Brahms: The Boy II Film Review

Directed by William Brent Bell

Starring: Katie Holmes, Owain Yeoman, Christopher Convery

Rated PG-13 for terror, violence, disturbing images and thematic elements

Brahms: The Boy II is a horror sequel to 2016’s The Boy. The film centers around a family who move to the countryside after a trauma inducing robbery greatly affects a mother and son. After moving to the countryside, Jude (played by Christopher Convery) finds a doll and begins to connect to it. But soon after, things turn awry in the house as the doll begins to take over Jude.

What I enjoyed from The Boy is that the film tries to not be a cliche horror film. Most horror films start off with a new family moving to the countryside with no context. But The Boy actually shows us why the family moves to a new house. It does bring up an interesting concept of having a son and mother (played by Katie Holmes) traumatized after a robbery. And while it is an interesting concept, the film sometimes tries to be a psychological horror. I wish the film gone that route, unfortunately, it only tries to not be cliche. Instead, the film fails and becomes a typical horror film.

The film relies heavily on jump scares to get the audience afraid. The film is filled with cheap tricks such as a nightmare waking up a character and a musical cue having to do the scaring. It has the same backstory of a dead family that we have all seen before. It has the creepy doll that seems innocent at first, but is actually menacing. It fills all the checklist that a horror film should have. And when the film is not trying to scare the audience, it is filled with dull dialogue in scenes that go nowhere. I can’t begin to count how many scenes feature a character sleeping. The repetitive of many scenes bring down the film and make it more dull. In addition, while the film has a run time of 90 minutes, it certainly feels much longer.

The Boy is a horror film that doesn’t offer much that heavily relies on cliches. The repetitiveness of many scenes make the film seen longer than it should be. Quite honestly, this a forgettable film that doesn’t evoke much emotion or a reaction to the film. There is not much to say for a film that doesn’t try to stand out and instead lazily fills a horror film checklist.

1.5/4

Fantasy Island (2020) Film Review

Directed by Jeff Wadlow

Starring: Michael Peña, Lucy Hale, Austin Stowell

Rated PG-13 for violence, terror, drug content, suggestive material and brief strong language

Fantasy Island is a horror film based off the 1977 film series of the same name. The film stars Michael Pena, as Mr. Roarke an owner of a private island who invites 5 strangers to his island. The strangers come to the island on the opportunity with living out their fantasies. But as the group live out their fantasies, they soon realize their dreams soon become a nightmare.

The concept of Fantasy Island is an interesting one as living out your dreams is something we all want to do. As the film has an interesting concept, the film poorly executed and is very boring to watch. The film shows the fantasies of all the strangers, and they all seem uninteresting. One character wants to live out the dream of being in the military, another has the dream of reliving a regret she recently has, another one wants to humiliate her childhood bully, and two brothers just want to party. At some point of viewing each character’s dream, the film just slows down and doesn’t feel like a horror film. To keep the film coherent, the screenplay should have written just one character coming into the island and living out their dream with things turning sideways soon afterwards. Seeing all the characters and their fantasies slows the film down and makes the film boring.

As mentioned before, Michael Pena stars as the film’s main antagonist. As much as I respect Pena’s work, his portrayal of Mr. Roarke feels tiresome. Pena’s role requires him to be a menacing person who is also very mysterious. But with all due respect to Pena, he could not become the mysterious and menacing person the film requires him to be. Pena certainly could have fun with the role, but in the end it feels like Pena is in the film for a paycheck. No emotions are given by Pena, he just plays the character straightforward. And saying this about Pena is a shame as he is capable of giving a great performance when giving the right script.

But the biggest problem of the film is the screenplay that is lazily written. The first two acts are the characters living out their fantasies, but its all boring, as mentioned before. But in the third act is where things finally pick up. The group has to work together to get off the island. But there is a twist that is delivered that is sloppy written. The film tries to explain the twist by having a character say, “I was just acting”, which makes no sense at all. Having a twist like this only makes the film end on a sour note, considering the final act actually began to show some promise for the film. To add to the screenplay, its unfunny, dull, and too long. The entire screenplay should have been scrapped in favor for a gripping story.

