Writer-director Paul Lieberstein (Toby from The Office) stars in his first feature film, Songs of the Back and Neck. As odd and slightly cumbersome as the title is, it works for this sweet and funny story which is one of self-discovery. Fred (Lieberstein) is a hapless paralegal at his father’s law firm. Constantly put down by young attorneys at the firm and crippled by back and neck pain, Fred struggles to get through each day, physically and emotionally. When the beautiful and charming Regan (Rosemary DeWitt) walks into his office looking for a divorce, Fred is smitten. She suggests Fred visit an acupuncturist, who helps Fred both relieve his pain and discover an unusual gift. Bonding through their shared neck and back pain, Fred and Regan embark on a romance to heal their broken hearts and aching torsos.
Lieberstein created a very true to life story which allows the audience to empathize with the character’s disenchantment with his life, but also delivers some unexpected belly laughs. Songs of the Back and Neck is well worth the price of admission. The film premiered on April 23 at the Tribeca Film Festival. There is one more showing at the Festival on Saturday, April 28, so be sure to check it out!
Sam Rockwell, Frances McDormand, Allison Janney, and Gary Oldman
It went off without a hitch! This year, the Best Picture winner was Guillermo del Toro’s love story from the Black Lagoon, The Shape of Water. We’re sure. We checked the envelope. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were on hand again this year to present the big award as a do-over from last year’s infamous envelope gaffe. The Shape of Water was the big winner of the night, picking up four awards: Best Picture, Best Director (Guillermo del Toro), Best Original Score, and Best Production Design.
Frances McDormand calling the female nominees to rise
The awards were spread around evenly to the Best Picture nominees, with the exception of Lady Bird. Greta Gerwig’s coming of age story set in 2002 Sacramento was nominated for five Oscars, and it did not win any. The people of the Internet are displeased. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri won awards for Sam Rockwell as Best Supporting Actor and Frances McDormand as Best Actress. McDormand gave a rousing speech asking all of the nominated females in all of the categories to stand up and be recognized. She then challenged the studio heads and production companies to set a meeting with these women to tell their stories.
Jordan Peele celebrating his Oscar win with presenter Nicole Kidman
Gary Oldman won his first Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. Oldman received a standing ovation from his peers as he walked to the stage to accept his award. As is customary, he thanked his wife, his children, and mentioned his mother who will be 99 later this year. One interesting note: Oldman was previously married to another of the night’s nominee’s, Phantom Thread’s Lesley Manville. Allison Janney picked up the award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in I, Tonya, and thanked her avian costar for his help on the film. Jordan Peele made history as the first African-American to win the award for Best Original Screenplay for his film Get Out. I will admit, I was hoping that he would accept the film by doing his President Obama impression. Overall, the big prizes of the night went to the frontrunners. The only surprises were that Icarus won for Best Documentary Feature and Blade Runner 2049 won the award for Best Cinematography.
Guillermo del Toro
The other big winner of the night was Mexican and South American culture. The Pixar animated film about Dia de los Muertos, Coco, won awards for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song (“Remember Me”). Mexican director Guillermo del Toro won the award for Best Director, as well. The phrase “Viva la Mexico” was uttered more times than in any other Oscar telecast. The winner of the Best Foreign Language Film was A Fantastic Woman from Chile, the first time Chile has won in this category and only its second nomination. This was Hollywood’s way of telling President Donald Trump where he could stick his wall.
Helen Mirren on a Jet Ski with costume designer Mark Bridges
Ultimately, the show was a bit of a dud. Jimmy Kimmel’s opening was bland and safe. The only thing slightly edgy he said was the Oscar was the perfect man because in a post-Harvey Weinstein Hollywood, a man who can keep his hands to himself and doesn’t have a penis is the best kind of man. Other than that, it was highly unmemorable. Throughout the show, things seemed to get progressively worse. He decided to take a field trip with a group if 10-15 A list stars to the movie theater across the street. The idea was to show the movie-going public the industry’s appreciation. Like last year’s tourists who walked into the Dolby Theater, the bit fell flat and lasted far too long. Kimmel also tried a bit where his 9 year-old self met the cast of Star Wars. It was the most awkward two minutes of the show. One ongoing gag that did work was the fact that Kimmel tried to get the night’s winners to keep their acceptance speeches short and sweet by telling them that the shortest speech would receive a Jet Ski. Helen Mirren even came out to be the Price is Right-esque model and show it off while it spun around on a platform. The winner of the Jet Ski, Mark Bridges, the costume designer of Phantom Thread with a speech that was 29 seconds long.
The best part of the show was seeing Oscar winners of the past present several of the awards. 1954’s Best Supporting Actress winner for On The Waterfront, Eva Marie Saint presented the award for Best Costume Design, 1961’s Best Supporting Actress winner for West Side Story, Rita Morano (wearing the same dress that she wore to the Oscars when she won in 1962) presented the award for Best Foreign Language Film, and 1978’s Best Supporting Actor winner for The Deer Hunter, Christopher Walken presented the award for Best Original Score. Due to allegations of sexual harassment, last year’s Best Actor winner, Casey Affleck declined the Academy’s invitation to present the award for Best Actress this year. Instead, the award for Best Actress was presented by two-time Best Actress winner for The Accused and Silence of the Lambs Jodie Foster and the Best Actress winner for Silver Liniings Playbook, Jennifer Lawrence. Not to be outdone, the Best Actor award was not presented by last year’s winner Emma Stone. It was instead presented by Hollywood royalty Jane Fonda (Best Actress winner for Klute and Coming Home) and Helen Mirren (Best Actress winner for The Queen). Stone was given the honor of presenting the award for Best Director.
