So there were 53 total nominees at the Oscars this year, 38 features and 15 shorts. I've seen all 53 in case you're unable to. So here's a quick summary of all the feature nominees, excluding the Best Picture nominees which have their own space here (coming soon). But, before tonight, here we go in alphabetical order:
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| Ad Astra |
It may look like the next 2001: A Space Odyssey but it's not. It tries explore the depths of not just space, but also human nature. Sometimes, it pulls it off and Pitt's performance is excellent, but it struggles tonally and with pace. That being said, it is beautifully shot with some striking lighting, possibly unrivalled this year. Combined, though, with some clunky exposition, and you have something that is aware of its potential, ambitious to reach its potential, but unable to do so.
American Factory
As documentaries go, American Factory is eye-opening. It explores the culture clash of an American-Chinese factory, the discrimination involved in unwanted unionisation, the painful success of the heartless regime and is always engaging, and exciting even.
Avengers: Endgame
Endgame is an odd film. It's first act is disjointed, sloppy, and slow, but the second half is an unrivalled triumph with only minor speedbumps. It's unlikely that any other film will replicate the success of Endgame, especially considering the magnitude of what it had to do. It needs a sharper edit, cutting out all selfie jokes and fortnight references whilst also making it's social comments more authentic rather than clunkily shoe-horning them in. But don't let that take away from how breathtaking the climax of ten years' worth of cinema is.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Tom Hanks would seem to be an ideal choice to play Mr Rodgers, and you're not wrong - he's as close as we'll get. But no-one can be Mr Rodgers, really. There is something special about him (see Would you be my Neighbour, a 2018 documentary on him) and that is what comes through here more than anything. Hanks is really telling the true story of a brilliant man rather than acting as him. He challenged the status quo, was counter cultural, and here we see his ability to truly reach people. It's touching, if a little basic.
Bombshell
Great performances and a horrid truth. Timely, widely acknowledged, and yet still deeply shocking; the reality of what happened behind those closed doors is not dealt with lightly. Director Jay Roach knows how to make his audience uncomfortable and does so to unsettling effect, to put us in the shoes of the victims - or as near as we can get from the comfort of distance - but it makes the point. This is serious, this is painful, this is real, this is wrong.
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| Corpus Christi |
Breakthrough
There is nothing enjoyable about the first 20 minutes of Breakthrough. In fact, and I know this sounds bad, it only gets going when a kid almost tragically dies. The characters, at the start, are all unlikeable. And sure, Christians recognise that all people are flawed and broken - it's not shying away from that - but cinematically we need to connect. We should care when John falls through the ice... but we don't. Still, it recovers and moves on. The characters improve and the film starts to raise some good questions, bad sadly never attempts to tackle them.
The Cave
Syrian war documentaries are no stranger to the Oscars. There's two this year, both focusing on the work of hospitals at the centre of the conflict. The Cave is an uneasy watch, but it doesn't portray a world devoid of hope. We see the small joys, the celebrations, the laughs and jokes that happen in a literal hole in the earth. It's hard not to be moved.
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi is the joy of the Oscar season. A small Polish film that we might never have heard of if not for its nomination. But it's excellent and deserving of its place alongside the big-dogs like Parasite. It's engaging from the off and it never relieves the tension. It explores the hypocrisy of the good faithful villagers from the perspective of a bad faithful criminal and it does it masterfully.
The Edge of Democracy
If, like this humble author, you have no idea of the political situation in Brazil, this is the documentary to watch, regardless of whether you find the topic dull. The outworkings of greed and corruption permeate the political landscape, with everyone listed as either the saviour or the devil. In the world we live in today, it's a reminder of why binary politics can be so damaging, but also that democracy is fragile and cannot be given without thought to the powerful and the greedy.
For Sama
With a specific focus on children in the war, presented as a letter to the director's daughter Sama, For Sama is a breathtaking documentary that will have you on the edge of your seat. It's worth saying, there is little to enjoy when watching For Sama. But you're not here to have fun War is dark. It is horrific. Any joy is fought tooth and nail for, whilst grief is given freely. If you can bear it, it's a truly eye-opening film. If you're like me, you'll hug your loved ones slightly tighter after watching it.
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| Knives Out |
Frozen II
Overall an improvement on its predecessor, but its music is lacking, which was easily the strongest part of the previous installment. Visually, it's in a new league from the bleary blues of Frozen but it is still falls into too many sequel traps, never quite feeling fresh or new.
Harriet
Rushed, sloppy, and, for the most part, ineffective at creating any sort of feeling for the central characters. It rattles along whilst never building any tension or really giving any sort of commentary. It feels pointless; it never really solidifies Harriet as a great woman as she never really get shown to do very much, which in turn defeats the point of the film.
Honeyland
The most cinematic of documentaries this year. A commentary on natural resources, the exploitation of them, and of relationships. It's heart-warming and heart-breaking; moving and meaningful. It doesn't do a lot, but what it does it does very well. Who would've thought a film about bee-keeping could be quite so powerful?
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Suffering from third-film stagnation, How to Train your Dragon 3 just doesn't really work. There's a lot going on but nothing convincingly. It's slightly contrived and somehow, the background characters from the earlier films have found their way to more central roles and have brought their grating personalities and strange traits with them. Visually, it is stunning, but narratively, it's flat which is a real shame.
