Burning Questions From The 2025 Oscars

  

Didn't it feel good seeing this start at a reasonable time?

 

Did you expect that optimism would fade later on?

 

Wasn't that L.A. tribute montage incredibly short given the circumstances? 

 

Can you believe they were seriously considering not have any musical performances on the show at all?

 

Was that a rhetorical question?

 

Were you expecting Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande to perform in character?

 

Was that maybe asking a little too much?

 

Okay then, how about Chalamet?

 

Out of all the nominees Conan could insert himself into, wasn't 'The Substance' the best choice?

 

Wasn't his joke about Netflix's constant price hikes the cold, hard truth?

 

Just like the one about Karla Sofía Gascón's publicist?

 

Didn't you know he'd immediately go there with the Gascón jabs?

 

And why shouldn't he?

 

Can you believe she actually attended? 

 

A sand worm playing the piano?

 

While the musical number was funny, did you think "I Won't Waste Time" was a promise Conan wouldn't be able to keep?

 

And wasn't that kind of the song's point?

 

With the exception of Chalamet's ultrasound, didn't those celebrity headshots resemble not so embarrassing high school yearbook photos?

 

How about that Adam Sandler bit? 

 

Did Robert Downey Jr. ramble or what? 

 

Are they really not showing any film clips of the nominees...again? 

 

Were you worried they'd present every category like that?

 

With the Culkin win, was everyone officially guaranteed one right on their ballots?

 

Sort of like he and his wife are officially guaranteed two more kids?

 

So, they're showing clips after all?

 

Did anyone correctly predict Animated Short?

 

In any year?

 

Ever? 

 

Didn't the costume nominees presentation take up a lot of time?

 

What would Conan say about that?

 

Wasn't Nick Offerman the ideal choice for announcer?  

 

Were you thinking that Original Screenplay win was a promising early sign for 'Anora?'    

 

Or were you thinking that Adapted Screenplay win was a promising early sign for 'Conclave?'

 

Weren't June Squibb and Scarlett Johansson an inspired pairing? 

 

Did Squibb display the best comedic timing of any presenter?

 

In the event of an Adrien Brody win, wouldn't it be better to have Halle Berry announce Best Actor?

 

Is isn't absurd how Margaret Qualley had to be a part of the James Bond tribute to get onto the Oscars?

 

So, they decided to go all in on the musical performances anyway?

'Cinemastreams?'

 

Was that the first time we've seen Darryl Hannah in over a decade?

 

Did that editing loss seal 'Conclave's' fate? 

 

Why were they not showing clips for the Supporting Actor and Actress nominees?

 

When Zoe won were you wondering if she'd mention Karla Sofía Gascón? 

 

If you still wanted a career after this, would you?

 

Was that Rolex commercial better than just about any Oscar montage?

 

Mick Jagger?!

 

Isn't he unsurprisingly great at this whole presenting thing?

 

Did you think the 16th time would be the charm for Diane Warren? 

 

Did anyone correctly predict Documentary Short?

 

In any year?

 

Ever?

 

Am I in shock that I actually did?

 

Would "guessed" be a more accurate word than "predicted" in this instance?

 

Miles Teller and Miley Cyrus?

 

Are they Conan's version of Letterman's Oprah and Uma?

 

Was Conan's 'Anora' joke about "standing up to a powerful Russian" the line of the night?  

 

Am I the only one perplexed at the level of online hate directed toward Rachel Zegler?

 

Doesn't that 'Better Man' movie look ridiculous? 

 

Did my luck run out with Live-Action Short?

 

Didn't everyone's?

 

Wasn't that a classy tribute to Gene Hackman from Morgan Freeman? 

 

Wasn't it jarring to see how many big names we lost over the past year?

 

And surreal seeing Shelley Duvall, David Lynch, James Earl Jones and Gene Hackman listed consecutively at the end of the montage?

 

Did you yell "Oh no, not again!" when you realized they excluded Michelle Trachtenberg?

 

How can they so royally screw this up every year?

