Happy Oscar Day!!
Before we get started, you may have noticed that I did not write a Top
Ten Least Favorite Films this year.
Mostly because I’m lazy. But I
will go ahead and tell you that the worst film I saw this year was surprisingly
NOT Cats (I actually enjoyed myself watching Cats lol) but X-Men: Dark
Phoenix. It saddens me to see how far
the X-Men films have fallen. I love the
X-Men movies, but they really went downhill after Days of Future Past, and now
they’re just awful. Makes me sad.
Anyway, let’s move on to the good movies, shall we? Disappointingly, I’m not super excited about
the crop of Oscar films this year. Not
only because yes, admittedly, because they’re super white, but also because I
feel like a lot of them aren’t that exciting or innovative. Maybe in general I feel like films from 2019
weren’t that amazing. It was an average
year to put it mildly. Having said that,
there were of course movies that I loved.
Read on for my top ten!
10. Joker
I know, I know! I didn’t want
it to make my list, but it did. I can’t
help it! Joaquin Phoenix’s performance
is so exceptional, that I can’t let it go unnoticed. He carried this movie, and I am rooting for
him to win Best Actor tonight. Overall,
I think Joaquin Phoenix has been an underrated/overlooked actor, and I
personally think he should have won Oscars for Gladiator and The Master. But I’m glad he’s finally getting his due, as
overdue as it is. If it wasn’t for
Joaquin, Joker would have been a completely different (and not nearly as good)
film. So yes, I must confess that Joker
makes my list simply because of Joaquin Phoenix.
9. Ad Astra
Ad Astra snuck into this list unexpectedly. I was not at all expecting to like this movie
because I’m not a big science fiction fan and I have a fear of outer space. But I very much enjoyed it! Brad Pitt plays the son of a very famous
astronaut who is sent to Neptune to retrieve his father, whom everyone assumes
to be dead, but is secretly still alive, and obsessively looking for signs of
other life. I loved this film’s vision
of the future where people visit the moon for tourism. Where going to Mars is similar to
international travel today. The film
makes you appreciate what we have here on Earth, and how sacred it really
is. If the universe is infinite, then
there’s no way we’re alone out there, right?
But what if we are? What if this
truly is it?? What if we creatures here
on Earth are the ONLY living things in the ENTIRE universe? Kinda makes you feel disappointed and special
at the same time, huh?
8. 1917
In my opinion the thing that is most impressive about 1917 is the
production design. I’m not sure how much
of it was CGI, but it looks like they built everything from scratch. The trenches, no man’s land, the blown up
buildings, the abandoned homes, the underground bunkers – everything! And due to the “one shot” feel of the film,
you really get a good look at the whole space, not just bits and pieces of it
in the background behind an actor like you would in a traditionally shot
film. I hope 1917 wins for production
design and cinematography. It truly is
an impressive feat that Sam Mendes pulled off.
My gut instinct is telling me that it will win Best Picture, but I am
hoping for an upset. I want Parasite to
win, but I won’t be disappointed if this wins.
7. Knives Out
I thought Knives Out was really smart and kind of overlooked during
this year’s Oscar season. It should have
at least gotten a couple of supporting acting nominations and perhaps some
production design. Knives Out definitely
has that old school “Whodunit?” feel, but brought to the 21st
Century. All the characters are
interesting, fully fleshed out, well written individuals, and every actor did a
great job bringing them to life. But the
genius of the movie is its intricate, complex, and highly entertaining
story. It’s my pick for Best Screenplay
tonight.
6. Always be My Maybe
I love comedies, and there will always be at least one or two comedies
in my top ten of the year lists (keep reading!) because no matter now
beautifully made a film is, no matter how gut-wrenchingly emotional, ultimately, more than anything, I love to laugh. So if I see a movie that has me rolling on
the floor, I’m putting it in my top ten list.
Always be My Maybe is freakin’ hilarious! Ali Wong’s stand up is one of the funniest
I’ve ever seen, so it’s no surprise that her comedic acting is just as
good. I also loved Randall Park in this. And those scenes with Keanu are an absolute
riot! Always be My Maybe made me miss
good old fashion rom coms, and I’m super thankful that Netflix is bringing the
genre back!
5. Parasite
I want Parasite to win Best Picture tonight. It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen
a movie where I truly did not know where the story was headed or what was going
to happen next. And it wasn’t
necessarily because there were “twists” – there weren’t really in the
traditional sense of the term, it was more like a “Where are they going with
this?” kind of feeling. I knew basically
nothing going into this movie. I didn’t
even know what genre it was! I STILL
don’t really know what genre it is to be honest. Going in, I thought it was a horror
film! It is not a horror film, but it
does get dark. It’s not exactly a
comedy, but it is funny. I wouldn’t
quite call it a drama, though it is dramatic.
