I watched all the best picture noms so you don't have to
(again)
Floor Time
/flôr tīm/
noun
the 15-60 minute time period spent laying on the floor in the middle of the work day, typically as a relief from the soul-sucking reality of corporate America.
Ya’ll it’s a good year for movies. Gone are the award seasons of pretending that Green Book was ok to release in this century1. The Best Picture slate this year is diverse (plot/style-wise) and there wasn’t a single film in the bunch that I thought was actively bad. Basically they were all good, and a few were GREAT. You have about 60 hours to go before this the 96th Academy Awards, so if you are just starting your viewings for the year, here’s the order I suggest to prioritize what you watch.
OPPENHEIMER
I think we already know that this is gonna win most of the major awards, including Best Picture. And I’m ok with that. Though every movie these days could be probably 45-60 mins shorter, I really loved the cinematography and pacing of this film. And Cillian! May our Irish kings reign!! I perhaps could’ve lived without the existential crisis I experienced while in the theatre, though I do think that was the point and Christopher Nolan nailed that.
PAST LIVES
I put off watching this for the longest time because I knew it would be super emotional and it was—but not in the way I expected. This is the kind of beautiful film you watch and find that it resonates so much with the human experience it’s almost scary. As soon as I realized what it would be about I said, “oh no,” because I think many of us have experienced an other wordly connection like this but timing or other physical obstacles come into play. So we can’t help but think of in-yun. Greta Lee deserves all her flowers for this. The ending scene broke me in the best way.
THE HOLDOVERS
For me, this film is what I want the Best Picture slate to represent. It has heart, humor, emotion, and the acting was marvelous. I haven’t seen a Paul Giamatti film since Big Fat Liar, and while that’s a work of art, in this film I think he deserves all the recognition. Da’Vine Joy Randolph absolutely shines—give her every award including Best Supporting Actress this Sunday. Dominic Sessa plays the perfect angsty teen, and he quite literally was plucked from his life at a real Massachusetts boarding school to star in a film set in a boarding school. Pretty awesome tale.
AMERICAN FICTION
LOVED American Fiction. The score for this film was so lovely, the comedic moments warranted LOLs, and I’m so thrilled Jeffrey Wright is in this Oscars race for the first time. This is an adapted screenplay from the 2001 novel Erasure by Percival Everett, and I couldn’t help but compare it to Yellowface by R.F. Kuang—a trendy story in the book world right now that I think was mid and failed to convey the message as humorously and elegantly as American Fiction does. A great watch. Fun but poignant.
POOR THINGS
This is Emma Stone at her best. She gave a stunning performance alongside Mark Ruffalo who played a character who (for once) was a little annoying, rather than beloved. What a fun change to see him there. The set and costume design for this film are gorgeous, and I’d bet they take home the award for costume. I know many find Yorgos’ filmography to be a bit out there but there’s truly nothing else like this out there—his visuals and the magical realism he utilizes in all his films (big exception: the last 30 minutes of The Lobster—that sucked) simultaneously transport and focus you. It’s a trippy and unusual film that you should definitely watch not with your parents.
BARBIE
I mean, it’s Barbie! It’s 1/2 movies of the summer! Greta! Margot! It’s not gonna win this award obviously, but it deserves its recognition for bringing people to the theatre amidst the strike and being a cultural phenomenon in general. Shit on it all you want, I loved it, I saw it twice in the theatre—she’s fun, she’s flirty, and she’s for everyone. Any man who tells you differently definitely lives in a mojo dojo casa house.
Side bar: the way I’m so seated for the ridiculous performance that will be Ryan Gosling performing “I’m Just Ken.”
ANATOMY OF A FALL
The big question for me here is how much did 50 Cent / Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band make in royalties for this? This film was original and interesting but perhaps, a wee overhyped. I enjoyed the watch of it, but would I ever watch it again? Nah. It definitely could’ve been 45 minutes shorter than it was, but thank god for subtitles because that made me stay engaged. It ended I think the only way it could’ve, and I found myself curious about international legal systems.
