SWEEPING UP THE EVERYTHING BAGEL CRUMBS: Thoughts on the 95th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS

 

Every year, I feel like there is some sort of issue with how the Academy chooses to proceed with their broadcast and their efforts to try to cut down on time.

In recent years, we've seen multiple categories get shafted for airtime on the broadcast while in 2020, all the Best Song performances were pushed off onto the pre-show broadcast.

One thing that stood out to me in a negative way this year was how they seemed quit on the trigger to cut off a lot of the tech winners before they even had a chance to speak...and in some years, with persistence, they would be allowed to continue. 

Not this time!

Granted, one thing about the Oscars broadcast this year is that it managed to end at 11:39pm. 

I grew up watching the Oscars at a time when they would easily last until after midnight and even beyond 12:30am...and there was no need for this.

Over the years, the producers have cut out various staples from the broadcast such as the cheesy opening numbers or the montage of the guests arriving for the evening.

And speaking of montages, I feel like these were a little more minimal this year which helps greatly with the time...but I do think that maybe they should be a little more considerate to those in the tech categories.

The ceremony itself was fine...not overly eventful and Kimmel did a solid job...maybe a couple of weird jokes here and there, like the Robert Blake bit...but I guess I will let that slide considering it is Robert Blake.

The evening did provide us with some historical events...and I have to admit, I would never have guessed that a movie like Everything Everywhere All at Once would be the one to break some pretty big stats.

Let's start with THE TECH CATEGORIES:

I feel like some of these tech categories were in a similar position as most of the acting categories in that 2 or 3 films were in a prime position to take it.

I think one of the bigger surprises...though one that I certainly feel fine with...is that Elvis got shut-out and usually at the expense of All Quiet on the Western Front.

I think the major tell that Elvis was in trouble was when it lost Makeup/Hairstyling to The Whale, which signaled that maybe Butler wouldn't be taking Best Actor after all.

Some wondered if the passion for EEAAO would translate into it sweeping more by winning Costumes and Score...but I never bought into that. 

Although here is a crazy/amazing/kind of sad statistic.

Ruth Carter won for her Black Panther costumes again. With that win, she has become the first African-American woman to have more than one Oscar. 

Hmmmm...it took 95 years....

At any rate, that is all I have to say about the tech categories, so let's move on to the Big 8. 

THE BIG EIGHT:

You have to go back to 2009 when Slumdog Millionaire won 8 Oscars to find a film that had as much of a strong pull on Oscar night. That was the last year that the Academy had a 5-film Best Picture roster which then lead to 10 films the following year and then the whole preferential ballot system.

In the last 13 years, we've managed to get films that won 5 Oscars (The Artist) or 6 Oscars (La La Land), but it seems as though most years have become about the idea of "spreading the wealth".

Most of the Best Picture winners of the last decade have only won 3 or 4 Oscars for the whole evening...and in the case of Spotlight, only TWO.

Everything Everywhere All at Once managed to pull off SEVEN wins last night...and I would say that it honestly wasn't a surprise. 

I had predicted (or rather I "hopedicted) that maybe The Banshees of Inisherin would somehow take Original Screenplay and had felt that Kerry Condon might be able to eek out the Supporting Actress win due to how BAFTA often predicts the winner in extremely divided races.

The truth is something about that win still didn't feel quite right...even if I felt she was the best choice and had been the critical darling of the season.

I sort of had the feeling that the last minute surge of support for Jamie Lee Curtis after her SAG win two weeks ago could translate to a career win...so with that, let's discuss:

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once

A lot of film forums and FilmTwitter have posters who are livid right now about this win.

When it comes to performers who know how to play the game, Jamie Lee Curtis has been campaigning to such a level that there is no other way to describe it except she was VERY. THIRSTY.

On the forum GoldDerby, one poster said that the win is going to "age like milk" while another postured that the win was already spoiled by the end of the ceremony.

Keep in mind...I have made it clear that I am one of the few people who wasn't exactly enamored with Everything Everywhere All at Once. 

When I saw the film, I honestly enjoyed Curtis' performance. It was brief, but I felt like she was very entertaining and funny, plus her moments in the "Hot Dog Universe" were some of my favorite scenes in the film.

Do I think she deserved to win? Bluntly, no.

Do I think this is the worst win ever? Not at all.

For those who follow my blog, I just recently finished a ranking of all the Best Supporting Actress winners and I will tell you know that Curtis certainly wouldn't be in my bottom 10...or even my bottom 20. 

I WILL be updating that list (along with the Best Actress list) to include Curtis soon, and I will make my decision then...but I still think that Curtis created an interesting character...and her win makes a tad more sense to me than, perhaps, Laura Dern's win in Marriage Story.

I would've voted for Kerry Condon, but I do think Angela Bassett (who looked SALTY AS ALL GET OUT to lose last night) would've been a better and more viable candidate if they were looking to give someone a career Oscar disguised as a Best Supporting Actress win. 

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Ke Huy Kuan, Everything Everywhere All at Once

This was a foregone conclusion and while I did very much love the work of all the men in the category (not that I would've nominated Hirsch in the end), I think there was no way to deny the love and passion that has been felt for the major comeback of Ke Huy Kuan.

What a story and what a wonderful human being he seems to be.

Frankly, I am happy to see this win....and once I do tackle the Supporting Actor ranking, I am sure he will rank on the higher end of the list.

