The Case For Ryan Gosling As This Year’s Best Actor

Hey, girl. Why isn't Gosling one of the front-runners for Oscar?
With deserving front-runners declared on three out the four Oscars acting awards (Viola Davis, Ali Mahersala and Emma Stone), much of recent Academy Award pundit conversation has been focused on which of the two Best Actors (Casey Affleck, Denzel Washington) will win. But why isn’t this a three man race with Stone’s co-star Ryan Gosling?

I’ve heard “he’s just playing himself,” “he can’t sing” and he’s “too light.” So here’s my five-point case for Best Actor nominee Ryan Gosling:

1. La La Land was nominated for 14 Academy Awards. 
Without Gosling’s inherent coolness I’m not sure this straight-faced, throwback musical would have worked. It obviously did; La La Land tied Titanic and All About Eve for the most nominations in history. Imagine this film with say Julianne Hough (Rock of Ages, Footloose) and Tom Cruise (Rock of Ages). Without its two center stars, La La Land could have easily been the next Rock of Ages —or Xanadu.

2. He sings. He dances. He taps.
Anyone who’s seen classic Hollywood musicals can see he’s done his homework. Not just the light-footed choreography — his facial expressions match what we would see in numbers from Gene Kelly and other Hollywood royalty. Try that, Casey Affleck.

3. We really don’t want him to sing like a pop star.
Emma Stone’s quirky, unpolished singing worked well for this film, and the same should be said for Rosling. If he sang polished like Justin Timberlake, his past Mouseketeer costar, we would have squirmed. Have you seen the video for Can’t Stop This Feeling? Ew.

4. He’s half of a power couple.
Stone and Gosling, like Kate and Leo, have the best onscreen chemistry in Hollywood today. And in this one, he kept his shirt on so that we don't have to hate him.

5. Gosling had the most daring year of any actor.
Unlike his competition, we saw Gosling in three roles during the calendar year of 2016.

In The Big Short last January, he stole the show as a dynamic trader. In The Nice Guys this summer, he went all in on slapstick comedy with success (unlike his co star), and by the end of the year he was tap dancing through a throwback musical in one of the best reviewed films of the year. Take that, nominee-for-one-film and previous winner Denzel Washington.

The ten buck review: La La Land is totally worth ten bucks, every time you see it. And Gosling should be in the top three.

20th Century Women

“Wondering if you’re happy is just a shortcut to being depressed.”

Director Mike Mills (Beginners) goes back to 1979 to tell the coming-of-age story of fictional 15-year old Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann), and the coming-to-terms-with-age story about his mom Dorothea (Annette Bening), a 20th Century woman.

As if a Linkletter film, 20th Century Woman is a chain-smoking series of anecdotes that eventually takes shape into an insightful story. I’ve seen nontraditional family dramas like this before, but rarely with such witty dialogue and keen observations on life.

Mills’ story is augmented with time pieces such as President Carter’s “Crisis in Confidence” speech as well as arguments over whether punk band Black Flag or alt band The Talking Heads are the voice of the future. Holding this all together is a spot-on Annette Benning in an ode to motherhood that showcases the complexities, strengths and vulnerabilities of that role. It was over two hours, but I didn’t want it to end.

Simply put: Annette Bening puffs out some of the best dialogue of the year, in a family drama about 1979.

Award potential:  Bening would have been a swell choice for Best Actress and Best Costume Design was a possibility, but the film escaped all Oscar nominations except for Best Original Screenplay. Greta Gerwig rocked her scenes, but her generalized character was a bit too trite to earn serious nominations.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

I McLiked It.

So, I knew that Ray Kroc was the man behind McDonalds and I sorta knew that the first restaurant was created by the McDonald brothers, but I have to admit that I had no idea about what happened in between. Was it a happy transition — or a takeover? This film tells that story.

Director John Lee Hancock has a tricky job with Founder. He has to show us the magic of an iconic American brand to make this story matter while simultaneously showing us its ugly insides. He had a similar task with Disney in his previous film, Saving Mr. Banks. In both cases, his films tell these supersized corporate stories in a credible but traditional way that entertains and informs.

While both of his films win at showcasing the entrepreneurial spirit of these legends, they pale in format when compared to an imaginative film such as The Big Short. In Founder, there is a scene where the McDonald brothers tell their origin story to Kroc over a dinner table in the most expected way possible. I couldn’t help but wonder what director Adam McKay would have done with this scene — and this film.

Luckily, Michael Keaton is a dynamo as Kroc and the story is anything but.

Simply put: I wasn't always lovin' it, but overall I really, really liked it.

Award potential: Founder escaped all major nominations. Perhaps because it's a corporate story. Or, like Saving Mr. Banks, this Mcfilm could have used a bit more bite.

The Ten Buck Review: Still worth ten bucks.

