When the first wave of COVID-19 rocked Hollywood back in the spring, film studios had to make the decision to either push back, scale down, or alter completely the release dates and viewing platforms of many of this year’s highly anticipated films. Disney, for example, repeatedly reconfigured its release dates of Mulan, Black Widow, and Soul before finally settling on releasing Mulan on its streaming service back in September, Soul in December, and Black Widow until 2021. Similarly, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet shuffled around different release dates before it eventually became available in the US during Labour Day weekend. Even then, Tenet opened only in select theatres, and what’s more, its tepid box office results were, to every studio head paying attention, a clear indication of America’s still-existing wariness to visit movie theatres. On the opposite end of the spectrum, many films, like Antebellum, Bill and Ted Face the Music, and Greyhound, opted to skip theatrical releases entirely and moved onto streaming platforms.

And these are just the films backed by major studios (aka films with the power and money to be more flexible and are, in the end, guaranteed to be shown to an audience one way—and one day—or another).

For smaller, independent films that rely on the film festival circuit in order to be sold to studios for wider distribution, the path to screening in front of an audience has been more precarious: the Cannes and Telluride Film Festivals each cancelled their programs entirely because of COVID-related lockdowns in their respective regions; the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals, while allowing some, albeit limited, in-person screenings, scaled back from their typically star-studded events, choosing, instead, to screen the same films simultaneously across multiple theatres so that physical distancing protocols remained intact, which ultimately resulted in a smaller-than-usual line-up of films; and then there were festivals like New York and Tribeca that opted for a completely virtual experience, giving viewers around the world the opportunity to purchase e-tickets that would allow them to log into the festivals’ respective portals and watch their chosen films at specific times and dates.

These distributive and exhibitive changes, to the average movie-goer, will, of course, feel simply like a period of dullness, of stagnancy, of drought in an otherwise bountiful cinematic oasis. To industry professionals, to cinephiles, and to Meryl Streeps alike, however, this new and unprecedented and unforeseen reality—especially now, as the industry finds the first act of awards season slowly coming to a close—raises the question: what’s happening with the Oscars?

The first step on the road to the Oscars, after all, is being seen. In order for a film to be considered for any Academy Award, it must, in fact, play in theatres, for the public, for at least seven days. Film festivals are therefore the best places to be seen: in addition to being a marketplace—where typically bigger studios would buy the distribution rights to your typically smaller studio film and eventually grant you a wide theatrical release—the right film festival, at the right place and time, with the right emotional and political climate, can become a single film’s launchpad for Oscar gold.

Before, for instance, Bradley Cooper premiered his adaptation of A Star is Born in Venice two years ago—indeed, even before the film entered production. The chatter surrounding the film was overall skepticism. Cooper was, after all, an actor jumping behind the camera for the first time, and Lady Gaga had, until then, only done TV acting of the campy, vampiric sort.

When the film finally played to audiences at the 2018 Venice Film Festival, however, a star—Lady Gaga, that is—was literally born! Everyone walked away from that festival with four words in their mouths: “Lady Gaga” and “Best Actress.” And when the film made its appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival a month after, and people saw A Star is Born for the second time, supporters of the film were reaffirmed and skeptics were persuaded that, yes, the film actually was the real deal and Gaga was going for gold. Gaga, in fact, became the festival “it-girl” of that year—young, beautiful, demonstrably multi-talented, and, most importantly, full of heart. As she graced through each festival, each press junket, each photo op, she built on and carried that momentum all the way to her first Oscar nomination for acting and her first win for Original Song.

This is why this year’s Oscar race is more difficult to track: firstly, the constant reshuffling of the deck makes it harder to know which films lie ahead (everyone, for instance, was looking at Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story as being a knockout favourite purely because of Spielberg’s talent and reputation alone, even though it wasn’t supposed to premiere until Christmas later this year, but its studio has since pushed its release date to Christmas 2021). Secondly, and possibly more importantly, with there being a deficit in films actually being released to the public this year (not to mention the fact that the coronavirus is still an ongoing, and a stilly deadly, crisis) many are wondering if they even care, if there still exists a point to this year’s Oscars, if it is, in the face of death, isolation, and fear, still appropriate.

