The Official TWC Oscars Preview Post: 2020

It’s that time of year again, folks, and I’m back with something to prove after going a lowly 3 for 7 on my predictions last year (I had to check the tape on this one – still can’t believe that ratings for the awards show itself actually went up last year).  I’m looking to reattain the 5/7 glory of 2018 on another lucky number 7 predictions, and I’ve seen the same fraction of Best Picture nominees that I did that year as of this writing (I’m 5 for 9, and it looks like I was 5 for 8 last year on that front – seems like 5 critically lauded movies a year is all I can really stomach), so anything is possible.  For the curious, those movies are: Joker, Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood, Marriage Story, The Irishman, and Parasite.  In my past few reviews, which have featured The Irishman and Marriage Story, I’ve made my opinions on my personal hierarchy of these movies somewhat clear, so I’ll refrain from saying it again here, other than to say go Parasite!  Now, on with the baseless speculation you all presumably came here for.

When does the Joker-Irishman crossover drop?

Brad Pitt will win Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood.  This is definitely the lowest-hanging fruit as far as my predictions go, given that Brad Pitt won the Golden Globe and the SAG award in that category, so it’s the one I’m leading off with to try to get into some kind of rhythm.  Furthermore, it’s also the award that I think Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood most deserves to win, besides maybe Best Production Design (seriously, Quentin Tarantino has to be one of Hollywood’s most overrated directors, and he’s maybe Hollywood’s most overrated writer, but I digress).  With the votes on The Irishman in this category likely being split between Joe Pesci and Al Pacino, the path to a win for Pitt is fairly clear, unlike Leo‘s path for Best Actor, which is littered with standouts like Joaquin Phoenix and Adam Driver.  Which brings me to my next, much hotter take…

Brad Pitt stoically fighting off other Best Supporting Actor contenders.

Adam Driver will pull off a surprise Best Actor win for his work in Marriage Story.  Ever since writing about this movie last week, I’ve been thinking about what I said about how Joaquin Phoenix still probably deserves the win over Driver in spite of Kylo Ren’s great performance in Noah Baumbach‘s divorce movie, and I think I’m here to go back on that statement.  It’s potentially (definitely) wishful thinking, but I’m hopeful that the Academy will realize on Oscar night how overrated Joker is as a whole, and also realize how much Marriage Story caters to California-based audiences and critics (I talked about this last week as well), and while Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t necessarily deserve to suffer due to any of those things, he’ll probably be just fine with his SAG award and his multiple Golden Globes.

Adam Driver closing the door on ScarJo’s Oscar hopes.  Or opening the door to his maybe?

Conversely, Scarlett Johansson will be blanked in both female acting categories.  Being nominated for both Best Actress (Marriage Story) and Best Supporting Actress (Jojo Rabbit), is a big win for Johansson, as I imagine she may be currently struggling to extricate herself from the Marvel machine (this year’s upcoming Black Widow suggests otherwise), but she’s faced with stiff competition in each category.  The Academy’s inexplicable love for biopics is poised to rear its ugly head with further recognition of Renee Zellweger‘s work in Judy, which is nominated for little else, and which won her the Golden Globe for Best Actress earlier this year.  Somewhat less understandable to me, especially considering that I haven’t seen Judy and therefore probably shouldn’t knock it so much, is Laura Dern‘s near-universal praise for her turn as a sleazy divorce attorney in Marriage Story, but then again, I haven’t seen Jojo Rabbit either, so I really don’t have much of an idea of how Johansson’s work would stack up.

I haven’t seen this one yet, and I know this caption is supposed to be about ScarJo, but I’m really here to say I love Sam Rockwell.