That’s it; I officially declare the 2017/2018 Awards Season closed! What did you think of the show? Were you hoping for a surprise ending like last year’s best picture mess-up? Did you like Jimmy Kimmel? Weren’t Maya Rudolph and Tiffany Haddish the best part of the show? Let us know what you think! Leave us a comment below or contact us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
-Ariadne Ansbro
Full list of winners:
The cast and crew of The Shape of Water
BEST PICTURE Call Me By Your Name Darkest Hour Dunkirk
Get Out
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
The Post WINNER: The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Gary Oldman
BEST ACTOR Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out WINNER: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.
BEST ACTRESS Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water WINNER: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Meryl Streep, The Post
BEST DIRECTOR Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan Get Out, Jordan Peele Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig Phantom Thread, Paul Thomas Anderson WINNER: The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro
Allison Janney
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Mary J. Blige, Mudbound WINNER: Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World WINNER: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY The Big Sick, Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani WINNER: Get Out, Jordan Peele Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Martin McDonagh
James Ivory wins for Call Me By Your Name
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WINNER: Call Me By Your Name, James Ivory The Disaster Artist, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber Logan, Scott Frank, James Mangold, Michael Green Molly’s Game, Aaron Sorkin Mudbound, Virgil Williams and Dee Rees
PRODUCTION DESIGN Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049 Darkest Hour Dunkirk WINNER: The Shape of Water
CINEMATOGRAPHY
WINNER: Blade Runner 2049 Darkest Hour Dunkirk Mudbound The Shape of Water
The visual effects team from Blade Runner 2049
VISUAL EFFECTS
WINNER: Blade Runner 2049 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Kong: Skull Island Star Wars: The Last Jedi War for the Planet of the Apes
COSTUME DESIGN Beauty and the Beast
Darkest Hour WINNER: Phantom Thread The Shape of Water Victoria & Abdul
SOUND EDITING Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049 WINNER: Dunkirk The Shape of Water Star Wars: The Last Jedi
SOUND MIXING Baby Driver Blade Runner 2049 WINNER: Dunkirk The Shape of Water Star Wars: The Last Jedi
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
WINNER: Dear Basketball Garden Party Lou Negative Space Revolting Rhymes
LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM DeKalb Elementary The Eleven O’Clock My Nephew Emmett WINNER: The Silent Child Watu Wote/All of Us
Alexandre Desplat wins for The Shape of Water
ORIGINAL SCORE Dunkirk Phantom Thread WINNER: The Shape of Water Star Wars: The Last Jedi Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
FILM EDITING Baby Driver WINNER: Dunkirk I, Tonya The Shape of Water Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
WINNER:Darkest Hour
Victoria & Abdul Wonder
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM WINNER: A Fantastic Woman, Chile The Insult, Lebanon Loveless, Russia On Body and Soul, Hungary The Square, Sweden
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT Edith and Eddie WINNER: Heaven Is A Traffic Jam on the 405 Heroin(e) Knife Skills Traffic Stop
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Abacus: Small Enough to Jail Faces Places WINNER: Icarus Last Man in Aleppo Strong Island
“Remember Me” from Coco
ORIGINAL SONG “Mighty River,” Mudbound
“Mystery of Love,” Call Me By Your Name WINNER: “Remember Me,” Coco
“Stand Up For Something,” Marshall
“This Is Me,” The Greatest Showman
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM The Boss Baby The Breadwinner WINNER: Coco Ferdinand Loving Vincent
This weekend, the 90th Academy Awards will be held and Hollywood will bestow its highest honor to a deserving few. If you are going to an Oscar party and haven’t had time to see all of the nominated films, fear not, the MoviefiedNYC team has done all of the leg work for you. Managing Editors John David West and Myrna Duarte share their predictions along with Award Season Guru Ariadne Ansbro and Eddie Mouradian cinephile MoviefiefiedNYC contributor. Below are our picks for who will win and which of the nominees should win.
Call Me By Your Name, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Get Out, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, The Post, The Shape of Water, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Picture:
Call Me By Your Name, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Get Out, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, The Post, The Shape of Water, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Ari: Who will Win: This is really a toss-up. The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri have collectively picked up all of the pre-Oscar awards, and split them almost evenly. I am going to say that ultimately, the fishman will steal the show and The Shape of Waterwill be the big winner. Who Should Win: The film that really impressed me the most this year was Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. This film could have been very depressing a la Rabbit Hole, but it wasn’t. It actually ended on a positive note, which was refreshing.
David: Who will Win: The Shape of Water. Who Should Win: The Shape of Water with a Dunkirk chaser! I would love to see a Dunkirk upset.
Eddie: Who will Win: Smart money is on Three Billboards because we live in a world where racists get a redemption arc or The Shape of Water because #FishmanSex (and it’s beautiful). But I’ve never been smart of had money so I’m calling for a Get Out upset. Who Should Win: It’s a great year for movies when the best Steven Spielberg film in years is basically given a consolation prize. Lady Bird and Call Me By Your Name spoke to the anguished teen inside me, but no movie–maybe ever–has made me think more than Get Out.
Myrna: Who will Win: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouriand I don’t understand why. Who Should Win: The Shape of Water, a beautiful haunting political fairytale,but wouldn’t it be great to have a real upset and have the un-nominated Florida Project win.