Overall, Fantasy Island is a bland film that actually has an creative concept that is quickly wasted. When the film actually started to show some potential, a poorly executed twist ruins the film. The unfunny moments, dull characters, and non-scary moments make Fantasy Island a forgetful film.

1.5/4

Birds of Prey Film Review

Directed by Cathy Yan

Starring: Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Rated R for strong violence and language throughout, and some sexual and drug material

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is the newest addition to the DC Extended Universe, in which antihero Harley Quinn (played by Margot Robbie) must retrieve a diamond for Roman Sionis (played by Ewan McGregor). Quinn has recently broken up with the Joker, meaning she is no longer under his protection. This means that anyone can go for Quinn, who is trying to move on from the breakup and prove she is as menacing as Joker.

To start off, the film is filled with interesting characters, from Roman Sionis to Harley Quinn, who is the main star of the film. Sionis is a violent and a bit funny character who loses a diamond to a young girl and has Quinn retrieve the lost diamond. McGregor truly has fun with the character, as he almost plays the character as a cartoon villain. McGregor’s presence on the screen makes the scenes he is in more interesting because McGregor’s fun with the character. Quinn is another interesting character who is trying to make it on her own from a recent breakup. Robbie excellently plays Quinn as a smart person who does her best to keep herself alive, due to the fact that the Joker is no longer protecting Quinn.

The film also features the characters of Huntress, Black Canary, and Renee Montoya. As much I give praise to Quinn and Sionis being interesting characters, I have mixed feelings for the roles of the other characters. The rest of the characters just feel like stereotypical characters that we have seen before. Huntress, who is played wonderfully by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, is the stereotypical person who is seeking revenge for the death of her family. Montoya is a stereotypical detective who is trying to break a major case. But I will credit the film for actually calling out the cliches of the character.

Birds of Prey begins the film with multiple flashbacks and the first act is nonlinear. It begins with multiple stories that are mixed up and ultimately can confuse the viewer. As mentioned before, the first act follows a nonlinear story line, but the acts that follow are not nonlinear and the story is told in order. I generally disliked the mixture of how the story was told because it can prove to be confusing and sometimes dull. In addition to the story, the main plot itself is a basic story that we have seen before. Harley Quinn is forced to get a lost diamond that was stolen from a young kid. I have seen this type of story I have seen before and actually done much better.

In the second act, we see Sionis places a reward for the capture of Cassandra Cain, the young girl who stole the diamond. Quinn goes to a police station to get Cain while other groups do so as well. I loved watching the biker gang trying to get Cain and Quinn trying to protect her because it forces Quinn to actually not think about herself for once. While this concept is briefly explored, it is quickly ignored for Quinn and Cain hanging out in an apartment and dragging the film down. While watching the police station scene, it brought back memories of a film called Safe, which starred Jason Statham. In this film, Statham has to protect a young girl from multiple gangs who are going after the girl for personal reasons. The reason why I bring up an obscure film from 8 years ago is because the story from Safe is done much better than Birds of Prey and I wish this film did explored the idea of Quinn having to protect a young girl from gangsters throughout the film. All I could think of while watching Birds of Prey is a film from 2012, that was largely forgotten, did this idea so much better.

Birds of Prey has intriguing characters that are played by excellent actors. While I have praise for the actors in the film, the story and the ideas they don’t explore bring the film down. The missed opportunities only make the messy story even more unbearable. A film is only as good as its screenplay and Birds of Prey proves that its weak screenplay brings down the entire film.

