Award Season Recap: Absolute Dominance

The 2020 Grammys and Academy Awards have come and passed after months of speculation and predictions. These awards are increasingly becoming less popular, as television ratings have been consistently decreasing for them over the past few years, but they are still interesting to analyze, especially in such a unique year. In both ceremonies this year there were many records broken, and there was absolute dominance which I was happy to see. Let’s break it down.

Billie Eilish has taken the pop music genre by storm over the past year and a half, accumulating a loyal fanbase after the release of her 2019 debut album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?. Her competition going into the Grammys was stiff this year, facing off against celebrated artists such as Ariana Grande and Lizzo among many others. Despite this, Billie Eilish and her producer brother Finneas walked away from the ceremony with a combined total of 10 Grammys, an absolutely astonishing feat for such a young artist. I was very happy that Billie did as well as she did after enjoying her debut album as much as I did and still do to this day. I was also delighted that Tyler, The Creator won in the Best Rap Album category for IGOR, but I agree with his sentiment that he should be included in the pop category instead of being pigeonholed into a less competitive field.

I was very pleased with the results of the 2020 Academy Awards as well, as a lot of my predictions came true. Bong Joon-ho and Parasite altogether were absolutely dominant, winning Best Picture, Directing, Editing, and Original Screenplay. By winning the biggest award of the night, Parasite became the first foreign film to ever win Best Picture at the Oscars, which it absolutely deserved. Most of the other awards went my way, too, with the films I enjoyed most beating their competition in their respective categories.

I don’t let what I enjoy rely and depend on what wins at award shows. This year, however, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the music and cinema I enjoyed so much in the past year receive the praise it deserved in such an incredibly dominant fashion. Here’s hoping that 2020 brings just as much enjoyable media as 2019 did.

Ranking The 2020 Oscars Best Picture Nominees

I can only hope for an Academy Awards ceremony half as entertaining as Sunday’s amazing Super Bowl. As the wait for this year’s Oscars comes to an end, the hype is higher now than ever. I’ve already predicted who I believe will win in each major category, but in today’s post, I will be ranking 2020’s Best Picture nominees now that I’ve seen them all. These rankings are based on how much I personally enjoyed each movie, respectively. Let’s dive in.

9. Ford V. Ferrari, (6/10) - This is the only offering on the list which I’m not sure as to why it was nominated for Best Picture. That isn’t to say that this is a bad film, because it isn’t. Instead, this just felt like a blockbuster with very little to offer other than entertaining racing scenes and decent performances. To me, a Best Picture nominee needs to offer more than this movie did, and because of that, it’s last in my rankings.

8. Jojo Rabbit, (7/10) - Many have put Jojo Rabbit toward the top of their lists. While I generally enjoyed this movie, its pacing and tonal issues toward the second half really removed me from a story I was interested and emotionally invested in up until that point. Minor story revisions could’ve easily improved this film for me, and I’m disappointed that I didn’t enjoy it more. So much potential. Full review here.

7. Little Women, (7/10) - Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” was my first exposure to the story, as I haven’t yet read the source material or seen the previous film adaptations. I enjoyed this film from beginning to end, but because of the nature of this specific adaptation, I was lead to believe that having at least a basic understanding of the story’s arc and timeline is necessary to appreciation the 2019 version the way it’s told. Still a good movie with stellar performances, particularly from Florence Pugh and Saoirse Ronan.

6. Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood, (7/10) - My second viewing of this film didn’t change my opinion of it much. I still generally enjoyed the story and performances here, and respect the fact that it’s Tarantino’s love-letter to Hollywood, but feel like a given viewer needs a personal connection to Los Angeles to fully appreciate this film. I don’t have one, and because of that, there’s something missing here. Still a good movie. Full review here.

5. The Irishman, (8/10) - Martin Scorsese’s epic directorial offering which is an adaptation of “I Heard You Paint Houses” checked nearly all the boxes for me. While it does have a remarkably lengthy runtime, its story is still captivating and eventually heartbreaking. The different take on the traditional gangster movie is fresh, original, and compelling. Great performances from an A-list ensemble cast.

