2017 OSCARS



Before I list the nominees for the OSCAR's this year, I have to get something off my chest. 

There are omissions (snubs) every year. Not every film or actor can be nominated. 


I totally understand. Most times I hear the nominees list being read and whatever my disappointment, move on with life a little later.


There were several omissions this year which have to be addressed. 

I'm just going to speak my piece and then move on. 

I'm speaking of course about:


LOVING. 

2016.
Written and directed by Jeff Nichols and starring Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton. 

The fact Loving wasn't nominated for three of the biggest awards this year is a mystery to me. 


Honestly, I'm sitting here thinking 'How the fuck does that happen?'

Somebody. Please. Explain this one to me. 

Jeff Nichols not being nominated for Best Director is just insane. 


Loving was masterfully crafted. It is shot beautifully and captures the era perfectly. The performances, especially of the two leads are nothing short of brilliant. This is storytelling that is somewhere beyond movie storytelling. Somebody had to make sure all the above happened. 


Usually that's the job of the director. 

Jeff Nichols should have been recognized for his work. Fact.

Working as both writer and director Jeff Nichols set out to create a film about two real life people. That is a challenge in itself but to accomplish that feat and create a film with boundless heart and passionate is amazing. 


Through his vision, his camera, we see the world through the eyes of Richard and Mildred Loving. Nichols takes us along on his story, on the story of The Lovings and we feel every bit of what they feel.


We see their strength and we cheer for them and ache with them as they face almost unbeatable odds.


Nichols didn't write a story in which the characters shout or fight. Not with their fists, anyway. I don't believe this is how he wanted to tell the the story of The Lovings. 


With the performances, the storytelling of Loving, everything is internal. This is risky. This is tricky.  Nichols rises to the challenge and then some however, as do his actors.


That's not to say the politics, the backstory of Loving are unimportant. The story of Richard and Mildred Loving is a story that needs to be told. This is undeniable and Nichols understands this. It's his balancing of historic responsibility and storytelling in which he proves he is a great director.


He does present the facts important to the real life case to support his narrative but he does so with a gentle touch. He doesn't beat the drum to tell his story. He shows you the drum and that's enough. 


I believe Nichols wanted to show the smaller story of these two people who just wanted to love each other and couldn't understand why the world couldn't just let them be.


Loving isn't about the storm. It's about the two people at the center of the storm. 


It takes courage and faith to present that smaller story and not the other story with it's anger and fist-shaking.


From start to finish, Loving is about just the opposite. There are no screaming mobs, burning crosses or riots. There are just moments of sublime silence. 


It is in these quiet moments, in the close-ups of the two leads in particular, which Nichols allows the quiet to tell the story.


If there were a car wreck in Loving, Nichols wouldn't show the crash. The audience would only hear the sound and see the reaction on the actor's face...in their eyes. It is his faith in his performers and his ability to create those moments in which he shines in his role as director. 


And speaking of his lead actors...


Negga and Edgerton have been perfectly cast and are so incredible together. 


In Loving, these two amazing actors have literally become Richard and Mildred Loving. Their performances are truthful and gracious and...well...loving. 


Joel Edgerton transformed into Richard Loving. From his physical appearance to his stillness, he delivers a quiet, powerful performance. Edgerton doesn't say much as Richard but he speaks volumes. He's absolutely brilliant. He should have been nominated. 


There is a reason Ruth Negga was nominated. The Academy got this one right.

Her strength is undeniable. She honors the woman she was cast to play.

Negga and Edgerton were given the gift of playing two real life people and they don't squander a single second of this film or that gift.


I was there! I was on set watching them work with Nichols, watching them become The Lovings. I was mesmerized and inspired by the care they took before each take. They are amazing actors and more importantly, amazing people. Their passion and respect for the script and the people at the heart of the story is in every frame of Loving.


Simply stated Loving is a story about love and the power of love. 

Loving should have been included among the Best Picture nominees. 

Maybe a film which shouted the politics a little louder would have gotten the Academy's attention. 


Maybe Loving suffered from it's limited release. Maybe the answer is as simple as that. 


Whatever the reason there were no nods for Best Picture, Best Director or Best Actor, Loving is a great film for no other reason than it's a great film. 


You dropped the ball on this one, Academy. 


Okay. 


I got that off my chest.

I know, I know. Bitter! Table for one! 
Get your own blog and write what you want.

Here we go:



The Nominees for the 2017 Academy Awards and my thoughts:



BEST PICTURE
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight


** LaLa Land surely has the momentum right now. At this point it's a juggernaut. More importantly it's a good film and completely different from all the others in this category. It's not a war movie. There are no car chases or aliens. There are no social issues. It's a musical and it has a ton of charm. It's just a love story, a love story written by a jazz musician. It goes along on it's own rhythm. Maybe that's why LaLa Land will win.


I'm thinking though one of the dramas, Lion, Manchester By The Sea, or Moonlight may surprise everyone and pull out ahead of the juggernaut.


The Academy loves stories about the broken, lost and sad. 

