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Sunday, January 12, 2020

AWARDS SEASON 2020
Here's Who The Academy Should Nominate Tomorrow
 
by Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com        Follow popcornreel on Twitter FOLLOW               
Sunday, January 12, 2020

If yours truly were a member of the Academy here is what the Oscar nominees would look like early tomorrow morning.  (The Oscar nominations announcement begins at 5:18am Pacific US time on January 13.)


BEST PICTURE

1917
THE IRISHMAN
KNIVES OUT
LITTLE WOMEN
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
PAIN AND GLORY
PARASITE
PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
QUEEN & SLIM
US


BEST ACTRESS

Lupita Nyong'o, US
Thoroughly ingenious work. Subtlety, mystery and genuine horror in how Ms. Nyong'o portrays a sympathetic alter ego in Jordan Peele's sophomore effort.

Charlize Theron, BOMBSHELL
No inhabitation here, just a natural performance that is so good it feels effortless.  Ms. Theron is absolutely brilliant as Megyn Kelly.

Jodie Turner-Smith, QUEEN & SLIM
One word: Confidence.

Alfre Woodard, CLEMENCY
The best performance of Ms. Woodard's film career and the year.

Renee Zellweger, JUDY
Outstanding performance, and like Ms. Theron, not an inhabitation at all. Judy Garland, however, came alive.


BEST ACTOR

Antonio Banderas, PAIN AND GLORY
Naturalistic, heartfelt, earthy and earnest as a film director (think: Almodovar) in Mr. Almodovar's beautiful film.  Best male film performance of 2019.

Leonardo DiCaprio, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
The energy and tempo of Mr. DiCaprio's work is fantastic.  Both parts introvert and extravagant.  And always entertaining, in Quentin Tarantino's film.

George McKay, 1917
Fearlessness and confidence.  Mr. McKay reacts and creates an environment of fear, panic and persistence and does all of these with wonderful balance and precision.

Joaquin Phoenix, JOKER
The cutting menace, the vulnerability and the outrageous go-for-the-jugular of Mr. Phoenix's intense work here remains long after "Joker", a poor film, has finished.

Adam Sandler, UNCUT GEMS
Non-stop tightrope, high-wire work from Mr. Sandler, who never takes a breath in the latest Safdie Brothers' enterprise as a man living on the edge of his own words.



Zhao Shuzhen as the matriarch in Lulu Wang's film "The Farewell". A24


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Julia Fox, UNCUT GEMS
Enterprising, fresh, intelligent and wise.  Ms. Fox resonates, especially in the second half of "Uncut Gems".  Facilitates her character in such a way that she grows on you and the narrative in an effective manner.  Good, solid acting.

Jennifer Lopez, HUSTLERS
Complete command from start to finish from Ms. Lopez, who screen language, cadence and percolation as a highly influential type-A character works so well for "Hustlers", a poor film overall.

Thomasin McKenzie, JOJO RABBIT
Ms. McKenzie's greatest imprint on the film is her subtlety and expressions for the character she plays.  Minimalism and discipline.

Margot Robbie, BOMBSHELL
The tonal shifts for Ms. Robbie in "Bombshell" are engineeered so well, and imperceptibly so, as her character transforms.  A controlled, polished acting work.

Zhao Shuzhen, THE FAREWELL
Memorable as the grandmatriarch who is the focus of Lulu Wang's terrific film.  A great performance by an actor who plays her role subtly, with poignancy and innocence at the same time.  Indelible.


Lupita Nyong'o, who plays two roles in Jordan Peele's "Us", plays Red here. Universal


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Willem Dafoe, THE LIGHTHOUSE
Gritty, grimy, granular and physical.  Mr. Dafoe, rarely ever bad even in a bad movie like "The Lighthouse", does enough heavy lifting here for two actors.  Scenery chewing but also powerful, unnerving work.

Jamie Foxx, JUST MERCY
Stillness, resolve and subtlety define Mr. Foxx's brilliant, penetrating performance as a man facing execution.

Song Kang Ho, PARASITE
Unforgettable work here by Mr. Song, whose character emerges from the veneer, slowly but surely.  Thrilling acting.

Joe Pesci, THE IRISHMAN
Mr. Pesci is so good here.  He puts on an acting clinic, even though the character he plays is not entirely maiden territory for him. 

Brad Pitt, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
The best work of Mr. Pitt's film career.  Displays physicality, wit, high energy and multifaceted, layered work as a fading stuntman in Quentin Tarantino's film.


BEST DIRECTOR

Bong Joon Ho, PARASITE
A spectacular vision.  Simple as that.

Melina Matsoukas, QUEEN & SLIM
Ms. Matsoukas is precise, strong and directs so brilliantly a film that is a small tale that is intimate but looms oh so large in the Black psyche, in the American psyche.  Unmistakable authorship and direction that cannot be overlooked.  The best directing job of 2019.

Sam Mendes, 1917
Mr. Mendes nails the tunnelling into the soul of war, and in turn, the soul of humankind.  Seriously.  This direction conveys urgency, mission, mystery and danger.  You don't know what's coming, even when you think you do.

Martin Scorsese, THE IRISHMAN
An old-time 1950s picture.  That's how Mr. Scorsese's film feels--and this is no slight.  It is a reassurance of command over a story that feels fully enveloped, with the confidence of experience.

Quentin Tarantino, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
Saturated with the sounds of the 1960s Mr. Tarantino blankets the screen with the sights, the costumes, the music and ably directs this film as if it is three movies (documentary, comedy/horror, revision play) in one.



Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya in "Queen & Slim", directed by Melina Matsoukas. Universal
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