If Joshua Picked the Oscars

Best Picture of The Year : Tár

For notable

Best Director

WINNER: Moneyboys by C. B. Yi

RUNNERS-UP:

Charlotte Wells for Aftersun

Kristoffer Borgli for Sick of Myself

Jerzy Skolimowski for EO 

Luca Guadagnino for Bones and All

Best Actor

WINNER: Eden Dambrine in Close

RUNNER UPs

Colin Farrell in After Yang

Cosmo Jarvis in It Is In Us All

Kai Ko in Moneyboys

Paul Mescal in Aftersun

Best Actress

WINNER: Kristine Thorpe in Sick of Myself

RUNNERS-UP

Kayije Kagame in Saint Omer

Guslagie Malanda in Saint Omer

Françoise Lebrun in Vortex

Mia Goth in Pearl

Best Original Screenplay

WINNER: Charlotte Wells for Aftersun

RUNNERS-UP:

Kristoffer Borgli for Sick of Myself

Saul Williams for Neptune Frost

C.B. Yi for Moneyboys

Laura Paredes & Laura Citarella for Trenque Lauquen

Best Adapted Screenplay

WINNER: David Kajganich for Bones and All

RUNNERS-UP:

Jerzy Skolimowski and Ewa Piaskowska for EO

Andrew Litvack, Léa Mysius, and Claire Denis for Stars at Noon

Kogonada for After Yang

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Best Score

WINNER: Athena by Benoit Heitz (GENER8ION)

Best Song of 2022 (Featured in a Movie) 

WINNER: Stars at Noon by Tindersticks

Best Editing of 2022

WINNER: After Yang (dir. Kogonada)

RUNNER UPS

Bret Morgen for Moonage Daydream

Blair McClendon for Aftersun

Paul Rogers for Everything Everywhere All At Once

Agnieszka Glińska for EO

WINNER (TIE): Athena (by Matias Boucard) and EO (by Michal Dymek)

RUNNERS-UP:

Joyland (by Joe Saade)

Moneyboys (by Jean-Louis Uialard)

Close  (By Frank van den Eeden)

Neptune Frost (by Anisia Uzeyman)

Best Sound of 2022

WINNER: Kyle Edward Ball for Skinamarink 

Best Short Live Action Film

WINNER: Tremor by Rudolf Fitzgerald-Leonard

RUNNER UP: Starfuckers by Antonio Marziale

Best Short Documentary Film 

WINNER: Will You Look At Me? by Huang Shuli

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

WINNER: Justin H. Min (in After Yang)

RUNNERS-UP:

Bai Yufan (in Moneyboys)

Sami Slimane (in Athena) 

Gustav De Waele (in Close)

Pablo Schils in Tori & Lokita

Best Actress in a Supporting Role 

WINNER: Alina Khan (in Joyland) 

RUNNERS-UP:

Hong Chau (in The Whale)

Charlbi Dean Kriek (in Triangle of Sadness)

Dolly De Leon (in Triangle of Sadness)

Stephanie Hsu in Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Documentary of The Year

WINNER: Moonage Daydream

RUNNERS-UP

All The Beauty and the Bloodshed

The Fire Within

Best Costume and Production Design

WINNER: Neptune Frost

Best Horror Film

WINNER: Terrifier 2

RUNNERS-UP

Skinamarink

Pearl

You Won’t Be Alone

The Outwaters

Toni Erdmann dir. Maren Ade (Germany, 2016) 

Skinamarink dir. Kyle Edward Ball (Canada, 2022)

Eureka (Japan, 2000) Shinji Aoyama

Eureka (Japan, 2000) Shinji Aoyama

My Own Private Idaho

Fashion Icon 

Les Misérables dir. Ladj Ly (France, 2019)

I need to remove my letterboxd reviews this is annoying. I need to figure out how to do that too.

