By: Zara Abubakar | Staff Writer
As a cinephile, I can’t help but get excited when Oscar season rolls around. Funny enough, I don’t tune into the red carpet or the ceremony, until they start announcing the winners. I’m usually munching popcorn, scrolling away on the Oscar’s YouTube channel, re-watching clips from Academy Awards ceremonies when they were still broadcasted in black and white.
Anyway, among this year’s nominations I have actually watched are Little Women, Parasite, 1917, and Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood (OUATIH). I’ve seen bits and pieces of the other films, particularly Joker.
I was not too impressed by Little Women or OUATIH. Greta Gerwig’s much acclaimed adaption felt too modern for me to actually enjoy, and I didn’t like how the narrative was presented, cutting back and forth from past to present, expressed through a warm versus cold color palette. I will say I enjoyed Florence Pugh’s performance as Amy March. As a spoiled artist myself, she was the March sister I felt I related the most to. Gerwig received no nomination for Directing, however Little Women is nominated for Best Picture, Costume Design, and Adapted Screenplay. Considering other nominees in the category, Little Women is deserving of the costume design award.
Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood was painfully average. Maybe I am being too harsh, and I’ll enjoy it more as I re-watch it, as I so often do with Tarantino films. But it was a let-down. I was surprised with how little they did with Margo Robbie (as Sharon Tate) considering how much she was present in the film’s campaigning and how much media reported her role in the film. Her characterization felt too vapid for me to take seriously. Leonardo DiCaprio (as disillusioned actor Rick Dalton) and Brad Pitt (as his long-time friend and loyal stuntman, Cliff Booth) were, as usual, extremely pleasant and humorous to watch. Both actors have great charisma, and their on-screen friendship is just as charming as it is off-screen. Brad Pritt recently won best supporting actor awards at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, among many others. I don’t think it’s unrealistic to say Brad is likely to win an Oscar, now being a seven-time nominee.
Both 1917 and Parasite have received (well deserved) praise. I was surprised how well Parasite did in America, considering most of my friends look at me like I’m not speaking English when I suggest they watch a film that isn’t in English. “You mean I have to read subtitles?” Yes. Watch Parasite. When I watched the trailer, I had no idea what the film would be about, only that it seemed like a thriller. And a thriller it is. Parasite is a brilliant film in every aspect and as the story builds, so does tension. In the last act of the film it all comes tumbling down so quickly the film ends before you can process what you’ve just seen. For the 2020 Academy Awards it is nominated for Best Picture, International Feature Film, Editing, and Bong Joon Ho nominated for Directing, among a multitude of other nominations.
1917, directed by Sam Mendes, was also a great watch. It is without a doubt one of the most visually stimulating films of the year. I’ll be disappointed if it doesn’t snag a Cinematography win. While there were many tense moments in the film, the plot felt quite weak.
Unfortunately, I have not seen all the films nominated this year – I’ll make this a personal goal for the 2021 Academy Awards. Regardless, looking at the media and awards already won by these films, my predictions go like this: Joaquin Phoenix for Actor in a Leading Role, Brad Pitt for Actor in a Supporting Role, Renée Zellweger for Actress in a Leading Role, Laura Dern or Florence Pugh for Actress in a Supporting Role, 1917 for Cinematography, Little Women or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for Costume Design, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood or, fingers crossed, Parasite for Directing, Parasite or Joker for Editing, Parasite for International Feature Film, Judy for Makeup and Hairstyling, Joker for Music (Original Score), Parasite/Once Upon a Time in Hollywood/The Irishman for Best Picture, Parasite or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for Production Design, Little Women or The Irishman for Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Knives Out or Parasite for Writing (Original Screenplay). I’ve discarded categories I don’t care or know enough about.
