I have seen all the nominees except “Drive My Car” which I haven’t found on any streaming services yet.
My nominee for best picture would definitely be “Dune”. I had all the best elements of drama and narrative that made it an important and historic film.
“Power of the Dog” was a very slow and nuanced period piece. Cumberbatch was amazing but the overall story just didn’t interest me, and I left before the ending although my wife liked it.
A real gem is “Belfast”. It is a very personal account of the child Kenneth Branaugh growing up among the sectarian strife between Protestant and Catholic families living in Belfast in 1969. Kind of “Jo Jo Rabbit” meets Harold Wilson. One special mention would be for an almost unrecognizable Judi Dench who plays the rock-solid Grand Ma with amazing authenticity.
“King Richard” was a straightforward but very satisfying “rags-to-riches” tale about the Williams tennis stars and their rise from Compton to the world stage. Will Smith was great, but I think Cumberbatch will still win out for best actor.
I don’t know why “West Side Story” was nominated. I don’t see why Spielberg tried to improve on this classic and it seemed more like a vanity piece than a fresh take.
I also agree that the remake of the 1947 film noir, “Nightmare Alley” with Bradley Cooper replacing Tyrone Power was a really intense and dark psychological improvement on the original. The 1947 version pulled its punches in its ending and this version went all the way to the Twilight Zone which feels more realistic to a modern audience. Not a nominee but it should have been as an adaptation.
Go Dune!
“ A real gem is “Belfast”. It is a very personal account of the child Kenneth Branaugh growing up among the sectarian strife between Protestant and Catholic families…”
A really good movie, with the music by Belfast’s own Van Morrison - which makes it a very enjoyable experience throughout. Exceptionally well-acted and a storyline that brings you into the life of the working class people during this time.
I liked Belfast too and was happy that Judy Dench and Ciarán Hinds (the grandfather) got Oscar nominations. Their parts were small, but they made them memorable.
The ending of The Power of the Dog was the best part of it. The movie is really slow and drags, but the ending was a shocker. It’s a subtle and maybe to some ambiguous ending, but it made me re-evaluate the entire film and notice all sorts of hints about the boy and his motives from earlier in the film. The ending (beyond the solid acting and cinematography) was what made sitting through such a dull film worth it I think, at least for those who like artsy movies. I’m still surprised it’s the frontrunner though (probably the gay cowboy thing bumped it up a few slots in Hollywood’s estimation).
Of the other nominees, I liked Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos. The movie was a bit of a mixed bag, but I thought she did a good job and really reminded me of Lucy.
I was happy to see the Academy starting to treat foreign-language films more fairly outside of the Best International Feature category, since a lot of the best films are not made in Hollywood and not in English.
Saw Belfast and Old Henry. Both good movies.