Let’s just say it’s in a class of its own, but in the best possible
way.
4. Once Upon a Time in
Hollywood
Damn you, Quentin. I can’t quit
you! It seems like a lot of people
didn’t love this movie as much as Quentin’s others, but I feel like it’s one of
his best. Leo is so good in it! Brad is Brad.
I’m actually surprised at all the awards he’s been getting for this
performance (I do think he’s winning tonight) because I think Leo is the true
stand out. He plays an aging, extremely
insecure actor who thinks his career is over, or at least headed for the
end. Brad Pitt plays his stunt double
and best friend. Almost the entire movie
is a slow burn that’s borderline boring, but then the final scene kicks you
right in the balls, and suddenly the whole movie comes together and the next
thing you know, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood makes your top ten list.
3. Booksmart
See what I mean about comedies?
I thought Olivia Wilde did a great job in her directorial debut. I think Hollywood is seriously lacking in
films that accurately portrays female friendships. Booksmart does a great job of it! I also liked that the lead characters were
your average, every day girls. They
weren’t unrealistically pretty or athletic.
Maybe unrealistically smart, but they were supposed to be the smartest
in their class, so that makes sense. The
film takes place on the last day of school, when the girls realize that they
spent their entire youth studying, and never partying. So they decide to go all out and finally go
to a party on the day before graduation.
Hilarity ensues. This movie was
exactly what I was hoping for and delivered in the best way!
2. The Farewell
I’m still shocked The Farewell got exactly ZERO nominations. No screenplay, no actress, no supporting
actress, no director, no international feature – NADA. It’s such a great film! It’s poised, delicate, moving, and just so perfectly
lovely. It tells the story of Billi, an
Asian American New Yorker who goes back to China with her family to see her
grandma possibly for the very last time.
Her grandmother has been diagnosed with cancer, but due to Chinese
traditions, no one in the family tells grandma.
Billi is torn between following her American instincts and telling grandma,
and keeping up the ruse to please her Chinese family. Awkwafina does an exceptional job! Shuzhen Zhao, who plays the grandma, is
excellent as well. Lulu Wang made a true
masterpiece that I believe will be loved for generations. Shame on you, Academy! SHAME!
1. The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Another underrated film
that received zero Oscar nominations. If
you read my Top Ten Favorite Films of the Decade list, then it should be no
surprise that The Last Black Man in San Francisco is my number one. Warning: spoilers ahead! However, they don’t have to be spoilers! It is streaming on Prime right now and I
HIGHLY recommend you watch it! I mean
obviously I recommend it. It IS my #1
pick!
The movie tells the story
of Jimmy Fails, and his best friend Montgomery.
Jimmy spends the film trying to get back a house that was built by his
grandfather. We know that Jimmy had a
rough past, but we don’t know many details.
We know that he grew up in the system and is estranged from both his mother
and father. We know that he lives with
Montgomery and Montgomery’s father. And
we know that more than anything in the world, he wants to live in that house. My coworker described this movie as “If Spike
Lee and Jim Jarmusch had a love child” and I couldn’t agree more.
So I have this theory that
The Last Black Man in SF is a modern, urban retelling of The Great Gatsby. Where Jimmy is Gatsby, Montgomery is Nick,
and the house is Daisy. Jimmy had the
house very briefly once upon a time, and was so in love with it, that his
delusion convinced himself that the house belonged to him, and that he was
entitled to it. He does everything in
his power to get the house back. When
Montgomery tries to tell Jimmy the truth, Jimmy won’t have it. It may be a stretch, but I see parallels
between Gatsby and Jimmy.
My favorite part about this
movie is the friendship between Jimmy and Montgomery. It’s rare to see a male friendship portrayed
so purely and so delicately in a film as it does in this movie. And in the last scene, when Jimmy writes the
letter to Montgomery saying, “Thank you for being my BEST FRIEND,” I
cried. This is a delightful gem of a
film! It made my heart swell!
My thoughts on the rest of the nominated films:
Ford v Ferrari – didn’t see it
The Irishman – Someone on the internet called it “Geriatric
Goodfellas” and I couldn’t put it better if I tried.
Jojo Rabbit – didn’t see it
Little Women – didn’t see it
Marriage Story – Depressing AF!
The performances are good, but I couldn’t really get into it.
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