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| Scene from Little Women (2019) |
With the recent announcement of The Academy Award nominations, many have already taken to the internet to give criticism for what they have done wrong. Oh, Jennifer Lopez didn't get a nomination for Hustlers, or Greta Gerwig missed Best Director for Little Women. They're all fair criticisms that help prove why the Oscars have remained such an important part of film discourse. However, there is something else to highlight from these crop of nominees: the positive. Yes, for as much as they "got wrong," The Academy got a lot right and introduced a variety of things to be excited about. The following is a quick rundown of nominees that personally make me happy, or come as a pleasant surprise. While there's more that I liked, these are the pleasant surprises that make the season all the more worth supporting year after year.
Best Picture: Parasite
The real champion of this Oscar season has been director Bong Joon-ho, whose film not only was a success by import status but just in general. While the film failed to make certain breakthroughs in the nominations (notably in acting fields), it remains a major breakthrough for cinema from Korea. As the first film ever nominated from the country, it is one of the most exciting, twisted films of the year and one that has proven that there is value for foreign language cinema. Whereas Roma could pass by on being the Netflix movie, Parasite shot to success largely on its own, earning every ounce of praise and finally breaking an international auteur into the public's consciousness in a big way. The fact that many are predicting that it will win the category is enough to show how much staying power this film continues to have.
Best Director: Sam Mendes (1917)
In the few years since Birdman, there haven't been many filmmakers who have taken the style to new and daunting heights quite like Sam Mendes. What he does with 1917 is not only recreate the fields of World War I trench warfare, but forces the viewer to experience it from the ground level. It's as much a spectacle as it is a look into the cinematic process of making a moment feel real, every take feeling seamlessly attached in ways that become daunting with each passing minute. The film is a real achievement in technique and one that works both visually and instinctively to the viewer. It's one of those films that only a master could make, and the emotional payoff that the audience gets over those two hours will more than justify his place on this list.
Best Actor: Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes)
With most of Netflix's attention thrown to Marriage Story and The Irishman, it's easy to forget their third-biggest Oscar contender of 2019. The Two Popes was a delightful film that added rich humanity to two stuffy modern historical figures through lingering conversations about life and faith as they navigate the cruel world. Jonathan Pryce especially deserves credit for making Pope Francis seem like the greatest guy to hang out with, making his love of art remind audiences of how simple joys can make the biggest difference in anyone's personal disposition. If nothing else, he seems like a great guy to watch TV with and wager friendly bets against. Rarely has a pope felt as human as he does here.
Best Actor: Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory)
One would find it difficult to believe that Antonio Banderas has had a career for this long and NOT been in the Oscar circle for something. No matter what project he has done, he has brought his familiar charisma to the role, adding dramatic depth to the humanity of his characters while making the biggest emotional impact in the process. With this role focusing on a fading celebrity, it only makes sense that it would feel more personal and bring out something fresh and unique in him. Add in that it comes from his longtime collaborator Pedro Almodovar (who also received a nomination in Best International Flim), whom he got his start with, and there's some beautiful poetic justice to it all. Here's hoping that there's more to see from Banderas in the near future.
Best Actress: Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story)
Okay, maybe the double nominations could be seen as a little excessive. With that said, it's amazing how different these two roles are. Where Jojo Rabbit is a comedic farce with hidden emotion, Marriage Story finds the actress giving her the most vulnerable role to date, allowing herself to explore fascinating territory as a marriage falls apart. One could argue that she deserves the Oscar alone for her early monologue where she discovers mid-thought that she was never happy. However, it keeps going and the performance only becomes richer. In a time where Johansson has gotten flack for saying some controversial statements, it's a relief that her acting hasn't been overlooked at awards season. It's a long-overdue moment, and the double nominations only help to emphasize what she has been bringing to the table for almost 20 years.
Best Supporting Actor: Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood)
It has been 19 years since Tom Hanks last received an Oscar nomination for Cast Away. Think about that for a moment. In that time he has given some of his greatest work and has been snubbed time and again. Just when it looked like he would clock yet another decade without any success, things pulled through in a big way. By moving to supporting to play one of the most beloved and nice icons in public TV history, he found a new way into our hearts and broke through to the Academy with such finesse. It's exciting just to know that he's still capable of making it into the race, and here's hoping that in a career full of phenomenal performances that it won't take another 19 years to get the next one.
