Oscar Picks 2021

This is my 15th year of predicting the Oscar winners.  Last year I saw 1 of the nominated films and correctly predicted 5 of 7 categories (I don't predict them all).  This year I saw 3 films (for the full list of nominees, go to the Academy Awards website):

Emma.

Over the Moon

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

Emma. is nominated for Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Best Supporting Actor

Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah

Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami

Paul Raci, Sound of Metal

Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah

My Pick: Daniel Kaluuya

I feel like he has the momentum at this point.

Best Supporting Actress

Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy

Olivia Colman, The Father

Amanda Seyfried, Mank

Youn Yuh-jung, Minari

My Pick: Youn Yuh-jung

Again, she has the momentum and I have only heard good things about her performance.

Best Actor

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Anthony Hopkins, The Father

Gary Oldman, Mank

Steven Yeun, Minari

My Pick: Chadwick Boseman

This is the Academy's last chance to award Chadwick Boseman, so I think they will take it.

Best Actress

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday

Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman

Frances McDormand, Nomadland

Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

My Pick: Frances McDormand

Just a guess.  I assume it will be Frances McDormand or Viola Davis.

Best Director

Lee Isaac Chung, Minari

Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman

David Fincher, Mank

Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round

Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

My Pick: Emerald Fennell

I haven't seen any of these films, but let's spread the wealth and guess the direction for Promising Young Woman, or David Fincher for Mank.

Best Animated Film

Onward

Over the Moon

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

Soul

Wolfwalkers

My Pick: Soul

Disney and Pixar normally dominate this category, so I think Soul will probably win.  However, I am most excited about Wolfwalkers - I have loved the Irish Folklore animated films of Tomm Moore.  I would be pleasantly surprised if it won, but I fully expect the award to go to Soul or Onward.

Best Picture

The Father

Judas and the Black Messiah

Mank

Minari

Nomadland

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

Trial of the Chicago 7

My Pick: ______

Honestly, I have no clue.  I'm going to say Trial of the Chicago 7 (won the SAG Award) or Mank (a movie about the movie industry). 

EDIT: 4 of 7, not great... but for only seeing 3 films, I accept it.

The Hustle (2019)

Penny Rust (Wilson) is a con artist who takes advantage of foolish men.  After narrowly avoiding capture, she decides to scam her way through France.  On the way to a small town in the French Rivera, she meets Josephine Chesterfield (Hathway).  Josephine is a successful, sophisticated con artist.  She has a lavish estate and employees Brigitte (Oliver) and butler Albert (Woodeson) to assist with her schemes).

Penny is impressed, and asks to be trained by Josephine.  She reluctantly agrees and their partnership is born.  However, a few cons later, Penny wants more.  They strike a wager: the first to get $500,000 from wealthy app designer Thomas Westerburg (Sharp), gets to stay on the island and the loser must leave.  With everything on the line, who is the better grifter?


This film is a remake of the 1988 comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin, which is a remake of the 1964 film Bedtime Story starring Marlon Brando and David Niven.  This film has the same basic premise as the previous films, but flips the genders of the con artists.

The Good:

The setting is gorgeous.  The island, filmed at Mallorca, and Josephine's home are beautiful.

The Bad:

The film is crass and unnecessary.  And for a comedy, it wasn't very funny.  All of the funniest moments appeared in the trailer.

Other Thoughts:

-This film is disappointing.  It has potential... the bones of the story are good (as evidenced by the success of Bedtime Stories and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), but the execution failed.

-The filmmakers took the easy joke and embraced the crude... and the end result has a few funny moments, but as a whole, I wasn't impressed.

-Final verdict - skip it.  There are better versions of the same story, and the cast has been better.

The Hustle (2019) 94 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for crude sexual content and language
Director: Chris Addison
Starring: Anne Hathaway as Josephine Chesterfield
Rebel Wilson as Penny Rust
Alex Sharp as Thomas Westerburg
Ingrid Oliver as Brigitte Desjardins
Nicholas Woodeson as Albert

Over the Moon

"Magnetic levitation is the coolest!"

Fei Fei (Ang) loves when her Ma Ma (Miles) tells the story of the Moon Goddess, Chang'e (Soo).  According to legend, Chang'e took an immortality potion and ascended to the moon as a goddess, leaving her true love, Houyi, behind.  The Moon Festival is Ma Ma's favorite time of the year, when their family gathers to make moon cakes for the village.

Fei Fei is devastated when her mother gets sick and died.  Four years later, Fei Fei still misses her mother and continues to hold on to the traditions and stories of her mother.  Her father, Ba Ba (Cho), introduces Mrs. Zhong (Oh) and her energetic son Chin (Chiu) into their lives, bringing unwelcome changes into Fei Fei's life.

Fei Fei believes if she can prove that Chang'e is real, life would go back to normal.  She builds a rocket to the moon, taking her rabbit Bungee on the trip.  Chin and his pet frog stowaway on the trip, which frustrates Fei Fei's plans.  Can Fei Fei find Chang'e, get her proof, and make it home again?

The film is based on the the Chinese legend of Chang'e the Moon Goddess, while also telling a very personal story about dealing with grief.

The Good:

The animation is beautiful.  Everything is bright and vibrant and feels like a Disney movie, while still  having it's own unique identity.  The scenes on the moon have an inner-lumination, and feel like a dream.

The story, written by the late Audrey Wells (the film is dedicated to Wells), is interesting and melds the Chinese myth of Chang'e and the Festival of Festival, with the story of a young girl dealing with the loss of her mother.

Chang'e's costumes were designed by haute couture designer Guo Pei.  Her costumes are beautiful and memorable.

The Bad:

The characters of Chin and Gobi are obnoxious... they eventually grow on you, but both characters teeter on the edge of annoying.

Other Comments:

-Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2021

-This marks Glen Keane's directorial debut.  Keane is a well-known animator who worked for Disney for 30+ years.  He also won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short in 2018 for Dear Basketball.

-The film is an emotional journey, while still adding humor and new songs.

-The songs were written by Christopher Curtis, Marjorie Duffield, and Helen Park.  And the score is by Steven Price.  They are good, but don't stick with you like other animated musicals.  The stand-out is "Rocket to the Moon", performed by Cathy Ang.  I also enjoyed all of Phillipa Soo's performances (she has a beautiful voice), especially "Ultraluminary" which is an excellent introduction to the character.

-Final verdict: it is a well-made and enjoyable film, but it's not my favorite.

Over the Moon (2020) 100 minutes

Director: Glen Keane

Starring: Cathy Ang as Fei Fei

Phillipa Soo as Chang'e

Robert G. Chiu as Chin

Ken Jeong as Gobi

John Cho as Ba Ba

Ruthie Ann Miles as Ma Ma

Sandra Oh as Mrs. Zhong