It’s Oscar Night, and the Jonnie Goes to …
Yes, spring training is heating up after the coolest of hot stove seasons. And, yes, I spent the morning tinkering with my Fantasy Baseball keepers. And, yes, Jed Rigney and I discussed whether Blake Snell will ever live up to his potential. Baseball is indeed in full swing.
But …
Everything baseball comes to a halt for a few hours tonight while we all tune in to the 90th Academy Awards. MLB players will have watch parties, GMs will be riveted, and ball persons will be cheering for their favorite Best Set Designers and such for just one night.
And if you’ve ever tuned into Foul Territory: A Baseball Podcast, Jed and I spend a little time each week talking pop culture and the entertainment business. So, for one night, I’m going to give my two-cents on this year’s Best Picture noms. Let’s call them “The Jonnies.”
My wife and I finished binging just last night with “Three Billboards …” and “Call Me By Your Name,” and we just watched “I, Tonya” this afternoon for good measure, so I’m ready to get on my movie critic soapbox and share my ranking of the films based on what wowed me. Not you, but me. I’m an avid movie watcher who considers “best” films as those that stand out due to their collective writing, acting, directing and visual storytelling efforts — not what should win or what deserves to win or what distributor ran the best campaign or what you think is the best. To each his own.
And the Jonnies go to …
1. Phantom Thread
While many people won’t see it, or, if they did, thought it was boring, this is a master class in acting and directing, and a visual and auditory feast from director Paul Thomas Anderson. Daniel Day-Lewis and Lesley Manville as brother Reynolds and sister Cyril of London’s House of Woodcock are perfection. So, so good. The sound editing and closeup camera work are impeccable. If you’ve never heard hand-stitched sewing, you’re in for a treat. Yes, I said “heard” sewing. Food and fashion are center stage. If this is indeed Day-Lewis’ final film, he goes out on top. Loved it. Slam-dunk to win costume design.
2. Dunkirk
Just a peg below “Phantom Thread.” The star of this film is the riveting score. I’ve never experienced anything like it, and seeing it at Seattle’s Cinerama, with its unparalleled sound system, made it even more spectacular. Christopher Nolan weaves three timelines masterfully into a heart-racing crescendo. Should win 2-3 technical awards, for sure. This is atop my best-ever war film list.
3. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Just a smidge below “Dunkirk.” Wasn’t expecting it to be as deliciously dark and comedic, so I was even more enraptured as the story unfolded. Best ensemble film by far, and Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell will be deserving winners of the Actress and Supporting Actor awards. I also think it will win Best Picture. The fact that Martin McDonagh was snubbed in the Best Director category, while Greta Gerwig and Jordan Peele did get noms, is a head-scratcher. If “Three Billboards …” gets the Original Screenplay nod over “Get Out” (which I think it should, but Peele will get something), it could win Actress, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay and Best Picture. If that happens, how was it overlooked for Best Director?
4. Darkest Hour
Gary Oldman will win Best Actor (even though I would give the slightest of edges to Day-Lewis) and deservedly so. His transformational portrayal of Churchill is worth the price of admission alone. Kristen Scott-Thomas, although not nominated, is perfection as Mrs. Churchill. Highly recommend watching both Dunkirk and Darkest Hour one right after the other, too. They both depict the same moment in history.
5. The Shape of Water
Pure fantasy and fun, especially if you’re into human beings falling in love with fish beings. Guillermo del Toro is a visionary director who takes us places we can’t imagine, and this is a love story with a twist. Michael Shannon steals the film, and he isn’t even nominated! Although it leads the way with the most nominations, it may only walk away with a few, one of which will be Best Director. Or, it may win a boatload if voters are feeling froggy.
6. The Post
Great storytelling and high-calibre performances. Just feels like something we’ve seen before, specifically, “All the Presidents Men,” which is one of my all-time favorite films. “The Post” is really good, but it is no “All the Presidents Men.” A Steven Spielberg film and he isn’t nominated for Best Director. Don’t think it will win anything.
7. Lady Bird
Quirky and at times funny, but not as good as I was expecting it to be. By the end of the film, I didn’t find many of the characters particularly likable, save for the dad. Certain parts of the film were predictable, too. Good film, just not that memorable. And like “The Post,” it will probably be shut out.
8. Call Me By Your Name
Timothée Chalamet is the “it” kid in Hollywood right now, and deservedly so. His nuanced performance stands out, but even more so because Armie Hammer’s performance was so blah. The father-son discussion toward the end is powerful and worth seeing the film for that scene alone. The location being in Italy makes for a gorgeous backdrop. Best bet to win Adapted Screenplay.
9. Get Out
I wish I had seen this in a theater when it first came out. I didn’t see it until after it was nominated, so my expectations were high for seeing a cutting-edge, paradigm-shifting horror film. The cultural commentary is brilliant, and first-time director/writer Peele deserves all the credit there. But by the end of the film, I just didn’t think it was all that suspenseful for a supposed horror film. More of a comedy than a horror film. The acting wasn’t jaw-dropping either. I know this is getting a lot of love — especially after winning best director and film at the Independent Sprit Awards on Saturday — but it’s just not on par with “Phantom Thread,” “Dunkirk” and “Three Billboards …,” in particular, in my humble opinion. Clever, yes. Socially poignant, absolutely. Best Picture, no. I expected that it would land in the middle of the pack for me, but I saw “Three Billboards …,” “Call Me By Your Name,” “Lady Bird” and “Darkest Hour” after it, and all nudged ahead of it.
Need to give a special shout out to “I, Tonya.” Funny, fresh and hugely successful in making audiences feel compassion for Tonya Harding, who lived a true-life clown show, according to the storytelling. Margot Robbie is outstanding, and Alison Janey is your hands-down, give-her-the-trophy-now winner of the Best Supporting Actress award. She is wicked good. How this film wasn’t nominated for Best Picture with 10 slots available is a bit of a surprise. If if was nominated, it would have placed at No. 5 between “Darkest Hour” and “The Shape of Water.”
And, there you have it. Enjoy the awards. We’ll get back to baseball bright and early tomorrow.
