https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4258698/
I've not seen enough of the films in the mix to have a serious opinion on the nominees, but I will say that Bill Nighy in Living is superb, and Living is a film that I heartily recommend to freepers. It is a quiet, understated character drama with a classic theme: an ordinary man, a quiet life, bad news from the doctor, six months to live. This is taken with stoic self-control and prompts the inevitable, buttoned up reflection, the result of which is aching loneliness, sadness and regret on the part of a man who realizes he had forgotten how to live and basically has been waiting to die for a very long time. Six months left. What will he do?
Timeless stories and universal themes deserve retelling, and you have probably seen variations on this theme many times. There are some tricks to doing this well: find a new setting to add a different flavor (and in this case, it's a hilarious, Kafkaesque parody, all the more effective for being so completely understated); disguise the setup and the twists along the journey; and above all, SELL THE CHARACTER!!! Living does all three, particularly the third. Bill Nighy is incredibly good in this. If you are over 60 and can't identify with his character, there is something wrong with you. No spoilers, but you might even shed a tear for a dying bureaucratic cog in the machine.
Conservative in tone and presentation? Yes. The film is set in 1950's London, and the movie could have been made then, except that the cinematography has come a long way since then. With the exception of one loosened-up evening -- ultimately a path not taken reverie -- all the characters are strait-laced, impeccably well-behaved, stiff upper lip Brits who would rather die than break caste. No nudity. No sex. If there was any rude language, I missed it.
See this in the theater if you can. Living premiered a year ago at Sundance but only reached U.S. screens in late December. It now has a limited theatrical release; IMDB says it was in 49 theaters last week, and some reviews suggest the release will be expanded. I suppose the Oscar nomination will help there. I'm coming around to the view that it is the smaller, quieter films that should be seen on the big screen. We used to say that the visual spectacles needed to be seen in the theater, but that was when our home viewing consisted of a big box with a cathode ray tube tv and SD or HD resolution. Modern tv's are so much better that this argument no longer holds; a modern home tv of midsize or better is fine for spandexed superheroes, sandworms and planet destroying asteroids. As I've ventured back into theaters in the last few years (after many years away, aside from taking my daughters to the kids' movies), I find that the character dramas benefit the most. The big screen commands full, undivided attention, and the quieter the film, the more important that is. Casual couch potato viewing at home surrounded by distractions and interruptions simply isn't the same thing. And the overpowering scale of the big screen draws you in, even in the quietest scenes.
A lot of freepers will respond that they've had too many bad experiences with noisy, disruptive theatergoers. Have no fear of that if you go see Living. Movies like Living are Kryptonite to the idiots. It's an adult movie. There will be no children or young adults, and probably few under 50, in the theater. I guarantee that the audience will be absolutely silent. If Bill Nighy doesn't win for Livig, I would vote for Colin Farrell in The Banshees of Inisherin." (He could have been nominated for After Yang as well; he's had a terrific year.) Also from Banshees, note that Brendon Gleeson and Barry Keoghan were nominated for Best Supporting Actor, as was Kerry Condon for Best Supporting Actress. If you are a fan of great acting, watch it for that. It took me awhile to settle into the story; it's a mixed up Irish stew of a small village comedy of manners, belonging, leaving, friendship, madness, tragedy, comedy, and I suppose a bit of everything else. Just call it Irish and roll with it. The acting carries it. It's also completely non-woke.
Haven’t yet seen Living, but The Banshees of the Inersherin was such a good film. The acting, especially, was Colin Farrell was excellent. A black comedy but also a very touching movie.
This is the first year in a long time that I’ve watched a best picture nominee and this year, I’ve actually seen two of them! Top Gun and Western Front. Both excellent. Western Front, I watched in German with subtitles, really blew me away. Very powerful film.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4258698/
Yes great flick if a little dark. I'm not a big Colin Farrell fan but he was great in this.
Will have to check out “Living” when I get time. It sounds a bit like “The Remains of the Day” with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. I thought that movie was quite good.
I nominate the very last movie that I went to, The Godfather...