tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34425533459500236912024-03-13T12:17:54.147-04:00Sorta That GuyRyan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.comBlogger1607125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-44122809593198575782024-03-10T12:05:00.000-04:002024-03-10T12:05:05.932-04:00Oscars Should/Will Win<div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJOjUqQcXQp4vbyRHxQI75wHZhwf7oZrAKCy7hVloyGPiAWpuYDdi-FFQ_HxKlMm64bBBl4Fpm7PY7qo4BDJ3MNJ8v8L87_HhEj5VzgNF1nXdSfk3W4E9ZtIOYErl8OjIMY5iL0rHw920AonaEYWh5jNo6bDqN0LkRCjBIu3meV9m8UkQkyZ0lMvMJ8w/s1347/oscars24_opp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="1347" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJOjUqQcXQp4vbyRHxQI75wHZhwf7oZrAKCy7hVloyGPiAWpuYDdi-FFQ_HxKlMm64bBBl4Fpm7PY7qo4BDJ3MNJ8v8L87_HhEj5VzgNF1nXdSfk3W4E9ZtIOYErl8OjIMY5iL0rHw920AonaEYWh5jNo6bDqN0LkRCjBIu3meV9m8UkQkyZ0lMvMJ8w/w400-h221/oscars24_opp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The film year of Barbenheimer will come to an official close tonight at the Oscars where both films seem assured to win--one more than the other obviously as is obvious from my predictions below.<br /><br /><p></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">As per my own tradition now, I've written down my <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oscars?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oscars</a> predictions to keep myself honest. Should be a very good night for OPPENHEIMER. <a href="https://t.co/IpzxARd7C6">pic.twitter.com/IpzxARd7C6</a></p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1766852903371714885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br /><br />So yeah <i>Oppenheimer </i>wins 8 Oscars and I think I'm actually being conservative. It can easily reach double digits in a real sweep which is a strong possibility. The acting awards, save for Best Actress, is pretty much set in stone and I do think they will go with Gladstone. But speaking of horse races, does anyone REALLY know who's going to win Visual Effects?<br /><br />I will be quite happy and satisfied when <i>Oppenheimer </i>wins, but if I had my own ballot, Barbenheimer shifts towards the delectable pink movie that was high risk and high reward this year.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhKVNUs57I-MSasKpWXIVMcunpH6vvm-iMF9NT_nK8x3crQfdGHMrJ7C89nrYQAW13dd4n2O7ePzrxh-AiMUwJQaf6_wjyGx3j0tnTQ2mieehGMZvU-RsMpZkevAjB6-99-nbqpDTrcK33RjA-IU5Pz194LLCvHllKrMkklIRXEMyeujoy9_AkRn9iYI/s1200/oscars24_bar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhKVNUs57I-MSasKpWXIVMcunpH6vvm-iMF9NT_nK8x3crQfdGHMrJ7C89nrYQAW13dd4n2O7ePzrxh-AiMUwJQaf6_wjyGx3j0tnTQ2mieehGMZvU-RsMpZkevAjB6-99-nbqpDTrcK33RjA-IU5Pz194LLCvHllKrMkklIRXEMyeujoy9_AkRn9iYI/w400-h225/oscars24_bar.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /></div><div><br /><b>Best Picture:</b> Barbie<br /><b>Best Director:</b> Chrstopher Nolan, Oppenheimer<br /><b>Best Lead Actor:</b> Colman Domingo, Rustin<br /><b>Best Lead Actress:</b> Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon<br /><b>Best Supporting Actor:</b> Ryan Gosling, Barbie<br /><b>Best Supporting Actress:</b> Da'Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers<br /><b>Best Original Screenplay: </b>Past Lives<br /><b>Best Adapted Screenplay:</b> Barbie<br /><b>Best International Feature: </b>Perfect Days<br /><b>Best Documentary:</b> The Eternal Memory<br /><b>Best Animated Film:</b> Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse<br /><b>Best Original Score:</b> Killers of the Flower Moon<br /><b>Best Original Song: </b>"I'm Just Ken," Barbie<br /><b>Best Editing: </b>Oppenheimer<br /><b>Best Production Design:</b> Barbie<br /><b>Best Cinematography: </b>Killers of the Flower Moon<br /><b>Best Costume Design: </b>Barbie<br /><b>Best Makeup and Hair:</b> Poor Things<br /><b>Best Sound Achievement:</b> Oppenheimer<br /><b>Best Visual Effects: </b>Godzilla Minus One<br /><b>Best Live Action Short: </b>The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar<br /><b>Best Animated Short:</b> Nine-Five Senses<br /><b>Best Documentary Short: </b>Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó<br /><br />Truthfully I really liked a lot of films nominated this year (though <i>All of Us Strangers</i> and <i>Origin</i> were absolutely robbed), which reflects my general "share the wealth" mentality this year with my own ballot. Yes, <i>Barbie</i> came out ahead, but hardly a sweep. <br /><br />Regardless, I think we're all just super excited about "I'm Just Ken" being sung by Gosling on stage. And if you're not, well, you're still kenough.<br /><p></p></div>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-73646860362652470612023-03-12T13:27:00.003-04:002023-03-12T13:39:38.604-04:00Oscars Should/Will Win<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPG_tflNYBmh6dBMjcsKwCsUgM_9SkZtrJPXIkSKx1FgAN2h9QmCXOC2OilFXxmxyE2FHH3F1XMv8bfgoSt0F7tBSXsQcYzx7cqkohIG-qIziLfOhk3LfZru4k8Ls-hSOmjRlXcL5zNghusq51Xw5EIEmunwz7zRIekOiCIw0D_N3QZLclne_70f1L/s1512/aa23_eeaao1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1512" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPG_tflNYBmh6dBMjcsKwCsUgM_9SkZtrJPXIkSKx1FgAN2h9QmCXOC2OilFXxmxyE2FHH3F1XMv8bfgoSt0F7tBSXsQcYzx7cqkohIG-qIziLfOhk3LfZru4k8Ls-hSOmjRlXcL5zNghusq51Xw5EIEmunwz7zRIekOiCIw0D_N3QZLclne_70f1L/w400-h216/aa23_eeaao1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> One can't help but feel optimistic this year regarding the Oscars. After all, it can't get worse than last year (with the slap and giving out awards before the show), right? <i>Everything Everywhere All At Once,</i> my favorite film of the year (and the decade so far?), is the seemingly beloved frontrunner. And people actually went out to theaters to see movies this year AND the Academy recognized some of those popular (and actually good?) films!<br /><br />Plus Rihanna is back and is going to perform! There's going to be a super fun Tollywood number! And in the age of groupthink and numerous voting groups, there are shockingly volatile categories and genuinely close races still <i>including</i> 3 of the acting awards!<br /><br />So grab those everything bagels and check out my predictions for the big night...<br /><br /></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Might as well post my <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oscars?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oscars</a> predictions to keep myself honest, but it's not easy. There are some real races this year! <a href="https://t.co/pldy08GSeo">pic.twitter.com/pldy08GSeo</a></p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1634957158562545665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />I'm going conservative for the presumed favorite with <i>Everything Everywhere</i> just winning 4 awards and surprisingly, even to me as I filled it out, tying with <i>Elvis</i>. I also predict <i>All Quiet</i> to win multiple awards as the general tone of my predictions is... share the wealth. Even though my heart of hearts is hoping, praying, wishing for a true sweep year for the Daniels' epic movie.<br /><br />Speaking of, let's go ahead and take a look at my "should wins" aka my personal ballot...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwUsD-QAad5p2tp8EHPTln5ssgr62nsTTKNQGTVBL028VzBuqtXIXW9GB8SQt2NQu9NhC3Md8HrkZgyMwBi2Y-CXqv-UgM96fDFBbH52elgDSHLhfn4IwGPOHEKG4u7OghuAhoNfhcqZmZrOX9kIGtFb4WlY1C6bmx47ODJ94J77Usp1Yn08nfdpO/s1217/aa23_banshees.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1217" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwUsD-QAad5p2tp8EHPTln5ssgr62nsTTKNQGTVBL028VzBuqtXIXW9GB8SQt2NQu9NhC3Md8HrkZgyMwBi2Y-CXqv-UgM96fDFBbH52elgDSHLhfn4IwGPOHEKG4u7OghuAhoNfhcqZmZrOX9kIGtFb4WlY1C6bmx47ODJ94J77Usp1Yn08nfdpO/w400-h243/aa23_banshees.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b><br />Best Picture:</b> Everything Everywhere All At Once<br /><b>Best Director:</b> Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, <i>Everything Everywhere All At Once</i><br /><b>Best Lead Actor:</b> Colin Farrell, <i>The Banshees of Inisherin</i><br /><b>Best Lead Actress:</b> Michelle Yeoh, <i>Everything Everywhere All At Once</i><br /><b>Best Supporting Actor:</b> Ke Huy Quan, <i>Everything Everywhere All At Once</i><br /><b>Best Supporting Actress:</b> Stephanie Hsu, <i>Everything Everywhere All At Once</i><br /><b>Best Animated Film:</b> Turning Red<br /><b>Best Original Screenplay:</b> Everything Everywhere All At Once<br /><b>Best Adapted Screenplay:</b> Women Talking<br /><b>Best International Feature:</b> Close<b><br />Best Documentary:</b> Navalny<br /><b>Best Original Score:</b> Everything Everywhere All At Once<br /><b>Best Original Song:</b> “This Is a Life,” <i>Everything Everywhere All At Once</i><br /><b>Best Editing:</b> Everything Everywhere All At Once<br /><b>Best Production Design:</b> Babylon<br /><b>Best Cinematography:</b> All Quiet on the Western Front<br /><b>Best Costume Design:</b> Everything Everywhere All At Once<br /><b>Best Makeup and Hair:</b> Black Panther: Wakanda Forever<br /><b>Best Sound Achievement:</b> All Quiet on the Western Front<br /><b>Best Visual Effects:</b> The Batman<br /><b>Best Live Action Short:</b> The Red Suitcase<br /><b>Best Animated Short:</b> My Year of Dicks<br /><b>Best Documentary Short:</b> The Martha Mitchell Effect<br /><br />A true sweep for <i>Everything Everywhere</i> getting my vote for every category where it's nominated (10) with <i>All Quiet</i> the only other film getting multiple wins (even though I didn't give it International Film). Went queer on that one, went Asian on animated and went with dicks on animated short. Essentially, I voted for me, myself and I. <br /><p></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-29578651698341422862022-03-27T10:36:00.001-04:002022-03-27T10:36:16.397-04:00Oscars Should/Will Win<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29DhcP83O5ySwYLIjqwzbhvLQLAT7kMUB6uik6CVoYDRJqoWauiV1Gq4YxXnE22GqSuTy4aB4Z8zBpnZcqsA8cwuBOuclwk3bp5vEEcYJwS4vJlzhkDPfaZqv3YVx20LZyFTO3Dkw7lbyf-Ahuf_uDiYxj_NszhNgBjlx2ikZ5nDZJO2glbeCelFA/s1907/thedog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1907" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29DhcP83O5ySwYLIjqwzbhvLQLAT7kMUB6uik6CVoYDRJqoWauiV1Gq4YxXnE22GqSuTy4aB4Z8zBpnZcqsA8cwuBOuclwk3bp5vEEcYJwS4vJlzhkDPfaZqv3YVx20LZyFTO3Dkw7lbyf-Ahuf_uDiYxj_NszhNgBjlx2ikZ5nDZJO2glbeCelFA/w400-h225/thedog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Even though last year's award season was a full month longer than this one, it somehow felt less dragged out than this one, didn't it? Perhaps it's because we actually got several on-air, in-person awards and events leading up to tonight.<br /><br />Then there's the absolute dumb-ass decision to relegate 8 categories for a pre-show ceremony to be edited back into the main show as well as plenty of questionable comments from this year's producers and those in charge clearly displaying a lack of understanding why people watch the Oscars. The self-sabotage and disrespect is unbelievably astonishing. But hey maybe they will surprise us.<br /><br />So before we get Regina Hall, Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer to emcee us into another Oscar night, how about some predictions...<br /><br /><p></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Happy <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oscars?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oscars</a> Day! To keep myself honest, here are my predictions. Definitely did not overthink anything this year. Who has that energy? <a href="https://t.co/s3iLJKICGH">pic.twitter.com/s3iLJKICGH</a></p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1508086736857010179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <br />Yes, I'm predicting a big night for <i>The Power of the Dog</i> (and Campion) in spite of the very real <i>CODA</i> surge. <i>Dune</i> should have a fine multi-win night as well. Thrice-nominated <i>Flee</i> will sadly walk home empty-handed as will eventually EGOT-bound Lin-Manuel Miranda while Chastain will finally nab that elusive win in the night's most competitive and unpredictable category. I sound SO sure of myself don't I?<br /><br />But here's something easier and more fun, my "should wins" aka my personal ballot...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqwfdYBrF2_GfwBHxcKrbVaA5gzYmwuRtku3MCjow5AU099SyhEdXehgLLQkedE-t1jV-6Y_wsVlC32a7_TK3E2GrEJwAzq61a6xZzS1O06ozcqjvA-ht75xQC7kFNwFg-nQ_R47SHVdSfYOp5jzLregj_HMWXgy_MigyjGShTT9mQJzY4ax_PuW2/s1000/tickboom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqwfdYBrF2_GfwBHxcKrbVaA5gzYmwuRtku3MCjow5AU099SyhEdXehgLLQkedE-t1jV-6Y_wsVlC32a7_TK3E2GrEJwAzq61a6xZzS1O06ozcqjvA-ht75xQC7kFNwFg-nQ_R47SHVdSfYOp5jzLregj_HMWXgy_MigyjGShTT9mQJzY4ax_PuW2/w400-h266/tickboom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b><br />Best Picture:</b> The Power of the Dog<br /><b>Best Director:</b> Jane Campion, <i>The Power of the Dog</i><br /><b>Best Lead Actor:</b> Andrew Garfield, <i>Tick, Tick... Boom!<br /></i><b>Best Lead Actress:</b> Olivia Colman, <i>The Lost Daughter</i><br /><b>Best Supporting Actor:</b> Troy Kotsur, <i>CODA</i><b><br />Best Supporting Actress:</b> Kirsten Dunst, <i>The Power of the Dog</i><br /><b>Best Animated Film:</b> The Mitchells vs. the Machines<br /><b>Best Original Screenplay:</b> The Worst Person in the World<br /><b>Best Adapted Screenplay:</b> The Lost Daughter<br /><b>Best International Feature:</b> Drive My Car<b><br />Best Documentary:</b> Flee<br /><b>Best Original Score:</b> The Power of the Dog<br /><b>Best Original Song:</b> “Dos Oruguitas,” <i>Encanto</i><br /><b>Best Editing:</b> Tick, Tick... Boom!<br /><b>Best Production Design:</b> Dune<br /><b>Best Cinematography:</b> Dune<br /><b>Best Costume Design:</b> Dune<b><br />Best Makeup and Hair:</b> Cruella<br /><b>Best Sound Achievement:</b> Dune<br /><b>Best Visual Effects:</b> Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings<br /><b>Best Live Action Short:</b> The Long Goodbye<br /><b>Best Animated Short:</b> Robin Robin<br /><b>Best Documentary Short:</b> The Queen of Basketball<br /><br />Looks like I gave my top 2 favorite Best Picture nominees (<i>Power of the Dog</i> and <i>Dune</i>) 4 wins each plus a couple of wins each for should've been Best Picture-nominated <i>Tick, Tick... Boom!</i> and <i>The Lost Daughter</i>. And opposite of what I predicted, I <i>did</i> give <i>Flee</i> a win and Lin-Manuel Miranda his EGOT. If only I had the power!<p></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-32436987880368664872021-04-25T13:34:00.001-04:002021-04-25T13:38:54.924-04:00Oscars Should Win/Will Win<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlF_W899fhF2w21O6zcGFtp2YOYBjch-NPjPlL5muuYxo-CRTutLAkkEfxoiv-yKCDhi5NGaW-MYC3cPo0_y7b9b7OK4u789_yhdaDZl2duVfF4X6LGCPHywS8GLELoM53p4AVCwbIM68/s1200/aa_nomadland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlF_W899fhF2w21O6zcGFtp2YOYBjch-NPjPlL5muuYxo-CRTutLAkkEfxoiv-yKCDhi5NGaW-MYC3cPo0_y7b9b7OK4u789_yhdaDZl2duVfF4X6LGCPHywS8GLELoM53p4AVCwbIM68/w400-h209/aa_nomadland.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Stop me if you're heard this before: It's been a very strange year for films and thus Oscars. Of course it was with the pandemic, the postponement of films, the increased reliance on streaming and extending awards season/eligibility through 2021. But alas, we reach the end with the Academy Awards tonight. <p></p><p>In a lot of ways, the show and some of the awards should prove interesting and even historic. Looking forward to it. I already tweeted my predictions, which you can see here.</p><p></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Literally wrote down my <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oscars?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oscars</a> predictions this year. So now y'all have receipts when I fail. <a href="https://t.co/v2YbKTcEc9">pic.twitter.com/v2YbKTcEc9</a></p>— Ryan @🏠 (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1386089867281670153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p></p><p>I'm predicting a big night for <i>Nomadland</i> and no big surprises elsewhere. The latter doesn't usually happen though so we'll see which ones I get wrong. And below are my "should wins" aka my personal ballot...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiEnUJPcOAP77LMb6QpVKjQeEVlG0sDvLBG0Twqy6-lxp6xLshwYQja5WDfOEBn9f1O3lSLtq-q2oh0yVkbTgXdurjeVYQwdzjT7YAoqJSvAPkaUIU2P0m7u9eTbiDDXeHCsrsy71xDo/s1000/aa_soundofmetal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiEnUJPcOAP77LMb6QpVKjQeEVlG0sDvLBG0Twqy6-lxp6xLshwYQja5WDfOEBn9f1O3lSLtq-q2oh0yVkbTgXdurjeVYQwdzjT7YAoqJSvAPkaUIU2P0m7u9eTbiDDXeHCsrsy71xDo/w400-h225/aa_soundofmetal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><b>Best Picture: </b>Sound of Metal<br /><b>Best Director:</b> Chloe Zhao, Nomadland<br /><b>Best Lead Actor:</b> Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal<br /><b>Best Lead Actress:</b> Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman<br /><b>Best Supporting Actor:</b> Paul Raci, Sound of Metal<br /><b>Best Supporting Actress: </b>Youn Yun-jung, Minari<br /><b>Best Animated Film: </b>Wolfwalkers<br /><b>Best Original Screenplay:</b> Sound of Metal<br /><b>Best Adapted Screenplay:</b> One Night in Miami<br /><b>Best International Feature: </b>Quo Vadis, Aida?<br /><b>Best Documentary: </b>My October Teacher<br /><b>Best Original Score: </b>Minari<br /><b>Best Original Song:</b> "Husavik," Eurovision<br /><b>Best Editing: </b>Sound of Metal<br /><b>Best Production Design:</b> The Father<br /><b>Best Cinematography:</b> Nomadland<br /><b>Best Costume Design: </b>Mulan<br /><b>Best Makeup and Hair: </b>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom<br /><b>Best Sound Achievement:</b> Sound of Metal<br /><b>Best Visual Effects:</b> Love and Monsters<br /><b>Best Live Action Short:</b> The Present<br /><b>Best Animated Short: </b>If Anything Happens I Love You<br /><b>Best Documentary Short: </b>Do Not Split</p><p>Apart from giving Sound of Metal, my favorite film of the lot, 6 wins, I pretty much spread the wealth. How many of these will actually win? Pretty sure I can only count on 1-2. <br /></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-74719755235396605292020-11-01T10:32:00.001-05:002020-11-01T10:32:22.364-05:00NewFest Film Festival: Wrap-Up<p><i>This is me reviewing the films I've seen at this year's <a href="https://newfest.org/" target="_blank">NewFest</a> LGBTQ Film Festival.</i> </p><p>After 25 feature films, 2 webseries and 52 short films, my first foray in a film festival in an all-access pass capacity has come to an end. Obviously I'd like for the world to go back to "normal" but I hope virtual film festivals continue being a thing. In any case, more shockingly I actually ended up reviewing all of the feature films that I saw. You can always revisit all of those right <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/search/label/NewFest">here</a>.<br /><br />There's just one more film left to review, the Closing Night film which won the Teddy at this year's Berling Film Festival...<br /><br /><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzBi7YxxJ_4WmEUtwpzGw1DMtPlGHzuFQuc4r7i7HGJ8uma_RnlYp196zVCYTvQMNPIMhVQFsVs55kPV8ZMNqy96zYsf2Xn-MHzevmTEuvDzhP1GuzIW5MtirlXrRtr9n2PmHOSPGkDw/s1024/nf_futurdrei.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzBi7YxxJ_4WmEUtwpzGw1DMtPlGHzuFQuc4r7i7HGJ8uma_RnlYp196zVCYTvQMNPIMhVQFsVs55kPV8ZMNqy96zYsf2Xn-MHzevmTEuvDzhP1GuzIW5MtirlXrRtr9n2PmHOSPGkDw/w400-h266/nf_futurdrei.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><p><b><br />FUTUR DREI (dir. Faraz Shariat)</b><br /><br />There's a youthful energy which pervades this film which is no surprise since it's helmed by 26-year-old Faraz Shariat in his bold debut. FUTUR DREI centers its story on Parvis, a young, out and proud second-generation Iranian-German gay man whose world collides with those of brother and sister Iranian refugees, Amon and Banafshe. The film deftly tackles the restlessness of youth and burgeoning romance and friendship amidst the undeniable culture clash and the spectre of a couple of phobias (homophobia, xenophobia). Bolstered by incredibly moving performances from its three leads, Benjamin Radjaipour, Eidin Jalali, Banafshe Hourmazdi, FUTURE DREI (which is inexplicably titled NO HARD FEELINGS for English audiences) does an admirable job with all three of its main characters especially in developing their relationships as a group and one-on-one with each other giving the film an emotional core which carries it through to the end. Radjaipour though gets the heavy lifting as audiences see his subtle, but real transformation from selfish "dance-your-night-away" kind of guy to selfless "help-your-friends" kind of man by the end. With this film, I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone involve does next. They are the future.</p><p>And now some personal awards, because why not...<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLKYp9B3FsZlnE_X1uXRbH8hWByAFqGAd8hGKNPE4PTxlfrqR7Mu15zarv3kuJQ9eyl84uRCn_ZyfqK0z1UzHLrrFDJllkbpjQWHwZ_AJUQXDW2vS0GjNbm__6QW4FwsseBVjFHOdl2Q/s725/newfest2020_FILMS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="725" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLKYp9B3FsZlnE_X1uXRbH8hWByAFqGAd8hGKNPE4PTxlfrqR7Mu15zarv3kuJQ9eyl84uRCn_ZyfqK0z1UzHLrrFDJllkbpjQWHwZ_AJUQXDW2vS0GjNbm__6QW4FwsseBVjFHOdl2Q/w400-h284/newfest2020_FILMS.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>BEST FEATURE FILM:</b> Breaking Fast<br /><i>Also:</i><br />Cicada<br />Cured<br />Dating Amber<br />Gossamer Folds<br />Monsoon<br />Rūrangi<br />Sublet<br />Summer of 85<br />White Lie <br /><br /><b>BEST ACTOR:</b> Matthew Fifer, <i>Cicada</i><br /><i>Also:</i><br />Henry Golding, <i>Monsoon</i><br />Benjamin Radjaipour, <i>Futur Drei</i><br />Steven Silver, <i>The Obituary of Tunde Johnson</i><br />Steve Zahn, <i>Cowboys</i><br /><br /><b>BEST ACTRESS:</b> Anne Celestino, <i>Alice Júnior</i><br /><i>Also: </i><br />Lola Petticrew, <i>Dating Amber</i><br />Kacey Rohl, <i>White Lie</i><br />Rachel Sennott, <i>Shiva Baby</i><br /><br /><b>BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: </b>Amin El Gamal, <i>Breaking Fast</i><br /><i>Also: </i><br />Antonio Altamirano, <i>Los Fuertes</i><br />Arlo Green, <i>Rūrangi</i><br />Niv Nissim, <i>Sublet</i><br />Ron Rifkin, <i>Minyan</i><br /><br /><b>BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:</b> Alexandra Grey, <i>Gossamer Folds</i><br /><i>Also:</i><br />Jillian Bell, <i>Cowboys</i><br />Molly Gordon, <i>Shiva Baby</i><br />Banafshe Hourmazdi, <i>Futur Drei</i><br /><b><br />BEST SHORT FILM: </b>See You Soon<br /><i>Also:</i><br />A Single Evening<br />-Ship: A Visual Poem<br />Mes Cheris<br /><br />Hope you find some good recommendations! Support the arts! If you'd like follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="http://letterboxd.com/mynameisryan/" target="_blank">Letterboxd</a>.