The Academy Awards are right around the pop culture corner,folks, and I have to say that I'm not as thrilled about them as I usually would be. My low level of enthusiasm isn't due to a favorite film/actor/director not being nominated or anything like that.
It's more about the real world events of last year(not to mention current goings-on) that have dulled my movie joy a bit. However, I'm willing to bolster my cinematic spirits for two reasons-a) since the show will go on, I should try to rally and b) the Oscars are on my birthday this time out.
Feels a bit ironic that the one year that my favorite award show airs on the day of my birth is the one year that I'm not feeling the film love. Nevertheless, I thought that a good way to perk up my Oscar energy would be to pair a few books with some of the nominated movies.
The books and films in question are not directly related to one another but as we go along, the central themes of each do share a seat across from one another in the aisle:
THEY NEVER LEARN/PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN:
A major nominee in the Oscar race this year is Promising Young Woman, starring Carey Mulligan as Cassie, who has left medical school in anger and disgust over the treatment of her best friend Nina, a victim of sexual assault.
Her quest for revenge takes a dark turn, similar to the leading lady of Layne Fargo's They Never Learn where Professor Scarlett Clark selects abusive men in both the staff and student body of Gorman College to eliminate.
Her latest kill gathers some unwanted attention from the authorities, giving Scarlett no choice but to make herself part of the investigation in order to keep it from pointing in her direction. Meanwhile, freshman student Carly is attempting to find help for her roommate Allison, who was drugged and assaulted at a frat party on campus.
As Carly grows more determined to seek justice for Allison, her path gets closer to Scarlett's and it's only a matter of time before their worlds collide but who will survive the collateral damage?
PYW is nominated in five categories, including Best Actress for Mulligan and Best Director for Emerald Fennell(who also wrote the screenplay which is up for Original Screenplay as well). While I haven't seen the movie yet, word of mouth is very good on it and I'm currently reading They Never Learn, which seems like the bookish Poison Ivy to this film's Harley Quinn spirit:
THE GIRLS IN THE PICTURE/MANK:
A favorite topic in Hollywood is naturally tales of old school film makers and Mank, which has Gary Oldman playing legendary screenwriter Herman J. Mankowitz during his time working on the script for Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, is catnip to those cinematic tastes.
The novel that I think would go well with this movie is set in an earlier part of Hollywood but does involve a pair of iconic stars , one in front of the cameras and the other behind the scenes.
The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin follows the friendship of 1920s screen star Mary Pickford and screenwriter Frances Marion, each of them sharing their professional and personal struggles in the early days of Hollywood and beyond. While Mary's celebrity works both for and against her at times, Frances has only her fierce determination and quick wit to get what artistic footholds she can. Over time, their bonds break yet a chance to reconnect decades later is made possible,if only each woman will take it.
Mank is up for several awards on Oscar night,with Oldman as Best Actor, Amanda Seyfried for Best Supporting Actress and Best Picture. How well the movie will do that night, I'm not sure but I can vouch for The Girls in the Picture as a great read that should contrast this male centric movie nicely:
THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE/WOLFWALKERS:
Switching over to the Best Animated Film category, while I do think Disney's Soul will be the big winner, the Celtic charms of WolfWalkers are rather engaging.
The story is set in Ireland of 1650, where Robyn Goodfellowe accompanies her father to Kilkenny to destroy a pack of wolves threatening the area. Robyn winds up befriending Mebh, a local girl who roams free in the forest and is one of the title beings, those who are human by day and wolf at night as their human form sleeps.
While Katherine Arden's The Bear and the Nightingale is set in medieval Russia , the two tales have much in common. Vasya is the fifth child of a overlord of a small village, whose mother passed on mysterious abilities to. As she grows older, Vasya spends more and more time in the woods and comes across magical beings who may be far too interested in seeking out her growing powers.
However, her father decides to remarry and his new wife Anna, who sees supernatural creatures that others can not, fears Vasya and plans to have her sent away. That plot must be stopped as Vasya is the only one who can protect her people from the ancient demon that has awakened to end the world.
The Bear and the Nightingale is the first in a trilogy and as it happens, Wolfwalkers is the third film in director Tomm Moore's Irish Folklore features(the first two are The Secrets of Kells and Song of the Sea).
Wolfwalkers has won a few awards such as the L.A. Film Critics Assn, The New York Film Critics Circle and The National Board of Review, yet that doesn't always lead to Oscar gold. Nonetheless, it looks like a greatly creative work that ought to enchant audiences of all ages:
The Oscars are set to air on April 25(yes, my birthday!) and while I haven't seen most of the movies up for awards, I do have a few good guesses as to who will win.
For one, the late Chadwick Boseman as Best Actor in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,which I did see this past weekend and it was marvelous. Best Actress is pretty much between Viola Davis in Ma Rainey and Andra Day for The United States vs. Billie Holiday(I think Andra might take home the gold this year) and Daniel Kaluuya should won Best Supporting Actor for Judas and The Black Messiah.
As much as I would like to see Maria Bakalova win Best Supporting Actress(I did see the Borat sequel and it's actually better than the first movie), more likely it's between Seyfried in Mank and Yuh-Jung Youn for Minari.
When it comes to Best Picture, it looks like Nomadland might be the winner(director Chloe Zhao seems a lock to win Best Director) but front runners have been changed in mid stream before. Since I don't have a favorite here, I just hope that a truly amazing film that surprises everyone wins.
What I would bet on is for "Fight For You" from Judas and The Black Messiah to take the Best Song category. It's best competition here is "Speak Now" from One Night in Miami and while I do appreciate the musical style of Leslie Odom,Jr, the lyrical energy that H.E.R. gives to this song is undeniable and it will be wonderful to see and hear this sung live on Oscar night. See you all then!:
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