A YEAR I CAN'T REFUSE - My Top Films of 1972

In my post about 1971, I referred to 1972 as "an abundance of riches". Truthfully, I can say that about quite a few years from that decade...but 1972 is among the best of the best.

I am giving you my top 10, plus four Honorable Mentions but to give you an idea of how epic of a year this will be in my eyes, this top 10 contains a whopping SEVEN films that would net a 5-star rating from me.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS:

THE DEVIL

Perhaps one of the most mentally exhausting films ever made, The Devil takes on the idea of moral corruption to a whole new level. Made by Andrzej Zulawski, who would go on to make his masterpiece with Possession, this shows so much promise for what we would see from him. The lead character of Jakub more or less sells his soul...though perhaps it might have been a bit lighter if it was Milhouse van Houten that took it.

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REMINISCENES OF A JOURNEY TO LITHIUANIA 

I talked Lithuanian American filmmaker Jonas Mekas in my 2000 post with his film As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty. He was known as the grandfather of American Avant-Garde Cinema and had been a highly influential mentor to filmmakers and writers alike. This outing, which was his 2nd diary film, consists of him and his brothers returning to the Lithuanian village they were born 27 years after leaving, and it is a deeply personal and moving piece of work.

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WHAT'S UP DOC?

In a complete departure from The Last Picture Show, Peter Bogdanovich manages to make the banal and infuriating Ryan O'Neal a bit more charming when he pairs him with Barbra Streisand in this delightful screwball comedy with a 70s slant. I will say that the ending is pure gold!

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THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE

I still think it's crazy that disaster films like Airport and The Towering Inferno slipped into the Best Picture races in their given years, whereas the finest of the 70s Disaster films was not able to do so. There is certainly a stronger emotional resonance in this one compared to the others, plus it certainly doesn't hurt when you have one of the greatest actors of all time, Gene Hackman, leading the way.

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#10 - LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON

Written & Directed by Eric Rohmer

I mentioned this when I wrote about Eric Rohmer back on my 1996 list, but of all the French New Wave directors, he was the last of the group to get established. However, that wasn't due to any kind of struggle on his part; he was busy working as the editor for the legendary Cahiers du Cinema publication where some of his proteges were Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard.

Despite his later start and being about 10 years older than a lot of the French New Wave directors, Rohmer would end up having the most sustained and consistent career out of all of them...unless you want to count Godard in that group, but he was far more abstract as the years went along.

Love in the Afternoon was the last of Rohmer's Six Moral Tales and it was likely the best of the six. The thing about Rohmer that I always notice is that he almost seems less concerned with the confines of making a film. At a couple of points, you see the boom mic dip into the shot and even one of the cameras...but it somehow enriches the experience in a charming way.

We meet Frederic (Bernard Verley), who is married to Helene (his real life wife Francoise) happily. While at work, Frederic does often fantasize about other women but never dreams of the idea of stepping out on his wife. However, a mistress of a colleague, Zouzou as Chloe, shows up at the office and the two strike up a friendship that Frederic intends to keep a friendship...until Chloe presents the idea of an affair to him.

Rohmer's works may often be a little quieter and rough around the edges, some may even border on one-note, but Love in the Afternoon is one of his best.

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#9 - SOUNDER

Directed by Martin Ritt

 Written by Lonne Elder III

Sounder was such a welcomed and resounding success that even the bitchy and vile John Simon couldn't help but praise it. If you are familiar with the writing of John Simon, look him up and be thankful that the man ended his life writing for a penny-saver out of Yonkers. 

Set in 1933 Louisiana, we follow the lives of the poor sharecropper Morgan family, led by Cicely Tyson as Rebecca and Paul Winfeld as Nathan Lee along with their 3 kids and the family dog named Sounder.

A lot of the tension comes from when the local sheriff arrives to arrest Nathan for stealing a ham from a nearby smokehouse, to which Sounder chases after the car. One of the deputies tries to shoot Sounder until the eldest son David (Kevin Hooks) intervenes by kicking at the gun. Unfortunately, Sounder is still injured and runs away.

Here's the thing about Sounder that I love: this was at a time when a lot of the films coming out about the black community were essentially blacksploitation. This was a film that was made with such care and dignity and doesn't (spoiler alert) end with any kind of tragedy.

There is a sense of hope and pure love radiating from the screen, and a lot of that comes from the truly luminous Cicely Tyson, who is so freaking good in this. The scene in which Nathan returns home, and Rebecca runs to him (as evidenced above) was so beautifully acted by Tyson that when Martin Ritt asked cinematographer John Alonzo if he got the shot, he couldn't confirm because he was too busy crying.

While they didn't win, I love that Tyson and Winfeld received nominations for this. I also love that the film also received a Best Picture nomination.

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#8 - CABARET

 

Directed by Bob Fosse

Written by Jay Presson Allen

I feel like Cabaret is a film that I should hate with a passion and yet I don't. There was a time when I considered Cabaret to be my favorite musical, and it is clear that aspects of this film adaptation differ rather severely from the stage.

For starters, the Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz subplot is gone, and also it is kind of evident that if you're casting Liza Minnelli to play Sally Bowles, who is supposed to be British and a relative no talent when it comes to singing, you are going off in a different direction.

What makes me be able to accept Cabaret as a film is that it is just simply its own separate beast. Sure, it has elements that are clearly from the stage show...and you even have the original emcee Joel Grey there as well...but I can't deny that Fosse's kinetic style of directing translates so well to the screen. Considering how bad a lot of stage directors do when they tackle film (Harold Prince and Susan Stroman), it isn't always a guarantee they will be successful.

Cabaret is famously the film to win the most Oscars without winning Best Picture, and for a time, I actually felt it should've won.

However, as you will learn later on, I suppose I had to finally admit that a certain other film became impossible to refuse.

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#7 - AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD

Written & Directed by Werner Herzog

While more known these days for his documentaries and popping up in various projects with his distinctive voice being so instantly recognizable that it makes me smile every time I hear it, Werner Herzog did have some narrative features under his belt. While I am pretty fond of his Nosferatu adaptation that did make my 1979 list, I think that Aguirre, the Wrath of God might be his best work.

Led by the legendary Klaus Kinski (father of Nastassja no less) as the titular Lope de Aguirre, the film follows him and his conquistadores as they trek down the Amazon in search of El Dorado. 

A lot of the film is very minimalist when it comes to its script, but the actual scenery manages to sweep you up in awe as Herzog basically throws us into the trenches with them. There were a lot of visually stunning films in the 70s, I always name Kubrick's Barry Lyndon and Malick's Days of Heaven among them...but there is almost something about Aguirre that feels worthy of being added to that list.

