Oscars 2021

The current crop of Oscars contenders is a bit depressing, but that's not a reason to avoid them.

Given the “heaviness” of this set, you might want to start with Bill Maher’s commentary The Debbies (“If your movie is woke, how come it put me to sleep?”) first, and then the highest-paid Oscar nominees list from Forbes.

As usual, I watched a few of the movies, and here's what I think about them.

• 7.5|60679 Nomadland LAs, C, BD, FE, BP, aSp: Rather slow and meditative, and much like The Father, not for everyone.
• 7.8|69109 Sound of Metal LA, SA, FE, BP, S, oSp
• 7.0|37319 Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom LA, LAs, CD, MH, PD
• 8.3|38105 The Father LA, SAs, FE, BP, PD, aSp: Great acting, I predict at least one of them will take the statuette, heavy subject.
• 6.9|55909 Mank LA, SAs, C, CD, BD, MH, Sc, BP, PD, S
• 7.6|34574 Minari LA, SAs, BD, Sc, BP, oSp: Touching story, well played
• 7.8|134846 The Trial of the Chicago 7 SA, C, FE, So, BP, oSp
• 7.6|39694 Judas and the Black Messiah SA, C, So, BP, oSp
• 7.2|24102 One Night in Miami… SA, So, aSp
• 6.3|7597 The United States vs Billie Holiday LAs: I had read the Wikipedia article on Billie Holiday long ago because I found her voice so unsettling and her biography is remarkably strange and sad. This is a good movie and a stellar performance from the lead actress, who sings herself.
• 7.1|36644 Pieces of a Woman LAs
• 7.5|79018 Promising Young Woman LAs, BP, oSp, BD, FE: This drama is another #MeToo echo, and I suspect viewers have equivalent positioning
• 6.7|119442 Borat Subsequent Moviefilm SAs, aSp
• 6.7|32884 Hillbilly Elegy SAs, MH
• 7.4|110838 Onward aF
• 6.4|16041 Over the Moon aF
• 6.8|11190 A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon aF
• 8.1|226308 Soul aF, Sc, S: Excellent, reminiscent of Inside Out
• 8.1|19760 Wolfwalkers aF
• 6.8|59164 News of the World C, Sc, PD, S
• 6.7|36347 Emma CD, MH
• 5.6|118893 Mulan CD, VE
• 6.2|8749 Pinocchio CD, MH
• 7.8|63024 Another Round BD, IF
• 8.2|7498 Collective Df, IF: This is a great documentary – it’s unusual for a documentary to have a dual nomination, so I’m hoping it wins
• 7.7|5437 Crip Camp Df
• 7.7|5405 The Mole Agent Df
• 8.2|27465 My Octopus Teacher Df
• 6.9|4378 Time Df
• 7.1|863 Colette Ds
• 6.9|989 A Concerto is a Conversation Ds
• 7.5|1092 Do Not Split Ds
• 7.1|447 Hunger Ward Ds
• 6.8|1685 A Love Song for Latasha Ds
• 7.5|5556 Better Days IF
• 7.0|1595 The Man Who Sold His Skin IF
• 7.8|13819 Quo Vadis, Aida? IF
• 6.5|44306 Da 5 Bloods Sc
• 6.5|77644 Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga So: The whole Iceland roots for it
• 6.8|11378 The Life Ahead So
• 7.4|334358 Tenet PD, VE: A distant, uninvolved treatment of time-travel paradox that failed to impress me.
• 7.4|4398 Burrow aS
• 6.1|871 Genius Loci aS
• 7.8|9733 If Anhything Happens I Love You aS
• 7.3|588 Opera aS
• 5.6|888 Yes-People aS
• 7.5|1243 Feeling Through LS
• 6.8|1558 The Letter Room LS
• 7.5|1715 The Present LS
• 6.9|6159 Two Distant Strangers LS
• 7.3|776 White Eye LS
• 7.0|74633 Greyhound S
• 7.0|65086 Love and Monsters VE
• 5.6|72273 The Midnight Sky VE
• 6.6|9956 The One and Only Ivan VE
• 7.1|44794 The White Tiger aSp: I enjoyed this movie and learned a lot about the Indian society.

I like to order movies as above because it helps deciding which to watch, since one doesn’t have the time and other resources to see them all.

Finally, there are quite a few movies worth watching above, but if you’re underwhelmed and still crave sheer entertainment, I’d recommend Nobody. Snyder’s Cut is boring and too dumb.

Sources / More info: osc-awrd,

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