DC Film Society: Adam's Rib February 2019

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Since 2015, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has, with great fanfare, been “opening its doors wide to new members in record-smashing droves, particularly for women and people of color”. In 2018, it invited 928 new members, the largest membership jump in its history. The Academy has tried to become younger, more diverse, and more international. Much of this was in reaction to the famed “#OscarsSoWhite” controversy from 2014 and 2015. While to some this move smacked of political correctness, to me it illustrated an effort to recognize films that appealed to more than one demographic, and a more representative showing of the best the film world has to offer.

On that count the 2019 Oscar nominations provided much to celebrate. Two films directed by African-Americans received Best Picture nominations, including the first one ever in this category for a superhero film. Roma, a foreign language film with an unknown (at least to US audiences) Mexican cast, garnered 10 nominations, including Picture and Director. Spike Lee finally nabbed a long overdue Best Director nomination for BlacKkKlansman.

On the other hand, a year after some incremental progress in the wake of the #MeToo movement, the Academy did not nominate any women for Best Director nor any female-helmed film for Best Picture. As you would expect, this is due in part to relatively few opportunities for women filmmakers. According to the last Celluloid Ceiling report, a yearly barometer of women’s employment in the film industry, “Women accounted for 8% of directors working on the top 250 films in 2018, down 3 percentage points from 11% in 2017. This is 1 percentage point below the 9% achieved in 1998.” However, Debra Granik made Leave No Trace, which won many critics’ awards. Stunningly, that film did not receive any Oscar nominations, which might mean that Academy voters didn’t see it. Voters did see Can You Ever Forgive Me?, which garnered two acting nominations and one for screenplay. Yet no Best Picture nomination, and no recognition for director Marielle Heller. It’s disconcerting after Greta Gerwig’s Best Director nomination for Lady Bird a year ago.

So while the Academy has made much progress, there’s still a long road ahead. As for those who were nominated, many were well deserved but they were interspersed with some head scratchers. Let’s hand out some grades:

BEST PICTURE
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma
A Star Is Born
Vice

Grade: C
It took 40 years after Superman: The Movie launched the modern era of superhero movies for Black Panther to grab the genre’s first Best Picture nod, but it was worth it. Black Panther both deepened and expanded what we could expect from a superhero film. It offered a fully fleshed out lead, villain and supporting characters. While Wakanda is obviously fictional, the detail director Ryan Coogler and his team put into it made it feel real. The struggles and questions that T’Challa and his nation faced rang true to audiences of all races and nationalities.

In 1967, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, the first mainstream film to tackle racial inter-marriage, won Oscars, but viewed today it feels trite and preachy. I see that in Green Book, another film that I believe will not age well. It has a positive message, some funny scenes and a strong performance by Mahershala Ali, but it’s skin-deep “Can’t We All Just Get Long” vantage point already seems outdated in 2019.

Speaking of trite, I enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody largely because of Queen’s music. Rami Malek did everything he could to capture Freddie Mercury. The story itself though, was a contrived sanitized version of Queen’s history. No historical film is 100% on all the facts, but Bohemian Rhapsody goes overboard in misrepresenting what happened to fit a neat “Behind the Music” bland rock biopic. It has no business in the Best Picture category, especially compared with some of the films that could have been included.

As noted before, one of those is Can You Ever Forgive Me?. If a film has an Oscar nominated screenplay and two Oscar nominated performances, wouldn’t you think it would be one of the best films of the year? The film tells a compelling real-life tale of a woman creating and selling literary forgeries. It explores this niche world in a way that someone like me could understand. The film’s presents its misanthropic lead, Lee Israel (brilliantly played by Melissa McCarthy), in a way that’s relatable without trying to make her likable.

Another more worthy choice would have been Eighth Grade, one of the most authentic portrayals of teenage life ever filmed. Writer-director Bo Burnham empathetically explored the peaks and valleys of a Kayla, 13-year-old girl. Through blending YouTube videos with Kayla’s struggles and challenges, Burnham deftly contrasts who Kayla is and who she wants to be. Newcomer Elsie Fisher effortlessly expresses Kayla’s heart and doubts in a way many more seasoned actors couldn’t. Her work, along with Burnham’s, give Eighth Grade a resonance that neither Green Book nor Bohemian Rhapsody have.

