I’ve been a movie buff for as long as I can remember. Thanks to streaming, I had a chance to watch many of the films nominated for this year’s Oscars. They were all good and deserving of recognition. I even got to watch a few of the films in a theatre. So, I was looking forward to watching last night’s show.
While I felt the 2021 Oscars was entertaining, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. First off, why not show more clips from the films honored? And the decision to put the acting awards at the end, in front of the Best Picture Oscar, was a huge mistake.
As for the winners, I was glad to see more diversity, but I wasn’t in total agreement with the choices. I’ll start with Best Documentary. I was able to see all five. Of the five nominated documentaries, My Octopus Teacher deserved the win. It is a unique film, unlike anything I’ve seen before. But the best documentary I saw last year was A Thousand Cuts, which dealt with free speech, the power of journalism, and one woman’s crusade against the murderous regime of Rodrigo Duterte.
I was able to see four of the five films nominated for best original screenplay. I was a fan of Promising Young Woman, except for the ending, which I felt did not live up to what came before. I think The Trial of the Chicago 7 deserved the win.
In the adapted screenplay category, The Father was the right choice. Two of the films nominate contained nearly fifty percent unscripted dialogue. How did those films even get nominated?
Speaking of The Father, I got a chance to see the movie the afternoon before the ceremony, so Anthony Hopkin’s performance was fresh in my mind. He deserved the win.
Lastly, there was the win for Nomadland for Best Picture. I’m a fan of the book and film. It was another win for a nonfiction film. For me, though, having seen seven of the nominated films, The Trial of the Chicago 7 would have been my pick.
There is one film I saw last year that somehow slipped through the cracks. The one film that stood out for me was the film The Dig. When I think of a movie deserving of multiple awards, I can’t think of another film that I saw that set such a high bar in almost every category. If you haven’t seen it, watch it on Netflix.
Feel free to add your comments and observations below.