GLORY DAYS
LA LA LAND NETS 14 OSCAR NODS, BUT HONOURING OLD HOLLYWOOD SEEMS A LITTLE TIRED.
Here’s the thing about the Oscars — they are impossible.
The awards ceremony never goes quite the way anyone wants them to, and they constantly fail to honour the films that have anything resembling a lasting legacy — because a lot of the time, they place what’s popular and of the moment on the pedestal.
This year, we’re seeing that in the 14 nominations that went to Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, a brightly coloured, easy on the eyes (in acting leads and cinematography) choice that took its inspiration from the great musicals before it, including Singin’ In The Rain and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. So while it doesn’t break musical ground in any shape or form ( and features a plot rife with well worn clichés), it does pander to an older Academy audience that loves to celebrate nostalgia and the filmmaking industry — which both feature prominently in La La Land.
Of course, it’s not just the Academy that’s celebrating La La Land. It’s been listed among the bests of the year by several of the most respected critics, and its box office numbers have far exceeded expectations. That’s because La La Land is the kind of movie everyone can like, but whether it’s something everyone can love and will love for the test of time? That — obviously — remains to be seen.
Like Crash before it, there’s something about La La Land that has the feel of the ephemeral; as though it might seem poignant or worthy of celebrating right now, but will later be looked back upon with scorn. And to perhaps better cement such an analogy, there’s another apt comparison to be made between that year’s Brokeback Mountain — a film that garnered less immediate praise, but celebrates more lasting relevance today — and this year’s Moonlight.
The Academy’s repetition wasn’t restricted to the Best Picture category, though. Meryl Streep broke her own Oscar nomination record on Tuesday morning with the 20th nod to her name for Actress in a Leading Role in Florence Foster Jenkins.
Gone are the days of The Deer Hunter, The French Lieutenant’s Woman and Doubt, the last film in which we didn’t see Streep regurgitate the same warbling, whimsical character she’s been coughing up since Julie & Julia in 2009. We saw it in The Iron Lady, August: Osage County and now, Florence Foster Jenkins, which was an otherwise underthe- radar, just good enough movie that would not have seen the light of Oscar day if it hadn’t been for her reputation.
Streep has been nominated for each of these films, in fact, she even won for The Iron Lady in 2012, seemingly surprising even herself. But it’s become expected to hand the gold over to Streep when there isn’t talk-of- thetown competition in her category like in 2012, or when she manages to remind the world just why she’s so beloved, like with her recent Golden Globes speech. It’s no denying Streep is a major talent, and the talent of a certain time.
If this year offered anything, it was the chance to nudge her off the pedestal to make room for the other women who could one day take her place. Actresses like Natalie Portman, Emma Stone and Ruth Negga were nominated this year, along with another stalwart, like Isabelle Huppert, who could very well pick up a win for Paul Verhoeven’s Elle after joyously winning the Globe. But when it comes to Best Actress, it looks the person who suffered the most from Streep’s surprise nomination is Amy Adams.
A f requent co- s t ar of Streep’s, Adams has been nominated five times, each time racking up major acclaim, only to see it fizzle out by the time the Oscars come to town. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, Adams has become the Mark Ruffalo of actresses: a regular supporting player who steals scenes and never turns in a lacklustre performance, but always manages to be outshone by the supposed next big (or in this case, previous) thing.
With two films in Oscar competition, including Arrival and Nocturnal Animals, Adams had a double- header behind her to no avail. Adding insult to injury is that Arrival has seemingly pulled off what Adams has not yet been able: to survive early acclaim and ensuing dropoff only to resurface in time for potential awards glory. With eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, Arrival matched Moonlight in nominations, though oddly without any recognition for Adams, who offered a moving performance. Meanwhile, Nocturnal Animals also earned one nomination for Adams’s costar Michael Shannon ( instead of the anomaly that was Aaron Taylor- Johnson’s win at the Globes).
When it comes to work that is neither overrated nor overlooked, we have to think about scene- stealer Lucas Hedges, the 20-year-old who stars alongside Casey Affleck in Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea. With a minimal resume, a nomination for Hedges represents something of a surprise for a category that usually honours big names in bit parts. But after winning a Critics’ Choice Award, and picking up nominations at the Screen Actors’ Guild and the BAFTAs, Hedges managed to squeeze right into the race.
Which brings us to # OscarsSoWhite, last year’s call for diverse recognition after an acting- wide shutout on minority nominees. With plenty of great work from filmmakers and casts of colour, including Hidden Figures, Moonlight and Lion, the safest bet in Hollywood seems to be on Viola Davis to win Best Supporting Actress for Fences. In addition, after winning Best Drama at the Golden Globes, Moonlight will go head-to-head with La La Land for Best Picture and perhaps be the favourite to win Best Supporting Actor thanks to Mahershala Ali’s performance. All of which is to say, yes, the Academy is starting to recognize more diverse films, something that audiences have been doing for decades. For the latest example, Hidden Figures has been ruling the box office with unprecedented numbers, coming out No. 1 during its first two weekends in wide release and No. 3 this past weekend, according to MarketWatch.
So while it hasn’t been a terrible year for movies and the stage has certainly gotten better as far as diverse recognition goes, there does remain one final question on everyone’s mind following Tuesday’s Academy Awards nominations: when will Ryan Reynolds have his moment? #JusticeForDeadpool