Mike's Fearless Oscar Picks

As with past years I am picking who I think will win, not who I want to win.  I will also give you a possible winner if I feel that the category isn’t a lock.  Actual winners highlighted in green.

Best Picture:  Nomadland

Best Achievement in Directing:  Chloé Zhao - Nomadland

Best Actor:  Chadwick Boseman - Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom   Could win:  Anthony Hopkins - The Father

Best Actress:  Viola Davis - Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom    Could win:  Frances McDormand - Nomadland

Best Supporting Actor:  Daniel Kaluuya - Judas and the Black Messiah    Could win:  Sacha Baron Cohen - The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Supporting Actress:  Yuh-Jung Youn - Minari   Could win:  Olivia Coleman - The Father

Best Original Screenplay:  Promising Young Woman - Emerald Fennell    Could win:  Aaron Sorkin - The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Father - Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller

  Could win:  Nomadland - Chloé Zhao 

Best Animated Feature:  Soul    Could win:  Wolfwalkers

Best Production Design:   Mank - Donald Graham Burt, Jan Pascale

Best Cinematography:  Nomadland - Joshua James Richards   Could win:  Mank - Erik Messerschmidt

Best Costume Design:  Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom - Ann Roth   Could Win: Mank - Trish Summerville

Best Film Editing:   Sound of Metal - Mikkell E. G. Nielsen

Best Makeup and Hair:  Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Mia Neal, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Jamika Wilson

Best Sound:  Sound of Metal – Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés, Phillip Bladh    Could win:  Soul – Ren Klyce, Coya Elliott and David Parker

Best Visual Effects:  Tenet – Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley, Santiago Colomo Martinez

Best Original Score:  Soul – Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Best Original Song:  Speak Now from One Night in Miami – Leslie Odom Jr., Sam Ashworth  Could win:  Húsavík from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga - Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus and Rickard Göransson  (Fight For You - Judas and the Black Messiah)

Best Documentary Feature:  My Octopus Teacher  Could win:  Collective

Best International Feature:  Another Round    Could win:  Quo Vadis, Aida 

Best Live Action Short:  Two Distant Strangers   Could win:  Feeling Through

Best Animated Short:  If Anything Happens I Love You   Could win:  Opera

Best Documentary Short:  A Concerto Is a Conversation   Could win: Colette

Black Panther

My View:  Black Panther (2018)  PG-13  After the events of Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns to his country only to be challenged by a rival faction. Now T’Challa as the Black Panther teams up with C.I.A. agent Ross (Martin Freeman) to try and defeat the evil Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and keep his countrymen free.  This is a groundbreaking superhero movie because it doesn’t focus on the action sequences (though they are incredible) but focuses on the people and their back stories. The film feels extraordinarily personal and close up. You get to know why the heroes and villains become who they are now and why they are so driven. Michael B. Jordan’s character, Erik Killmonger, is the best Marvel villain ever. His backstory is exceptional and riveting. He is a character whom you hate, but you also understand why he does what he does. What I loved about this film is how many female characters kick butt. Letitia Wright, as the younger sister of T’Challa, steals every scene that she is in as the smart but snarky woman who is the brains behind the technology that T’Challa uses as Black Panther. I loved the humor in this film, which feels real and personable. This is one of the best Marvel films out there, but it’s also one of the best films of the year. Be sure and stay through all the credits as there are two bonus scenes.   My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again

Family Faire:  Early Man  (2018)  PG  Forced out of their homeland by the evil Lord Nooth, Dug, and his fellow tribe members unite to take on the Bronze Age City dwellers in a game of soccer.  I loved this film as I do much of the movies by Nick Park, creator of the Wallace and Gromit films. The film has a great comedic feel about it and is so much fun to watch. The stop-motion animation is bright and brilliantly done, giving the film a light tone. The storyline is funny and moving, hitting all the right notes. The voice actors are perfect for the roles, and I especially loved Eddie Redmayne as our hero, Dug. The film is a blast to watch, and I had a great time seeing it.  My Rating: Full Price

Indiefest:  Happy End  (2017)  R  Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant), the patriarch of the family, is gradually succumbing to dementia.  His son (Mathieu Kassovitz) and daughter  (Isabelle Huppert) are slowly destroying his business. This is a dark and bleak look at a family that is falling apart at the seams. From the patriarch who continually tries to kill himself to the young daughter who has killed her mother, the film paints a bleak picture of a family who seemingly has everything but is rotten to the core. Not one person in this Michael Haneke film is happy in their lives, and we see their pain scrawled across the screen. This is a brutal film to watch but is worth seeing.   My Rating: Full Price

