2017 Oscar nominations: Jackie, Captain Fantastic, Florence Foster Jenkins and 20th C. Women

1/28/17 Jackie, nominated Best Actress, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, 2016

Jackie focuses on the time after John F. Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, and how his widow, the iconic Jackie Kennedy, handled the aftermath: the viewing at the Capitol, the funeral procession and the selection of his burial place at Arlington Cemetery. There are flashbacks to the assassination, the hours after as Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as President, and even before all of that, to the television special featuring the First Lady sharing the renovations with the American public. Natalie Portman is Jackie Kennedy, and while I am not all that familiar with her speech patterns or 'accent', it sounded funny to me, so I cannot comment on how accurate it was (it must be somewhat close for her to be considered for the Best Actress award), but it was annoying. There wasn't a large cast, Portman is the featured player, with Peter Sarsgaard as Robert F. Kennedy, her brother-in-law, trying to keep Jackie from going off the rails, and acting as her interference with the new administration. Richard E. Grant is William Walton, who chaired the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts during and after the Kennedy administration (a biographical film about Walton might be very interesting); Walton is Jackie's confidante and the one responsible for helping to locate the particular spot in Arlington Cemetery for Kennedy's grave as well as assisting with the funeral details. The film is told using an interview with Mrs. Kennedy shortly after the funeral; at first I thought this was just a film-making gimmick, but in fact, T.H. White did interview the former first lady; Billy Crudup is the unnamed journalist in the film. I don't know, nor do I know if anyone knows, how exactly Jackie Kennedy reacted, but in the film, she seemed to me to be a bit off-balanced, teetering on the verge of a breakdown; not that anyone could blame her, considering what she saw and experienced, but it was hard to watch. I felt like I was swimming in molasses as I watched the movie; it was heavy and seemed like it was getting bogged down, and I was glad when it was over. Portman had a huge task in front of her, playing someone who had an air of mystery about her, and yet, may have been one of the most beloved first ladies (ever?). The Kennedy mystique may not be what it was up through the 1990s, but I think it's still there on some level; and many people have their own memories of that time. It was an interesting look into that moment of history, but it was not a favorite movie of mine.

1/28/17 Captain Fantastic, nominated Best Actor, 2016

Captain Fantastic may be one of the sleepers of this year, but of all the movies I watched last weekend (about 6), this was my favorite. Hands down. In his Oscar-nominated role as Ben Cash, Viggo Mortensen is absolutely wonderful as the father of six children living in the wilderness of Washington State, living off the land. He is determined to give his children the tools to survive anything, with extreme physical fitness training, bow hunting, navigating by the stars. Ben's wife, and the children's mother, Leslie, suffers from severe mental illness and is in a hospital in California, and kills herself. This sets off the subsequent series of events: the family jumps in the bus (called Steve) and travels to California for their mother's funeral and to reunite with grandparents that most of the kids never met; they go out in the world and encounter people and video games; and most of all, some of the kids start to question Ben's motives and methods. Kathryn Hahn and Steve Zahn are Harper and Dave, Ben's sister and brother-in-law who occasionally butt heads over the way each other raise their children. Frank Langella is Leslie's father and has threatened to have Ben arrested if he shows up at Leslie's funeral and to fight for custody of the kids. This probably sounds like a really heavy and serious movie, and parts are, but there are some pretty funny and touching moments as well (one involves seeing Viggo Mortensen's intimate parts, and I only mention that to give you fair warning). Mortensen is fluid as he handles the difficult conversations with the kids about their mother's illness and death; Ben does not shy away from any of it, believing it best to be honest instead of coddling; but he is endearing and passionate as he interrupts Leslie's funeral in a very loud and VERY outdated red suit. There was something about Captain Fantastic that reminded me of Little Miss Sunshine: the complex family dynamics, parents trying to do the right thing and not always succeeding, but sometimes they do, incredibly funny moments wrapped in the most inappropriate scenes (Alan Arkin's Grandpa character teaching Abigail Breslin's character, Olive, a dance routine to Rick James' "Super Freak"). I will say that I thought the ending was a little too pat, and I would love to know how the family continues, but overall, I really loved this movie. Mortensen is on the outside track to get the Oscar, Denzel Washington seems to be the favorite for Fences, but I'm glad he has been recognized for this film. I think ultimately it's an uplifting and hopeful movie.

1/29/17 20th Century Women, nominated Best Original Screenplay, 2016

If I could have walked out of the theater, I would have, but I have the list to follow, so I stayed. 20th Century Women is set in 1979 Southern California, and follows Jamie, a fifteen year old young man who lives with his divorced mother and their boarders in a house that seems to be under perpetual renovation. Annette Bening stars as Dorothea Fields, Lucas Jade Zumann plays Jamie; Greta Gerwig and Billy Crudup are their renters, Abbie and William. Jamie's best friend and not-so-secret crush is Julie played by Elle Fanning. Jamie is a pretty good kid, but Dorothea seems to think he is missing out on experiences that she can't give him so she tries to get him to bond with William as a father figure, but that doesn't quite happen; William's love of woodwork and cars is boring to Jamie. Dorothea also asks Abbie and Julie to show Jamie about "life", except when they do, it's not exactly what she expected. Everybody has their past, the reason they are in Santa Barbara. Music, especially punk music, is very prevalent in the film, it's played on records and played in bars and played as background; Abbie makes the point that the musicians are bad and they know they're bad and they don't care. I didn't care either. The film makes some interesting observations about the 1970s and growing up as the country was entering the Reagan years, but otherwise, I felt the movie dragged on and on. For a coming of age movie in the 1970s, I recommend The Kings of Summer that came out a few years ago.

1/29/17 Florence Foster Jenkins, nominated Best Actress, Best Costume Design, 2016

I read a biography about Florence Foster Jenkins after the movie was released in the theaters, and while you want to laugh at how absolutely tone deaf (and how clueless about it) she was, there is something about her life that is sad and uplifting at the same time. Meryl Streep captures all of these elements in Florence Foster Jenkins and Hugh Grant as her second husband, St. Clair Bayfield, brings his own complexity as a man who seems to care about her tremendously, but is also very willing to live somewhat of a double life with his lover. Simon Helberg is Cosme McMoon, Madame Florence's somewhat reluctant accompanist and occasional composer. Madame Florence loves the musical arts and she is a patron for several musical clubs around New York City, which also gives her the privilege and prerogative of participating in different  performances, which later includes singing, or what she thinks is singing. Streep is wonderful as Jenkins, but I would expect nothing less, but I don't know if her performance in a 'light' role like this will win the Oscar. I have not seen it, but I have heard that Viola's Davis performance in Fences is favored in the Oscar race (this is reminiscent of when Davis and Streep were opposite each other, Streep in The Iron Lady and Davis in The Help, and Streep won; I felt Glenn Close was amazing in Albert Nobbs). There is a lot of background that I learned from her biography that helped me understand a lot of things that happened in the film, so I kind of wish the movie went a little deeper into the past. It's a good movie, with a good cast, but you don't miss anything by watching on DVD as opposed to the theater.