2019 Oscar(+) Movies
If there were no big-budget campaigns involved in movie award races, how different would they look? Granted that I don't watch that many movies to come out with a different Oscar list, I don't think I'll ever register the existence of La La Land or The Favourite then.
A Star Is Born
It’s not always easy to tell others that you are in pain. So, many would just drown in it — trapped, suffering in silence. But I’m at a point in my life where I can’t watch someone rich and successful self-destruct. I see A Star Is Born as nothing more than a movie with two huge Hollywood names. I can’t believe this is the third remake of the story. How was one not enough?
Beautiful Boy
Similar to A Star Is Born, Beautiful Boy is a story about addiction and life going off the rails. But I feel less angry watching this one, maybe because it’s based on real people and it also has a better ending. It's still uncomfortable watching someone try to lie the obvious, though — are we all that transparent lying? But thank universe if you have money. Addiction and mental illnesses do not care about your social status, but do not underestimate the help of privileges. If you see depression as unbearable, imagine doing it while poor.
BlacKkKlansman
"America will never elect somebody like David Duke," said the movie's Ron Stallworth, the Black detective who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado Springs in the '70s. Famous last words. Well, ever heard about the frog that sits in boiling water?
To the most part of the world outside of America, KKK is a thing of the past, something that you only see in movies, set decades ago. It's mind-boggling to hear that there are real people out there who are still proud upholding this ideology today. BlacKkKlansman reminds us of a renewed growing threat, and it satisfyingly exposes the bad people. It's also entertaining. It's my favourite 2019 Oscar movie.
Bohemian Rhapsody
I don't follow music much, let alone its history. I only listen to it in the car occasionally. But Freddie Mercury was a phenomenal performer. I came to watch the movie expecting to learn his story, and mainly I just wanted to be entertained. So I was entertained, although according to some parts of the internet, this is not how Freddie Mercury's story is to be told. I think the cinematography, the pace, the cast and the comedy were great. And Rami Malek was perfect.
Green Book
And there was actually a book — the Green Book — that specified how to travel while Black during that time(!): what motels, restaurants or shops would serve Black people, or what towns would allow an overnight stay.
Shirley's rich, White audiences clapped and cheered for him after every performance, but he was not allowed to dine with them. He was denied service at a clothing store, harassed, threatened and at one point jailed during the trip.
Surprisingly, I'm not cynical about the Christmas dinner with Don as a guest at Tony’s house. I think it's heartwarming. Similarities are probably fine, but differences make the world not boring. We are not perfect, and I see that last scene as a sign of hope.
Vice
Vice is about Dick Cheney, Bush 43's VP. So, in short, no one is expecting this to be a biopic of a hero.
When I think of Vice, I think of Christian Bale’s acceptance speech at the Globes. Having watched the movie now, I think that speech was grrreat! Other things that are great are Bush eating fried chicken and Cheney wanting Bush to let him handle the more mundane jobs if he were to be made VP: bureaucracy, military, energy, foreign policy. "That sounds good," replies Bush.
This movie needed to be made, and I love that it was made comedy. But the punchlines were in no way a consolation. These fans of torture, war and other people's oil — to this day — got it easy.
Images: Warner Bros. Pictures, Amazon Studios via ntdaily.com, Focus Features via Movieclips, 20th Century Fox via variety.com, Universal Pictures via productplacementblog.com, Annapurna Pictures via mercurynews.com
A Star Is Born
It’s not always easy to tell others that you are in pain. So, many would just drown in it — trapped, suffering in silence. But I’m at a point in my life where I can’t watch someone rich and successful self-destruct. I see A Star Is Born as nothing more than a movie with two huge Hollywood names. I can’t believe this is the third remake of the story. How was one not enough?
Beautiful Boy
Similar to A Star Is Born, Beautiful Boy is a story about addiction and life going off the rails. But I feel less angry watching this one, maybe because it’s based on real people and it also has a better ending. It's still uncomfortable watching someone try to lie the obvious, though — are we all that transparent lying? But thank universe if you have money. Addiction and mental illnesses do not care about your social status, but do not underestimate the help of privileges. If you see depression as unbearable, imagine doing it while poor.
BlacKkKlansman
"America will never elect somebody like David Duke," said the movie's Ron Stallworth, the Black detective who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado Springs in the '70s. Famous last words. Well, ever heard about the frog that sits in boiling water?
To the most part of the world outside of America, KKK is a thing of the past, something that you only see in movies, set decades ago. It's mind-boggling to hear that there are real people out there who are still proud upholding this ideology today. BlacKkKlansman reminds us of a renewed growing threat, and it satisfyingly exposes the bad people. It's also entertaining. It's my favourite 2019 Oscar movie.
Bohemian Rhapsody
I don't follow music much, let alone its history. I only listen to it in the car occasionally. But Freddie Mercury was a phenomenal performer. I came to watch the movie expecting to learn his story, and mainly I just wanted to be entertained. So I was entertained, although according to some parts of the internet, this is not how Freddie Mercury's story is to be told. I think the cinematography, the pace, the cast and the comedy were great. And Rami Malek was perfect.
Green Book
“Rich, White people pay me to play piano for them because that makes them feel cultured. But as soon as I step off that stage, I go right back to just another n*****...” ~ Don Shirley, Green Book.Green Book is a story about racism and the unlikely friendship between a NY bouncer, Tony Vallelonga, and a wealthy Black jazz musician, Don Shirley, when the latter toured the Midwest and South in the '60s, hiring Vallelonga as his bodyguard and driver.
And there was actually a book — the Green Book — that specified how to travel while Black during that time(!): what motels, restaurants or shops would serve Black people, or what towns would allow an overnight stay.
Shirley's rich, White audiences clapped and cheered for him after every performance, but he was not allowed to dine with them. He was denied service at a clothing store, harassed, threatened and at one point jailed during the trip.
Surprisingly, I'm not cynical about the Christmas dinner with Don as a guest at Tony’s house. I think it's heartwarming. Similarities are probably fine, but differences make the world not boring. We are not perfect, and I see that last scene as a sign of hope.
Vice
Vice is about Dick Cheney, Bush 43's VP. So, in short, no one is expecting this to be a biopic of a hero.
When I think of Vice, I think of Christian Bale’s acceptance speech at the Globes. Having watched the movie now, I think that speech was grrreat! Other things that are great are Bush eating fried chicken and Cheney wanting Bush to let him handle the more mundane jobs if he were to be made VP: bureaucracy, military, energy, foreign policy. "That sounds good," replies Bush.
This movie needed to be made, and I love that it was made comedy. But the punchlines were in no way a consolation. These fans of torture, war and other people's oil — to this day — got it easy.
Images: Warner Bros. Pictures, Amazon Studios via ntdaily.com, Focus Features via Movieclips, 20th Century Fox via variety.com, Universal Pictures via productplacementblog.com, Annapurna Pictures via mercurynews.com
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