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

Nomadland

Note to readers: I currently am not willing to risk my health (I’m 63 and an asthmatic) by visiting a theatre. All films that I have seen for review have been screened in my home. I am not going to tell you whether or not to attend a theatre. Just be aware of the risks, do your research, and follow the instructions to the letter.

Indiefest: Nomadland (2020) R   After her company town is devastated by the economic recession, Fern (Frances McDormand) packs up her possessions in her van and sets off on the road to take a journey through the American west, living as a modern-day nomad. The first thing that stood out was the outstanding cinematography as Fern travels across America and its vast and changing landscape. Fern is a modern-day explorer, one who would rather be on the road, sleeping in her beloved van, than inside a house on a plush bed because no matter how comfortable that bed is, it’s not her home; the road is. Set in the aftereffects of the 2008 housing collapse, Fern is not alone on the road, and one of the great things about this film is the characters that she encounters and befriends. Some, she only meets once, but others keep popping up, making Fern feel a part of something big, something that she explores as the film goes along. Nomadland is a quiet movie, and McDormand, with her expressive face, gives us a moving performance from a woman who spends a great deal of her time alone. There is tension throughout the film because we, along with Fern, are very aware of how dangerous it is for anyone on a road trip by themselves, but the film seems to let us, and Fern know that help is just down the road. It’s a road that Fern will likely go down until the end.   My Rating; I Would Pay to See it Again    Nomadland Website   The film is currently playing in select theatres and is available on the Hulu Platform.

My View: I Care a Lot (2020) R   Marla (Rosamund Pike) has a nice racket going; she becomes the legal guardian of the elderly and then drains their savings as she puts them in nursing homes. Marla has just picked the wrong woman, Jennifer Peterson (Dianne Wiest), to swindle. Marla is a force to be reckoned with, taking what she feels is hers, no matter who or what is in her way. Rosamund Pike is having fun playing such a fearless and ruthless role, blowing out smoke from her vape like a dragon as she bullies and plots her way to success. Marla has created a great little racket and is enjoying the spoils of her labors when she thinks she has discovered a pot of gold in old Mrs. Peterson. Little does Marla know that Mrs. Peterson has friends in powerful places, like Roman (Peter Dinklage), a man with a short temper, and the money and guns to back that temper up. I Care a Lot is a blast to watch as you wonder who is going to win this match of guts and wits between two people who are used to getting what they want, no matter who or what they run over to get it. Pike takes you down a road, with her finely cut hair and her gleaming smile, that you don’t know where it’s going, but you know there are going to be some bodies lying by that road when she is done.    My Rating: Full Price   I Care a Lot Website  The film is available on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Blithe Spirit (2020) PG-13   Charles (Dan Stevens) is a writer suffering horrible writer’s block. He decides to invite a spiritualist medium (Judi Dench) to hold a seance to get the writing juices flowing again. Unfortunately, for both Charles and his wife of five years, Ruth (Isla Fisher), the Medium brings back Charles's first wife, Elvira (Leslie Mann), and she won’t or can’t leave Charles's side, even if only he can see her. This is a remake of a classic film, and when you do that, you try to bring something fresh to the story. Unfortunately, this film brings nothing new; in fact, it takes the storyline and makes such a mess of it that I never quite could figure out who I was supposed to root for, Charles, his new wife, or the wife that died and has come back as a ghost. The problem is that by the end of the film, you don’t like any of them, and worse yet, you don’t care what happens to them. Even such a great actor as Judi Dench playing the lovesick Medium can’t save this film.    My Rating: Cable    Blithe Spirit Website  The film is currently playing in select theatres.

Familyfaire:  Flora & Ulysses  (2021)  PG   Flora (Matilda Lawler), the daughter of George (Ben Schwartz), a comic book creator, and Phyllis (Alyson Hannigan), a romance writer, is upset about her parent’s separation. When Flora rescues a squirrel from a robot lawnmower, she discovers that the squirrel, she has named Ulysses, has developed magical superpowers. Now can Ulysses help bring Flora’s parents back together before the evil animal control officer (Danny Pudi) catches Ulysses? This is a light, fun film for the family to enjoy. Ulysses is pretty darn cute, and the idea that a squirrel can be a superhero is a great plot point. The film is silly but in the right way, and Matilda Lawler is delightful as the spunky, determined young girl who is convinced that Ulysses will save the day. Sit back and enjoy the adventures of Flora and Ulysses as they save the day or, at least, save the cheese-balls.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Flora & Ulysses Info   The film is available on the Disney+ platform.

