What Movie Did You Just Watch

[Avaitor]

That's a pretty nice list. A lot of stuff I like, a lot I need to get to.

I've thought about my own best of the decade list, but I've also become increasingly indifferent towards the concept of ranking things. I enjoy a lot of things, some more than others, but I'm never really sure if I have it in me to compile things together in a list anymore.

Oh, I finally got around to seeing Joker. I thought it was fine, but not all that special IMO. I give it credit for being a little different than other comic book movies, but I don't think it's as deep as Todd Phillips wants us to think it is, coming off more like Baby's First Scorsese. I also thought that Joaquin Phoenix was just fine, and not as great as many have reported him to be. He was a little too on the nose for my liking. But it did keep my attention throughout, which I could have definitely seen this movie struggle to do.

[Dr. Insomniac]

I've thought about my own best of the decade list, but I've also become increasingly indifferent towards the concept of ranking things. I enjoy a lot of things, some more than others, but I'm never really sure if I have it in me to compile things together in a list anymore.

Yeah, same. I've never been into ranking things. I once tried to do a top 10 Simpsons episode list recently, and couldn't figure out a specific 10, much less which of those 10 was better than the other.

[Foggle]

I don't really like ranking things anymore either, I just did it because Emmy wanted me to. That said, I do enjoy making lists of things that are important to me without a particular order.

[Avaitor]

Sometimes I think of getting back into it, like making a definitive list of my favorite TV shows ala my old favorite fictional characters list (which I've also thought of updating). But similarly to how I seldom make big posts or contribute to the blog anymore, I don't really have that passion in me aside from the odd moment or two.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I also don't really do ranking lists anymore as it just becomes kind of arbitrary and pointless to try and categorize stuff that I like into different tiers of quality, when in reality they all give me some kind of satisfaction or enjoyment in different ways. Exceptions would be when I'm ranking something specific, like my least favorite to favorite movies or games in a series or any subject where there is a narrower margin of stuff to choose from.

Like, I could make a list of my favorite movies of any given year, but at this point I'd find it hard to really rank them other than maybe singling out my personal favorite.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Saw The Irishman. I wasn't sure about the movie at first, but the last act won me over.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

It was nice seeing Joe Pesci again, and especially good to see Robert De Niro doing a role you could tell he actually gave a shit about.

[Foggle]

Didn't know Joe Pesci was in it! Gonna have to check it out just for that!

[Avaitor]

I got to see it in theaters yesterday, myself. I was surprised that we got it here, but then I remembered that this area has a pretty big geriatric market. Seriously, I was the only person under 50 at my screening, and I saw a lot of other older people go to Knives Out, The Good Liar, and Ford vs. Ferrari, as well.

It was pretty good. Not as near-flawless as Goodfellas, but at least better than The Departed. I thought it mostly didn't drag, which it could have easily done being a movie of its length. And yeah, it was nice seeing De Niro and Pacino give a shit for a change, and to see Pesci at all. I was happy to get to see one Scorsese gangster epic in theaters, but I'm especially glad that it was a good one.

[Avaitor]

The nominees for Best Picture are:

-1917
-Ford v Ferrari
-The Irishman
-Jojo Rabbit
-Joker
-Little Woman
-Marriage Story
-Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
-Parasite

Okay, got some work to do. I've only seen 4 of these thus far (I've talked about the other 3 before, but I did get to FvF last week, which I thought was just fine). It helps that I've actually been hoping to catch the other 5 nominees this time around, so catching all of them should be a little more pleasurable than usual. It may be tough to find Parasite and Jojo Rabbit, though, but I'm hoping to finally see Marriage Story tonight.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Still need to see Little Women, but I've actually seen every other movie on this list, which is rare this early in the year.

SUPER glad that Parasite made the nomination, though. It 1,000% deserves it.

As for biggest snub, I'd have to say The Lighthouse. Would easily take that over Joker, myself. I was also really impressed by Uncut Gems, but knew that it didn't have a realistic shot at making a best picture nomination. It's the complete antithesis of the kind of movie that the academy goes for. Adam Sandler legit deserves an acting nod, though, and I don't say that lightly.

Based on what made the list, excluding the one that I haven't seen yet, I'd rank them like this.