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BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY and BEST DIRECTOR: The Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once

I knew this was going to be the outcome in regards to Screenplay, but I still tried to stick in Banshees corner anyways. A lot of people liked to point out the key word of "original" when describing EEAAO but I also think that Banshees had one of those scripts that was just overflowing with amazing dialogue.

I really truly think that they could've spared the runaway train for just one stop to reward McDonagh here...and judging by the pre-Oscars tweets of Daniel Kwan, it seemed like he didn't even want to sweep the awards.

At the very least, I do think The Daniels seem absolutely delightful as human beings and I would be intrigued to see what their next project is.

Their DIRECTOR win was another one of those foregone conclusions, even if the film had somehow lost Best Picture. I think that is the award where they were more worthy to have their moment in the sun.

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BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Sarah Polley, Women Talking

One of the best wins of the night...possibly my favorite win of the night...was Sarah Polley finally getting her due after her film and herself and her performers had mostly been paid in dust all awards season long.

Early on, it seemed as if Women Talking was the clear favorite for this prize...but then the film just kept getting snubbed everywhere.

I think it winning here is a key example of them just being unable to ignore the greatness of a script that was filled with great dialogue (a lot of it taken from the Toews novel)...and if McDonagh was going to get snubbed in Original Screenplay, I am glad we at least got this win for Polley.

I did love her first snarky comment where she said she was glad the Academy didn't ignore a film that had a title that put the words WOMEN and TALKING together.

I mean...aside from this Screenplay nod and a BP nom...they still ignored all of the performances and Polley for Director.

I guess all I can do is take the win that Polley got as it was richly deserved.

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BEST ACTOR: Brendan Fraser, The Whale

This was a case where I felt like Fraser could easily pull it off but I was too swayed by the idea of Butler being in a biopic role in a Best Picture nominee and then you had Farrell who, despite being a longshot, had done well on the anonymous ballot polls and (in my opinion) gave the best performance of the five...granted the last opinion doesn't often translate into Oscar wins.

Fraser winning here isn't surprising but it does break a key stat where it seemed like Best Actor winners strongly co-aligned with Best Picture nominees at the expense of those who weren't in a Best Picture nominee.

I had made a point of the eerily similar 2009 case where Mickey Rourke starred in his own comeback vehicle which didn't end up getting Picture, Director, or Screenplay noms that happened to be directed by Darren Aronofsky. Rourke won a Globe and BAFTA for his efforts while Sean Penn starred in a biopic role, won CC and SAG, and happened to be in a Best Picture nominee.

Penn won the same awards Fraser did this year...but Fraser didn't have the Picture stat behind him. Instead, his rapturous comeback narrative worked and while it is refreshing that a non-biopic role has won the award, it still taps into the whole "actor transforms under a ton of makeup" trope that is often apparent with Oscar wins...or any acting award win.

I don't hate Fraser winning this as much as some do. He wasn't my choice, but I don't think he did a bad job in the film...which I wasn't overly fond of.

I did like it a little more than the bombastic and chaotic Elvis, however. 

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BEST ACTRESS: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once

With Yeoh's win, we get a couple of big moments.

On the lighter side, SAG ended up being 4/4 on acting wins while BAFTA went 0/4...though it was apparent they were far less enthused with EEAAO as it only won for its Editing at that ceremony.

I think being the last major award show helped the SAG winners maintain a higher profile, which is often how its gone for BAFTA in recent years. It'll be curious to see if the schedule next year will remain as such or if it will flip back (I don't know if its been announced yet).

Yeoh's win also makes EEAAO only the third film to win three acting Oscars in one night which puts in a group with two very prestigious films: A Streetcar Named Desire and Network. 

But I will address that more when I discuss the Best Picture win.

Lastly, Yeoh becomes not only the first Asian woman to win the Oscar for Lead Actress, but only the second woman of color to win the prize...which seems like the Academy's decision to have the first person to do so (Halle Berry) be present to hand it over paid off...unlike the rather bold decision in 2021 to make Best Actor the last award of the night when many suspected Chadwick Boseman would win a posthumous Oscar. 

I will admit that I did prefer Blanchett here, but Yeoh was my second favorite and her performance was certainly the heart of EEAAO. I think she makes for a worthy winner and I will be updating my Best Actress ranking soon to include her amongst the group!

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BEST PICTURE: Everything Everywhere All at Once

With its seven wins, which included the very key tech win of Editing, Everything Everything All at Once becomes the first film since Network to win 3 Acting Oscars and also winning the most "above the line" categories.

The previous films to do this didn't end up winning Director or Picture to go along with the tally:

Streetcar only took Art Direction to go along with the wins for Leigh, Malden, and Hunter.

Network took Original Screenplay along with the wins for Dunaway, Finch, and Straight.

Everything took the three acting wins, Director, Screenplay, Editing, and Picture.

It may not be as big of a sweep as films like The English Patient, Titanic, or The Return of the King, but it is a very potent one.

In the end, I think that a film like Everything Everywhere All at Once taking this prize and sweeping in the manner it did shows that perhaps there will be hope for more films that aren't considered "typical Oscar fare" will actually be able to breakthrough.

Then again, it is hard to say.

