2020--Nomadland, Chloe Zhao

 

2020--Nomadland, Chloe Zhao

Nominated: The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Should have won: Nomadland

Be sure to see:  The Invisible man 

"I didn't want my sailboat to be in a driveway when I died. Yeah, and it's not. My sailboat's out here in the desert."--Merle

2020 was an odd year for a lot of things, films were certainly one of them. This was the first time since 1955 where I had heard of zero of the best picture nominees before I saw a list of candidates. Zero. Not a one. The winner back in 1955 was the endearing film Marty with Ernest Borgnine. The "should have won" slot up there was pretty hard to fill for this year because nothing I saw was particularly good. But since Nomadland is the only movie nominated that I bothered to watch, I guess it would be unfair of me to lump them in a negative category. Covid caused me to have my all-time low in theater going since I started keeping track. I saw only 4 movies that were released in 2020 on the big screen: The Invisible Man, Bad Boys 3, Underwater, and Wonderwoman 84. Two were lousy, one was so-so, and The Invisible Man was the best. I did eventually see Hillbilly Elegy on television. Now comes Nomadland which was certainly the best movie of the ones I've seen. So I'll give it a pass in the should have won category for now.  Though I hear The Trial of the Chicago 7 is good. 

The movie tells the story of Fern, a woman who loses practically everything in the recession and travels through the American West, living in her van. But as she says, she's not homeless, she's houseless and that's not the same thing.  As the movie starts, she loses her job after a US Gypsum plant closes down where she had worked for years. She then gets a job at Amazon and for a few minutes it brought back memories of my seven years there. Their little stand up meeting was similar with safety tips and whatnot but their building was a lot nicer and wow, what a big break room! But I digress. 

As Fern travels from destination to destination, I couldn't help but be awed by the scenery. The spas in the Badlands could have been supporting characters on their own. In this respect, the movie reminded me of the 1985 winner Out of Africa. Pretty scenery and pretty boring. Much of the movie is just pretty locations, minimum score except a pleasant piano, and nomads in the desert. One positive thing was how real the cast felt. Not too many of these people were actors. Almost everyone's character was also the name of the person playing them. Maybe five people were played by actors with different names and I recognized only two people in the whole movie, Frances McDormand and David Strathairn who you might know from A League of Their Own or The River Wild. I also noticed, not that it should really matter, that the cast had the opposite effect the scenery had. As lovely as the landscapes were, this movie had about he most unattractive cast I've ever seen. But that's ok. It seemed very real. 

Some of my favorite scenes were simple speeches given by nomads about their past. One lady who learned she will be dying in a few months tells a story that paints such beautiful visuals of the animals she has seen while travelling the country, I had to watch it twice. And another man tells a story of his son's suicide. If there had been more scenes like this I would have enjoyed the movie more. Some people might have still found it boring if it were just people sitting around telling stories. I suppose that's true if there had been 15 scenes of it. But the two times it happened, I was completely enthralled. And being an astronomy nerd, I loved the scene where they look at Jupiter through the telescope and talk about the speed of light.  

I guess the movie was ok. I found it to be extremely boring despite an ok story. It is the third most boring winner behind Out of Africa and Hamlet (through no fault of its own; it was just a Laurence Olivier play someone filmed). Frances McDormand is in every scene and carries the movie just fine. I've gotten to where I find her hard to take in the last few years. It is like she's become a completely different actress from her Raising Arizona and Fargo days.  But the movie isn't very good and it just cracks my top ten worst winners sliding in at the number 10 spot--or 84th best, if you will. Maybe if it hadn't won best picture of the year and I watched it I would appreciate it more. But then again, 2020 didn't produce too many contenders. But it is still 84th out of a pretty elite group. I'm glad I saw it. 

2019--Parasite, Bong Joon-Ho

2019--Parasite, Bong Joon-Ho 

Nominated: Ford Vs Ferrari, The Irishman, JoJo Rabbit, Joker, Little Women, Marriage Story, 1917, Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood

Should Have Won: 1917

Be sure to see: Booksmart, Good Boys, Knives Out, Late Night, Midsommer, Queen and Slim, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,  Toy Story 4, The Upside, Us

"You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan at all."--Ki-Taek Kim 

In the Academy Awards' 92 year history, only one horror movie has won the best picture honor. A couple more should have won like The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby. Of course 2017's The Shape of Water was a throwback to 1950s Universal Monster movies and a couple more have been nominated. Parasite,  2019's winner, might not fall into the horror category in the traditional sense but it certainly teeters on the edge of the genre. It has many horror trappings ranging from brutal knife violence to suspense to using secret identities to accomplish unethical results. As much as I enjoy these themes, I'm hesitant to agree with the movie being a best picture caliber movie, though I am glad to see the pendulum swing. 