Knives Out will win Best Original Screenplay.  Not much to say about this, other than that it’s probably wishful thinking of a similar brand to my last prediction, but it’s a hill I’m willing to die on.  I’d be fine with Parasite or Marriage Story winning this category as well – they’re both cleverly and and realistically-written stories dripping with originality – but the indulgence of Tarantino’s script simply shouldn’t be rewarded (it will be).  Read about my love affair with Rian Johnson‘s whodunit – which manifested in the form of three theater viewings in the span of a week’s time – here.  It’s the only film besides Parasite (also nominated in this category, and the winner of the WGA’s Best Original Screenplay award) that’s nominated for anything that I saw multiple times, and for good reason.

CSI KFC?

Steve Zaillian’s adapted screenplay for The Irishman will win over Greta Gerwig’s for Little Women, because the Academy has an aversion to even nominating women for awards.  Disregarding the fact that The Irishman features a script almost equally as indulgent as Tarantino’s, and is probably close to double the length, my frustration with it is that it’s a movie that we’ve all seen before.  You could probably say the same for Gerwig‘s creation – after all, I’ve just learned via Google that Little Women has been adapted for the screen a whopping seven times – but based on what I’ve heard about Little Women (I haven’t seen it – yet) and based on the sourness of my experience with the slog that was The Irishman, I’d rather her win for something unoriginal than Zaillian, if only because she was snubbed for Best Director.  Which again gracefully transitions me into my next prediction…

When you head out to go clubbing with the girls only to ultimately realize that it’s 1868.

Parasite is going to surprise a lot of people.  This Korean film, which I talked about here, is nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Production Design, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.  It pains me to say I think it’s a long shot for Best Picture, but don’t be shocked (I wouldn’t be) if it picks up some of the other lesser statuettes, including but not limited to Best Director, over the likes of Academy darlings Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino (not to mention Sam Mendes, who won the Golden Globe for his work on 1917).  Parasite only won Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes, but I expect/want this under-the-radar pick to fare better on the ninth, leading people to ask what the heck that movie is.  And yes, this prediction is purposefully open-ended – gotta pad the stats for next year.

You know how you sleep in matching silk pajamas in a house almost entirely made of glass because you’re super rich? Me too.

Roger Deakins will win Best Cinematography for his work on 1917.  If there’s one thing I’ve heard about 1917, it’s that it looks like it was filmed in one shot, which can be gimmicky for sure but certainly paid off for 2014’s Birdman.  As it stands, there are also few cinematographers more due for accolades than the oft-overlooked Deakins, who was nominated a whopping 13 times (for a number of little projects like The Shawshank Redemption, Skyfall, No Country for Old Men, and Prisoners, to name a few) before finally winning his first Oscar last year for Blade Runner 2049.

Still haven’t seen this one yet – might be a weekend project.

There you have it folks!  Now for the fun part: sitting back and waiting for the big reveal of how wrong I am.  Tune in next week for either an actual movie review or a sidebar about Super Bowl trailerfest (like this one from last year) – I haven’t decided yet.

Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood – Review

As promised, this week I’m here to check another movie off my list of summer films to look into in 2019, and I’m at least slightly surprised – and definitely disappointed – to report that Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood, which was perhaps the most anticipated film of the year and household name Quentin Tarantino‘s latest blockbuster effort, is a bit of a dud.  Given the film’s relative success in the critical thoroughfare, that may be a bit of a hot take, but I can’t help but vociferously disagree with the Rotten Tomatoes consensus’ claim that the movie “tempers Tarantino’s provocative impulses” (at times I feel that it does the opposite) or that it evokes any kind of “clarity.”  What Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood is to me is a movie that demonstrates the importance of story structure, the importance of the absence of scenes lacking clear intention and obstacle, and the importance of at least superficially exploring subplots that seem purposefully introduced but are then never again revisited.

Pretty sweet action shot from Rick Dalton’s one-off on the actual television show “The F.B.I.”  Fun fact – they actually digitally replaced the original villain (Burt Reynolds) with Leo.

