Best Picture - Drama
Winner - BlacKkKlansman
Runners Up - First Man, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, and Roma
Commentary - First Man is underrated to say the least, Can You Ever Forgive Me? was a pleasant surprise, and Roma was expertly crafted. Yet only film this year left me literally breathless after watching it. As the end credits rolled on BlacKkKlansman, I literally sat in stunned silence. Spike Lee has always made evocative films, but BlacKkKlansman is his most potent, and most effective since Do the Right Thing. Spike has always been better when society is in turmoil. His anger, and his explosiveness as a filmmaker can truly resonate when the world around us is collapsing. Think about it, during the tensions of the late 80's and early 90's that eventually led to the LA Riots, it was Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X. During the mid-2000's, with war and economic hardship, 25th Hour and Inside Man got a lot of attention. Now, in the current era, BlacKkKlansman has emerged as a voice for those who see society retreating to its dark pasts. It also helps that BlacKkKlansman is one of his best films to date. Its cast, led by John David Washington and Adam Driver, is on point, the script is sharp, helped by a great book by the real Ron Stallworth, and the message is particularly focused. But the moment that Lee really hits it home is the film's ending. As if there were not enough references to modern struggles, his ending, with live footage of Charlottesville, and his tribute to Heather Heyer, show us all how, despite all of the progress, it can take one movement, one man in some cases, to override that progress. The demons of our past are still lurking, hiding in the wings, hoping to find their moment to revive. After a triumphant last scene where Stallworth gets to tell off David Duke, you are cheering at the screen. The good guys won! Then Lee reminds us that while that particular battle was successful, we still have a long way to go to win the war.
Best Picture - Comedy/Musical
Winner - (TIE) The Favorite and Mary Poppins Returns
Runners Up - Eighth Grade, Paddington 2, Support the Girls, and Vice
Commentary - The Favourite, with 10 Oscar nominations, is clearly a beloved film, and it is easy to see why. It is brilliantly funny, in a dark way, it has an all-star cast, led by three incredible performances from Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, and it marks what could be the new trajectory for director Yorgos Lanthimos. The Lobster was weird, but I got it, and I was not a fan of Killing of the Sacred Deer. With The Favourite, he balances out some of his stranger tendencies, but doesn't lose his edge, and in the process creates something for a much wider audience that works on every level. But, I also wanted to reward a film that still fills me with joy, weeks after seeing in the theater. Mary Poppins Returns has taken its hits with critics, and with the film internet community, whose cynicism is backfiring big time this Oscar season. But what these folks keep missing, is that average moviegoers love it. My mom and my aunt cried, laughed, and left the theater with smiles on their faces. They remember seeing the original Mary Poppins as kids in theater. They grew up loving these characters, and introduced them to their children. They laughed and they cried because the remake so perfectly paid homage to the original, while forging new ground. It had great music, tugged at your heart strings, and made you laugh and smile. One of the big reasons for its success was the magnificent Emily Blunt (see below), who lit up the screen. In the darkest of times, moviegoers often look to film to find release, and Mary Poppins Returns is just one of those films whose exuberant joy was contagious, and much needed.
Best Picture - Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
Winner - Black Panther
Runners Up - Annihilation, Hereditary, and A Quiet Place
Commentary - Black Panther will not win Best Picture at the Oscars, but its nomination should be celebrated. Of course, the same film internet snobs who hate anything popular have gone on the immediate attack that anything like Black Panther should ever be nominated for seven Academy Awards. What they have missed is that it doesn't matter what they think, no one can stop Black Panther. It is a wildly popular beloved film that is beautifully constructed. Coogler brought in some of the best below-the-line folks working today from Rachel Morrison, to Peter Devlin, Brandon Proctor, and Steve Boeddeker, to the legendary Ruth Carter. He got the musical minds of Ludwig Goransson and Kendrick Lamar to create new music that has become a cultural phenomenon on its own. Coogler also assembled a top-to-bottom fantastic cast, who just deservedly won the SAG Ensemble award. But what takes Black Panther to new heights is its message. It is not your average superhero film. How many can say that even though your rooting against him that the bad guy was right. Its look into cultural relations, the damage of poverty and racism, and the lack of opportunity for so many gives its story such depth and meaning, and lets the fantasy seep into reality. That is the sign of a not just great film but a game-changing one, and I'm so happy to see Academy voters finally recognize the best of a genre that has a lot more to offer than meets the eye. Wakanda Forever!
Best Picture – Animated
Winner - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Runners Up - Incredibles 2 and Isle of Dogs
Commentary - I was all ready to reward Incredibles 2, which I thought was a highly successful and emotionally resonant sequel. Then came Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It is beautifully animated, funny, warm, and just a ball of energy and fun. Lord and Miller bring an energy and freshness to the superhero genre, and it quickly became my favorite animated film of the year.