Carne, 2010 - ★★★★½

I guess if I were have a list of favorite short films (which I should make) this one might be at the very top of the list. What is achieved in 17 minutes here is unbelievable. An adulterous nun and a controlling husband (Jesus). Their back and forth of quotations from the Bible, which is softly played out as a controlling husband and a vulnerable wife, is powerful and stunning. They contradict each other as to what she deserves. It’s a brilliant protest against dogma within Catholicism (and henceforth). At first i though Jesus was only quoting from the Old Testament, which I thought would be funny and intriguing of the character on display but he doesn’t. I looked it up. 

Perhaps I am giving away too much. But all and all I am elated I got to watch this with subtitles! In fact I have watched this several times without knowing what that dialogue was. This goes to show how the second scene is just as brilliant, which subtitles we’re not really necessary for.

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Our Time, 2018 - ★★★★

I’m so surprised this one has gone under the radar unlike other Reygadas movies. It played at PIFF, but it’s three hour running time prevented me from going. 

I’m apprehensive of male directors casting themselves in a relationship drama, especially ones might leave the male as the mature side of things. I question how much of an ego plays out in things like these. And even though I would remark that this is Reygadas most accessible film, it also seems like his least mature in many ways. Maybe because this unfolding marriage is easily played and his long, demanding pacing on detracts from its premise. The performances are not bad, but particular when thinking about Ester, I can’t stay how good her performance is. There’s a distance of the characters from the audience, and sometimes In Reygadas’ view we are meant to watch unfold without sympathy for either of them. 

The film opens up with stunning images of rural Mexico, the ranch is captured in the best of way. In natural light (I’m guessing) the sunset and sunrise are incredible, and depicting the horses and the bull go right along with it. A particular (almost point of view) scene of an agitated bull killing a horse is shocking but poignant as well. Without even looking it up and I am pretty sure that killing was very real. I’m not sure how he was able to capture such a scene but he did. 

Overall I loved this for what it is worth. But as it went on more and more of his seams become more apparent, a lot of it just feels scattered. I might think more of it if he was not cast in the central role. The role of Phil seems so much more potent when Phil is not anywhere to be seen. The second I hear his voice, I cringe. I wish he had picked a Mexican actor for that instead.

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Maelström, 2000 - ★★★★★

A strange love story, I guess if you call it that. Old school favorite... I remember when Villanueve started making movies in English I got all excited, and then I never saw any of them. I don’t know if any could ever live up to this. Not even Dune. 

I only hate the fucking lighting in this movie, it’s not always bad, but it’s still constantly too fucking bright and too saturated.

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Threads, 1984 - ★★

I seem to find this more perverse the further it went. Perhaps it’s very very dated, Cold War influenced etc etc. it just continues to push its horrific images over and over with little connection to any character, leaving really no purpose to keep watching as we know ‘it’ll just get worse’ seems to be its only point. The fact that this is all fictional is where this all loses me completely. Causing me to further ask what is all the purpose of all this. The continuous images of people suffering, dying, and then more destruction, and more people, suffering and dying blah blah blah 

Children of Men was no doubt influenced by this, but its futuristic/dystopian themes and images seem to resonate and have great meaning. Where we’re invested in a character and an end point. 

Threads is like: ‘Nuclear War! UK destroyed! Buildings blow up, people die, famine ensues.’ That’s it. 

Paul Greengrass also was probably very influenced by this, and it’s a perfect point that some directors can make something purposeful out of something that isn’t.

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Black Orpheus, 1959 - ★★★★

Benedito is so adorable and he looks like my friend Arthur as a child. I love their obsession with music and how it helps the sun rise. 

At first this started rather obnoxiously, with distant characters, glamour everywhere, and a poor voice over. All of this blended into something more beautiful as it progressed. I still don’t fully understand the character of death, where he came from and where he goes. 

Marpessa is beautiful and wonderful in this. It’s so funny how the second she appears on screen, we know it’s her we’ll invest in. 

The thought does run through my mind in how all these characters are portrayed, after all, this is a favela as the backdrop and a white French man behind the camera. Where does his say end and the Brazil on screen begin? I’m not really sure and it’s hard to not see people in the background as caricatures instead of characters. I don’t know... 

But Black Orpheus still manages to be captivating in many many ways.

