The Oscars are in……

So I’ve been thinking about this all day.

I think La La Land or Manchester by the Sea is going to win best picture.

The thing about Manchester by the Seas is that it’s one of those movies that you see and you really like it, but you completely forget about by the time you see another good movie (which for me is like the next day), but within that time period, someone ask you weather you saw the movie and you tell them yes, and it was good. Then like a chain letter, they have the same experience you have and so on and so on. I feel like that’s how movies like Crash and Babel got the best picture win (cause when was the last time anyone mentioned Crash to you? (probability have no clue what I’m talking about right?).

La La Land is one of those movies that gets credit for being original by biting off  something that has been done before. It’s strange, I feel the movies popularity has to do with millennials who crave the retro vibe that La La Land gives rather just looking up Fred and Ginger on Netflix and catching Siginin in the Rain. At the same time it gets critical acclaim from the street cred of the old guys who give out these awards. I don’t want to rag on La La Land like I did not like it, but I did not like it enough to give it 14 Academy Award nominations, on the flip side, what fuels my positing of this blog is that I knew this would happen. I knew this was the type of shit award givers go for just like when the Artist one best picture (Although I like that film way more)

I Should be rooting for Hidden Figures or Fences for best picture.

For me Hidden Figures was the shit. That was the movie that moved me, and got under my skin. it seem like such a simplistic film, but sometimes that’s all it takes. In fact, that’s what it takes! That subtlety that gets the human out of these pictures and puts a depth to it that 3D could not. In a perfect world Hidden Figures would win the Oscar for best picture.

But the thing about Fences is, while Denzel Washington did a great job directing the film, and it was a great film,  I was not impressed with how he directed himself in the film. Denzel is that type of actor that’s able to get an reaction out of me with his acting (Same happens when I watch Tom Hanks ans Meryl Streep). sometimes I don’t know what that emotion is but there have been times when he’s on the screen and he just hits me with it. Like in the movie Flight, where he totally deserved his Oscar nod, and an honorable mention for the movie, Two Guns. That’s right, the action flick that also starred Mark Whalberg. Two Guns is the type of movie that he could have phoned in and no body would have blamed him. Yet there was one scene when he lost a loved one where he became this tough as nails dude who just breaks down, it was like “Denzil, stop making Markie Mark look bad, yo”. It’s for this reason why I’m neutral with Fences place in the Oscars, cause this should have been the movie were I get this emotion. I almost feel like if Denzel wins that Oscar for best actor, which he’s also up for, that it would be just like Training day, for all the performances that you should have won (but of course a movie like Fences has a little more integrity for something like the Academy Awards, so it would not be just like Training Day)

Now, even though I said that in a perfect world Hidden Figures would win best picture, who I want to win is Hell of Highwater. I loved Hell of Highwater, and I want it to win every single award it’s up for. Jeff Bridges is up for best supporting actor for his role in this film and he nailed it. He’s got to win. It’s a bit of a betrayal to the black community (Who desperately need all six nominations for black actors to come through( even though only four can win)  and my love of Space exploration not to be totally focus on Hidden Figures, but I see Hell or Highwater as being another Mad Max. It’s a good movie and a great western, and not that a western has never one an Oscar (Unforgiven), but like Mad Max: Fury Road, I feel Hell of Highwater is in a different category of movies (not films) the kind of category that don’t win the love of old stuck up men in sophisticated  suits. The type of category of movie that I love so I’m rooting for ya Hell of Highwater.

Let’s go over the Rest:

Moonlight-It was different, I give it that. Very different. It’s Possible this is the most unique film done in years strictly for the topic it covers: Black gay men. I know of at least one other movie that goes over the topic but not in such a serious and romantic matter, which makes it a stepping stone of importance  for the LGBT community. However, past this the movie was slightly above average in my taste, but I’m glad the Oscars recognized the art and the boldness, plus I like this cat Mahershala Ali and I would love to hear the whitest woman imaginable say his name in order to give him his award (although that woman would be Alicia Vikander as last year’s winner for best supporting actress and she would not be as effective as let’s say Jennifer Lawrence)

Arrival- I get it and yet I don’t get it. Especially  after seeing Passengers. If you ask me both of these movies are on the same level when it comes to telling a really cool science fiction story yet one is getting critical acclaim for that story and one is a box office flop. Not saying that Passengers is on the exact same level as Arrival, what I’m saying is, they’re not on a different spectrum.  It’s like I saw that movie and I like it but unless Neil De grass Tyson and Bill Nye the Science guy are on the Oscar committee I don’t get how this got here.

Hacksaw Ridge-This was definitely a great movie. We are talking about picture of the year and I can say I don’t see that with Hacksaw Ridge. This movie came and went so quietly without a buzz from anyone, indi or mainstream. My guess is it has a lot to do with it’s director, Mel Gibson who’s become more of a black sheep in Hollywood than Roman Polanski. I can understand why this is the only props  he’s really getting for a decently made movie, and it is that. The highest quality  of film making, right up there with war epics like Saving Private Ryan. Right up there too. Not like with Passengers and Arrival, Hacksaw Ridge deserves a seat right next to Saving Private Ryan, and this Oscar nod maybe the only way anyone’s going to realize it.  So Hacksaw Ridge does deserve to be here but it feels weird because I barely herd any hype during it’s theatrical run. Poor Mel, better to ass fuck underage girls that go on Nazi rants.

Last and Least is Lion. I feel OK about being blunt about it after all, it has a nomination for best picture. I’ll say this, Dev Patel is certainly worthy of his Oscar nod as he gave a  great performance in the film. Maybe so good that it convince the Academy that the whole thing was worth a best pic nod? It’s the odd man out for me, just lucky to be in the room with all the others. Like when I went to see a sneak preview of a movie and it was filled to the max but I was able to get in just because I was by myself and not with a party. Yeah, it makes me sound like a bit of a loser, but it is a good metaphor for Lion.

See you at the Oscars.