Three more nominees: The Two Popes, American Factory and Breakthrough

12/26/19 The Two Popes, nominated Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, 2019

I cannot speak to the accuracy of The Two Popes, especially the scenes within the conclave where the Cardinals vote for the new pope. I thought the ballots were burned, so perhaps that part is speculation. At any rate, the film looks at the unusual circumstance and relationship between Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) and Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce) created when Pope Benedict stepped down from his lifetime appointment to the papacy and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis. The two men couldn't be more different or on opposite sides of almost any argument. The movie flashes back to when Jorge was a young man, before he entered the priesthood and then his time as a priest during the time of the junta in Argentina. The flashbacks show Bergoglio's flaws and his human side, which some may not believe are suited for a position that is considered infallible. Bergoglio repeatedly tries to resign his post as Cardinal, but Pope Benedict continually refuses him. The movie shows the human side of Pope Benedict as well, as he and Pope Francis watch the World Cup final between Germany and Argentina together, fact or fiction, it was an enjoyable scene to watch. Pryce is nominated for Best Actor and I think the odds are against him since Joaquin Phoenix seems to be the favorite this awards season. Hopkins is nominated for Best Supporting Actor and that may be a little more open, with two nominations for The Irishman (Joe Pesci and Al Pacino), Brad Pitt for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (haven't seen this yet) and Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. I know Hanks is usually the favorite any time he's nominated, but I thought Pesci was really, really good.

1/12/20 American Factory, nominated Best Documentary Feature, 2019

American Factory was hard to watch, I really felt the heartache and frustration and disappointment of the men and women of Moraine, Ohio, as they tried to make a new life at a new factory built and run by the Chinese glass factory Fuyao. I wasn't surprised by the culture clash and differences, but I was surprised at how big and wide the divide was, and the hostile attitudes expressed by both at the end of the film. I thought something seemed familiar about the filmmaking and the topic, the General Motors Assembly Plant, but I just found out that the filmmakers also made 2009 nominee, The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant by Julie Reichert and Steve Bognar. This was the same plant. Everything seems pretty positive and full of potential and hope to bring back good paying jobs to southwestern Ohio. The Chairman, Cao Dewang, is aware of the differences in culture and work practices and at first seems okay with it, up to a point. The Chinese are absolutely opposed to any kind of unionization and threaten to shut the plant if the unions come in. Eventually, the lower than expected wages, the safety concerns and other practices put the two sides in opposition to one another. In my Pollyanna world, I kept thinking if the two sides could talk, really talk and get some kind of understanding and not fall into stereotyping (it happens on both ends), it could have been so much more beneficial. This is the first nominated documentary I have seen, so I can't honestly say if I think it will win, but I found it powerful, relevant and full of humanity. It's distributed by Netflix, so it's available on streaming, and I strongly recommend watching it, for so many reasons. 


1/17/20 Breakthrough, nominated Best Original Song, 2019

I'll be honest, if Breakthrough wasn't on the Oscars list, I would never have watched it; I can't even say it was an unexpected find. It's not that it was terrible, it's just not my thing. When I saw the previews, I thought, nope, I won't be going. Sigh. So here we are. The movie is based on the true story of John Smith falling through a not so frozen lake in St. Charles, Missouri and being put into a medically induced coma. The doctors had no expectations of a full recovery, but his mother, Joyce (Chrissy Metz), had other ideas. She was so fervent and adamant in her belief and her prayers that you could say she willed John to get better. Movies like this really aren't my thing, so if I'm going to like it (or maybe just watch it) at least the acting needs to be good. I'm sorry, but it wasn't. Topher Grace was Pastor Jason, and while I believed Anthony Hopkins could have Pope Benedict, I did not at all believe that Topher Grace was a pastor. The music was okay; "I'm Standing with You", written by Diane Warren and performed offscreen by Chrissy Metz is nominated for Best Original Song. It was a good song, but I have a feeling that the new song by Elton John and Bernie Taupin for Rocketman, "(I'm gonna) Love Me Again". The movie wasn't my thing, but you may like it.