 

Are they trying to upset viewers?

 

Was 'I'm Still Here' winning Best International Feature the ultimate slap in the face to 'Emilia Pérez?'

 

Wasn't that sort of expected? 

 

Does it get any better than Mark Hamill coming out to John Williams?

 

Was Best Actor the most suspenseful award of the night? 

 

Did you breathe a sigh of relief or disappointment when Adrien Brody won? 

 

Was Cillian Murphy worried Brody would try to kiss him?

 

Did Brody's gum tossing top his infamous Halle Berry moment? 

 

Was his speech longer than 'The Brutalist?'

 

Did you notice Tarantino nodding and clapping with approval when Sean Baker talked about the importance of preserving the theatrical experience?

 

Was he preaching to the choir with that one? 

 

After seeing the poorly chosen Demi Moore clip, were you worried she may not have this in the bag after all? 

 

Did 'Anora''s screenplay, editing and directing wins forecast Mikey taking this? 

 

Didn't she give a really nice speech?

 

Though she hid it well, how disappointed must Demi be right now? 

 

Once Best Picture rolled around, wasn't 'Anora' winning inevitable?

 

But did you really expect it to clean up like it did?

 

Can Conan O' Brien do this again?

 

At this point, should any host just chalk it up as a victory they made it through the show without getting slapped? 

A Real Pain

Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovoy, Daniel Oreskes, Ellora Torchia
Running Time: 90 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)     

Writer/director Jesse Eisenberg's A Real Pain is an exasperating but insightful 90 minutes that replicates the unpleasantness of traveling with someone who pushes your patience to the breaking point. Those who've found it impossible to get on the same page as a relative should undoubtedly empathize with its anxious protagonist, who both loves and resents a cousin whose unpredictable behavior unnerves everyone he encounters. It's the most time they've spent together in years, but the depressing circumstances surrounding their reunion make family bonding an impossibility.

While the anguish both characters experience pales in comparison to the historically unimaginable suffering they'll hear about on this trip, one of them struggles in ways familiar to anyone who feels like crawling under the table when his type of personality enters a room. With no guide on how to handle him or meaningful methods for managing the fallout, a small handful of supporting players strap in and endure a deluge of uncomfortable, cringeworthy outbursts. Neither character winds up in a significantly better place by journey's end, but tiny breakthroughs occur, bolstered by a pleasantly mismatched screen pairing and Kieran Culkin's outstanding performance.    

David Kaplan (Eisenberg) and his cousin Benji (Culkin) are preparing to embark on a trip from New York City to Poland to visit the childhood home of their late Jewish grandmother and further explore their heritage. The nervous and introverted David already misses his wife and young son, but has a detailed itinerary prepared before meeting rambunctious, free-spirited Benji at the airport. They clash almost immediately, with Benji's irritating, oversized personality disorienting an already uptight David. 

Once arriving in Poland, the pair join a Holocaust tour group led by mild mannered British guide James (Will Sharpe) and comprising of recent divorcée Marcia (Jennifer Grey), retired couple Mark (Daniel Oreskes) and Diane (Liza Sadovoy) and Rwandan genocide survivor Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan). But as Benji's obnoxious antics grow inappropriate enough to affect the rest of the group, David's forced to confront his complicated feelings toward him head on.

At first, David tries to be tolerant and accommodating of Benji's various quirks since they're taking this pilgrimage to honor a beloved ancestor, sharing memories from when they were younger and closer. But it doesn't take long to realize they've since drifted apart, with hints dropped that Benji's battling some serious inner demons. And yet, Culkin still manages to create this alternately compelling portrait of a fun, charismatic guy who lights up every room he enters, at least until his worst instincts take over. 

Whether the hyper sensitive Benji is roping the group into posing for an awkward photo, criticizing the tour guide, or in one memorable sequence, flipping out with guilt over the privileges they're enjoying on this trip, there's no denying he'll occasionally bring up valid points. It's how and when he expresses those that's the problem, as David walks on eggshells dreading what will set his cousin off next.