Sure, we've had the groundbreaking wins of Parasite or a sci-fi/romance film like The Shape of Water pulling it off...but we've also gotten Green Book and Coda. 

And with acting, we may have gotten the win for Yeoh tonight but it took just over 20 years after Halle Berry to get another actress of color to win a Lead Oscar.

Seeing more genre films break into the Best Picture race would be amazing...in addition to Animated films. 

I also think it would be truly amazing if we can get horror films in the running for the top prize. We very seldom get nominations for them, and really only The Silence of the Lambs comes the closest as being a horror to take the prize.

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    CONCLUSION:

I do wish I had the same reaction to EEAAO that most other people did as it probably would've made last night a lot more enjoyable.

I am sort of pensive as to how 2023 will fare in terms of its film output after having been fairly disappointed with 2022 more than any other year in a while.

At any rate, thanks for reading!

I will be updating my Actress, Supporting Actress, and Best Picture rankings soon and I do still intend to do rankings for Best Actor and Supporting Actor as well.

AN ELEVENTH-HOUR PREDICTION SPECIAL: A Quick Discussion Before the 95TH OSCARS

 I had previously made a post about final predictions a few days ago, but I didn't really feel that great about what I wrote...plus I might want to tweak some of my predictions at the last minute.

Here is the simple truth:

I have already made it abundantly clear that I was not pleased with 2022 as a year of film...nor do I find the process of award season to be overly important. It is simply highly political and often benefits people who don't truly need the benefits.

Sadly though...I find the sport of awards prognosticating to be fun in spite of myself.

And this year...I don't exactly have a lot of films or performances in the ring that I am passionately rooting for...or I find myself liking films that may only win 1-2 Oscars or get shut out completely.

I am coming into this Oscar ceremony more for the joy of simply not knowing who may win in a lot of the bigger categories.

For the sake of time, I am only going to address the big 8 categories:

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

BEST ACTOR

BEST ACTRESS

BEST DIRECTOR

BEST PICTURE

And unlike my last post, which I did delete, I am going to also post a ranking of likelihood that I think the person or film may win...BUT since some of these are toss-ups, I will reiterate in those cases.

Let us begin with those ever important and often undervalued screenwriters.

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BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

#1 - Women Talking

#2 - All Quiet on the Western Front

#3 - Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story

#4 - Top Gun: Maverick

#5 - Living

While Sarah Polley has won the CC and WGA for Women Talking, there IS a scenario where I can see All Quiet basically...forgive the pun...quietly sneaking in and taking this.

My only basis for this is that it did do SO well at BAFTA and it could garner more support as being a film that received many more nominations that Women Talking.

IF that scenario were to occur, I would begin to wonder if some kind of crazy surge will occur that might allow All Quiet to win Best Picture thanks to the preferential ballot.

Am I going to predict that? No.

However, IF All Quiet wins here...I might have a tad more suspense for the Best Picture category.

I did like All Quiet, but it would honestly be a shame for Sarah Polley to lose this. Her script, which did include a lot of great dialogue from Miriam Toews' novel, is just simply the best choice here.

I also enjoyed Glass Onion and especially Top Gun, but I am not sure that either really warrant an Oscar for their scripts.

Truthfully, I thought Kazuo Ishiguro did a splendid job adapted Kurosawa's Ikiru and I would therefore rank Living as my second favorite in this category...not that I matter since I don't vote for this damn thing.

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BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

#1 - The Banshees of Inisherin 

#2 - Everything Everywhere All at Once

#3 - Tar 

#4 - The Fabelmans

#5 - Triangle of Sadness

I am going to admit that this has become a bit of a gamble. My hope was that the true great dialogue of Banshees would lead to a win for McDonagh, but considering The Daniels won at CC and at WGA (for which McDonagh was ineligible), it seems like the surge may work in their favor.

The precedent for that is there since McDonagh actually lost to Jordan Peele for Get Out when he had been up for Three Billboards...and as popular as Get Out was, it doesn't have the same passionate and rabid base that EEAAO does. 

PLUS...Banshees is not a factor in the Best Picture race anymore, whereas some people thought Three Billboards could still win Screenplay and Picture on Oscar night.

My own personal bias is making me take a slight leap here, but my hope is that the voters will do their best to spread the wealth and give McDonagh the Oscar he deserves.

The other 3 simply have no shot.

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

#1 - Ke Huy Kuan, EEAAO

#2 - Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin

#3 - Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin

#4 - Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans

#5 - Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway

I am not going to spend a lot of time on this one. Out of all the acting categories, this is the only one that seems to be truly locked up. 

Sure, Keoghan may have won the BAFTA but those British voters clearly preferred Inisherin and All Quiet as opposed to EEAAO and they have had those wins over the years where a "home-turf" selection manages to eek out the win but doesn't become competitive for the Oscar...much like Dev Patel in Lion for example.

Ke Huy Kuan has the passion, the narrative, the big film of the ceremony, and also...I have to admit...a very fun performance so even if I loved Keoghan and Gleeson and Henry (which, by the way, that was such an inspired and wonderful nomination!!!!), I will be very happy to see Quan on that stage.

As for Judd Hirsch, he did as much as he could with his cameo...and it is amazing to see him as an Oscar nominee 42 years after his nod for Ordinary People...but I am not sure he should've made it in here. 