2/4

2020 Oscars Winners

The 2020 Oscars just wrapped up and Parasite makes history as it becomes the first foreign language film to win Best Picture and rightfully so. Parasite won the most awards for the evening as it won four, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. Also, 1917 , which was the front runner to win Best Picture, won three awards. Finally, Ford v Ferrari, Joker, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood all won two awards each. Unfortunately, not everyone can win an award as The Irishman walked away with no awards out of ten nominations, tying a record of most nominations without any wins. But without further ado, here are the winners of the 92nd Academy Awards:

Best Picture
“Ford v Ferrari”
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“Little Women”
“Marriage Story”
“1917”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Parasite” WINNER

Best Director
Martin Scorsese (“The Irishman”)
Todd Phillips (“Joker”)
Sam Mendes (“1917”)
Quentin Tarantino (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)
Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) WINNER

Best Actor
Antonio Banderas (“Pain and Glory”)
Leonardo DiCaprio (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)
Adam Driver (“Marriage Story”)
Joaquin Phoenix (“Joker”) WINNER
Jonathan Pryce (“The Two Popes”)

Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo (“Harriet”)
Scarlett Johansson (“Marriage Story”)
Saoirse Ronan (“Little Women”)
Charlize Theron (“Bombshell”)
Renee Zellweger (“Judy”) WINNER

Supporting Actor
Tom Hanks (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”)
Anthony Hopkins (“The Two Popes”)
Al Pacino (“The Irishman”)
Joe Pesci (“The Irishman”)
Brad Pitt (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) WINNER

Supporting Actress
Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”
Laura Dern (“Marriage Story”) WINNER
Scarlett Johansson (“Jojo Rabbit”)
Florence Pugh (“Little Women”)
Margot Robbie (“Bombshell”)

Adapted Screenplay
Taika Waititi (“Jojo Rabbit”) WINNER
Steve Zaillian (“The Irishman”)
Anthony McCarten (“The Two Popes”)
Greta Gerwig (“Little Women”)
Todd Phillips and Scott Silver (“Joker”)

Best Original Screenplay
Rian Johnson (“Knives Out”)
Noah Baumbach (“Marriage Story”)
Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns (“1917”)
Quentin Tarantino (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)
Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won (“Parasite”) WINNER

Animated Feature
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
“I Lost My Body”
“Klaus”
“Missing Link”
“Toy Story 4” WINNER

International Feature Film
“Corpus Christi”
“Honeyland”
“Les Miserables”
“Pain and Glory”
“Parasite” WINNER

Best Documentary
“American Factory” WINNER
“The Cave”
“Edge of Democracy”
“For Sama”
“Honeyland”

Best Cinematography
“The Irishman”
“Joker”
“The Lighthouse”
“1917” WINNER
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Best Costume Design
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“Little Women” WINNER
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Film Editing
“Ford vs. Ferrari” WINNER
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“Parasite”

Makeup and Hairstyling
“Bombshell” WINNER
“Joker”
“Judy”
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”
“1917”

Original Score
Hildur Guðnadóttir, “Joker” WINNER
Alexandre Desplat, “Little Women”
Randy Newman, “Marriage Story”
Thomas Newman, “1917”
John Williams, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

Original Song
I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” “Toy Story 4”
“I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” “Rocketman” WINNER
“I’m Standing With You,” “Breakthrough”
“Into the Unknown,” “Frozen 2”
“Stand Up,” “Harriet”

Production Design
“The Irishman”

“Jojo Rabbit”

“1917”

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” WINNER

“Parasite”

Sound Editing
“Ford v Ferrari” WINNER
“Joker”
“1917”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

Sound Mixing
“Ad Astra”
“Ford vs. Ferrari”
“Joker”
“1917” WINNER
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Visual Effects
“Avengers: Endgame”
“The Irishman”
“The Lion King”
“1917” WINNER
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

Documentary (Short Subject)
“In the Absence”
“Learning to Skateboard in a War Zone If You’re a Girl” WINNER
“Life Overtakes Me”
“St. Louis Superman”
“Walk Run Cha-Cha”

Short Film (Animated)
“Daughter”
“Hair Love”
“Kitbull”
“Memorable”
“Sister”

Short Film (Live Action)
“Brotherhood”
“Nefta Football Club”
“The Neighbor’s Window” WINNER
“Saria”
“A Sister”

The Gentlemen Film Review

Directed by Guy Ritchie

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Michelle Dockery

Rated R for violence, language throughout, sexual references and drug content

The Gentlemen is a newest Guy Ritchie film with an all star cast that includes Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell, and Hugh Grant. The film centers around Mickey Pearson, played by McConaughey, a marijuana dealer who is trying to keep his business and empire in order when chaos ensures. The film is told as a narration/screenplay by Fletcher, played by Grant, who is in it for the money.

