The long Thanksgiving weekend is coming to a close, and there is so much to talk about. I ran into a friend last night who had been following me and my viewings on social media, and he asked me how many movies I had actually watched over the past few days. And the total is 8. Not including my snippets rewatch of "Schitt's Creek" (almost temporarily over that obsession) and the beginnings of Netflix's "Bodyguard" with "Game of Thrones's" Richard Madden.
Before getting into the grit of it, lets' look at them:
A Private War
A Moment in the Reeds
Boy Erased
Widows
The Cakemaker
Border
Wildlife
Bohemian Rhapsody
8 films. And no end in sight.
One of the most difficult things about the year end backloading of these movies is the way a lesser film truly stands out amongst the greatness. The biggest example of this would be "Boy Erased."
Had "Boy Erased" come out earlier in the year I wonder if it would have fared better with me. I found the story to be a necessary telling, but the screenplay and direction to be subpar. Even the performances were a bit lacking for me. Watching Nicole Kidman's teary Oscary moment with Lucas Hedges near the end of the film, I immediately thought - She did this much better in "Lion." Hedges also seemed a bit bland in his characterization of his character. He said in the media in regard to his sexuality "I recognize myself as existing on that spectrum: Not totally straight, but also not gay and not necessarily bisexual.” That is an entirely justifiable way to identify. Who am I or anyone else to question that. BUT...I can question the portrayal. And it waffles on a spectrum of blandness.
Watching the wonderful "A Moment in the Reeds" and the wickedly original "Border" (Sweden's Foreign Language Oscar submission) the following days, "Boy Erased's" vanilla look at sexuality and the attempted and vile conversion of it, "Boy Erased" became even more disappointing being judged on an unintentional curve.
"A Moment in the Reeds," so far, is the best explicitly LGBTQ film I have seen this year. "Can You Ever Forgive Me," which I would call a film with LGBTQ characters...is a close 2nd.
I found the romance between Jaane Puustinen's Leevi and Boodi Kabbani's Tareq to be incredibly sexual and realistic. Although everyone knows how much I love "Call Me By Your Name," this film's look at romance and sexuality goes much deeper. You have two characters who may struggle a bit with the closet, but know who they are when they are alone. It is refreshing.
"Border," is something else altogether. I actually didn't know the full twists and turns of the film, which I'm glad of, so I won't spoil them here even though I have seen it spoiled in headlines elsewhere. Eva Melander plays Tina, a customs officer who can smell emotions, which can lead to the apprehension of some very questionable characters at the border. She meets and falls for Vore, who seems to have the same chromosomal deficiency she does. She can't sense his emotions, which seems to fuel her desires. It is animalistic, to say the least.
The last movie I saw was "Bohemian Rhapsody." I will say this about it - even though I found it to be mostly terrible, I was often entertained. Particularly in the final scene that recreated Queen's "Live Aid" reunion performance.
I found it interesting that Rami Malek (who is great, most of the time) played into what I assumed to be Mercury's apprehension and nerves, despite an amazing vocal performance, especially considering his rehearsal croaks...but having viewed the actual performance after I got home last night, that seems to have been less of a choice by Malek and more uncomfortability. Probably didn't help that they filmed that on the first days of shooting before he really had a chance to inhabit the character.
The biggest problem with the film is that it takes such broad, generalized strokes at Freddy Mercury's life - that in the end - "homosexuality" ends up the villain. Sure, he ends up with the good guy after all is said and done, but the damage is done. We rarely get a glimpse of this happy gay life he lead. The way Singer (or whoever actually directed the film) portrays Mercury's sexuality - in the most generic, pandering sort of way, it almost appears as if his sexuality was thrust upon him instead of something he was born with and discovers about himself.
Let's take a look at a medley of Oscar categories that have been made a bit clearer after this 8 movie binge.
Foreign Language Film
How do I make this as simple as possible. A small Phase I committee chooses 6 films from the large list of films selected by each country (which gets 1 choice). A smaller Phase I "Executive Committee" supplements that list with 3 additional choices that might have been left off for various reasons. A "Phase 2" committee will then watch all 9 films and then nominate 5.
I think "Border" will get in for Foreign Language Film, if not by the Phase I Committee, the smaller Executive Committee. The Executive Committee exists for this exact purpose. But, that can sometimes mean that films like "Elle" (famously not nominated in 2016/2017) sometimes get left out.
"The Cakemaker," Israel's entry, which I really enjoyed will more than likely be left off by both Phase I committees. If one drama about a closeted gay husband gets in, it will possibly be "The Marriage."
Best Actress
The fact that I was blown away by both Rosamund Pike in "A Private War" and Carey Mulligan in "Wildlife," doesn't make figuring out Best Actress any easier. They both give incredibly nuanced performances. These are women, I would assume, unlike the actors portraying them but at the same time fully realized people. Character acting in the most naturalistic sense. Both characters act in "unlikeable" ways that are absolutely true to humanity.
Then you have Viola Davis, who is fantastic in "Widows." She, along with the other women in this incredible ensemble command the screen. Although I loved the film and Davis in it, this character isn't really anything we haven't seen from her before. Does that matter? Should I even say that? How else are we going to compare these performances. It almost seems unfair, doesn't it?
Best Adapted Screenplay
Although I doubt, for now at least that either "Wildlife" or "Widows" will be major factors in the Best Picture race (although "Widows" could be nominated) I think they both should be serious contenders for Adapted Screenplay. This, like Best Actress is a deep category. I don't think "Boy Erased" gets in, unless the subject matter trumps craft, and although I think "Beautiful Boy" has a great screenplay, the damage from some critics (A.O Scott, I'm looking at you!!) who seem to know nothing about addiction/recovery is done. Those of us who love the film are going to have to settle for a Supporting Actor nomination for Timothee Chalamet.
Both "Widows" and Wildlife" have fantastic and unique screenplays. I wonder if one of the reasons word of mouth for "Widows" isn't taking off is due to its originality and the fact that it can't quite be put in a box. Steve McQueen and Gillian Flynn are a match made in screenplay originality heaven. Same for Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan who co-wrote "Wildlife."
Best Picture contenders "A Star is Born" and "Black Panther," seem to many to be frontrunners in this category, and although I love both films, it would be a shame if they get in simply riding on the coattails of their Best Picture chances.
But if "A Star is Born" is going to be a serious BP contender, doesn't it have to get nominated here? We shall see. More on Best Picture soon.
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