Forgotten Film:  My Blueberry Nights  (2007)  PG-13 A lonely young woman (Norah Jones) trying to get over a broken relationship takes a trip across America and encounters a series of offbeat characters along the way. This is a beautiful film about relationships and how they define us. The heart of this film is the performances of a brilliant cast, including Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman, and David Straitharm. The film explores a person who is broken but heals herself through helping others find their way in life.  My Rating: Full Price

Weird Credits: From the credits of Black Panther:  Creature Technical Director

Coming Soon To a Theatre Near You:  Annihilation  (2018)  R  A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition where the laws of nature don't apply. I’m not sure what this film is about, but the trailer looks impressive and advanced word from film critics is excellent.

Until Next Time!

All the Money in the World

My View:  All the Money in the World  (2017)  R   Jean Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer) is the wealthiest man in the world. When his 16-year-old grandson (Charlie Plummer) is kidnapped, his mother (Michelle Williams) will do anything to get him back, in spite of Jean Paul Getty, who refuses to pay a ransom.  Michelle Williams as the mom willing to do anything to get her son back and Christopher Plummer as the miserly J. Paul Getty are superb in their roles.  You feel the pain and desperation of the mom in Williams’ performance. Plummer is at the top of his game as the world’s richest man who cares more about collecting art than his own family. I can’t see anyone else but Plummer in this role. Kevin Spacey, who was replaced by Plummer after principle shooting was done, I believe, would not have done as well as Plummer did in this role. The film moves along and doesn’t feel anywhere near its two hours and twelve-minute running time.      My Rating: Full Price   All the Money in the World Website

My View:  Molly’s Game  (2017)  R  Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) runs an underground poker game in Hollywood that high profile gamblers and celebrities attend. Her world comes crashing down when she crosses the wrong people. This is an Aaron Sorkin movie, so you know the characters will have a lot of dialogue, but I got tired of the endless narration that Jessica Chastain’s character does. I hate when screenwriters think they have to explain every single thing to the viewer. The film feels every minute of its long two hours and twenty minutes run time. Chastain, as usual, gives a brilliant and moving performance. There is a scene that, later in the film where Kevin Costner, who plays Molly’s father and comes to apologize for being a crappy father, brings the film to a screeching halt. I think this film just doesn’t meet the quality of the book (by Molly Bloom).     My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Molly's Game Website

My View:  I, Tonya  (2017)  R   The story of ice skater Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) who overcame poverty and abuse to become a member of the U.S. Olympic team. Tonya is brought down when her ex-husband (Sebastian Stan) decides to take out her most significant competitor. Margot Robbie is stunning in a performance that gives Harding a rough but almost loveable edge. With a less-skilled actor, the role could have become kitschy, but Robbie makes Harding a real person who battles her mom and the world to do the one thing that she loves, skate. It’s an intriguing story that is funny at times, but also you see how hard a life Harding led. The only problem I have with this film is the CGI special effects that put Robbie’s face on another skater’s body as the more difficult jumps are done. It’s highly distracting and takes away from some of the more thrilling moments. Go see this film; you won’t believe how stupid the plan to hurt Nancy Kerrigan was.      My Rating: Full Price   I, Tonya Website

Forgotten Film:  The Shop Around the Corner (1940)   Two employees (Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullivan) at a gift shop can’t stand each other. Little do they know that they are pen pals with each other and through those letters have fallen in love. One of my favorite directors, Ernst Lubitsch, made this film. It’s a brilliant comedy with robust dialogue and a creative plot that takes a few twists and turns    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   The Shop Around the Corner Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of All the Money in the World:  Personal Hair Stylist to Mark Wahlberg

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Black Panther (2018)  After the events of Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns to his country only to be challenged by a rival faction. Now T’Challa as the Black Panther teams up with C.I.A. agent Ross (Martin Freeman) to keep his countrymen free. The trailer looks so spectacular that I wish the film was coming out tomorrow.   Black Panther Facebook Page

Until Next Time!