The film's best scene comes when David finally snaps, unloading his true thoughts about Benji and his own insecurities to the group, cementing suspicions about their shared history in the process. At its core, the film is entirely about Benji's fragile mental health, even while Eisenberg delicately juxtaposes that with comedic elements and the anticipatory dread of touring a Nazi concentration camp.

You could imagine an alternate version of A Real Pain that more closely resembles a slapstick farce, with straight man David struggling to maintain sanity and composure in the face of his annoying cousin's outrageous antics. But Eisenberg knows how and when to dial it back, investing his script with a thoughtful restraint that recalls another road trip movie in which he starred, 2015's greatly underappreciated The End of the Tour. This lacks that same spark, but even in sharing similarities with other indie comedies about quirky characters searching for enlightenment, Eisenberg navigates a simple, introspective premise with humor and dignity.

Margaret

Director:  Kenneth Lonergan
Anna Paquin, Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo, Kieran Culkin, J. Smith-Cameron, Matthew Broderick, Allison Janey, Jeannie Berlin, Jean Reno, Kenneth Lonergan, Michael Ealy, John Gallagher Jr., Rosemarie DeWitt, Olivia Thirbly
Running Time: 150 min.
Rating: R

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Filmed way back in 2005 and finally released late last year, Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret opens with one of the most emotionally intense death scenes I've seen in a movie. Three minutes seem to go on for an eternity. It's graphic, but that isn't why it's so difficult to get through. Wanting to look away but finding it impossible to do so, I hoped this isn't what really happens if someone's hit by a bus. I preferred thinking they couldn't be conscious long enough to carry on a conversation. That they just instantly black out and have no idea what's happened. That they can't possibly think there's a chance of making it. That their final minutes couldn't be in the hands of random strangers. As the scene wore on, I realized that this is probably exactly how it happens, and that's what made it so frightening. How could a sadistic scene like that be necessary? Lonergan spends the next two and half hours telling us. And this is the SHORTER, theatrical version.The longer director's cut runs three hours, and after seeing this, watching it seems almost mandatory.

The story of the making of Margaret is almost impossible to separate from the events that unfold onscreen, of which that opening bus accident and its aftermath serves as a catalyst for something greater. Sitting on the shelf for over six years entangled in a web of litigation, this little unknown film started popping up atop many "best of" lists last year with the word "masterpiece" floating around. While I'd like to say that word isn't used lightly, too often it is, but such a strong recommendation from so many credible sources was more than enough reason to check it out. And now that I have it's easy to understand the raves. It crawls under your skin in a way few movies today do, tackling issues even fewer successfully could. If it's a masterpiece, it's a messy one, and that feels entirely appropriate considering its depth and scope more closely resembles a great, lost American novel than any recently released dramatic film.

The protagonist's name isn't Margaret, but Lisa Cohen (Anna Paquin), a 17 year-old Manhattan high school student who witnesses that aforementioned bus accident that kills pedestrian Monica Patterson (Allison Janey), and comforts her in her final moments. But she also shares responsibility for causing it along with the driver Jason Berstone (Mark Ruffalo). She lies to the cops about what happened, both out of fear and guilt, before attempting to change her story. This leads to her becoming involved in a wrongful death lawsuit against the MTA, alongside the victim's best friend Emily (Jeannie Berlin).  Almost too intelligent for her own good, Lisa's already overdramatic streak is taken to to new heights as she attempts to cope with her role in what happened. The brunt of her lashing out is directed at her Broadway actress mom Joan (J. Cameron Smith), and as their vicious verbal exchanges prove, she's definitely her mother's daughter.Various sexual encounters and heated debates with classmates over terrorism become her outlet for frustration and expression, as she's plunged into a very real adult situation no girl her age could possibly be prepared for, even as all the real adults in her life constantly fail her. 

