Something Different

Notes on Oscar Best Picture Nominees

I’m writing this as I wind down from AWP. I’m in that liminal space between the conference and being back home. I enjoy these moments of early reflection on the experience of the nation’s largest literary conference. Already, I think this may be my favorite AWP. I had such a nice time seeing old friends and participating in panels. Can we get an AWP in New Orleans soon? Seems like a no-brainer to have the conference in the world’s greatest good-time city. Just saying.

This post will be completely off brand for this newsletter. I’m going to briefly talk about the Oscar best picture nominees. For those of you who are not into films or awards shows, no worries. You’re not obligated to read this completely free post. Why am I doing this? Duh, because I like writing. I don’t write every day. But I do write when I think I’ll have a good time. So bear with me. This will be quick and dirty and probably rife with misspelled words and sentence fragments, but it’s free content, so enjoy. I have plane to catch.

Personally, I love films. There are few things as satisfying to me as a well-made, well-acted story told over a couple of hours. Most years, I like most of the 10 nominated films. This year, to my surprise, I enjoyed them all. And while there were omissions from Black filmmakers--Nope, The Woman King, and Till could have all been recognized for their excellence—that urked me, it was a good year.

Let me see if I can name the 10 from memory…Avatar, Elvis, The Banshees of Inisherin, Top Gun, The Fablemans, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Triangle of Sadness, Women Talking, Tár, and, um, drat. Let me look it up…Oh, right. All Quiet on the Western Front. Well, that’s telling, I suppose.

All Quiet on the Western Front: technically, I liked this movie but I didn’t love it. While I admired the production design, strong character work, and anti-war message, I felt the overall visual style felt like a well-made TV show. For a better version of this film, one could watch 1917 (the film) or the 1930’s version of All Quiet, which somehow is grittier and more profound to me.

Triangle of Sadness: as a someone frequently accused of writing satire (see my novel We Cast a Shadow), I often enjoy work that makes fun of power structures and interpersonal power dynamics. I’m the only person I know who loved last year’s nominee, Don’t Look Up. I liked Triangle but didn’t love it. I need my satire with a bit more heart like in the DLU scene where Leo sits at the dinner table with his family contemplating the end of the world. Triangle had some fun, wild scenes, but overall felt one note and occasionally slow.

Ok. Now we can move into the films I liked a lot or loved.

Avatar-The Way of Water: I didn’t want to see this film. I anticipated wooden dialogue and flat characters. I was right. Yet, the epic scope and immersive experience made up for the deficiencies. I saw it in 3d and this was bar none the best looking film I’ve ever seen. I won’t bore you with all of the innovations James Cameron made for this film. I’ll just say that most of what appears to be real in the movie is not. This movie makes the MCU visuals seem like cave drawings in comparison. I think these techniques are the future.

Elvis: This was another surprising strong like. It’s not like I’m a big Elvis fan and director Baz Luhrmann can be a bit too too at times. Still, I thought Austin Butler, who plays the lead, basically resurrected the singer for those of us who didn’t witness him the first time. Although the movie is long, it’s well paced. The adventurous cinematography and zippy first hour are a delight.

The Banshees of Inisherin: I didn’t know what to expect here. The poster makes it look like a story about that reminisces about pastoral life in the quiet hills of Ireland. Instead, we get a riotous, disturbing meditation on the nature of art and friendship that’s also an allegory for The Troubles while using ancient Irish folklore. Colin Farrell and Brenden Gleason are amazing. Really, the whole cast is.

The Fablemans: Spielberg is probably our greatest living director. He more or less created the blockbuster and so much of the modern visual style of movies. Yet, his last few films were a bit watered down. I’m talking about Ready Player One, BFG, and Westside Story (I liked this one enough). But The Fablemans is vital viewing because it’s basically autofiction about the filmmakers life and craft. I really enjoyed it from start to finish.

Women Talking: is the most quietly radical film in this batch. Usually, slower, meditative films by directors who are not French or Japanese don’t do much for me. But, here, Sarah Polley captivates with a sensational story that never exploits the characters. This film is about the power of listening to each other and I could have done that for hours more.

Top Gun-Maverick: how was this retread of an 80s film so good? While people of my generation recall the original, but most of us couldn’t tell you that plot to save our lives. Here, I turned off my college brain and let my inner teenager take over. What Top Gun is and has always been is nationalist propaganda. But what I felt was the thrust of jet afterburners and my heart quaking in that scene when Tom Cruise goes to visit Val Kilmer. This was my favorite in-theater experience.

Tár: as a former orchestra kid who lives in a world trying to parse the meaning and effects of cancel culture I was all-in. From the early scene, where Cate Blanchett’s Lydia Tár is berating a young college student for placing ethics over art to “I’m her father” to shocking final act, I was disturbed and delighted by this film that offers so many interesting questions and very few answers.

Everything Everywhere All at Once: of all the films on this list, this was the first I saw. Rarely have I been so surprised. Rarely have I felt so seen. (Michele Yeoh’s character is basically a writer, right? She is skilled at so many things, but unable to act on her understanding. That’s us, right?). The epic weirdness of this movie…bagels, butt plugs, robot grandpa, and Racacoonie!! The family struggle and love at the center. Philosophical, googly eyed-rocks. This movie is not for everyone, but it’s for me. And Ke Huy Quan has both the most heartbreaking and beautiful story of the year. If you haven’t seen his Golden Globe acceptance speech, do yourself a favor and bring tissue. I hope this film wins every category it’s up for, including best picture.

So that’s it. My best picture thoughts. I didn’t think I’d do it in order from my least favorite to most, but isn’t the subconscious incredible. I hope you’re well. I’ve enjoyed the magic, but it’s time for me to go home.