MY TAKE ON THE OSCARS

Well, the Oscars have been awarded, but the controversies linger like cheap perfume in the air. The Twitterverse is still alive with outrage that this movie or the other one was chosen, this actor or another one was dissed, even that one sequined gown outshone another. It seems the only thing anyone can agree on is that no host is better than any host you can name for the ceremonies. At least we got out of there almost on time.

As my Faithful Readers, you know I’m in the multiplex almost every week of the year. Honestly, someone in Hollywood should pay me—I may well be the Last Traditional Moviegoer. So, I have opinions, most of which I’ve managed to keep to myself until now. But the volume of negative reaction to some of the Academy’s decisions this year has gone over the top, like a lot of our national discourse these days, and balance is required.

As Jim Kirk says a famous alien author will someday write: Let me help.

GREEN BOOK as Best Picture: I’ll admit right up front that I loved this movie. I loved the old-school narrative “road trip” structure; the acting was brilliant, showcasing two actors at the top of their game; the dialogue was funny in spots, touching in others; there are at least four visually and emotionally memorable scenes. I saw the film twice and got more out of it at each viewing, always a telling characteristic of a great movie. And the moral of the film—that we can learn from each other if we will only move past the stereotypes we have of other people—is a lesson we need to learn in these fraught times. The point is made with a light touch in this film.

Much of the criticism of GREEN BOOK revolves around its point of view. The screenplay was written primarily by Nick Villelonga, son of Tony “Tony Lip” Villelonga, the character Viggo Mortensen plays in the film. In 1962, Tony Lip was an out-of-work bouncer hired by African-American classical pianist Dr. Donald Shirley to drive him on a three-month tour of the South. Both of these men were extraordinary personalities in their own right—Tony Lip went on to be an actor (“The Sopranos”) and a chef; Dr. Shirley was an acclaimed musician in both jazz and classical music—but it happened that Tony’s son wrote the screenplay, and Hollywood director Peter Farrelly picked it up. Thus GREEN BOOK is a story about two men crossing race and culture to become friends in a time when that was not an easy thing to do. (That last point is too often forgotten in an age when some people insist “racism no longer exists.” We need a reminder.)

 Critics, both within the black community and outside it, have complained that this predominantly white perspective skews the story and robs it of its truth. They argue that Dr. Shirley deserves to star in the story of his own life—that of a brilliant gay black man succeeding despite all the many roadblocks thrown in his way. While I don’t disagree, I think that would have been a much less interesting film, a one-dimensional film, like so many of the movies made these days. Like our music or our reading choices or our Netflix options selected for us by an algorithm based on what we watched last night, films are more and more made for niche audiences—teenagers or gay audiences or world market audiences (ie. lots of action, little dialogue).

GREEN BOOK was written to appeal to a wider, if a more traditional audience. Black and white. Gay and straight. As Tony Lip himself says in the film “It’s a . . . (Latin shrug) complicated world.” 

Of course, the film’s director, Peter Farrelly, complicated it even more with his sleazy past, and Viggo Mortensen took himself out of Best Actor contention by stumbling in the early days of the PR for the movie. Still, GREEN BOOK deserved the Oscar, especially when you look at the competition.

BLACKKLANSMAN: This is probably Spike Lee’s best film to date, so it was a shame it didn’t do better at the Oscars. But this true story of a black FBI agent who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado in the 70s had one drawback: it hit you over the head with its message in an emotionally effective, but ultimately preachy ending of real footage from the Charlottesville riots. A little would have gone a long way, but Spike is not known for restraint as a filmmaker.

BLACK PANTHER: As all SF fans know, this would have been a long shot anyway, but BP wasn’t even the best Marvel had to offer. Yes, it had a great cast, an admirable black hero and some kickass female warriors, but the effects were lacking and the story only average. Bring on WONDER WOMAN.

ROMA: I can’t even begin to tell you how disappointed I was in this autobiographical outing by Alphonso Cuaron. ROMA’s housekeeper heroine literally goes nowhere, while the family she works for falls apart. A metaphor for Mexico? The world? Who knows? I agree wholeheartedly with Stephen Spielberg that Netflix movies should not be eligible for Oscar contention. They are television movies. Oscar-eligible films should be made for the big screen.

A STAR IS BORN: This was a fantastic film, with two great actors (Lady Gaga, what a surprise!) showing amazing chemistry. But it was a third-time remake in the classic style, making it difficult to award the Oscar. Definitely see the film, though!

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: I’m not a fan of Queen so I didn’t see this one, but from all I read, this film was a mess except for Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury. And what did I say about niche films? 

THE FAVOURITE; VICE: Again, I’m showing my prejudices here, but these historical niche films were not up my alley, so I didn’t see them. A lesbian farce set in 17^th Century England and a biopic about Dick Cheney, no matter how good the acting, will just not be on my list. But, hey, they may sound like fun to you, so enjoy!

I fully expect that some of you will disagree with the opinions expressed here. Let’s discuss!

Cheers, Donna