Two Completed Shorts Categories

I saw the Live Action Shorts on Friday, and thought they were almost all really good, so I guessed that this year the Animated would be creepy or whatever, since in many years one or the other of those two sets of Shorts has been known to be a bit off the rails.  But then Saturday I saw the Animated Shorts and they were... also good?!

Live Action Shorts (in the order presented in the cinema program)
The Singers
A Friend of Dorothy 
Butcher's Stain
Two People Exchanging Saliva
Jane Austen's Period Drama 

Animated Shorts (in the order presented in cinema program) 
The Three Sisters 
Forevergreen
The Girl Who Cried Pearls 
Butterfly
Retirement Plan 

So not only do I not loathe any of this year's Best Picture nominees, but this year we're also safe from creepy what-the-hell- did-I- just- watch! shorts. So far. 

All right.  Do I have clear favorites? I just might have one or two. Of the Live Action Shorts: Butcher's Stain and  Two People Exchanging Saliva. I also think each of those has a chance to win.

I have read mixed reviews of Butcher's Stain  but really haven't agreed much with criticism I've read so far. It's hot topic political, as the Butcher in question is a (Palestinian?) Arab working in a grocery in Israel. But it's not really "about" that conflict per se, as much as it is about misunderstanding, judgment, betrayal, and how we're all struggling and lots of us are making others struggle. I think that after seeing it, when you look back you see how precise each moment was. In it, the personal is political, while in Two People Exchanging Saliva, the political (or societal) gets very, very personal. The minute I saw this mildly bodily-fluid-esque title on the Shortlist, I thought two things:  1. That's probably French (yes) and 2. I'm going to hate this, aren't I?  NOT AT ALL!  I loved it.  It is dark, moody, riveting, subversive, and exquisitely executed.  I think any voter would have to acknowledge that this is the best-crafted of the five nominees! I absolutely recommend it - and the less you know about it beforehand, the better.  I found myself thinking about it while brushing my teeth later that night. 

Of the three others, two were lovely and one is stupid. The Singers was lovely, and great in its simplicity that  really brings emotional complexity. It also makes you want to go hang out in the bar with these gruff, grizzled old guys for an evening!  It would be an honor - like this Short being nominated. A Friend of Dorothy I've heard getting some buzz for a possible win, which I think would be a mistake. Don't get me wrong, as it was sweet and also very well done, but a little predictable and the smarmy white grandson  is a caricature.  I did like that last lingering shot, though.  As for Jane Austen's Period Drama, I already knew it was stupid, as I watched it on Kanopy a few weeks ago. It is nothing more than a Saturday Night Live sketch with editing.  I could not believe I was watching an Oscar-nominated short. Ridiculous.

My favorite of the Animateds was Forevergreen.  Oh, I loved it so much.  There is a little sound the bear makes when first picked up by the tree that warmed my heart! Forevergreen is fun, humorous, and adorable, while also being profound, touching, and cautionary. It's an allegory and a joy. I want it to win! 

There are three others that I liked but don't necessarily want to win. Retirement Plan is great, and I wasn't the only one laughing out loud multiple times because it's delightful while also being starkly true, but it is kind of slight, really when you get down to it, as a cinematic endeavor. It's a bit like that world-renowned Baz Luhrmann song "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)." The Girl Who Cried Pearls is the stop-motion one (right? See, I've learned a thing or two about animation Istilldon'tcareaboutit shhhhdon'ttellanybody.)  It also has a nice story with a good, solid ending and it's one I could see people voting for.  Butterfly is pretty and also packs a political punch, but also feels a bit slight compared to some others. 

But the real contender here could be The Three Sisters. This was absolutely glorious, fun, and low-key exhilarating to watch, while being not quite like any animation I've seen before. It looks like a camera holding a wide landscape shot, and the way the drawn characters move is so interesting. It's also funny and quirky and clever.  It only loses one little half-star for, you guessed it, bodily fluids. But I basically forgive it because it's wonderful. 