<p></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-88775672213432956452020-10-30T10:10:00.013-04:002020-10-30T10:10:01.381-04:00NewFest Film Festival: Day 12<p><i>This is me reviewing the films I've seen at this year's <a href="https://newfest.org/" target="_blank">NewFest</a> LGBTQ Film Festival. Click <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/search/label/NewFest">here</a> for my other reviews of the festival.</i></p><p>Tuesday was the film festival's final day and while I still saw a bunch of films, there were still more I didn't get to. Maybe some other times. Onwards...<br /><br /><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYmYmGCRbVwWBRxpHQvtiEdyEe0nhWsmHqlKBVWa4u3-_gLMJ-e2UWCO1gtyo99Qv32OrHqakMOlY7CqWJeNYR6DLFKhX7QKruOnvRfeFzjaa0EdcPZEKFgOv_7aYz7bwMbXrzrzQpzY/s1024/nf_forgottenroads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYmYmGCRbVwWBRxpHQvtiEdyEe0nhWsmHqlKBVWa4u3-_gLMJ-e2UWCO1gtyo99Qv32OrHqakMOlY7CqWJeNYR6DLFKhX7QKruOnvRfeFzjaa0EdcPZEKFgOv_7aYz7bwMbXrzrzQpzY/w400-h225/nf_forgottenroads.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br />LA NAVE DEL OLVIDO (dir. Nicol Ruiz Benavides)</b><br /><br />There is no age limit to self-discovery as this film shows in the story of recently widowed Claudina, played by the enchanting Rosa Ramírez, who moves in with her daughter and grandson in a town obsessed with UFOs. That latter tidbit must be the town's claim to fame (think Roswell, NM) and though it feels quite random it also colors the slightly fantastical mood of the film especially as Claudina slowly breaks out of her shell first in starting a relationship with her next door neighbor Elsa and then frequenting a neighborhood nightclub with a particular reputation for catering to <i>those kinds of people</i>. Ramírez is captivating especially in the expressiveness of her face as she mourns an old love or revel in a new sense of purpose. With that said LA NAVE DEL OLVIDO (Forgotten Roads) never coalesces into something earthbound and thus feels a tad one-dimensional. <br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSo_v_882g5avNvlwtobPxEblJWqB_NrlVQ5qINPKWb2g6EPHculLaEnn5yDBdJAjQHXpQ8wQvqALHw7KBPWXiAdJ6Hx87awcLdfBLipUHH_qmQij2zSQCqHRQ1RWQMxQ1n_Dw9yaPPNg/s1001/nf_cured.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1001" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSo_v_882g5avNvlwtobPxEblJWqB_NrlVQ5qINPKWb2g6EPHculLaEnn5yDBdJAjQHXpQ8wQvqALHw7KBPWXiAdJ6Hx87awcLdfBLipUHH_qmQij2zSQCqHRQ1RWQMxQ1n_Dw9yaPPNg/w400-h225/nf_cured.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />CURED (dir. Bennett Singer, Patrick Sammon)</b><br /><br />Gay history is as all-encompassing as everything else in history and yet Stonewall and the AIDS crisis feel like the World War II of gay history in that they seem to be what everyone wants to keep focusing on. This is why CURED is a breath of fresh air because it fills in a part of the gay rights movement that isn't talked about and yet is so vital to it. Imagine trying to fight for your rights as a gay person when psychiatrists have labeled you mentally ill. CURED is an excellent documentary that tells the story of how a group of activists, bolstered by allies and cultural movements, helped changed the American Psychiatric Association's views on homosexuality. As a Psychology major in college, there's another level of interest in this riveting story for me. It's surprisingly comprehensive and wholly affecting especially with the constant back-and-forth from stock footage and photos of the key figures of the movement to them in the present giving interviews for this documentary. This history is still very recent history and this movie is still so very relevant and <i>absolutely</i> essential.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8D08juwlco7W5EuwNM6Un4Pv5qdKn_uFzAQbWjxS1RaA7-25ovkSveW7UFeX4qQMtcVUQlsXvoBklu0W53r7Zf9r6cRqLEslmL-HIas1q1hPURJXoJ-uxuMssmxO8h966_KhDKvO-0cg/s960/nf_juliascotti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="960" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8D08juwlco7W5EuwNM6Un4Pv5qdKn_uFzAQbWjxS1RaA7-25ovkSveW7UFeX4qQMtcVUQlsXvoBklu0W53r7Zf9r6cRqLEslmL-HIas1q1hPURJXoJ-uxuMssmxO8h966_KhDKvO-0cg/w400-h234/nf_juliascotti.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />JULIA SCOTTI: FUNNY THAT WAY (dir. Susan Sandler)</b><br /><br />What it must feel like to finally start living life to your fullest at age 50, but also to completely start over. This is a common experience for people coming out as transgender later in life. This charming documentary highlights one such story in Julia Scotti, a 65-year-old comedian, who had to completely change what she was (a crass comedian with a couple of failed marriages and two kids) to live freely. What's great about this documentary is that it doesn't shy away from Julia's regrets and mistakes especially with his past relationships and his kids. That said it is still about a comedian so there are a lot of jokes and laughter amidst the deeper truths and emotional pain revealed within. Inspirational, funny, and insightful, JULIA SCOTTI: FUNNY THAT WAY deserves a round of applause.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLG4J16V7guBnHo7taqigXR5evXHfK09pxi6smezYNi_69PZ0MzaE6RdCJB3n8BVltsunKYjTh_6sCNbIiTMJfoQRicLWPhaMmQJpr7SvIUH3WfStdNQbVekJL7rQTtNgfH19vnh_ekcU/s1200/nf_dancingonmyown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLG4J16V7guBnHo7taqigXR5evXHfK09pxi6smezYNi_69PZ0MzaE6RdCJB3n8BVltsunKYjTh_6sCNbIiTMJfoQRicLWPhaMmQJpr7SvIUH3WfStdNQbVekJL7rQTtNgfH19vnh_ekcU/w400-h225/nf_dancingonmyown.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />SHORTS: TIL WE (CAN) MEET AGAIN</b><br /><br />Remember going to clubs or hanging out with friends? Neither do I as this pandemic has wreaked havoc on our community and our collective shared spaces. My <a href="https://newfest.org/event/shorts-til-we-can-meet-again/" target="_blank">final shorts program</a> celebrates these in the hopes that we can literally meet again in the future.<br /><br />The one I connected to the most is DANCING ON MY OWN because it spoke directly to me as a gay Asian who lives in New York City and as a fan of Robyn (isn't that redundant?). Just seeing all the beautiful people dancing and living their truths made me happy. PXSSY PALACE also brought the same feeling as well.<br /><br />I think the most accomplished film though is KAMA'ĀINA (CHILD OF THE LAND) about a queer teenager not knowing where to go until she finds refuge in Hawaii's largest organized homeless camp. There's a bigger story here that is begging to be told, but seeing homelessness set against the Hawaiian backdrop provide a striking juxtaposition.<br /><br />This was technically the last day of the festival, but their Closing Night film is available a few days after so my review for that movie will be my last. Follow me on <a href="http://letterboxd.com/mynameisryan/" target="_blank">Letterboxd</a>!<i><br /></i><p></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-81717161939101461542020-10-29T10:00:00.009-04:002020-10-29T10:00:04.413-04:00NewFest Film Festival: Day 11<p></p><p><i>This is me reviewing the films I've seen at this year's <a href="https://newfest.org/" target="_blank">NewFest</a> LGBTQ Film Festival. Click <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/search/label/NewFest">here</a> for my other reviews of the festival.</i> <br /></p><p>The festival is now done, but I still have to catch up on reviews from the last couple days. Was gone all day on Sunday so that was the only day I didn't see any films, but Monday and Tuesday were a blur of movies. So first up, Monday...<br /><br /><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqztp5ItID4HgwuJUDCuwAdiWCaOU4Lsl3VxoTBIRZAIRoThrJ5UdWbYUs6iRrQ2rYCZmYQ4Ros_NydWrv1DfFAZWZEObvNJWXx91tZiqF3X6jym2HkbR2eqH82zYfQ65gXWENrgoeKrc/s900/nf_whitelie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqztp5ItID4HgwuJUDCuwAdiWCaOU4Lsl3VxoTBIRZAIRoThrJ5UdWbYUs6iRrQ2rYCZmYQ4Ros_NydWrv1DfFAZWZEObvNJWXx91tZiqF3X6jym2HkbR2eqH82zYfQ65gXWENrgoeKrc/w400-h266/nf_whitelie.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br />WHITE LIE (dir. Yonah Lewis & Calvin Thomas)</b><br /><br />How far would you go to get something you really wanted? For Katie, impecabbly played by the striking Kacey Rohl, getting an exclusive grant means keeping up the lie from everyone including her friends and girlfriend that she's battling cancer and needs money for her treatment. The writing-directing duo of Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas craft an immediately exciting thriller as Katie goes from one crazy situation to the next in hopes of getting away with this massive deception. Reminiscent of last year's critical darling <i>Uncut Gems</i>, the tension builds and builds beautifully keeping you on the edge of wanting them to get caught or possibly get away with it all. WHITE LIE grabs a hold of your emotions through to the end.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAIuBMVAt2xva3hjBXhnFm1EvYHgSCwLUoOBI90XJCdCtpaBrVhSaBlGHjrl7tWxl2NB_jbKSgmlsdR6Uq55PKCZ7WVzJEszYxQsaqr5ckrYJuu_6Ms_zBl9EoNKhEbwiuoPO1AHnaJw/s914/nf_minyan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="914" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAIuBMVAt2xva3hjBXhnFm1EvYHgSCwLUoOBI90XJCdCtpaBrVhSaBlGHjrl7tWxl2NB_jbKSgmlsdR6Uq55PKCZ7WVzJEszYxQsaqr5ckrYJuu_6Ms_zBl9EoNKhEbwiuoPO1AHnaJw/w400-h183/nf_minyan.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />MINYAN (dir. Eric Steele)</b><br /><br />This lovely portrait of a young Jewish gay man growing up in the 1980s trying to figure out his identity requires some patience, but is ultimately worth a watch. The main reason is for the carefully layered performance from Samuel H. Levine as David deftly able to express his character's outer quiet sensibilities as well as his deeper inner longings. Documentarian Eric Steele, surely taking from his own experiences of growing up gay in that time period, infuses the film with authenticity and sensitivity evident in all the scenes of David navigating through the typical coming out journey. If this is all of the movie, it might make for a tighter and breezier watch for some, but MINYAN also focuses on David's faith and his relationship with Jewish elders like his newly-widowed grandfather (played by the always watchable Ron Rifkin) adding more context to David's journey. With that said, the movie does become a bit bogged down by its too deliberate pacing and its too introspective protagonist. But, like all of the sly, but very purposeful shots of David's Adonis-belt area, there are pleasurable glimpses throughout.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyR0ATNGDyVA52cqJFp2PW9XnrAhlUy0QXZDuXhGCqWTw0F50sxxUCGmUFGzkvYveLailngNSvj9P3wUD6w1MKQ8EWrmY9u0GA0owlm5QAzgbQ7UUioEGvTZBTsIJMBM94rSv83cYw_w/s1000/nf_welcometousa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="1000" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyR0ATNGDyVA52cqJFp2PW9XnrAhlUy0QXZDuXhGCqWTw0F50sxxUCGmUFGzkvYveLailngNSvj9P3wUD6w1MKQ8EWrmY9u0GA0owlm5QAzgbQ7UUioEGvTZBTsIJMBM94rSv83cYw_w/w400-h216/nf_welcometousa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />WELCOME TO THE USA (dir. Assel Aushakimova)</b><br /><br />As someone who is currently living in the United States at this moment of history, it's particularly bewildering why anyone would want to come here. But of course the mythos of the American dream is quite enduring and appealing especially to a queer person living in a more homophobic and increasingly politically oppressed country. When Aliya Nauruz then wins the Green Card lottery to go to America, she sees this as her chance to get out of her rut and start over. WELCOME TO THE USA feels slightly undercooked especially as Aliya still feels like a cipher through to the end. We know she's still trying to figure out if her life somewhere else would really be better than her current life as she spends time with her dependent mom, her traditional sister, her opinionated queer friends, her wishy-washy ex... but I think we needed a stronger ending or something to wrap it all up.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOAGECEPiLqJd3WWUXLblokG8a8wBuyDjrmEifuJFt0A1Aid905PQMN_uhPD47Xs_AIajeLsz79VxGgeTVTEKloW1Xtk4TxI985oP9ASiIB7kHPrczwmPPJvVeA1yfz2Rjaw7XR2uQHs/s746/nf_ship.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="746" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOAGECEPiLqJd3WWUXLblokG8a8wBuyDjrmEifuJFt0A1Aid905PQMN_uhPD47Xs_AIajeLsz79VxGgeTVTEKloW1Xtk4TxI985oP9ASiIB7kHPrczwmPPJvVeA1yfz2Rjaw7XR2uQHs/w400-h225/nf_ship.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />SHORTS: BLACK FAMILY MATTERS</b><br /><br />I can't say it better so I'm just going to quote the website by saying that <a href="https://newfest.org/event/shorts-black-family-matters/">this shorts program</a> features "the importance of Black family, friends, and community in these times of civil and racial unrest in the United States and serves as a reminder that all Black lives matter. Forever and always."<br /><br />The most striking short film for me is -SHIP: A VISUAL POEM about a young boy taking in a very confusing world especially in relation to masculinity and life and death. The way this short film is structured and edited is a master class of vision.<br /><br />My favorite short film is MERCURY AFROGRADE because the central family deserves to star on their own TV show. That said, the title is cute, but the whole "Mercury in retrograde" aspect of the film is a bit superfluous since the well-defined characters and their amusing secrets are enough.<br /><br />The last short film I'd like to highlight is PLUS, about a guy in college reacting to his sudden diagnosis of HIV. The lead performance is heartfelt and aching, but the focus on friendship and self-worth really makes this short film shine. <br /><br />Which films did I see on the last day of the festival? Come back tomorrow and see.<p></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-13753950697597594962020-10-25T09:30:00.001-04:002020-10-25T09:30:08.845-04:00NewFest Film Festival: Day 9<p><i>This is me reviewing the films I've seen at this year's <a href="https://newfest.org/" target="_blank">NewFest</a> LGBTQ Film Festival. Click <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/search/label/NewFest">here</a> for my other reviews of the festival.</i> <br /></p><p></p><p>As I mentioned <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/2020/10/newfest-film-festival-day-8.html">yesterday</a>, we're getting down to the wire and it's a bit of a race to get in a few more screenings before the end of the festival which explains why I ended up seeing four full-length films plus a webseries. Apologies in advance for the slightly shorter reviews.<br /><br /><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gwuf-EJsEt-6uYXWceyhQOrYsK2m-LfvN_FYVYR0ZYM4mG5XxqIi6tlxXcEp5apv2NdwbfFoCzgZOApcE29DD2ct_Vn5BNOcuLvVymRzOgKUNkA7ZOjcOkeoLG5jA8NDk7bsDT1jpX0/s850/nf_drywind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="850" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gwuf-EJsEt-6uYXWceyhQOrYsK2m-LfvN_FYVYR0ZYM4mG5XxqIi6tlxXcEp5apv2NdwbfFoCzgZOApcE29DD2ct_Vn5BNOcuLvVymRzOgKUNkA7ZOjcOkeoLG5jA8NDk7bsDT1jpX0/w400-h225/nf_drywind.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br />DRY WIND (dir. Daniel Nolasco)</b><br /><br />This movie is for everyone who yearned for the Tom of Finland aesthetics which they didn't get from that 2017 Tom of Finland movie. It's hot, a little disturbing, and a lot sexy. The neon-tinged look and feel of the film perfectly complement the often sensual, sometimes haunting images of gay fantasia brought to life here. Its decision to center the film on a regular factory worker whose spectrum of emotions (lust, ecstacy, longing, jealousy, fear, regret) we latch on to is quite well-done. But while the movie's style speaks for itself, DRY WIND comes up short trying to wrap it all up at the end. Technically it ends in a sort of a happy ending, but the journey to get there is muddier than expected. <br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMmfSXew3jQ7R3B3FsPWW8_mW8oCjBUGlEwT357dH9VjogzT3zYZ9wgHQRY8zqcz5WvFcX8OawJNskwWR7mh_5o8QOhlauZPDn2Z_taJPWFGCZ54Dbekz4HZrRrrLHo3ao2OASRgFNrRM/s850/nf_gossamerfolds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="850" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMmfSXew3jQ7R3B3FsPWW8_mW8oCjBUGlEwT357dH9VjogzT3zYZ9wgHQRY8zqcz5WvFcX8OawJNskwWR7mh_5o8QOhlauZPDn2Z_taJPWFGCZ54Dbekz4HZrRrrLHo3ao2OASRgFNrRM/w400-h225/nf_gossamerfolds.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />GOSSAMER FOLDS (dir. Lisa Donato)</b><br /><br />Beautifully told with a couple of breakthrough performances and a kicker of an ending, this film is so full of heart, it's impossible not to love. When precocious, dictionary-loving 10-year-old Tate is relocated by his parents to the suburbs, he starts an unlikely friendship with next-door neighbor and bigger-than-life Gossamer who is confident in the decisions she has made and in the dreams she wants to achieve. Jackson Robert Scott and Alexandra Grey, as Tate and Gossamer respectively, absolutely crackle on the screen as they both grapple, apart and together, a world that is increasingly hostile to what they imagine their life should be. GOSSAMER FOLDS is an excellent addition to the well-worn "unlikely friendship from two different worlds" film genre like this year's acclaimed Driveways. I cried at the end.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4doxhYC_iZPT6_Wt3rrLsseha7OuR0ArchzzU0M9PiCTaiQ1h2Zws-PilzYMGKh05AhZwxSEDXCpGcdbVZ35QdzwbFHGktiUBZ9DI1TAR7plU5KJmlr6uvNF-4rM8NC0pp_Tz7TMxeJA/s669/nf_obituarytunde.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="669" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4doxhYC_iZPT6_Wt3rrLsseha7OuR0ArchzzU0M9PiCTaiQ1h2Zws-PilzYMGKh05AhZwxSEDXCpGcdbVZ35QdzwbFHGktiUBZ9DI1TAR7plU5KJmlr6uvNF-4rM8NC0pp_Tz7TMxeJA/w400-h184/nf_obituarytunde.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />THE OBITUARY OF TUNDE JOHNSON (dir. Ali LeRoi)</b><br /><br />I'm a big fan of time-loop films and often intrigue to see how filmmakers put their own twist on this category of movies. In THE OBITUARY OF TUNDE JOHNSON, writer Stanley Kalu mines the tragic reality of Black people experiencing police brutality as we see the titular character of Tunde, played by the excellent Steven Silver, die over and over again by cops only to wake up anew to repeat the day. It's not an easy watch and the repetition doesn't make it any easier. In fact, as Tunde repeats his day, things don't repeat in the same manner as in many time-loop situations. A handful of things are generally constant like him coming out to his parents, spending time with his closeted jock boyfriend, and dealing with his best friend, but they all never progress exactly the same each time. That's where the movie falls apart a bit as the time-loop aspect isn't given enough structure and logic for it to have narrative weight or cohesion especially by the film's choice for how it ends. Still, I admire it for doing something different and doing so it with such a tricky, but timely and powerful subject matter.<br /><b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44-iOUSp5Ck4YpBZBtdN577MIfQUOQGStydhthKZ8nJicx_myOijd8ZzUbwyrzfIm9yk42cCQEpvX8_cOLQfVoAg6SGccgwujfh_A2uAFEimyv9AXk2Utv1BMOwIX6CMOKImALbwkdZ0/s1000/nf_kelet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1000" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44-iOUSp5Ck4YpBZBtdN577MIfQUOQGStydhthKZ8nJicx_myOijd8ZzUbwyrzfIm9yk42cCQEpvX8_cOLQfVoAg6SGccgwujfh_A2uAFEimyv9AXk2Utv1BMOwIX6CMOKImALbwkdZ0/w400-h281/nf_kelet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />KELET (dir. Susani Mahadura)</b><br /><br />Kelet is a Somali-born trans woman who now lives in Finland trying to make it as a model. Through her own words and reflections of her life and her choices, we get an intimate glimpse into the amazing strength she has to come out as trans, cut ties with non-supportive family, move to a new country, and gain more traction as model. This inviting documentary is disarming in the quiet vulnerability and searing honesty of its subject matter. Looking forward for the rest of her journey.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomGrdFtDMiDxHnYOiglqN_5efvWpbpQNfxfB65cNGCaGhmn9JxjzpOL0keMvtwplEPU1d0TUhFk7rfdJqJoPMHsgPgSeOkYJp-mqg4io6y9lRyIBPqQR21-VkcPmxAys0exxUnr184tI/s800/nf_dinette.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomGrdFtDMiDxHnYOiglqN_5efvWpbpQNfxfB65cNGCaGhmn9JxjzpOL0keMvtwplEPU1d0TUhFk7rfdJqJoPMHsgPgSeOkYJp-mqg4io6y9lRyIBPqQR21-VkcPmxAys0exxUnr184tI/w400-h225/nf_dinette.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />DINETTE (dir. Shaina Feinberg)</b><br /><br />This is a webseries about a group of women connected by a local restaurant where they hang out as a safe space and the trials and laughs they go through to hold on to it for as long as they can. The characters are delightful and most of the dialogue are just hysterical, but even at less than an hour total, this 6-episode series weirdly feels like it didn't have enough story to tell. If there's a new season, I hope they work on the plotting a bit more, because the cast is aces.<br /><br />I likely won't be able to see anything tomorrow, but after that there's two more days. Already freaking out about which final movies to see!<p></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-87524050315990779182020-10-24T10:30:00.002-04:002020-10-24T11:01:57.283-04:00NewFest Film Festival: Day 8<p><i>This is me reviewing the films I've seen at this year's <a href="https://newfest.org/" target="_blank">NewFest</a> LGBTQ Film Festival. Click <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/search/label/NewFest">here</a> for my other reviews of the festival.