lightskintwin
Banned
An Academy voter makes her case for 'Hell or High Water' ("It will be remembered as a true American classic"), says Emma Stone wasn't "as wonderful as people are saying," and explains why Viola Davis is in the wrong category ("That really irks me").
Each year around this time, I sit down with an Oscar voter who, under the warm cloak of anonymity, spills his or her true feelings about the current season's crop of contenders. Not just what or whom he or she voted for, but exactly why and how that person came to those decisions. It's not meant to be a scientific survey; it's just the candid, unsugarcoated opinions of one member (out of 6,687) of the most important and powerful movie club in the world. Below is an edited transcript of one such conversation: This year it was with a longtime female member of the 1,158-member actors branch who this season, anyway is not associated with any of the nominees.
Best Picture
I hated Arrival it just sucked. I didn't like Fences because they just filmed the play I wanted to see the guy go into the jazz club and play his music, the girl who's having his baby, his kid on the football field. But I think Denzel [Washington, its producer/director/star] decided that every word of the script [by the late August Wilson] was so precious that he wasn't going to "mess" with it, and the movie suffered as a result. I loved the first half of Lion, but I felt like a different director and cinematographer made the second half. I thought Hidden Figures was wonderful because it's a great story, not because it was especially hard to tell. It's almost like a glorified Movie of the Week. Moonlight and Hacksaw Ridge were really very good, but I don't think of them as a best picture. La La Land was tremendously enjoyable, but not all that deep or memorable. That left me with Manchester by the Sea and Hell or High Water, two compassionate movies that were incredibly well written, directed and acted. Hell or High Water isn't going to win, but it was my favorite, and it will be remembered as a true American classic.
My vote
(1) Hell or High Water
(2) Manchester by the Sea
(3) La La Land
(4) Hacksaw Ridge
(5) Moonlight
Best Director
Forget about Arrival [director Denis Villeneuve]. After that, it was tough. I decided not to go with Hacksaw Ridge, and not because of anything to do with Mel Gibson's personal problems even though I'm Jewish. I think he's a different person now; he's a very talented director, and I wish him well. [Moonlight's] Barry Jenkins did a really good job, but the movie's three parts aren't as connected as they could have been. That left me with Manchester [Kenneth Lonergan] and La La Land [Damien Chazelle]. Damien is such a sweetheart; I loved what he did with Whiplash and this one, and he's probably going to win. But I voted for Lonergan, because it was harder to make everything click on that movie, and he really succeeded.
My vote
Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)
Best Actor
Denzel has played this role a million times before, and he got the Tony for it I'm sure he was amazing onstage, but he didn't do anything unexpected on film. You've got to seem alive in the moment, and maybe if he'd gotten a really great director to direct him, that person would have nudged him to do that. [Hacksaw's] Andrew Garfield and [La La Land's] Ryan Gosling were very good, but not Oscar-level. [Manchester's] Casey Affleck had a role worthy of his brave acting, and he was absolutely wonderful. But I loved, loved, loved Viggo Mortensen's performance [in Captain Fantastic]. He is an actors' actor, and I voted for him. Unfortunately, it's probably the only vote he'll get.
My vote
Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
Best Actress
I liked none of them. I thought Meryl [Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins] played it like a clown she's cute and adorable, but this woman didn't matter to me in the end but people are gaga over Meryl, and I think she solidified her nomination when she gave that speech at the Golden Globes. I don't think she would have gotten nominated without it. I hated Jackie so much it was just shallow crap so no Natalie Portman. [Elle's] Isabelle Huppert is an ice-cold actress, and I eliminated her because when you get attacked, beaten and raped, you're not the same person afterward, but she was, and I wanted to slap her to try to get a reaction out of her. The girl in La La Land [Emma Stone] is going to win because she's adorable and everybody loves her, but I don't think she was as wonderful as people are saying. That leaves me with Ruth Negga for Loving, who was fairly one-note, but engaging enough.