Sure, it is rougher around the edges in some ways, but that is what the film needs. It comes off like some brutal painting come to life, and while Herzog may throw us in the trenches, there is also a bit of a distance too. I feel like it is not a film that is presented with any ambiguity, but not every film will need to be an existential crisis.

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#6 - THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISE

Written & Directed by Luis Bunuel

Co-written by Jean-Claude Carriere

Uh oh! Chaos is happening amongst the 1%!

Francois and Simone Thevenot (Paul Frankeur and Delphine Seyrig), with her sister Florence (Bulle Ogier), are on their way to a dinner party being hosted by their friends Alice and Henri Senechal (Stephanie Audran & Jean-Pierre Cassel). In tow - they are bringing Rafael Acosta (Fernando Rey), an ambassador to France for the fictional South American country Miranda.

All this group would like to do is dine together and yet, the universe just doesn't want these people to eat, drink, and be merry. In addition to this, we have an assassination plot by a Maoist terrorist and multiple dream sequences from different characters.

There is no real logic to it, but in this world, the bizarre events are accepted with a level of normalcy amongst this group...but perhaps the most fascinating thing was that despite the fact the film was embraced by critics and even won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film for that year, Bunuel grew to resent the response the film got as he felt critics got everything wrong with it.

Could the fact that it was seen as his most "accessible" work be something that he didn't take to? Perhaps, but whatever the case may be, this is a truly bewildering film in the best way.

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#5 - THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT

Written & Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder

The 1970s were the peak time for Queer German filmmaker Rainer Werne Fassbinder, and this is perhaps one of his best works. It was also a strong year for him as he went the Ingmar Bergman route by diving into the world of TV miniseries with the stellar Eight Hours Don't Make a Day.

As for The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, it stands out as it is a film that truly dives in full-on with a female perspective to the point that the entire ensemble is made up of women. 

Petra (Margit Carstensen) is still deeply mourning the death of her husband Pierre that occurred while she was pregnant. A lot of the film deals with her desperately trying to make connections with the women around her, including aspiring model Karin (Hanna Schygulla). 

I could see some compare this to Jeanne Dielman in how it seems to feel rather stationary in its setting, but Bitter Tears is certainly far more stifling considering we are as trapped in the bedroom setting just as Petra is trapped in her own crumbling psyche. 

Fassbinder is never exactly a filmmaker known for finding the joy in life, which one could argue that he may fall under the category of LGBTQ+ people living in a constant state of self-pity and loathing...but I consider his works to be very rewarding and groundbreaking for their time. 

In the end, it is shame to have to watch someone self-sabotage in this manner as Petra does, but if someone is going to guide us masterfully through the emotionally charged existential crisis of a Queer person, Fassbinder is your leader.

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#4 - THE NEW LAND

Written & Directed by Jan Troell

Co-written by Bengt Forslund

And now it's time to check in on everybody's favorite 19th Century Swedish immigrants!

We had The Emigrants in 1971, and I did mention that the follow-up The New Land would be appearing here, and frankly, both films are on par with each other to the point that I think The New Land is an unsung as being one of the best sequels ever made.

This outing focuses primarily on the early days of the Nilsson family settling in Minnesota that happens just as the Civil War is beginning to rage and societal discontent is at its highest peak. 

Considering it is 3.5 hours long, The New Land might seem like it would be a slog to sit through, but I would say that what Troell achieves here is absolutely riveting. Sure, it may be depressing and bleak, but I think the one thing here that does stand out in comparison to the work of fellow Swede Ingmar Bergman is that it goes more for the jugular in terms of the emotional punch.

No surprise, both Liv Ullman and Max von Sydow are magnificent here and their work must always be treasured. I came across a quote by the late author Philip Roth talking about the film where he felt he "actually believed in the life and death of the characters". There is something truly so real about this family that makes the story all the more difficult to watch in terms of their tragedies.

Also - the portrayal of the Native Americans in this can be perceived as a bit dark, but honestly, by that point in history leading up to the Dakota War, I don't think we can truly blame their actions.

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#3 - CRIES & WHISPERS

Written & Directed by Ingmar Bergman

Well, if any of you are in the market for watching genital mutilation, I suppose I would question what you want out of life, but if that is the case, might I recommend Cries & Whispers?

Granted, that isn't what the film is about, so don't get repelled too fast!

Cries & Whispers is perhaps Bergman at his most bleak in a lot of ways, which is frankly quite the statement considering how frequent his works are dripping with dread and melancholy. He is someone whose style was often poked at for being too dreary, but the truth is, the man was a master and he managed to find a way to make you compelled in ways that are rather surprising. 

Here, we have three sisters who are currently suffering as the fourth sister is dying of cancer. One of the servants of the family is closer to the dying sister than the others, including two: Maria and Karin (Liv Ullman and Ingrid Thulin) who are struggling with emotionally connecting to one another.

Karin is the one who actually does the mutilation to herself as a means to prevent her Fredrik from touching her as she seems to not even want physical contact from another person. To be completely upfront, I was a bit gob smacked when I saw this scene for the first time so I can't even imagine how it must've been for audiences of 1972 to see it.

I have always considered this to be Bergman's ode to legendary playwrights Anton Chekhov and August Strindberg but with a clear boldness that neither of those writers could've dreamed of in the era that they conquered the stage. 

With its sumptuous set design of reds, golds, blacks, and whites, Cries & Whispers manages to make you bask in such a rich and vibrant bloody beauty while feel as they you are drowning in the sorrow of this family struggling with so much grief and repression.

God, I love Bergman.

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#2 - SOLARIS

Written & Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky

Co-written by Fredrich Gorenstein 

While Sci-Fi filmdom fanatics will battle between Star Wars and Star Trek, I can't say I am necessarily a big fan of the genre. Having said that, my battle is between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solaris.

To be fair, both are a bit different, but I do adore Solaris pretty much on the same level as I do 2001. I feel like it at least has a stronger emotional resonance compared to 2001's moodier simplicity which Tarkovsky actually didn't care for and called Kubrick's work "shallow".

The main premise begins with a psychologist named Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) who is sent on a mission to observe an old space station that is orbiting the oceanic planet known as Solaris. He has to determine whether or not they should still continue their research as the small crew has begun to experience an emotional breakdown...only for him to suddenly fall under the same spell.

When I wrote about both Mirror and Stalker in 1975 and 1979 respectively, I made a comment that I don't think I could even truly begin to properly analyze the work of Tarkovsky.