Best Picture – Documentary
Winner - Minding the Gap
Runners Up - Free Solo and Three Identical Strangers
Commentary - A deeply personal film, Bing Liu compiled years of footage he had shot of he and his two best friends growing up, skateboarding, and hanging out. Then Liu takes these stories to showcase some of the modern ills that many young millennials face, and how the past can haunt the present. In a banner year for documentary film, Minding the Gap standouts for being personal, unique, and emotionally evocative.
Best Director
Winner - Spike Lee “BlacKkKlansman”
Runners Up - Damien Chazelle “First Man”, Ryan Coogler “Black Panther”, and Alfonso Cuaron “Roma”
Commentary - In his over thirty years in the film industry, Spike Lee has never won an Academy Award. In fact, until this year, he had never been nominated for Best Director, and none of his films had ever been nominated for Best Picture. Of course, when you look at the history of say the 80's and 90's, and the kind of films that were winning Best Picture, historical weepy epics, it is not that surprising that they didn't go for Spike Lee. After so many decades, the Academy has finally caught up with Spike, and has finally embraced one of the most unique, ball-busting, intense, and socially conscious filmmakers in the history of American cinema. BlacKkKlansman is one of his best films to date, with a lot of credit going to Lee's taut and exciting direction, and his insistence on leaving his audience speechless and haunted. It is about time he got some recognition.
Best Actor – Drama
Winner - Ryan Gosling "First Man"
Runners Up - John David Washington “BlacKkKlansman”, Joaquin Phoenix “You Were Never Really Here”, Ethan Hawke "First Reformed"
Commentary - Ryan Gosling got no credit this year for First Man, and I really cannot understand why. Gosling learned so much about Neil Armstrong from his readings and meeting those who knew him. He learned that he was a no-nonsense, technically driven man, whose personal losses caused him to shut down emotionally. It is a lot harder than it looks to maintain that kind of control of a character, and Gosling nailed it. The children of Neil Armstrong praised Gosling and the film saying it was a perfect representation of who their father was. But Gosling's performance was not just accurate, it was a quietly stunning triumph.
Best Actress – Drama
Winner - Melissa McCarthy "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Runners Up - Toni Collette "Hereditary" and Julia Roberts "Ben is Back"
Commentary - I have loved Melissa McCarthy since she was Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls. In that role and so many others, she displayed not only her knack for comedy, but her emotional range as an actress. So I was not shocked, like others, when she nailed her role as Lee Israel in Can You Ever Forgive Me? I knew that she was capable of pulling off both the humor, and the trauma of Israel's sad, yet sometimes thrilling life. She made a sad, unlikable, grouchy criminal believable and endearing. Look no further than than that last monologue in the courtroom. You really should not feel sorry for her, she is basically saying she doesn't regret doing what she did because it was so brilliantly written. Yet McCarthy makes you feel for her, she makes to understand that her writing is all she has. It is a brilliant performance from one of our finest.
Best Actor – Comedy/Musical
Winner - Christian Bale “Vice”
Runners Up - Paul Giamatti “Private Life” and Lakeith Stanfield “Sorry to Bother You,
Commentary - Christian Bale has always been one of our most transformative performers, and not just because he gains and loses so much weight for every role (seriously I'm worried about the guys health). It's also because of his endearing commitment to every character. In Vice, his transformation into Dick Cheney was remarkable. He nailed the voice, the look, the mannerisms, and the balance of successful and evil. He once again proved he is one of the best.
Best Actress – Comedy/Musical
Winner - (TIE) Emily Blunt “Mary Poppins Returns” and Olivia Colman "The Favourite"
Runners Up - Regina Hall "Support the Girls" and Elsie Fisher "Eighth Grade"
Commentary - Olivia Colman was brilliant and hilarious and easily stole the entire show. Emily Blunt was whimsical, has a great voice, and brings energy, charm, and her incredible talent to a role that has already been done by a legend. In doing so, she created her own version of Mary Poppins that lights up the screen. Both are worthy winners.
Best Supporting Actor
Winner - Michael B. Jordan "Black Panther"
Runners Up - Richard E. Grant "Can You Ever Forgive Me?", Brian Tyree Henry "If Beale Street Could Talk" and "Widows", Hugh Grant “Paddington 2”
Commentary - Michael B. Jordan has been on the rise for years, and with every new role shows why he is one of the finest young actors working today. He brought a ferocity to the character of Killmonger, and while you never rooted for him to succeed, he made you understand why he was so angry, and why he wanted so bad to finally be on top. That balance of evil and understanding is tough to pull off, and Jordan did it with gusto.
