2019 Oscar shouldabeens

For the films of 2019
dws1982
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

Post by dws1982 »

So 2019 was definitely the best year of the 2010's for me; based on my Letterboxd rankings, I gave five stars to my top six films, and I've seen all of them but Waves within the past year and I think the five that I've seen still hold up. Of course a star rating isn't the be-all end-all, and it's all a little bit arbitrary at the end of the day, but I would probably put it in the 7 or 8 range. By the Grace of God is a movie that I haven't rewatched but really holds up in my mind, while Give Me Liberty is one that I remember liking a lot but remember almost nothing about. At a minimum, I would put Once Upon a Time... in that spot and bumped Give Me Liberty down to the runners-up.

I should probably rewatch Jackie Brown but I really do think it's Tarantino's best film. (SPOILER, BUT IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS) The much-discussed ending, which I didn't like when I first saw it, and was probably my biggest issue with the film, now strikes me as very moving in the way Tarantino is imagining an alternate timeline in which Sharon Tate would've lived, and in which all of the possibilities that she embodied (both as a person--an expectant mother, an actress--and as a symbol of late 60's Hollywood) could've lived. Of course Tarantino can't reimagine this in a straightforward manner (and it would probably seem very hokey if he did), so he couches it behind over-the-top violence and what I'm sure are very specific references to B-movies of that era, but what originally played as another elaborate stunt from Tarantino definitely hit differently on my second and third viewings. (The first viewing came after a week of training, so that may have clouded my view because I was so tired.) The rest of the movie, which at the first viewing played mostly like a catalogue of Tarantino showing off his knowledge of late 60's TV and B-movies still kind of does, but I like the vibe a lot more than I did initially, and I now recognize this as something pretty personal on Tarantino's part--as the only child of a divorced mother, it definitely plays as tribute to the movies and TV shows that kept him company as a child. And on reflection, there's probably something deeply personal in the Tate character and how he handles her, even though Tarantino has (pretty recently) said some things that indicate he does not have a close (or even good) relationship with his mother.
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

Post by Sabin »

dws1982 wrote
Best Picture:
1- A Hidden Life (Terrence Malick)
2- Little Women (Greta Gerwig)
3- The Irishman (Martin Scorsese)
4- Waves (Trey Edward Shults)
5- Parasite (Bong Joon-Ho)
6- A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Marielle Heller)
7- By the Grace of God (Francois Ozon)
8- Give Me Liberty (Kiril Mikhanovsky)
9- Ad Astra (James Gray)
10- They Shall Not Grow Old (Peter Jackson)
Runners-Up: For Sama (Waad al-Kaateb, Edward Watts); Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach); Richard Jewell (Clint Eastwood); Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino); Sunset (Laszlo Nemes); Ash is Purest White (Jia Zhangke); Wrestle (Susannah Herbert); Transit (Christian Petzold); Glass (M. Night Shyamalan)
Forgive my snooping, but I noticed you rewatched Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood again and gave it ****1/2 on letterboxd. Where would you put it on your list today?
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

Post by Precious Doll »

I've updated my selections.

Waves takes my top cinematography spot (from The Nightingale). 4th & 5th place supporting actresses have also been updated.

Still have more films to see from 2019.
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

Post by Big Magilla »

dws1982 wrote: My town--near the Tennessee state line, 250 miles north of Monroeville--is much bigger, but also has very few landmarks or historical markers, and people always try to sell visitors on the few things we have.
Interesting. I guess small towns and cities are like that all over. Benicia, California, where I lived from 1984-2003 is a city of less than 30,000 people. It is basically a San Francisco bedroom community with a great bay breeze which provides natural air conditioning but the city's only landmark is what was once the California State Capitol for thirteen months during the gold rush from 1853-1854. The building isn't much of anything. It resembles a courthouse with two courts, one upstairs and one downstairs, which were the legislative chambers of the capitol before it moved to Sacramento.

I would take visitors there but never once in almost twenty years did I ever find anyone else in the building. It seemed as though someone opened it in the morning and locked it up in evening without setting foot in it in-between. Obviously, that wasn't the case because the building was always clean. It just seemed that way.
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

Post by dws1982 »

Re, Waves: That first half is a lot, and I fully understand people not liking it. It's one of those things that I couldn't really argue or defend, because I get why people wouldn't respond to it and might find it even ludicrous. (I know some people really hated the musical choice that comes at the climax of the first half.) Give Me Liberty is another that some people will hate (for different reasons) and find off-putting, and I can't really argue that they're wrong.