</i><br /><br />Yesterday was my birthday so I thought I wouldn't have time to see any movies, but I saw one early on and the other later that night and based on my feelings I probably should've swapped the order. Onwards...<br /><br /><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeThA8sOihgcdxW0sSq1d2okeijAaXnsDxIllpQP-BC1EdHXIk1-Ab1hjNHJhBAWff0OucDQoKByZCQI06up-uRS4pmyBPZ_afvu1t5Mko_zfTZ01UxQnY-E0H-VHDTepEyDsvS4haQhs/s900/nf_cicada.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeThA8sOihgcdxW0sSq1d2okeijAaXnsDxIllpQP-BC1EdHXIk1-Ab1hjNHJhBAWff0OucDQoKByZCQI06up-uRS4pmyBPZ_afvu1t5Mko_zfTZ01UxQnY-E0H-VHDTepEyDsvS4haQhs/w400-h225/nf_cicada.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br />CICADA (dir. Matthew Fifer)</b><br /><br />This is the kind of film that lives and dies with the chemistry of its two leads especially because we spend so much time with them together as they learn things about one another and navigate the ups and downs of their burgeoning relationship. Fortunately, Matthew Fifer (also the writer and director) and Sheldon Brown have it in spades especially in deftly portraying the wide spectrum of a relationship from the joy of its start to the difficulty of figuring out the exact meaning of how it is to be a couple. For the latter, in this film, it's about how both of their characters are able to move on from or simply acknowledge past traumas not only for themselves but in order to open themselves up to another person. CICADA walks a delicate tightrope in giving the audience lingering, meandering, seemingly random moments (usually with a dreamy New York City as its backdrop) while also incisively dealing with the specific issues of its characters with sensitivity and heartfelt direction. Some patience may be required, but this intimate journey is worth it. Also shout out to some real interesting cameos from Colbie Smulders, Bowen Yang, Scott Adsit, and David Burtka.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQBBp-CTNupnEgSLS1a8amQnVZhbOhyphenhyphenTaeNF3A42tJ73xZh5hRGi-PUYvHMJNVFOt79dTjrjuwiaCx6lXOnEaGhZpTJa6_2Am8pTNBapl4UnTrkbU67bw6HNU5OdlsMiCspzkoKVzd5Q/s800/nf_ellie%2526abbie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="800" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQBBp-CTNupnEgSLS1a8amQnVZhbOhyphenhyphenTaeNF3A42tJ73xZh5hRGi-PUYvHMJNVFOt79dTjrjuwiaCx6lXOnEaGhZpTJa6_2Am8pTNBapl4UnTrkbU67bw6HNU5OdlsMiCspzkoKVzd5Q/w400-h226/nf_ellie%2526abbie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />ELLIE & ABBIE (& ELLIE’S DEAD AUNT) (dir. Monica Zanetti)</b><br /><br />I really wished I liked this movie more, because the title is fantastic and its premise is probably one of the most exciting, original thing I've come across this whole festival. Basically, after coming out to her mom, Ellie suddenly starts seeing her dead aunt who died a long time ago. You see, Ellie's aunt Tara is also a lesbian and she's come back to be Ellie's mentor and to help her ask her crush Abbie out to the school's formal. Unfortunately ELLIE & ABBIE (& ELLIE’S DEAD AUNT) doesn't really live up to this awesome concept. It instead relegates Tara missing for scenes she definitely should've been in as well as kneecaps what should've been a cute story about two girls discovering they liked one another by giving the characters one nonsensical roadblock after another. The latter gives the movie no real momentum towards the climax and the inevitable resolution. The movie shouldn't be dismissed though since the performances are good and there's a handful of truly lovely scenes. Also they name dropped Roger Federer, which is always a plus for me.<br /><br />We're getting down to the wire! Perhaps I'll do a triple feature next. Or more. Follow me on <a href="http://letterboxd.com/mynameisryan/" target="_blank">Letterboxd</a> if you like.<p></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-51641904549332911032020-10-23T12:21:00.004-04:002020-10-23T12:21:42.730-04:00NewFest Film Festival: Day 7<p><i>This is me reviewing the films I've seen at this year's <a href="https://newfest.org/" target="_blank">NewFest</a> LGBTQ Film Festival. Click <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/search/label/NewFest">here</a> for my other reviews of the festival.</i> <br /></p><p></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZxgU_okJDYesMwuySAMUtlhiEvfMoBMt6FAF6dC2zdHXeI4LGs079ZSpnji2ApniM61vfJAX6BIv5kVU90UakBYfW2I30ZBCEa6yvLU87rhpvRiOgfXN4js-HG2Mp3lW6_Ojbexad_8/s932/nf_rurangi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="932" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZxgU_okJDYesMwuySAMUtlhiEvfMoBMt6FAF6dC2zdHXeI4LGs079ZSpnji2ApniM61vfJAX6BIv5kVU90UakBYfW2I30ZBCEa6yvLU87rhpvRiOgfXN4js-HG2Mp3lW6_Ojbexad_8/w400-h271/nf_rurangi.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br />RŪRANGI (dir. Max Currie)</b><br /><br />Heartfelt, funny, and wholly affective, this film really surprised me. Starring Elz Carrad as the brooding trans activist Caz, RŪRANGI tells the story of his homecoming after leaving his small town a decade ago. The expectation for this kind of film is to lean on the drama. But while there's still plenty of that to give due weight to the trans experience, the humor and joy really make a difference. A lot of that comes from scenes between Caz and his ex Jem (adorably portrayed by Arlo Green) as they navigate potential reignited feelings. Does the movie try to do a lot? Yes, it does, but I counter that instead of distracting, it gives us a better idea of the world Caz had left and is now returning to possibly stay. Apparently this was conceived and presented as a TV show, which wasn't too evident for me until I screamed "I need a sequel!" after the last scene. Another details to call out is the film's concerted effort to get participation from POC and LGBTQ people on and off screen.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5fgsWby7hei1TWI8w1b3XBGPGhEOpOUf6XYYAGh-2yI_H8zw0P6ZBwCEgCDfDzpkTTXzTrn7tD4fijjfHt5EjyAvO1dyOVmwx0ulS47mrUUtmae219DtazTb0g06Oo-VBKoOmeIhcjc/s898/nf_monsieur.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="898" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5fgsWby7hei1TWI8w1b3XBGPGhEOpOUf6XYYAGh-2yI_H8zw0P6ZBwCEgCDfDzpkTTXzTrn7tD4fijjfHt5EjyAvO1dyOVmwx0ulS47mrUUtmae219DtazTb0g06Oo-VBKoOmeIhcjc/w400-h219/nf_monsieur.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />SHORTS: THE GAG’S ALL HERE (2.0)</b><br /><br />I foolishly thought that I would need to see some funny movies after seeing the above film. Thankfully, no, but I stuck to my guns because I thought it'd be good counter-programming to what was on TV at the time (hint: debate). In any case, this <a href="https://newfest.org/event/shorts-the-gags-all-here-2-0/">shorts program</a> was all about providing an extreme amount of quirk and laughs. Some were better at it than others.<br /><br />My two favorites begins and ends the slate. The first film is called HEART TO HEART which tells a story of a girl who hears a foul-mouthed voice in her head after heart surgery. Turns out, it's her heart, randomly voiced by the great David Tennant, and it was her to get laid. A lot of the humor comes from the crazy things Tennant is forced to say in that accent of his, but man did I laugh!<br /><br />MONSIEUR is the last film and as you can tell, it's French. It's about a guy wanting to participate in a pageant and gets to with the help of his best friend. That's all well and fine until it transforms into a musical (which you guys know I <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/2020/10/newfest-film-festival-day-6.html">love</a>) complete with sassy choreography and a surprise requited love twist. The ending is a bit limp, but the rest soars.<br /><br />Other standouts for me are 2 DOLLARS (think<i> The Office</i> if Jim were a queer, black woman) and DON'T TEXT BACK (think <i>Little Shop of Horrors</i> except with Men's Rights Activists and a cursed necklace minus the singing).<br /><br />The next day (i.e. today) is my birthday so not sure I'll have time to see things. What am I saying? I definitely will. Follow me on <a href="http://letterboxd.com/mynameisryan/" target="_blank">Letterboxd</a>!<p></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-1250328587499580412020-10-22T18:24:00.004-04:002020-10-22T18:24:36.945-04:00NewFest Film Festival: Day 6<p><i>This is me reviewing the films I've seen at this year's <a href="https://newfest.org/" target="_blank">NewFest</a> LGBTQ Film Festival. Click <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/search/label/NewFest">here</a> for my other reviews of the festival.</i></p><p>Didn't have as much time yesterday so I ended up seeing a few short films and a short series. But there were still plenty to recommend!<br /><br /><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXNrBiE1gV1oNm-40YxIZO9AS54gxNRDtdWHVsmUkQV014gL62iEAIyDdTkb3IQtAjqKRZJS_kLTNg0J38TD1ybzgCQttmOv2fnY-XrXW8QZYxu5758SfWF42PvV5HPJJEVDEQ7g2aRUw/s556/nf_singleevening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="556" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXNrBiE1gV1oNm-40YxIZO9AS54gxNRDtdWHVsmUkQV014gL62iEAIyDdTkb3IQtAjqKRZJS_kLTNg0J38TD1ybzgCQttmOv2fnY-XrXW8QZYxu5758SfWF42PvV5HPJJEVDEQ7g2aRUw/w400-h226/nf_singleevening.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br />SHORTS: GIRLS LAUGHING, LOVING, FIGHTING, F**KING</b><br /><br />On the website for this <a href="https://newfest.org/event/shorts-girls-laughing-loving-fighting-fking/" target="_blank">shorts program</a>, the first line to describe these set of films is "Who hasn't loved a messy dyke?" and that's just hilariously spot on.<br /><br />My favorite of the bunch is A SINGLE EVENING mostly because it's a musical and I've been wanting a gay musical for awhile now. I can't keep re-watching Were the World Mine! The great thing about this short film though is have well-done it is? The music is catchy, the choreography is inventive, and the story (bisexual woman trying to figure out love through dating apps) is fun.<br /><br />Next favorite is BREAK IN which tells the tale of a woman who accidentally texts her crush an erotic story she wrote about them WITHOUT changing anyone's names. As you groan in empathy, think about the lengths you'd go through to fix this and you have this insanely funny short.<br /><br />Then there's GIRL, SWEETVOICED featuring two women at a bus top as we hear their longing through the poetry of Sappho. It's actually pretty affecting especially with the repetition, the flash-forwards, and the stirring score.<br /><br />The last film I'd like to single out is ANCIENT METHODS, because I need more of it! It's about a woman who gets dumped by her alien girlfriend. Alien as in from space. The setup is genius and it's a crime that we only have 5 minutes of this story.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7GO8grRXydqRugjqZkOG9g7q87QXz6mdLtTn9Y6MUtPuPYJrYnfMj2p-2MBtmqhIkRNqIPfp6k6Wm_6I_f2EYGCkXCDpy6I0BsystGAcCUL6VovKM8Y53YkEgkiG80kESonqylZbQNI/s900/nf_sidewayssmile.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="900" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7GO8grRXydqRugjqZkOG9g7q87QXz6mdLtTn9Y6MUtPuPYJrYnfMj2p-2MBtmqhIkRNqIPfp6k6Wm_6I_f2EYGCkXCDpy6I0BsystGAcCUL6VovKM8Y53YkEgkiG80kESonqylZbQNI/w400-h221/nf_sidewayssmile.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />SIDEWAYS SMILE</b><br /><br />This webseries about one young Asian woman's journey to get in touch with her sexuality is a must-watch. The entire first season is just 53 minutes containing of 5 short episodes and by the end you will wish there is more. Protagonist Alex, skillfully played by Kathy Huynh-Phan, has never had an orgasm, dates a white guy, and has a sex-positive roommate who loves to push boundaries. Need I say more? Okay, fine. Each episode has its own distinct feel giving the series a dynamic energy. My personal favorite is the show's ode to Get Out with its second episode. Scarlett Johannson makes a fun appearance as well.<br /><br />What will tomorrow bring? Probably more movies.<p></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-23501947374208715222020-10-21T23:12:00.000-04:002020-10-21T23:12:09.401-04:00NewFest Film Festival: Day 5<p><i>This is me reviewing the films I've seen at this year's <a href="https://newfest.org/" target="_blank">NewFest</a> LGBTQ Film Festival. Click <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/search/label/NewFest">here</a> for my other reviews of the festival.</i><br /><br />It wasn't planned, but yesterday I ended up seeing two films starring Rachel Sennott which takes place in the aftermath of a Jewish funeral as she tries to deal with complicated romantic feelings from a girl friend and get the attention of a guy she has a crush on. Yeah, it's a niche!<br /><br /><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhEJU8jbgd9vJcjc9FVxJj1MfeDvnrwWgMp3GTtk9qGmC8kif7X1ih3gd80J8SYJN_Ed7BvhRrMmpDheGLFFMMs-ESYJr4KS1kjRtZOCaTtVYABJmkSKtTyY6KZ90KbdNCncWdNiLPKI/s832/nf_tahara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="832" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhEJU8jbgd9vJcjc9FVxJj1MfeDvnrwWgMp3GTtk9qGmC8kif7X1ih3gd80J8SYJN_Ed7BvhRrMmpDheGLFFMMs-ESYJr4KS1kjRtZOCaTtVYABJmkSKtTyY6KZ90KbdNCncWdNiLPKI/w400-h204/nf_tahara.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br />TAHARA (dir. Olivia Peace)</b><br /><br />Forcing teenagers into a room to deal with their feelings is always going to be a recipe for drama and in TAHARA it's that and more especially when it's to talk about their grief about their classmate committing suicide under the lens of their Jewish faith. Madeline Grey DeFreece and Rachel Sennott play best friends Carrie and Hannah. Carrie is going through various existential questions and crises which Hannah doesn't notice due to her own problems and inherent self-centeredness. There's a lot to like here from writer Jess Zeidman's uncanny ability to write authentic teenagers to the cool use of the square aspect ratio. DeFreece, Sennott and really the rest of young cast are on point, but it feels slightly undercooked and unfinished with a lot of ideas thrown and not developed enough.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglzZFN2wkv2wAsoj_MeFtBFCAho9wJB3X0EX97VHebclDv-9-JHO23R5nt_trZNgWD8lWaipQfX_X4s_b7t5hI69KOU_-OUi-rO3tspidqVFIJ3ko7NI_eMvnxSTPV7BzY-ejS5lfPj0c/s857/nf_shivababy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="857" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglzZFN2wkv2wAsoj_MeFtBFCAho9wJB3X0EX97VHebclDv-9-JHO23R5nt_trZNgWD8lWaipQfX_X4s_b7t5hI69KOU_-OUi-rO3tspidqVFIJ3ko7NI_eMvnxSTPV7BzY-ejS5lfPj0c/w400-h195/nf_shivababy.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />SHIVA BABY (dir. Emma Seligman)</b><br /><br />When you're obligated to go to a shiva and you don't even know who died, you know it's not going to be your kind of day. That's what Danielle finds out in this hilarious cringe comedy where literally everything feels like it's acting against her. Rachel Sennott as Danielle brings a different kind of jaded energy in this role that feels believably lived-in especially as she navigates disappointed parents, surprise exes, people trying to constantly feed her, and a very loud baby. She's amply supported by a sterling cast which includes Polly Draper, Fred Melamed, Molly Gordon, Dianna Agron, and Jackie Hoffman. SHIVA BABY also does some cool things with music and lighting which gives the movie a horror tinge, an unexpected but pleasant surprise.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWn8p7sR1ZoIsd-sQLnT08KRTO_m9RTpeBAiRKSSPC86wQ4O1ZPoboVBmHkMPZ4geNemtIwPbWcddH3MXv8oOtSBbbsMlyaeVSKT7kO9nIUxCDtf_P5UDco47XkO27D1TIrkN4cVb26xo/s1000/nf_downdog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWn8p7sR1ZoIsd-sQLnT08KRTO_m9RTpeBAiRKSSPC86wQ4O1ZPoboVBmHkMPZ4geNemtIwPbWcddH3MXv8oOtSBbbsMlyaeVSKT7kO9nIUxCDtf_P5UDco47XkO27D1TIrkN4cVb26xo/w400-h225/nf_downdog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />SHORTS: EVERY BODY + BOOTY!</b><br /><br />This <a href="https://newfest.org/event/shorts-every-body-booty/">short film program</a> focused on body positivity and body love. All of the films here have great style and a few really went for experimentation, but some just didn't vibe with me. There were a few films that didn't vibe with me, but thankfully there were a couple of gems like MES CHÉRIS and DOWN DOG. The first featured trans sex worker Bat Boi who, in preparation for his top surgery, creates a loving tribute to his boobs via porn. The second is a beautiful film featuring yoga instructor Tammy and her quiet journey of disclosure.<br /><br />The only other film I'd like to single out is TOOMAS BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE WILD WOLVES, because I can't believe it exists. It's an animated film with animals sexing it up. It's actually entertaining if a bit wild. Its ending was my favorite.<br /><br />There's still plenty to watch. Stay tuned for more!<p></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-44948424990739590892020-10-20T10:35:00.012-04:002020-10-24T03:10:09.141-04:00NewFest Film Festival: Day 4<p><i>This is me reviewing the films I've seen at this year's <a href="https://newfest.org/" target="_blank">NewFest</a> LGBTQ Film Festival. Click <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/search/label/NewFest">here</a> for my other reviews of the festival.</i><br /> <br /><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiT39iQT9xh3f6SaO0m4wGzJav8AXerE4foUmX2qf2iiK2O7aoYrMM8_Em3n8dBs4dHqbe8UUB4Xh7nnb2lEV9qAKo62BoYuhdYrER4bJCAErh0JTmXbikc4o-5hnlRj46tA6x7zXk0s/s1599/nf_alicejunior.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1599" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiT39iQT9xh3f6SaO0m4wGzJav8AXerE4foUmX2qf2iiK2O7aoYrMM8_Em3n8dBs4dHqbe8UUB4Xh7nnb2lEV9qAKo62BoYuhdYrER4bJCAErh0JTmXbikc4o-5hnlRj46tA6x7zXk0s/w400-h250/nf_alicejunior.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br />ALICE JÚNIOR (dir. Gil Baroni)</b><br /><br />A classic fish out of water high school tale with a queer twist, this Brazilian film starring the way-too-cool Anne Celestino in the titular role is a little too scattered for my taste, but worth a watch nonetheless. The setup is interesting enough: a fierce, teenage, out and proud trans social media influencer is forced to move to a small town and attend a Catholic school. And while Celestino is pitch perfect, the rest of the movie feels all over the place from the underdeveloped side characters to the strange B-plot of whatever her dad was doing to the seemingly rushed resolution in the third act. The on-screen graphics also verged on being too distracting by the end. In spite of that, ALICE JÚNIOR is a movie I'm glad exists because the character of Alice is immediately iconic and a necessary role model. Shout out to the poster of <i>Tangerine </i>in Alice's room. Respect.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvBv8NkAnPZKwiMsAVzYQuhq-ADKOY4EGl15u6FpOkEJJTs1AoakueyYJ3i9PedsU0RDycjNPqidsykB70WP_kFhExSeSudD7GiL3EYEjdgOOV-yJclNbTMFyJ_NMYrUVwTHEOsI11Lo/s1000/nf_cowboys.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvBv8NkAnPZKwiMsAVzYQuhq-ADKOY4EGl15u6FpOkEJJTs1AoakueyYJ3i9PedsU0RDycjNPqidsykB70WP_kFhExSeSudD7GiL3EYEjdgOOV-yJclNbTMFyJ_NMYrUVwTHEOsI11Lo/w400-h225/nf_cowboys.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />COWBOYS (dir. Anna Kerrigan)</b><br /><br />I won't bury the lede here... Steve Zahn did that. I'm thoroughly impressed he had this role in him! Zahn plays father of Joe, a young child who realizes that dressing up in cowboy gear is much more natural to him than wearing dresses and bows. Zahn's character goes through A LOT in this movie and the ease of which he's able to access all the different emotions and succeed in conveying them is a master class. Newcomer Sasha Knight is wonderful as Joe especially with small gestures revealing their inner turmoil and longing. The incredible actresses Jillian Bell, who plays Joe's mom, and Ann Dowd round out the excellent cast. There are some slight pacing issues and some emotional beats which do not get fully developed, but in the grand scheme of things, COWBOYS is a sensitive film about parents and what it means to love their child as they are.<br /><br />Only two films? What's <i>happening </i>to me? Let's see how many I can watch tomorrow. Don't forget to follow me on <a href="https://letterboxd.com/mynameisryan/">Letterboxd</a> if you want.<p></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-72269181387974066732020-10-19T21:23:00.001-04:002020-10-19T22:36:54.328-04:00NewFest Film Festival: Day 3<p><i>This is me reviewing the films I've seen at this year's <a href="https://newfest.org/" target="_blank">NewFest</a> LGBTQ Film Festival. Click <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/search/label/NewFest">here</a> for my other reviews of the festival.</i><br /><br /><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKIv1_fAYzPgoSV0yhlXG_VQ9Hr6npJnIsZXdrSbeIYqR8VfIrUETU5kjV9dMRaHjQiXRfWTskzYlB3eh3MSoRJgm_9ptIKk45iZ8G3FbYwXgpu__G93GZ7oLhFaf_1H_QYha7B2G_jY/s1525/nf_ete85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1525" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKIv1_fAYzPgoSV0yhlXG_VQ9Hr6npJnIsZXdrSbeIYqR8VfIrUETU5kjV9dMRaHjQiXRfWTskzYlB3eh3MSoRJgm_9ptIKk45iZ8G3FbYwXgpu__G93GZ7oLhFaf_1H_QYha7B2G_jY/w400-h263/nf_ete85.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br />ÉTÉ 85 (dir. François Ozon)</b><br /><br />Having only seen a handful of films from director François Ozon, I knew about his penchant for queering his stories and using human sexuality as a conduit for his characters. So when I heard about him doing a coming-of-age Call Me By Your Name-style gay movie, I was immediately intrigued. ÉTÉ 85 (Summer of 85) revolves around 16-year-old Alexis who begins a whirlwind relationship with slightly older, motorbike-riding, laissez-faire, hero-to-all David. Félix Lefebvre and Benjamin Voisin, playing Alexis and David respectively, have an easy chemistry with one another complementing the picturesque Normandy beachside town where the movie takes place. I probably would've been happy if the movie stayed on this level, but for better or worse, the movie capsizes expectations in a few ways serving up a central mystery that worked for me in the end even if it might not work for others.