I Lost My Body
Superb animation, a beautiful and heartfelt story, and a dismembered hand trying to find its way home. It's genuinely exciting when the hand has to take on huge opponents like rats or pigeons and never pretends to be family friendly due to its medium. This has scary moments, loving moments, painful moments, and many more. Its narrative is well paced leading to a hugely satisfying end, even if not a totally happy one.
Judy
Judy is one astonishing performance and little else. It's a watchable, even enjoyable film, but there's no real creative flair, which is a missed opportunity, especially with the concert scenes where it felt all too copy-and-paste, all too samey, with one exception at the end. However, instead of ending there, on a high, they retreat back to cheap sentimentality without the real cause to do so. It's fine, but go elsewhere for something good.
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| The Lighthouse |
Klaus
Klaus is beautifully animated and the voice acting is a treat. It's a Christmas film through and through, reinventing the Santa Claus' mythos in a gentle, endearing way. There's no great magic, no great technology, just a man who loves toys and children, as well as the greedy-come-kind postman who helps him realise his true calling. J.K. Simmons proves what he can do with just his voice in an enjoyable little tale. Is it predictable, mostly, but in such a fun way.
Knives Out
Possibly the most fun you can have with a murder mystery. There's a sense that everyone on camera here is having the best time of their lives, especially Daniel Craig. His southern detective is the crowning jewel of an already excellent film. It takes all of what you know about whodunnits and freshens it up whilst keeping everything you love. Simply a joy.
Les Misérables
Not the musical stage spectacular or the Tom Hooper adaptation of 2012, this is a more brutal, modern, real look at the neighbourhood that once inspired Victor Hugo. There's crime abundant and the police force are no strangers to it, and even are a bit too warm to it. The tensions reach breaking point and there's a manic attempt to claw back dignity and respect leading to a heart-racing finale. With some great performances and an intelligent screenplay, Les Misérables is a French triumph.
The Lighthouse
A simply stunning piece of art. Robert Pattinson has never been better; Willem Dafoe has never been better; modern black and white has never been better; 1.19:1 aspect ratio has never been better. This descent into madness is a marvel; we share in the characters insanity. Are they insane, are we? What's happening? We always know and don't know. There's something incredibly striking and unique about that paradoxical position, making us Schrodinger's audience, always on the precipice of understanding, yet never further way. Hark Triton, hark!
The Lion King
There's something soulless about The Lion King. The realism of the animation takes away the opportunity for creativity. As captivating and beautiful as it is, The Lion King is nothing original (obviously, as a near shot-for-shot remake), and nothing entertaining. The colour pallette, facial expressions, and therefore the joy are all restricted by the commitment to being a 'live action' remake. It's sad, and will leave you begging for something wholly new and unique.
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| Pain and Glory |
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
An unnecessary sequel to a somewhat unnecessary film. Angelina Jolie turns up, but it can't be said that anybody else does. There's no tenison, no real stakes. The baddies are 'hidden' but it's clear to the audience from the get-go who's the evil one, making it seem painful that the characters can't see it to. As with a lot of the lower rated films this year, it works hard visually, understanding its medium. Those iron air mines against the blue sky are marvellous.
Missing Link
A lot of fun, if not a bit twee. The stop motion animation is a treat and deserves many accolades, but it's not as good as it was in Kubo and the Two Strings which was excellent. Somehow, at only 93 minutes, it still feels quite long, but still silly family fun.
Pain and Glory
This is a pretty film. The colours explode from the scene making it a joy to watch regardless of anything else. There's beauty in the narrative too; a suffering artist struggling to find his creative juices whilst having to dredge up and work through old conflicts. Plus heroin. Good fun, warm, and Antonio Banderas has never been better.
Richard Jewell
This is a film about a 'true American hero', as director Clint Eastwood puts it, but it's a pity they made the hero so unlikeable. We're introduced to him abusing his power over students, being over keen about the police force, and quite openly having the runs. It's trying to set up the conflict for later, but all it really does is disengage the audience to the point where instead of screaming at the FBI to look elsewhere, you're hoping they do find some dirt on Richard.
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| The Two Popes |
Rocketman
Rocketman, in one sense has been cheated. It's a league ahead of last year's Bohemian Rhapsody and yet has next to none of the recognition. It is superior in all respects, not least in its lead performance, and it's just unfair. That being said, for the most part, it's a formulaic musical biopic with some good adjustments. It's full of unrealised promise, but a lot of fun nonetheless.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
If you can ignore the fact that it doesn't really make any sense - which may be a tall ask - and that it's at least 30 minutes too long - which is a tall ask if you forget to go to the toilet - then you can start to enjoy the final instalment of the Skywalker saga. There's a lot of problems - a lot - but it's still got stunning visual effects, great performances, and some spellbinding action, even if it feels like going round the houses to get there.
Toy Story 4
Whilst a fourth instalment of the much loved animated series seemed entirely unnecessary - and in many senses it was - it refused to be irrelevant. It wasn't a simple cash-grab, continuing to deal with real issues whilst introducing new characters and solidifying the old. Is it the weakest in the series? Yes. Is it still a great film? Yes.
The Two Popes
Genuinely funny and moving as it considers questions bigger than ourselves. Anchored by two brilliantly touching performances - Hopkins and Pryce. Together, they bring humility and humanity to the Vatican leaders in a film that boasts strong storytelling and a tight script, never losing its warmth amongst its existential explorations and search for God's true will.
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