Lonergan (whose last film was 2000's You Can Count on Me) jams so much story in without it ever feeling that way, and in doing so really nails the experience of what it's like to be a hyper-sensitive, intellectual teen who thinks they've been through it all when they haven't even begun. Its title derives from Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem, "Spring and Fall," which is read during the film by Matthew Broderick, who plays Lisa's high school English teacher. The poem is about an adolescent girl named Margaret and how coming face-to-face with mortality changes her, but what unfolds over the course of this film is about that and a lot more, cutting to the core of our failure to meaningfully connect with others. That it's such a tough movie to describe and pin down is a testament to all the unconventional routes Lonergan takes to reach its goal.

Multiple storylines and sub-plots are juggled effortlessly, with everything always returning to Lisa and the accident's aftermath for all those involved, directly or not. But for Lisa, everything is always about her, and it's a credit to the writing and Paquin that we don't judge her for it and at times even empathize with her self-centeredness. She's in over her head and the more she does to make make things better, the deeper the hole she digs. Whether it's calling a bad boy classmate (Kieran Culkin) over to lose to her virginity, stringing along her would-be boyfriend (John Gallagher Jr.), hitting on her geometry teacher (Matt Damon), or meddling in the bus driver and victim's lives to absolve her conscience, Paquin makes it all seem somehow refreshingly human and relatable. She's not altogether a detestable character so much as a confused one, making it excusable for us to go from hating to loving Lisa (or vice versa) within the confines of a single scene.

No stranger to playing intellectually advanced and sexually curious New York high school students in the 25th Hour and The Squid and the Whale, this role feels like Paquin's ultimate payoff on those two characters had they been given their own showcases. What she did then and achieves again as Lisa is nail down a certain cadence and inflection of speech that you'd only find amongst the intellectual community in Manhattan. Words are a a weapon and the arts their primary means of expression (the film contains at least three scenes with either plays or operas). Had the movie been released when scheduled and with the proper marketing push back in '06 or '07, there's a decent chance Paquin could have won her second Oscar.

J. Cameron Smith is equally powerful and convincing as Lisa's mother, struggling with instability issues of her own and making it easy to see how the two can barely get through a conversation without it ending in a screaming match. Her own romance with sophisticated European, and borderline anti-Semite, Ramon (a superb Jean Reno) seems self-sabotaged from the get-go. The mother-daughter dynamic is just one example of Lonergan's pitch perfect writing, as the two central characters emotionally wound one another in ways each is too selfish to see. Lisa's relationship with her absent father,--played really well by Lonergan and seen only during long-distance phone calls-- is the worst kind of estranged parent. The type who continuously makes promises he has no intention of keeping. It's painful to watch and realize what Lisa doesn't: She's low on his list of priorities.

In pretty much only a single scene, Mark Ruffalo is frightening as the bus driver who encounters Lisa. You want to despise this man, until the actor playing him makes you realize that his biggest crimes (besides accidentally killing a woman) just might be desperation and stupidity. In an unforgettable supporting turn,  Jeannie Berlin comes out of semi-retirement to conquer the complex role of the Monica's tough best friend Emily and executor of her estate, sent into a tailspin when this teen shows up at her door pushing for a wrongful death suit and talking like she knew the victim. Berlin and Paquin have a scene together late in the film that's just brutal in its raw honesty, forcing the viewer to pick a side in the most awkward of situations where both are right. Or maybe wrong. But aside from philosophy, the film navigates tricky legal scenes with astonishing clarity so even someone completely unfamiliar with law could easily comprehend the complicated details of the case. Michael Ealy helps a great deal in that regard with his laid back performance as the lawyer who realizes he too might be in over his head, but offers up reasonable solutions nonetheless. 

