Movie: 1917
Nominated for: Best Picture, Directing, Cinematography, Make Up and Hairstyling, Original Score, Production Design, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects, Original Screenplay
How I watched: IMAX
When I fell asleep: Not possible
When it had me: From the "One Shot" Trick
When it lost me: It didn't
What I have to say: I think this one is the winner. It has "a thing", appearing to be all captured in one long shot, and we all know Oscar loves a gimmick. This "gimmick" serves an undeniable purpose of letting you live an uninterrupted and immersive experience alongside two young soldiers in WWI. But this movie is also much, much more than its gimmick. It's a personal story, in the midst of a war setting. It's alternately beautiful and sweeping or unbelievably disgusting or terribly heart breaking. It's well-acted and it really makes you feel something, emotionally and viscerally. It's also happens to be a cinematic achievement! Roger Deakins has to be a lock for Cinematography given the crazy task he had in order to shoot this beautiful journey. It's hard to argue against this film. Seeing it on IMAX was the right choice for me to really be able to feel what this film is all about.
Movie: Little Women
Nominated for: Best Picture, Actress in A Leading Role, Actress in a Supporting Role, Costume Design, Original Score, Adapted Screenplay
How I watched: With my mom and my kids! How nice!
When I fell asleep: No
When it had me: Immediately
When it lost me: After the movie
What I have to say: What a cast! The ensemble strength of this piece just made you love the family and feel so invested. What I think Greta Gerwig did so well was to show us a period drama where the characters were so fully accessible to now. (Angelina liked, in particular, when Jo and Laurie are dancing crazily outside the stuffy ball. It looked like how we would behave today.) Their struggles did not feel that remote from mine. We really enjoyed this!
(SPOILER ALERT) Interestingly, my mother caught the fact that Jo writes a "marriage" ending in order to sell her book and guessed correctly that Louisa May Alcott's own life probably went differently. We looked it up and found that, sure enough Louisa, the writer, never gave up on her hard earned independence and lived the spinster life to which Jo so fervently aspired. Only then did I feel cheated. I wish we weren't still being fed the white male publisher's version of an acceptable ending.
Movie: The Irishman
Nominated for: Best Picture, Directing, Two Actors in Supporting Roles, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Production Design, Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay
How I watched: In the theatre
When I fell asleep: I believe I became very drowsy, but never drifted off
When it had me: When the Irishman claims not to know why his truck is empty
When it lost me: De Niro's CGI face was really off putting, the end lingered through about three or four false endings
What I have to say: Firstly, this was such a different look at the mafia from Scorcese. We've seen the mob as frenetic, charming, brutal, glamorous, thrilling and frightening. This one felt like more of a study in loyalty, for better or worse. The Irishman took an honest, measured and contemplative approach. I was alternately moved and terrified by the depths of unquestioning, sociopathic, loyalty demonstrated by Frank Sheeran.
Secondly, who doesn't have a soft spot for these actors doing this work with this director? Set aside the fact that it was very hard to look at De Niro's face for large parts of the movie, or that Pacino seemed like really weird casting for a German-Irish, Italian-hating Hoffa. You cannot deny the amazing talent and performances gathered in these three hours.
Thirdly, three hours? I hate that when these directors get to a certain place in their careers, no one is powerful enough to tell them to CUT DOWN the running time.
Fourthly, my (far-removed) cousin's famous murder in front of Umberto's was included. That's always fun for me!
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