More Catching Up With Oscar and Razzie Films

Alessandro Nivola and Adrien Brody
in The Brutalist.

In recent years, I've tried to see as many of the Oscar nominated films before the Big Night as possible. The pursuit makes me feel important, as if having partaken of all the nominees somehow transforms me into a qualified Academy voter. At the very least, I might do better at the Oscar pool. This year the race is unpredictable with several films including The Brutalist, Emilia Perez, Conclave and A Complete Unknown in the forefront for top awards. Last year, Oppenheimer had it all sewed up. Now various factors could play into the final outcome. Transgender actress Karla Sofia Gascon of Emilia Perez appeared to be a favorite, but some nasty politically incorrect tweets have emerged and she was forced to issue an apology. The Brutalist appears to be in the lead for Best Picture. It checks all the boxes--a staggering three-hours-plus running time, Holocaust subject matter, enigmatic, flawed protagonist, critique of the American Dream. Recently viewed at Kew Gardens Cinema, the massive epic of a Hungarian-Jewish architect reminded me of Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will be Blood and The Master. Both featured disagreeable protagonists scaling the heights of American economy and crushing those who stand in his way. I can't say I liked the film. The characters were so negative. I was never bored and I admired the direction, cinematography and screenplay. But I didn't enjoy myself as I do at the films of Woody Allen, Wes Anderson or Robert Altman. I've seen all but two of the Best Picture nominees (only missing I'm Still Here and Nickel Boys). Brutalist is still my prediction for the winner, but I have a feeling my preference would be Nickel Boys--it sounds fascinating with its POV angles and it won Best Picture from the notoriously picky National Society of Film Critics.

Inside Out 2: Sweet Without Being Cloying

In the less flashy Oscar categories, I've caught four of the five Animated Feature films (only missing Memoirs of a Snail.) The poetic Flow is the probable winner. The Wild Robot and Inside Out 2 were sweet without being cloying. Wallace and Gromit was too gimmicky, extending its jokes too long. In Documentary Features, I streamed Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat and Black Box Diaries, both unqiue depictions of societal cruelty. I tried to watch the Doc. Short Subject nominee Incident on YouTube, but it was very difficult. I only got through half of its 30 mins. of dashboard-surveillance footage of police shooting a man. Very uncomfortable to watch the overreaction of the police and then their attempts to cover it up. I will try to finish it.

Jerry Seinfeld (c.) in Unfrosted
Credit: Netflix

At the other end of the taste spectrum, I viewed Netflix's multiple Golden Razzie nominee (for the worst movies of the year), Unfrosted. Jerry Seinfeld's Netflix comedy throws everything at the wall to see what sticks. The ridiculous plot revolves around the creation of the pop-tart and which cereal giant, Kellogg's or Post, will get to the supermarket shelves first. Every comic actor that owed Seinfeld a favor and every early 1960s trope shows up in a chaotic screenplay co-authored by Seinfeld (he also directed). There's even a goofy satire of Jan. 6 with Hugh Grant leading an army of cereal mascots to stop the certification of the breakfast treat which may put them out of business. There were funny moments, but few and far between. Even so, it was silly fun to watch this gigantic goofball of a movie.

The cast of Unfrosted

Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis
certainly looks good.

The same could be said for Francis Ford Coppola's sci-fi passion project Megalopolis, nominated for Worst Picture and Shia LaBoeuf and one of Trump's "Ambassadors to Hollywood" (whatever that means) Jon Voight as Worst Supporting Actor. Voight is also nominated for his bad performances in Reagan, Shadowlands and Strangers. There's just too much going on in Coppola's fever dream of a futuristic fantasy with idealistic Adam Driver attempting to build a utopia against the wishes of slimy politicians Giancarlo Esposito and Voight. It's beautiful to look at and important to see because Coppola is the director-writer, but ultimately a confusing mess.

2024 Oscar contenders seen:
Between the Temples (Angelika Film Center)
Conclave (Angelika Film Center)
Gladiator 2 (Regal Kaufman Astoria)
Wicked (IMAX at Lincoln Square)
The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
Hard Truths (Walter Reade/Lincoln Center)
Maria (Netflix)
His Three Daughters (Netflix)
A Real Pain (Kew Gardens Cinema)

Emilia Perez (Netflix)

Queer (Angelika Film Center)

Flow (Angelika Film Center)

Anora (Amazon Prime)

A Complete Unknown (Regal Kaufman Astoria)

Babygirl (Kew Gardens Cinema)

The Substance (Amazon Prime)

The Last Showgirl (Angelika Film Center)

Dune: Part Two (Max)

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix)

The Room Next Door (Kew Gardens Cinema)

The Wild Robot (Amazon Prime)

Inside Out 2 (Disney Plus)

The Brutalist (Kew Gardens Cinema)

Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat (Amazon Prime)

Black Box Diaries (Paramount Plus)

Doc. Shorts

The Only Girl in the Orchestra (Netflix)

*Eternal Father (New Yorker/YouTube)

I Am Ready, Warden (Paramount Plus)

Instruments of a Beating Heart (NY Times)

Live-Action Shorts

I'm Not a Robot (New Yorker/YouTube)

*Short-listed but not nominated

Razzie Nominees Seen:

Unfrosted (Netflix)

Megalopolis (Amazon Prime)