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnDo-qglPgvsBM-JZaE4m7af_bBIG7pkKZYYKPlMTCoaDMkCp5zhsCXZQeETVq6ASdfvexNzOYVspt-VT2t_UHGopsO9VkE255MsRvwWRBVk-tI43s60jHSGqqQDYNv7cLX5raaiXgzU/s1506/nf_sublet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1506" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnDo-qglPgvsBM-JZaE4m7af_bBIG7pkKZYYKPlMTCoaDMkCp5zhsCXZQeETVq6ASdfvexNzOYVspt-VT2t_UHGopsO9VkE255MsRvwWRBVk-tI43s60jHSGqqQDYNv7cLX5raaiXgzU/w400-h265/nf_sublet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />SUBLET (dir. Eytan Fox)</b><br /><br />One of these days, we will be able to freely travel again and meet exciting new people from far-off lands. Until then, we will all need to vicariously live through films like SUBLET. Here, Michael, played by the always watchable John Benjamin Hickey, is a New York Times travel writer on assignment in Tel Aviv where he sublets the place of much-younger-than-him Israeli man named Tomer played by the very handsome newcomer Niv Nissim. From there you think you know where the film goes, but like the conversations and trips the two men engage in, there are various detours and surprises. It's a lovely back-and-forth between the two characters, prodding, challenging each other as men from different generations and different cultures. I've been a fan of Eytan Fox for awhile now (<i>Yossi & Jagger</i> is a classic and <i>The Bubble</i> is underpraised). SUBLET continues his winning streak for me.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WECNmxelGeXO1yoA2CbaeSEQKNEf11V9dYzPMXpmxy-XQgbXRcN-2GKZ9SHGf0KA93Yx-zSd6ecwnVJhX_-HYqM1Gmlm_8frnrw7lwZjw1hWC8rLJdxivJTmmwI_69RtH14QYYCdpF0/s800/nf_glenncopeland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="800" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WECNmxelGeXO1yoA2CbaeSEQKNEf11V9dYzPMXpmxy-XQgbXRcN-2GKZ9SHGf0KA93Yx-zSd6ecwnVJhX_-HYqM1Gmlm_8frnrw7lwZjw1hWC8rLJdxivJTmmwI_69RtH14QYYCdpF0/w400-h270/nf_glenncopeland.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />KEYBOARD FANTASIES: THE BEVERLY GLENN-COPELAND STORY (dir. Posy Dixon)</b><br /><br />Knowing nothing about the history of electronic music, I have never heard of Glenn Copeland and his work. This loving documentary is brisk (it's just over an hour long) and it does feel like we're missing some parts of his amazing journey. But the focus on his most recent tour surrounded by young musicians allows Glenn, through his own words, to reflect on and savor his own legacy and his impact as a musician and a transgender icon giving the documentary an inspirational vibe that feels like a warm hug. I immediately downloaded a couple of his songs afterwards.<br /><br />I've already seen my Day 4 movies, but those reviews will be posted tomorrow!<p></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-31262751110697187762020-10-18T12:07:00.000-04:002020-10-18T12:07:08.170-04:00NewFest Film Festival: Day 2<p><i>This is me reviewing the films I've seen at this year's <a href="https://newfest.org/" target="_blank">NewFest</a> LGBTQ Film Festival. Click <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/search/label/NewFest">here</a> for my other reviews of the festival.</i><br /><br /><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9P4qZg5Rp-1rySpZu4c2OhuCMBcwvRAk4-tbGt0us0PGkwdsh8oM6zdR83-7HPKjQVYd_bQ1-2rMOys-0Fy09CbzvKGNRnPYvms3zXK6tstcz4sE7-wPwsQzKSgtfVtImPO9vS_tlIZE/s1920/nf_losfuertes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1013" data-original-width="1920" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9P4qZg5Rp-1rySpZu4c2OhuCMBcwvRAk4-tbGt0us0PGkwdsh8oM6zdR83-7HPKjQVYd_bQ1-2rMOys-0Fy09CbzvKGNRnPYvms3zXK6tstcz4sE7-wPwsQzKSgtfVtImPO9vS_tlIZE/w400-h211/nf_losfuertes.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br />LOS FUERTES (dir. Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo)</b><br /><br />Amidst the breathtaking and almost other-worldly landscape of Chile and its coast, LOS FUERTES (Strong Ones) tells a story about two men who meet and fall in love for a brief moment in time before continuing on to their own respectively journeys in life like two gay ships passing each other in the night. It's not a groundbreaking film by any means as countless of other movies in this genre have trodded this very same path, but it almost doesn't matter because you're completely enchanted by the leads played by Samuel González and Antonio Altamirano the same way their characters are to one another. Suffice to say, they're both gorgeous (Altamirano in particularly gives off a Louis Garrell vibe) and their chemistry is off the charts. What I found most fascinating is the film's deftness in giving both men a story beyond their love story which enrichens the characters and their relationship. There's also a lovely thread about trying to achieve independence (the war reenactments, escaping estranged family, starting a business), which grounds the movie and gives you hope in the end.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFr_pRGy8bqxywc6m9F2P79bL09vw7MzI1Bb3Z2ArKbVcb9yvYz2iDcGFt2OlCmyIGf88XPr905x9to_fGuZ72pcVUOUn-ovCs8KQKTGqdhNGJRQWAyCrsjT7npDDIPz4BRHm9P2-ROpE/s1200/nf_breakingfast.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFr_pRGy8bqxywc6m9F2P79bL09vw7MzI1Bb3Z2ArKbVcb9yvYz2iDcGFt2OlCmyIGf88XPr905x9to_fGuZ72pcVUOUn-ovCs8KQKTGqdhNGJRQWAyCrsjT7npDDIPz4BRHm9P2-ROpE/w400-h225/nf_breakingfast.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />BREAKING FAST (dir. Mike Mosallam)</b><br /><br />This movie made me so hungry with its various displays of food and cooking. It also made me hungry for more films like this i.e. romcoms featuring different kinds of people, in this case a gay Muslim man played by the beautiful (and out and proud actor) Haaz Sleiman. BREAKING FAST centers around Mo played by Sleiman, a devout Muslim doctor who is newly single after the film's prologue, having a difficult time moving on from and reconciling certain aspects of his life. He meets Kal (short for Kal-El aka Superman which also leads to the most adorkable running gag in the film), a working actor with an interesting background that gives him a unique perspective on Sleiman's faith and culture. It's a romcom so expect a lot of sweetness (Chekov's gospel choir, I won't say more), but where this movie goes beyond are the not-so-sweet parts. It puts in the work in discussing what it means to be gay and a practicing Muslim and doesn't settle for clear-cut answers or solutions. More impressive is the movie's treatment of the "gay best friend" Sam, perfectly played by Amin El Gamal. Sassy and armed with the best one-liners, Sam plays Mo's friend and foil, himself Muslim but not as devout. The film uses Sam's different perspectives on faith, masculinity, sexuality, and life in general not just as a counterpoint to Mo's but as valid interpretations worthy of discussion. Watch this movie and feel satisfied afterwards.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_TLeL-L2O9kOb3Qs_ZY70vlsbu5y9KkpEqNB5ywZq4tA2-hnjjToiNY6nA-_aNB8F7q7CnXOabYSak9554HkOoJCnKTMVyUuMf03XPv4O2Hm8rueTyLfD7kBJaTfgWBVtuxXAyDNQ1Q/s1275/nf_shearavory.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1275" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_TLeL-L2O9kOb3Qs_ZY70vlsbu5y9KkpEqNB5ywZq4tA2-hnjjToiNY6nA-_aNB8F7q7CnXOabYSak9554HkOoJCnKTMVyUuMf03XPv4O2Hm8rueTyLfD7kBJaTfgWBVtuxXAyDNQ1Q/w400-h224/nf_shearavory.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />SHORT FILM PROGRAM: FREE TO BE ME</b><br /><br />After <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/2020/10/newfest-film-festival-day-1.html">yesterday's foray</a> to beautiful boys, I thought I'd check out what the girls are up to... and then I accidentally clicked on a different program instead which was specifically curated for queer high-school audiences featuring young filmmakers making debuts. It was a happy accident as it provided a glimpse into the future.<br /><br />My favorite film was the longest clocking in at 26 minutes. SHÉÁR AVORY: TO BE CONTINUED gives us an all-too-brief glimpse of a real life 17-year-old navigating being young and needing support. The shortest film, AND THEN SHE KISSED ME, is essentially a 2-minute music video which I immediately wanted expanded into a full feature. ALL OF THE SIGNS, a short film about two friends trying to guess if a crush is gay or not, is delightfully low-budget in style, but gets high marks in story and humor. Finally, EGGHEAD & TWINKIE and WERE YOU GAY IN HIGH SCHOOL both make interesting use of flashback to tell their stories. Check out the full list of shorts from this program <a href="https://newfest.org/event/shorts-free-to-be-me/">here</a>.<br /><br />I wonder what Day 3 will bring. Stay tuned and feel free to friend me on <a href="https://letterboxd.com/mynameisryan/">Letterboxd</a> if you wish.<p></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-33987688552513999432020-10-17T11:19:00.001-04:002020-10-18T11:08:07.922-04:00NewFest Film Festival: Day 1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIs8gquDdjA3Qk3pmseIBL8vD6x3fi9mii5JVzcfwTdsBuNP8ZaaZexM1l47YfTulk49hFhyphenhyphengVu3L2-0cYHpargoy_aSWVL9VuUcQvshNjk6aJ83x8QZVZ6BWe84VG4JZJD2T2Ebfwe0/s1777/nf_seeyousoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1777" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIs8gquDdjA3Qk3pmseIBL8vD6x3fi9mii5JVzcfwTdsBuNP8ZaaZexM1l47YfTulk49hFhyphenhyphengVu3L2-0cYHpargoy_aSWVL9VuUcQvshNjk6aJ83x8QZVZ6BWe84VG4JZJD2T2Ebfwe0/w400-h225/nf_seeyousoon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />In this day and age of closed movie theaters and shifting release dates, I, like many fellow cinephiles, have been taking advantage of what's streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Max and the like. It's been an interesting film journey during this pandemic which I might write about someday including trying to check off some "how have I never seen this movie before" bucket list. But I've seen a good amount of stuff from this year as well, but certainly not in the same vein as I would've in a normal year.<br /><br />Enter <a href="https://newfest.org/" target="_blank">NewFest</a> which hosts an LGBTQ Film Festival in New York annually for the last 32 years. Previously I had been able to find the time to usually see a movie or two. This year, however, like most film festivals which haven't been canceled outright, they went virtual which allowed me the opportunity to do something I can also check off from my movie lovers bucket list: purchase an all-access pass to a film festival. And so now for the next 11 days, I can see new/new-ish LGBTQ movies from the comfort of my own home and I'm going to attempt to write about it. 2020 really is something.<br /><br />Yesterday was the festival's first day. With the Virtual All-Access Streaming Pass, most of the films in their line-up were immediately made available. There are a couple of drive-in specific screenings I can't see (like Opening Night's AMMONITE starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan) and a handful of "spotlight" movies held back for a few days, but for the most part, I can literally watch whatever I wanted. You'd think I'd have trouble choosing, but I knew exactly the two movies I wanted to start with.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmHb1_OHN7ErlsTwJjDmt2ph696YwSw7TCRHsjmxZM0KDDhuUupxPnEqrmKjkwX9YXNoYhn8G6CN0yGfxCstxxJGBFECtVFq1ks_3D1wVp9_J3NrVYMhILiZ2CDUeGyqCGvmEUwZEiio/s1000/nf_monsoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmHb1_OHN7ErlsTwJjDmt2ph696YwSw7TCRHsjmxZM0KDDhuUupxPnEqrmKjkwX9YXNoYhn8G6CN0yGfxCstxxJGBFECtVFq1ks_3D1wVp9_J3NrVYMhILiZ2CDUeGyqCGvmEUwZEiio/w400-h225/nf_monsoon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />MONSOON (dir. Hong Khaou)</b><br /><br />Like everyone else, I fell head over heels over Henry Golding in <i>Crazy Rich Asians</i> and when I found out that he was attached to a movie from director Hong Khaou who previously devastated me with <i>Lilting</i> a few years ago, I was beside myself. MONSOON is less traumatic than Hong's earlier movie, but no less affecting. Golding plays Kit returning to Vietnam after escaping it as a child with his mother and brother en route to Britain. Kit's uneasiness is apparent from the get-go as he navigates a world, a language, a culture he barely understands. His search leads him to another wayward soul in the form of Lewis played by the fetching Parker Sawyers. They both bond as unmoored individuals in a foreign country and their chemistry is electric. I wanted more of that, but I get why it wasn't the focal point of the movie. There were a lot of quiet, introspective moments in the film as we see Kit just observing, searching, listening which might have outstayed its welcome for some, but for me I was just fine staring at Henry Golding's face the entire time.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunDBHHG6HoRJLXEJvWjZP8HaJoIP_jDldYFJVT2TMxGcfFLcZgCfEf5yI68Yh194up2uuXxrEY_LWNsM4PImiKdjYUx1kCptmEkc9FHDBsk0tpqGiVv3fQGLHHiMiCxc6TZxi113tHJw/s1777/nf_dating+amber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1777" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunDBHHG6HoRJLXEJvWjZP8HaJoIP_jDldYFJVT2TMxGcfFLcZgCfEf5yI68Yh194up2uuXxrEY_LWNsM4PImiKdjYUx1kCptmEkc9FHDBsk0tpqGiVv3fQGLHHiMiCxc6TZxi113tHJw/w400-h225/nf_dating+amber.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />DATING AMBER (dir. David Freyne)</b><br /><br />After seeing the aforementioned dramatic film, I knew I had to see a comedy next and I couldn't have picked better than this hilarious coming-of-age film starring two young, captivating actors. Fionn O'Shea and Lola Petticrew respectively play too-sensitive Eddie and too-abrasive Amber who team up by pretend dating to get the bullies at school and their families at home off their backs, because, oh right, they're both gay. DATING AMBER is at once playful and hilarious as well as heartbreaking and moving. O'Shea and Petticrew make an excellent pair making you invested in their parallel, but still unique journeys in accepting themselves for who they are. Set in mid-1990s Ireland, the spectres of homophobia, toxic masculinity and Catholic traditionalism hang over the procedures but the film maintains its feel-good vibe to the end.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8C2CwYNApQi3mXevGcDIH8wJnGcMwdDLCLsaD-31UWqT2aMU9dyqEhpdjAj4gyZIVomoZvUUbQp1YkuInUSRvl5wyFsBpAKU5nQISAlC-6UQgCu64wFuO7BEsS6isUgc4tYwQTWQYRpY/s1777/nf_query.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1777" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8C2CwYNApQi3mXevGcDIH8wJnGcMwdDLCLsaD-31UWqT2aMU9dyqEhpdjAj4gyZIVomoZvUUbQp1YkuInUSRvl5wyFsBpAKU5nQISAlC-6UQgCu64wFuO7BEsS6isUgc4tYwQTWQYRpY/w400-h225/nf_query.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />SHORT FILM PROGRAM: BEAUTIFUL BOYS, BEAUTIFUL JOURNEYS</b><br /><br />One of the selling points of the festival for me this year was its robust short film programs boasting 10 individual programs ranging from 6-9 short films in each with each set curated by a theme of sorts. So of course I went and checked out these beautiful boys and their beautiful journeys.<br /><br />My two favorites book-ended the program with QUERY at the beginning and SEE YOU SOON at the end. Both movies feature characters wrestling with the nature of their relationship--two roommates unpacking their straight and maybe not so straight desires in the first and two guys from opposite coasts finally uniting trying to figure out if they can continue this in the second. Another film I really liked, KIND OF, also revolves around this same theme of two characters grappling with their relationships, in this case what it means to be a trans couple in a cis world. Other standouts for me were POMPEII and THE DICK APPOINTMENT which both uses apps and social media to hilarious and poignant results. Check out the full list of shorts from this program <a href="https://newfest.org/event/shorts-beautiful-boys-beautiful-journeys/">here</a>.<br /><br />Stay tuned for more reviews! In the meantime, feel free to friend me on <a href="https://letterboxd.com/mynameisryan/">Letterboxd</a> which I really should use to post short reviews versus just logging all the films I watch.<p></p>Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-38565074645916935772020-02-09T13:33:00.003-05:002020-02-09T13:36:34.433-05:00Thoughts on Oscar Noms and Predictions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEw9-jGL4Mtvf7YCsx6A2Ip6vrXyCgx2VI9ezQA3WEdLD2w7SibWfyr8NB1I7htKp8BD5Z2-KYfai3EVgfJHJgg53krssHd1r83R89v37AQOmU8fOZrWB-Ulz_e2oLRadM02eQWFnrl5Y/s1600/oscars_1917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="804" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEw9-jGL4Mtvf7YCsx6A2Ip6vrXyCgx2VI9ezQA3WEdLD2w7SibWfyr8NB1I7htKp8BD5Z2-KYfai3EVgfJHJgg53krssHd1r83R89v37AQOmU8fOZrWB-Ulz_e2oLRadM02eQWFnrl5Y/s400/oscars_1917.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Every awards season has its own unique tone and this one was surprisingly... tame. Perhaps its the shorter and more condensed season giving people less time to marinate on things. Or perhaps it's the odd lock-step of acting wins which everyone seems to be fine with in their inevitable road to the Oscars. Or maybe it's because the top two films vying for the top prize are both pretty damn great with not much to negatively campaign about them. Or we're all just trying to get through an increasingly awful state of reality and staying (relatively) positive over things like the Oscars might just be a defense mechanism. Who knows? It's been nice. Onwards to my thoughts and predictions...<br />
<br />
<b>BEST PICTURE</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Ford v Ferrari</li>
<li>The Irishman</li>
<li>Jojo Rabbit</li>
<li>Joker</li>
<li>Little Women</li>
<li>Marriage Story</li>
<li>1917</li>
<li>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</li>
<li>Parasite</li>
</ul>
The big shock here is the inclusion of <i>Joker</i> and its leading nomination count. And yet it's made the most out of all nominees, people won't stop talking about, and it did win at the Venice Film Festival. The early story of the season is that this was going to be <i>Irishman</i> vs.<i> Once Upon a Time</i>, because legendary directors doing the kind of films the Academy loves seem to make sense. But <i>1917</i> is the war movie du jour with its impeccable technical wizadry and is peaking at the perfect time. Speaking of peaking, <i>Parasite</i> is THE movie of the year and it's the one movie everyone (EVERYONE) seems to agree on. I hope the Academy makes history and picks it.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Parasite<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> 1917<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> It was always a longshot but <i>The Farewell </i>is my favorite movie of the year and should've been here. It was <i>Knives Out</i> that probably just missed though.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST DIRECTOR</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Martin Scorsese, <i>The Irishman</i></li>
<li>Todd Phillips,<i> Joker</i></li>
<li>Sam Mendes,<i> 1917</i></li>
<li>Quentin Tarantino, <i>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</i></li>
<li>Bong Joon Ho, <i>Parasite</i></li>
</ul>
Okay, when I said this awards season has been relatively tame, I guess I was mostly talking about the general resigned mood at the end. But let's not forget, or gloss over, that yet again we have an all-male Director line-up when Greta Gerwig and Lulu Wang and so many other women did amazing work this year. I was also pissed that DGA-nominated Taika Waititi was pushed aside for Phillips. Anyways, this is Mendes vs. Joon Ho. Would be a good choice regardless.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Sam Mendes<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Bong Joon Ho<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>I said this last year and I'll say it again this year... maybe look at the amazing women making films next year? It's getting old.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwurlvV5CQrgp9DjPfkNUlRyitIBW9YKMNfOTt6I_vERGB2T4qGHmpa7w6ukuoshoGLL_Dpirbd9T93FADOAPXl0ZIhiWGEJ91xGVddjBC1n1m6pFtD7KMlnJIJcGzlGTVFiYBd3lJyYk/s1600/oscars_judy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="825" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwurlvV5CQrgp9DjPfkNUlRyitIBW9YKMNfOTt6I_vERGB2T4qGHmpa7w6ukuoshoGLL_Dpirbd9T93FADOAPXl0ZIhiWGEJ91xGVddjBC1n1m6pFtD7KMlnJIJcGzlGTVFiYBd3lJyYk/s400/oscars_judy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>BEST ACTRESS</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Cynthia Erivo, <i>Harriet</i></li>
<li>Scarlett Johansson, <i>Marriage Story</i></li>
<li>Saoirse Ronan,<i> Little Women</i></li>
<li>Charlize Theron, <i>Bombshell</i></li>
<li>Renee Zellweger, <i>Judy</i></li>
</ul>
When Zellweger won last night at the Spirit Awards, I was thinking how insane it is that any one actor (let alone four this year) would practically sweep ALL the awards in a single year. That should NOT be possible with the sheer amount of amazing talent and performances out there. And I LIKE Zellweger's Judy and think she'd make a great Oscar winner. But to get EVERY award when Ronan is doing yet-again stupendous things or when Lupita Nyong'o or Elisabeth Moss or Alfre Woodard or Awkwafina weren't even nominated. It's ridiculous.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Renee Zellweger<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Saoirse Ronan<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> I'm still shocked/not shocked about Nyong'o's snub. Do better.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ACTOR</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Antonio Banderas, <i>Pain and Glory</i></li>
<li>Leonardo DiCaprio, <i>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</i></li>
<li>Adam Driver, <i>Marriage Story</i></li>
<li>Joaquin Phoenix, <i>Joker</i></li>
<li>Jonathan Pryce, <i>The Two Popes</i></li>
</ul>