4. Joker, (9/10) - Joaquin Phoenix winning Best Actor is a given this year, and it will be well-deserved. His performance of this film’s title character is haunting and adds a dimension to this story that only Phoenix could deliver. Everything from this film’s messaging to its score is incredibly well thought-out, and as a fan of comics, I loved this movie. Full review here.

3. Marriage Story, (9/10) - If the Academy offered a “Best Scene” award, that scene from this movie would definitely win this year. Two career performances from Scarlet Johansson and Adam Driver propel Noah Baumbach’s stellar screenplay in a compelling, heart-wrenching story full of ups and downs. I’ve watched this film three times and still enjoy every second of it.

Tied for 1. Parasite & 1917, (10/10 & 10/10) - When I originally reviewed Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, I scored it a 9/10 and docked it a point due to what, at the time, I considered a pacing issue toward the middle of the movie. After careful thought and consideration, I realize that what I considered a flaw with this movie was actually necessary for the rest of its plot to function as beautifully as it does. Because of this, I now have no gripes with this movie, and am giving it a perfect score. This really is a masterpiece. The depth of the characters, the richness of the symbolism throughout, and the social commentary offered here are unparalleled, and this is a must-see for any film lover. I reviewed 1917 as soon as I got home from the theater, knowing full-well that this was a perfect film in my eyes. Not only a technical achievement, this film shines a light on the horrors of war and tells a compelling, intense story driven by amazing performances. If either one of these films wins Best Picture on Oscar night, I will be extremely pleased. Parasite review here, 1917 review here.

And there we have it, the nine Best Picture nominees ranked for the 2020 Oscars. I sound like a broken record at this point, but 2019 really was a spectacular year for film that will be remembered for years to come. It’s a shame that Portrait of a Lady on Fire (review here) wasn’t nominated, as it is another 10/10 for me, but I will be happy with either Parasite or 1917 winning the big award on February 9th. How would you rank the Best Picture nominees? Let me know! Thanks for reading.

NFL Super Bowl LIV Predictions

The 2020 NFL Playoffs have been a long, wild ride. They will culminate and come to an end this Sunday as the San Francisco 49ers will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Miami for Super Bowl LIV. Both teams have proven their worth winning difficult playoff match-ups, but who will be able to claim the Lombardi Trophy as their own for the NFL’s 100th season? In this post, I’ll be making some predictions about the big game. Let’s get into it.

Patrick Mahomes was heartbroken after watching Tom Brady march down the field and into the Super Bowl in last year’s AFC Conference Championship. MVP Mahomes didn’t get to touch the ball in overtime, and subsequently, didn’t get the chance to take his team to the ultimate stage. This year, he and his talented roster of teammates took care of business at home against Houston and Tennessee, stamping their ticket to Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers have been rolling this year. New England either has an eye for undeveloped young talent, or sitting on the bench watching the greatest quarterback of all time truly impacts your game, because Jimmy Garoppolo is looking more and more like a franchise QB. The 49ers made the playoffs look easy, beating the Vikings and Packers with ease. I would argue, however, that the Chiefs are stiffer competition than either of these teams.

Joe Montana will be happy with the outcome of the big game regardless of the winner, and so will I. I’m also hoping the half-time show and commercials are on point this year. Either former Bear Robbie Gould gets a ring, or Mahomes and the Chiefs begin what could be the next dynasty. I see the Chiefs winning this one in a close game, becoming Super Bowl champs, with Mahomes winning game MVP. We shall see. What do you think will happen?

