Academy Award Best Picture Nominees | 6
Show Notes:
A quick listen - Julia reviews the 8 movies nominated for Best Picture at the 93rd Academy Awards.
Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, Mank, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Nomadland, Judas and the Black Messiah, The Father, and Minari
Transcript:
Julia: Hey, y'all welcome to this week's episode of Pop Culture Makes Me Jealous. I'm your host, Julia Washington, and on today's show, I'm reviewing the eight movies nominated for best film at the Academy Awards.
The Academy Awards are Sunday, April 25th. And while I have my favorites, I'm not really going to make any predictions here. I'm just going to give you my opinions. I do have my hopes on what will win, but we'll have to wait for the 25th to find. And now here we go to the show
promising young woman directed by Emerald. It centers around 30 year old, Kathy Thomas played by Carey Mulligan who seeks to avenge the rape of her best friend. This star said a film is dark funny, heartbreaking, and thought provoking. And I loved it so often behavior of others negatively impacts one's life.
And the effects of that behavior are minimized and justified. You could say this movie is commentary on society, highlighting a mindset that has existed for generations. All say this. Take the time to deeply reflect on this movie and do a self evaluation on your own mindset. I know, I sure did
think of all the sounds. For me, it's the sound of my son's voice when he says mom or I love you. It's the deep side my dog makes when she's content the sound of the ocean or the breeze on a beautiful summer's night, the sound of a skateboard hitting the ground, the crack of a bat at a baseball field, the soulful and tortured voice of Aretha Franklin.
I could go on the sound of metal is the story of heavy metal drummer, Rubin stone, and the loss of his hearing stones are recovering. Committed to his music and refuses to accept the realities of his world. This movie is incredible. And it's storytelling in that you are in Rubin's world learning and growing through devastation at his pace.
I loved it, not just because I'm a recovering punk rock girl of the early two thousands, but because it's a reminder of how incredible the human body is, the simple joys we take for granted and the desperation felt when all is life.
The era specific details and bank will make any old cinephile appreciate the craftsmanship of this film. It feels like the movies of Hollywood old so much so that it could have hailed from that era itself while the movie is beautiful to watch and has all the elements that I love of old movies, the longing gazes, the long shot.
The orchestra music, brooding moods of men. This film highlights Herman of its development of citizen Kane. The film incorporates flashbacks. There's changes coming in Hollywood and the world and make events. The man is feeling like a Relic, despite his ability to create lasting work. I didn't love this movie.
I enjoyed the story and the cinematic quality is, but I didn't have an emotional connection with how problematic early Hollywood was towards black people and women. Any implication to. Behaviors just makes me frustrated. I want old Hollywood style movies about black joy and women's stories. The older I get, the less I am in awe of the glory days of Hollywood, and then drunken men who controlled or contributed to the industry.
Another Aaron Sorkin, brainchild, starring Sasha Baron Cohen and Eddie Redmayne is based on the 1969 trial of seven men charged by the federal government with conspiracy and crossing state lines. With the intention of inciting riots at the 1968 national convention in Chicago. Baron Cohen plays Abby hall.
And Redmayne plays Tom Hayden. This is a star studded cast. I'm conflicted about the movie while these events took place in the late sixties actions leading up to this trial and the trial itself are part of the shaping of the mid 20th century. The drama desertion of such events feels very much like bro.
I've got this crazy story to tell you. While the actors are committed to the people they portray. There is an element at times that feels more like caricature than character. I see why this movie is nominated because of its criticism of the American system. It's highlighting of implied corruption within the judicial system.
And there's this little guy element to it as well. When we look at Baron Cohen and Redmond's performances, it's a good movie. And I don't know what that is.
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I maybe spend too much of my life remembering. When Fern leaves her hometown of empire Nevada after her husband dies. And the sole industry in town closes it's because she's decided to be houseless and travel around the U S this film is based on the 2017 book nomad land, surviving America in the 21st century.
This movie takes place in 2011, the late aughts and early teens. Where my adult formative years and the pain of job loss in my generation is still very heavy. This film takes place at the peak of those job losses. I maybe spend too much of my life remembering. This intimate telling of Fern story is a reminder that life lived backwards is no life at all.
But when what we are remembering feels better than the now it's hard not to spend hours deep in memories while the movie moves slow. For me, it did have moments that hit my heart hard. I maybe spend too much of my life. Remember. This line, this quote, I keep saying is one of them when we enter a phase in life that we didn't expect, it's so easy to live in the past.
There's something about nomad land that feels like it will be forever relevant.
Judas and the black Messiah is the bio drama about the betrayal of the Illinois black Panther party chairman Fred Hampton in the late 1960s. Daniel Kaluuya plays Fred Hampton and Lee Keith Stanfield plays FBI informant. William O'Neill. This movie is emotional. Very emotional. Fred Hampton was only 21 at the time of his murder.
And nothing I say about this film will do it. Justice. I cried and felt anxious. The film is cinematically beautiful, and Columbia and Stanfield are very, very good at embodying and portraying the real people they are playing. There are scenes where the fear in Stanfields eyes caused panic in me. Is this the moment where he gets caught?
The movie also incorporates the 1990 interview. Bill O'Neill did on television. If you don't already know, we learn that bill O'Neill takes his own life. Shortly after that interview errors, watch this movie with a box of tissues. It's very intense.
The father follows the story of an aging man with memory loss, this film stars, Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Coleman in a previous life. I worked in aging services and watching the rapid decline of humans was too much for me to bear. Anthony Hopkins plays an aged man who is grappling with memory loss. His daughter played by Olivia Coleman is struggling to balance her life and her father with very few set locations and costume design.
The movie feels more like a play with the central characters, fear and confusion, palpable.
It's the early 1980s and the Korean immigrant ye family moves from California to rural Arkansas or Jacob. The father plans to grow Korean produce to sell in the bigger city. Jacob stream's clash with what his wife, Monica believes their family needs, especially considering their young son David's heart condition.
Monica's mother moves in with them to help with Anne and David while the movie moves slow much like growing produce. The end is anything. In some ways. I understand Jacob, he and his wife work sorting checks, and this work is soul crushing to him. He has big dreams and American dream and is determined to do whatever it takes to make that happen.
In some ways, the long haul of building something new transcends industry artists and creatives often find themselves in the same predicament with their significant other and the ultimatum of the, your dream or me is inevitable. If you can sit through it, slow pace. They pay off in the end is worth it, at least I think so.
And that's the show for you folks today? If you choose to watch one of the 20, 21 nominated films head on over to Instagram and let's have a conversation about it, if you've already seen the. Drop us a line. Let's talk. What did you love? What did you hate? Do you think that the winner of the academy award for best picture was warranted?
I am not making a prediction of who's going to win. My son asked me recently who I want to win. And after watching all nine of these films, it's a really tough decision. I will say though, promising young woman, it might be my favorite. It might be my favorite. Join me next week. When I have a special guest, my friend shy, we talk about Wanda vision and all things and the Marvel cinematic universe, you know, you want to listen to that conversation.
I mean, unless you're not a Marvel fan, which is fine, cause I wasn't until I became a mom. So there you have it anyway. See you all next time.
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