Phoenix is the clear frontrunner here and as much as I don't like his film, I'm not too disturbed by him winning his 1st Oscar. I can pretend it's for <i>Her</i> or <i>The Master</i>. In any other year, especially if he hadn't won already, DiCaprio would likely be cleaning up. First nominations for Banderas and Pryce are good things! That said, I'm sad Taron Egerton and Eddie Murphy couldn't break through. Egerton's "snub" particularly hurts especially after Rami Malek actually won an Oscar the previous year for a worse version of similar films and performances.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Joaquin Phoenix<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Adam Driver<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> I'm already thinking about next year. I hope Anthony Ramos for <i>In the Heights</i> makes it in.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyCpCgsHb2OiqLLnEP64xVb5RWBraIzobrEOW35bAc1umWew8m1eFWJ2uSUUZfIZXLsQ8mwm2PUvOXFd6lfzERx-Jy3oDlktBepEDQxtUp77vwKcmPFs1i-wnsaJDephYx1l7OhQvE8U/s1600/oscars_laura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="1147" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyCpCgsHb2OiqLLnEP64xVb5RWBraIzobrEOW35bAc1umWew8m1eFWJ2uSUUZfIZXLsQ8mwm2PUvOXFd6lfzERx-Jy3oDlktBepEDQxtUp77vwKcmPFs1i-wnsaJDephYx1l7OhQvE8U/s400/oscars_laura.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Kathy Bates, <i>Richard Jewell</i></li>
<li>Laura Dern, <i>Marriage Story</i></li>
<li>Scarlett Johansson, <i>Jojo Rabbit</i></li>
<li>Florence Pugh, <i>Little Women</i></li>
<li>Margot Robbie, <i>Bombshell</i></li>
</ul>
This category is so dumb. First of all Jennifer Lopez and Zhao Shuzhen should've been no-brainers here and yet. Thankfully Lopez kicked ass at the Super Bowl last weeked and Shuzhen kicked ass at the Spirit Awards last night. Dern is the overwhelming favorite here and I love her and it's great that she'll finally have an Oscar, but this role isn't really "sweeping all awards" worthy. The only one here (okay, I haven't seen Richard Jewell) that feels like a worthy nomination/win is the breakout Pugh.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Laura Dern<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Scarlett Johansson<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>Forgot to mention, it's great that Johansson finally got her first (and second) Oscar nomination this year. She deserves both of them. But the optics (with Erivo as a slave as the only POC nomination) aren't great.<br />
<b><br />BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Tom Hanks, <i>A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood</i></li>
<li>Anthony Hopkins, <i>The Two Popes</i></li>
<li>Al Pacino, <i>The Irishman</i></li>
<li>Joe Pesci, <i>The Irishman</i></li>
<li>Brad Pitt, <i>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</i></li>
</ul>
These were pretty much the five that everyone predicted throughout the season with Tracy Letts and Willem Dafoe probably in the long list. The big hope for a Parasite acting nomination was here for Sang Kang Ho, but the category is just full of Oscar winners. The lone nominee who hasn't won an Oscar acting award is Brad Pitt (but he has won non-acting ones) and he's the one to beat. It's pretty much a done deal actually.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Brad Pitt<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Brad Pitt.... seriously.<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> Do we buy that Brad's role is actually supporting? I don't.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The Irishman</li>
<li>Jojo Rabbit</li>
<li>Joker</li>
<li>Little Women</li>
<li>The Two Popes</li>
</ul>
It's a few Best Picture nominees plus <i>The Two Popes</i>. Truly wish they found room for <i>Hustlers</i> or<i> A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood</i>. Or to be honest, <i>Avengers Endgame</i> if they had to give it to a comic book movie. In any case, this is Waititi's award to lose (he won WGA), but Gerwig could be a formidable alternate. If either won, I'd be happy.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Jojo Rabbit<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Little Women<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>Can we just have a tie? Think of their joint speech!<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Knives Out</li>
<li>Marriage Story</li>
<li>1917</li>
<li>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</li>
<li>Parasite</li>
</ul>
This is a very interesting race. Everyone thought Tarantino would walk away with this award all season and he did win Critics Choice/Golden Globe. But Baumbach has been the indie darling and recently won the Spirit Awards and Joon Ho surprisingly came out on top at the WGA. And everyone seems to love <i>Knives Out</i>. I AM shocked <i>1917</i> made it in at least over <i>The Farewell, Dolemite is My Name, Booksmart</i>, etc.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Once Upon a Time in Hollywood<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Marriage Story<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>I'm not predicting <i>Parasite</i>, but if it wins here (and it has a strong chance), then Best Picture might be in the bag as well.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_8NnM-Cj5rWSg6ACd1wWPBq3LPsloq8zPKfzQK4QIbTTTV1U2FjYZnleIqluyGdVH5MlyKJ_S4_xkxzTOffHN6RQotpyv3ZY3mnu8VYbs2sJUVVM2II2KAnYdcwL8lQASNdgnKOqA4k/s1600/oscars_parasite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="840" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_8NnM-Cj5rWSg6ACd1wWPBq3LPsloq8zPKfzQK4QIbTTTV1U2FjYZnleIqluyGdVH5MlyKJ_S4_xkxzTOffHN6RQotpyv3ZY3mnu8VYbs2sJUVVM2II2KAnYdcwL8lQASNdgnKOqA4k/s400/oscars_parasite.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Corpus Christi</li>
<li>Honeyland</li>
<li>Les Miserables</li>
<li>Pain and Glory</li>
<li>Parasite</li>
</ul>
As I previously mention, <i>Parasite</i> has been the movie of the year. It's going to win here. There's no doubt. I think there'll be riots if it doesn't win. <i>Honeyland</i> is apparently the first documentary to be nominated here?<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Parasite<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> If it doesn't win, the world will end<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>France didn't pick <i>Portrait of a Lady on a Fire</i>. And now we have to wait forever (next week) to see it. GO PARASITE!<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ANIMATED FEATURE</b><br />
<ul>
<li>How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World</li>
<li>I Lost My Body</li>
<li>Klaus</li>
<li>Missing Link</li>
<li>Toy Story 4</li>
</ul>
What a weird year! No room for the highest-grossing animated film of all time (<i>Frozen 2</i>)? Or critically-acclaimed <i>Weathering with You</i>? Anyways, other than <i>The Hidden World</i>, the other films have won various awards this season keeping this awards in flux. Would Disney power Toy Story 4 to a win? Would they finally give Laika an awards (for <i>Missing Link</i>)? How about Netflix's two audacious offerings? We'll see!<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Toy Story 4<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Missing Link<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> My sentimental favorite is <i>How to Train Your Dragon</i>. It hasn't won one! And as much as I'd love Laika to win one as a studio, <i>Missing Link </i>has been my least favorite of their output.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The Irishman</li>
<li>Joker</li>
<li>The Lighthouse</li>
<li>1917</li>
<li>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</li>
</ul>
Lots of beautifully-made films here. I think ASC winner Roger Deakins will get his 2nd Oscar this year especially with so many people in love with 1917's technical prowess. The nod with <i>The Lighthouse</i> is inspired.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>1917<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> The Irishman<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> <i>Parasite, Ad Astra</i>, and <i>Ford v. Ferrari</i> were likely in their longlist. <br />
<br />
<b>BEST FILM EDITING</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Ford v Ferrari</li>
<li>The Irishman</li>
<li>Jojo Rabbit</li>
<li>Joker</li>
<li>Parasite</li>
</ul>
<i>Parasite</i>'s inclusion here signals strong support for the film and with its ACE Eddies win, it's the unlikely frontrunner especially with <i>1917 </i>not nominated here. <br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Parasite<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Joker<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> Remember when <i>Bohemian Rhapsody</i> won last year. The darkest timeline.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The Irishman</li>
<li>Jojo Rabbit</li>
<li>1917</li>
<li>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</li>
<li>Parasite</li>
</ul>
Apparently, the Academy only saw like 12 films this year. ANYWAYS, the ADG Awards went to <i>Parasite </i>and <i>Once Upon a Time</i>. And it's going to be either one of those two and I'm leaning towards the latter because well... Old Hollywood and all.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Once Upon a Time in Hollywood<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Parasite<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>But that <i>Parasite</i> house though.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST COSTUME DESIGN</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The Irishman</li>
<li>Jojo Rabbit</li>
<li>Joker</li>
<li>Little Women</li>
<li>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</li>
</ul>
I screamed on Oscar nomination morning when <i>Dolemite is My Name </i>was left out. I was also holding out hope for <i>Downton Abbey</i> here or more unlikely, <i>Avengers Endgame</i>. And to be honest, Hustlers should've been here for Jennifer Lopez's fur alone. As for the winner, who knows? CDG gave it to two films not nominated and <i>Jojo Rabbit</i> while the BAFTAs went with <i>Little Women</i>. And still the other films might be more to Hollywood's tastes. So?<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Jojo Rabbit<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Little Women<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> No, but really what disrespect to Ruth E. Carter.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST VISUAL EFFECTS</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Avengers Endgame</li>
<li>The Irishman</li>
<li>1917</li>
<li>The Lion King</li>
<li>Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker</li>
</ul>
I can't believe the de-aging of <i>The Irishman</i> made it here because it was SO DAMN DISTRACTING. I'm also shocked that <i>1917</i> made it in, because its effects actually weren't too showy? I do wish <i>Avengers</i> get this. How can you not give the highest grossing film of all time any Oscars?<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Avengers Endgame<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> 1917<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>Imagine if <i>Cats</i> had been nominated? The fact that it was even included in the long list was HILARIOUS and ridiculous.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST MAKEUP AND HAIR</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Bombshell</li>
<li>Joker</li>
<li>Judy</li>
<li>Maleficent: Mistress of Evil</li>
<li>1917</li>
</ul>
It's the first year that this category has 5 nominees. It was always weird to me this only had 3. EVERY film has makeup and hair. Anyways, it's probably between <i>Bombshell </i>or <i>Judy </i>because the transformations are OBVIOUS. I'm pissed that <i>Rocketman</i> wasn't included here. I would've picked it for the win.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Judy<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Bombshell<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> Also pissed that <i>Dolemite is My Name</i> and <i>Little Women</i> weren't included here. Do better.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE</b><br />
<ul>
<li>American Factory</li>
<li>The Cave</li>
<li>The Edge of Democracy</li>
<li>For Sama</li>
<li>Honeyland</li>
</ul>
This is a good list, but my two favorite documentaries of the year--<i>Maiden</i> and <i>Apollo 11</i>--weren't included and I'm sad. That said, I've seen 3 of these and they ranged from good to excellent (my favorite is probably the deeply personal <i>For Sama</i>). <i>American Factory</i> has the Netflix/Obama factor though that might give it the edge.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> American Factory<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Honeyland<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> But seriously, check out <i>Maiden</i>. It felt like a movie thriller.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST SOUND EDITING</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Ford v Ferrari</li>
<li>Joker</li>
<li>1917</li>
<li>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</li>
<li>Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker</li>
</ul>
Other than <i>Joker</i>, these nominations makes sense. You'd think it'd be between <i>1917</i> and <i>Ford v Ferrari</i> and same goes to the Sound Mixing award.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>1917<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Ford v Ferrari<br />
<br />
<b>BEST SOUND MIXING</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Ad Astra</li>
<li>Ford v Ferrari</li>
<li>Joker</li>
<li>1917</li>
<li>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</li>
</ul>
This is <i>Ad Astra</i>'s sole nod. Weird. Anyways, see above.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> 1917<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Ford v Ferrari<br />
<b><br />BEST ORIGINAL SCORE</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Joker</li>
<li>Little Women</li>
<li>Marriage Story</li>
<li>1917</li>
<li>Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker</li>
</ul>
<i>Joker</i>'s Hildur Guðnadóttir is the first woman to be nominated in this category and she's the front runner! Again, I'm not a fan of the film, but I wouldn't be sad about this win. I personally would given it to either <i>Little Women</i>'s Alexandre Desplat or <i>1917</i>'s Thomas Newman (who's the Susan Lucci of this category).<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Joker<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>1917<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> John Williams is a true legend, but... stop. <i>Star Wars</i> doesn't have to be nominated every single time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqtGG8kQXS8YqpEDK9bS-cKAMnfmQ_ROifM9m7V8oniBhHp6DJnAy20D2JdaTqVMsdDZC1m-0ZCiHgSI7g3RdAEp8eocMim6vs6x8qVFiED0QvYTUWShrQDgbJ0zJp_1ALgtCoJ4wjXU/s1600/oscars_frozen2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="948" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqtGG8kQXS8YqpEDK9bS-cKAMnfmQ_ROifM9m7V8oniBhHp6DJnAy20D2JdaTqVMsdDZC1m-0ZCiHgSI7g3RdAEp8eocMim6vs6x8qVFiED0QvYTUWShrQDgbJ0zJp_1ALgtCoJ4wjXU/s400/oscars_frozen2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>BEST ORIGINAL SONG</b><br />
<ul>
<li>"I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away," <i>Toy Story 4</i></li>
<li>"I’m Gonna Love Me Again," <i>Rocketman</i></li>
<li>"I’m Standing With You," <i>Breakthrough</i></li>
<li>"Into the Unknown," <i>Frozen 2</i></li>
<li>"Stand Up,"<i> Harriet</i></li>
</ul>
The wrong song from<i> Frozen 2 </i>was nominated. No "Glasgow" from <i>Wild Rose</i>. No surprise nomination for <i>Parasite</i>'s original song. They passed over the fun "Catchy Song" from <i>Lego Movie 2 </i>or the original song from <i>Aladdin</i>. But sure, let's nominate some dirge from Diane Warren.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>I'm Gonna Love Me Again<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> I'm just going to listen to "Show Yourself" a bunch of times.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Brotherhood</li>
<li>Nefta Football Club</li>
<li>The Neighbors’ Window</li>
<li>Saria</li>
<li>A Sister</li>
</ul>
I try to watch this every year, but I skipped last year and didn't find the time this year. I hate the shortened Oscar season.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Saria<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> The Neighbors' Window<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ANIMATED SHORT</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Dcera</li>
<li>Hair Love</li>
<li>Kitbull</li>
<li>Memorable</li>
<li>Sister</li>
</ul>
I've only seen <i>Hair Love</i> and it's wonderful.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Hair Love<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Sister<br />
<br />
<b>BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT</b><br />
<ul>
<li>In the Absence</li>
<li>Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone</li>
<li>Life Overtakes Me</li>
<li>St. Louis Superman</li>
<li>Walk Run Cha-Cha</li>
</ul>
I've only seen <i>Life Overtakes Me</i>. It's okay, but I think could've been much better. So I have no idea what to say <br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> In the Absence<br />
<br />
So I predicted <i>Parasite</i> to get 3 Oscars including Best Picture while 1917 walks home with the most at 4 wins including Best Director. I actually think that might be too small for 1917, but I'm all about predicting spread-the-wealth sort of thing. I do hope <i>Parasite</i> gets those 3 wins (and maybe more)?<br />
<br />
Click <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/2020/02/my-personal-oscar-ballot-2020.html">here</a> for my picks on who should win.Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-35967397736520412152020-02-08T22:54:00.000-05:002020-02-08T23:18:19.656-05:00Best Picture TweetsSince I don't do regular reviews, I depend on my quick takes on twitter to remember what I thought of movies I've seen over the year. I don't do it for every film, but I do try to do it for films I really like or films that might be nominated for Oscars.<br /><br />And so in the order of when I saw the movies, here are my initial reactions for the Best Picture nominees this year...<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I enjoyed Brad and Leo's natural chemistry with each other and Leo in particular was impressive in everything QT had him do. His scenes with the little girl were my favorite. Movie certainly did NOT need to be that long and Robbie was a bit of a non-entity?</p>— Ryan ❄️ (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1154583483999772673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">With that said... surprisingly we all agreed that the last third of the film was its strongest highlighted by how breathtakingly ICONIC Phoenix's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Joker?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Joker</a> looked and felt. We also agreed Joaquin blew the role out of the water. His face is SO interesting.</p>— Ryan ❄️ (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1180656806026268672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">PARASITE is damn good. And I totally get why people have said to go into the movie cold but if you're like me and you were slightly unsure to see it because you thought it'd be TOO weird or a horror film... it's neither. So now go forth and see it! 🍑</p>— Ryan ❄️ (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1185027999441281025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JOJO RABBIT is pretty amazing. The kid actors were absolutely superb. I laughed. I cried. ALSO there was a Q+A afterwards and Taika Waititi himself was in attendance! He is HIGHlarious. Thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/FPNYC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FPNYC</a> for the free tickets. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JojoRabbit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JojoRabbit</a> <a href="https://t.co/cGI4yt2Ec5">pic.twitter.com/cGI4yt2Ec5</a></p>— Ryan ❄️ (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1185737000990728192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Like the movie's emotional je ne sais quoi doesn't REALLY hit until Jupe's character asks one of the adults "Have you ever been on fire?" The movie then takes on a new level after that moment. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FordVsFerrari?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FordVsFerrari</a></p>— Ryan ❄️ (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1195185328098861056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Both leads--Scarlett and Adam--are magnificent. But hey let's give it up to Merritt Wever. Her whole serving paper bit needs to be re-cut as a short film and it should win all the awards.</p>— Ryan ❄️ (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1209318794839113728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">LITTLE WOMEN is just absolutely delightful. I'm going to need Gerwig/Ronan/Chalamet to keep working together forever.</p>— Ryan ❄️ (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1210430447244730368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Well, I REALLY liked the last 40 minutes or so of THE IRISHMAN. The movie is 3 hours and 29 minutes long.</p>— Ryan ❄️ (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1211321521974714369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Oh and Roger Deakins is a fucking master. Those night sequences are *chefs kiss*. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/1917Movie?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#1917Movie</a></p>— Ryan ❄️ (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1216205657571053569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
