Oscar Rant 2021

(Honoring the films of 2020)

Rant by Paul Preston

Well, a mini-rant. I don’t know how the hell I’m not finding time to get to a lot of things during the pandemic, but that’s happening! So, this won’t be as exhaustive a look at all the categories as I’ve delivered in the past, but I’ll cover the major awards and hit some of my other favorites, ‘cause despite the feel that there couldn’t have possibly been some great work in as weird a year as 2020 was, there’s some art for the ages going on here.

I can’t let a chance go by, however, without ranting once again about Hollywood’s “backloading” problem: the process of dumping way too many movies on the public right at the awards deadline buzzer to stay fresh in voter’s memories. This is a disservice to both the films and moviegoers. Great films can get lost in the shuffle when a different release date might’ve had them stand out. Also, audiences are being asked to watch around forty movies in a month and a half so they know what the nominees are when they come out. Even in a lockdown, no one has time for that so once again the Golden Globe and Oscar nominations have been revealed to a general, “What the hell is THAT?” from the general public. They recognize some of the actors, but has half the country seen or heard of The Father, Herself or French Exit? Spread it out, Hollywood, and we’ll all benefit.

Even being on an awards nominating committee this year, I didn’t get to everything! But, from what I saw, here is some context going into my thoughts on the nominees. My Top Ten films of 2020:

10. THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7: Who better to drum up a script for a historical event where people talk a lot than Aaron Sorkin? And after proving his chops as a director in Molly’s Game, Sorkin once again shows dexterity behind the camera, juggling a lot of opinions, events and characters in this story of the aftermath of the 1968 Democratic Convention protests and the trial that followed, where the government was more interested in making a statement than going after the truth. There are a lot of nominees for ensemble of the year, and this film is in the mix as Frank Langella, Sacha Baron Cohen and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II deliver fiery performances in their respective roles. Mateen first came on my radar in an awful bout of overacting in Aquaman, only to knock me out in every subsequent performance, including this and Watchmen. As ever, Sorkin’s take on civil rights and liberty is handled with both suspense and lively articulation. Sorkin again makes conversation an action movie.

9. NEWS OF THE WORLD: No surprise here as Paul Greengrass once again finds a place on my Top Ten list. Greengrass brings his towering-above-most-filmmakers excellence in production to the western genre and brings along former collaborator Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips) to anchor the cast. Hanks coughs up another Oscar-worthy performance as Captain Jefferson Kidd, tasked with reading the news from town to town in the only way world events could be conveyed in 1870. Imagine Hanks’ soothing presence at a time when the breadth and mystery of the world could be scary for a western frontier town. Then, in a new element for Greengrass, Kidd comes across an abandoned young girl who has spent her youth torn between her German roots and Kiowa captors to where now she has a lost identity and no family (played with dimension by the actually-Oscar-nominated Helena Zengel). This relationship is wisely handled and, again, is new for Greengrass as the film shows remarkable depth and even humor in handling their delicate rapport. And, too boot, there are shoot-outs! Oh, and as for that excellent production, points to Dariusz Wolski for stunning cinematography.

8. LET THEM ALL TALK: Steven Soderbergh has to be the only filmmaker whose retirement has pushed him into one of the most prolific eras of his career – five films in three years! Let Them All Talk is the story of a famous author who begrudgingly agrees to attend an award ceremony in Great Britain and decides to travel there via cross-Atlantic cruise line with old friends. It’s an excuse for them to have witty, occasionally deep conversations and drum up a lot of old feelings. First of all, this film has Meryl Streep so…you should see it. Secondly, it’s not only a tremendous showcase for her, but a reminder of how great Dianne Wiest can be and a welcome return to a large film role for Candice Bergen. All four shine, along with Lucas Hedges as Streep’s nephew. It’s another dialogue-heavy film, only to find out that much of it was improvised. Knowing that…I’m even more impressed.

7. THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME: Well, I’ve ranted about backloading. Time to rant about Netflix. As ever, the lack of hype Netflix can give a movie release is really depressing. Did you even know Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey was a movie? ‘Cause it was a LOT of movie with huge production numbers, original music, crazy production design and big stars. But…to Netflix, it was just a Friday. Where was a pomp and circumstance? The hype? There was clearly money behind this movie and I can’t believe more wasn’t spent to make sure you knew about it! Same can be said for The Devil All the Time, an effective and suspenseful drama about a young man named Arvin thrown from one morally depraved situation in 1950s Ohio to another. The plot is way, way too dense to sum up for you. The screenplay weaves scumbag after scumbag into Arvin’s path and then also time jumps to tell new stories and introduce other characters. And this is mainly why I loved this movie, there was a LOT. Too often I’m left wanting more from a movie and The Devil All the Time offers up the goods, plus a stellar cast to boot – Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Jason Clarke, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, Mia Wasikowska and on and on. The Devil All the Time is an exploration of the worst in people, but I rooted for Arvin through it all, and I’ll be damned if it wasn’t one of the most hypnotic films of the year.

6. THE WAY BACK: One of the best marriages in film since Martin Scorsese and gangster movies is Gavin O’Connor and sports movies. O’Connor made a western (Jane Got a Gun) and a couple of tough guy movies (Pride and Glory and The Accountant), but I think his career highs are Miracle, Warrior and The Way Back. Ben Affleck continues to pull an ‘80s Tom Cruise move and couple his wide-audience choices like D.C. movies with good prestige pics (like Gone Girl). The Way Back is Oscar territory for him as a former high school basketball phenom who seeks redemption as a coach after slipping into alcoholism. One great thing you can say about any drama is that it’s complicated, and that’s the state of all the relationships in this movie. And the story. You’re not in for a Mighty Ducks sports story trajectory here. Expect bumps, but they’re fascinating to watch. So is Affleck, packing on pounds, a beard and real gravitas in the lead role. His way back to respectability is a grind, and if you’re wondering if I’m talking about Affleck or his character, that’s fascinating, too.

5. PALM SPRINGS: How on Earth could another time loop movie work again? Groundhog Day is the gold standard and we’ve had Source Code, Edge of Tomorrow and Happy Death Day since then. Here’s the unexpected part – they’re ALL good. Every year I make space in my Top Ten for the year’s funniest film. In 2016 it was Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping and Andy Samberg rides another comedy into the Top Ten with this time loop movie that makes the genre fresh yet again. Samberg plays Nyles, who, due to coming into contact with a strange crack in the Earth, finds himself living the same day in Palm Springs over and over, and it’s a wedding day where he’s the date of the maid of honor. But he meets the black sheep of the bride’s family and accidentally gets her caught in the loop. One of the best fresh takes on the time loop is what if the time loop isn’t a bad thing? The characters have a lot of fun with the nihilism you could have. Cristin Milioti, in a performance I would’ve Oscar-nominated, plays the bride’s sister in a performance that’s remarkably deep for what could’ve been an all-surface comedic portrayal. And Samberg should look into more romantic leads. Also, JK Simmons shows up ‘cause that’s never a bad thing.

4. ON THE ROCKS: It’s clear Sofia Coppola’s good luck charm is Bill Murray. If you talk about her career, you’re going to talk about Lost in Translation, and now you can also talk about On the Rocks, her second collaboration with the comedy legend. Murray plays Felix, a playboy father who gets involved in his daughter’s hunt to find out if her husband is cheating, so spot-on, it’s clear Coppola wrote the script with him in mind and it all just works. The film has a loose and fun spirit while never losing the stakes of what the affair could mean for Felix’s daughter. She’s played well by Rashida Jones with Marlon Wayans in a welcome return to drama as her husband. The film handles the subject of growing away from your parents and growing into a marriage with nuance but if you’ve come for Bill Murray, you’ll be happy to know he’s in vintage form here.

3. THE INVISIBLE MAN: Here’s another movie where the story should be tired and worn out from being dragged through the studio mill over and over. However, writer/director Leigh Whannell (maker of the vastly underrated Upgrade) wins right out of the gate with the premise alone. Elisabeth Moss plays Cecilia, whose abusive ex takes his own life, but she suspects his death was a hoax, which proves to be extremely hard to prove. As women’s allegations of abuse continue to fall on deaf ears in the #MeToo era, the metaphor of the man being invisible and no one believing the woman echoes effectively. And you don’t have a better lead actress to see the outrageous scenes of this film through to their finish than Elisabeth Moss. She got a lot of praise this year for her performance in Shirley, but I think it’s here where she really shined, elevating a role that could’ve been just a genre scream queen to new heights. There are shocking scenes of horror people have been talking about for a year now, and Whannel also brings a new high tech take to the invisibility which is fun to watch. Kudos once again to Blumhouse for doubling down on story instead of budget.

2. PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN: All hail Emerald Fennell. As showrunner of Killing Eve and star of The Crown, you’d think she’d be impressive enough, but now she’s gone and written and produced one of the year’s most involving movies – Promising Young Woman. Carey Mulligan plays Cassandra, a woman prowling the bar scene for male predators. She pretends to be drunk until she finds the right reprobate who will take advantage of her “vulnerability”…and then she turns the tables on him. Like any good script, information here is revealed in the most interesting way possible (often slowly), right up until the gut punch of the final fifteen minutes. Mulligan’s career is loaded with excellent performances, but this is the one where I hand her the Oscar as she’s captivating to watch in her own predatorial way, but she laces her role with pain and mercy, too. There isn’t one scene in this film that just plays out to advance the story. As a viewer, I was always on edge as to what was going to happen next. Even seemingly simple interactions had an edge underneath them, always keeping me on my heels. That’s what I want in a movie.

1. ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI: Regina King’s feature directorial debut tells the story of Cassius Clay’s fight against Sonny Liston in Miami with Malcolm X in the crowd. Clay and X go back to Clay’s hotel room after the fight and meet up with Jim Brown and Sam Cooke. There’s your movie. The key to the Kemp Powers script and the excellent performances is that these legendary figures talk about lofty subject and important life decisions, but they never come across as more than four friends talking. Sure, there’s high emotion, but the movie never hits you over the head with it, instead opting to show how each emotion weighs on the character. The film is based on a play, but unlike other contenders this year like Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, King stages the production so it never feels claustrophobic, either moving locations physically around the hotel room so the action never gets stale or jumping to flashbacks to enhance a story. I thought maybe anyone’s performance as Malcolm X would’ve been unable to stand alongside Denzel Washington’s, but Kingsley Ben-Adir is magnetic as the Muslim leader. X’s story has always been an emotional one for me to watch. They guys’ life was a JOURNEY, and Ben-Adir embodies it with a full breadth of feeling I tapped right into. Leslie Odom, Jr. is rightfully honored with an Oscar nomination as Cooke, his TV show appearance finale to the movie had me in tears from the opening note. Eli Goree and Aldis Hodge round out the ensemble of exceptionally strong performances. This movie is straight up greatness all around.

RUNNERS-UP:
THE NEST – Carrie Coon remains one of the most underrated actors going today, and this film taps high drama out of the simple theme of living above your means.
SOUL – Pixar’s latest is entertaining as hell (as ever) and also has some new things to say about life and purpose.
CHERRY – This film and The Mauritanian I saw early in awards season and when the critical reviews came out, I was clearly way out of touch with them. But, I have to stand by that this Russo Brothers drama is exceptionally well made and acted.
LITTLE FISH – What’s this movie, you ask? FIND it and FIND out!
LET HIM GO – This movie is TENSE with a capital T. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane are excellent as a couple determined to save their grandson from a crime family.

THE WORST:
DOLITTLE – The leagues-above-the-others winner for worst movie of the year. Terrible decisions from Robert Downey, Jr.’s intrusive accent to a finale that involves pulling something out of a dragon’s anus (not kidding).
FORCE OF NATURE – A poorly executed action heist flick. I know this is probably the only stuff Mel Gibson and Emile Hirsch can get cast in any more, but what did Kate Bosworth do to deserve this?
THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND – I really didn’t care about Pete Davidson’s character and unfortunately, the usually bankable stable of supporting character Judd Apatow often coughs up were weak here.
WONDER WOMAN 84 – DC, maybe just don’t make a movie for a year or two, re-group and try again. This movie is nonsensical to the max, and they AGAIN double down on a CGI action sequence at the end with no emotional or relationship repercussions.
SYLVIE’S LOVE – This Amazon drama about characters making decision after decision against their own happiness became unbearable after a while.

