Oscar movie roundup

LUCA (best animated feature)

Lower level Pixar for sure. The animation looks as great as ever, and the movie is easily likable, but absolutely nothing about this stands out. 

ENCANTO (best animated feature)

It's fine. Look, I was probably never going to watch this in my life if not for the Oscar nod. The animation is excellent and colorful, but the story didn't do much for me and the songs did even less. It's not a movie for me anyway. 

THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES (best animated feature)

Well, this was a surprise. I would never have watched this movie either if it hadn't been nominated, but it turns out to be not just my personal pick to win in its category, but also one of the best animated films in years. This thing is so damn fun, full of energy and spirit and lively animation, and at times it is also VERY funny. I especially loved hearing Olivia Colman ham it up as an evil smartphone. It gets a little overwhelmed by its own sci-fi plot in the last 30 minutes or so, but this is a real winner. 

THE POWER OF THE DOG (nominated for a whole lot)

I mean...really? This is the film that got the most nominations overall, and is a strong favorite to win best picture? 

I don't think this is a bad film. The cinematography is great. Cumberbatch, and surprisingly Kirsten Dunst (who I haven't liked in anything really for years) are very good. But after a strong start the story just got less and less interesting to me, and a couple of the twists are not surprising. Plus I guess there is just a limit to how long I can watch one character just be a complete sociopath towards everyone else. 

THE LOST DAUGHTER (nominated for actress, supporting actress, screenplay)

This is the directing debut of Maggie Gyllenhaal, and she does quite a good job keeping this oddly paced drama with sprinkles of real tension going. Olivia Colman is outstanding. Jessie Buckley is just as great. Nice to see Ed Harris in something again. I wish it had a more satisfying ending (the movie just ends rather randomly) but the journey there is good. 

FLEE (nominated for animated feature and documentary)

This is a film that I more appreciated than liked. It is a novel approach to do a first person doc in animation, especially with how the narrator's memories can actually be shown. But while the story is worth telling, it just did not involve me. 

DRIVE MY CAR (nominated for picture, director, screenplay)

The 3 hour Japanese film about a grieving man. Of all these films this was the one I was mostly dreading, due to the length. I was able to see it in theaters and that helped a LOT. The pace is very slow, but it has to be, and in a theater it was much easier to become immersed. And I was never bored. It's a good story, with a lot of subtle emotion, and when it ended it did feel very cathartic. I will probably never watch it again, but I'm glad I watched it once. 

SUMMER OF SOUL (nominated for best documentary)

This doc is about a music festival that took place in Harlem during the same summer as Woodstock. Then, as the film tells it, all the footage sat in a basement for 50 years. Obviously the film has wall to wall excellent music, but I really appreciated how that in between the music there is a lot of context added about what was going on in America then, along with remembrances from some of the surviving musicians.

I *was* also going to watch Coda, but Apple's website wouldn't let me get a free trial going, so that one will have to remain unseen.