Of course, there are some other films that probably should've been nominated for Best Picture. So let's see what my initial thoughts on those as well...<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">THE FAREWELL is a magnificent film. It's so rare for a heart-wrenching story to also be side-splittingly hilarious. It's very probably my favorite film of the year so far. For the love of everything good, everyone should see this movie ASAP.</p>— Ryan ❄️ (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1152771023718277120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Oh. My. God. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AvengersEndgame?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AvengersEndgame</a></p>— Ryan ❄️ (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1122324591358164992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">🎂👨👧👦👩⚕️💉🗡️💩🍩🤮 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KnivesOut?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KnivesOut</a></p>— Ryan ❄️ (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1200976067189706752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BOOKSMART is so good. And so funny. The ensemble was also a pleasant surprise. Go see it in theaters because we need more movies like this!</p>— Ryan ❄️ (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1132377697034702848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-63465156127529019972020-02-08T11:35:00.000-05:002020-02-08T11:35:06.219-05:00My Personal Oscar Ballot 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnmHJIEwfcgLFqMFpKzcaYB4HkGChtLCll6qUNaS28opAW5p0h0hj9S2LhzY927Agfg4XDETnCGFPtG8xLYEpBqkaPTPeKLyHs5uIaQCq3D5Fx2ZWFjYZC9xUDw8RoNsgJzbkT2JTPwE/s1600/ballot_parasite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="928" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnmHJIEwfcgLFqMFpKzcaYB4HkGChtLCll6qUNaS28opAW5p0h0hj9S2LhzY927Agfg4XDETnCGFPtG8xLYEpBqkaPTPeKLyHs5uIaQCq3D5Fx2ZWFjYZC9xUDw8RoNsgJzbkT2JTPwE/s400/ballot_parasite.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I can't believe the Oscars are tomorrow already! This speedy af awards season isn't my preference, but what can I do. Anyways, before we see the Oscars make probably stupid decisions (see Best Picture/Actor last year), let's take a look if they went with everything *I* wanted. Presenting, my personal ballot...<br /><br /><b>Note:</b> For Best Picture, Academy voters are asked to rank their choices. For the other categories, they are only asked to pick their choice of winner, which is exactly what I've done.<br /><br /><b>Best Picture</b><br />1 - Parasite<br />2 - Little Women<br />3 - Jojo Rabbit<br />4 - 1917<br />5 - Marriage Story<br />6 - Ford v. Ferrari<br />7 - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood<br />8 - The Irishman<br />9 - Joker<br /><br /><b>Best Director:</b> Bong Joon Ho, Parasite<br /><b>Best Lead Actor:</b> Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory<br /><b>Best Lead Actress:</b> Saoirse Ronan, Little Women<br /><b>Best Supporting Actor:</b> Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood<br /><b>Best Supporting Actress: </b>Florence Pugh, Little Women<br /><b>Best Animated Film: </b>How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World<br /><b>Best Original Screenplay:</b> Parasite<br /><b>Best Adapted Screenplay:</b> Jojo Rabbit<br /><b>Best Foreign Language Film:</b> Parasite<br /><b>Best Documentary: </b>For Sama<br /><b>Best Original Score: </b>1917<br /><b>Best Original Song:</b> "Into the Unknown," Frozen 2<br /><b>Best Editing: </b>Parasite<br /><b>Best Production Design:</b> Parasite<br /><b>Best Cinematography:</b> 1917<br /><b>Best Costume Design: </b>Little Women<br /><b>Best Makeup and Hair: </b>Judy<br /><b>Best Sound Editing:</b> 1917<br /><b>Best Sound Mixing: </b>Ad Astra<br /><b>Best Visual Effects:</b> Avengers: Endgame<br /><b>Best Live Action Short:</b> The Neighbors' Window<br /><b>Best Animated Short: </b>Hair Love<br /><b>Best Documentary Short: </b>In the Absence<br /><br />I went a little <i>Parasite/Little Women</i> crazy, but as they are my top two favorite Best Picture films (and likely my personal top 10 for the year), it makes sense. <i>1917</i> also did well, on the strength of its technical achievements. If only the Academy had my awesome taste, right?Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-56986513335033728472019-02-23T10:30:00.000-05:002019-02-23T10:30:08.024-05:00Thoughts on Oscar Noms and Predictions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoyXeVXqR-a8VmkvHkjBnEjJXxzSuZJdMHkqmspHvF7_H1EQRg1LJpFnt07yUstXauGq5jE-ThvqA84hteBjmQ2cruK28kXEB-YX32Swb09sh8fGzAW1_XDIiJWpeSMKypoAk3-LYos8/s1600/roma_bp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="733" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoyXeVXqR-a8VmkvHkjBnEjJXxzSuZJdMHkqmspHvF7_H1EQRg1LJpFnt07yUstXauGq5jE-ThvqA84hteBjmQ2cruK28kXEB-YX32Swb09sh8fGzAW1_XDIiJWpeSMKypoAk3-LYos8/s400/roma_bp.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This has been a weird year. A really, really weird year. First, the Academy seemed to have lost their damn minds in reaction to getting "low" ratings last year. What followed is a series of hilarious and inane directives they thought would improve ratings only to be met with swift and deserved backlash. Most of those were reversed, but awards season had its own drama separate from that. Can a black-and-white Netflix film really be the front-runner? Did the major guilds really give their awards to historically more films? Did a mediocre film directed by Bryan Singer actually maintain Oscar momentum? What is going the fuck on? Well, on to my thoughts and predictions...<br />
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<b>BEST PICTURE</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Black Panther (7 nominations)</li>
<li>BlacKkKlansman (6 nominations)</li>
<li>Bohemian Rhapsody (5 nominations)</li>
<li>The Favourite (10 nominations)</li>
<li>Green Book (5 nominations)</li>
<li>Roma (10 nominations)</li>
<li>A Star Is Born (8 nominations)</li>
<li>Vice (8 nominations)</li>
</ul>
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A few solid picks, a couple historic-making films, and some really mediocre movies. Sounds about right. A few films that probably were on the long list include <i>Eighth Grade, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Cold War, </i>and <i>First Man</i> which honestly would've been a better choice that a few picks here. The film to beat is also the unlikeliest to win based on history. <i>Roma</i> after all is a foreign language film and from a streaming platform. But what other films could win?<i> Green Book</i>'s facile attempt at race relations appeals to Academy's more conservative members (see <i>Driving Miss Daisy, Crash</i>) while <i>BlacKkKlansman </i>offers a more timely and more thoughtful experience. <br />
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<b>PREDICTION: </b>Roma<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Green Book<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> While I love <i>Roma</i>, my pick would've been <i>The Favourite</i>. But even if it walks home empty-handed the fact that a Lanthimos film got 10 Oscar nominations is a minor miracle. Click <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/2019/02/best-picture-tweets.html">here</a> for my first thoughts on the BP nominees.<br />
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<b>BEST DIRECTOR</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Spike Lee, <i>BlacKkKlansman</i></li>
<li>Pawel Pawlikowski, <i>Cold War</i></li>
<li>Yorgos Lanthimos, <i>The Favourite</i></li>
<li>Alfonso Cuarón, <i>Roma</i></li>
<li>Adam McKay, <i>Vice</i></li>
</ul>
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It's insane that this is Spike Lee's first nomination, but thankfully here he is and for a damn good film. The inclusion of Pawlikowski, Lanthimos and Cuarón (hopefully) speaks to the more internationally diverse Academy. McKay... is nominated. Over Bradley Cooper. Over Ryan Coogler. Over the various women who made wonderful films this year. But hey, at least Bryan Singer is nowhere to be found. This is Cuarón's award to lose.<br />
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<b>PREDICTION: </b>Alfonso Cuarón<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Spike Lee<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> If they pick anyone but McKay, it'll be a good year. But maybe look at the amazing women making films next year? This is getting absolutely tiresome.<br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2j694BbkGpEFAv6ksu85Kw9IZCzxE7kC2kgxrTo5FMXqQ2IZ3QbXuvgR2K9wT3qfhkwpgWyvBakHnFUzyq14XlHU406sVxxihKk_pcxlFIVGm-Xs3cdbwc-Tj4_zhCpHRRnWESiA1wBI/s1600/close_ba.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="658" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2j694BbkGpEFAv6ksu85Kw9IZCzxE7kC2kgxrTo5FMXqQ2IZ3QbXuvgR2K9wT3qfhkwpgWyvBakHnFUzyq14XlHU406sVxxihKk_pcxlFIVGm-Xs3cdbwc-Tj4_zhCpHRRnWESiA1wBI/s400/close_ba.JPG" width="400" /></a> </b><br />
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<b>BEST ACTRESS</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Yalitza Aparicio, <i>Roma</i></li>
<li>Glenn Close, <i>The Wife</i></li>
<li>Olivia Colman, <i>The Favourite</i></li>
<li>Lady Gaga,<i> A Star Is Born</i></li>
<li>Melissa McCarthy, <i>Can You Ever Forgive Me?</i></li>
</ul>
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I think people saw Close, Colman, and Gaga from a mile away. And while Close is very nearly the favorite to pick up her first (!) Oscar, it's actually competitive with Colman possibly playing the spoiler especially with her film garnering 10 nominations to Close's sole nod. McCarthy picking up her second nod for such an unlikely film makes me smile as does Aparicio getting a nod on her debut film!<br />
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<b>PREDICTION: </b>Glenn Close<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Olivia Colman<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> They went heavily with drama instead of horror (Toni Collette) and musical (Emily Blunt). Hopefully both will get their dues soon. But Close! Colman! Whoever wins, it's going to be a GREAT speech.<br />
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<b>BEST ACTOR</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Christian Bale,<i> Vice</i></li>
<li>Bradley Cooper, <i>A Star Is Born</i></li>
<li>Willem Dafoe, <i>At Eternity’s Gate</i></li>
<li>Rami Malek, <i>Bohemian Rhapsody</i></li>
<li>Viggo Mortensen, <i>Green Book</i></li>
</ul>
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This category fills me with much dread with four performances from films that range from mediocre to awful. The only performance from a film I liked is Cooper's and it's insane to me that he isn't a front-runner especially since he was blanked on a directing nomination. Instead Malek is inexplicably the likely winner and while he wasn't bad, the whole packaging of the performance and the film have left an immense bad taste in my mouth. Unfortunate since I actually like him.<br />
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<b>PREDICTION: </b>Rami Malek<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Bradley Cooper<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> How about for the next few years we award those playing original characters as opposed to real life people? If we did that this year... guess what... Bradley Cooper wins by default! UGH.<br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtY2zos84Od5n0m9S76OKzRrxf5OcW_iKsdyeQTVcA30vj461Z9qMvZo9wsVQAGI25mcItokhEgj4x17ZDEyLwfoU8lNo0H0DHdRCUM_U-77uF3R2dYFpPNSZS9WJcR0ES5leLhae_Q0/s1600/king_bsa.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="726" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtY2zos84Od5n0m9S76OKzRrxf5OcW_iKsdyeQTVcA30vj461Z9qMvZo9wsVQAGI25mcItokhEgj4x17ZDEyLwfoU8lNo0H0DHdRCUM_U-77uF3R2dYFpPNSZS9WJcR0ES5leLhae_Q0/s400/king_bsa.JPG" width="400" /></a> </b><br />
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<b>BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Amy Adams, <i>Vice</i></li>
<li>Marina de Tavira, <i>Roma</i></li>
<li>Regina King, <i>If Beale Street Could Talk</i></li>
<li>Emma Stone,<i> The Favourite</i></li>
<li>Rachel Weisz, <i>The Favourite</i></li>
</ul>
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De Tavira's inclusion here signaled the strong support for her film, because she literally didn't appear anywhere else during the precursors. It was a refreshing surprise especially for a role that could've easily gone unnoticed. Category fraud aside, I do love Stone/Weisz and in love with what they did in their film. Adams will win her Oscar someday and King will probably win her first this year. Other names on the probable long list include Claire Foy, Michelle Yeoh (sigh), Emily Blunt, and Nicole Kidman.<br />
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<b>PREDICTION:</b> Regina King<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Rachel Weisz<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> Other than Stone, I think anyone can win here. It's weirdly in flux even though King dominated awards season. But the lack of a SAG and BAFTA nomination makes her vulnerable.<br />
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<b>BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Mahershala Ali, <i>Green Book</i></li>
<li>Adam Driver, <i>BlacKkKlansman</i></li>
<li>Sam Elliott, <i>A Star Is Born</i></li>
<li>Richard E. Grant, <i>Can You Ever Forgive Me?</i></li>
<li>Sam Rockwell, <i>Vice</i></li>
</ul>
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It makes sense that Ali has become the front-runner. A lot people like the film and more like him as a person. Plus he's practically a lead. It is unfortunate though since as much as I like him, I think Driver/Elliot/Grant are more deserving winners especially Grant. Rockwell's nomination is absolutely ridiculous as was his win last year (and I like him!). It's especially egregious due to all the people who could've taken his place like Timothée Chalamet, Michael B Jordan, Alessandro Nivola, Colman Domingo, and Steven Yeun. Harsh.<br />
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<b>PREDICTION:</b> Mahershala Ali<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Sam Elliott<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> Grant has been having the time of his life post-Oscar nod and it'd be thrilling if he pulled off the upset, but I'm not predicting it.<br />
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<b>BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The Ballad of Buster Scruggs</li>
<li>BlacKkKlansman</li>
<li>Can You Ever Forgive Me?</li>
<li>If Beale Street Could Talk</li>
<li>A Star Is Born</li>
</ul>
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I'm personally offended that <i>Crazy Rich Asians</i> or <i>Black Panther</i> weren't nominated here, but the Academy gonna do its thing I guess even though both films made a lot of money and were critically acclaimed. <i>Buster Scruggs</i>' inclusion shocked me a but, but Coen brothers are practically royalty here. Anyways, this is the category that might just get Spike Lee (for <i>BlacKkKlansman</i>) his first Oscars.<br />
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<b>PREDICTION:</b> BlacKkKlansman<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> If Beale Street Could Talk<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b><i>Can You Ever Forgive Me? </i>won the WGA which was a minor shock. I wouldn't be surprised if it won here, but I do think it's between Lee and Jenkins.<br />
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<b>BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The Favourite</li>
<li>First Reformed</li>
<li>Green Book</li>
<li>Roma</li>
<li>Vice</li>
</ul>
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WGA-winner <i>Eighth Grade</i> should've been here and it's aggressively obnoxious that it wasn't included especially over the likes of <i>Green Book</i> and <i>Vice</i>. In any case, this is a wide open category. Literally any of these films can win. Your guess is as good as anyone else's at this point.<br />
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<b>PREDICTION:</b> Roma<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>First Reformed<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>My personal pick here would be <i>The Favourite</i> or <i>Roma</i>. I'm not the biggest fan of the rest and I'm still pissed that <i>Eighth Grade</i> wasn't nominated.<br />
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<b>BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Capernaum (Lebanon)</li>
<li>Cold War (Poland)</li>
<li>Never Look Away (Germany)</li>
<li>Roma (Mexico)</li>
<li>Shoplifters (Japan)</li>
</ul>
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I've only seen <i>Roma,</i> but I have <i>Shoplifters </i>in DVD to watch this weekend. <i>Cold War</i>, especially with its Directing nod, is also a strong contender. <i>Roma</i> is the favorite, but if the Academy think that'll be awarded elsewhere (like Picture/Director), they might be compelled to give this award to another film. And why not give it to the Cannes-winning film?<br />
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<b>PREDICTION:</b> Cold War<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Roma<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> I haven't seen it yet, but <i>Burning</i> had a lot of fans. And <i>The Cakemaker </i>didn't even make the longlist.<br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0M7izeolXTfaWaZEEt9FPCjK3ISor1ojSXTrrTq8lR_ZNhJA36AYszWfFv8fhFYckZihh2l7eOCDcyxcdQ_O5N4tQBMuqQixtPl2flTP1NlQpPok9jP1-wcBn3L6EbgRS7WpOq5PdJ4/s1600/spidey_bam.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="593" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0M7izeolXTfaWaZEEt9FPCjK3ISor1ojSXTrrTq8lR_ZNhJA36AYszWfFv8fhFYckZihh2l7eOCDcyxcdQ_O5N4tQBMuqQixtPl2flTP1NlQpPok9jP1-wcBn3L6EbgRS7WpOq5PdJ4/s400/spidey_bam.JPG" width="400" /></a> </b><br />
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<b>BEST ANIMATED FEATURE</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Incredibles 2</li>
<li>Isle of Dogs</li>
<li>Mirai</li>
<li>Ralph Breaks the Internet</li>
<li>Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</li>
</ul>
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This list was pretty set awhile ago with no big shocker one way or another. <i>Incredibles 2</i> and <i>Isle of Dogs </i>were probably fighting for the win most of the year until <i>Into the Spider-Verse</i> came out and just absolutely changed the conversation entirely by its dazzling visuals and perfect script. If there's any justice in the world, that film would win easily, but unfortunately it's not the almighty Disney (see <i>How to Train Your Dragon 2</i> losing to <i>Big Hero 6</i>). <br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Incredibles 2<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> We are all Spider-Man.<br />
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<b>BEST FILM EDITING</b><br />
<ul>
<li>BlacKkKlansman</li>
<li>Bohemian Rhapsody</li>
<li>Green Book</li>
<li>The Favourite</li>
<li>Vice</li>
</ul>
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Increasingly this category has come to awarding film with the most and obvious editing. So if that's the case, it's likely going to either <i>Vice</i> or ACE-winner <i>Bohemian Rhapsody</i>. Since I'm not a fan of either film, I'm hoping neither one of them gets it. How <i>Roma</i> or <i>First Ma</i>n or any of this year's critically acclaimed documentaries didn't get nominated perplexes me to no end.<br />
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<b>PREDICTION: </b>Vice<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Bohemian Rhapsody<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> I'm too despondent to say anything else. Only to cheer <i>BlacKkKlansman</i> and <i>The Favourite</i> to "upset" this category.<br />
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<b>BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Black Panther</li>
<li>First Man</li>
<li>The Favourite</li>
<li>Mary Poppins Returns</li>
<li>Roma</li>
</ul>
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As opposed to editing, this technical category is actually chock full of good films and surprisingly, good production design! What a word! This is probably <i>The Favourite</i>'s to win, but hilariously there isn't a favorite this year.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> The Favourite<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Roma<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b><i>Roma</i> is probably the more accomplished, but <i>The Favourite</i> is more noticeable. Both are damn worthy.<br />
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<b>BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Cold War</li>
<li>The Favourite</li>
<li>Never Look Away</li>
<li>Roma</li>
<li>A Star Is Born</li>
</ul>
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Most people were shocked at <i>Never Look Away</i>, but Deschanel is a big name so it's less shocking in retrospect. With that said, the lack of <i>First Man</i> or <i>If Beale Street Could Talk</i> is frustrating. Anyways, this is <i>Roma</i> vs. <i>Cold War</i>.<br />
<b><br />PREDICTION: </b>Roma<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Cold War<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> Hey, remember when Deakins finally won last year? That's a good memory.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST COSTUME DESIGN</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The Ballad of Buster Scruggs</li>
<li>Black Panther</li>
<li>The Favourite</li>
<li>Mary Poppins Returns</li>
<li>Mary Queen of Scots</li>
</ul>
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This is a fun category even though the lack of contemporary films like<i> Crazy Rich Asians</i> and <i>A Simple Favor </i>makes this feel incomplete. With that said, this is a difficult one to predict. I'm thinking it's between Powell (<i>The Favourite</i>) or Carter (<i>Black Panther</i>) and with Powell double-nominated (nominated for <i>Mary Poppins</i> as well), that might just make a difference in Carter's favor.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Black Panther<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> The Favourite<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> Seriously, what do contemporary films need to do to get some traction here?!<br />
<b><br />BEST VISUAL EFFCTS</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Avengers: Infinity War</li>
<li>Christopher Robin</li>
<li>First Man</li>
<li>Ready Player One</li>
<li>Solo: A Star Wars Story</li>
</ul>