Considering The Gentlemen is a January film, and January films are mostly poorly made, it came as a shock how fun and exciting the film is. The film is filled with funny moments and hilarious characters. Matthew McConaughey may be the main star of the film, but he gets overshadowed by other characters in the film. This is not to say that McConaughey didn’t do his job, but his character wasn’t as interesting as the other characters we see on screen. Hugh Grant, as Fletcher, is a smart and witty character and is a joy every time he is on screen. Most of the joy comes from watching Grant play a different character he is used to playing and he does it well. He’s smart, funny, and interesting in a film filled with an A list cast. Fletcher frequently interacts with Ray, played by Charlie Hunnam, who is hearing the story Fletcher is telling. Ray is also another interesting character who works for Mickey Pearson who is very loyal to Pearson.

The reason why Ray, along with Fletcher, is such is another great character is due to the sharp and witty dialogue and screenplay of the film. The film is smartly written with memorable lines, interesting characters, and a story that makes the audience keeps guessing. But as much as I admire the writing, it did take a while to get the story going. This is not take anything away from the film, but it takes a while to understand what exactly the story is about. And to mentioned before, the main character, Mickey Pearson, isn’t the most interesting character.

Overall, The Gentlemen is an exciting film that was an enjoyable time. It has fascinating characters who have the luxury of saying dialogue that is written with humor and wit. The film is certainly not for everyone, as it does feature many slurs one may find offensive, but those who do view the film will certainly find themselves having a good time.

3/4

GoldenEye Film Review

Directed by Martin Campbell

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco

Rated PG-13 for a number of sequences of action/violence, and for some sexuality

In 1989, the Bond series was not doing too well with the release of License to Kill not doing so well at the box office. At to the fact that the film series and its producers were in legal battles after the film was released. Soon, their star Timothy Dalton decided to not continue forward with the role as James Bond. The Bond series was in hot water and desperately needed a comeback. Six years later, the Bond series came back with its new star, Pierce Brosnan, and in a new era where the Cold War was over. GoldenEye represented a new era for the Bond series and successfully came back to its former glory.

GoldenEye is 17th film in the James Bond series, starring Pierce Brosnan as Bond. In this film, Bond has to face off against a former MI6 agent, played by Sean Bean, who is set on financially destroying London. Not only does Bond face off against a former MI6 agent, but also a Russian Colonel, a sex crazed female assassin, and a geeky hacker.

GoldenEye is, of course, the first outing of Brosnan as his role as Bond. Brosnan does a fantastic job portraying Bond but as his first film, he is trying to find his footing as Bond. He has the same jokes and one liners as Roger Moore did, but also can be brutal as his predecessor, Timothy Dalton, did. Truth be told, Brosnan is not my favorite Bond due to having poor films under his belt, but GoldenEye is an exception. He does a well enough job here but the action is the main star of the film here.

The action in the film is fantastically made and its all due to director Martin Campbell. The film starts with a great action sequence that begins with a bungee jump down a dam. Although the film logic doesn’t make sense, considering the scene began on a dam, the sequence ends on a mountain with a bang. The entire cold open is great but that’s just the beginning! The highlight of the film is a tank chase in Russia that features the iconic 007 theme.

