This isn't a gripe about why, or whether or not it should win. Only that if you boil down what acting is..."Fences" blew it up...big time. It was my personal favorite to win because it didn't require any special effects, guns, explosions...just a quiet movie about family life in the 50's that weren't so idyllic. It was a perfect story in terms of relevance to life...in general. It's what I consider a future proof movie. Which means, in 100 years it still resonates. I could argue "Hidden Figures" as well. Since it is a moment in history of the NASA science program. Does "Arrival"? NO...it will eventually be overshadowed by another movie with a better theory. Does "Hacksaw Ridge"? NO. It's a fun war movie. But at the end, I'm not sure you get any further with your stance on war. How about "Manchester By The Sea"? That movie is so specific to the area, it's hard to know. And the moments in his life are monumental (without ruining the story ,tragedy strikes this young fellow early and has to come to terms through interpersonal relationships with a family member through another tragedy).
I didn't see "Hell or Highwater" or "Moonlight."
"Moonlight" sounds like a great premise. Somewhat like "Dallas Buyers Club" but if I stumbled onto DBC, I wouldn't want to sit through 15 minutes again. Great performances can fool you to believing great story.
"Fences" rings true in terms of longevity. Father and son, husband and wife, man and friend we're all that. Though most of us can't get past the theatrics of Denzel.
I was curious about two movies that didn't make it..."Nocturnal Animals" and "Jackie" Nocturnal Animals" is a crushing movie as in a compendium to something like "Eternal Sunshine Of A Spotless Mind." It's about living in the past and how we are crushed by our own inability to get past it. In "Eternal..." there is a facility to assist with killing those memories, in "Nocturnal Animals" the writer was able to exorcise his demons through his writing through the eyes of the woman who jilted him, though we don't get the journey through him personally. They both live in a bittersweet, melancholy world of hard love lost.
"Jackie" was a hard watch. I never got the sense Jacqueline Kennedy was anything more than arm candy. Maybe she was. It was never that interesting to me. The tragedy that struck her husband solidified a toughness past the cameras monitoring her every move that was the curious part. Fuck, I can't even have dizzy spells without worrying about if a complete stranger on the bus would scream. Jackie had the world watching when she would snap. Not sure if we were suppose to pity her. But it was an odd balance between her resilience and what we thought she would snap. I'm not sure also...the reason for the movie. A lot of us can assume life will move on. But we never do get past the surface of a woman who moved on to marry wealth for self-preservation. Is that fascinating? In this world, we expect women to steel up. Which may be another reason why roles are starting to be blurred.
"Fences" is a long shot. Though, it really shouldn't be. It was a solid story, acting and drama. The best American story, simply what a Best Picture should be.
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