Best Supporting Actress: Florence Pugh (Little Women)
It was always predictable that Saoirse Ronan would be the favorite if Little Women had any Oscar hopes. That is what makes the additional nomination of Florence Pugh as a bit of a miracle. Starring as the often unfairly maligned sister, Pugh brought to life a complicated character with humor and charisma that uncovered new layers to what the character stands for through a 21st-century gaze. Considering that Pugh was already having a phenomenal 2019 with Fighting with My Family and Midsommar, this feels like the ceremonial welcome of a new star, whose work is only going to continue to grow and find more exciting roles that will captivate.
Best Supporting Actress: Laura Dern (Marriage Story)
It would be easy to suggest that the biggest names in Marriage Story were Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. After all, they are the central pieces of the puzzle, presenting some of the most engrossing moments of acting. That would be to underestimate the pull of Laura Dern as a divorce lawyer with an approach so methodical that she simultaneously seems evil but also provides insight into how women perceive these court cases. To watch her take a row against the opposition is to see some of Dern's finest acting in quite a few years. This is one of those long-overdue nominations (and potential wins) for a career full of memorable and fierce performances that have no choice but to confront the audience with harsh truths and leave them conflicted about what's right and what's easy. She is simultaneously the best lawyer to have, and one of the most intimidating.
Best Original Screenplay: Rian Johnson (Knives Out)
He may have received overwhelming backlash from his work on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but Rian Johnson has been one of the finest directors of the modern era. His handle on genre conventions has allowed him to explore concepts like time travel and heist stories in invigorating new ways. With Knives Out, he found a way to modernize Hercule Poirot for a new generation and in the process made one of the most entertaining whodunnit's of the short century so far. With so much wit and ingenuity packed into the plot, this nomination not only exemplifies what makes Johnson great as a writer but as someone who understands filmmaking and its subtext. By making a story attacking a rich family, he has found the perfect context to explore our modern divide, and in the process found ways to make us laugh and think about the problems.
Best Original Screenplay: Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story)
To a certain facet, the news of Noah Baumbach getting nominated feels a bit overdue. Following a phenomenal run of films, often collaborating with Greta Gerwig, he has built a reputation as one of the premier experts on relationships. With that said, he hasn't been nominated for Best Original Screenplay since 2006 with The Squid and the Whale. While not nearly as egregious as the absence of Tom Hanks, Baumbach's lack of attention in this category in the decade since has felt criminal. That is why it's exciting to see him breakthrough once again with one of his most mature and insightful narratives yet. It's a script that feels tightly wound with emotion and humor, and it's impossible not to feel like it's just real life playing out before our eyes. It's a painstaking look at the pain that comes with love, and Baumbach's eye for detail makes this a piercing masterpiece.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit)
Along with Rian Johnson, Taika Waititi is another one of those cult filmmakers who rose to prominence over the past five years with projects growing more promising as their scales inflated. In this case, his choice to make a film centered around a Nazi boy with an imaginary friend of Hitler was bold. The only thing making it bolder was how he managed to create a story that explored how racism isn't something taught at birth, but something acquired through bullying techniques and ridiculous peer pressure. The fact that it works so well is a miracle unto itself, capturing a surprising amount of universal joy in its thorny subject. If nothing else, it shows how capable he is of taking on wilder subjects and finding humanity deep within them.
Best Animated Film: Missing Link
On one hand, it's to be expected that LAIKA Studios would get into this category. They almost always seem to. Still, in a year where Frozen II missed the cut and TWO Netflix originals are competing against two other sequel blockbusters, it feels even more of a relief to see the film among them. And for good reason. While the film failed at the box office, it remains one of the most endearing adventure films for family, capturing the awe of stop motion/CGI hybrid animation in a way that none of their competitors are doing. There are so much joy and life in the film that makes it worthy of this nomination. The only bigger surprise if it can beat How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World or Toy Story 4 for the top prize.
