If you missed the big night for the
91st Academy Awards, or didn't see many of the movies, I can fill you in on who won and what stood out. At least some of these films are still in theaters and many appear on various smart TV options like On Demand, Netflix, etc.
Green Book, winner in the Best Picture and Original Screenplay categories, was a truly worthy choice but not the blockbuster I expected for Best Picture. It's the historical tale of Don Shirley, a pianist and composer played by Mahershala Ali (
Moonlight) who's part of an all-black trio performing in the deep South in the early '60s. Shirley and his white driver, Tony Lip, portrayed by Viggo Mortensen, are polar opposites, the former an accomplished, sophisticated musician with a doctorate, and the latter an Italian bouncer from Brooklyn who needed a job. The pair begins to bond when the slurs and slights fly like arrows in local venues and towns. Heartfelt portrayals by Ali and Mortensen carry the weight of the story, based on true events and people, for a powerful message about prejudice, and friendship that grows from mutual understanding and respect. The film's title is taken from
The Negro Motorist Green Book, published from 1936 to 1967 as a guide for African American travelers who sought a "vacation without aggravation." Ali's exemplary film and TV resume is impressive for a guy with an understated dignity. He picked up the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and will surely be an Emmy nominee for his role in the HBO TV series,
True Detective. Check out
Green Book. It's a movie you don't want to miss.
The blockbuster I was rooting for is
Bohemian Rhapsody, a nominee for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but winner at the Golden Globes for best Drama Motion Picture. Rami Malek, as lead singer Freddie Mercury in the British rock group Queen, won best Actor in a Leading Role after picking up similar trophies at the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild events. I knew next to nothing about Queen except that Freddie Mercury died of AIDS in the 80's. As Mercury, Malek embodies the performer's effusive style and command of the audience, and with fellow actor musicians recreates the playlist of electric, high-powered songs from Queen's 1985 Live Aid concert. Everyone agreed Queen stole the show. It was completely unexpected at the time since they'd been relatively dormant for several years and were scheduled between two much bigger acts with worldwide fan bases -- U2 and Elton John. While the movie ends with that explosive performance, it's the tangled history of the band and Mercury's own story arc that infuse so much heart and get under your skin. In addition to Malek's Oscar for an over-the-top portrayal of Mercury's troubled life, the film picked up additional Oscars for Film Editing, Sound Mixing, and Sound Editing. It's a must see movie even if you don't know a thing about Queen. You just might recognize some of the songs, like
We Will Rock You, I Want to Break Free, Ay-Oh, and
Another One Bites the Dust.
If Beale Street Could Talk did not receive a nomination for Best Picture, unfortunately, but Regina King (Netflix
Seven Seconds) took home the Oscar for best Actress in a Supporting Role. The film is based on a novel by James Baldwin and is directed by Barry Jenkins. Gorgeous cinematography casts a spell for an intimate portrayal of two shy black youth in New York's Beale Street neighborhood as they fall head-over-heels in love. The tenderness of the young couple floats off the screen in lush impressionistic images as we get to know their world and families, in which some viewers may find similarities to their own. But love, peace and harmony are disrupted by circumstances and a crooked cop who turns the sweetness sour. As Sharon, the unflinching mother of the girl, King exhibits the same steely determination of her character in
Seven Seconds. Beale Street exudes a poignancy that builds slowly in shades of romantic love that may leave you wishing for more.
British actress Olivia Colman (wonderful in
Broadchurch BBC America) received the Oscar for best Actress in a Leading Role as a disheveled, childish and mercurial queen unworthy of her crown in
The Favourite. The competition was stiff, with Glenn Close (
The Wife), Lady Gaga (
A Star Is Born), Yalitza Aparicio
(Roma), and Melissa McCarthy (
Can You Ever Forgive Me?) in contention. Colman was flustered yet winsome in accepting the award. She gazed down from the stage at Glenn Close in the front row to apologize: "....you've been my idol for so long, and this is not how I wanted it to be, and I think you're amazing." As for the film, it's a wacky and frequently humorous behind-the-curtain take on the top royal and her pet people who fall in and out of favor on a whim. Sound familiar? Not my cup of British tea, but critics and others loved it to pieces.
The movie with arguably the highest decibel of hype (full page Netflix ads in newspapers and magazines) was
Roma, which received Oscars for best Directing, Cinematography and Foreign Language Film. A charming Alfonso Cuaron wrote and directed the autobiographical story based on his childhood. It's told from the perspective of the live-in housekeeper and nanny, Cleo, played by Yalitza Aparicio, who provides care, affection and support for his family, especially the children. I found the depictions of daily tasks, family dinners, marital disharmony, car trips, and unexpected trauma to be authentic and dialogue spare. With little fanfare, disappointment and chaos descend upon Cleo as the family deals with their own problems. Shot in black and white, the Spanish-language film with subtitles feels like a documentary unfolding layer by layer. While it tugs at the heart, it's never quite clear where the story is headed, perhaps an intentional device that reinforces the situation of the indigenous population in Cuaron's native Mexico. He says they are cast in the shadows, but provide the backbone for so many who rely on their loyalty. The progression of the autobiographical film is so gradual that I may need to view it again to fully appreciate the director's unadorned style which reflects on family, class and culture. The critics embraced it universally as a "masterpiece."
Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, A Star is Born and
Vice were all nominated for Best Picture, but took home awards in other categories.