But, of course, as they say in show business: the show must go on. Films, at the end of the day, are still being released, still being watched. The Academy, moreover, still set a date for the upcoming awards ceremony. Predictions, as such, are still being formed.

Sure, there may not be festival chatter as loud, Oscar buzz as electric, or an “it-girl” as adored as in previous years, but if anything remains the same, it is, above it all, hope. And where better to turn to for hope than art. Currently, the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony has been pushed back to April 25th 2021, which was announced back in June, but only time will tell.

Current predictions (in alphabetical order):

BEST PICTURE:

• Da 5 Bloods, The Father
• Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
• Mank
• Minari
• News of the World
• Nomadland
• On the Rocks
• One Night in Miami
• The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST DIRECTOR

• David Fincher, Mank
• Paul Greengrass, News of the World
• Regina King, One Night in Miami
• Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
• Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

BEST ACTRESS

• Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
• Jennifer Hudson, Respect
• Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
• Frances McDormand, Nomadland
• Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

BEST ACTOR

• Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
• Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
• Anthony Hopkins, The Father
• Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods
• Stanley Tucci, Supernova

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
• Olivia Colman, The Father
• Amanda Seyfried, Mank
• Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari
• Helena Zengel, News of the World

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Chadwick Boseman, Da 5 Bloods
• Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
• Billy Murray, On the Rocks
• Leslie Odom Jr, One Night in Miami
• David Strathairn, Nomadland 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• Mank
• Minari
• Promising Young Woman
• Soul
• The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• The Father
• Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
• News of the World
• Nomadland
• One Night in Miami

What are your thoughts? Tell us in the comments below!

The post What’s Happening With The Oscars? appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

This year’s 91st Academy Award ceremony holds a lot of weight. It’s the first year that Spike Lee is nominated for Best Director and the first time an indigenous Mexican woman (Yalitza Aparicio) has been nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role. While all of these milestones are extraordinary, the Oscars are still missing a few nominees. From Best Screenplay to Best Supporting Actor, here are some films and performances that were overlooked at this year’s show.

Blindspotting

Written by and starring Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal, Blindspotting was a hidden gem released last year. Diggs plays Colin who’s on probation and the film chronicles his three final days before he’s a free man. The film is about police brutality, race relations, class, and gentrification. There are so many layers to this movie, and it takes so many twists and turns. The performances are all great, especially Diggs and Casal who plays his best friend Miles. If it had garnered more traction and public attention, this film could’ve easily snagged a Best Screenplay nomination.

Eighth Grade

The premise for Eighth Grade is simple: a quiet and introverted teenage girl named Kayla tries to survive her final weeks of eighth grade before she starts high school. The story sounds simple, but the movie is so much more than that. It fully encapsulates the angst of being a teenager. You’re at the point where you’re so ferociously trying to be an individual yet you’re also so desperately trying to fit in. It’s a weird space to be in and this movie captures it perfectly. Elsie Fisher and Josh Hamilton are both brilliant in their portrayals of Kayla and Mark Day, respectively. Bo Burnham was definitely snubbed for a Best Screenplay and Best Director nomination.

Disobedience

Disobedience is about two women (Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams) who come to terms with their sexuality in a highly religious, and stifling, environment. This is another movie that didn’t get enough attention. It’s a bit of a slow burn and sometimes loses its place, but Weisz and McAdams save it in a lot of ways. They were both due for acting nominations for this film, but Weisz is nominated for The Favourite… so all hope is not lost.

Widows

Directed by Oscar-winner Steve McQueen, Widows is essentially about a heist. Of course, it had great performances all around, but Daniel Kaluuya is the one who stood out the most. He did such a great job at being so menacing and creepy. Although he didn’t have much to do in the movie, he worked well with what he had and was brilliant. I would’ve liked to see him nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

Hereditary

One of the biggest surprises was the snub for Hereditary. It came out last summer and its impact still lingers. In a nutshell, it’s a horror movie about a family dealing with death. The film was very twisted and terrifying. The standout, by far, was Toni Collette. There is one scene where her character Annie is talking to her son Peter at the dinner table. She goes through so many emotions in that one scene in such a short amount of time and it’s phenomenal. She deserved a Best Actress nomination and it’s a shame that she’s not getting more recognition for this role.