ZONE OF INTEREST
Oof. Usually each year I dread watching the wartime Best Picture nominee (there’s literally always at least one), but reading the synopsis and getting a bump from my friend Sarah piqued my [Zone Of] interest2. Like any Holocaust film, this movie is chilling and unsettling, but it’s unlike any other Holocaust film I’ve ever seen. The story takes place in this idyllic house with a lush and thriving garden—on the other side of the wall from Auschwitz. A commander, his wife, and their gaggle of children live a “normal” life, but the casual comments and references to historical moments we know zap you out of the sunny garden setting to remind you of the horrors of what’s happening beyond the wall. The score for this is unlike any other film score and gave me a feeling in my stomach not unlike hearing nails on a chalkboard. This is a powerful film that warrants a watch.
MAESTRO
I’m in the subgroup of people who vehemently despises Bradley Cooper. That said, I will see anything Carrie Mulligan is in now until the end of time. And I am surprised to say that I didn’t hate Bradley in this role. He nailed Leonard Bernstein’s voice. But the show stopper, as it always is, was Carrie. Her accent, her performance, everything—she’s perfect. The film itself is fine—it’s a long biopic and becomes boring at a handful of moments—but overall not too mad at it. Me and Andrew both cried so they definitely nailed the emotion of the film.
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Marty. Hun. I love you but your films are TOO DAMN LONG. While covering important historical subject matter, and a devastating yet gripping story, a runtime of 3 hrs 30 mins is actually criminal and I’ll be sending a bill3. That said, this film was beautifully shot and the cutaways of acts of hate and murder were so jarring that it might have been enough to keep me engaged even at, say, a 2 hrs 50 mins run time (Marty. Again. Begging you. Shorter, pls.) The main reason I wanted to watch this though was because of Lily Gladstone, who is in one of the most highly contested races of the season for best actress, and her win could mean she makes history as the first Native American actor to win an Oscar in an acting category. She was phenomenal. Her subtle, understated, yet scene-stealing scenes command your attention as a viewer and make her the frontrunner for me (as much as I love Emma Stone—I feel this is Lily’s year).
Something I Thought of in the Shower
Given that we visually see the mechanics of catching a sandworm, how the HELL did they get that wicker egg thing with Lady Jessica onto the worm? Or really any of their supplies?? We’re just gonna not talk about that??
Something Pretty
Happy eternal sunshine release day to all who celebrate. Our favorite [dangerous] woman is back!!
Something To Laugh About
My entire fyp is just Dune content Here are this week’s gems:
For the dog owners: This is some live footage of me at my friends, Ruby and Raph’s house (owners of an Iditarod snow dog in the making!!) At my house, we have little Marcel The Shell-sized clumps :)
For the travelers / type-A organized freaks like myself: ICYMI my Mexico City recap from last week, it looked like this. It’s the only way to be.
For the music lovers: This reminder has my Spotify Wrapped 2024 lookin’ like 2012.
For the bookworms: This has never happened to me before, but I’m happy for this man.
For the people who exist / the girlies: Welp, it happened. This is the final piece of proof I needed to validate that we’re all living in a simulation and none of us have ever had an original experience in our lives.
For me: Scrolling to this video as I was literally housing my Côtes du Rhône was chilling.
Something for Clarice
Hey! This newsletter is free and I intend to keep it that way. That said, if you love it and want to show your appreciation, buy me a coffee :)
By the way…I’m reading this.
I’m about to go on a long trip so I have STUFFED my Kindle. But I always pack one physical book too just to feel something. That spot is taken by Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh.
Happy Oscar viewing and watch parties, friends! Sadly I will not be hosting this year because as I mentioned, I’ll be traveling. However, I would like to share a few off the cuff puns I came up with that I am now generously sharing with you:
FOOD
Pasta Lives / Past Chives / Past Endives
The Calzone of Interest (Ben Wyatt is shaking)
Barbie-cue Wings
Ice Poppenheimer
The Foldovers
Anatomy of a Meatball4
Maestroganoff
DRINKS
Pour Things (the sign you put over the drink station)
Millers of the Flower Moon (and you just serve spaghetts)
And, because I will be abroad with little to no internet, we’ll be off for the next two Fridays—can’t wait to catch up at the end of the month!
Til’ next time, Oppenhomies. Your friend,
Clarice
I’m not naive, I understand that we could very much find ourselves there again.
Srry bout the low-hanging fruit pun. I’ll see myself out.
For what exactly? Emotional exhaustion?
This is making me sad that I’m not hosting…THESE ARE SO GOOD. If you use any of these ideas, please send pics.