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Hustlers, 2019 - ★★★★½

Na-na-na, diva is a female version of a hustla, of a, of a hustla, of a, of a hustla  Seriously where is this song in the movie??? It NEEDED to be there. 

J.lo deserved that Oscar.

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Scary Movie, 2000 - ★★★

Scary Movie was something of a landmark in cinema, but not necessarily in a good way. I find it shocking that the budget was 16 million dollars, because it looks like it was still a shoe string budget. Scream was made with less movie. That budget was probably for its use of high profile stars, and other factors not visible with the viewers eye. Still, this movie made tons of money and dozens of spoof films followed, all of which were probably less successful but still made for an easy profit.       When this movie came out I was unsure if I would actually see it. It was on my radar (at the time I was obsessed with horror, especially Scream), but it was so pop culture that it didn’t excited me. But shortly after it came out, my aunt took me and my sister and several other kids around my age. This was my “cool” aunt who was 11 years younger than my mom and listened to hip-hop. Anyway, at the time there was hardly anything funnier than Scary Movie. I enjoyed it and bragged to a few that I got to see it, my aunt told us not to tell our parents about “those scenes.” A week or two later my mom heard on the news that some critic/specialist said, “Any parent who lets their kid watch Scary Movie should be arrested for child endangerment.” Or something to that effect. However my mom rather scoffed at that, only really pointing out that she was kind of unaware of what the movie really was, not to scold us. Eventually, however, my processed thoughts of the movie (I was 13 at the time) left me feeling somewhat depressed about sex and sexuality, turning all of it into novelty. 

     The movie now is 20 years old, or will be in the summer. It’s strange to see the comedy employed after all these years, many of which people would find problematic today. Certainly homophobic jokes always rise to the most memorable, I still find most of them funny. Though Ray and Bobby’s sexual position as they die is in bad taste. Some of the humor that I think is funniest is actually the least vulgar, mostly Brenda’s lines. Shorty’s roofie joke is the worst and wouldn’t fly today, even though it might be easy to miss. Also the fat girl in the doggy dog, which I guess is clever switch from the scene in scream, still is more offensive than it is funny. 

I guess this is always worth watching for its funny moments, the Wayne’s brothers certainly had notable talented humor. Most efforts seemed diluted with pop culture gags that didn’t pay off as they hoped, but Scary Movie is probably the one the only one that did. I haven’t seen much to compare, but I’ll guess this is a lot better than White Chicks.

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Elephant, 2003 - ★★★★½

Remember when everybody hated this movie because it wasn’t a Wes Anderson film? Yeah. I do. Young film enthusiasts torn this to shreds because its lack of linear timeline, very little character introduction, and its very bleak atmosphere. The fact that Gus Van Sant made this after Good Will Hunting, Psycho and Finding Forester made that disdain a little too easy. Returning to this however shows Van Sant was truly a unique filmmaker and thrived best in independent filmmaking away from Hollywood stars. 

The depiction of daily highschool life is perfect, and it shows a realness to it that greatly affect the known outcome. Elephant is kind of interesting in that way, everybody watched this film knowing what eventually happens. We watch these girls chat through their daily lunch knowing what they soon will face. How would we view these without knowing the outcome? Few films operate on this level, and in Elephant’s defense, it wasn’t made with a bright red banner saying “this is about a school shooting!” - but no matter how implicit that fact was/is, it’s always still there. 

Watching this feels strangely similar to Haneke, at least the mood. The camera effect is still the complete opposite of Haneke with the camera following each character down long hallways and frequently circling around. Van Sant said he was influenced by Jeanne Dielman. A film Haneke can thank his entire career for. 

Elephant has no clear answer for why the shooting happens, but there is always the answer of how. It’s strange how quick became the narrative that these kids who commit mass shootings are the victims of bullying. They are ridiculed and laughed at, and they reach for the power they wish they had. We’ve moved away from this notion and no longer to people claim any sympathy for the shooters. Bullying in the film is barely seen, but it’s clear the two boys are neglected and misunderstood. The most frightening of all is them getting a gun, an assault rifle, delivered to them by fed ex. Was it really that easy? Seems more logical than not. 