I don't think I'm going to give you my Order I Think They Will Win because I don't know  I am very busy and life is Short.  (See what I did there.) 

Completed Category: Best Original Song

 Oh, this weird little category!

Original Song
"Dear Me" - from Diane Warren: Relentless
"Golden" - from KPop Demon Hunters
"I Lied To You" - from Sinners
"Sweet Dreams of Joy" - from Viva Verdi!
"Train Dreams" -  from Train Dreams

Now, listen.  I am going to tell you right now that I greatly enjoyed the Diane Warren documentary, and I don't care what anyone thinks about my enjoyment of it.  Notably, it did not make the shortlist for Documentary Features, but this latest song that Diane wrote did in fact get her another Original Song nomination, and she once again, I'm sorry to say, is unlikely to win. I learned so much about her and her life and her friend group, and I will tell you that her prickly personality, stream of f-bombs, and liking animals more than people all really work for me.  The song "Dear Me" is performed by Kesha and is not the greatest Diane Warren song. Oh well. Try again next year! 

Another movie I love, but am not picking to win this category? Train Dreams.  I still want all of you to watch that gorgeous, sad, lovely movie (it's on Netflix!) when you are in an appropriate, thoughtful mood.  The song, performed by  Nick Cave, very much fits the vibe of the movie, but it's not anything next level as a song.  Moving on... 

Viva Verdi! is the "Huh?" movie of this year's Oscar nominees. Well, it's a documentary about some folks living in the retirement home in Italy designed by Verdi himself (!) as a home for retired/older musicians. It was a really interesting little slice of life, but again, not nominated as a doc but rather for the song "Sweet Dreams of Joy."  Well, it was fine.  You can actually enjoy the folks singing a lot of more famous songs throughout the film in little snippets, by the way, if you're into that kind of thing.  But the movie also features their personalities and some history. It's available to rent on the Jolt indie film streaming service (I told you, Huh?)  Thanks, Jolt!  It's an honor for you to be nominated, Viva Verdi. 

Right, then. Sinners vs. KPop Demon Hunters.  It is going to be hard for anything to beat the extremely popular and now Grammy-winning "Golden" and KPop Demon Hunters delighted everybody, or at least a lot of bodies. But there is a tiny smidgen of a chance that Sinners busts out to a big night and collects trophy after trophy including this one for "I Lied To You."  That of course would mean Sinners seizes the glory - and the Oscars - from One Battle After Another  or as I now think of it One Nomination After Another.  A girl can dream. 

Which of these movies and songs did you like? 

Order I want them to win:  
Keeping in mind that I'm not sure how much I care, really?  And that as much as I liked Sinners I'm not all that into blues, which I know is like an egregious sin among most guitar players but I said what I said? Probably the same as the... 

Order that I think they're likely to win: 
Golden, I Lied to You, big gap here, still in the gap, still in the gap, Train Dreams, then another gap and then Dear Me or Sweet Dreams Of Joy  

Two Completed Categories: Supporting Actress & Supporting Actor

I completed these categories, along with Lead Actress, when I watched Sentimental Value last week, because the general approach with that movie seemed to be "You get an acting nomination! And you get an acting nomination!"  However, the same could be said of One Scene Battle After Another.  Each of those flicks has FOUR acting nominations.  And Sinners got three. 

Actress In A Supporting Role
Elle Fanning -Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas - Sentimental Value
Amy Magigan - Weapons 
Wunmi Mosaku - Sinners
Teyana Taylor - One Battle After Another 

Actor In A Supporting Role
Benicio Del Toro - One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi - Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo - Sinners
Sean Penn - One Battle After Another 
Stellan Skarsgard - Sentimental Value

 

That means out of 20 acting nominations, 11 are for only three movies, and then there are nine where only one performance is nominated from the film.  Of the ten Supporting nominations, EIGHT are from those same three movies, and then one in each category from a single nominated performance. The interesting thing though is that there are two films with four nominations, but not one in each of the four categories; rather, one film doubles up in Supporting Actor with no Actress nom and one doubles up in Supporting Actress with no Actor nom. 

