Best Picture
Will Win: “Coda”
Should Win: “Drive My Car”
Did Win” “Coda”
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
As I see it, every one of the Best Picture films deal with the topic of “bullying,” in one form or another.
Because that is what the world is dealing with right now, on the personal level and on the world stage.
My personal Best Picture pick is between “Drive My Car” and “Coda.” Both films demonstrate emotional generosity.
Each of these two films present a solution to the topic of bullying and self-interest.
“Coda” shows me the personal solution. It demonstrates a loving, loyal family that overcomes hardships together, with the highest possible outcome for all concerned.
But “Drive My Car,” slightly wins, in my opinion, because it is able to see the problem from an empathetic view that is deeply personal and can be applied to the world arena.
My “Best Picture” pick is “Drive My Car.” As the title suggests, am I able to drive someone else’s car?
“Drive My Car” encourages me to put myself in the place of the bullied, without judgement, but with a positive solution.
“Belfast”
“Belfast,” Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik and Tamar Thomas, producers
Trailer:
BELFAST Trailer 2 (2021) Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench, Drama Movie – Bing video
Wiki:
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
The bullies in “Belfast” are the Protestants against the Catholics.
We are called to identify with a Protestant family, who do not hate Catholics.
When their position is revealed, they are bullied out of town, but they forget to take granny, whose husband has just passed away.
What is going on here? Does the family really think that granny can fend for herself?
Leaving granny behind was even more upsetting, to me, than the 1969 riots.
In “Belfast”, the bullied family just makes a run for it, leaving an elderly grandmother behind.
Major demerits in my book. Not my favorite film.
“CODA”
“CODA,” Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger, producers
Trailer:
CODA Trailer (2021) Drama Movie – Bing video
Wiki:
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
I knew that “Coda” was going to be good, when I went to see it, but I was not expecting it to be “that” good.
I have to admit that I was left completely choked up by its ending.
Emilia Jones plays Ruby Rossi, the only hearing member of a deaf family.
She is not your ordinary teen.
Because of her unusual circumstances, she is encouraged to be a strong voice for her family at an early age.
At school, Ruby is bullied for having a deaf family background.
Bullies like to think that they are better than someone else.
So Ruby is made to feel ashamed of her very loving family.
“Coda” champions the deaf and also the selfless teachers out there.
Even though the music teacher is from Mexico, it did not have the world changing aspect that I found in “Drive My Car.”
So “Coda” comes in second, but is first in emotional generosity, that is innocently over-whelming.
“Don’t Look Up”
“Don’t Look Up,” Adam McKay and Kevin Messick, producers
Trailer:
DON’T LOOK UP | Official Teaser Trailer | Netflix – Bing video
Wiki:
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
“Don’t Look Up” is full of bullies, who resist the truth, think only of themselves, and wallow in their own ideas of superiority, no matter what.
This film is about human stupidity and being in denial, even in moon-sized impending disaster.
The bullies are completely frozen in their lack of human empathy for others, their flawed choices and in their delayed action.
Here we have a scientist, who betrays his own wife, and a President, who forgets all about her own son.
These are the kind of people who will throw you a water bottle, or a roll of paper towels, just to pretend that they care.
Bullies are unable to process the concept that what they do to others, they do to themselves.
“Drive My Car”
“Drive My Car,” Teruhisa Yamamoto, producer
Trailers:
Drive My Car Trailer #1 (2021) | Movieclips Indie – Bing video
Drive My Car (2021) | Trailer | Hidetoshi Nishijima | Toko Miura | Masaki Okada – Bing video
Wiki:
Drive My Car (film) – Wikipedia
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
An emotionally ill mother, or an unfaithful spouse, are sources of emotional abuse, which are also forms of bullying.
Bullying has many forms, and “Drive My Car” exposes these two types of bullying.
A renowned actor is trying to heal from his wife’s death and a young female driver is also trying to heal from her mother’s death.
They both feel guilty that they are relieved that the abuse is over.
In this film, they meet by divine appointment to heal each other.
As victims, neither were able to confront the bullies in their lives, which renders them both unfit for intimate relationships.
A healthy relationship requires trust and honest communication.
Bullies use and manipulate others, even their own mates and children.
“Drive My Car” is my number one choice, because it shows the way for the bullied to heal and to learn from others in a life-affirming way.
