Oscar Rankings and Predictions

Sunday is the most wonderful day of the year - Oscar night! I have ranked everything I've seen (admittedly, not much this year). Also, here are my predictions on what will win, what should win and what was snubbed.

Best Film
01. Call Me By Your Name
02. Lady Bird
03. The Shape of Water
04. Dunkirk
05. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
06. Get Out
N/A The Darkest Hour
N/A Phantom Thread
N/A The Post
What WILL win - This year seems wide open and it looks like it could go any number of ways. While part of me thinks (and hopes!) Dunkirk is going to come in and surprise everyone with a last minute come from behind win, the momentum is squarely behind The Shape of Water and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI, which I think will come out victorious.
What SHOULD win - Call Me By Your Name was a sexy, romantic epic that was lush and beautiful and heartbreaking and should win everything.
What was SNUBBED - A Ghost Story, which is still on my mind months after watching it.

Best Director
01. Christopher Nolan for Dunkirk
02. Guillermo Del Toro for The Shape of Water
03. Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird
04. Jordan Peele for Get Out
N/A Paul Thomas Anderson for Phantom Thread
What WILL Win - Again, I'm hoping for an out of nowhere win for Christopher Nolan, but I think this year is all about GUILLERMO DEL TORO.
Who SHOULD win - Nolan.
Who was SNUBBED - Luca Guadagnino, who is the master of sensuality, and proved it with Call Me By Your Name.

Best Actor
01. Timothee Chalamet in Call Me By Your Name
02. Denzel Washington in Roman J. Israel, Esq.
03. Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out
N/A Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread
N/A Gary Oldman in The Darkest Hour
Who WILL Win - GARY OLDMAN has had this wrapped up for months.
Who SHOULD Win - Oldman is my very favorite actor and I think he should have 5 Oscars by now. He more than deserves this. But, Chalamet is mesmerizing in Call Me By Your Name. He should win every award in the world.
Who was SNUBBED - Just like almost every other year, Jake Gyllenhaal for Stronger.

Best Actress
01. Frances McDormand in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
02. Saiorse Ronan in Lady Bird
03. Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water
N/A Margot Robbie in I, Tonya
N/A Meryl Streep in The Post
Who WILL win - Just like her male counterpart, FRANCES MCDORMAND has had this wrapped up for months.
Who SHOULD win - I didn't care for Three Billboards, but there is no denying McDormand is a live wire in it. Although I loved Ronan equally, so I wouldn't complain if she won.
Who was SNUBBED - I guess not enough people saw Lady MacBeth because Florence Pugh was better than every single actor nominated.

Best Supporting Actor
01. Richard Jenkins in The Shape of Water
02. Woody Harrelson in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
03. Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
N/A Willem Dafoe in The Florida Project
N/A Christopher Plummer in All the Money in the World
Who WILL Win - This has got SAM ROCKWELL's name all over it.
Who SHOULD Win - I love Rockwell and think he deserves to win an Oscar for a number of different performances... but not this one. I can't remember the last time I was so delighted by a performance as I was with Richard Jenkins.
Who was SNUBBED - Michael Stuhlbarg, who gave such a powerful closing speech in Call Me By Your Name, I can't believe he hasn't been recognized at all this year.

Best Supporting Actress
01. Laurie Metcalf in Lady Bird
02. Octavia Spencer in The Shape of Water
N/A Mary J. Blige in Mudbound
N/A Alison Janney in I, Tonya
N/A Lesley Manville in Phantom Thread
Who WILL win - There was a time some months ago, I thought the females of Lady Bird would be sweeping the Oscars, but that seems like such a distant thought now. Looks like this is all ALISON JANNEY.
Who SHOULD win - Laurie Metcalf forever.
Who was SNUBBED - Since they are giving out nominations to tons of put upon moms this year, where is Holly Hunter for The Big Sick??

