Director Todd Strauss-Schulson calls out many of the romantic comedy tropes in Isn’t it Romantic, a film that is fun for lovers of romantic comedies and stands on its own as a peppy comedy. I’m quite glad someone gave Rebel Wilson a starring vehicle, because I’ve been waiting for her to be featured in something since 2012’s Pitch Perfect. For people aware of the romantic comedy arc, this is a predictable film, but that can be easily pushed aside to enjoy amusing performances as well as Wilson’s reactions to the romantic comedy her life has become.
Verdict: Good
Cost: $7.05 (the “bargain” night at Regal has become not so much of a bargain.) (Though free because the boyfriend had gift cards.) Where watched: Regal City Center Stadium 12 with the boyfriend.
Five women are nominated for best actress.* Let’s talk about their performances.
*I think the Academy will be the last to regularly use the term “actress.” In the past five years or so, there’s been a gradual change to calling all people who act “actors” regardless of their gender.
Glenn Close, nominated for The Wife.
The Castleman’s are flying to Stockholm
As mentioned in my review, the movie The Wife is only so-so. But Close’s performance is superb, with a ton of nuance. Now and then she tosses a few clues about what the real story is, but nothing too obvious. Her performance, combined with the number of nominations she’s received, has me wondering if this is her year.
Fun fact I just learned: Close has been the voice of Mona Simpson/Mother Simpson on the TV series The Simpsons, since 1995.
Lady Gaga, nominated for A Star is Born
Nothing says awesome like getting a Best Actress nomination for your first movie. And Lady Gaga deserves it. She had very big shoes to fill (Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland) and she also needed to ground the music-world-version in something better than Barbara Streisand did in the terrible version of the film. I remained skeptical that this version could restore the glory, but in the 2018 version of A Star is Born, Ms. Germanotta was luminescent. And that’s why she might win.
Fun fact: her 2016 performance of the song “‘Till it Happens to You” had me thinking that song was a shoe-in for best song that year. But it did not win.
Melissa McCarthy, nominated for Can You Ever Forgive Me
Melissa McCarthy is amazing. Not only does she have the best reaction shot in the business* she can bring it to the dramas, too. In Can You Ever Forgive Me? she took a character few people liked and had us all rooting for her from the first scene. I’d love for her to win, but I don’t think it will happen.
Fun fact: Apparently, she played a character named Sandra in one of my favorite films that captures the 90s: Go.
*A few years ago, a pre-movie ad for some car was so funny it reminded me I’d not yet seen Spy. I remedied that in the next week and was justly rewarded.
In The Favourite, Olivia Colman’s performance as Queen Anne was mesmerizing. Plus, she had to share screen time with two other captivating performers, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone. Much like Melissa McCarthy, Colman found the humanity in Queen Anne. She also captured the less-than-savory aspects of the regent. If we’re not rewarding Glenn Close for her many nominations, Colman just might be the winner.
Fun fact: I have no fun facts, because this was my introduction to Colman. It won’t be her last performance I see.
Yalitza Aparico, nominated for Roma
I’m sensing a bit of a turn against Roma and its many nominations. There seems to be an undercurrent of grousing about the film. But Yalitza Aparico’s performance remains exquisite.* Like the best servants, she doesn’t give away much. Which means when emotion does slip through, it’s that much more powerful. I’m guessing she’s a long-shot candidate, and this might be the last we see of her. But even if we just get this performance, it will be one for the ages.
Fun fact: she also has a BA in early childhood education.
*She is also nominated for Best Actress for her first film. Well done, Ms. Aparico!
Kelly Fremon Craig’s excellent The Edge of Seventeen has popped up on Netflix and this review is here to convince you to watch the film. Nadine (played by the incredibly talented Hailee Steinfeld) has a life that isn’t hard at all,* and yet it’s very hard.** This film does three things very well: it captures female adolescent angst like few films do; it contains hilarious and (to me at least) familiar depictions of awkward flirting, and oh, my goodness, it is funny.
Verdict: Recommended
Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($7.99) Where watched: at home. And it was good enough to draw the boyfriend in.