Do you think these movies missed out? Tell us in the comments below!

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Highs

A Hostless Ceremony

Following Kevin Hart’s decision to step down as the Oscars host, the Academy was left without anyone to hold the night together. As it turns out, this was probably the best thing for it. Without any lengthy monologues or montages, the Oscars flowed smoothly and rarely dragged at any point. A quick opening by Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler was all that was needed to break the ice before launching into the tight and well-paced proceedings.

Queen’s Opening

Queen’s legacy rocked the evening in more way than one when the ceremony opened to Brian May, Roger Taylor, and Adam Lambert performing a medley of ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are The Champions’, and ‘The Show Must Go On’. Setting an energetic vibe for the evening, it was just enough to temporarily soothe our worries about this evening might not be so messy after all.

The Surprise Win For Best Actress

Up until this announcement, everything was pointing to Glenn Close finally taking out the Best Actress Oscar after a total of seven previous acting nominations. But although her performance in The Wife elevated it from being a good movie to a slightly better one, it still wasn’t enough to stop Olivia Colman from stepping in and nabbing that Oscar for her dithering portrayal of a miserable Queen Anne in The Favourite. Had Close won this year it would have been for nothing more than recognition of a great career rather than a great performance. But her time will come one day, and this year Colman truly was the most deserving recipient for this award.

Everything About Spike Lee

Speaking of unrecognised talent, Spike Lee finally got his Oscar win – but not in directing or producing. Along with a team of lesser-known writers, Lee instead took out the award for Best Adapted Screenplay, beating out The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Can You Ever Forgive Me, If Beale Street Could Talk, and A Star Is Born. But this was just the start – his jump into Samuel L. Jackson’s arms as he reached the stage, his rallying acceptance speech, and the shade he threw at some of the arguably less deserving winners of the evening made him the real MVP of the 2019 Oscars.

Alfonso Cuarón’s Wins

He might not have won the Best Picture Oscar, but Alfonso Cuarón’s wins for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography, and Best Director were small glimmers of hope for the art film community in a ceremony that spent so much time recognising crowd-pleasers. Guillermo del Toro’s presenting of the Best Director award to his long-time friend was also a sweet moment that reminded us how many times in recent years they have dominated the category, along with their other friend Alejandro Iñárritu. This powerhouse trio of Mexican directors has consistently set a standard for other directors to live up to, and by continuing this trend of recognising one of them in the Best Director category the standard is upheld.

Lows

The Favourite’s Many Snubs

Yorgos Lanthimos’ weird little period piece The Favourite may have gone in with ten nominations, but it was sadly only successful in winning one of those. Its single win was Olivia Colman’s surprise upset mentioned above, but its performance overall was a little underwhelming considering how much love it had been getting earlier on in the awards season, and especially at the BAFTAs. I can’t be too disappointed here though because the categories I was rooting for it in (namely Best Costume Design and Best Production Design) ended up being snatched by Black Panther, which is still a deserving winner.

Bohemian Rhapsody’s Many Wins

Okay I might be a little biased on this one… but Bohemian Rhapsody isn’t a well-made film. Most of the blame can be put on Bryan Singer’s unprofessional behaviour on set, which led to him being fired and the rest of the team scrambling to salvage the rest of the production. In particular, the editor John Ottman was given the immense task of stitching it all together without any directorial overview. This lack of supervision shows in its inconsistency, with its brilliance peaking at the Live Aid sequence and dipping in scenes like this:

bringing this back because bohemian rhapsody actually won best film editing pic.twitter.com/D6zF0rTCSH

— ً (@fiImargot) February 25, 2019

The fact he got through it all on his own is impressive, but it was this ability to keep it together more than anything else that gave him the Oscar for Best Film Editing in the end. Along with this, Bohemian Rhapsody secured three other awards that night – Best Actor for Rami Malek, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing (A Quiet Place was robbed and you can’t convince me otherwise). As a result Bohemian Rhapsody won the most awards out of any other film that night, simply going to show the power of its passionate fan base.