May 2015

Maps to the Stars
Stars - Julianne Moore, Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, John Cusack
Plot - The lives of a fading actress and a possibly insane personal assistant intersect in this David Cronenberg bore fest.
Thoughts - The movie is mostly a waste of time, though Moore is fantastic, but that's pretty obvious. She always is. This movie tries to be daring and shocking but mostly it is just trying too hard and disappointing.
Grade - D

Mad Max: Fury Road
Stars - Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult
Plot - A mysterious man and a bad ass one armed woman help enslaved women escape the clutches of an evil man.
Thoughts - 100% guaranteed that you will not see anything cooler or more bad ass or more visually electrifying than Fury Road this year, or maybe ever. This bad ass movie, one long epic amazing car chase, really, also happens to be something of a feminist manifesto. It's powerful and bleak and stunning and I can't even find enough adjectives to describe it. Sure, the plot leaves something to be desired (travel from point a to point b, only to find out point b sucks and turn around to go back), but, really, who cares?
Grade - B+

The Wedding Ringer
Stars - Kevin Hart, Josh Gad
Plot - A friendless man hires a best man for his wedding and (sexist and offensive) hijinks ensue.
Thoughts - This movie is nothing short of offensive and sexist, but I also found myself laughing a few times.
Grade - D+

Veronika Decides to Die
Stars - Sarah Michelle Gellar
Plot - A woman decides life has nothing left to offer her and tries to kill herself, only to survive with a weakened heart and days to live.
Thoughts - First things first, I love Sarah Michelle Gellar so much. Maybe in some other world, there is a version of this movie that is powerful and insightful and thought provoking. But this awful mess isn't it. This is the watered down Lifetime  movie of the week version where everything is predictable and everything is a cliche.
Grade - F

Poltergeist
Stars - Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie Dewitt, Jared Harris
Plot - A family moves into a house infested with angry spirits.
Thoughts - It's not that it's bad, per se, just uninspired. As far as remakes go, it's fine. It doesn't break new ground or ruin your memories of the original. And thank goodness for Sam Rockwell and his all around charm and awesome-ness. Without him, I think this might be an unredeemable mess.
Grade - C-

Mini Reviews

I do this thing where I like to watch as many movies released in a certain year as possible. For instance, right now, I pretty much only want to watch movies released in 2014, no matter how good or bad they might be (incidentally, I'm so over just about any movie I actually wanted to see in 2013 but didn't get a chance to watch). A lot of the year's earlier films are currently being released on DVD, so I've been catching up with things via Netflix and Redbox. My whole thing is - I like to have as much of a complete list of movies for my Best and Worst list by the end of the year. Sometimes, you can even find little gems hidden in there. And sometimes you are stuck watching a really crappy movie, but, hey!, at least Sam Rockwell is in it. That being said, here are some of the movies I've been catching up on lately.

Veronica Mars
Stars: Kirsten Bell, Jason Dohring
Plot: Once sassy high school private eye Veronica is now on the verge of becoming a high-powered NYC lawyer, when her bad boy (read: sexy) ex-boyfriend is accused of murdering his pop star girlfriend. She flies home for one last case, and, of course!, a ten year high school reunion.
Thoughts: This was less a cinematic experience and more like binge watching a few episodes of Veronica Mars. That's not a bad thing! I was obsessed with Veronica Mars when it was on TV and I used to watch the Soapnet marathons any chance I could. Who doesn't love a sassy, smart ass private eye with a rich, baby boy soulmate?? So, it was truly great to see all the old characters that were so familiar and whom I actually missed! Plus, they had some great new additions for the movie like Gabby Hoffman and Martin Starr! So, this wasn't a bust per se, but it also felt more like a made for TV movie than anything else.
Grade: B

In Secret
Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Oscar Isaac, Jessica Lange
Plot: A young unhappily married woman in Victorian Paris begins a steamy relationship with a mysterious stranger with killer sideburns.
Thoughts: Yawn! For a movie that is about explicit sex, lies, deceit, manipulation and murder, In Secret is pretty damn boring. I mean, the saving grace, of course, are the performances, which are stellar, especially goddess of the world Jessica Lange. In short, come for Lange, stick around for Oscar Isaac's sexy sideburns (I could literally think of nothing else for days after watching this movie!).
Grade: C