Best Animated Film: I Lost My Body
Late in 2019, among the triple threat of Marriage Story, The Irishman, and The Two Popes, Netflix quietly dropped one of the greatest animated films of the year (two actually with Klaus). What made this particular entry all the more exciting was that this French narrative took a morbid concept and found a way to make it downright sweet. With the story of a dismembered hand looking for its body, it managed to convey through gorgeous technique a story that emphasized the power of animation. It's sweet and straightforward at a point, but everything around it is one of the most inventive and fun stories. No other animated film takes morbid concepts like this and turns it into one of the sweetest experiences imaginable.
Best Animated Short: Kitbull
It almost seems odd to think that this qualified for Oscars given that the majority of people watching it discovered through Disney's YouTube channel (or now on Disney+), but somehow the word got out. It's one of their best shorts yet with a story of a cat befriending a dog in a quest for survival. The results are the familiar blend of action narrative with a unique hand-drawn animation that pops with a warmth and humanity that makes it all sweeter. If nothing else, this is already one of the most instantly rewatchable things nominated in any category this year and paints a beautiful portrait about how everyone can get along.
Best Original Score: Hildur Guonadottir (Joker)
While Best Original Score's class of 2019 lacks the number of new faces that 2018 did, the sole Freshman is a pretty good one. Hildur Guonadottir is a cellist who got tasked with making a score that sounds like the decaying mind of a mentally unstable man. With echo effects to help emphasize depth and mania, the score is one of the most inspired and creative takes of the year. Say what you will about the film, but the score elevates it in every way with its drawn-out string progressions and ability to give the whole experience a morose quality. If nothing else, Guonadottir had a banner year and one can expect her to continue making music that's wonderful and miserable in equal measure, making us care for the darkness within our souls.
Best Production Design: 1917
The results speak for themselves. Director Sam Mendes didn't so much recreate World War I as immersed the audience in it. The whole film is a two-hour bragging right where every overturned tank feels like it had been sitting there for days, where every clod of dirt feels perfectly placed. Everything about it is a technical feat that only makes his direction easier to embrace. Everything about the look of this film is a masterclass that fills the viewer with awe, presenting trench warfare in ways that are groundbreaking and new. To pause the film at any one point is to see a side of the war never caught on film before, and it does so with a mastery that is undeniable. This isn't just a World War I movie. It is living it on the ground floor and knowing that every moment felt like on a visual and instinctual level.
Best Cinematography: The Lighthouse
In what may be the most random nomination of the day, the only A24 movie to make this year's cut wasn't The Farewell, but a claustrophobic horror movie about two men stuck in a lighthouse. Then again, director Robert Eggers' love of all things antique clearly had fun designing every shot to look like an old photograph, aged and darkened into a haunting new form of black-and-white. Every scene is beautiful, but it also comes with this stark feeling of a bygone moment, as if peering into the madness of a moment long past. It's great to see this film make the cut for a variety of reasons (you'll know if you've seen it), but most of all it just proves that just because a film is weird as all get out, it can still be a beautiful, surreal experience.
Best Costume Design: Little Women
On some level, this nomination seems obvious for Little Women. However, considering the uphill battle it had getting to nominations, every spot feels like a gift. What makes the costume design especially exciting is how it manages to convey the lives of the four March sisters through various periods while conveying it in gorgeous dresses that fit the characters. Whether it's the dress that Florence Pugh wears to convey feeling trapped or the boyish nature of Saoirse Ronan's attire, there's a lived-in quality to the whole thing that is undeniable and makes it one of the most gorgeous period pieces of the year. The clothes present a lot of theories as to what deeper intention lies within character, and that subtle detail mixed with generally being a good looking movie makes it all the more worthy of this spot.
Best Visual Effects: The Irishman
It seems like the most obvious fit for this category once the marketing gets to you, but to see a drama like this in a visual effects category feels like a miracle. When its competition is the likes of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and The Lion King, it makes the aging face of Robert De Niro seem all the more comical. Still, it's a groundbreaking technique and one that feels like the start of a new era of cinematic manipulation. While some have lobbied complaints at how it is used within the film, there's plenty to praise with the intent and how it comes across within the film. The de-aging of actors adds to the story's sense of perceiving the past through a warped lens. Even if it does seem clunky at points, it all fits this sense of the past not being how we pictured it, and that's what makes it all the more ingenious even in its brief failing moments.
What nominations are you happiest about?
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