I know that the original critical response was a bit more mixed, with some critics like Roger Ebert bemoaning its slow pace despite admiring it only for him to add the film to his Great Movies list 30 years later saying "No director makes greater demands on our patience" which is a statement I can understand completely.

Tarkovsky himself once considered Solaris to be a failure and that he eventually did the genre up right in Stalker. Honestly, he may be right that Stalker might be better (I personally prefer Mirror), but Solaris is nowhere near being a failure. 

This is a truly deep and profound film, and I don't think anything I can say can truly do it justice.

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#1 - THE GODFATHER 

Written & Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Co-written by Mario Puzo

This little-known film deserves to be seen!!!!

All kidding aside, this is the most anti-climactic and predictable selection...and I am sure the title of this post only added to that.

To be honest, there was a time when my thought process behind The Godfather was not truly understanding its appeal. I felt cool because I had a different opinion than what the general consensus was. It was like I was Peter Griffin saying that film "insists upon itself" and everyone else was the Lois Griffin stand-in asking, "What does that even mean?"

I do closely associate the Godfather trilogy with my Nan, who passed way in 2024. The first two were her favorite films of all time, although she did technically prefer Part II, but we will get to that soon.

I do recall she would like to watch them if they were ever on TV, plus she owned them on VHS. I distinctly remember she would do rewatches around the holiday season, so you could say that The Godfather was one of those films that was a frequent presence in my life and yet I seemed willing to run away from it as something I would be considering as "canon".

It wasn't until just a few years ago that I sat down to watch both Part I and II (I highly doubt I will ever revisit Part III) and it was as if something clicked for me that weirdly avoided me for decades. I found myself drawn in and intrigued by the saga unfolding and while I would argue that Part II is a bit more entertaining to me, I do love the careful plotting and build of this first installment.

Of course you have Marlon Brando there and he's a legend for a reason, but I think it is truly incredible to watch Al Pacino in this knowing how much the studio hated him when watching the dailies. 

Pacino is known for being one of those actors who is very loud and abrasive in how he approaches his roles, which actually makes watching him in this film a masterclass in reservation. The Michael Corleone we meet here is essentially a blank slate, practically a boring everyman of sorts, but we slowly watch that empty vessel get filled with the blackest of souls. 

I just don't think there is anything I can really say other than the fact that I feel a tad embarrassed it took me nearly 20 years between first watching and finally realizing what a masterwork this film actually is. 

I know some do love to latch onto Citizen Kane when dishing out this hyperbolic title, but I might proclaim The Godfather (especially when paired with Part II) as the Best Film to come out of the Hollywood film system. 

The opening monologue by Bonasera pulls you in right away.

The allegories, even the obvious ones like Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes", are sublime.

The horse's head.

"Leave the gun, take the cannoli"

The baptism scene is fire. 

The final shot with the door closing on the late great Diane Keaton? Iconic.

And that's just small tip of the iceberg.

To quote Chris Griffin: "It has a valid point to make, IT'S INSISTING!!"

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

I will say that despite me talking about how strong American cinema was in the 70s, it seems that 1972 is another year that is international top heavy with 7 of the top 10 films not being in the English language...but...we got The Godfather and that has to account for something.

As I stated when I started the 70s, I already tackled 1973 which you can read here.

So that means I will be making my way to 1974 next, and I must say that if you thought I was waxing rhapsodic about 1972, you might not be prepared for the epic roster ahead of us.

It's That Time Again - Predicting the 2026 Oscar Nominations

*As of this writing, I still have sadly not seen The Secret Agent*

The crazy thing about award season is how for a snapshot of time, it may seem like the tides are going in one direction only for them to switch later on. At that point, it seems crazy that you ever thought it was going the other way.

Last year, due to the devastation of the wildfires, there was a significant gap in between the Globes and when the Guilds were holding their ceremony. When The Brutalist and Emilia Perez won the GG top prizes, it seemed like the tide was turning in their direction. In the case of Emilia Perez, which that film can go suck a lemon, some did dismiss it as being embraced for being an international feature and that maybe they just didn't respond to the film that had been considered the frontrunner: Anora. 

I had suspected that Anora could still pull off the PGA win and maybe the win at CC and become viable again...and as it ended up panning out, Sean Baker won DGA in a bit of an upset along with the film taking CC and PGA and WGA. In one fell swoop, Anora overtook the odds, although some thought Conclave would put up a fight. 

This year, I am not sure we are going to see that kind of shift. If we do, I think we will all be floored.

I can't exactly say I am upset because the frontrunner, One Battle After Another, is a fantastic film plus it also doesn't hurt that Paul Thomas Anderson is so insanely overdue, so it works not just as a career win, but his work on the film is stellar.

I think we could be in for a boring season honestly. However, we've had a couple hectic ones recently, so it was bound to happen that we'd get one like this again. We COULD see a couple of interesting shifts in the Supporting races, but we will get to that.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

1 - One Battle After Another

2 - Hamnet

3 - Frankenstein

4 - Bugonia

5 - No Other Choice

A semi-quick history lesson before diving into the category.

When it comes to sweeps these days, it seems as though the days of a film winning 8, 9, 10+ Oscars may be over. We've managed to get two films recently winning 7 (Everything Everywhere All at Once and Oppenheimer) while last year, Anora won 5 but they were a whopping 5.

The Academy gave Sean Baker FOUR Oscars, which is a record for the most a person has won for a single film, and it is tied with most Oscars won in a night along with Walt Disney.

However, that fourth win for Baker was in Best Editing, a category that had been all over the place and didn't have a true consensus winner since a lot of the precursors went for the snubbed Challengers. While Conclave had an edge after winning at BAFTA, it seemed as if Anora's Oscar win was one born from passion and a down-the-ballot vote. 

What I am getting at is that there seems to be a feeling every year that perhaps the Academy will want to spread the wealth and yet we get these cases where they reward Sean Baker with 4 Oscars.]

I was thinking early on in the season that if PTA was going to be winning Picture and Director for One Battle that maybe Chloe Zhao could get recognized here in Adapted Screenplay. Plus, it just felt more like a Screenplay movie in comparison...but it seems like PTA may just do a clean sweep. Honestly, I will accept it gladly because the film is great and he is long overdue.

I honestly don't see a path for any of these other contenders beyond Zhao overtaking PTA.

I do want to state that I actually really loved the screenplay to Bugonia and think it would be a great dark horse contender. I think as great as the script to No Other Choice is, I was more wowed by Park Chan-wook's directing there.