So Just Mercy: I will say Just Mercy probably would not have made my Adapted Screenplay shortlist in another year. For 2018, the category was strong enough that I had to leave off my number one movie of the year. This year I really had to stretch to find five. (The top three screenplays are truly top notch though, and the top two are as good as anything on the original side.) I thought the reference to the Harper Lee house by the DA's secretary was actually a smart touch for a couple of reasons. First of all, in towns like Monroeville with one or two notable landmarks, those landmarks are almost always brought up in casual conversation with people from out of town. (My town--near the Tennessee state line, 250 miles north of Monroeville--is much bigger, but also has very few landmarks or historical markers, and people always try to sell visitors on the few things we have.) That line made me realize that this movie was more clued in to small town life than a lot of films set (partially or fully) in rural towns. It was also smart because that scene is a white lady speaking to a more educated black man, and I took it as her speaking in a bit of a code that I've seen a good bit throughout my life: By talking to him about To Kill A Mockingbird and its ties to that town, she's also trying to say something that she can't come out and say explicitly (and she is being more than a little condescending, maybe without even realizing): "I'm not racist, I love that book." To Kill A Mockingbird is a great book in my opinion, but there's no doubt that it has been used by a lot of people in this state in particular almost to prove that they aren't racist. It's not a great-great movie, could've benefitted from a more imaginative visual style for sure, but I found Rob Morgan's performance deeply moving, and thought the whole ensemble (well, minus Rafe Spall, who was disappointing as usual) was very solid. It probably was helped by being one of the last movies I watched before I put my final list together (Give Me Liberty was the very last).
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

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I liked both Waves and Just Mercy but my favorite among the year's slice of African-American life films was The Last Black Man in San Francisco with Luce my second favorite and Waves my third. Queen & Slim was the only one I didn't really care for. I liked the performances in Just Mercy but if even if you didn't know the outcome you could have easily figured it out. The others kept you guessing.

Lots of actors in these films, as well as the films themselves, were award-worthy but it was such a great year for actors I have a hard time replacing any of the Oscar nominees with any of them. The closest I can come would be to replace Cynthia Erivo with Taylor Russell in Waves and one of the supporting actress nominees with Octavia Spencer in Luce. In a lesser year, I would also include Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Luce and Jamie Foxx in Just Mercy.
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

Post by Mister Tee »

I wish I'd written about Waves when I watched it, but it was right when all this mishegas began back in late March, and it was hard to muster focus to construct a coherent critique. At this point, my memory is too vague to be confident I'll do justice to my reaction, but...I will say, in broad terms, I don't share your enthusiasm, particularly for the film's first half, which struck me as too inexorable in its slide toward misery. I liked the second half considerably more -- and can applaud the very interesting structural choice that made the second half so different, as well as the overall level of craft. But I just really didn't care for that first section, which on some level means I couldn't buy into the film's premise.

Not on the same level, of course, but you also cite Just Mercy a few times on your list. Perhaps it was my mood that night, but I stopped the film after about half an hour. It just struck me as kind of condescending -- the knowing dismissal of the locals who kept touting the Harper Lee house -- and I couldn't stick with it, figuring there would be more smugness along the way. (I'm a bit surprised this didn't rankle you, as well, given you're a Alabama native.) If you can tell me the film went surprising directions after the opening, I might give it another try. But I was really put off.

However, to speak of where we aren't in disagreement: I can't recall a year when we were both so near-the-top enthusiastic about multiple films -- Little Women, The Irishman and Parasite. Granted, they're fairly exceptional (and widely praised) films, but neither of us is averse to dissenting from consensus, so it seems worth noting that in this case we're in sync.
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

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I'm interested to see some other reactions to Waves. It's one of those movies that I fully understand some people will hate, but I've watched it twice now and I liked it just as much the second time. (Didn't put it as an ensemble nominee because I had already put it in all four acting categories.) It's such a swing for the fences that some people are going to dislike it though.

So, Where'd You Go, Bernadette? was not a movie I had high expectations for on account of not being a particular fan of Linklater and the fact that it got delayed so many times. I know a lot of people didn't like it, especially fans of the book, and it came and went without any notice. (Apparently Annapurna didn't even do the paperwork to make it Oscar-eligible.) It's a mess, but it has some really good performances (wish Billy Crudup were better served by the film, because he was excellent in a not-good part) and at times it kind of felt like the movie that Linklater fans say he's made several times over.
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

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I always look forward to your Oscar shouldabeens each year dws. Your selections are always so eclectic and personal.