Indiefest: Test Pattern (2019)   The film follows an interracial couple (Will Brill, Brittany S. Hall) whose relationship is put to the test after being sexually assaulted, and her boyfriend drives her from hospital to hospital to get someone to administer a rape kit. This is a heartbreaking tale of whether a relationship, no matter how strong, can survive with so many obstacles are laid in their path. The film handles a bunch of subjects, including racism and how we see and treat victims of sexual assault while taking us on a frustrating and painful journey. I loved the editing of this film and its use of music and, at times, unrelenting silence to hammer into us the desperation and loneliness that the two characters experience as this journey goes on.   My Rating: Full Price    Test Pattern Website   The film is available to rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest: Days of the Bagnold Summer (2019)   Daniel (Earl Cave), a heavy-metal teenager, wanted to spend his summer with his dad in Florida, but instead, he is stuck, once again in England, with his mom, Sue (Monica Doland), a mild-mannered librarian. There isn’t a lot to this film, which is fine because the two leads are so much to watch. Sue, is a single mom that loves her son but wants him to be happy like he was when he was young. Daniel is sullen and depressed, wanting to be left alone to listen to his heavy-metal music in his room. His world has come crashing down because his father, who left them when Daniel was eight, has reminded his invite for Daniel to visit him in the states. Monica Doland is magical as the dumpy but lovable mom who tries to look on the bright side of things, something so hard when you have a son who tends to look at life as one, long dark passage of time. Not a lot happens to the characters in this film, just enough for there to be an understanding in the end that no matter what happens, they have each other.    My Rating: Full Price   Days of the Bagnold Summer Info   The film is available to rent on participating on-demand services.

Forgotten Film: Alice in the Cities (1974)   From the creative mind of Wim Wenders comes a wonderful film about friendship and lost lives. Philip (Rüdiger Vogler) is a German journalist who wants to return to Germany after a failed writing stint in the US. He meets Alice (Yella Rottländer) and her mother at the airport, also looking to go back to Germany. Alice is left with Philip temporarily, but it soon becomes apparent that Philip will have to take responsibility for Alice. After returning to Europe, the two travel through European cities on a quest to find Alice’s relatives. Highlighted by incredible black-and-white cinematography and moving performances by the two leads, the film is an exploration of how a friendship can develop over time. The film is a wondrous time capsule of America and Europe's contrasts in the 70s and a road-trip film that you constantly wonder if this will end happily.    My Take: Full Price   Alice in the Cities Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Blithe Spirit: Skipper

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) PG-13 Two of the icons of monster movies are going to battle against each other; the massive, mighty Kong and the fearsome monster Godzilla. Who will win, and will the human race survive this battle?    Godzilla vs. Kong Website

Until Next Time!

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Note to readers: I currently am not willing to risk my health (I’m 62 and an asthmatic) by visiting a theatre. All films that I have seen for review have been screened in my home. I am not going to tell you whether or not to attend a theatre. Just be aware of the risks, do your research, and follow the instructions to the letter. 

My View:   Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020) R   Our favorite Kazakh television journalist Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen) is back as he travels around the country in disguise as an attempt to blend in with the American public after believing he is popular due to the first film. Borat is on a mission to give a gift to Vice President Pence, Borat’s own daughter Tutar (Maria Bakalova). I enjoyed the first film, especially when Borat fooled politicians and officials into interviews that often were hilarious and uncomfortable. This time around, there is a bit more of a story as Borat is trying to train his long-lost daughter, Tutar, to become worthy of being a gift for the Vice President. Maria Bakalova absolutely steals this movie and is the reason to watch it. Her comic timing is equal to Cohen, and at times, she outshines Cohen, taking the spotlight from him and his Borat character (something I thought might be impossible). Now, this is a raunchy and bawdy film, filled with Cohen’s sense of humor that pushes the boundaries of good taste far beyond what many comics would do. Unlike the first film, I didn’t always believe the people that Cohen was interacting with didn’t know who he was, and that often made the situations a bit slow and forced. That being said, I was surprised how much I enjoyed this film, mostly due to the blooming relationship between Borat and Tutar. And yes, there is a big scam near the end of the movie with a famous politician that has to be seen to believed. This Borat film isn’t for everyone, but as a fan of the first film, I did enjoy my travels with Borat and Tutar. Just remember that if you encounter Borat out on the streets of your town, try and keep your social distance and maybe wear a mask or two.   My Rating: Full Price    Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Website   Available on the Amazon Prime platform.

Indiefest: Friendsgiving (2020) R   Molly (Malin Akerman) and Abbey (Kat Dennings) host Thanksgiving that is meant to be a small affair and turns into a whole slew of close friends and acquaintances making a dinner that becomes more and more bizarre, dysfunctional, and comical as the day goes on. Besides Akerman and Dennings, the cast includes Aisha Tyler, Jane Seymour, Chelsea Peretti, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho, and Ryan Hansen. Friendsgiving is one of those films that on paper was a good idea but once filmed, it never got off the ground. It is very obvious a good deal of the dialogue is improvised, and while Dennings and Aisha Tyler shine, most of the rest of the cast has a hard time creating anything remotely funny. Too many gags are weak, and often, just when you think the film is starting to pick up steam, a bit brings the movie to a screeching halt. Even the outtakes that are shown during the credits don’t work. It's a get-together that I can do without.   My Rating: Cable     Friendsgiving Info    The film is currently playing in select theatres and available for rent on participating on-demand services.