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BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

1 - Sinners 

2 - It Was Just an Accident

3 - Sentimental Value

4 - Marty Supreme

5 - The Secret Agent

I feel like our top 3 are locked in, and I feel pretty good about It Was Just an Accident as well. It's that last slot that proves to be a bit tricky. Truthfully, I had been holding out hope for Sorry Baby after it got the surprise CC nom. It also helped that the decline of Jay Kelly freed open the spot many expected it would get. 

With the surge that The Secret Agent seems to be getting right as Oscar voting begins, I am going to predict for it to sneak in. However, there is even a world where we could see Weapons sneak in here or perhaps another longshot would be Blue Moon. 

However, it seems to be on track for Sinners to take this prize. With all the critical hosannahs and audience approval, it seems like the one place where the film will win a major prize.

I do want to say that I personally really loved the Screenplays for Marty Supreme and It Was Just an Accident and I wish they could also gain some traction.

Sentimental Value is sort of the surprise in a way because I suspected it would have more of a presence in this race, but it hasn't really won anything.

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

1 - Stellan Skarsgard, Sentimental Value

2 - Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

3 - Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another

4 - Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

5 - Paul Mescal, Hamnet

What a bizarre category!

Really early in the year, people talked about this as being the year that Adam Sandler would finally get nominated for an Oscar for his work in Jay Kelly, and sure, he may have a slight chance of sneaking in but considering how much the film has blanked and how he didn't even get an Actors nom, I would say he is out.

Then - Sentimental Value premiered at Cannes and early word was that Stellan Skarsgard was wonderful and became the predicted frontrunner.

That was followed by One Battle After Another getting released in late September and suddenly, everyone seemed to think Sean Penn had what it takes to win a whopping THIRD Oscar for his villainous Col. Lockjaw. 

People talked about his co-star Benicio del Toro as being a delightful scene stealer acting as the calm breeze next to the manic Leonardo DiCaprio, but not everyone seemed to buy into a narrative for him. That is until he began sweeping all the critics' prizes at an insane degree.

We then get to CC where people suspected del Toro would take it only for, out of nowhere, Jacob Elordi to take it for Frankenstein.

Then we get to the Globes, which have a heavy international influence. Would Elordi win again? It is clear that Frankenstein was well liked enough by the HFPA. Would del Toro rebound here? It has been 25 years since his last Oscar winning quest with Traffic and it is clear he had some passion around him. Or - would Skarsgard win as a means to honor a great veteran actor for a sterling performance in one of the most acclaimed international features of the year?

Skarsgard, after all that, came back to win at the Globes AFTER he was shut out of SAG...sorry the Actor Awards...and now, I think that despite the snub there, he could still win at BAFTA and then be very viable for the Oscar.

Paul Mescal is just along for the ride here, but I would be a bit surprised if he got left out. The only people I could see potentially showing up here aside from Sandler would be Miles Caton or Delroy Lindo for Sinners.

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

1 - Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

2 - Amy Madigan, Weapons

3 - Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

4 - Inga Ibdsdotter Lilleas, Sentimental Value

5 - Odessa A'zion, Marty Supreme

Yes, I am indeed predicting Ariana Grande to get snubbed. Honestly, the journey that film has taken has been rather crazy considering how the early buzz seemed as though the film stuck the landing if not even exceeded expectations only for the reviews to come out and faltered. She went from being the person a lot of people thought would win to suddenly dropping off the lists entirely and seeming like an afterthought nominee.

Here's the thing: she still could totally get the nomination, but we do have contenders each year who make multiple precursors and still miss out on the nod. Just one major example that got a lot of attention was Margot Robbie for Barbie. The interesting thing about the Margot Robbie omission is that a lot of pundits, myself included, thought she was going to get left off the list anyway because the Actress category that year was STACKED. Then, when she kept getting nominated everywhere, many of us felt that we were wrong and put her back on the list...only for her to get snubbed.

I will say the idea of Grande being in Supporting is somehow even more egregious this year than it was last year as she is a bit more prominent in For Good and has more of an emotional arc. I personally really liked her work in it, but I do get this vibe that she could be the "surprise" snub.

I feel like Taylor and Madigan are locked in, and I am going to say that Mosaku is close to a lock. I feel pretty good about Lilleas too even though Sentimental Value was completely shut out at Actors. I could even see a world where she could win at BAFTA and then she'd have a dark horse push to win.

I am predicting A'zion to sneak in after she got the Actors nom, but she is certainly by no means a sure thing. I do, however, feel she really deserves this nomination, and I hope she gets it. 

Madigan is the one that is really interesting here because she has built up so much goodwill and a profile, not to mention winning a ton of critics' prizes and the CC. However, it is a horror performance and the stigma against the genre is still there. 

When Weapons got nominated for Best Picture at PGA, that does show that there is an outside chance it could slip into Best Picture at the Oscars. It's even on the brink in Original Screenplay and Casting...so if by chance it does score those nods, I could see Madigan becoming more competitive. 

There is definitely a world where I could see Madigan make a rebound at SAG and lose the BAFTA to Taylor or someone else which will still make her viable...it's just that Taylor being in the Best Picture frontrunner gives her a bit of an edge.

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BEST ACTOR:

1 - Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme

2 - Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

3 - Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another

4 - Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

5 - Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

This race does seem to be shaping up to be the coronation for Timothee Chalamet. 

It does seem like his insanely cocky attitude is cooling off, which is a good thing because frankly he was becoming insufferable. Here's the honest truth though: he is very deserving in Marty Supreme, especially considering how much of a cad his character is and yet he still keeps him compelling, and you even find yourself oddly rooting for him in moments.

What is kind of incredible about this category is how strong it is. 

You have an actor like Michael B. Jordan who has been doing good work for so many years. Let's not forget his turn as Wallace during the first season of The Wire, which is where I first remember seeing him. I do think there is a world where he could upset Chalamet at the Actors, especially since Chalamet won there last year. If he still did win, it would be a first and it would clearly show the passion for his work. I don't feel as bad for Jordan though, I still think the best is yet to come for him.

DiCaprio may not be giving his absolute best work in One Battle After Another, but to be honest, I loved him in it. While he may not be as dominant a lead as someone like...well...basically all of the main contenders here, I love what he does with his role of Bob. The exasperation, the manic nature, him trying to capture the energy of his younger revolutionary days...it is a great performance.

As I warned at the beginning, I have not seen The Secret Agent yet, but I do suspect the surge of the film and Moura's GG win will put him on a similar path to a nod like Fernanda Torres last year...even down to him not having Actor or BAFTA nominations.

I will say though, I do think there is a world where Ethan Hawke could miss out on a nomination here and that would be a shame because he is so transformative as Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon. His mannerisms and even how he alters his voice feel so different from anything we've seen him do. Part of me actually does wish he could be more in contention to win because it was a true tour-de-force.

