When I began the podcast, I mentioned that one of the topics I was going to cover was entertainment. This week we began a three-part series where I review all 10 films nominated for Best Picture Oscars. We will cover 4 films this week and three films each of the next two weeks. We start with “Avatar: Way of the Water”, “Top Gun: Maverick”, “Elvis”, and “Everything Everywhere All at Once”.

Hello, this is Chris Young, and welcome to a special episode of Contemplating Life – Oscar Edition.

When I started this podcast, I said I would cover various topics, including entertainment. I’m a huge movie fan and I am very much addicted to television. This is very much in line with the overall theme of the podcast. The silver screen not only reflects the image from the projector, but it is also a mirror that we hold up to ourselves as we reflect on the human condition, human emotions, and the issues that shape our lives. Entertainment media is another way of Contemplating Life.

Today I’m going to begin a three-part series where I give you my thoughts on all 10 of the films nominated for Best Picture Oscar which will be presented Sunday March 12, and shown on ABC. I will also throw in my comments about any acting or other awards for these films. I will probably not get into anything nominations for films that are not among these 10 Best Picture candidates. I will also mention Golden Globe nominations and winners which were already presented on January 10th and can be replayed on Peacock TV. I will also mention nominations for the upcoming Screen Actors Guild or SAG awards Which can be seen on February 26 on Netflix’s YouTube channel for free with no Netflix subscription required.

There will be minor spoilers, especially on the films I didn’t enjoy. I hate to spoil but I want to explain what I didn’t like about them.

In times past, Oscar seemed to focus on small independent prestigious films bypassing most highly popular films. But beginning in 2009, they expanded the Best Picture category from 5 to as many as 10 films giving the opportunity to recognize a broader range of films including big-budget blockbusters. We will start with 4 of those highly popular movies this week and in the following two weeks, we will cover 3 movies each. Apologies that this episode is going to be a bit long.

We begin with the long-awaited “Avatar: The Way of Water”. I’m going to be honest upfront that I will not be very objective about this film. I am a huge fan of CGI effects. Years ago I co-authored a book about computer graphics. And ever since I got one of those little toy View-Master 3D devices for Christmas when I was about 7 or 8 years old, I have been addicted to 3D.

I saw the original “Avatar” in theaters at least 6 times in IMAX 3D including when it was re-released a few months ago in anticipation of the sequel. I’ve also seen the original several times on Blu-ray including 3D Blu-ray on my 3D TV. I didn’t care that people dubbed it a remake of “Dances with Wolves” in outer space because I never saw that film. And so what if it wasn’t the most original plot? James Cameron has always been known for ripping off other people’s work. The original “Avatar” was clearly the most visually stunning film of my lifetime. Like most fans, I anxiously awaited for 13 years to revisit the alien moon, Pandora.

In one sentence… It was worth the wait.

Once again we become totally immersed in this alien world. Even someone like me who deeply appreciates the technical achievement found himself forgetting that these were CGI characters.
Initially, I was worried that the reviews I read of Avatar 2 talked about how spectacularly beautiful it was but they didn’t say much about the characters or the story. I was pleasantly surprised that from a storytelling point of view, this also exceeded the original.

In this film, set 16 years after the original, we confirm that Jake has successfully left behind his human body and full-time occupies the body of a native Na’vi without the need for technological assistance. He is now the chief of the Omatikaya tribe. He is married to Neytiri and they now have 4 children. Jamie Flatters plays Neteyam, their son age 16. Britain Dalton plays 14-year-old son Lo’ak who struggles to compete for his father’s approval in the shadow of his more accomplished older brother. Their youngest child an eight-year-old daughter named Tuktirey nicknamed “Tuk” is played by Trinity Jo-Li Bliss. She brings an infectious childhood enthusiasm to the story that has been absent previously. Her CGI image is quite adorable as are the renderings of various Na’vi infants we see in the film.

They also have a 14-year-old adopted Na’vi daughter Kiri who is the offspring of the avatar body of Dr. Grace Augustine, Sigourney Weaver’s character from the original film. Even though Dr. Grace’s human body dies at the end of the original movie, apparently her avatar body was pregnant. It’s a mystery who the father is. Teenager Kiri is also played by Sigourney Weaver through the magic of performance capture and CGI. The family is also accompanied by a teenage boy called Spider played by Jack Champion, a human child who was abandoned when humans were exiled from Pandora.