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

#1 - Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin 

#2 - Jamie Lee Curtis, EEAAO

#3 - Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

#4 - Stephanie Hsu, EEAAO

#5 - Hong Chau, The Whale

And now we come to what might be the most exciting acting award of the night.

I could see a serious path for Condon and Curtis and Bassett...and frankly...I wouldn't even be THAT shocked if Hsu somehow pulled it off.

Sadly, Hong Chau will be sitting this one out...but she is such a wonderful actress and I actually feel like her performance in The Whale was one of its best aspects...and the film itself was a chore in most other ways.

Hsu seems to be the performance that the internet has embraced...but we also saw how that translated to Carey Mulligan for Promising Young Woman. It felt like she was going to sweep through that season only for her to barely get any major wins and then she lost to Frances McDormand for what was her THIRD acting Oscar.

I do think it is unlikely for Hsu but I am not ruling it out.

I think Bassett does have a chance even though she lost the SAG, which many did suspect she would easily win. 

Bassett isn't in a Best Picture nominee, but her film does have multiple nominations and she is a veteran who is known for losing an Oscar for a truly stunning performance: Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It?

Bassett didn't win a true industry award, but I think she does have a shot...even if she will face backlash for being in a Marvel film.

I think the fact Curtis won SAG doesn't seem that shocking in hindsight and I truly think she can pull off the win tonight.

Here is my hot take: I ACTUALLY DID NOT HATE CURTIS IN THAT ROLE.

I am not saying people necessarily hate her performance, but they don't find her worthy for any awards recognition...plus, she has been a THIRSTY campaigner. I found her performance to be a lot of fun and in terms of career wins, it would be better than the work that netted Oscars for the likes of Laura Dern or Don Ameche...or even if they had actually gave Lauren Bacall the Oscar for The Mirror Has Two Faces. 

My favorite in the category is Condon...and while some do like to bash her as being a "nothing" candidate, I loved her in this role...and I think her win at BAFTA could show that she may have enough support to eek out a win in this divided race.

There is also a chance this will become the only place Banshees can win an Oscar...which hurts...but it also feels weird that she could become the only place it wins considering the work of her co-stars and also the Screenplay itself.

Part of me wants to change my prediction to Curtis because her exposure seems to have peaked right as voting was occurring...

But I also think Bassett had the better performance of the two so if a veteran win were to occur, I would rather it be here...not to mention Bassett should've already won for playing Tina Turner.

Sigh...I will just stick with Condon...

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BEST ACTOR:

#1 - Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin

#2 - Austin Butler, Elvis

#3 - Brendan Fraser, The Whale

#4 - Bill Nighy, Living

#5 - Paul Mescal, Aftersun

I am REALLY going down with the ship with this prediction.

I know I shouldn't let the anonymous ballots that have been released sway me...not to mention my own love of the film and his performance...but I can't help but shake this weird scenario where Farrell had built up enough good will and ends up taking this due to vote splitting between the two other major candidates: Fraser and Butler.

I HAD been predicting Butler following his Globe and BAFTA wins, not to mention the fact he is in a Best Picture nominee.

For whatever reason, being in a Best Picture nominee seems to benefit Actor winners more often than those in the Actress category. Not to mention, voters seem to LOVE their biopic roles, and this is one of those transformative performances that they eat up with a spoon.

Interestingly enough, the parallels of the 2008/9 Best Actor race are strong here.

Brendan Fraser is Mickey Rourke: a veteran actor who had disappeared for a while and came back in an emotional role in a Darren Aronofsky film that got left off the lists for Best Picture and Screenplay

Butler is Sean Penn. An actor playing a real-life figure (Harvey Milk) in what is also a Best Picture nominee.

The interesting twist here is that Rourke won the same awards Butler did (Globe and BAFTA) while Fraser won the same awards Penn did (CC and SAG).

It is mainly the Best Picture/biopic role stat that makes think Butler would be the more logical choice but I am still not ruling out Fraser either.

I am hopedicting Farrell and my brain predicts Butler while I feel like Fraser might have enough to break the stats.

I will just sit back and enjoy the ride.

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BEST ACTRESS:

#1 - Michelle Yeoh, EEAAO

#2 - Cate Blanchett, Tar

#3 - Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie

#4 - Ana de Armas, Blonde

#5 - Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans

This is going to be another tense nailbiter...and I love it.

However...things might get a bit precarious if it goes a certain way.

All season, it seemed as though we were heading towards Cate Blanchett getting her 3rd Oscar...but the passion for EEAAO and the final surge of love toward Yeoh after her SAG win makes me think, along with many others, that she can pull this off.

Her win would also be historic as she would be the 1st Asian woman to win a Lead Oscar and also only the SECOND woman of color to take the prize.

One thing I think people need to keep in mind is that Oscar voters don't often tend to be that sympathetic when it comes to these types of narratives. If they think someone gave the best performance, they will give them their vote.

Look at Frances McDormand winning her third Oscar despite the fact she didn't campaign AND for a role in which she was very subdued and (in my opinion) not a role that I felt warranted a 3rd Oscar.

Blanchett does have the performance...she won many major critics' awards, and she won the Globe, BAFTA, and CC.

Although, Blanchett herself won these same three awards in 1999 for Elizabeth only to lose the Oscar to Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love...who won the Comedy Globe and SAG and was in the eventual BP winner...just like Michelle Yeoh.

