The 91st Academy Awards are just around the corner, but there’s still plenty of time to get caught up on all the nominees you may have missed out on. There are a number of showings of this year’s prestigious films happening throughout the Buffalo area.
The Amherst Dipson Theater is playing the Best Foreign Film nominee “Cold War,” the comedy-drama “Green Book” which is nominated in five categories, and the romantic drama “If Beale Street Could Talk” which is nominated for three awards.
The Dipson Theater in the Eastern Hills Mall is going all in on the Oscar movies. Like the other Dipson Theater, they are playing “Cold War,” “Green Book,” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.” They are also playing the Best Documentary Feature nominee “Free Solo.” This theater is also playing showcases for the Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films and the Oscar Nominated Live-Action Short Films.
The North Park Theatre will be playing “Roma” the week of February 11th. This film may be on Netflix, but it’ll be worth watching on the big screen since it’s nominated for a whopping ten awards!
AMC Theaters will be holding their Best Picture Showcase in which they will be showing all eight of the Best Picture Nominees as a series. Similarly, Regal Cinemas will be having a Best Picture Film Festival in which moviegoers can buy passes to watch all eight nominees.
Most exciting of all, The Screening Room at the Boulevard Mall will be having an Oscars party during the big show on February 24th with free admission! My wife and I will be there if you want to discuss the Academy Awards or anything else Nerd Scene.
Here are my personal picks for this year’s Academy Awards. For more detailed explanations as to why these are my choices, and for a reflection article on how my picks did after the show, visit my blog Nonstop Nerd.
Actress in a Supporting Role:
Amy Adams should win for her role as Lynne Cheney in “Vice.” Amy Adams is a consistently great actress who has won several awards in the past. This is her sixth nomination for an Academy Award. I think this is her time.
Actor in a Supporting Role:
The best supporting actor is Mahershala Ali for “Green Book.” He’s already won the Oscar for this category for Moonlight in 2017, and his role as Don Shirley is one of the things holding “Green Book” together.
“Roma” is the clear winner in my mind. It’s nominated for a total of ten awards this year, which proves how extraordinary it is. “Roma” is a very honest, heart-wrenching story that touches on some powerful themes.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT:
I’m somewhat torn on this one, but I’ll have to give it to “Lifeboat.” It’s a powerful and important documentary that informs the audience on something that they may not have known about: the German non-profit that goes out to sea to assist refugees fleeing Africa and saving as many lives as they can.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
The strongest film in this category, in my opinion, is “RBG.” It uses a specific subject, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to discuss broader topics like feminism, empowerment, and workplace equality, which is a strong way to tell a story and get their messages across.
ORIGINAL SONG:
“Shallow” from “A Star is Born” is without a doubt the song to win. The other songs nominated are good, but this one is pure, raw emotion in music form.
ANIMATED SHORT FILM:
This is one of the tougher categories. I personally think “One Small Step” will win. This amusing short has a unique animation style, shows what happens when a child has support and inspiration, and it even made me cry.
This category has some of the strongest nominees this year, but I say “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” should be the winner due to it mixing together animation styles to make something no one has seen before and for its strong, realistic portrayal of living as a minority.
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM:
“Skin” is the strongest nominee in my opinion. It touches on very serious issues involving race, uses clever metaphor, and is incredibly suspenseful.
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM:
“Skin” is the strongest nominee in my opinion. It touches on very serious issues involving race, uses clever metaphor, and is incredibly suspenseful.
I haven’t read the book, so I don’t know how well it was “adapted,” but “BlacKkKlansman” is a wonderfully written story about an African American cop infiltrating the KKK. It’s the perfect mix of drama and comedy and cleverly uses events that took place decades ago to relate to issues of today.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma” should definitely win for writing. The movie uses elements of Cuarón’s own upbringing, making it a very real story. It also uses a single character to tell a story about several different occurrences in Mexico and how life was like there in the 70s. It’s overall a beautiful, brilliant story.
PRODUCTION DESIGN:
“Mary Poppins Returns” deserves this one. Its sets blend a dark, old English setting with something much more whimsical that is simply wonderful.
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
The best cinematography among the nominees is “A Star Is Born.” The lighting and colors used work together to successfully make the viewer feel exactly what the characters are feeling.
COSTUME DESIGN:
The blend of traditional tribal African attire mixed with a futuristic design should win “Black Panther” the Oscar for this category. It’s beautiful, is important in the context of the movie, and is like nothing we’ve ever seen before.
SOUND EDITING:
I’d be blown away if “A Quiet Place” does not win for Sound Editing. For one, the movie is more or less about sound. Also, every sound is so impactful that every minor noise jumps out to the viewer.
SOUND MIXING:
“Bohemian Rhapsody” shows what Queen went through to discover a new sound for their music, creating some scenes that mix sound in incredible ways. Also, those stadium scenes with the “ay ohs” are such a perfect example of what talented sound mixing sounds like.
ORIGINAL SCORE:
The score using traditional African orchestrated music for “Black Panther” is on a grand scale and stands above the rest.
FILM EDITING:
I personally felt “Bohemian Rhapsody” was the strongest for editing because of its clever transitions, especially between large time gaps.
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:
The makeup in “Vice” is so perfect that I could not have ever guessed that Christian Bale or Sam Rockwell were in the movie. They look identical to the people they are playing, which is a huge feat for the makeup department.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
Rami Malek deserves the win for playing Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody.” His portrayal of the music legend was flawless. His acting is one of the main things that carried the film.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
I’m going to be bold for this one and root for the underdog. I’m picking Melissa McCarthy for her role in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” She has a couple of Emmys, proving that she is extremely talented when directors let her act and not just use her for cheesy slapstick.
DIRECTOR:
This one has to go to Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma.” He created a masterpiece using events from his own life, and his closeness to the project shows. The shots in this film are nothing short of influential, ranging from seeing a riot from a top floor window to following a tiny lizard crawling along.
BEST PICTURE:
This is the most difficult category this year, but if I have to pick one film to win, I say the award of Best Picture should go to “BlacKkKlansman.” It’s the perfect mixture of having entertainment value and strong themes about real-world issues.
The Academy Awards are February 24th at 8:00 PM.