The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro, Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan, Get Out, Jordan Peele, Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig, Phantom Thread, Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Director:
Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan Get Out, Jordan Peele Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig Phantom Thread, Paul Thomas Anderson The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro
Ari: Who will Win: The Mexican and Spanish directors have been cleaning up in recent years. Welcome to their ranks, Guillermo del Toro. Who Should Win: I would really be happy if any of them would win. They all did a phenomenal job.
David: Who will Win and should win: Guillermo del Toro for the The Shape of Water. Would love to see Christopher Nolan,or Paul Thomas Anderson,or Jordan Peele win as well.
Eddie: Who will Win: Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water has this locked up. And it’s well-deserved and about time. Who Should Win: Sorry folks, but Christopher Nolan‘s direction of the oddly forgotten Dunkirk was next level.
Myrna: Who will Win and Should Win: The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro, there are few directors that can take you into their dreams. The only upset I could live with is Jordan Peele for Get Out.
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour, Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread, Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name, Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out, Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq
Best Actor:
Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Ari: Who will Win: This is Gary Oldman’s year. The only way he does not walk out of there with an Oscar is if Timothée Chalamet runs up on stage, steels it, and runs away. Who Should Win: While it may be passe, I really enjoyed Oldman’s performance in Darkest Hour. The film was very meh, but he elevated it and truly disappeared inside of Churchill.
David: Who will Win and should win: Gary Oldman in the Darkest Hour. It’s his to lose. If they’re running of time, Oscar telecast could just skip this category and have Emma Stone deliver the Oscar to his seat in the front row. Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name is a very close second.
Eddie: Who will Win: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour. I assume the space is already on his shelf. Who Should Win:Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Namewas revelatory and shouldn’t be denied his Oscar just because he’ll surely have other opportunities in the future.
Myrna: Who will Win and Should Win: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hourthough I am concerned with all the brouhaha about Phantom Thread being Day-Lewis’s last film that he could steal the award from Oldman.
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water, Margot Robbie, I, Tonya, Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird, Meryl Streep, The Post
Best Actress:
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Meryl Streep, The Post
Ari: Who will Win: Frances McDormand is about to become a two-time Academy Award winner. Who Should Win: I will probably be hanged for this, but Meryl Streep. Her portrayal of Katherine Graham was filled with so many layers. Her inner conflict and trepidation were palpable.
David: Who will Win: Frances McDormand Who Should Win: Margot Robbie, I, Tonya. Oh, and where is Annette Bening’s name on this list? She was a bit more deserving for her performance in Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool than a few of the other nominees this year–but I’m on team Robbie.
Eddie: Who will Win: Frances McDormand, Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri will deservedly join an elite group of double Best Actress winners. Who Should Win: I’m not mad that Franny is going to win her second Oscar, but Meryl Streep in The Postthough…
Myrna: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. I love Frances McDormand but I don’t think this is an award-winning role for her. Who Should Win: Margot Robbie in I, Tonya truly disappears into the role of Tonya Harding.
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project, Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water, Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Best Supporting Actor:
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Ari: Who will Win: This is Sam Rockwell’s year. From the minute I saw Three Billboards, I knew that he would be the one to beat come Oscar season. Who Should Win: Sam Rockwell. I know that my fellow writers all think there were some writing flaws to his character, but I disagree. He was just great in a great role.
David: Who will and Should Win: Sam Rockwell, despite some script problems, Rockwell rises above the material and delivers a killer performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Eddie: Who will Win: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MissouriWho Should Win: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri–it’ s not his fault his character has a weirdly problematic and completely unearned redemption arc.
Myrna: Who will Win: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Who Should Win: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Projecta film that deserved more nominations than it received.
Allison Janney, I, Tonya, Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird, Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread, Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water, Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
Best Supporting Actress:
Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water
Ari: Who will and should win: Allison Janney for her role as the tough as nails mother of figure skater Tonya Harding in I, Tonya. Janney’s film work has been as exceptional as her television work and it is about damn time she was recognized. The bird deserves an award, too.
David: Who will and should Win: Allison Janney, I, Tonya. She killed, she owned it, she rocked–give Janney the prize! HOWEVER, I would LOVE to see Lesley Manville win!
Eddie: Who will Win: Allison Janney, I, Tonya – great performance, even greater bird. Who Should Win: Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird gave my favorite performance of the year.
Myrna: Who will Win and Should Win: Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Logan
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Call Me By Your Name, James Ivory The Disaster Artist, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber Logan, Scott Frank, James Mangold, Michael Green Molly’s Game, Aaron Sorkin Mudbound, Virgil Williams and Dee Rees
Ari: Who will Win: James Ivory (of Merchant-Ivory fame) will pick up his first Oscar for his adaptation of André Aciman’s pretentious novel, Call Me By Your Name Who Should Win: Aaron Sorkin, Molly’s Gameshould win for anything he ever does. His writing is always head and shoulders above anyone else’s.
David: Who will and Should Win: Call Me By Your Name,James Ivory. After three previous nominations, this is his time.
Eddie: Who will Win: Call My By Your Name, James Ivory Who Should Win: Despite the protests of the comic book nerd and West Wing fan inside me, Call My By Your Name, James Ivory.
Myrna:Who will Win: Molly’s Game, Aaron Sorkin Who Should Win: The script for Logan by Scott Frank, James Mangold, and Michael Green brings us the emotional and character-driven Wolverine film we have all been waiting for.