Without even knowing beforehand, you'd still be able to tell just watching it that the film's been sitting on the shelf for six years. It really looks and feels like 2005, giving the entire picture the aura of a post 9/11 period piece, despite now arriving over 10 years after the tragedy. The wounds are fresher on screen, especially in the tumultuous, realistically written classroom scenes. Stranger still is seeing New Yorkers walk the streets without texting, a pre-True Blood, 23 year-old Paquin passing as a high school student and a much younger looking Matt Damon before he turned the corner as a major acting force. The germ of that transformation is evident, even if his storyline seems like the biggest casualty of the editing war that delayed the film. You can sense that certain scenes are cut-off or feel incomplete with a few jarring transitions, yet miraculously none of that hurts the narrative or lessen the story's overall impact. In many ways, it seems to strengthen it. There are also a few "blink and you'll miss them" cameos from actors who would go on to become bigger names, like Olivia Thirlby and Krysten Ritter. In fact, you could argue that most of the cast is more well known and successful now than when this started filming.

There's a line in the film where a character states that you're more likely to respond favorably to something you've already heard is good. That idea especially applies to the experience of watching this, and because of that, it'll likely take some time to fully estimate its value. For some reason critics also tend to respond more favorably to New York-set movies, possibly because they so often resemble the characters that populate those types of films. This time though, they're right. There's nothing quite like watching intellectuals tear each other apart so we have something to think and talk about for days and weeks after the credits roll.

As discouraging as the film's anonymity is, we should thank our lucky stars that an intelligent, gripping human drama about real people struggling with real problems came out at all, much less this well considering all its post-production nightmares. And thankfully now with more outlets to see lesser known independent titles than there were five or six years ago, it can possibly find an audience. When writing, directing and acting all come together in a way that has something important to say about life, that combination usually proves to be an unstoppable force. At two and a half hours, Margaret still feels like it has a lot more left to say, even if what's there is more than enough.   

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Ellen Wong, Alison Pill, Mark Webber, Johnny Simmons, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Eric Knubsen, Aubrey Plaza, Satya Bhabha, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman
Running Time: 108 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Talk about biting off more than you can chew. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is so ambitious that at moments I wasn't even sure what I was watching. I didn't really care what happened to the protagonist, it doesn't work as an action adventure, super-hero, romance, coming-of-age movie, or an indie comedy and seems to have nothing important to say. It does work as a comic book and video game, but considering it's based on the former and literally interprets the latter that isn't exactly a huge surprise. Yet something clicks. It probably has something to do with the film existing in its own self-contained universe that seems to make up its own rules as it goes along, giving me something I can't honestly say I've seen onscreen before. That's the hardest thing possible for a filmmaker to do so it's a credit to writer/director Edgar Wright that the world he creates for this 108 minute stretch that feels more like 5, occupies that special space. It's such an unusual accomplishment you're almost tempted to just go with it and forgive its many flaws because even the flaws are kind of endearing as would be expected when the aim is this high. Taking a battering ram to conventional storytelling, it's also as relentlessly annoying, overly hip and juvenile as its lead actor has been accused of being so in a way it's the ideal vehicle for him. Call it the era-defining Michael Cera since none of his movies have as accurately captured the enigma and ongoing debate over his skills as a performer. It's kind of a big deal so all his haters should brace themselves because they're in for their worst nightmare. I've always fallen down the middle on Cera so it's almost appropriate I fall right down the middle on this also, respecting the hell out of what it's trying to do, while still realizing it doesn't quite get there.

Awkward, mop-haired 22 year-old Canadian Scott Pilgrim (Cera), bass guitarist for the garage band "Sex Bob-omb," hasn't exactly had the best luck in relationships of late, mourning his painful break-up with rocker Envy Adams (Brie Larson) by dating overly enthusiastic high schooler Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), much to the shock and disapproval of his friends. That is until he literally meets the girl of his dreams in rollerblading Amazon.ca carrier Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who changes boyfriends as often as she does hair color. Smitten and obsessed, he's convinced himself she's "the one" and is wiling to do anything, including breaking up with Knives, to win her affections. During a concert he's attacked by the first of Ramona's ex-boyfriends, Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha) and discovers that in order to officially date her he must defeat seven evil exes (or X's) in video game style fights. If he can he'll then earn the honor of being her nicest boyfriend, even if he's not exactly sure that's a compliment.

