Best Pictures #64
The 2019 (92nd) Academy Awards
History was made at the 92nd Academy Awards for films released in 2019. The South Korean film Parasite won Oscars for Original Screenplay, International Film, Director, and, in a historic first, Best Picture. In 1933, The Private Life of Henry VIII became the first non-Hollywood film to be nominated for Best Picture and win an Academy Award (Charles Laughton for Best Actor). In 1938, Grand Illusion made history by becoming the first foreign language film to earn a nomination for Best Picture. A total of 11 foreign language films (or 12 if you include 2006's Babel, which has some scenes in English), including Parasite, over an 80 year time span would earn Best Picture nominations. A foreign film earning a Best Picture nomination is no easy feat, even in the expanded "up to 10 nominees" era, but the contention of these films is usually not taken seriously; that film would win Best Foreign Language Film (now called International Film), and that was that. Until February 9th, 2020.
The British World War I action thriller 1917 was released at the very tail end of 2019 and quickly earned precursor awards (Golden Globes, BAFTAs). 1917 and and its director, Sam Mendes, took frontrunner status and seemed like locks for the Academy Awards. Parasite was a lock to win the newly renamed International Film category, and Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won became favorites to win in the Original Screenplay category (and indeed they did).
Bong Joon-ho's win for Best Director and Parasite's win for Best Picture were the most pleasing upsets in recent Oscar history. In his acceptance speech for Best Director, Bong Joon-ho honored fellow nominees Scorsese and Tarantino and asked for a "Texas chainsaw" to split the Oscar statue. The audience at the Academy Awards (judging from what I saw on TV) matched my own and doubtless many others: initial shock followed by total delight. The cast and crew of Parasite were noticeably thrilled (it's always great to see people that are actually happy to win an award). Not only was Parasite's win a landmark moment for international cinema and Academy Awards history and film history, but it encapsulated everything that the Oscars could and should be. A brilliantly crafted, superb film that uses every aspect of filmmaking to the fullest was singled out for its achievements drawing even more attention it, and, hopefully, new audiences. And for viewers at home, the ceremony had an actual sense of excitement, as opposed to being a parade of preordained winners from start to finish (though there were some of those too).
Overall, the the 9 Best Picture nominees of 2019 were an interesting group. They included period pictures, war films, satires, a literary adaptation, a comic book movie, a crime drama, a divorce drama, and, of course, a foreign film. Except for Joker, they were all strong, entertaining films that I would recommend. I'm glad that a movie that I never would have seen, Ford v Ferrari, picked up a Best Picture nomination (it ended up with well deserved wins for Sound Editing and Film Editing) so that I had to watch it and got to be thoroughly entertained and thrilled by its quality filmmmaking. I am extremely happy that Parasite won as many Oscars as it did, especially Best Picture. The reaction on social media was that the actual best picture of 2019 won Best Picture. Parasite is a superb, one-of-a-kind film. Everything about it works in harmony to excellent results: the screenplay, production design, cinematography, editing, score, performances, and direction. It is timely in its themes but it is never for a moment didactic or pandering. It is a compelling satire and thriller that challenges the audience and genre conventions. It entertains at every moment but also causes us to reflect on our society. That is cinema. That is art. That's the movies at their best.
As excited and delighted as I am that Parasite won Best Picture and made history, were I a voting member of the Academy I would still have to cast my vote for my favorite film of 2019.
My Pick for Best Picture of 2019: I Heard You Paint Houses (The Irishman)
The great critic and filmmaker Francois Truffaut said (I'm paraphrasing) it is impossible to make an anti-war film because to put anything on film is to ennoble it. Roger Ebert believed that if Truffaut had lived to see Oliver Stone's Vietnam film Platoon (1986) he would have changed his mind. While watching I Heard You Paint Houses (The Irishman) I thought, surely if Truffaut were alive today he would agree that The Irishman in no way ennobles the criminal or the criminal life. Scorsese has been accused of glamorizing the gangsters in his crime movies (Goodfellas, Casino, and, if you count it as a crime movie, which I do, The Wolf of Wall Street), which he does to a point to show the appeal of that life to a certain kind of young person or outsider. Though the main character lives to be an old man (and not in prison), this film feels like a great tragedy from its opening moments. The elderly Frank Sheeran recalls his life, not just his crimes, like it is a confession. Anna Paquin as Frank's adult daughter, Peggy, has only a few scenes and even fewer lines but what she does with those scenes says everything about the kind of person she knows Frank actually is. Paquin does more with a cold, accusing stare than most actors or actresses could do with entire monologues. Joe Pesci was my personal pick for Best Supporting Actor. His performance steals the whole movie. That he came out of retirement for it, and likely will go back into retirement, makes it all the more notable. This film spans an adult life but also history. In the background are major events, like the Bay of Pigs invasion and Watergate break-in, covered in other films like Oliver Stone's JFK and Nixon.
Yes, this is a very long movie; some of the best films are. I don't think any of The Irishman's effect would be lost by watching it over separate viewings. Being the story of a life over the course of 30 years, it has an episodic feel which would lend it to being watched in parts. Currently, The Irishman is only available for streaming through Netflix, but it was recently announced that the Criterion Collection will be releasing on DVD/Blu-ray later in 2020. I can't wait to actually own this movie. Everything I've said about this film makes it sound like a depressing movie, but I stress that while what happens in the film is depressing, watching the film is not. The Irishman is a masterful achievement that ranks among Martin Scorsese's best films.
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