*She lives in a nice house, has a middle-class level of resources, and a best friend. **She’s the kind of girl who powers through a world that doesn’t operate the way she does, her father died and left her to navigate the world alone, and her best friend just started dating her older brother, whom she cannot stand.
Andrew Bujalski gives us a great gift in Support the Girls and that gift is Lisa (Regina Hall) as the general manager of a sports bar.* I’m a great fan of slice-of-life stories about people who matter not at all in the global sense, but matter tremendously if you are the person in their orbit and this is that kind of film. All of these women, who could have come off as the worst kind of stereotypes, are complex and interesting and that made for a stellar move experience.
*The kind where the waitresses don’t wear much in the way of clothing.
Verdict: Recommended
Cost: $3.99 via Google Play
Where watched: at home
It’s been slim pickins in the Channing Tatum movie world of late* and so you would think I would have done something besides groan when I first watched the Smallfoot trailer.** I did groan, but no matter, completist that I am, I knew I had to watch it sooner or later, and so I have and I can say that it’s a pretty good kids film. My favorite part was James Corden’s revamp of Queen’s “Under Pressure,” but you can find that on YouTube (and at the bottom of this post) and skip watching the movie.
Verdict: Good (this is one of those “good” ratings where I don’t love the movie, but recognize that it’s fine for its category.)
Cost: $1.75 via Redbox
Where watched: at home waiting for the wintery weather to start.
*Though there’s the delightful gift of that Pink video. **I have very little tolerance for full-on kids movies and that’s what this movie is.
Bjorn Runge’s The Wife is a perfect vehicle for Glenn Close’s seventh Oscar nomination and, aside from her performance, a so-so movie. While Close’s performance is nuanced, Jonathan Pryce was all over the place and mostly a distracting presence.* This exists also as a movie where audiences can say after the credits roll, “Thank goodness it’s not like that today!” which is a statement I wish were true.
Verdict: skip, unless you are in it for the Glenn Close performance
Cost: Free from Multnomah County Library (my first Lucky Day Movie!**) Where watched: at home
*His accent came and went which was perhaps an attempt to show his informal home-life self and his formal Nobel-winning writer self. This attempt was not successful. It also seemed like he couldn’t quite nail his character’s view of Glenn Close as the wife. **New movies that don’t go into the hold system, but hang out at the branches waiting for you to snap them up! They’ve had this system for books for years now, I’m excited to see it for movies too.
There was a time when I wondered how people ever got to see the short films that were nominated for Academy Awards, but that time has passed. In my town of Portland, many movie theaters show them. It’s great to be able to see what the Academy sees.
Of note. If you have multiple theaters showing these shorts, you might choose carefully. My theater showed me all five for one price. I notice that other theaters are dividing the documentary shorts into two programs, each of which you have to pay for.
Cost: $8.00
Where watched: Living Room Theaters
For this review, I’m dispensing with my three sentence format and will feature all five nominees.
Black Sheep
(27 minutes) Directed by Ed Perkins and Jonathan Chinn. UK The story of Cornelius Walker whose mother moved him out of London to keep him safe, relocating the family to an all-white estate where Cornelius attempted to shed his Black identity to survive. It’s tough to watch, but worth it, and there is much to discuss.
(40 minutes) Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (USA) A movie that examines end-of-life care in San Francisco, following a family who keeps fighting cancer in the hospital, and also the residents and staff of a hospice house. Having watched it, I’m very clear on where I would want my time to come to an end. It also sets up a jarring comparison for the next short.
Recommended
Where to watch: Netflix is streaming it.
Lifeboat
(40 minute) Directed by Skye Fitzgerald and Bryn Mooser (USA)
Features the work of German nonprofit Sea Watch who search the Mediterranean looking for refugees from rafts. It’s horrifying to see the people stacked on the rafts and fascinating to see how the refugees are rescued. There’s also coverage from the shore showing what happens to those who die trying to cross.
Recommended
Where to watch: I can only find a trailer, so your best best is an Oscar Shorts program.
A Night at the Garden
(7 minutes) Marshall Curry (USA)
A very short film about the “Pro-USA” rally held at Madison Square Garden in 1939. It invites a lot of comparison to the present day.