The only downside is that the plot that the villain reveals is confusing and hard to follow. It is tradition to have complex schemes in Bond films, but I could not follow the film and it’s scheme, despite how many times it is explained. In addition, “M”, played by Judi Dench, is not featured as much as I wanted to. Earlier in the Bond films, “M” would appear in the beginning of the film and explained the mission Bond was going into. They were rarely featured outside the beginning of the film because their role was already used. The same rule applies to Dench’s “M”, she only appears in the beginning/middle of the film. Dench is a talented actress who should have appeared more in the film. Luckily, we got to see more of “M” in future films, the producers probably realized it would be a shame to waste the talents of Judi Dench, and soon Ralph Finnes.

Overall, GoldenEye is a fun and enjoyable addition to the Bond series. Pierce Brosnan plays it safe by playing a mash up of previous Bonds that came before him, but the film is still enjoyable and has top notch action. GoldenEye is a must watch for any fan of the Bond series.

3.5/4

Bad Boys For Life Film Review

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys for Life (2020)

Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah

Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens

Rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, sexual references and brief drug use

17 years after Bad Boys II, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return to the roles of Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, roles they first took on in 1995. Bad Boys For Life has detective Mike Lowrey (played by Will Smith) hunt down a killer who tries to kill Lowrey himself. Lowrey is also joined by his longtime friend and partner, detective Marcus Burnett (played by Martin Lawrence) and a new team, AMMO.

The first two Bad Boys films were directed by Michael Bay, a director who is known to have a certain style to his films. His films are filled with sloppy jokes, women, and pure action. But aside from a brief cameo, Bay does not have any involvement with the film and the film somehow succeeds. The first two films yielded mixed to negative reviews due to the directing of Bay, but directors El Arbi and Fallah make a new Bad Boys film that leaves out the terrible jokes and mindless action. But that’s not to say that the film doesn’t have jokes and action, but it is done well. For the majority of the time, the humor and action is done well, and this is mostly due to stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.

Smith and Lawrence have great chemistry as partners and lifelong friends. This film has the pair show a bit more range than a typical Bad Boys film. The pair not only show their comedic side, also a bit of emotion as well. We all know Will Smith knows how to show range, but Martin Lawrence surprisingly does this as well in a fantastic way. Also joining the cast is Paola Núñez as Rita, a former girlfriend of Mike and helps the pair in their mission. Nunez does well on her own and shows why she’s a great addition to the cast.

Bad Boys For Life does have its emotional moments, but its still fun and action packed. Smith and Lawrence are hilarious and rarely are there moments were the jokes don’t land. The rest of the cast are funny as well and work well with the pair. The action is top notch and fun to watch. The film is not your typical Michael Bay action where everything is exploding and sloppy. The action and choreography is well done and I applaud directors El Arbi and Fallah for their efforts.

Overall, Bad Boys For Life is fun and enjoyable addition to the Bad Boys series. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return to a role they last played over a decade ago, but they prove why they are still the stars of the film. I can say that Bad Boys For Life was a surprisingly enjoyable and we can only hope that the fourth installment is great as this film.

3/4

2020 SAG Awards Winners

The 2020 Screen Actor Guild Awards, or SAG Awards, just wrapped up and the ceremony was filled with mostly safe and obvious choices on the film side. Dern, Pitt, Zellweger, and Phoenix all won their respective awards and these wins did not come to a surprise to no one. But in the final award of the evening, the top prize, Cast in a Motion Picture, went to the highly praised film, “Parasite”. The win comes as a shock as this now increases its chances at winning at the Oscars, The SAG Awards almost mirrors the Oscars, as the same actors who vote for these awards also vote at the Oscars, and make up the largest voting block as well. Considering the fact that not only did “Parasite” win the top prize, but the entire cast got a standing ovation earlier in the ceremony, it’s clear that the largest voting group at the Oscars love this film. Could “Parasite” win big at the Oscars as well come Oscar Sunday? We would have to wait and see, but in the meantime here are the winners for the film section at the SAG Awards.