12 Oscar nominated films you can watch on your couch — tonight

There are over a dozen 2017 Academy Award-nominated films you can stream at home tonight — many are free to those with access to Netflix, Amazon and YouTube.

Hell or High Water 

(Nominated for Best Picture, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay and Editing)

Hell, yes to this modern (but sepia-tone) classic that shouldn’t be missed. Jeff Bridges milks every line on that deserving screenplay. 

Rent on Amazon, Google Play or Vudu.

Florence Foster Jenkins (Nominated for Best Actress Meryl Streep, Costume Design)
For comedy, Florence hits all the right notes. And Meryl Streep is perfectly awful as socialite Florence Foster Jenkins, perhaps the worst singer in American history.

Rent on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.

Captain Fantastic (Nominated for Best Actor Viggo Mortenson)
Not a superhero film, unless you want to be saved by a wildnerness man who struggles with taking his family into society.
Rent on Amazon or Google Play.

Loving (Nominated for Best Actress Ruth Negga)
This is the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, the plaintiffs in the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision Loving vs. Virginia, which invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage.
Buy on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play or Vudu.

Life, Animated (Nominated for Best Documentary Feature)
I loved it. It’s the most charming Disney movie that Disney never made.
Stream on Amazon, iTunes.

O.J. Made in America (Nominated for Best Documentary Feature)
One of the best-reviewed documentaries of the year. Some had it in the short list for Best Picture despite being an 8-episode 30 for 30 from ESPN. It’s seven-and-a-half hours. Stream on Hulu.

13th (Nominated for Best Documentary Feature)
13th, titled after the Thirteenth Ammedment which outlawed slavery, is a documentary centerd on race in the U.S. criminal justice system. 

Stream on Netflix.

Kubo and the Two Strings (Nominated for Best Animated Feature, Visual Effects) 

An animated treat that got lost in the summer shuffle. Join Kubo’s thrilling quest along with Monkey (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey) in an epic action-adventure set in a fantastical Japan. 

Rent on Amazon or Google Play.

Zootopia (Nominated for Best Animated Feature)
Who am I kidding? If you or your kids wanted to see the tale of rabbit Juddy Hopps, you probably have seen it a dozen times by now. If you don't already own it, it's on Netflix.

Stream on Netflix.

The Jungle Book (Nominated for Best Visual Effects)
Yup, the beautiful jungle and convincing animals were created with CGI after shooting ended.
Stream on Netflix

A Man Called Ove (Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, Makeup & Hairstyling)
Get off my lawn! Swedish version. 

Rent on Amazon, Google Play or Vudu. 

Piper (Nominated for Best Animated Short)
A Pixar treat (it played before Finding Dory).

On Vimeo and on YouTube 
https://vimeo.com/192590804 and  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-uzJB9Bc9U

The Lobster (Nominated for Best Original Screenplay)
Completely deserving in this category, The Lobster is inventive, witty and very dark. It isn’t a dish for everyone, but if you have Netflix, check it out for free.

Stream on Netflix.

The ten buck review: All worth ten bucks.

Academy Award Nominees - Predictions for 2017

Hey girl, take these nomination predictions to Vegas. Tomorrow, La La Land could tie Titanic and All Above Eve's top noms with fourteen, but I predict thirteen — and Moonlight will emerge as the prime underdog with 7 key noms. Here's what's gonna happen in each category:

Best Picture
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Manchester by the Sea

Spoilers: I’m predicting eight (The H’s, L’s and M’s). If it goes to nine or ten, you’ll find Fences and I, Daniel Blake, Loving or Silence.



Best Director
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Garth Davis, Lion
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea

Dennis Villeneuve, Arrival

Spoiler: No rival awards have a stronger track record of predicting nominees than the Directors Guild of America (DGA) so this list is a solid bet. If there's a surprise, take out first-timer Davis and bet on Ken Loach, I, Daniel Blake (Recipient of BAFTA nom and Cannes' Palme d'Or) or  eight-time nomineed Martin Scorsese for Silence.



Best Actor
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge

Ryan Gosling, La La Land

Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic

Denzel Washington, Fences

Spoiler: Tom Hanks, Sully or Joel Egerton, Loving or Michael Keaton, Founder



Best Actress
Amy Adams, Arrival

Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

Spoiler: Annette Bening, 20th Century Women or Ruth Nega, Loving

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Dev Patel, Lion
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nocturnal Animals

Spoiler: Kevin Costner, Hidden Figures or anyone from Florence Foster Jenkins

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis, Fences

Naomi Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Janelle Monae, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

Spoiler: Octavia Spencer Hidden Figures, Greta Gerwig, 20th Century Women

Best Adapted Screenplay

Arrival 

Hacksaw Ridge

Lion

Moonlight 

Nocturnal Animals 

Spoiler: Hidden Figures

Best Original Screenplay

Captain Fantastic 

Hell or High Water 

La La Land 

The Lobster 

Manchester by the Sea 

Spoiler: 20th Century Women

Best Animated Feature

Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life As a Zucchini Sing

Zootopia 

Spoiler: Finding Dory 


Best Documentary
Cameraperson 
Fire at Sea 

I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated

O.J.: Made in America 

Spoiler: 13th, Weiter

Best Cinematography
Arrival (Bradford Young)

