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

Sound of Metal

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:   Sound of Metal (2019) R  A heavy-metal drummer, Ruben (Riz Ahmed), life is changed when he begins to lose his hearing, and he thinks that his life and music career are over. With the help of his band and his girlfriend (Olivia Cooke), Ruben checks into a secluded sober house for the deaf in hopes it will prevent a relapse with heroin and help him adapt to his new world. What would happen if you had something taken away from you that you loved doing? How would you handle it? That is what Sound of Metal explores. Ruben is happy, touring in a band with his girlfriend, Lou. They live in a motor home where Ruben makes smoothies and puts on jazz records to wake Lou up. It's all good, and because of Lou, Ruben has been clean and sober for four years. Then Ruben suddenly loses his hearing, learning that he will never hear properly again. Fearing for his life and his sobriety, Lou persuades Ruben to go to a sober house for the deaf, and now Ruben has to figure out how to live in this world of silence. Riz Ahmed gives a brilliant and moving performance as the troubled Ruben. It’s stunning how good Ahmed is, how he can convey so much by doing so little. The tension slowly builds as we wonder if Ahmed will adapt and accept his new life or is he going to rebel and go down a terrifying rabbit hole. Ahmed gives one of the best performances of the year, and the storyline does not disappoint as it treats him and his fellow sober housemates with dignity and lets you in to see them working on themselves and each other. The ending of this film will have you thinking about Sound of Metal for a long time to come.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Sound of Metal Website    The film is currently playing in select theatres and available on the Amazon Prime on Dec. 4th.

Indiefest: The Last Vermeer (2019) R   During World War II, Joseph Piller (Claes Bang) was fighting in the Resistance while Han van Meegeren (Guy Pearce) was hosting parties and selling Dutch art treasures to the Nazis. Now that the war is over, the two men cross each other's path as Piller is investigating war crimes and van Meegeren has been accused of collaboration. As Piller investigates, he becomes convinced that van Meegeren is innocent and tries to save his life. I enjoyed this mystery that turns into a bit of a courtroom drama. Guy Pearce is the reason to see this film as his performance as the outlandish and flamboyant Han van Meegeren is a sight to be seen. With his mop of hair and his eyebrows turned up at an angle, Pearce is a force on the screen as he commands us to watch him weave his magic. After wars, people must justify how they acted, and van Meegeren is no different. Did he do what he is accused of? Did he do it for the money and fame? We will probably never know the full truth. The amazing bit about this story is that it is based on actual events, and that makes for a good story.    My Rating: Full Price   The Last Vermeer Website      The film is currently playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Dating Amber (2020)   Eddie (Fionn O’Shea) is gay but is afraid that his parents and classmates will find out. Amber (Lola Petticrew) is a loner with an attitude. The two decide the only way they will survive their last year of school is to pretend that they are in a straight relationship. I loved this movie, which is a new take on the coming of age, romantic comedy film. O’Shea and Petticrew are hilarious together, as two start up a friendship that begins with necessity but ends with a meaningful and deep relationship. Set in Ireland in the 90s, the fashion and music is fun, and the situations the two characters get into seem real and have emotional pull. Both Eddie and Amber don’t want to disappoint their parents. Eddie’s parents are on the verge of splitting up, and Eddie’s dad (Barry Ward) wants his son to follow in his footsteps and join the Army. Amber is dealing with her mom is dealing with a tragedy in her past. Amber has accepted her homosexuality and is planning to escape to London as soon as she graduates. Eddie is deep in the closet, resigned to the fact that he will join the Army, even if it kills him. The film moves at a quick pace, and I was surprised by how emotional the ending was for me. Dating Amber is a wonderful film full of funny and sweet moments, with two characters that you will want to spend time with and root for.    My Rating: Full Price    Dating Amber Website   Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest: Born to Be (2019)   The documentary follows the work of Dr. Jess Ting at the groundbreaking Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery in New York City. The film follows the doctor as his work impacts his patients' lives while he becomes a pioneering gender-affirming surgeon. This is an emotional and sensitive film on how one doctor is almost single handily changing the lives of men and women who have longed to physically be what they have always mentally seen themselves. We follow Dr. Ting as his practice grows, so much so that by the end of the film, he has a waiting list just to be considered for the surgery. We get an inside look at how complex the decision is to have this type of surgery and its toll on the psychological makeup of the patients who are getting the work done. We see what a great man Dr. Ting is as he treats each person with compassion and respect, wanting only to change how his patients feel about themselves. Born to Be brings the world of transgender to the front and lets us see and feel how it is to accept who you are.   My Rating: Full Price    Born to Be Website   The film is currently playing in select theatres and is available to rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest: Crazy, Not Insane (2020)   This documentary examines the research by forensic psychiatrist Dorothy Onto Lewis, a pioneer in the study of the psychology of murderers and serial killers. Fans of the ‘true crime’ genre will love this film about controversial forensic psychiatrist Dorothy Lewis's life and work. The film goes through Dr. Lewis's career as she looks at her past case files, including video and audiotapes. Dr. Lewis has been at the forefront of diagnosing people with multiple personalities and how those personalities can cause some to commit murder. Dr. Lewis is a feisty woman with a rich sense of humor, who isn’t afraid to speak her mind (she has a great showdown with Bill O’Reilly over what the definition of evil is), and she has many people in her field that don’t believe in multiple personalities. The film even brings out the star of ‘true crime,’ serial killer Ted Bundy, who gave Dr. Lewis his last interview with. I think by the end of Crazy, Not Insane, you will be either on Dr. Lewis's side, or you won’t believe in her theories, but you won’t be able to say that this film didn’t entertain you.   My Rating: Full Price     Crazy, Not Insane Website    Available on the HBO platform.