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Parasite–Winner
Bombshell
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Joaquin Phoenix – Joker- Winner
Christian Bale – Ford v Ferrari
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Taron Egerton – Rocketman

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Renée Zellweger – Judy-Winner
Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Lupita Nyong’o – Us
Charlize Theron – Bombshell

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood-Winner
Jamie Foxx – Just Mercy
Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Al Pacino – The Irishman
Joe Pesci – The Irishman

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Laura Dern – Marriage Story-Winner
Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit
Nicole Kidman – Bombshell
Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers
Margot Robbie – Bombshell

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

Avengers: Endgame-Winner
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Oscars Nominations: Thoughts and Predictions

The Oscars nominations have just been released and of course there are some safe nominations and some obvious snubs. “Joker” did very well with 11 nominations, the most for any film this year. “1917”, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”, and “The Irishman” all got the second most nominations with 10 nominations each. Other films that did well include “Parasite”, “Jojo Rabbit” and “Marriage Story”.

But unfortunately, there were some obvious snubs as well. “The Farewell” and “Dolemite Is My Name” received zero nominations and that came as a surprise as those two films were getting a fair share of nominations in the past awards show. Other snubs include “Frozen 2” for Best Animated Feature, no female directors getting any nominations, and no nomination for Jennifer Lopez for “Hustlers”.

With that being said, here are the nominations for the Oscars and my thoughts and predicted winners on the top categories.

Best Picture
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
1917
Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood
Parasite

Who will win- “1917”. “1917” was on no one’s radar at the beginning of awards season and then last Sunday the Golden Globes shocked us all by naming “1917” as Best Motion Picture Drama. Ad “1917” certainly fits the bill as a Best Picture winner. Consider the fact that almost 20 years ago, the Academy infamously snubbed “Saving Private Ryan” in favor for “Shakespeare in Love”. I think the Academy will want to redeem themselves by awarding “1917” as Best Picture, in a year where other films certainly deserve the top prize.

Who should win- “Parasite”. “Parasite” has been named as the best film by numerous critics and its a film that takes storytelling to another level. “Parasite” would be the obvious choice for the top prize but consider the fact that last year’s front runner, “Roma”, another forgeign language film, lost the top prize in favor to another safe film, “Green Book”. Yes, “Parasite” should win but the Academy doesn’t have the guts to take a risk and give the prize to a foreign language film.

Potential upset: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”. The Academy loves films about Hollywood. In the past ten years, films such as “Argo”, “The Artist”, and “Birdman” were all about the film industry and won the top prize. A case can certainly be made for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”, a film about Hollywood and has 10 nominations under its belt. Those two factors alone make this film a contender to watch out for.

Best Director

Bong Joon Ho, Parasite
Sam Mendes, 1917
Todd Phillips, Joker
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Who will win- Sam Mendes for “1917”. Once again, “1917” was on no one’s radar before last Sunday’s Golden Globes and now its the film to beat. Mendes is certainly a safe bet and as a past Oscar winner, he can get enough votes to get the prize. While Mendes did a tremendous job with his direction, there are certainly other directors that deserve the award.

Who should win and the potential upset- Bong Joon Ho for “Parasite”. Bong Joon Ho should win and can be the shocker of the night. A South Korean filmmaker schooled these veteran directors on how to tell a story that takes the audience along for a ride. For his efforts, Bong Joon Ho could win the award and of course he should. Keep an eye out for the Director’s Guild Award, as the winner of that award will certainly be the bellwether for the Oscars.

Best Actor

Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory)
Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
Adam Driver (Marriage Story)
Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)
Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes)

Who will win- Joaquin Phoenix for “Joker”. The moment we saw the trailer for “Joker”, we all knew Phoenix was going to win the Oscar. The release of the film only further proved our point that Phoenix was going to win. And now that he has been winning numerous awards for the role as the Joker, its Phoenix’s award to win. But hey, we all thought Glenn Close was going to win this time last year, yet the Oscars pulled a surprise and gave the win to Olivia Coleman. Who’s to say that something like that won’t happen this year.

Who should win and the potential upset- Adam Driver for “Marriage Story”. We all know that Phoenix deserves the win but instead I am going to make the case for Adam Driver in “Marriage Story”. Driver delivers a strong performance as a New York director having to fly out to LA constantly to win a divorce battle. The film almost resembles another well known divorce film, “Kramer vs Kramer”, which won Dustin Hoffman an Oscar. Driver could walk away with an award, if Academy voters feel like the billion dollar box office is prize already for “Joker”.

