plot of land that the father has purchased. The less than enthusiastic family is joined by the wife’s grandmother, (Oscar winner for supporting actress Youn Yuh-jung – who is hilarious) and a local helper (an almost unrecognizable Will Patton). Together they try to overcome all the adversities and uncertainties that farming must bring.
This is a wonderfully gentle movie. I spent a year in Arkansas, and the film gets it right in how great the people are there. You are holding your breath waiting for a bad egg to surface, but the locals are nothing but helpful to the struggling family. This enjoyable film has more heart that you could ask for.
My Octopus Teacher – 10
The movie that won the Best Documentary Oscar contains probably the most amazing footage I’ve ever seen in a movie. Day after day for over a year, filmmaker Craig Foster dives into a South African lagoon where he begins a journey of self-discovery led by an Octopus, whose one-year life span is an adventure that Craig gets to document. Did I mention that the footage is amazing? If you are not enthralled by this camerawork, you aren’t alive. It is just unbelievable how close he gets to the octopus, not only physically, but emotionally. As their relationship develops and the octopus is the hunter and the hunted in the ocean’s ecosystem, I couldn’t help but be moved. In a year of great documentaries, most about the political and social media world, Netflix pulled this one out of the ocean, and it is riveting. The Best Picture Oscar has eluded Netflix, but their documentary contributions are just marvelous.
Always Be My Maybe – 9
What a pleasant surprise to find a rom-com that lives up to the genre. An Asian comedy about a life long friendship, I found this even better than Crazy Rich Asians. Ali Wong and Randall Park play childhood sweethearts who have avoided each other for 15 years. She is a successful restauranter and he still plays in his unsuccessful rock band that he loves. Charming and funny, when you’re in the mood for a non-Hallmark romance, check this one out.
Roadies and High Fidelity – reprise
For my music loving, music browsing friends just a reminder to check out these two one-season wonders now showing on Hulu. Roadies, a Cameron Crowe story of the support team behind a touring rock band, flew under the radar on its initial Showtime run, and High Fidelity didn’t get a second season, but that’s ok, because the first seasons would be hard to top. I’ve got to confess, I’ve binged these all the way through, twice. They both have heart, and moments of brilliance, and if you are one of those people who miss record stores, from Tower Records to the local store, these are for you.
How to Fix the Oscars
This year’s Oscars, with its all-time low viewing audience, somehow was able to put together a finale even more credibility-shaking than the Moonlight – LaLa Land debacle of a few years ago. The producers got into the prognosticating business and they were so sure that the late Chadwick Boseman was going to win and the night would end with tears, they stupidly moved Best Actor to the last award and got what they were asking for – a huge letdown when Anthony Hopkins won, and he wasn’t even there to accept his award. He was sure too, I guess.
What a mess. It was heartbreaking for us movie fans who still love this bullshit, and we know that’s what it is. But, all award shows have lost their appeal. Maybe its backlash over the political statements (and this one was heavy with that.) Maybe it’s the inherent unfairness of trying to single out a performance as “best.” Maybe it’s the rise of streaming and the fact that award shows haven’t figured out just how to sort that out.
I don’t know the answer to getting the audience back, so I’m going to just offer up some suggestions on how the show can get better, because let’s face it, it can’t get much worse.
1. Go back to the host. Find someone who isn’t snarky or swarmy, and just has some nice appeal. And make sure he or she loves movies.
2. Do what you do best. American movies became beloved because of their musicals. Take a cue from the Tony’s (and from Kelly Clarkson) and start the show with music. Where do most actors start? In local musical theater. Gather up all these great singers and dancers and put on a show. I’m thinking of a whole crew of superstars who are great, but rarely get to sing in a movie like: Ann Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Amanda Seyfried, Evan Rachel Wood, Kristen Bell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anna Kendrick, Katy Sagal, Emma Rossum, Emma Stone, Emma Watson. And that’s just the women. Hell, you could do it with just Emma’s. Next year we’ll do the men. Maybe they could do a medley of the best song nominees, or just a great production number.
3. They hit on something this year in asking people what their favorite movie is. Start right now and tour the nation. I’d be glad to tell somecatone about my favorites, and take us all and put together a clip package to end all clip packages. Use it in the advertising.
4. Remind us why we love movies. More movies, less talk. Highlight great winners of the past along with the nominees in each category. I’d almost consider pre-filming the Thank you speeches to contain them to a time limit.
5. Never, Never prognosticate. And no one should ever be giving out an award they have an interest in. As big a supporter as I was for the Sound of Metal, I did not like Riz Ahmed presenting the Oscar for Best Sound.
6. Modern it up. The graphics could be jazzed up. Maybe it’s even time to sponsor the awards. Here’s what I mean:
The Katherine
Hepburn Best Actress Award goes to …..
The Jason
Robards Best Supporting Actor Award goes to ,,,,
The Frank Capra
Best Director Award goes to…
It could be a one-year experiment. There’s no where to go but up.
Lastly, hire a great producer. I’m available.
One final word. As many of you know, I’ve been trying to watch the top 250 films of all time as selected by film critics from all over the world in the Sight and Sound Poll, last released in 2012 and due out again in 2022.
For my next blog I’m going to give you the gift of my top 250 favorite films. Check it out. I predict you will think I’ve lost my mind.
In closing here’s my all-time favorite Oscar production number, from 1979: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyZkOHcjyak
Enjoy!
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