THE OSCARS:

Before we get too far into The Academy Awards, I want to give out The 2020 SNUBBIES! I could make a list of Oscar winners that I’d have no problem with seeing, except for the fact that none of them were nominated. Imagine if you woke up Monday, and here were your Oscar winners:
PICTURE: One Night in Miami
ACTOR: Kingsley Ben-Adir, One Night in Miami
ACTRESS: Elizabeth Moss, The Invisible Man
SUPP. ACTOR: Bill Murray, On The Rocks
SUPP. ACTRESS: Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian
DIRECTOR: Regina King, One Night in Miami
ORIGINAL SCRIPT: Palm Springs
ADAPTED SCRIPT: The Devil All the Time
ANIMATED FILM: Raya and the Last Dragon (Is that eligible? Came out in March, but it’s such a weird year, I can’t tell…)
CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Devil All the Time
COSTUME DESIGN: Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

So, anyway, get vaxxed and GO TO THE MOVIES. The Oscars:

BEST PICTURE
The Father
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
Minari
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Glaring Omission: Two more nominees, maybe? This category expanded to ten-maximum nominees in the wake of The Dark Knight getting snubbed, so maybe include some fan favorites people have heard of, the likes of which The Dark Knight would have been? Soul, maybe? Or The Invisible Man? You probably get by now that I personally think One Night in Miami is a glaring omission…
Runners-Up: …and a runner-up. And Palm Springs! Say what you want about #OscarsSoWhite, #OscarsSoDramatic has been going on much longer as The Academy continues to overlook comedies.
Great Inclusion: The Father, a movie that’s being lauded for a great performance in Anthony Hopkins, but the whole film deserves praise for the most unique way yet to tell a story of dementia.
Should Win: Promising Young Woman, but will Oscar reward such risk?
Will Win: Nomadland, continuing its run.

BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
Glaring Omission: This category is a knife fight this year with SO many great female performances to choose from. It’s almost tough to get angry at omissions because of the stacked field to choose from. So honestly, nothing here is glaring…except…you have to wonder if the voters even saw a movie like Never Rarely Sometimes Always or The Nest. They may have gotten lost in the shuffle to higher-profile marketing campaigns.
Runners-Up: So let me shout-out, then, to Sidney Flanigan of Never Rarely Sometimes Always. She has a scene that reactions-only that is your Oscar-winning scene right there, not to mention an authentic performance the rest of the movie. I showed my love for Cristin Milioti in my Top Ten, but it’s worth bringing up here. She was excellent. Ditto Elisabeth Moss and Carrie Coon. Other little-seen great performances include Claire Dunne in Herself, Sienna Miller in Wander Darkly and Radha Blank in The Forty-Year-Old Version.
Great Inclusion: Vanessa Kirby, there’s one challenging scene after another in Pieces of a Woman.
Should Win: Carey Mulligan
Will Win: Frances McDormand, although Viola Davis is making a run…

BEST ACTOR
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Gary Oldman, Mank
Steven Yeun, Minari
Glaring Omission: Kingsley Ben-Adir in the year’s most overlooked movie, One Night in Miami. Nothing else here is a shock, but much like you could’ve nominated Streep for Let Them All Talk, you could nominate perennial nominee Tom Hanks here for News of the World.
Runners-Up: Tahar Rahim in The Mauritanian. What a great performance! And who is this guy? I was seriously impressed. And say what you want about the movie, Tom Holland threw everything he had into Cherry. I’d also tell the Academy to look at Ben Affleck in The Way Back. I know it’s rough to speak ill of the dead, but I thought Boseman’s performance was super-stagey and in a movie where, if this were real life, no other character would sit around and listen to him talk the way he did. This was clearly a play and deserved to be on stage. As a film, the performance didn’t work for me and you could’ve nominated Rahim, Holland or Affleck instead.
Great Inclusion: Hopkins. It’s boring to say he was great, but he was! He was as locked in as his character wasn’t in life.
Should Win: Hopkins
Will Win: Boseman

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari
Glaring Omission: Pretty solid round of nominees and mostly what people expected coming in. Although I’d argue that Close has moments in Hillbilly Elegy, but it’s Amy Adams who really impresses in that film.
Runners-Up: Lauren Lapkus in The Wrong Missy. Paul, clearly there was a typo there. Nope, Lapkus is so funny in nearly every line she says it HAS to be rewarded. I don’t know whereif it will, but again I believe this is a situation where no voters saw this movie or expanded their mind to judge that someone being non-stop hilarious is worth an honor. Lapkus was fall-down funny in that film. Jodie Foster in The Mauritanian, probably left off ‘cause it’s mostly procedural, as she plays a lawyer, but there’s still a gift she brings to that part. I also loved Dianne Weist in Let Them All Talk and Valerie Mahaffey in French Exit, a film I didn’t much care for, but she was funny and heartbreaking in it.
Great Inclusion: Maria Bakalova – go comedies!
Should Win: Bakalova, just for being in a room with Rudy Guiliani
Will Win: Yuh-Jung Youn, the favorite as of now