Yes, this is interesting.  I mean, you know. If you're an Oscar dork/completist such as myself. 

So anyhoo, what do we like, loathe, or think is overrated?  And will the movies that doubled up split the vote and thus lose those particular categories? 

I mentioned already that I like Sentimental Value.  Really. But I think y'all need to calm down a little bit about it. Actually, I don't know that I could see either Elle or Inga winning even without a vote to split, but they are just part of the freely doled out love for that movie. It's a movie that people are proud of themselves for liking. You might think that's One Interminable Scene After Another, but no, that's different; that movie is one people are pressured into liking by the film zeitgeist and the insistence that you love Paul Thomas Anderson, no really, you do. That being said, Teyana Taylor has a reeealllly good chance here. People loved her in One Battle... and she honestly might also be carrying a bit of the torch for the other women from her film that didn't end up getting nominations -- yes, people thought there might be even more.  She seems to be everywhere, she won the Golden Globe (but she read her speech off a piece of paper, boo), she presented at the Grammys, and she is definitely running strong for this award.  

While I am hoping (against hope?) that Sinners does win some awards and is not completely steamrolled by Seventy-Five Million Battles One After the Other, I think Wunmi Mosaku is the honor-to-be-nominated one and this won't be the category where Sinners triumphs.  The absolute wild card here is Amy Madigan in Weapons. I weirdly saw Weapons in a crowded theatre the Thursday evening that it came out down the street from where I lived last August - I know, who am I, right?! - and it's not my kind of movie and it was a bit silly and Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys was completely batshit crazy but hey, she did her thing, and she is loved. Enough to upset everybody on Oscar night?  Who's to say?  Weirder things have happened. Including in several of these movies, where lots and lots of weird stuff happens. 

Speaking of weird, Sean Penn's absolutely looney tunes unhinged performance is nominated along with Benicio Del Toro for Is This Battle Still Going On Seriously.  That movie just would not end, but when Benicio showed up is when it pulled me back in.  I thought he was fantastic in a million ways, which is not to say that Sean wasn't great, but Sean was around for more of it (and there was so, so much of it) and his character is evil and weird and gross and basically Benicio was one of the best parts of the flick, but really at any rate neither of them is that likely to win this -- they really might split their One Vote After Another.  I think it is more realistic that nobody calms down about Sentimental Value and Stellan Skarsgard wins, and thus the movie that doubles up in one Supporting category wins the other Supporting category both times.  

I personally loved Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi, who is definitely honored to be nominated. But! Could Delroy Lindo in Sinners work some magic here? He is - like Amy Madigan - loved by many actors and others and it is strongly felt that he is overdue; he could be the surprise here in that kind of Mark Rylance way. We shall see. 

When I don't hate any of the movies -- even the one that dragged on and on and on -- it's harder for me to rant about who should win. Delroy Lindo's was one of the most captivating performances.  Jacob Elordi  had a lot going on, and his degree of difficulty with how lovely he made that character is something to behold. I'm always fond of Benicio and Elle, including their work here. I'm not really mad at anyone who wins these -- even if I really couldn't stand the characters played by either Teyana Taylor or Sean Penn in One Battle After Another After Another. 

Order I want them to win for Supporting Actress, I guess: 
Wunmi/Amy/Teyana barely separated, then a gap, then Elle then Inga, but all are so close. I just don't have a strong soaring favorite here, but I do like Sinners the most.  

Order I think they will win: 
Teyana Taylor, Amy Madigan, Elle Fanning, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Wunmi Mosaku. 

Order I want them to win for Supporting Actor: 
Benicio or Delroy, Jacob, Sean, Stellan
Order I think they will win: 
Stellan Skarsgard, then Delroy Lindo or Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Jacob Elordi

Which performance was your favorite?  