Forgotten Film: Beauty Is Embarrassing (2011)   This is a funny and fascinating documentary about the extraordinary life of artist and performer Wayne White. Wayne grew up in the Tennessee mountains and, after graduating college, moved to New York City. There he got a job designing sets and puppets on the first season of the Saturday morning TV show, Pee-wee’s Playhouse. He was the creative force behind the legendary music videos, Peter Gabriel’s "Big Time" and The Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight, Tonight." He also branched out as an artist of paintings and sculptures. White is a fascinating man, and the film does an exceptional job capturing his humor and energy in a movie about a highly creative man.   My Rating: Full Price    Beauty is Embarrassing Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Last Vermeer: Lead Matchmover

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Loss Adjuster (2020)   Martin (Luke Goss) is having a bad day. His wife Angie (Kym Marsh) Leaves him for another man one week before Christmas. His job as an insurance loss adjuster is hard, especially when you deal with a flirtatious widow, a corrupt Doctor, and a dead rat, all while trying to do your job. The world seems to be set against Martin, but thanks to a few new friends and a bit of Christmas magic, life might turn out for the better. This looks like a film to get us in the mood for the holidays.    The Loss Adjuster Website

Until Next Time!

Come Play

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: Come Play (2020) PG-13   Oliver (Azhy Robertson) is a lonely little boy who feels different from everyone else. Desperate for friends, Oliver turns to his cell phone and tablet. There he discovers Larry, a mysterious creature using Oliver’s devices to break into our world. I enjoyed the nice play on using modern-day devices to access horror folklore, but this film is filled with scares that never really develop. Oliver is a boy whose communication problems are so severe he has to use an iPhone to talk and have a helper keep him on track at school. I never could figure out if Oliver was scared of Larry or if he genuinely thought Larry could be a friend because it seemed that every time Oliver could have run away, he instead went toward Larry. I liked the last ten minutes of Come Play, but the film is so poorly paced and takes so long to set everything up (how many times must we see the Larry story on an iPhone or other device?) that the film never ramps of the tension to make the movie feel scary. Sure there is a message about kids and too much time on iPhones in there somewhere, but what we really care about is just how scary Larry is or isn’t.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Come Play Website     The film is currently playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Martin Eden (2019)   Martin (Luca Marinelli) is a humble sailor who saves a man, Arturo (Giustiniano Alpi), from a beating. Arturo takes Martin to his family home, where he meets Elena (Jessica Cressy), Arturo’s beautiful sister with whom Martin falls instantly in love with. Martin decides to become the man that Elena is worthy of and pursues his dream of writing for a living. However, these are challenging times, and Marin begins to write about things he cares about, all of which will bring him in conflict with Elena and her world. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but I never got into this film. I don’t know if the fact that this film is highly political in nature, as the main character slowly evolves into a spokesperson for individual rights, or if I just haven’t cared for the study of philosophy, because that is all that Martin does, study and talk about philosophy. I found some of the direction jarring, with some strange edits that tried but failed to set a mood for the film. Martin starts a likable character, but by the end of the film, he tends to scream and shout about things that he thinks everyone should think are important. I never could connect with Martin, and that took me down a long road of a film where I didn’t care what happened to him and his ideas.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Martin Eden Website   The film is currently playing in select theatres and available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest: Radium Girls (2018)    Bessie (Joey King) and Josephine (Abby Quinn) are two sisters who work in a watch factory painting a radioactive liquid to the faces of watches so that they glow in the dark. When Josephine becomes deathly ill, Bessie leads a group of factory workers to advocate for safer work conditions after Bessie discovers the effects of radium poisoning. This true story is one that needed to be told, I wish the writing on this film was better. Bessie is the main focus in the movie, and she is probably the weakest, least interesting character. Josephine, her sister, is far more engaging, but because she is hit early on with an illness, her character is more of just a supporting one. The film uses quite a bit of footage from newsreels of the twenties, but instead of giving us a feel of the times, it just slows down the storyline. The last third of the film feels rushed, giving us some closure on a storyline that needs a little more time to develop. It’s a valiant try, but it just never finds its footing, and we don’t get that emotional pull we need from the story.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Radium Girls Website     The film is currently playing in select theatres and available for rent on participating on-demand services.