Blanchett herself has been campaigning but seems far more willing to shine a light on her fellow nominees.

I think Yeoh will pull this off, but I really will not be surprised in the slightest if Blanchett's name is called. If that does happen, I suspect a lot of the internet will erupt in fury.

I think a lot of the problem with this is that Yeoh is definitely strong in EEAAO. There are clearly many people that feel this is a win that would be based on merit AND it serves as a way for the Academy to finally honor another actress of color.

Art is subjective...but I have to say that Blanchett does have the performance. She is my favorite in the category, but Yeoh would be my 2nd favorite.

Either way, I am going to be happy...

...well sort of, because I will never forgive them for snubbing Danielle Deadwyler.

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BEST DIRECTOR:

#1 - The Daniels, EEAAO

#2 - Todd Field, Tar

#3 - Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans

#4 - Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin

#5 - Ruben Ostlund, Triangle of Sadness

If there was a scenario where the preferential ballot led to another film winning in a major upset, I think we can still count on The Daniels winning here.

The only other people here who seem to have a trajectory...if you can call it that...are Field and Spielberg.

In the case of Todd Field, he seems to have gotten a lot of "auteur" passion while Spielberg has a lot of sentiment on his side because it has been 25 years since he won an Oscar and the fact his film is deeply personal to him.

I think its safe to say that the Spielberg narrative died down fast after his Globes win and I still think that the passion for EEAAO won't be enough for Field to recover from.

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BEST PICTURE: 

#1 - Everything Everywhere All at Once

#2 - All Quiet on the Western Front

#3 - The Banshees of Inisherin

#4 - Tar

#5 - The Fabelmans

#6 - Top Gun: Maverick

#7 - Women Talking

#8 - Elvis

#9 - Triangle of Sadness

#10 - Avatar: The Way of Water

This is a case where after the top 3, I really just kind of hastily ranked the rest because I feel like none of them have an inkling of a chance at Best Picture...even though I think Women Talking will take Screenplay. 

I already expressed this when I discussed the Screenplay categories, but if All Quiet somehow does win there, I would just slightly find myself intrigued at it squeaking out an upset...ESPECIALLY since I would argue it isn't exactly a Screenplay that has another fresh or exciting to say. War movies just aren't known for their vibrant or verbose screenplays.

Even if Banshees managed to win in Screenplay over EEAAO, I think it is less likely that it would win in Picture. I get the sense that Banshees is a little more divisive and a little too weird for some...even if it is actually a lot tamer than anything that McDonagh has ever released either as a film or a play. 

There is a very strong chance that EEAAO could win 3 Acting Oscars tonight...which would put it in an elite group of only two other films: A Streetcar Named Desire and Network. 

Strangely, neither of those films ended up winning Best Picture...but I think that winning acting awards, potentially winning Screenplay, winning directing, and a tech prize or two will be enough of a case that EEAAO will win this even if All Quiet takes Adapted Screenplay.

ALSO - EEAAO swept all of the major guilds awards: PGA, DGA, SAG, WGA and a slew of the techs.

Only 5 films have managed to do this prior to this year...and of those films, only 1 (Apollo 13) had a problem on Oscar night...see what I did there?  ;-)

Ha. Ha.

But yes, everything is pointing to that Everywhere film taking it all...and despite the fact that I didn't like it anywhere near as much as most of the world seems to, I have to admit that I love such a different kind of film getting embraced in such a manner.

At any rate, that is all I have for now. I am sure I will have another post up either tomorrow or Tuesday discussing my thoughts on the ceremony itself.

And with that, I leave you with the truly disastrous opening number from the 1989 Academy Awards where Snow White and Rob Lowe "sang" amongst dancing tables and other bizarre little tidbits.

It is worth sitting through the cringe for 11 minutes...and also worth reading more about online so check that out!

THE YEAR OF FEELING "MID": My Top 10 Films of 2022

*LAST YEAR ON ART ISN'T EASY, I said the following:

"2021 was simply not the greatest year for film and I am very pensive about what 2022 will bring. If it is any worse or about equal to this year, I might just have another slump at caring about movies like I did for the first half of the 2010s.

Time will soon tell." 

After I wrote that, I did end up feeling better about the potential prospects of 2022's film output...and then...I settled into a strong malaise.

Unfortunately, 2022 turned out to be (IN MY OPINION, OF COURSE) a weaker year than 2021.

In fact, I will even take it a step further.

I would go as far to say that 2022 is the weakest year for film since 2015, which also happens to be the last year in which I did not give a single film a 5-star rating...and even then, I would say that 2015 is still a little better. 

I do feel like I am less involved in knowing a lot of the big films coming out in 2023, although some of them were actually meant to come out in 2022 that got delayed releases. I am going to be taking a very casual approach in the film watch this year, but I am not fully out of the loop yet. I am still holding out hope that 2023 will be the "savior of film" that many thought 2022 would be.

I am going to be listing my top 10 films along with some Honorable Mentions. 

The sad truth is that I ended up giving none of these films a 5-star rating...and in fact, the only one that I even feel like might eventually get bumped up to that honor would be my #1 selection. 

And for the first time in quite a while, I had even so few films I gave a 4.5 rating to that all of my honorable mentions plus a couple from my top 10 were only 4 stars. 

Now, this may sound like I am being harsh to these films, but I did enjoy them. In the end, they ended up being what I liked the most out of what 2022 had to offer.