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It's actually refreshing to see <i>Black Panther </i>not nominated here, because it really didn't deserve it. I am sad to see <i>Ant-Man and the Wasp</i> miss out here, but this is probably where the Academy can give a deserved win to the much maligned<i> First Man</i> which should've been a blockbuster hit with so many more nominations.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> First Man<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Avengers: Infinity War<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> Seriously, that moon landing sequence is just *chef's kiss*.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST MAKEUP & HAIR</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Border</li>
<li>Mary Queen of Scots</li>
<li>Vice</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<i>Suspiria </i>was probably the big miss here, but Best Picture films like <i>The Favourite, Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman</i> felt like they could've been considered here. At least<i> Bohemian Rhapsody</i> and its teeth weren't nominated.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Vice<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Border<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> Seriously, thank goodness <i>Bohemian Rhapsody</i> wasn't here.<br />
<b><br /></b><b><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AtqcJxWKBB3u5j2QpWQuCr779QW_51mbOonleWErV3__UfA-BhYTti7AWY5s_36ddw_xln-oSJ9s0pggknzuhRW8YEv105ht9nU4lCRWmb1lBvF-frdwke2SsTDXXQb1Usk2Cx62RQU/s1600/solo_bd.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="724" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AtqcJxWKBB3u5j2QpWQuCr779QW_51mbOonleWErV3__UfA-BhYTti7AWY5s_36ddw_xln-oSJ9s0pggknzuhRW8YEv105ht9nU4lCRWmb1lBvF-frdwke2SsTDXXQb1Usk2Cx62RQU/s400/solo_bd.JPG" width="400" /></a> </b></b><br />
<br />
<b><b>BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE</b></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Free Solo</li>
<li>Hale County This Morning</li>
<li>Minding the Gap</li>
<li>Of Fathers and Sons</li>
<li>RBG</li>
</ul>
<br />
How
the fuck do they not nominate Mister Rogers? Isn't that sacrilegous or
something? It's also surprising to see them not nominate the much buzzed
<i>Three Identical Strangers</i>. With that said, this genre's other big hits are present here--<i>Free Solo, Minding the Gap,</i> and <i>RBG</i>--and I'll be shocked if one of these don't win. I love them all so it's a win-win-win either way.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Free Solo<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Minding the Gap<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> Seriously, I probably saw more documentaries this year than any year and this category is so good this year. Can we have ties?<b> </b><br />
<b>BEST SOUND EDITING</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Black Panther</li>
<li>Bohemian Rhapsody</li>
<li>First Man</li>
<li>A Quiet Place</li>
<li>Roma</li>
</ul>
<br />
Surprisingly this is <i>A Quiet Place</i>'s one and only nomination and honestly, it should win this. But my sentimental pick is <i>First Man</i>. <i>Roma</i> is probably the best choice overall, but sadly <i>Bohemian Rhapsody</i> is the favorite because everyone loves Queen I guess.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Bohemian Rhapsody<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Roma<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> Just sing Queen in karaoke and stop giving it awards!<br />
<br />
<b>BEST SOUND MIXING</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Black Panther</li>
<li>Bohemian Rhapsody</li>
<li>First Man</li>
<li>Roma</li>
<li>A Star Is Born</li>
</ul>
<br />
I don't have any additional thoughts here, but again <i>Bohemian Rhapsody</i> is probably the one to beat with <i>Roma</i> or <i>First Man</i> as the alternate pick.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Roma<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Bohemian Rhapsody<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>Is this real life? Is this just fantasy?<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ORIGINAL SCORE</b><br />
<ul>
<li>BlacKkKlansman</li>
<li>Black Panther</li>
<li>If Beale Street Could Talk</li>
<li>Isle of Dogs</li>
<li>Mary Poppins Returns</li>
</ul>
<br />
It's a good list, but<i> First Man</i> was the favorite going into the nominations and when it didn't get in, it suddenly became a free-for-all. I honestly have no idea who's going to win here, but well <i>First Man </i>was absolutely robbed.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Black Panther<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> If Beale Street Could Talk<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> [listens to <i>First Man</i>'s score]<br />
<br />
<b></b>
<b></b>
<b></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkO2-5Sh1odVoMHDHsXa9FxAEhWHhJgLk8xkLe44xbNB-64illWNEZKU2h4js3tHXqM5fuxGoMW2bk68y0NJQ0A8d2jVTnehT3KbW-5okZkT5F-JVmmNn2TTR5ZHBASsITyCdL2cVG58/s1600/shallow_bs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="787" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkO2-5Sh1odVoMHDHsXa9FxAEhWHhJgLk8xkLe44xbNB-64illWNEZKU2h4js3tHXqM5fuxGoMW2bk68y0NJQ0A8d2jVTnehT3KbW-5okZkT5F-JVmmNn2TTR5ZHBASsITyCdL2cVG58/s400/shallow_bs.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>BEST ORIGINAL SONG</b><br />
<ul>
<li>"All The Stars," <i>Black Panther</i></li>
<li>"I’ll Fight," <i>RBG</i></li>
<li>"The Place Where Lost Things Go," <i>Mary Poppins Returns</i></li>
<li>"Shallow," <i>A Star Is Born</i></li>
<li>"When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings," <i>The Ballad of Buster Scruggs </i></li>
</ul>
<br />
They could've had Dolly Parton or Lin-Manuel Miranda, but alas. And now Emily Blunt and Kendrick Lamar are not performing (though Bette Midler is taking Blunt's place...which okay). OBVIOUSLY this is Lady Gaga's Oscar to lose. Take that Glenn Close!<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> "Shallow"<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> "All The Stars"<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> <i>In the sha-ha, sha-ha-ha-low...</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Detainment</li>
<li>Fauve</li>
<li>Marguerite</li>
<li>Mother</li>
<li>Skin</li>
</ul>
<br />
Apparently this year's slate is extra depressing. I usually watch these every year, but I took a pass this year. Marguerite is the sole non-kill-me-now film so I'll pick that for the win.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Marguerite<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Mother<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ANIMATED SHORT</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Animal Behaviour</li>
<li>Bao</li>
<li>Late Afternoon</li>
<li>One Small Step</li>
<li>Weekends</li>
</ul>
<br />
I was going to see this slate since Live Action was bleak, but I also didn't get a chance. I saw <i>Bao</i> in front of <i>Incredibles 2</i> and it IS created by Asian filmmakers.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Bao<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>One Small Step<br />
<br />
<b>BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Black Sheep</li>
<li>End Game</li>
<li>Lifeboat</li>
<li>A Night at the Garden</li>
<li>Period. End of Sentence.</li>
</ul>
<br />
A couple of these are on Netflix and a couple more are available to stream elsewhere.<i> Period. End of Sentence</i> is probably the lightest of them all, but also most accessible. <i>Lifeboat</i> and <i>A Night at the Garden</i> are most timely.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Lifeboat<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Period. End of Sentence.<br />
<br />
So I'm predicting 5 wins for <i>Roma</i> including Picture/Director while the only other films getting multiple wins being <i>Bohemian Rhapsody, Black Panther,</i> and Vice. The other fun thing is that apparently I'm predicting all the Best Picture nominees to walk away with at least one award. Will the Oscars actually be so spread-the-wealth? It's not often this happens so I'm probably really, really wrong. Anyways, we'll all see tomorrow! Still no host! Unless it's Whoopi Goldberg. But probably not though.<br />
<br />
Click <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/2019/02/my-personal-oscar-ballot-2019.html">here</a> for my picks on who <i>should</i> win.Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-45479554148064785252019-02-19T18:38:00.002-05:002019-02-19T23:51:12.547-05:00Best Picture TweetsLess than a week until the Oscars! It's been an<i> interesting</i> season to say the least. There's been a lot of commentaries both about the films and their bigger cultural significance. There were even more quick hot takes and shifting opinions. So with that said, let's take a look at my initial thoughts on the Best Picture nominees via my twitter reactions right after I saw the films.<br />
<br />
In the order of when I saw the movies/tweeted about them...<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Oh and yeah, I'm going to need a movie, TV show, short documentary... whatever... featuring Shuri, Nakia, and/or Okoye. And I needed this yesterday. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackPanther?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackPanther</a></p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/965418927080853505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">So <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlacKkKlansman?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlacKkKlansman</a> is great. Go see it. The ending.... is so obvious and yet so perfect. The (majority white) audience I saw it with was completely silent in the end.</p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1028487335736950784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I saw A STAR IS BORN today. It's good, even reaching great at times. It's not a masterpiece. More thoughts later.</p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1048710860250800129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Oh, I saw BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY today as well and... Queen has a lot of great songs. And... it's certainly a good film for a PG-13 film overseen by the other members of the band.</p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1061460944348418056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">More thoughts! First, that dance sequence is beyond. Second, Colman/Stone/Weisz are perfect but Nicholas Hoult is the biggest diva of them all. Third, the costumes/locations were so pretty, it hurt. Finally, I'm still surprised at all the bunnies.</p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1066823705018413061?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On the one hand, I actually ended up really liking THE GREEN BOOK. Mortensen and Ali are so charming, esp. together. On the other hand, I don't disagree with much of this... <a href="https://t.co/B0jMqAo5ku">https://t.co/B0jMqAo5ku</a></p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1069254205943279616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Acknowledging that Christian Bale is pretty damn good in it, I couldn't wait for VICE to be over. It was interminable.</p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1083582891001634816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Finally saw ROMA and it's an absolute wonder. And now knowing the context of THIS shot... gives me tremendous amount of emotion. <a href="https://t.co/sJywxbHVar">pic.twitter.com/sJywxbHVar</a></p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1096259415139930113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
And since I saw just a few more films this year which probably should have been nominated for Best Picture, I'll share my initial tweets on those films as well...
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">FIRST MAN is stupendous. Such audacious filmmaking.</p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1051562318738452480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wow. SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE is so very amazing. I am going to be seeing that several more times. Seriously fantastic.</p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1074064653045637120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just saw the movie EIGHT GRADE by Bo Burnham. It's great...<br>LAUGHED during the banana scene.<br>CRINGED during the car scene.<br>CRIED during the fire burning scene.<br>SQUEED during the first date scene.</p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1020837285414277120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">And yes Melissa McCarthy is very good in CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? Still very humorous as is her brand but with a dash of caustic delightfulness.</p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1063950630040018950?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I only cried a handful of times. I cannot wait to abuse my AMC subscription seeing this a bazillion times. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CrazyRichAsians?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CrazyRichAsians</a></p>— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/1030982826156613633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The Oscars are this coming Sunday on ABC! No host this year. Things can get wild!
Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-58655151064461921482019-02-15T19:53:00.000-05:002019-02-15T19:53:16.535-05:00My Personal Oscar Ballot 2019<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsX2Olj0zrycU_fghiQ19vTq98p-GNAzwIZENVRT-H6T6rf2llRuolpSkHIfQJc-1CbyGSUI2Y5O7ZvPUIPk_schpegPIgJcnm1ji_DCk3GPDG4LipkihASgFcucDDjvabJgP9uLGgibs/s1600/ballot_fave.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="600" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsX2Olj0zrycU_fghiQ19vTq98p-GNAzwIZENVRT-H6T6rf2llRuolpSkHIfQJc-1CbyGSUI2Y5O7ZvPUIPk_schpegPIgJcnm1ji_DCk3GPDG4LipkihASgFcucDDjvabJgP9uLGgibs/s400/ballot_fave.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
The Oscars are coming! And while the Academy has done its best to make this year as ridiculous as ever with their inane decisions, let's focus on the movies shall we? Below would be my personal ballot if I was an Academy member. Real members have until this Tuesday to make their final picks. Hope at least a few of them spend their holiday weekend catching up on films.<br />
<br />
<b>Note: </b>For Best Picture, Academy voters are asked to rank their choices. For the other categories, they are only asked to pick their choice of winner, which is exactly what I've done.<br />
<br />
<b>Best Picture</b><br />
1 - The Favourite<br />
2 - Roma<br />
3 - BlacKkKlansman<br />
4 - Black Panther<br />
5 - A Star Is Born<br />
6 - Green Book<br />
7 - Bohemian Rhapsody<br />
8 - Vice<br />
<br />
<b>Best Director:</b> Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman<br />
<b>Best Lead Actor:</b> Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born<br />
<b>Best Lead Actress: </b>Olivia Colman, The Favourite<br />
<b>Best Supporting Actor:</b> Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?<br />
<b>Best Supporting Actress:</b> Rachel Weisz, The Favourite<br />
<b>Best Animated Film: </b>Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse<br />
<b>Best Original Screenplay:</b> The Favourite<br />
<b>Best Adapted Screenplay:</b> If Beale Street Could Talk<br />
<b>Best Foreign Language Film: </b>Roma<br />
<b>Best Documentary:</b> Free Solo<br />
<b>Best Original Score:</b> If Beale Street Could Talk<br />
<b>Best Original Song:</b> "Shallow," A Star Is Born<br />
<b>Best Editing:</b> BlacKkKlansman<br />
<b>Best Production Design: </b>The Favourite<br />
<b>Best Cinematography:</b> Roma<br />
<b>Best Costume Design:</b> Black Panther<br />
<b>Best Makeup and Hair:</b> Mary Queen of Scots<br />
<b>Best Sound Editing:</b> First Man<br />
<b>Best Sound Mixing:</b> First Man<br />
<b>Best Visual Effects:</b> Avengers: Infinity Wars<br />
<b>Best Live Action Short: </b>Marguerite<br />
<b>Best Animated Short:</b> Bao<br />
<b>Best Documentary Short: </b>A Night at the Garden<br />
<br />
<i>The Favourite</i> was clearly my... favorite, topping out with 5 awards. A few films picked up a couple of awards: <i>BlacKkKlansman, A Star Is Born, If Beale Street Could Talk, Roma</i> and <i>First Man</i>. While <i>Green Book, Bohemian Rhapsody</i> and <i>Vice</i> walk away empty-handed. That'd be nice.Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-34797405438120560592018-03-03T21:48:00.001-05:002018-03-04T11:01:09.007-05:00Thoughts on Oscar Noms and Predictions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8oy8x9TlNmx9YHBFyMT4baRWyQ0D8crZ45M6r6_lJIjtK1sVVQMB4GEpMwOECin6AbfLzi6WXZzWKCl74VgMWkGjasHIK1HLjmnYr9gmsQUuuv9_p_ixp0JiP9ogVvHGBfg2nEVSeYI/s1600/oscars_bestpic18.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="675" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8oy8x9TlNmx9YHBFyMT4baRWyQ0D8crZ45M6r6_lJIjtK1sVVQMB4GEpMwOECin6AbfLzi6WXZzWKCl74VgMWkGjasHIK1HLjmnYr9gmsQUuuv9_p_ixp0JiP9ogVvHGBfg2nEVSeYI/s400/oscars_bestpic18.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
A little bit more than 24 hours from now, we'll know all the winners as well as the also-rans of the 90th Academy Awards. On the one hand, the awards season was and still is unpredictable. Does anyone really know what's winning Best Picture or which film will get the most wins? On the other hand, those acting races were way more competitive early on before the usual precursors rubber-stamped all the winners. The lesson though of last year's ceremony though is... unexpected things can still happen. Will it this year? Who knows?<br />
<br />
<b>BEST PICTURE</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Call Me by Your Name (4 nominations)</li>
<li>Darkest Hour (6 nominations)</li>
<li>Dunkirk (8 nominations)</li>
<li>Get Out (4 nominations)</li>
<li>Lady Bird (5 nominations)</li>
<li>Phantom Thread (6 nominations)</li>
<li>The Post (2 nominations)</li>
<li>The Shape of Water (13 nominations)</li>
<li>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (7 nominations)</li>
</ul>
<br />
I think some people expected <i>The Florida Project</i> to sneak in here, but the rest had been in the conversation early enough with momentum ebbing and flowing from one film to the next. I think the three films vying for the win are <i>Three Billboards</i> (lots of precursor love),<i> The Shape of Water</i> (top nominee + slam dunk directing win), and <i>Get Out </i>(preferential ballot favorite + film of the year). <i>Dunkirk</i> is probably the dark horse and could've been the favorite a few years ago (WWII film with lots of technical wizardry).<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Get Out<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>Can the beautifully gay indie film pull off the shocking upset again please?<br />
<br />
<b>BEST DIRECTOR</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Christopher Nolan, <i>Dunkirk</i></li>
<li>Jordan Peele, <i>Get Out</i></li>
<li>Greta Gerwig, <i>Lady Bird</i></li>
<li>Paul Thomas Anderson, <i>Phantom Thread</i></li>
<li>Guillermo del Toro, <i>The Shape of Water</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
Honestly, I love this shortlist. I probably would've replaced Anderson with Luca Guadagnino or Sean Baker, but really no actual complaints here. I mean look at these names! Just one of Del Toro, Peele, or Gerwig would've been thrilling enough, but all three? Plus this is Nolan's FIRST Oscar nomination for directing. While I think Peele should win this hands down, there's no bad choices here and the likely winner Del Toro would certainly be a wonderful champ.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Guillermo del Toro<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Jordan Peele<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>In its 90 years, Gerwig is only the 5th woman and Peele is only the 5th black director to be nominated. Damn.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ACTRESS</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Sally Hawkins, <i>The Shape of Water</i></li>
<li>Frances McDormand, <i>Three Billboards</i></li>
<li>Margot Robbie,<i> I, Tonya</i></li>
<li>Saoirse Ronan, <i>Lady Bird</i></li>
<li>Meryl Streep,<i> The Post</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
Ronan and Hawkins picking up critical awards, Robbie getting her breakthrough moment, and Streep doing her usual best work... plus Emma Stone one-upping her Oscar winning performance last year, Jessica Chastain challenging herself, Daniela Vega being a revelation. Could've been a great race. I don't begrudge McDormand. She's awesome and I'll be happy for her to pick up her 2nd Oscars tomorrow, but what could've been.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Frances McDorman<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Saoirse Ronan<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> I actually love all of these performances but man Ronan should've been the frontrunner from the beginning.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ACTOR</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Timothée Chalamet, <i>Call Me by Your Name</i></li>
<li>Daniel Day-Lewis, <i>Phantom Thread</i></li>
<li>Daniel Kaluuya, <i>Get Out</i></li>
<li>Gary Oldman, <i>Darkest Hour</i></li>
<li>Denzel Washington,<i> Roman J. Israel, Esq.</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
I'm most excited for Kaluuya's nomination here. It helps that his film is a cultural phenomenon, but I think a lot of people miss the brilliance in his subtle performance. Also thrilled for Chalamet who has carried the "breakthrough revelation" label since the film premiered more than a year ago in Sundance. One of those two SHOULD be winning, but it'll go to Oldman because he plays Winston Churchill. He was always the favorite, sight unseen, and well yeah.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Gary Oldman<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Daniel Day-Lewis<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> Chalamet would be a lot of people's alternate, but Oscars love Day-Lewis and for his "final film"? Weirder things.<br />