The destitute Kim family is living in a basement, making their living folding pizza boxes. The son, Ki-woo, gets word the wealthy Park family needs an English tutor for their child. Upon seeing how well-to-do the Parks are, the rest of the Kims pose as unrelated people yet highly qualified potential employees. Until this point, the film is played out like a drama, as most best picture winners are. It is when the Kims begin their employment with the Parks that the movie shows a darker side. 

Kim daughter Ki-Jung poses as an art therapist for the Park's son. She frames the Park's chauffeur for sexual misconduct so her father can take his job. But it is how Chung-Sook (the Kim wife) infiltrates the housekeeper role intrigued me most. It is the only time I've ever seen a peach allergy and a packet of hot sauce used to end a career.  It is in the is segment of the movie where elements of other filmmakers' styles shine through. The way this scene mixes up the lineage of the narrative is straight out of Quentin Tarantino's playbook. The technique is not a flashback, per se, but as Ki-Taek (the husband/chauffeur) is talking to Mrs. Park about a possible incriminating picture he "accidentally" took, the movie flashes back to the family practicing their lines of how this encounter should play out.  This is one of my favorite scenes. The rehearsal part is pretty realistic. In an Oceans Eleven-type movie, there would be no hiccups in the rehearsal. A plan would be quickly discussed, then carried out. But the Kims are not professionals so going over the plan doesn't go as smoothly as they'd hoped. Once the family takes over as various caregivers in the Park house is when we see where the title comes from. The poor destitute Kims leach onto the Parks and when the Parks are away on a camping trip, the Kims are hanging out at their house. A key piece of dialogue is spoken about the class system and the reasons the Kims want to carry out this plot. This is a key moment in the movie, I think. Until this point, I'd say the Kims are villains. They are dishonest and have corrupted lives. But if their actions are to better themselves and pointing out the haves vs the have nots, how much can they be faulted? 

The last third of the movie kicks in when Moon-Gwang, the Parks' former housekeeper, reappears because she had forgotten something in the basement when she was fired. The comedy fades away and the movie turns sinister, violent, and, in the tradition of lots of Asian horror movies, just plain weird. There are scenes that reminded me of so many other movies I have seen or emotions I have felt while watching some classics. When the Kims are hiding under tables and beds in hope they won't be discovered, I got worried they would be discovered. Then I remembered we really should not be rooting for this family since they are the dishonest ones. This aspect held elements of Double Indemnity or Psycho. The linear mix up in the sabotage of the housekeeper  is a Tarantino staple but there is also a moment where somewhat of a hostage situation takes place not by a gun or a bomb, but by the threat of hitting a send button on a phone. Remember the opening scene in Pulp Fiction? This whole segment is the apex of this movie. We figured sooner or later the Kims' luck would run out but not in this way. From the time Moon-Gwang appears to check on what she had left until the credits roll, it was one surprise, shock, or flash of violence after another. Then, in a surprise, the final couple of minutes touch a completely different set of emotions. Pretty sentimental actually when compared to the previous half hour.  I was extremely surprised this movie was even considered a best picture contender. The violence in Silence of the Lambs had a sort of elegance to it, perhaps fooling the Academy. Parasite is a hateful and murky violent movie...well the final act anyway. Other than Moon-Gwang and her secret, there are really no characters to root for. Even the Park family, though they did nothing wrong, aren't particularly likeable.  Or maybe they are likeable but Ki-Taek Kim's interpretation of them to his family had me believing him, too. In a way, the Kim family tricked me just as much as they had tricked the Parks. 

I really did enjoy the movie and I'm glad it won simply because a movie with such creepy themes hardly ever gets recognized. I don't really agree with it though. 1917 or Tarantino's Once upon a time in Hollywood would have been better choices. But it really is a movie fan's movie, I think. Either intentionally or unintentionally, I picked up on nods to lots of older movies.  I noticed aspects that reminded me of Pulp Fiction, Double Indemnity, Rear Window, Psycho, Dial M for Murder,  Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, JoJo Rabbit, The Boy, and a milliion movies where people are hiding for an extended period of time with the danger mere feet away. I think this movie has many themes but the one I took to the most is who do we root for? Is it ok to root for the bad guys every now and then? 

Note: Parasite was the 11th foreign language film to be nominated for best picture and the first to win. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is the only other one I've seen. Also, this was the final best picture winner of the decade. I'll rank them here from my favorite to tenth favorite.