I'm really looking forward to Waves which was scheduled for release later this month and has been pushed back to an early July release when independent cinemas are scheduled to re-open. However, I've purchased the American Blu Ray as I'm planning as avoiding cinema screenings as much as possible. If I can't purchase a legal international physical release or the film is something I'm happy to wait until streaming I'll pass on the cinema screening, though I will finish off the French Film Festival I was attending prior to cinemas being shutdown which is set to resume.

I'm also beginning to wonder if Where’d You Go, Bernadette? will ever turn up in my country. It was scheduled to open a week or two after the US release but due to the poor box office in the US got pulled from release. I would have expected a physical media or streaming release by now given. I guess it will turn up sooner or later.
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

Post by dws1982 »

Best Picture:
1- A Hidden Life (Terrence Malick)
2- Little Women (Greta Gerwig)
3- The Irishman (Martin Scorsese)
4- Waves (Trey Edward Shults)
5- Parasite (Bong Joon-Ho)
6- A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Marielle Heller)
7- By the Grace of God (Francois Ozon)
8- Give Me Liberty (Kiril Mikhanovsky)
9- Ad Astra (James Gray)
10- They Shall Not Grow Old (Peter Jackson)
Runners-Up: For Sama (Waad al-Kaateb, Edward Watts); Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach); Richard Jewell (Clint Eastwood); Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino); Sunset (Laszlo Nemes); Ash is Purest White (Jia Zhangke); Wrestle (Susannah Herbert); Transit (Christian Petzold); Glass (M. Night Shyamalan)

Best Director:
1- Greta Gerwig, Little Women
2- Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
3- Trey Edward Shults, Waves
4- Terrence Malick, A Hidden Life
5- Bong Joon-Ho, Parasite

Best Actor:
1- Adam Driver, Marriage Story
3- Brad Pitt, Ad Astra (and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
3- Chris Galust, Give Me Liberty
4- Paul Walter Hauser, Richard Jewell
5- Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Waves (and Luce)
Runners-Up: August Diehl, A Hidden Life; Robert DeNiro, The Irishman; Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory; Matthew Rhys, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Best Actress:
1- Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
2- Taylor Russell, Waves
3- Valerie Pachner, A Hidden Life
4- Zhao Tao, Ash Is Purest White
5- Juli Jakub, Sunset
Runners-Up: Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story, Cate Blanchett, Where’d You Go, Bernadette?; Renee Zellweger, Judy; Mary Kay Place, Diane; Sienna Miller, American Woman

Best Supporting Actor:
1- Swann Arlaud, By the Grace of God
2- Timothee Chalamet, Little Women
3- Joe Pesci, The Irishman
4. Sterling K. Brown, Waves
5. Rob Morgan, Just Mercy
Runners-Up: Chris Cooper, Little Women; Al Pacino, The Irishman; Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood; Jamie Foxx, Just Mercy; Ricardo Darin, Everybody Knows; Alan Alda, Marriage Story; Leonardo Sabaraglia, Pain and Glory

Best Supporting Actress:
1- Park So-dam, Parasite
2- Florence Pugh, Little Women
3- Renee Elise Goldsberry, Waves
4- Octavia Spencer, Luce
5- Lauren Lolo Spencer, Give Me Liberty
Runners-Up: Cho Yeo-Jeong, Parasite; Margot Robbie, Bombshell; Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell; Anya Taylor-Joy, Glass; Zhao Suzhen, The Farewell; Laura Dern, Little Women; Laura Dern, Marriage Story; Deidre O'Connell, Diane; Christina Hendricks, American Woman

Best Ensemble:
1- Little Women
2- By the Grace of God
3- Parasite
4- The Irishman
5- Just Mercy

Best Original Screenplay:
1- Parasite
2- By the Grace of God
3- A Hidden Life
4- Ad Astra
5- Marriage Story

Best Adapted Screenplay:
1- Little Women
2- The Irishman
3- A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
4- Transit
5- Just Mercy

Best Cinematography:
1- A Hidden Life
2- Ad Astra
3- Waves
4- Little Women
5- Black Mother

Best Editing:
1- Parasite
2- Little Women
3- A Hidden Life
4- They Shall Not Grow Old
5- Give Me Liberty

Best Score:
1- Little Women
2- A Hidden Life
3- Ad Astra
4- The Last Black Man in San Francisco
5- Apollo 11

Best Production Design:
1- Parasite
2- Ad Astra
3- 1917
4- Glass
5- A Hidden Life

Best Costume Design:
1- Sunset
2- Little Women
3- Knives Out
4- Never Look Away
5- Hustlers

Best Sound Mixing:
1- Waves
2- Ad Astra
3- Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood
4- Parasite
5- Richard Jewell

Best Sound Effects:
1- They Shall Not Grow Old
2- Ad Astra
3- Glass
4- 1917
5- The Irishman

Best Visual Effects:
1- Ad Astra
2- Gemini Man
3- 1917
4- Godzilla: King of Monsters
5- Ford v. Ferrari

Best Makeup/Hairstyling:
1- Little Women
2- Judy
3- Hustlers
4- Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood
5- Ash is Purest White
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

Post by OscarGuy »

It was nominated for several critics awards and, unlike the Academy, their eligibility is only US releases.
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

Post by Big Magilla »

Reza wrote:Was Portrait of a Lady on Fire eligible at the past Oscars?
Yes.