The Big Sick
Best Original Screenplay:
The Big Sick, Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani Get Out, Jordan Peele Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Martin McDonagh
Ari: Who will Win: This is another close category. Martin McDonagh has been receiving accolades for his script of Three Billboards and since he did not receive a directing nomination, this may be his conciliation prize. However, I would have to give the edge to Jordan Peele for his truly innovative and original script for Get Out. Who Should Win: The Big Sickwas the best film that I saw this year. Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani crafted a brilliant script out of the story of how they fell in love.
David: Who will Win: Get Out, Jordan Peele, this is an opportunity to give best the picture nominee Get Out an award.Who Should Win: Get Out, Jordan Peele or even The Big Sick, but certainly not Martin McDonagh clunky Billboards.
Eddie: Who will Win: Get Out, Jordan Peele Who Should Win: Toughest category of the night: Get Outcouldn’t be more relevant, hilarious, frightening and eye-opening, but with Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig redefined herself and spoke to the teenage girl living inside all of us.
Myrna: Who will Win: Get Out, Jordan Peele for a film that defines our time. Who Should Win: The Big Sick, Emily V. Gordon, and Kumail Nanjiani for a film that defines our heart.
Coco, The Boss Baby, Ferdinand, The Breadwinner, Loving Vincent
Best Animated Feature:
The Boss Baby The Breadwinner Coco Ferdinand Loving Vincent
Ari: Who will Win: Never bet against Pixar. Coco for the win. Who Should Win: Loving Vincent was one of the most visually stunning films I have ever seen. I would give it to that.
David: Who will and Should Win: Coco. The Breadwinner was a powerful and captivating work but I have to go with Coco.
Eddie: Who will Win & Should Win: Coco, because Pixar.
Myrna:Who will Win and Should Win: Coco, a joyous and stunning tribute to family and culture.
Garden Par
Best Animated Short:
Dear Basketball Garden Party Lou Negative Space Revolting Rhyme
Ari: Who will Win: Even though it was the weakest of the shorts, it will probably go to Dear Basketball. Everybody loves Kobe Bryant. Who Should Win: Revolting Rhymes
David: Who will Win: Dear Basketball. The weakest of the group but the cool factor of Kobe Bryant winning, plus a score by John Williams may be too hard to resist for Academy voters. Who Should Win: Garden Party appealed to my darker taste but Revolting Rhymes might be the best of a strong group.
Myrna: I am sad to say I missed the shorts this year
Mudbound
Best Cinematography:
Blade Runner 2049 Darkest Hour Dunkirk Mudbound The Shape of Water
Ari: Who will Win: The Shape of Water was tailor made for this category. Welcome to the Winners Circle Dan Laustsen. Who Should Win: I was really taken with the photography of Mudbound. Rachel Morrison really captured the feeling of a post WWII Mississippi farm.
David: Who will Win: Dan Laustsen, The Shape of Water Who Should Win: Blade Runner 2049.
Eddie: Who will Win: This will be the test to see how deep into The Shape of Water the Academy is. I think Dan Laustsen takes it for that visually sumptuous film. Who Should Win: I’m not mad at a The Shape of Water win, but did you see Blade Runner 2049? It was too beautiful to comprehend.
Myrna: Who will Win: Dan Laustsen forcapturing the gritty beauty of fantastical filmThe Shape of Water Who Should Win: The 14-time Oscar nominee Roger Deakins forthestunning Blade Runner 2049 and so many other films.
Phantom Thread
Best Costume Design:
Beauty and the Beast Darkest Hour Phantom Thread The Shape of Water Victoria & Abdul
Ari: Who will and should Win: Phantom Threadno contest. Dresses in the style of Charles James? I am so on board.
David: Who will and should win: Phantom Thread.
Eddie: Who will Win: I think this is where Phantom Thread picks up a win. It’s about clothes! (Well, not really.) Who Should Win: Phantom Thread.
Myrna: Who will Win and Who Should Win: Luis Sequeira for The Shape of Water. ‘Make it like a George Clooney of fish-men!’ – Guillermo del Toro
Faces Places
Best Documentary:
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail Faces Places Icarus Last Man in Aleppo Strong Island
Ari: Who will Win: Faces Places was a lighter film with beautiful imagery. I think it will probably get the award. Who Should Win: Yance Ford’s Strong Island was a brilliant depiction of injustice and racism in what is supposed to be a progressive place.
David: Who will and Should Win: Faces Places is unforgettable for finding the extraordinary beauty in ordinary people. It will be a treat to see Agnès Varda, the mother of the French New Wave win an Oscar.
Eddie: Who will Win: Faces Places Who Should Win: Last Man in Aleppo
Myrna: A difficult category but Faces Places will and should win. I am still haunted by the beautiful imagery of this documentary.
Baby Driver
Best Film Editing:
Baby Driver Dunkirk I, Tonya The Shape of Water Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Ari: Who will and should Win: Dunkirk.While it annoys me that Christopher Nolan always has to do something weird with time in his films, he does it brilliantly with the help of long-time collaborator Lee Smith. Not to mention he was robbed of a nomination for Inception.
David: Who will Win: I have a feeling that Baby Driver may be the upset here however, usually the best editing winner is also the best picture winner. So, I’m going with Dunkirk—what? Who Should Win: Baby Driver
Eddie: Who will Win & Should Win: Dunkirk, although the editing of I, Tonya was practically another lead character.
Myrna: Who will Win:Dunkirk for its amazing layering of time. Who Should Win: Baby Driver for being an action dance piece set to music.
