kevdonahue

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.

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 my favorite.

“One Battle” presented Leo DiCaprio in a robe for most of the movie. He was hapless and damaged. Certainly, his daughter is the star of the movie. The plot between Leo’s wife and Sean Penn was odd and titillating in a way that felt totally forced. The action was simultaneously pervasive but felt bolted on, like Paul Thomas Anderson showing he could do an action movie. 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. Contrived.

“Sinners” was fine, but was so slow to the interesting stuff — like when the vampires told the black folks who they were menacing that being undead was better than being alive in the South in 1932 — 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. Why did MBJ have to be twins? Did it change the story in any way? I’m honestly asking.

“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 near the end. 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 never-ending. 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.

“F1” is catching a lot of flack for even being in the best movie field, but I get the point of its presence — it’s a blockbuster with a popular if aging star ( I like Brad Pitt a lot, but if you told me he was CGI’d into this movie, I wouldn’t be that surprised). It’s Top Gun: Maverick with a less weird leading man. And, to its credit, I guess, it’s not reused IP — though it was essentially a 2-hour, 40-minute commercial for Formula 1 racing. Way too long, very predictable, and it left me concerned about my car tires in a way I never have been before. Who knew they could be so finicky!?!? The only way this is like “Sinners” (except for the big box office) is that I felt there was a much shorter, sharper movie hiding in this bloated movie carcass.

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 most satisfying watches 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):

1. Train Dreams
2. Sinners
3. Sentimental Value
4. Marty Supreme
5. One Battle After Another
6. Hamnet
7. F1
8. The Secret Agent (haven’t seen, heard good things)
9. Frankenstein (haven’t seen)
10. Bugonia (haven’t seen)

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), but I could see Michael B. Jordan winning as part of a “Sinners” sweep.

Should win: MBJ or Joel Edgerton. I’m pretty torn. I think MBJ’s twins thing was a little presentational, but he brought real resonance to a big, BIG role. Edgerton’s movie was much smaller and he broke my heart, in a good way, I think.

Best Actress

Will win: Jessie Buckley

Should win: Felicity Jones (what can I say? she’s my actress crush). Her turn in “The Brutalist” is one of the bravest, best jobs I’ve ever seen. This was a worthy succession.

Supporting actor

Will win: Sean Penn

Should win: Stellan Skarsgard. Maybe he’s not the a-hole the whole movie (and honestly, the character) spends most of its time making him out to be.

Supporting actress

Will win: Amy Madigan (didn’t see this, but choosing based on buzz)

Should win: Chase Infiniti (the daughter in “One Battle”). Here’s the issue. She isn’t up for the award, BUT … she was in the movie way more than her mom, who is up for this award, and I thought she was great — and the hero of the movie. She is, not to put too much on her, my hope for our country. My silver medal would go to Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, who I thought was magnificent in “Sentimental Value.” Her folding into her big sister late in “SV” was the movie’s emotional heart, for me.

Director

Will win: Ryan Coogler

Should win: Joachim Trier. It’s likely Coogler, but this is a vampire movie with a lot of important stuff bolted on to it. But it’s first a horror movie — and I don’t like horror one bit. The world is horrible enough.

Cinematography

Will win: “Sinners”

Should win: “Train Dreams” (I thought it was just gorgeous)

Original script

Will win: “Sinners”

Should win: “Sinners” is deserving, but “Sentimental Value” has a case (it’s a movie about a script, for goshsakes)

Adapted screenplay

Will win: “One Battle After Another”

Should win: “Train Dreams” (I love concise)

Costume design

Will win: “Frankenstein”

Should win: “Sinners”

Foreign film

Will win: “Sentimental Value”

Should win: “Sentimental Value,” but again, I haven’t seen “The Secret Agent” and people seem to love it.