I'm in the midst of a two day audition for the next play I'm directing for Theatre Oxford, "Doubt: A Parable," so I certainly have acting/directing on the brain.
In regard to Oscar...
First: what happens when a first time or inexperienced actor's director gets the opportunity to direct seasoned or amateur actors.
Second: how could Willem Dafoe get nominated for Best Actor in "At Eternity's Gate" when Timothee Chalamet couldn't get nominated in Supporting Actor for "Beautiful Boy."
Third: Overdue v/s deserving
Let's look at the first one.
I have been pretty vocal here about my disappointment with "Hereditary" and "Vice" and the lead performances in both of them. My real issue doesn't lie with either Toni Collette or Christian Bale, but more with directors Ari Aster and Adam McKay.
In each film there are moments of acting greatness. With Collette, I remember watching her in the support group scene, being absolutely blown away. Also in the scene where she attempts to contact her daughter from beyond the grave, to the wonder and fear of both her husband and son, Collete's raw emotion is so incredibly vibrant.
But then, there are moments that are so incredibly baffling to me. Collette and Ann Dowd have a scene in a shopping center (I think!) parking lot that is so poorly directed in terms of staging, camera and, sorry, acting, especially on Dowd's part that I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Collette is a great actress (Dowd as well), but Aster used the most overcooked moments along with underdone backstory, leaving us with a very inconsistent film. But...people love it. They sure do.
With Bale, there are so many incredible moments. Particularly when he is the older Dick. His villain is real and it is incredibly frightening. But, in his youth Bale plays the clown, smirking and pulling faces instead of giving us truth. I've begun to wonder if this is what McKay wanted. OK...clearly, it's what he wanted. The better choice, in my opinion, would've been to ground this in realism in the way he did with "The Big Short." The insanity and comic horror of the circumstances of Cheney's life could have provided the perfect setting for an honest start to finish portrayal by Bale.
But then you have someone like Bo Burnham, first time director of "Eighth Grade," who manages to get the most amazing performances out of all the actors in the film. Is it because it is a more straight forward script? Less experienced actors? Elsie Fisher may be young, but she isn't a first time actor to say the least.
I have a theory that both McKay and Aster asked for the most extremes from their actors, and in the end, gave us the gamut through the editing process. With "Eighth Grade" it seems as if Burnham was going for truth and that's what we got.
Perhaps I am being overtly critical here...I've been wondering that since I left the theater after watching "Hereditary" for the first time. But we we talking about her getting in over the likes of Rosmand Pike and at the time Melissa McCarthy, who was not always a shoo-in. Those are great performances. I'm sad Pike missed the mark.
Do I think that Rami Malek deserves the award over Bale? That's a really tough one. I had issues with his performance as well, mostly in the lauded Live Aid performance. I saw an actor's hesitancy, especially compared to Queen's actual performance. If I had to choose between the two Bale or Malek, I don't know what I would do....Luckily, I wouldn't have to if I was an Academy member. For me, Bradley Cooper is the one that truly deserves the award. Or even Dafoe...
Willem and Timothee
I was shocked on Oscar nomination morning when Willem Dafoe was nominated for Best Actor and disappointed (if less shocked) when Timothee Chalamet was snubbed for Supporting Actor. As the season progressed we saw that Best Actor was a weaker race.
Amazon, who I have said a couple of times messed up with "Beautiful Boy's" campaign, really made their first mistake pushing Chalamet for Supporting. It is a leading performance. I didn't want to declare that before because I simply wanted Timothee to get in. And if Willem Dafoe could get in for a film that made 6 million, Timothee could have made it in with "Beautiful Boy" (which made 13 million, in case you were wondering).
Willem Dafoe gives a stunning performance in "At Eternity's Gate." There are moments when Van Gogh goes out into the world to fill his creative well, sometimes to work, sometimes merely to observe...and those scenes, the score, and Dafoe in them are all breathtaking. You can see Van Gogh in Dafoe's eyes.
Chalamet, on the surface gives exactly what the Academy would normally go for. I've said that it's not a showy performance, much more nuanced that people might think...but comparing it to Dafoe...it is an Oscar performance in the most cliched sense.
But, Chalamet wasn't up for Lead. And in the end, a true supporting performance by last year's winner, Sam Rockwell, got in. That last slot was crowded with possibilities. Rockwell, Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan.
I wonder how things might have gone otherwise. Could Chalamet have gotten in over Dafoe? Perhaps, perhaps not.
Side note:
As much as I loved many of the Popular films that made their way to the Oscars, there are an equal if not larger amount of smaller adult dramas, "At Eternity's Gate" now included, that touched my cinematic heart this season.
Overdue v/s deserving
Finally, overdue v/s deserving. I wonder if Timothee will win his Oscar in his late 50s like Gary Oldman. One thing I really don't want to hear is that he is "overdue" in his early 40s ala Leo DiCaprio.
This year, people are labeling Glenn Close as overdue...7 nominations, 71 years old...and yeah...I would say she was overdue for a win. She's given some damn great performances over the years.
If I believed Lady Gaga gave the better performance I would be the first one to cry foul. I think Lady Gaga is absolutely incredible in "A Star is Born."
By the way...It is possible to love a performance by an actor and not think they should get the award.
Luckily, this is a year I think the overdue actress gives the best nominated performance. Glenn Close deserves it.
Then you have Spike Lee, nominated for the first time for Directing with "BlacKkKlansman." Comparing Lee and Alfonso Cuaron is really apples and oranges. "BlacKkKlansman" is so well constructed, from page to screen. "Roma's" approach was completely different, with Cuaron almost never giving his actors a script, very much directing them in the moment. I go back and forth on whether or not his approach with Yalitza Aparicio (particularly in the hospital scene, where she wasn't aware of what was going to happen) was brilliant or something else.
In this case, you have two great pieces of filmmaking and one director who has not won.
I give it to Lee.
The Academy more than likely will not. So...will Gaga and Lee take their consolation prizes on Oscar night? Hopefully, they deserve those, indeed!
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