Oscar voters let rip! Netflix’s Mank blasted as ‘boring and too digital’, Trial of the Chicago 7 ‘mediocre’ and Minari ‘excruciatingly slow’ as anonymous critic gives a brutally honest review
This year’s annual ‘brutally honest Oscar ballot’ from The Hollywood Reporter is picking apart the Best Picture nominees for Sunday’s 93rd Academy Awards, and suggests that due to the pandemic’s adverse effect on the movie business, the eight films up for prizes have been decidedly underwhelming.
The tradition sees critics and Oscar voters give their unfiltered opinion on the movies that have been bolstered with five-star reviews in relentless marketing campaigns, aggressively aimed at voters in the hope their film will win the top trophies on Hollywood’s biggest night.
This year, an anonymous male Academy voter – said to be Oscar-nominated himself – has let rip to THR on the frontrunners, including Netflix’s lavish ode-to-Hollywood drama Mank, about alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (played by Gary Oldman) as he races to finish Citizen Kane, which the voter describes as ‘boring.’
‘Boring’: Netflix drama Mank has been panned by an anonymous Oscars voter, despite it being nominated for Best Picture at the 93rd Academy Awards this Sunday
‘I f****ing love David Fincher as a filmmaker,’ the voter writes. ‘But Mank is boring and indulgent and too clever for its own good.’ They also say Oldman, 63, should not win for Best Actor because he won in 2018 and the film – which cost $25million – ‘isn’t great.’
While streaming giant Netflix is known for splashing the cash on their content, this voter complains he could ‘feel the digital’ in Mank, suggesting it was not cinematic enough and ruled it out for Best Cinematography.
Mank’s Amanda Seyfried – who is nominated for Best Supporting Actress – was also deemed ‘not winner-level’ and just ‘totally fine.’
Complaints: Korean indie Minari, which has already scooped up a handful of trophies during awards season, was described as being ‘excruciatingly slow’
However, the film did score better for the voter when it came to the categories of Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design.
Korean indie Minari, which has already scooped up a handful of trophies during awards season, was described as being ‘excruciatingly slow’ for the voter, although ‘beautiful.’
The film tells the story of a Korean-American family in search of their own American Dream, and lead actor Steven Yeun’s performance was praised.
Ouch: Trial of the Chicago 7 written and directed by Hollywood darling Aaron Sorkin is described as being ‘mediocre’ and too ‘television’
Winner: Nomadland is praised for being a ‘fully realized movie that is compelling and emotional and cinematic’ and is named as the voter’s top choice for Best Picture
Trial of the Chicago 7 written and directed by Hollywood darling Aaron Sorkin is criticized as being ‘mediocre,’ too ‘television’ and is put in last place for Best Picture.
‘Aaron Sorkin is maybe my favorite writer of all time, but he is not a good director,’ the voter argues anonymously.
The voter goes so far as to say the fact Sorkin’s movie ‘has a chance of winning, given how mediocre and “television” it is,’ is evidence of what a strange year it’s been for movies given the pandemic.
Tough crowd: Promising Young Woman ‘doesn’t feel like a great achievement,’ according to the one voter (Carey Mulligan pictured in the film above)
Mixed bag: Daniel Kaluuya was praised for his work in Judas and the Black Messiah – though the film was described as being messy
Meanwhile, Sound of Metal is also described as being ‘slow,’ Judas and the Black Messiah is labelled ‘messy,’ and Promising Young Woman ‘doesn’t feel like a great achievement,’ according to the one voter.
Conversely, Nomadland is praised for being a ‘fully realized movie that is compelling and emotional and cinematic’ and is named as the voter’s top choice for Best Picture.
The intense drama helmed by Chloé Zhao, sees Oscar favourite Frances McDormand play a lone woman in her late sixties who loses everything in the Great Recession.
The voter tips the late Chadwick Boseman to win Best Actor, despite not liking Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and says Best Actress ‘feels like the win’ for Andra Day, for he United States vs. Billie Holiday.
Despite getting very mixed reviews, the voter thinks Glenn Close will win for Hillbilly Elegy, though votes himself for Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
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