American Made

My View:  American Made  (2017)  R  Barry (Tom Cruise) is a former TWA pilot who became a spy plane pilot for the CIA and a drug smuggler for the Medellin Cartel in the 80s. To avoid being put in jail, he turns informant for the DEA. This film is much funnier than I thought it would be, with some hilarious sequences. At one point, Barry has so much money that, when he digs a hole in the backyard to bury the money, he digs up a bag that he had already hidden. I liked Tom Cruise’s performance though I felt it was rather easy for him to do the role, playing a guy wjp gets by using his looks and has the ability to talk his way out of sticky situations. The rest of the cast is outstanding, including Domhnall Gleeson, who plays Barry’s CIA handler, and Sarah Wright, who plays Barry’s put-upon wife. Caleb Landry Jones gives his usual creepy vibe in the role of the dimwitted brother of Barry’s wife. This film wants to be on the level of ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,” but it just doesn’t have enough. I think you can blame that on Tom Cruise because he won’t play a role where you don’t like his character. For example, this is the first R rated film that Cruise has been in since Tropic Thunder which was almost ten years ago. Overall this is an enjoyable film, but if it had been grittier, it would have been a better film.    My Rating: Full Price   American Made Website

My View:  Battle of the Sexes  (2017)  PG-13  This film is loosely based on the 1973 tennis match that all America watched between Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell), an aging huckster who used to be a great tennis star, versus Billie Jean King (Emma Stone), the best woman tennis player of all time. This is two films in one; the story of how the most watched tennis match of all time happened, and the slow realization by Billy Jean King that she is a lesbian. I enjoyed this film because I am old enough to remember the match, and the look and feel of the early 70s is perfectly captured. The film does a superlative job of mixing in actual footage from the match, including showing Howard Cosell on-screen with Natalie Morales, who plays tennis player Rosie Casals. Steve Carell is brilliant as the bombastic Bobby Riggs, who was a man who lived to gamble. In contrast to Carell’s over-the-top Riggs (warranted because that’s how Bobby Riggs acted), Emma Stone gives a quiet but convincing performance of a woman who dared to take on the world to get women’s tennis the prize money and notoriety they deserved. The film feels a little long because it spends so much time on King’s awakening to her true feelings. There are too many scenes of her exchanging glances with the hairdresser (Andrea Riseborough) whom she eventually falls in love with. Overall, buoyed by the spectacular cast, Battle of the Sexes is an interesting look at a time when a tennis player changed her sport through her toughness and determination.   My Rating:  Full Price   Battle of the Sexes Website

Indiefest:  Woodshock  (2017)  R  After helping her terminally ill mother commit suicide, Theresa (Kirsten Dunst) finds comfort in the reality-altering effects of a potent cannabinoid drug.  I hated this film which is too artsy for its own good. The film spends lots of time with Dunst alone in her house, either being depressed or high on the drug, seeing colored lights on the walls or staring at herself in the mirror. Since she keeps taking the drug (some sort of liquid that she mixes with pot) we never know what scenes are real and what scenes are just in her head. I have no idea what the point of this film was and why an actress of Kirsten Dunst’s level would take the part. Much like the movie itself, it’s a mystery that won’t be solved.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Woodshock Website

Indiefest:  Trophy  (2017)  This documentary looks at the industries of big-game hunting, breeding and wildlife conservation in the U.S. and Africa. Trophy sometimes was difficult to watch (lots of animals are killed on screen) and is maddening because there isn’t an easy solution to the problem of extinction. The fascinating part of this film is it doesn’t judge, just presents all the sides; the hunter that feels he is a conservationist, the rhino rancher who wants to sell the horns to support his farm, the big game rancher who raises animals to be killed and the people on the street that want to stop it all. The only group that the film does judge is the human race which through just being on the planet is causing wild animals to die at an alarming rate. I didn’t know much about big game hunting, but this film gave me a lot to think about.   My Rating: Full Price   Trophy Website

My View:  Flatliners  (2017)   PG-13  Five medical students become obsessed with what lies beyond when we die. They start experimenting on themselves by stopping their hearts for short periods of time. Each student has a different experience with the afterlife. The cast which includes Ellen Page, Diego Luna, and Nina Dobrev, tries to overcome a weak and bland script. The film relies on the jump out of the dark scares that just never work. Flatliners was supposed to be a sequel, but it feels like a watered down remake that brings nothing new or original to the storyline. This film is a waste of an excellent cast, in fact, it’s just a waste of time.   My Rating: Cable    Flatliners Facebook Page

Forgotten Film:  The Getaway  (1972)  PG  A recently released ex-con (Steve McQueen) and his loyal wife (Ali MacGraw) go on the lam after a heist goes wrong. This film has a bunch of flaws in the script but is worth seeing for two reasons: the chemistry between McQueen and MacGraw is so good it almost steams up the screen, and there is a brilliant chase sequence on a train that is a master class in how to direct action sequences.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     The Getaway Info

Weird Credits:  From the Battle of the Sexes:  Tennis Double

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Marshall (2017)  PG-13  The story of Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman), who became the first African-American Supreme Court Justice. We follow him when he is a young man as he battles through one of his career-defining cases.   Marshall Facebook Page

Until Next Time!