DIRECTOR
Alfonso Cuaron -- Roma
Yorgos Lanthimos -- The Favourite
Spike Lee -- BlacKkKlansman
Adam McKay -- Vice
Pawel Pawlikowski -- Cold War

Grade: B
Director jumps out as one of the more puzzling categories this year. Pawlikowski secures a nomination, while Cold War does not get a Best Picture nod. Yes, the film received a Best Foreign Language nomination, but so did Roma, which did not keep that film out of the Best Picture race. Since there are now more Best Picture nominees than Best Director, a film getting the former without the latter makes sense, but not the other way around. Adam McKay’s nomination also doesn’t make much sense, as Vice works more as a funny polemic than an engaging story.

Bradley Cooper’s snub for A Star Is Born also seemed strange, as he got nominations for all the precursor directing awards. He made an old story fresh and relevant, while also directing three actors (including himself) to nominations and staging electric musical scenes. And why is Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, the man behind the film that achieved so much critically, commercially and culturally, left out?

To some, Spike Lee’s nomination may be 30 years too late, as he was passed over for Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, The 25th Hour, and other seminal works. In fact, the Academy gave him a Lifetime Achievement award three years ago. But his work with BlacKkKlansman, turning a story set in the 70s into an exploration about where is America is today, is among his best. Lee made a star out of newcomer John David Washington (Denzel’s son), and he had the foresight to cast Topher Grace against type as David Duke. He’s always been pushing the envelope, but maybe now the Academy is starting to catch up.

ACTOR
Christian Bale -- Vice
Bradley Cooper -- A Star Is Born
Willem Dafoe -- At Eternity's Gate
Rami Malek -- Bohemian Rhapsody
Viggo Mortensen -- Green Book

Grade: B
Kudos to the Academy for including Dafoe, whose introspective work as Vincent Van Gogh had been passed over in many of the precursor awards. Many actors have played Van Gogh but none with the depth or pathos that Dafoe brought to the role. He was able to make the internal external and shined in scenes where he was alone, which are among the most difficult with actors.

While I have enjoyed Viggo Mortensen in many roles, from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, to his films with David Cronenberg, to the more recent Captain Fantastic, his work in Green Book left me cold. It was the Chef Boyardee, “That’s a spicy meatball” school of overplaying an Italian role. You could always see Mortensen acting, which makes the performance much less convincing. Instead the Academy should have gone with Stephan James for his haunting understated work in If Beale Street Could Talk, or Lucas Hedges, who has cornered the market on playing teens struggling with their demons. His work in either Boy Erased or Ben is Back would have been a fitting choice (although he may have split his own vote). Hugh Jackman didn’t seem like an obvious choice to play Gary Hart in The Front Runner, but he nailed it, finding the charismatic but flawed man inside and not merely an impression. John David Washington’s riveting performance was key to BlacKkKlansman, showing a man struggling with his environment and himself. Speaking of struggle, Ethan Hawke’s searing portrayal of a priest with a crisis of faith in First Reformed was the best in his storied career. Daveed Diggs owned the screen in Blinsdpotting, while Ryan Gosling made the most of few words in First Man. Joaquin Phoenix made what could have been a caricature play-for-your-heartstrings role, into a brave warts-and-all turn in Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot. So many choices, all of whom much more deserving than Mortensen.

ACTRESS
Yalitza Aparicio -- Roma
Glenn Close -- The Wife
Olivia Colman -- The Favourite
Lady Gaga -- A Star Is Born
Melissa McCarthy -- Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Grade: A
I would have loved to see Elsie Fisher, of whom I have already raved, get in for Eighth Grade. Rosamund Pike immersed herself in the role of journalist Marie Colvin in A Private War, eclipsing even her work in Gone Girl. Still, I can’t complain about any of the selections. Best Actress was simply a really tough field this year, which I suppose is good news about quality roles for women. Glenn Close becomes the sentimental favorite, having never won an Oscar despite more than 35 years of outstanding work. Thankfully if she does win, it will not be a “Make-Up Award for Lesser Work Since You Should Have Won Before (or Scent of a Woman)” Oscar. Close spends the first two thirds of The Wife subtly hinting at emotions beneath the stoic surface. (Spoiler Alert) When the feelings come out in the last third, Close becomes a human volcano, and her performance all comes together. She embodies shattered dreams and, in the end, just desserts.