Best Actress

Cynthia Erivo (Harriet)
Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story)
Saoirse Ronan (Little Women)
Charlize Theron (Bombshell)
Renée Zellweger (Judy)

Who will win- Renee Zellweger for “Judy”. As mentioned before, the Academy loves films about Hollywood and they love actors playing real life people. “Judy” is no exception and considering her wins in the past awards show, having Zellweger win is a safe bet.

Who should win- Scarelett Johansson for “Marriage Story”. Johansson makes Oscars history as being one of the few actors to get double nominations in a single year. And rightfully so, as not only did she star in two highly acclaimed films that received both received Best Picture nominations, but also starred in the highest grossing film of all time, “Avengers: Endgame”. Walking away with an Oscar on Oscar Sunday would be a cherry on top for an amazing year she’s had.

Potential upset- Saoirse Ronan for “Little Woman”. At only 25 years old, Ronan has already 4 Oscar nominations under her belt. That’s an impressive feat for a young actor. The Academy likes to reward actors with multiple nominations and zero wins and Ronan can make the case for that. But Ronan has a long career ahead of her and a win is certainly in her future.

Best Supporting Actor

Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
Al Pacino (The Irishman)
Joe Pesci (The Irishman)
Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood)
Anthony Hopkins (The Two Popes)

Who will win- Brad Pitt for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”. This is an interesting category. All the actors in this category have technically won an Oscar before, whether it be for acting or producing. The last time all actors in a category were past winners was in 2012 in this same category. Now with that being said, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” was not my favorite film of 2019, but Brad Pitt stole the show, especially the last 10 minutes of the film. Pitt does have an Oscar for producing, but its time he has one for acting.

Who should win- Tom Hanks for “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”. Hanks as always gives a strong performance and “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” is no exception. He excellently becomes Fred Rogers and should win an award for doing so. But Hanks is already a two time Oscar winner and its rare for actors to win three or more Oscars.

Potential upset: Joe Pesci for “The Irishman”. Pesci was in retirement and came out of it for legendary director Martin Scorsese. A story line like that can be relate able to the Academy voters who are usually older.

Best Supporting Actress

Kathy Bates (Richard Jewell)
Laura Dern (Marriage Story)
Scarlett Johansson (Jojo Rabbit)
Florence Pugh (Little Women)
Margot Robbie (Bombshell)

Who will win and should win- Laura Dern for “Marriage Story”. Dern has been winning all the awards and having Dern win is the obvious win. Dern plays a lawyer who fights tough and would say anything to win a case. While I enjoyed Adam Driver and Scarlett Johnansson’s performance more than Laura Dern, this probably the only win for the film.

Potential upset- Florence Pugh for “Little Women”. Florence Pugh has had a big year with releases of “Fighting With My Family” and “Midsommar”. Just like Johansson, who is also nominated in this category, Pugh winning an Oscar would make this Pugh’s year.

Best Original Screenplay

1917, Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Knives Out, Rian Johnson
Marriage Story, Noah Baumbach
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino
Parasite, Bong Joon Ho & Jin Won Han

Who will win- Quentin Tarantino for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”. Tarantino has proved to be one of the greatest screenwriters of his generation and probably of all time. Tarantino not only won the Golden Globe, but also won the Critics Choice Award in this category. This is Tarantino’s award to lose.

Who should win- Bong Joon Ho and Jin Won Han for “Parasite”. It’s no secret that I love “Parasite” and it should win at every chance it has. As I have mentioned before “Parasite” takes its story telling to another level. What other film starts off in a light and funny mood and ends in a dark and depressing mood? Bong Joon Ho and Jin Won Han’s screenplay was the best of the year and should win this award.

Potential upset- Noah Baumbach for “Marriage Story”. Baumbach’s screenplay shows the raw emotions a couple goes through. “Marriage Story” is a actor’s film and the screenplay is the foundation for the strong acting.