Costume Design, Original Score and Production Design Oscars went to
Black Panther, the first superhero film to showcase an all black cast. I'm not usually the first in line for action movies but I didn't want to miss this one after reading initial reviews. It was a treat from beginning to end with lavish sets reminiscent of yesteryear movies like
Ben Hur, Cleopatra and
Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit. Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa and Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger deliver earnest portrayals as leads in a strong cast, but it's the tribal territory of Kawanda and its people that capture the imagination. The awards were well deserved. The production is expansive in scope, with technicolor sets, exotic lands and costumes, and a musical score to match.
Spike Lee jumped into the host's arms onstage to accept an Oscar in the category of best Adapted Screenplay for
BlacKkKlansman, a true story about Ron Stallworth, the first black policeman in Colorado Springs, portrayed by John David Washington. When Stallworth decides to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan with the help of his white colleague, Flip Zimmerman, a Jewish cop played by Adam Driver, the masquerade and tension builds. It's a hoot of a tale with lively action and an unlikely scenario. Lee and some critics expressed dismay that the picture lost the top award to
Green Book, making the snub reminiscent of 1989 when
Driving Miss Daisy won and Spike Lee was overlooked for
Do the Right Thing, not even a nominee. The New York Times called
Klansman Lee's "best non-documentary feature in more than a decade and one of his greatest." It was thoroughly enjoyable, with characters and storyline nearly preposterous, and the journey down memory lane via the Ku Klux Klan next to unbearable.
A Star Is Born, Bradley Cooper's directorial debut in which he plays the lead with co-star Lady Gaga, took the top award for original song, "Shallow." Written by Gaga and collaborators, the soundtrack won a Grammy, Golden Globe and BAFTA in addition to the Oscar. The Academy Awards spotlighted Cooper and Gaga singing a cozy duet at a piano onstage. Their passionate performance hinted at the movie's storyline, a remake of the classic film about a has-been singer who propels an unknown artist to stardom, but can't overcome his own demons. It's a touching story with the same ending we've seen before, but it could be argued the chemistry that ignites between these two takes the remake to a whole new level. Rumor has it Clint Eastwood turned down the directing job because he felt Cooper would be better. I can't disagree given the wallop this movie carries.
Vice landed Christian Bale (
The Big Short and
The Fighter) a nomination but not the Oscar for best Actor in a Leading Role. However, he claimed the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture. Makeup and Hairstyling was awarded the Oscar for turning Bale into a remarkable resemblance of Dick Cheney and Amy Adams (
American Hustle) into a believable Lynne Cheney, perhaps her best role yet. Bale is a fascinating chameleon who always morphs into whatever physical characteristics the role demands, as he did for
The Fighter and for the Cheney character, which required substantial weight gain. We witness former Vice President Dick Cheney's career from an undirected college dropout who favors booze over books and works a mediocre job until he meets Lynne, who pushes him for the rest of his life to do better. He follows her lessons and climbs up the ladder of Republican White House staff jobs to eventually land the Vice Presidency with George W. Bush. The offer is depicted in the film as a lighthearted, comical deal between the two men that ultimately leads down the road to abuses of power and morality. Part historical, biopic and farce,
Vice is highly entertaining with a strong liberal gut punch.
Free Solo beat
RBG for best Documentary Feature. Both were captivating but for entirely different reasons. It's fascinating but disturbing to watch champion rock climber Alex Honnold scale the 30,000-foot face of El Capitan in Yosemite, which comes at the end of this enthralling film. First, we watch Honnold undertake painstaking preparations over a period of months for multiple practice climbs, entering detailed notes on each in his journal. He pays close attention to his diet, sleep, clothing and the weather to ensure an optimal chance of reaching his goal -- the top of El Capitan without the aid of ropes and equipment. If it sounds harrowing, it is! Along the winding trail of this dream, he meets a lovely young woman whose heart resides in the wilderness as well. They set up house in Honnold's small RV camper and the relationship flourishes during the lengthy training period. His achievement is exhilarating to witness, yet I couldn't help but wonder why he'd take such a high risk that threatens his life. His mom describes a young boy who had the drive and focus to climb rocks, and others attest to his expert skills, but we're still reminded of the many who failed and met their deaths. In fact, the fear hovers in every climb the camera captures. If you're in the mood for adventure, and admire people who challenge themselves to impossible feats through the sheer power of the human spirit, this is the movie for you. If you're a tamer breed, don't skip it. Just close your eyes when it gets too scary.
RBG was nominated for best Documentary Feature but came up empty-handed. However, it's such a gem, as is the subject of the film, that IMHO it deserves recognition. As you must already know, Ruth Bader Ginsberg is a Supreme Court justice and cultural icon. What you may not know is that her Notorious RBG nickname was inspired by the rapper Biggie Small's Notorious B.I.G. nickname -- read how that happened
here. The film is a romp through the life of this petite powerhouse of a woman who blazed the trail for gender equity laws in the United States (
On the Basis of Sex tracks that historical triumph with Felicity Jones as a determined Ginsberg). RBG, on the other hand, follows Ginsberg through a five-star legal career and family and personal challenges, including her bouts with cancer over the years and her young husband's battle with cancer when they attended law school and had a baby at home. But it's not the health issues, rather her spunk, accomplishments and common sense talk that infuse the film with sparkle, wit and gravitas. Turning 86 on March 15, Ginsberg is a long-serving liberal on the Court. Appointed by Bill Clinton in 1993, she's gained the respect of her colleagues, especially the conservative Justice Antonin Scalia with whom she shared a close friendship until his death in 2016. Her infamous workouts, dissenting opinions on Court decisions, devotion to family and career, and the birth of RBG T-shirts and buttons make for a delightful film about a cultural icon we can all admire.