Vampire Academy
Stars: Zoey Deutch, Sarah Hyland
Plot: Something about good vampires and bad vampires and protectors of vampires and an academy. I guess I'm too old to understand.
Thoughts: Listen. Sometimes I just have to give my inner 14 year old what she wants. Do you really think I want to be addicted to Pretty Little Liars? Do you really think I want to browse the YA shelves every time I hit up a book store? The answer is no. But, sometimes I just can't help myself. My inner 14 year old thought this movie would be a whole lot of snarky, campy fun. Kind of like Pitch Perfect, but with less singing and more vampires. But that didn't happen. The only reason this movie doesn't get a worse grade is because of Deutch who is ADORABLE and HILARIOUS and SASSY and WONDERFUL. With the right material, she could become a huge star.
Grade: D+

Earth to Echo
Plot: Three boyhood pals spend the last night before one of them moves away tracking a mysterious map, finding an adorable alien, and escaping nefarious construction workers.
Thoughts: My boyfriend says we don't watch enough "nice movies." I understand his complaint. I like my movies dark and twisted and violent. So, when there is a nice movie that he wants to see, I go with him. Earth to Echo is a nice movie. The problem? It's utterly forgettable. Like, I saw it less than a week ago and already forget a lot of the plot. What I do remember about it is that it's cute and sweet and highly likable, especially if you have kids in the 8 to 14 range. I wish it would have been more memorable though. I make lists of all the movies I see in a given year and that's a good thing in this case because come December, I might forget about this all together.
Grade: C+

Better Living Through Chemistry
Stars: Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde
Plot: A small town pharmacist begins an affair with a pill popping married rich woman and his life somehow manages to get better and fall apart at the same time.
Thoughts: Like I said above, at least Sam Rockwell is in it! This movie is pretty much just a giant mess of unlikable characters who do stupid things. None of what anyone does makes any sense and the end is just so absurd that it seems more likely to me that Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man would come flying through the sky and land in my backyard than any of this movie actually happening. It doesn't get an F because of the 30 second sequence of Rockwell dancing, which is glorious.
Grade: D-

The Way Way Back & The To Do List

This past Sunday, I did something I had never done before - I went to see three movies in one day. There were two reasons for this. The first is that it rained pretty much all day anyway. And the second is that I live in the middle of nowhere. If I want to see non-blockbuster movies, I have to drive 40 minutes away, first of all, and then sometimes these movies are only in theaters for a week. I already missed out on Before Midnight earlier this summer because it was only in theaters for ONE WEEK!?!?!! So, the first movie was Fruitvale Station which I already raved about. The next two movies have more in common than I initially thought. They are both funny, coming of age stories, although one is quite a bit raunchier than the other.

The Way Way Back is this sort of charming little gem of a movie. It's from writer / directors Jim Rash and Nat Faxon, who took home an Oscar a few years ago for writing The Descendants. And while I liked The Descendants quite a bit, I sort of almost think this is a better movie. It stars Liam James as Duncan, a shy boy who goes to a beach house for the summer with his mom (Toni Collette) and her new-ish boyfriend (Steve Carrel, who is delightfully mean!). During the summer, he hates on the boyfriend, hides from his crazy, drunk neighbors (among them a hilarious Allison Janney), crushes on the older girl next door (Annasophia Robb) and begins a friendship with the local water park owner (Sam Rockwell). He grows up and comes out of his shell and gets a father figure in Rockwell's Owen.

The movie has a lot of cliched moments; it's almost generic with a sort of paint by numbers quality. Still, it also feels real. It's heartwarming and hilarious, but it could have been an even better movie had the entire thing felt as fearless as Rockwell's performance. All of the performances here are gems, from Duncan's quirky eventual co-workers at the water park to the super bratty daughter of Carrel's character, but Rockwell is best in show by a mile. He is a fast talking charmer who tells jokes by the minute. He is lovable and hilarious. And while he might get on the nerves of Maya Rudolph's character, he never gets on the audiences nerves and you are left wanting so much more of him. His character may be sort of a mess up, but in the end, he's the closest thing to a father and a friend that young Duncan has. His relationship with Duncan is the heart and soul of this movie and takes it from being just another cliched coming of age story to the sort of movie you tell your friends to go see.