Their idyllic family life is interrupted when the humans return. Among the humans returning is their old nemesis the vicious hard-nosed Marine Colonel Miles Quartich who died in the first film. His consciousness and memories were downloaded into a backup prior to his death and then uploaded into an avatar body. Many of his squad of badass Marines who were also killed are similarly resurrected as Na’vi. Now that they have powerful alien bodies they are even more dangerous and are hell-bent on chasing down Jake and his family to get revenge.

Jake and his family are forced to flee to a different tribe of Na’vi called the Metkayina who live in and around the water. This refugee family has to try to assimilate into the new community and learn the way of the water. We get memorable performances from Sam Worthington as Jake, Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, and Stephen Lang as Quartich. The Metkayina are led by chief Tonowari played by Cliff Curtis and his wife Ronla played by Kate Winslet. Winslet is unrecognizable in CGI form and brings nothing interesting to the screen. Everyone who was anticipating the Titanic reunion between her and Director James Cameron will be disappointed. Reports are that her character will play a more significant part in promised sequels.

The film must be seen in 3D to be fully appreciated and IMAX 3D is worth the premium price. Don’t wait for this to come to Blu-ray or streaming. It needs to be seen in a theater on a big screen with full digital surround sound. As soon as an opportunity presents itself, I will be going back to see it again in IMAX 3D. If I was voting in the Academy it would get my vote but then again I admit my biases.

It is also nominated for Visual Effects which it had better when hands down, Sound which it should do well although it has competition, and Production Design which blows away the competition. It should be noted that none of the nominations were in acting categories and that’s probably proper. I might have nominated Stephen Lang for Supporting Actor however I doubt we will see any performance capture character get nominated for a major award anytime soon. Andy Serkis has earned nominations and wins of lesser awards for his performance capture performances in the “Lord of the Rings” and “Planet of the Apes” franchises but never an Oscar.

Avatar 2 also received Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture – Drama and director James Cameron but did not win.

As a fan of big-budget sci-fi films, it’s heartening to see the Academy recognize a blockbuster after decades of only recognizing small artsy films that only saw a limited audience. With the budget reported to be $350 million and a worldwide gross of $2.1 billion so far, the Academy is finally recognizing popular films of quality. While movies educate, inspire, and move us to think deeply beyond our own experiences, ultimately they have to work as entertainment as well. Films like Avatar 2 and Top Gun 2 give us popcorn-chewing action while telling compelling stories with memorable characters and they deserve recognition as well.

While we are discussing long-awaited sequels with big budgets and massive box office numbers, we should turn briefly to “Top Gun: Maverick”. It’s been 36 years since we took to the skies with Tom Cruise as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. With an estimated budget of $170 million and a worldwide gross of over $1.4 billion, the Academy is again demonstrating it is no longer afraid to nominate action blockbusters.

When we last left Maverick, he was planning to become an instructor at Top Gun however we learn that only lasted two months. At the start of the film, he is a test pilot of a Mach 10-rated hypersonic aircraft. Naturally, he pushes it to Mach 10.2 and destroys the aircraft.

He then is tapped to train a group of elite Top Gun graduates for a special mission to destroy a rogue nation’s uranium enrichment plant before it goes online. Among the candidates for this extremely dangerous mission is Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw played by Miles Teller. Rooster is the son of Maverick’s former partner “Goose” who was killed in an accident in the first film. Rooster doesn’t blame Maverick so much for the death of his father as for the way that Maverick has thwarted his career as he tried to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Jennifer Conway plays bar owner Penny Benjamin who serves as the new love interest in the story. While there is a minor amount of chemistry between her and Cruise, it is nowhere near the level of passion we saw between him and Kelly McGillis in the original film. McGillis is mostly retired from acting and although she has played distinguished characters late in life, she no longer has the sex appeal she had as a young woman.

The film is pretty much a wall-to-wall fan service for fans of the original. It delivers lots of action and machismo that we expect from a Top Gun film. We are not at all surprised when Maverick clashes with the brass and gets in deep trouble that costs him his assignment nor are we surprised when he regains the job, proves that the impossible is possible, and saves the day.

We get a memorable brief appearance by Val Kilmer who reprises his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky now risen to the rank of admiral. We learn that he has spent years fighting to keep Maverick flying in spite of his usual antics. In real life, Kilmer has been battling throat cancer for many years and can barely speak. His condition is written into the story as his character struggles with the same condition.

At age 60, Cruise can still flash his signature charismatic boyish grin and has no difficulty re-creating the bravado of the character he created over 30 years ago. Teller’s portrayal of Rooster’s animosity towards Maverick comes across as completely credible without being at all cliché. Speaking of Teller, you should also check out his performance in the recent miniseries “The Offer” where he portrays movie producer Albert S. Ruddy recounting his experiences producing “The Godfather”. The 10-episode miniseries on Paramount+ is well worth your time.

