Last year, when I started this blog, I started with a post about my favourite of the Oscar nominees. While that post is on its way, I also decided it would be a fun exercise to give Ramble awards to films or actors who weren’t nominated and really should’ve been. 2019/20 was a great year for films which meant some were going to miss out. Unfortunately the Oscars are safe and bland and really not worth the time as we celebrate Scorceses and Tarantinos over fresh film ideas. The films and actors I will nominate will hopefully represent a greater plurality of film making. With 12 films gaining 16 awards (and another 7 nominated), hopefully you get some ideas of what to watch. I’ll take my invite as a BAFTA judge in the post…

Best Supporting Actor

One of those ‘Best Supporting Actors’ who isn’t really, Zack Gottsagen put in one of the funniest and sweetest performances in a film that not enough people saw in the Peanutbutter Falcon. Parasite should turn up many times in this list as nobody was nominated for an acting award. This was as a result of the film being an ensemble piece. Song Kang Ho as the father was probably the stand out performance in that film and was arguably the most pivotal character. Jonathan Majors was fantastic in The Last Black Man in San Francisco. He played a quirky film writer and offset the lead character beautifully. My left field choice was Keith Williams Richards in uncut gems who really puts the fear in Uncut Gems and makes even Adam Sandler someone you can root for.

For me, it’s a two horse race between Kang Ho or Gottsagen. Both made me laugh a lot and both made me feel devistated at times. However, Peanutbutter Falcon relied so much on Gottsagen and his relationship with Shia LeBouf and he absolutely delivered. Therefore, congratulations on the first Ramble award Zack

Best Supporting Actress

While Scarlett Johansson got a supporting actress nomination for Jojo Rabbit, I didn’t even think she was the best in the film. That honour should go to Thomasin McKenzie who portrayed Elsa, giving a heartfelt performance. Jennifer Lopez was a surprise Oscar omission after she gave a fantastic Hustlers performance. Again, it was one of those ‘Not really a support’ performances, but that can’t detract from what a good job she did. Zhao Shuhzen made the Farewell as the ill grandmother. She had a clever performance full of empathy and her acting left you wondering how much she knew until the very end. Park So-Dam was my choice for parasite, yet I could’ve given the nomination to any of four or five actresses. She was the smartest and coldest and represented her family best.

While I enjoyed all of these performances, Zhao Shuhzen was head and shoulders above all of the other nominees in this category. She was the funniest part of the film, reminding you of every grandmother on the planet. The last 15 minutes of the film left me very emotional [emotion redacted for spoilers] thanks to her.

Best Actor

After Rami Malek won the Best Actor award for BoRhap, it felt inevitable Taron Egerton would be ignored for an arguably superior performance. Jimmie Fails’ LBMISF carried the film with a lot of heart. While it was understated, he felt real and human. You could root for him with ease. Kelvin Harrison Jr was brilliant in the first half of Waves and I totally believed his pain. Looking back, I wonder how much of that was down to the cinematography helping him. My left field pick was Wang Jingchun, however he portrayed pain sensitively in such a heavy film and kept me interested for three hours. I didn’t choose McKay, De Niro or Sandler despite good performances, but all three deserve honourable mentions.

Harrison Jr managed to make us feel for someone even after [redacted spoiler]. You felt his pain and it would have been easy to not empathise. He did it better than Joker, therefore well done Kelvin. You win a Ramble.

Best Actress

Yet again, I have nominated a lead for Waves. Taylor Russell was great, albeit in a different way. She was understated and you felt the pain she was going through. Awkwafina was at an emotional best in The Farewell with brilliant chemistry with Zhao Shuhzen and distance from other characters. Lupita Nyong’o was wonderful in Us as two different characters. My left field pick was Mame Bineta Sane in Atlantics. The film had potential to get ridiculous but she kept it grounded, yet she got nowhere near enough praise.

The easiest decision of this blog was my favourite performance of the year regardless of gender or nomination. Lupita was incredible. She pushed herself so much and the scene at the end of the film where she is fighting herself was poetry. Her snub was unforgivable.

Best Picture

The Farewell was emotional and impactful. Two great performances from Awkwafina and Ramble winner Zhao Shuhzen really pushed it through. (14/20)

Last Black Man In San Francisco was brilliant and understated. A real change of pace, I appreciated the nostalgia and human side to it. (14/20)

Uncut Gems felt like an absolute mess in 2 hours of intense chaos. Somehow, it pulled it all together to make a pretty great film. (15/20)

Us was another social horror success by Jordan Peele. It was cleverly written and brilliantly acted. It was well worthy of a best picture nomination. (17/20)

Waves was what I wanted Joker to be. It was mad and unpredictable. The acting was top draw and the cinematography was mad and pushed limits. (17/20)

I almost didn’t put down Monos as it seems unlikely that a foreign film could win best picture. Hopefully this will change this weekend. In the mean time this experience was top draw. It was crazy action, acting, cinematography and music. The fact it wasn’t even shortlisted for Best International film was shocking. However, congratulations to Monos. You are the second Ramble Best Picture winner after Burning (19/20)

Other Awards:

Best Director: Greta Gerwig, No competition. Should’ve been nominated over Todd Phillips.

Best musical score: Mica Levi, Monos. Again, no competition. It complemented what was on the screen beautifully. Other contenders include I lost my Body.

Best Animated Feature: Weathering With you. While not as good as some of the others, it should’ve been considered for a nomination.

Best Original Screenplay: Uncut Gems. Fantastic, smartly written with chaotic, yet witty dialogue which keeps you intrigued.

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Personal History of David Copperfield. Smart and endearing with funny dialogue throughout, this film really didn’t get the love it deserved

Best Cinematography: Waves. A difficult decision, but a film which used every cinematic technique to great effect.

Best Costume Design: Dolemite Is My Name, A disappointingly overlooked film, Dolemite Is My Name sees Eddie Murphy and the rest of the cast in fantastically creative costumes.

Best Film Editing: Marriage Story, The cuts in the court room and the argument after are two of many great examples.

Make Up & Hairstyling: Us, This isn’t something I ever really notice, but the use of these features really defined the over world from the tethered.

Sound Editing/Mixing: Waves, The film used sounds brilliantly to show impact. Don’t really know the difference between the two sound awards, so only using one.

Visual Effects: Pokemon Detective Pikachu, If you’re this far down the list, fair credit to you. I don’t watch many films where vfx are big in play, so Pokemon in real life are a good thing, maybe.

Winners

3 – Waves

2 – Monos, Us

1 – Dolemite Is My Name, The Farewell, Little Women, Marriage Story, Peanut Butter Falcon, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Pokemon Detective Pikachu, Uncut Gems, Weathering With You,