The actor is invited to direct a Russian play in a way that incorporates diversity of talent, different languages, and even sign language.
His young driver is about the same age as his own daughter would have been, so he treats her like he would his own daughter.
She responds to his fatherly nurturing and is able to realize that not everyone is cruel.
Together they are able to process their emotions and predicaments in a positive way.
By the end of this three-hour film, the viewer also realizes what several world playwrights are trying to say in their plays.
We are here to help and to heal each other, which starts with ourselves and our own families.
On the world arena, kindness, communication and positive action is what is going to save the planet.
Since no one is without guilt, judgement is futile.
“Dune”
“Dune,” Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve and Cale Boyter, producers
Trailer:
DUNE – FINAL TRAILER – Bing video
Wiki:
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
“Dune” is a magnificent, futuristic story that after two and a half hours, turns out to be only half the story.
If this is our future, then mankind has not learned much.
Mankind is still trying to exploit and bully others, be it on an inter-planet level.
In “Dune”, planetary invaders attempt to keep the defeated population in a state of servitude, while the spice of the planet is exploited.
Are we still on the same track of “might is right?”
Like in the country of Ukraine, the Arrakis people know the terrain and know how to survive in their own desert habitat.
I am hoping that in part two, we are shown how desert power and psychic power are able to defeat brute power.
I am also hoping that the bullies are taught a permanent lesson of respect.
“King Richard”
“King Richard,” Tim White, Trevor White and Will Smith, producers
Trailer:
KING RICHARD Trailer 2 (2021) – Bing video
Wiki:
King Richard (film) – Wikipedia
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
“King Richard” depicts how a whole societal environment can be the bully.
In America, if you are born Black, you are automatically a target for bullies.
Like the deaf family in “Coda”, the Williams family in “King Richard” stick together and support each other, no matter what.
Blacks are kept in their place through economic and educational disadvantage.
This is a blended family, where all the children are girls.
Richard’s wife, Brandy came with three daughters from a previous marriage, and together they have two more girls, Venus and Serena.
They live in Compton, CA, where he is a security guard and she is a nurse, trying to raise all their daughters.
Both Richard and Brandy were athletes, so they do have some knowledge to pass on to their daughters.
Together, this husband-and-wife team groom their two youngest daughters to be tennis pros.
The way up is full of societal land mines that apply to the bullied segment of society.
As a family, they insist that all their daughters are going to get the best education possible, while Venus and Serena are being groomed for tennis stardom.
Richard and Brandy are extremely protective and sensitive to anything that might harm their daughters in a racist societal environment.
Not only is society racist, but their next-door neighbors are racist, not to mention the landmines of gangs and drugs in Compton.
I found this film extremely inspiring for everyone, not just if you were born Black.
“Licorice Pizza”
“Licorice Pizza,” Sara Murphy, Adam Somner and Paul Thomas Anderson, producers
Trailer:
Trailer: ‘Licorice Pizza’ – Bing video
Wiki:
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
Anyone can be a victim of bullying. Usually, there is some physical trait that can make one a victim.
In “Licorice Pizza”, that physical identifier is that you are the weaker sex.
Twenty-five-year-old Alana Kane meets 15-year-old actor Gary Valentine.
In this particular case, she has ten years of experience that puts her at an advantage.
Alana is a smart young female living in a male dominated culture.
In this environment, she is not rewarded for being smart, nor is she seen as an equal to a man.
She is rewarded for her sexual attributes, period.
Here, a fifteen-year-old male, is offered more advantages than she was at his age.
Love is almost impossible to achieve in this kind of an environment.
Alana Kane (Alana Haim) and as Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) do eventually find love and friendship.
This occurs through their constant interest and involvement in each other’s activity, acting, water bed and pin ball businesses, and politics.
If I were to sum it all up, “Licorice Pizza” is about the politics of love.
“Nightmare Alley”
“Nightmare Alley,” Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Bradley Cooper, producers
Trailer:
NIGHTMARE ALLEY Trailer 3 (2021) – Bing video
Wiki:
Nightmare Alley (2021 film) – Wikipedia
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
Socio-psychopaths are another form of bully, who will actually kill you in order to advance themselves.
(Spoiler alert) Drifter Stan Carlisle and psychologist Dr. Lilith Ritter, in the film, are both socio-psychopaths.
Stan and Lilith prefer to secretly kill their victims. They are completely lacking in empathy and feelings.
