A SLOG THROUGH THE REST OF THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS

 

I spent just under two-and one-half hours watching Triangle of Sadness, the recipient of three Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.

As the lights came on, I turned to my only nephew with what must have been a quizzical look. Before either of us could bat an eye he opined: “White Lotus Meets Lord of the Flies.”

“That’s good,” I said to the young Mr. Rosenzweig, but not satisfied, I decided to look up what others had said about this opus of class warfare that had won the triple crown of nominations.

The New York Times: “in effect a shaggy-dog art-house reboot of Gilligan's Island…” Roger Ebert. Com: “an allegory so obvious and overcooked that I was praying for everybody on the yacht to be drowned.” The Guardian: “overlong”… Datebook: “One of 2022’s best films…” The Independent UK: “All a bit pointless…”

Y’know something? They are all right… all, that is, except Datebook and the Motion Picture Academy.

Triangle of Sadness is a lot of things but a best picture for this… or any other year… it ain’t. As to the film’s director, he is clearly skilled but in this case too undisciplined to trim out at least 45 minutes of this overblown social comment comedy. And best screenplay?… Thank goodness Aaron Sorkin and Tom Stoppard are still among the living… otherwise they would be turning in their respective graves.

Blonde is another movie that clocks in as way too long at just under three hours. Unlike Triangle of Sadness, there are no Academy accolades for the picture, the director, or the screenplay. And that, in my opinion, is worthy of some comment.

At the outset, let me get this out of the way…Ana de Armas has the film’s only nomination (for Best Performance by an Actress) and it is well deserved. Cate Blanchett (TAR) finally has reason to look over her shoulder… even though history tells us that the Academy will never give its Oscar to someone starring in a film that has received such mediocre notices as has Blonde.

What burns my bottom are those self-same notices. Blonde is not the best picture of the year, but it is a hellofa lot closer to that accolade than Triangle of Sadness, Women Talking, or Top Gun: Maverick.

Blonde strives to be great but loses sight of that goal in its overindulgences… not the least of which is its running time. Even worse than the film’s nearly three-hour length are Director Andrew Dominik’s sybaritic camera shots, which by their very nature call attention to themselves, distracting the movie’s audience to the detriment of the scene, the actor’s performance, and the motion picture itself.

These are important mistakes for any director, but they are very nearly overcome by the filmmaker’s successes in other areas, the performance of Ms. Ana de Armas, the very excellent work by the cinematographer, the production designer, the costumer… and some very special work by the supporting players… particularly Adrien Brody and Julianne Nicholson.

Somewhere in the arts we should acknowledge what Robert Browning tried to communicate…  that heaven is all about our reach attempting to exceed our grasp. Blonde may not be a great movie, but it at least aspired to be one… something that too many of the Academy’s choices did not.

To Leslie features Andrea Riseborough, a very good actress who somehow got nominated for this film. That fact is really the only reason anyone could possibly be motivated to see this sorry little movie. Ms. Riseborough is good, but not good enough for this kind of accolade… OR for Cate Blanchett or any of the other nominees in this category to be looking over their respective shoulders… OR for any of you to rush out to see this piece of work. I could go on about the holes in the screenplay and the wholesale/often gratuitous character transitions that take place in this dreary piece. Please, let the above suffice.

Moving on to the fanciful idea of Frankenstein happening in modern day Wales rather than 19^th century Transylvania… and that instead of using human cadavers, the “monster” would be created out of stuff in the garage, including an old washing machine… and you have the foundation for the charming and whimsical world of Brian and Charles.

The gentlemen who play the title characters in this delicious little movie are really quite wonderful, as is everyone else in the finite cast of supporting players. Not surprisingly, this tiny movie was passed over by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it at least as much as the majority of films that did get nominated. It sort of depends on your penchant for whimsy.

Next comes The Banshees of Inisherin. Another beautiful little movie about a small fictional Island community off the coast of Ireland. I saw the film all by my lonesome on my ninety-inch monitor here on my own Island just off the coast of Miami Beach. Ironically, the movie features a curmudgeon who prefers his own company to that of any others.  You got a problem with that?

I was laughing out loud… truly having the best time of maybe the entire Academy season when director/writer Martin McDonagh took a serious left turn and the picture became kinda dark. It works. I just did not like it as much at the finish as I did at the start.

I looked at the  credits of those behind the scenes: McDonagh, Broadbent, Flynn, McKeown, O’Sullivan, Kelly, Devine, Fitzgerald, Brady, Brannigan, Byrne, Nolan, Kennedy, O’Shea, and I thought, “y’know, if there had been a Jew on this film it might have stayed funny.” Just a thought.

Back on the Emerald Isle: the setting is very rural, very isolated and in the first half of the 20^th century in the time of “the troubles.” The location is beautiful, and the cast is magnificent… particularly the four leads: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, and Barry Keoghan.

See it. Wear something green and try to remember… nobody does self-deprecation better than the Irish.

There are still one or two films from the Academy left to be seen by me, but I now feel confident… albeit somewhat premature… about predicting the slam dunk winner for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, even Best Actress and (while I am on a roll) maybe Best Supporting Actor and Actress as well. The sheer number of these nominees might tip you off but just in case (and notice, no envelope needed) the winners are the folks from Everything Everywhere All at Once.

This most imaginative, well thought out, brilliantly brought off homage to several classic motion pictures… not the least of which are The Matrix and 2001: A Space Odyssey… is not only a top-notch piece of entertainment, it is also a poignant mother/daughter yarn as well as a strong feminist document, all while delivering some terrific over-the-top action sequences.

In my view, Ms. Cate Blanchett and the aforementioned Ana de Armas will have to be content with just their nominations. Michelle Yeoh is pretty much a shoo-in to pick up the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress on the Academy’s big night.

One small caveat… Everything Everywhere All at Once is just that. An awful lot comes at you, awfully fast. So, buckle your seat belts… it may be bumpy, but it is a fabulous ride.

 

Barney Rosenzweig