My View: The Craft: Legacy (2020) PG-13   When Lily’s (Cailee Spaeny) mother re-marries, Lily moves into a new home, feeling like an outsider. After a horrible first day, she meets three fellow students (Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone, Zoey Luna) who invite Lily to join their group, a group of witches. Soon the four discover that their newfound powers are more than they bargained for. I enjoyed the first two-thirds of the film, which seemed to find a new angle to the storyline of four outcast girls coming together to become powerful witches. There are some fun moments in the film, and I enjoyed the modern take that the film goes on, with a few enjoyable twists and turns. With such a great start, it's sad that the last third of the film became highly predictable and almost laughable. You will see the ending coming from nearly ten minutes into the film, and unfortunately, the ending you predict happens. The cast is fun, and Cailee Spaeny is likable in her role as the spunky Lily. I just wish the film didn’t end like a bad episode of Charmed.  My Rating; Bargain Matinee     The Craft: Legacy Website   The film is available for rent on participating on-demand services.

My View:  Bad Hair (2020)   In 1989, Anna (Elle Lorraine) works for a music television station. She has the talent but is told that she doesn’t have the right hair, the right face, or the right look to make it in the image-obsessed world of TV. She strikes a bargain with the new head of the music network, Zora (Vanessa Williams), who sends her to get a weave, but Anna soon discovers that this new hairstyle has a mind of its own and people around her are dying. Bad Hair is a strange, sometimes funny, sometimes weird horror film that feels like a B-picture from the 70s with an 80s vibe. Is it campy? Yes, but in a fun way with some rather inventive deaths that always don’t make sense but is still enjoyable to watch. I wish the film was a little shorter than its 115 minutes, but there are enough campy horror bits to go around.  My Rating: Full Price    Bad Hair Website    The film is available on the Hulu platform. 

Indiefest: Us Kids (2020)   Documentary on the student activists that came out of the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The film follows the March For Our Lives movement from the point of view of three of the students; Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, and Samantha Fuentes. This is a fascinating look at the lives of the students who started a movement that swept the country, a movement which shocked the political system and hurt the powerful NRA. The film does an outstanding job of letting us inside look at how the students mobilized, what their motivations were, and just how deeply they were affected by not only the shooting but the aftermath of all the attention that they got. We get to see the pressure that these kids were under and how a horrible event changed their lives. That they survived not only the shooting, but the spotlight is remarkable, and Us Kids gives us a beautiful and moving look into their lives, letting them tell us in their own words what it meant to them. For once, adults and politicians weren’t telling them how to feel or react; instead, the students of Parkland showed us the way.   My Rating: Full Price   Us Kids Website   The film is available to view for free on the Alamo Drafthouse Virtual Cinema Website

  

Forgotten Film: Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997)    As a boy in Germany, Dieter Dengler, witnessed firsthand the bombing of his city. In fact, he tells us that at one point, an American airplane flew so close to where Dieter was that he could see the pilot’s eyes as he rumbled by. Dieter emigrated to America and joined the air force, where he flew during the Viet Nam War. Dieter was shot down and captured by the Viet Cong and became one of the few American soldiers to escape from the prison. Little Dieter Needs to Fly is a remarkable tale of sorrow and triumph as director Werner Herzog masterfully brings us Dieter’s tale in his own words. It is an unbelievable story about a impressive man told by a master storyteller. A deeply moving and sometimes funny tale that needs to be seen.    My Rating; I Would Pay to See it Again    Little Dieter Needs to Fly Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Holidate: Security Badge Support 

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Sound of Metal (2019) R   A heavy-metal drummer’s (Riz Ahmed) life is changed when he begins to lose his hearing. Film critics who have seen this movie are raving about Ahmed’s performance and say that this film is one of the best of the year. Sound of Metal Website 

Until Next Time!