If my kids have heard me say it once, they’ve heard me say it a thousand times: “If I could somehow go back in time and do it all over again, I’d go to film school.”
Ever since I saw “Night of the Living Dead” at Merced’s Starlight Drive-In with my aunt and uncle when I was 4 years old (I really don’t think they expected I’d still be awake by the time the feature started), I’ve been hooked.
With the 97th Academy Awards ceremony just eight days away, it’s essentially Christmastime for cinephiles like me.
Each year at this time, my television is constantly tuned to Turner Classic Movies, where Ben Mankiewicz and gang present Oscar-nominated films the entire month before awards are handed out.
More than that, I make it a point to watch all the movies nominated for Best Picture. Some years, that’s easier than others. This year, I’m woefully behind.
Of the 10 nominated films (“Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Emilia Perez,” “I’m Still Here,” “Nickel Boys,” “The Substance,” and “Wicked”), I’ve seen only three, which means I’ve got a lot of work to do this week.
The three that I have seen are certainly Oscar-worthy efforts:
“Conclave” is a wonderfully intriguing film about the inner workings of the College of Cardinals’ efforts to select a new pope. It’s got a plot twist I guarantee you won’t see coming, even when you think you see it coming (unless you’ve read the book). Ralph Fiennes is up for Best Actor for a third time in his career, and Isabella Rossellini earned her first Oscar nomination with very little dialogue and one diabolical curtsy.
“Wicked” makes the leap from stage to soundstage in grand fashion. And even though I’m not fond of movies being chopped into two parts, with the second installment a year away, it’s justified in this nonpareil musical starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande (“toss, toss”) as backstory versions of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch of “Wizard of Oz” fame.
At this point, with seven movies still to see, I’d be fine with either of those taking home the Oscar.
“The Substance,” while worthy of a nomination, doesn’t quite feel like an Oscar winner to me. But it’s one hell of a ride, nevertheless.
Demi Moore has earned her first Oscar nod as fading actress Elisabeth Sparkle, looking for that little edge to keep her looking young, and her career relevant. She finds it, and gets so much more than she bargained for. Again, I’ve got seven movies left to view, but I don’t see how any of them can top the brilliant makeup created by Pierre Olivier Persin, Stephanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli. In fact, I’m going to guarantee an Oscar for the trio in this category. And I don’t do this lightly.
Five times I’ve walked out of movie theaters and proclaimed somebody an Oscar winner — in the middle of the movie season, without knowing what other films might come out later in the year. I correctly predicted Oscars for Philip Seymour Hoffman (Best Actor for “Capote”), Helen Mirren (Best Actress for “The Queen”), Diablo Cody (best screenplay for “Juno”), Joaquin Phoenix (Best Actor for “The Joker”), and Robert Downey Jr. (Best Supporting Actor for “Oppenheimer”). I only do this when I’m certain I’ve seen something spectacular, and I’m calling my shot once more in the makeup category for “The Substance.”
If you’ve seen it, I doubt you’ll disagree.
So that's where this Martin Scorsese-wannabe currently stands. I’ve got eight days to watch seven movies, and with two Saturdays, and one and a half Sundays in there, I should be able to pull it off.
For the next several nights, we’ll pop some corn, crack open a few cold ones, turn the lights down low and the volume up to insane levels as we attempt to complete our annual Oscar quest.
You know, you don’t need a degree from NYU film school to be a movie connoisseur, but it sure helps to have an aunt and uncle who’ll drag you along to drive-in movies.
The Academy Awards will be held on March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The show, to be broadcast live by ABC, is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