Best Picture Upset

Oh Green Book… how wrong I was about this one. I had been getting way too comfortable with the Best Picture winners of the past few years being relatively free of controversy, so I really thought the Academy was over its days of bland, feel-good movies. If it wasn’t already obvious, my favourite to win this year was Roma, but I would have been pretty fine with any other nominee taking this award (with the clear exception of Bohemian Rhapsody).

Green Book isn’t a bad movie, but it is a forgettable one. A lot of its supporters will appreciate it for being a nice tale of two people who became friends and nothing more, and this would be fair enough if it was any other film and not the winner of the Best Picture Oscar. But when something is called the best film of a particular year, there are certain things this implies – it should represent a certain culture at a certain point in time, it should challenge us, and it should stimulate constructive, radical discussion.

The true story of Dr Shirley and Tony Lip’s road trip offered so much potential to dig into the loaded history of The Negro Motorist Green Book and ongoing racial tensions that have no easy solutions, but instead the most that can be drawn from the movie is a basic message that we should all be nice to each other. So while its win is not as egregious as Crash’s notorious success at the 2005 Oscars, it exists in a similar vein of commemorating rose-tinted films that celebrate liberal achievements without any level of self-awareness or nuanced critique.

If there is one positive thing that came out of this though, its that we can now play the game of listing people that producer Nick Vallelonga has more Oscars than – Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick…

What did you think of the 2019 Oscars? Sound off in the comments below!

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Although The Favourite is set in the royal court of Queen Anne in the early 18^th century, it is obvious that Lanthimos wasn’t interested in giving a history lesson when he was directing this film. The historical setting is merely a backdrop to the backstabbing, affairs, and power plays that unfold amongst the monarch and her consorts. While there are bits and pieces of real facts dropped in every now and again, they’re almost indistinguishable from the fictional parts. This serves to break down our own understanding of 18^th century royal English culture until all we are left with is a submissive acceptance to the bizarre world Lanthimos draws us into.

I watched The Favourite before the nominations were announced, and it was pretty clear even then which Oscar categories it would find itself nominated in. Everything about it is visually stunning, in an extravagant, over-the-top kind of way. The editor’s use of long fades, the flamboyant period costumes, and the ornate set design all point directly to which creative minds would be getting nominated for which awards. But the most notable (and to a lot of people, confusing) technique is the use of fish-eye lenses that distort the corridors and rooms in Queen Anne’s royal court. Practically, this would have let the crew fit into confined spaces without narrowing the field of vision too much. Tonally, it unsettles us as viewers, purposely keeping us at a distance and reminding us that we’re not meant to feel at home in this environment.

The story is very much a character-driven piece, with each main character believing they are in charge of their own lives. Queen Anne, Sarah, and Abigail all go on parallel journeys, taking different paths to achieve different goals, only to come to the horrifying realisation that no matter how ruthless they act there will always be others ready to match them. What starts as petty digs evolve into full-blown murder attempts, and each development is a thrilling and droll affair that propels each character forward to their inevitable disappointment.

At the centre of it all is Queen Anne, portrayed by Olivia Colman as an ailing, childlike ruler who can barely manage a country let alone her own temper. While all three leading ladies desire love for their own purposes, hers is simply out of a fear of being left alone. Abigail’s affection for the Queen is a blatant grab for power, and although Sarah’s has a little more warmth to it, even her motives simply come from wishing to maintain her current prestige and lifestyle. The type of love they give Queen Anne reflects who they are as people. The Queen is torn between Abigail’s manipulative, sweet adoration that soothes all her deepest insecurities, and Sarah’s own intimacy that offers genuine, harsh truths. And similarly, Queen Anne’s final decision on which love she values more reflects a lot about who she is as a person as well.

The ensemble work in The Favourite is its strongest asset, and this has been recognised by all three leads achieving nominations in the acting categories. Even though Glenn Close pretty much has this year’s Best Actress award in the bag, Olivia Colman has a lot of strong support as well and could end up taking that Oscar home instead. As for Best Picture, The Favourite seems to be pretty well-loved across the board, but doesn’t quite have the passionate support of enough fans who would put it in their number 1 spots on the preferential ballot. In the end the film may end up winning a bunch of technical awards, but that might be the best we can hope for.