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SEVEN HONORABLE MENTIONS:

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EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

(The Daniels)

Here is the honest truth. I admire a lot of what The Daniels do as filmmakers. They are bold and they have a lot of ideas...and I also appreciate that a film so original and bold in its storytelling is going to potentially win more Oscars in one night than has happened in over a decade. 

I personally just didn't connect with a lot of the film, but I did enjoy multiple aspects from it. I think Michelle Yeoh is a powerhouse, Ke Huy Kuan is absolutely delightful, and as much fun as Film Twitter seems to be bashing her, Jamie Lee Curtis is also fun as the peculiar auditor Deirdre. 

Do I think Curtis is Oscar worthy though? No. And the woman is THIRSTY. She is such a thirsty campaigner.

I am going to be giving this film another chance soon, but I think this was just an unfortunate case of the hype just not living up to the final product.

I just decided to give it an honorable mention because I do have to admit that the creativity and originality and the effort put into the film are hard to ignore.

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GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY

(Rian Johnson)

Even though I will admit some of the sheen has worn off since I first viewed this around the holiday season, I very much enjoyed the follow up to Knives Out.

I think that there was enough different about the plotting and the mystery that kept me very intrigued the whole time, and I do love how the major final blow all came down to a certain famous Italian painting.

I think I wasn't as overly enamored with the ensemble for this film as I was with the first film, but I still think there was a lot to really like about Glass Onion. I will be eagerly awaiting the third installment!

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NOPE

(Jordan Peele)

With his third film, Jordan Peele managed to divide people a little bit...which is sort of similar to the response that his second film Us had received.

I think the thing about Nope was that it truly showed his skill as a director of grandeur: the sweeping landscapes and visual effects and more of an attempt at horror through sci-fi which seems like a darker version of Spielberg film.

I also have to give a shout-out to the infamous monkey scene, which was truly tense work from Peele and also the moment in which we as an audience realize the truth behind the spaceship in the sky.

I still think Peele is 3 for 3. Hopefully his fourth effort doesn't break the trend...I certainly wouldn't want him to become the next M. Night Shyamalan. 

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AFTERSUN

(Charlotte Wells)

I have been going back and forth on Aftersun from the moment I saw it. 

On one hand, I found the way it was presented to be very interesting and unique and that the message it was trying to convey was strong.

However, it also left me feeling surprisingly disconnected for a film that was supposed to aim straight for the heart.

Maybe this is one that will need another viewing in the future, but I do admire a lot of what Wells was trying to do and I do think Paul Mescal was very good and a great highlight.

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ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

(Edward Berger)

I certainly felt like the idea of remaking All Quiet on the Western Front was a little bit much...but then again, the original film was made in 1930 and I also think having it done in German gives the film a certain edge that the original one didn't have.

However, I still actually prefer the original film which stayed very true to the Remarque book. I also think the original film is still rather potent and visually impressive even for its time...and sure, it does look very dated but if you were to go back and check out other films from that era, you would be amazed at how seamless of a job Lewis Milestone did.

Berger does also do a splendid job with this version and the lead, Felix Kammerer, was very good and worthy of award nominations.

I think what really hurt the film was its final act and the film not always landing its emotional punches...although when it did, I was moved (such as the crater scene).

I am also not overly fond of the score and its repetitive use of the 3-note horn motif.

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THE BATMAN

(Matt Reeves)

To be completely honest, I am just as surprised as some of you that I enjoyed this version as much as I did...but here we are!

Frankly, I am almost wondering if this was a mistake and if I should put it in my top 10.

I decided to give a smaller film its due in my #10 slot, but I was definitely very pleased with how striking and dark this trip into Gotham was.

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CAUSEWAY

(Lila Neugebauer)

Such a quiet and genteel film that contained one of my favorite duos in a film in recent years. A lot has been said about the wonderful performance by Brian Tyree Henry, who managed to eek out an Oscar nomination...but I do want to shed some light on Jennifer Lawrence, too.

I do think she is a better actress than many give her credit for...but she got so caught up in the whole Hunger Games franchise, not to mention the bombastic and shrill world of David O'Russell.

And yes, the Weinstein connection is also rough too.

I do think BTH was the film standout, but I do think Lawrence gave us some of her best work in years. Such a lovely and subtle performance.

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And now...THE TOP 10:

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#10 - Women Talking

(Sarah Polley) 

When it comes to screenplays this year, I feel like so many people have raved about what a splendid job Sarah Polley did with bringing Women Talking to the screen.

And yet all season, it seemed as though many voting bodies kept shafting the film in a lot of ways. 

I have admittedly not read the book so I cannot comment on how well the adaptation is. However, I have seen the ads that show how Polley incorporated a lot of the Miriam Toews dialogue into the script and that Toews herself was over-the-moon with the adaptation. 

I do think that the film deserved more than what it got in terms of nominations.

Polley would've made for a worthy Director nomination, and I also feel that the trio of Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, and the absolutely lovely and underrated Judith Ivey (where has she been lately?!) were all more worthy of Supporting Actress nods than some of the contenders that made it in. 

I do feel like maybe the film played it a little too safe at times, and perhaps the claustrophobic nature of the setting made it have moments where it seemed to drag...but those were very fleeting.

I would be curious to see how well this one fares as more people see it in the years to come.