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mahershala Ali -- Green Book
Adam Driver -- BlacKkKlansman
Sam Elliott -- A Star Is Born
Richard E. Grant -- Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Rockwell -- Vice

Grade: B
With all the debate about Green Book, none of it’s about Ali, who brings much more to his character than what is on the page. It’s gratifying to see both Elliott and Grant, longtime film veterans, garnering their first nominations. Elliott, who feels like he was born in a Western, has been working for 50 years.

Rockwell falls into the same fold as Mortensen. I’m a long-time admirer, and was thrilled to see him win last year for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. But his turn as George W. Bush goes no deeper than a Will Ferrell-type impersonation rather than a three-dimensional person. Rockwell has one note that he hits over and over again. Michael Beach, another longtime character actor, made a deep impression with limited screen time in If Beale Street Could Talk. Timothée Chalamet was heartbreaking in Beautiful Boy, as was Russell Crowe in Boy Erased and Jonah Hill in Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot. Any one of these actors should have nabbed Rockwell’s spot.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams -- Vice
Marina de Tavira -- Roma
Regina King -- If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone -- The Favourite
Rachel Weisz -- The Favourite

Grade: A
As with Best Actress, a very tough category. I wish there was room for Nicole Kidman’s tender work in Boy Erased, Vera Farmiga’s nuanced take on a cuckolded wife in The Front Runner, or Awkwafina’s hilarious scene stealing in Crazy Rich Asians. But, once again, I can’t argue with any of the five picks here. Regina King has brought heart and complexity to her work for more than 30 years, and If Beale Street Could Talk was a perfect showcase for her talents.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen -- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters and Eric Roth -- A Star Is Born
Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty -- Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Barry Jenkins -- If Beale Street Could Talk
Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel and Kevin Willmott --
BlacKkKlansman

Grade: B
True to form the Screenplay noms serve as consolation prizes for Can You Ever Forgive Me? and If Beale Street Could Talk, films that could have easily gotten Picture or Director honors. The outlier here is the Coen Brothers, for a film that didn’t have much of a theatrical run and was all over the place in tone and quality. Of the six vignettes that made the film only two were adapted. This may be one that came from reputation and prior work more than anything else. Logan got an Adapted Screenplay nod last year, so why not Black Panther this year? Why include it in so many other categories but not this one? It had a compelling story at its core, with plenty of richly drawn characters while also weaving in larger themes. The Front Runner and Boy Erased screenwriters also adapted challenging source material into stellar screenplays.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Alfonso Cuaron -- Roma
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara -- The Favourite
Peter Farrelly, Brian Hayes Currie and Nick Vallelonga -- Green Book
Adam McKay -- Vice
Paul Schrader -- First Reformed

Grade: B-
As discussed earlier, Green Book gives only a surface view of its characters and racial issues. Adam McKay in Vice, as he did with The Big Short, excelled at explaining complicated issues in accessible, entertaining ways. However, also like The Big Short, the film falls short as a story with a dramatic arc. The Academy missed by including these films but not Eighth Grade, arguably the most original story of the year. Bo Burnham, through extensive YouTube research, found teenagers everywhere who were making videos that were not seen by many people. Burnham used this for an exploration of how youth in the modern world, with its demands and pressures, live, interact with each other, and express themselves. At its core, though, it’s the story of one girl who we feel for and root for. At least Burnham is young so he will ideally have many more opportunities.

Hopefully, Burnham will not have to wait as long as Paul Schrader. I was stunned to learn that, even after Schrader’s work with Martin Scorsese on Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, and work on his own films such as Affliction, he was never nominated until First Reformed. Schrader has drawn on his own Catholic upbringing for haunting examinations of men in conflict with their own desires and guilt, men struggling to find a place in their world. He’s one of the few people where you can say that cinema would have not been the same without him. I guess in a way given his stories, it’s fitting that he had to wait a long time. But, given Schrader’s own difficult path, I hope this brings him some pride and satisfaction.

