Movie: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Nominated for: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song, Best Costume Design
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: I was drowsy, but no sleeping
When it had me: The crazy pan armor man!
When it lost me: I was in and out
What I have to say: This movie is a collection of stories from the wild west that is both whimsical and dedicated to the cold, hard brutality of what that time period was really like. Gone is the romanticism of the stoic cowboy, the simpler times, the heroic nobility of man conquering nature. This is all hard knocks, bad breaks and living on the knife edge of death. I definitely appreciated this approach. Some stories were stronger than others, which I think held this film back from the larger award categories. Overall I felt like I saw something unique, so that's good.
Movie: Mary Poppins Returns
Nominated for: Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design
How I watched: Movie Theatre
When I fell asleep: I didn't
When it had me: Lin-Manuel Miranda doing his rap-singing
When it lost me: Meryl Streep, shockingly
What I have to say: I saw this movie with my kids in a packed theatre of movie watchers older than me! The old folks love Mary Poppins! This movie took me through the paces; from rolling my eyes at their obvious attempts to recreate the first movie step by step (another song and dance about an old-time-y London job? And while we are on the topic what's with Her Majesty's bike ramps and ye olde jumping stunts? Good grief!) to feeling utter delight and happiness for the trust and care of little people (a bright and bawdy song about not trusting what people appear to be and love and empathy extended to children who have suffered loss), I couldn't figure out which way was up! Speaking of which way is up, Meryl Streep as the Topsy Turvy character felt out of place and forced. While the movie managed some shining moments, it felt too long by a dance number or two and couldn't seem to get grounded and consistent. The presence of Ben Whishaw often made me wish I was watching Paddington instead, and I'm quite sure the film makers did NOT want that to happen.
Movie: If Beale Street Could Talk
Nominated for: Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score
When I fell asleep: I didn't
When it had me: Strong family love
When it lost me: Meandering story and music
What I have to say: First off, this is nominated for score. Sometimes I don't even notice the score the first time watching a movie but I distinctly remember thinking, "this music is going to kill me!" The main theme was heavy and repeated A LOT. I just didn't connect to it. As far as the movie was concerned, I really appreciated that this movie dealt with police issues, racism, the prison industrial complex, poverty and scarcity but kept its main focus on the love of family. The main female character has a close, loving, supportive family who are there to see her through all of the struggle; a refreshing and hopeful perspective. The acting in the movie is great. The plot is there but it feels secondary to the idea that the movie is a kind of tone poem. We witness a celebration of the intense loving connection between two people. We see both the difficulty and importance of holding on to that connection in the face of tragedy. The misty images and vulnerable close ups were beautiful and wistful. However those images started to lose their strength for me due to repetition. The combination of heavy music and repeated visuals wore me down and there wasn't enough driving the plot to keep me engaged. The parts were better than the sum for me. I didn't get the overall impact of the story for which I had hoped.
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