It's that time of year again. Oscar time.
Everyone knows about the Oscars, but if you live in Los Angeles, it's a big deal.
Surprisingly, this year I've seen almost all the Best Picture Nominees. I'm a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), which has its own award show so, to promote their films, some production companies send out screener copies to eligible voters.
These are called "for your consideration" campaigns. Production companies pour a lot of money into advertising to get voters (whether it be for SAG or the Academy Awards) to vote for their films. Winning an award can mean a huge boost at the box office, on DVD, and in streaming sales. And it brings prestige to the company that made the film.
As part of those campaigns, they send out screeners in the form of DVDs or free online viewing, so members will be familiar with the performances. It can be really helpful for smaller films that perhaps don't get a wide release (meaning they don't get released nationally or in very many theaters.)
And it works. Because there are definitely films that I wouldn't bother to pay for, but I will watch because they've sent me a DVD of it.
So everywhere I've looked for the past few weeks, on social media, on billboards, even on television, there are ads "for your consideration." The larger studios, like Universal, Warner Brothers, Sony, etc. will pour a lot of resources into making their nominees visible to potential voters.
Here's an example of a "for your consideration" ad I've seen on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter:
Since Los Angeles is probably where the majority of Academy voters live, the presence of the Oscars looms large. If you want to know more about voting for the Oscars, you can find out here: http://www.instyle.com/news/who-votes-for-oscars
The SAG awards are a much smaller deal. They mean a lot to actors, because becoming a member of the actors union is usually a big milestone for people who want to act professionally. But the awards aren't as big a deal to the production companies, so we don't get that many screeners. However, because this year many of the Best Picture nominees are smaller, more independent films, there was a lot of crossover between the movies that have been nominated for both SAG awards and Oscars.
Since my daughter and I are both members of SAG, it means we get two sets of screeners. So because we have an extra set, I am happy I can send my mom a copy of the screeners since she isn't able to get out to the theaters. Technically, since the screeners aren't supposed to leave my possession, if anyone asks, I watched the screeners with her. It can be our secret.
The only movie I didn't see was Phantom Thread mainly because I didn't want to see it. And it came out too late to be considered for the SAG awards, so we didn't get a screener. As much as I love Daniel Day Lewis, I just didn't feel motivated to see it. It looked kind of dreary. I could be totally wrong. I'll probably rent it when it's available.
So here's what I think of the pictures nominated that I did see:
Call Me by Your Name—Beautiful. If you're at all uncomfortable with homosexuality, this will not be the film for you. But, it's beautifully shot and the acting is phenomenal. My father-in-law calls it Italy porn, because it is shot in an exquisite Italian village. And the acting by both Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer is fantastic. Particularly Chalamet, who is a young actor. There's a level of comfort and nuance that is really impressive. It's just a really beautiful film in every way. Is it Best Picture? Probably not.
Darkest Hour—Very well done. If you like history or are an Anglophile, you will like this movie. It's a fantastic acting performance by Gary Oldman and very interesting to get insight into the days leading up to the evacuation of Dunkirk. There's a good chance Oldman will win Best Actor. Is it Best Picture? Probably not.
Dunkirk—Visually stunning. Dunkirk is definitely the most unique war movie I've ever seen. There's a surprising lack of dialogue, which made the acting performances incredibly important. Fortunately it has an amazing ensemble cast, and since I'm a huge fan of Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Hardy, I was pretty much riveted the entire time. Is it Best Picture? Maybe.
Get Out—Surprising. It was not at all what I expected. I thought it was incredibly well done for a "horror" genre film. And its commentary on race relations was sophisticated and compelling. But I was not as big a fan of the film as many others were. I really really liked it. But some people I know thought it was revolutionary. For me, it was a very good movie. Is it Best Picture? Probably not.
Lady Bird—Great Film. This movie really resonated with me, partly because I was raised in Davis, which is right next to Sacramento, but mostly because I have a very complicated relationship with a strong-willed teenaged daughter. The acting performances were so nuanced and the relationships felt so genuine. (This film also featured another performance by Timothee Chalamet. Also featured was Lucas Hedges who is in Three Billboards as well.) I really loved this film, and it was something I could share with my daughter. But is it Best Picture? Probably not.
Phantom Thread—I didn't see it. It looks like it's beautifully shot. And it's probably very well acted. But is it Best Picture? I'm guessing not. But obviously, not having not seen the film, my opinion doesn't mean anything.
