Best Picture
Will Win: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Should Win: Elvis
Did Win: Everything Everywhere All at Once
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Best Picture Winner Notes:
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
I look for films that uplift and inspire, and all of these Oscar films were pretty serious, except for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” I was really rooting for “Elvis” for its kindness, love and generosity. I also loved the music and the spirited rebellion against the racist and sexist status quo that Elvis (Austin Butler) expresses in the film. It was a treat to see Elvis come back to life, and I also felt that Austin Butler deserved the Best Actor award. I feel that the Academy wanted to show solidarity with Asians, due to the unfair grudges being held against Asians at this moment in time, when spy balloons are being shot down. If the Oscars were held a month ago, “Elvis” would have won easily. The British Bafta Awards gave a landslide support to the film “All Quiet on the Western Front,” because the British were sending long range weapons to Ukraine at the time of the ceremony. Timing is everything. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” was about female mid-life crisis, which in my opinion, is not Best Picture Oscar winner worthy. Politics and timing seem to have affected the outcome.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64328586
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EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
“Everything Everywhere all at Once” was one of the few upbeat film contenders, which made it stand out enough to win. The Academy was super supportive of the Asian factor, expecially just after China’s spy balloon episode. This film had ten nominations, and won all but three. It won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, losing Best Original Song, Best Music (Original Score), Best Custume Design. Usually, if a film is liked, but is not going to win the top spot, the Academy will give the film something, but with this film, it got all the top spots.
Awkwafina almost played the daughter, but left the project in January 2020 due to scheduling conflicts, and was replaced with Stephanie Hsu.
The film was not released in most parts of the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, due to censorship of LGBT issues in those countries. The daughter, Joy, is dealing with depression and has a strained relationship with her mother, Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh), who is reluctant to accept Joy’s lesbian relationship with her non-Chinese girlfriend Becky.
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ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
“Alls Quiet on the Western Front” is such a futile, depressing film, but it does give us a glimspe of what it must be like for the Ukranians right now. Leaders with strong egos do not think about saving the lives of the young men under their command. They have no concern about sending them to slaughter, even if the war was going to be over in a matter of hours. This film did take home Awards for Best International Feature Film, Best Cinematography, Best Music (Original Score) and Best Production Design. I was glad that “Navalny” won Best Documentary Feature Film. Both of these films deal with authoritarian dictator conflicts. What is going on in Sudan right now, is yet another example of dictators in charge.
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AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
“Avatar” is another war film, only in a fantasy world. This film did manage to take home an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. The main characters choose to run and hide, but ultimately are forced to fight the battle. It is all about adapting to a new environment, country, customs and skillset. At this point in time, there are an estimated 272 million immigrants in the world. The US has 50.6 million of them, Germany comes in second with 15.8 million and Saudi Arabia is third with 13.5 million immigrants. “Avatar” is about immigrants trying to escape war and dictators, which is not only timely, but Oscar worthy in subject matter.
Avatar 4 and 5 “are not only greenlit,” but also a third of Avatar 4 has already been filmed.
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THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
The Oscars had jokes and funny scenes about “The Banshees of Inisherin”, but in my view, this film is another Jeffrey Dahmer story about latent homosexuality. Everyone around them flee, commit suicide or maim themselves. This story is deadly serious and is very depressing. “Banshees..” had eight nominations, but did not take home a single award. Similar to a latent homosexual, no one at the Oscars is able to see or admit the problem. “Tar” was in the same situation, it was nominated for six awards, but took home zero. Homosexuality does not rank very high in this year’s Oscar competition nor in the world view.
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ELVIS
ELVIS
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
“Elvis was my favorite film this year. It is not just a sentimental favorite for me. This film exhibits all the qualities that we strive to achieve, success, love, career, values to live by and respect for each other. My own mother collected all of Elvis’s records. He touched her in a way that no other man in her life was able to do. At one point in his life, Elvis lived for the love of his fans. The music was fantastic as just one of this film’s many strengths. I do not know why one of the songs was not nominated in the Best Song category. Again, “Elvis” was nominated eight times, with no wins. Timing is everything. Also, I feel that the Razzie campaign against Tom Hanks as the Colonel in this film was very effective in turning the tide in the days before the voting. Someone has to play the colonel, Tom Hanks added empathy to the role, in my opinion.