To call Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood indulgent is both a disservice to the word “indulgent” and a vast understatement of the sheer gratuitousness of what writer-director Quentin Tarantino unironically refers to as his magnum opus.  For one, it’s a bloated 159 minute experience that’s at least 45 minutes longer than it needs to be, with numerous scenes that have no bearing on the film’s plot or the development of its characters seemingly spliced in between scenes that are actually engaging for no discernible reason other than because ol’ QT felt like it.  What results is a movie that’s beautifully shot, and contains stellar art direction and award-worthy adherence to the glitz and glamour of its setting and time period, but is painfully and frustratingly uneven.  Adding to that sense of frustration is the fact that Tarantino’s ninth feature film contains perhaps some of the best performances he’ll ever capture from an excellent cast, with certain sequences (the entire Lancer shooting sequence, for one) finding Leonardo DiCaprio – playing aging and insecure (and fictional) leading man Rick Dalton – truly at the top of his game, and I don’t say that lightly.  Equally as entertaining is Brad Pitt, who plays Dalton’s shadowy but good-natured stuntman Cliff Booth, and who plays a large part in delivering what I found to be Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood‘s most charming scene (for those who have seen the film, I’m of course referring to the Bruce Lee fight flashback).

Leonardo DiCaprio thinking about all the awards he’s gonna win for this movie, probably.

And there’s some solidly crafted tension-building too, which should be a given considering the fact that the Manson Family is involved.  The taut Spahn Movie Ranch sequence is perhaps the film’s high point for me, with Tarantino once again displaying a penchant for creating meaningful suspense and keeping the audience on the edges of their seats for just the right amount of time.  There’s certainly an element of suspense on the macro-scale, too, with viewers who are at least slightly in the know – myself among them – wondering just how Tarantino is going to take the grisly real-life murders that the film ultimately builds to and change them.  That climactic third act, while maybe too over-the-top, chaotic, and gruesome for me, is a reasonably satisfying payoff to complement that tension, albeit an awfully weird one (seriously, where he gets these ideas is just beyond me, but it’s probably a dark place), even if the novelty of the whole revisionist history shtick was inevitably spent on Inglorious Basterds.  At bare minimum, the ending is certainly in keeping with the fairy-tale nature of the film’s title, and in any case, while I certainly can (and do) claim that this movie has a lot of superfluous and unentertaining scenes, I cannot claim that I wasn’t at any point curious to see where things were ultimately going, and that’s something, I guess.

Where do I buy that shirt? And those sunglasses?  And (not fully pictured) that startlingly-good-for-55 physique?

If you’re a fan of Tarantino’s – I wouldn’t consider myself to be much of one, as I enjoyed Django Unchained and Inglorious Basterds quite a bit but thought Pulp Fiction was an overrated bore – there’s a lot for you to enjoy here that’s of the trademark variety, with lots of crooked shots, shots of women’s bare feet (ew), and of course an ultra-violent and fact-subverting ending.  And there’s no denying, in spite of the film’s erratic and ultimately self-serving nature, that a lot of it is a hell of a lot of fun, and contains dialogue between dynamic and exciting characters that feels effectively real.  Where the movie loses steam is in the enormous bulk of screentime spent on watching Cliff drive, or watching Margot Robbie‘s Sharon Tate watch a movie, or just generally watching any given character do something monotonous but Hollywood-feeling without any dialogue at all.  This to me is where Tarantino’s ego really rears its ugly head, with chunks of film being dedicated not to answering the question “How does this drive the story?” but instead to answering the far less compelling questions: “Could I, Quentin Tarantino, film in the Playboy Mansion?” or “Could I, Quentin Tarantino, shut down an entire section of highway in L.A. just to put a bunch of period cars on it and watch Brad Pitt drive Michael Madsen‘s car listlessly to nowhere?”

Me whispering jokes to my mustachio’d friend during the movie.

A friend of mine told me (after I had seen it) that he felt that Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood was one of those movies that’s made primarily for people who are themselves filmmakers to enjoy (think the Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar!, which is a similar movie that I neither liked nor think I fully understood), and that sounds about right in my mind.  I’m willing to state that I didn’t like it because I didn’t fully understand it, and maybe, just maybe, that’s because – news flash – I’m not a filmmaker.  I never lived in Hollywood, or met anyone who was a fading star, and I certainly wasn’t alive when the Manson Family murders took place.  Whatever the exact reason may be, to me, the film was less a captivating experience and more a cautionary tale about what happens when studios give talented auteurs infinite leeway and seemingly refuse to leave anything on the cutting room floor that deserves to be left there.