1. The Shape of Water, 2017
2. Parasite, 2019
3. The Artist, 2011
4. Argo, 2012
5. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), 2014
6. 12 Years a Slave 2013
7. Green Book 2018
8. The King's Speech 2010
9. Spotlight 2015
10. Moonlight 2016

2018--Green Book, Peter Ferrelly

2018--Green Book, Peter Ferrelly

Nominated: BlacKkKlansman, Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, Roma, A Star is Born, Vice

Should have won: A Star is Born

Be sure to see: Bird Box, The Darkest Minds, Death Wish,  Jumanji 2,  A Quiet Place

"Do you know where you are?"--Tony Vallelonga

"Does geography really matter?"--Don Shirley

The 1989 best picture winner featured an elderly white lady whose chauffer was a kindly black gentleman. They built a friendly relationship when things could have remained simply business and their time together wound up being pleasant. The movie was Driving Miss Daisy and the 2018 winner, Green Book, reversed these roles by having a white chauffeur drive a talented black musician from city to city to perform his shows. A few years ago the "Oscars so white" twitter uproar changed how movies will be nominated. Though I typically disagree with this concept and feel the best should be nominated no matter what that means, Green Book is an example of the process getting it right. 

It is 1962 and Bobby Rydell is performing in a club for which Tony "Lipp" Vallelonga bounces. After an altercation, the club closes and Tony needs to find a job. Since he has experience driving a garbage truck, it is suggested he drive Don Shirly--the talented musician previously mentioned--across the southeastern United States to perform his gigs. I wasn't sure if gig is the correct term here though because of Shirley's stature as a serious musician but my brother who is pretty knowledgeable on the subject says it is.  Don must be pretty highly respected. After all his "office" is at Carnegi Hall. 

The title comes from a book Don's record studio gives Tony. It is essentially a guide on how to safely travel through racist areas of the South. It is called The Negro Motorist Green Book. I wondered how accurate such a book would be. One person's experience might or might not improve by following the book's advice, but that is how various self-help books would read, so I suppose this Green Book would have similar benefits. After hitting Iowa, they travel to Louisville and get Kentucky Fried Chicken. Being a Kentuckian I, of course, enjoyed their conversation on the matters of fried chicken. The movie slides in some reversals of racial stereotypes throughout the movie. For example, the black guy doesn't like fried chicken and the white guy likes music from Aretha Franklin and Little Richard while the black guy is unfamiliar, etc. 

A part of the story that seemed sweet but not important early on but played a key part later is Tony's letters. He has a way with words, and not necessarily in a good way. He promised his wife he'd write her letters from the road. His writing isn't exactly the most romantic so Don feeds him some lines to woo his wife's heart. It was sort of like a penned version of Cyrano de Bergerac.  Occasionally, the movie popped back into the life of Tony's wife back home which I felt took away from the story I would rather have been following which is the "non-buddy, buddy road movie" so to speak. But one single line is spoken by Dolores at the end that wraps the love letter aspect of the story up nicely. It is one of my favorite moments. 

The further south they go, the more racial tension they face but mostly this comes from the public and not from the concerts where Don is highly respected. I wonder if people like Nat King Cole faced similar fates while touring the south. But it occurred to me there might be a difference between well-known stars and a classical pianist who locals wouldn't recognize.  But I like how some of Don's traits brushed off onto Tony and vice versa. I said "mostly" the tension comes from the public and not the venues. When one venue doesn't follow through with its hospitality, things pan out as they should, which leads us to maybe the best gig Don Shirly ever had at the local ethnic restaurant called The Orange Bird. The piano scene at The Orange Bird was a highlight and I almost expected someone to stop Tony and tell him Adventures in Babysitting style that he couldn't leave unless he sang first. 

The movie was enjoyable but not really best picture worthy; had it been released 10 years ago it probably wouldn't have even been nominated. And the ending was completely predictable.  But I enjoyed it anyway. Mahershala Ali was good but without question Viggo Mortensen carries this movie. He has come a long way since Texas Chain Saw Massacre part 3, don't you think? 

Note: Yes, the director is the same Peter Ferrelly responsible for There's Something about Mary and Dumb and Dumber. And despite his movie winning best picture, he was not nominated for best director. In Oscar's long history this has happened only five times. The other four are Wings, Grand Hotel, Driving Miss Daisy and Argo. By the way, if you remember from the Grand Hotel review, that is the only movie to win best picture and not even be nominated for a single other award. One nomination; one win; best picture. I think that's my favorite bit of Academy Award trivia.