HOLLYWOOD

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

THE WHO, THE WHY AND THE NOT-SO-GAY OF THIS YEAR’S OSCARS

With the Sunday, March 27 date of the 94th annual Academy Awards looming large, akin to the Gay Super Bowl, some questions arise, aside from who will win. First, will this year’s telecast be better than last year’s tepid attempt to stage the annual ceremony during COVID-19. It sucked, and not in a good way, mmmkay? Will a return to having hosts — Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall — help streamline that endeavor? But the biggest one seems to be “where’s my gays?”

There’s a lack of LGBTQ inclusion, save for the amazing Flee, nominated in three categories: Best Animated Feature, International Feature Film and Best Documentary Feature. There’s Ariana DeBose’s historic nomination as the first queer person of color nominated for an acting award in West Side Story. And bisexual actress Kristen Stewart is up for her portrayal of Princess Diana in Spencer, along with the not quite Brokeback Mountain aspects of The Power of the Dog as Best Picture.

But that’s all folks.

Still, there are plenty of reasons to tune into ABC and watch who will snatch them trophies. Here’s a look at this year’s for your consideration nominees.

PICTURE IT, HOLLYWOOD 2022

I imagined CODA was about two independent people who must learn to rely on each and be “codapendent” during Ireland’s Great Potato Famine. Rather, I was pleasantly surprised at the unexpected delight of a movie. I figured since it dealt with a hearing young woman (Emilia Jones) with deaf parents and brother (Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant), that it might be on the heavier side of things. However, while there is a lot of heart, there is also laugh-out-loud humor in the tale of underdog Grace trying to decide between her dreams of being a singer or remaining as the bridge that links her family to the world of the hearing. Streaming on Apple TV+.

The divisive Don’t Look Upwas a film that people either loved or hated; I was in the former category about the political spin doctoring about a comet on course to destroy Earth. Add in some jabs at contemporary culture, coupled with unnominated performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Cate Blanchett, and you have what some consider an Oscar dark house in the running. Streaming on Netflix.

Dune has three S’s going for it: scope, spectacle and sandworms that look like bungholes. While none of its hot male cast of Timothée Chalamet, Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac and Josh Brolin were nominated, the film is light years ahead of the much-derided 1984 effort. On demand.

King Richardisthe cinematic antithesis of star Will Smith’s alter ego of The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff’s first hit song, circa 1988, “Parent’s Just Don’t Understand,” as it chronicles the determined father of tennis royalty Venus and Serena Williams going to great lengths, along with his wife (Aunjanue Ellis) to make sure that is the end game for their family. On demand.

Guillermo Del Toro’s stylish film noir Nightmare Alley was a box office failure for some strange reason. The moody and visual remake of the 1947 film stars Bradley Cooper as a drifter who happens upon a carnival and learns a new skill set as a mentalist, guided by David Strathairn and Toni Collette. But he heads for greener pastures with carnival performer Rooney Mara and

meets up with femme fatale Cate Blanchett. Streaming on Hulu and HBO Max. Sorry folks, but The Power of the Dog can be rated “O” for overrated. With 12 nominations, I was expected to be blown away by its grandeur and felt pretty “meh” by the end. This one thing that this blend of Westerns and family drama revolving around secrets had going for it was male nudity. Streaming on Netflix. The remainder of Best Picture nominees weren’t yet available on demand, as of this writing. So, here’s a rundown of their plots and such. Drive My Car is the story of an aging widowed actor who needs someone, well, to drive his car. It’s right there in the title! The Japanese drama was a surprise entry in the Oscar race and will be streaming on HBO Max on March 2. The rest of the films are period pieces. No, that doesn’t mean they’re about a group of women whose menstrual cycles link up. Rather, they encompass different decades. Steven Spielberg’s remake of the musical West Side Story details the Romeo and Juliet aspects of Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria’s (Rachel Zegler) love in the 1950s, igniting a powder keg between rival gangs the Sharks and sing it with me, when you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet all the way. Belfast is a quasi-autobiographical effort from actor/director

Kenneth Branagh, set in his childhood against the backdrop of the tumultuous late-1960s Ireland. See, this column can entertain and inform in case you thought the titular city was in

America or something. You’re welcome! Licorice Pizzadetails two San Fernando Valley youngins, played by Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman, as they grow up and fall in love in 1970s Southern California.

SHOULD WIN: Out of the six films I viewed, CODA remains my favorite.

KEEPIN’ IT REEL

It has often been the case that playing reallife people equates Oscar gold in recent years, with Rami Malek winning as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody and Renée Zellweger as Judy Garland. And this year’s acting nods are jam packed with such examples of life imitating art.

First up is Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos. He gives an affable take on the real-life counterpart of one of TV’s most put-upon husbands, with recreations of the songs “Babalu” and “Cuban Pete” that Ricky performed at the Tropicana on I Love Lucy. And the film highlights that he was nobody’s second banana. Streaming on Amazon Prime.

Andrew Garfield brings the manic energy of late Rent composer Jonathan Larson to life in the musical biography tick, tick…BOOM! He convincingly highlights Larson’s fervent wish to make something of himself, on the cusp of turning 30, as he treads the fine creative line of doing what you must in order to do what you love. Streaming on Netflix.