Best Supporting Actress
Winner - (TIE) Regina King "If Beale Street Could Talk" and Michelle Yeoh “Crazy Rich Asians”
Runners Up - Amy Adams “Vice”
Commentary - There is a very good reason why Regina King became such a favorite this awards season, and why she could pull off an Oscar win. She was magnificent in If Beale Street Could Talk, a wonderful mix of tough, vulnerable, and caring. But I also wanted to take a chance to reward the legendary Michelle Yeoh. She not only deserves a win for her wonderful career, but in Crazy Rich Asians, she was just awesome. Her character may have not been everyone's favorite, and her icy one liner "you will never be good enough" still gives me chills. But she also showed a courage and a depth, and you understood why she was the way she was. That is because Yeoh knocked it out of the park
Best Voiceover or Motion Capture Performance
Winner - Ben Whishaw "Paddington 2"
Runners Up - Phoebe Waller-Bridge "Solo: A Star Wars Story", Sarah Silverman "Ralph Breaks the Internet", and Brad Bird "Incredibles 2"
Commentary - Paddington and its delightful sequel are joyous films that have reached audiences of all ages with their charm, humor, and pitch-perfect storytelling. At the heart of both of these wonderful films is the incredibly talented Ben Whishaw, who also had great roles this year in A Very English Scandal and Mary Poppins Returns. The softness, humor, and grace he brings with just his voice to that beloved bear Paddington is endearing, and underappreciated. Without him, those films would not have their heart and soul, and its about time someone recognizes that.
Best Ensemble
Winner - Black Panther
Runners Up - The Favourite, Mary Poppins Returns, Widows, and Crazy Rich Asians
Commentary - Probably my favorite win of the awards season so far is Black Panther winning Best Ensemble at the SAG Awards. I know that it won't translate to Best Picture, but I think it is a bold and deserving move from the actors. Black Panther was an elevated genre masterpiece for a lot of reasons, and one of its most important was its incredible cast. From Boseman and Nyong'o to Bassett and Whitaker, to Gurira and Wright, to Jordan and Serkis, these bold and memorable characters were beautifully played by an ensemble of some of the best actors working today.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner - Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Spike Lee “BlacKkKlansman”
Runners Up - Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”, Armando Iannucci, David Schneider, Ian Martin, and Peter Fellows “The Death of Stalin”
Commentary - BlacKkKlansman's success is not just because it had a great cast, and Spike Lee's energetic direction. It was also widely successful because this team of writers were able to take Ron Stallworth's incredible true story and not only translate it to the screen, but give it the relevance and power that made it such a cinematic triumph.
Best Original Screenplay
Winner - Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara “The Favourite”
Runners Up - Bo Burnham "Eighth Grade", Andrew Bujalski "Support the Girls", and Adam McKay “Vice”
Commentary - Burnham perfectly captures the anxiety of being in middle school, Bujalski finds depth in the unlikeliest of places, and McKay paints an epic portrait of evil and success. But the witty look at Queen Anne and her favorites was not only historically accurate, but incredible funny, wildly inventive and dark, and definitely the most original and unique story of the year.
Best Cinematography
Winner - Alfonso Cuaron "Roma"
Runners Up - Linus Sandgren "First Man" and Lukasz Zal "Cold War"
Commentary - Roma is a brilliantly constructed film from its sound to its production design, to its brilliant cinematography. Choosing to be his own DP, Cuaron shows what a master he is behind the camera. Some of the shots in Roma were absolutely stunning, and its black and white coloring truly paints a beautiful portrait on screen.
Best Visual Effects
Winner - First Man
Runners Up - Avengers: Infinity War, Mary Poppins Returns, Ready Player One
Commentary - First Man, the underrated film of 2018, had a lot of practical production design, combined with its brilliant cinematography, that its visual effects might not seem as spectacular or obvious as say Avengers, Mary Poppins, or Ready Player One, all fine work. What I love about the visual effects in First Man is that you don't really know they are there, but their impact is immeasurable. The brilliant space walking scene showcased not only Chazelle's talent as a director, but the talent of these visual effects artists to make us feel the realism as if we were there. The Academy always loves to reward the most, which I understand, but sometimes its the subtlest of contenders that show the true master of the craft.
Worst Film of the Year
Loser - Life Itself
Runners Up - The Happytime Murders, Gotti, Robin Hood
Commentary - Sometimes movies are just bad. They look terrible, and they turn out to meet expectations. Films like The Happytime Murders, Gotti, and Robin Hood fit that bill. You can just tell they are going to suck. But the ones that really disappoint are those that have everything going for them. Life Itself is from Dan Fogelman, whose This is Us is a rare television phenomenon. The cast includes the likes of Oscar Isaac, Annette Bening, Mandy Patinkin, and Jean Smart, all award-winning talents. Yet despite everything going for it, Life Itself is one of the most disappointing messes I have seen in a long time. Its contrived, unnecessarily filled with ridiculous plot twists, and just plain bad. The worst part is that it should have been good.
Top 20 Films of 2019
1. BlacKkKlansman
2. The Favourite
3. Roma
4. Black Panther
5. First Man
6. Mary Poppins Returns
7. Can You Ever Forgive Me?
8. If Beale Street Could Talk
9. Eighth Grade
10. Support the Girls
11. Vice
12. Crazy Rich Asians
13. Widows
14. The Rider
15. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
16. You Were Never Really Here
17. Paddington 2
18. Leave No Trace
19. Cold War
20. Private Life
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