The question is, are socio-psychopaths born or made?
Stan kills three people during the course of this film; five, if you count the suicide.
Lilith likes to psychoanalyze her victims, so she can effectively identify their weak spots, which allows her to effectively defeat them.
Her unique talent lies in winning their trust, so she can later enjoy watching them unravel.
This film is full of not very nice people.
“The Power of the Dog”
“The Power of the Dog,” Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappier, producers
Trailer:
The Power of the Dog | Official Trailer | Netflix – Bing video
Wiki:
The Power of the Dog (film) – Wikipedia
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) is the classic bully. He likes to pick on those, whom he perceives as weaker than himself.
He enjoys getting the group to laugh at his victims.
It is hinted that he may be homosexual, so he might be motivated to deflect attention off of himself.
In the film, he is unmarried and is annoyed when his brother George (Jesse Plemons) takes a wife.
His all-male environment has now been violated.
I am not sure if he hates women or just feels that he is superior to them.
He makes a mistake, when he begins to torment the medical student son, Peter Gordon (Kodi Smit-McPhee), of his brother’s new bride.
Her son witnessed his father’s death, so he is a little messed up emotionally.
Peter may also be on his way to becoming a socio-psychopath himself.
What is so heart-breaking is that Phil at one point, is deceived that Peter may actually care about him.
This reminds me of the characters in “Nightmare Alley”, where the socio-psychopath trumps the bully.
I actually felt sorry for Phil, when his last gesture is trying to give Peter the rope that he made for him. (This scene is heart wrenching.)
“West Side Story”
“West Side Story,” Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger, producers
Trailer:
WEST SIDE STORY Trailer 2 (2021) – Bing video
Wiki:
West Side Story (2021 film) – Wikipedia
Film Review by Marlene Ardoin
Street gangs are also a form of bullying; one group of people are pitted against another for supremacy.
In “West Side Story,” both gangs are formed for self-protection (the Puerto Ricans against the poor white group).
Each have a loyalty code to their own group (their all-male group).
Neither group has any real power, so they resort to bullying women.
This musical is famous for its rape scene. This is the scene that Rita Moreno got her Oscar for.
In the 1960’s, it was unusual for a woman to fight back, after she is nearly raped.
In this 2021 version, it is again, Rita Moreno, as the widow of the shopkeeper, who is also the one who shames the same kids.
She says, “I saw you all grow up, have you become rapists?”
She is also the one who takes in Tony, when he gets out of jail as the former leader of the Jets.
What makes this film so heart-breaking is the fact that Valentina’s (Rita Moreno) kind treatment of Tony, not only proves her level of caring, but it is what has helped him to reform.
Tony has a respect for women, which is what Maria loves about him.
In my opinion, Rita Moreno deserves the Oscar again.
Full Oscar Nominations:
Best Picture
“Belfast,” Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik and Tamar Thomas, producers
X – “CODA,” Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger, producers
“Don’t Look Up,” Adam McKay and Kevin Messick, producers
“Drive My Car,” Teruhisa Yamamoto, producer
“Dune,” Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve and Cale Boyter, producers
“King Richard,” Tim White, Trevor White and Will Smith, producers
“Licorice Pizza,” Sara Murphy, Adam Somner and Paul Thomas Anderson, producers
“Nightmare Alley,” Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Bradley Cooper, producers
“The Power of the Dog,” Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappier, producers
“West Side Story,” Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger, producers
Best Director
Kenneth Branagh (“Belfast”)
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (“Drive My Car”)
Paul Thomas Anderson (“Licorice Pizza”)
X – Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”)
Steven Spielberg (“West Side Story”)
Best Lead Actor
Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”)
Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”)
Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick … Boom!”)