Hell or High Water (Giles Nuttgens)

La La Land (Linus Sandgren)
Lion (Grieg Fraser)

Moonlight (James Laxton)


Spoiler: Nocturnal Animals (Seamus McGarvey) 

Best Costume Design
Allied 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 

Florence Foster Jenkins 
Jackie
La La Land 

Spoiler: Period pieces traditionally have an edge in this category so The Dressmaker or Fences could appear.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Deadpool

Florence Foster Jenkins
Star Trek Beyond

Spoiler: The Dressmaker

Best Film Editing
Arrival 

La La Land 
Moonlight 
Manchester by the Sea 
O.J.: Made in America 


Spoiler: Hacksaw Ridge, Deadpool 

Best Original Score
Jackie
La La Land 

Lion
Moonlight
Nocturnal Animals 

Spoiler: Silence and Arrival were disqualified, but we may see Hacksaw Ridge or John WIlliams' The BFG in this category.

Best Song
"City of Stars," La La Land
"How Far I'll Go,"  Moana
"Audition," La La Land
"Dancing with Your Shadow,"  Po
"Can’t Stop the Feeling!" Trolls


Spoiler: Maybe "Running" from Hidden Figures, but I'd like to see "Drive It Like You Stole It," Sing Street



Best Production Design
Arrival 
Doctor Strange
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The Jungle Book
La La Land

Spoiler: All of above were chosen by the Art Directors Guild Production Design Awards. So did Jackie and Fences and Hacksaw Ridge and Rogue One. If someone else appeared, I'd bet on The Handmaiden



Best Sound Editing
Arrival
Deadpool
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land


Spoiler: Deepwater Horizon Rogue One: A Star Wars Story


Best Sound Mixing
La La Land
Hacksaw Ridge
Arrival
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Deepwater Horizon


Spoiler: Deadpool, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Best Visual Effects
Arrival
Doctor Strange
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The Jungle Book
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Spoiler: Kubo and the Two Strings is an animated film, but could sneak in here if enough people saw it.



Best Animated Short
Happy End
The Head Vanishes
Inner Workings
Once Upon a LinePiper

Spoiler: Borrowed Time


Best Live Action Short
Nocturne In Black
Timecode
The Way of Tea
Sing
The rifle, the Jackal, the Wold and the BOy

Spoiler: Bon Voyage

Best Documentary Short
4.1
Close Ties
ExtremisJoe’s Violin
The White Helmets


Spoiler: Watani: My Homeland

Best Foreign Film
A Man Called Ove (Sweden)
Land of Mine (Denmark)

My Life As a Zucchini (Switzerland)

The Salesman (Iran)
Toni Erdmann (Germany)


Spoiler: The King's Choice (Norway)

Lion

A roaring success.

Lion is a true story of Saroo, an Indian boy who was separated from his family at age five. The remarkable work of young actor Sunny Pawar drives this emotional story and drove the audience around me to tears (both sad and happy ones).

The second half of the film abruptly cuts twenty years into the boy’s future. The adult Saroo is played by Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire). It’s an abrupt jump that threatens the full film. Patel, often content to play the smiling approachable dude, steps up and delivers some magic in this role. Clearly, this is his best onscreen work.

No spoilers, but did I mention that the second half also invokes tears (both happy and sad.)? Bring tissues.

Simply put: It’s swell, and you’ll swell. Lion is unforgettable.

Award potential: The film will be nominated for Best Picture and likely Best Director. Nicole Kidman has a big-speech moment and will deservingly receive a nod for Best Supporting Actress.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

Jackie

Dodge this bullet.

Friends who couldn’t join me for Jackie noted they couldn’t wait to see her story and view the costumes. Lucky that they didn’t go; this is not a biopic. It’s a story framed by an imaginary interview of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and its sole purpose seems to be to share an intimate glimpse at her steely determination during the days that followed the assassination.

Of course, all of these manic, intimate thoughts are imagined, so what’s the point in seeing this? Well, there are some interesting thoughts about her role in the marketing of "Camelot,” but that alone does not make these long two hours informative or entertaining. Most likely, the one thing I’ll remember is an absurd, claustrophobic and self-aware movie score that almost brought my local theater to giggles.

And as for enjoying the costumes, there’s not much for the eyes here either. Since the film follows the week of the assassination, you’ve seen those iconic dresses many times already.

Simply put: Camel-not.

Award potential: Natalie Portman’s lean-forward performance as the iconic First Lady will be nominated in the Best Actress category. This is not a Best Picture.

The Ten Buck Review: Not worth ten bucks.