I have always admired Will Smith’s career trajectory of being a rapper-turned-sitcom star-turned-bankable box office draw and now three-time Oscar nominee. Smith shows that the ball is in his court in King Richard — that’s a tennis reference, right? — as he hits all the right notes, showing off his flair for both the comedic and pathos.

First off, what I have to say may come as a shock coming from a gay man, but I love me some Nicole Kidman. Yet, I wasn’t convinced by her take on TV’s most famous redhead, Lucille Ball. Have you picked your jaws up off the floor, yet? You have. Good, let’s proceed then.

In Being the Ricardos, she is challenged with playing Lucille Ball, showing her tougher behind-the-scenes side. I half-expected her to say, “Don’t f**k with me fellas!” during a boardroom scene, ala Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest. Her portrayal has received mixed reviews, with director Aaron Sorkin explaining in interviews that he didn’t want a dead-on impression of the beloved actress, so in that spirit I’d say she nailed it. Somebody drank his Snapple today.

On the other hand, Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye is uncanny in her version of Tammy Faye Bakker; even if there were times, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the late, great Jan Hooks’ take on the fallen PTL Club host during a Church Lady skit on SNL. Who could have made me make that connection? Could it be . . . SATAN? This joke sponsored in part by the year 1987. Streaming on HBO Max.

Kristen Stewart’s acting range has more, ahem, bite since her Twilight days. Yeah, I said that! In Spencer, her turn as Princess Diana is captivating as she adeptly conveys the fragility and loneliness of being royal currency is outlined in the “fable from a true tragedy” biopic. Streaming on Hulu.

J.K. Simmons rounds out the acting recognition as Best Supporting Actor in Being the Ricardos – sorry Nina Ariandaas Vivian Vance. His William Frawley is a saltier real-life curmudgeon of his TV persona and even threatens to want to kill a 7-year-old actor being accused of being a Communist. I think he babysat me as a kid.

Meanwhile, Aunjanue Ellis effectively portrays Brandi Williams, the family matriarch in King Richard, and the scene where she reads Will Smith to filth is Oscar worthy all on its own.

THE REST OF THE BEST

Benedict Cummerbund, err, Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Phil Burbank in The Power of the Dog was a hard pill to swallow, as he is easily one of the most unlikable characters in recent film history. Even though his character softens a bit about three-quarters in, and more is revealed about why he’s an a-hole with a capital A, it doesn’t help erase the image of him whipping a horse in the face at the film’s beginning.

Denzel Washington takes on Shakespeare for the Apple TV+ film The Tragedy of Macbeth and brings a quiet ferocity to his titular role.

Award show darling Olivia Colman headlines The Lost Daughter with an effortless range of emotions shown through mere facial expressions. Her turn as the likable, yet up to some shady brown expletive, Leda Caruso highlights why she’s been nominated for three Oscars since 2019, winning that same year as Best Actress in The Favourite. Streaming on Netflix.

Rounding out the hopefuls is Penélope Cruz as a woman entangled with a married man, which results in her becoming preggers in Parallel Mothers.

SHOULD WIN: Smith for King Richard and Chastain for The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Ciarán Hinds’ first Oscar nomination for Belfast is a long time coming in terms of his 40-plus-year career, while CODA’s Troy Kotsur is the first deaf male actor nominated for an Oscar.

Three co-stars from The Power of the Dog are nominated in the supporting roles. Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons are vying for Oscar gold for Actor in a Supporting Role, with Smit-McPhee getting the nod for his sensitive portrayal, and Plemons as the on-screen brother to Cumberbatch. Plemons’s off-screen partner Kirsten Dunst is also being recognized in the supporting field, and that brings us to the ladies who lent their cinematic support.

I have loved Dunst since she made her film debut in 1994’s Interview with a Vampire, but my favorite early work from her is in 1999’s Drop Dead Gorgeous, which is so wrong it’s right. In The Power of the Dog, she does a solid job as Rose Gordon, who is waging a not-so-secret battle with the bottle.

Jessie Buckley plays the younger version of Olivia Colman’s character in The Lost Daughter, a harried young mother who feels suffocated by her life. She proves to be the yin to Colman’s yang with echoes of Colman’s subtleties.

Dame Judi Dench snagged her eighth Oscar nomination, for Belfast, but has only won once for 1998’s Shakespeare in Love. West Side Story’s Ariana DeBose is an Oscar newbie.

SHOULD WIN: Should DeBose win, it would mean that she and the original Anita (Rita Moreno) would take home the statuette for playing the same character. And if Kotsur gets the gold, he would join co-star Marlee Matlin as the only deaf Oscar winner; she won for 1986’s Children of a Lesser God.

DIRECTOR

The filmmakers in the running to take home the coveted statue include Steven Spielberg for West Side Story,Ryosuke Hamaguchi for Drive My Car, Paul Thomas Anderson for Licorice Pizza, Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog and Kenneth Branagh for Belfast.

SHOULD WIN: Campion for The Power of the Dog, for which she is the only female director to be nominated twice in this category in Oscar history going all the way back to 1994 for The Piano.

CUT. PRINT. THAT’S A WRAP!

It wouldn’t be Oscar season without snubs: The biggest is Lady Gaga in House of Gucci, who was nominated for a Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award but got no Oscar love. Surprisingly, there were no gay riots reported upon news of her being ignored by the Academy! At least Razzie Award nominee Jared Leto, and that horrible Super Mario accent, didn’t get a nod. Until next time, that’s all the news that’s fit to print.