A Fantastic Woman, Chile
Best Foreign Language Film:
A Fantastic Woman, Chile The Insult, Lebanon Loveless, Russia On Body and Soul, Hungary The Square, Sweden
Ari: Who will Win: A Fantastic Woman will probably resonate with Academy voters. Who Should Win: The Square
David: Who will Win: A Fantastic Woman. Who Should Win: I only saw The Square in this category and I don’t feel this one is strong enough to win.
Eddie: Who will Win & Should Win: The Square. That’s what you get for putting Elisabeth Moss in your movie!
Myrna: Who will Win and Who Should Win: The Square, Sweden
Heaven Is A Traffic Jam on the 405
Best Documentary Short:
Edith and Eddie Heaven Is A Traffic Jam on the 405 Heroin(e) Knife Skills Traffic Stop
Ari: Who will Win: Netflix should pick up its second win in this category for Heroin(e). Who Should Win: Heaven Is A Traffic Jam on the 405, even though I haven’t seen it, I would give it a win for the name.
David: Who will Win: word on the street (the web) is that this one will go to Heaven Is A Traffic Jam on the 405.
Myrna: Who will Win: Heroin(e)Who Should Win: Knife Skills a powerful film about second chances.
Watu Wote/All of Us
Best Live Action Short:
DeKalb Elementary The Eleven O’Clock My Nephew Emmett The Silent Child Watu Wote/All of Us
Ari: Who will Win: DeKalb Elementary, unfortunately, became all too real two weeks ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Who Should Win: The Silent Child really brought you into the world of the deaf.
David: Who will Win: DeKalb Elementary is actually the weakest of the group, but I think the subject will resonate with voters. Who Should Win: The Silent Child.
Myrna: This is a hard category, I liked all the nominees but I believe My Nephew Emmett will win but it is The Silent Child that should win for truly immersing us into the world of a deaf child.
Wonder
Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
Darkest Hour Victoria & Abdul Wonder
Ari: Who will and should Win: Darkest Hour for putting Gary Oldman in a fat suit.
David: Who will and should win: Darkest Hour. Gary Oldman’s transformation into Winston Churchill by David Malinkowski, Lucy Sibbick, Anita Burger was brilliant.
Eddie: Who will Win & Should Win: Darkest Hour. Don’t even talk to me about Wonder.
Myrna:Darkest Hour will win but I, Tonyashould win.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Best Original Score:
Dunkirk Phantom Thread The Shape of Water Star Wars: The Last Jedi Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Ari: Who will Win: Alexandre Desplat has been pulling in all of the pre-Oscar awards. I would expect him to take home the gold for The Shape of Water. Who Should Win: Hans Zimmer did a truly incredible job with this work on Dunkirk.
David: Who will Win: The Shape of Water. Who Should Win: This was a strong year for movie scores. I loved Jonny Greenwood’s score for Phantom Thread, it complements the lush visual textures of the film, but I have to go with Hans Zimmer’s score for Dunkirk, it was essential to the film.
Eddie: Who will & Should Win: Dunkirk because it’s the only score that defined the movie.
Myrna:Alexandre Desplat for The Shape of Waterwill win, deservedly so but the sonic wonder of Dunkirk could come in as an upset.
“This Is Me,” The Greatest Showman
Best Original Song:
“Mighty River,” Mudbound
“Mystery of Love,” Call Me By Your Name
“Remember Me,” Coco
“Stand Up For Something,” Marshall
“This Is Me,” The Greatest Showman
Ari: Who will Win: “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman since it is so hummable. Who Should Win: “Remember Me” from Coco. I have loved Kristin Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez since Avenue Q.
David: Who will Win: “Remember Me,” Coco. Who Should Win: “Mystery of Love,” Call Me By Your Name.
Eddie: Who will Win: “Remember Me” Coco. Who Should Win: I’m actually humming “This Is Me” right now.
Myrna:“This Is Me,” The Greatest Showman will win, the Academy loves a good anthem but it’s “Remember Me,”Coco thathas my heart.
The Shape of Water
Best Production Design:
Beauty and the Beast Blade Runner 2049 Darkest Hour Dunkirk The Shape of Water
Ari: Who will and should Win: The Shape of Water was so visually stunning for both its cinematography and its production design. This one should take home the prize.
David: Who will Win: The Shape of Water Who Should Win: The Shape of Water
Eddie: Who will Win & Should Win: The production of The Shape of Water was almost too beautiful.
Myrna: The Shape of Water will win and should win. Guillermo del Toro’s and Paul Austerberry’s visual storytelling take us to a dreamy, romantic, fantastical world I never want to leave.
Dunkirk
Best Sound Editing:
Baby Driver Blade Runner 2049 Dunkirk The Shape of Water Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Ari: Who will and should Win: Dunkirk¸ full stop.
David: Who will and Should Win:Dunkirk
Eddie: Who will Win & Should Win:I couldn’t imagine a movie more deserving than Baby Driver… until I saw Dunkirk.
Myrna:Dunkirk will win but I am voting for Blade Runner 2049 and it’s wonderful use of silence.
Baby Driver
Best Sound Mixing:
Baby Driver Blade Runner 2049 Dunkirk The Shape of Water Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Ari: Who will and should Win: See above
David: Who will Win: Who Should Win:
Eddie: Who will Win & Should Win: Please see my above answer for film editing. Dunkirk.
Myrna: Dunkirk will win and it would be totally deserving but there was some special kind of magic going on in Baby Driver.