The TWC Summer Movie Preview

Alas, Tuesdays with Cory readers, the summer movie season is nearly upon us.  Sure, you could say that spring isn’t even really here yet, and based on the temperature where you are, there’s a good chance you’d be right.  With that said, I didn’t really watch anything new in the past week, and Endgame (arguably and ironically the starting point for 2019’s summer movie blowout) drops in only 3 and a half weeks, so let’s get on with it.

Avengers: Endgame (April 26th) – Getting this one out of the way first, both because it’s on the early end of the summer slate and because I don’t think I need to say much more than I’ve already said here.  At this point, you’ll probably see Endgame whether you want to or not.  Check out this sneak peek that just dropped on Marvel’s channel today!

Long Shot (May 3rd) – This looks both potentially funny and potentially really cute, but it could also wind up being neither of those things, which is why it’s sitting so low on this list.  Getting us the audience to buy a romance between Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen is a tall order for whoever wrote this film, but it has a capable director in Jonathan Levine, who has worked with Rogen a few times before with moderate success (50/50, The Night Before).

Detective Pikachu (May 10th) – As maybe the only 90s kid on Earth who wasn’t into Pokemon, this doesn’t particularly rustle my giblets, but it’s going to be a big deal no matter how you slice it, and will more than likely birth a multi-billion dollar franchise.  That Ryan Reynolds is so hot right now.

Tolkien (May 10th) – Nicholas Hoult stars in this biopic that aims to shed light on the life of the author responsible for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, both box office legends of franchises in their own right.  As a huge LOTR fan, I’m excited for this one.

John Wick: Chapter Three – Parabellum (May 17th) – In terms of franchises that I feel that are up my alley and that I’ve missed out on, John Wick is high on the list, and the trailer for Chapter Three paints a picture that’s as full of high-octane action as ever.  Swordfights on motorcycles, dark-roomed gunfights, and Keanu Reeves in all his wooden-acting glory riding on horseback, all scored inexplicably by Andy Williams?  Wow.

Aladdin (May 24th) – While the first trailer, featuring a Will Smith genie that was best put by a Twitter user as “being what we see when we have sleep paralysis,” certainly underwhelmed in more ways than one, the follow-up trailer appears to be a step in the right direction, making it clear that Smith’s pivotal genie isn’t going to be an uncanny valley CGI creation throughout.  One thing is for sure based on that latter trailer: this movie is going to feature a LOT of parkour.

Brightburn (May 24th) – Brightburn is a film that appears to answer the question “what if Superman wound up being a bad guy?”  That’s certainly thought-provoking in its own right, and lends a cool horror aesthetic to the otherwise stale superhero genre, but I’m not totally sure that I’m buying this one as an instant success.  Maybe I just can’t trust Roy?

Booksmart (May 24th) – This indie flick is a clear attempt at capturing some of the greatness of Lady Bird, and that facsimile is perhaps most prominent in the casting of Beanie Feldstein (herself playing a supporting role in Lady Bird) as one of this film’s two protagonists.  As unoriginal as it may seem on paper, Booksmart has a pretty endearing trailer, not to mention some funny-looking cameos by Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte, but I’m not sure it’ll garner the awards consideration that Lady Bird did without the inspired direction and writing of Greta Gerwig (sorry Olivia Wilde, but you’re an unproven quantity at this point as far as directing is concerned).  If anything, it’ll fit the bill as more of a hipster Superbad.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31st) – I don’t really know what to say about this one, given that I’m not really up on the Godzilla mythos.  Is he a good guy?  Is he a bad guy?  Is he sometimes a good guy and sometimes a bad guy?  If I show up for this one, it’ll be purely to see how Eleven and Coach Eric Taylor do.

