Oscars Roundup: 2022

Written by Russ Bray and Sarah Nash

2022 marks the 94th year of the Academy Awards. With the consideration of ten nominees, we will give a rundown of the movies that are up for best picture this spring.

“Belfast”

Reviewed by Russ Bray

One of two films on the nominee list that adheres to historical events, “Belfast” looks into the city of Belfast during The Troubles, a conflict lasting for around 30 years centered around Northern Ireland’s identity as a state. This film follows the story of Buddy, a young boy of a Protestant family that is trying to circumnavigate The Troubles and yet still maintain a childhood and normal life. 

The film approaches this childhood innocence with acute accuracy in every scene, Buddy is able to see what is happening right in front of him, but never completely understands the situation. The film shows him having to just brush it away, worrying most about school and the girl he likes in an attempt to keep everything normal. The film is almost completely shot in black and white, with snippets of color when entertainment like a television or play are shown in an attempt to separate what is happening within the world of Belfast with everything else. “Belfast” is a journey through a tumultuous time in Northern Ireland through a viewpoint that is rarely seen when depicting events like this and executes this perspective incredibly well. This was an easy nominee pick, but to come out on top will be a challenge with the rest of the nominees they have to face this year.

“Coda”

Reviewed by Russ Bray

If you missed your typical teenage drama, then this is the perfect movie to watch from the nominees’ list. “Coda” is the story of a highschooler that learns to stand up for herself and be courageous during activities like choir to be with the boy that she has a crush on. She also deals with the uncertainty of making the choice to go to college despite her family’s financial instability. While this may sound like it is hitting every cliche, there is one major difference: her entire family is deaf except for her. She grows up as her family’s interpreter and helps in every way possible, even going fishing with her father and brother before school every day. 

Even with the difference from normal teenage dramas, Sian Heder’s “Coda” misses the mark and leaves much to be desired. The film still follows almost every cliche of this genre and the writing suffers from this choice. “Coda” was adapted from a French film of the same premise but all deaf characters are actually played by deaf actors in the adaptation, and the performances of the family interactions are probably the best part of this film due to the lack of bland dialogue. Emilia Jones plays the highschooler and does an incredible job mixing spoken language with ASL in her performance and creates scenes alongside her family that are truly heartbreaking. Adapting the stereotypical problems of a teenager to fit within this frame is impressive and well done, but it feels lackluster to choose such a formulaic genre to depict an underrepresented group. As a nominee, it has a strong chance with a large audience as well as  with the Deaf community which will assuredly add to the Academy’s decision making process.

“Don’t Look Up” 

Reviewed by Sarah Nash

What would you do if an inevitably destructive comet was on its way to Earth? “Don’t Look Up” poses this very question as we follow an unusually nerdy Leonardo DiCaprio trying to warn the nation and the world of their doom. This Netflix release is perhaps the most star-studded best picture nominee of the year. Along with DiCaprio, the film features Academy veterans such as Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawerence, comedy classics like Jonah Hill, and even popular musicians like Ariana Grande, just to name a few. 

Adam Mckay’s “Don’t Look Up” shares a clear allegory for unnecessary political division in times of catastrophe –– referencing the climate crisis without saying the climate crisis. This kind of blatancy makes the film more accessible to a variety of audiences, but some seem to prefer a more subtle message. So would this be a good opportunity for the Academy to show their support for a cause in lieu of their past criticisms? Is using a $75 million budget movie as a political stance on climate change another layer to the message “Don’t Look Up” aims to make?

“Drive My Car”

Reviewed by Sarah Nash

“If you really want to look at someone, then your only option is to look at yourself squarely and deeply.” 

From the start of “Drive My Car,” viewers connect with the poetic characters as they navigate grief. This 2021 Japanese film stars Hidetoshi Nishijima and Toko Miura (alongside the cutest little red car) as a theater director and his young, complicated driver. Nishijima’s character, Yūsuke, grieves the loss of his wife and his own recent medical diagnosis, establishing an underlying theme of disability, or more so the presence of disability in the arts that other characters later build upon.

The story is adapted from Haruki Murakami, a Kobe native and bestselling author known for: “Norwegian Wood,” “A Wild Sheep Chase,” and “Barn Burning”–– which was recently adapted into the Cannes winning film, “Burning.” “Drive My Car” takes its audience on a smooth and somber ride –– and as you may have heard, yes, the opening credits don’t roll until 40 minutes in. Although it may not have had that so-called Hollywood sheen that winners often sport, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest could be the ride the Academy is looking for.

“Dune”

Reviewed by Sarah Nash

Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel revisited the screen with it-boy Timothée Chalamet this past fall. While David Lynch’s original adaptation of “Dune” premiered in 1984, Denis Villeneuve’s released nearly four decades later. This sci-fi adventure on a desert of spice has all the destiny and giant worms you could wish for and is available to stream on HBO Max.

A Hans Zimmer soundtrack –– of “The Dark Knight” and “Interstellar” fame –– sets the eerie tone of the film. “Dune” also features well-known stars such as Oscar Issac, Stellan Skarsgard and of course Zendaya. Many fans were disappointed to find that Zendaya, being heavily featured in the trailers, actually had very little screen time. Much of her role seemed to set-up leading into the inevitable sequel, which the film could be argued as being. Through the combination of gorgeous on-location cinematography, special effects and of course, acting, “Dune” could very well be the Academy favorite.