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THE FABELMANS
THE FABELMANS
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
This is sad, seven nominations, with nothing to show for it. I understand that this is supposed to be a true story. (Spoiler Alert) The wife/mother (Michelle Williams) has four children with her decent, hard working husband (Paul Dano), then she insists on having a loser guy (Seth Rogen) tag along with the family, until she just leaves her husband for the other guy. The deal breaker is that her husband is too acommodating and the other guy appears to need her. Go figure. The reason this film did not win had nothing to do with being a good film, it was because it was too much like real life in most marriages. The good guys do not win. It is heart-breaking really.
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TAR
TAR
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
Even with Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress nomimations, Tar comes up without a single win. This is not a good sign for the gay or the feminist community. The female conductor (Cate Blanchett) makes some political blunders, by offending some powerful male counterparts, and pays dearly for it. (Spoiler alert) First, she gets physically assaulted, then she loses her position and then her musical work is stolen from her. She makes the mistake of thinking that she is safe and that others want her to succeed in such a highly competitive arena. She is clearly being gaslighted to the point of losing her sanity towards the end. All she needed to do was apologize and bake some cupcakes. She was lucky enough to have a young daughter, so she should have had those skills. This is a cautionary tale about never taking ones success for granted. And, yes, females can have big egos, just like some men.
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TOP GUN: MAVERICK
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
“Top Gun, Maverick” gets six nominations, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay, but only wins for “Best Sound?” Of all the films nominated for Best Picture, I think “Top Gun, Maverick” enjoyed the longest run and had the greatest public popularity, especially on Father’s Day. The American public loved this film, especially the older population group. I have never seen so many walkers at a movie’s opening. This film made $1.489 billion in gross revenue. So, I guess they figured it did not need the Academy’s recognition. On the other hand, I need to ask what made this film such a big success in comparison to all the other films? I think it should have gotten a little more than “Best Sound.”
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TRIANGLE OF SADNESS
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
“Triangle of Sadness” is all about class struggle and lower class resentment, similar to the 2020 film, “Parasite.”
And, like “Parasite,” these upper class characters could not appear to be nicer individuals.
Life copies art, when the beautiful lead actress, actually dies after making this film.
South African actress and model Charlbi Dean died in August 2022 of bacterial sepsis, caused by a previous surgery. Suddenly gone, at age 32 years old.
So yes, “Triangle of Sadness” is sad. For me, Dean’s performance was the only part of it that would make me want to see it again.
This film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay, with no wins.
Sad about sums it up.
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WOMEN TALKING
WOMEN TALKING
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
Last, but not least, “Women Talking” was nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards.
This film was written / directed by Sarah Polley, and I discovered, is based on a true story.
Taken from a 2018 novel by Canadian Miriam Toews about a remote and isolated Mennonite community in Bolivia, where a gang of men from the community, gased and raped the women over a 4-year period by spraying veterinary seditive through the window screens, then attacking the victims.
The women were also being gaslighted by using religious beliefs of non-violence and forgiveness to keep them from acting against the men.
This is a tough film to sit through, but the reward is to understand why today’s women insist on being educated.
Once seen, “Women Talking” is impossible to forget, and after being nominated for Academy Awards its grosses were boosted with a worldwide total of $8.9 million.
Sarah Polley won Best Adapted Screenplay for this film.
(“Women Talking” is the last film released by United Artists Releasing before Amazon ceased the distributor’s operations and folded it into MGM, Orion’s parent company.)
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4/23/2023 # 2023 OSCAR Notes: “Everything Everywhere All at Once,”“All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Avatar: The Way of the Water,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Elvis,” “The Fabelmans,” “Tar,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “Women Talking.”
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