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#9 - Living

(Oliver Hermanus)

Why?

Is there really any purpose in adapting the iconic 1953 Kurosawa film Ikiru?

Living doesn't really compare with Ikiru, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone...but in a year like 2022 where I didn't connect with as many films as I wish I had, I did respond very well to the story and also how well it adapted to the handsome setting of London in 1953.

I am going to reiterate the word "handsome" because under the direction of Oliver Hermanus (a director I actually had no knowledge of prior), Living is a very handsome and gorgeous film to look at. You could sort of compare it to Phantom Thread in terms of the aesthetic.

And the English language adaptation was done by the renowned Japanese British author Kazuo Ishiguro, who splendidly captures the whimsical polite stuffiness of fairly well-off Londoners. 

The film also contains what may be Bill Nighy's best work as the humorless civil servant who realizes that his life is coming to an end and that he wished he had done more for himself and for others.

So yes, I think this adaptation was worth tackling and it was done with as much tender loving care that could've been given.

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#8 - White Noise 

(Noah Baumbach)

This will be, perhaps, the most divisive and controversial selection on my list.

Aside from a few select critics, like Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian, very few people responded well to Noah Baumbach's film adaptation of Dom DeLillo's sardonic satire White Noise.

The tone is very bizarre, the characters are just as bizarre, the situations feel brash and cartoonish at times, but a lot of that stems directly from how DeLillo's material was written.

Sure, maybe it wasn't the perfect adaptation but I was honestly very pleased and impressed with what Baumbach...a filmmaker who has never really tackled anything on this scale before...was able to achieve here.

Driver proves that he is still one of the most versatile actors working today, but I think one of the best things about this movie is that it reminds all of us how good of an actress Greta Gerwig is. 

Considering we have only really heard about her writing/directing prospects as of late with Ladybird, Little Women, and the upcoming Barbie movie (that she co-wrote with Baumbach, who happens to be her boyfriend), I loved getting to see Gerwig tackle a role like Babette...and to be fair, Babette was written in the book as being larger and frumpier. I think that regardless of that, I loved what Gerwig brought to the table.

It'll be interesting to see if this movie develops more of a positive following over time, because I honestly found it to be thoroughly well done and entertaining.

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#7 - Top Gun: Maverick

(Joseph Kosinski)

I went into this film ready to complain.

I kept saying to myself "There is no way in hell that a fucking sequel to Top Gun is worth this much praise!"

Well, that crunching sound you hear is me eating my hat.

I am not saying that there is necessarily anything revelatory about the writing or how anything evolves in this film...but this is simply a prime example of how a classic movie formula can truly just be an amazing breath of fresh air when done to its absolute best potential.

With a reliance on actual physical planes and less on CGI affects, it was hard not to marvel at the craftsmanship at play. 

I had made a comment when I first saw the film that I couldn't believe that I enjoyed it more than some of the "prestige" films I had already seen that are always built up to be the Oscar bait offerings.

And I would rank it as my second favorite of the Best Picture nominees, which I have to admit, I really wasn't expecting it to be that high. I have already mentioned one Best Picture nominee on this list (Women Talking), and I still have my favorite of the nominees coming up.

Even though I liked 2022 less than 2021, the fact that 3 of my top 10 selections made the actual Best Picture lineup is a solid win considering only one of my list made it last year (Drive My Car). 

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#6 - The Novelist's Film

(Hong Sang-soo)

I decided to give a shout-out to The Novelist's Film to also shine a light on the work of South Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo.

For anyone who might have read my Top 10 List of 2021, I did single out Hong's In Front of Your Face as an honorable mention.

Hong's work is often somewhat experimental and smaller scale. If you compare him to the widely known Korean directors like Bong Joon-ho or Park Chan-wook, that would make Hong Sang-soo the low budget indie guy...someone who has more of a tie-in with a filmmaker like Mike Leigh or the one director he really reminds me of: Yosujiro Ozu.

Ozu's films always revolved around domestic realism and often told stories from the point of view of similar characters each films (and in some cases, the same actress playing the same role in different scenarios). Hong's approach is he loves to write about artistic people, such as performers and writers and directors, and puts them in very menial settings and lets a very naturalistic story grow from there.

I feel like The Novelist's Film manages to take that same formula but gives more of a whimsical twist that felt very alive and refreshing.

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#5 - Argentina, 1985

(Santiago Mitre)

The political history of Argentina has always been fascinating...I mean...need I mention Eva and Juan Peron? 

I was very intrigued when I learned about the existence of Argentina, 1985 as it follows the trials in the wake of a bloody military dictatorship within the country. This is the same era in which the 1985 film The Official Story covers and I found that film to be truly fantastic and a film that deserves more attention today.

I have heard some criticisms that Argentina, 1985 sort of takes too much of a slick and stylish approach that makes it seem a little more generic...maybe along the lines of The Trial of the Chicago 7 or The Post. 

I personally didn't really think that, at least to that extreme of an extent.

I appreciated that the film dealt with such a truly horrific event but managed to find ways to not make the tone truly bleak and horrific at all times. I thought that the film handled the moments of levity rather well and it gave the film a bit of a boost without sacrificing the importance of the story at hand...which was truly heinous at its basic core.