Blade Runner 2049
Best Visual Effects:
Blade Runner 2049 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Kong: Skull Island Star Wars: The Last Jedi War for the Planet of the Apes
Ari: Who will Win: I am going to go out on a limb and say Blade Runner 2049 will pick up this award, but I would not be surprised if War for the Planet of the Apes is victorious. Who Should Win: Blade Runner 2049
David: Who will Win: This one will go to the amazing motion capture performances of War for the Planet of the Apes. Who Should Win: I loved Blade Runner but I think the Apes have it.
Eddie: Who will Win: The sheer number of below-the-line nominations Blade Runner 2049 has received shows The Academy’s appreciation for the technical marvel. This will be a category where that appreciation pays off. Who Should Win: Is it crazy to say that sadly forgotten Kong: Skull Island?
Myrna: War for the Planet of the Apesthe last film in the trilogy will win but it really belongs to Blade Runner 2049with the Best Cinematography award for Roger Deakins.
The 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Sunday, March 4 on ABC. Join MoviefiedNYC for live streaming at @MoviefiedNYC
The Academy Award is the most coveted award in the film industry. When one receives this award, it translates to more parts, more fame, and bragging rights that for one year, “I was the best.” Or not. Since its inception, the Academy Awards have been known to be a bit of a popularity contest. This is not to say that it doesn’t get it right sometimes (Vivien Leigh winning for Best Actress in Gone with the Wind, Schindler’s List winning Best Picture, etc.). However, the Oscar prognosticators spend time analyzing the awards and looking to see who the Academy deems the most popular for that year, but not necessarily the best. There are classic Oscar missteps that have been addressed by many (see Shakespeare in Love winning for Best Picture instead of Saving Private Ryan or How Green was My Valley winning Best Picture over Citizen Kane). For this Throwback Thursday, managing editor John David West and awards season guru Ariadne Ansbro look back at some of the lesser known Oscar mistakes and tell you who they think should have won.
From top left: Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday, Bette Davis in All About Eve, and Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd.
1950 Best Actress
Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday
Anne Baxter, All About Eve
Bette Davis, All About Eve
Eleanor Parker, Caged
Gloria Swanson, Sunset Blvd.
Ari’s pick: This is a tough one for me. Judy Holliday was excellent at playing the dizzy blond Billie Dawn who starts to receive an education in Born Yesterday, but she was not even in the same league as Bette Davis or Gloria Swanson. Pitting Davis and Swanson against each other in career defining roles is an almost impossible choice. However, I am paid to make impossible choices, so I would have to say that the winner that year should have been Bette Davis. Her performance in All About Eve was the stuff of legends. Can you imagine anyone else saying, “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”?
David’s pick: Judy Holliday? Holliday is solid as Billie Dawn, the same role she played on Broadway, but let’s have a reality check here: Bette Davis in All About Eve and Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd. Choosing between those two is unfair (like Meryl Streep and Jessica Lange in 1982)—and that’s probably why Holliday won. They cancelled each other out. Since life is unfair, I’m going to make a choice and say that the 1950 Best Actress should have gone to Gloria Swanson for her larger than life performance in Sunset Blvd. Her movie icon status was solidified when she said, “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”
Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur and Jack Lemmon in Some Like it Hot
1959 Best Actor
Charlton Heston, Ben-Hur
Jack Lemmon, Some Like it Hot
James Stewart, Anatomy of a Murder
Laurence Harvey, Room at the Top
Paul Muni, The Last Angry Man
Ari’s pick: I am going to start by saying one of the most unpopular things I could ever say: I don’t like Ben-Hur. This does not mean that I cannot see past my dislike for a film, yet see the brilliance in a performance (i.e. Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, don’t hate me). However, Charlton Heston played Charlton Heston. He was the exact same tough guy that he played in every movie before, and all of the Bible epics he did after. Laurence Harvey was wonderful in Room at the Top. I generally think that Harvey is an actor who is largely forgotten about, mostly due to his untimely death at age 45. James Stewart really played against type in Anatomy of a Murder as a slightly dubious defense attorney who defends a man accused of murder. In the end, I have to go with Jack Lemmon in Some Like it Hot. There are so many great things in this film, but Lemmon is a true stand out. Sadly, Oscar is not big on honoring comedic performances.
David’s pick: I have to confess, I’m not familiar with many in this category and not a fan of the tediously long Ben-Hur. My choice is Jack Lemmon in Some Like it Hot for his comic performance as a musician who is forced to dress as a woman in order to hide from the mob. It’s a solid iconic comic performance in one of cinemas great classic comedies.
Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker and Angela Lansbury in The Manchurian Candidate
1962 Best Supporting Actress
Patty Duke, The Miracle Worker
Angela Lansbury, The Manchurian Candidate
Mary Badham, To Kill a Mockingbird
Shirley Knight, Sweet Bird of Youth
Thelma Ritter, Birdman of Alcatraz
Ari’s pick: Patty Duke won an Oscar for her role as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker. This film was poised to pick up acting Oscars for both Duke and Anne Bancroft in the lead actress category, as the Oscars love to reward people for playing real people and characters who must overcome some sort of physical or mental disability (check and check). The problem is that years later, the performance that stands out the most in this category is Angela Lansbury in The Manchurian Candidate. These days it is hard to think of Lansbury playing someone so diabolical. Lansbury’s performance is so memorable that AFI named her portrayal of Mrs. John Iselin as one of the 50 best villains of all time.
