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Here’s the thing about this years crop of Oscar movies… they’re not that interesting. In fact, most of them are pretty dull and lousy, and have barely been seen by the public. Just look at the best picture race. Only two of the movies were popular and did well.., Wicked and Dune Part 2. That’s just two out of ten.
Now there were a couple of very good movies nominated, but they either aren’t nominated for best picture, or have no chance of winning. We’re talking about A Real Pain (not nominated for picture,) and The Substance (no chance of winning.) Both movies should win in the acting categories (Kieran Culkin for A Real Pain and Demi Moore for the Substance,) but nothing else.
And that would be fine if the best picture contenders were decent. Only this year they’re not. The real race seems to be between three movies… Anora, The Brutalist, and Conclave. With these movies, one looks more boring than the next.
For the longest time, the front runner for the best picture race was The Brutalist. And then it changed. And changed again. And again. This is now a three horse race, but before the nominations came out, the Brutalist was leading the pack in terms of predictions. Then the nominations came out and Emilia Perez took over. Then that movie just got torpedoed in every way possible (multiple groups coming out against it, and even its star doing damage via social media.)
After that, Anora took the lead, and it most likely still has it. But there’s another contender up there, which has just recently emerged from the pack… Conclave. Let’s talk a little bit about each of these movies, and why they are all pretty bad.
THE BRUTALIST
With the Brutaliat, we are given a movie that is three and a half hours long. Why? I understand the notion of not compromising a vision, and telling a story in the time it needs. But when has a movie EVER needed to be this long? If it needs to be this long, then maybe it should be a show or a mini-series. Maybe they chose the wrong medium.
It’s hard to believe that there wasn’t anything in this movie that could have been cut. Trim the fat, make the movie tighter, and therefore more watchable. But aside from the length, let’s talk about the content. The story is about an architect. That’s it. An architect who gets the chance to build his masterpiece building. And he is being held down, forced to compromise on his vision (the opposite of this movie, which makes the mistake of refusing to compromise,) by the higher ups who are paying him. Nothing about this sounds interesting. Especially not at this length.
EMILIA PEREZ
Not that it really has a chance of winning best picture anymore, but Zoe Saldana should win best supporting actress. So let’s talk for a moment about this movie. It’s about a transgender mafia crime boss who transitions from being a man into being a woman. So you’ve got the mafia crime story, the transitioning story, and then on top of all that, this one’s also a musical. It definitely seems like a case of too much on the table all at once.
Just think of it like this… the Sopranos was a show about a mob boss dealing with his mob life and his family life. And it worked because it was just enough without being too much. But imagine if it had also been a musical. That would have been a recipe for disaster. Nobody wants to see those character break out into song, and it would have been to the detriment of the other stories (the characters would no longer be scary or menacing, and the show round have felt like it was all over the place.)
ANORA
Here we have a movie that should have been good. The premise was there. It was a modern and realistic take on Cinderella meets Pretty Woman. A classic rags to riches story with a twist. The story of a stripper who marries into royalty, only to find out that the fantasy she thinks she’s found is just an illusion.
It should have worked. And the reason it didn’t was because of how it was told. Everything seemed to go on and on, and just tire us out. If this had been a ninety minute film it would have been perfect. But instead, at two and a half hours, it felt exhausting.
For some reason these movies seem to think a longer length makes them appear smarter or deeper. None of that is true at all. When Vanya, the wealthy young man who marries Annie (Anora,) runs away from the guys who came to meet with him, and leaves Anora with them, it sets the movie into a subplot of trying to find Vanya. And that subplot, in particular, takes way too long. If that had been cut down, or out all together, it could have changed the entire appeal of this movie.
WICKED
Believe it or not, there are some who think Wicked has a real chance. Wouldn’t that be something? Not that it’s a great movie, or anything, but it soars high above the crap that we are bring given as Best Picture front runners. It’s colorful and poppy and fun. It was also a massive success. Let’s hope the Oscars makes the smart decision this time around, as unlikely as it seems, and awards this movie the honor.
CONCLAVE
A movie about the process of electing a new pope. In the first thirty or so minutes of this one, it seems like maybe, just maybe, this will be a cool mystery where someone close to the old pope may have murdered him. No such luck. This movie doesn’t go the potentially interesting route, and instead is simply about the process. Nothing more. It might as well have been a documentary. Like Anora, it’s another missed opportunity.
And there you have it. A Real Pain was great. The Substance was great. Neither one of them has a chance at nabbing the biggest awards. Wicked was okay. That movie was a very slim, outside chance. But our three front runners are all lousy, and with such a dull crop of films to choose from, things are definitely looking bleak.