And the Nominations are...

Ah, it's that time of year.  The Oscar nominations were announced last Thursday morning.

I didn't especially care one way or the other what got nominated.  I liked a lot of movies that were released last year, but nothing held any great emotional tie.  However, three nominations did please me, all of them from lesser-known films, which, in part, is why I was glad to see them recognized.

One was the nomination for Best Special Effects, for The Lost Bus.  I was happy for this because it was a wonderful, riveting movie made for Apple TV+ but probably hasn't been seen (or known) much outside of that -- and also because it's special effects are so spectacular and yet utterly natural -- and are the core of the entire film -- that I watched in awe on how in the world this was made.  It stars Matthew McConuaghey and was directed by Paul Greengrass, who directed Captain Phillips, the three "Jason Bourne" movies, and News of the World, among others.  And it tells the true story of the Paradise, California wildfire in 2018 when only one school bus was available to even try to evacuate 23 children in the middle of the forest.  A driver who has to divert from picking up his own son elsewhere in the forest.  And on the harrowing ride, all communication with the dispatch center was lost. 

The user comments for the trailer are fascinating to read, since many of them are from the children who had been on the bus.  The trailer is intentionally quiet, low-key and powerful...but only gives a small hint of what this film does. 

The second nomination I was pleased for is Rose Byrne as Best Actress for I'd Kick You If I Had Legs.  It's a virtuoso performance, with much of the movie a close-up on her.  I suspect most people won't have seen it -- in part scared off by the title.  But know this:  the movie is not about a double amputee, it's a metaphor.  She plays an accomplished psychologist whose world is falling apart, and she doesn't know how to fix things.  It's gripping and dark -- yet is so much that at times you can only laugh, and it's actually listed as a "dark comedy."  It definitely has laughs -- but do not see it even remotely thinking it's a comedy.  The reason to see it is her little-known performance.  (Interestingly, her fellow psychologist is played by Conan O'Brien, in a totally serious role, and he's terrific.)

And the third nomination I was pleased by -- for a totally weird, unexpected, purely personal and near-meaningless reason.  Last Wednesday, I was with my friend John Kander (not the Broadway composer of Cabaret and Chicago, but his nephew), driving crosstown to the L.A. reunion for the oft-mentioned Camp Nebagamon.  (It was very enjoyable.)  He said he had to pop in afterwards to party that a friend of his, songwriter Diane Warren, was giving, which she always does if she's eligible for a Best Song Oscar.  The gathering goes on all-night until nominations are announced the next morning at 5:30 AM Los Angeles time.  It almost seems like this should be an annual event, since she has 16 nominations (!!) -- and received an honorary Oscar in 2022.  (For those curious, it's sitting in her kitchen, surrounded by a lot of random paper and notes.)  Among her songs are "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," "If I Could Turn Back Time," "How Do I Live (Without You)", "Because You Loved Me," "Solitaire," "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" and...well, a ton of others.

No, we didn't stay until 5:30 AM -- rather, we left oh-so much earlier, around 10 PM.  And whatever one might think of a "Hollywood Party" (tm), it was low key, and the food served was pizza.  Boxes and boxes of pizza.  So, as far as I'm concerned, a total joy.  (And a surprise, since I was warned beforehand that the host was a serious vegan.  So, she didn't even join in her own food.)  Hey, I have my priorities!  And "boxes and boxes of pizza" is high on the list.  It was a bit cold by the time we got there, but still delicious.  Though I should have done what John wisely did -- heated up his pizza in the microwave.  And happily, the next morning I saw that she got her 17th Best Song nomination.  It's for the song "Dear Me" that she wrote for the documentary on her life, Diane Warren: Relentless (which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and Apple TV+).

Of the three, I think Rose Byrne has the best chance, since she's won a bunch of awards already given out.  But so has Jessie Buckley in Hamnet.  Honors for both actresses are well-deserved.

The one I hope for most, though still unlikely, is The Lost Bus -- because I still have no idea how they pulled off what they did.  It's a terrific movie, but the special effects are so natural and otherworldly.