“King Richard”

Reviewed by Russ Bray

A biography with some liberties taken of the Williams’ family story, this film displays a real life anti-hero and what that entails through the father of Serena and Venus Williams: Richard Williams. The film spirals through Richard’s choices as a father and the ultimate helicopter parent, attempting to ensure that his kids will have the life that he has always dreamed of — the epitome of living vicariously through his daughters. Richard was famous for his strict rules that went anywhere from banning any form of dating to ripping up dolls that the two girls owned to disperse any idealization of motherhood from an early age. But extremities like these do not show up in the film, showing only some of the unavoidable tactics he used as their father and a lot of wholehearted scenes which have garnered criticism that this is idealizing what Richard did since it has now been proven to be a success. Both Serena and Venus were included in the production of this film and approved the story and the liberties that came along with the version being told., Dso does this image makeover feel permitted or should romanticizing success stories no matter the issues be called out? The Academy is a sucker for the glossing over of issues like this, as seen with winners like “Green Book” at the 91st Academy Awards, so this feels like a top contender in this years’ nominees.

“Licorice Pizza”

Reviewed by Sarah Nash

Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film follows a whirlwind story of two young people in the cultural circus of 1970s California. The film stars the drummer of the pop-rock sister band HAIM, Alana Haim, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son, Cooper Hoffman. Licorice Pizza marks both of the leads’ film debuts.

This Christmas 2021 release is strongest in its cinematography and has a celebrity-packed cast, which is certainly a tasty combination for the Oscars, but does the story hold up for wider audiences? A random story disguised as a slice of life movie covered in layers and layers of 1973 nostalgia left me leaving the theater surprisingly dismayed. I felt like I was looking for more, but will the Academy feel the same way?

“Nightmare Alley”

Reviewed by Russ Bray

Guillermo Del Toro’s newest work “Nightmare Alley” might be the fall of one of the most renowned directors of this time. “Nightmare Alley” is an adaptation of the novel by William Lindsay Gresham from the 1940s. The story follows Stan Carlisle, a nomad working wherever he can, who ends up at a carnival and watches a kidnapped homeless person have to kill a chicken as part of a show. After joining the carnival, he learns a clairvoyant act on how to convincingly trick and read people and makes his own career out of it. A couple of years later, he meets a psychologist who is able to feed him information on her clients so he can profit off the wealthy and their trauma. As he sinks further and further into this act and gets greedy, he realizes too late his mistake and ends up in the position he watched at the carnival in the beginning.

Del Toro’s adaptation takes a big cast and creates a story that has no heroes, only villains that you quickly learn to hate and the normal people who suffer from these main characters which quickly becomes tiring in the 150-minute long film. Del Toro is well known for his strong imagery and grotesque creations, but in a historical fiction that escapes his normal supernatural landscape, it falls flat when he resorts to sporadic, obscene amounts of gore that you never expect. While “Nightmare Alley” was a flop for me, the reception was high and seems like it is a high contender as a nominee. Is this simply because it was Guillermo Del Toro who made this and he now has a guaranteed Oscar nomination when he creates these awkward, weird worlds that critics can parallel to “Pan’s Labyrinth”?

“The Power of The Dog”

Reviewed by Russ Bray

A lesser known novel that influenced the creation of the past Best Picture nominee “Brokeback Mountain”, “The Power of the Dog” by Thomas Savage got its own adaptation in 2021 that might surpass it’s influenced work and secure the win. The film follows two brothers that never meshed well due to their differing desires and capabilities. There’s George (Jesse Plemons) who acts like the intellectual and is ignorant of his lack of knowledge, and Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch,) the lead rancher who does the dirty work for their family ranch. As George marries a widow with a son, Phil becomes angry at George for this marriage and rifts are created between the four characters.

Jane Campion’s adaptation is beautiful in everything from the rolling landscapes of the Western scene to the themes of masculinity. The explicit death of masculinity and hidden homosexuality with the more modern appearance of Peter, the widow’s son, with his Converse and skinny stature fitting the image of someone who has never seen the labor of someone like Phil, it makes for thrilling interactions that toe the line of erotic scenes and hatred blossoming from the two characters. This is an easy pick for my Best Picture Winner for this year, but Jane Campion’s sudden outburst towards the Williams’ sisters definitely makes it regrettable that this film is so incredible when the director says something with such a superiority complex. 

“West Side Story”

Reviewed by Sarah Nash

An undeniably beloved musical of star-crossed leads, legendary songs and snapping-involved rivalry gets a Steven Spielberg remake as the 2021 edition of “West Side Story.” This is a classic 1950s New York version of Romeo and Juliet as Tony and Maria fight to be together despite being from rival gangs. Although including some plot differences more aligned with the original Shakespeare, this edition lacked the same degree of suspense and romantic connection of the original.

Amid glorious costume design and dance numbers, newcomer Rachel Zegler outshines all with her objectively jaw dropping vocals (which if you certainly watch for anything you should watch for these.) Ansel Elgort also returns to his former teen movie love interest typecast, starring as Tony. Rita Moreno, the original Oscar-winning Anita in the 1961 edition, rejoins the story this time as Valentina, the owner of Doc’s General Store. The new edition features a large Latino cast representing the Puerto Rican gang “The Sharks,” although Zegler herself is actually Columbian. A shiny musical like this one is attractive to the Academy, yet in my opinion, the romance wasn’t all there –– which is the heart of this story after all. “West Side Story” is available to stream on Disney+.

Out of the films he reviewed, Russ’ pick: Power of the Dog

Out of the films she reviewed, Sarah’s pick: Drive My Car