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami…
Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
LaKeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah
Glaring Omission: Bill Murray! What a tour-de-force performance, highlighting the things we love most about Bill. It really was an overlooked acting job throughout all of awards season. Shame, that. Also shocked Jared Leto wasn’t nominated here, as The Academy loves broad swipes like the ones he takes.
Runners-Up: Ryder Allen in Palmer, who really didn’t even look like he was acting he was so authentic. I also liked Charles Dance in Mank. I wish he has more screen time.
Great Inclusion: Sacha Baron Cohen, but let me list worst inclusion – LaKeith Stanfield. Can we move him to Best Actor, please? The damn movie is ABOUT his character!
Should Win: Daniel Kaluuya
Will Win: Daniel Kaluuya, an actor of great strength in a role to match it.

BEST DIRECTOR
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
David Fincher, Mank
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
Glaring Omission: As ever, four more nominees. I don’t see how you can get a Best Picture nomination and not be nominated for Best Director. Mank got ten nominations. I was underwhelmed, but you’d think that’d earn David Fincher a Best Director nod.
Runners-Up: For me, Regina King. She directed the hell out of those actors. Paul Greengrass for News of the World. No one has more control over their movies while at the same time letting them breathe as if they have a life of their own, than Greengrass
Great Inclusion: Thomas Vinterberg. OK, he snuck in there without a Best Picture nomination, but it’s a little hypocritical to call that great, but that movie was scintillatingly directed. Great work with the actors.
Should Win: Emerald Fennell
Will Win: Chloé Zhao

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Judas and the Black Messiah
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Glaring Omission: Palm Springs. Again, just a comedy in there would be nice. They’re hard to do.
Runners-Up: The Invisible Man, for putting a spin on the classic so effectively.
Great Inclusion: The Trial of the Chicago 7. A lot going on there and Sorkin HANDLED is.
Should Win: Promising Young Woman
Will Win: Promising Young Woman, which will probably win this coveted slot for the best movie of the year that should’ve won best picture, like Fargo, Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
The Father
Nomadland
One Night in Miami…
The White Tiger
Glaring Omission: News of the World. It got a WGA nomination, but was beat out by the likes of The White Tiger…which I guess I have to see. That was my one failing in the major categories this year, but now I have something to look forward to.
Runners-Up: If you’ve read up to now, you know I loved The Devil All the Time, and there was a crap-ton of story to juggle there.
Great Inclusion: One Night in Miami…
Should Win: One Night in Miami…
Will Win: Nomadland, ‘cause it hasn’t lost much.

And now, a look at some other categories:

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Soul
Just want to chime in here to say I hope Soul take this. The Jon Batiste jazz music is great, but bolder choices come from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross in The Great Before. The result – interesting throughout!
Should Win: Soul
Will Win: Soul

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
News of the World
Nomadland
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Glaring Omission: Cherry. The ASC loved it. So did I.
Runners-Up: Extraction. Just watch a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this Chris Hemsworth Netflix action movie and your jaw will drop at how they shot many of these action sequences, including a lengthy one-shot that’s just bananas. Speaking of one-shots, the choreography of the opening of Pieces of a Woman makes this a solid runner-up.
Great Inclusion: News of the World
Should Win: Can I offer up my first tie between Nomadland and News of the World? Wait, this is my article, yes.
Will Win: Nomadland

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Father
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
News of the World
Tenet
Glaring Omission: Fantasy films! Usually, fantasy makes up most of the Production Design and Costume nominees, but this year, there isn’t much, so might I suggest Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. That thing was a MOVIE with eye candy for days.
Runners-Up: Cherry
Great Inclusion: Tenet. Still trying to figure out what happened in that movie, but it looked great!
Should Win: Tenet. Christopher Nolan’s locations are always larger then life.
Will Win: And Tenet has a shot here! There’s an outside chance Mank takes it.