While it was nice to revisit this franchise after all these years and I found this experience completely enjoyable and satisfying as a fan of the original, there is nothing new here. I’m glad it was recognized but overall I’m not sure it really deserves its Best Picture nomination. It also earned nominations for Film Editing, Sound, and Visual Effects all of which are worthy of the nomination but none of which are likely to win. Speaking of visual effects, it should be noted that there is minimal use of CGI and green screen in this film. When we see the actors in the cockpit of their aircraft, we are seeing them really flying in the backseat of actual fighter jets. The cast had to undergo special training to endure the G-forces involved. The nominated closing song written by Lady Gaga and BloodPop is nothing special. The song also received a Golden Globe nomination but didn’t win. I may have more to say about Oscar-nominated songs in a later episode. I don’t believe the Adapted Screenplay deserved its nomination.

“Top Gun: Maverick” is still in theaters and available for streaming on Paramount+ and MGM+.

Moving on to “Elvis”. With an estimated budget of $85 million and a worldwide gross of $187 million, it’s not in the same category as Avatar or Top Gun but it still a big hit. I am a fan of director Baz Luhrmann and when I heard he was taking on a biopic about Elvis I was immediately intrigued. And what’s not to like about Tom Hanks who has only made 2 bad movies in his entire career? I heard Hanks interviewed before the movie was released and he described it as “The most Baz Luhrmanny movie Baz Luhrmann ever made.”

I have a strange affection for Luhrmann‘s 1996 “Romeo + Juliet” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and which caused me to fall in love with young Claire Danes. His 2001 “Moulin Rouge” is a guilty pleasure that I enjoy very much despite Ewan McGregor’s horrific singing voice. Finally, “The Great Gatsby” from 2013 had his signature surreal twists that gave me a new appreciation for the classic story.

I was pleasantly surprised that “Elvis”, while it had some surreal Baz Luhrmanny moments, was not as over-the-top as some of his other work. The film does a wonderful job of explaining the roots of Elvis’ musical influences in jazz and gospel having grown up in a black neighborhood. In a world where Elvis impersonators are a dime a dozen (if that much), Austin Butler does a phenomenal job embodying the character without ever becoming a cheesy imitation. He much deserves his nomination. He won the Golden Globe in the drama category and earned a SAG nomination for the performance. The film was nominated for a Globe but did not win.

Much of the story revolves around Elvis’ manager and promoter Colonel Tom Parker brilliantly portrayed by Tom Hanks. The self-proclaimed Colonel was a huckster and a con man who was responsible for much of Elvis’ success but who manipulated and exploited him mercilessly. Many have claimed that Hanks was snubbed by not getting nominated. However, despite heavy layers of makeup effects and a consistent foreign accent, one could not forget that they were watching Tom Hanks. Hanks delivers a memorable character that could have been nominated but I understand why it wasn’t.

Were it not facing stiff competition, this could easily be the Best Picture winner in a different year. With a total of 8 nominations including Cinematography, Costume, Film Editing, Makeup and Hair, Production Design, and Sound it could come away with multiple trophies deservedly. Let’s call it my third favorite in the Best Picture category.

Given my fandom of the sci-fi/fantasy genre, I was very excited to see all of the accolades for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The film received 11 Oscar nominations – the most of any film this year. It also has won 261 awards out of 392 nominations including a best actress Golden Globe for Michelle Yeoh. While not exactly a blockbuster, with an estimated budget of $25 million and a worldwide gross of over $105 million, it was a huge hit. With all of this high praise, I was really anxious to see it. The idea that a sci-fi/fantasy genre film was the odds-on favorite to win multiple major category Oscars really excited me. I was also excited to see a supporting actress nomination for Jamie Lee Curtis.

Although I’ve seen Michelle Yeoh in a number of films dating back to “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in 2000, I didn’t really become a fan until she appeared in the Paramount+ series “Star Trek: Discovery” where she played two different versions of the same character from different parallel universes. In “Everything Everywhere All at Once” she dives headlong into the multiverse portraying multiple versions of the same person.

When I finally was able to see the film I could not have been more disappointed. While I appreciate that it is intended to be a kind of slapstick comedy farce, I found it to be so ridiculous, so difficult to follow, and so pointless that I nearly gave up on watching it multiple times.