8. Joker- I said I liked it but had issues with it after first seeing it. The more I've sat on the movie, the more the latter element has grown, to the point where I'm not even sure I could call it all that decent a flick. To be fair, the plethora of ass-clowns who make this out to be some transcendent experience that is above the whole comic book genre (as if genre film is inherently a bad thing) doesn't help my opinion of the flick. That said, I do my best to separate my opinions from what other people say or how they act, and honestly this feels like a derivative version of better films to me. I don't hate it, but it really does nothing for me.

7. Ford V. Ferrari- Solid direction, great lead performances, but average script. I liked the movie well enough, but it is a tad overhyped, IMO.

6. Marriage Story- This movie is completely dependent on the strength of it's two leads, and both Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson more than live up to the task. This also has a bit of personal meaning to me as someone who's experienced similar things when my parents divorced, so the acting felt all the more real to me in that way. Definitely a strong contender, IMO.

5. The Irishman- It's not Martin Scorcese at his best, but even close to that for this director is still pretty quality stuff. I've already talked about this movie at length, but it really manages to keep me engaged in it's characters and the history of these people, which is no easy feat considering how long the movie is.

4. 1917- Saw this just the past weekend and was pretty into it. I'll get it out of the way that it does indulge in a little too much over-dramatiztion that is common of Hollywood type war movie productions, but the overall experience really elevated the movie for me and got me to look past those flaws. This could easily flip-flop spots with The Irishman, but for now I'll give it the slight edge since I feel a bit more inclined to re-watch it.

3. Jojo Rabbit- I love Taika Waititi, and he didn't disappoint, here. Easily one of my favorite films of the year, and I love how he can tackle literally any genre with his style of comedic sensibility, from vampires, to superheroes, to Nazi Germany. I can't wait to see what he does with the next Thor movie.

2. Once Upon a Time....in Hollywood- I may be in the minority here, but I've liked Tarantino's last few movies more than his earlier ones. It may just come down to personal taste, but OUATIH is easily my kind of film. I love the sets, acting, direction, music, and most importantly, the script. This movie easily has the best dialogue of any 2019 film that I have seen. If Tarantino won for this, I'd say that it was well-earned.

1. Parasite- This is no surprise to anyone. I've gushed about how good this movie is, and I can easily say that it's my favorite movie of the year. I know it has no real shot at winning since it's a foreign film, but I'm just happy that it even got this level of recognition. Please go see it, everyone.

Overall, this was a much better list of nominations than the past few years. Keeping in mind that there is still one more movie that I need to see, the fact that I actually like 7 of the 8 movies that I did is automatically better than any other Oscar year from this decade, and finding 6 out of the 7 that I enjoyed to actually be worthy entries is just a huge bonus.

[Avaitor]

It definitely feels like one of the better stack of nominations in recent years. Very few of these feel like Oscarbait. Even Ford v Ferrari, the one biopic, is more of a crowd pleaser than other stuffy BP noms like Darkest Hour, or even Bohemian Rhapsody.

There's still some voter-friendly choices, and choices that make too much sense. Little Women is a highly lauded adaptation of one of the most beloved books ever written, voters generally like wartime films like 1917, and the Academy loves Tarantino and Scorsese. I don't think you'd have seen Parasite or Jojo Rabbit here five or so years ago.

Or Joker... in its present self. If you took the Batman mythos out of it, maybe it'd still seem like a shoe in? But I'd argue that the Gotham connection is the only thing that makes the movie of note. Make it a regular character study, and no one would bat an eye.

[Avaitor]

Welp, I did it- finally caught up with all of the nominees. Here are my rankings:

9: Joker- I'm just not that enthused about this one at all. The moral of the story is pretty weak- all it amounts to is to treat people with mental health issues with more empathy, and also classism is a thing. Not that these are bad points, but they're basic and don't really go anywhere. It doesn't help that it makes Fleck look like more of a lucky bystander than a great schemer, which is a... different approach to the character, and I don't think that it ultimately knows where it's going. It's not much more than fine.
8: Ford v Ferrari- I like it better than some of the other biopics that have been nominated in recent years, but that's about it. The acting's generally solid, but not amazing, and Mangold is solid enough of a director to make it pop. It has the same problem that most racing movies have in that the climatic final race just isn't as interesting as intended, in part that it goes on for too damn long, and the director used better ideas early on. It's a perfect dad movie, but doesn't do much for me.
7: Jojo Rabbit- I enjoyed the movie for the most part, but I do agree with some of the criticism that it's sympathies become too close to the wrong parties at certain points, and it doesn't always nail its tone. Especially after a certain twist near the end, it all but loses me. At its best, it's a fun little movie.
6: Marriage Story- I feel like this one needed a rewrite or two. The actors consistently give it their all, and the direction is on point, but a lot of their monologues come off as constipated and oddly worded, which hurts it. If Baumbach fixed bits like Laura Dern's Virgin Mary rant or the final confrontation and cut some of the clunkiness out, this could have been a little higher.
5: 1917- I thought this one was mostly on point, especially aesthetically. I was into the camerawork, subtle editing, and music throughout, and thought that it was paced quite well. I just ultimately prefer character works as opposed to more experimental pieces like this, which is why it fits square in the middle for me.
4: Little Women- I was surprised to like this one as much as I did, having no familiarity with the original novel, and not being a big fan of Gerwig's previous film. And I'll admit that I was a bit confused by the time changing narrative- maybe a rewatch would help things out some more. But I really do like the characters. Each of the sisters (give or take poor Beth) are lovingly defined and acted, and the supporting cast are similarly well built. I mainly clicked with it due to its warmth, which helps to make it stand out among a traditionally glum lineup. I wish each BP slate had more movies added like this and Black Panther, or even The Artist. Even if they aren't the absolute best, they're a welcome change.
3: The Irishman- I consider this to be like a new album from your favorite long-running band- they may not have the energy that they used to, or have as many new things to say, or frankly, as much need to impress as they did 30 years or so. But their craft is as good as ever, and they know what appeals to their fans, and you never know if it'll be their last, so it's worth cherishing. It's a good addition to the Scorsese canon, but it's not on the level of Goodfellas or Casino. And frankly, it doesn't need to be.
2: Parasite- My only complaint is the ending, which I don't love, and would've preferred it they cut it about 10 minutes earlier and on a more vague note. But I otherwise loved everything else about it. It's such a funny movie, and does a great job defining its characters, from the main family's moral code to the subtle meanness of the Park's. What also works well is its shift in genre, which of course Bong Joon-ho knocks out of the park..
1: Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood- What can I say, I really like Tarantino's movies, and I think that he slayed it here. It has his best editing since Sally Menke passed, and some of his best character writing overall.

Overall, it's a pretty good balance. I don't love every movie here, but I don't think there are any turds on the level of Green Book or Bohemian Rhapsody. Even Joker is better made than either of those, imo.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I mean, I don't think I can agree with you at all about Parasite's ending not being fitting as it's kind of the whole point of the movie and the natural culmination of the arc that the main family goes through. The ending is still ambiguous in that it only presents that "scenario" as a future that a character imagines in his head (being vague to avoid spoilers here), and reading a general translation of the lyrics to to closing song adds an extra layer to the meaning of the ending.

Still respect your opinion, though.

[Avaitor]

I wasn't sure about it, but they did it- Parasite became the first (primarily) non-English speaking film to win Best Picture. And while I still don't love the ending (even if I do understand and respect it a little more now), I have to agree that it's the most deserving winner in a while. Bong Joon-ho has been on an incredible roll over the years, and if this helps to make not only his work, but other great Korean and other foreign films to be recognized wider here, I'm happy.

Otherwise, the awards were pretty well-expected. The only win that I think was greatly undeserved was Toy Story 4. I didn't care for Joker or Phoenix's performance much, but I give him credit for how far he took himself for it, and its score was admittedly deserving. Although I'd personally have preferred Adam Driver. Simliarly, I love Laura Dern and liked seeing her win tonight, but I was more impressed with what Florence Pugh did in Little Women, especially as her character is traditionally the one no one likes. I haven't seen Judy, and I probably won't, since Judy Garland makes me uncomfortable, so I'll give Renee Zellweger the benefit of the doubt here.

Everything else I mostly agree with, although I'd have given Parasite the Production Design award instead, and probably would've given Tarantino something.