What do you think of The Favourite winning Best Picture? Tell us in the comments below!

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It’s the classic Hollywood love story – famous man meets aspiring woman, they fall in love, and her career takes off as his goes downhill. The vague outline of A Star Is Born is just broad enough to easily slot into any time period or culture, indicating some sort of universal identification with the story that compels us to keep returning to it. In fact this is the fifth time we have seen it done on the big screen, the other times being in 1937, 1954, 1976, and Bollywood’s 2013 remake Aashiqui 2. But this time, Bradley Cooper’s spin on it delves into the country and pop music industries, and asks how it’s possible to stay relevant in an age of disposability.

Cooper’s passion for this project bleeds through every moment of his performance and direction. Everything in his portrayal of Jackson Maine embodies the shabby, drug-fuelled persona of the typical aged country star, living from one hazy concert to the next with barely a moment to sleep. His slip into self-loathing manifests through a series of embarrassing public accidents and private moments of failing to come through in his relationship with Ally. Cooper plays into the “jerk with a heart of gold” trope here, but at times he simply comes off as just being a jerk with his own interests at heart. As a result it can be difficult to buy into the chemistry between Jackson and Ally, despite both actors delivering performances that are otherwise thoughtful and nuanced.

Matthew Libatique’s cinematography is reminiscent of the live concert recordings of folk musicians – handheld cameras, shallow focus, close-ups, and hazy, vibrant lighting come together to create a dreamlike atmosphere where raw, mutual attraction seems like the only thing that matters. But like those nights of adrenaline and elation spent at music festivals and parties, these things don’t last. The real world gradually seeps in and drags us down from our high, and we can do nothing but watch Jackson and Ally fight against the detrimental effects of drug addiction, celebrity gossip, and the pressure to compromise their public and self-image.

Ally’s rise and Jackson’s fall are intertwined, both pulling each other in opposite directions. But even though Jackson’s failures constantly override Ally’s successes she barely flinches from their commitment, further propelling his destructive self-loathing and guilt. This all culminates in his tragic suicide, and Ally’s commemoration of him in her new career direction.

While moving, this ending struggles to reconcile the themes that the film plays with – specifically what constitutes “real” music, if selling out can be justified, and the simple dichotomy of pop vs country. Sometimes it seems to side with Jackson’s disdain for the shallowness of contemporary music, while at other times Ally is in the right for taking advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. There is also an argument for poptimism, a belief that pop music is as deserving of professional critique as more refined forms of music, but even this is undercut in other parts in the screenplay. A Star Is Born doesn’t end up settling on any one conclusive point, prioritising emotional impact over thematic resolution.

Bradley Cooper’s Best Director snub was surprising, but A Star Is Born more than makes up for it in its other nominated categories. There is no surprise that the film’s music has gone down so well, with its single “Shallow” being the frontrunner for Best Original Song. Aside from its awards for music and sound, the rest of the movie has been pretty unrecognised this awards season, claiming a lot of nominations but not many wins. While this could be an unfortunate indication of its chances at the Oscars, its dedicated fanbase and roots in Hollywood history could give it that extra push it needs to pick up a few extra awards here and there.

Do you think A Star Is Born will grab Best Picture? Tell us in the comments below!

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Using the same formula that launched his 2015 film The Big Short to international success, Adam McKay plays to what he knows best and turns it up to 11 in his Dick Cheney biopic Vice. The result is a film that tries to balance too many metaphors at once, but still serves up an engaging piece of political history that educates the uninformed.

Admittedly as a millennial Australian with little background knowledge of Cheney, I don’t understand a lot of the backlash that has come against Vice regarding its accuracy. But even from my perspective it is clear that McKay’s intentions aren’t always completely aligned with the truth, with some parts of the film painting Cheney as a flatly villainous character. However Vice also has a level of self-awareness that almost excuses the many liberties that McKay takes with the story – “almost” being the key word here, as I currently linger in the grey area between it being either excusable or too smug about its own cleverness.