X – Will Smith (“King Richard”)
Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”)
Best Lead Actress
X – Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”)
Olivia Colman (“The Lost Daughter”)
Penélope Cruz (“Parallel Mothers”)
Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”)
Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”)
Best Supporting Actor
Ciarán Hinds (“Belfast”)
X – Troy Kotsur (“CODA”)
Jesse Plemons (“The Power of the Dog”)
J.K. Simmons (“Being the Ricardos”)
Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”)
Best Supporting Actress
Jessie Buckley (“The Lost Daughter”)
X – Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”)
Judi Dench (“Belfast”
Kirsten Dunst (“The Power of the Dog”)
Aunjanue Ellis (“King Richard”)
Best Adapted Screenplay
X – “CODA,” screenplay by Siân Heder
“Drive My Car,” screenplay by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe
“Dune,” screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth
“The Lost Daughter,” written by Maggie Gyllenhaal
“The Power of the Dog,” written by Jane Campion
Best Original Screenplay
X – “Belfast,” written by Kenneth Branagh
“Don’t Look Up,” screenplay by Adam McKay; story by Adam McKay and David Sirota
“King Richard,” written by Zach Baylin
“Licorice Pizza,” written by Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Worst Person in the World,” written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier
Best Cinematography
X – “Dune,” Greig Fraser
“Nightmare Alley,” Dan Laustsen
“The Power of the Dog,” Ari Wegner
“The Tragedy of Macbeth,” Bruno Delbonnel
“West Side Story,” Janusz Kaminski
Best Animated Feature Film
X – “Encanto,” Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino and Clark Spencer
“Flee,” Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
“Luca,” Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren
“The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” Mike Rianda, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Kurt Albrecht
“Raya and the Last Dragon,” Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho
Best Animated Short Film
“Affairs of the Art,” Joanna Quinn and Les Mills
“Bestia,” Hugo Covarrubias and Tevo Díaz
“Boxballet,” Anton Dyakov
“Robin Robin,” Dan Ojari and Mikey Please
X – “The Windshield Wiper,” Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez
Best Costume Design
X – “Cruella,” Jenny Beavan
“Cyrano,” Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran
“Dune,” Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan
“Nightmare Alley,” Luis Sequeira
“West Side Story,” Paul Tazewell
Best Original Score
“Don’t Look Up,” Nicholas Britell
X – “Dune,” Hans Zimmer
“Encanto,” Germaine Franco
“Parallel Mothers,” Alberto Iglesias
“The Power of the Dog,” Jonny Greenwood
Best Sound
“Belfast,” Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri
X – “Dune,” Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett
“No Time to Die,” Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor
“The Power of the Dog,” Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb
“West Side Story,” Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy
Best Original Song
“Be Alive” from “King Richard,” music and lyric by Dixson and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
“Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto,” music and lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Down To Joy” from “Belfast,” music and lyric by Van Morrison
X – “No Time To Die” from “No Time to Die,” music and lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
“Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days,” music and lyric by Diane Warren
Best Documentary Feature
“Ascension,” Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy and Nathan Truesdell
“Attica,” Stanley Nelson and Traci A. Curry
“Flee,” Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
X – “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein
“Writing With Fire,” Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh
Best Documentary Short Subject
“Audible,” Matt Ogens and Geoff McLean
“Lead Me Home,” Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk
X – “The Queen of Basketball,” Ben Proudfoot
“Three Songs for Benazir,” Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei
“When We Were Bullies,” Jay Rosenblatt
Best Film Editing
“Don’t Look Up,” Hank Corwin
X – “Dune,” Joe Walker
“King Richard”, Pamela Martin
“The Power of the Dog,” Peter Sciberras
“Tick, Tick…Boom!” Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum
Best International Feature Film
X – “Drive My Car” (Japan)
“Flee” (Denmark)
“The Hand of God” (Italy)
“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” (Bhutan)
“The Worst Person in the World” (Norway)
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“Coming 2 America,” Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer
“Cruella,” Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon
“Dune,” Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
X – “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh
“House of Gucci,” Göran Lundström, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras
Best Production Design
X – “Dune,” production design: Patrice Vermette; set decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos
“Nightmare Alley,” production design: Tamara Deverell; set decoration: Shane Vieau
“The Power of the Dog,” production design: Grant Major; set decoration: Amber Richards
“The Tragedy of Macbeth,” production design: Stefan Dechant; set decoration: Nancy Haigh
“West Side Story,” production design: Adam Stockhausen; set decoration: Rena DeAngelo
Best Visual Effects
X – “Dune,” Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer
“Free Guy,” Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis and Dan Sudick
“No Time to Die,” Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner and Chris Corbould
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver
“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick
Best Live Action Short Film
“Ala Kachuu – Take and Run,” Maria Brendle and Nadine Lüchinger
“The Dress,” Tadeusz Łysiak and Maciej Ślesicki
X – “The Long Goodbye,” Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed
“On My Mind,” Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson
“Please Hold,” K.D. Dávila and Levin Menekse
3/26/2022 # 2022 Oscar Predictions