As for who could potentially take a slot here, frankly I would love to see Jesse Plemons slip in for Bugonia, which is his best work to date, and I admittedly liked him more than Stone if I had to pick an MVP. His surprise Actors nod does show there is a possibility it could happen.

The only other person who could slip in here that wouldn't overly shock me is Joel Edgerton for Train Dreams, but I don't think anyone else has a chance. I do wish Lee Byung-hun had more of a path to a nod for No Other Choice, but it does seem like that film is sadly fading.

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BEST ACTRESS:

1 - Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

2 - Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You

3 - Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value

4 - Emma Stone, Bugonia

 5 - Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another

While you could argue that Chalamet is quickly approaching lock status, I do think Jessie Buckley is the biggest lock of the acting categories. While I do agree with some other pundits that I could see her possibly losing at the Actors, I still think she will win there too. I would also be floored if she lost BAFTA considering she is an Irish actress in a film playing Shakespeare's wife. So even if she lost SAG to someone like Rose Byrne, I still think she would take the Oscar. 

I think what really hurts Rose Byrne is sort of the same thing that hurt Glenn Close back in 2019 for The Wife. Her film is not going to get nominated in any other category and is also a film that will be weird enough that I could see it turning some voters off. Having said that, she is wonderful in the film and in a just world, if someone is worthy to win for their film as its only nomination, that is how it should go down.

Reinsve's nod seems secure even with the Actors snub, because it is pretty apparent that they rarely nominate performances from foreign films...even though they are portions of the film in which she speaks English. I am still happy to see her get the recognition after she didn't take off for The Worst Person in the World.

Emma Stone is a bit of an Academy darling considering she managed to win 2 Lead Actress Oscars before even turning 35. She does an amazing job in Bugonia, but I have been a tad surprised at how the film has managed to stick around as I thought it wasn't getting much buzz. In this case, she is just happy to be here.

I am going to predict Chase Infiniti for the last spot mainly due to the fact that she is in the big awards juggernaut this year and she will likely coattail. The thing about her being in Lead is clearly due to the fact that they were looking to ensure that Teyana Taylor and Regina Hall would have a better shot to fit in the crowded Supporting Actress category. Infiniti, in that comparison, would be the defacto female lead but she is very much a supporting player as well. Truthfully, I was a fan of her performance but I think she belongs in Supporting.

Who else could sneak in?

Cynthia Erivo is done. After not getting nominated at CC or Actors combined with the fact Wicked is as dead as Elphaba supposedly is, this is not going to be her time.

As much as I would like to see someone like Tessa Thompson for Hedda or Eva Victor for Sorry Baby, neither made any traction aside from their Golden Globe nods. While those were richly deserved, it felt like the contender pool was a lot smaller in the Drama categories. I feel the same about Jennifer Lawrence in Die My Love as well, which might even be the best performance of her career to date.

Amanda Seyfried for The Testament of Ann Lee is actually one I have not seen yet, and that also seems to be a major reason why she keeps getting snubbed as Searchlight, a studio that is normally known for being brilliant with campaigning, dropped the ball with promoting the film. It also doesn't help that the film itself has gotten divisive responses, but even those acknowledge Seyfried is amazing here. Earlier in the season, some felt she was going to be the biggest competition to Buckley. 

The one I think has the best shot of getting into the race is Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue, which I also haven't seen yet but by all accounts, she is the best thing about it. I suppose I wouldn't be shocked if she takes the last slot instead.

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BEST DIRECTOR:

1 - Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

2 - Ryan Coogler, Sinners

3 - Chloe Zhao, Hamnet

4 - Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

5 - Kleber Mendonca Filho, The Secret Agent

Honestly - how this category will shape out is one of the bigger mysteries that I will be curious about. The Directing Branch of the Academy is certainly known for being a tad more highbrow in that they will throw in nominations for contenders who weren't getting as readily embraced by prior voting bodies like Triet and Glazer in 2023, Ostlund in 2022, Vinterberg in 2020...so basically more international selections.

This year, the international slate is perhaps the strongest it has ever been which makes me wonder how exactly it will pan out. Earlier in the season, it seemed as though Jafar Panahi was going to be the candidate who might give PTA a run for his money, but then somewhere along the way, it died down and the critical surge seemed to shift to Ryan Coogler as a runner-up.

The other international director who has been getting nominated a bit more in the precursors is Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value, but as you can see, I am not predicting him. Honestly, if he were to make the final 5, I would not be the least bit surprised but instead, I am going out on a limb and predicting Filho.

My reasoning behind this is that The Secret Agent is picking up steam whereas It Was Just an Accident seems to be fading. I mentioned Ostlund getting nominated for 2022's Triangle of Sadness which was that year's Palme d'Or winner. While The Secret Agent didn't win that award, Filho DID win their Director prize so that could account for something. It is still an outside shot, but I am going to do the NGNG prediction.

So yes, we COULD still see Panahi, we could still very much see Trier, and also...I should mention we could very well see Guillermo del Toro get in here for Frankenstein as it is clear the industry seems to be very fond of the film. It's not that he did a bad job or anything, but I just feel the film was "good" at best and not great. So yes, maybe I am predicting with some bias, but he could end up missing. Not for nothing, he was missing from the BAFTA shortlist which actually listed someone like Yorgos Lanthimos over him.

Josh Safdie is the other one here I would consider to be the most vulnerable. I suppose I wouldn't necessarily call Chloe Zhao a lock, but I do think she is damn near close. The thing about Safdie is that his work for Marty Supreme is so kinetic and alive and with the film picking up steam as more people see it...not to mention the strength it'll have by winning Best Actor and being a strong contender to potentially take the newly minted Best Casting category, I am hoping he will slip in here.

Zhao is a former winner and attached to one of the most beloved films of the year that is in the top 3 of the Picture contenders. I would be floored if she missed.

But yes...Coogler is in, and PTA is finally going to get the elusive Best Director win that he arguably should've won maybe 3 times by now.

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BEST PICTURE:

1 - One Battle After Another

2 - Sinners

3 - Hamnet 

4 - Marty Supreme

5 - Sentimental Value

6 - Frankenstein

7 - The Secret Agent

8 - Bugonia 

9 - Train Dreams 

10 - It Was Just an Accident

Can One Battle After Another get taken down by another film?

I suppose if the Guilds end up going hog wild for another film in a way we aren't expecting, we could see Sinners emerge as that alternative. However, even if Sinners takes the Actors' Ensemble Award and WGA for Original Screenplay, I still think One Battle will prevail as I expect it to take PGA, DGA, the WGA for Adapted, and it'll likely be received better by BAFTA even though I sort of expect Hamnet to dominate more there. 