Recommended
Where to watch: You can see the entire thing at this link as well as read a Q&A from the director which sheds light on who some of the people are.
PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE.
(26 minutes) Rayka Zahtabchi and Melissa Berton (India)
This was my favorite (I prefer my documentaries to be hopeful) and I think it should win. If it does, I will be surprised because its subject matter has nothing to do with grammar and everything to do with menstruation practices in India. Apparently only 10% of women use pads, the rest making do with cloth. This causes all sorts of problems. To right this inequity, there’s a super cool machine involved and some basic entrepreneurship.
Recommended
Where to watch: Not online. You can watch a trailer here.
Cold War is dedicated to director Pawel Pawlikowski’s parents and left me wondering many things. It a beautifully composed movie* with stunning performances, especially by Joanna Kulig. I was fully engaged the entire movie, and yet, it left me rather cold.**
*It’s good looking in black and white with whatever aspect ratio makes the film square. Plus, there’s a lot of music. **I needed more background on the main characters. And I didn’t so much get the ending. I’ll be googling now.
I’m a completist. I watched all the Best Picture nominees. You might not have my level of dedication, or time. If not, here’s a handy guide to help you plan your best picture nominee viewing.
Roma.
You want to watch Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma if you are fan of movies that unfold slowly, are more character driven than plot driven, and are sad and cathartic. Also, if you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to have a live-in servant.
Green Book.
You want to watch Peter Farrelly’s Green Book if you are fan of excellent performances, pithy things said by lead actors, and if you are not at all convinced by the arguments about white saviors and racism your college-age niece made at the Thanksgiving table.
Black Panther.
You want to watch Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther if you are at least mildly interested in superhero films, like a popcorn movie that actually deals with contemporary issues, and love movies that feature women fighters prominently (though still not in the lead). Also if you are only going to watch one movie in the Avengers universe, this is the one.
A Star is Born.
You want to watch Bradly Cooper’s A Star is Born if you like movies about music, are looking for some killer performances, or are a fan of romantic love. Also, to forever banish the memory of the ’76 version.
BlacKkKlansman.
You want to watch Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman because it’s funny, tense, has a lot to say about race in the USA, and so you can weigh in on the discussions about the final scene.
The Favourite.
You want to watch Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite because you love movies where women get to really act, love movies where everyone is terrible to some degree, and love random weird stuff dropped into the narrative.
Bohemian Rhapsody.
You want to watch Bryan Singer’s* Bohemian Rhapsody because you love or like the music of Queen, want to see some amazing 70s/80s costumes and Rami Malek’s excellent performance, and don’t mind that this movie is a standard draggy biopic that takes no chances.
*IMDB credits Singer as the director. But he only worked on half of it.
Vice.
You want to see Adam McKay’s Vice if you are a fan of actors radically changing their appearance to get in character, if you are an Amy Adams completist, and if you don’t have any lingering feelings about the George W. Bush presidency.
If our movie tastes align.
You want to see: The Favorite, A Star is Born, Roma, BlacKkKlansman, and Black Panther in that order.
You don’t mind seeing: Bohemian Rhapsody
You should stay far away from: Green Book, Vice
If you want to watch the movies most likely to win.
You want to see: Roma, Green Book, Black Panther, and A Star is Born in that order.
Tom Waits is Prospector in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, a film by Joel and Ethan Coen.
I was calibrated to the wrong type of Coen Brothers film when I sat down to watch The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.* What I found were six pretty good stories firmly set in the business-as-usual Wild West.** It had the usual Coen touches,*** but I found the short story format overall to be a little draggy.
Verdict: Good
Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($7.99) Where watched: at home, with a lot of scenes viewed through my fingers
*I was thinking this was more of an O Brother Where Art Thou?/Hail, Caesar!/Intolerable Cruelty. Fun and peppy. But it was more of a No Country for Old Men. Bloody and sad. **You know, white men wander about doing their thing, Indians attack, women are minor characters. There’s no new ground being broken on this front. ***Visually memorable, great acting via facial expression, some odd turns.
