Oscars final review

Yesterday night was The Night we were expecting since ... oh well, last year?
After the amazing success of Moonlight and, most of all the infamous loser La La Land, the 89th Academy Awards were hard to forget.
The 90th edition was tough since its beginning: the ME TOO movement and some scandals concerning female abuses (remember James Franco's exclusion?) and Guillermo De Toro being accused of plagiarism by Paul Zindel's son, who claimed Toro had copied his father's 1969 masterpiece "Let Me Hear You Whisper".  And, to be frank, the doubt was reasonable !

Let's start with a few words on the red carpet.  Nothing to do with the 2015 Red Carpet, with capital R and C, when Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara and Margot Robbie stayed... or the 2016 success of Viola Davis and Emma Stone... yesterday night, in my opinion was way above all this memories. Anyway, Nicole, looking fabulous in her Armani, and the sober "old but not cold" Meryl Streep in total red, were my favorite.

I'm happy with all the results besides best movie. How come that Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri didn't win Best Picture?  Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell won their category! And, let's say it, the story of Three Billboards was original, yet conveyed a contemporary message: the denunce of a dysfunctional justice system and, once again, violence against women. That's all? No, because Frances portrayed the strength of a lone - wolf women, who finds the strength to pursue her aim fighting the system form the inside. And The Shape of Water? A strange love story between a women and a monster, even if, in reality, the real monster was not the fishy creature but the carnal scientist. Interesting... but moving? In my opinion, Toro's work was well balanced in rhytm, music and surprising effects - even the monster itself was quite "sweet"-but, even though the story was enjoyable, it didn't leave nothing to me.

Your thoughts? Comment below so we can finally share opinions.

The 90th Academy Awards winners

The Shape of Water crew accepts "Best Movie" 

Frances McCdormand accepts "Best Actress" 

Gary Oldman accepts "Best Actor"

Sam Rockwell accepts "Best supporting actor"

Allison Janey accepts "Best supporting actress"

Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) written and directed by Dan Gilroy, starring Denzel Washington and Colin Farrell. The plot centers around the life of an idealistic defense lawyer (Washington) who finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a personal crisis and the necessity for extreme action.

Denzel is running for Best Actor in the 90th Academy Awards.

• Roman J. Israel is a misunderstood genious, a charismatic and old fascioned personality in a world ruled by materialism and money. Roman’s moment of self realizement is interesting: after a life of privations a little bit of mundanity and plasures ? Oh yes. Good housing taste, man.
• Colin Farell is the prototype of the perfect lawer. Handsome
• The story isn’t that interesting, I didn’t get what civil laws Roman wanted to change with his contribution. But, anyway, Washington was worth watching.

Movie rating: 2/5.

The Florida Project

The Florida Project (2017) directed by Sean Baker , among its stars Willem Dafoe- nominated in the category of Best supporting actor at the 90th Oscars.

In the Florida Project the cam follows the steps of a group of kind who lived near DisneyLand, and, in particular of the 6 yo Moonee, the daughter of the screwed up young hooker Halley. The two of them used to spend their summer holidays in the Magic Castle motel in Kissimmee, where Moonee every year reunited with her young partners in crime Scooty and her bae Janey. The cam shows them while fooling around mocking tourists and other inhabitants, trying to picture the normal life of this unfortunates people who survive thanks to offers and favors that Bobby (Dafoe), the manager, saves for them.

• Near by a magical place, real people struggle. I liked the contrast between the imagined Florida represented by the idealistical DisneyLand, which is shown only in the final scene as a contrast to the fact that normal people live in a shade that (obviously) tourists ignore. Is Florida so magical as we imagine? The answer is no, and we see it in the Magic Castle motel, where young girls are already mother of 6 yo babies and have to do full time jobs or to sell their body in order to survive.
• Food. What effort worths a hot meal? Well, Halley feeds Moone with Waffles and Take Aways, but, as long as Halley has the opportunity she knocks at her mother’s door to pass a pleasant night, sleep under a decent roof and eat some heart-made dish. On the other hand food is a coagulant factor for Halley and Mooney, that spend their ¾ of time together eating, as food could fulfilled their lack of affection, or, on the other hand, food is seen a mean of power, as we see in the scene where Halley argues with Scooty’s mother.
• Almost abandoned kids that fool around all day, become piromanes without even realize the consequence of their actions because nobody told them.
• Bobby aka Willem Defoe who as the interesting role of both being the owner of the Magical Castle and the one who seems to be the great father, trying to fix troubles for Halley and other mates.
• The emotional final scene, gives back to Moonee and Janey their stolen childhood.

Movie rating: 4/5.