I am in the minority here, but the only film of these 10 that I wasn't overly fond of was Train Dreams (aside from not seeing The Secret Agent as of yet). I am still a bit baffled by the love Frankenstein has been getting. I am not sure it is worthy to be in Best Picture, and the only real major nomination I can support from it is the one Jacob Elordi will get.

Beyond that, this would be a pretty solid group of nominees, but I am not sure what else could sneak in as a surprise. I will say that Sirat making so many appearances on the Tech category shortlists could signal that maybe a really huge surprise nod is coming, but I do see a path that Weapons could sneak in following its PGA nom... especially if it somehow can snatch the last slot in Screenplay, too.

I am not sure if we will get a major surprise nomination for something this year like I'm Hot Here was last year. I just think Weapons is the only real alternative if they opt for something more populist.

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The nominations will be announced Thursday January 22nd. I suspect I will make a post with my reactions, so I will be back with that later next week!

"A LITTLE BIT OF THIS, A LITTLE BIT OF THAT..." - The Best Films of 1971

As we continue wading through the mecca that was 1970s cinema, it is kind of hilarious that a year like 1971 would look very strong if it came out in any other decade whereas within the confines of the 70s, it will likely end up on the lower end of the "Best Of" list. 

Spoiler alert of sorts, but 1970 was the only year of the 70s that will not have a single 5-star film on its list and even then, I do still think very highly of those films. 1971 will give us three 5-star films, and I am also going to give you 5 Honorable Mentions.

Keeping it a bit brief with the intro, let's see what we are working with today:

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

TAKING OFF

A rather loony effort about two parents who worry about their teenage daughter who ran away from home, only to connect with other parents whose children did the same. It does such a wonderful job at embracing the ideas of generational gaps and trying to make an understanding between them. 

Also - a very young Kathy Bates makes an appearance in this! 

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BEWARE OF A HOLY WHORE

Considered by Queer icon and filmmaker Rainier Werner Fassbinder as the best of his own films, I think Beware of a Holy Whore has managed to be forgotten amongst his catalog. I do agree its very good, but it is also interesting to me what a filmmaker considers to be their best work compared to what most critics and buffs agree with. The meandering and slice-of-life approach of watching a group of actors drunkenly await for their director to finally show up does make for a concept that isn't as dour as Fassbinder could typically get.

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THE HOSPITAL

While not as successful as his 1976 satire Network, there is a lot of promise in the absurdity of The Hospital. I also love that the year following George C. Scott's epic performance in Patton where he snubbed the Oscars for their lunacy, they nominate him again for this marvelous performance.

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THE FRENCH CONNECTION

That year's Best Picture, this is one of those films where I really appreciate that the Academy was able to see a gritty crime thriller and say "Yes. This is an acceptable selection for the best of the year". I am not sure I think of it as highly as that (see my 1970 post for crime films I find a bit more superior). However, Gene Hackman was absolutely fantastic in this...but the man was one of the greatest actors who ever lived and was consistently in peak form. Oh and that legendary car chase scene is legendary for a reason.

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WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

While it wasn't considered a beloved film at the time in terms of its box office or even its critical esteem (except for Roger Ebert, who called the film's eventual status in his original review), I think many of us still hold a fondness for this adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel over the dreadful Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration. Gene Wilder was perfection in this, and it is a shame he couldn't get an Oscar nomination for it.

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#10 - MCCABE & MRS. MILLER

Written & Directed by Robert Altman

 Co-written by Brian McKay

Has there ever been a coat more epic than this one? No. No Notes. 

McCabe & Mrs. Miller is an interesting film in Altman's filmography and is a key example of how he could be varied in the types of films he would often make. I also would be remiss if I didn't point out that I do admittedly feel less enraptured with it as a lot of people are, but unfortunately Robert Altman is one of those filmmakers I have that experience with quite often. 

Set in early 20th Century Washington State, a gambler and gunslinger named John McCabe (Warren Beatty) arrives in town and proceeds to make a name for himself, including opening a brothel. Not long after his arrival, a British madam named Constance Miller (Julie Christie) comes to town and convinces McCabe that she should be running the brothel. 

I think a lot of what makes this film work is how captivating Beatty and Christie are together, and it's certainly a beautifully made film in terms of its tech achievements, but I do feel the film suffers a bit from being a bit sluggish at times.

Although, there is one line from the film that always stood out to me as being a "I felt that" moment for me: "I've never felt more alone in a room full of others".

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#9 - FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

Directed by Norman Jewison

Written by Joseph Stein

It is no secret that I have a soft spot for musicals, even though I often admit that a lot of musicals are not exactly strong when trying to approach them as reaching the level of a "masterpiece".

However, there are a small handful of musicals I think come close to reaching that level and without question, Fiddler on the Roof is one of them. 

There is one clear theme of Fiddler: tradition. The opening number goes into that straight away, but the big tradition that gets challenged is the idea of young woman getting paired up for arranged marriages. 

A poor farmer named Tevye (Chaim Topol) and his wife Golde (Norma Crane) have 5 daughters and the plan is for all of them to get paired with a man by the local matchmaker...that is until the two eldest, Tzeitel and Hodel, both fall in love with other men and it leads Tevye to finding ways to justify that tradition is worth breaking. Not that it ends up helping middle daughter Chava in his eyes later on, but hey...the middle child is usually always suffering the Jan Brady Syndrome after all. 

While I do think this is a musical that typically plays stronger onstage than it does as a film, I do feel this is one of the strongest stage-to-screen adaptations we will ever get of a Broadway musical. Even though I had seen it prior to this, we were shown the film in one of my middle school music classes and it was received rather warmly in a way by my classmates in a way that still sort of surprises me to this day.

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#8 - KLUTE

Directed by Alan J. Pakula

Written by Andy & Dave Lewis

Perhaps the crown jewel moment of Jane Fonda's illustrious career, Klute sees her in her Oscar winning role as Bree Daniels, a high-class call girl in New York City who may be the stalking of a previous "john" who recently went missing. With the help of Detective Klute (Donald Sutherland), they both go through the process of locating where this man could actually be.

A lot of the vibes in Klute scream of paranoia, particularly with the frequent use of audio tapes at a time when the idea of tapes would become synonymous with the Watergate scandal not long after. Pakula would become rather fond of the idea of these themes and would go on to make two more films that would form something of a "paranoia trilogy": The Parallax View and All The Presidents' Men, with the latter tackling Watergate outright only 2 years following Nixon's resignation. 