Argentina, 1985 is one of two films on my top 10 that managed to get a nomination for Best International Feature. I think that award seems very likely to go to one of my honorable mentions: All Quiet on the Western Front.

However, there is one other film that was nominated that is going to get a mention couple of slots higher.

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#4 - Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

(Dean Fleischer Kamp)

In a world that often makes me want to scream and throw a large bulky tape dispenser at many people around me, I guess you could say I find myself also being a bit of a pessimist.

Deep down though, I would like to think that there is some warmth...and a sense of hope.

I may be a bit of a cynic, but I think it is nearly impossible to not fall under the spell of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.

This is easily one of the cutest films ever made with such a strong heart and a unique premise. 

I wouldn't even say that the film flirted with the idea of being TOO cute or too cloying. I actually think it was immensely successful at managing a very precarious tightrope walk between being too cute or  slight or fluffy.

    Wonderful stop-motion animation and a truly clever and ingenious script.

Jenny Slate and Isabella Rossellini give wonderful voiceover performances here, and I do think it is nice to see Slate have more of a career these days after it seemed like she got screwed over on SNL. 

A truly charming film to the absolute NTH degree, and probably the biggest surprise of the year for me...although I suppose it may battle Top Gun: Maverick for that title. 

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#3 - The Banshees of Inisherin

(Martin McDonagh)

Martin McDonagh's fourth film would also get my vote for Best Picture of the movies that actually got nominated...and that doesn't really surprise me.

I have always been a fan of McDonagh, which began first due to his success as a playwright. Some of his best works in that regard included The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Pillowman, and The Lieutenant of Inishmore.

I also quite love his film output so far, which has included 2008's In Bruges (which also featured Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson), Seven Psychopaths (featuring Farrell again), and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri. 

Farrell and Gleeson are back again in The Banshess of Inisherin which might not rank as my favorite of his works, but I was rather fond of it nonetheless.

This film still has a lot of his snappy and quippy dialogue (something he excels at) along with some gruesome details at times, but this is easily him at his most genteel.

The scene between Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon by the water is easily one of the most beautiful scenes of his career either as a writer or director...and it is performed to perfection by those too.

Farrell and Gleeson are also absolutely splendid opposite one another and I have to admit that in my world, the entire core cast is Oscar worthy.

The whole result is a truly feckin' good time...if not, also one that is feckin' bleak...and filled with a truly picturesque Irish landscape.

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#2 - The Quiet Girl

(Colm Bairead)

We aren't leaving Ireland yet!

Strangely enough, the quirky and stormy world of Banshees isn't the last we are seeing of Ireland on this list, as I was quite enchanted by this sweet story of a young 9-year-old girl named Cait who is sent to live with distant relatives in rural Ireland during the summer of 1981.

The film was only 90 minutes long, but it was paced very delicately. It is one of those films that sadly will fall into that trap of being a "nothing happens in this" film.

And admittedly, I can understand the sentiment...even if I feel like the film worked for me. 

The Quiet Girl is a coming-of-age film...and those can often be rather divisive as one person might find the film to be treacly and cloying while the other views it as being emotional and powerful.

I think a lot of what makes a film like this work comes down to the ensemble, the script, and how it is directed. 

Colm Bairead was able to capture a truly enchanting performance by the young Catherine Clinch in her film debut...and her screen presence is very charming.

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#1 - Decision to Leave

(Park Chan-wook)

The simple truth is that no other film from 2022 managed to have that certain quality that made me think, "Oh yes, this is going to contend strongly with for my top slot".

Considering how prolific films (and all media) from South Korea have been in the last few years, it still surprises me that Decision to Leave seemingly got shafted from the actual final list of nominees...and some, ironically, felt it got kicked off by the likes of The Quiet Girl.

I did write an actual review for Decision to Leave, which I will link here:

REVIEW: Decision to Leave

I will let my review speak for itself for the most part, but I do want to stress that I admire so much what this film was able to achieve in its tone and how it was structured.

The film managed to take the concept of a suspenseful romantic drama but also gave it a bit of a sly and slinky edge...and then as it progressed, it felt truly dark and tragic as if it came straight from the world of Ingmar Bergman. 

And my next thought will lead me to the CONCLUSION:

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As I stated at the beginning, I was not too pleased with 2022 in terms of its film output. 

The real truth is that aside from Decision to Leave, I don't think any of these films would have a chance of joining any of my top 10 lists from previous years. 

Maybe some of these films will improve upon a second viewing and I will feel compelled to give them a little more credit...but as it stands, the passion for most of these films is simply not as strong as it has been in other years.

When it came to 2021, I was so critical of the output, but I STILL found three films worthy of my 5-star rating: C'mon C'mon, Drive My Car, and The Worst Person in the World. 

The same can be said for 2020 as well, in which I gave 5-star ratings to Quo Vadis, Aida?, The Father, and Never Rarely Sometimes Always.

Looking back on 2020, I am actually kind of sad that it got a bad rap as it was a fairly solid year. 2021 has aged a little better, but I think it mostly suffered from the wrong films getting major awards attention. 

I think we simply live in a world know where we are finding the best kind of creativity and content in the television medium...and while film does still provide its moments of greatness, I feel like the great films are often less seen at the expense of the bigger and more populist fare (do I even have to say Marvel? I guess I did...oh well...)

I am even more pensive about 2023 than I was about 2022. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised when I start to write this post for next year.