While Jamie Lee Curtis plays a mildly entertaining somewhat memorable quirky character, my initial reaction to her performance was that it was nowhere near as memorable as some of her other roles such as her Golden Globe-winning performance in “True Lies” or her nominated performances in the “Halloween” franchise as well as “A Fish Called Wanda”. I wonder if the nomination was simply recognizing her body of work and/or if she just got swept up in the mania over this film. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for this film.

While Michelle Yeoh’s handling of this mixed-up messy story is memorable and deserves the nomination, I never could get into the spirit of the film.

Yeoh plays Evelyn Wang, the owner of a laundromat that is deep in trouble with the IRS. Curtis plays the IRS agent auditing her. On the way to her tax audit, her husband and business partner Waymond suddenly changes his personality. We eventually discover that he is being possessed by an alternate version of himself from a parallel universe known as the Alpha universe. He reveals that an evil force is trying to destroy his universe and all parallel universes. He is convinced that Evelyn is the key to saving the multiverse. Waymond is played by Ke Huy Quan who you may recall from his childhood appearances as Short Round in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and as Data in “The Goonies”. His performance is quite memorable and definitely worth the nomination.

Evelyn quickly begins to learn the method of jumping between parallel universes which allows her to pick up skills from different versions of herself in a way not unlike how characters in “The Matrix” are able to download new skills into their brain. As we jump between parallel universes, we get to see multiple versions of her character that are way more successful and apparently happier than the milquetoast mundane existence she is currently living.

We establish that in this universe her marriage is in trouble and we see how different choices she might have made lead to vastly different outcomes for the couple either together or apart. She also has a somewhat strained relationship with her lesbian daughter Joy who is played by Stephanie Hsu who also received a Supporting Actress nomination. With her and Jamie Lee Curtis both being nominated for the same category from the same film, fans of the film will split their vote probably ruining chances for either of them although my guess is Hsu has a better chance of winning.

While much of it is slapstick comedy mixed with kung-fu action that is not meant to be taken seriously (for example in one universe everyone has hot dogs for fingers) after a while the stunts become boring or unintelligible through sensory overload and the comedy just isn’t that funny.

If you really like comedic farce laced with phenomenal action sequences I would rather recommend Netflix’s “Bullet Train” starring Brad Pitt than this film. The plot is much more cleverly crafted, the comedy is better, and the action is just as enjoyable.

While I think Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu probably deserve their nominations, I cannot recommend the film itself. With its massive momentum from all the other nominations and wins from other organizations, this film is probably the odds-on favorite to win but I for one will be disappointed if it does. Yeoh won Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical Golden Globe and Ke Huy Quan won the Supporting Actor Golden Globe. The ensemble cast has earned a SAG nomination as well as individual SAG nominations for Yeoh, Quan, Hsu, and Curtis.

It’s hard to describe what happens next without getting into spoilers so I apologize for doing so. In the upcoming spoiler, I will explain some of what redeems this mess of a film. If you don’t want to be spoiled, go ahead and stop this podcast and come back next week for reviews of more Oscar-nominated films.

Okay, you were warned. Here’s “what’s really going on” in this film. It turns out that the evil force she is battling is a parallel universe version of her daughter Joy.

Only in the final 15 minutes of the film do we get poignant moments between mother-daughter and husband-wife in which we come to realize that the entire battle that has been going on is really a battle to salvage their relationships. It seems to me like we went through a lot of crap just to get 15 minutes worth of quality acting, storytelling, and memorable moments. At the beginning of the film, we don’t really feel that the mother-daughter relationship was that broken. In the alternate universe, Joy turns evil because she is so disillusioned with her life. Yet we don’t see that same level of disillusionment in the Joy character from our universe. Only in the final scene when Evelyn asked her about her dissatisfaction with her life do we sense that dissatisfaction. It’s almost like Joy didn’t realize how miserable she was until her mother pointed it out to her at that moment. So the climax in which that relationship is finally healed doesn’t pay off. The healing of the husband-wife relationship is not emphasized even though it was set up better to begin with and we feel better about mending that relationship than we do the mother-daughter relationship.

Perhaps others saw something in the film that I did not or they gave more weight to the final 15 minutes of quality performances and poignant themes than did I. Perhaps the critics and Academy voters were willing to overlook the flaws in the payoff that I just described.

That’s just my opinion… I could be wrong. We will see what happens on Oscar night.

As always, I welcome your comments.

In our next episode, we will talk about 3 Oscar-nominated films that are more in line with what we traditionally expect from the Academy Awards. Although they contain quality performances, I had specific problems with all three of them. Don’t worry – in our third episode in the series I will cover the final three Best Picture nominees and films and I loved all of them. They are what quality filmmaking is all about.

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