While I would argue that some of the film's thriller elements may not hit as strongly in hindsight, I do think the work of Fonda and Sutherland makes this film a sublime experience in of itself. Fonda, in particular, is a marvel because even though she is playing a hooker, she doesn't fall under the cliche stereotype of the "hooker with a heart of gold". 

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#7 - A NEW LEAF

Written & Directed by Elaine May

Much like Barbara Loden the year prior with Wanda, Elaine May wrote, directed, and starred in A New Leaf...but while she never intended on even acting and especially never directing it, her agent cut a deal with Paramount that she could do all three. In order to skimp by on a budget, Paramount paid May a meager salary of $50,000 on the basis that a first time director wouldn't warrant anything bigger...even though she was acting and wrote the script; a script that Paramount originally was going to pay $200,000 for.

The film was a critical success at the time, but a box office bomb that built up a stronger reputation over time...which is very good to hear as A New Leaf is a comic gem of a film.

When a playboy type named Henry Graham (Walter Matthau) runs out of his wealth, he plots to marry a rich socialite as a means to maintain his lifestyle. After wooing a shy heiress named Henrietta (May), he adamantly insists he control her finances and then begins to plot her murder obtain her fortune. The question is: will he go through with it or will he fall in love with her?

May directs this with such assuredness and honestly that isn't a surprise considering she was a comic mastermind, and it does make me wish that her legacy wasn't considered tainted by the bomb that was Ishtar. 

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#6 - THROW AWAY YOUR BOOKS, RALLY IN THE STREETS

Written & Directed by Shuji Terayama

Watching Throw Away Your Books is a far cry from the kind of Japan you saw on film even just a decade prior. There is something both invigorating about it, while also a bit sad when you think about the far more genteel works of Ozu and Naruse. 

As Japan descends further into a more materialistic society that would be comparable to that of Western civilization, a young man we only know as "Me" (Hideaki Sasaki) becomes very disillusioned with the world around him and in a lot of ways, the film itself becomes just as disillusioned not just with society like our protagonist but with the idea of art/film itself. A lot of this film takes on such an experimental and avant-garde in its approach that it plays out like a fever dream that would've made Godard likely applaud for a good hour. 

While I would argue that the film's usage of sexual assault does border on being a bit exploitative, I also view it as a cold truth on how the idea of sex in a lot of art can be seen as exploitative. 

Despite some of its rougher elements, Throw Away Your Books is a cinema at its most punk rock form. It is loud, it is aggressive and progressive, it is highly provocative, and it takes on angst in a very unrelenting manner.

"The film will be over soon, and no one will remember me. When it ends, only the white screen remains."

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#5 - THE EMIGRANTS

Written & Directed by Jan Troell

Co-written by Bengt Forslund

With the presence of Liv Ullman and Max von Sydow, younger me first assumed this was another Ingmar Bergman film. 

I will admit that while I have had an extensive history diving into the filmography of Bergman, I have not seen much of Troell's work...and I do think it is a blind spot I should correct as I tend to have a fondness for the moody melancholic filmmakers who hail from Scandinavia.

The Emigrants is based on a novel by Vilhelm Moberg, who followed it with a series of novels about a Swedish family migrating from their native land to 19th century Minnesota. The second novel was also shot concurrently with The Emigrants (known as The New Land) which would come out in 1972...and spoiler alert...it will be making an appearance on that list.

It is no surprise that Ullman and von Sydow, two of the finest actors to ever live, shine brightly in this. What these two can convey with so little is spellbinding. You always hear about how great actors can truly have a world within their eyes to the point that hearing such praise becomes tedious to hear...perhaps as tedious as some claim The Emigrants might be as a film.

I would sit through hours of watching these two act if I could. While von Sydow is no longer with us, Liv Ullman is still alive as of this writing and I feel like she is one of the only performers I could meet that I'd truly feel tongue-tied over. Something about her as an artist feels luminous on a level that is unparalleled. What's even more hilarious is that this is neither her nor von Sydow's best work.

In a way, The Emigrants is one of those films that shows the promise of the American Dream but in hindsight, is even more depressing when you realize how these days, that hope is essentially dead.

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#4 - MURMUR OF THE HEART

Written & Directed by Louis Malle

As a coming-of-age story, Murmur of the Heart is one that doesn't get talked about as often these days but it is one of the more fascinating. It has such a warm and inviting atmosphere set in France of the late 1950s complete with a jazzy score and an effortless feel that makes you feel charmed...and yet...

Murmur of the Heart is presents a story that may be all those things I just stated, but it has a rather provocative undercurrent that leaves truly rethinking everything by the film's end.

Most of the film is seen through the eyes of 14-year-old Laurent (Benoit Ferreux), who is just trying navigate his life and has an obsession with jazz records. His two older brothers decide to take him to a brothel so he can lose his virginity, but not long after, he obtains scarlet fever which leaves him with a heart murmur.

Perhaps the one element of the film that is best remembered for its audacity is when Laurent's mother Clara gets drunk and ends up having sex with him, and while she tells him it'll never happen again, they should never regret it. 

I remember when I first read that the film was considered semi-autobiographical, but that Louis Malle stated that he never had sex with his mother. In fact, Clara was apparently based more on a friend's mother than his own...but Malle's glimpse back at his adolescence is very much another example of how open a lot of European cultures were compared to the outright conservatism of 50s America.

Not to say that Wally and the Beaver should have been having sex with June, but still...

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#3 - HAROLD & MAUDE

Directed by Hal Ashby

Written by Colin Higgins

It is amazing what time can do to a film's reputation. 

When Harold & Maude was first released, it was a critical and financial disaster. However, art houses would play the film over the next decade or so and it would eventually turn a profit in 1983 and had developed a devout cult following in a more subdued way than other 70s classics like Rocky Horror Picture Show or Eraserhead. 

The script was by Colin Higgins, who originally conceived this as his grad school thesis, and he would go on to have a hand in films such as Foul Play and 9 to 5. 

Harold (Bud Cort) is a young man who is living a privileged though stifling life by his aloof mother. He takes on a rather morbid fascination with death to the point that he will stage elaborate suicides, attend the funerals of strangers, and he drives a hearse simply because he wants to.

His mom tries to get him into therapy and even tries to set him up on dates and by him a brand new car, but none of that can steer him away from the thrill of mortality...but he then meets Maude (Ruth Gordon), a lady pushing 80 who just so happens to be sitting on a stranger's funeral.

