David Lee
BlacKkKlansman
The Academy Awards have grown more inclusive, but there is one inexplicable exclusion from this year’s contenders: Won’t You Be My Neighbor? How the Academy could have neglected the wonderful and revealing (not to mention crowd-pleasing) documentary on Mr. Rogers is among the more puzzling incidents in the annals of the awards.
As for films that made it through the nomination gauntlet, two highly unusual contenders are tied at 10 nominations each. The Favourite is a twisted costume drama (comedy?) that viewers either love or hate (I’m among the former). While admirable for its black-and-white cinematography and for characters whose lives are seldom seen in Hollywood, I’ve yet to meet anyone (film critics don’t count) who actually enjoyed watching Roma.
Somehow, I suspect that neither will win Best Picture. It could be easy for the Academy to hand Best Foreign Language Picture to Roma and ignore the perverse Favourite in favor of Green Book, a comfortable fit for Hollywood’s model of social consciousness.
Director? I’d love the Academy to finally honor Spike Lee (up for BlacKkKlansman) just as much as I like being surprised. Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite) is still a Hollywood outsider. Alfonso Cuarón (Roma) has established a solid track record from the industry’s standpoint. Even if he loses Best Picture, odds are in his favor.
Christian Bale might deserve Best Actor in a Leading Role for disappearing inside his generation-spanning depiction of Dick Cheney (Vice). But no male lead filled the big screen as entertainingly and lovingly as Rami Malek, who disappeared inside his decade-spanning depiction of Freddie Mercury (Bohemian Rhapsody). I think Malek will win.
Actress in a Leading Role? Come on, Academy, you’ve nominated Glenn Close seven times and never given her the trophy. She was great as the complicated woman behind the “great man” in The Wife. Give her an Oscar, will you!
A word on this year’s lack of a host: good. Hopefully, it means a faster show with a shorter running time. But, if the Academy follows precedent, it will kill time with dance numbers that no one will want to watch.
One more thing about that Best Documentary category: RBG deserves victory for its well-made look into the life of one of our era’s most significant women, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. But no nods to Mr. Rogers? Come on, Academy!
The Academy Awards ceremony begins at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24.