My View: Rebecca (2020) PG-13   A young newlywed (Lily James), after a whirlwind romance, arrives at Manderley, her husband’s (Armie Hammer) imposing family estate on the English coast. Soon after she arrives, the bride realizes that the estate is haunted by the legacy of her husband's dead first wife, Rebecca. When you remake a classic, you must bring something new to the screen, otherwise why not just watch the original. I am telling you right now, skip this film and go back and watch Hitchcock’s Rebecca, which won seven Academy Awards and made Joan Fontaine a star. What the 1940 film has that this modern version doesn’t? How about a lack of suspense and style? This version does a horrible job of building tension, making us feel sorry for Lilly James’s character, but we never feel like she is in any danger. Hammer’s Maxim de Winter comes across as not a tortured soul who mourns his beloved Rebecca. Instead, he comes off as just a jerk who thinks he can make things up to his wife with a cuddle in bed. Kristin Scott Thomas never captures the evil that her character must have under the surface, but we never get the menacing undercurrent that is needed to be there. Hitchcock’s film left us with a final scene that is shocking and scary; this Rebecca leaves us with a whimper.   My Rating: Cable     Rebecca Website  Available on the Netflix platform and is currently playing in select theatres.

My View: The Witches (2020) PG   In 1967, in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis, a young orphaned boy (Jahzir Kadeen Bruno) goes to live with his Grandma (Octavia Spencer). There they discover that the town is filled with witches. Grandma takes the boy to a seaside resort, only to find out that the world’s Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway) has gathered her fellow witches from around the globe to carry out her nefarious plans. First, I must warn parents that very young children may find the witch characters quite scary, with their sharp teeth filled incredibly wide mouths and claws for hands. The film starts promising, with a great introduction to the witches when the young boy encounters one at a store. The film loses its way when the boy and his grandmother go to the hotel, slowing down to a crawl as we learn that the Grand High Witch has plans to turn all children into mice. The sad thing is that they didn’t give Octavia Spencer anything to do in a role that she could have played in her sleep. I was bored with the storyline, and Hathaway going way overboard in her portrayal of a villain just doesn’t work. The ending feels rushed, and the CGI looks like a throwback to a 90s film. By the end of the film, I didn’t care what happened to the kids or the witch; I was just ready for it to end.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Witches Website    Available on the HBO Max platform.

Indiefest: I Am Greta (2020)   Documentary about the teenage claimed activist Greta Thunberg who captivated the world with her global crusade to get people to listen to scientists about the environmental problems that confront the world. I enjoyed this film, which looks at how a 15-year-old girl went from sitting outside a government building in Sweden by herself to speaking at the UN with the world watching. Greta is one determined young woman who believes deeply in what she preaches that governments worldwide have talked a big game but have done very little to help the environment, and she isn’t going to put up with it any longer. The film follows Greta on a year-long quest to call attention to climate change, but the film fails to fully explore Greta’s home life and as well-meaning her parents are (her father is shown as a loving and caring parent), the immense pressure that has been put on a teenager that is on the autism spectrum. I came away from the film admiring Greta and her passion to change the world, but I was left a feeling that I never quite got to know her.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee      I Am Greta Website    In select theatres now including Landmark Midtown Art Cinema in Atlanta and available on the Hulu platform starting Nov. 13th.

Forgotten Film:  The Short Game  (2013) PG   The World Championship of Junior Golf brings 1500 young golfers from 54 different countries to compete in a tourney that will crown the next possible “Tiger Woods.”  This entertaining film follows 8 young golfers, ages 7 and 8, from around the world, in their quest to win the championship.  Some of the kids are adorable, including little Sky Sudberry, who is a tiny little girl with a big heart, and Zamokuhle Nxasanna, a roly-poly kid from South Africa, who is just there to make friends, play as well as he can and have fun.  There are a couple of kids that you sort of root against, including Alan Kournikova, the brother of tennis star Anna, who is the epitome of the rich, stuck up kid who thinks he’s God’s gift to golf (and he maybe, since he is that good), and Amari “Tigress” Avery, who is coddled by her dad and has temper tantrums on the course when she hits a bad shot.  This is a must for any golfer, though throughout the film,  you will say to yourself “Man, why can’t I hit the ball like that?”    My Rating: Full Price     The Short Game Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Witches: Drapesmaster

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Nomadland (2020) R   After her company town is devastated by the economic recession, Fern (Frances McDormand) packs up her possessions in her van and sets off on the road to take a journey through the American West, living as a modern-day nomad. The film has been winning a ton of awards on the film festival circuit and is a sure Oscar contender.      Nomadland Info

Until Next Time!