Wednesday, February 22, 2017

2017 OSCARS: Sunday, February 26, 4 pm PT

The Oscars are about to screen, so it's time to highlight some of my favorite movies, actors and even a couple of sleepers from 2016.




 News, celebs and more:  http://oscar.go.com
Choose your picks: http://oscar.go.com/nominees


MY PERSONAL FAVORITES (not up for Oscars)

Queen of Katwe with Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo is my top pick for movie of the year. It's the story of a young girl living with her mother and brothers in a dirt shack in Uganda who learns to play chess and wins the African continent championship. Medina Nalwanga's portrayal of the main character, Phiona Mutesi, is honest and earnest, but also vulnerable and conflicted. Phiona sells food to neighbors to help her single mom make ends meet, but she's also drawn to the school where boys her age are reading books and learning to play chess. Portrayed by Oyelowo, the teacher guides Phiona and encourages her reluctant mother, embodied by Nyong'o, to support Phiona. As a result, she joins the ranks of privileged youth who claim top prizes at chess competitions in her native country and Africa. This is a heroic story with grit, intelligence and tenderness that illuminates the role an adult can play in a child's life, to propel them to believe in themselves, overcome obstacles, and reach for the stars. The film feels like another indie achievement, but it's a Disney jewel based on a true story which has been featured on network news shows.

Sing Street is the delightful account of a coming-of-age boy in Dublin who's forced to attend a new school where he's an outcast struggling to fit in somewhere and escape the stress of a troubled home life. When a beautiful older girl catches his eye on the walk home from school, he stops to talk and spins a tall tale about his nonexistent band to impress her. Enthusiastic, she tells him she's a model and sings as well, which sends him on a frantic chase to pull together a band with a couple of friends and produce a music video to feature her. It's a sweet caper with youthful longing and fantasies, which makes for humorous storytelling and predicaments. You can't help but root for the young chap who's willing to do whatever it takes to win the more mature girl's love and sail away with her into the sunset.

BEST MOTION PICTURE NOMINEES

Fences  -- The producers of this film have taken full-page, foldout photo ads in the Sunday NYT, and I do mean BIG, for framing and hanging on a wall. The movie feels like a play, which is its original format. Written by Langford Wilson, the story is set in an urban Philadelphia neighborhood like the one where he grew up. Denzel Washington produced, directed, and starred in a stage production before he did the same for the film. Intense dialogue and the cultural backdrop serve as reminders of the continuing plight of African Americans and others caught in cyles of racism, ignorance and urban decay for a disturbing, yet unforgettable character-driven story. Best actor nominee Denzel Washington and supporting actress nominee Viola Davis deliver riveting performances.

Hidden Figures  -- Based on a true story, this movie is about the talented black women who contribute their substantial technical skills to the fledgling U.S. space program and are forced to negotiate their way through the unwelcoming white male culture. BRAVO to Octavia Spencer (supporting actress nominee) in the role of Dorothy Vaughan, who forged a legendary career as an IBM supervisor at NASA, and to Taraji P. Hensen and Janelle Monae for their portrayals of the other women who helped break through racial and workplace barriers at NASA to prove they could solve engineering problems as well as their male colleagues.

La La Land -- The over-the-top opening scene of this movie is perhaps my very favorite ever, with a giant dose of pizazz to suggest the audience is in for the ride of their moviegoing lives. From beginning to ending, this is a romantic love letter to LA with picturesque setttings and dazzling song and dance numbers that make for irresistible cinema. The chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone produces magical  performances reminiscent of Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers films to offer a welcome break from everyday life and headlines. I'm betting the Oscar could go home with the young producer who created a bit of Hollywood stardust with La La Land.

Lion -- From a remote village in India to a comfortable home with devoted parents in Australia, this is the story of a poor boy orphaned by bizarre circumstances, but driven by youthful memories to search for his original family and the place where he was born. The photography and performances feel so authentic it's easy to imagine you're watching a documentary. While the true story belongs to the people who lived it, a fine cast delivers exquisite performances to honor their journey. Sunny Pawar, an unknown child actor, is so completely mesmerizing as Young Saroo that he seems to be plucked from the village in the movie. Dev Patel (nominated for supporting actor) plays older Saroo, and Nicole Kidman (nominated for supporting actress) is Sue Brierley, the adoptive mother.