While The Way Way Back is all sweet-natured, hilarious charm, The To Do List is a raunch fest in the vein of American Pie. Aubrey Plaza stars as Brandy, a high school valedictorian who graduates knowing so many facts and acing all the tests, but being completely clueless about anything and everything to do with sex and boys. So, she does what she does best. She makes a to do list of every sexual encounter she has heard about and sets out to do them all before the end of the summer. With help from her friends including Alia Shawkat, her parents (Connie Britton, Clark Gregg), and her older sister (a scene stealing Rachel Bilson), she sets out to woo every man from Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Johnny Simmons to Andy Samberg and Scott Porter.

It's refreshing and a nice change of pace to see this sort of movie have a female star. And Plaza is definitely up to the challenge of all the gross and awkward moments. She plays Brandy as an over achiever who plans to lose her virginity in much the same way she would study for a(n AP) Biology test. And this is a very, genuinely funny movie. It's also very raunchy. Like, very, very raunchy. And it's also a little on the gross side, especially a specific part in the public pool where Brandy works for the summer. I won't get into it, but it's pretty awful. For all the funniness of this movie, however, it just lacks something that American Pie had in spades: heart. Brandy is kind of a bitch. I found myself wondering why someone like Alia Shawkat's too cool for school character would even give Brandy the time of day, let alone be her friend. It's sort of hard to root for someone who makes it so hard to like them. Just when I would start to give up on this movie, however, Rachel Bilson would come on screen and say or do something hilarious, reminding me why I've loved her so from her days as Summer on The O.C. She might not be the best actress, but with the right material, she's sort of hilarious. She should be a bigger star and maybe post-The To Do List, more people will take notice.

The Way Way Back - B
The To Do List - B-

Top Ten List - Best Actor 2008

10. Richard Jenkins in The Visitor - One of the best character actors out there, Jenkins delivers a subtle and emotionally complex leading man performance. He's charming, nuanced and completely natural.

09. James Franco in Pineapple Express - Even the picture on the cover is hilarious. Franco shines as a drug dealer who is surprisingly deep in this comic gem from the summer. Franco, who is usually a brooding, serious leading man, shows he can do comedy with just as much ease.

08. Frank Langella in Frost / Nixon - My distaste for the movie is maybe why he's so low on my list. Langella, however, does become Richard Nixon. It's a great and total transformation. The movie may not be spectacular but his performance is awfully good. He steals the show.

07. Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man - It's the perfect role for Downey, actually. He's always been a person who I thought of as charming, witty, just a little cocky. That's who Tony Stark is, essentially as well. Downey probably had no trouble channeling those traits to use for the role. He also managed to be heroic as well.

06. Sam Rockwell in Snow Angels - Probably one of the most underrated actors out there, Rockwell always shines playing complex characters. This time around he's playing a born again Christian struggling with his demons and with his ex-wife moving on when all he wants to do is work things out. It's a frighteningly real performance.

05. Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt - Hoffman and Streep go toe to toe and prove that they are two of the living greats. Hoffman has a difficult job - making his priest seem trustworthy and honest but still managing to make him just a little creepy. You don't know if you should trust him or not. There's a particular scene between Hoffman and Streep and I didn't think either one of them was going to make it out of there alive!

04. Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road - His Frank Wheeler is deeply complex. And DiCaprio plays him with such ease. Maybe its because he's such a phenomenal actor. Maybe it's because he's with Kate again. But his performance here just may be his best ever (or, maybe, second only to The Departed). Frank is unhappy and lonely, struggling with the fact that his wife may not love him anymore. Winslet's got the showier, louder role, for sure, but DiCaprio is perfection as well.

03. Colin Farrell in In Bruges - It's been a long time since we've seen what Farrell could do acting wise. He's long just been a tabloid staple. But guess what? That potential that we all saw back in the days of Phone Booth, that has had everyone saying for the last decade, "If only he could find the right part..." well, it finally shines through. In Bruges is the right part for Farrell and it manages to show his range. He could be depressing, funny, charming, dark and witty all at the same time. I knew he could do it.

02. Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler - Probably the comeback of the year, it's nice to see Rourke, who was once considered the next Robert DeNiro, on top again. Darren Aronofsky took a chance on him and it pays off. The movie is about a wrestler struggling with the fact that his career is just about done, he has burned every bridge in his personal life, his youth is gone, his looks are gone, he's damaged himself physically and emotionally for years and years. Rourke probably didn't have to look far for inspiration.

01. Sean Penn in Milk - I'll say it right here and now - Sean Penn is in the top three of the greatest living actors. I can't decide yet where he would fall in the top three, but he's definitely in there. Penn becomes Harvey Milk. He inhabits this sweetness (yes, sweetness... yes, Sean Penn) and charm and becomes Harvey Milk. We're so used to seeing him play characters who are fiery and intense. Here he takes that passion and channels it in a different way. He plays Harvey to perfection, helping to create one of the two best performances of the year (he's probably tied with Ledger). Penn never ceases to amaze.

Tomorrow - Best Films!

Mini Reviews...

Lakeview Terrace - Not exactly a bad movie, perse, just terribly trite and unoriginal. It's more a think piece about interracial relationships than a thriller about clashing neighbors. And, really, it just seems out of place in 2008. I mean, I know people are still prejudiced but do they really take it to this extreme? I find it hard to believe. It was probably the second most fun bad movie of the year (after Mamma Mia, of course). It was entertaining, if nothing else. And, you know, Patrick Wilson is so very nice to look at.
Grade: C-

My Best Friend's Girl - What the hell happened to Kate Hudson? I remember the days when she made good movies like 200 Cigarettes and Desert Blue and, you know, Almost Famous. Now she's trying too hard to be the romantic lead. She is charming as hell and it's hard not to like her but she's letting her talent go to waste with terrible scripts like this. I think there were about three times I laughed. Dane Cook is not funny. Jason Biggs is not... anything. Alec Baldwin was the saving grace of this disaster.
Grade: D+

Burn After Reading - Near the end of the film, J.K. Simmons tells a lackey, "Report back to me when this all makes sense." That's sort of how I felt as well. Lucky for the Coen Brothers (and their wonderfully outrageous cast), I like movies that are confusing and silly and often don't make much sense. John Malkovich is amazing in his role as a CIA agent who quits his job, writes his memoirs and has a sort of nervous breakdown. My favorite moment of the film is him walking off a boat wearing a robe and carrying an axe. John Malkovich is right up there with Eric Roberts as one of the coolest guys in the whole world. Brad Pitt is hilarious. I often dislike Pitt in films (because I dislike him in real life) but he was actually fun to watch here. George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand (worst. hair. ever.) and Richard Jenkins round out a really great cast who made an enjoyable, funny, entertaining film.
Grade: B+

The Life Before Her Eyes - Melodramatic to say the least. Almost unbearable to watch.
Grade: D-

Snow Angels - What a beautifully tragic desperate and ultimately devastating film. Director David Gordon Green has sure shown his versatatily this year. First he makes this tragic depressing little film (which released in February) and then he follows it up with one of the funniest movies of the summer (Pineapple Express). I don't want to tell you too much plot because it's really worth watching. There are a lot of twists and a lot of really great linear storytelling. The cast is phenomenal. The ladies - Kate Beckinsale (she can act!), Olivia Thirlby and Amy Sedaris - are just fine but it's the men - Sam Rockwell and Michael Angarano - who steal the show. Rockwell will break your heart.
Grade: B+

Married Life - Not necessarily bad. Anything starring Patricia Clarkson is automatically "not bad" in my book. Still, it's boring as hell. I didn't care about any of these characters or any of the ways they slept with each other. If it wasn't for Patricia, I don't think I could have even finished it. Maybe it's my hatred for Rachel McAdams. Maybe it was the lousy script. Who knows.
Grade: D+