David’s pick: Of all the fine supporting performances in 1962, it’s Angela Lansbury in The Manchurian Candidate, who should have won for her performance as the cold and calculating, communist agent who is part of a plot to brainwash her son to commit murder. Yes, that’s right, our beloved Jessica Fletcher from Murder She Wrote played an evil communist operative. It’s an unforgettable performance that still holds up today. It’s a damn shame that Lansbury was overlooked for her most deserving Oscar.
Geraldine Page in A Trip to Bountiful and Whoppi Goldberg in The Color Purple
1985 Best Actress
Geraldine Page, A Trip to Bountiful
Anne Bancroft, Agnes of God
Jessica Lange, Sweet Dreams
Meryl Streep, Out of Africa
Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple
Ari’s pick: Over the years, the Academy has given out awards to actors for their body of work instead of their individual performance in the film for which they are nominated. For example, Henry Fonda for On Golden Pond and Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. Both are fine performances, but no one would say that those were necessarily the “best” performances of their careers. Geraldine Page’s win in 1985 is much the same. She had been nominated seven times prior to this win and, as it turned out, didn’t have much longer to live (she died in 1987). So the Academy felt that it was her time. I don’t. Whoopi Goldberg should have won for The Color Purple. She was perfect as a woman trapped due to her circumstance, who eventually learns to find her voice. The Color Purple was nominated for 11 Oscars, and didn’t win any. What a shame.
David’s pick: This is a tough one for me because I’m pretty happy with Geraldine Page, but I have to admit that her Best Actress win does kind of feel like a lifetime achievement award. Streep and Lange are fantastic, and I was almost ready to go with Lange as Patsy Cline. But I have to go with Whoopi Goldberg for her breakout performance in The Color Purple. She was the most authentic and heartbreaking thing in a film that tended to be a bit stagy, over the top, and even silly; Goldberg kept it real.
Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive and Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List
1993 Best Supporting Actor
Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive
Leonardo DiCaprio, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
Ralph Fiennes, Schindler’s List
John Malkovich, In the Line of Fire
Pete Postlethwaite, In the Name of the Father
Ari’s pick: This is a great category. Each of these performances were so intricate and mesmerizing that they are all memorable. However, there was one that was better than all the rest: Ralph Fiennesin Schindler’s List. In life, most people are not all good or all evil; everyone has nuance. Fiennes plays Amon Goeth as an evil, conniving, murderous bastard, but he also shows a human side to him. Fiennes was asked about how he could play Goeth as a human being and not as a mustache twirling villain. He said, “I mean, I could make a judgment myself privately, this is a terrible, evil, horrific man. But the job was to portray the man, the human being. There’s a sort of banality, that everydayness, that I think was important.” The best scene that illustrates this is when he attempts to show a human side and does not immediately punish a Jewish worker for not getting the stains off his bathtub. Watch it here.
David’s pick: 1993 was a great year at the Oscar, and this category is a difficult one. There’s not one clunker here. But Tommy Lee Jones Oscar for The Fugitive feels like he won for one of those big performances that inspires Academy voters to award more for career achievement than a specific performance. Without a doubt the Oscar should have gone to Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List as Amon Goeth, a Nazi concentration camp commandant. His portrayal of Amon was not just a two-dimensional evil Nazi that’s a pleasure to hate, but rather he played him with depth and complexity, which adds a level of tension and intensity.
This year, Willem Dafoe received his third Oscar nomination for The Florida Project, playing the manager of a down-and-out motel near Disney World (aka the Happiest Place on Earth). Dafoe received his second Oscar nomination for portraying Max Schreck, the star of the silent classic Nosferatu (1922), in Shadow of the Vampire (2000). Dafoe brillantly embodies Schreck, masterfully making what could have been a characature into a work of art.
Here it is, better late than never, MoviefiedNYC‘s Ten Best Movies of 2017. It was not a banner year for great movies but once the last quarter arrived, September through December ultimately redeemed 2017 and proved to be an ok year at the movies! Here are the Ten Best of 2017 as seen by John David West:
1. Dunkirk
Witnessing Christopher Nolan’s latest experiment with time was initially frustrating, but ultimately mind-blowing. It was a unique cinematic experience making for a refreshing departure from the sappy Hollywood war film—or any predictable narrative, plot-driven movie. Nolan takes viewers through a turning point of WWII with an immersive experience on land, sea, and air, revealing the soldiers’ confusion, fear, and drive to survive. Their experience is the viewer’s experience and is historic and important from a cinematic perspective. Hans Zimmer’s score is equally effective as are incredible visuals by Hoyte Van Hoytema (Interstellar).
2. The Shape of Water
Guillermo del Toro is at the top of his game with this beautifully conceived fairytale for adults. With exquisite art direction, fluid cinematography by Dan Laustsen, a dreamy score by Alexandre Desplat (The Tree of Life), and a strong performance by Sally Hawkins; the world that del Turo has created makes this film stand out as one of the most unique movies of 2017. One can’t help but think of the 1955 classic B-movie, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, but this m/animal has more depth and love. And there’s a Good versus Evil element, with Good represented by characters on the margins of society.
3. Phantom Thread
Director Paul Thomas Anderson delivers a quiet mood piece that is beautifully styled, and artistically stylized. It’s lovely to look at, thanks to Anderson’s careful attention to detail in every shot. The cinematography—by Anderson himself—brings viewers in close contact with the fabric and feel of dresses as the characters make them. The score by Jonny Greenwood equally matches the lush visual textures seen on screen. This is a film involving three people: dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis), his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville), and Reynolds’ lover, Alma (Vicky Krieps). All actors are as exquisite as the other elements of this film and delicately funny.