While Maude shares Harold's fascination with death, her outlook is far more chipper. She wants to embrace the eccentricities of life and feels that Harold should try to do the same...oh and then they end up falling in love. ;-)

While the idea of a man of his late teens and early 20s falling in love with an octogenarian as they share a fascination with death might be a bit much for some, there is honestly something so freeing and delightful about this darkly beautiful film that I think deserves to be seen by far more people and admittedly, the idea of embracing and enjoying life is something a lot of us should try to do more often. 

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#2 - A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

Written & Directed by Stanley Kubrick

The fact I am ranking A Clockwork Orange at #2 is something I didn't think I would do. If you had come to me even a few years ago, I easily would've said this was my favorite film from 1971. Hell, there was a time when I considered this my favorite Stanley Kubrick film. 

I wouldn't say that my love of the film has dimmed by any real estimation, but my #1 choice is a film just has a stronger emotional resonance that speaks to me more as I get older.

Imagine if you approached some of the people in Hollywood even just a few years prior and told them that a film about a group of thugs called Droogs who go around futuristic London attacking and raping people would be a Best Picture nominee. The erasure of the Hays Code and the embrace of the darker sensibilities of filmmaking and how swift the change would hit will never cease to amaze me. 

As the main character of Alex, Malcolm McDowell is so charismatic and diabolical that he has got to be one of the best examples of a truly despicable character that you are oddly compelled to watch in spite of yourself. We see him and his droogs in action as the film begins but eventually, Alex is captured when one of his victims dies and he is sentenced to prison for murder.

Two years into his sentence, he is approached to take part in a new form of aversion therapy called the Ludovico Technique created by the Minister of the Interior. You are strapped to a chair with your eyes forced open by tiny metal clamps (see above for reference!) and made to watch repeated videos of sex and violence while being injected with drugs. To add to the procedure, they play selections of Beethoven (Alex is an avid listener of classical music) to pair something else he loves with the depravity he once took part it. 

How the film focuses on the idea of criminal rehabilitation and how society will still view those who have made that journey is truly fascinating. It is also no surprise that after Alex's mental state faces a downfall in light of society still rejecting him despite now being supposedly "cured", he seems to resort to his old ways.

That last fantasy shot where the idea of having sex while getting applauded by a crowd and declaring "Oh, I was cured alright" then cutting to the credits accompanied by Gene Kelly's "Singin' in the Rain"...a song that if you've seen the film will make you laugh despite its uncomfortable usage...I can't help but adore the dark cheekiness of Kubrick.

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#1 - THE LAST PICTURE SHOW

Directed by Peter Bogdanovich

Written by Larry McMurtry w/Bogdanovich 

As I have gotten older, my admiration has grown for The Last Picture Show. That isn't to say that I didn't love it before, but it was always the runner-up in my mind to A Clockwork Orange.

What is there to truly say about this one?

For starters, a lot of this ensemble were unknown actors or they were character actors primarily working in theatre and television who hadn't truly had a big break in a film. The only who had any extensive film experience was Ben Johnson, and his gravitas is certainly a powerful asset to the proceedings.

Set in the small town of Anarene, Texas in the early 1950s, our main focus is on two friends: Sonny and Duane (Timothy Bottoms and Jeff Bridges). Both are high school seniors, with Duane dating Jacy (Cybill Shepherd), the most popular girl in school and part of the richest family in town. Sonny breaks up with his girlfriend because he has a secret crush on Jacy.

The setup sounds pretty straightforward enough, as does the fact that these two young men are at a crossroads wondering what their future will be like and if they will ever get out of their dying town. While Duane ponders joining the army, Sonny seems to have more of a bind being formed towards staying in Anarene.

Talking about The Last Picture Show is a bit strange because it does seem very basic on paper, but a lot of what makes this film is the writing paired with Bogdanovich's direction which makes this world feel so rich and real. The black & white cinematography adds to that feeling of being transported back to the past, which for the time was seen as an effective choice as B&W cinematography was viewed as nearly archaic as silent films were at the advent of Talkies. I brought up the ensemble before, but I will say I think this has got to be one of the best ensembles ever put onto film. If the Best Casting category had existed in 1971, The Last Picture Show would've won in a landslide. 

For as great as our two leading men are, the supporting cast here shines.

You have Ellen Burstyn as Jacy's mother Lois in the film role that put her on the map; Eileen Brennan, then mostly known for her stage work in musicals like Little Mary Sunshine and Hello Dolly!, as the down-to-earth waitress Genevieve; but the two who really shine are Ben Johnson as local business owner Sam "The Lion" and Cloris Leachman as Ruth Popper.

These two both won the Oscars in their respective Supporting categories and in both cases, I would consider their wins to be among the top 10 in the history of the awards. 

Johnson had been mainly known for doing westerns, particularly as a frequent sidekick for John Wayne. Bogdanovich famously pushed and pushed for Johnson to do it, even making the legendary John Ford call him to coerce him. The final plea to Johnson was "You in this part will get you an Academy Award!" to which Johnson replied "All right, I'll do the goddamn thing!".

Johnson's role is actually not super large, but his screen presence is simply majestic in such a sterling way. His monologues give off that rough but warm and wise energy that just make you sit up and listen.

As for Cloris Leachman, her win didn't seem like a foregone conclusion, but if you've seen the film, you know that once it ends, you will likely be thinking of her more than anyone. 

Leachman's Ruth Popper is the wife of Sonny's coach, and she feels depressed and neglected to which he ends up sleeping with her...and eventually discarding her. The final scene when Sonny goes back for pity and she finally lets him have it is one of my favorite scenes I have ever seen an actress perform in a film. Her anger, her sadness, and then her capacity to forgive and still almost be a motherly figure to the young guy she had been sleeping with.

It is a fantastic final scene for the film, and the first time I watched it as a young teenager, I wasn't sure how I felt about the film. That final scene left me in awe to the point that I sat on it for a day and then rewatched the film again and grew to respect the journey more.

While something like A Clockwork Orange is a film I have revisited more, not to mention it being made by the true genius of Stanley Kubrick, I feel like The Last Picture Show was an example of a film that could've come off as so banal and somehow become a depressing but glorious work of art that captured a dying rural town of the 50s so beautifully.

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

My response to writing about 1971 kind of surprises me, because strictly from a quality and numbers standpoint, I gave more of these films higher marks compared to those from 1970. I think a lot of it has to simply do with the fact that a fair amount of these films feel more frequently discussed and it is as if I don't have as much to add to the conversation. 

Nevertheless, I do love the variety of work we get here and the growing assuredness we see from the English-language filmmakers reaching the heights of seemingly the rest of international cinema.

With that in mind, get ready for 1972 as we are going to get an abundance of riches that make for one of the strongest years for cinema in that decade, which is certainly saying a hell of a lot!