Completed Category: Lead Actress, featuring 5 women

Quick reminder that I am #TeamBugonia and I would love for that film to be rewarded in spades but let's get real about the Best Actress  situation, shall we? 

Actress In A Leading Role
Jessie Buckley - Hamnet
Rose Byrne- If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
Kate Hudson - Song Sung Blue
Renata Reinsve - Sentimental Value
Emma Stone - Bugonia 

First, I would like to congratulate the Academy for nominating five women in this category. Please keep doing that!

Second, the reality of this situation is that Jessie Buckley is heavily, heavily, heavily favored to win this.  And I'm not really mad at that, other than it being no fun to have foregone conclusions or even frontrunners; we want suspense!  I liked Hamnet, it was lovely and faithful to the book, her character is earthy and witchy, and also I think Jessie Buckley could maybe play me in the movie of my life.  The only thing I'm bummed about is we have had to endure all of Yorgos Lanthimos' weirdo films, including his multiple collaborations with Emma Stone, including the psychotic Poor Things for which she won her second Oscar for goodness' sake (should have been Annette Bening in Nyad that year!!!)  and I was so very sick of their madness and then Bugonia  this year was so wonderful. Based on everything the two of them have put me through, my expectations couldn't have been lower, so I was pleasantly shocked at how fantastic it was. The best thing Yorgos and Emma have done to us by far, and THIS is the year that she has no real chance? Sigh. 

Well but them's the breaks. You know who else likely has no chance and whose performance I greatly enjoyed? Kate Hudson in Song Sung Blue. To be clear, that movie was a mess, with both screenplay and tone swinging wildly all over the place and hitting very little, but I could watch Kate singing Neil Diamond songs with Hugh Jackman for another two hours or two days or two months maybe.  Absolute Kate Hudson performance charm doing its thing, with some surprise serious moments to really act some different emotional stuff. (Because the movie is all over the place, as mentioned.) 

I could be the tiniest bit worried that Renata Reinsve could pull some votes because people have lost their minds about Sentimental Value. This is another film that I liked, after gingerly approaching it with trepidation due to the previous off-putting collaboration from that actress and director.  It's no Bugonia, but I really liked it. But it's as if people had decided they were going to nominate her before they even watched it. And nine nominations for the film? Nine?!  We kinda need to calm down about Sentimental Value.  

And then there is Rose Byrne.  She won the Golden Globe for Actress-Musical or Comedy (Jessie Buckley won Actress-Drama of course) and some people are whispering that she maybe upsets and wins the Oscar for the lunatic shitshow that is If I Had Legs I'd Kick You. And there is nothing I want less for this movie than an Oscar, except for how much I want my life to be nothing like anyone's in this movie at any point ever.  I do have legs, and if I could kick a film with them, I would kick this one. It is an excruciating journey through several people's terrible behavior, terrible choices, and terrible reactions to other people's behavior and choices.  You know how I've praised Hamnet for having three kids in big roles and none of them even slightly annoying? Yeah, If/Legs/Kick is the exact opposite of that.  The child is a total nightmare in every way from first scene to last.  I am on the hamster's side and everything about this flick can go away. Rose Byrne was definitely fierce and committed and whatnot but my goddesses can we please just not. 

And so. 

Order I want them to win: 

Emma Stone, Jessie Buckley or Kate Hudson, then a big gap, Renata Reinsve, then an even bigger gap, then Rose Byrne please no no no no although at least she is a woman but still just no 

Order I think they will win: 

Jessie Buckley

Then maybe if there's like voter fraud or we ban Shakespeare or some other crazy thing, maaaaaaybe people will make psychotic choices for Rose Byrne, or get nostalgic about their years of loving Kate Hudson and her family, or feel proud of themselves for watching Renata Reinsve in films with subtitles, or remember how much they like Emma Stone even though they gave her Oscars for all the wrong movies.  

But probably it'll be Jessie.