Per IMDb:
USA
6 December 2019
(limited) (LA/NY Only)
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

Post by Reza »

Was Portrait of a Lady on Fire eligible at the past Oscars?
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

Post by anonymous1980 »

I posted my full picks on my Facebook wall but here's my picks on the major categories:

BEST PICTURE
01. "Parasite"
02. "Little Women"
03. "Marriage Story"
04. "The Irishman"
05. "Portrait of a Lady on Fire"
06. "The Lighthouse"
07. "Knives Out"
08. "Invisible Life"
09. "For Sama"
10. "Jojo Rabbit"

BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese ("The Irishman")
Greta Gerwig ("Little Women")
Noah Baumbach ("Marriage Story")
Bong Joon-ho ("Parasite")***
Celine Sciamma ("Portrait of a Lady on Fire")

BEST ACTOR
Antonio Banderas ("Pain & Glory")
Leonardo DiCaprio ("Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood")
Adam Driver ("Marriage Story")***
Eddie Murphy ("Dolemite is My Name")
Adam Sandler ("Uncut Gems")

BEST ACTRESS
Adele Haenel ("Portrait of a Lady on Fire")
Scarlett Johansson ("Marriage Story")
Noemie Merlant ("Portrait of a Lady on Fire")
Lupita Nyong'o ("Us")
Saoirse Ronan ("Little Women")***

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Willem Dafoe ("The Lighthouse")
Shia LaBeouf ("Honey Boy")
Al Pacino ("The Irishman")
Joe Pesci ("The Irishman")***
Song Kang-ho ("Parasite")

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Laura Dern ("Marriage Story")
Scarlett Johansson ("Jojo Rabbit")
Jennifer Lopez ("Hustlers")
Florence Pugh ("Little Women")***
Zhao Shuzhen ("The Farewell")

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Rian Johnson ("Knives Out")
Robert Eggers and Max Eggers ("The Lighthouse")
Noah Baumbach ("Marriage Story")
Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won ("Parasite")***
Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie and Ronald Bronstein ("Uncut Gems")

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Jeremy Clapin and Guillaume Laurent ("I Lost My Body")
Murilo Hauser, Inés Bortagaray and Karim Aïnouz ("Invisible Life")
Steven Zaillian ("The Irishman")
Taika Waititi ("Jojo Rabbit")
Greta Gerwig ("Little Women")***
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Re: 2019 Oscar shouldabeens

Post by ksrymy »

BEST PICTURE
01. Parasite (dir. Bong Joon-ho)
02. Little Women (dir. Greta Gerwig)
03. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (dir. Celine Sciamma)
04. Jojo Rabbit (dir. Taika Waititi)
05. The Farewell (dir. Lulu Wang)
06. Midsommar (dir. Ari Aster)
07. Uncut Gems (dirs. Josh & Benny Safdie)
08. Booksmart (dir. Olivia Wilde)
09. The Lighthouse (dir. Robert Eggers)
10. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (dir. Quentin Tarantino)

BEST DIRECTOR
01. Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
02. Greta Gerwig, Little Women
03. Céline Sciamma, Portrait of a Lady on Fire
04. Ari Aster, Midsommar
05. Robert Eggers, The Lighthouse

BEST ACTOR
01. Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
02. Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems
03. Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name
04. Adam Driver, Marriage Story
05. Joaquin Phoenix, Joker

BEST ACTRESS
01. Wu Ke-Xi, Nina Wu
02. Awkwafina, The Farewell
03. Saorise Ronan, Little Women
04. Lupita Nyong'o, Us
05. Julia Garner, The Assistant

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
01. Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse
02. Song Kang-ho, Parasite
03. Joe Pesci, The Irishman
04. Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
05. Timothée Chalamet, Little Women

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
01. Florence Pugh, Little Women
02. Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell
03. Lee Jung-eun, Parasite
04. Laura Dern, Marriage Story
05. Cho Yeo-Jeong, Parasite
Last edited by ksrymy on Sat Dec 31, 2022 11:35 am, edited 3 times in total.
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