The Post—It was good. It wasn't great. It was pretty much what I expected. I figured it would be a watchable film, and the story is definitely interesting. But I wasn't blown away by it. And in terms of performances, it wasn't even my favorite acting performances by this set of actors. I'm a huge fan of Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, but they didn't wow me in this. It was like a polished, not as good version of All the President's Men. Is it Best Picture? Probably Not.
The Shape of Water—Poetic. It was mesmerizing to watch. I'm not even really a fan of these kinds of stories, part fantasy, part drama, and I definitely enjoyed it. I've heard it described as a fairy tale, and that's pretty accurate. But it was really beautiful—a beautiful story and beautifully filmed. And the acting performance by Sally Hawkins, playing a mute character, was completely stunning. She really deserves all the accolades she's gotten. But I got too distracted by the creature. It just looked like a guy in a rubber suit to me, and that made it harder for me to get lost in the story. But aside from that one aspect, I enjoyed it. Is it Best Picture? Possibly. There's a lot of buzz about it and it has already won a lot of awards.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri—Intense. Okay, full disclosure. We went to this movie thinking it was a comedy. It was marketed as a comedy. We knew it would be a dark comedy, but it's definitely a DARK dark comedy. So about a third of the way into the movie, we were like, what's going on?
But it's an incredible movie. It's unique, it's intense, and the acting is impressive. Frances McDormand, as a grieving, tough-as-nails mother, really gives an outstanding performance, although it was Sam Rockwell's performance as a drunken, racist, police deputy, that really wowed me. Everything about the film is complex, and thought provoking.
It's not a perfect film. Some of the plotting felt forced. And it's definitely a dark comedy—bordering on satire. Don't go in thinking you're seeing a docu-drama. But it's definitely an outstanding film. Is it Best Picture? Probably. I'm guessing it's between Three Billboards and The Shape of Water.
So we'll see tonight! I could definitely be wrong. Hopefully there will be no crazy Best Picture announcement snafus like there was last year.
Toni here. I was fortunate enough to get advance DVDs for some of these movies from Mara, so I've seen five of the nine that are nominated for Best Picture: The Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Lady Bird, The Shape of Water, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Comparing these five is like comparing five foods that taste completely different. I don't have one favorite. I'll share a few thoughts on my three favorites though.
Dunkirk is the best war movie I've ever seen. It's rich visually and it's also an intimate look at war—mainly its effect on people in the midst of it even though, as Mara said, there's surprisingly little dialogue. I learned a lot of history from it, including details about the British fishing boats that came across the English Channel to evacuate Allied soldiers from the French shore. I was completely absorbed in it from beginning to end.
The Shape of Water is perhaps the oddest movie I've ever seen. It's certainly one of the most creative ones. If I had read a plot summary beforehand, I would have said, "What? That sounds preposterous. I'm skipping this one." But, knowing nothing about it, I put it on because it stars one of my favorite actors: Sally Hawkins. I've seen her in period pieces—as Anne Elliot in Jane Austen's Persuasion—and I've seen her play a working class Brit—in Happy-Go-Lucky (for which she was nominated for an Oscar as Best Actress) and in Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream. Oh, and the movie also features another one of my favorite actors, the seasoned pro, Richard Jenkins, who has been in a supporting role in dozens of movies and who played the father in one of my favorite TV shows: Six Feet Under.
I've called The Shape of Water odd and it was, but it was utterly enchanting. That's the best description I have for it, and that's why I loved it. It drew me into its world and made me feel joyful.
That brings me to Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. I thought this movie was so good that I've watched it twice. Perhaps that in itself makes it my favorite. The acting by Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell is incredible. I already knew she was a great actor, but I never thought Sam Rockwell was. He's reason enough to see this movie—that's how good he is.
It's an Indie film. I love Indies but I've found that so many of them—even when they're great character studies and creative in plot—disappoint at the end, as if the screenwriter didn't know how to wrap it up in a satisfying way (satisfying whether it's a happy or a sad ending...or a bit of both). Three Billboards had, for me, the perfect ending. I wasn't expecting it, which was nice in itself, and it left me satisfied that the story and character arcs had a beginning, middle, and end.
I'm looking forward to this year's Oscars because I've seen so many of the films that have been nominated in various categories.
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