Calling the Academy members elitist or out-of-touch has long since become a cliché. Sometimes the Academy seems over-sensitive to this criticism. For this year’s Oscars it announced a new “Best Popular Film” category, then quickly dropped it after much ridicule. Not only was this plan absurd, it missed a long unaddressed problem, one that does smack of elitism, and reared its ugly head again this year.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, the documentary about the life and legacy of Mr. Rogers, earned both critical acclaim and commercial success. Even more than that, it was a cultural tonic, a plea for the values Mr. Rogers stood for. The film’s celebration of kindness and decency rang true in these times where hate and crassness are on the rise. Mr. Rogers, even more than 15 years after his death, remains one of the few souls who could bring people together. The director, Morgan Neville had won Best Documentary a few years ago with 20 Feet from Stardom and seemed poised to do so again. I pictured his speech thanking and honoring Mr. Rogers, giving the many who saw his film a reason to feel proud. That won’t happen since the Academy did not see fit to nominate the film.

The Academy’s Documentary branch has a long and checkered history of snubbing favorites such as The Thin Blue Line and Hoop Dreams. In 2012 the Academy made changes to how the Documentary branch votes on the 15 film short list and the final nominees, but puzzling snubs still happen. Some of the changes have had unintended consequences. Prior to 2012, the Academy required voters to certify that they had seen all five nominated films in order to vote for the nominees. On the surface this makes sense. Someone should see the films if they are going to vote, right? Except that producers and publicists abused this rule by limiting screenings to small target audiences who would be most inclined to vote for their film. A producer of an Academy Award winning documentary, One Day in September, boasted that “I won this without showing it in a single theater!” Once the Academy opened up voting, initially popular crowd-pleasing documentaries such as Searching for Sugar Man, the aforementioned 20 Feet from Stardom, and Amy won the Oscar.

Then the Documentary branch pushed back. Adam Benzine, a journalist and Oscar nominated documentarian wrote in the Hollywood Reporter that “The change in tone has upset many doc branch members, as heavyweight issue films such as The Invisible War, The Square and The Act of Killing lost out to populist films about musicians and stars. Moreover, globally observed Oscar speeches, which could have been used to address issues such as rape, revolution and genocide, instead were spent paying tribute to singers. The notable exception was 2015, when the Roger Ebert portrait Life Itself surprisingly failed to secure a nomination. It most likely would have gone on to win, but by shutting the door to Life Itself from the broader Academy, the doc branch paved the way for Citzenfour, Laura Poitras’ Edward Snowden doc.” In other words, the Documentary branch (or at least a sizable portion of them) would prevent the full Academy from honoring a “popular” film instead of an “issue” film by not nominating the “popular film” in the first place.

That twisted logic certainly seems to be the case this year. It’s one thing not to pander to what’s popular, which a “Best Popular Film Category” would be. It’s another thing to deliberately lean against popular will. That is elitism, pure and simple. Elitism plays another role in this grievous snub. Two films selected instead of Won’t You Be My Neighbor? were Hale County This Morning, This Evening and Of Fathers and Sons. I haven’t seen either of them, and I bet you haven’t either. Neither had anything close to a national distribution. Hale County This Morning, This Evening and Of Fathers and Sons both played primarily in film festivals, with other very select week-long or one day engagements. But in 2018 both had a week-long run in Los Angeles and New York, which is the bare minimum for Academy consideration. For the Documentary branch voters, the limited theatrical runs are not a problem, as they have access to special screenings and get screeners online.

To me, there’s a critical difference. If you’re supporting a film that audiences have chosen not to see, that means different tastes. But if you’re supporting a film that audiences don’t even have the chance to see, that’s being out of touch. Films aren’t made just for filmmakers, they are made for audiences. Hale County This Morning, This Evening and Of Fathers and Sons may very well be amazing. Both have stellar reviews. But neither became part of the national discourse the way Won’t You Be My Neighbor? did last year. Not only that, they couldn’t have. The Academy could easily fix this problem by requiring that any feature length film have some sort of national distribution in order to be considered.

If the Academy is truly looking to become more relevant, this would seem like a good place to start, requiring that films accessible to their members be accessible to everyone. Not giving Won’t You Be My Neighbor? a chance to even have its name read on Oscar night deprives the millions who loved that film a moment of pride and joy. Favoring restricted access films over this one wastes a golden opportunity to connect with audiences. Right now, the Academy needs any opportunity it can get.

Adam Spector
February 1, 2019