TEA TO POUR: Oscar Nominations 2021: 2 of 9

13 March 2022

Oscar Nominations 2021: 2 of 9

1. The Power of the Dog, Dune, Belfast, and West Side Story

King Richard

6 Nominations

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Actor: Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness, Ali)
Original Screenplay: Zach Baylin
Supporting Actress: Aunjanue Ellis
Film Editing: Pamela Martin (The Fighter)
Song: Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & DIXSON

Cast: Smith, Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Jon Bernthal, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew, Daniele Lawson, Layla Crawford, Erika Ringor

I get the sort of heartswell that this movie produces, I think, but I just didn't respond the way most others did. It felt like a movie with very few stakes. Like... will Venus and Serena become the best tennis players in the world? I just don't know! I think I wanted something more complicated and less hagiographic. In any case, most other people I know really liked this film, and Will Smith has been the anointed frontrunner for Best Actor since this movie appeared in theatres. It was nowhere near one of my favorite performances of the year, but Smith is an excellent actor and a big movie star, and he doesn't have an Oscar yet. I am going to be happy to watch him win one. Aunjanue Ellis is a jobbing actor who has been working steadily for about 20 years, and it's great to see her get some recognition. She won't win on March 27, but her nomination is good news. Beyoncé has actually never been nominated for an Oscar, so, as this is their first opportunity to give her one, I think the Academy will choose to do so. While we're talking about Best Actor, I want to say that I am really, really sad that Simon Rex didn't make it into this category. His performance in Red Rocket is astounding; he's wonderful. You can see my other favorite performances here.

Will Win: Actor, Original Song

Could Win: N/A

My Rating: #43 out of 56

Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー)

4 Nominations

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Director: Hamaguchi Ryūsuke
Adapted Screenplay: Hamaguchi Ryūsuke & Oe Takamasa
International Film: Japan (Shoplifters, Departures, The Twilight Samurai, Muddy River, Kagemusha: the Shadow Warrior, Sandakan No. 8, Dodes'ka-den, Portrait of Chieko, Woman in the Dunes, Kwaidan, Koto, Immortal Love, The Burmese Harp, Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto, Gate of Hell, Rashomon)

Director: Ryūsuke

Cast: Nishijima Hidetoshi, Miura Tōko, Okada Masaki, Kirishima Reika, Park Yoo-rim, Jin Dae-yeon, Sonia Yuan, Abe Satoko

I am so surprised that everyone has responded to Drive My Car the way they have. Four nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay is so many nominations! The Academy loves this movie. I thought it was really good, but I don't understand why everyone is over the moon. For example, Shoplifters, which was nominated a few years ago, felt like a much better movie than this one. Oh well. It's weird how some things catch on and others don't. In any case, the performances are very very good, and the theatre sequences are great. This film is a shoo-in for the International Film award; it's Japan's seventeenth nomination in this category, and this will be its fifth win.

Will Win: International Film

Could Win: N/A
My Rating: #21 out of 56

Don't Look Up

4 Nominations

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Original Screenplay: Adam McKay (Vice, The Big Short) & David Sirota
Film Editing: Hank Corwin (Vice, The Big Short)
Score: Nicholas Britell (If Beale Street Could Talk, Moonlight)

Director: McKay

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Rob Morgan, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Himesh Patel, Melanie Lynskey

This is a pretty good movie. I didn't really like it, but it's a solid picture, and I laughed quite a lot. It's a really smug movie, though, and I guess that's Adam McKay in general, so there's no getting around that. Nicholas Britell's nomination was a bit of a surprise, and I'm happy to see him there. I don't think this can win anything, but it could maybe eke out a screenplay win. McKay won the screenplay award for The Big Short, and people do tend to like the kind of milquetoast politics Don't Look Up is peddling. But listen, I'm really not trying to be hard on this movie, and in fact, it deserved an Original Song nomination that it didn't get. I was in love with the Ariana Grande song in this movie, with hilarious lyrics like "Just look up / Turn off that shit-box News / 'Cause you're about to die soon everybody". It was one of the best things in the movie! Ariana Grande was robbed.
Will Win: N/A

Could Win: Original Screenplay

My Rating: #46 out of 56

Nightmare Alley

4 Nominations

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Cinematography: Dan Laustsen (The Shape of Water)
Production Design: Shane Vieau (The Shape of Water) & Tamara Deverell
Costume Design: Luis Sequeira (The Shape of Water)

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, David Strathairn, Willem Dafoe, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen

I do not know how this got nominated for Best Picture, but let's just say up front that this movie deserves its below-the-line nominations. This is a gorgeous looking film, and if I thought most of the performances were off, I can't come for the way the film looks. It's impeccable. You may know that this movie is a remake of a 1947 noir starring Tyrone Power, and one understands why Del Toro was so drawn to this original film. His team – Dan Laustsen, Shane Vieau, and Luis Sequeira – didn't win Oscars for their work in The Shape of Water, though, and I don't think they're going to win for this movie either. My take on this film is that I think it's enjoyable if you haven't seen the original, so, by all means check it out.

Will Win: N/A

Could Win: N/A
My Rating: #45 out of 56