It is obvious that Christian Bale’s performance as Cheney himself is meant to be the main feature of this movie, and indeed he succeeds in pulling it through its lowest points and elevating it to its highest. At times his portrayal is oddly theatrical, but this seems to tie into McKay’s overall vision where Shakespearean soliloquys and moments of breaking the fourth wall aren’t out of place. As a result Vice constructs Cheney as a scheming political figure in the ilk of King Lear, Macbeth or Iago. But instead of facing any major downfall as these villains once did, he continues to build his empire off the misfortunes and struggles of other people.

It would be so much easier to simply accuse Vice of being too partisan, but what complicates this is its self-awareness and unconcealed acknowledgement of its own prejudice. Vice embeds these biases into its very DNA, turning them into jokes that, for the most part, work. This peaks at the self-referential mid-credits scene, but it also ties into the reveal of the narrator’s identity following a long teased mystery, when we discover that this seemingly significant person in Cheney’s life turns out to be nothing more than his heart donor. Cheney is depicted quite literally as the devourer of other people’s life forces, growing stronger as they grow weaker. As fascinating as the metaphor is it struggles to cohere with the many other metaphors that crop up throughout the film, revealing Vice to be a little too obsessed with nailing its intricate details at the expense of its overall image.

Its obvious liberal leanings and intense subject matter make Vice an obvious favourite for Academy voters wanting to make a grand statement against conservatives, but its political divisiveness will likely be its undoing when it comes to the preferential voting system. Christian Bale is almost certainly going to win in the Best Actor category, judging from the Academy’s almost yearly recognition of rigorous physical transformations and depictions of real historical figures. And if the movie is lucky it may pick up a couple of technical awards along the way as well, but all things considered its shot at taking out Best Picture doesn’t look great.

What do you think about Vice winning Best Picture? Tell us in the comments below!

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Alfonso Cuarón’s slow-paced Mexican drama Roma is one of the most unusual Best Picture contenders we have seen in years. Filmed entirely in black-and-white, with a nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category, and as the first Netflix movie to ever be nominated for Best Picture, it seems pretty out of place in an awards season that is leaning into movies that have mainstream success. But like Bohemian Rhapsody, it has rapidly gathered a huge following of fans who absolutely adore its premise, visual imagery, and stunning cinematography.

Based primarily on Cuarón’s own childhood housekeeper, Roma follows the journey of Cleo as she falls pregnant to a man who quickly abandons her, her search for love in all its forms, and her attempts to keep her life together in the process. Cuarón’s reputation precedes him as a master of mise-en-scène, and in Roma we see so many variations of the same techniques that the slowness of the plot is barely noticeable.

His employment of long, single takes allow us to watch each scene unfold in real-time, so that each mundane household chore, genuine human connection, or moment of trepidation is fully felt, and not just observed as an outsider. The choice to linger on each image lets us examine their composition as if they were paintings, which in turn forces Cuarón to carefully consider the framing of each shot, the physical use of space, and what is best left unseen.

The climax of Roma comes when Cleo finally gives birth. As she lies on the hospital bed in the foreground, the background is occupied by her newborn baby as it is attended to by nurses and doctors, just slightly out-of-focus. As the scene goes on we soon come to the gut-wrenching realisation that her child was stillborn. It is almost excruciating that this shot lingers for so long and makes us watch Cleo left alone to suffer while everyone else ignores her, but it lets us experience each stage of her grief setting in. Through some smart camerawork and a bold resistance to cut away, the audience is able to develop a deep empathy for this character who otherwise has difficulty expressing herself.

For a long time the family she works for seem to be the closest thing she will get to having a family of her own, and while they go out of their way to make her feel included she is constantly reminded that she is nothing more than a paid servant. There is little connection elsewhere in her life as well – her baby’s father wants nothing to do with her, and her best friend is more preoccupied with her own boyfriend.

Over time the baby comes to represent a figure that Cleo can finally belong to. Yet when it becomes apparent how she is projecting her own desire for affection onto the child without feeling any real love for it, she is wracked with guilt for feeling that she would much rather keep the connection she currently has with the family over her own kin.

