Olga Reacts to Oscar Nominated Films

Every damn year I attempt to watch the Oscars. I figure that it's a fun way to pass a Sunday evening at home. And every bloody year I feel uncultured as fuck. Because I never actually watch any of the movies making the whole watching almost pointless. But not this year, because I've decided to watch several of the movies and share my thoughts on them with all of you!

I am certainly no movie critic, just an average person sharing my thoughts, so bear with me! I tried to watch as many as I could, but I am busy person so there were some I couldn't get to. Instead I just watched ones that interested me most and/or were nominated in multiple categories. I will also be including my predictions/hopes for which ones I hope/think will win certain categories.

And now, onto my brief thoughts: 

The Shape of Water 🌟🌟🌟🌟

• What it's about: A mute girl who works in a government research facility develops feelings for a creature being kept there.
• The vibe drew me in. It was sort of like Stranger Things meets Amelie. A lyrical story filled with love and beauty inside a top secret government facility storing a mysterious creature.
• I enjoyed watching it as it was atmospheric with the lovely visuals and music.
• However, I found that the characters could have been more fleshed out than they were. Because of that I feel like it didn’t have as great an impact on me as I expected considering the many nominations it received.

Three Billboards Over Ebbing, Missouri 🌟🌟🌟🌟

• What it's about: A woman challenging the local authorities to investigate her daughter's murder by putting up controversial billboards.
• It's really hard to capture what I felt into words. This film was disturbing, heart-wrenching but somewhat heartwarming too at once. Extremely complex. Characters had diverse and rich personalities, with their own conflicting agendas. This made for a fascinating narrative.
• I think it's a very strong contender for winning Best Picture!

Lady Bird 💖💖💖💖💖

• What it's about: A girl in her final year of high school dealing with her relationship with her mother and growing into adulthood.
• This film was raw and realistic. It didn’t sugarcoat anyone or anything, nor was it completely critical. The characters had strong flaws as well as strengths and all the actors portrayed it splendidly in my opinion (Saoirse Ronan especially. I would love if she won Best Actress for this).
• A strong message resonated with me at the end - that you grow nostalgic for the things you used to shit on, once you  move into a new chapter of your life. I can certainly relate to that, I was reminded of my life when Saoirse walked inside that church (if you've seen the movie you'll understand).
• And finally, my favourite quote of the film (which may perhaps be one of my favourites quotes now): "Don't you think they are the same, love and attention?"

Dunkirk 🌟🌟🌟🌟

• What it's about: The evacuation of the Allied armies from Dunkirk during WW2.
• Did I enjoy watching this? No. Was it amazing? Yes. And this completely makes sense considering the subject matter of the film.
• Despite the bulk of the movie comprising of death, and various other atrocities of the war, it ended with a moving message of hope. Which is just what it needed to make it memorable.

Call Me By Your Name 😐😐

• What It's About: A teenage boy bonding with his father's research assistant over the summer.
• This.was.so.boring.
• I don't mean to be mean about this. But… hardly anything even happened in this movie. I didn't know why I was watching. And I felt that the characters' personalities were bland and not particularly intriguing. So I honestly didn't care what happened to anyone, I just wanted the movie to finish
• I did enjoy the beautiful landscapes and the piano soundtracks that played throughout. Those were a redeeming point for me

I, Tonya 💖💖💖💖💖

• What It's About: The scandal that led to Tonya Harding's departure from the figure skating world
• THIS WAS EXCELLENT! I can't fault this movie for anything, honestly.
• Tonya was flawed af. And yet, I was always cheering for her and was hoping that things would work out for her even though I knew how it would all end. Margot Robbie was phenomenal with the range of emotions her role required.
• The setting looked very believable as the 1980/90s US, with the excellent soundtrack choices and appropriate lighting. 

Phantom Thread 🌝🌝🌝

• What It's About: A romance between a demanding famous dressmaker and a simple waitress in 1950's London
• I don't know how I found this. I did like watching it, and the overall vibe was elegant and appealing. Daniel Day-Lewis is a quite dashing older man, and wonderfully played the complicated part of Reynolds.
• CYRIL IS A BAMF

• I didn't get what this film was supposed to be about and what message it meant to send. The characters were essentially in the same place as in the beginning. I was disappointed by that. 

Darkest Hour 💛💛💛

• What It's About: Winston Churchill getting appointed as Prime Minister in the beginning of WW2, facing difficult trials such as the Dunkirk Evacuation
• Churchill could be an extremely infuriating person, but the speeches were on point. I could not imagine making the choices and the risks that were required back then. Wonderfully portrayed and acted. Clemmie, Churchill's wife, was also amazing
• This could have just been me, or the fact that I've seen it after a long day at work and was simply tired, I zoned out at some parts… I'm not happy at myself for doing this, but it's the truth!

And that's all for today folks! I didn't get around to everything I wanted to watch, but will probably watch those after the ceremony (ie. Loving Vincent, The Post, Florida Project etc. ) and reviews might be coming.
Stay tuned for my predictions tomorrow!

~Olga