Why I Chose To Be An English Major (GSU Blog Post #2)

College is strange. After spending the majority of your academic life studying a wide variety of subjects, you’re told to choose one to study even more in-depth, which will then define which career path you are going to follow, and ultimately how you will spend the rest of your life. Usually these decisions are made before you have the ability to vote or purchase alcohol, but they’re made nonetheless. So, as logic dictates, we make as much of a well-informed decision as possible given the absurdity of these circumstances. We choose subjects we’re naturally inclined toward. Those who didn’t enjoy analyzing novels and writing essays are likely to veer toward a STEM field, and those who need a calculator to verify that 9 + 7 does in fact equal 16 are more inclined to study the humanities. As someone who has a natural inclination toward language and communication, I made what felt like a reasonable decision by choosing to study English in college.

And that’s when the questions came flooding in. And the funny looks. Not just from society and the internet where an English degree has a bad rap in general, but from people face-to-face who I actually knew in real life. Questions like “So you want to teach?”, “Are you trying to write the next great novel?”, and “How are you going to get a job with that degree?” were both discouraging and exhausting to hear, and became frustrating to be asked over and over. Until I came up with answers.

At least a version of answers. They’re ever-changing and audience-dependent. They also took a long time to come up with, and funnily enough, are influenced by the things I learn in college. Finding out that I could concentrate my degree on “Rhetoric and Composition” was a game-changer. The courses associated with the path that I’m on focus on practical writing and thinking skills used every day in workplace settings. Despite what many think, effective written communication is actually becoming a scarce and highly-employable skill in most workplaces. Most people aren’t aware of this, so I forgive them for comparing my English degree with the typical pejorative Underwater Basketweaving trope.

I’m still not exactly sure what my future holds, but neither is anyone else. All I know is that I’m succeeding on my current academic path, which provides enough challenge to prevent me from getting bored, but not so much to the point of frustration. To anyone trying to figure it all out at once - stop. Appreciate every day for what it has to offer, run toward what makes you happy, and ignore the naysayers. They just don’t know it yet, but you’re going to prove them wrong. Thanks for reading.

Movie Review: Jojo Rabbit

Although this film was initially released in October of last year, I was only just recently able to sit down and watch Taika Waititi’s most recent directorial offering. The premise alone hooked me, as I have never seen a comedy which also critiques the Nazi regime in World War II Germany. I figure that reviewing this film before the Academy Awards on February 9th is justified, as Jojo Rabbit is nominated for Best Picture among other categories. I would describe this film as a dark comedy which attempts to make a larger anti-war and pro-inclusivity statement, but at times struggles with tone, pacing, and impact. Let’s get into what I liked and didn’t like about this movie.

I have to start by praising the performances given by the stellar ensemble cast. Roman Griffin Davis makes his feature-film debut here, and at only twelve years old, delivers a very strong lead performance that showcases his impressive range. This was also the third portion of Scarlett Johansson’s trifecta year, having starred in Avengers: Endgame, Marriage Story, and now Jojo Rabbit all in 2019. Her performance as Rosie in this film is magnetic and charming, worthy of the Best Actress nomination that it received. The rest of the ensemble cast rounds out and boosts this film, with other notable performances from Sam Rockwell, Thomasin McKenzie, and Taika himself as imaginary Hitler, a role only he could play and pull off.

The first two thirds of this movie are very comical with several laugh-out-loud moments. That is the part of the film that I enjoyed most. There’s a tonal change entering the third act that completely shifts the overall mood of the story, and the shocking twist included feels somewhat unearned, unable to leave as much of an emotional impact as it intends to. This film also has a generally positive message, but I feel that Waititi could’ve made that message even more evident and impactful than the final product offered here just by tweaking a couple of story details. That isn’t to say that this movie is tone-deaf toward a sensitive subject, but instead, it just doesn’t live up to the potential that the beginning of the film set it up for.

Overall, I enjoyed watching Jojo Rabbit. It’s a well-made, funny, heartfelt, and poignant movie. There are some changes that I would’ve made to the pacing, tone, and story, but that isn’t to say that it’s bad by any means. It’s good. This film is deserving of the multiple Oscar nominations it received, but I don’t see it winning Best Picture. What did you think of this movie? What would you have changed? Octopuses, rhinoceroses, or rhinoctopuses? Gesundheit. Thanks for reading.

Score: 7/10