The Oscars are upon us now. It is nice to think about trivial and meaningless stuff in light of the mess going on in our country and our planet. I won't be able to say to much since I have seen precisely zero of the 9 Best Picture nominees. As a huge fan of "Whiplash," I am going to check out "La La Land" as soon as possible. Otherwise, I will give some general insight and conjecture.
Snubs: We will start with the one that annoyed me the most: Deadpool. This entertaining, hilarious, raunchy film was a blast to watch from beginning to end. I kind of knew that this was going to happen, but I was still disappointed. This deserved nominations for screenplay, picture, and acting (Ryan Reynolds was born to play the Merc with a Mouth). It didn't get a single nomination. Once again, the Academy's snobbery prevents them from honoring a comic book/superhero movie, let alone one as blatantly R-rated as Deadpool. To add insult to injury, "Suicide Squad," another comic book-themed movie, received a nomination for hair and makeup, and several critics and friends said it was a total shitshow. As a friend pointed out, the only time one of these movies got an honor it deserved is when Heath Ledger died (He won posthumously for his spot-on performance as The Joker). I agree that he earned the nomination and win by dying. "Rogue One" was better than "The Force Awakens," and may have deserved nods for Picture, score (Giacchino nailed it!) and screenplay. I was surprised to see that Denzel Washington was not nominated for directing, because the Academy seems to love actors who direct. Mel Gibson received a nod for "Hacksaw Ridge," and he is anti-Semitic. This is all moot, because the great Damien Chazelle takes the trophy this year. Finally, "10 Cloverfield Lane" may very well be the best movie no one saw this year. The psychological thriller, which is very loosely connected to "Cloverfield," is tense, suspenseful and well-acted. The screenplay (co-written by "La La Land" writer/director Chazelle) and John Goodman both deserve nominations.
God hates Amy Adams: I stand by my statement that Amy Adams is the new Leo DiCaprio, since Leo broke the curse by pulling off a win last year by playing outside in cold weather, and getting accosted by a bear. Poor Amy has five nominations, no wins, and no nomination this year for what was supposedly a great performance in "Arrival." Best Actress was a controversial category this year, because Meryl Streep received her 20th nomination for "Florence Foster Jenkins," and she supposedly wasn't all that great. Many believe she was nominated because of her reputation and pedigree, as well as her incendiary anti-Trump speech at the Golden Globes, after which noted Twitter film critic D.J. Trump referred to the legendary actress as "overrated" in 140 characters.
Not a snub: Some people were kvetching about "Finding Dory" missing the cut for Best Animated Film. It just wasn't that good. It was engaging and entertaining, but lacked the characterization or emotional depth of "Finding Nemo." Thanks to comfortable reclining seats, my wife was fast asleep for the majority of this movie. I do wish "Sing," an entertaining family film about the pure joy that comes from performing for an audience, was nominated in this category.
#Oscarsnotsowhite: Finally, there is some diversity in the Oscar nominations. 6 African Americans, and 7 nonwhites, if you count the talented Dev Patel, are nominated this year. Anything is an improvement over the past two years. As I said last year, this all starts with the writing and casting process, and many good screenplays were written that focused on diversity. Keep up the good work.
Other surprises (pleasant and not-so-pleasant): "Can't Stop the Feeling," the Justin Timberlake song from "Trolls," is catchy and makes you want to dance. This deserves to be here. I just hope the don't go over the top at the show with a big choreographed number and a bunch of people in silly costumes. "O.J.: Made In America" was a top-notch documentary about the legendary football player and acquitted murderer that was comprehensive and well-researched.
Prognostications: "La La Land," which received a whopping 14 nominations and swept at the Golden Globes, is the obvious early favorite, and it is essentially a love letter to Hollywood and the movies, which the Academy will eat up. But a surprising win by "Hidden Figures" for ensemble cast at the SAG Awards may change the tide. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone will ride the "La La Land" train to acting awards, as will Damien Chazelle, who will become one of the most sought-after young directors in Hollywood. I wonder which Marvel movie he ends up directing. I would have to see the movies to predict the supporting actor and actress winners.
But none of this matters: Why? Because the part of this show most people will be paying attention to is the "In Memoriam" montage after the carnage of 2016. I wonder who they will forget that will have people moaning and groaning for weeks. Last year it was Abe Vigoda and Joan Rivers. By the way, the recent SAG Awards honored Vigoda.
Looking forward to another plodding, self-important evening of patting each other on the back and insulting the President of the United States.
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