4. Call Me by Your Name
Is this the annual pretentious film appealing only to lovers of high art, beauty, language, and the finer things in life that elevate us? Those elements are all there in a multi-linguistic script that is balanced and restrained, thanks to Luca Guadagnino’s measured direction. The film’s elements are indeed beautiful (the “Somewhere in northern Italy” location, the actors, and the soundtrack), but above all, the film’s subject is universally relatable. No matter whom you love, the pain of love and loss sticks with you long after the film’s credits end—and what’s portrayed behind those final credits makes the film devastating and unforgettable.
5. I, Tonya
Movie snobs beware, Tonya Harding is the subject of a narrative film and it’s funny and campy, it winks at its audience in a faux documentary style, it’s a tragic comedy about a comically tragic event, and it’s damn good. When I first heard about I, Tonya, I thought, “oh hell yes, this will be a hoot to watch,” a hoot in the campy Lifetime movie sense—certainly not in the Academy Award level sense! Margo Robbie kills it as Tonya. We are with her—elevated with joy—when she triple axels her way to the top of the podium at the US Championships, and we feel the pain of a too harsh sentencing when she’s stripped of her US figure skating rights and never allowed to skate again. One can’t help but think, “Jesus, at least let her skate in an animal suit in Ice Capades; she’s not a child molester or a drug kingpin—it’s just ice-skating after all!” Allison Janney also kills as Tonya’s monstrous mother. For a film about a kooky moment in sports history that centers on a bunch of foolhardy “Boobs,” it’s impressive how moving I, Tanya is.
6. Get Out
Jordan Peele brilliantly takes the anxiety felt by American minorities and submerges it into a thriller to capture today’s racial tension. This multilayered horror, sometimes-comedy draws on the ever-present U.S. issues of black and white racial tensions and the legacies of American slavery. Peele makes us question where all the racists suddenly came from when Trump became President, folks who were previously silenced and muzzled by political correctness. Get Out is not only a good horror film—a difficult achievement in itself—it’s a film that will be remembered as an important movie that reflects the time in which it was made.
7. Florida Project
Sean Baker’s latest social-realistic film introduces viewers to another set of enigmatic characters who live on the fringe of society. Halley (Bria Vinaite) and her daughter (Brooklynn Prince) survive on the edge of homelessness in a motel called the Magic Castle, near Disney World. The exterior of the motel is a vibrant cheap purple, and this creates a delightfully colorful world in contrast to occupants’ poverty, but at the same time reflects the children’s joyous summertime play. The film easily brings back memories of those days of childhood wonder, regardless of one’s economic status or what neighborhood you grew up in. Their world contrasts sharply to Disney’s with its pricy fun far out of financial reach to many. Too obvious a metaphor? Perhaps, but watching these characters live makes the film remarkable. Florida Project doesn’t have a deeply complicated plot and the mother doesn’t have a traditional character arc whereby she learns and grows—she’s a tragic figure. Above all Brooklynn Prince, whose naturalness infuses Florida Project with energy and charm, makes you want to keep watching her—and everyone—live and behave in their world.
8. Faces Places
At 89 years old Agnès Varda—a legend of the French New Wave—is still making movies, and this time she’s found sweet perfection as she teams up with 35 year old photographer, JR. Together they make for the most unlikely duo to entertain audiences in years. Faces Places is a road movie that travels through rural France and shows us the extraordinary beauty of seemingly ordinary people. And the movie may make a historic stamp on cinema when the father of the French New Wave, Jean-Luc Godard, makes the mother of the French New Wave cry—he doesn’t even appear in the movie and yet Goddard is still affecting cinema.
9. Good Time
Who is that scruffy skinny actor so full of energy? Why it’s Robert Pattinson! He plays the worst brother a sibling could be cursed with, especially one who is mentally disabled. After a bank robbery that goes really bad, Connie’s (Robert Pattinson younger brother Nick (Benny Safdie one-half of the film’s brother directors) ends up in prison. Good Time has been compared to Martin Scorsese’s 1985 Tribeca odyssey After Hours. The comparison is certainly fair, only this NYC odyssey pushes it to full-throttle taking viewers in a rapid fire pace through Manhattan and God knows which borough of New York City.
10. mother!
Without a doubt mother! is the most polarizing film of the year. It pissed a lot of people off, made others laugh, and inspired endless “WTF” text messages upon its release. Once the allegory is clear, mother! sends your mind spinning. It’s an apocalyptic, biblical tale that layers on elements of war, invasion, and climate change, resulting in an experience that is disturbing, maddening, and sits with you for days. Michelle Pfeiffer delivers one of her best performances in years, and Jennifer Lawrence (this year’s Razzie nominee for worst actress), is well cast in one of her best role since Winter’s Bone.
Honorable Mention:
1. Bladerunner 2049 2. Lady Bird 3. Coco 4. The Killing of a Sacred Deer 5. Mudbound
Lesley Manville received her first Oscar nomination for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread playing the sister and business partner of fashion designer Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis, who also received a nomination). Manville has been active in mostly British films and television since the 1970s. She is a favorite of director Mike Leigh appearing in Secrets and Lies (1996), Topsy Turvy (1999), Vera Drake (2004), and Mr. Turner (2014) to name a few. In Leigh’s Another Year (2010), Manville plays Mary, the desperate woman of a certain age who is both pitied by and annoying to her friends.
1. Bladerunner 2049