How I describe this, the whole plot almost seems sensible and straightforward, but it's far from that in presentation, almost as if Wright took TRON, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, (500) Days of Summer, The Wizard and a teenage version of Crank and threw them all in a blender to see what would happen. What happens is a glorious mess that's impossible to take your eyes off of but gets tiresome after a while and makes little sense. The film appears to exist in a normal reality and while no one's sucked into a video game per se, the entire film and the protagonist's daily life functions as one. Complete with title cards, 1960's Batman "Bam!" and Pow!" graphics and meters indicating characters' bodily functions as well as their thoughts and feelings, it's all an extension of Scott's existence rather than something that just comes into play when he meets Ramona and faces his challenge. Some will say the ending is garbled (and it is) but that's actually being kind since everything is a garbled mess from beginning to end, but just too much fun visually that you forget you're supposed to care.

The film is fully-loaded with talent like Anna Kendrick as Scott's gossipy sister, Alison Pill as  bandmate Kim Pine and Chris Evans as one of Ramona's more memorable exes, a big name actor action star, and a perfectly cast Jason Schwartzman is Gideon, the centerpiece of "The League of Evil Exes" who wields more control over Scott's fate than he'd think.  We also have an Arrested Development reunion of sorts as Mae Whitman appears alongside Cera again as Ramona's fourth evil ex, the "bi-furious" lesbian ninja Roxy. But the two actors who most impress are Kieran Culkin as Scott's gay roommate  and an unrecognizable Brandon Routh as the most arrogant of Ramona's exes, a vegan bass player with psychic powers. With his brillaint brilliant delivery of the housekeeper dialogue Routh deserves a free pass to continue playing Superman for the rest of his life. Both do the most while seemingly trying the least, which is no small feat in a movie starring the most apathetic actor of them all.

At the risk of beating an already tired issue into the ground, Cera is Cera again in this but his droll, deadpan delivery finds its comfiest home yet amidst all the craziness surrounding his character. He'll never win any Oscars but as I've said before there is something admirable about his refusal to stretch dramatically and just stick to his strengths, as well as a comfort in knowing exactly what we'll get from him. After teasing us with a departure of sorts in Youth in Revolt (a smarter, more mature film than this actually) he's back to his old tricks again and if nothing else he's always been consistent, giving us the choice to either take him or leave him. His reward for not stretching at all? Co-stars like Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who returns to the screen after a three-year absence, which is a relief since I was worrying she didn't survive that encounter with the mechanic at the end of Death Proof. After that and her role in Live Free or Die Hard, this feels like a regressive move. It's really a high school part even though Ramona Flowers is supposed to be 25 (truthfully, both leads are too old for their roles) but what it does at least offer her is the first on screen opportunity to convey emotional depth and inner turmoil, and she does, to the extent it's allowed. Hidden behind crazy hair, her usually obvious beauty for once isn't the centerpiece. Still, another variation on the unattainable "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" character feels beneath her, even having not really gotten a read on her full talents as an actress. But at least she's back and can hopefully use this increased exposure as a stepping stone to better roles.

It's easy to see why this flopped. This is aimed squarely at two niche groups: Comic-book geeks and hipsters (key target age for both: 25 and under). So as someone failing to meet the age requirement or fall exclusively into either category, this turns into a film I can respect from a distance rather than love. Is the movie making fun of people who like these kinds of movies or is this really supposed to be that kind of movie? Does it even matter? But those groups are passionate viewers that deserve great movies made for them because even if their impact is sometimes overestimated in terms of box office drawing power, they've got great taste. Those who read Bryan Lee O' Malley's graphic novels would know better than I how true this is to it, but judging from the cult response to the film, I'm guessing that in spirit and tone it probably did. But even I can tell there are a number of people who will really connect with this. It's fun, but I can't claim it had anything important to say, at least to me. And that's fine. For many it'll feel as if it were made just for them. But I already had that movie this year, so the biggest joy watching Scott Pilgrim will have to be in knowing it's someone else's favorite movie of the year and recognizing they owe me no explanation as to why.