There’s a little over a week until the Academy Awards, and I’ve seen a good number of the films involved, so I have been trying to decide on what I thought was the best movie of the year … and, honestly, I’m at a loss.
I haven’t seen “F1,” but I will in the next week. The favorites are “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another”. From this theater seat (remember sitting in a movie theater? It was awesome), I don’t think either of them is all that deserving.
“One Battle” seemed to think that dressing Leo DiCaprio in a robe for the entire movie was an amazing move. For most of the movie, he seemed hapless. The plot between his wife and Sean Penn was odd and titillating in a way that felt totally forced. The action was simultaneously pervasive and felt bolted on. Penn’s resolution was in some ways satisfying (I could think of a few other people I wouldn’t mind seeing meet that fate), but, again, so so contrived. Which I guess was my take on the movie. Very contrived.
“Sinners” was fine, but was so slow to the interesting stuff — like when the vampires told the black folks they were menacing that being undead was better than living in the South — that I had mostly checked out by the time it heated up. There was a good 110-minute movie in here, but it took so long. I like Michael B. Jordan, the twins thing was visually interesting — but from a technical, not story, standpoint.
“Hamnet” should get a best actress win for Jessie Buckley, who threw it all into her role, and Paul Mescal was good as Billy S. And their son was adorable — even as he walked into the shadows. I thought the play at the end worked as an expression of his grief, but otherwise, a pretty ho-hum film.
“Marty Supreme” was entertaining, but everyone was unlikeable and it was too long. Like in “Sinners,” Marty could never just leave well enough alone, so everything felt staged and contrived. Chalamet was good — I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins best actor off his Dylan momentum — but the movie was frenetic without much of a point.
I didn’t catch “Bugonia” or “Frankenstein” — I’m tired of Emma Stone pimping out her talent for Yorgos Lanthimos (“Porn Things” — excuse me, “Poor Things” — was my breaking point). She deserves better, and I hope she realizes that soon. Reviews of “Frankie” have been “visually stunning, but not much new here.”
So now we’re down to two films I really liked. I don’t think they win, and I wasn’t even sure if I liked one of them the whole way through, but “Train Dreams” and “Sentimental Value” were my faves of the year.
They were both quieter than all these other films, they had some great, great acting — Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones (she deserves an Oscar for this, but I think that about almost everything she does) were lights-out in “Dreams” and Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgard and (especially) Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (the other sister) were the same in “Value” — super directors, and they were in some ways two meditations on loss (plus “Hamnet,” a lot of loss in this set of films). Edgerton broke my heart, and Skarsgard had this sly way of filling mine back up when I thought we were going somewhere else. The two films were mature in the good way.
Like I said, I don’t think either is an Oscar “best picture” winner, but they were less problematic than those above them. And at 60, I could use fewer problems.
Right now I’d rate them (and this kinda shocks me, as it won’t be how I pick in the Oscars party pool that I win more often that not every year):
- Train Dreams
- Sinners
- Sentimental Value
- Marty Supreme
- Hamnet
- One Battle After Another
- F1 (from here down, I haven’t seen these)
- The Secret Agent
- Frankenstein
- Bugonia
I still have a week, but I think I’m betting “Sinners” wins the best picture Oscar. It’s probably better than I remember it. It kinda has to be.
Best Actor
Will win: Timothe Chalamet (momentum pick)
Should win: Joel Edgerton
Best Actress
Will win: Jessie Buckley
Should win: Jessie Buckley
Supporting actor
Will win: Sean Penn
Should win: Stellan Skarsgard
Supporting actress
Will win: Teyana Taylor
Should win: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas
Director
Will win: Ryan Coogler
Should win: Chloe Zhao or Joachim Trier (I’m split)
Cinematography
Will win: Sinners
Should win: Train Dreams
Original script
Will win: Sinners
Should win: Sentimental Value
Adapted screenplay
Will win: One Battle After Another
Should win: Train Dreams
Costume design
Will win: Frankenstein
Should win: Sinners
Foreign film
Will win: Sentimental Value
Should win: Sentimental Value
kevdonahue.com 
Leave a comment