This entire story is set against a backdrop of 70’s Mexico where disasters and civil unrest were common. The earthquakes, wildfires, and riots all echo the smaller tragedies that occur in Cleo’s life, and remind us of a world beyond her own where none of her problems really matter. But for as long as we stick with Cleo her issues really do matter, if not to anyone else then at least to us.

Roma currently holds ten nominations at this year’s Oscars, the most of any film along with The Favourite, and it is absolutely deserving of all of them. It is currently at the top of a lot of people’s list to take out Best Picture, although the Academy’s longstanding prejudice against Netflix and their current inclinations toward crowd-pleasing movies may threaten its chances. But even if it doesn’t win, I have no doubt that Roma will stand the test of time and be remembered as one of the greatest films of 2018.

What do you think of Roma being up for the 2019 Best Picture award? Tell us in the comments below!

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If there’s one Best Picture nominee I’ve wrestled with more than any other this year, it’s this one. In theory Bohemian Rhapsody should be exactly the type of movie that I adore – it’s playful, visually captivating, and centres around one of the most creative bands in music history. It also evidently holds mass appeal, managing to win two major awards at the Golden Globes, become the seventh highest grossing movie of 2018, and set the all-time box office record for biopics. But I also have a lot of issues with it, and most of them come back to a single point – this film treats its subject matter disingenuously.

Bohemian Rhapsody plays very fast and loose with the facts, manufacturing drama simply to create a neat Hollywood story with good guys, bad guys, arguments, reconciliation, and tragedy. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that biopics shouldn’t have any leeway when it comes to adapting story beats and cutting content to fit everything into a 2-hour format. But Bohemian Rhapsody pushes the limits of Freddie’s life story so much that the adapted screenplay is almost a completely different narrative. Nearly every single conflict in the film was invented for the purpose of entertainment, indicating that director Bryan Singer’s priorities were more in line with playing on timeworn movie tropes than conveying any real essence of who Freddie Mercury and his band mates were.

The scapegoating of Paul Prenter (who was a far more complex person in reality), the breakdown between the band members due to Freddie’s decision to go solo (which was much less of an issue than depicted since all of them were going solo at that point), Freddie’s diagnosis of AIDS which motivated him to give his greatest ever performance at Live Aid (which really happened in the reverse order, and had nothing to do with each other) – it gets to the point where watching Bohemian Rhapsody feels less like a tribute to the lives of the musicians, but rather just a showcase of their greatest hits.

On that level it would be a fine movie, because each song really is a thrilling and exciting spectacle that sweeps you up in the moment. But as a biopic the facts are treated far too lightly, giving the impression that no one working on this film really cared much about Freddie’s story in the first place.

Cinematically, Bohemian Rhapsody is a marvel, and for a while I was able to look past its flaws and enjoy the visual feast. But there came a point when I realised that the same joke was being played out over and over again – usually when someone expressed some innocuous doubt that Queen or one of their songs would ever be successful. And when it started to sink in that Anthony McCarten’s screenplay mostly relies on biopic clichés, it started to overshadow my appreciation for everything else that was going on.

This is to say nothing of the huge amount of backlash the film has received, with Bryan Singer just recently having had four allegations of sexual assault come against him. Coupled with his inappropriate behaviour on set that led to him being fired from his own movie, Bohemian Rhapsody’s Oscar chances don’t look great.

But independent of all these controversies it is unlikely Bohemian Rhapsody would have won any big Oscar awards anyway. It had a lot of potential to accurately capture the life of such a vibrant, influential musician, but it squanders this by straying so far from Freddie’s true history. So good on it for becoming such a massive hit and winning the hearts of the public, but it just isn’t a strong enough film to compete against the other nominees of 2019.

What do you think of Bohemian Rhapsody being up for the 2019 Oscars Best Picture award? Tell us in the comments below!

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No Oscar season is complete without backlash, and the 2019 Best Picture lineup appears to be particularly strong in this department. Often this can impact a movie’s chances of winning Best Picture pretty significantly, and it is unlikely that Green Book will be any exception.

For a viewer going in without any background, the fact that this attracted any controversy at all might seem surprising. It’s a feel-good movie that deals with serious issues, displays two very strong performances by two incredible actors, and is overall a well-constructed, technically engaging piece of art. But Green Book has racked up its own string of misguided slip-ups, ranging from the lead actor Viggo Mortensen using the N-word in a recent interview to the film’s questionable accuracy in depicting the true events as they happened.