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42

Thursday, April 11, 2013 7:23 PM

My View:  42 (2013)  PG-13  This film tells the courageous story of Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) who was signed by Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) to the Brooklyn Dodgers to become the first African-American player to break the baseball “color line.” Unfortunately, this film doesn’t live up to the legend of Robinson as it’s filled with clichéd moments, some of which made me cringe. Chadwick Boseman just doesn’t have the charisma that Robinson had, making it hard to see why people were so enamored not just with the baseball player, but with the man, himself. And I hated Harrison Ford in the role of Rickey, as Ford plays him way over the top, almost making it a parody of the man who changed baseball. I also wanted to see the time that Robinson spent in Montreal, playing Triple A baseball, as I know that city rallied behind Jackie, but the film skips over that time period. There is an impactful scene between Robinson and Pee Wee Reese (Lucas Black) on the baseball field near the end of the film, but unfortunately that’s the only part  that really stands out, making the rest of the film feel like a made for TV film from the 70’s.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   42 Website

Indiefest:  Trance (2013) R  Simon (James McAvoy) works as an art auctioneer at a prestigious auction house. While auctioning off a painting worth millions of dollars, the auction house is hit by robbers, resulting in Simon getting hit over the head. When he wakes up, the burning question everyone has, including the robbers is, where is the painting? But Simon can’t remember a thing about the robbery. This is one of those films that you never know what is real and what is made up, and I guarantee that you won’t see the ending coming. I liked McAvoy in the role of the auctioneer who gets in with the wrong people, but the performance that really impressed me was Rosario Dawson in the role of the hypnotherapist who is hired to help Simon remember. While I didn’t enjoy this film as much as some of director Danny Boyle’s other work (127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire), it was fun to watch it spin its tale of intrigue.   My Rating: Full Price   Trance Website

Indiefest:  Starbuck (2013) R  David (Patrick Huard) is in a world of trouble. He has a low paying job delivering meat for his family’s butcher shop. He owes money to the mob and, to complicate matters even more, he has just found out that his policewoman girlfriend, Valerie (Julie LeBreton), is pregnant with his child and doesn’t want him to have anything to do with the child once it’s born. But, that’s nothing compared to the latest news David gets.  Under the name, Starbuck, David deposited sperm at a local sperm bank over 600 times, resulting in David fathering over 500 children. Now David decides to find out what kind of kids his children have become. This film is funny, warm and has a lot of heart, and Huard is the reason why this film works, as he makes David a very likeable guy and someone that you would want to be in your life. This is one of the better feel good films of the year, a film about family, both lost and found.   My Rating: Full Price    Starbuck Info

Forgotten Film:   Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979)    Student Riff Randell (P.J. Soles) runs the school, and new principal, Miss Togar (Mary Woronov) just doesn’t know it yet. The only thing that Riff loves more than her high school is the punk rock band The Ramones. When Principal Togar bans Rock n Roll from the high school, Riff gets the Ramones to help her take back the school. This is a goofy, fun film that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Soles is adorable as the Ramones obsessed Riff, who brings a high energy and enthusiasm to the role. If you want to experience a little of the punk rock scene in the 70’s, this is the movie for you.   My Rating: Full Price   Rock n Roll High School Info

In Case You Missed It ( A Film Just Released on DVD):   Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)  R  Set in 1939, this film is about the love affair between President FDR (Bill Murray) and his distant cousin, Margaret Stuckley (Laura Linney). The backdrop of the film is the coming to America of King George IV (Samuel West) and the historic meeting at Hyde Park between the Roosevelt's and the King/Queen of England. I liked the performances in this film, which made it enjoyable to watch, but the film didn’t have a lot of substance to it.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Hyde Park on the Hudson Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of 42: Baseball Costumer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:   Now You See Me (2013)  PG-13  A team of Illusionists are pulling off bank heists while performing on stage in Las Vegas, all the while the FBI is trying to figure out how they are doing it. I will go see any film that Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds, Beginners) is in, but this film looks like it’s going to be a blast to watch with a cast that includes Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg.    Now You See Me Info

Until Next Time!