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Irishman, Steven Zaillian
Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi
Joker, Todd Phillips & Scott Silver
Little Women, Greta Gerwig
The Two Popes, Anthony McCarten

Who will win- Steven Zaillian for “The Irishman”. This category could be the only win for “The Irishman”, a film with 10 nominations. The Academy likes to spread out their wins and “The Irishman” has a strong screenplay that features some of the best actors working today.

Who should win- Todd Phillips and Scott Silver for “Joker”. “Joker” is not your typical comic book film, but instead a character study on how several terrible days make for a villain in the making. Who ever thought that the “Joker” a character who commits murder, would be a sympathetic character?

Potential upset- Greta Gerwig for “Little Women”. After being snubbed for Best Director, this could be Gerwig’s only win this year. But “Little Women” has been adapted numerous times over the years, so having Gerwig win for a screenplay that has been adapted already could turn voters away.

Best International Feature Film

Corpus Christi (Poland)
Honeyland (North Macedonia)
Les Misérables (France)
Pain and Glory (Spain)
Parasite (South Korea)

Who will win and should win- “Parasite”. It has the Best Picture nomination and its one of the best of 2019. It’s going to win this category, no doubt about it.

Best Animated Feature

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost My Body
Klaus
Missing Link
Toy Story 4

Who will and should win- “Toy Story 4”. Pixar is no stranger to winning this category and “Toy Story 4” could win this year. Was it the best film in the series, of course not but still had beautiful animation.

Potential upset- “Missing Link”. The film that won the Golden Globe, “Missing Link” has momentum going into the Oscars.

1917 Film Review

Directed by Sam Mendes

Starring: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays

Rated R for violence, some disturbing images, and language

“1917” is a war drama, directed by Sam Mendes, in which two British soldiers (played by Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay) have to deliver a message to stop an upcoming battle. Set in the first World War, the two men will travel through trenches and hell to deliver this message in order to save the lives of others, including of the men’s own brother.

“1917” is not your typical war film, as it has two features that make it stand out from the crowd. First, it is a film about the first World War, a war that is not explored too often in film. Second, it is filmed to be like a long take, almost like how “Birdman” did six years ago. The cinematography is great and its all due to the amazing Roger Deakins. The single take was impressive and I was certainly in awe of it. But I didn’t like it as much as I thought I was going to be. This is not to dismiss the cinematography or the work of Sam Mendes, but I found myself looking where the edits were. The reason why for this is because “Birdman” did this years ago and so have films before that. Did I enjoy the single take shot? Yes, it was fascinating to watch, but I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped.

In addition to the excellent camera work, Sam Mendes proves why he is such a great director. He realistically shows the horrors of war and what these young men had to put with 100 years ago. But Mendes’ work is accompanied by Thomas Newman’s score, a frequent collaborator of Mendes. It’s not a controversial thing to say that Newman always delivers a strong score and “1917” is no exception. Newman as always finds the right notes to put on the screen and does so effectively.

Finally, we cannot forget the two actors who are the main stars of the film. Both Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay give strong and emotional performances as two men who are just trying to deliver orders, all while staying alive. When the men were afraid, we were afraid, when they let their guard down, we also did the same. Mendes has mentioned that he wanted unknowns for his film, but we can only hope that “1917” is a start of something tremendous for the two actors. In additon to Chapman and MacKay, we have familiar names such as Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and Andrew Scott. The big names in the film are almost cameo roles and are only on screen for a few minutes. They do a great job for the minutes they are on screen, but there is not much of note for those actors.

Overall, “1917” is a realistic war film that will certainly impress the audience. I personally wasn’t the biggest fan of the single take but I certainly have much respect for the film for going there and having beautiful shots when they are present on screen. The end credits of the film show that “1917” is a dedication to his grandfather, who served in the war. I cannot think of a better dedication to the men of the Great War than “1917”, a film that shows the horrors of war.

3.5/4