But where Green Book is most noticeably lacking is in its prioritising of Tony Lip’s story over Dr Don Shirley’s. The latter obviously had a much more interesting and important journey, so why do we spend so much more time with the former?

The answer is simple – Tony is the one we are expected to identify with. For a story that centres so much on institutionalised racism in the Deep South and the experiences of a black man trying to keep his dignity in the face of bitter resentment, we spend a lot of time safely looking in from the perspective of a comedically ignorant Italian-American man. As a result it is clear that this film isn’t really interested in challenging its white audiences, but simply wants to give them an easy window into what could have been a more intense story. This isn’t necessarily a terrible thing – it just isn’t a particularly original perspective.

However, focusing solely on the controversy that has sprung up would be a disservice to the talented cast and creative minds behind Green Book. Mahershala Ali in particular delivers a standout performance as the quietly dignified concert pianist Dr Shirley, playing the straight guy in what is essentially a buddy movie. He and Mortenson bounce off each other with ease, each joke landing with impeccable timing.

The one time Dr Shirley’s restraints come loose happens right after he is casually accused of not acting “black” enough. Here, Ali convincingly carries a monologue that could have easily been overplayed, lamenting the rejection by both white and black communities for not completely conforming to the standards of either. In a movie that often plays it quite safe when it comes to these issues, this moment shines by simply letting Dr Shirley express himself honestly without Tony butting in with a tension-diffusing joke.

So while Green Book’s chances at the Oscars this year might not look great, it is still worthwhile if you’re up for an easy film that doesn’t leave you feeling beaten down and worn out. A combination of smart editing and warm performances allow it to flourish, but whether or not these are enough to make up for its sour notes will vary from person to person.

What do you think about Green Book being nominated? Tell us in the comments below!

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It’s hard to believe that only now, after three solid decades of solid, critically acclaimed filmmaking, Spike Lee is getting his first nominations in the Best Picture and Best Director categories. But if there was a movie of his that would break this long, sad tradition, I’m happy for it to be BlacKkKlansman.

The world “timely” is a little overused in the current political climate, but in this case it is absolutely fitting. Providing a powerfully moving account of racial tensions in 70’s America while taking some creative liberties with the original story, Spike Lee offers a comedic look into the real life account of how an African-American police officer and his Jewish coworker infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan, rose up the ranks, and exposed their crimes to the public.

Its parallels to the modern-day are obvious, often bordering on heavy-handed. David Duke’s proclaimed desire to “Make America great again” seems like little more than a snarky jab at a particular loud-mouthed politician, and is just one of several times Spike Lee takes away the audience’s opportunity to make the connections themselves.

Eventually it gets to the point that it feels like Spike Lee is assuming the audience is too dumb to understand the statement he’s making about the unchanging, inerasable presence of racism in society. But then, right at the end, he drops all pretenses and metaphors, choosing to display a montage of contemporary white supremacy rallies, racial hate crimes, and politicians refusing to place the blame on the groups responsible. Spike Lee’s retaliation to the recent trend of blatantly public racism is to similarly lay all his cards out on the table, boldly going against our expectations to create a film that dispenses with subtleties for an equally direct attack on modern politics.

In its lack of restraint and brazenly confident handling of the topic at hand, BlacKkKlansman manages to walk the razor thin line between mainstream and critical appeal. Given the Academy’s current populist inclinations, this means that this movie actually has a pretty decent chance of winning the top prize. If the Academy wants to demonstrate their appreciation of public opinion without too much compromise, then this would be the film to vote for.

But until the ceremony itself, we don’t really know where majority of Academy voters sit on this sliding scale of populist vs niche cinema. There is still a fairly good chance they will end up giving Best Picture to the critical darling Roma, or the off-kilter comedy The Favourite. Just keep in mind when placing your bets that if there is a dark horse in this year’s Oscar race, it could quite possibly be BlacKkKlansman.

What do you think of BlacKkKlansman being nominated? Tell us in the comments below!

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