<b><br />BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Mary J. Blige, <i>Mudbound</i></li>
<li>Allison Janney, <i>I, Tonya</i></li>
<li>Lesley Manville,<i> Phantom Thread</i></li>
<li>Laurie Metcalf, <i>Lady Bird</i></li>
<li>Octavia Spencer, <i>The Shape of Water</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
From the very beginning this was thought to be a two-woman race between Metcalf and Janney, two very well-loved veterans. In fact Metcalf did get some critical love early on, but Janney's flashier role and bigger personality made her dominant through awards season and her first Oscar will be the bow on top. Raise a glass through to some also-rans which had some buzz like Tiffany Haddish, Holly Hunter, and Hong Chau.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Allison Janney<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Laurie Metcalf<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> The Academy doesn't do ties, but think about it just this once maybe?<br />
<br />
<b>BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Willem Dafoe, <i>The Florida Project</i></li>
<li>Woody Harrelson,<i> Three Billboards</i></li>
<li>Richard Jenkins, <i>The Shape of Water</i></li>
<li>Christopher Plummer, <i>All the Money in the World</i></li>
<li>Sam Rockwell, <i>Three Billboards</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
Let's get the Kevin Spacey pink elephant out of the way. Plummer's nomination is remarkable. He filmed his scenes in NOVEMBER. Is this the Academy praising his work or sticking it to a disgraced Spacey or them giving a nod to the changing landscape. Who can say? Anyways, <i>Three Billboards </i>doubling up here is indicative of the movie's strength and Rockwell will take that to victory. Dafoe had some buzz early on, but as with all the other acting categories, this one is won and done.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Sam Rockwell<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Willem Dafoe<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> They couldn't have doubled up with Michael Stuhlbarg and Armie Hammer on <i>Call Me By Your Name </i>instead? Stuhlbarg was robbed.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Call Me by Your Name</li>
<li>The Disaster Artist</li>
<li>Logan</li>
<li>Molly’s Game</li>
<li>Mudbound</li>
</ul>
<br />
With the biggest films in the other screenplay category, this is the best shot for <i>Call Me By Your Name</i> to not walk home empty-handed tomorrow and the best shot for James Ivory to pick up his first Oscar win. He's the favorite, but some people seem weirdly put off by the film (they are dumb). I guess the question is, even if they are, which film would take its place? No one can seem to agree to that, so... win?<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Call Me By Your Name<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Molly's Game<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>I might riot if James Ivory doesn't win. We all should.<br />
<b><br />BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The Big Sick</li>
<li>Get Out</li>
<li>Lady Bird</li>
<li>The Shape of Water</li>
<li>Three Billboards</li>
</ul>
<br />
With 4 Best Pictures in the mix, this is probably the most competitive category of the night. You can make a case for any one of them to win this. As an aside, I'm happy that indie hit <i>The Big Sick</i> got recognized here. General consensus seems to have it as a two-film race between <i>Get Out</i> and <i>Three Billboards</i> and I do hope it goes to the first since it's likely will be its one award.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Three Billboards<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Get Out<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>I'm predicting to protect my disappointment, but also I want to put it out in the world that <i>Lady Bird</i> winning would be freaking awesome.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM</b><br />
<ul>
<li>A Fantastic Woman (Chile)</li>
<li>The Insult (Lebanon)</li>
<li>Loveless (Russia)</li>
<li>On Body and Soul (Hungary)</li>
<li>The Square (Sweden)</li>
</ul>
<br />
I've only seen two of them, <i>A Fantastic Woman</i> (amazing) and <i>On Body and Soul</i> (not bad at all). And have heard good stuff about the others. Shortlisted films that didn't make the cut that some people really liked included <i>The Wound</i>, <i>Felicite</i> and <i>In the Fade</i> which people thought could've been favored to win here. And then there's France's <i>BPM</i> being shocking short list omission. The Academy should feel shameful regarding that.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>A Fantastic Woman<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>The Square<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>I actually have no idea who's favored to win here, but I do know you should try to watch all of these.<br />
<b><br />BEST ANIMATED FILM</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The Boss Baby</li>
<li>The Breadwinner</li>
<li>Coco</li>
<li>Ferdinand</li>
<li>Loving Vincent</li>
</ul>
<br />
As someone who actually liked <i>The Boss Baby</i>, this category still feels awfully thin this year, doesn't it? Last year a <i>Finding Nemo</i> sequel which I really liked didn't get nominated and I was OKAY because the category was stacked. Anyways, Pixar's wonderful <i>Coco </i>is the odds-on favorite this year and is probably the lockiest win tomorrow night apart from the acting awards. <br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Coco<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> The Breadwinner<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> <i>Coco</i> should win for its gorgeous rendering of the Land of the Dead alone and making me ugly cry a lot.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST FILM EDITING</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Baby Driver</li>
<li>Dunkirk</li>
<li>I, Tonya</li>
<li>The Shape of Water</li>
<li>Three Billboards</li>
</ul>
<br />
Convention says a Best Picture film wins this and with Dunkirk being the most OBVIOUSLY edited, it's the frontrunner. And yet <i>Baby Driver</i> could take some of these technical awards in a surprise.<br />
<b><br />PREDICTION:</b> Dunkirk<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Baby Driver<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>Three Billboards getting in here instead of <i>Get Out</i> is a travesty.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Beauty and the Beast</li>
<li>Blade Runner 2049</li>
<li>Darkest Hour</li>
<li>Dunkirk</li>
<li>The Shape of Water</li>
</ul>
<br />
If the want to go with MOST then <i>Beauty and the Beast </i>could challenge here. If they want to go with PERIOD then <i>Dunkirk</i> or<i> Darkest Hour</i>. If they want to go with CREATIVE, perhaps <i>Blade Runner</i>. But I think <i>Shape of Water</i> has a bit of all of those so I think it'll win.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>The Shape of Water<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Dunkirk<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> <i>Call Me By Your Name</i>'s Italian villa with its books and various fruits was perfection.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Blade Runner 2049</li>
<li>Darkest Hour</li>
<li>Dunkirk</li>
<li>Mudbound</li>
<li>The Shape of Water</li>
</ul>
<br />
This is the technical category everyone is excited about. And why not? We have <i>Mudbound</i>'s Rachel Morrison as the FIRST EVER woman to ever be nominated in this category. And this year could actually be it for 14-time nominated Roger Deakins (<i>Blade Runner 2049</i>) to get his first Oscar! <i>Dunkirk</i> and <i>Darkest Hour</i> with their WWII epicness will challenge, but #Oscar4Deakins.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Blade Runner 2049<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Dunkirk<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>Seriously, give it to Deakins already.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ORIGINAL SONG</b><br />
<ul>
<li>"Mighty River," <i>Mudbound</i></li>
<li>"Mystery of Love," <i>Call Me by Your Name</i></li>
<li>"Remember Me," <i>Coco</i></li>
<li>"Stand Up for Something,"<i> Marshall</i></li>
<li>"This Is Me,"<i> The Greatest Showman</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
Early last year I thought Celine Dion's <i>Beauty & the Beast </i>song had this in the bag. Thankfully the year brought us some more great choices and this shortlist is stacked with not only quality, but talent. Last year's champs Pasek and Paul are the front-runners with "This is Me," their underdog anthem that's a big hit with film and music audiences. And as much as I love that song, I'm hoping "Mystery of Love" or "Remember Me" pull off the upset. Actually, I'm good with a three-way tie.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>"This Is Me"<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> "Remember Me"<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> I cannot wait for all of these performances!<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ORIGINAL SCORE</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Dunkirk</li>
<li>Phantom Thread</li>
<li>The Shape of Water</li>
<li>Star Wars: The Last Jedi</li>
<li>Three Billboards</li>
</ul>
<br />
John Williams could get his 6th win for <i>Star Wars</i>, but I think it's a two-man race between Alexandre Desplat's delicate work on <i>The Shape of Water</i> and Hans Zimmer's bombastic work on <i>Dunkirk</i>. If <i>Three Billboards</i> win here, it'll probably take Best Picture.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>The Shape of Water<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Dunkirk<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> Congrats on Johnny Greenwood's first nomination for<i> Phantom Thread</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST VISUAL EFFECTS</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Blade Runner 2049</li>
<li>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2</li>
<li>Kong: Skull Island</li>
<li>Star Wars: The Last Jedi</li>
<li>War for the Planet of the Apes</li>
</ul>
<br />
I'd probably replace either <i>Guardians</i> or <i>Kong</i> for <i>Thor: Ragnarok</i> and I was a bit surprised by the exclusions of <i>The Shape of Water</i> and <i>Dunkirk</i>, but overall a nice list. It's also hard to predict since "most" in this case is pretty much all of them plus all of them got good reviews.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Blade Runner 2049<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> War for the Planet of the Apes<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>They haven't felt the need to reward <i>Apes </i>franchise yet (a bummer). Could this be the year?<br />
<br />
<b>BEST SOUND EDITING/MIXING</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Baby Driver</li>
<li>Blade Runner 2049</li>
<li>Dunkirk</li>
<li>The Shape of Water</li>
<li>Star Wars: The Last Jedi</li>
</ul>
<br />
These are two different categories, but since they have the same nominees, I thought I'd put them together. Plus I think this year the same film is going to win them both. I have no idea what it'll be. <i>Dunkirk</i> is the obvious choice, but I think <i>Baby Driver </i>and <i>Blade Runner</i> are right there.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION (for both): </b>Dunkirk<br />
<b>ALTERNATE (for both):</b> Baby Driver<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> One of these days I'll remember the difference.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST COSTUME DESIGN </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Beauty and the Beast</li>
<li>Darkest Hour</li>
<li>Phantom Thread</li>
<li>The Shape of Water</li>
<li>Victoria & Abdul</li>
</ul>
<br />
Frankly I was more partial to the pitch perfect period stylings of <i>Lady Bird</i> and <i>Call Me By Your Name</i> not to mention the wonderfully flash and trashy costumes in <i>I, Tonya</i>, but alas. This is an easy win for <i>Phantom Thread</i>, right?<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Phantom Thread<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Beauty and the Beast<br />
<b>FINAL WORD:</b> Is Doug Jones' creature a costume? If so, maybe they should win for <i>dat ass </i>alone.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Darkest Hour</li>
<li>Victoria & Abdul</li>
<li>Wonder</li>
</ul>
<br />
These were all a bit expected once the finalists were named, but <i>I, Tonya</i> really should've been here. A moment of silence for the makeup artist for Kevin Spacey on <i>All the Money in the World</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Darkest Hour<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Victoria & Abdul<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>Can't wait to never see Oldman as Churchill ever again.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Abacus Small Enough to Jail</li>
<li>Faces Places</li>
<li>Icarus</li>
<li>Last Men in Aleppo</li>
<li>Strong Island</li>
</ul>
<br />
Three of these films are available on Netflix so go binge them now! That's how I saw <i>Icarus</i> and <i>Strong Island</i>, both very good, though I really liked <i>Icarus</i>. Might see <i>Last Men in Aleppo</i> tomorrow. Agnes Varda could win for <i>Faces Places</i>. Who do you got?<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Faces Places<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Icarus<br />
<b>FINAL WORD: </b>Varda's cardboard cutout was the awards seasons VIP.<br />
<br />
<b>BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Edith+Eddie</li>
<li>Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405</li>
<li>Heroin(e)</li>
<li>Knife Skills</li>
<li>Traffic Stop</li>
</ul>
<br />
Haven't seen any of these, but Heroin(e) is on Netflix so I might before the ceremony. Not sure if any of the others are readily available. (ETA: Knife Skills and Heaven is a Traffic Jam are on YouTube).<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> Traffic Stop<br />
<b>ALTERNATE: </b>Heroin(e)<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ANIMATED SHORT</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Dear Basketball</li>
<li>Garden Party</li>
<li>Lou</li>
<li>Negative Space</li>
<li>Revolting Rhymes</li>
</ul>
<br />
Anyone know if any of these are available to stream? (ETA: <i>Garden Party</i> is online, <i>Lou</i> is on YouTube, <i>Revolting Rhymes</i> is on Netflix). Anyways, I've heard people like <i>Revolting Rhymes</i>. <i>Dear Basketball </i>has big names attached to it which usually means the win. I certainly don't know.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION: </b>Dear Basketball<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Revolting Rhymes<br />
<br />
<b>BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT</b><br />
<ul>
<li>DeKalb Elementary</li>
<li>The Eleven O’Clock</li>
<li>My Nephew Emmett</li>
<li>The Silent Child</li>
<li>Watu Wote/All of Us</li>
</ul>
<br />
I just saw these today and I'm happy to report there's not a dud among them. It makes it that more difficult to pick a winner though <i>DeKalb Elementary</i> might have a leg up for being (unfortunately) timely. <i>Watu Wote</i> is probably the most emotional one. And there's <i>The Eleven O'Clock</i> which is the one humorous one amongst some heavy drama.<br />
<br />
<b>PREDICTION:</b> DeKalb Elementary<br />
<b>ALTERNATE:</b> Watu Wote/All of Us<br />
<br />
And so now we wait until tomorrow. My picks for who should win is <a href="http://sortathatguy.blogspot.com/2018/02/my-personal-oscar-ballot.html">here</a>.Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-49172604221290359992018-02-26T15:00:00.000-05:002018-02-26T15:00:19.048-05:00My Personal Oscar Ballot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOUjGIi2cdXJvsnrLwT0uySJNeyq-Sd6xVwjBrEPBof0LfzLsZMGBJZcICP5k5z_N_GiCfwvBS5TOCbGzYXPBzSro3GU1AzDmP2Re3b29VjJvwYM7-aRY-JhCEFGsNBkTJHWMm8iUSDg/s1600/vote+lady+bird.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="706" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOUjGIi2cdXJvsnrLwT0uySJNeyq-Sd6xVwjBrEPBof0LfzLsZMGBJZcICP5k5z_N_GiCfwvBS5TOCbGzYXPBzSro3GU1AzDmP2Re3b29VjJvwYM7-aRY-JhCEFGsNBkTJHWMm8iUSDg/s400/vote+lady+bird.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This long awards season ends this coming Sunday with the 90th Academy Awards. After a prolonged period between nominations and ceremony, the deadline for voters to send in their final ballots is tomorrow. In that spirit, below would be my ballot if I was one of the lucky Oscar voters.<br /><br /><b>Note:</b> For Best Picture, Academy voters are asked to rank their choices. For the other categories, they are only asked to pick their choice of winner, which is exactly what I've done.<br /><br /><b>Best Picture</b><br />1 - Lady Bird<br />2 - Get Out<br />3 - Call Me By Your Name<br />4 - Dunkirk<br />5 - Shape of Water<br />6 - Phantom Thread<br />7 - The Post<br />8 - Three Billboards<br />9 - Darkest Hour<br /><br /><b>Best Director:</b> Jordan Peele, <i>Get Out</i><br /><b>Best Lead Actor:</b> Timothée Chalamet, <i>Call Me By Your Name</i><br /><b>Best Lead Actress: </b>Saoirse Ronan, <i>Lady Bird</i><br /><b>Best Supporting Actor:</b> Willen Dafoe, <i>The Florida Project</i><br /><b>Best Supporting Actress:</b> Laurie Metcalf, <i>Lady Bird</i><br /><b>Best Animated Film:</b> Coco<br /><b>Best Original Screenplay:</b> Lady Bird<br /><b>Best Adapted Screenplay: </b>Call Me By Your Name<br /><b>Best Foreign Language Film:</b> A Fantastic Woman<br /><b>Best Documentary:</b> Icarus<br /><b>Best Original Score: </b>The Shape of Water<br /><b>Best Original Song:</b> "Mystery of Love," <i>Call Me By Your Name</i><br /><b>Best Editing:</b> Baby Driver<br /><b>Best Production Design: </b>The Shape of Water<br /><b>Best Cinematography:</b> Blade Runner<br /><b>Best Costume Design:</b> Phantom Thread<br /><b>Best Makeup and Hair: </b>Wonder<br /><b>Best Sound Editing: </b>Dunkirk<br /><b>Best Sound Mixing: </b>Dunkirk<br /><b>Best Visual Effects:</b> War of the Planet of the Apes<br /><b>Best Live Action Short: </b>Dekalb Elementary<br /><b>Best Animated Short:</b> Negative Space<br /><b>Best Documentary Short:</b> Heroin(e)<br /><br />So looks like <i>Lady Bird </i>would be my biggest winner with 4 awards including Picture and Actress. <i>Call Me By Your Name</i> would be next with 3 awards including Actor and Adapted Screenplay.<i> Get Out </i>gets just 1 win for me, but it's a big one with Best Director. For the other awards, I spread the love a bit and really made to to give my theoretical vote to a film that I truly think deserve it. For the shorts, I voted based on summary.Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442553345950023691.post-7334794168477005532018-02-25T16:23:00.002-05:002018-02-25T16:24:30.045-05:00Best Picture TweetsOne week away until the Oscars. So I thought I'd look back to see what my first impressions were of the Best Picture nominess this year via my twitter reactions after seeing the films.
It's clear which films I immediately loved and which films I didn't have much to say about. So in the order of when I saw the movies/tweeted about them...
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GET OUT is nuts you guys. And I think m seeing it in a theater with lots of people certainly added to the experience.</div>
— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/838098594653749248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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DUNKIRK was a thrill. Was on edge throughout. So visceral by design. Must see on the biggest, loudest screen.</div>
— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/888809285144248320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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LADY BIRD is exquisite. A must watch for all. Gerwig, Ronan, and Metcalf astound.</div>
— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/926924130015997952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Wasn't sold on Lucas Hedges last year but love his lived-in and quiet turns in two of this year's best films, Lady Bird & Three Billboards.</div>
— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/932301406563905536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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CALL ME BY YOUR NAME is fantastic. Chamalet is so SO GOOD. Stuhlbarg's final speech is everything.</div>
— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/937088251516674049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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I've just seen Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour. He's excellent. That said... these two were better. <a href="https://t.co/YOtbrgZtsJ">https://t.co/YOtbrgZtsJ</a></div>
— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/939961981502619648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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As for the two other films I saw yesterday, I saw The Disaster Artist and The Shape of Water. Both VERY different and both VERY VERY good. There were certain elements in both that truly pleasantly surprised me.</div>
— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/942429354440773632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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THE POST is kind of exquisite. I know it's "baity," but it's so timely it hurts. And Streep is so damn good in it regardless and seeing ALL of the TV faces made me really happy.</div>
— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/949775763762503681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
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PHANTOM THREAD was both exactly what I thought it'd be and nothing at all like I imagined. I don't know how. DDL and Krieps are great but my nation to Lesley Manville's razor sharp performance.</div>
— Ryan (@sortathatguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/sortathatguy/status/957329987010486273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The Academy Awards are next week on ABC.Ryan T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11249768784800120083noreply@blogger.com0