My vote
Ruth Negga (Loving)
Best Supporting Actor
I thought [Lion's] Dev Patel and the kid from Manchester [Lucas Hedges] were really good, but not great. The guy from Moonlight [Mahershala Ali] was good, but I don't think his character was that developed I mean, he's this great guy, and then all of a sudden he just disappears. I really liked Michael Shannon in a movie that I didn't like [Nocturnal Animals] in fact, I voted to nominate him. But my heart is with Jeff Bridges, because I loved [Hell or High Water]. The acting was sheer perfection. Jeff makes it look easy but, boy, what he does is not easy.
My vote
Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
Best Supporting Actress
I immediately ruled out [Fences'] Viola Davis don't get me wrong, I love her and I think she's wonderful, but that's my protest vote. She should have been in the lead actress category, and when the studios put these actresses who are clearly the lead in the supporting category like they did with [The Danish Girl's] Alicia Vikander last year, even though she had more lines than the guy [Eddie Redmayne] that really irks me. Because it prevents real supporting actresses, like the waitress in Hell or High Water [Margaret Bowman], from getting nominated. Viola will probably win, but she belonged in the leading lady category. I love [Hidden Figures'] Octavia Spencer, but I felt the other two women in the film [Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monae] were better. Nicole [Kidman in Lion] wasn't all that different from everything else I've seen her do. So, for me, it was between Michelle [Williams for Manchester], for a true supporting part, and the gal from Moonlight [Naomie Harris]. Both of them were wonderful, but the gal from Moonlight went to places that were harder to go to.
My vote
Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Best Adapted Screenplay
As you know, I hated Arrival. The Lion script was uneven. I didn't really consider Fences because I don't think it was adapted. So it came down to Moonlight and Hidden Figures, and I just thought the story of Moonlight was more of a challenge to tell.
My vote
Moonlight
Best Original Screenplay
20th Century Women was cute, but it didn't fully work. The Lobster was interesting but a little bit weird for me. La La Land was very light. So I was torn between Manchester and Hell or High Water. [Manchester's] Lonergan is very bright and wrote a brilliant screenplay, but I have to go with Hell or High Water, even though it doesn't have a chance of winning.
My vote
Hell or High Water
Best Animated Feature
I watched them all and liked several of them, but I loved The Red Turtle, which was the most profound of the group.
My vote
The Red Turtle
Best Documentary Feature
I'm ruling out O.J. [Made in America] even though I still have an hour of it left to watch maybe for younger people this is new stuff, but for me it's just reliving a part of the past I don't need to relive. I was disappointed with I Am Not Your Negro I was really looking forward to learning more about James Baldwin's life, rather than his ideas (which I already knew), because when I first came to New York as a young actress, he was such an avant-garde playwright and fascinating guy. Three-quarters of Ava DuVernay's movie [13th] was wonderful, but the last quarter was so preachy that I felt like I was hit over the head, which was a turnoff. They did a really good job with Fire at Sea, except I hated that little kid in it killing birds and cutting up cacti and all of that. I voted for Life, Animated because I thought it was a positive story, how the parents took a massive challenge and made something of it.
My vote
Life, Animated
Best Foreign-Language Film
I hated the German movie [Toni Erdmann] so much because it was so shticky Germans are not funny! The only part of the whole movie where I laughed was when she couldn't get out of her tight dress and just ripped it off and went around naked. I hear Jack Nicholson is going to be in a remake, and he might make it funny. The other four were beautifully done, so it was hard. The Australian one [Tanna] was gorgeously photographed. Land of Mine really captured the horrors of war. The Salesman will probably win because there will be a big protest vote about [writer-director Asghar Farhadi] not being able to get into this country [because of Trump's travel ban, now under a stay]. But my heart was with [Sweden's] A Man Called Ove. There's something life-affirming about that movie.
My vote
A Man Called Ove
Best Cinematography
Arrival is definitely out. Silence had beautiful photography, but I hated that movie so much, with all the Christian stuff beating me over the head I mean, cmon, Marty [Scorsese, its director]! Moonlight and the first half of Lion had some impressive stuff. But I voted for La La Land the cinematography really elevated the movie.
My vote
La La Land
The rest of her thoughts and votes in other categories are at the link.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/li...ryl-streep-like-a-clown-la-la-land-not-memora
So what do you think of this voter's opinions? At the very least they're entertaining to read. LOL