Rocketman (May 31st) – This year’s attempt at Bohemian Rhapsody-like awards fame may fall short – not because of any lack of interesting elements in Elton John’s life or origin story, but because Taron Egerton‘s singing (which appears to not be dubbed in any way) may prove to be a liability, at least based on what the trailer shows us.  Might want to stick to the Kingsman franchise, guy.

Dark Phoenix (June 7th) – Having seen Apocalypse back in 2016 when it dropped, I can report that Dark Phoenix really doesn’t have all that tough an act to follow, and at the very least it’s promising both telekinetic action in abundance and answers to some of the questions posed in the other films in the X-Men franchise that lie on the alternate timeline we’re currently traversing.

Men in Black: International (June 14th) – While the trailer for this one lays things out pretty predictably (I mean, is it even possible at this point that Liam Neeson’s character is not the secret villain?), this one looks fun, and reunites Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth post-Ragnarok.  I’ll admit that I’m still mourning the death of the rumored Jump Street-MIB mashup (first reported during the Sony hack), but I’m on board for this.

Toy Story 4 (June 21st) – Buzz and Woody are back, and this time, they’re seen playing with a fully remastered Andy.  What sort of derring-do and mishaps will our heroes get themselves into this time?  It’s not quite clear yet, but what we do know is that an outdoor carnival and an antique shop provide a few settings plentiful with story options.

Child’s Play (June 21st) – Chucky fans rejoice!  The plaything-turned-killer is back, this time being voiced (as recently reported) by Mark Hamill, the man you all probably know as Luke Skywalker, but who also has a number of impressive credits as a voice actor, including but not limited to multiple turns as the ultra-menacing Joker of Batman fame.  Hamill will be lending his vocals to the iconic horror character as he apparently terrorizes Aubrey Plaza.

Yesterday (June 28th) – This movie boasts a strong pedigree behind the camera, as it’s directed by Danny Boyle and produced by the same group responsible for Love Actually (one of my guilty-pleasure romcoms around the holidays, and I suspect a classic in some sense).  It also has an interesting premise that holds a lot of comedic potential, along with huge potential to provide a lot of performances of familiar songs we all know and love, perhaps with a unique twist or two.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 5th) – Inasmuch as I’ve bitched and moaned recently about how Marvel movies are getting tiresome and repetitive, Spider-Man is a hard protagonist for me to resist (I miss you, Tobey), and better yet, Jake Gyllenhaal – one of my favorite actors these days considering his work in Prisoners and Nightcrawler in particular – is appearing as Mysterio.  I anticipate this as being my last MCU film before taking a significant break, but who knows whether or not that’ll actually happen.

The Lion King (July 19th) – One of the two Disney live-action remakes slated for release this summer, and one of two films that beg the question: is this really something we’re asking for?  The Lion King has an accomplished director in Jon Favreau, and a star-studded cast list that’s too studded to list, but it’s hard for me to get super excited about a story that’s already been told to me, even if the trailer’s CGI looks beyond impressive.  With that in mind, is it even fair to call this a live-action remake?  Food for thought.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (July 26th) – Of all the films on this list, this may be the one I’m most excited to see.  The reunion of writer/director Quentin Tarantino and Leonardo DiCaprio promises quite a bit, and also features a strong ensemble cast sporting the likes of Margot Robbie (also reuniting with DiCaprio, whom she worked with on The Wolf of Wall Street) and Brad Pitt.

Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (August 2nd) – I talked about this film a bit here when discussing some of the higher-profile Super Bowl trailers that dropped back in February.  I’m not a Fast and Furious man myself, but for now I’ll just say that that franchise – a franchise that at this point seems to pride itself on ridiculousness and over-the-topness – can seemingly do no wrong, and has no lack of bankable stars in its corner.  In other words, I’m sure this movie will make a billion dollars.

Which of these movies are you most excited to see?  Drop me a comment!