Van Sant actually titled the movie after Alan Clake’s film with the same name that is a series of shootings with no context at all. Van Sant believed that film’s title was a reference to the fable of the 8 blind men who wash the elephant. Each individual man comes to his own conclusion unable to see or understand the other’s. In the end Clake’s film was titled after the anecdote “elephant in the room.” Yet I find the former more interesting and meaningful.

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Bound, 1996 - ★★★★★

From the opening, the brooding score, and it’s slow glimpse of its title. Bound is a masterpiece, excelling in so many levels. The Wachowskis show their talent in every frame. My favorite probably being with Jennifer Tilly running down the hall and stairs in her night gown. She is a treasure and it’s so annoying her acting never really achieved much fame outside the Chuckie franchise. 

The slow development of characters along its very skilled story telling which incorporates the ideas of Corky’s plan being conceived while they are happening. I found myself gripped with dread watching this, even after seeing it so many times. The ending does wrap things up too easily, but that doesn’t stop it from leaving the impression on you. It’s powerful even if it is schlocky B movie plot, this defines Neo Noir. 

One of my all time favorites.

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Child's Play 2, 1990 - ★★★★

“You ever seen dolls that pee.. well this one bleeds” 

A quote that was forever burned in my mind. I discovered this as a kid as finally beginning to understand cable tv. Discovering stuff like this terrified me, somehow unable to separate the chills it gave me from reality. 

A huge step ahead of Child’s Play, where most of the horror happens with Chuckie moving off screen. Here he’s more active on screen which makes him more terrifying. Not to mention the character of Kyle, who becomes a stronger character with her support of Andy. The trope of this mess murders being blamed on Andy becomes grating, it’s refreshing to have someone finally on his side. And another ending that results in Chuckie dying about four different deaths. The creepy ending in a Good Guy factor is top notch camp horror. 

Detractor being this screening at the Hollywood, with an audience that happened to include fucking jerks who talk during the screening and don’t cared that that bothers people. Watch movies at home and do your talking! Go see The Room and yell out those lines. Other than that, please don’t talk.

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Do the Right Thing, 1989 - ★★★★★

Still just as power and relevant today as it was 30 years ago. Shocking it didn’t get more Oscar noms back then. Everything about it has a purpose and reflects a nuanced reality of each character. I love that Spike himself plays Mookie, and I don’t think he acted much more other than this and She’s Gotta Have It. I think his performance gives the viewer a stronghold of what he is trying to convey. Even Mookie has his flaws, but he is also the one character that has a connection to the different communities that intersect. He works with the Italians, and is in a relationship with a Puerto Rican girl. He seems to have the most grounded view, where he knows certain tensions within the neighborhood are nuanced and aren’t rooted in racism, but still fueled by it. Yet he still, being black, has his own identity within the neighborhood. He is not some external voice of reason. He is conflicted, perhaps asking more questions than having any answers. It makes Do The Right Thing more personal and meaningful.    This is what leads to the final conclusion, where Mookie decides to throw a garbage can into Sal’s pizza. He’s upset that Radio Raheem is dead but he knows deep down Sal was not that cause of the death. The fight erupted out of these tensions, and ultimately racist language from Sal him. But he did not kill Raheem, the police did. Especially clear when the other officer pleads for him to stop with his choke hold and doesn’t. The crowd can’t withhold their anger, and Mookie saves them by turning the riot toward the pizzeria and not Sal and his sons. However the tensions of the community played out, it was the black man who lost his life at the hand of the police. The one set of characters who were not apart of the neighborhood. 

At least that has always been my interpretation of this. I really want the Criterion of this. I want to read more and more opinions of this. 

Definitely crushing hard on Spike in this. I think he’s really hot in this. 

Always joyous to think after almost 30 years Samuel L Jackson handed Spike his first Oscar for BlackKklans man. 

This movie SHOULD BE mandatory viewing in highschools. Really... really... disappointed that Remember the Titans was my teachers go to instead of something like Do The Right Thing.

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