Manchester By the Sea  -- Casey Afflek delivers a quiet, intense performance of a man in grief, but it takes too long to figure this out. The cinematography captures serene New England landscapes and seascapes that reinforce the somber tone of the story, which unwinds in backflashes and takes us down roads unexpected. Lucas Hedges (supporting actor nominee), in the role of Affleck's nephew, and Michelle Williams (supporting actress nominee), in the role of his ex-wife, breathe both humor and pathos into the sad saga, which Affleck owns. A dark story, the impact is undeniable as real life tragedies go.

Moonlight -- A birdseye view into the crime-riddled projects of Miami reveals how the youngest of victims fares from childhood through adolescence and adulthood. We follow an innocent boy being reared by a drug-addicted mom playeed by Naomie Harris (supporting actress nominee) and  mentored by her drug dealer in a role brought to life by Mahershala Ali (supporting actor nominee). Three actors portray the boy, teen and man, to show him fighting his way through predictable situations until fortune leads him to follow in the footsteps of the druglord, which is just about all he's ever known. But salvation knocks at his door when the love and affection shown by a schoolmate years before leads to a search for the same man, now working as a cook in another town. The sensitive reunion blossoms with hope at the end of the film for a character with remnants of childhood innocence still residing in secret cracks beneath the facade of gold-filled teeth.

Other Contenders: Arrival, Hacksaw Ridge, and Hell or High Water

BEST ACTRESS NOMINEES

Ruth Negga/Loving -- This is a heart-rendering account of Southern bigotry when a white man marries a black woman and they are rejected by their neighbors and the law, at least until a compassionate attorney comes forward to plead their case in court. Based on a true story, the poignant performance is understated but heartfelt, complementing a similar portrayal of the husband.

Natalie Portman/Jackie -- Like a time capsule, the film takes us back to a period in our nation's history when a youthful president is tragically stricken down, forever lost to his country, his wife and his family. Natalie Portman transforms herself to convey the wispy voice and measured delivery of Jackie Kennedy, whose shock, grief and intensity after her husband's death reveal a woman determined to mold his legacy. We watch as she plans the events and negotiates the steps with Bobby Kennedy and others, to ensure every detail leading up to and through the funeral is presented as she wishes, for all the world to see, and more important, remember. Portman is nominated for a precise, calculated perfomance.

Emma Stone/La La Land -- I loved the film, the boy-meets-girl story and the performances. Emma Stone jumps leaps and bounds beyond Birdman and other roles to portray a youthful, vulnerable character who discovers and embraces her talents in a fiercely competitive Hollywood environment. Ultimately, she leaves the love of her youthful longing to settle into a more mature relationship, but not without wistful feelings for the past. Oscar worthy on all counts.

Other Contenders: Isabelle Huppert/Elle and Meryl Streep/Florence Foster Jenkins

BEST ACTOR NOMINEES

Casey Affleck/Manchester By the Sea -- The character played by Casey Affleck is holding himself together after a tragic loss, but we don't learn about his backstory until well into the film. The restrained performance makes more sense when the history comes to the forefront. A victim of grief and loss, Affleck begs for the audience's sympathy, but it's his ex-wife, played by Michelle Williams, who displays the emotions he's unable to express and becomes the more sympathetic character.

Ryan Gosling/La La Land -- Emma Stone's romantic interest is the dashing, winsome character portrayed by Gosling, who offers a worthy match to her performance, especially when he takes a seat at the piano. But it's Emma Stone who truly steals the show.

Denzel Washington/Fences -- The couple in this play by Langford Wilson that's turned into a movie by Denzel Washington (director/actor) is caught in a web of complications from daily struggles in a black neighborhood in Philadelphia. He's the bombastic husband working as a garbage collector who lost out on a career as a baseball player, and she's the one who gets the brunt of his disappointments until their son is old enough to serve as the target. The grit and anger of Denzel's character may be authentic, but he's hard to take. Viola Davis (supporting actress nominee) is the loyal but suffering wife who plays referee between father and son. I give her my vote, but find it hard to cheer for the mean guy.

Other Contenders: Andrew Garfield/Hacksaw Ridge and Viggo Mortenson/Captain Fantastic





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