This is a tough one. 
Moonlight won The Golden Globe for Best Picture. 
What does that mean? I have no clue.
My money (if turns out to be one of those crazy Oscar nights where the unexpected happens)  is on Manchester By The Sea. 


ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Fences


**Affleck absolutely shines as the lead in Manchester By The Sea. It is one of the most real performances I've ever seen. He is heartbreaking in his stillness and honesty. His pain is our pain. It is a masterful performance. It is the essence of what acting is supposed to be. Affleck isn't acting in MBTS. There's no acting here at all. He has literally opened his soul and bared all. He commands the screen. He has to. Albeit a broken one, he is the film's heart. 


I'll say this about the Best Actor category. It'll be either Affleck or Gosling. It really is a battle between the internal and external performance given by two talented actors.


Affleck is a tortured man who keeps everything inside until he can't any longer. It is a poignant, frustrating, heartbreaking performance. 


Gosling sings and dances and plays piano as Sep. Is he the best singer, dancer or pianist? No. But he's absolutely charming. Gosling's performance is totally different than Affleck's. 


The two are at opposite ends of the spectrum. 




ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins


**Maybe I am bias because I was able to see Ruth work, because we spent time on set together and I was absolutely charmed by her. She was kind and professional and Oh my God is she talented. Of course I hope she wins. 


As Mildred Loving, Ruth Negga delivers a performance that is so still...so real...so perfect. She pulls you in with those amazing eyes and keeps you next to her heart with her performance. There is an undeniable strength in Ruth Negga. You feel it when you are in her presence. She brought that strength to her performance as Mildred.  She deserves the OSCAR for her work in Loving.


Ruth Negga. Hands down.




ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel, Lion
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals


**This is the one category in which I will say IT'S ANYBODY'S GAME. 
I'm going to take a leap here and break it down like this: (As I think the Academy would)

Jeff Bridges: Great performance. Great movie. Maybe the best thing he's done since Crazy Heart. Could be a sentimental win for this very talented veteran actor.


Lucas Hedges: Young. First big movie. Solid performance. Might be too soon for an award. 


*Mahershala Ali: My only issue with Ali's performance in Moonlight is there wasn't enough of his character. I wanted more. What we see of Ali as Juan is touching and sweet and the best part of Moonlight


Michael Shannon: Shannon is a great actor. I know. I've watched his past work and seen him in action first hand on the set of Loving. He's an actor's actor. Half of my money is on him.


Dev Patel: Maybeeeee? Something tells me...maybe? A very talented actor. Is this the Oscar he should have won for Slum Dog Millionaire? I just don't know. 



ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Viola Davis, Fences
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea



**Viola Davis for Fences. I'm not sure exactly how Davis' Rose gets a supporting nod, especially since she went toe-to-toe, word-for-word with Denzel Washington. Hands down. Amazing, heartbreaking performance from a powerhouse actor.



CINEMATOGRAPHY
Arrival
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Silence

**Total gut on this one.



DIRECTING
Damien Chazelle, La La LandMel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Denis Villenueve, Arrival

**This is a tough category for me to comment on mainly because there was a major snub in the category. Nothing against any of these directors. They are all amazingly talented and their work this year is a testament to their passion and skills. They created 5 amazing films. 

The name that should be on this list is Jeff Nichols. Jeff's work on Loving deserves an OSCAR nomination. Am I biased? Perhaps. Jeff's work on Loving speaks for itself though. It is masterful storytelling. Jeff is an actor's director. His faith and trust in his actors is evident in the stories he tells. He tells his stories one page at a time. He doesn't rush. He allows the actors to breathe and lets the narrative unfold. Loving resonates because of Jeff's faith in his actors and his understanding of storytelling. Plain and simple. 

Having said all that...

Best Director? Again I think LaLa Land has the momentum and I have to give it to Damien Chazelle for creating not only a film but a musical. A good musical. A musical that has heart and is fun and sweet and which perfectly captures the spirit of the musicals of a Hollywood past. Much like it's two leads, LaLa Land has a charm that is undeniable. 

But...

Just to go against the grain, I'm going to go with Kenneth Lonergan for Manchester By The Sea. Again it comes down to storytelling. Although not a soaring epic or musical MBTS is something even harder to bring to screen: it's a story about real life and real people. MBTS is not an easy film to watch. It's so real it touches you in sometimes uncomfortable ways. It takes a true director with a vision to tell a story and not get mired down by the emotion. It's a precarious dance and Lonergan never crossed the line into maudlin. He told the story. He did his job. 

I would kinda like to see Gibson win. Whatever demons haunt him and however you feel about him, Gibson is an amazingly talented director. I think Hollywood has punished him enough. 




FILM EDITING
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Moonlight

**Total gut on this one.



WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Moonlight


**Fences wins this hands down. 



WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
20th Century Women

**Plain and simple: The Lobster. Why? Because it's totally original and this is the original screenplay category.



****************************************


Well there you have it.
As promised, a list categories and some thoughts about the nominees. 

Those are the major categories.


For more information and the complete list of nominees, you can visit: 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/24/entertainment/oscar-nominations-list/

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